Platinum Business Magazine issue 48 by Platinum Media Group

PLATINUM BUSINESS MAGAZINE The Largest Circulation Regional Business Publication in the UK.

THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE ISSUE Exclusive Interview

AMBER RUDD on Brand Britain THE SANTANDER BREAKTHROUGH DEBATE WHY EXPORTING IS GREAT AVOIDING VAT FINES ABROAD

EASTBOURNE’S NUMBER 1 Johanna Konta

EDINBURGH’S TECH BOOM

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ISSUE 48. 2018

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SHORTLIST REVEALED BRIGHTON AND HOVE BUSINESS AWARDS

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sponsored by British The shortlist for the Brighton and Hove Business Awards has been announced.

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2018 marks a record year for entries. With hundreds of sponsored by Green Growth Platform applicants whittled down to just forty-five lucky finalists and this year is set to be a hot contest to receive one of the prestigious fifteen trophies. sponsored by Churchill Square

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Entries were judged by an experienced panel of business experts including British Airways i360, NatWest, Churchill THE 2018 JUDGES Square, DMH Stallard, Green Growth Platform, Heart,by Uniglobe Travel sponsored Hilton Sharp & Clarke, Quantuma, Red7, Client Privé, Over 500 of the city’s business leaders, judges and Rockinghorse, Skerritts Wealth Management, Ten2Two, VIPs will be in attendance, giving guests the perfect sponsored by University of Brighton Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce and University opportunity to network with peers, celebrate with of Brighton. colleagues and find out those all-important results! To reach their crucial decision, judges reviewed all the will be the networking event of the year. sponsored by Platinum This Business Magazine entries to decide a list of finalists. Candidates then went Tickets cost £80 each or £750 for a table of ten and through a rigorous reviewing system, including phone, include a champagne reception, superb three-course face to face and panel interviews. sponsored bymeal Heart andFM two bottles of wine on each table, followed by Winners will be announced at the Hilton Brighton the awards ceremony and some amazing entertainment. Metropole on Saturday July 14th 2018.

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2018MEMBER FINALISTS CHAMBER OF THE YEAR

GREEN BUSINESS OF THE YEAR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AWARD SME BUSINESS OF THE YEAR sponsored by Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce Sponsored by Green Growth Platform Sponsored by Quantuma Sponsored by Hilton, Sharp & Clarke • Bright Green Homes • Brightec • Cardens Accountants • BHESCo • Cardens Accountants • Loch Associates Group sponsored by Client Privé • Green Mop • Search Seven • Pragmatic BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY INNOVATION BUSINESS sponsored byINACES Magazine BUSINESSPERSON OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Heart Sponsored by University of Brighton Sponsored by NatWest • Brighton & Hove Buses • Control Freq • James Dempster, Cobb Digital • Hilton Brighton Metropole • Ignithoby Technologies • Kathy Caton, Brighton Gin sponsored Hilton Sharp & Clarke • Legal & General • Ocasta • Steve Kerassitis, Haybury START-UP OF THE YEAR BEST CUSTOMERby SERVICE COMPANY OF THE YEAR sponsored NatWest Sponsored by British Airways i360 Sponsored by Client Privé Sponsored by DMH Stallard • 23Digital • BagelMan • Bird & Blend Tea Co. sponsored by DMH Stallard • Paxton Access • Oliver’s Brighton • Oliver’s Brighton • Slurps • The Old Ship • TSS Facilities sponsored by Skerritts Wealth BEST INDEPENDENT RETAILER EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR Management INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS OF THE Sponsored by Churchill Square Sponsored by Ten2Two YEAR • Kellie Miller Arts • Clarity Environmental Sponsored by Red7 • ODM UK • Searches UK • Gamification • The Float Spa • The Student Room Group • Haybury • Paxton Access FOOD & DRINK DESTINATION OF CORPORATE FUNDRAISER OF THE THE YEAR YEAR CHAMBER MEMBER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Sussex Chamber of Sponsored by Rockinghorse Sponsored by Brighton & Hove Commerce • Domestic and General Chamber of Commerce • Fatto a Mano • Search Seven • Cardens Accountants • Hilton Brighton Metropole • The Grand Brighton • Creative Bloom • Pascere • Plus Accounting

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Welcome

THE BIG STORY EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH AMBER RUDD MP

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

BUSINESS TRAVEL

EASTBOURNE’S WORLD STAR

The Santander Breakthrough debate

Exporting is Great - how the DIT can help

Edinburgh boasts a thriving tech start-up scene

Interview with Johanna Konta

Read by the influencers - and future influencers

9 16 20 23 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 39 41 43 44 54 56 58 61 62 64 65 66 68 71 72 75 76 78 82

Local and National News Exclusive interview with Amber Rudd NatWest - Business Accelerator Gatwick Diamond – Meet the Buyers Carpenter Box Kreston Reeves Hilton Sharp & Clarke Adur & Worthing Business Awards 2018 DMH Stallard CEO Fightclub LMS Group RSE Group Smith & Ouzman Quantuma Santander Breakthrough Debate – Focus on International Trade VIVAT International Gatwick Airport Matt Turner Consec Risk Management Avalara Frontier Pitts Lotus Labels Department for International Trade Sussex Chamber of Commerce Keysource Plumpton College Sussex Police Planning Debacle Travel – Shake hands in Edinburgh Travel – introducing Client Privé

Platinum Sport 88 Winter Paralympics 89 Local Sports News 90 Football 92 Tennis 96 Interview – Allan Mullery 99 The Float Spa 101 When Business Meets Sport 102 Network my Club 103 When Business Meets Sport 105 Active Sussex 106 Hickstead 108 The View from the Sofa 110 112 114 117 118 119 120 121 124 126

Charity – Headway Sussex Award Sponsor – DMH Stallard Charity News – Chestnut Tree House Mailing Expert Motoring – Skoda Kodiaq Motoring – Seat Arona Network Review Chamber of Commerce listings Anger Management Institute of Directors

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. Platinum Business Magazine is owned and published by The Platinum Publishing Group.

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At a glance

Issue 48 - 2018

A word from the Editors Summer’s here (allegedly) and working becomes even tougher as we stare out of the window at people enjoying the sunshine whilst we sweat at our desks. In this issue, Ian conducts an exclusive interview with our ex-Home Secretary, Amber Rudd at the Future of Work Conference, superbly organised by Mandy Brook of the RSE Group. Amber considers her next battle, that of saving her Hastings & Rye majority of only 345! Laurence has been busy with the new sport section, which includes a profile of Johanna Konta, and he chats with the Albion Ambassador, Alan Mullery about his 1970 World Cup experience. NatWest talk about their Business Accelerator and their extensive efforts to assist the next generation of entrepreneurs and Gatwick Diamond Business launch their new Meet the Buyers Event off the back of last year’s tremendous success. Leading business advisory firm Quantuma talk of their extensive range of services and we present our next Santander Breakthrough Debate on the subject of International Trade. If you currently trade internationally, there’s lots of tips here and if you don’t, read the debate - you may be inspired! Maarten has a look at some local planning decisions and uncovers the madness and double standards that abound. He has been awash with SUV’s to review and has been in a very bad mood. Strangely, the mood lightened when they removed the SUV’s and delivered him a stunning quarter million pound McLaren 720s. If you don’t need to drive next week, don’t venture out as the roads will be more dangerous than usual. And finally, we reveal the finalists for the Brighton & Hove Business Awards and tickets are now on sale for the event of the year on July 14th 2018. You will not want to miss it.

Maarten & Ian Platinum Business Magazine June 2018

The Team

Maarten Hoffmann – Director maarten@platinumpublishing.co.uk

07966 244046

Ian Trevett – Director ian@platinumpublishing.co.uk

07989 970804

Lesley Alcock

Fiona Graves

Laurence Elphick

Kate Morton

Rose Dykins

Business Development Director

Events Director

Head of Sport

Copy Editor

Travel Editor

Amanda Harrington

Beth Nash

Amanda Menahem

Steve Elford

James Morrison

Head of Design

Digital Manager

Food & Drink Editor

Head of Web Development

Head of Web Design

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Local News

Local News Laine let go

The Laine Pub Company, which owns an extended portfolio of pubs in Brighton and London, has been sold to a pair of private equity houses, Patron Capital and May Capital. The portfolio includes 21 independent and managed London pubs, 33 pubs in Brighton and another four through its Mash Inns joint venture with Ei Group. The pub company’s origins date back to 1996, with the opening of Brighton’s Mash Tun. Patron and May now own approximately 1,300 pubs across the UK.

Jeremy moves on

After 14 hugely successful years in the role of Chief Executive of Gatwick Diamond Business (gdb), Jeremy Taylor is moving on. Anya Ledwith, Chair of gdb, thanked Jeremy for his leadership and hard work in building the profile of the organisation. Anya said, “It has been a great 14 years and I’m so pleased with how gdb has become such a well-recognised and respected organisation. Over the last couple of years we have made real progress with a great team in place, a dynamic membership, as well as more varied and valued services. I have no doubt that gdb will therefore continue to thrive. “On behalf of gdb, I am sure you will join me in wishing Jeremy all the very best. We look forward to the next exciting stage of gdb’s growth.” All at PBM wish Jeremy every success in his next venture.

Triathlon for Giles

Lloyds Area Director for SME Business Banking, David Rawlance, along with colleagues and friends completed the Eton Dorney triathlon in memory of Giles Margerison, who passed away last year after battling pancreatic cancer. According to David, the 25 ‘athletes’ in the Skimmington Castle Tri Team comprised: “Super fit athletes (well one maybe), overweight beer drinking men, middle aged mums who drink too much wine, hard partying students, desk jockeys and number crunchers.” The competitors also included Giles’ widow and daughter. The triathlon raised money for Pancreatic Cancer Research, plus £500 of matched funding from Lloyds Banking Group.

“We cherish our friends not for their ability to amuse us, but for ours to amuse them”

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nic-burchett2

Rix & Kay advise on acquisition

Quattro Group, an English leading operator of road and rail vehicles, has acquired AB 2000 Ltd and its group, a £30 million turnover Glasgow based plant specialist and Scotland’s largest privately owned hirer of operated plant and equipment. The combined business will have a turnover in excess of £70 million. Sussex law firm Rix & Kay advised on the deal and Corporate Partner, Tim Sadka observed, “I have worked with John Murphy and the Quattro Group team for many years; during that time Quattro Group has enjoyed sustained growth. This cross border transaction, was supported by funding from RBS ABL and due diligence and corporate finance advice from RSM. This allowed Rix & Kay to deliver a multi faceted transaction, giving firm advice while being solutions focussed to address any challenges that arose along the way, ultimately completing in an orderly and timely manner.”

Local News

Local News The heat is on

The British Airways i360 on Brighton seafront has launched its summer beach BBQs. Served on a private beach terrace, the deal for corporate entertainment starts at £30+vat per person, and includes a flight on board the British Airways i360 pod for breathtaking 360-degree views of Brighton, the South Downs and the beautiful Sussex coastline.

Contact events@britishairwaysi360.com or 01273 448370 for further information.

“I never worry about diets. The only carrots l am interested in are the number you get in a diamond”

15th Seahaven Business Awards

Brighton-based VAT International sold

TMF Group, a Dutch based international business services company, has acquired Brighton based VAT International, one of the UK’s leading providers of VAT consultancy and compliance services. VAT International was founded and built over the last 20 years by Martyn Redman who now leaves the company in order to develop VIVAT International Ltd, the company that over the last decade has provided software solutions to support VAT International’s VAT return and VAT recovery business. Martyn Redman, in his role as Chief Executive of VIVAT International Ltd said, “While I’m sorry to be leaving my friends and colleagues at VAT International, I will now be able to devote my time to progress the development of VIVAT’s on line VAT support services. This will enable me to fulfil the company’s commitment to make web-based VAT services to all size businesses to undertake their European VAT reporting more simply and safely and ensure VIVAT remains pre-eminent in VAT technology.”

www.vivatonline.com

CountyClean get credit

The Seahaven Business Awards 2018 were held at the Presidents’ Awards dinner, a glittering occasion, on May 11th when hosts Newhaven Chamber of Commerce in association with Seaford and Peacehaven Chambers, held their annual business awards at the Jerrom Hall in Peacehaven.

Sussex based business CountyClean has been awarded accreditation from Alcumus SafeContractor for achieving excellence in health and safety in the workplace.

This year’s winners were:

Alcumus SafeContractor is a leading third party accreditation scheme which recognises extremely rigorous standards in health and safety management amongst contractors. It is used by thousands of organisations in the UK including SMEs and FTSE 100 companies.

Presidents Award: Business in the Community Hillcrest Community Café, Newhaven Best New Business Lodge Hair Beauty Salon, Seaford

Employing around 50 people, CountyClean is principally involved in the liquid waste management sector, delivering environmental support services across a variety of commercial and consumer industries, with a £5 million turnover.

Business Person of the Year Rachel Stafford, Butterfly Nursery, Peacehaven Best Customer Service Easy Tone Fitness, Newhaven Best Eatery The Hope Inn, Newhaven Best Environmental Business Strategic Management Partners, Saltdean Business of the Year Tomsetts Distribution, Newhaven

Trevor Beer, Operations Director at CountyClean Group

Trevor Beer, Operations Director at CountyClean Environmental Services Ltd said: “This is the seventh year that CountyClean has been awarded the Alcumus SafeContractor accreditation and we are delighted to receive this recognition for our ongoing commitment to excellent health and safety practices in everything that we do.”

Conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects.

Take your business to the beach from just ÂŁ18+VAT per person

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National News

National News Watch out

The Swiss watchmaker Richemont has destroyed nearly €500m (£437m) of its designer timepieces over the past two years to avoid them being sold at knockdown prices. The Geneva-based luxury goods group behind Cartier and Montblanc said it bought back €203m of unsold watches last year. That was on top of the €278m of Cartier watches, which start at £1,000 but can cost more than £20,000, it reclaimed from jewellers in 2017. The company took action after stocks of its wristwatches began building up in display cabinets in Asian markets. It was worried that unsold stock would end up being discounted in the so-called “grey market” of unauthorised resellers, damaging the image and pricing power of its brands. The need to buy back its wares in such large quantities has affected the group’s profitability. Underlying profits rose 5% to €1.8bn in the year to 31st March, a performance that disappointed investors.

A recipe for disaster

British supermarkets are selling thousands of tonnes of avocados produced in a Chilean region where villagers claim vast amounts of water are being diverted, resulting in a drought. Major UK supermarkets including Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose, Aldi and Lidl source avocados from Chile’s largest avocado-producing province, Petorca, where water rights have been violated. A spokesperson from The British Retail Consortium, said: “Our members have been made aware of the allegations made regarding production practices of avocados in the Petorca region of Chile. “Safeguarding the welfare of people and communities in supply chains is fundamental to our sourcing practices as a responsible industry.” More than 17,000 tonnes of avocados were imported to the UK from Chile in 2016 and the demand for avocados in the United Kingdom has gone up 27% in just the last year, figures show.

Valley of the geeks

UK tech workers are flocking to a historic market town, following a huge growth in the technology sector there. Newbury, in Berkshire, is home to Vodafone’s headquarters and has a higher “digital density” than anywhere else in the UK, as companies seek to expand beyond London. It topped the list ahead of Reading, Basingstoke and Burnley, with smaller towns building up skilled workforces to nurture new startups and tech companies. A new tech report described the “productivity power path” travelling along the M4 corridor and spreading to Southampton and Portsmouth. As well as the tech towns, eight cities also showed above-average employment in the technology field, with Portsmouth topping the list. It was followed by Bristol, Cambridge, Southampton and Oxford rounding out the top five. The Tech Nation report shows the UK’s digital tech sector is accelerating faster than the rest of the economy. In fact, the sector’s growth from a £170bn industry in 2016 to £184bn in the most recent report shows that it’s expanding two-and-a-half times faster than the rest of the UK’s economy.

“You know more of a road by having travelled it than by all the conjectures and descriptions in the world”

It’s good to talk

A smartphone app has been developed that allows users to exchange text messages with an accredited counsellor whenever they need to share concerns or let off steam. The property company Rightmove and the energy drink company Red Bull are among those that offer access to the app as an employee benefit and can now be used by individuals for £9.99 a month. Spill links the user with up to three counsellors who are registered with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy. The development coincides with attempts by therapists to find new ways to use phone and video calls to stay in touch with patients between sessions.

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National News

National News Home-made millionaires

The number of the so-called eBay millionaires has spiked in the past year. There were 300 more self-made millionaires selling goods on the website in the past year, a study shows. The list of top businesses include home furniture and DIY, car parts, clothes and computers and there are now more than 1,000 so-called eBay millionaires in the UK. Rob Hattrell of eBay said: “Around 23 million Brits continue to visit us every week and it’s no surprise that the nimble small businesses, which understand and cater to the everchanging tastes of British shoppers, are flourishing.”

The pension pot

A quarter of a million pounds is what we’ll need to save on top of the full state pension, insurer Royal London has warned in a new research paper. The figure is based on matching the average working income and takes into account spending changes like reduced travel costs. It’s up by more than £100,000 since 2002 thanks to plummeting interest rates and rising life expectancy. Recent research from LV suggests we are nowhere close with the average pot of money held by 45-54 year olds being just £71,340. The workplace pension scheme has undoubtedly swept significant numbers of people into saving for retirement. Around half of UK adults are now thought to be saving enough to favourably compare their pre and post-retirement life. But for many others, the assumption that saving the minimum automatic contribution will be enough, has stalled savings rates.

“Life is all about how you handle Plan B.”

“This research has big implications for the mandatory 8% contribution rate from April 2019 for those who have been enrolled into a workplace pension,” says Helen Morrissey, personal finance specialist for Royal London. “This is a great start, but the government needs to act quickly to nudge people up to more realistic savings levels. Without this, many millions of people will face a sharp drop in living standards when they retire.”

Walk the walk

Celebrities who keep fit by hiking in the Hollywood hills are being credited with a rise in the popularity of walking holidays. According to the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) 54% of 25,000 respondents said they were interested in walking on holiday, 57% of which were women and 42% men. The AITO Travel Insights research revealed walking as the third most popular type of holiday behind city breaks and culture tours. In the first quarter, one AITO-listed tour provider saw a 39% increase in walking tour bookings compared with the same period last year. AITO head Kate Kenward said: “The big surge for young people is for walking holidays walking, adventuring, anything that is not sitting on the beach. I think it is to do with wellness and people being more interested in their health.”

Music by numbers

Sony has announced a $1.9bn (£1.4bn) deal to acquire EMI Music Publishing, one of the world’s largest music publishing companies with rights to songs by the likes of Queen and Pharrell Williams. The deal adds a catalogue of more than two million songs – including some of the greatest hits from the first half of the 20th century – to Sony’s already huge holdings. The agreement is Sony’s first major deal under new CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, who noted that the music business has enjoyed a “resurgence” in recent years due to streaming services provided by companies such as Spotify and Apple. With this purchase Sony “is becoming one of the biggest music publishing companies, both in name and reality”, Yoshida said. EMI is the second largest music publishing company by revenue and either owns or holds the rights to 2.1m pieces of music; Sony already owns 2.3m copyrights.

Interview

Brand Britain

Amber Rudd MP believes that Britain can excel by specialising in luxury goods and services in a post-Brexit world. In an exclusive interview with Ian Trevett, Amber also talks about her biggest success as Home Secretary and what the future holds for her.

t would be fair to say that 2018 hasn’t entirely gone to plan for the MP for Hastings and Rye. It had all been going so well. Her political rise was swift and dramatic. She only entered Parliament in 2010 but after just six years she held one of the Great Offices of State (the four most senior and prestigious posts in the British government), and was only the fifth woman to do so. Amber was the fastest-rising politician to a Great Office of State since the Second World War. She was tipped to go even further. The Economist recounted her warm reception at the influential conservative think-tank, the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS): “She represented a link between the establishment and the new generation. Ideologically, she represented a unifying force in a divided party. Here was Margaret Thatcher’s favourite think-tank championing the leader of the Remain faction in the cabinet. Lord Saatchi, the CPS’s chairman, introduced Ms Rudd by reading a list of five home secretaries who had gone on to become prime minister.” Amber Rudd may indeed become the sixth on Lord Saatchi’s list, but it may take longer than anticipated. Once the awful treatment of some of the children of the Windrush generation came to light, her opponents sensed blood. The policy of creating a ‘hostile environment’ was not introduced by Amber, but by Theresa May, the previous Home Secretary. However it was the question of how much she knew about targets for enforcing the removal of ‘illegal’ immigrants that cost her dear. On April 29th 2018, when she resigned as Home Secretary, her letter of resignation stated that she had “inadvertently misled the Home Affairs Select Committee on the issue of illegal immigration”. But Amber Rudd is a fighter, and refuses to keep a low profile. Less than three weeks later she was the guest speaker at a Future of Work conference organised by the RSE recruitment group, and she happily agreed to be interviewed by Platinum Business Magazine (although, unsurprisingly there were a few questions we were told not to ask!)

Interview

mber Rudd was often perceived as the dedicated Remainer in the cabinet who acted as a bulwark against those who sought the hardest of Brexits. After all, she probably had the killer line in the referendum debate, when she referred to her Brexit opponent Boris Johnson as being: “Not the man you want to drive you home at the end of the evening.” She may well have continued the fight behind the closed doors of the government’s inner circle, but she certainly won’t be drawn on such matters in a press interview. A query on her thoughts on Brexit was swiftly brushed aside with a bullish prediction of opportunities that will greet the UK over the coming years, and she is robustly confident on our chances to succeed. “A strong area of growth I see for the UK is in luxury goods and brand goods,” says Amber. “The amount of growth that Burberry has seen over the past few years has largely been in China. Brand Britain is an enormous asset to us and luxury products the UK can promote and sell overseas are of huge value.

“The amount of growth that Burberry has seen over the past few years has largely been in China. Brand Britain is an enormous asset to us and luxury products the UK can promote and sell overseas are of huge value.” “I went to a local business centre recently and saw a small business which puts together beautiful sets of sound equipment which are being sent out internationally. It’s the kind of thing you could buy digitally for a quarter of the price but their clients don’t want that. They wanted a beautiful product with a beautiful veneer on the top and they were prepared to pay a premium for that. This is something that we in Britain do very well.

“I am always interested in finding out what more we should do as a government to support businesses. How we can get out of the way but ensure that we’ve got the right regulation in place.” Regulation is a theme that crops up regularly in the conversation with Amber and for her, it is a very positive thing. Businesses often complain about over-zealous regulation but it she is adamant that done well, strong regulation is actually an asset: “I know that regulation is always a challenging area but if we get our regulation ahead of other countries in terms of autonomous cars, advances on airlines and other new innovations, then we will be the place that people will want to come and set up their businesses. “One of the reasons why the UK became a centre for financial services over the past 15-20 years is because we have a regulatory system that has the right balance between regulating the financial services and protecting individuals. Being able to stay ahead has meant we continued to thrive in our financial services. “GDPR coming in is a good thing for the EU and the UK when you consider what happened with Cambridge Analytica and the Facebook data. We are going to be able to say with confidence to people internationally: ‘Your data will be secure here’. “The wealth of the country is not just about trade. Strong rule of law and proper regulation is what attracts businesses to this country. They know that it is a safe place to do business. If we can stay ahead in regulating new areas of work we will attract the best

talent and businesses.” The theme of law and order crops up in the conversation regularly and when asked about her proudest achievement as Home Secretary, Amber has no hesitation in highlighting the work she did with the internet giants to significantly reduce the online propaganda churned out by terrorist groups. “Last year when I was Home Secretary we encountered a series of terrorist attacks that really knocked us,” says Amber. “One of the responses I had was to call together the largest internet companies and say: “You need to do more to take the terrorist material offline.” I went out to Silicon Valley, went to the big boys out there, Google, Apple, Facebook. I got them all together and they did set up a global internet forum for counterterrorism and they do take down that material now. We estimate that 97% of potential terrorist material is taken down by them automatically. “So much information, data, business is done through social media over the internet. They don’t quite know how to regulate it in my view. Only twenty years ago Facebook didn’t even exist. I think all companies are struggling to regulate and get that balance right. “In the area of counterterrorism, I eyeballed the Silicon Valley chief executives and they felt a terrific responsibility for making sure that their site wasn’t the one that was used for terrorism. We must continue to do that and push them harder. “It isn’t easy, and the answer isn’t as simple as just banning it. The Germans got an agreement where if they emailed the internet companies about a site, they have to take it

Interview that is in terms of expansion, so we’re very supportive in making sure that the market is out there so that they can raise money. Small businesses become large businesses and they are the employers of the future.”

Hastings & Rye The support of small businesses is particularly relevant in her own constituency. While the South East’s economy has boomed, Hastings has struggled with lower wages and higher unemployment than the rest of the region. It is also one of the most marginal constituencies in the country. At the last election the Conservative majority was a wafer-thin 346. Unsurprisingly, when I asked what’s next for Amber Rudd, her answer was unequivocal: “It’s all about Hastings and Rye”. It is firmly at the top of Labour’s hit-list. Ousting a former Home Secretary is not quite as spectacular as kicking out the down within 24 hours. But that’s too late. It is believed that within 90 minutes any terrorist material released would have been circulated round the world. It has to be on the basis of getting the internet companies to engage with us. There are 400 hours of YouTube put up every minute. When you think of the scale of that the only way to be able to get them to actually regulate their own sites is to invest themselves in the sort of artificial intelligence and the knowledge that will enable us to be sure that it won’t be put up in the first place. It has already been done successfully with child pornography which has been virtually wiped out from the open web.”

“The wealth of the country is not just about trade. Strong rule of law and proper regulation is what attracts businesses to this country.”

The theme of the conference was the future of work and this is a subject that Amber Rudd is particularly passionate about. “Before I went into politics, I was in the high-risk world of venture capital and my ten

years there taught me enormous respect for people who set up businesses. I know the huge feeling of risk and anxiety that goes with actually putting yourself on the line, taking responsibility for employees and I always want to make sure that this government will respect that and will help to support employers. Helping small businesses set up, getting out of the way so that we can allow them to grow and making sure that we have the right educational support going forward is absolutely critical. “There are substantial grants and tax reliefs for start-ups and growing businesses. There’s also support of high street shops in terms of business rates. We’re very committed as a government to make sure we support the small businesses and to make sure they’re able to raise money. We know how important

serving Minister, but it would still be met with celebratory glee by Labour supporters. Spending more time in the constituency may not be a bad thing for Amber. It is a mystery to me how a politician can serve one of the highest offices of state, dealing with all the problems the country faces, yet still have time to look after the everyday issues that are so important to individual constituents. For Amber this is actually a positive thing. “When politicians from other countries find out that we are still local MPs as well as Ministers they think we are mad! I believe we have the system right. By holding constituency surgeries we get to talk to people and hear their issues and views. If you get too far removed, it can be dangerous as you create policies which seem to be sensible, but we don’t always understand how it affects people in their everyday lives. It also

Interview keeps us grounded. I wouldn’t change it.” Even so, with such a tiny majority, engaging more locally may be a silver lining, and Amber is keen to talk about how the Hastings economy is changing for the better. “It is absolutely changing,” she says. “There is a much more of an optimistic feel about the town than there has been for a long time. Unemployment has fallen dramatically. It is still higher than most of the South East but it is far lower than it was in 2010. “We’ve been able to grow the economy. There is confidence in the area. There has been visible investment in the infrastructure in the area. We have started the dualling of the A21 which is fantastic and I’m committed to getting faster trains. “Hastings has benefitted from some great projects and was chosen to be of twelve Opportunity Areas which included £6m of direct grants to improve outcomes for over 11,000 children and young people in Hastings.

“I know the huge feeling of risk and anxiety that goes with actually putting yourself on the line, taking responsibility for employees and I always want to make sure that this government will respect that and will help to support employers.” “A lot of money has been going into Hastings to try and improve the schools, give the teachers what they want, give the additional leadership, invest in the buildings. It has improved, but it hasn’t made that systemic change that we’re all looking for. I hope that this can be that change. My experience sitting in with the Opportunity Area board yesterday (May 17th) is that we are on the cusp of achieving just that. The Secretary for

Education, Damian Hinds, was at the meeting, as it is taken very seriously at government level. “I think the opportunity area for Hastings and Rye could be a fantastic push forward for improving our educational opportunities. Unemployment in Hastings and Rye has fallen by 50% since 2010 and I’m told 400 new businesses have set up since then. Several employers I’ve spoken to at this Future of Work Conference have said to me they find it hard to find the right people to come and join them. The way to address that is to make sure that our skills are better and I think the opportunity area will make a really important step in achieving that.” As well as promoting small businesses, Amber is particularly dedicated to eradicating gender imbalances in the job market. She says: “We all know one of the areas that is going to grow is artificial intelligence. We have to make sure that more women get involved at an earlier stage in the subjects that are going to be relevant to allow them to excel in that. When I went over to Silicon Valley I noticed there are plenty of women in Google and Facebook at the top, but there were very, very few engineers. As a overnment, we have to make sure we do as much as possible to encourage young women, even when they’re still at school, to choose the STEM subjects that are going to be so critical to getting on in that area of future growth. As a former Minister for Women and Equality I was very much keen on

championing this.” The Future of Work conference included extensive debates on artificial intelligence, so will there be a day when AI replaces politicians? “No! I think not. Politicians have to be accountable and for that you need a human being not a machine. Someone has to engage with people and being out and about with people is critical. The personality of a politician means they will always be needed.” Clearly the chances of Amber Rudd being replaced by a machine is just as unlikely as her giving up on her political career without a fight.

FUTURE OF WORK 2025 • We interviewed Amber Rudd MP during a break at the Future of Work 2025 conference organised by the RSE Group, and held at Bannatyne Spa Hotel in Hastings. Amber was speaking at the conference, which was introduced by Mandy Brook, Managing Director of RSE. The other speakers were: • Tom Hadley from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, which is the professional body for the UK recruitment industry. • Rob McCargow from PwC UK, who sits on the All-Party Parliamentary Group on AI. • Adam Jeacock, Head of Sales & Marketing at Smith & Ouzman, a leading security and financial printer • Maria Paviour, who has developed an index which measures well-being and emotional engagement at work Thanks to Sarah Bennett for the photography from the conference

Business Accelerator

Accelerating Brighton’s entrepreneurs

ast month, NatWest’s Gordon Merrylees and Darren Pirie explained why the bank had decided to revamp and integrate the Entrepreneurial Spark programmes into the RBS Group. This month, Brighton’s Entrepreneur Acceleration Managers Olivier Peyrasse and Kristina Pereckaite report on what this has meant for the successful Brighton hub.

access to workshops and events in the hub and access to our network of partners and mentors. “All this is fully funded and with no catches! Our goal is to provide a phenomenal opportunity for entrepreneurs to take their business to a whole new level in a short space of time.

“We’re several months into a new era for the Brighton hub of the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator. It’s been a fantastic start to the new look programme, with an intake of Startups having joined us in April and already proving they have the capability to transform many sectors and industries across the nation, and beyond.

“We are currently focussed on supporting the entrepreneurs to accelerate their businesses whilst developing the offering further both immediately and ready for the next intake, in October. We are always looking to chat with anyone who is interested in becoming a mentor or those that want to give back to the entrepreneurial community by sharing some of their experience and knowledge through talks and events that they run regularly - great practise for a future TED talk!

“We’ve got entrepreneurs from all walks of life, building businesses in almost every sector including food & drink, clothing, services, health, games, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and fintech. As before, the entrepreneurs get dedicated 1:1 coaching,

“We are also really focussing on identifying the next batch of entrepreneurs that we can support in October. They can be entrepreneurs who are at any stage of their business, as long as they have big ambitions to scale their operations. We welcome any introduction

Olivier Peyrasse

MyCharleston

Kristina Pereckaite

to such businesses – the programme is fully funded and has no strings attached so there’s no excuse not to get stuck in and see what you, or a contact, could achieve with their support.”

Over the next few issues, PBM will be highlighting some of the innovative new companies who are resident at the Accelerator…

Business Accelerator

NatWest Entrepreneur Focus

MyCharleston Q&A with Elena Collins, Managing Director

yCharleston offers a range of dance products, which allows anyone to connect with The Charleston Dance. From dance classes, events, performances, videos and private bookings; our experiences will lift your mood, help you get fit and improve coordination whilst helping you make new friends in your local community. Whether you attend a class or come to one of our events, each experience is aimed at bringing you happiness - because we believe dance is a joyful experience which can be shared by all.

Tell us about your journey into entrepreneurship? Fiona and I started working together when we made a short dance film about Brighton. We wanted to showcase our city with people dancing The Charleston in front of iconic locations. After the release of the film it went viral and our dance classes became oversubscribed. From that moment we discovered a gap in the market: People wanted to learn The Charleston. Suddenly we started to get approached to teach, perform at events and make films. MyCharleston started as a passion project which then grew into a lifestyle business. Our biggest obstacle from there was changing our mindset - it was hard to think we could take the business a step further. When we were accepted onto the NatWest Accelerator our mentors helped us unravel this block. They challenged our assumptions and pushed us to see we had a business model that could grow. We learnt from shifting our mindset that we could change the company from a hobby into our careers.

What’s your #1 tip for fellow entrepreneurs? Fiona and I built the company together. Working as a partnership has both its challenges and rewards. My tip if you work with someone is to recognise your partnership as an asset. We have taken time to refine how we work, communicate and nurture our relationship which has been key to growing a healthy and happy business.

How has the NatWest Accelerator programme helped to accelerate you and your business? In August 2017, we were accepted on to the NatWest Accelerator programme where we began a growth plan. It included expanding our classes, our events programme and merchandise. In six months we have grown our weekly courses from three to eleven, launched in five new cities and trained four teachers. Our monthly turnover has tripled; allowing us to quit our jobs and focus on MyCharleston full time.

What are you most excited about right now? We are really excited about our expansion. Our ambition for 2019 is to train ten new teachers and to develop into a franchise. We are also really looking forward to the summer

Elena and Fiona season too as we are going to be teaching and performing at many vintage events across Sussex as well as our own 1920s Afternoon Tea events at the Hilton Brighton Metropole in June and September.

You can find our full timetable of events and classes at www. mycharlestondance.com or like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/ mycharlestondance

In five years time what impact will your business have on the world? MyCharleston provides a service that enriches people, improves health and fosters community. Our experiences make people happier through dance and over the next five years we will continue to grow and create more positive impacts on people’s lives.

Business Accelerator

NatWest Entrepreneur Focus

Percept Imagery

ercept Imagery is working towards aligning the vision of property developers and architects with that of the buyers through immersive experiences. Their bespoke virtual reality solutions targeted for each of them make sure that the buyer experience is at the heart of everything they do.

Akshay and Rohan

Tell us about your journey into entrepreneurship? Akshay and Rohan, the two young founders of Percept Imagery, started off by introducing Immersive 3D technology in their solutions for Architectural Visualisation in India 3 years ago.

Rohan:

We made acquaintance through a common friend we were working with. We knew at once that together, with our complementary strengths, we can achieve a lot more. In few weeks, we were working on our first visualisation project as a new business and we’ve never looked back since.

Akshay:

As a budding startup, UK is the place to be as the VR industry is soaring to new heights here. We came across the opportunity of moving to UK about a year ago. Rohan (Masters at University of Sussex) and I (Bachelors at Bournemouth University), both being graduated in the UK, and we knew the importance of the opportunity and grabbed it at once. Now that we are here, we are ready to make some waves with our work!

In five years time what impact will your business have on the world? In five years time, we would like to impact the fundamental ways of a property being designed, planned, built, sold and bought. For each of these stages, we intend to introduce a better and efficient solution with our cutting edge technology in VR that will save the valuable resources such as time, efforts and most importantly, natural resources and

building materials, thereby making us a green initiative.

What’s your #1 tip for fellow entrepreneurs? If something has never been done before, all the more reason to do it, because you might just end up changing the world.

How has the NatWest Accelerator programme helped to accelerate you and your business? The NatWest Accelerator is the new home to Percept Imagery in Brighton. Apart from providing us office space, the programme is helping us to run a better business, in more than one way. Kristina and Olivier, the accelerator managers at the hub, are helpful in identifying our strengths and weaknesses as well as how to play to/remedy them in the best possible way. From brainstorming a new business strategy, to getting feedback on its implementation, to introducing us to

the key people in the industry, the NatWest Accelerator programme is proving to be a real ally for growing entrepreneurs such as ourselves.

What are you most excited about right now? Our current run as a Department for International Trade endorsed, investor-backed and NatWest supported business is upping the game as we are set to introduce more intuitive and personalised virtual reality solutions for real estate and architecture industry, here in UK. We are excited to make an impact on the real estate industry with our cuttingedge, hyper-realistic and most importantly, portable virtual reality solutions. You should see people’s expressions of awe when they try out our unbuilt property experiences. A lot of them feel compelled to reach out to touch, it’s that real. In with the new, out with the old has never been so relevant.

Visit our website at www.perceptimagery.com for more information and follow us on twitter @perceptimagery for updates. If you are interested in trying out incredible VR experiences we have to offer hands-on, shoot us an email at hello@perceptimagery.com to arrange a demo.

Business Event

Gatwick Diamond Meet the Buyers 2018

ollowing the success of the Gatwick Diamond Meet the Buyers event in 2017, plans are well under way for the Meet the Buyers Programme 2018, with the main event on November 21st 2018 at the Arora Hotel, Crawley. Rosemary French, Executive Director of the Gatwick Diamond Initiative, said: “The 2017 Programme generated in the region of £700,000 in orders placed or planned from suppliers, with an average spend of around £5,000. Furthermore, one of our buyers has added every one of the suppliers they have met to their tender list, so who knows how much more could be generated?” The 2018 Programme will deliver Free Workshops for businesses across the region to learn how to grow their business with topics including (but not limited to): • Breaking New Markets in a Post-Brexit Britain • Digital & Social Media Marketing • Effective Sales Processes and Practices • Networking for Real Business Growth • Presentation & Public Speaking Skills • Using Innovation and Sustainability in your Business Rosemary continued, “The Free Workshops are a key part of any business journey in engaging with new buyers. Alongside being in the room on November 21st to meet buyers, suppliers need to develop their skills as well as make sure they follow up with those they have met.” For 2018 there will be an on-line matching service which will allow buyers to state their needs and suppliers to put forward the products and services they can provide. Buyers will then select appointments with potential suppliers that match their needs.

Further information can be found at www.GatwickDiamondMeettheBuyers.com or call 01293 813889

SPONSORS: Gatwick Airport

•

Gatwick Diamond Initiative

•

Crawley Borough Council

Finance

ATED: Pushing the tax envelope

Do you have a property valued above the ATED threshold?

Dan Hobbs, Tax Client Service Director at MHA Carpenter Box, helps ensure you don’t get caught unaware.

nnual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (ATED) was introduced on April 1st 2012. It’s designed to deter companies and mixed partnerships (“non-natural persons”) from acquiring certain residential property, and was one of a number of government measures around a similar theme. The changes were made to close a loophole whereby buying residential property via enveloped dwellings or corporate structures was a method of avoiding stamp duty.

“With such a low threshold, considerably more residential properties are within the scope of ATED than was initially the case.”

Initially when the legislation came in, ATED applied to residential property with a market value, or with a purchase price if acquired post April 1st 2012, in excess of £2m. Over the years we have seen this threshold reduce to £1m and now to its current limit of £500,000, which took effect from April 1st 2016. With such a low threshold, considerably more residential properties are within the scope of ATED than was initially the case.

When does ATED apply? Non-natural persons owning residential property fall within the charge to ATED if all of the following conditions apply: • They hold a chargeable interest in a single UK dwelling • With a value > £500,000 • The dwelling is owned wholly or partly by a company; a partnership with a corporate partner; or a collective investment scheme. The charge applies to both UK and non-UK resident entities that meet all of the above conditions.

What is a dwelling? A dwelling is defined as a property of which all or part is used or suitable for use as a residence or is in the process of being constructed or adapted for such use, i.e. a house or flat. Land that is or at any time intended to be

occupied or enjoyed with the dwelling as a garden, land or any building or structure on such land is taken to be part of the dwelling. This includes tennis courts, garages, swimming pools, and summer houses, which all form part of a dwelling for ATED. For mixed use properties, only the value of the residential element needs to be considered for ATED. Any temporary unsuitability for use is ignored for the purpose of the charge.

How is the ATED charge determined? The tax payable under ATED is calculated using a banding system based on the value of the property. The value of the property is taken as the market value of the property as at April 1st 2017 for property acquired on or before April 1st 2017 (previously April 1st 2012). For any property acquired post April 1st 2017, the purchase price is used. This value is then generally frozen and used for the next

Finance five years. The first revaluation for ATED took place on April 1st 2017 and applies to chargeable periods commencing from April 1st 2018 (see table to the right).

Exclusions from the charge The legislation also specifically excludes a number of bodies or specific dwellings from the charge to ATED. Some of these are as follows: • Charitable companies

Value of property

2018/19

2017/18

£500,001 - £1,000,000

£3,600

£3,500

£1,000,001 - £2,000,000

£7,250

£7,050

£2,000,001 - £5,000,000

£24,250

£23,550

£5,000,001 - £10,000,000

£56,550

£54,950

£10,000,001 - £20,000,000

£113,400

£110,100

£20,000,000 +

£226,950

£220,350

• Public bodies • Bodies established for charitable purposes • Dwellings conditionally exempt from inheritance tax • Residential property for school pupils or students • Hospitals • Hotels or similar establishments • Care homes • Military homes. If the residential property falls within the above, no ATED return is required to be prepared and filed.

“Delay in filing a return can result in penalties of up to £1,600 after a year, with tax geared penalties for the late payment of the ATED tax”

online. Failure to submit the required return can result in penalties.

of the ATED tax, so if you have missed the deadline, act quickly!

Returns and Penalties

How we can help

ATED is complicated. There are different compliance deadlines depending on when the non-natural person acquires a dwelling and these apply equally whether tax is due or a relief is being claimed.

Non-natural persons owning property need to consider the following points as a guide as to whether a return is required:

Generally, the ATED return and tax liability are submitted for a year in advance by reference to the annual chargeable period, which runs from April 1st to March 31st. The return and tax must be submitted by April 30th at the latest or within 30 days of acquisition if the dwelling is acquired in the year. The charge therefore assumes that the property will be held for that year ahead. The 2018/19 ATED return for a property held on April 1st 2018 should have been filed and the tax charge paid by April 30th 2018, and therefore a property could then have moved into a different banding. It is important to remember that even

1. Is the dwelling non-residential? 2. Is the value below £500,000? 3. Is the entity or building specifically exempt? If the answers to all the questions above are no, then an ATED return is required. At MHA Carpenter Box, our Tax Services Team can review your records and help you determine whether you need to file an ATED return, whether the building is exempt or whether one of the reliefs apply.

For more information, please contact Dan Hobbs on 01903 234094 or sign up to our monthly newsletter service at www.carpenterbox.com/ newsletter

if there is no ATED charge because of the availability of one of the reliefs, a return must still be submitted. Delay in filing a return can result in penalties of up to £1,600 after a year, with tax geared penalties for the late payment

Reliefs from the ATED charge There are certain reliefs available from the ATED charge. These include properties let on a commercial basis to a third party, residential properties held for employee accommodation and providers of social housing. This list is not exhaustive, so it’s definitely worth speaking to an expert to determine eligibility for any reliefs. Even in the above circumstances, a return must still be submitted showing that no tax is due because of the availability of one of the reliefs above. With effect from 1st April 2015, a relief declaration return can now be completed

Finance

Manufacturing and engineering, and the skill shortages Why everyone needs to reconsider the sector’s image, by Allan Pinner, Partner at Kreston Reeves.

espite UK economic growth falling in the first quarter of 2018, largely due to the severe winter weather and the disruption it brought across all major sectors of the economy, manufacturing and engineering has overall been enjoying a modest boom. The recent increase in manufacturing and engineering output has boosted sector confidence. Banks and observers are reporting increasing levels of sector investment and continued overseas confidence in ‘Brand GB’. Skills shortages remain the principal blot on the sector’s ability to accelerate. We’ve previously looked at how individual companies are investing in setting up their own apprenticeship schemes to solve their recruitment and retention challenges. Here we look at some of the practical ways that companies can address their own skills shortages in the long, medium and short term.

Sector perceptions vs reality A report by Cranfield University in 2017 identified five key reasons underpinning skills shortages in UK manufacturing, three of which put the (mis)perceptions of manufacturing and engineering to the fore, namely: • Young people in the UK have less interest in manufacturing related subjects • Female employment in manufacturing is far less than male employment

• The perception that employees have lower income in the manufacturing sector

“Banks and observers are reporting increasing levels of sector investment and continued overseas confidence in ‘Brand GB’. Skills shortages remain the principal blot on the sector’s ability to accelerate”

can do is to build links with schools and colleges. These links will help counter students’ outdated perceptions of the sector, its working environment, and future potential for them. Activity can take the shape of visiting schools, or hosting trips to your plant, to see first-hand the working environment. Many of these preconceptions need scotching early, before young people’s career choices become self-limiting. Whilst employers can make direct contact with local schools themselves - and many do, LEPs like the South East Local Enterprise Partnership provides links via structures such as the Careers Enterprise Company (CEC): this is an employer-led company helping young people explore options for their future career, working in partnership with schools, colleges, employers and youth organisations to create opportunities. Similarly, the Kent County Council (KCC) has eight employer ‘guilds’ designed to bring together employers and education, with one purely designed for Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing and involving more than 200 employers.

Apprenticeships for all? The perception clearly remains that work in this key sector is dirty, predominantly male, low skilled and low paid. While industry-wide campaigns from government and sector bodies can help address this over time, one of the most practical things local employers

A medium-term solution is looking at the role which apprenticeships can play in building your business skills-base, at whatever level, and helping recruitment and retention. Despite the fact that the Department for Education (DFE) figures in March showed there had

Finance ensure that this can’t be allowed to continue in the name of political ‘success’. The current emphasis on ‘apprenticeships’ also disguises the important role that short term, sometimes intensive, courses can play in re-skilling or upskilling existing employees, often to meet their immediate needs.

Key challenges for management and government alike Two other main areas of weakness identified in Cranfield’s study also need to be addressed by businesses and government alike.

been a 26% drop in the number of industry apprenticeships taken up in the first quarter of 2018 (possibly due to the effects of the Apprenticeship Levy) there is an increasing range of apprenticeships available, across a wide range of subjects, and at many levels. Universities such as Greenwich are actively planning apprentice degree courses, where people are employees first, and students second, offering students the potential of a relevant degree course and debt free study.

“One of the most practical things local employers can do is to build links with schools and colleges”

As Paul Wetherfield CEO of Global Associates, a building and energy management systems (BeMS) company with its own engineering apprenticeships programme, says: “Many youngsters are disincentivised by politics, and disheartened by low wages and the number of unpaid placements. The government continues to push young people into taking university qualifications, but this doesn’t suit everyone. For those who want vocational, hands on experience, an apprenticeship is a fantastic way to make use of these young people’s strengths.” However, whilst the government is keen to push apprenticeships as a primary source of new, more skilled labour, there remains the real risk that the concept of an apprenticeship becomes over-extended and too devalued to either address the skills shortage, or to reinforce the perception of delivering ‘skill’. Some employers have used the new emphasis on apprenticeships as an opportunity to generate high-quality standards, but others (including some in the hospitality sector) appear to be simply rebadging low-quality, low-skill and often low-wage roles as ‘apprenticeships’ instead. Industry bodies must

The lack of applicants with the right skills to fill open posts in the immediate term, often at highly skilled levels, needs to be looked at quickly by government, especially if they are considering a points-based immigration system: skilled employees from the European Union returning home as result of uncertainty surrounding the status of EU nationals need to be reassured, or encouraged. Secondly, with UK manufacturing having an ageing workforce which needs replacements quickly, some of the senior management of companies need to look to the future to reframe their thinking and invest in more modern manufacturing techniques soon. Let’s hope the current increases in manufacturing financial investment are soon matched by similar long-term investments in learning and skills.

Allan Pinner is a Partner at Kreston Reeves. You can email him at allan.pinner@krestonreeves.com or call 0330 124 1399 www.krestonreeves.com

Levels of apprenticeships Name

Level

Equivalent educational level

Intermediate

GCSE

Advanced

A Level

Higher

4,5,6 and 7

Foundation degree and above

Degree

6 and 7

Bachelor’s or master’s degree

Become an apprentice - GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide

Promotional Feature

The sky’s the limit Cloud accounting will help business owners free up valuable time and enable them to truly understand their financial figures, says Gemma Gaines of leading chartered accountants, Hilton Sharp & Clarke.

ands up those business owners who often feel they need more than 24 hours in a day?

At Hilton Sharp & Clarke (Chartered Accountants and proud sponsors of this year’s Brighton & Hove Business Awards SME of the year) we understand that not only would we be looking out at a sea of raised hands if we asked this question at a business event, but we may even find many of you asking if you could also have a spare hand to raise. The great news is that here at HSC we believe that with the amazing technological advances in accounting software of recent years, we can now help business owners get back some of their valuable time that was previously spent on the time consuming

and tedious tasks of chasing paperwork and recording financial numbers. By using cloud accounting software such as Quickbooks or Xero, we can ensure that a direct bank feed is set up between your online banking and your accounting software. This ensures that not only are ALL bank transactions recorded daily with 100% accuracy in your accounts, but that this is done without the need for any manual input by you or a bookkeeper, so freeing up time for other tasks. We can also link credit card and Paypal account details so that transactions from these sources are also accurately recorded into an accounting system. With our experience in using this new software, we can also help you to set up “bank rules” so that certain bank transactions will

automatically be sent to the correct profit and loss expense or balance sheet account within your records. A good example of this would be weekly or monthly staff wages, where the description on the bank statement of a payment to Mr X or Miss Y would be enough to ensure that payment is automatically posted to a net pay control account without any human input required.

“We believe that we can help business owners make better business decisions, which in turn creates a better business, and then a better life for not only our clients but also for their staff.”

In addition to the massive benefit of having a direct bank feed link, cloud accounting software can also be used to create many other efficiencies such as setting up sales invoice templates so that invoicing is done direct from the cloud accounting software. We can also help you set up automatic repeat invoicing, and create direct payment links to be attached to all sales invoices that you send out. You’ll find that your invoices are paid faster, and you’ll save valuable time spent writing out invoices and chasing payments.

Promotional Feature

For this article we will briefly describe one of our add-on favourites and one which our clients immediately fall in love with; Receipt Bank. Receipt Bank allows business owners to upload their purchase invoices into Quickbooks or Xero by either taking a photo on their phone (we provide you with the app when signing up), scanning in purchase invoices and uploading them, or simply by forwarding an email received from a supplier with their invoice attached to a unique email address that we provide you with. OCR technology ensures that all of the key data from each purchase invoice e.g. supplier name, VAT details, date and value of invoice etc. is automatically recorded and then by setting up rules for your regular suppliers, this information is automatically synced into your account software where it can be automatically matched to bank payments paying these invoices.

“You’ll find that your invoices are paid faster, and you’ll save valuable time spent writing out invoices and chasing payments.” Now with the additional hours that you have saved in accounts preparation work, you can either do more of what you love doing or you can use some of that saved time to look in

more detail at the real-time accounting figures that this new software has provided you with. It is this ability to discuss the real-time financial numbers of a business with our clients which makes us love this new software. For the clients, it is the ability to have regular discussions with their accountant about the figures that are important to them that really creates the value. If you want to make the time efficiencies mentioned above, and use some of the resulting freed up time to discuss with your accountant ways that they can help you understand the financial numbers that are important to you and your business, then give one of the HSC team a call on 01273 324163 or email Gemma Gaines at GemmaG@hsc.uk.net

The other huge advantage of using Receipt Bank is that your business becomes paperless with a pdf copy of the purchase invoice automatically attached to the expense in your accounting software, created by the upload of that invoice through Receipt Bank. Not only will that save the many hours a year that are spent looking for copy purchase invoices for various reasons, but it will ensure that your accountant has immediate access to all supporting paperwork when reviewing your accounts, and how many times have we previously spent chasing paperwork?

Business Awards

Celebrating success The Adur & Worthing Business Awards launch this month.

ow in their eleventh year, this year’s Adur & Worthing Business Awards will officially launch on Wednesday 6th June at Hummingbird Restaurant, Shoreham Airport, with the ceremony taking place on Friday 16th November at The Pavilion, Marine Parade, Worthing.

These prestigious awards celebrate business excellence within the Adur and Worthing region, and have become the feature business event across the area. Organised under the umbrella of the Adur & Worthing Business Partnership (AWBP) as a not-for-profit organisation, the Adur & Worthing Business Awards are organised by a committee of successful local business people, these include Electronic Temperature Instruments, JSPC Computer Services, Seagull Travel, Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce and Adur & Worthing Council. All winners from the Adur & Worthing Business Awards will be automatically shortlisted for the same category in the JP South Business Awards 2018. Last year’s sell-out event was attended by over 370 guests all representing local businesses and included the town’s Mayor, Alex Harman and Mayoress, The Rt Hon, Baroness Virginia Bottomley as well as other distinguished guests and Council delegates. The 2017 winner of the coveted Overall Business of the Year award went to Gemini Print Group. Judges awarded the dedicated and innovative print company this title as they deemed them the organisation who had shown the most enterprise, passion and drive in taking their business forward.

2018 Award Categories Overall Business of the Year

Lifetime Achievement

Training & Development

Sponsored by Electronic Temperature Instruments Ltd

Sponsored by The Martlet Partnership

Online tickets will go on sale on Wednesday 6th June as part of the official launch event. For further information on entering the awards and to purchase tickets, please visit www.awbawards.com The award entry deadline is Friday 21st September 2018.

In association with

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Legal

Estate planning for business owners By Camilla Bishop, Senior Associate at DMH Stallard

MRC has recently published research into inheritance tax (IHT) reliefs and estate planning, which has prompted speculation that business relief may not continue on such favourable terms. With potential change on the horizon, it makes good sense to lock in the relief at the earliest possible opportunity. You may know that the rate of IHT is 40%, but it is important to keep in mind that business assets may qualify for business relief from IHT. To qualify you need to hold the business asset, whether shares, a partnership interest or asset, in a sole tradership for at least two years. It must also be predominantly a trading business - property investment and some other excluded activities do not qualify. For example, if you are a business owner you should consider whether you could make

a lifetime gift of any of the business interest or shares, as such a gift could be outright or to a lifetime trust. A gift of business assets to a trust is particularly attractive, as the relief means that there is no IHT entry charge (20% on amounts over £325,000). Importantly, you can continue to control the business assets by being the trustee of the trust while putting in place effective succession planning.

survivor’s estate.

If you are married, there is merit in including a trust in your Will to receive any business assets that you have which qualify for business relief. This trust will lock in the relief when the assets pass into the trust. It is common that after a death, a ‘cross-option’ agreement may be triggered which will replace any business assets with cash proceeds. In such circumstances, the Will Trust would ensure business relief is secured and the cash proceeds are in the trust and do not inflate the

If you have business assets in your estate that may qualify for business relief, the above estate planning is relevant to you and could significantly reduce your IHT liability.

Your spouse can then have access to as much or as little of the trust fund as needed from then on. Loans can even be granted by the trustees which are even more tax efficient as they are repaid on second death, reducing the IHT liability further. Upon second death, the assets in the trust can pass IHT free to the children or other beneficiaries.

For further information please contact Camilla Bishop, Senior Associate at DMH Stallard T: 01273 744228 E: Camilla.Bishop@dmhstallard.com

Legal

DMH Stallard advises on purchase of Aircraft Chartering Services Ltd

op 100 law firm, DMH Stallard, advised Hunt and Palmer PLC on its share acquisition of competitor, Aircraft Chartering Services Limited.

Founded in 1986, Hunt and Palmer PLC provides global bespoke air charter, with offices on four continents, and its head office in Crawley, West Sussex. Aircraft Chartering Services is an air charter broker for passenger charter flights, sub-charters and wet leases. Abigail Owen, Corporate Partner at DMH Stallard, led the team providing the legal advice on the acquisition for Hunt and Palmer PLC. Abigail said: “Having acted for Hunt and Palmer PLC for over 15 years, it was rewarding to continue working with them as they embarked on the next stage of their growth. This recent acquisition will complement their existing brokerage business, adding a further Abigail Owen dimension of specialist travel services. We wish them all the best for the future.” Jeremy Palmer, a director of Hunt and Palmer, said: “We thank Abigail and her team for their assistance on this transaction; it was dealt with smoothly and in a commercial manner. They expertly guided us through this

complex legal process and incorporated our gentleman’s agreement with ease and without over-complicating matters.” Goodman Jones LLP advised Hunt and Palmer PLC on the accounting and taxation aspects of the transaction. Downs Solicitors LLP and Tudor John Chartered Accountants advised the sellers on the transaction.

For further information please contact Abigail Owen, Partner at DMH Stallard T: 01293 558573 E: Abigail.Owen@dmhstallard.com

DMH Stallard hosts conference on mental health in the workplace

MH Stallard recently hosted a conference that explored mental health at work, and how employers should plan and implement a sustainable programme of change.

Twenty five per cent of employees are likely to suffer from mental health issues at some point in their working lives and research suggests a positive return of between 150% to 900% for money invested in this area. Simon Bellm, Partner in the employment team at DMH Stallard and mental health first aider, said: “At the start of 2018, DMH Stallard launched a new health and wellbeing programme designed to promote physical and mental health. Simon Bellm

“Most recently the firm signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge, an important step that follows the introduction of regular resilience and wellbeing training, healthy detoxification and energising lunchtime sessions at all six offices, with eight staff becoming mental health first aiders.” Chaired by Simon, the conference panel included some of the UK’s leading thinkers on

mental health in the workplace, including Dr Michael Isaac, Sarah Restall, Luise Usiskin and Darea Flanagan. • Dr Isaac is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Hon Senior Lecturer in Psychological Medicine at the South London & Maudsley Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Psychiatry in the University of London. • Sarah Restall is the Employer Engagement Manager in the Time To Change Team at Mind. • Luise Usiskin has a range of equality and diversity experience gained through her work with Stonewall and Challenge Consultancy. • Darea Flanagan works at E.ON UK as part of a multi-disciplinary inhouse Occupational Health Team and has responsibility for wellbeing in the UK.

For further information please contact Simon Bellm, Partner at DMH Stallard T: 01293 558511 E: Simon.Bellm@dmhstallard.com

CEO

Let your business run away from you By Si Conroy, owner of Scarlet Monday

re you one of those leaders who fundamentally believes that without them, everything would fall apart? If you’re an owner, are you also focused on selling so that you can live the dream with millions in the bank? I argued in CEO Fight Club: Never Try to Sell Your Business (issue 41) that you shouldn’t be doing anything differently to sell, so why am I telling you to let your business run away from you? It’s because this is the secret; whether you’re CEO/MD with or without ownership. It all starts with motivation. You are motivated if you are doing what ‘you and only you’ can do every day. If there’s anything in your accountabilities/to-do lists that others could or should be doing, then they should be doing it. This has two outcomes: 1. You end up with a far more focused list of what you should be doing 2. You develop your best people, giving them the opportunity to take on your previous accountabilities In point 2, if your best people don’t step up, having been given the opportunity and relevant support, then you know you need better people. So rehire. If they do step up then you’ve kept them motivated and you get to focus on point 1. Other benefits of point 2 are:

Whereas you may historically have been the glue that ensures everything runs smoothly, your best people are unlikely to follow your mistake. In most cases a positive wave of systems, documentation and process clarification/redefinition sweeps the business as they know nothing should ever be reliant on them. Done in a balanced way, this inevitably creates a far more saleable/profitable business.

Accountabilities cascade down the team, enabling the best to flourish and the fakers to flounder.

You automatically unlock your businesses engagement. No more rousing pep talks and attempts to improve the culture. It either grows because you’ve got the right people in place or it falters and you know to go back to rehire the new leadership under you. In point 1, if there’s relatively little left

CEO Fight Club

on your list (and this happens a lot with my clients) then a world of opportunity opens up: 1.

If you’ve followed my previous advice and hired people that scare you (they’re so good), then you’re left with the accountability of growing the business to be big enough, challenging enough, growing enough to keep them engaged and motivated. This keeps you focused as the Chief Strategy Officer. You get to play in your ‘sandpits’. Every leader needs to be clear on their sandpits and what it feels like to play in them. You should feel a state of Flow - where you are ‘fully immersed in a feeling of energised focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity’. This is the intersection of what ‘you and only you can do’, what you feel passionate about and what the business needs. For some clients it’s speaking, writing and networking. For others it’s developing new sales channels for the future strategy. Some technical owners love being the chief problem solver. Just find your sandpit.

As owner you can look at alternative exits that don’t involve you not knowing what to do with the rest of your life whilst you worry about a load of cash in the bank and a new owner destroying your legacy. This is way more common than you’d think. Some examples of what your new future could look like: a)

One client put in place a CEO and sales director, cut back their personal living expenses slightly and now just goes in for monthly boards. This allows their management team to grow the dividends and capital in their business without them having to do the hard work.

Another takes six month miniretirements (Read https:// fourhourworkweek.com/ if this takes your fancy) and then comes in for six months to push the business forward in new directions inspired by their distance from the day-today.

A non-shareholding CEO I coach

at the request of the shareholders applied ‘what can I and only I do’ and realised his team could do everything and so tendered his resignation to the shareholders to save his hefty salary. They rewarded his honesty with a stake in a new business to develop and run. Even though my exhortation in the title may have led you to believe I was going to recommend you letting go of your control of the business, I think running a business is a lot like being in love: “If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it is yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.”

Unknown

As tenuous as you may believe my point to be, if you set your business free to be run by others without you, and it thrives, then this is a good thing. You can decide whether to focus your rare skills on making it even better. If it fails without you when being run by the best people then you’ve probably been hiding from the fact that it’s been failing for a long time. So, take the plunge. Let your business free.

Si Conroy specialises in helping business owners remove their blockers to profitable business growth; be they strategy, marketing & sales, people, finance or systems/process. Trained at PwC and owner of Scarlet Monday (www.ScarletMonday.com) and www.ConstantMentor.com, Si practices what he preaches across a number of businesses in which he has invested. si@scarletmonday.com

@siconroy

Technology

Speak easy To SIP or not to SIP, the unbearable truth, by Mark Emrys-Jones, Senior Account Manager at LMS Group.

What Is SIP? Many of us still run our businesses over the telephone, and for decades this was the only option we had to communicate with the outside world and our customers. Some of us may have painful memories of trying to resolve faults with BT Openreach or may have been involved in building more complex telecoms solutions, resulting in huge overall costs.

“Then along came SIP and VoIP, with its promise of a bright new future like Flash Gordon in his red and gold vest.”

And then along came SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), with its promise of a bright new future like Flash Gordon in his red and gold vest. In its simplest form, all VoIP means is that call traffic goes over a Broadband connection rather than a telephone line, and SIP is one of the many protocols that enables VoIP.

Whilst the benefits were enormous, so were the risks, particularly when initiated in a poor way.

Is SIP reliable? So, what is the upside of having your calls run over the internet? Well, for starters, you don’t need all those pesky telephone lines and associated line rental charges. Also, call charges would significantly reduce. It’s worth pointing out that there’s often a misconception that all calls would be free on VoIP, whereas in the real world there are often break-out charges

“The best practice for this is to separate your data traffic from your voice traffic and effectively have two networks. ”

Technology

where a call needs to leave the VoIP ‘bubble’ - as such most companies now offer bundles with inclusive minutes. Also, there is much greater flexibility such as being able to take your telephone number literally anywhere in the world. I’ve spoken to many business owners who’ve had to give up their well-known numbers simply because they moved to the ‘wrong part of town’ that was serviced by a different telephone exchange.

The best practice for this is to separate your data traffic from your voice traffic and effectively have two networks. That being said, for those who have invested in their IT infrastructure, they can efficiently and effectively manage it all by using a combination of elements and Quality of Service (QoS). QoS is a mechanism that ensures all voice traffic takes priority over less businesscritical data traffic. Another option is having an Ethernet Leased Line rather than a bog standard Broadband connection, this provides crucial benefits such as guaranteed upload and download speeds, and more importantly if there’s a fault, a six hour lead-time rather than the standard five working days.

“There is much greater flexibility All of this coupled with backup services such as being and a well thought out disaster recovery plan, able to take your means that the resulting solution will be far more robust than anything achievable just a telephone number few years ago. literally anywhere in When do I have to do it by? the world.” One important development is that digital

to purchase new ISDN lines, and by 2025 the network will be switched off. In all likelihood that switch off date will get postponed, but the fundamental message is that at some stage in the next few years you’ll have to jump on board the VoIP bandwagon whether you like it or not.

Should I wait or do it now? Chances are there’s a strong business case for doing it sooner rather than later, whether it be cost savings, enhanced telephony features or (for any IT managers out there) using the telephony savings to invest and improve your IT network. There is also an argument not to leave it until the eleventh hour as some telecoms companies and service providers may well raise costs to cash in on the last minute panic. The best advice is to get some guidance from a company that understands both IT and telephony, as the future is the integration of both technologies and one unified solution.

ISDN lines are being phased out. The current roadmap is that come 2020 you won’t be able

It is also much easier to ‘flex’ your capacity if you’re in a seasonal industry. So during the summer months you can increase the amount of SIP Trunks (simultaneous calls) you have and then reduce them in the winter. But now comes the downside. When VoIP came out we were still living in an England with comparably awful Broadband speeds. This coupled with a poor understanding of how best to deploy VoIP meant that it soon gained a bad reputation.

Recruitment

When was the last time you taught your staff something new? By RSE Group’s Managing Director, Mandy Brook.

elcome to 2018 – the world is changing and the world of work is changing even faster, at a ridiculous rate.

my team new skills they will leave me and go and use those skills elsewhere. Those skills that have cost me money to teach and most likely taken them out of the workplace for a period.

Jobs that used to be are no longer - think telephone operator, milkman. New roles have taken their place in spades; roles that weren’t even thought about five to ten years ago. Then there are roles such as social media manager, 3D printer operator, Neuroscience practitioner to name but a few!

Well, let me educate you now. Train them, let them learn, upskill them and put those skills to use, or you will still lose them to the competition.

Like it or not, change is happening at a fast pace, and being an employer of choice means changing with it and taking your team with you.

• Relationships - their sense of connection to their work colleagues and a common sense of purpose, to belong if you like and not be ostracised.

Now some of you will be saying, if I teach

I have mentioned before that employees need three things to keep them happy in the workplace, these are:

• To be able to make a difference - they need to believe in what the company does, its values and its aims, and its leaders, and they need to be able to make a wider contribution to society or to their team they need to feel of value and have purpose. Last but definitely not least • Progression - this could be in terms of role or job title or more easily in terms of learning. Employees coming into the workplace now are expected to have up to three or four careers in their lifetime not just one, so lifelong learning is essential. So my question still stands, do you let your employees learn? About themselves, about the company and what they bring to the wider community, about a subject that can help the company and the individual move forward, or do you leave them stagnating, bored and unfulfilled in their role? It doesn’t have to cost a load of money, just a well thought out quarterly team meeting would work where you work on the team and their self-progression, and not just on the company progression. It goes hand in hand funnily enough. Your ROI will be returned 10 fold. I know what I’d prefer, a buzzy and engaged team of workers, ready for the day, creative, innovative and leading us forward to greatness because they are engaged, feel valued and given opportunity. I’ll leave you with that thought.

If you’d like to discuss this in more detail, please call me on 01424 83000 or email me mandy@rsegroup. agency

the

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Security

Safe and secure Dinah Ouzman, Local Business Development Manager of Eastbournebased security print company Smith & Ouzman, explains how the company’s record management service eKeepersecure can help businesses comply with GDPR.

t’s here. After many months of watching GDPR getting steadily closer and closer, it’s now arrived. If you have been viewing it with a sense of inescapable doom, rather as you would a tornado on the horizon that you couldn’t outrun, then you can stop worrying and relax.

The need for legal reforms such as GDPR are driven by the relentless digitalisation of our world that brings with it risks to personal security but at Smith & Ouzman we have always been one step ahead. The innovations for sensitive documents and secure data management that Smith & Ouzman has developed means that our customers are always protected. Our technology allows you to manage and process your customers’ personal data and sensitive information according to best practice but without the risk of exposure to fraud, counterfeiting and reputational damage. One area of normal office life that you may not have considered being affected by GDPR is paper recycling. These days most people are pretty switched on about the safe disposal of personal documents such as utility bills and bank statements, anything that could be used for

identity fraud or clearing out your bank account. But are we so careful when it comes to fraud within the workplace? Possibly not. The trouble with the people who commit this kind of crime is that you can’t spot them; they could be an employee or a colleague, as unlikely as that may seem, and if your confidential waste is just going into your office recycling bin it’s easy pickings for anyone who has a mind to. If you are responsible for the safe keeping of your company’s confidential documents you are responsible for their safe disposal too. Even if you are shredding your documents and have them collected by a waste disposal company, without an audit trail and certificate of destruction, you have no proof of what happens to your waste after it leaves your premises. eKeepersecure’s confidential shredding service with audit trail and certificate of destruction is the most secure way of complying with your legal obligation to protect any data you hold about your clients and employees. It’s also a great way of reducing your company’s environmental footprint and meeting your sustainability targets. We can provide this service as a one-off or on a regular basis according to your needs. We can collect from your premises or you can deliver your document to us, the choice is entirely yours. eKeepersecure also offers a flexible document storage service that allows businesses to free up valuable office space and banish clutter by storing boxes of sensitive and important documents in Smith & Ouzman’s secure facilities. The service includes collection and delivery and boxes can be easily retrieved at any time by making an online request. So far from being an onerous burden, the need to comply with GDPR is actually a great opportunity for companies to evolve, modernise and set new standards of best practice. Find out more about eKeepersecure at www.ekeepersecure.co.uk and drive your business into the future with confidence.

Quantuma is a leading restructuring and business advisory firm. We deliver innovative solutions to help you and your clients take advantage of opportunities and overcome challenges to achieve your business goals. Our range of high quality advisory services include: • • •

Corporate Finance Risk Management and Investigations Litigation Support

• • •

Funding Solutions Restructuring Mergers and Acquisitions

If you or a client are facing financial challenges or forecasting an impending problem, please give us a call and we’ll be happy to work with you and your client to turn those challenges into opportunities, and work towards the best outcome for all concerned.

For further information contact: Sean Bucknall Partner M: 07437 011821 E: Sean.Bucknall@quantuma.com

Maxine Reid Partner M: 07703 189087 E: Maxine.Reid@quantuma.com

www.quantuma.com

Quantuma LLP. Registered in England and Wales. Registered Office: 81 Station Road, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, SL7 1NS Registration Number: OC379411. VAT Number: 144 2175 34. A list of our Partners and their respective licensing bodies is available from our website at www.quantuma.com/people

Business Advisory Service

A service to suit all Leading business advisory firm and BAHBAS sponsors, Quantuma, help business owners with their operational aspirations, and will be judging the Professional Services category at this year’s awards.

uantuma, the leading business advisory firm, is delighted to be a sponsor of this year’s Brighton and Hove Business Awards (BAHBAS).

The company, which has been based at

Frederick Place in the centre of Brighton for more than five years, will also be judging the Professional Services category. One of the judges will be Sean Bucknall, a partner at Quantuma’s Brighton office, who is an insolvency practitioner and qualified accountant with a degree in Economics and Business. Mr Bucknall’s specialism is assisting professional practices, with a focus on distressed legal practices, informal debt negotiation and contentious litigation. He has worked for Quantuma in Brighton since 2013, and before that worked at RSM Tenon Recovery, a Brighton company that was purchased by Quantuma in the same year. Mr Bucknall, a keen Brighton and Hove Albion fan, said: “Quantuma is proud to be a sponsor at these awards, and is excited by the quality of so many entrants. “It is clear to us that Brighton’s thriving business sector is growing, and we’re keen to show our confidence in the town by playing our part at celebrating its best companies.” Another judge in the Professional Services category will be Maxine Reid, also a partner at Quantuma’s Brighton office. Ms Reid is an insolvency practitioner who joined Quantuma in February, having spent the last nine years based in Eastbourne and the previous seven years in Kent, Sussex and London. Her specialisms are formal and informal business restructures, personal debt advice, asset tracing, litigation and investigation into fraudulent activity. Ms Reid said: “One of the things that we’ve noticed about the town is the arrival of several businesses that had previously left the area to

focus on other locations. “When companies come back, you know it’s because they’ve missed the area, and the fact that Brighton’s been successful in attracting such relocations says a lot about the city, its services and the focused business community.” Quantuma works with businesses at key milestones, delivering partner-led solutions to help clients take advantage of opportunities and overcome a range of operational and financial challenges, enabling them to achieve their business objectives and ambitions. While the company is predominantly a business advisory and restructuring firm, it offers many additional services ranging from corporate finance to forensic investigations. As well as its full-service office in Brighton, Quantuma has a further nine offices in London, Southampton, Marlow, Watford, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Ringwood and Weymouth.

Ms Reid said: “Everyone at Quantuma is passionate about providing quality advice to help business owners and individuals who find themselves in financial distress, often through no fault of their own. All advice given is confidential and initial consultations are completely free of charge.” Commenting on the BAHBAS, Mr Bucknall said that Quantuma was always keen to celebrate success, and was looking forward to watching the winners collect their awards in all categories. Ms Reid added: “Quantuma would like to congratulate all of those who were nominated for an award and wish all of the finalists good luck in the final awards ceremony next month.”

For more information about Quantuma, please visit www.quantuma.com

Mr Bucknall said: “Both as a local office here in Brighton and as a wider firm, Quantuma is adequately resourced to not only provide advice when a distress situation arises but also to support firms with a variety of services before any such stage arises.”

Breakthrough Moments - a Santander Promotional Feature

A Santander Breakthrough Debate

Focus on International Trade Are you exporting? Are you thinking of exporting?

We invited a panel of international trade experts and business owners to discuss the opportunities presented by exporting - and the issues businesses face. Facilitated by Maarten Hoffmann Edited by Ian Trevett

Fear of exporting Lev: It is quite often that fear of the unknown is the biggest obstacle. This is

Lev Denker, Trade Advisor, Department for International Trade

understandable, but a lot of companies don’t realise how much help is available out there. The Department for International Trade (DIT) offers practical help to companies both small and large. We have trade advisors across the region and our job is talk to clients, look at their business and advise them objectively if their business is suitable for exporting.

We can help them understand the legal, transport, language and culture issues, and we also help them find distributors or agents overseas. Business can also get valuable support from banks, Chambers of Commerce and trade associations. Businesses shouldn’t be frightened but they should be prepared. It’s very important to get your planning strategy right. There’s help to get them on the first ladder of exporting and if they are on it already we can help them to climb higher.

Helenor:

We’re pre-export and I’m not scared because of the DIT. I have a fantastic trade advisor, Richard Bond, who we met at a very early stage. He has held our hand and made sure that we are really thinking about export right from the start of our business evolution.

Helenor Rogers, Founder, Troo Foods

We told him we were concentrating on the UK first, and he said, “I understand you’re doing the UK first but don’t preclude yourself from doing export first because there could be even bigger opportunities for you.”

I still think we need to learn our lessons first. But we are not thinking that we have to be a £1 million UK company before we export. We just need to make sure that our logistics are in order. We want to make the mistakes and then go to market knowing that that our product is robust, knowing who our target market is, and knowing how to service the customers. Having been on several DIT

training courses we’re doing it with confidence, so when we do go to export we will be doing the right thing. I went on a DIT trade mission with Santander last year and very quickly realised the benefit that the bank could bring if we want to be a serious export brand in Europe. I think it will be early next year.

Lev:

You put your finger on it: “When you’re ready.” That’s the important thing. We always say make sure that you’re on solid ground at home. If it doesn’t succeed at home it’s very unlikely that it will succeed overseas.

Helenor: It’s all very exciting when you’re new and someone says, “I could take a pallet next week to Hong Kong.” By going on the DIT training courses you get the confidence to wait if you know the timing isn’t right. I’ve heard lots of stories from people who took up those offers and they’ve ended up with their pallet stuck in customs or they’ve had other problems.

Breakthrough Moments Jeremy: I think there is a fear. I would

Julianne:

suggest with quite a number of business owners it’s quite easy to say “My product isn’t ready.” But will it ever be ready? There has to be a point where you decide to make the step into the unknown. When you talk to people who have made the leap they will usually say that they wish they had gone sooner. Most will also say that you have got to go to the country, you can’t do it remotely. Some use LinkedIn to great effect, using it to announce that they are visiting a country, and in doing so, they have people getting in touch to arrange meetings when they visit.

Jeremy Taylor, CEO, Gatwick Diamond Business

Julianne Ponan, CEO, Creative Nature Super Foods

The way I’ve built my business is to jump off the cliff and build the airplane on the way down. That’s how it is as an entrepreneur. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t say yes to things. I wouldn’t be in Sainsbury’s, I wouldn’t be in ASDA. I turned up and knocked on the doors and did it. And the same happens with exporting. We have an advantage as British brands are respected. People buy because British manufacturing is known to be one of the best.

Creative Pod’s Matt Turner told me he was almost thinking of setting up a New York office and approaching people in the UK saying, “I’m over from New York, can we have a meeting?” as people will say, “Blimey, yeah! You’ve come all the way from New York!” I was in business in Atlanta, Georgia, a few years ago and, out of the blue, someone said “This guy wants to meet you.” I said “Who is he?” “He is the head of one of the biggest law firms in Georgia.” “Oh, okay, great. Why does he want to meet me?” “Because you’ve come here.” You can’t underestimate the power of going somewhere. Mark: Our surveys tell us that just

Mark Collings, Head of International for Santander SME Banking

under two-thirds of SMEs are confident of growth in the next 12 months, and this includes businesses that are either currently internationally trading or want to internationally trade. There is still a fear factor, so it is important to build supportive networks. If you want to explore overseas markets go with other people who are exporting or are planning to export, and you will benefit from the trusted advice from the businesses you travel with.

Jeremy: The key is to be “Be ready to be lucky - a great example is Tangletease, who made the hairbrush used by Kate Middleton’s hairdresser on the morning of her wedding. A very famous Chinese model or soap actress was in Britain at the time, tried the brush and tweeted “I love this brush. It makes my hair look like a princess.” Knowing this lady has got millions of followers, Tangletease immediately registered ‘Princess Brush’ as a trademark in China. It’s a huge success and is a case of being ready to be lucky.

A Santander Breakthrough Debate

Breakthrough Moments

Where to export?

A Santander Breakthrough Debate

How do you decide which country to trade with? Helenor:

Social media is very helpful because it is global. I can tell from my Instagram following where we are getting interest. Our positioning is about gut health. So where are the areas where people are looking for products which are gut healthy or gluten-free? We can’t afford to do big advertising campaigns globally so where is there an intrinsic interest in my product? There’s lots of information you can get from the DIT. We joined the Institute of Directors, which as a small companies only cost £100 to join the IoD. With the IoD, you can say “I would like you to give me some research on the gluten-free market in Spain” and they’ll write you a report. I think you’re allowed 20 reports a year. Also, you’re allowed a number of sessions with their experts. We benefitted from some great advice about trademarking our company when we discovered a Greek company had the same name, which saved us the cost of using trademark lawyers.

Julianne:

We tried Scandinavia first, about two and a half years ago. We went over there, looked at what was on the shelves and saw they were way ahead of the UK. We thought it would be easy to get in but it wasn’t because they were so ahead.

We met some people at a trade show and they said “Your product will really suit Switzerland.” We weren’t sure but we were invited over with all our expenses paid. We were suspicious as they were doing so much for us; we were wondering what the catch was. But we went over and saw that there was a market for us and they started selling by the pallet load. Within two months we had everything set up and ready to go. And it worked really well.

Mike: We’d thought being a British product meant we were coming in from a different angle. There was already a market there for allergen-free products and healthy eating, it’s only going to grow further. The press and social media depicted Scandinavia’s focus on healthy eating and gluten-free. We thought there’s got to be a market for us. But we found it very tough because they were able to produce a lot cheaper than we were. We’re selling there now but it took a while.

Mike Coomber, Director, Rivertrace

We looked at the largest supply base to the shipping industry and that happened to be Germany. So that was our first market. And then you just look sector by sector who else is a large target market. We went in at the ground level to find other equipment makers where our product was compatible, or as a component of, and then you could exploit their networks.

You can spend a lot of money on developing a product, and you can have the best product in the world, but without the marketing and the network you’ll go nowhere. It costs you nothing to walk a trade show. In one day you can see who’s who in the zoo or if there is a market. Then maybe join an overseas mission or do your own exhibition, and spend the money to do so. We do a lot of exhibitions and we pick up potential contacts, distributors or agents from countries you’ve never even thought of.

An unanswered question: Jeremy: There are R&D tax credits, so why not international trade tax credits? Surely the government should be helping our exporters more?

Breakthrough Moments

Culture & language Do you need to speak the language? Helenor:

Most people, especially in business, speak English. It did help in Spain that my parents had been there for ten years, so I feel comfortable there. I know enough to know that there’s a massive “sin gluten” demand. I wouldn’t go to trade exhibitions on my own, I would go with Santander or the DIT as they have the right people to help you. You make sure you’re prepared, you know how to say the basic words. You don’t want to be ignorant but clearly your packaging and your communications have to be in the right language and you have to be able to do your marketing in the right language.

Paula Kemp, Breakthrough Business Manager, Santander Business Mike:

Paula: At Santander we’ve got relationships with universities, so you could hire an intern through one of those university partners and get them to do some translation for you. Though it should be pointed out that a direct translation is not necessarily the right messaging. It is better to have someone from a marketing background to look at your messaging.

Thank God for Google Translate! I was in Beijing recently at an offshore oil and gas show and we were just trying to get the stand set up. We wanted our backdrops made up. We had the designs and the guy made them overnight for very little money. But there was no communication. He didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Mandarin. Google Translate was absolutely fantastic!

Knowing a language is nice, but in China, Korea, they all speak English. English, thankfully, is the business language. And the more you countries you export to, the harder it is to learn all those languages.

Helenor:

But even when people speak English, the culture is different. Take Ireland, for example. I’ve done a lot of business in Ireland and they’re not very good at saying no. They will say how much they love your products, but that doesn’t mean you are close to a deal. By contrast, I love working with the Northern Europeans, because they will just say, “I don’t like it.” They’re blunt but you know where you are. Ireland is a good example of how you can speak exactly the same language but the message won’t necessarily get through.

Lev:

I was export manager of a company for five years, so I got used to the different ways people do business. If you go to a meeting in the Middle East, for the first half an hour or forty minutes you don’t talk about business. They’re talking about the family and they’re asking about your children. If you did the same in Germany, and start talking about your children, they’ll think you have gone mad. When I went to China, I always learnt just a few Chinese words, such as hello. You wouldn’t believe how much it breaks the ice, and they really appreciate that you have made an effort.

A Santander Breakthrough Debate

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Breakthrough Moments

Go together The power of Trade Missions Mark:

We had a great example when a very well known beer brewery business and a cider manufacturer went together to meet the buyer of the biggest ex-pat supermarket in the Spanish market. Going together added even more value because the buyer could look at beers and ciders and think about developing a British shelf as part of their supermarket. Historically entrepreneurs can look at other businesses in the sector as competitors. We’re far more powerful together. When we were in Brazil, we had owners of businesses role playing to each other on pitching products into overseas markets. For some businesses it almost created a non-exec directorship on a trade mission because you had somebody who was maybe into Scandinavia for 10 years but wasn’t into Ireland and the other person was completely the opposite.

Julianne:

We feed off other companies. Cheeky Panda is one of them. They’re environmentally friendly, so they fit with us. Whatever market they go into, we use their distributors. Whatever market we go into, they have ours and we both build our companies.

Helenor:

Trade missions are quite intense. I’ve recently been to one in Ireland and in Belgium. Actually the trade missions themselves might not have been that great but the people I’ve met from Britain feel like they’re my gang. I feel that I could ring them up and say, “Who did you say you spoke to? Who was that person?” There’s a great spirit of co-operation

Paula:

We did a trade mission to China and there were UK brands there that I’d never seen in the UK, so they’ve obviously gone straight to the export market.

Partners on the ground Mark:

It goes back to the point around partners and having the partners who “are deep in the market”; it’s around really understanding the market, being deep in market and having those networks that you trust - your legal partner, your audit partner, the right people from a governmental perspective. It’s around knowing the specialists in the whole international trade cycle and who’s the most appropriate partner at that point in that sector, in that particular market.

The cheapest and one of the best research undertakings for me was talking to a concierge in Dubai. They are a mine of information.

Ultimately, the end goal is to help the SME do more business in that market. And there is a shared budget of support - the government will have a budget to support, Santander wants to help businesses prosper, so we have a budget to support; so will other Chambers, other trade bodies, other professional services. Ultimately it’s around picking the right partners here in the UK and in those local markets.

Most importantly after that, I’d say, is commitment. You will fall over, so you need to get up, dust yourself down and continue. Be prepared, financially and time-wise.

Lev:

Finding the right partner is really important because that right partner will have access to the right people, especially if it’s a premium product. You start with the internet or social media to see where there’s potential demand. Then the next stage is maybe getting in touch with people on the ground there, which we can help with. There’s nothing like seeing it for yourself and speaking to people and seeing the white of their eyes.

Julianne:

We found a partner in China that was great. He put us in contact with great people. The risk of doing it before knowing that there is definitely a market is too high.

A Santander Breakthrough Debate

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Breakthrough Moments

The help available Julianne:

We were exporting to Scandinavia when the DIT approached me to speak at an event, thinking we were one of their clients. Actually we’d had no contact with the DIT at all. However, we then met with one of their trade advisors, Adrian Denn, and he has been absolutely incredible. We had an agent in Germany who wanted to take a fee of every single order that went out, which was awful. Adrian managed to sort this out for us very quickly. I always call Adrian if I have a problem.

places to get information, it is usually incomplete. There doesn’t seem to be enough joined-up strategy. Baroness Fairhead, Minister of State for Trade and Export Promotion, is producing an Export Strategy, so hopefully we will see the government departments cooperate. We should certainly exploit the overseas consulates better because there’s a wealth of information and talent that’s being squandered.

It is very helpful to have someone at the other end of the phone who knows what they’re talking. However, the DIT does need improve their trade missions. Some have been fantastic but we have had others where the guaranteed buyers haven’t turned up, which was a waste of our time. Mike:

We’ve been exporting instrumentation that monitors pollution from ships and offshore platforms for 34 years. Marine is above defence in terms of exporting, which generated in the region of £5 billion in tax for the government last year - yet this sector only has one DIT advisor. By comparison, the creative sector has a 22 advisers. It is important as although there are many

Intellectual Property Julianne:

We have lots of Chinese distributors at shows asking for samples, but we’re nervous as we’re currently not trademarked in China. We recently came across the Madrid Protocol. This is an international system for obtaining trade mark protection for a number of countries or regions using a single application. You can choose the US, Switzerland etc. We’re doing that at the moment. So we’ve got our trademark in the UK, Europe and Iceland. We have quite a broad spectrum but we don’t have China or Hong Kong. With China it’s the first to register and that’s scary because someone could easily take pictures at a trade show and register it. If someone else beat us to it and then we’re going to have to pay a hefty fee to get that trademark back. It is very expensive. You could easily spend over £15,000 just getting the UK trademark done.

Helenor:

I think that’s just one of the risks of business. One of the brands I used to work on was Nair, the hair removal cream, which sold well in the Middle East as there’s quite a big market for hair removal there. And there was a lot of Nair in the Middle East that wasn’t coming from Britain! It was coming from China.

Middle East “That is not our stuff. It looks like our stuff, it’s got our address on it but it’s not our stuff. You know you have to buy it from us.”

Paula:

China’s consumers are actually quite savvy and they’ll know whether something is British made. You see some exporters make a product in China, ship it A Santander back to the UK, brand it and add Breakthrough Debate the final touches - and export it back to China. But they want authenticity. If they can afford Mulberry they’ll buy Mulberry.

What can you do about it? You just have to tell your distributors in the

A Santander Breakthrough Debate

Breakthrough Moments

Financing an export campaign Mark:

The best banks will be able to help their clients as they really understand and are interested in the business. The real value is how the bank assists in the whole support mechanism. There are a number of different finance tools that are in the market now. Historically there was a traditional working capital tool which was around invoice finance. Now you can look at other financial instruments around supply chain finance where the risk is actually taken on the buyer, not just on the seller. In terms of getting paid on time, you need to prepare well. Do the due diligence when it comes to your trading partner.

Mike:

We use credit insurance which doesn’t cost a huge amount of money. There are about half a dozen insurers in the market. They will ask about your top 20 customers: which countries they’re in, the average payment days etc. They will assess this information and calculate the risk. If an account is in the tens of thousands then we will get it underwritten. And the premium is pretty light. You’re never going to find yourself in court having to pay out for a tribunal.

Mark: If you go abroad and secure a significant contract, there is the issue of how to finance the deal. If you’ve got either a bank or another partner who can really understand the risk of the buyer, they’re likely to take a risk on the buyer, not just the seller. This can allow the necessary cash to enter the supply chain.

Lev:

We work very closely with the banks and don’t compete with them. If a bank is not willing to take a risk to lend to you, the government can step in through UK Export Finance (UKEF). We will guarantee your bank for up to 80% of the loan if you don’t get paid. There are other instruments like that where the government can help. We don’t and can’t compete with the private sector, but we will take on risks that others might avoid. The important thing is talk to your banker or UKEF at a very early stage. The advantage is that you know what’s available so you can commit to it more freely. This will come across when you’re speaking to a potential buyer. If you are hesitant you can put doubt in a buyer’s mind

Paula: It’s worth remembering that buyers are interviewing you too. If they really want your product you can ask for a substantial amount of it upfront because you know they’re doing their due diligence on you as well. Julianne: All export for us is paid upfront. That’s why we love export. We work really well with our distributors - We’ll go out there to meet them and we know them personally before we start business. I know we’ll reach a point where we’ll have to finance it. I know that’s going to come because now they’re starting to ask: “We’re upping all our orders with you. Can we please have credit?”

Breakthrough Moments

The Brexit effect Mike:

To my business it has made absolutely no difference and Europe is our largest export market, then Asia and then the Americas. They all move. It’s a plaything of the politicians. The people you deal with don’t really care. If there’s a need for the product, they want it, provided the price is competitive. It comes down to relationship, price, performance and reliability.

If you’ve got that preparedness and you’re ready to go, then you have the agility to do something interesting.

Reverting to world trade rules would create an impact but it’s such a small amount that we’ll absorb that. I see more opportunities than I see disadvantages.

Jeremy: It goes back to the phrase: “Go and be somewhere” which I heard when I was in my 20s. You would go to a country and you dig a ditch. I went to America just to see what happened and I dug ditches in the Texas heat because I could get 50 dollars a day cash to go and spend on drink. And as business people you’ll go and dig a ditch in another country.

Lev: One positive effect may be that it encourages some companies to look further than Europe. We have been advising companies that it’s your easiest market, it’s next door, you get on an EasyJet, you’re there in 45 minutes. But you can get better margins and better deals maybe in other markets. Maybe further afield, UK quality is even more highly regarded because it’s a novelty. Maybe we need to encourage companies to look into that. Jeremy:

Whatever happens we’ll adapt, and I think that the mantra is: “Be ready but have agility”. In fact, that’s possibly where the SME is probably a bit better placed than global manufacturers because they can respond quicker to exciting opportunities.

Paula:

For the last 10 years, we have seen increases in exports to non-EU countries. It’s as if we were already breaking away from only trading with Europe.

I wouldn’t touch a shovel in this country in my 20s. I would think, “Why would I work for that sort of thing? Are you mad?” The issue of whether we have the attitude to go and have a go is bigger than Brexit. I think it’s appalling the way our government has collapsed into inactivity as a result of Brexit.

A Santander Breakthrough Debate

In conclusion Helenor:

Just do it. SMEs have got to get off their backsides and go places and put themselves out there. Don’t stand in a corner.

Mike:

Be in it for the long term. Don’t expect a 5-minute return on your investment because making relationships takes time. That’s what business is all about, relationships.

Jeremy:

There is the old adage about the shoe manufacturer who, centuries ago, went to North Africa and declared, “No-one buys shoes. No-one wears shoes.” A few years later another shoe-maker went there and said: “No-one wears shoes – yet!” Have a plan but plan to be ready.

Lev:

What would really help in the future is to create opportunities for businesses to get together to network. Getting around a table is important. It’s great to see Platinum Business Magazine facilitating these events.

Mark:

It needs to start with the SME and then the right trusted advisors. We should just be proud to be British and just get on with it. Other markets really want to meet with us and really want to buy our products. You just need to get in front of the right ones.

SMEs interested in finding out more about how Santander can support your business with trading overseas, please contact Paula Kemp on paula.kemp@santander.co.uk

International Trade

International Vat - the bad, the ugly - and the good! Like all industries, the VAT world is using ever more technology. Martyn Redman FCPFA, Chief Executive of VIVAT International, explains how some of the changes may affect you. THE BAD VAT is a consumption tax – pay as you go – so like birth and death you can’t avoid it. But did you know that VAT accounts for around 30% of all world taxes? To put that in perspective, corporation tax is only a paltry 25% of world taxes. You would think, therefore, that VAT technology support from both tax authorities and from commercial software houses would be abundant. Sadly this is not yet the case. Until very recently, most tax authorities’ technology has been designed to catch fraudsters and identify errors in our returns. To be fair, over the last couple of years, they have taken some sizable steps. However, they still have a long way to go.

For example, many tax authorities do not provide an English version of specific registration requirements and most if not all available guidance will be in their local language. So quite a barrier: certainly, my Greek, Estonian and Hungarian isn’t too hot.

line portals. Yet in most you cannot register for VAT on line. Instead for many countries, not only will you need to submit paperwork – passport, accounts etc – but you will also have to identify yourself in person or use an appointed agent.

Also at present, tax authorities do not work to a common methodology when it comes to submitting VAT returns or refund claims. This makes it virtually impossible for commercial providers to provide complete solutions. So however comprehensive the software, you still need to finally submit yourself or through an agent.

Some of the software has operational errors: e.g. put a couple of extra spaces where you shouldn’t and the system fails; if you need to put in repeat details (for example, you send a delegation to an event in Germany and use the same hotel), in the HMRC VAT claim you will need to keep entering the full hotel details – name, address, vat number, and vat code for each employee – as there is no autofill.

In addition, in most countries, to use the VAT Return service, the authorities require you to have a digital certificate to access their on-

Clearly improvements are necessary. On a wider perspective, the greater use of technology facilitates the sharing of information between countries. This greater transparency means that cross border as well as local transactions will be more policeable. It follows that Tax Authorities will spot more errors, make red tape more enforceable, disallow more items and impose more fines. In some cases, fines are a staggering 200% so watch out! Technology is certainly allowing the authorities to become more stringent in their approach which means that essentially we will all need to be more on our toes. On the commercial side, most of the available software is designed to be used by only VAT Agents or very large corporates. As DIY versions at present are very few and far between, SMEs risk being non compliant when

International Trade compiling foreign VAT returns. In the case of cross-border VAT refunds, it means that that SME’s often miss out altogether. By the way some 55bn euros goes unclaimed every year; so authorities have no great incentive to make it easy. Whether using country tax portals direct or commercial technology, the use of new systems comes at a price with staff having to get used to new systems which can cause frustration let alone errors.

“The UK aims to be paper free as far as VAT returns are concerned by 2021. Other countries have similar aims.”

Technology is only as good as the in-built VAT knowledge. That’s a particular problem for the commercial software providers as rules and procedures change constantly – approximately one a day! And that’s before Brexit!

border refund most countries no longer require the claim to be supported by original paper invoices (which could run into reams for large companies). For large companies this amounted to huge volumes of paper that had to be copied to retain a record locally as well as transport costs for the claimant in sending them and the TA in returning them. A basic tenet of the EU, held since their VAT directives were introduced over a quarter of a century ago, is to achieve a more level playing field for businesses across the member states. When the EU member states got together last December and decided to strengthen their cooperation, a key principle was to continue this underlying aim with better technology. Simpler access to VAT refunds and easier use of the Tax authority websites will certainly help achieve this. From the tax authorities perspective, the preparation of returns on line means better knowledge for those authorities and helps combat error and fraud; currently each year countries lose over £150bn. Spain and Estonia are well advanced in their aim of getting business transactions registered in real time.

Most other TAs are expected to follow this trend within the next 5 years. Generally their use of technology is helping to make the preparation of VAT returns and VAT refunds simpler and faster. Commercial software and web based services are also now coming on stream to assist businesses. The better products do not require software to be downloaded and they run many automated checks to ensure data is complete before use and then run further checks to ensure a VAT return or refund claim is compliant with ever changing cross border legislation. Better yet, it’s now becoming affordable for even the smallest of businesses.

SUMMARY • Huge changes are being implemented by tax authorities to do away with paper reporting and gaining information in real time. • Commercial support, hitherto available to only agents and large corporates, is now becoming affordable and available to SMEs.

www.vivatonline.com 01273 325000

THE UGLY If you are registered and already need to do VAT returns in other countries there is specialist technology from the ‘Big Four’ accountancy firms, and one or two others providers but it is expensive with packages in excess of £40k. Using commercial technology can be risky as authorities frequently change the rules for accessing portals and also suddenly decide, for example, that they want extra pages in a return. This can create havoc if your next return is due.

THE GOOD Most countries have now dispensed with paper VAT Returns and most intend to go further. For example, the UK aims to be paper free as far as VAT returns are concerned by 2021. Other countries have similar aims. This is not only environmentally friendly, but also helps businesses avoid error and generally speeds up the preparation of VAT returns and VAT refund claims. These improvements are very welcome – for example if you submit a claim for a cross

International Trade

Sky high for business

atwick is the world’s most efficient single runway airport and in peak times gets 55 movements on and off its runway each hour, whilst accounting for 14% of the UK’s aviation connectivity. Furthermore, international tourists entering the UK through Gatwick contribute an estimated £4.7 billion to the UK economy, while supporting some 93,300 jobs among Britain’s tourism industries and their supply chains. In addition to the 24,000 jobs sustained on the airport campus, Gatwick is a key facilitator of job creation in the region and provides a global gateway for thriving business sectors including creative, digital, IT, financial and

business services, advanced manufacturing and engineering and health and life sciences.

Long haul Gatwick is extremely proud to boast more than 60 long haul routes to countries as diverse as China, the USA, Argentina, Canada, South Africa, and United Arab Emirates. These routes in turn drive cargo volumes and the airport is working hard to increase its global connectivity and cargo volumes further as the UK progresses toward Brexit. Indeed, Gatwick is now in the top five European airports in terms of size of its long haul network, including to cities such as Singapore, Buenos Aires, New York, LA, Oakland and Chicago. Long-haul services are attracted to the

Gatwick is the world’s most efficient single runway airport and as such, the airport plays a key role in connecting British business to the global economy.

efficiency of Gatwick’s operations and in order to handle 950 movements on its busiest days, the airport relies on extensive collaboration with its airlines, air traffic control and ground handling agents to deliver the fast turnaround times that airlines and passengers rely on. With the majority of cargo going in the belly of long haul passenger aircraft, Gatwick’s cargo volumes have risen dramatically alongside the growing route network with volumes increasing 27% last year alone. Cargo exported from Gatwick, of which much is from local industries, is largely made up of machinery and transport equipment, pharmaceuticals and specialist chemicals, as well as food products.

International Trade

Brexit Aviation has thrived under the EU Common Aviation Area and, along with other airports and airlines across the UK and Europe, Gatwick is working hard to preserve as many of today’s freedoms as possible.

“Gatwick is now in the top five European airports in terms of size of its long haul network, including to cities such as Singapore, Buenos Aires, New York, LA, Oakland and Chicago”

The airport welcomes the political deal on the transition period and continues to stand with others in calling for early agreement on the final arrangements, to provide certainty in the short-term and as liberal an aviation market as possible in the long term. This will help ensure that passengers continue to enjoy the same levels of choice, competition and service.

Brexit. Competition has seen airfares fall and allowed other UK airports to introduce long haul networks of their own. This means that businesses across UK regions can get goods to markets across the globe more easily and cheaply from their local airport. This is likely to take on increased significance as the UK re-adjusts and focusses attention on exporting goods to global destinations beyond Europe. Gatwick will continue to play a central role in the UK’s competitive network of airports. By investing, innovating and fighting to preserve choice, the airport will continue to provide UK businesses, particularly those in the South East, with vital access to an increasing number of global markets post-Brexit.

Destinations Passenger numbers travelling through Gatwick have increased to 45 million a year and the airport is now connecting to more cities than ever before. It serves more than 228 destinations in 74 countries on short and longhaul point-to-point services. With Cathay Pacific’s direct flights to Hong Kong from Gatwick, as well as China Airlines’ four times a week service from Gatwick, providing the UK’s only direct flight to Taipei, the list of long haul destinations from the airport is growing. The UK is seen by Taiwan as a world leader in the creative industries, and cultural and educational links are growing with approximately 30% of all Taiwanese who study overseas – around 8,000 students – doing so in the UK. Taiwanese tourism to the UK has also risen sharply since the lifting of the visa regime

for visits of under 6 months in 2009. Another recently launched route is Qatar Airways’ direct flights to Gatwick from Doha, a double daily service, which is operated by a Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Qatar is the UK’s third largest export market in the Middle East and North Africa region and the market is growing – from £1.31 billion in 2013 to £2.13 billion in 2016. Exports include industrial machinery and equipment, luxury goods and food.

“Long-haul routes and cheaper air freight will continue to play a particularly important role for the airport and indeed the South East after the UK’s exit from the EU.” In summary, while the region is in a strong economic position, the uncertainty of Brexit means this should not be taken for granted and Gatwick will keep striving to invest and grow to support the local economy as much as possible.

Long-haul routes and cheaper air freight will continue to play a particularly important role for the airport and indeed the South East after the UK’s exit from the EU.

Competition Key to the recent success of UK airports has been the introduction of competition and it is important that this continues post-

International Trade

The entrepreneur of the Manor Matt Turner, CEO of Creative Pod, talks to us about his impressive business ambitions and why there’s never been a better time for local businesses to export than now. Interview by Laurence Elphick.

How did Creative Pod come about? I started it in my bedroom in 2006. I named it after the two biggest MP3 players - the iPod and the Creative Zen. After about nine months, I grew it to a turnover of around £300,000 - £400,000, literally on my own. I moved into Basepoint where I reached a turnover of about £400,000 - £450,000 and landed my biggest client, a First Aid company.

I was in my early twenties and didn’t have any staff at this point, so I went on holiday to Dubai and didn’t return for two years! I ended up winning a £100,000 project and delivering it in 11 days in English and in Arabic. The nice thing about the Middle East is I look like I’m Arabic, so they think: “Does he understand us?” Generally I can’t, but they thought I could, so that worked in my favour. I ended up re-branding the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah and worked

on some incredible projects. In 2010 I came back and won the Gatwick Diamond Business Award for the Young Entrepreneur of the Year. I didn’t expect to win, but that was a turning point. The local press interviewed me and Lorraine Nugent, who was running Business Matters said: “What are you going to do next?” I answered: “You quit your job and we’ll go and find the next ‘me’ and we’ll start a business together.” So, that’s what we did. We started Young Start-up Talent and over 140 start-ups have come out of it. It was meant to be a one-hit wonder and now, eight years later, we’ve had all those finalists and over £1.2 million worth of funding.

You clearly have an entrepreneurial mindset. Where does this come from? I think I was always entrepreneurial from an early age. When I was about 13 or 14 my school wanted me to do work experience for Edwards, an engineering company, but that wasn’t my background, I’m a creative, so I refused to go. I organised my own work experience, travelling up to London to work at the Football Association. Little did I know that 12 years later I’d be co-owning a football club! I guess I’ve always been entrepreneurial, so when someone says: “You can’t do that” I ask, “Why not, as long as it’s not illegal.” Back then, school was like a ski jacket - one size fits all and I didn’t like that. I’ve always

International Trade been really driven, it’s never really been about money. It’s more about the by-products of success and being able to change people’s perception and opinions by delivering. Money and all the nice things are then a by-product of delivering.

You became a Director at Crawley Town FC, how did that happen? Whilst Young Start-Up was growing, I got offered a non-exec directorship with the football club, mainly because of all the work that I was doing there in introducing clients. I then did a Check-a-Trade deal - the biggest commercial deal in League One for that season - and I was offered a full directorship off the back of it. About a year later, two shareholders who owned 50% of the company were retiring so I acquired their 50%, all at 26 years old! The responsibility that comes with that is massive. You’re more of a foster parent and it’s your job to keep it alive or find somebody better than you to keep it alive and take it forward.

“I’ve been to loads of burger vans where there’s nothing wrong with the food, but their chef is never going to cope in Claridges.”

After I sold the club in March 2016, I had loads of contacts in sport and lots of commercial contacts and partnerships, so I started Echo, a partnerships agency to sit alongside Creative Pod. Echo literally sells the partnerships and sponsorships for some of the biggest sporting venues, teams and entertainment slots in the world. We’ve got a team in New York which is headed up by a lady who used to be the Global Events Director for American Express.

What are your current business projects? We’ve just launched a new service where we undertake the marketing and PR for the founder, CEO or MD of a business. We’ve got about six or seven CEOs or founders for whom

Matt at the Crawley FC business launch

we manage their PR, just for them personally. We book speaking slots and manage their social media, not for their business, but for them. We build the brand around them. We get them in as entrepreneurs to speak at universities, we get them press, we get them radio interviews and we build their brand. Because of our connections in the US, on the sponsorship side we’ve just started working with Priscilla Presley, John Travolta and Whoopi Goldberg. That’s quite cool.

signed up eight sports teams in one week, plus the British Consulate General and three or four brands, I then returned to the UK and started harvesting them. Then I went to LA and did the same. And Americans love Brits, it’s a lot easier to export to a country that speaks English.

What was your first venture in exporting?

It’s not necessarily about being brave, it’s about wanting to do it. You’ve got to really want to grow your business overseas. And you’ve got to understand the market and the only way to export a business is to actually travel. When you think about exporting, you think about stuffing little boxes that go onto pallets, then onto a shipping container and sent around the world. But actually, exporting services that you can’t see and that aren’t tangible is a massive opportunity.

The first one was in Mexico when I was 18, the second one in the Middle East as previously mentioned - that got me through the recession - and the third has been America. With cracking America, as Sinatra said, if you can make it in New York you can make it anywhere. I put £5K into a kitty, went to New York for a week, had 19 appointments and

Do you think local companies are brave enough when it comes to exporting?

International Trade Local companies don’t need to be brave because they’ve got it all on their doorstep. You try exporting to Hong Kong and Australia when you’re based in Scunthorpe… good luck! Down here you’ve got the workforce, the connectivity, the resources, the airport and low cost flights. It’s never been cheaper, or quicker to fly around the world and there is no excuse at this present time for companies not to export. You’re never going to get the golden opportunity when you’ve got Donald Trump in power and Brexit - it will never ever happen again.

“With cracking America, as Sinatra said, if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.”

What was your best business decision? My best business decision (I’ve had a few of them), was winning the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards in 2010. That was a tipping point because I met Lorraine.

But you won. Someone made that decision for you. True, but the decision was to set up Young Start-up with Lorraine. I think when it comes to the raw nuts and bolts of the business, the biggest and best decisions I’ve ever made have been around people, hiring and firing, bringing the right team in, getting rid of individuals that aren’t right and putting the business first. People always think of firing as a negative, but I’ve dismissed a lot of people not because they’ve done anything wrong, they’re just not good enough anymore. That’s a very difficult thing to do and a difficult conversation to have with someone because there’s nothing really wrong with their performance, but the value that they’re bringing and the quality that they’re delivering isn’t what you’re selling to your client. I’ve

Matt and Marcella Whittingdale in the charity dance at the Mid-Summer Ball been to loads of burger vans where there’s nothing wrong with the food, but their chef is never going to cope in Claridges. You’re never going to win the Premier League with a League Two squad, and to get promoted you need better players.

What’s the key to your success?

You also do a lot of charity work don’t you?

That’s my word: value. Value is an interesting word because most people look at marketing and they say: “Well, I want money back.” But sometimes money isn’t the be all and end all. There are other things that are more important than money and being able to add value to someone’s business will at some stage return money. For me value is more important than anything because if you add value, money will come.

I do a lot for Chestnut Tree House, and I’m now a patron. Over the years I’ve jumped off Worthing Pier in a Batman suit and organised a couple of rallies across Europe; Manor Royal to Milan and Manor Royal to Monaco. I’m also going to abseil down Arundel Castle and I’ve got the Carpool Karaoke digital campaign coming up.

For me it’s servicing what you’ve got, looking after it, farming and harvesting the hard work that’s already been put in and learning from it - essentially delivering tangible value.

www.creativepod.uk.com

International Trade

Consec Risk Management - Profile

onsec Risk Management are a UK-based specialist security and risk management company that provides a range of professional and reliable bespoke security solutions. Incorporating a blend of experience with our concierge and risk mitigation services we are able to give our clients complete peace of mind, respect and honesty, making us an industry leader in the provision of security services. Utilising a wealth of knowledge and high calibre personnel we ensure your property, assets, people and reputation are safe and secure. Combining years of global experience from the British Military, Police and the Private Security Industry makes us a leading supplier of security services; our own reputation is built on being responsive to our clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs, investing in our personnel and treating everyone we encounter with respect and honesty. Our range of bespoke security solutions include close protection & surveillance, risk

management solutions, mobile response services, key holding & alarm response and concierge & security services to the hospitality industry. With close collaborative links to a variety of both public sector agencies and private specialists Consec Risk Management can provide you with a reliable, professional and flexible service in an ever-changing and unpredictable world. Our internal management and office structure allows us to provide local expertise globally. Our personnel come with local insight combined with extensive industry experience in a range of locations and settings. This, coupled with our strategic partnerships and an emphasis on collaborative working enables us to operate successfully in a variety of environments and localities. We are proud to be a British company, actively supporting and championing British jobs and industry. At the forefront of our support is an emphasis on employing British armed forces veterans, retired police officers

and, where possible, buying British. Working in accordance with ISO 9001 and the British Standards Industry, we follow an optimum blend of delivery methodologies on all the projects and operations we undertake. Integrity, high ethical standards and industryleading good business practices are an integral part of our ethos. The trust and confidence of those we work with is vital to building relationships which in turn enables us to advise and guide our clients.

Origin We were the first security company in our area to sign and adhere to the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant pledge, and also the first security company in the region to join the Living Wage scheme. As a leading security company, we act as an ambassador for Britain to many overseas visitors and countries, and as such we operate to the British Standardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, which are recognised worldwide for promoting excellence, innovation and efficiency.

www.consecrisk.com

Accreditation Logos

International Trade

Navigating the overseas tax minefield The instant you sell a product abroad, you will most likely be liable to pay VAT in another country. Unsurprisingly many companies fail to comply with the complex tax rules. Ian Trevett spoke to Richard Asquith VP Global Indirect Tax at Avalara to find out how small businesses can avoid the pitfalls.

What do Avalara do? Avalara specialises in transactional taxes, which to you and me, means VAT. It gets called different things around the world. There are about 170 countries that have a VAT regime that we would recognise. We understand all the differences and these are captured in our IT coding, so our automated systems work globally. Businesses donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to worry about the differences, it is all automated. Avalara helps companies who are looking to expand abroad or are already trading abroad who come across the first administrative barrier to trade in both the EU and beyond, which is VAT. Through technology, which is in our DNA, we can help them through the process of

getting registered and filing their returns in an automated, near touchless way, so they can get on with what is important, which is exporting and growing. There are three offices in Europe - Brighton, Ireland and Brussels. We have about 1100 people in the US, around 200 in Europe, plus about the same in India and South America. We have only been in Europe for four years. For the first two years there was only 15 of us, but we have had pretty explosive growth in the past two years. I was the first VAT employee in Europe.

What is your background? I qualified as a Chartered Accountant at KPMG and with them and latterly EY, I worked

in Hungary, Russia and France. I joined Avalara about four years ago when they set up the European offices. As Avalara is based in Seattle, which is very much a tech hub with companies such as Amazon, Starbucks and Boeing, at heart we are a West Coast tech company. Our branding is orange which represents the fun and lively approach we have as a tech-driven company. It is far away from the traditional approach where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have a formal meeting with a consultant who would be reassuringly expensive. It feels much like you are working for google than a big four accountancy firm. It was a big culture shock for me, getting used to not wearing suits and ties, and sitting on

International Trade bean-bags with 22-year-olds trying to be like a millennial! But people want to get on with business and don’t want to be faced by stuffy lawyers or accountants.

(preventing sales or placing obstacles on e-commerce sites for consumers from a particular country), which is actually illegal in the EU.

At what stage do new exporters need to think about overseas VAT?

What impact do you expect from Brexit?

Instantly! The big challenge of VAT is that when you start trading abroad you are subject to the tax immediately. If you don’t understand your tax liabilities you’re going to get yourself in trouble almost straightaway. If you are selling to a customer in Spain, they will instantly ask you for your Spanish VAT number. You may not actually be required to register for VAT depending on the type of the transaction, but the customer won’t care. They will still ask for the number and will assume you have one. If you don’t have a VAT number they will want you to explain why, which may not be easy in another language. If they don’t understand the reason then they simply won’t trade with you. Under Spanish, French and German law, a customer can get in trouble if they haven’t checked the supplier’s VAT number. If you don’t have a VAT number likely outcomes include: 1. Your customer may not trade with you. 2. The tax authorities may stop an incoming shipment if they believe it should be VAT registered. Sometimes they may get this wrong but it still causes a big problem for you.

Is VAT an issue if you just trade through an e-commerce site? It is. For instance you might be selling children’s clothing on a web site, which is nil-rated in the UK, but it is liable for VAT if bought by a French or European consumer. If you have an e-commerce site and you get sales from overseas, effectively you are exporting and there may be a VAT consequence. We are getting a huge and ballooning workload from small, micro or even hobby businesses, who are picking up sales from Amazon or eBay. Most have little understanding on the overseas VAT liability. These small businesses get caught out as they are required to alert the tax authorities when

While we are still inside the EU, we are part of the EU VAT Directive, which is enshrined in each country’s legislations. However, not all countries impose the rules as strictly as others and some have maintained some of their historical obligations. It can be tricky with some Central or East European countries - Poland can be notoriously tricky and it is easy to pick up a fine. Italy’s system can be difficult to understand. If you do sell in Italy without a VAT number and VAT is incorrectly charged, you are entitled to get the money back, but it can take years. In terms of the leaving the EU VAT Directive, there has already been a two-year transition period negotiated, meaning nothing will happen before 2021. My personal view is this will be extended even further until 2023. It took us 40 years to set these things up, and they are very difficult to undo in two years. I am a VAT specialist of many years and I speak many languages, yet I have no idea what is coming next, so how can a small trader expect to know?

different to the chocolate flavoured powdered milk drink. Startlingly, the tax courts found there was a case for them to be treated differently. Strawberry Nesquik is subject to VAT, but Chocolate isn’t. Chocolate Nesquick includes cocoa as an ingredient which is deemed as a food, whereas the artificial ingredients in the strawberry version were deemed as not being worthy of a tax break. There are innumerable cases like these which result in very expensive legal battles.

On your website blog, you have an occasional feature called Wacky Tax Wednesday. What is this about?

And finally, I believe you are celebrating an award?

We take great delight in spotting the oddities of the tax regime and there are a huge number in every country, including this one. The most famous example was the Jaffa Cake case. There was a huge legal battle over whether it should be classified as a cake or a biscuit. I’m delighted to confirm that a Jaffa Cake is a cake, which is important as it means it is VAT-exempt. More recently was the Nesquik case, which went through various tax courts to ascertain whether the strawberry flavour was any

Yes, in May we won European Tax Technology Firm of the Year in the awards organised by International Tax Review magazine. They are the premier award in our industry and we beat off established names in the sector as well as the big four accountancy firms. Over 3000 business have joined our platform in the last year. The French tax authorities tell us in terms of new businesses exporting there, we have more businesses with us than anyone else.

www.avalara.com/europe Tel: 01273 022422

they sell into a new country. The German and French tax authorities are very good at spotting these transactions. Because of the difficulty of dealing with taxes, we see lot of business try to geo-block

International Trade - Business Profile

Deter, detect, deny, delay and defend

rontier Pitts is the leading British manufacturer of security gates, automatic barriers, roadblockers, rising kerbs, bollards, pedestrian control gates and turnstiles.

Frontier Pitts design, manufacturer, install, commission and then continue to maintain your perimeter security equipment for years to follow.

Frontier Pitts is much more than a perimeter security equipment manufacturer. The product portfolio is complimented with the complete range of services including design, site surveys, manufacture, installation, civil and electrical services, maintenance, spares, repair or refurbishment and full project management.

www.frontierpitts.com

The company has recently become the first to LPS1175 accreditation for a bi-folding gate. Loss Prevention Standard LPS 1175 is a commercial standard recognised worldwide that uses a professional attack team with full working knowledge of the materials and makeup of the test items. The objective of the LPS 1175 standard is to test how long and what tools during a forced attack the security equipment can withstand. Tests on security doors are carried out under laboratory conditions, using different attack times and tools, depending on their designated security rating. The objective of this equipment is to Deter, Detect, Deny, Delay and Defend a site.

H220

International Trade

Messages on bottles – the modern way

ou’ve decided to export, you have the product and you have decided on your market - what do you do about the labelling?

Product labelling is branding - and branding is meant to reach out beyond borders. Even smaller producers have export in mind. Mango Chutney Ketch-up, bottled in Sussex, can be found on a delicatessen market shelf in Hamburg. It is certainly not unusual and surely another diversification string to the bow of the producer. Digital print pushes multi-language branding: Spanish language labels are reeled off on the same press as German ones – one after each other without stopping the production flow and each label is uniquely

barcoded and traceable. Once the labels are scanned by mobile devices, the producer in Kent knows on which consumer shore these little bottles ended up.

It’s all in the label For almost four decades, Lotus Labels has been supplying labels and labelling products to thousands of companies in the UK and abroad. Managing Director Andreas Schillinger believes that professional labelling can make all the difference, especially when businesses are looking to export.

Andreas Schillinger

essential information such as nutritional values and guidelines. Whatever the branding message is, there is always a way to use modern technology and innovative materials to further enhance promotion of a product.”

For more information on creating high quality labelling ready for the export market, take a look at www.lotuslabels.com

Andreas says, “The label production process from design to dispatch of the final label can be very involved and the devil is in the detail. The label says everything about the product including

International Trade

Exporting is great As more firms in the South East of England are looking to step into overseas markets, Ben Raby, Head of South East at the Department for International Trade, calls for firms to seize this opportunity and access the help available to overcome any barriers along the way.

ome to more than 24,000 exporters, the South East is a region of ambitious and aspirational businesses. Exports of goods from the region rose 10.9% to £45.2bn during 2017 compared with the previous 12 months, according to the most recent figures from HMRC. The tenacity of the region’s firms is also reflected in the latest Business in Britain report from Lloyds Bank. It showed that more than a third (34%) of businesses across the South East expect their overseas sales to increase over the coming months. According to ONS figures from September 2017, the most common destination for South East exports is the United States, with 20% of the region’s firms already selling their goods and services into the American market. The figures also reveal that demand for British-made products across the Atlantic continues to grow. Common language and similar business culture are no doubt part of the reason that the United States is such a popular trading partner. China is also a popular export destination for South East firms. HMRC statistics produced in March show that South East exports of goods to China in 2017 was £1.8 billion, and that China is the region’s seventh largest export market. The business landscape in China is diverse and not without challenges, but offers South East firms their pick of various industries to start trading with. But local firms shouldn’t limit themselves to well-documented destinations such as

Ben Raby China and the U.S. There are many more opportunities in less obvious markets. For example, Thailand is an increasingly attractive economy for British firms to export to as it implements its 4.0 industrial strategy. To encourage firms to make the most of this opportunity, Dr Liam Fox has raised finance for British businesses looking to export goods and services to £4.5bn.

“It’s important that businesses don’t underestimate some of the barriers they may encounter along the way, but also that they don’t let these dampen their enthusiasm.”

As well as benefitting from the strong reputation that British-made goods enjoy across the world, firms in the South East can also capitalise on their relative proximity to the Port of Dover and Port of Southampton, the UK’s second largest container terminal and most productive container port. Dover offers a gateway to a world of export opportunities

and is currently undergoing a £250 million transformation as part of the Dover Western Docks Revival development. The investment is intended to future-proof the port equipping it to fulfil its potential in international trading for many years to come. Having this as a ‘local’ port presents a unique advantage for the region’s businesses to begin or build on their exporting activity. But how can businesses drum up interest from overseas markets in the first place? Finding prospective customers, buyers and distributors can be one of the biggest hurdles to starting exporting. Thankfully, in an increasingly digital and connected world, it is possible to reach a global audience in a way that doesn’t involve building a dedicated ecommerce website. Online marketplaces, including Amazon and eBay, offer both startups and established businesses a wealth of opportunities to grow their presence across international markets. This is particularly true for smaller firms that may not be able to afford the overhead costs of having a sales team on the ground in their target overseas market. Trading via an established online platform may help to minimise the costs associated with kick-starting the export process. A firm setting out to export for the first time will always face some challenges, as they would with any new venture. It’s important that businesses don’t underestimate some of the barriers they may encounter along the way, but also that they don’t let these dampen

International Trade their enthusiasm. For every hurdle there is support available to help companies overcome any challenge. From the outset, identifying the right export markets where there is sufficient demand and a gap for a business’s products is key to success, and the Department for International Trade’s (DIT) Exporting is GREAT campaign sets out to help businesses do exactly this. DIT’s network of International Trade Advisers (ITAs), based right here on the ground in the South East, can help a company develop and refine its export strategy, offer insights into the different business cultures and help define the best route to market. We know from the businesses we’ve already supported that travelling to a country is a good way to get to grips with trading there,

and that’s why DIT organises trade missions and supports companies looking to exhibit at trade shows overseas. Not only that, but DIT’s teams based overseas can help to make introductions to key buyers and distributors, helping to generate leads. Firms should also be sensitive to the varying legislative requirements of different overseas markets, particularly if they operate in heavily regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals or food and drink. Furthermore, regulatory systems can be complex and difficult to navigate, especially for a first-time exporter. However, ITAs are well placed to provide support and facilitate introductions to specialists so companies can overcome these challenges. DIT also has access to a network of intellectual property liaison officers located in

South East Asia, China, Brazil and India who can provide support for UK businesses seeking advice on local IP matters. Whether it’s forming international relationships through exhibitions and meet the buyer events, or workshops and one-to-one advice sessions, our South East advisers are available to support the region’s businesses in taking full advantage of international demand for the products and services they sell. Firms in the South East of England looking for exporting support should contact the region’s DIT team by email on info@ tradesoutheast.com or 0330 300 0012. They can also visit great.gov.uk, which gives businesses across the UK access to millions of pounds’ worth of potential overseas business opportunities.

Svaja, a hand-blown artisan glass merchant based in Surrey, is a prime example of how a South East business can make the most of the overseas opportunity. The firm has recently increased its exports to the Middle East, which now account for 50% of its annual turnover, after exhibiting at a home furniture trade show in Birmingham. At this trade show they noticed the demand from international design and architectural firms and started building their network of potential overseas customers. If businesses like Svaja can do it, so too can other firms across the region.

Kristina from Svaja

International Trade

Grow, develop, discover and influence Ana Christie Chief Executive of Sussex Chamber of Commerce explains the chamber’s mission

he Sussex Chamber of Commerce sits at the heart of local business communities, helping hundreds of companies of every size and sector to grow and thrive. Trade has existed for hundreds of years. Whether directly or indirectly, each and every business contributes to the global economy. Visitors, tourists, employees, components, parts, supplies, food, and currency move around the world helping businesses grow.

SME’s to be part of the supply chain and work with larger organisations internationally. We hold regular forums to provide updates and case studies to help you on your export or import journey.

The Sussex Chamber of Commerce provides the network and business support needed for the economy to prosper. Our mission is to help business “Grow, Develop, Discover and Influence”.

international payment requirements they provide money saving foreign exchange to Chamber members.

GROW The Chamber helps hundreds of companies of every size and sector. There are over 80 networking events throughout the Sussex county to choose from which provide business with opportunities to network, gain key contacts, learn from inspirational speakers, pick up tips and ideas as well as providing forums to gain insights as to what is happening in the local community and beyond. The international trade forums open doors to allow

As part of the British Chambers network, some services are provided for free or at heavily discounted rates to our business members. One of these services is Moneycorp, who are foreign exchange experts. If you have

The global market can provide huge opportunities for businesses that import and export physical goods, but there is also a huge demand for professional services all over the world. We can connect business with British Chambers throughout the world and provide market snapshots, quarterly trade outlooks and market seminars through www. exportbritain.org.uk. A great way to connect with other countries. Once a year, an international trade summit brings British Chambers and business from around the world together. This year this

will take place on the October 18th 2018 in London. (www.bccexport.co.uk)

DEVELOP Training across your workforce, from shop floor to executive level and in any discipline, improves competitiveness, morale, profitability, market share, customer satisfaction and company reputation and profile. In these uncertain times training increases your ability to respond effectively to change. In the last year we have seen almost a 50% growth in companies seeking bespoke training in international trade. A fantastic way to improve the effectiveness of your current workforce and motivate ambitious people. Our highly respected international trade courses cover all the main principles of international trade dealings. Our courses provide you with the key skills required in understanding the paperwork, tariff codes, an introduction to export procedures, the use of documentary letters of credit, drafts and bills right through to understanding the rules. The British Chambers of Commerce developed a Foundation Award in

International Trade international trade training in response to the government’s focus on the need to grow the number of UK exporters as part of the UK recovery plan. It includes courses for exporters including a number of topics central to supporting any export drive. These courses are delivered by the Sussex Chamber to form an import and export curriculum, giving international traders the essential skills.

DISCOVER The Sussex Chamber is licensed to certify and arrange legalisation of export documentation. We will also assist exporters throughout the process of completing the documentation; from choosing the right documentation to ensuring it is correctly filled in. Export documentation is required to comply with import regulations in the country of arrival, evidence the country of manufacture of the goods and ensure payment under a Letter of Credit. We can help you with: • Certificates of Origin • Certificate of Origin preparation service • Electronic Export documentation

• Certification, Legalisation & Notarisation of Export Documentation • EUR1 & ATR customs authentication • Letter of Credit processing service • ATA Carnet A recent new service is the provision of certificates of conformity. Unsafe and unreliable imported products can result in injury, death or damage to property. This is the reason why most countries around the world have strengthened requirements in place to ensure their consumers are protected from sub-standard products and goods. Certificates of conformity show that the goods being exported comply with the relevant technical regulations and national, regional or international standards of the country of import, protecting the health, safety and environment of citizens from substandard imported goods and giving assurance to the local market. These are a mandatory document for customs clearance. Did you know? In the last financial year, we produced over 20,000 documents for exporters. Over 80 documents per day. A growth of 12% in the last 12 months, with the majority of businesses exporting to the EU or Middle East.

INFLUENCE We can help represent the interests of business in government. There is a quarterly economic survey which is the UK’s largest and most authoritative private sector business survey. We provide policy updates, trade research and monthly economic reviews. By working together with the Local Enterprise Partnerships, local authorities, councils, town Chambers and MP’s we can help represent business interests where needed. The British Chambers also produces a quarterly international trade outlook and has also put together a business Brexit checklist to help businesses consider the changes that leaving the EU may bring to their business as well as a business Brexit priorities report.

The Sussex Chamber is proud to be at the heart of Sussex, providing business the opportunities needed to grow the local and global economy, to develop its employees and the future workforce, to discover new markets and influence key decision makers. www. sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

GLOBAL CRITICAL ENVIRONMENT SERVICES Keysource are an international provider of sustainable solutions and services for data centres and business critical environments. For the last 36 years weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been facilitating the latest technology deployments with innovative and award winning solutions, no matter where in the world they are. Our unique approach, backed up by proven experience across the complete environment lifecycle, has allowed us to create and deliver some of the most efficient facilities in the world.

ENSURING SOLUTIONS THAT WORK NOW AND IN THE FUTURE Want to find out more?

keysource.co.uk

@keysource

keysource

International Trade

Fragmented estates need a unified approach Richard Clifford, Head of Innovation at Keysource, discusses the challenges presented by fragmented IT estates.

orking everywhere from Croydon to Canberra, Keysource has been a leading provider of services and solutions for data centres and other business critical environments, for the last 36 years. This global coverage has seen us work with a vast range of organisations, each facing different technological and operational challenges. We are finding that a lot of the consultancy we are currently called on to provide relates to large, distributed IT estates, which present significant operational challenges. There are two main reasons why an organisation may be operating a distributed estate. The first is because they have a high level of legacy hardware or property. Legacy estates may have grown organically over time, have been developed under different leadership, or been inherited through mergers and acquisitions. These disparate facilities are likely to have been subject to numerous additions and modifications, as new IT requirements, which were never part of the original design,

have been identified. This poses a significant challenge for IT and estates professionals, not least because any undocumented changes present additional risks. Limited local management or data on the condition and maintenance of these facilities are other concerns. The second reason is the growth in demand for distributed architecture, also known as ‘Edge Computing’. Edge has become more popular alongside the adoption of hybrid IT strategies, which include a mix of on-premise IT as well as co-location and cloud hosting. This new demand is aimed at solving a latency problem, where end users want no delay in access to services or data (for example for music or video streaming or within banking and finance) or where this is required for safety reasons, such as for driverless cars. As the Internet of Things (IoT) and connected devices become more integrated and essential within our personal and business lives, any downtime will have an increasing impact on customer experience and associated business revenue.

Businesses are also increasingly looking to ‘sweat’ their assets for longer, to get maximum value out of their estates. However, when compared with the potential return on investment from new technologies, this may not always be the most cost-effective option. At Keysource we work to get a detailed understanding of our customers IT services and business objectives, these then shape any tactical solutions for short or long term strategies. Where there are existing facilities, we work to get a deeper understanding of the potential risks, the likely costs of maintenance and repairs as well as any inefficiencies in the existing assets before making our recommendations. We also assess local carbon reduction and emissions initiatives and regulations. Data centres consume a lot of energy, so operating them more efficiently can help businesses to meet targets and reduce overheads. For example, while only a relatively new phenomenon, Bitcoin alone is responsible for more power consumption than Ireland. Addressing these challenges requires a shift towards organisations working with specialist partners rather than traditional suppliers, something which will become increasingly important as the technology landscape continues to evolve.

www.keysource.co.uk

FIRST LINE MANAGER WORK BASED APPRENTICEHIP Fully integrated 18 month work based apprenticeship reflecting diverse modern business needs, suitable for new and existing employees – Tailor your employees learning to suit your business needs – ILM Diploma for Managers – Maths and English Functional Skills In 2015 46% of employers struggled to recruit the right leaders and managers*. Excellent people management and leadership skills are crucial: • Empower your managers to support, develop & manage teams • Improve staff retention & motivation • Develop your managers’ accountability, problem solving & decision making • Increase your business efficiency, revenue & drive profit • Support managers to acquire operational, project & financial management skills • Transition your occupational experts into skilled & efficient business managers

* www-i-l-m.com

Contact Carina Pitt to find out more and apply 01273 890454 / carina.pitt@plumpton.ac.uk

Education - Promotional Feature

Finding the right Management Training

upporting businesses to flourish in the changing and demanding economic climate is high on the list of priorities for Plumpton College. Our suite of business and professional programs are designed to seamlessly work with your business requirements and needs in collaboration. Working with employers, we have developed our business and professional programs to harmonise business and learner objectives from apprenticeships through to accredited short courses and bespoke provision. It is crucial, more so now than ever before, to differentiate your business from your competitiors to grow and protect your market share. The economic climate is in a period of flux and with easy access to so much choice, customers are demanding increased levels of quality and service with customers valuing service as important as the product they are purchasing. Keeping up and staying ahead of this trend can be a staggering drain on resource if the right people are not in the right job in your organisation. To support organisations in their pursuit of customer satisfaction, Plumpton College have developed an exciting suite of customer service programmes ranging from bespoke 1 day courses, City & Guilds accredited short courses to City & Guild’s Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeships.

achieved. Our suite of innovative leadership and management programmes support leaders and managers of all levels, from bespoke courses and ILM accredited short course provision through to ILM accredited Team Leader/Supervisor and Operations Manager Apprenticeships. Don’t be fooled, apprenticeship funding is a fantastic way to upskill your existing team members or attract innovative new talent to your business. If you are a levy paying employer you can cover the cost of these apprenticeships with your digital account, if you are a non-levy paying employer, the cost of the training is just 10% of the total cost. To support businesses in this challenging climate we are currently offering a selection of fully funded accredited short courses:

• City & Guilds Level 2 Certificate in Customer Service • ILM Level 2 Certificate in Leadership & Team Skills • ILM L3 Certificate in Leadership & Management

For further details and information, contact the Plumpton College Business Development Team for a non-obligatory meeting or further free consultation to your business needs. Email direct: BusinessDevelopment@plumpton.ac.uk Twitter:@PlumptonCollege Facebook: @PlumptonCollege

The key to successful business operations lies with the internal organisations’ infrastructure. The roles of leaders and managers evolve at a much quicker pace than we have previously known, and in order to keep ahead of our competitors we need to evolve our strategies, objectives and teams. Businesses often select their best technical experts to progress into supervisory and management roles ensuring quality across provision. Whilst these technical experts bring the essential technical skills required, few may have received any formalised leadership or management training, meaning operational and organisational objectives are not always

Police and Crime Commissioner

‘Taking Stock’ by Katy Bourne, Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner

ecently I was invited to take part in a roundtable discussion hosted by the Centre for Social Justice, and supported by the Association of Convenience Stores, about developing more effective responses to shop theft and related retail crimes. The 2018 ACS Crime Report estimates that there have been over 13,000 incidents of violence in stores over the last year, with theft seen as the most common trigger of abuse in stores. There has also been an estimated 9,000 robberies in the sector in the last year. In Sussex, business crime accounts for 19% of all crime in the county. Shoplifting accounts for 45% of all business crime in Sussex, while criminal damage is just under a fifth; crimes at a convenience store represent 8.7% of the total number of business crimes. In Sussex our approach to tackling retail crime involves both collaboration and innovation. I have previously written about our business and community wardens which have been introduced in Hastings, Eastbourne, Littlehampton, Bognor Regis and Haywards Heath. The wardens, initially hired for an 18-month pilot in 2015, jointly funded by the Home Office and the Southern Cooperative, take the task of reporting crime away from businesses, securing physical and digital evidence and preparing statements for police. In Brighton and Hove, Community Guards are now being deployed alongside the current Business Improvement District (BID) ambassadors. This close collaboration

Tackling shop theft and related crime between the public and private sector has led to local weekly intelligence briefings enabling individuals to be identified and issues to be resolved much more effectively. For example, an individual wanted on warrant that police had been unable to locate for over a year was apprehended within a few days when shared with the wardens. If we don’t tackle business crime effectively and at the earliest possible opportunity, then the implications – and cost – of these so-called ‘low level’ crimes can quickly escalate. Theft from the retail sector is often linked to organised crime and retailers are crucial in helping the police gather intelligence and identify trends and patterns of loss and violence. There is growing evidence that effective policing – in partnership with other public services, the local community and the voluntary sector – can help identify offenders and those at risk of offending earlier, helping direct them into programmes and interventions that address the drivers of their offending. A community safety accreditation scheme allows organisations and their employees to be given targeted police powers by the Chief Constable. In Sussex, these powers mean our business wardens can seize alcohol from under-18s or people drinking in designated spots, deal with begging and request the name and address of someone they believe has committed an offence. This has enabled further engagement and referral of such individuals toward supportive services. Work is underway nationally to streamline

access to court disposals for persistent and prolific offenders. This will also enable retailers to provide evidence to support and strengthen police investigations. We must continue to take a zero tolerance approach to offenders who threaten or use violence against shop staff, including using the full range of criminal and civil sanctions available to the police and private sector. The use of victim impact statements where violence has been a feature, can help provide further information to inform sentencing decisions. The ACS has developed a useful package of guidance, which is available online, to support retailers in assessing and managing the crime threats that their businesses face. The guidance focuses on partnership working as well as how to mitigate crimes including robbery, violence and verbal abuse, staff theft, and best practice around preventing theft at self scan tills. Here in Sussex, we are making significant progress driving private and public sector collaboration between police, local authorities, crime reduction partnerships and retailers, including The Southern Cooperative and Sainsbury’s, alongside the use of new technologies like facial recognition software and body worn video. Let’s all ‘take stock’ and play our part in preventing retail crime.

The Sussex Police Business Crime lead is Chris Neilson. You can email him at: chris.neilson@sussex.pnn.police.uk

Planning

Planning Debacle by Maarten Hoffmann

e all know that we have a problem in this country with too many homes required for the space we have available. There is, rightfully, strong resistance to building on green field sites but with so few brown field sites available, we have a problem that will not go away. When a council then decides to expand their remit, as with Wealden Council’s attempt to expand the Ashdown Forest ‘no build area’ by another 7km, they just compound the problem. There is little doubt that the Ashdown Forest is an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which, in turn, causes all sorts of problems for home building but to attempt to expand this by 7km is ridiculous. Now the Court of Appeal has overturned that attempt and a planning inspector has overturned a decision to refuse permission for 103 new homes to be built at Steel Cross, Crowborough.

“If one wants to see an area wither on the vine, stop building homes. That is a surefire way to strangle any region.”

The council has reacted to the news saying it will go to the High Court if necessary to challenge the outcome. In addition the council says that following the Court of Appeal decision which forced it to remove the 7km Ashdown Forest protection zone it has decided that, in future, development proposals within an increased area of the Ashdown Forest – 15km – will come under scrutiny to counter potential habitat harm there.

Wealden Council says this move is “a direct result of a challenge mounted by landowners to the council’s protection policy”. So the fight continues but what is very important to note here is that we need homes in this area. Where on earth are the next generation of local businesses employees to come from with such little housing stock available? Take Uckfield for example. This small town is currently under threat as firms struggle year on year to tempt new staff into the area. The outcome of this, were it to continue, will be the death of the town’s business community and the ramifications of that are far reaching. Instead of easing their draconian planning rules, councillors have vowed to carry on fighting. Do they care about the region’s business economy? Cllr Ann Newton, Wealden cabinet portfolio holder for planning said: “The progress we have now made is an opportunity to move forward with a range of smaller sustainable developments which are not reliant on building on greenfield sites close to the forest. Whilst I am happy to see that we are now in a position to see certain development with the mitigation take place, it is not open season for unsustainable speculative development in

Ashdown Forest and surrounding areas.” The council has reacted to the news saying it will go to the High Court if necessary to challenge the outcome. This is all well and good but, of course, there were no planning applications to build within the forest. However, there has to be leeway in building around the forest. The Forest’s 6500 acres must be preserved at all costs but to then attempt to restrict building within 7kms of the Forest, or 15kms if they get their way, is madness and flies in the face of common sense if one wishes the region to thrive and prosper. The average home prices in Crowborough are: large detached homes £555,000 - £2.75m; detached £300,000 - £650,000, semi £250,000 - £650,000 and terraces £230,000 - £370,000. Even rentals are not cheap with a one-bed flat going for £600pm and 3-bed homes going for £1,200 - £1,700. With all the will in the world, how on earth are young families supposed to afford those prices against local wages? No wonder we lose so many of our talented youngsters to the allure of London. If you currently own a home in this area, then l am sure you will be spitting feathers

Planning of the other Local Authorities.” The approach of Wealden is in stark contrast to that being taken by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council which is due to launch a consultation on where to build 13,000 over the next 15 years – including the option of creating a brand new ‘garden village’ within the borough. The government is obviously making its thoughts clear, having left Wealden out of the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF). This £2.3bn HIF was launched to ‘ensure the right infrastructure is in place at the right time to unlock the high quality new homes that this country needs’. The Government challenged local authorities to “show real ambition for the future” in their proposals. Wealden District Council and East Sussex County Council entered their bid for £32m last September. It was part of a plan, running up to 2028, to unlock and accelerate the building of 4,500 much-needed homes – principally in the Hailsham area. The infrastructure plans included a new primary school for Hailsham, mitigation of nitrogen deposition in the Ashdown Forest, and road improvements. reading this but what about the next generation? Where will their homes come from? Where will their offices, factories and workshops come from? Where will the councils business rates come from? If one wants to see an area wither on the vine, stop building homes. That is a surefire way to strangle any region. It is ultimately selfish to restrict building anywhere near one’s lovely home as that pays no heed to the future. This, of course, is not their argument. The stated row is the fear on nitrogen deposits from vehicle use in and around the Forest and therefore, if they had their way, they would stop all vehicle traffic and stop all building within 15kms of the Forest. This is utter madness and absolutely terrifying for any business in the region that is struggling to attract staff. There will always be unscrupulous developers who, given the chance, will throw up ugly concrete blocks with little regard for the region but that is what planning officers are there for - to stop such reckless development. But to stop all development is chucking the baby out with the bathwater. Local estate agents, Batcheller Monkhouse have written an analysis on implications of Wealden’s decision, which was made following

a meeting of the full council on March 22nd. They claim there is undersupply of housing in Wealden District that is ‘worse than originally thought’ and will be exacerbated by the council’s plans to reduce the number of dwellings it plans to build by 2028 from 14,101 to 11,456.

“Where on earth are the next generation of local businesses employees to come from with such little housing stock available? ”

“Wealden take the view that the legislation comprising the Habitats Directive which directs the protection of the Ashdown Forest effectively trumps issues of housing need for planning decision making,” the agency states, adding: “This is not an approach taken by any

Despite this, Wealden was awarded nothing in the first round. In total 133 local authorities received pay-outs from the first £866m of the £2.3bn. Locally, these included Adur £10m, Brighton & Hove £15.2m, Eastbourne £1.2m, Hastings £2.2m, Lewes £10m, Mid-Sussex £6.5m, and Rother £3.4m. So, what went wrong for Wealden? Hmm, l think we have answered that and now there is a rumour that Wealden’s planning will be taken over by another authority. There is not only a nimby vibe going on here but also a ‘one rule for you and one rule for us’ overtone. Last year, district councillor Barby Dashwood-Morris was taken to court for making renovations to her 14th century home without permission and admitted 22 counts of breaking Wealden’s planning regulations. At the time, Ms Dashwood-Morris served as the Chair of the planning committee. She resigned and was fined £75,000. Perhaps if the entire planning committee resigned, we could look forward to a prosperous future for the area whilst protecting its areas of outstanding natural beauty. They are not mutually exclusive.

Travel - Edinburgh

Shake hands in

Edinburgh Scotland’s capital will soon become a Gigabit City – a move that will please its thriving startup and SME scene. Rose Dykins reports.

ach time I visit Edinburgh, I think: “I could live here!” I imagine myself owning one of its pebble-hued tenement houses and people-watching from the bay window. Or finally getting the wiry lurcher I’ve always dreamed of and marching it up Arthur’s Seat, the city’s Medieval sandstone core and dappled green hills stretched out below – just think how fit I’d be if climbing the wind-whipped volcano became a daily thing. Edinburgh’s uniqueness and historic charm makes it a city that inspires you to dream. It feels like the place I could finally finish that novel that may or may not be brewing in my mind – no wonder former resident J K Rowling made the Harry Potter books so lengthy, or Ian

“Edinburgh’s uniqueness and historic charm makes it a city that inspires you to dream. It feels like the place I could finally finish that novel that may or may not be brewing in my mind”

Rankin managed to pen 20 Rebus titles and counting (the well-loved detective series set in the city). But what makes the Edinburgh lifestyle appealing is not the staggering castle backdrop and the narrow wynds of Old Town alone. It’s the amount of stuff that’s going on here – the buzz of the Fringe festival each August, the individuality of the local restaurants and boutiques, the fact that you’ll wander into a vault-like bar and discover a craft cocktail or a gin you’ve never tried before. Local creative projects and businesses seem to be thriving, and making the city more colourful. In fact, Edinburgh was recently named the best place in the UK to launch a small business according to research conducted by

Travel - Edinburgh

Arthur’s Seat

Rendering of the IMPACT Centre. Photo David Chipperfields

Expert Market UK. It ticks the usual boxes: a small size that allows for close networks, its large student population for acquiring talent, relatively affordable rent and, as mentioned, a covetable quality of life that lures people here.

built office space, hosting workshops and finding routes to investment, by connecting them with venture capitalists including DFJ Esprit, Oxford Capital, Scottish Equity Partners, Pentech VC.

“Following in the

What’s more – and the value of this for business should not be underestimated – Edinburgh’s already-speedy internet connection

footsteps of Aberdeen, Edinburgh will become one of the first cities across the UK where broadband speeds of up to one gigabit per second will be plugged into homes, schools, public offices and local businesses.”

London may be touted as the startup capital of Europe in terms of investment, but did you know that Edinburgh is where you’ll find the largest tech incubator in the UK? Home to 80 startups and 500 startuppers at a time, Codebase (thisiscodebase.com), helps fledgling businesses by offering mentorship, custom-

Holyrood Distillery

Victoria Street

“Another significant addition to the Scottish capital will be the first single malt whiskey

of up to 300Mbps is about to get a boost.

distillery to open in the

Following in the footsteps of Aberdeen, Edinburgh will become one of the first cities across the UK where broadband speeds of up to one gigabit per second will be plugged into homes, schools, public offices and local businesses. The move is a tie-up with Vodafone and CityFibre – the latter is a fibre network infrastructure provider that calls itself “the builder of Gigabit Cities”.

city in 90 years.”

In terms of more traditional infrastructure, plans are underway for a £45 million concert hall on St Andrews Square in New Town, which will be Edinburgh’s first purpose-built performing arts venue for more than a century. Set to open in 2021, the Impact Centre’s design by London architectural firm David Chipperfield envisions a structure with world-class acoustics that will hopefully attract more than 350,000 concert-goers each year, and corporate travellers may also benefit from the venue, which will have a 200-seat auditorium. Another significant addition to the Scottish capital will be the first single malt whiskey

distillery to open in the city in 90 years. In April, Holyrood Distillery completed more than £5.8 million of fundraising to renovate Old Town’s 180-year-old Engine Shed building into a working distillery with a visitor centre. Sixty private investors and Scottish Enterprise backed this exciting new project, where customers will help the distillery “build the spirits and flavours they most enjoy” in a collaborative approach to production. Edinburgh knows what it’s loved for, and has managed to preserve these things remarkably well – the distinct lack of litter, merchandising and other tourist toot up and around Arthur’s Seat is a testament to this. At the same time, judging by the new developments taking place, it’s making smart decisions to ensure its facilities are as up-tothe-minute, culturally relevant and businessfriendly as possible.

IMPACT Centre ‘Alley’ Photo David Chipperfields

Travel - Edinburgh

Top ideas for a meeting/event Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh There are no shortage of splendid library spaces in Edinburgh for atmospheric events, but this institution has one of the most beautiful. Currently being refurbished – a new 300-seat conference centre is being added – a banquet amid the antique bookshelves

Private dining at The Kitchin Having previously been named the best restaurant in Scotland, and Restaurant of the Year by Guardian readers, this Michelinstarred “nature-to-plate” concept will strike the right note with your guests. Set along the Leith waterfront, its unpretentious, seasonal ingredients are crafted into beautiful displays upon each plate, while the venue’s natural stone and cool blue furnishings evoke a fresh, seaside ambience.

of the New Library would be an evening to remember.

thekitchin.com

rcpe.ac.uk

Fringe benefits The Edinburgh Fringe offers businesses the chance to become a Corporate Friend of the festival, which may be a good investment if your clients are fans of art and culture. Membership fees start from £2000, giving you two-for-one tickets to performances, invites to networking events during the Fringe and priority ticket booking.

edfringe.com

Hill Street Design House

Mercat Tours

Immerse yourselves in Edinburgh’s design culture by hiring the all-white Front Room, ideal for product launches, workshops or pop-ups, at this artistic hub housed within a New Town Georgian home, where local design-led businesses occupy its four floors.

Treat employees to an award-winning tour of Edinburgh, led by outstanding storytellers, who have many strings to their bows. As well as history, ghost, Outlander and whiskey tours, these guys can tailor their imaginative experiences for corporate groups.

hillstreetdesign.house

mercattours.com

Travel - Edinburgh

Where to stay Edinburgh’s hotel scene has seen some fantastic refurbishments and openings over the past couple of years. The Dunstane Houses Situated in Edinburgh’s genteel West End, this five-star hotel is split between two Georgian houses, and relaunched last summer after a major refurbishment. With a design based on the island of Orkney – where its owners hark from – the property is littered with tawny tweed, blue hues and clusters of framed photographs of island life. Much of the produce served in its excellent BA’Bar (pictured) is transported from Orkney too, from its eggs to its scallops, and it’s easy to while away an afternoon in this gorgeous space, being guided through a whiskey-tasting by friendly staff. The 16 rooms in the main house are modern with boutique touches – suites have statement baths – while the other house has 19 rooms and the Stroma Lounge, which can seat 40 for dining. If there are rugby fans in your party, the property is also a five minute walk from Murrayfield Stadium, and group packages combining a stay with a Six Nations game can be arranged.

thedunstane.com

Principal Hotel George Street Enjoying a prime location along New Town’s central street, this historic property comprising five Georgian townhouses, instantly wows with its columned lobby staffed by quilt-clad concierge. Reopened in late 2016 after a renovation, its modern rooms and suites have a cosy feel and a calm Highlands-inspired colour scheme. Events can be held in the gorgeous King’s Hall – a banking hall during Victorian Times – which can host 300 people and has lovely arched mirrored panels. Other options include the Library, an elegant space with a fireplace, and Fourth View Suite, which has its own terrace in the midst of New Towns’ rooftops. Burr and Co, the hotel’s adjoining café serves excellent cups of coffee and sweet treats, which you can enjoy in the buzzy lobby if you wish.

phcompany.com

Radisson Collection Royal Mile Edinburgh Formerly known as G&V Hotel, this luxury property was rebranded under the new Radisson Collection brand in March, adding a burst of modernity to Old Town’s Medieval Royal Mile. Bold colours and edgy womb chairs create a cosmopolitan mood in the guest rooms, and each of the five suites has a distinct personality in collaboration with local artists and designers – the mesmerising Hatti Pattison-designed fabrics of the Garden Paradise Suite (pictured) symbolise Scotland’s vivid natural beauty, while the loft-style Rooftop Rest Suite features a dreamy blue canvas by artist Christine Clark. The hotel’s vibrant Cucina restaurant gives Italian classics a Scottish twist, while Epicurean joins the city’s impressive cocktail bar portfolio, with the menu itself a work of art. There’s also a stylish boardroom for up to 12 people.

radissoncollection.com

Travel

Introducing Client Privé Ruth Elkins meets Ian Lucas, founder of independent travel company, Red7 as he launches a new and improved Business Travel service for small and medium enterprises and introduces something rather exciting.

an Lucas is constantly on the move. This month, he’s already been to Glasgow, Manchester, Marbella, London, Birmingham and has just jetted in from Porto, a “reconnaissance mission” he says with a broad grin, “to see where it fits in our portfolio of destinations.” A Sussex Entrepreneur of the Year winner, Lucas has boundless energy. His Red7 business, based in Brighton’s North Laine, rose to fame in the late 1990s. It was the UK’s first organiser of dedicated Hen and Stag weekends at a time when - as Lucas puts it: “Those kinds of groups weren’t welcome anywhere nice”. It irritated Lucas, who’d suffered many a dodgy stag do, and so he made it his mission to break down the barriers businesses put up and give hens and stags a first class experience. Red7 were first to hit the market,

offering UK city based, pre-planned activity, entertainment and accommodation packages to bars, clubs, restaurants and hotels who were in need of advance bookings. It was business that was valuable to the local economy as well as the partner venues and demand was swift and kept coming. From zero startup the company quickly grew to a turnover of £10m without any capital investment. Competitors were quick to snap at Red7’s ankles, yet the company has remained at the forefront of the group travel market, helping over 1 million customers since it was founded in 1997. After acquiring an independent licensed travel agency in 2001 and integrating it into Red7, Lucas’ business began to provide Business Travel: bargain flight tickets and bespoke holidays as well as group travel overseas. Red7 now sends hen, stag and

corporate groups to European and Worldwide destinations as familiar as Brighton, Barcelona, Berlin and New York, and as diverse as Obonjan-island in Croatia, Bali, Las Vegas and Dubai and has recently launched a luxury retail travel service. Now turning 50, Lucas has turned his attention to the business community with the launch of Client Privé, a new enhanced travel service aimed at entrepreneurs and small and medium businesses.

A Lifestyle Business Travel Service “Client Privé is about offering a lifestyle travel service for entrepreneurs and their teams to help them live the life they’re working towards and also to help travel work for their business,” says Lucas. Red7 Business Travel experts already manage all business travel needs organising everything from flights, hotel bookings, train tickets, car parking and restaurant reservations, entertainment evenings and hospitality events. In addition, Client Privé is a new and exclusive service for Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs wanting to live life to the max as well as conduct business meetings and deliver rewards and incentives to their team. Client Privé members receive a dedicated Red7 Travel Ace who personally plans itineraries to incorporate cost-effective holidays and business trips with access to

Travel private jets, villas and yachts, concierge, meeting areas, hosts, restaurants and clubs. The private jet arrangement Red7 has negotiated also includes access to a ‘dead leg service’ which saves clients thousands for a last minute indulgence or team reward trip. The goodwill and value in appreciation from employees when surprised with one of these experiences often makes these trips a great financial investment!

RED7 TIPS TO MAKING TRAVEL WORK FOR YOUR BUSINESS Let us check in - don’t risk being left out. Red7 always books your seats or checks you in ahead of time so you avoid getting bumped from your flight. There is nothing worse than not knowing where you are sitting or being bumped which means you’ll

“Business travel is often regarded as just logistics to get from meeting to meeting, but for me, it’s an essential part of business success and these days it encompasses so much more,” says Lucas, “Travel needs to be sexy again - if Business is the new rock-n-roll, then why not feel like the business stars we are? The boundaries between work and social life are more blurred,” he continues. “As an entrepreneur I understand the importance of working, socialising and travelling and I know businesses require a trusted ally to facilitate this. There is just no point arriving somewhere for business feeling drained, or not being able to kick back, chill and reflect.”

miss that meeting... And that deal.

Indeed, a recent Booking.com survey found 49% of business travellers already regularly extend corporate trips to enjoy personal time at their destination. Figures show that 80% of millennials also routinely plan in extra time around business trips for socialising.

impress your clients and boost your brand. Build your business success

Lucas is on the move again - this time to Ibiza to check out more on trend venues and hotels and seal an exclusive deal with legendary accommodation on the island. His journey will be spent sifting through the entries for this year’s Brighton and Hove Business Awards, where and his team are judging the Best Customer Service and Best International Business categories.

Get your team out of the office and take them to a spectacular, luxury

“There are so many strong entries - the business culture in Brighton and Hove is so vibrant and diverse,” he says. “I’m so proud Red7 is a part of it and it’s a real privilege to be selecting the winners this year.”

Welcome To Business Pleasure Class

“I fundamentally believe that travel is enriching and it should feature in every part of your life,” Lucas says. “It gives you a broader perspective. A well-travelled person is more rounded and has a broader cultural perspective which helps sealing those deals. They will ultimately bring more success to your company.”

will arrange everything so you can concentrate on business.

To find out more: call Jakob Eaton, Red7 Head of Business Travel on 01273 872202

harder and are happier, delivering up to 20 percent ROI. If a complete

www.red7.co.uk

discounts for bulk purchasing.

Charge it up Fully charge all your gadgets the night before you travel. You don’t want to be stuck plugged to a wall the minute you get to your hotel. On-the-go charging packs and USB ports are absolutely essential. Communication is King.

PR & Marketing Trips Travel shouldn’t be used to get from A-B. Use it to benefit your business. Red7’s team of Travel Aces and in-house PR experts plan perfect trips to by hosting great networking, media and fact-finding trips in the UK and abroad.

Creative Team Retreats destination where you can brainstorm in a stunning environment. Create powerful creative campaigns and social media content that engage your audience and your brand. Your team will return relaxed, revived and inspired.

Make the most of that Friday meeting. Tag some personal time onto a business trip with a team retreat at a luxe villa or a private yacht and fly the family over to join you for the weekend. Red7’s Client Privé experts

Reward Staff with Travel or Travel Vouchers The most effective way to keep hold of your best staff: give them a great holiday. Figures show those who receive incentive or reward trips work holiday is out of budget, Red7 can provide travel vouchers with

Work Hard, Play Hard. Business trips don’t have to be all work and no fun. Go out for happy hour, try the local cuisine at a recommended restaurant, check out a local event, or meet up with friends along the way. If you’re exhausted and prefer to stay in, maybe a massage or bath with a glass of wine is more your speed. Whatever the case, don’t forget to treat yourself. You deserve it! Red7 managing your travel requirements provides many benefits, including transparency of your expenditure with consolidated Invoices and efficiency savings via our strategic partnerships and contacts, not least the salaries you save. Plus its FUN!

When BUSINESS meets SPORT

GREAT BRITAIN AND EASTBOURNEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NO.1 PROFILE OF TENNIS STAR JOHANNA KONTA

WELCOME

PLATINUM SPORT

Laurence Elphick Head of Sport

Introduction Summer seems to be here and what a Summer of sport it’s going to be! And let me tell you it has been very busy at Platinum Towers trying to cram in as much sport as possible. (I’ve asked for more pages, but the boss just won’t let me have them!)

Platinum Sports Group have another range of amazing VIP hospitality on offer at Goodwood, Wimbledon, Cheltenham and at this Autumn’s Rugby Internationals featuring the home nations against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

While this month sees the beginning of the World Cup in Russia with the bold prediction that England will do bugger all again and just for a change, Germany, Brazil or Argentina will win it, I’ve been out to sunny Horsham to interview former England International and Brighton & Spurs legend, Alan Mullery MBE about his time in Mexico with the Three Lions in 1970! (But don’t expect any revelations about him and Crystal Palace, he’s fed up with talking about that!)

We also explain more about the world of Show jumping ahead of The Al Shira’aa Derby meeting this month at Hickstead where over 45,000 people are expected during the weekend to watch the top riders negotiate iconic obstacles such as the Derby Bank, the Devil’s Dyke and the various water ditches, AND there’s plenty to see and do for the whole family.

Ahead of the grass court season in tennis at Wimbledon and of course Eastbourne, I’ve profiled Great Britain’s No.1 women’s player Johanna Konta. After reaching the semi-finals of both tournaments last year, can she be the first British women to win the title since Virginia Wade won Eastbourne in 1975? ‘When business meets sport’ reveals some delightful sporting passions but in complete contrast to one another, from leading PR lady, Aneela Rose and Chichester College Groups Commercial Managing Director, Julie Kapsalis.

Talking of horses, I get on my high one about mobile phones and social media use during competitions in ‘View from the Sofa’ and ask why do athletes, pros and teams continue to subject themselves to what everyone else thinks, when it would make more sense to focus on trying to win instead, grrrr! I can’t cover every activity in Platinum Sport, though I try my best. If there’s a sport you love and you want me to tell the world about it, well Sussex anyway, please let me know, I’d love to hear from you. Simply send an email to: Laurence@platinumpublishing.co.uk

PLATINUM SPORT

WINTER PARALYMPICS

NEWS

Success for GB at the Winter Paralympics Eastbourne Chamber member, Professor Nick Webborn, makes his mark at the Winter Paralympic Games

ot only were the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games the most successful ever for a British winter Paralympic team but it also provided a fascinating back story for Professor Nick Webborn from the Sportswise clinic in Eastbourne. Nick was elected president of the British Paralympic Association in 2017 having been involved for over 25 years as a medical officer. He attended the Games as head of the British delegation but was also be delighted to be able to see one of his former patients competing. Nick met local boy James Whitley when he was just eight years old helping him to recover

PLATINUM SPORT

from a horrific boating accident. During the period of James’ rehabilitation, it became clear that James was a keen ski racer even at that young age and so Nick introduced him to the concept of competing in Winter Paralympic sports. The following year he gave it a try and the rest, as they say, is history. James finished 10th in the downhill and slalom in a very competitive field and he was absolutely delighted with his results and is looking forward to improving on this in Beijing in 2022.

Great Britain also competed in Para snowboard for the very first time and in Nordic skiing for the first time in twenty years – Nick’s first Winter Games! GB were represented by para athlete Scott Meenagh who stepped on an IED and lost both his legs above the knee in the explosion in 2011 while serving in Afghanistan. Nick also knew Scott through the Invictus games. Scott competed in Toronto in 2017 where Nick was the Chief Medical Officer. It’s a small world!

The British team of 17 athletes competed across five sports and returned with a total of seven medals, all from Alpine skiing. The last of which was a gold medal won by Menna Fitzpatrick and Jennifer Kehoe in the slalom with the final run of the British athlete on the last day of competition!

Sportswise is the Sussex Centre for sport and exercise medicine and specialises in treating musculoskeletal problems related to sport, physical activity or work. It is based at the University of Brighton campus in Eastbourne.

SPORT

SPORTS News TENNIS The Nature Valley Eastbourne International returns from June 22nd 30th at Devonshire Park and will feature British No.1 Johanna Konta alongside World No.1 Simona Halep and No.2 Caroline Wozniacki. The men will feature British No.1 Kyle Edmund, who has broken into the world’s top 20 for the first time. Joining Edmund will be top 20 Diego Schwartzman, former World No.3 David Ferrer and exciting young prospect, 19-year-old Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

CRICKET Jason Gillespie’s Sussex will host World Cup holders, Australia at the 1st Central County Ground for a fiftyover match in Hove on June 7th, while England Women take on South Africa Women at Hove on Tuesday June 12th in the Royal London One Day series. Tickets and tables are also still available at the ‘Where Cricket meets Football’ event on July 25th with former Liverpool goalkeeper, Bruce Grobbelaar. To book, email corporatesales@sussexcricket.co.uk

“Whoever said ‘it’s not whether you win or lose that counts’ probably lost” Martina Navratilova

RUGBY UNION England travel to South Africa for a three-match tour after their recent training session at Brighton College, led by Saracens’ Fly Half Owen Farrell. Eddie Jones will be looking for a vast improvement on their showing at this year’s Six Nations, when his side only managed to finish above Italy. Next month will see the beginning of a regular page on Rugby in Sussex in Platinum Sport, sponsored by Rix & Kay Solicitors

LOCAL SPORTS NEWS

GOLF This month sees the US Open in New York, while 147th Open Championship returns to Carnoustie in Scotland from the July 19th-22nd with a host of the world’s best players, including 2007 winner Padraig Harrington, all looking to win the title from last year’s winner Jordan Spieth.

“One of the reasons Arnie Palmer is playing so well is that, before each round, his wife takes his balls out and kisses them. Oh my God, what have l just said” US Open TV commentator

CYCLING Next month sees The Men’s ‘Tour of Sussex’ begin with teams of four battling it out over five stages involving courses around Ditchling Beacon, Beachy Head, Ashdown Forest and Goodwood, from July 5th-8th. The 105th Tour de France gets underway from July 7th-29th as Britain’s Chris Froome will be looking for a record-equalling fifth title and will begin in the Vendée region of north west France and conclude in Paris. Over the course of 21 stages, the riders will face six mountain stages, including Alpe d’Huez - three of which feature summit finishes - one individual time trial, one team time trial, eight flat stages giving opportunities for the sprinters, and five moderately hilly stages, all for a total distance of 3229km.

FOOTBALL While England kick off their World Cup campaign in Russia against Tunisia on June 18th, Panama on the 24th and much-fancied Belgium on the 28th, much closer to home is the 8th annual wheelchair football competition, known as the Julie Hodder Cup taking place at the University of Brighton Sports Hall on Tuesday July 3rd, raising money for Albion in the Community and the Chailey Heritage Foundation. Able bodied teams can take part and they still have places available, so to enter and support this very worthy cause, please call Steve Darby on 07966 477723

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THE MANAGERS

FOOTBALL

The managers’ merry-go-round

anchester City proved what everyone already knew - they are easily the best team in the country. In doing so, the record-book was rewritten - their haul of 100 points beat the 2004-05 record of 95 held by Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, and City finished the season with the most goals scored in one season, 106. Guardiola’s first title in England added to his successes with Bayern Munich and Barcelona, surely justifies the man as a genius?

Manchester City vs Southampton The gulf between the rich and the poor clubs is widening every season and the result is increasingly panic from club owners, especially when things aren’t going according to plan. At the other end of the league table, West Brom were relegated after using four managers in one season: Darren Moore, Alan Pardew, Gary Megson and Tony Pulis. Stoke City ended their stay in the top flight after Mark Hughes was sacked and his replacement Paul Lambert only won once in the last 15 games. While Cardiff City join Wolves in the Premiership next season, their fierce rivals Swansea City also drop down, after sacking Paul Clement mid-season and replacing him with Carlos Carvahal, who also got the boot with their relegation confirmed after a 1-0 home defeat to rivals Southampton, who

Stoke Manager, Paul Lambert incidentally sacked Mauricio Pellegrino earlier in the season and replaced him with… Mark Hughes! Since the season ended, West Ham’s Manager David Moyes has left (after he’d replaced Slaven Bilic earlier in the season) and Everton dismissed Sam Allardyce, after he’d succeeded Ronald Koeman. Last season’s Champions Leicester City also had three managers this season: Craig Shakespeare, Michael Appleton and Claude Puel, who suffered an embarrassing 5-0 defeat at Crystal Palace. Talking of whom, Roy Hodgson proved an astute replacement at the Eagles for the sacked Frank De Boer, the former Ajax coach. Watford also had their part in the managerial merry-go-round as Marco Silva only lasted eight months before being replaced by current boss Javi Gracia.

Brighton & Hove Albion Manager, Chris Hughton I make this a record 16 managerial changes since the start of the season, 17 if you include Wenger’s departure! Compare this with the fantastic job done by Chris Hughton and David

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Wagner in keeping Brighton and Huddersfield in the top flight for another season despite being many pundits favourites to drop down. The most impressive performance though surely was epitomised by Sean Dyche in guiding his Burnley side to 7th and into Europe. Burnley’s last European campaign was 50 years ago With such a fine line between success and failure, I’d like to pose a question to you. Do the top teams get the best managers, or are they just less trigger-happy?

Manchester City Manager, Pep Guardiola Take the top five managers and the bottom five, then swop them around so that the bottom five manage the top five teams and vice versa, i.e. Guardiola manages West Brom and Moore manages Man City. You get the idea. Would we see a different outcome to the Premier League season or would things stay pretty much as they are? It would be interesting to see how the ‘best’ managers perform with less resources both in terms of budget and players, proving who really IS the top manager. I’d predict that Guardiola would still make his mark, proving he really is a genius. I just hope one day he wants to manage England.

PLATINUM SPORT

PROFILE

Johanna Konta At home in Eastbourne

Laurence Elphick on the return of GB’s number one ladies tennis star

hat have London, Nottingham, Birmingham and Eastbourne all got in common? They all host the major grass court tennis tournaments where the world’s elite men and women players warm up for Wimbledon, unquestionably the greatest Grand Slam competition of them all.

I have had the pleasure of twice being a spectator on the ‘Sunshine Coast’ to watch some glorious tennis without the crowds, supplemented by the odd glass of Champagne and the occasional bowl of strawberries. Is there a better way to spend a summer’s day? British star Konta will play at this year’s Nottingham Open, Birmingham Classic, and Eastbourne International, now sponsored by Nature Valley, in the lead up to Wimbledon. The 27-year-old enjoyed some standout performances in 2017. After winning the Miami Open, the most significant trophy won by a British woman for 40 years, she went on to finish runner-up at the Nottingham Open, became the first British woman to reach the Wimbledon singles semi-finals since Virginia Wade in 1979, and reached a career high ranking of world Number 4. On this year’s schedule, Konta said: “I’m so excited to be returning to

play these fantastic tournaments in the summer. The grass court season is one of my favourites and nothing compares to competing at home with passionate fans, friends and family who are behind you all the way. I know I’m incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to compete in front of a home crowd and especially in Eastbourne where my family home is just a stone’s throw away from Devonshire Park, it’s such a special feeling. These tournaments also provide me with the perfect pathway to Wimbledon. Last year it proved to be the best preparation possible as I enjoyed my most successful Wimbledon ever, and hopefully it will have the same effect for 2018.” Last year, Johanna Konta and Heather Watson made it a special day for British tennis as both reached the semi-finals of the Aegon International Eastbourne. Konta claimed her first victory over a world No.1 when she defeated Angelique Kerber in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, but the victory was more difficult than the score line might suggest. Konta was heading towards victory before she took a heavy fall while reaching for a forehand out wide on match point. She needed treatment after landing on her back and a lengthy time out had fans on Centre fearing she would be unable to continue. But fortunately, the Brit wasn’t hurt too seriously and when play got under way she promptly set up another match point, which was successfully converted to reach her second consecutive semi-final at Devonshire Park.

Proud to Be British Over the past 12 months she has had to endure some very uncomfortable questioning when being interviewed, particularly related to whether she is British or not. Despite being born in Sydney, Australia, she is a British citizen and very proud to represent Great Britain since 2005 when she moved to the UK. Konta was born to Hungarian parents (Gabor and Gabriella) but moved

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TENNIS

to Eastbourne in 2005. Although she officially represented Australia from 2008 to 2012, she switched allegiance to her adopted country when she became an official citizen of Great Britain in 2012.

Unfortunately, 2018 hasn’t been great for Konta so far, and maybe the pressure is off as few are tipping her this year to better her appearance in the last four on the South Coast 12 months ago.

It was at an after-school programme in Sydney where a young Konta discovered tennis at the age of eight. Her talent was recognised when she was 11 by Tennis Australia, but when funding was cut from the programme, she had to look elsewhere to continue her improvement.

After retiring injured in the quarter finals of the Brisbane International against third seed Elina Svitolina from the Ukraine at the start of the year, she then lost to Poland’s Agnieska Radwanska in straight sets in Sydney, before tasting defeat against unseeded American Bernarda Pera in the Australian Open. In February, Konta reached the last sixteen

At 14, she left Sydney for a 15-month stay at the Sanchez Casal Academy in Barcelona while her parents moved to Eastbourne. Her breakthrough year came in 2015; Konta beat seeds Garbine Muguruza and Andrea Petkovic in New York and world No.2 Simona Halep at the Wuhan Open in China before losing to Venus Williams in the quarter-finals as she climbed from world No.150 into the 40s. In 2016, she made her mark on the major tournaments, reaching the last four in Melbourne and the fourth round at the US Open for the second year in a row. She also reached the quarter-finals at the Rio Olympics. The semi-finals at Wimbledon is still the furthest she’s gone in any Grand Slam. Konta is coached by Wim Fissette, who has previously helped former world No.1’s Victoria Azarenka and Kim Clijsters and who was also the coach of Simona Halep, who Konta beat in three sets to reach the 2017 Wimbledon semi-finals. She lists movies, reading and shopping amongst things she likes to do and music is another big thing for GB’s number one; she likes Van Morrison and loves U2. Her Twitter feed also says that she takes gelato very seriously!

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PROFILE

TENNIS

of the Qatar Open before being beaten by Germany’s Angelique Kerber in three sets before succumbing to another unseeded player Russia’s Daria Kasatkina in Dubai. The Miami Open champion from 2017 was unable to repeat her feat in Florida when she lost in three sets to number eight seed Venus Williams. After being upset by Pera again, this time on clay at the Madrid Open, Konta was beaten in the Italian Open on her 27th Birthday by fifth seed Latvian 20-year-old Jelena Ostapenko. Despite being knocked out after winning the first set, it was an encouraging performance from Konta and a sign that she is recovering from the lost confidence that has seen her ranking slip to 22nd. Winning Eastbourne would mean so much to Konta but standing in her way at the Nature Valley International are some formidable players including the world No’s. 1 and 2, Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki. They will be joined by defending champion Karolina Pliskova, last year’s French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and world No.8, Petra Kvitova. A further six players from the world’s Top 20 including Julia Goerges, Angelique Kerber, Daria Kasatkina, Ash Barty, Magdalena Rybarikova and Anastasija Sevastova have also added their names to the star-studded line-up.

crowd is just amazing. I’m raring to get back on court to play in front of them again.” Fans attending this year’s International will also be able to experience the excitement of wheelchair tennis on Friday June 29th, as British and world No.1 Alfie Hewett, makes his debut appearance at Devonshire Park, alongside Gordon Reid, British No.2 and world No.5. The defending Wimbledon doubles champions will face each other in an unmissable singles exhibition match. With the International integral to the Sussex community, 50% of all adult tickets purchased for Saturday 23rd June will be donated to the tournament’s official charity partner, Friends of Sussex Hospice, to help fund invaluable support for adults and children across Sussex.

Eastbourne 2018 On coming back to Eastbourne in 2018, Konta said: “I think of Eastbourne as home, so to be able to play in a big tournament against world-class players in my hometown is very special. Devonshire Park is a fantastic venue and the whole town comes together when the tournament is on. Nothing compares to competing at home, especially when it’s against world class players - the support you get from the

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For more information on this year’s Nature Valley International and to buy tickets to see Jo Konta in action, visit www.lta.org.uk/major-events

PREVIEW

TENNIS

Strawberries, champagne and some fine tennis Preview of the 2018 Wimbledon Championship Tennis Monday 2nd July – Sunday 15th July 2018

imbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, and widely considered to be the most prestigious. The very first Wimbledon Championships were held in 1877 in front of only 200 people. Today Wimbledon receives huge viewing figures and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. This year’s competitors will receive £34 million in total prize money.

age (37). Normally his biggest challenge would come in the form of crowd favourite, Andy Murray, but his long spell out of the game with injuries since the Wimbledon quarter finals last year will hamper his chances.

Men’s Singles

Novak Djokovic has been an outstanding player in SW19, having won the tournament on three occasions and will undoubtedly be one to beat, despite his indifferent form including a defeat to Britain’s Kyle Edmund at the Madrid Masters in May.

Roger Federer won his eighth men’s singles title last year and the Swiss legend also became the second ever player in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title without dropping a set at Wimbledon last year.

Rafael Nadal’s return to form has been rather up and down and he doesn’t have a very good record at Wimbledon. The Spaniard hasn’t made it past the fourth round since 2011 and recently had to retire in the quarter-final at the Australian Open.

Other than these four, Alexander Zverev is an outsider who could be a threat with his agility and big serving ability.

Ladies’ Singles

Roger Federer In recent years, four big tennis names automatically come to mind – Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Federer. Federer is a solid contender to win the Wimbledon title again this year, despite his

The Ladies’ is less clear cut. 2017 saw Garbine Muguruza win her first title and despite not being as dominant a force as they once were, the Williams sisters are still up there. Venus reached last year’s final and Serena holds the record with 23 major trophies, an Open Era record across both male and female players. She is second on the all-time list behind Margaret Court’s 24 Slams. World number one, Romania’s Simona Halep can’t be ignored and then there is the challenge of Caroline Wozniacki, now that she has won the first Grand Slam title of her career at the Australian Open.

Garbine Muguruza Germany’s Angelique Kerber was ranked number one at the All England Club in 2017 while the Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova and Ukraine’s Elina Svlitolina will be in contention, not forgetting Eastbourne’s Johanna Konta, of course. The outsider could come in the form of 18-year-old Naomi Osaka from Japan, who earlier this year had climbed to world number21 in the world rankings. With the 2017 championships being one of the best and unpredictable in recent memory, now is the perfect time to book because we’re able to tell you about a corker of an offer that might just get your ‘Deuces’ flowing! The Platinum Sports Group are offering official corporate VIP full hospitality at Wimbledon from only £435 per person. For more details go to www.platinumsports.uk or call 0203 205 7149.

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INTERVIEW

Memories of Mexico As World Cup fever builds up, Laurence Elphick meets Brighton & Hove Albion Ambassador Alan Mullery, to talk about the memorable World Cup of 1970.

48 years ago, you were at the World Cup in Mexico with England, how does it feel knowing it was that long ago? It feels like only yesterday and the memories flow quite easily, which is amazing really, as sometimes I can’t remember what I did last week!

You missed out in the ‘66 squad, but in 1970 you were with players like Geoff Hurst, Gordon Banks, Bobby and Jack Charlton, Martin Peters and Bobby Moore. Were there any egos back then like you get with some players today?

There’s a difference today with a lot of the foreign players who don’t understand the rivalry, for example what it means for a Tottenham player to play against Arsenal. When I went to Spurs, the then Manager, Bill Nicholson said to me, “you’ve only got to win two games this season, Arsenal at home and Arsenal away.” I love watching the foreign players, but I don’t think they understand the true blood about it! Frank McLintock (Arsenal) was a good friend of mine, but on the pitch, we were enemies and kicked the life out of each other but after the game we’d always have a beer together. I don’t think there’s that feeling there anymore, certainly not as much as when I played.

If there were, they soon got cut down by people like big Jack (Charlton). Everybody was the man in those days and the camaraderie was fantastic. When I went to Brighton as a Manager, we had a group of players who, when we got promotion to the First Division, all went on strike because they wanted more money! So, I said, “Right I’m not going to give you more money, you’re on a better deal now than when you were in the Second Division, so what I’ll do is play the kids!” They were shocked and within two hours they came back and accepted what I said. Because I would’ve done it! That camaraderie got us to the First Division, but in the end, they did get better wage rises.

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Mullery (no.4) v West Germany 1970

Didn’t England play a friendly against the press just before the World Cup finals in 1970 when Jack Charlton refereed the game? We organised this because we were disappointed with some of the coverage we received. We were training in 100 degrees in the shade so there were long breaks to drink water and rehydrate - we’d do a training session where we’d lose three or four pounds! Some of the press coverage was detrimental, and they were also staying in the same hotel as we were. If we were sitting having a cup of coffee there’d be someone sitting there listening to what we were saying.

FOOTBALL

The journalists weren’t very good to us, so we decided to see how well they could do. Basically, we got the press together and most of them were my size (as I am now is not what I was like back then!). We thought if we played them for 15 – 20 minutes in this heat, some of them could drop dead, we were that angry about it! Afterwards there was never a bad report.

In the group stages you lost 1–0 to a great Brazil side, a game remembered for that Gordon Banks save from Pele’s header which has been replayed many times as the best ever save. What are your memories of that save? I remember it clear as day. Everybody in that Brazil team was a ball player but they had some tough nuts as well. We were playing very well and had had a couple of good chances, I remember Jeff Astle missed a sitter as did Geoff Hurst. They were attacking down the right wing and we all got moved across. I ended up marking somebody else and not Pele as I had for the whole game and Tommy Wright (from Everton) was supposed to move

across to mark him. Tom came inside of me and left Pele all on his own who leapt like he was on a spring and headed the ball down into the corner. Gordon Banks had gone from the near post to the far post in a flash and got fingertips to the ball to flick it over the top of the crossbar. I was the first one to go over, patted him on the head and said, “Why didn’t you catch it?” I can’t tell you what he said to me but if you look at the pictures when he’s looking up at me, I think you can tell!

Your only goal for England came against West Germany in the quarter finals when we lost 3–2 after being 2–0 up, what do you remember about your goal?

2–0 up with 15 minutes to go and Alf Ramsay decided to take Bobby Charlton off, didn’t that change everything? That’s been a bit of a myth, because if you go back to the beginning of the tournament where we played Romania, after an hour Bobby was substituted. We then played against Brazil and after an hour Bobby was substituted. We go to the third game against Czechoslovakia and Bobby was again substituted after an hour. At this stage Bobby was 34 and Alf said we needed him so much, but he can’t play in this heat for the whole game. At 2–0 up he believed we were going to win, so he brought on Norman Hunter and Colin Bell.

I wasn’t meant to be there as I was never allowed to go over the half way line. But I got the ball I think from Ray Wilson, spun on the edge of our box and hit this 40 yard pass to Keith Newton who was flying down the wing and I just decided to run. I ran about 60 yards to get into their box and doing 60 yards in 110 degrees wasn’t good, but I got there and when Newton crossed the ball I was about eight yards out, got my foot to it and stuck it in the net. Alf Ramsay (the England Manager) used to say to me: “You are a defending midfield player and we’ve got Bobby Charlton to go forward…” In my 34 other caps I never was that far forward again. It was definitely my best moment for England though!

Gordon Banks defies Pele at the 1970 World Cup

Pele holds the ball off Alan Mullery

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INTERVIEW

FOOTBALL Mexicans took it! They had the steak and we had fish fingers! We were there four weeks before the competition started so we had to wait for more food to come out.

What was Sir Alf Ramsay like as a Manager? He had his own style of playing, he was strict with the players and he was the first to pat you on the back if you’d done well. He disliked the press immensely and never trusted them as I think they’d turned him over once or twice in the papers. If you speak to anyone whether they played one game for him or a hundred, no one ever criticised him, he was fantastic.

Sir Alf Ramsey

Gordon Banks was ill the night before; the Mexicans were banging their drums all night and the team was in a different hotel to the one that was planned. How did this affect the team? Sure, the Mexicans were banging drums all night before we played Brazil, and then Banksy was ill but he had the same food and drink as the rest of us so that was weird. He had what they call ‘Montezuma’s Revenge’! We all got on the bus to get there two hours before kick off, but just before we left, Harold Shepherdson (Assistant coach) came on and said, “Banksy can’t get off the toilet!” Alf got off the bus to tell Peter Bonetti he was playing with only two hours to go! Banksy had diarrhoea, whether he was drugged or ate something dodgy I don’t suppose we’ll ever know. Unfortunately for Peter he dived over the top of the ball for the first German goal ,so whether it affected him by only finding out a few hours before the game I don’t know.

What was the preparation like before each game compared to today with things like your diet? Diet was important, but we did live on fish fingers for a week in the Hilton in Guadalajara because we didn’t want to eat any of their food. We’d had Angus beef flown out from Scotland, but when it got to customs, the

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Best goal scored at a World Cup?

The best goal you’ve ever scored?

Undoubtedly Carlo’s Alberto’s thumping drive after Pele’s lay off in the final was just brilliant and that Brazil team was great. I don’t think I’ve seen a better side.

A volley from outside the box for Fulham against Leicester City in the FA Cup in 1974 past Peter Shilton. It was voted goal of the season.

Your worst moment playing for England?

As a former Albion Manager, what do you make of what Chris Hughton has done at Brighton?

When I got sent off a few minutes before the end against Yugoslavia in 1968. I was the first England player at senior level to be sent off and every time I go anywhere I get asked about that, I’ve got to live with it. Straight after I went in the changing rooms, stripped off and jumped in the bath. When I heard the door open I went under the water, only for Alf to grab me by the hair, pull me up and say to me: “You should’ve done him before that!” I got fined £50 by the FA and Alf paid it!

Phenomenal, absolutely superb and not just this season. If you’d said to me we would have been safe with three games to go against Man Utd, City and Liverpool, I would’ve said you need your head tested. But they were absolutely brilliant against United. I’m delighted with what Chris has done and Tony Bloom has been magnificent as well, the best Chairman I’ve ever seen. What he’s done for the Club has been amazing.

HEALTH

FLOAT SPA

Mental health in sport (and Beyond) by Camille Pierson, Managing Director of The Float Spa

eople who expect a great deal of themselves, whether that be in sport or business, can put themselves under an awful lot of pressure to perform. The mental health charity, Mind, recently did a study that addressed the issue of mental health problems in elite athletes which had become so serious that professional sports people were actually being driven to the point of suicide. As mindset and focus are so important in sport, mental health problems like depression and anxiety can affect performance and can grow into larger issues if not addressed properly.

As so much of sport performance is in the mind, we at The Float Spa offer yoga, floatation and massage because they provide so many benefits for the mind as well as the body. We help a number of local sportspeople enhance their performance by looking after their mental wellbeing while addressing physical niggles. We even have our own ex-professional cricketer teaching sports yoga, Lewis Hatchett. If you’d like to receive any advice on supporting your mental health in general or if you’re thinking of trying yoga or floatation to improve your performance in sport or business, call 01273 933 680 and we’ll be glad to answer any of your questions. very difficult. Struggling to retain focus alongside all the other rigours of high level sport increases stress even more and it’s easy to see how it becomes too much for some people who don’t have the support or strategies to help them.

What help is available for mental health problems in sport? Why is mental health such an issue in professional sport? We’ve all heard commentators say, after a footballer misses the goal during a penalty shootout, that the player ‘buckled under the pressure’ but people aren’t so aware of the constant pressure high level sportspeople are under to perform well. Mind’s study showed that worry about leaving the sport is one of the main things that damages sportspeople’s mental health as they are highly aware that one slightly less than optimal performance could see them dropped from the squad. Although all athletes experience this pressure, most fear that talking about it will be seen as a sign of weakness and threaten their position even more. This feeling of isolation on top of the pressure is a perfect storm to bring about mental health issues. It’s very much the same problem in high level business where bosses have such important decisions to make and don’t want to show any vulnerability in front of their staff.

Very sadly, it took the suicides of a professional footballer and rugby player before action was taken. The Professional Footballers Association and Rugby Players Association now teach coaches and sports teams to support their players’ mental health and provide confidential counselling services for those having difficulties. Many sportspeople find yoga helpful in supporting their sports careers as it helps them improve their physical performance through better balance, strength and flexibility whilst making injuries less likely, and it helps them to focus and alleviate stress and mental health concerns through meditation to calm the mind. Olympian Carl Lewis also used floatation to help with his focus by using visualisation techniques which he found to be particularly effective if he practised them while floating. It’s also an effective way to relieve stress and tackle anxiety and depression.

Why is having good mental health so important in sport? Another compounding factor is the way having the right mindset and a high level of focus is essential to success in all sports (and business) and mental health problems like anxiety and depression can make this

8 Third Avenue, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2PX www.thefloatspa.co.uk

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Style & Substance Why Compromise?

EST. 1864 Make your next conference or event a Grand one... 01273 224300 • conference@grandbrighton.co.uk • www.grandbrighton.co.uk

100

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DARTS

when BUSINESS meets SPORT

Julie Kapsalis

Group Managing Director (Commercial) at Chichester College Group

“My passion for darts...”

Julie Kapsalis reveals her darts nickname

1. The best match you’ve ever watched?

Easy – January 2015 – Lakeside. Scotty Dog Mitchell beating Martin Wolfie Adams 7-6 in the final. 2. Your favourite player?

Julie with Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor

Martin Wolfie Adams – a gentleman who always make time to have a chat with his fans. 3. Your favourite walk-on? Terry The Bull Jenkins – to Wooly Bully by Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs. 4. Best player? Has to be Phil The Power Taylor but I think Michael Van Gerwen pushes him close. 5. Best check-out? In my dreams a Shanghai but in reality probably not worth publishing. 6. BDO, PDC or Premier League? BDO live but Premier League on TV. 7. Favourite Venue? Has to be the Lakeside!

y passion for darts began in the 1980s, watching Bullseye on TV. It was the viewing highlight of any weekend – waiting to see what Bully’s prizeboard would offer (a teasmade or nest of coffee tables) and then, the ultimate challenge – one hundred and one or more in six darts. The reward – a car, caravan or if you were lucky, a speedboat. My brother and I would recreate the challenges using the legendary Jim Bowen’s catch phrases – “Keep out the black and in the red, nothing in this game for two in a bed.” We also watched any televised darts tournaments and I always loved the drama – the music, the crowd, the bling and how the players (especially Jocky Wilson) could seemingly play better with a pint of beer in their hand. As the most unfit and lazy person you could ever meet, this is my kind of sport. I always wanted to go to a tournament but unsurprisingly my parents were never that keen! During the late 1980s and early 1990s, darts went out of fashion and was shown less and less on TV so my chances to watch it became less and less. My interest was then rekindled when I worked at a marketing agency who looked after sponsorship for some of the main tournaments. By now, darts was on the comeback trail - the famous ‘split’ had occurred between the top players and the governing body - and the BDO and PDC were making darts sexy again. I am lucky enough to live very close to the Lakeside in Frimley Green – the home of world darts. If you’ve never been then you must. It is owned by the legendary Bob Potter who is a colossal presence in the sport. The Lakeside is still home to BDO World Professional Darts Championships and the tournament in January is an annual fixture/pilgrimage in my diary. The Lakeside is an awesome sporting venue – the atmosphere is electric and I don’t know any other sporting venue where you can meet the players after their games and have a drink with them at the bar. The crowd are legendary and you can usually find me at the front of the stage singing as the players come on. I am really proud that we have recently launched a darts league at the Pavilion Bar at my work (Chichester College campus). We have been generously supported by Jason at Modus Events who represents many of the top players and events but who is also passionate about supporting grassroots darts. I am an honourary member of the team (although family commitments make it difficult for me to play) but my darts nickname is ‘The Ferret.’

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NETWORKING

NETWORK MY CLUB

Network, connect, grow

Network My Club set up and manage business networking groups, in partnership with professional sports clubs and venues. Started in 2015 by Bradley Hatchett, Network My Club now partner with a number of clubs and venues across the South and in London. We caught up with Bradley to find out more.

to provide other professional sports clubs and venues with a similar opportunity, whilst giving businesses exclusive regular networking opportunities at these venues. Having first partnered with Portsmouth Football Club in July 2015, we’re now running five business clubs across the South and in London, with over 250 companies part of the network as members and more clubs in the pipeline to launch soon.

Network My Club is still a relatively new business and one that seems to be growing exponentially, can you tell us a little about the turn of events that led you to set the company up? I was fortunate enough to spend three years working in the commercial department for Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium, where one of my roles was to run the football club’s business networking group, then known as Friends of the Albion. It was a very valuable platform for both the club and local businesses to engage with one another, so the idea materialised to replicate that model

What are the USPs that come with Network My Club membership? I’ve always said what we do isn’t reinventing the wheel in terms of networking. Through our partnerships and relationships with each club/venue, we are able to work with them to provide members with exclusive benefits. Each business club package is tailored slightly differently. At the Network Albion Business Club at Brighton & Hove Albion FC, members are listed in the match programme, of which over 9,000 copies are sold at each game at the Amex. At the Network Oval Business Club at the Kia Oval Cricket Ground, members can choose tickets to match days of their choice to entertain clients and get complimentary use of a hospitality box for external meetings and event space. This is all on top of the regular monthly networking that takes place at each business club. We like to coincide some of our monthly networking meetings with the sporting events at the venues. At the Oval Cricket Ground, several networking events

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take place on the same day as a match, which allows members and guests to enjoy lunch and network across the course of an afternoon to the backdrop of the game, rather than a couple of hours at the start or end of their day. This element is something we will try to include as much as we can across our other groups too.

What are your aspirations for Network My Club’s growth over the coming 12 months? Once we have established our newest groups at the Ageas Bowl and the Goodwood Estate, we would like to develop the network further and partner with two or three more clubs by the end of 2018. Since our expansion across the South and into London, we’ve seen lots of opportunity for our members to grow their network into other parts of the local region and afar, all through Network My Club. Therefore, our focus is to keep expanding our network into wider areas that will attract new members and add value to existing members, whilst continuing to deliver quality events and access exclusive opportunities. Find more about Network My Club at www.networkmyclub.co.uk. Call 01903 898025 or email info@networkmyclub.co.uk.

POWER LIFTING

when BUSINESS meets SPORT

Aneela Rose

Managing Director, Rose Media Group

“Why I love power lifting…” 1. What’s the heaviest weight you’ve ever lifted? 107.5kg (approx 17 stone). 2. Who’s the best female power lifter in the world today? Pound for pound it is Stefanie Cohen from the USA, one of the strongest female powerlifters in history. 3. What are you best at - squat, bench press or deadlift? Deadlift – it’s the best exercise of all time! 4. What’s been your biggest achievement in the sport so far? Winning a gold medal at the British Powerlifting Finals in May 2018 (pictured below), at the Bodypower Expo, NEC Birmingham. I’ve been selected to represent Team GB at the European Championships in June and in the World Championships in August. Woop! 5. What is your long-term goal? To break the British records in all three of the lifts in my age and weight class.

Aneela Rose is a lot stronger than she looks…

fter the 2012 London Olympics, I was inspired to start throwing the javelin after a 25 year break since competing as a teenager at school. I joined Crawley Athletics Club but I kept injuring my shoulder and I was advised to take up strength training to help my upper body. The rest is history as the powerlifting became addictive and the weights got heavier and heavier. My body shape changed, my confidence grew and my personal trainers urged me to compete. You have to be really disciplined as powerlifting isn’t something that can be bought or inherited, it has to be earned. It’s become a way of life for me now and my training sessions are scheduled into my week and I treat them like business meetings, in that I would not cancel them unless there was an emergency. I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been, I eat and drink cleanly, I’m rarely ill and every session gives me the power to enhance my strength and mind. I naturally have a small physique, so powerlifting gives me a presence when ordinarily I may be lost in the crowd. I like challenging myself and trying new things, such as adding more weight to an exercise, and I love that my body at rest is still burning calories. I also love how I feel after a workout, being sore is good! I’m not good at watching sport as I need to be taking part! I love fast, dynamic movement, like sprinting and squash, powerlifting gives the same adrenalin rush as you always want to beat your PB! Lifting double or treble your body weight is exhilarating. I would love to inspire women and girls to get more active, particularly women from the Indian sub-continent to take up sports. It’s empowering, confidence building and hugely beneficial for well-being and mental strength. I appreciate it can be challenging due to family and work constraints, but even a jog around the block or attending a HIIT (HighIntensity Interval Training) class can be a fantastic boost and perfect way to start the day.

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Clients are our business Dedicated to your success DMH Stallard is a full service, award-winning law firm that is passionate about winning and passionate about client care. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not by chance that we have one of the highest levels of repeat business in the industry.

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We make it our business to know your business, delivering results and adding value whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re an established market leader or an ambitious start-up.

Working for you and with you, our exceptional personal law service will help you plan, protect and achieve the very best outcomes for you and your family.

Award winning service from a firm who is there for you every step of the way

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LONDON

PLATINUM SPORT GATWICK

GUILDFORD

BRIGHTON

W W W.DMHSTALLARD.COM

ACTIVE SUSSEX

COMMUNITY

This Sussex girl can!

ost people will remember the national This Girl Can campaign from television adverts showing strong, brave females out pounding pavements and plunging into outdoor pools! The national campaign has been a great motivator for women of all ages and abilities to try a sport they like and to get moving.

superstar Tess Agnew! A Brighton-native, Tess, who was 29 when we started working with her, perhaps wasn’t the most likely candidate to become a ‘fitness freak’. In fact, Tess was a self-confessed ‘former binge-eating, beerguzzling ex-smoker’.

fun Tess is having and how much support she is receiving as a beginner.

Tess has been documenting her journey from inactive to super active on her blog – thefitbits.com for all to see, and she doesn’t shy away from red-faced selfies and having a

2. Tess tries cycling

The challenge for Active Sussex has been around how to bring that national message to local people in Sussex and how to appeal to women and girls from Chichester to Crawley who may be new to exercise.

laugh!

We knew that to engage local audiences we needed to work with somebody who fitted the Sussex identity and was easy to relate to, especially for those people getting into exercise for the first time.

Engaging a ‘former bingeeating, beer-guzzling exsmoker’ In October 2015, we started working with local fitness blogger and non-traditional sports

What’s great about Tess is that she doesn’t just stick to one sport, she tries her hand at everything! At any given time, she can be mountain biking the South Downs, running 10km races, squatting her own body weight for 3 sets of 10 or swimming lengths!

Tess tries … With so many different sports to choose from in Sussex, it made a lot of sense to work with Tess to create a series of videos where she tried out a mixture of unique and traditional sports. These videos were intended to inspire beginners to try out new sports and activities. What you see in all the videos is just how much

In 2016-2017, we produced a four-part video series with the following activities: 1. Tess tries skateboarding

3. Tess tries trampolining 4. Tess tries synchronised swimming These short films show just how easy it is to get into a new sport and with many taking place in the evenings or on weekends, how you can fit a new sport in around your busy work life. We continue to work with Tess to promote opportunities and activities for women and girls across Sussex to get active and stay active for life!

Tackling inactivity in Sussex We know that women are generally less active than men. In fact, 27% of women are inactive compared to 24% of men (Sport England Active Lives Report 2015/16). This is especially true when it comes to teenage girls, female parents and women of retirement age. We are committed to working with local partners across Sussex to tackle inactivity not just for women and girls but also for young people aged 14-19, people with a life-limiting illness or disability and those living in the 24 most inactive wards in Sussex. We want get people more healthy, more active, more often! Find out more at www.activesussex.org

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HICKSTEAD

Hickstead – a Derby with a difference by Victoria Goff

ost people are familiar with The Derby, a Group One Classic horse race for three-year-olds held at Epsom Racecourse each June. It first took place in 1780 and was named after the 12th Earl of Derby, and it has become one of the most famous races in the world, and now several other sporting events worldwide share its name. About 30 miles away from Epsom at the All England Jumping Course in Hickstead, West Sussex, another Derby takes place each June. Both events feature top equine athletes and attract thousands of spectators, and both have become renowned as Blue Riband events within their sport. But while the Epsom Derby is all about the best-bred thoroughbreds galloping at speed, the Al Shira’aa Derby at Hickstead sees brave, powerful horses tackling a twisting course of some of the largest and most difficult showjumps imaginable. The first Hickstead Derby took place in 1961, a year after the All England Jumping Course was first opened. Hickstead founder Douglas Bunn, a businessman and showjumper, wanted to create a showground that could rival those on the continent at the time, and give British riders the chance to ride over some of the different types of fences they were facing at shows abroad.

Douglas Bunn had seen film footage of the Hamburg Derby, which had been held since 1920, and he decided to visit the German showground. The course famously featured a grassy bank that horses had to scale, and Douglas wanted to replicate this fence back home in West Sussex. He arrived on New Year’s Eve when it was snowing and went round the showground measuring fences - much to the bemusement of the show’s officials. The layer of snow on top of the Hamburg bank must have affected Douglas’s measurements, as Hickstead’s bank stands 6in taller than its German counterpart! The Derby Bank remains Hickstead’s most iconic obstacle. Horses must canter up the gently sloping rear side of the bank, jump a small 1m upright on the top, then immediately slow down before tiptoeing down the 10ft 6in sloping front. They must jump off at exactly the right spot to give the horse two strides before jumping a massive 1.60m upright. While showjumping usually features painted wooden poles with an array of ‘fillers’ underneath, Douglas wanted the Derby course to replicate the sort of obstacles a horse might jump across country, and he took inspiration from the surrounding Sussex countryside. The first fence is a stone wall, known as the Cornishman. There are several gates in the Derby course, as Douglas wanted to include fences that people could identify with - they’d know how big a five-bar gate is and could appreciate its size, compared to just endless coloured poles.

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EQUESTRIAN changed since 1961. This means clear rounds are as hard to come by now as they were more than five decades ago. In fact, there have only been 59 clears in the history of the class. The Hickstead Derby history books are full of amazing stories, such as the pony-sized Stroller winning in 1967 with Marion Coakes, the youngest winning rider at just 20 years old at the time. Olympic gold medallists Nick Skelton and Peter Charles both have three Hickstead Derby wins to their names, while no one has ever bettered the record of Ireland’s Eddie Macken and Boomerang, who won four times on the trot from 1976 to 1979. Then there’s Harvey Smith’s V-sign furore in 1971, which remains one of the most talked-about and famous moments in showjumping.

The Devil’s Dyke is the valley in the South Downs which looks a bit like a canyon and is widely regarded as the most difficult fence to jump clear. The Derby rails are based upon some rails Douglas saw when driving along the Bagshot Bypass. He decided they’d make a good showjump so he stopped his car to measure the railings and then made a replica at Hickstead.

A few weeks after this year’s Derby takes place in Epsom, attention will turn to Hickstead, as we find out which rider will join the roll of honour in British showjumping’s most famous event on Sunday June 24th.

The water jump was originally 16ft wide and was the first permanent Olympic-sized water jump to be built in Britain. It now measures 15ft wide and has been made shallower - the water used to be knee level. Aside from a few modern safety alterations, including lighter poles and safety cups that collapse if a horse hits the fence, the course has barely

* The Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby Meeting takes place at Hickstead from June 21st-24th and the show features eight busy rings of equestrian action, together with the huge Charles Owen Shopping Village and a new Family Fun Zone. There is a wide range of bars and eateries to choose from, plus a number of fine dining options for those who wish to make their Hickstead visit truly special. Tables are available in the Members’ Restaurant, the Al Shira’aa VIP Suite and in Private Boxes, all of which offer unparalelled views of the International Arena – providing the perfect way to entertain your clients, colleagues, family and friends. Tickets are on sale now from www.hickstead.co.uk, with discounts applied in advance.

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THE VIEW FROM THE SOFA

OPINION

SM stands for Social Media

It also stands for sadomasochism!

o mobile phones and social media have a place in sport? It’s been well documented that it’s a great way for sports people to stay connected with friends and family, and allow spectators to feel part of the action, whilst also capturing invaluable memories. But please allow me to get something off my chest first! Why do people insist on walking down the street looking at their phones and not where they are BLOODY WELL GOING? Not only are they missing what’s going on around them but seriously what’s so important that they can’t stop walking to send that all important Facebook or twitter message? It’s the same with driving but then that’s illegal and yet some people still insist on being part of the ‘Sod everyone else, I’ll do what I want brigade’. Sporting professionals are human like the rest of us but it makes absolutely no sense why they feel the need to look at their social media and engage in frivolous messaging when there is a tournament going on. Does the use of social media help or hinder an athlete’s performances? While social media may assist sports men and women with many things, ultimately performance is the most important factor for any sportsperson.

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“People have simply become addicted to social media; surely the most important thing should be for them to focus on the job in hand.”

concerned that Twitter accounts and ghostwritten columns could undermine their attempt to win the Webb Ellis trophy, imposed a blanket ban. They beat France 8-7 in the final. Alex Danson, part of GB’s women’s hockey team that won gold in Rio two years ago admitted they had no idea nine million people tuned in to the final as they didn’t read a single paper, watched the BBC or viewed social media: “It can be really destructive. You read something on Twitter and it can destroy you or inflate you too much. Coming off social media was the best decision we made.” In 2017 the England women’s cricket team decided to come off Twitter during the World Cup after the abuse some of them received after losing the Ashes to Australia in 2015 and guess what happened. On July 23rd 2017 – England beat India to win the World Cup! I rest my case your honour!

There is much written about the negative effects of using social media that have a negative impact on their performance, elevating their anxiety caused by the fear of failure. And why do sports people insist they take their phones with them and check their social media at competitions. People have simply become addicted to social media; surely the most important thing should be for them to focus on the job in hand. If all communication was positive it might help but can they switch off from the all the negative comments and manage the trolls? What if our sports teams removed this distraction so all they’ve got to focus on is winning each match? In 2011, the All Blacks,

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Charity

What does brain injury mean to you?

ould you describe what a brain

incidents can be the result of road traffic

• Loss of senses such as sight, hearing or smell

injury is? Or more importantly how it can affect someone? If the answer’s no, then you’re not

accidents, falls, assaults or sporting injuries while gradual damage through drug or alcohol misuse can also cause long-term injury to the brain.

• Communication problems, physical in the form of speech production or cognitive in the form of finding the correct words

alone.

The reality is that you’re likely to know someone who has had a stroke, been in a car accident and suffered a head injury, or had concussion from a sporting injury, but what you may not know is that all of these things can leave someone living with the residual symptoms of a brain injury. Brain injury can happen to anyone, at any age, in any state of health and its residual symptoms can last a lifetime. The causes, be they natural or accidental, can be just as varied. Natural causes include stroke, aneurysms and tumours. Traumatic brain

The effects are lifelong and can include: • Anxiety, depression and difficulty controlling anger • Changes in behaviour which may include inappropriate behaviour • Memory and concentration problems making planning and executing even the simplest tasks difficult • Physical disability leading to difficulties with mobility, gross and fine motor skills • Extreme fatigue making returning to work challenging

• Relationship issues arising from the effects sustained from brain injury

“Your brain is what makes you who you are as a person” The residual cognitive and psychological symptoms mean people with a brain injury are regularly seen as being drunk, drugged, inappropriately behaved or mentally ill which is why it is often known as the ‘hidden disability’. There is no way to ‘fix’ a brain injury, but with the right support, survivors can learn to adapt and live enjoyable and successful lives. In 2018, Headway East Sussex is celebrating its 30th anniversary; the charity has come a long way in 30 years. What originally started as a support group set up by five families affected by brain injury, has now developed into a charity with a modern day centre set in beautiful grounds in Newick, East Sussex. Today, Headway East Sussex offers tailored rehabilitation and reablement programmes and community outreach support, as well as a variety of advice and support services to those affected across East Sussex, including Brighton and Hove and the West Sussex border.

Our Services Headway East Sussex aims to support survivors and families at every stage of their recovery journey.

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Charity

CLIFFORD’S STORY In June 2002, Clifford suffered a major heart attack and subsequent hypoxic brain injury leaving him severely disabled. With two young children to support, Clifford’s brain injury had a devastating impact on his wife and family. Clifford attends our day service where he particularly enjoys using the gym to strengthen his muscles and improve his cardiovascular fitness. The gym sessions have increased Clifford’s confidence with functional activities like managing the stairs and moving around his home and despite it being many years since his brain injury, he continues to make progress. Clifford’s goal was to return to playing golf and therefore the focus in his gym sessions has been on core strength and stability and practising hitting golf balls across the grounds at Headway East Sussex. In 2017, Clifford reached another goal when he walked his daughter down the aisle at her wedding. A proud moment as Clifford walks his daughter down the aisle

The advice and support team provides reassurance through emotional support, practical advice, monthly evening support groups and a specialist counselling service, which offers up to 24 weeks of counselling to both individuals and their families. Rehabilitation, reablement and respite services are provided at the centre in Newick or in a person’s own home and community. There are excellent facilities for many activities including woodwork, pottery and art, and a fully equipped gym where the health and well-being programme runs, focusing on physical rehabilitation and maintenance of function. The gym is complemented by therapies such as yoga, pilates and Tai Chi. Our outreach service provides nearly 200 hours a week of support to individuals in their homes, enabling them to rebuild their lives in the community. Here the support can involve shopping, using public transport and accessing public facilities. The user-led Rediscover group enables survivors to increase their understanding of brain injury, share personal experiences, learn to cope with specific symptoms and rebuild their confidence.

Headway East Sussex provides a range of free of charge support and subsidises-funded core services through a regular focus on fundraising and promotional activities. Wendy Pengelly, Director of Finance and Business Development, commented: “Like many charities we have been affected by statutory cutbacks but we are positive about the future. We need to raise £80,000 p.a. just to stand still but standing still is not our style. We want to expand our Hospital Liaison team, who provide direction and support in the Princess Royal Hospital, Haywards Heath and cover all the hospitals in our region to ensure everyone has access to our help when they have someone they love in hospital following a brain injury. For more information visit www.headwayeastsussex.org.uk or email Wendy on wendy.pengelly@headwayeastsussex.org.uk Facebook: Headway East Sussex

Twitter @HeadwayESussex

Instagram: headscape101

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Business Awards

City slickers Richard Pollins, Managing Partner at DMH Stallard talks to Platinum Business Magazine about why they’re sponsoring the Company of the Year Award at next month’s BAHBAs, the city’s longest established business awards.

Why did you want to be involved in the BAHBAs? First and foremost it’s the pre-eminent business awards event in the city, so it’s a good match for the leading law firm in the city! DMH Stallard has a long association with Brighton and Hove and that means a great deal to me. I’m a local lad and very proud of my home, so I was obviously delighted when the firm took the decision to expand into new offices in Jubilee Street, and 18 months later that move has proved resoundingly successful. Our recruitment in Brighton continues to go very well with some very talented people developing their careers with DMH Stallard. Across our six offices we now employ over 350 people which includes 71 partners. The BAHBAs showcase the best in business

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in the city and that’s the space DMH Stallard operates in. We’re working with some really exciting businesses in Brighton, both established and emerging, and in particular while I always knew Brighton was a hotbed for the tech sector, the scale of growth in recent years really is incredible.

Why did you choose your entry? It’s an honour to sponsor the category that will recognise the top company for 2018; I think it’s the blue riband award of the evening. Company of the Year recognises the firm that has truly achieved all-round business excellence in terms of year-on-year financial performance, strategic direction, employee relations, CSR, innovation and a first-class service and/or product offering. This is closely aligned to our approach at

DMH Stallard where we want to be the best we can possibly be, not just for our clients but for our people too. And you can’t achieve true ‘all-round excellence’ without all elements in harmony. The winner of this award will be a shining example of how getting things right is dependent on demonstrating best practice in every facet of the business.

What are you looking for in the entries? I want to see tangible evidence of what entrants are claiming in their application. If they really are a class apart from the competition they will be able to set out results, provide insights to their strategy, their milestones reached and explain how success was achieved in their particular market. I don’t want flannel, I want facts and figures.

Business Awards

Why are awards important? Business awards serve various purposes and the BAHBAs are no different. Firstly, it’s great to receive recognition for doing a good job. When a business is flat out keeping customers happy, it’s great for people internally to be appreciated for their loyalty and great efforts. The recognition from an award like this also provides a reminder to the marketplace that the business is flying and that’s no bad thing, it can influence buying decisions. It will encourage existing customers and clients to remain loyal, and hopefully persuade potential new ones to dip their toe in the water. The application process itself can play a really valuable role for award entrants. There is a much to be said for the ‘marginal gains’ philosophy, so making time to audit what you’re doing is often incredibly helpful, including when the business appears to be performing well.

What are your tips for companies entering awards?

Why is Brighton and Hove a good place to do business?

• Allow plenty of time. Leaving an application to the last minute is never a good idea.

It really is one of the best cities in the world. I’m biased, of course, but when you have a stellar mix of constituents that any city in the world would envy, it has to be a great place to do business. We have the honeypot effect in Brighton that employers and employees find irresistible - a city geographically blessed on the sunshine drenched (sometimes!) south coast set against the rolling south downs, travel links that put us within an hour of London (most of the time!), opportunities to indulge every lifestyle, great schools (state and private), healthcare on our doorstep, one of the busiest airports in the world up the road and, of course, Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club. It doesn’t get better than that.

• Engage staff in the process. Create a sense of ownership in the application across the business. • Think carefully about the focus of your entry. Some inputs and outcomes are more easily defined and quantifiable than others. • As already mentioned, don’t fill the entry with claims and statements without the evidence to back them up. When the body of your application is complete use any PR and marketing support you have to ensure the presentation is strong, the typos have been picked up and the copy flows. At the very least get a proofreader to check it before submitting.

The 2018 BAHBAs Judges

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Charity News

APPRENTICES TAKE ON £50 CHALLENGE! Over the years, more than 100 companies have taken part in Chestnut Tree House’s £50 Challenge. Fundraising activities have ranged from quiz nights to car washes, and in all cases, teams have been given £50 and four months to see how much they can raise. At the end of last year, three teams of apprentices from Your Service Centre Gatwick (in partnership with Skybreak) took on the challenge. The £50 was matched by Skybreak, so each team had £100 to invest, and between them they raised £1,980 between 1st November and 28th February. Organised by five apprentices, with support from their team leaders and colleagues, fundraising activities across the four-month period included raffles, a Christmas and Valentine’s Day cake sale, and a celebration party night. Alison Taylor, Corporate Fundraiser at Chestnut Tree House said: “Skybreak have supported us for three years now – fundraising, but also organising various activities for children and families, including an aircraft visit, airport treasure hunt and a visit to the Isle of Wight Zoo. “We were delighted to see how they engaged with our £50 Challenge. The £1,980 raised will give one child a three-night break at Chestnut Tree House, where they will receive specialist care from our nursing team and enjoy a range of facilities, including our hydrotherapy pool and multi-sensory room. Thank you from everyone at Chestnut Tree House.” Your Service Centre Gatwick, in partnership with Skybreak, has recently been included on the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers List for the second year running. They have supported Chestnut Tree House since 2015.

VOLUNTEERING Staff from the West Sussex Capita Partnership recently spent a day volunteering at Chestnut Tree House, helping with gardening and landscaping in the hospice’s grounds. Various teams across the Partnership were represented in the volunteer group, which included Amanda Marshall, HR Customer Service Lead, Employee Solutions; Andrew House, Online Service Delivery Manager, Digital Customer Experience; Fiona Elwin, Administrator, Business Services; Jacqui Short, Administrator, Business Services; Jonathan Lamb, Performance Analyst; and Liz Darke, Health and Safety Officer. Fiona Elwin said: “I had a truly amazing day helping at Chestnut Tree House and it was a pleasure to help out as I had first-hand experience when they looked after my granddaughter before she passed away at the hospice aged 4.5 months.” Fiona continues to support the local charity donating monthly, playing their lottery and taking clothes no longer needed to their charity shops. After the day, the team had a whip-round and donated £112.50 including gift aid to Chestnut Tree House. This included a donation from Sian Peters, Service Finance Director in the West Sussex Partnership who was unable to volunteer last-minute. Andrew House said: “The volunteering day was an incredibly rewarding and humbling experience. I would encourage everyone to either volunteer, donate, or do what they can to support this amazing charity supporting children with life-shortening conditions.”

There are lots of other ways your business could help make a difference, including: • Take part in a fun, fundraising event • Make Chestnut Tree House your Charity of the Year • Set up Payroll Giving for your employees To find out more about volunteering days, the £50 Challenge, or other ways your business can help Chestnut Tree House visit www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk, email corporate@chestnut-tree-house.org.uk or call 01903 871846 or 01323 725095.

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Direct Mailing

Mailing rules post-GDPR GDPR and its impact on print and direct mailing by David Vaughan, Director of Mailing Expert.

t the risk of sounding like a scratched record, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force on 25th May 2018. Its aim

is to harmonise data protection laws across Europe and give citizens better control of their personal data, as well as imposing stringent rules on those who host and process this data anywhere in the world. The key principles are the rights of data subjects (that’s you), security of personal data, lawfulness and consent, and accountability of compliance. There’s been no shortage of information about how GDPR will now affect companies with online databases, and the need for consent for telephone calls, emails and texts, for example, but what about postal marketing? How is that affected? Or is it affected at all?

Unravelling legitimate interest In the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) explanatory material it states: “Processing of personal data for direct marketing purposes may be regarded as carried out for a legitimate interest,” which could be read as, ‘carry on as before.’ So where does this ‘legitimate interest’ apply?

Compliance with the legislation for processing data for direct marketing still doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re free to send out material by post with no restrictions.

As the ICO states, in answer to a recent question about mailing on behalf of charities without consent (and, again, note that it will apply more generally too), “You can rely on

In most cases, this requires you to:

legitimate interests for marketing activities if you can show how you use people’s data is proportionate, has a minimal privacy impact, and people would not be surprised or likely to object.”

1. Collect, store, process and share the personal data required for the mailing (names, addresses) within GPPR legislation 2. Seek consent But what if obtaining consent isn’t possible or practical? Where do you stand then? This is where legitimate interest could come in and it’s particularly relevant to charities (but not exclusively). What if a charity wants to send out a mailshot to existing supporters informing them of upcoming events or updating them about successful projects? Here, it can reasonably be claimed that it’s in the interest of the recipients to receive the information and it doesn’t compromise their data privacy either.

So, good news for the print and direct marketing sectors! We all know how effective direct mail can be. You can continue with your direct mailing initiatives without panicking about consent, as long as your data processing meets the GDPR regulations and you can demonstrate the potential benefits to the end consumer.

We’re here to help with any direct mailing queries, please contact us on 01825 983033 or email us at info@mailingexpert.co.uk

In a nutshell, legitimate interest is defined as the use of people’s data in ways they might reasonably expect, which will have minimal impact on their privacy. It involves a balancing act between the business interests of the organisation and the rights and freedoms of the individual. It’s important for you as a company to identify and document why you are processing personal data based on your legitimate interests, so you can show that it’s been carried out fairly and lawfully in the future.

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Motoring

Skoda KODIAQ By Maarten Hoffmann, Motoring Editor

ith the current fad for SUV’s, l have been inundated with them for review and thought it churlish to refuse. So here l take a look at the new offering from Skoda, the oddly spelt Kodiaq, that is driving my spellcheck crazy. This is the firm’s first proper SUV and their first ever 7-seater and is a good looking car and with 4x4, good ground clearance, an off-road mode and a 2.5-tonne towing capacity, this is an interesting challenger. It sits amongst the Nissan X-Trail and the Kia Sorrento. Based on the VW MQB platform, it has good pedigree and the steering is very weighted although the roll in hard corners is somewhat unsettling if not unexpected but it does pop back into line with a little steering input and is well mannered.

“The flip side to it being a light car is that, oddly, it actually needs a bit of weight” The flip side to it being a light car is that, oddly, it actually needs a bit of weight. The difference between driver only and a bunch of passengers is noticeable and it feels far better planted with that extra weight. Opt for the 2WD option and it will be lighter still at only 1500kg. The seven seats are incredibly useful and can give you plenty of weight. The seating arrangement is very well thought out as they are drop down and/ or slide therefore adapting to all sized passengers, and pop them all down, and you have a massive boot. The cabin is good enough and the soft touch plastics give it a more quality feel and the VW touch screen works very well. I am not quite sure why they saw fit to exclude Isofix child seat anchorages on a car that will be, inherently, full of kids!

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“I am not quite sure why they saw fit to exclude Isofix child seat anchorages on a car that will be, inherently, full of kids!” In all, there are three turbocharged petrol engines and two diesels to choose from, with the petrol range made up of my review car, 1.4 TSI engine and topped by a 178bhp 2.0-litre TSI. The oilburner range consists of a 2.0 TDI available in two guises - 148bhp and 187bhp respectively. The pick of the range for private buyers may well be the middleorder petrol unit: a 1.4 TSI combining 148bhp with CO2 emissions from 141g/km, boosted by active cylinder shutdown technology. Those who choose diesel will mostly go for the 148bhp 2.0 TDI engine, and it can be

partnered with FWD or 4x4 and a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Trim choices come in S, SE, SE L and Edition. My SE L came with 19in alloys, LED headlights, electric and heated seats and power tailgate. This is a well-equipped if slightly dull car but I hear there might be an vRS version, a hybrid and a jacked up off-road Scout version, so this Skoda range might be about to get a lot more interesting.

TECH STUFF: Model tested: 1.4-litre TSI SE L Engine: 1395 cc Power: 125bhp Performance: 0-60mph 10.5 seconds Top: 118mph Economy: 46.3 combined Price from: £22,630

Motoring

Seat ARONA

pparently, the SUV market is four times larger today than it was in 2015. By any standards that is quite a market increase and, as always happen, this will explode and we will turn away from them but for the time being, we are awash with them and on we go. SEAT’s new offering is the Arona. My review car came with a miserly 1.0-litre engine that always makes my heart sink as a week is a long time with an engine that is smaller than my lawnmower. But there comes the shock - this little 94bhp, direct injection three-cylinder engine is a little masterpiece. It flies around town with a rasping fart emanating from the tailpipe in the vein of the Fiat 500, that is really quite good fun. On the motorway, it is what it is - an underpowered little town car but just keep it in town. For those quaint little Italian and French towns, it would be ideal. My 94bhp test car recorded a 0-60mph time of 10.5sec, and demonstrated respectable flexibility with a 30-70mph time of 10.7sec. Weighting in at 1,200kg helps enormously of course.

“For a small car this is surprisingly capacious and the boot has a height adjustable floor.” The more potent, 113bhp 1.0-litre TSI Arona claims 10.0sec to 62mph and also gets a sixth ratio for its manual transmission and a seventh if you go for the dual-clutch DSG alternative. Either would be useful if you plan on undertaking longer journeys, although you’ll have to opt for the more expensive FR trim to even get the choice. For a small car this is surprisingly capacious and the boot has a height

adjustable floor to ease the loading of awkward loads and that really can help. The entry-level Arona gets a 5.0in touchscreen, although upgrading to SE Technology trim introduces a rather elegant 8.0in alternative with factory navigation. The upgraded system is called Media System Plus and gives you voice control functionality, two USB inputs and both 3.5mm minijack aux-in and SD card inputs. It is all very easy to use and the wireless phone-charging pad is great once you work it out. The drive is good with surprisingly little body roll and the occupants are well isolated from the world outside. The steering is a tad lifeless or one might say overly assisted and therefore one loses the feel through the wheel but it has to be said that the vast majority of buyers will care little as this is not the reason to buy such a car. They tend to be purchased for space, economy, reliability and residual value and therefore this hits that firmly on the head.

“It flies around town with a rasping fart emanating from the tailpipe in the vein of the Fiat 500.” Ok, l am done with SUVs for a while and what’s that, McLaren want to deliver me a 720S on Monday - oh, go on then. Normal service will shortly be resumed.

TECH STUFF Model tested: 1.0-litre TSl FR Sport Engine: 1-litre Power: 94bhp Performance: 0-60mph 10.5 seconds Top: 113mph Economy: 57.6 combined Price from: £16,750

119

The Business Network

Network Review

Networking for bigger businesses By Emma Pearce Marketing Consultant – marketing planning, outsourced marketing services and social media training www.pearcemarketing.co.uk Emma Pearce gives a more detailed insight into networking options exclusively for larger organisations in Eastbourne, and Brighton and Hove.

ome senior managers and business owners from larger organisations

choose not to attend SME networking groups. They tend to get pounced on as the known “big company” in the room. So what specific networking options are there for the larger B2B and B2C companies? The good news is that there are clubs directly serving this niche, one in Eastbourne and two in Brighton and Hove. In Eastbourne, the Premier Business Breakfast Club was established to assist both the Borough Council and the Chamber of Commerce to engage with the more sizeable firms in the business community. The aim is for those business leaders to be fully aware of local plans and have the opportunity to discuss concerns and particular business projects with the relevant people. Plus assist with disseminating information locally via their workforce. The club is managed and hosted by Cobb PR and is in its fifth year. It runs every two months at The Grand Hotel on Eastbourne’s seafront from 7.30am to 9am. There is an invitationonly policy for the club and membership is for the individual, not the company.

eligible to be invited to attend. Invitees, who must be Directors or Partners, can attend up to

Sponsors do get the opportunity to speak for five minutes, between courses, three times

two meetings as a paying guest before joining. The business operations should ideally be based in Brighton and Hove.

a year. The main speaker gives informative and technical information, or a fascinating and inspiring business story. Attendance is between 35 and 45 businesses at each meeting. The club also runs charity and ‘Make Your Case’ wine tasting events with local winemakers and retailers, which are opened up to additional guests.

Tim added: “We guarantee to deliver at least 10 meetings per year - typically on the third Friday of every month in various locations. It’s the club’s eleventh anniversary this year and it has a strong reputation as a safe and comfortable place for networking. We have strict limits on the number of professional services members, for example, we only have one solicitor, one banker and one accountant, and they must be a sponsor to have this exclusive spot.” The club offers the opportunity to meet MPs and senior figures from local authorities as diaries permit. It also offers facilitated introductions upon request. The format of the meeting is open networking from 12.15pm for half an hour, followed by a brief introduction from Tim, a two-course lunch and a main speaker.

For more information about these networking clubs, please email janet@cobbpr.com. The second event in Brighton is The Platinum Club organised by Maarten Hoffmann from The Platinum Group (as featured in the April 2018 issue of Platinum Business Magazine). This monthly evening cocktail party at The Grand Hotel in Brighton is a fully hosted B2B professional networking club.

Find out more at www.platinumpublishing.co.uk/ platinum-club or email membership enquiries to info@platinumpublishing.co.uk.

Tim Cobb, MD at Cobb PR, commented: “We often have our local MP speaking and the Leader of the Council always gives an update with time for a Q&A. The meeting is useful for everyone and has a good buzz, with an average of 30 people attending from a wide variety of business sectors.” Another option is the Brighton & Hove Business Lunch Club. You need to have a business with a turnover of at least £1 million per annum, or employ 10+ people, to be Tim Cobb from Cobb PR Brighton Lunch Club at The Amex

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Chamber Listings

Chamber listings Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce BITE-SIZED LEARNING: MAKING BOOKKEEPING SIMPLE WITH QUICKBOOKS ONLINE

BUSINESS LEADERS LUNCH WITH NICK HIBBERD

Date: Tuesday 12th June Time: 9:30am-11:30am Venue: Spaces, Mocatta House, Trafalgar Place, Brighton Price: £44-£54 Get to grips with your bookkeeping at our Bite-sized Learning workshop on QuickBooks, the simple accounting software for small and medium-sized businesses.

Date: Wednesday 20th June Time: 12pm-2.30pm Venue: The Grand Brighton, 97-99 King’s Road, Brighton Price: £39-£45 Join us for lunch at The Grand, where Nick Hibberd - Executive Director of Economy, Environment and Culture at Brighton & Hove City Council – will share his journey from housing advisor to head of city regeneration.

BITE-SIZED LEARNING: THREE STEPS TO TACKLING WORKPLACE STRESS Date: Thursday 14th June Time: 9:30am-11:30am Venue: PLATF9RM, Tower Point, 44 North Road, Brighton Price: £44-£54 Gain a deeper understanding of the role of stress within the workplace, and learn practical solutions for improving employee wellbeing, engagement, morale and performance.

BITE-SIZED LEARNING: HOW TO GROW YOUR CUSTOMER BASE Date: Tuesday 19th June Time: 9:30am-11:30am Venue: The Werks, 15-17 Middle Street, Brighton Price: £44-£54 In this practical session you’ll learn how to truly understand your customers, differentiate yourself from your competition and grow your business.

BITE-SIZED LEARNING: INTRODUCING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT (CRM) Date: Thursday 28th June Time: 9:30am-11:30am Venue: 1st Central County Ground, Eaton Rd, Hove Price: £44-£54 This workshop will introduce you to the different facets of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), showing you how to identify who your customers really are, analyse the key components of CRM, and understand how it integrates within your organisation.

T: 01273 719097 E: events@businessinbrighton.org.uk W: www.businessinbrighton.org.uk/events

BUSINESS EXPOS: Let’s Do Business Brighton Expo

Chichester Business Expo

Brighton Business Expo

Thursday 14th June

Thursday 19th July

Thursday 11th October

AMEX Stadium

Chichester College

Brighton Racecourse

letsdobusiness.org

www.netxp.co.uk/events/chichester-expo

www.b2bexpos.co.uk/brighton

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Chamber Listings

Chichester Chamber of Commerce & Industry NETWORKING CHAMBER MONTHLY MEETING Date: Monday 11th June Time: 6pm-8.15pm Venue: University of Chichester, Bishop Otter Campus, College Lane, Chichester Price: Free Join us at our regular Networking Chamber Monthly meeting which includes a presentation.

THE CHICHESTER BUSINESS BREAKFAST IN CONJUNCTION WITH CHICHESTER COLLEGE Date: Wednesday 13th June Time: 7.30am-9am Venue: Chichester College Price: Members £12.00 | Non-members £13.50 This monthly breakfast (full English breakfast included) provides a friendly, relaxed and informative environment for local businesses to network and improve their business profile locally, with a guest speaker.

BUSINESS NETWORKING EVENT WITH DRINKS AND CANAPÉS Date: Thursday 5th July Time: Approximately 6.30pm, please visit www.chichestercci.org.uk for exact timing Venue: Crouchers Restaurant, Bar & Country Hotel, Birdham Road, Chichester In partnership with CCCI, Crouchers Restaurant, Bar & Country Hotel would like to invite you to network with fellow local businesses, to celebrate the opening of their new luxury self-catering accommodation. All places for events must be booked via the CCCI website. For more information visit www.chichestercci.org.uk

T: 01243 531765 E: office@chichestercci.org.uk W: www.chichestercci.org.uk

Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce & Industry EDEAL FIRST FRIDAY BUSINESS NETWORKING Date: Friday 1st June Time: 12pm Venue: The Cavendish Hotel, 38 Grand Parade, Eastbourne Price: Free to attend The First Friday Network is a monthly free to attend business networking event. An informal gathering in a welcoming environment where people are free to present a 60 second elevator pitch.

MEMBER’S EVENING AT METRO BANK – HOW TO MAXIMISE YOUR MEMBERSHIP Date: Wednesday 13th June Time: 5pm Price: Free to attend Venue: Metro Bank, 59 Terminus Road, Eastbourne Meet the Chamber team to ensure you are taking advantage of all the benefits your Chamber membership offers. Includes complimentary wine and nibbles.

CHAMBER BREAKFAST Date: Tuesday 5th June Time: 7am Venue: The Hydro Hotel, Mount Road, Eastbourne Price: £10 Breakfast meeting with Anita Turner from Sussex Police – prevention policing in your local area. A choice of full English or continental breakfast and an opportunity to network and showcase your business.

CHAMBER BREAKFAST Date: Tuesday 19th June Time: 7am Price: £10 Venue: The Cavendish Hotel, 38 Grand Parade, Eastbourne Breakfast meeting with Jason Caulkin from The Cavendish Hotel. A choice of full English or continental breakfast and an opportunity to network.

BIKE NIGHT ORGANISED BY EDEAL ENTERPRISE AGENCY UTC ACES NETWORKING MEETING Date: Tuesday 5th June Time: 4.30pm Venue: UTC Newhaven Price: Free to attend Meet the University Technology College Principal, Adanma Umunna, and the students who will show off their expertise in artificial intelligence, science and engineering, followed by an opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine and network.

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Date: Wednesday 27th June Time: 6pm Venue: Terminus Road, Eastbourne Come and enjoy live music and the roar of some fabulous vehicles; bikers are invited to attend from 6pm (traffic closures in place). The event is sponsored by Shaw Harley Davidson and Swintons.

T: 01323 641144 E: info@eastbournechamber.co.uk W: www.eastbourneunltd.co.uk/events-networking/

Chamber Listings

Sussex Chamber of Commerce & Industry BUSINESS NETWORKING LUNCH - EQUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE Date: Thursday 7th June Time: 12pm-2:30pm Venue: Tottington Manor, Edburton Rd, Henfield Price: Members £25 I Non-members £35 (prices exclude VAT) This is an opportunity to network with fellow members. Our guest speaker will be Deborah Francis, Associate Solicitor, Howlett Clarke Solicitors LLP.

EVENING RECEPTION - CHANDLERS BMW WORTHING Date: Tuesday 12th June Time: 6pm-7.30pm Venue: Chandlers Garage Worthing Ltd, Littlehampton Price: Free Join us for an evening reception and tour at Chandlers Worthing BMW. These events are designed to give you a regular opportunity to meet other businesses, share best practice, grow your connections and widen your own network of customers and suppliers.

CONNECT WITH SUSSEX CHAMBER – NON-MEMBERS ONLY Date: Tuesday 19th June Time: 9am-11am Venue: Malmaison, 11 Mermaid Walk, Brighton Price: Free

Meet one of our Membership Executive Team members and explore the benefits of membership.

THE AL SHIRA’AA HICKSTEAD DERBY MEETING – MEMBERS ONLY Date: Thursday 21st June Time: 10:30am-5.30pm Venue: Hickstead Showground, Hickstead Price: Members only £60 (prices exclude VAT) With superb views over the International Arena, the hospitality suite offers an exclusive area to dine and observe the sport in a relaxed atmosphere. Morning coffee will be available on arrival and a threecourse buffet luncheon will be served.

BUSINESS NETWORKING BREAKFAST - INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND BUSINESS CRIME Date: Tuesday 26th June Time: 8am-10:30am Venue: Lindfield Golf Club, Haywards Heath Price: Members £15 I Non-members £25 (prices exclude VAT). Our guest speaker for this event will be Chris Neilson, Intellectual Property and Business Crime Coordinator.

T: 01444 259259 E: info@sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk W: www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Worthing Chamber of Commerce & Industry BUSINESS AWARDS LAUNCH NIGHT Date: Wednesday 6th June Time: 5:30pm-7:30pm Venue: Hummingbird Restaurant, Shoreham Airport Price: Free to all Hear top tips for entering the business awards from Matt Hunt from Protein Ball, Kathie Crane from Prosperon Networks and Mark Cropley from Whitebox. Hear why they entered, how they supported their entry and the value of winning.

CHAMBER HUB Date: Friday 15th June Time: 12.30pm-2.30pm Venue: Impulse Leisure, Manor Road, Lancing Price: Free Spend your lunchtime enjoying some informal networking with likeminded business people. Chamber Hub is a well-established, popular networking event which attracts a vast selection of local businesses.

WHAT CAN ARTS DO FOR BUSINESS? Date: Friday 22nd June Time: 7:30am-9am Venue: Ropetackle Arts Centre, High Street, Shoreham Price: Members £14 I Guests £19 Hear from Rod Lunn, CEO Shoreham Port, and Suzanne Heaven, Marketing Director at Gemini Press, who have all worked with Ropetackle, along with Martin Allen, Chairman of Ropetackle. There will also be the opportunity to hear about a new concept CSR project called Forward Steps.

SPEED NETWORKING WITH OUR NEIGHBOURS Date: Wednesday 1st August Time: 12pm–2:30pm Join members from Chambers of Worthing and Adur, Bognor Regis, Sussex, Brighton & Hove and Chichester bringing together companies from all sectors to enable them to explore new business opportunities and provide many new contacts using an innovative format. T: 01903 203484 E: info@worthingandadurchamber.co.uk W: www.worthingandadurchamber.co.uk

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Anger Management

ANGER MANAGEMENT

Wanton destruction by Maarten Hoffmann

hat is it with government? Ministers making sweeping statements that might please their constituents or the press without any thought of what effect said statement might have on the industry concerned. Take the automotive industry. In the UK, the car industry directly employs 814,000 people and indirectly a further 347,000 along with 2,500 supply companies. It employs 78,480 apprentices each year and turns over a grand total of £77.5 billion, contributing £12.5 billion to the exchequer. 8 out of every 10 cars produced in the UK are exported, contributing to our balance of payments. So, as a government minister, would you

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think it advisable to go on countless television news shows and run three days of press interviews stating that diesel and petrol cars are dead and will be banned from 2040 whilst, in the meantime, they will start to ban them from major city centres and demonise all of us that drive fossil fuel cars. Those very cars that have been actively sold to us year after year with huge buckets of cash going to the exchequer, £28 billion a year paid in fuel duty and nearly 1 million British citizens employed. This has caused a major crash in new car sales and threatened a huge swath of jobs even though 2040 is a long way off. The car buying public are confused and scared of buying a car and getting stuck with it, therefore the majority have chosen to keep the

car they have whilst they see what happens. This has resulted in plummeting car sales long before there is a clean alternative.

“This is people’s livelihoods we are talking about.”

The sale of electric cars is growing fast but, if you take Tesla as an example, they are expensive and out of the reach of the average Joe. The Tesla X starts at £71,000 and we do

Anger Management

“That political titan that was Gordon Brown totally ignored the views of the experts about the danger of diesel engines.” not have a workable charging network as yet and even if we did and we all started buying electric cars, we would crash the national grid in a jiffy. Or will the future be hydrogen fuel cell? Who the hell knows but the point is that the government have absolutely no right to crash an industry in a futile attempt to gain some positive press and appease the green lobby. Don’t get me wrong, they are right. We do need to replace the dirty old fossil fuel engines that are killing the planet but this must be done in an organised, coordinated and sensitive manner so that when you scare the bejesus out of people, ensure there is an alternative to offer them and that our car industry is ready to supply.

“l will bet the farm on the fact that said ban will never happen in any event.”

“The car buying public are confused and scared of buying a car.” So what do we do about it? That for me is easy - go out and buy or lease that new car as 2040 is a long way off and l will bet the farm on the fact that said ban will never happen in any event. I have been banging on for years about the horrors of diesel cars as they are noisy, smelly and polluting, so buy petrol, hybrid or electric if you can afford it but go buy that car - YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU.

It was way back in 2009 when that political titan that was Gordon Brown totally ignored the views of the experts about the danger of diesel engines and started a programme that promoted them hard and fast despite the full knowledge that they were more polluting than petrol variants. Now, just nine years later, we are being demonised for buying them and told that their value will be less than scrap when we come to sell them as they are evil. This has crashed the diesel car market and now they have seen fit to add petrol engines into the mix, it has crashed the petrol car market. This is people’s livelihoods we are talking about. 814,000 of them to be precise and they have dependants, mortgages and financial commitments like the rest of us and now face a life of doubt and uncertainty, all because some political burke decided to grab some headlines. As if this was not bad enough, now the industry faces the uncertainty of Brexit and the concern of so many car manufacturers that the UK will no longer be a gateway to Europe and many are considering shifting their production to mainland Europe. And then, on May 19th 2018, the pesky government are at it again with the change in MOT rules that means that it will be tougher to get your diesel car through its annual health check. If it fails you will be forced to junk it. If l didn’t know better l would surmise that the government of this country hates us.

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Institute of Directors

Recharging batteries

By Dean Orgill, Chair of Sussex IoD and Chairman of Mayo Wynne Baxter www.mayowynnebaxter.co.uk www.iod.com

rompted by the excellent sports features from Mr Elphick – now appearing in this magazine – that show the wide variety of sports appreciated by the Sussex business community, I began musing on the extensive range of distractions and relaxations that between us all we must employ to ensure that we can return to work refreshed and renewed.

The benefits to the individual and to the business are numerous. For the person away it is a chance to do some or all of the above as mentioned. It is also a chance to properly relax and unwind, and to realise that perhaps a week away on annual holiday whilst great in itself, may not always provide the depth of relaxation and rest that would be most beneficial.

I use the phrase “return to work” because I do feel that there is a huge benefit to be gained by having some time fully away from our business. I confess it is something that is particularly close to home having enjoyed the benefits of a recent sabbatical from my “day job” as a solicitor and Chairman of Mayo Wynne Baxter.

The downside is of course that you realise that the business can continue without you, and that you are perhaps not as irreplaceable as you would like to think. That of course is one of the upsides for the business. It encourages a resilience that takes away that reliance upon one individual. Added to which from a risk management point of view there are positives of knowing that everything a partner does, and all of their client relationships, will need to be handed over to others temporarily so that broader ownership of matters and relationships can be developed.

Periodically (on a rota basis rather than the other partners just wanting us to go away) the Equity Partners in my firm are allowed a six week break to spend away from the business to recharge the batteries, work down the “bucket list”, fulfil a lifetime ambition, broaden the mind with travel and/or simply exercise different parts of our brain.

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Of course I fully appreciate that there may be a requirement of scale to be able to achieve the arrangement that we have in place. I am

fortunate to have a sufficiently large number of very able colleagues to enable me to be away comfortable in the knowledge that clients’ matters are being more than capably dealt with, and that the business will continue to run at least as smoothly. Added to that, this arrangement has been part of the firm’s culture for many years so that whilst we are covering for a colleague’s absence, we appreciate that turn will come turnabout in due course. Whilst your business may not enable you to adopt exactly the same model, should you have any possibility of being able to introduce or negotiate the opportunity for a complete break to do those things you only wish you could, I would urge you to seize it.

JUST A THOUGHT If you were given that break what would you use it for?

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127 20/03/2018

BMW Business Partnership

The Ultimate Driving Machine

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Ofﬁcial fuel economy ﬁgures for the BMW iPerformance range: Combined 83.1-148.7mpg (3.4-1.9l/100km). CO2 emissions 78-44g/km. Figures are obtained in a standardised test cycle. They are intended for comparisons between vehicles and may not be representative of what a user achieves under

usual driving conditions.