BQ West Midlands Summer 2016

Wedding march Lynette Turner makes brides’ fairy tale dreams come true

Aiming high

Eley Hawk targets success in the cartridge business

Smiling grocer

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Wing Yip came to the UK with nothing and built an empire

West Midlands: Summer 2016

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EDITOR’S VIEW WEST MIDLANDS ISSUE 14 This feels like a strange editorial to be writing. I’ve left it until the last possible minute before BQ’s editorial deadline, but as I type these words there’s no widely agreed indication as to whether Britain’s electorate will vote to remain in or to leave the European Union.

I had hoped the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce’s recent survey might at least have shown how regional business leaders were thinking. But this only revealed that 45.2% of West Midlands businesses said they would vote to stay in the EU, while almost as many, 44.8%, would vote to leave, with 9.7% undecided.

What’s even more annoying is that by the time this edition lands on your desk in mid to late June – after setting, printing, packing and distribution – you will either be just about to or will already have cast your vote.

BQ’s arrival, you see, falls across a week rather than a set day, and so there’s not even any point in me using this editorial to lay out the options for you, let alone to try to convince you which box to cross. Such an article would be too late to have any relevance for the vast majority of readers.

But with the most important event in our business and economic world about to take place, I can hardly let this edition go to print without saying anything. All that remains, therefore, is for me to tell you which way I think the vote is going to go. And that’s a pretty scary public prediction to make when there’s just over three weeks to go to the referendum as I sign off the final proof of this page.

So here goes: I believe the referendum will result in a vote to stay in the EU. It won’t be an overwhelmingly huge majority, but it will be decisive enough to be considered as the will of the people.

Whether I’m right or wrong will actually be a hugely serious moment, and one that could change the economy and the way we all do business for at least a generation.

If my prediction proves correct, remember you heard it here first, on a page that ‘went to bed’ before June began. If I’m wrong, I will be photographed writing the next BQ editorial in my underpants (with apologies to Gary Lineker).

Steve Dyson, editor, BQ West Midlands

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CONTACT S BUSINESS QUARTER Bryan Hoare managing director e: bryan@bqlive.co.uk @BQBryanH

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Business Quarter, Spectrum 6, Spectrum Business Park, Seaham, SR7 7TT. www.bqlive.co.uk. Business Quarter (BQ) is a leading national business brand recognised for celebrating and inspiring entrepreneurship. The multi-platform brand currently reaches entrepreneurs and senior business executives across the North East and Cumbria, Scotland, the North West,Yorkshire and the West Midlands. BQ has established a UK wide regional approach to business engagement reaching a highly targeted audience of entrepreneurs and senior executives in high growth businesses both in-print, online and through branded events. All contents copyright © 2016 Business Quarter. All rights reserved. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility can be accepted for inaccuracies, howsoever caused. No liability can be accepted for illustrations, photographs, artwork or advertising materials while in transmission or with the publisher or their agents. All content marked ‘Profile’ and ‘Special Feature’ is paid for advertising. All information is correct at time of going to print, May 2016.

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CONTENTS 68

Summer 16

QUEEN OF THE ROAD Property investment director Anna Renton puts the new Range Rover Sport Hybrid through its paces

FEATURES 22

FUN AT THE FAIR Colin Bryan interviewed on the story of Drayton Manor Park

28

SELLING BRITAIN T O CHINA James Westwood is well qualified to advise on the Chinese market

32

SMILING GROCER Wing Yip came to the UK with nothing and built an empire

38

BIRMINGHAM’S BANK We meet the HSBC’s new man in the West Midlands

44

HERE COMES THE BRIDE Making brides’ fairy tale dreams come true

REGULARS 08

NAME GAMES John Duckers on the names people say

10

SPREADING WINGS Aviation news looks at Emirates’ latest move

12

BUSINESS UPDATE Business news from around the West Midlands region

20

AS I SEE IT Katrina Cooke explains how to revive a marketing department

57

COMMERCIAL PROPERT Y Who’s building what, where and when in the West Midlands

60

BUSINESS LUNCH Paul Thandi eats out with Steve Dyson

66

ON WINE EEF’s Richard Halstead reviews two wine buys

49 S P E C I A L F E A T U R E LEGAL AND FINANCE QUARTER Interview with DLA Piper’s Sandra Wallace P L U S Focus on MHA Macintyre Hudson and Asset Based Finance

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Celebrating and inspir ing entrepreneurship

XX WATCHES OF OUR TIME

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AIMING HIGH Eley Hawk targets success in the cartridge business

A W AY F R O M HOME Steve Dyson reviews hotels in Cambridge, Stratfordupon-Avon, London and Birmingham

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VALUES T O GLOBAL AMBITIONS NEC Group’s Paul Thandi owes his values to his parents

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WEDDING MARCH Lynette Turner provides for the Bohemiam wedding

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Swiss watches find a new way to WATCHES FOR OUR TIME make a statement Swiss watches find new ways to make a statement

SELLING THE UK BRAND IN CHINA James Westwood knows the Chinese market and he can help you know it too

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THE BIG ISSUES www.bqlive.co.uk/bq-breakfast

The banal name game Welcome as it is that new schemes are going up aplenty in Birmingham city centre, some of the banal names are beginning to stick in my craw.

One, Two and Three Snowhill are bad enough – they sound like prison wings: “Norman Stanley Fletcher, you have pleaded guilty to the charges brought by this court and it is now my duty to pass sentence.

“You are a habitual criminal who accepts arrest as an occupational hazard and presumably accepts imprisonment in the same casual manner. We therefore feel constrained to commit you to the maximum term allowed for these offences — you will go to HMP Snowhill for five years.”

You get my meaning! But now we have the Birmingham Smithfield name for the new ‘living and entertainments’ district which replace the markets area. It’s an abomination!

Surely we can think up something that doesn’t simply ape London. Are our creative types – Birmingham has far too many luvvies these days – completely devoid of talent?

We’re also facing the nomenclature of the Argent-led Paradise and Bruntwood’s Cornerblock, the former home of KPMG. Don’t get me wrong … the re-development of the old library site on Paradise Circus is very badly needed. Looking at artist impressions, the architecture seems an improvement if nothing particularly special – bets please on whether it will all be knocked down again in another 30 or 40 years. But ‘paradise’ it isn’t. And I rather fear it’s another gift to our competitors who

John Duckers, the business commentator who West Midlands leaders love to hate, is appalled at the names planners are dreaming up for Birmingham’s new buildings and districts so delight in disparaging Birmingham. Say to a Londoner: “I’m off to Paradise today” and their first response would likely be to flee for their lives for fear you are a jihadi suicide bomber.

Their second response – if you ever caught up with them – on being told it is part of Birmingham would probably be to crease up in laughter. Paradise is plain silly.

As for Bruntwood and its Cornerblock, it might set you wondering whether the name was dreamed up by the 16-year-old work-experience girl. More likely the outcome of some marketing consultancy away day in Reggie Perrin and Sunshine Desserts vein. “That will be £100,000 please.”

Maybe some sort of combination between cornerback (American football) and blockhouse (British Army). Whatever, it’s the bizarre new name for Two Cornwall Street which, when complete later this year, will provide 110,000 sq ft of Grade A workspace in the heart of the Colmore Business District.

The new-look building, taking in a wholly out of place ‘rooftop oasis’, has been redesigned

by Birmingham’s Glenn Howells Architects.

In addition to office space, it will feature bike storage, showers and a yoga studio, all compulsory these days given the fragile temperament of brainwashed executive health freaks. Rob Valentine, head of sales and asset management at Bruntwood in Birmingham, spouts the usual corporate psycho-babble. “The workplace is changing and we see this reflected in the wants and needs of our customers.

Increasingly business owners are seeking a workspace that gives them flexibility and helps them to develop a strong culture which encourages collaboration, creativity and a sense of belonging within their workforce.

“With this in mind we specifically designed the building around our corner blocks of connectivity, wellbeing, flexibility and opportunity. Given that we’re reinventing the building we felt that the name needed a revamp too, and it was apt to choose Cornerblock.”

One wonders what Birmingham’s favourite inmate Lennie Godber would have made of it.

Pass the sick bag, Fletch! n

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AVIATION NEW S www.bqlive.co.uk/bq-breakfast

The story behind Emirates’ growth from Birmingham With Emirates now flying the world’s largest passenger jet from Birmingham Airport, Steve Dyson interviews Laurie Berryman, the airline’s UK chief “People thought we were mad when we first started flying from Birmingham,” says Laurie Berryman, Emirate’s vice president for the UK and Ireland. “And no-one would have believed us back in 2000 that we’d be where we are today – with 1,471 seats a day flying to Dubai.”

Berryman’s in Birmingham for the airline’s inaugural flight of the new Airbus A380 service to Dubai. It’s the first time that the giant doubledecker aircraft will operate regularly from the airport, replacing the Boeing 777 on one of the airline’s three daily flights. Berryman recalls:

“There was a gap between Manchester and London which we thought we could fill and we took the plunge on 18 December 2000 with an A330 270-seater daily to Dubai. Almost from day one this was a huge success.

“By 2007 we doubled to daily flights, and key to this was the huge expansion of Dubai as a destination. We saw more and more customers wanting to take our flights and the demand grew and grew. We brought in the Boeing 777 which increased seats to 428, eventually on all our services.” Berryman says the A380

with its 615 seats was now needed because of growing leisure and business markets: from luxury holidays to places like the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, to business journeys to emerging economies in India, China, Vietnam and Indonesia. He says: “The expansion of Jaguar Land Rover has also been huge for us in China. We also have lots of West Midland SMEs exporting everything from automotive parts to lighting and electronics to Chinese cities.

Our Dubai link provides direct access to those growing China cities.”

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Berryman praised Birmingham Airport boss Paul Kehoe for making the A380’s operations possible. “We talked about it for a year to 18 months, but explained they were going to have to make things better. Once we decided, Paul and his team pushed the button and got it moving.”

The day the A380 was agreed, Birmingham put its order in for a new £1m air bridge and the increased services that were needed. “No-one else did that,” Berryman points out.

As well as passengers, he says the A380 can carry up to 10 tonnes of cargo per flight.

He explains: “The economy of Dubai is booming with 15 million visitors a year, and their hotels need supplies. Food stuffs from the Midlands make up a large part, and we carry regular pallets from two major supermarkets.

“The cargo is very important because

“The cargo is very important because the Midlands is the powerhouse where manufacturers export from” the Midlands is the powerhouse where manufacturers export from.”

The A380 will also create more jobs, with the larger aircraft meaning more aircrew, lounge staff and cargo handlers. It also means Emirates taking more rooms in local hotels. Berryman says the airline will carry on growing and he hopes Birmingham can look forward to it replacing its other Boeing 777s with A380s in years to come.

He says: “For years people have been driving past Birmingham to go to Heathrow and Gatwick. We’re offering the option to fly from their local airport. With 10 million people within 90 minutes travel time, they should be going from here.

“It’s so much cheaper – with lower departure tax, and passenger service charges significantly less. But other things like parking are cheaper, and all those other elements like taking less time to get here. Birmingham’s so easy to get into and easy to get out of.”

Berryman adds: “When I think that people laughed at us 16 years ago, I’m proud to show how we’ve proved there’s plenty of demand.”

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AVIATION UPDATES New China flights The first scheduled flights from Birmingham to China will take off this summer.

Beijing Capital Airlines will start two services a week in July, one to Beijing and the other to Shanghai’s Hangzhou Airport. The new services follow the success of direct charter summer flights, which saw more than 7,000 Chinese visitors travel through Birmingham Airport during 2014 and 2015. Paul Kehoe, chief executive of Birmingham Airport, said: “We have finally reached one of our goals – to offer direct scheduled services to China. We have made the investment, developed the market and this is testament that our region has enormous demand for direct flights to China.” The flights will go to Beijing on Saturdays to Beijing and to Shanghai/Hangzhou on Tuesdays on Airbus A330-200 aircraft, with 211 seats – 33 business and 178 economy. The announcement was made following news that Manchester Airport is launching its own direct flight to China with Hainan Airlines.

30 year link Lufthansa marked its 30th anniversary of flights from Birmingham by revealing 3.3% year-on-year passenger growth for the first quarter of 2016.

The German carrier began in 1986 and offers 106 flights a week from Birmingham, carrying a total of 861,000 passengers in 2015. Christian Schindler, Lufthansa regional director for the UK, said: “This continued growth confirms we continue to be among the leading carriers at Birmingham. Around half our passengers from Birmingham take advantage of our quick and easy onward connections at our hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich and Brussels.”

Birmingham Airport’s William Pearson (left) congratulates Christian Schindler of Lufthansa, watched by Captain Joerg Sbanski and the German Oompah band

New flights Spanish airline Iberia Express is starting four weekly flights to Madrid from Birmingham Airport, connecting to more than 30 destinations across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Another new carrier is Czech Airlines, which is flying a five-times-a-week service to Prague on an Airbus A319. And Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, will start a new yearround service between Birmingham and Luxembourg from September.

Record breaker Birmingham Airport has recorded its 14th consecutive month of record-breaking growth.

A total of 872,833 passengers were handled at the airport in April, up 13.2% on the same month last year. Long-haul routes experienced the greatest rise at 41.2%, while short-haul routes also grew 9.7%.

BUSINESS UPDATE Healthcare fund Mercia Fund Management is working with the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network (WMAHSN) to help build and support healthcare start-ups across the West Midlands. The new SME innovation fund is led by Mercia’s head of life sciences, Peter Dines, and aims to grow businesses that can improve healthcare services across the NHS. The areas they are targeting include: advanced diagnostics, genomics and precision medicine; mental health recovery and prevention; long-term conditions; and wellness and the prevention of illness.

For more information on how to invest in the fund, or to apply for funding, please email Peter Dines at peterd@merciafund. co.uk or Lucy Chatwin at lucy.chatwin@ wmahsn.org

businessteam@bham.ac.uk www.birmingham.ac.uk/partners

BYPY winner Marketing expert Abby Corfan has been crowned as the Birmingham Young Professional of the Year 2016 at the BPS Birmingham Future’s awards. Corfan, who is director of marketing and digital at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, also picked up the BYPY Marketing and Communications award. Ahmed Farooq, chair of BPS Birmingham and a member of the judging panel, said: “She is knowledgeable about her product and passionate about reaching and attracting audiences, skills which are clearly core to being a successful marketer.

“She understands the power of establishing a collective voice – something critical to the cultural and professional sectors, but also to the future of Greater Birmingham at large.” The other award winners were: • Finance: Ben Collins, assistant director, EY; • Legal: Russ Hill, partner, Squire Patton Boggs; • HR, Recruitment and Training: Ruqia Sharif, from human resources at HS2 Limited;

Abby Corfan has been crowned as the Birmingham Young Professional of the Year 2016 at the BPS Birmingham Future’s awards

• Property and Construction: Mike Lally, associate director, Buro Four; and • Technology: Mike Brooman, chief executive, Vanti.

Barclays’ new base for entrepreneurs Barclays Bank has launched its Eagle Lab in Birmingham to help promising new and young businesses to work together and grow.

The Eagle Lab offers space and resources for high-growth entrepreneurs at the recently opened iCentrum building on the Innovation Birmingham campus, near Aston University.

The resources include office, team-working and event space, expert advice, 3D printers and laser cutters, designed around the needs of local entrepreneurs and businesses. It means businesses based there will have access to tools they need to rapidly produce and test prototypes without having to import from overseas,

Putting world-class expertise to work in your business

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significantly reducing the time and cost it can take to get to market.

Ray O’Donoghue, managing director for Barclays in the Midlands said: “We’re keen to engage with local start-ups and SMEs from across the West Midlands. We want to support and make life easier for these budding entrepreneurs.”

Two local entrepreneurs who have already signed up to the Eagle Lab are Khurum Choudhry, founder of Pharmanutricals Ltd, a sports industry supplements company, and Daniel Lowe, founder of Fourpure Brewing Co, a travel inspired brewery creating modern craft beer. Barclays has teamed up with UK Business Angels Association to support its Eagle Lab, helping entrepreneurs access a range of experts for mentorship and guidance around topics such as funding, as well as physical space.

Joanne Haden, the ecosystem manager at the Eagle Lab said: “This supports our plans to help high-growth businesses achieve scale through tailored advice, funding and mentorship, crucial to sustainable economic development.”

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Mum knows Best A Midlands mum who turned her search for the perfect nursery into a new business has showcased her talents at the Country Living Spring Fair. Mrs Best, a bespoke arts and interiors company, was formed last year after graphic designer Sarah Best produced a collection of personalised art prints, children’s wall graphics and baby clothing. Since launching last winter, the 39-year-old’s business has picked up orders and accolades from across the UK, and was chosen to exhibit at the Spring Fair. Best, who runs the business from the Teme Valley, near Ludlow, had the business idea after her daughter Tilly, now two, was born. The search for the ideal nursery saw her creating her own decorations and art prints. Best said: “I found it a real challenge to find beautiful, co-ordinating pieces for Tilly’s nursery after she was born. So after one search too many, I took matters into my own hands and drew upon 15 years of creative experience as a graphic designer.

e the irst

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TOP TWEETS Grassroots support building @Mc73James... let's make C'wealth Games 2026 happen in Brum! @edjames_ @graeme_brown – @GBChamberBoss Clancy's Cabinet update @BrumLeader takes control of property and econ dev, @cllrianward gets arts and culture brief – @paulmdale Major step forward for National College for High Speed Rail as construction starts – @BhamUpdates Birmingham needs saving from itself. After years of austerity, our authorities have forgotten how to be ambitious – @graeme_brown Being interviewed by Cabinet office – great news for Brierley Hill, 4,000 jobs will be created due to new enterprise zone – @ninderjohal Can't believe it, ordered inflatable balloons for my son's 13th birthday and the idiots have sent me the number 31 – @jassansi Thrilled that our Director of Marketing and Digital, @abbycorfan, has just been named Birmingham Young Professional of the Year! #BYPY16 – @TheCBSO Today is John's last day @The_IoD after 23 years building up @IoD_WestMidland Gd luck with a busy retirement John! – @IoD_WestMidland April was a record breaking month for us at #bhx with passenger figures +13.2 % year-on-year! – @bhx_official

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Neil Mocroft, Richard Pinning and Colin Viner

Law firm takeover Clark Brookes Turner Cary (CBTC), the law firm based in West Bromwich and Stratford-uponAvon, has bought the West Bromwich office of Millichips, one of the Black Country’s best known legal names. Millichips will mean that CBTC’s West Midlands’ network now has 75 staff in the Black Country and Warwickshire. The firm will be known as CBTC Millichips and will be located at Guardian House, Cronehill Linkway, West Bromwich. The origins of Millichips go back to the 1870s, and the firm was famously the practice of Sir Bert Millichip, former chairman of West Bromwich Albion and The Football Association.

Barclays scores four deals Barclays Corporate Banking team in the Midlands was off to a flying start in the first quarter of 2016 after completing their fourth acquisition deal. The team first supported Birmingham-based Convergence Group, who design, build and manage public and private data networks. They bought Redditch based Network 1st, a business which sells, repairs, installs and maintains computer data communications equipment. This deal was quickly followed by Sterling Square Capital Partner’s acquisition of Redditch-based Mettis Aerospace from parent company Saints

Chamonix, with Barclays funding capital expenditure and working capital. The team then supported Birmingham-based Attraction World, a theme park and attraction ticket specialist, to buy the leisure brand ‘Day out with the Kids’.

Finally, the team supported Dutch company Terberg BV, who purchased Dennis Eagle Ltd, the UK manufacturer of refuse collection vehicles, from Spain-based RosRoca Environmental. Ian Tetsill, managing director of Barclays debt finance, said: “We are seeing good evidence that strategic mergers and acquisitions activity for corporates remains on the agenda for 2016.”

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PROFILE University of Birmingham

15

SMEs – Be bigger than your boots!

5.4 million businesses in the UK employ less than 250 people. These SMEs provide 15.6 million jobs, equating to approximately 60% of the private sector workforce in 2015.

After five years from launch, fewer than 42% of the businesses will have survived Kingston Smith LLP, a top 20 accountancy firm, commissioned the Business Schools of the Universities of Birmingham and Greenwich for an in-depth research project focusing on how small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) approach winning new business.

Professor Mark Saunders, University of Birmingham and Professor David Gray, University of Greenwich, completed this project in March 2016 which comprised of both an online survey of over 1,000 successful UK SMEs, 15 in-depth interviews and six focus groups making this one of the largest studies ever into winning new business involving UK SMEs. In addition to funding the project Kingston Smith LLP were able to facilitate links with business and ensure the results of the project were communicated widely to the business community.

Key recommendations for SMEs to win new business are: • Look after existing customers – invest in strategies which will help you to maintain and develop your customer base • Identify those areas which are important to you for winning new business and improve your effectiveness • Identify potential customers, build and manage relationships with them in order to win new business • Monitor and evaluate your effectiveness

‘Wear a bigger hat by partnering with larger, global organisations in order to win new contracts, particularly overseas’

• • • •

at managing existing and new customer relationships Build trust within relationships (internally and externally) Develop a clear set of aligned values and clearly communicate them internally and externally Tell people what you do and then remind them again Wear a bigger hat by partnering with larger, global organisations in order to win new contracts, particularly overseas (EU and the Rest of the World)

• Make sure what you do is effective and do not waste time on things that are ineffective (work smarter not harder) • Become a thought leader in your market and disseminate your thoughts through seminars, workshops and social media and engage in follow up • Consider co-opetition – engaging with your competition The research findings are now being used to better advise SMEs on how to grow and become more successful.

NETWORKING FOR GREAT BUSINESS MINDS The BizzInn at the University of Birmingham hosts the University of Birmingham Business Club for business people who are looking to network and exchange ideas with academics and our business engagement team.Club members receive invites to our regular breakfast briefings, where they have the opportunity to discuss topical business issues with experts from Birmingham Business School and other areas of the University.Each briefing also includes the opportunity for members to make short elevator pitches to the audience. These four minute, quick-fire slots are designed for members to promote their new product or service, recruit partners for collaborative R&D or access peer support for their most pressing business challenges.

If your business is looking to partner with a University to explore opportunities for collaboration and growth, or if you are interested in joining the business club please contact, Tim Yates, Business Engagement, University of Birmingham, 0121 414 8635, t.yates.1@bham.ac.uk

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Immigrants thrive at business

MOVERS AND SHAKERS Calum Nisbet (left) has been appointed regional director of the Institute of Directors West Midlands, succeeding John Phillips who has retired after 23 years in the role. Nisbet arrives from a background of business development, working with corporates and key individuals across the region. He has worked closely with the IoD for a number of years and is already known to many of their 2,000-plus local members.

His most recent role was as director of Zig Zag Consulting Ltd, supporting organisations in developing partnerships, finding sponsorship and engaging with supporters. His clients have included the CBSO, Birmingham Airport and Qatar Airways.

Banking lawyer John Hughes, a consultant at Shakespeares Martineau, has become president of the Birmingham Law Society. Hughes, a solicitor in Birmingham for more than 20 years, is author of ‘Law of Property Act Receivership’ and is a member of both the Society of Expert Witnesses and the Notaries Society. He’s the Society’s 121st president and succeeds Mushtaq Khan. The new vice president is Andrew Beedham of Clarke Willmott, while James Turner of Tuckers Solicitors becomes deputy vice president.

Law firm Gateley has promoted commercial real estate lawyer Helen Roberts and residential development lawyer Robert Thompson as partners at its Birmingham office It has also promoted corporate recovery lawyers Helen Jones and Louise Phillips, and construction lawyer Phil Scully to senior associates, and solicitors Safeea Shafiq, John Williams, Gemma Flanders and Kate Oliver to associates.

Midland law firm Wright Hassall has appointed Gemma Carson as its new head of commercial litigation. Carson has risen through the ranks at the Leamington-based solicitors having joined Wright Hassall straight from university as a paralegal in 2001. She qualified as a solicitor in 2004 and was promoted to partner in 2012. She takes over from Sarah Perry, who was appointed managing partner earlier this year.

Three barristers at No5 Chambers – which has a major base in Birmingham – have been made Queen’s Counsel (QCs). The appointments of Paul Cairnes, Richard Kimblin and Dr Simon Fox takes the number of silks at No5 to 33.

Law firm Mills & Reeve has poached David Varnham to head up its new Birmingham banking team. Varnham joins as principal associate from the London office of Allen & Overy, where he spent more than ten years in the firm’s banking department.

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Immigrants are more likely to start their own business than people born and brought up in the UK, according to new figures.

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) UK Report, analysed early stage start-ups as part of a study into entrepreneurial trends, attitudes and aspirations in 2015.

It found people who live in the UK but were born overseas have a significantly higher rate of Total Early-Stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) than life-long residents. UK-born returning migrants also have a significantly higher rate of TEA. The report, written by experts from Aston Business School in Birmingham and the University of Strathclyde, reveals 15.4% of immigrants were early-stage entrepreneurs in 2015, compared to 10.5% of UK-born returning migrants. By comparison, the figure for UKborn individuals who have migrated inside the UK was just over 6.1%, and only 5.3% for UK-born individuals who had lived all their lives in the same region. Professor Mark Hart, of Aston Business School, said: “It’s notable that immigrants, together with those who have lived abroad for some time, have a significantly higher TEA rate. The wider experience and skills of many immigrants and returnee migrants may enable them to spot and exploit opportunities more readily.”

QUOTE OF THE QUARTER “You can’t think about anything else when you’ve got a loaded gun in your hands. Your focus has to be on what you’re doing.”

PAUL THANDI, chief executive of the NEC Group, on the passion for shooting

PROFILE Investec Wealth & Management

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Offering Birmingham a fully integrated service Investec Wealth & Investment in Birmingham has appointed a financial planning director and Investec is expanding its Private Banking team to continue with the move to a full service offering Investment management, banking and now also financial planning – Investec Wealth & Investment Birmingham has recently appointed Svenja Keller as Financial Planning Director.

Adrian Quin, Head of the Birmingham office, says ‘after celebrating our 10th anniversary, we have now crossed another milestone. The marketplace for financial planning has changed significantly in the last few years. We want to continue to work closely with our external partners but we also feel that the ability to offer clients an integrated service is becoming more and more important.’

Svenja, who is a Chartered Financial Planner and previously worked at UBS and PwC Birmingham, is joining a team of 26 Financial Planners UK-wide. She comments ‘I have the best of both worlds – the feel of a start-up financial planning team in Birmingham, whilst being part of a bigger well-run and supported team in the UK.’ She thinks the Midlands market offers plenty of opportunities to grow the financial planning proposition in Birmingham.

Financial planning topics never cease to make the headlines – changes to pension legislation, dividend taxation, capital gains tax and the introduction

“The Midlands market offers plenty of opportunities to grow the financial planning proposition in Birmingham”

of the Lifetime ISA are only a few recent topics that impact financial plans. Svenja stresses how important it is for clients to get advice and regularly review their strategies. ‘A review does not always have to result in a change – to do nothing can also be good advice. The key is that Investec Wealth & Investment Financial Planning is independent. This gives me the necessary flexibility to do what’s best for the client.’

In addition to Svenja’s appointment, Investec Birmingham is expanding its Private Banking Team.

Mike Kelly, Private Banker in Birmingham, says ‘I am delighted about the expansion of the private banking team in Birmingham. It will allow us to increase our footprint in the Midlands and focus on more targeted business development activities across the region.’

Investec’s approach to working with clients is

“The key is that Investec Wealth & Investment Financial Planning is independent. This gives me the necessary flexibility to do what’s best for the client”

flexible. ‘We do what is best for the clients’, says Mike, ‘Clients are not compelled to use all of our services and it’s vital that we develop a deep and meaningful relationship with clients to ensure we put them at the heart of all we do’ There are many crossovers between investment management, financial planning and banking and the teams are working closely together to help clients identify different needs.

In addition to the importance of being joined up internally, Svenja also sees financial planning as a key link between the work of accountants and solicitors and investment management. She looks forward to working with the wider professional adviser community.

For more information please contact: Svenja Keller Investec Wealth & Investment, 0121 232 0700. svenja.keller@investecwin.co.uk investecwin.co.uk/financialplanning

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BUSINESS UPDATE www.bqlive.co.uk/bq-breakfast

£3.7m plumbing deal Birmingham building services provider J S Wright has secured a contract worth more than £3.7m to help a housing development for the elderly on a former hospital site in north London.

The Aston-based company will fit out 161 mixed-tenure apartments in both purpose-built and existing Grade II-listed buildings at the Woodside Square development in Muswell Hill.

J S Wright was chosen by leading developer Hill as lead contractor for mechanical and plumbing services on the site of St Luke’s Hospital, which was in use from 1930 to 2011.

This will include underfloor heating, low pressure hot water heating and heat recovery ventilation, as well as toilet and sewage services.

£1.5m for 200 new engineers A £1.5m investment in a new West Midlands training facility will help start the careers of up to 200 young apprentice engineers over the next four years. The Engineering Centre of Excellence in Arrow Road, Redditch, will be run by specialist training provider, Midland Group Training Services, and will help provide young people with the engineering skills that local companies require.

The new facility will launch this autumn in a joint project that’s seen investments of £800,000 from the Midland Group Training Services, and £350,000 each from Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership and Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnerships (GBSLEP).

Katie Trout, director of GBSLEP, said: “This project demonstrates what can be achieved when LEPs work together with the private sector to meet the needs of the local economy.”

New café for hungry Jaguar An entrepreneur has aquired a cafe next door to Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull plant. Lee Hickinbottom bought the business in February and following a £35,000 refurbishment is already in profit. He branded the Cornyx Lane venture Serenity Café, in line with Serenity Travel, the Redditch-based coach business he runs with partner Tabatha Williams.

Hickinbottom bought the café with legal advice from Redditch law firm Kerwoods.

GIVING SOMETHING BACK Staff at the West Brom Building Society raised nearly £28,000 for bereavement charity Edward’s Trust after it was their charity of the year. Fundraising activities organised by the West Brom business have included cake sales, cycle rides, fun runs, assault course challenges and a golf day, as well as volunteers carrying out maintenance work on the Trust’s headquarters in Edgbaston. More details of the charity are at edwardstrust.org.uk.

Pictured, Stephanie Bradbury, left, with Liese Moeller Birmingham Airport’s Community Trust Fund awarded £3,000 to help local Sea Cadets buy a £5,500 new sailing boat. The cadets at Training Ship Stirling, in Shard End, raised the rest of the money via supermarket bag packing and other events. The funding is one of many grants totalling £75,000 a year that the airport donates to groups in areas most affected by its flights.

The deadline for the next awards is 26 August 2016. More details at birminghamairport.co.uk

Birmingham City FC’s manager Gary Rowett and other team officials were part of a 14-strong group of local business leaders who raised £66,500 for Meningitis Now in the London Marathon. Reserves manager Richard Beale and commercial director Ian Dutton were also in a ‘Liam’s Smiles’ group led by Becky Doyle, whose son Liam contracted meningitis at seven weeks old. More details of the charity are at www.meningitisnow.org Building contractors Willmott Dixon raised £122,000 for Shelter in just 24 hours as part of a challenge by staff at its Coleshill base, near Birmingham. The Apprentice-style task pitted teams against one another to help raise funds for the homelessness charity with staff doing everything from silent auctions to hitting the streets with collection boxes.

Solicitor Gareth Morris has raised £1,000 for Stratford-upon-Avon’s Shakespeare Hospice, largely through donating his fees in a ‘Make a Will’ promotion. Morris’ company, CBTC Rawstorne, raised £930 and the sum was topped up with donations from colleagues and £50 from the law firm’s PR company ASAP, making the total to hit the £1,000 mark. More details of the charity are at theshakespearehospice.org.uk The Birmingham office of KPMG raised over £11,000 for Cure Leukaemia last year.

More than 1,000 staff took part in events including the Brindleyplace Dragonboat Festival, Glynn Purnell’s Friday Night Kitchen and the Great Birmingham Run.

FIND OUT MORE ONLINE AT BQLIVE.CO.UK

For up-to-da business ne te ws sign up for BQ Breakfast bqlive.co.uk/ breakfast

PROFILE ART Business Loans

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Food for thought Boosting the local economy by funding growth, diversification, consolidation and creating jobs ART Business Loans started to support businesses in 1997, lending to all sectors and types of business with two main objectives: firstly, to provide access to loan finance for businesses the banks were unable to fully support and secondly, to support job creation and preservation. Demand has grown over the years and ART Business Loans has grown with it supporting, among other sectors, the local independent food industry.

Originally serving inner city Birmingham, ART Business Loans has widened its reach to now serve the whole of the West Midlands. It lends from £10,000 to £150,000 to businesses with a viable proposition which nevertheless fail to meet the banks’ lending criteria.

“Our remit is different to the banks’” explains Steve Walker, Chief Executive of ART. “Our primary purpose is to boost the local economy, ensuring that vital small and medium sized businesses have the finance they need to grow, diversify, consolidate and, most importantly, create jobs. We are finding that demand is stronger than ever, evidenced by the fact that we have seen three successive years of record loan delivery – lending over £3m in the last year.”

To date, with funding from both the public and private sectors, ART has supported over 900 businesses in the West Midlands, lending over £20m and enabling borrowers to create or preserve over 7,000 jobs. Its small team of experienced staff, based at Innovation Birmingham Campus, are knowledgeable about business as well as finance and can offer advice and signposting to other funders if

Clockwise: Birgit Kehrer, passionate vegetarian cook and founder of social enterprise catering company Change Kitchen. Award-winning restaurateur, TV chef and ‘Yummy Brummie’ Glynn Purnell in the kitchen.

Flaming good food being cooked at Shahi Masala - Indian, Chinese and Italian buffet restaurant. appropriate. What is interesting is the wide variety of sectors and types of business that have been supported, including social enterprises and charities.

Many examples can be found on ART’s website under the heading ‘Be Inspired’. With the latest British Business Bank figures confirming that 85% of the

new jobs in the UK created between 2008 and 2013 were by firms with fewer than 50 employees and with record numbers of new businesses being established the need for financers such as ART Business Loans, which lend when the banks can’t, looks set to continue for many years to come.

Food for more than thought Within ART’s lending portfolio, including businesses that have long since repaid their loans and continue to thrive and grow, one sector provides an excellent example of the wide variety of entrepreneurial activity that exists in the West Midlands. The food sector is more than usually diverse, with well over 50% led by the BAME community and over 40% led by women. ART has lent to businesses ranging from the highly successful Michelin-starred Purnells through to small home-based specialist food providers. The wide variety of cuisine supported includes Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Italian, Afro Caribbean, Somalian and Vegetarian, delivered through restaurants, cafes, takeaway outlets and catering companies.

Food manufacturers helped include one of the largest suppliers locally of halal pre–packed meals and the producer of award-winning smoked humous products stocked by Waitrose. In recent years, ART has also supported a number of innovative new drink products and several hotels and pubs.

0121 359 2444 | art@artbusinessloans.co.uk | www.artbusinessloans.co.uk | @ART_BizLoans

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AS I SEE IT bqlive.co.uk

It’s an all-too-familiar story that in times of financial challenge an organisation’s marketing resource comes under threat, or ceases to exist.

Fast forward a few years to a thriving local business community and an organisation enjoying growth, and the decision is taken to invest in marketing again in a quest for sustainable growth and stability.

But how do you ensure that the new marketing department is effective from day one? Here’s my top tips after six months of doing just that at the Chamber.

DISPEL THE MARKETING MYTH Entering an established business, be prepared to dispel some myths over what a new marketing department does or does not do. “I need a flyer creating” and “Can you design me a pop-up banner?” were both regular soundbites in the office in my first few weeks.

Reviving a marketing department Marketing expert Katrina Cooke joined Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce from Aston Villa FC towards the end of 2015. Here she explains how established businesses can benefit from an investment in marketing

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“Give yourself the time to make a clear plan, identify the ‘quick-wins’ but also to rank what the key priorities are for the first six months”

It’s best to position the marketing department as that vital link between the organisation and its customers, ensuring that the products and services offered match customer needs and effectively communicate the organisation’s core proposition. Yes, that communication may involve producing flyers or pop-up banners, but they are by-products of an integrated, strategic plan.

DON’T RUSH IN Joining a busy organisation in need of a marketing strategy, it would be very tempting to try to do too much, too quickly: to start briefing designers or booking advertising space at the request of others without clearly understanding how this fits into a wider plan.

Avoid this if you can. Yes, inevitably there will be ‘jobs’ and day-to-day tasks that require marketing assistance. And from my experience staff are genuinely excited to have a marketing resource they can hand over to.

It’s important, however, that this doesn’t distract from the need to develop a well thought-out marketing strategy. Give yourself the time to make a clear plan, identify the ‘quick-wins’ but also to rank what the key priorities are for the first six months.

For the Chamber, our top priorities were to refresh and refine our positioning and core proposition, to streamline and simplify our membership products, and to build a new website.

PUT YOUR CUSTOMERS AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING The first few months in a new marketing department are as much about change management as about developing a marketing plan. With every change you make, keep thinking back to your core customers. If it’s an internal process change, then how will the new process put the organisation in a stronger position to serve those customers? And if it’s an external facing change, then how will your customers see the benefit?

If you apply that rule of thumb, then you can take confidence that your changes will have integrity and are always made with the customer in mind.

INSIGHT IS KING To develop a marketing plan, answering three simple questions should provide structure and focus: Where are we now?

Where do we want to be?

How do we get there?

Gathering insight – both qualitative and quantitative, from staff, from customers, on competitors, and so on – will be vital to ensure you’re answering those three questions accurately.

Accept that those inside the organisation embedded with dealing with customers day-in, day-out will understand their needs and wants far more than you might claim to in your first

few weeks at the organisation.

Use this to your advantage – to position the marketing function as a collaborative and open department, and to ensure that the marketing strategy gives an accurate reflection of the current status. Listen to staff, longstanding customers, lapsed customers and prospective customers, and use this insight to inform the ‘how do we get there?’ question.

PROMISE A STRATEGY, NOT A MIRACLE! It won’t all happen overnight. But if you’ve kept to points 1-4 above, then trust yourself, and trust that you’re on the right path.

At the Chamber, the first six months of the new-look marketing department saw us refresh our brand and launch a new core proposition to connect, support and grow local businesses.

We relaunched our group website www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com which saw record numbers of visitors and page views in April 2016.

We’ve also experienced good sales to date from our refreshed membership packages, including our new ‘1813 Club’, targeting businesses looking for access to exclusive events and personal introductions in the city.

We’re proud of what we’ve achieved in six months but we know it’s just the start, and that the next six months will always be more important than the last! n

Katrina Cooke is director of marketing and communications at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. To find out more, visit www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com

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ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

The Bryan family’s £30m fairground attraction Colin Bryan has watched Drayton Manor Park grow from a former prime minister’s dilapidated estate into one of the UK’s top leisure destinations. Jon Griffin reports He’s in charge of a ‘little city’ which never sleeps, with a lifetime of unforgettable memories behind the scenes of one of the UK’s most popular and enduring tourist spots.

Colin Bryan has lived and breathed Drayton Manor Park, near Tamworth, from his days as a toddler following mother Vera around the site.

He has cooked chips, served teas, mended park rides and fallen out with father George over a steam train’s efficiency and coffees for the Women’s Institute.

At the age of 18, he met his future wife Lynn, then a 15-year-old zookeeper looking after the monkeys and snakes in the park. Now 68, he has seen it grow into an international tourist attraction pulling in well over a million visitors a year, with a £30m annual turnover. Drayton Manor has, quite literally, been Bryan’s life.

The story of Drayton Manor is a 65-year plus saga of a family-owned business which has resisted overtures from would-be buyers to cement itself as a key West Midlands economic asset with 1,000 full and part-time staff, and an enviable reputation in the tourism sector.

But it all began in humble circumstances back in

1949 when George, Bryan’s late father, took the gamble of a lifetime to splash out on 80 acres of derelict land at Fazeley, near Tamworth, where Sir Robert Peel – the former prime minister and the man who invented the police force – once ruled the roost on his private estate.

Bryan recalls: “My father paid £4,000 for 80 acres, which was all that was left of Sir Robert Peel’s estate. That was in May 1949 and we moved here on 16 October 1949. He had to borrow £4,000 from his father, £4,000 from his father-in-law and he came out of the Army with £4,000 after serving in Egypt in the Second World War. “After that he had no money left and he went to see the bank manager at Tamworth who was taking his dog to the vets at the time. They stopped in the street and shook hands on a loan for £1,200, which he needed to put the water supply in. It was all done on a handshake in the road in Tamworth town centre.”

That historic Tamworth town centre bank loan deal was a gamble that has paid handsome dividends for the Bryan family, the local economy and ultimately for the regional

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tourism industry. It was also to provide millions of happy memories for generations of youngsters and their families who have enjoyed action-packed days out in South Staffordshire through the decades.

“My mother Vera started cooking food at the park in the 1950s and selling jugs of tea in China crockery,” says Bryan. “I think I started to get noticed from the age of two – there are old photographs of me and my mother in the park.

“When I look back the sun was always shining in the summer, but of course it wasn’t. I remember that we were always working and we never had any time off. My birthday parties as a child were very busy: they were always held in the park and I was very popular with my school friends.

“I knew I was going into the business from the age of 10. My father said to me: ‘What do you want to do when you are older?’ and I said: ‘I’m going to take over your job.’ There was never any doubt in my mind from that time on.

“I started work cooking fish and chips with my mother and the ladies in the kitchen. I was around 15 at the time and was at school at [the now closed] Wylde Green College in Sutton Coldfield. When I came home I helped mother pre-cook the potatoes and cut them into chips – this was before the days of frozen chips. I would help cook 2,000 portions of fish and chips every Saturday in the Tower Suite ballroom.”

For the Bryans, and everyone else associated with Drayton Manor, the theme park of 2016 – now covering 280 acres – is a far cry from the early post-war years when an exhausted nation was looking for diversion and entertainment following six years of bloody conflict against Hitler.

“There would have been no more than ten full-time people working here then, including gardeners and electricians. Today we have 1,000 full and part-time staff, including a full-time health and safety specialist, and a

“This has been a way of life to me, and my attitude to my work is that I’ve never had a dull day. The high point was when my boys decided to follow in my footsteps” full-time food inspector.

“We had 25,000 to 30,000 visitors in the first year, it grew to 100,000 coming through in the 1960s, in the 70s and 80s we had 300,000 to 400,000 and by 1990 we had the first million.

We are about to welcome our 50 millionth customer since we opened. From March 2015 to February 2016 we had 1,214,000 visitors, a record.

“This has been a way of life to me, and my attitude to my work is that I’ve never had a dull day. The high point was when my boys decided to follow in my footsteps. That made me very proud, as I never pressured them to come in.

I’ve had my downs, particularly with the death of my father.

“That was my lowest point – I was not here, I was away on holiday but I knew he wouldn’t last. I lost him five years before he died because he didn’t know who he was. He’d suffered with dementia. That upset me more than his death.

“He didn’t leave office until he was 85. I worked with him for over 40 years, and we had plenty of arguments, but what family doesn’t? We had one argument where he said: ‘Why have you not served the coffees when we’ve 400 people waiting for a Women’s Institute lunch?’ The argument was that I should have bulk-brewed

ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

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ay y p joy the ey en rs, me d th one” sto an r cu ers ood r ou ustom is a g fte k a he c stay loo o t eir we ind t at th hat e k th is t ou ar sure y eed en r cr s. If will “Ou wage , you our ir day the

the coffee, so after that I went out and bought an American bulk-brewing coffee machine.

“Our creed is that we look after our customers, they pay our wages. If you are kind to the customers and they enjoy their day, you will ensure that their stay is a good one.

“I don’t think that there’s anything I would turn back the clock for. I’ve made mistakes. I bought a steam train once and my father said to me: ‘That’s never going to go around the track, it’s not got enough steam.’ So I sold it at a profit.

“One of the happiest memories was meeting my wife Lynn. She worked for us as a zookeeper looking after the monkeys and snakes. She was 15 when I met her in 1966, and I was 18. It was love at first sight. We married when I was 23 and she was 20.”

In an increasingly corporate world, Drayton Manor has stayed steadfastly true to the family ethos which has served the business so well since that crucial £1,200 bank loan back in 1949.

“We never stand still,” says Bryan. “I’ve had various offers for the company but we are much larger now than when I was first offered money.”

Today Bryan describes himself as semi-retired, even though he still works four days a week as chairman. Son William, aged 43, is managing director, and his other son George, 40, is a fellow director.

A man with his finger on the pulse of Drayton Manor past and present is wellknown West Midlands journalist Fred Bromwich, a former business editor of the Birmingham Post, who penned the history of the park in his book ‘Drayton Manor: George and Vera Bryan’s Memories of a Family Fun Park.’

Now he’s compiling a follow-up publication, as the park prepares to

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“This is still a Bryan family business above everything else. And I would hope that Drayton would always be in the Bryan family” welcome its 50th millionth visitor.

“The Drayton Manor story is definitely in need of an update,” says Bromwich, “especially since the Bryan family continues to forge ahead as the inspiration behind an enduring enterprise which is one of the UK’s top five inland leisure destinations.”

Since the original book was published, the theme park has built its own £20m four-star hotel, invested millions of pounds in new rides and essential maintenance, opened a new site in association with the Camping & Caravanning Club, won a host of awards and, in probably the most significant development of all, launched Thomas Land for over £7m.

“In terms of visitor appeal, Thomas Land has taken Drayton Manor to new heights,” says Bromwich. “It’s been instrumental in boosting the park’s popularity with young families. In fact, Thomas Land at Drayton Manor, the only one in

Europe, has a connection with the latest Thomas Land which has recently opened in America – as the new book will reveal.”

Bryan adds: “Drayton has become a little city which is operational 24-7 – it never stops. We are here every single minute of the day, from security to the chefs preparing breakfast at 5am to events going on to midnight and beyond.”

But that personal touch which has defined life at Drayton Manor Park for 65 years remains as crucial today as when Bryan’s father insisted that the Women’s Institute should not have had to wait for their coffees all those years ago.

He adds: “This is still a Bryan family business above everything else. And I would hope that Drayton would always be in the Bryan family.

We have a new generation coming through. I have five grandchildren and my sister Jane has five as well. There’s plenty of scope for the future.” n

Drayton Manor’s thrills The theme park features some of the biggest, wettest and scariest rides around, including: • G-FORCE: a £3m rollercoaster ride like no other, with high-banked twists and turns which deliver 4.3Gs at up to 70kmph, with riders hanging by the hip.

• APOCALYPSE: the world’s first stand up tower drop.

• SHOCKWAVE: Europe’s only stand up rollercoaster.

• STORMFORCE 10: described by one reviewer as “The best water ride in the country”.

• MAELSTROM: the only gyro swing that makes you face outwards.

• PANDEMONIUM: which literally turns your world upside down.

For more information and to plan your visit see www.draytonmanor.co.uk

ENJOY THE BIRMINGHAM SKYLINE BEFORE THE SHOW IN THE MARCO PIERRE WHITE STEAKHOUSE BAR & GRILL A GREAT WAY TO START YOUR EVENING BEFORE A SHORT WALK TO THE THEATRE

TWO COURSES AND A GLASS OF PROSECCO £25

Available Monday to Friday, 3pm – 5:45pm To book call us on 0121 634 3433 or visit our website for more information www.mpwrestaurants.com @mpw_birmingham

Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill Birmingham

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How to sell Britain to China

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If you’re thinking of trading with China, speak to James Westwood – a Birminghamborn entrepreneur who’s both failed and succeeded in Shanghai. Steve Dyson reports It’s the biggest market in the world, but many businesses feel daunted by the idea of exporting to China. And so this year the ChinaBritain Business Council has appointed James Westwood as its China business adviser for the West Midlands.

The words ‘exporting’, ‘business council’ and ‘adviser’ usually conjure up an image of a stuffy bureaucrat who talks in boardroom jargon, holds a clipboard and files reports in triplicate.

But that’s not the case with Westwood: he’s personable, friendly and keen to show you instantly-researched evidence on his phone screen. As he honestly describes his background and discusses his Chinese experiences, he feels like a man you can do business with.

Westwood was born in Solihull 35 years ago, and grew up in Acocks Green. He studied Chemistry at the University of Leeds, but after graduating he yearned for adventure and decided he’d go to live and work in China.

“I wanted to travel but couldn’t afford to,” says Westwood. “I’d always been interested in Taoism [Chinese philosophy] and Tai Chi [Chinese relaxation and exercise techniques] and met real Chinese people for the first time at university. So I decided that if I could only see one country, I’d see China – for its diversity, culture and geography.”

Westwood was aged 23 when he first landed in Shanghai, paying his way in his first year by teaching English as a foreign language, learning Mandarin in his spare time. “I completely immersed myself, meeting, eating and hanging around with Chinese all week, speaking as much as I could. By the end of the year I could have a conversation in Mandarin. I couldn’t believe the place back in 2004, there really weren’t that many foreigners around. I just loved it.

“I’d always wanted to launch a business, and by the end of that first year I knew it should be out there. I like cooking, but found it difficult to get good ingredients, so I’d asked my mum to send me seeds and started growing basil, parsley and thyme on my balcony.

“The sunlight meant I ended up with so much basil that I started selling it to a local Italian restaurateur. He said: ‘This basil’s so much better that I can get anywhere else – could you become my supplier all year round?’

“My family had always grown vegetables and food in the back garden, and we’d had an allotment. And so my first business was growing herbs and vegetables, and importing fruits to hotels and restaurants in Shanghai.”

This saw Westwood launching Gusto Fine Foods, securing $100,000 finance for his first huge greenhouse, and picking up a few partners along the way. Gusto developed into an organic fresh ingredients specialist, quickly gaining a reputation for the best produce available. It supplied ingredients to 80% of Shanghai’s highend restaurants and 20% of its 5-star hotels, with sales of 1.8 million RMB (around £190,000) in the first year.

Year two was even better, with Gusto employing more than a dozen staff and sales reaching around 2.4m RMB (£250,000). But the economic downturn saw sales flatten out in Gusto’s third and fourth years, and what was

still a young business became a struggle.

“We were hit by the 2008 financial crisis,” says Westwood. “And then by China cracking down on visas ahead of the Beijing Olympics. There’d been lots of growth in the hotel industry, and business had been good on paper, but the financial crisis and visa problems created a double whammy and lots of trade was cancelled.

“Business got tough, relationships with partners got hard and I realised my interests were not legally protected. I’d not set things up properly and couldn’t really fight my corner very well.

I managed to get some of my cash back and arranged an exit, but I had to walk away learning a lot of hard lessons.”

This sparked a career break for Westwood, and he went travelling across the Far East, seeing what he described as “one of the most beautiful but spoilt places” in Bali. It was a tropical paradise ruined by storms, with miles of white sand turned into a rubbish dump, with tropical fish and sharks lying dead, strangled by plastic bags.

“I thought this is really wrong,” says Westwood, “and I knew I had to do something.”

Once back in Shanghai, he networked green industries, getting a job with a carbon training company. At the same time he took a distancelearning course in Environmental Science and Management at London’s School of Oriental

“So I decided that if I could only see one country, I’d see China – for its diversity, culture and geography”

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and African Studies, gaining a post-graduate qualification. Westwood then worked for Schmittzehe & Partners, doing due diligence for institutional investors. This saw him researching governance, environmental records and the accuracy of financial reports of the likes of mining companies during multi-million pound transactions.

He then started working for PureLiving China, a leading indoor environmental health and safety firm, advising clients on air and water quality, mold and lead exposure issues. He spent three years there, ending up as general manager, helping to grow revenues and staff ten-fold.

By this time, Westwood had started microbrewing beer with his brother, David, who’d joined him in China. This had been a teenage hobby at home, but the pair created a serious business called Westwood Ales – ‘Shanghai’s only British craft beer’.

Westwood says: “I used what I’d learned at Gusto foods. The company structure is all set up properly. And we didn’t buy all our own equipment – there’s no point in locking up all that capital. Instead we brewed at other people’s facilities, using their equipment but paying them as if we were buying it off them.”

Westwood Ales is now pumping out at least 100 kegs of pale ale a month, which at 20 litres

per keg is 2,000 litres – and that was in January, a ‘quiet’ month. The company already supplies more than 100 bars in Shanghai and the cities of Wuxi, Kunshan and Nanjing.

As well as plans to launch its own stout and lager this year, Westwood Ales acts for other British brewers in China, including Fuller’s, exploiting a fast-growing interest in high quality beers.

“That’s starting to take off and we’re set to ride that wave,” says Westwood, who owns 40% of the company. “We’re in our second year and sales are picking up rapidly with the warmer weather. This year we expect sales of Westwood products alone to be around £570,000.”

Despite this success, Westwood came home to the West Midlands at the end of last year, and is now busy in his new role for the China-Britain Business Council. Why the sudden change?

“I came back for my family,” admits Westwood.

“I’d spent eleven years in China and the Far East, including six months travelling with my ex-partner to places like Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and India. There were various push and pull factors. But in the end, the most important and simple reason was family.

“My younger sister had had twins, I missed seeing my parents, and the death of a friend

Westwood’s top tips for exporting to China RESEARCH “You must do your research, but it’s hard to do it in China. So think of novel ways – and I don’t mean just Google! What about the local Chinese community, or students, do they like your product? Or perhaps a third party running focus groups. It depends on what you can afford.”

THE UK BRAND “Modifying your product or services for the Chinese market is extremely important. Don’t just assume what works here will work in China. One easy way is to emphasise the Britishness of your product with the Union Jack. It might be garish to the British eye, but that’s what you need to do.”

LEGAL FRAMEWORKS “Make sure you set up everything meticulously in China. Don’t assume that the Chinese legal system is not up to much – that’s rubbish. You can protect your intellectual property, and protect yourself with shares, and so on.”

PARTNERSHIPS “Find the strongest partner you properly can. But don’t enter a ‘David and Goliath’ situation.

You need someone with bigger aspirations, but not so big that they dictate all. They can be your market amplifier. Let’s take health foods: your best partner might not be supermarkets, but what about health classes?”

reminded me how short life is. I believe we should treasure links with the most important people in our lives.

“Then there was the quality of air in Shanghai which meant I couldn’t go running without suffering asthma attacks. And the things I love like nature, rock-climbing and hill-walking were all too far away.”

Westwood is now busy helping local small businesses looking to export to China: “We provide lots of free advice to help businesses understand the challenges of business in China, and how to circumnavigate those challenges.

I was on the ground making mistakes, and I’ve also been more successful. This job is about practical advice based on that real world experience.

“I enjoy talking to business leaders about their aims, the resources they might need, getting them ready for challenges. So far, based on my knowledge of the Chinese market, I’ve almost always been able to put them in touch with someone who knows their sector or particular product.

“There are so many opportunities in China. The best ones are introducing novel concepts and new technology. That’s where we’re going to be strong in China. The more traditional industries – like engineering and mass production – that won’t work, because they’re already getting much bigger and better.

“But we’re good at new concepts, products and services. Things that focus on quality and play on the Chinese concept of the British national brand can be really successful. We can bring them to the market and the Chinese can amplify them. That’s where the Chinese government is trying to push. There’s also growing concern about food supply in China – people don’t trust the integrity of the systems. British health foods and fine foods are therefore really sought after.

Also professional services, education, healthcare – the UK is universally respected for its approach to healthcare.”

What’s next for Westwood, once he’s fulfilled what’s currently a fixed-term contract for the China-Britain Business Council?

“It may get extended,” he points out. “Or I could do what I’m doing now as a private enterprise: physically helping people set up in China. I love teaching and talking to people about how to do things.” n

INSIGHT bqlive.co.uk

“Things that focus on quality and play on the Chinese concept of the British national brand can be really successful. We can bring them to the market and the Chinese can amplify them�

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ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

A large sign above the door to Wing Yip’s reception in Nechells, Birmingham displays the famous Chinese proverb: ‘A man without a smiling face must not open a shop’.

Yet within minutes of meeting the founder and chairman of the giant Oriental supermarket group, he’s shedding a tear. Unbeknown to BQ, Woon Wing Yip lost his younger brother, Sammy Yap, just before Christmas, and the family held a traditional mourning ceremony only days before this interview.

Questions about Yip’s birth, childhood and upbringing therefore trigger understandable waves of emotion from the 78-year-old, who briefly buries his face in his hands. But within seconds he brightens up and announces we’ll be having “lunch first, interview after” – and leads the way to the neighbouring Wing Wah restaurant.

“A hungry man is an angry man,” adds Yip with a smile, and probably a nod to his interviewer’s girth.

Henry Yap – son of the late Sammy, and Yip’s nephew – explains it’s obviously “a difficult time” for his uncle, not only because of grief but also facing up to the “transitional period” of handing over control of the family-owned business to “the second generation”.

Yap is managing director of Wing Yip, and other directors include Yip’s own sons, Albert, Brian and David. Lee Sing Yap, another of Yip’s brothers, also has a son, Ennevor, who is part

The tears and smiles of a Chinese grocery emperor Wing Yip, chairman of the UK’s leading Oriental supermarket chain, is a great example of how immigrants can create business success. Steve Dyson reports

ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

“A man without a smiling face must not open a shop”

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ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

“Your business is everything – including your car park.

Making sure it’s clean and ready for customers is as important as the shop”

ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

of the business structure. Having Yips and Yaps in the same family, by the way, is down to how various UK immigration officers wrote the surnames down when the original brothers arrived in different decades.

Of the second generation, Henry Yap is “first among equals”, but he’s insistent that the family work closely as a team.

We’re walking through the Wing Yip supermarket now, and out in front of us Yip is bending down to straighten mats around the door, picking up discarded receipts as he goes.

“He’s always doing that – setting an example for everyone, staff and directors,” Yap says.

“As a result, we all do things like bringing trolleys in, showing staff we’re prepared to do anything they do.”

It’s a noticeable theme that drives the Wing Yip business, which has a £100m-plus annual turnover and employs more than 360 staff at its supermarkets in Birmingham, Manchester and Greater London – with stores in Cricklewood and Croydon.

Yip overhears us and agrees: “One of our staff in London, he told me: ‘You must be the only supermarket owner who pushes trolleys!’ I said: ‘I’ve done it for years!’ Your business is everything – including your car park. Making sure it’s clean and ready for customers is as important as the shop.”

We’re sitting in the restaurant now, where the interview continues over lunch. Tentatively, we pick up on Yip’s background – the origins of the family and how he came to be here. He was born into a Hakka family in Dongguan County, Guangdong, in December 1937 – a time of great strife and poverty in China.

Yip’s eyes gaze into mid-distance as he recalls: “War, lots of moving, then more war, more moving.” He’s referring to what was first the Chinese Civil War in the 1930s, then the Japanese invasion before the Second World War, and the resumption of civil war from 1946 to 1950. Yip recalls being a refugee as a child, always on the move, amid violence and poverty.

“When I was a baby someone carried me from Hong Kong to China on their back. Then the Japanese came, and someone carried me back to Hong Kong. Every time I see the refugees on TV my eyes go red, because it reminds me.

“We were very poor in my grandfather’s time.

They were not educated. My father went to school for one year. My uncle went to Jamaica as a labourer and sent money for the family to open shops and for me to learn English.

By then we were in Hong Kong and I thought: ‘Where do I go to spend my life?’

“For a young man poverty is the biggest driving force. Like tigers and dogs, when a man is hungry he can fight an animal three times bigger! I promised myself: ‘I can’t be poor again.’”

Yip used his Hong Kong citizenship to enter the UK where, as a much-told story goes, he arrived with just £10 in his pocket in 1959, quickly making a fortune. The real story is more complicated, of course, but essentially it’s true – he arrived with little cash and no plans, somehow finding his way from London to East Anglia.

35

“I always say I’m lucky,” says Yip, upset again while remembering his days alone in the UK. “When I was a waiter in staff quarters, everyone would read their letters from home out loud. I couldn’t. I’d save them until night time and read them. Why? Because if I opened the letter I cry.”

Eventually, Yip’s brother Sammy followed him to the UK, and they set up a Chinese restaurant, before realising this wasn’t their forte. As Yip says: “I told my brother: ‘We can’t run a restaurant anymore. Neither of us can cook!’ So instead of competing, we decided to supply.”

The brothers set about opening their first shop in Birmingham. Why Birmingham?

“A client told me: ‘Young man, London is like a jungle, no grass, no sunlight, and big roots that suck up all the water.’ So where should we go? I spent a long time travelling to Liverpool and Manchester to look, and kept passing Birmingham on the motorway. Every journey was either starting in, passing through or ending in Birmingham.”

And so Birmingham’s central location saw the first Wing Yip opening in a former record shop in Digbeth in 1969. As the business grew, it moved to larger premises on the Coventry Road in 1975, the Manchester branch opening when the third brother, Lee Sing Yap, joined the business in 1977.

Ten years later, the company expanded into London, and then in 1992 the Birmingham store and headquarters relocated to the current base in Nechells. This site’s now become a

“I said: ‘We can’t run a restaurant anymore. Neither of us can cook!’

So instead of competing, we decided to supply”

36

ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

mini-Chinese village, called the Wing Yip Business Centre, with tenants like solicitors, a doctor and accountants all serving the local Chinese community. Yip and his wife Brenda brought up their three sons and daughter Cindy at their house in Edgbaston, and now have seven grandchildren. He’s proud of being an immigrant – but is even prouder that his family both made and reinvested their wealth in their adopted country. “We didn’t bring anything with us – what we made, we made here,” Yip says. “A lot of Chinese, although they’re here, their heart and minds are somewhere else, and they send half their money back home.

But when I came I brought my heart with me and said: ‘This will be my country and for my children.’ So everything we make stays here in the UK.” Wing Yip is now widely recognised as the UK’s leading Oriental grocer, supplying more than 4,500 product lines, ranging from Chinese to Korean, and from Japanese to Thai. Customers include Tesco and Waitrose, although Yap’s quick to play down these brands.

“We don’t really gauge our success on how big the customer is,” says Yap, aged 47 and married with twin sons and a daughter. “There’s a Chinese saying: ‘The smaller the fish the sweeter the meat.’ We much prefer lots of normal-sized custom. As a cash and carry, we have people shopping here three and four times a week, families as well as businesses. We’ve always served Chinese families, but now have British families as more and more people get into Chinese and other Oriental foods.”

The success brings the conversation around to

“But when I came I brought my heart with me and said: This will be my country and for my children” refugees again.

Yap is philosophical: “We’ve seen what our first generation went through, and they were very, very fortunate to have the opportunity to come to England. The second generation are very grateful they did, otherwise we couldn’t have the life we have now.

“But every situation and era is different.

Everybody wants to do the right thing for today’s refugees, but it’s got to be done in a sustainable way. Now there are so many people from different situations, and the system is just not set up to cope.

The Wing Yip business now promotes international cooperation, currently funding several students each year – both Chinese students studying in the UK, and UK students in China. As for the future, Yap has plans: a new store in Cardiff, redevelopment of the Croydon branch, a small expansion in Cricklewood and a search for a new site in Manchester.

“We carry on,” Yap says. “We have to keep working at it. Just because we have £100m turnover this year doesn’t mean we will next year.

“The foundations are there. But obviously time changes, and we have to change as well to meet customer expectations and market demands.”

Yip, who received the OBE in 2010, nods approvingly: “You love the business; you care for it.” Does he have more advice for would-be

entrepreneurs? He does, and he delivers what feel like a series of semi-Chinese proverbs.

“Find out what you want and dedicate yourself to it,” he says. “Some people fail because they want to do too many things at one time. God is very fair. He only gives you certain abilities.

“Never turn your back on trade, however educated you become. The biggest company in the world is still a trader. And the world can only turn out as good as you are.”

Then Yip shares advice that the late Professor Sir Roland Smith – once a leading businessman, academic and government adviser – gave him 30 years ago.

“He told me success in life is simple: One, vision – know what you want. Two, ambition – for money or power. Three, dedication – try and try again. Four, financial discipline – you’ve got to know about money. Every year since, I’ve written those words in my diary.”

Yip whips out his diary and the words ‘vision’, ‘ambition’, ‘dedication’ and ‘financial discipline’ are indeed scribbled on the first page.

Finally, Yip’s favourite joke: “Someone once asked me my religion. I said: ‘Bank of England’.

They said: ‘You mean Church of England.’

I said: ‘No, I mean Bank of England.’ You see, I came here to better myself, and for my family.

But I couldn’t have done it without the Bank of England.”

And like the good shopkeeper he is, Yip’s smiling again. n

PROFILE EY

37

From Whitehall to Townhall Paul Brown, director, EY, talks about how devolution can stimulate local economies and what’s required to align the needs of the region It’s fair to say that the UK has lagged behind other countries in decentralising its governance. But in recent years, “localism” has gained momentum.

In the last Parliament, the coalition government took a number of steps to empower city regions — through the creation of local enterprise partnerships (LEPs), and City and Growth Deals — and the pace of change is quickening. The UK is at an early stage of the devolution journey; much work still needs to be done. But the prize could be considerable.

If managed well, it could help stimulate local economies to achieve higher levels of job creation and growth; improve public service outcomes through better local coordination of resources and funding; revitalise local democracy through more accountable governance; and improve the sustainability of public finances.

The prize of course for devolution in the Midlands is the potential to grow the economy by £34 billion by 2030, and by the end of this parliament there could be as many as 300, 000 extra jobs. Regions perform better when the broad range of local interests is aligned around the needs of the place. Undoubtedly, all of this will have its’ challenges but for this to work, it will require strong local leadership and a willingness to cooperate across multiple sectors — from central government, local authorities and other public sector organisations to private businesses, universities and civil society organisations.

Local leaders must be able to reconcile different stakeholders’ needs and interests to coalesce around a common vision and align resources and efforts which will also require re-inventing the Midlands as a brand that can command public support and recognition.

As a LEP board member, I have been working with colleagues from the West Midlands and East Midlands LEPs to create a £250 million ‘Midlands Engine Investment Fund’. This has been a culmination of cross-LEP collaboration where we have created a ‘fund of funds’ for investing in smaller businesses.

This was announced in the recent budget and is an agreement between the 11 LEPs, legacy funding from existing programmes, new funding from the British Business Bank and new European funding.

The key aim is to boost the Midlands economy and

“The prize of course for devolution in the Midlands is the potential to grow the economy by £34 billion by 2030, and by the end of this parliament there could be as many as 300, 000 extra jobs” support the growth of 460,000 smaller businesses where it is anticipated that the first investments will be made before the end of this year. This is great news for businesses. This is just one example of the broad range of powers and investment packages on offer through devolution ranging from transport and infrastructure initiatives such as Midlands Connect and HS2, to a further round of Growth deal funding worth £1.8billion to build stronger links around skill providers which are tailored to employer demand.

Having said all this, the other option of course is to carry on as we are, the Local authorities and public sector organisations will most likely still be around for the foreseeable future, and we can continue doing the same sort of things we have always done.

Let’s face it, over the past few years manufacturing output is down, productivity is lower than the national average and we don’t have the skilled people to fill the local vacancies. To do this would be a huge missed opportunity. We should grasp this

unique opportunity, cement the links between the business, public sector and universities, work across the existing boundaries and boost productivity, develop a demand led approach to skills and add value to the economy.

Paul Brown T: +44121 535 2917 M: 07827 881480 E: pbrown@uk.ey.com

38

INTERVIEW bqlive.co.uk

HSBC is moving its UK retail headquarters to Birmingham.

BQ editor Steve Dyson meets Nigel Hinshelwood, the new head of the ring-fenced bank

INTERVIEW bqlive.co.uk

39

“We could have gone to many different areas, but we chose Birmingham because we found the city council was making it such an attractive home for businesses”

After decades of listening to top bankers hark on about international markets from the confines of the City of London, it was refreshing to hear one of them talk so positively about Birmingham.

“This is the UK’s most investable city for the second consecutive year,” says Nigel Hinshelwood, the new head of HSBC UK, and deputy chief executive of the wider HSBC bank.

Hinshelwood is sitting in HSBC’s Edmund Street offices in Birmingham city centre, ahead of the bank’s move to its new UK headquarters at 2 Arena Central, across town on Holliday Street, which should be complete by 2018.

And he really is underlining the attraction of the UK’s second city: “We could have gone to many different areas, but we chose Birmingham because we found the city council was making it such an attractive home for businesses.

It’s an area under change – you can see the investment. We thought it was a great city to come to, to be part of that growth.”

Hinshelwood also mentions the bank’s history in Birmingham, where one of its predecessors, the Birmingham and Midland Bank, was founded in 1836. But that’s the only historical reflection, as he insists the move is because Birmingham is one of the UK’s main marketplaces.

“Our decision to move out of London was made because we want to be closer to our customers,” he says. “It’s a symbolic move, reenergising the business within the communities we serve. By coming here we’re getting ourselves into the heartland.

“There are more business start-ups registered here than in the south. We have more than a

The man behind Birmingham’s own bank million commercial customers across the UK, and more than 200,000 of them are in the Midlands. They are a core part of the business, and that’s one of the reasons we chose to base our HQ here.”

Hinshelwood’s not stopping there – he lists yet more reasons why Birmingham’s such a good base: “There’s the risk perspective; having all your eggs in London is not necessarily the best thing. This gives us the opportunity to create employment in another city. Our move will hopefully create further development of financial services in Birmingham, and it was important to us that the necessary skills and experience are available in the wider commutable distance.”

HSBC UK has been formed to meet new rules introduced in the wake of the financial crisis of 2008. The idea is to ring-fence services that customers would get in a branch, online or that small and mid-sized businesses use, keeping

them away from riskier investment banking and global operations.

The idea is that the essential parts of the business will become safer, making it less likely that normal people and UK businesses will be affected by any future international banking crisis. HSBC already has 2,500 staff in the region, and another 1,000 need to be found to run its national operations from Birmingham.

This, according to Hinshelwood, will not be a problem: “We’re already elevating the knowledge of what we’re building here, the headquarters of one of the largest UK banks.

Some said ‘people wouldn’t make the move’, but that wasn’t the response we had when we sent notes to 45,000 staff this Easter.

“We told them nothing about HSBC but all about Birmingham and the Midlands, living here, the schooling and so on. We’ve already had more than 1,000 colleagues registering their interest. So now it’s about matching

40

INTERVIEW bqlive.co.uk

experience, skills and desires to the available roles.”

A group of HSBC volunteers called ‘Birmingham Buddies’, already living and working in the city, spend time talking to would-be colleagues, and showing them what the city has to offer.

Hinshelwood himself was impressed with his ‘buddy’.

“The only way to get to know Birmingham is on your feet,” he explains. “And so in midFebruary, when it was very wet and cold, I had my own mini tour from a very understanding and knowledgeable young colleague, Arron Shelley, a senior project manager in our transformation team. What struck me was how manageable it is to walk around everywhere.

From the Jewellery Quarter to the new railway station, and then to China town.”

Will Hinshelwood be living in Birmingham himself? “Yes, my intention is to spend more and more time here, and then to come and live here in 2018. I can see a number of areas where I might buy a place. Different people have said Edgbaston, or the Jewellery Quarter, but I might even look at Digbeth, as opening up that thoroughfare when they move the markets could make it a really accessible area.

“Wherever, I like the city, and I’ve already talked with my wife about what we might do. She works in London, and so we’ll keep our home there, and I’ll spend about three days in London, the balance in Birmingham.”

The ‘move’ date of 2018 is good for the Hinshelwood family, as they have three “nearly grown up” children: twin girls, aged 16, and a son, 18. And moving’s no issue for Hinshelwood himself, as he’s been on the road most of his life. Born in Glasgow 50 years ago, he moved to England aged six. After school, picked up hotel and tourism qualifications from Oxford Brookes University before starting work with Trust House Forte. He then travelled to Australia aged 21, because of his great love of fishing and boats.

This saw him work on dive boat and game fishing boats before he focused on technology for stevedoring companies, which organise cargo-handling in ports. Then he moved into financial services, becoming a partner at Ernst & Young (now EY) in Australia in 1997.

He held senior roles with management consultants Capgemini in South East Asia and then with global IT specialists Unisys in

Singapore, before joining HSBC in India in 2005 as head of business transformation. This saw him visiting China, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Egypt to mention just a handful of countries, before landing back in the UK in 2007 after working overseas for 20 years.

Since then Hinshelwood’s held various senior HSBC positions: global chief operating officer for insurance; chief technology and services officer; and chief operating officer – first for the UK, then for Europe and then for the Middle East and Africa.

His last position before the HSBC UK role was as group general manager and global head of operations, looking after tens of thousands of staff. In short, the West Midlands is getting a huge chunk of experience in the man behind what’s effectively going to be Birmingham’s own bank.

“There’s real momentum growing with the SMEs in this region,” Hinshelwood says.

“I can see how crucial they are in the UK’s supply chain. There are some really interesting organisations we’re already working with, both small and large.”

He cites Birmingham-based Synapse as a ‘small’ example, describing how HSBC’s £500,000 finance package this January has enabled the spreadsheet solutions specialist to double their team and invest in research and development.

A ‘big’ example is SCC, originally Specialist Computer Centres, headed by Peter Rigby, also based in Birmingham, which HSBC has supported since its beginning in 1975. It’s now one of Europe’s biggest independent IT groups, employing 5,000 staff, with annual revenues of £1.5bn.

Hinshelwood’s new role will see him shape the ring-fenced business for the UK’s retail banking, wealth management, commercial banking and private banking sectors. He’ll be responsible for making HSBC UK a standalone business, a core but separate component of the HSBC group, but with all the international knowledge and experience needed by mid-market and corporate customers.

“That’s the scope,” he says. “It includes developing the financial capability to support that, with all the HR, compliance, marketing and risk management needed. I’ll be making sure we’re supporting customers with the right products, through the right channels, with the

The West Midlands is getting a huge chunk of experience in the man behind what’s effectively going to be Birmingham’s own bank

right level of service, by the right colleagues and developing the right culture to support that, delivering expectations both to shareholders and the society in which we live.”

This, he said, will include interacting with communities, the bank regulator and governmental bodies, both in a supportive way and “where necessary putting forward our position and influencing the regulatory environment”.

He adds: “For the vast majority of our customers, we want them to feel no different because of the ring-fencing. It should have no impact on their day-to-day business.”

HSBC has recently announced £10bn in new lending for businesses in 2016, up from £8bn

INTERVIEW bqlive.co.uk

in 2015. The Midlands itself received some £1.34bn in 2015, and this will grow to £2bn in 2016, with £500m for Birmingham alone.

Hinshelwood says: “In 2015, we lent twice as much to SMEs in the Midlands than in London.

Around 19% was in the Midlands, only 10% in London.”

Lending aside, HSBC is investing some £200m in its new base at Arena Central, where it’s taken out a 250-year lease. “That investment,” Hinshelwood says, “also helps the construction industry and promotes Birmingham as a centre of financial services. If we say we’re going to support a community, it’s important to show we’re doing that.

“We intend to play a full role in local

communities and with business organisations, particularly around apprenticeships and the skills improvement agenda, and we’ll be focusing on helping disadvantaged young people into jobs.

In Birmingham, we helped 650 get into jobs in 2015, and spent £1m on community projects last year.

“We’re now getting involved in organisations like the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Hippodrome, the regional CBI, the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and working with the city council on supporting the city’s aspirations.”

But the main point he wants to get across is how the HSBC UK will be “committed to supporting organisations with aspirations to

41

grow”, and that the new bank will still have all the knowledge needed for everything from importing to exporting thanks to the “power of HSBC network”.

HSBC UK already has 17 million customers across the UK, made up of around 16 million personal customers and more than one million business customers. Hinshelwood adds: “Our aspiration is to build a bank of choice.

For our customers, for our colleagues and for the way we support society in a sustainable way. We absolutely want to be a leader in the community, investing to ensure our corporate sustainability is visible in the West Midlands and everywhere we work in the UK.” n

T H R E E

Celebrating three years of BQ’s growth More than 100 guests helped BQ West Midlands celebrate its third anniversary at a special series of events in the late afternoon and evening of Thursday 12 May. First up was a ‘Meet the editor’ session at the Entrepreneurial Spark centre in St Philips Place, Birmingham, where BQ editor Steve Dyson told more than 25 young business start-ups ‘How today’s media can help your business grow’.

Then more than 80 business leaders, entrepreneurs, advertisers and journalists enjoyed a reception of prosecco and canapés before Dyson thanked them all for their support since the magazine was launched in early 2013.

BQ’s managing director Bryan Hoare told guests about the company’s future plans to grow a

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Y E A R S UK-wide brand, with new launches planned for the North West and London to add to existing sister publications in Scotland, the North East and Yorkshire. BQ then continued celebrations with 15 VIP guests over dinner at Hotel du Vin on nearby Church Street. Chris Meah, founder and chief executive of the School Of Code, said: “The party had a great buzz about it. BQ are doing some great stuff for small businesses.”

Justine Howl, head of communications at Birmingham Airport, said: “It was a lovely evening and was great to see so many old and familiar faces.”

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STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN How a former model created a global skincare firm DESIGNS FOR LIFE Property guru’s unconventional career path

NEVER SAY DIE Jim Griffin’s fight to thrive

CARRYING ON REGARDLESS

Meet the young entrepreneur who struck gold

SHINING EXAMPLE

Tailor’s tweets set a new trend

ALIVE AND KICKING Kickboxing legend building his business

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China: aerospace threat or opportunity

Silver linings amid the gloom

OUT FOR LUNCH

SUPRA HERO

A new market for Indian inspired cuisine

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The rapid rise of a true pioneer

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THE HISTORY BOY

Taking an age-old family dynasty into the future

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SUGAR FREE

Keeping momentum going after the Games

The luxury bathroom designer with a steady flow of famous clients

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FIGHTING BACK The fall and rise of a car parts empire

FASHIONING A NICHE

SUCCESS ON TAP

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ISSUE ONE: SPRING 2013

HAVING A BLAST

Making a big noise in the music market

THE BULLION BOY

Property man’s long game reaps rewards

LIVE DEBATE

SHOW MUST GO ON How the Hippodrome was rescued

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MORE THAN A GAME Football chief on his club’s vital role

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Creating a future for our talented youth

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Chewing the fat with Neil Rami

DRIVEN TO ACHIEVE Horrendous childhood spurred me on

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He fled Dubai after threats from unpaid suppliers. Now Simon Ford is building a new life...and a business empire

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BOXING CLEVER WITH RISK Entrepreneur who foiled the competition

BUILT ON FAITH ‘Field of Dreams’ vision became a reality

REACHING FOR THE STARS Airport boss on a mission to transform city’s fortunes

THE SURVIVOR

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ON THE EDGE The social impact guru who overcame suicidal thoughts

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The tiny mobile device with huge potential

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Spark ‘Hatcheries’ across the UK with four more due to open, and between them they help hundreds of businesses known as ‘Chiclets’.

Lee Currier, NatWest’s entrepreneur development manager, said: “It’s been invaluable having BQ as a point of contact in and around the hatchery to help the Chiclets generate a solid media profile.

And it was a pleasure to host their third anniversary, which saw the room buzzing with Birmingham’s most influential business people mixing with entrepreneurs and sharing experiences.” n

“BQ are doing some great stuff for small businesses”

ER 2014

EVENTS

Pushpa Alexander, owner of Headz Up Business, said: “It was great to see such a top turnout for BQ. I loved the atmosphere at the drinks reception, the canapés were delicious and it was so good to see so much positive networking.”

And Damian Navas, director and co-founder of Haig & Co, said: “I really enjoyed these celebrations. It was so refreshing to see how BQ is championing entrepreneurs.”

Entrepreneurial Spark is the world’s largest free accelerator for people to start-up and scale-up businesses, run in partnership with NatWest, KPMG and EMC. There are nine Entrepreneurial

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Here comes the bride (again)

ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

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No-one’s better qualified than Lynette Turner at helping to choose brides’ fairy-tale gowns. After all, she’s walked down the aisle three times herself. Ros Dodd reports With three marriages behind her, you might think Lynette Turner has had enough of wedding dresses.

But after arranging nuptials for much of her professional life, she’s now added her creative flair, sales skills and business acumen to set up a niche bridal-wear boutique.

Turner opened Boho Bride just over a year ago in a pretty shopping courtyard just outside Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. It sells British-designed, vintage-inspired wedding dresses that exude boho chic and recall the oldstyle Hollywood glamour of The Great Gatsby and Audrey Hepburn.

Many of the gowns hanging from the rails in a dreamy swathe of silk, lace and taffeta are long, floaty numbers, but a third of the dresses

are short, tea-length styles. All 30 designs have been chosen because they’re a bit different.

“I’ve always been interested in the PreRaphaelite movement, and I knew I wanted to sell bridal-wear that was a little quirky,” explains Turner, a 52-year-old mother-of-three.

“If you look up the definition of ‘bohemian’, it’s someone who’s free-spirited, optimistic and artistic.

“I think that really sums up my brides. It’s not about being hippy but being a lover of life, a bit of a risk-taker. That’s why we use the strapline ‘for brides that dare to be different’. It’s about being elegant and sophisticated, with a twist.”

Boho Bride is already attracting customers from across the country and Turner now plans to grow the business. She’ll soon launch her own

bridal collection, and hopes to open a second boutique in the same shopping courtyard – selling mother-of-the-bride outfits, bridesmaids’ dresses and prom gowns.

Establishing the business hasn’t been easy – Turner has had to take out a loan to help with cash flow and for her development plans – but the future looks bright. That’s partly because of the Boho Bride’s unique selling points, but also because of Turner herself: her passion for what she does and her personable nature are both inspiring and reassuring.

She’s also business-savvy, understanding the power of social media, which generates 80% of the enquiries she gets.

“If you run a customer service business, you have to make it personal,” she explains.

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ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

“If you have a website, you need a back-story, because it gives people a feeling of trust. Even if you’re new, people want to know what you’ve done before. They’re buying into the story as much as the business.”

And Turner’s back-story is quite a page-turner.

Born in South Africa, she grew up in the Cotswolds and began her career in hospitality.

“Working in hotels, we had lots of weddings and events, so I was quite involved in those.”

She discovered early on that she had a talent for making people feel welcome and at ease, which gave her the confidence to move into sales and management, juggling a career with bringing up her three sons.

“When I started a family, I looked for work that would fit in with the children,” she recalls. “I saw an article about a wedding planner, which at that time was completely new, but because of my contacts and my knowledge of beautiful hotels, I thought: ‘I could do that’. So I did.”

As one of the UK’s first wedding planners, Turner was sponsored by the Department of Trade and Industry to tour the US for three weeks, researching American-style weddings.

“The UK law had just changed to allow civil weddings in hotels, stately homes and other venues, and the government was keen to find out what impact this might have on foreigners coming over here to get married. Americans are very much into themed weddings and wedding planners are something everyone uses.

“I travelled to lots of places, from Sacramento to New York, and it was amazing – an experience I’ll never forget.”

Shortly afterwards, Turner’s business suffered a blow when her work studio was flooded out, so she decided to “get a proper job”. She moved into sales and marketing, working for an online magazine, and set up a bridal section, and then did the same for another online publication, all the while building up an impressive contacts list.

By then, she’d divorced and remarried and in 2003 she and her new husband decided to move to France, taking her two younger sons with them. “I’m a real Francophile, and we wanted a different kind of a life, so we bought a farm with the idea of renting out gîtes.”

Their French idyll lasted only four years: “We had a lovely time – really idyllic in many ways – but unfortunately the marriage broke down, and we came home.”

But Turner is made of stern stuff, and was

“Curvy brides are desperate for that on-trend look and this will suit them because it will cover up the bits they don’t like”

ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

soon back on her feet, working as an estate agent back in the Stratford-upon-Avon area.

“Then I met husband number three and we married in 2011. That’s when I started working back in sales and advertising, again focusing on weddings.”

When her third marriage ended, Turner returned to the estate agency business, selling new homes. But she didn’t enjoy it, so when she heard of someone opening a women’s fashion outlet in The Shopping Courtyard at the Stratford Garden Centre, near the Warwickshire village of Clifford Chambers, she was intrigued.

“I decided to have a look – I only live down the road – and when I did, I had one of those light bulb moments: open a bridal boutique!”

Although convinced her whole career had been leading her to this point, and with savings to invest, Turner realised she needed to do some thorough research.

“I knew there weren’t many bridal boutiques in the area, but I also knew I needed to be different from the competition. I needed to be niche, so I set out to find dresses that were different – that wouldn’t necessarily be the designers’ best sellers.”

The all-British designers she opted for were Ivory & Co, Louise Bentley, Terry Fox, Emma Hunt London and LouLou Bridal, with dresses ranging from just under £1,000 to £3,000.

“I also decided to specialise in short wedding dresses, again because it’s a bit different, but also on-trend. I sell more short dresses than I do long ones. These days, people are increasingly having weddings in outdoor venues such as barns or as part of festivals, and they don’t want big dresses. One customer recently drove down from Liverpool, and another from Shropshire, because they couldn’t find what they were looking for anywhere else.”

Turner’s top tips KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS I’m a very good sales person, because I’m passionate and that shines through. However, there are things I’m not good at, such as bookkeeping, so I pay someone to do them for me.

IF APPROPRIATE, REGISTER FOR VAT. It was one of the best things I did, because everything I buy has VAT added to it. Receiving muchneeded cash flow in VAT refunds has helped keep me going.

DEVELOP A NICHE It’s vital, whatever your business, to have at least one USP (unique selling point) that makes you different. I have two: selling non-traditional, slightly quirky dresses, and my rule that there’s only one bride at a time in the boutique.

KEEP OVERHEADS LOW There’s no way I could afford High Street rents – I’d have gone out of business in six months. Being where I am has allowed me to build my brand. Avoid employing others if you can. Sole traders can’t take much time off, but don’t have to worry about paying another salary.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE MONEY Watch how much you spend at the beginning, and make sure there’s enough budget to replenish stock. I made that mistake, and as a result had to take out a loan. Don’t be afraid of financial help.

I set up the business with my own money, but recently took out a £20,000 start-up loan from the Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust, to help finance the next stage of growth.

DO YOUR RESEARCH I was thorough in my research to ensure I was offering something ‘out-of-the-ordinary’ that people wanted. A lot of businesses fail because people haven’t researched properly. Customer care is paramount. If customers aren’t happy, they’ll take to social media and say as much.

KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS Social media’s a massive marketing tool, but different groups of people use different types: brides tend to use Facebook and Pinterest.

LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES I’ve made a few, such as buying dresses with drop waists which don’t suit a lot of figures.

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As well as an array of styles, there are also different colours – peach, pink and oyster – plus a wide range of accessories and shoes.

“So far so good, although it is a struggle,” admits Turner. “I took out a loan so that I could order more sample gowns, to keep the boutique collection fresh, which is very important if I want to grow the business.”

Turner believes launching her own collection – to be designed and made by local costume designer Laura Callard – is key to Boho Bride’s long-term success. “I realise there’s a need for a boho separates collection. It will comprise two basic dresses, a separate skirt and five different tops that complement each other. So, for example, you could choose one of the dresses and pair it with a floaty top or bolero jacket.”

As well as making ‘retro’ luxury more affordable, the own-brand collection is also aimed at the curvier bride: “Curvy brides are desperate for that on-trend look and this will suit them because it will cover up the bits they don’t like, but in a beautiful way – not just draping a cape around their shoulders. It will be a bespoke service without the prices: made-to-measure dresses will range from £1,500 to £2,000.”

Offering brides the kind of personalised, quirky gowns they want is only part of the service: making them feel special is just as important.

“It’s vital that the boutique is friendly and cosy,” stresses Turner. “I’m here Wednesday to Sunday, and anyone can come in – they don’t need appointments. But if I do have a bride in, then I shut the door: we’ll only see one bride at a time. We want to ensure the experience is as enjoyable and personal as possible. There’s always plenty of fizz on offer, and brides can bring friends if they want.”

So which of the dresses she stocks will Turner be picking for her fourth wedding?

“Oh, I won’t be getting married again,” she says, with a wry smile. “I have a lovely partner to whom I’m committed, and I love the idea of getting married – it’s a very special thing – but I don’t see the need to do it again. Having said that, I’m not averse to the idea of a celebration to mark my commitment to my partner.”

In a final twist to Turner’s story, her partner’s just bought a house in France, two hours’ drive from where she used to live. “He’s retiring this year and it’s a renovation project. But his plan is to retire there eventually – so, who knows, I may end up living there happily ever after!” n

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PROFILE JLT Speciality

Defending your digital frontier As the range and severity of cyber risks seems to be ever growing, small to mediumsized enterprises need to devote resources to minimise exposures. Sally Swann, Head of JLT Specialty’s Midlands Regional Risk Practice, explores the issues and discusses measures to help protect your business Cyber attacks on big businesses often dominate the headlines, but it is small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) who arguably have more to lose from cyber crime.

Almost three quarters of small businesses reported a security breach in 2015, with many suffering four or more breaches. This is a trend that is set to continue with many businesses predicting an increase in security incidents.

In part, this is a reflection of companies’ growing dependence on data and digital assets. SMEs plan to boost spending on their digital capabilities by £53 billion over the next two years, much of it on their websites, with the financial services and IT sectors leading the way. “Cyber risks are a huge issue because of the quantity of data and the increasing reliance on technology that we all have,” says Sally.

When a cyber incident occurs, the consequences can be particularly grave for a small business, with the average cost of the worst single breach suffered by small businesses ranging from £75,000–£311,000, according to the 2015 BIS survey on information security breaches.

EASY TARGETS The range of risks facing SMEs is similar to those facing larger organisations. First, small businesses can be subject to a variety of attacks by hackers and criminals. This is particularly true for industries dealing with sensitive data.

More generally, SMEs often represent the “lowhanging fruit” for criminals. ‘Spear-phishing’, where criminals use publicly available information to target email or other scams at key personnel, for example, often targets smaller businesses.

Furthermore, SMEs often don’t detect attacks until much later, increasing the potential for damage with a lot of businesses not even aware at the time that they are being hacked.

SMEs also face the non-targeted attacks that all businesses are subject to –indiscriminate phishing emails, corrupt websites, suspect links on social

your business. In terms of interruption, a denial of service attack on a website, can for example, have a massive impact for an online trader.

Data breaches, meanwhile, include losses or theft of intellectual property or, more frequently, potential liabilities surrounding data protection and privacy.

“Cyber risks are a huge issue because of the quantity of data and the increasing reliance on technology that we all have” Sally Swann

media and the wide range of viruses and malware that abound. Crucially they are less well placed to mitigate the risks.

“Small businesses may not face as many targeted attacks as large businesses but they also often don’t have the resources to detect and prevent the non-targeted attacks,” says Sally.

“They also face the same internal threat from disgruntled employees or just staff mistakes,” she adds. This is a key consideration given that 50 per cent of the worst breaches in the BIS survey were caused by inadvertent human error.

“You can have a data protection incident just by sending an email to the wrong person,” commented Sally.

IN THE TRENCHES It is often more helpful to think about the consequences of an incident rather than the source when it comes to mitigating the risk.

Cyber risks tend to be divided into two categories: business interruption caused by cyber loss or damage and data risks – loss, theft and privacy breaches.

The potential impact of both will vary according to

WHERE TO BEGIN? Many of the steps that SMEs need to take to tackle cyber risks are fairly basic. A good starting place is the government-backed Cyber Essentials Scheme, which outlines the basic controls all organisations should implement to mitigate the risk from common internet based threats, and provides 10 Steps to Cyber Security.

“Insurance doesn’t just cover the financial loss from an incident, which could be devastating to a small business,” says Sally. “It also gives a business a point of contact should something go wrong, and provides the risk management tools that can help mitigate problems and issues.”

For more information, or to discuss your insurance and risk management needs, contact: Sally Swann JLT Specialty Ltd, 45 Church Street, Birmingham, B3 2RT 0121 633 3377 www.jltspecialty.com Sally_Swann@jltgroup.com

LEGAL AND FINANCE QUARTER IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:

SPECIAL FEATURE

Sandra Wallace DLA Piper’s UK managing partner talks to BQ

INSIDE FOCUS: MHA MACINT YRE HUDSON

ASSET BASED FINANCE

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SPECIAL FEATURE DLA Piper

Rising to the challenge Sandra Wallace, the UK managing partner at DLA Piper, enjoys her challenging work as one of the nation’s top lawyers. Steve Dyson reports

SPECIAL FEATURE DLA Piper

Sandra Wallace discovered just how seriously DLA Piper considers its female workforce when she was heavily pregnant with her first child back in 2001.

Her maternity leave was about to start just before a series of interviews for partnership at the global law firm, but rather than delay her application the company adjusted the process to make sure she was included.

“I was due to be off on maternity leave just after the interviews and so they brought my date forward,” recalls Wallace. “That was a bit scary!

Usually, there’s a nervous camaraderie in going for partnership as a group of people, and so doing a lot of it on my own was daunting.

“But then it felt so good when they told me that I’d succeeded and would be a partner. And they valued me enough to do it then, rather than saying: ‘Wait until you’re back’, which was great.”

Born in Edgbaston, Birmingham, Wallace was the first of six siblings to go to university.

She graduated with her law degree from Wolverhampton University in 1994 and started work at a company called Needham & James.

This firm soon merged with Dibb Lupton and Broomhead in 1993, which later became Dibb Lupton Alsop, before being renamed as DLA Piper after a merger with a US-based firm in 2005. DLA Piper now has more than 4,200 lawyers located in over 30 countries.

Wallace, who has three children and lives in Sutton Coldfield, went back to work part-time after her first child, and her job has remained ‘flexible’ ever since. For her, this means planning time off when she needs it, like for most of August so she can be with her children during school holidays.

She says: “DLA Piper has an excellent approach to agile or flexible working, and has done throughout my partnership career.

“Today, people want a work-life balance, and this is something employers should be encouraging.

It means you get the best out of people, because we all need time away from work. That flexibility means staff are at their happiest, which is when you’re going to get the most out of people.

“People want to deliver to the highest standards, but even more so when they know that the company allows flexibility. So it makes business sense.”

The highlight of Wallace’s 22-year career came

last year when she was asked to become DLA Piper’s UK managing partner – an invitation she says came “out of the blue”. The three-year role has never before gone to anyone outside of London. Sandra was at the time the UK Employment Group Head.

She says: “It’s a big, strategic role in a huge international practice, so it took me a while to decide. But I’m so glad I did because it’s been great to see how we’re driving the business forward. I work in a tremendous office, but now I’ve visited all our other offices, getting to know all the teams and strategies, and having inputs into those. Together we’re going to meet and exceed our budget this year, despite all the caution we’ve seen in the run-up to the European referendum.

“That’s given me and the business real confidence. It’s so pleasing to know the qualities we have, and to see how we’re able to get everyone working across the group. We have so many cross-group workings now, giving staff opportunities to work on really exciting projects, regardless of place. This has included international secondments to places as far away as California, Dubai and Australia, and seeing all that culture and all those connections coming back to Birmingham and our other UK regions.”

The secondments are part of what’s known as DLA Piper’s ‘One UK’ approach, which involves acknowledging the strengths of each office, but then being able to draw on the specialties and resources that might be elsewhere. “What it means,” says Wallace, “is that you do a job with the people who are best for our clients. That might mean calling on extra resource, or drawing on particular expertise from another office. We’re one firm, but one firm across the UK – whether that’s Birmingham or Sheffield, for example.

Having a global footprint means we are trully full service.”

DLA Piper’s traditional roots were in northern England, but it made the decision to expand into the West Midlands in 1993 because of the region’s strategic importance for sectors such as life sciences, manufacturing and financial services.

DLA Piper’s work in the region now covers everything from industrial aerospace to the leisure sector. Sandra has developed a marketleading reputation, offering strategic and commercial advice on business reorganisations,

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international cross border projects, executive disputes and staff relations, as well as complex disciplinary, grievance and whistleblowing matters. She also acts on high-level discrimination, equality and diversity matters.

One case saw Wallace acting for a leisure industry client on changes to pay, terms and conditions for 1,500 employees, handling employee relations issues, consultation and contractual changes. Another saw her defending an employment tribunal litigation involving claims of discrimination, constructive dismissal and whistleblowing. This included securing a Restricted Reporting Order to protect the client’s company reputation and brand.

Wallace also advised on a major post-acquisition project which involved a business reorganisation to align marketing, sales and support functions in the UK and internationally.

She says: “It’s never been DLA Piper’s aim to be the biggest. Does that sound crazy? Actually, it’s not. We feel it’s more important for us to offer strategic relevance to our clients. That means being wherever our clients operate, and offering them the expertise whenever it’s needed.”

Wallace likes “watching people who I’ve worked with develop and grow, and now seeing them lead the business”. And she enjoys having “great relationships” with clients, where they feel comfortable telling her if they’ve had a “dreadful day” because they know “there’s someone on their side”.

Wallace adds: “Getting to that point with a lot of clients is the best part of the job. But the really important thing for me is to be enjoying what you do. Yes, it’s hard work and can be really challenging. But if you enjoy it, it’s worthwhile.

We work hard for our clients and for the business, but we should always enjoy it as well.”

T: 0121 262 5913 M: 07971 14336 E:sandra.wallace@dlapiper.com

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PROFILE MHA MacIntyre Hudson

MHA MacIntyre Hudson continues to add strength in depth Top 20 accountancy practice MHA MacIntyre Hudson recently completed a deal to merge with established accountancy practice, Shoesmiths. The team from the Edgbaston practice has already moved into MHA MacIntyre Hudson’s offices in Birmingham’s Colmore Business District.

Chris Barlow and Elaine Shoesmith

The decision to join forces comes within a year of MHA MacIntyre Hudson’s merger with Bloomer Heaven and is part of its continuing expansion strategy, not only in Birmingham but nationally such as with the recent addition of MHA Reid Williams in Reading.

Shoesmith’s main service lines were audit, accounting, personal and business tax advice, serving clients in a range of sectors.

The partners believe that the ethos and values of the companies are so closely aligned and that the skill base at both MHA MacIntyre Hudson and Shoesmiths would strengthen the offer to all their clients.

MHA MacIntyre Hudson chairman Rakesh Shaunak said: “Birmingham continues to be an exciting marketplace and we continue to see it as a growth area. Our Birmingham office is providing us with a strong presence in the Midlands region.

“Both firms have a similar outlook, are a good cultural fit and we’re confident that the firm will continue to deliver services to a high level. This merger will provide access to a wider suite of services for Shoesmith clients and enhanced career and development prospects for all members of the expanding team.”

MHA MacIntyre Hudson is a patron of Made in the Midlands, a privately run peer group for MDs and CEOs of manufacturing and engineering firms in the Midlands. Chris Barlow, Birmingham Office Managing Partner explains: “It underlines the firm’s commitment to the sector and cements a long term relationship with manufacturing businesses. We are particularly proud of sponsoring Made in the Midlands’ Young Inventor Award. “We are also active members of the Black Country Chamber which goes some way to reflecting our client base that extends across Birmingham, where the office is based, and the three boroughs and city of the sub-region.”

The period after a Budget is always a busy one for accountants, tax and business advisers such as those at MHA MacIntyre Hudson. Recent changes to the treatment of dividend income in the Budget has inevitably led to even more tax planning discussions with clients – many of which are owner managers – about how they pay themselves. There are, of course, many factors to consider including timing, mix of salary and dividend as well as payments into a pension and any loans to the company.

Corporation tax is another key tax consideration,

including optimising the timing of fixed asset purchases in order to make the best use of capital allowances. MHA MacIntyre Hudson has particular expertise in helping clients use research and development tax opportunities and - by just doing what they do – businesses can often help finance their growth objectives. MHA MacIntyre Hudson has been offering specialist advice in the region for decades, including audit and assurance; tax; business strategy; corporate finance; corporate recovery; counter fraud; financial services; outsourcing; and financial training.For MHA MacIntyre Hudson’s partners it is clear that while having a highly qualified and experienced team of chartered accountants is essential, just being a traditional accountancy practice is no longer enough. The firm’s strength lies in its people who have expertise across a range of sectors including manufacturing and engineering; healthcare; not for profit; property and construction; technology; transport and logistics; travel and tourism and supporting international business.

MHA MacIntyre Hudson’s support extends beyond Birmingham with fourteen offices located in the main economic hubs across London, South East, Thames Valley and East Anglia.

To find out more about MHA MacIntyre Hudson and how it can help grow your business: Please contact Chris Barlow, Birmingham Office Managing Partner

0121 236 0465 chris.barlow@mhllp.co.uk www.macintyrehudson.co.uk @MHUpdates @chrisbarlow_mh

SPECIAL FEATURE Asset based finance

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Boosting business growth Asset based finance is increasingly establishing itself as a funding option for ALL businesses as it’s popularity amongst bigger businesses soars says Jeff Longhurst, Chief Executive Officer of the Asset Based Finance Association (ABFA) Asset based finance has in the past sometimes been seen as a funding option largely aimed at small businesses. However, the reality is increasingly different.

It is now a core source of funding for businesses of all sizes – the number of larger businesses using invoice finance jumped by 25% in just a year. It appears clear that larger businesses are increasingly using it to complement ‘traditional’ sources of finance *.

We’ve seen increased appetite from the UK’s largest businesses to secure finance to fulfil growth plans and expand order books.

Businesses of all sizes understand that, as it is secured against invoices and other assets, it can be a less risky form of finance for funders to provide – this means it is highly competitive price-wise. This also means big businesses can often get quicker decisions on asset based finance than on other products.

Invoice finance dominates the asset based finance market, accounting for around 80% of, and is where businesses secure funding against their unpaid invoices. The remaining 20% represents the fast-growing area of asset based lending, with which, in addition to debts, businesses can raise funding secured against a range of other assets they own, including

“We’ve seen increased appetite from the UK’s largest businesses to secure finance to fulfil growth plans and expand order books” inventory, property and machinery.

One of the major factors in big businesses’ increased use of asset based finance is that it is competitively priced and the products can be bespoke to the needs of that individual business.

Asset based finance is now an established part of the commercial finance market and there is increased appetite from UK businesses to secure funding through this route. Whilst the availability of finance from more traditional sources was relatively slow to recover from the credit crunch, the asset based finance market opened its doors to businesses of all sizes and there remains significant capacity to provide more finance to more UK businesses.

A more in-depth look into the amounts secured also generates interesting conclusions.

The amount of asset based finance secured

by UK businesses against stock jumped 22% in just a year, passing the £600m barrier in 2015 from £499m in 2014, as businesses increasingly look to capitalise on increased demand from customers by drawing down

finance against existing stock in order to fuel longer-term growth. Factoring amongst SMEs has also increased by 3%, demonstrating that smaller businesses, whilst cautious, are also taking advantage of some of the funding that is available. As a response to the uncertain economic climate, more clients are taking advantage of the additional services available to them, such as credit protection, which allows for peace of mind without restricting growth.

We’ve seen a significant increase in payments made to clients under these types of facilities which provide assurance to SMEs that they will be protected in the unfortunate event of something going wrong with their debtors.

The overall amount of funding provided to businesses through asset based finance including invoice finance as well as asset based lending - rose by £260 million in the past year to stand at £19.7 billion at end of December 2015. * Analysis of businesses with a turnover above £50m, as of 31st December 2015.

SUPPORTING INTERMEDIARIES AND BUSINESSES THROUGHOUT THE MIDLANDS HG REWINDS Confidential invoice discounting (CID), property and cash flow loan to support strategic acquisitions Undisclosed “From a very early stage, Shawbrook demonstrated that they were interested in doing a deal and made us feel secure that this transaction was going to happen.”

Chris Taylor, Jasper Corporate Finance

ASHWORTH CID and stock funding to support acquisition £9,500,000 “Speed of execution was the key variable in respect of this transaction and Shawbrook Business Credit reacted at very short notice to meet our needs.”

Jonathon Grove, Investment Director, GIL

E PEARSON AND SONS (TEESSIDE) CID, property and cash flow loan to support management buy in Undisclosed “With Shawbrook we had access to the senior people who work behind the scenes, which was refreshing and helped the deal process considerably.”

Stephen Hayward, Managing Director, E. Pearson & Sons

Shawbrook Business Credit has the ability to provide funding across all asset classes and leverage further with a cash flow term loan for those businesses with stronger EBITDA generation. To find out how our ABL and invoice discounting facilities and high levels of personal service can help you boost your cash flow and achieve your business plans, email paul.edmeades@shawbrook.co.uk or call 07703 107488.

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Supporting intermediaries and businesses throughout the Midlands

SPECIAL FEATURE Asset based finance

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Tackling late payment SME manufacturers are forced to wait almost twice as long as larger rivals for their invoices to be paid. Jeff Longhurst looks at late payment issues and how Asset Based Finance can help The issue of late, extended and delayed payment has been widely reported as being a serious burden on business in a range of sectors.

Our research shows that in the manufacturing sector, smaller manufacturers are forced to wait nearly twice as long as their larger competitors for invoices to be paid.

Last year, SME manufacturers waited an average of 67 days – almost ten weeks – for invoices to be paid last year whereas their largest competitors, those with a turnover over £500m, waited an average of just 38 days, or five weeks.

Unfortunately, for many SMEs in the manufacturing industry, waiting more than two months to be paid is now a normal state of affairs. Worryingly, our research shows that this gap has actually increased over the last year. The payment delays experienced by SME manufacturers remained level at an average of 67 days, however, this contrasts sharply with the 9% fall in waiting times enjoyed by the largest manufacturers, down from 42 days in the previous year (as displayed in the graph below).

Late payment and poor payment practice in general is a significant issue within many sectors and appears to have become increasingly ingrained in business practice since the credit crunch. The manufacturing sector has long played a critical role within the UK economy and as late payment and poor payment practice remain a deep rooted issue within the sector particularly for small manufacturers, there is a concern that they could have a significant impact on the UK’s competitiveness and ability to attract further investment to the sector. In particular this could affect those areas, such as the Midlands, where much of the UK’s manufacturing takes place.

Indeed, all of the UK’s top five fastest growing economies were located in local authorities in the Midlands due to their thriving manufacturing sector. (Source: UHY Hacker Young) The West Midlands is a well-known centre for the UK automotive industry with

“Unfortunately, for many SMEs in the manufacturing industry, waiting more than two months to be paid is now a normal state of affairs” companies such as Jaguar, Land Rover, Toyota, Aston Martin and BMW located within the area. Substantial investment from the aerospace industry has also been made in the East Midlands. Rolls Royce, the world’s second largest manufacturer of aircraft engines has a site in Derby, and the region also supplies systems to aircraft makers such as Airbus, BAE Systems and Boeing.

But late payment isn’t the only issue that affects the cash flow of manufacturers. It is also increasingly common for large businesses to seek to impose extended payment terms in contracts with their SME suppliers.

This is a trend that began during the recession when some businesses looked to increase their payment terms in order to give themselves breathing space in the tough economic climate.

This may also be partly due to a cultural shift within many sectors which has meant that delaying payment to suppliers has become common practice for many big businesses.

This has obvious negative repercussions for

those small manufacturers, who in turn need to pay their own suppliers.

Many small manufacturers have turned to asset based finance, in particular invoice finance, in order to mitigate the impact of extended payment terms or late payments on their business. The overall amount of funding provided to businesses through asset based finance- including both invoice finance and asset based lending- reached £19.7 billion last year.

Invoice finance, in which business secure funding against their unpaid invoices, helps to ensure that small businesses are protected against unfair business practices, and are able to invest in their growth.

Small businesses play an important role within the UK economy and so it is important that they are treated fairly by big business. When this doesn’t happen, it is equally vital that small businesses understand the options available to them, enabling them to free up funds for investment, and minimising the impact of poor payment practices.

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Real Estate growth

Bullish office opening Local football legend Steve Bull officially opened the new offices for an education-focused recruitment agency in Wolverhampton. The doors to Tara Professional Recruitment were opened at 11 George Street in the city centre and guests had the chance to meet and have autographs signed by the former Wolves player.

Kirsty Timmins, Tara’s founder and director, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be back in Wolverhampton, as it’s where I launched the business back in 2007 before relocating to Shropshire. We have a highly-skilled team of recruitment consultants who have already developed great working relationships with schools and teachers across the region, so we’re all very excited to have a presence here.”

Sir’s frothy beer Retired schoolteacher David Woodhead is planning to double his Froth Blowers Brewing company by moving into bigger premises in Birmingham. Woodhead, aged 75, runs the micro-brewery in Erdington along with stepsons Andrew and Neil Williams, selling quality beers from the Wood Lane industrial unit since 2013.

Now the tiny brewery’s expanding into premises just 50 yards away with the aim of doubling output. Woodhead set up the brewery after his wife Joyce, a talented pianist and music teacher, died and he was left on his own in a sevenbedroomed house. The keen real ale enthusiast

Back in Wolverhampton: Tara returns to its roots with a new office

said: “I was a retired teacher on a pension and just running the house was an unnecessary expense. It made common sense to sell it.”

The house sale funded the launch of Froth Blowers, currently selling 30 barrels of beer a week. Woodhead, a former head of English at Castle Vale School, was also once a promising cricketer with Warwickshire Seconds in the 1960s. He added: “To set up a business in your 70s is not normal – I do all the book-keeping, my stepson Andrew does the brewing and stepson Neil does the sales. The job keeps me active.

We’re novices but if we can double our output in the next 12 months, it will be worth doing.”

Real Estate Investors plc (REI) has snapped up two more investment properties across the Midlands. The Birmingham-based, AIMlisted property group has paid £5.135m for developments in Telford and Nottingham.

The deal includes the 33,166 sq ft Titan House, Euston Park, Telford, from the receivers. The building is on a modern business park next to Telford Central Station and Junction 5 of the M54. It’s let to Hewlett Packard Enterprise Service UK Ltd with 4.5 years remaining and a current rental income of £270,000 per annum.

The Nottingham development, Commodore Court on Nuttall Road, has been purchased from a private property company. The 15,000 sq ft mixed use development incorporates three fully occupied retail units let to Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd, Barnardos and Bathstore Ltd. It produces rental income of £216,710 per annum.

REI chief executive officer Paul Bassi said: “Our total acquisitions so far in 2016 are running at £15.58m and our contracted rental income is now £13.4m, up 12.6% since the year end. We remain on course to establish a portfolio under management of £200m in the short term.”

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£120m park begins Plans have been submitted for two large industrial or warehouse units on a key site in Worcestershire by Liberty Property Trust and Stoford Developments. The 160,000 sq ft and 45,000 sq ft units will be the first built at Worcester Six, providing up to 1.5 million sq ft of business space for technology, manufacturing, industrial and warehousing.

Worcester County Council expects the wider £120m park, located near junction 6 of the M5, to create around 5,000 jobs once the whole development is complete.

Rich Bitch on the move Birmingham’s Rich Bitch Studios has secured its new home in Kings Norton Business Centre, Birmingham. Owner Rob Bruce, advised by

property agents SDL Bigwood, has signed a ten-year lease. The music business, famous for sessions by the likes of Black Sabbath, ELO, Robert Plant, Roy Wood and Cozy Powell, has taken a 3,000 sq ft unit as a practice, rehearsal and recording venue. It was previously based in Selly Oak for 30 years but, hit by rising business rates and the cost of maintaining and running the 20,000 sq ft space there, it recently sold the buildings for student housing. The business will now be known as RB Studios and there will be five rehearsal rooms and a large recording studio at the new base, with four full-time staff backed up by part-timers and freelance engineers.

Merseyside consultants’ new base Civil and structural engineering consultancy ELLUC Projects has announced a major

expansion and relocation of its Midlands office.

With the help of property agents John Truslove, ELLUC has acquired a 2,307 sq ft office building at 7 Regents Court, Far Moor Lane, Redditch, for an undisclosed sum.

The fast growing business has moved from serviced offices in Solihull. Headquartered in Warrington, ELLUC Projects handles both residential and commercial projects such as house builder schemes, large PFI developments, prisons, schools, universities, student accommodation and supermarkets.

German’s heavy metal move German building contractor MBM Metalwork Construction is the latest major name to move into Birmingham city centre.

The company has taken part of the 4th floor at Real Estate Investors plc’s 75-77 Colmore Row building on a five-year lease.

MBM Metalwork Construction is a major sector operator, represented in 37 different countries worldwide. The move into Birmingham – it already has a base in Bridgnorth – comes as part of expansion plans. Property agents Bond Wolfe acted for REI on the deal. It joins other occupiers including QualitySolicitors Davisons, Smurfit Kappa and landlords REI.

Brewing a £14m space for SMEs LinkedIn lands £50k move A Coventry business insurance company has finally realised its ambitious growth plans after getting a £50,000 grant to move into new headquarters. Inspire Insurance had been forced to freeze its expansion plans because of the terms being offered by banks to buy its own building.

But after a call out on LinkedIn, assistance from alternative funding provider Ludgate Finance and from the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub, the company has expanded into the Cobalt Centre on Middlemarch Business Park. Managing director Leigh Mackey said: “We’d been trying to move by accessing traditional forms of finance and it was frustrating because I could see the potential and it was really holding us back. In the end, I posted on LinkedIn asking what other sources of funding were out there and Richard Mason from Ludgate got in touch.

He introduced us to peer-to-peer lender Fundingknight and everything happened very quickly.

“I was then introduced to Jeremy Moore at the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub and that really helped us to make the move.” The Growth Hub helped Inspire Insurance to secure a £50,000 grant towards the purchase of the building through the European Regional Development Fund. The overall move, including purchase, fit-out and IT, totalled more than £500,000. The company has already grown from 12 to 16 staff.

Birmingham City University has won £14m to transform the former Typhoo tea factory into a new centre for small businesses.

The University’s STEAMHouse project could help to create up to 10,000 jobs and will be part of the regeneration of Birmingham’s longneglected Digbeth area.

The first phase of the scheme will be delivered in partnership with Eastside Projects and see the creation of a new production space and workshops for artists.

The University and Gooch Estates then propose to team up to deliver the redevelopment of the currently derelict tea factory as a STEAMHouse space for SMEs creative projects.

The news comes just after the Arts Council injected £500,000 into the STEAMHouse initiative through its Creative Local Growth Fund, which will be matched by the European Regional Development Fund.

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Paul Thandi’s talking about values, and he’s on a roll: “Always strive to do the right thing.

Work hard. If you make a commitment, then give it your all. If a person’s rude don’t be rude back: try to understand the other person’s point of view. Dedicate yourself to being a good person.”

But as Thandi’s quick to point out, while he tries to live up to these principles he can’t really claim ownership of them – they come from his mum, Kanwaljit Thandi. But they still guide him today in his job as chief executive of the Birminghambased NEC Group, and in his wider advisory roles across the region.

Kanwaljit and Jagdish Thandi were Sikh immigrants from Ludhiana, in the Punjab, India.

They arrived in Perivale, West London in the early 1960s, keen on public sector careers, and on making a new home for what was soon to be two children.

First came a daughter and then a son, Pavendeep, now commonly known by the anglicised name of Paul, but still fiercely proud of his surname, his parents’ origins and their hard work ethic.

Thandi recalls: “My mum was sister in charge of operating theatres at Hillingdon Hospital, while dad was a tax man dealing with death duties – he handled [Winston] Churchill’s death duties.

“We were latch-key kids in a different age.

We’d go out on our bikes all day, playing soccer tournaments, playing with cousins. Music was a big thing – not only the Rolling Stones and The Beatles, but also Clash, Joy Division, Sex Pistols, Deep Purple and Blondie. I’ve got a transparent 12-inch of Heart of Glass!”

Despite his family’s Indian origins, Thandi shrugs off any memories of racism. “I do remember my dad showing me a sign on a house that said: ‘No blacks, no Irish.’ I was around five or six, and he told me: ‘That will change in your life time. If a man can’t see beyond the colour of your skin he needs to see a doctor.’

“So yes, there were bits of racism around.

But then you’re in a different country. It’s life. If you’re white and abroad you get it.

If you’re black and in the UK you get it. As global migration continues it will get more troublesome, but it will even out.”

Strong values behind global ambitions He leads 1,800 staff at the NEC Group, a £307m venues and events business. But Paul Thandi’s strong values come from his parents – especially his mum.

Steve Dyson reports

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Jagdish died on Christmas Day in 2006 and while – like most boys – Thandi had his own father-son issues, he still yearns for his company.

“I was a judge in the EY business awards, and we asked all finalists: ‘Which three people would you have to dinner?’ Nine out of ten guys said one of the three would be their father. It’s a big thing that drives us all as individuals, saying: ‘Look dad…’. I’m not sure you exactly strive for

his approval, but you want to share it with your old man.

“Yeah, we all have those moments – perhaps they don’t spend enough time with you, or don’t show you enough love. But for most blokes their dad’s the one individual they want at their ‘dream’ dinner. And if someone asked me, my old man would be at that table.

“He was lovely in terms of support, intellectual

Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill This popular restaurant’s stunning vista across Birmingham was ideal for the ‘tourism’ subject of our conversation. We both liked the idea of the cappuccino of wild mushrooms for starters (£6.95 each), and the soup itself was deemed “lovely”. But Thandi added: “Where’s the froth? And the chevril on top was a little dangly, clumsy to eat.”

For main course, Thandi had Marco’s classic Caesar salad, with avocado and anchovies (£13.50), with added chicken (£4) and grilled shrimps (£5).

“That was nice and fresh,” he said. “The dressing was just enough, not too much or too little.

But that was £1 a prawn!” In fairness, once mentioned, the waiter delivered a side plate full of prawns. My choice was an 8oz fillet steak (£31.95) which came with triple-cooked chips, grilled tomato and onion rings, and an extra serving of creamed cabbage and bacon (£3.75).

This was good hearty food, and I washed it down with a large glass of Pinot Grigio (£8.80), while we also had bottles of still and sparkling water (£3.50 each), finishing with double expressos (£4 each).

Thandi enjoyed the experience: “Yes, I’d use MPW again. There was a spot of good service. The waiter [Norton Jones, of Smethwick] knew his menu, and I liked his manner and approach – not in your face. Also, the tables aren’t on top of each other, and the carpet absorbs the noise.”

MPW is at The Cube, Birmingham B1 1PR. To book call 0121 634 3433 or email info@ mpwsteakhousebirmingham.com

motivation – a really bright man. But he didn’t really realise his potential. And part of what I say is my job is to establish the Thandi name as it should have been established in this country.”

Thandi himself did well enough at school, getting nine O-levels and three A-levels before starting a Psychology degree at Southampton University. But course grumbles and the pull of a girlfriend saw him switch to Business and Economics at what was then Bournemouth College of Technology.

He remembers his parents’ reaction: “My dad was okay, and said: “If that’s what you want to do, just make sure you complete it.’ But my mum? She didn’t speak to me for a term!

“Mum was the anchor of the family. She provided the base, the love and the values. She was the one who brought us up and held down an important job, and a second job as an agency nurse. That ethic sits well with me and my sister – knowing you work for your family.”

After his degree, Thandi became a Yellow Pages graduate trainee, and was soon their youngest ever national account manager. He then moved into general management and marketing with Blenheim Exhibitions, launching magazines and exhibitions all over the world.

The company was sold to United Business Media, which paid for Thandi’s MBA at Henley Management School. And then, in 2005, he joined the NEC Group as commercial director, becoming chief executive just over a year later.

Thandi lives in a leafy Warwickshire village near Leamington with his wife, Nicki, and their children, a 12-year-old daughter, and two sons, aged 11 and eight. He recalls meeting Nicki at a wedding in Stirling Castle, chasing her for six months before she returned his calls.

They still take his mum, now in her 70s, on family holidays, most recently to a house in Salcombe hired to celebrate his 50th birthday in February. He tells me how when his wife asked him who he wanted there, he replied: “Just family – no-one else.”

He added: “The most important thing for me was my wife and children, and my mother, uncle, sister, cousins – we all grew up together.

As I’ve got older, those family values have really come through strong. Little things like Sunday dinner – it’s when we all make sure we sit down together.”

At work, the last ten years have seen Thandi carefully preparing what was a local authority-

BUSINESS LUNCH bqlive.co.uk

owned NEC Group for the commercial world, a transition completed last year in a £307m sale to LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group.

Thandi believes this has “helped release an energy within our business” that wasn’t possible when the NEC was publically owned. “What LDC provides is a singularity of purpose. They’re a good team, some great people, and they give

fantastic clarity on how to do what you do even better to grow the business.

“Sometimes, when you’re with a parent with so many other issues, it doesn’t always feel like you’re getting much attention,” says Thandi.

“That’s how it felt with Birmingham City Council. Now it’s challenging, always pushing to improve. As chief executive, why wouldn’t you want that?”

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The NEC Group’s combined revenues were £127m in the year to March 2015, and should rise by around 5% in the latest accounts.

Faster growth is expected this year now that Resorts World – a new £150m business on the NEC site – is up and running. This Gentingowned complex boasts swanky bars, premium restaurants, stylish shops, a huge cinema, casino and posh hotel.

It’s already hosting 52,000 people a week and this is expected to become three million a year by 2017. Thandi says: “We [the NEC] get three million a year anyway, so that’s then six million.

Yes, there’ll be some crossover. But customers coming to us for different reasons will now spend the whole day there.

“Resorts World is our anchor, because people need a reason to get off the plane. It’s a massive experience and means the NEC’s not just about a concert, a live event or exhibition. Now it’s also about leisure, retail and the night time economy.”

Thandi says the NEC is “finally” realising its potential: “We’re changing into something completely new. As a wider venues and events business we’re going to be one of the best exports out of Birmingham in years to come, as big as AEG [the sector’s current global leader].

“What I want to build is the largest leisure and entertainment district in Europe. Why? Because I can. We’re playing catch-up and they’ve [AEG] stolen the market, because the city didn’t take us out of the public sector. But now we’re on our way, and it’s a great plan.

“Once everything’s together – the NEC and Resorts World, the growth of the airport, HS2 and the motorway system, and the whole of UK Central [a name for this economic area] – there’s no reason why it can’t be a super region in Europe. Then we can increase that visitor number to eight, nine, even 12 million.

“We’ve just got to connect the city, and that’s going to happen. The infrastructure’s coming, the investment’s coming. It’s why I’m excited to stay here.”

But according to Thandi, the West Midlands is still lacking one crucial ingredient: “We’re missing service… the marketing, the experience and the promotion.”

He’s in his regional adviser mode now: he’s a board member of Marketing Birmingham, chair of the Birmingham and Solihull Employment and Skills Board, and vice president of Solihull

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Chamber of Commerce.

He explains how 76% of his customers come from outside the region: “They’re national and international customers – they read the Financial Times, not the Birmingham Post.” And yet he feels the city – from politicians to the local media – is often stuck in a “parochial” world.

He adds: “Birmingham’s the facilitator, not the control. Waheed [Nazir, Birmingham’s strategic director for the economy] and Dransfield [Paul, the city’s deputy chief executive] are doing really good things, the city’s on the cusp of something enormous. But we’ve got to get on with it, and get alignment with our leadership. Clancy [John, Birmingham’s Labour council leader] shouldn’t be bothered with local headlines, because the city and region are so much bigger.”

It feels like restrained exasperation, and it seems one of Thandi’s biggest frustrations is the fudge of a name used for the emerging West Midlands Combined Authority. Should it be ‘Greater Birmingham’? He won’t say this, but his hints are strong.

“When I get off a plane in Europe, the Middle East or America and I say my company name, they say: ‘Ah yes, the NEC in Birmingham.’ All of us – from the Black Country to Coventry – have got to harness the power of that statement, as Manchester has.

“We’re a region, but every region needs a

“It’s about everyone having a script, at the NEC, everyone including our bus drivers talk to customers to make sure they’re part of creating a great visit” capital. Toulouse is globally known as the centre of France’s aerospace industry, home to Airbus, one of the world’s largest aeronautics manufacturers, although the factory is actually outside the city. We have to fire on all of our assets to realise global ambitions.”

Regional names aside, Thandi also believes the region should be more united in the way it treats visitors.

The NEC Group The NEC Group is best-known for the giant National Exhibition Centre, staging everything from famous public shows such as Crufts to huge international trade exhibitions like the Spring Fair.

Also on the NEC site is the Genting Arena, a 15,700-capacity venue holding everything from One Direction concerts to the Horse of the Year Show. The sister Barclaycard Arena reopened in Birmingham city centre after a £26m revamp. And nearby is the International Convention Centre, hosting around 300 business events and 250,000 delegates a year.

Other subsidiaries include The Ticket Factory, one of the UK’s largest ticketing agents, and Amadeus, a specialist catering business, serving 3.5 million covers a year – from the NEC’s own events to the Scottish Open golf tournament.

Overall, the NEC Group claims to have a £2bn annual impact on the regional economy, supporting almost 29,000 full-time jobs, including its own 1,800 staff.

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“It’s about everyone having a script,” he says.

“At the NEC, everyone including our bus drivers talk to customers to make sure they’re part of creating a great visit. We need more of that from the centre in places like Birmingham.”

And suddenly, Thandi’s on a values roll again – but this time it’s about how the region should act: “There should be five KPIs [key performance indicators] to promote the whole region.

Everyone in the service industry should have some form of this tourism training, just a few hours, so they can talk about the landmarks, the developments.

“Planning permission should not be given for new hotels and restaurants, and cabbies should not be able to renew their licences, unless they sign up to those KPIs. Marketing Birmingham should send newsletters to every hospitality business updating them on what’s happening.

“All their staff should know the best restaurants, the transport options, what’s on at the theatre and music concerts – we need to lift that performance. Yes, greeting people in a good way, making sure we’re saying hello first and always, always upselling the region.” n

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A game of two bottles

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Richard Halstead, region director for EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation samples wines from the old and new worlds for BQ There are some aspects to my job that are more enjoyable than others and being asked to drink a couple of bottles of wine in my role as region director for EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, was certainly an aspect I looked forward to. When asked which wines I liked I quickly chose Chateauneuf du Pape and a nice Chablis or Sancerre and headed off to Connelly’s Wine Merchants to see what awaited me.

The red hailed from the same Southern Rhone region as Chateauneuf, but instead of a blend of 13 different varieties of grapes is made from 100% Syrah. As a man fond of my whisky this appeals to me, sounding like a single malt instead of the more common blended variety.

Plus this wine has a fascinating history.

Domaine de La Bastide hails from a small village called Visan in the Southern Rhone.

The Domaine was originally built as a fortified farmhouse by the Knights Templar in the 12th Century, and has passed through various hands, including time spent as both a Benedictine and Dominican monastery (always with attached vineyards) before being partially ruined during the White Terror in the 18th Century.

The Domaine and surrounding vineyards were bought by Bernard Boyer in 1989, in search of a more relaxed life. Ably assisted by his wife and son, Vincent, the Domaine was revitalised and a gradual move towards organic production was started. Tragically, Bernard passed away quite suddenly in 2008. His widow and son have continued with the Domaine and in 2009 the first vintage of La Gloire de Mon Pere was released. So, in memory of Bernard we opened our bottle of La Gloire de Mon Pere, Côtes du Rhône Visan 2011. It lived up to the anticipation as a full bodied, smooth yet fruity, red which went well with our lamb evening meal. To add

to my whisky analogy, this wine spends six months in oak barrels before bottling and this adds to the blackberry flavours to make a very drinkable red.

When choosing the white I was asked if I wanted to be adventurous. “Yes of course why not!” I said. Upon which I was presented with a bottle whose label reminded me of my childhood reading the Beano. It also comes with a comic entitled “The Adventures of First Drop – that’s wine, folks!”

But there is nothing comical about this white, which is a very nice blend of 41% Arneis, 33% Chardonnay, & 26% Pinot Grigio. It is supplied

by First Drop – John Retsas (the Aussie) and Matt Gant (from Chelmsford) – who started making wine together back in 2005, stating ‘a lifelong commitment to making kick arse booze... wines with flavour and texture, and a splash of funk... eclectic varieties from unique vineyards in the great regions of the Barossa, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale... wines to drink, not just appreciate’. Although, despite an Australian influence, many of their wines use Mediterranean grape varieties generally not associated with Australia.

So we complemented our fish casserole with a bottle of First Drop ‘A Game of Two Halves’ White 2014. It is a very easy drinking, crisp, citrusy and thirst-quenching fruity white with strong apple notes giving lots of flavour to complement the food. My spirit of adventure was well rewarded. All in all, a couple of bottles of wine that are both as good as their wellknown Chateauneuf and Sancerre counterparts, but which don’t attract the same price tag. Well worth the time taken to taste and review and my thanks must also go to my partner, Clare, who so ably joined me in the process. n

First Drop ‘A Game of Two Halves’ White 2014. £13 a bottle, £11.69 as part of a case Dom de La Bastide, La Gloire de la Mon Pere, Côtes du Rhône Visan 2011. £11.50 a bottle, £10.35 as part of a case.

Available from Connelly’s Wine Merchants Ltd 0121 236 3837. www.connellyswine.co.uk

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MOTORING bqlive.co.uk

I spent most of my youth and early adulthood running around farms, driving tractors and pick-ups. I realised from an early age that I had a passion for speed and, after learning to drive at the age of nine, I accepted every opportunity to develop my skills behind the wheel – including several summers of driving grain during the harvest season. Not the most glamorous of jobs, but it allowed me to do two things I loved – driving and listening to music.

When I was asked to drive the newest Range Rover Sport Hybrid, I jumped at the chance.

Range Rover has always been seen as the ultimate in terms of luxury and class, especially within the farming community.

When I was presented with the keys to what was going to be my ride for the day, the Sport Hybrid was imposing, with extravagance inside and out. The magnificent exterior was sleek and sexy with blacked-out windows for additional privacy. The monochrome interior was made up of leather and suede, giving an opulent feel that was exaggerated by the panoramic glass roof. This was going to be a good day. Turning the key, the electric-only drive kicked in but as I made my way out of the dealership onto the main road I was able to experience the full power of the V6 engine that this machine had to offer.

Towering over all of the other road users, I felt like I was queen of the road. Admittedly, you also get that feeling while you’re driving a tractor. When you’re driving a Range Rover, you’re viewing the world from on high and getting envious glances from drivers who wish they were in your driving seat. But when you’re driving a tractor on the road, the only looks

you get are those of frustrated annoyance from other road users. They only wish you could get your clumbering vehicle out of their way so they could get to their destinations on time… and you can’t go any faster. Range Rover ensures your regal status by offering quality, style and attention to luxury detail. For a large vehicle, it handled really well in and around town and

Queen of the road Having been raised on a farm, property investment director Anna Renton was the ideal driver to put the new Range Rover Sport Hybrid through its paces

MOTORING bqlive.co.uk

didn’t feel too bulky for the urban lifestyle.

I then got a chance to test how well I could handle this car when I drove it into the countryside, and that’s when I really fell in love with it. A winding route of B-class roads gave me the chance to experience the true handling of the Range Rover’s terrain response system as I made sure I hit every muddy puddle on my way.

There was very little body lean and it was surprisingly agile around the corners. The air suspension responded to every bump along the way with confidence. It was ultra-responsive on the accelerator and the steering was light and reactive. The driving experience felt like sheer simplicity.

With the United Nations climate change talks taking place in Paris over the winter, the environment has seldom been far from the headlines during the past few months. Having grown up on and around farms, the countryside and the environment are really important to me and are a big part of my life, having studied for a business degree in agriculture.

So it was really interesting to read some of the stats about this hybrid, which combines a

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‘Range Rover ensures your regal status by offering quality, style and attention to luxury detail’ three-litre V6 diesel engine with a 35kW electric motor. Together, the two produce 700nm of torque, the same performance as Land Rover’s V8 diesel engine, but with its carbon dioxide emissions being 13% lower.

Having lower emissions doesn’t mean you have to compromise on performance either. While you can get a shade over 44 miles per gallon when you combine its urban and open-road figures, the hybrid still boasts 340 horsepower and can get from nought to sixty in just 6.5 seconds. Not something you can match in a tractor sadly. I’m a self-confessed lover of Formula 1 and was lucky enough to attend the recent Singapore race. Seeing the drivers at close range and hearing the noise of the engines leaves your heart pumping with excitement.

But I’m also left feeling great admiration for the drivers’ skills and how they handle their cars. While I’ve never sat in the driver’s seat of

a Formula 1 racing car, I imagine it to be small and cramped. Not so with the Range Rover Sport Hybrid. I had such fun exploring the inside of this palatial cabin. Range Rover has literally thought of everything, including a fridge for cooling drinks on those long summer drives and heated steering wheel for those dark winter mornings. The ergonomics throughout the car are spot on and leave the driver and passengers wanting for nothing, with adjustable front and rear seats, individual climate control, drinks holders and plenty of foot and leg space.

Handing the car back was like prising an ice cream from a child – the worst part of the day.

I thoroughly enjoyed the stress-free driving and was able to relax in to the car. n The Range Rover Sport Hybrid starts from £84,350. For more information visit www.landrover.co.uk

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TRAVEL bqlive.co.uk

Steve Dyson reviews quality but affordable hotels in Cambridge, Stratford-upon-Avon and London, and samples a calm space at Birmingham Airport Hotel du Vin, Cambridge My first visit to Cambridge city centre saw me in awe at the beautiful architecture of majestic colleges, and wandering around quaint passages near the ancient marketplace. The hotel itself is in a Grade II-listed former university building, a beautiful old townhouse with exposed brickwork, restored fireplaces and wooden floors. The bistro’s a long, wide room with an open kitchen, plenty of space around the tables and comfortable chairs. I felt quite the don as I enjoyed scallops to start with a glass of champagne, followed by sole meunière and a glass of house chardonnay. My ‘studio suite’ had a comfortable lounge area, king-sized bed, and walk-in bathroom with a freestanding, roll top bath, and a huge monsoon-strength shower.

I’d opened the sash windows for fresh air, yet there was little traffic to keep me awake. There were occasionally loud students heading home after a good night out, but that seemed fitting for a university city.

Hotel du Vin Cambridge, 15-19 Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1QA. Double rooms start at around £189. Call 0844 736 4253, email reception.cambridge@hotelduvin.com call 01223 928991, or visit www.hotelduvin.com

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Mercure Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon It’s the Bard’s 400th anniversary, so we visited his birthplace in search of a Shakespearean night away. We stayed in the centre of town at the Mercure Shakespeare on Chapel Street, just up the road from New Place, where the playwright and his family lived. This 74-room hotel is in a beautifully converted, Tudorstyle building, with a striking brown and white frontage and oak beams throughout. This meant our bedroom had gorgeous curved ceilings, creaking floorboards and nooks and crannies, as well as a large bathroom and comfortable bed. We ate early in the adjoining Marco’s New York Italian restaurant, and it was pleasantly busy with other theatre-goers. As we tucked into delicious steaks in our cosy window table, the little town’s world sped by. Then, as Will says, ‘swift as a shadow’ we were watching Midsummer Night’s Dream at the nearby Royal Shakespeare Theatre, later returning to dream our own night away.

Mercure Shakespeare, Chapel Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 6ER. Double rooms with breakfast start at £90. Call 02477 092802, email H6630@accor.com or visit www.mercure.com

No 1 Traveller Lounge, Birmingham Airport

Marriott Kensington, London You can’t miss this gigantic hotel, impressively encased in a glass atrium.

It’s busy as you enter: restaurant to the left, Starbucks straight ahead, bar and lounge to the right. The corridor leads to a gym and pool, while down the stairs is the executive lounge and business centre. Our bedroom was large and comfortable, with a decent bathroom, but the best thing was the silence created by the hotel’s glass case, a second sound barrier on top of the double-glazing. We dined out that evening, but breakfasted in the hotel’s Atrium restaurant, made bright and cheerful by the daylight pouring in. The buffet was enhanced by chefs happily cooking eggs any-whichway you liked. The hotel’s only a short walk from Gloucester Road or Earls Court tube stations and so you can easily get anywhere you need to be within half an hour.

Marriott Kensington, 147c Cromwell Road, London SW5 0TH. Double rooms with breakfast start at £169. Call 0207 973 1000, email cork.regional. reservations@marriott.com or visit www.londonmarriotkensington.co.uk

Air travel can be stressful: queueing at check-in and security, emptying your pockets, taking off shoes and belt, and getting hot and bothered as you re-dress afterwards.

But once in the departure area, we escaped the hustle and bustle at the No 1 Traveller Lounge, where you can sit in comfortable sofas or at you own table for up to three hours before your flight.

Entry includes a filling cold buffet, a small hot dish from the kitchen, and free wine, beer, spirits, soft drinks, tea and coffee. You can watch TV, read newspapers and magazines, and use limitless Wi-Fi to plan arrival details, catch up on emails or missed calls.

On boarding our plane we were calm and relaxed, as opposed to being rushed and irritated, making our journey stress-free.

Entry costs £24 per adult, £16 per child, with fast track access through security if you pre-book at www.no1traveller.com

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EQUIPMENT bqlive.co.uk

Watches for our time In an age of digital innovation swiss watch makers are finding new ways to make a statement and grab the consumers attention, as we report “In this often gloomy world I think it’s important to put a smile on the customer’s face,” says Jean-Marc Pontrou, the CEO of Roger Dubuis. “We’re here to provide emotions. We’re in the love business, the gift business - even if that gift is to yourself.”

Many in the Swiss watch industry will acknowledge the functional outdatedness of the mechanical watch in the light of smart-phones. Few will stress just how much success in that industry is about getting people excited. “The fact is that you need to make a statement,” Pontrou adds. “People may like it.

They might not like it. But they remember it.”

That may be all the more important seeing as, Pontrou predicts, there is something of a cull among watch brands on the way: Switzerland has some 700 of them, relative to just 12 major car manufacturing groups, he notes. “We can’t forget that the last 10 years have been exceptional ones for the business,” he adds.

Perhaps this is why Roger Dubuis, like many of the companies unveiling wares at this year’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva - the high-end watch world’s catwalk shows - has taken such a distinctive position: in its case by focusing on watches for women. And not the usual scaleddown men’s watches: dials with flowers and leaves in laser-cut

enamel, models inspired by the Chanel-owned shoemaker Massaro, even ones with the first diamonds set in carbon and super-rare Paraiba diamonds at that - all feature in the collection.

Certainly, while SIHH offered up some trends, as far as watches at this end of the market follow trends - yellow gold and skeleton dials most notably - many watchmakers have gone out of their way to be stylistically or mechanically inventive. Richard Mille’s RM 50-02, for example, sees the company team up with Airbus to make, fittingly, its most streamlined model to date, with the case made from the same alloy used to make Airbus’s turbine blades and screws holding the watch together the same as those used to hold the airframe together.

Audemars Piguet, meanwhile, has now launched a production version of its patented Royal Oak Super Sonniere minute repeater, just a year after it unveiled the concept: it uses the science of instrument making, including a sound board, to produce a watch with a chime 10 times louder than anything on the market to date and cleverly circumventing the typical problems suffered by minute repeaters, notably a tinny sound deadened by being on someone’s wrist.

“We have historic legitimacy in the making of minute

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repeaters - lots of companies have introduced one over the last five years - but still we knew we had to make a strong statement in this area to really re-think how a modern minute repeater might work,” explains Olivier Audemars, head of the company’s R&D. “We spent a lot of time talking with physicists and musicians about harmonics...”

The show even revealed what could prove a genuine game-changer for anyone really fixated on the notion of cogs and wheels being in some way a superior form of timekeeping to circuits and batteries. Parmigiani Fleurier, at 20 years old this year still a young brand, has made a major splash with an innovation called Senfine - that’s ‘eternally’ in Esperanto. It is still in concept, though the company says it will have a production model on the market by 2018. The big idea? It replaces the usual classic watch regulator - the several parts of which burn through energy as a consequence of friction - with a virtually frictionless silicon oscillator that combines balance, balance spring and pallet fork.

If that all still sounds like technical gobbledegook, the upshot is a mechanical watch with a power reserve measured not in the usual few days, but in months. Or at least one-and-a-half of them. Perhaps the most curious - and telling - aspect of the innovation is that it’s the brainchild of Pierre Genequand, a scientist who never trained as a watchmaker. In that is a lesson perhaps for the closeted and insular Swiss watchmaking industry to think outside the case more often.

Indeed, SIHH - usually a showcase for the long established and internationally known brands - seems to be embracing this notion itself: for 2016’s show the organisation opened a new area for the expanding generation of young, progressive niche players the likes of Urwerk, MB&F and H.Moser. These

are the companies making waves by placing innovation over refinement, and successfully charging big bucks for the results.

Hautlence, for example, has produced a watch with stained glass panels, designed in conjunction with, of all people, Eric Cantona; Urwerk has its T-rex, the dial of which is almost entirely covered by a bronze carapace, cut into tiny jags to mimic, what else, but dinosaur skin. It is not your usual Swiss conservatism, and yet it is not without craft: the metal cover - which will develop a patina, thus itself becoming a more poetic expression of passing time - was painstakingly hand-cut using sandblasting and acid washes.

Of course, SIHH also offered the less adventurous, if no less technically sophisticated or well-crafted. Cartier’s new men’s model, the Drive, for example, is pure classicism - with its cushion case, guilloche dial, blue hands and Roman numerals. IWC’s standout piece is the Timezoner Chronograph, the kind of high function, higher machismo watch that the company specialises in: it’s the only pilot’s watch that enables the user to set another time zone, together with the date and the 24-hour hand, in a single movement.

“Something like the Timezoner is simple to use but very hard to pull off, mechanically-speaking. But it’s always hard to find something technically new to do with a pilot’s watch and I’m rather worried about the next collection,” as IWC’s technical director Stefan Ihnen jokes, “because I’m not sure what else we can do. So far I have no ideas...”

Perhaps the answer, even for a brand regarded as a master of minimalism, is to nod to the aesthetically extreme. That may make the guardians of brand values shudder to think on, but the fight for consumer attention seems to be what the watch market is increasingly about these days. n

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ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

With 188 years of experience, bullet-maker Eley Hawk is aiming its products at the modern gun enthusiast. Frank Holwell interviews managing director Eduardo Hernando

TOP ARMS FIRM TARGETS SUCCESS When 18-year-old skeet shooter Amber Hill steps up and takes aim for Team GB at this summer’s Olympics in Rio, an extra loud cheer might be heard emanating from the vicinity of Minworth, Sutton Coldfield.

That’s because the teenage shooting sensation will be using cartridges manufactured in the heart of the West Midlands by Eley Hawk, one of the oldest and best-known cartridge manufacturers in the world.

Hill is one of Eley’s brand ambassadors, and someone who the company has sponsored since she was 12.

“She was spotted as a natural from a very early age when she first picked up a gun,” says managing director Eduardo Hernando, who joined Eley Hawk from Spanish parent company Maxam in January 2015.

“Amber’s a natural talent, but one that has been nurtured over the years. If she wins gold, she’s going to give us part of her medal – maybe we could just bite a little bit off!” he jokes.

Founded in 1828, Eley Hawk develops, manufactures and tests all cartridges at its factory on the outskirts of Birmingham, where 40 staff proudly continue the heritage of a

famous brand renowned and revered in the sport.

Producing more than 300 different types of cartridge, which belong to 20 different ‘families’, the factory makes up to 90 million every year for the estimated 600,000 Brits who regularly shoot live quarry, clays or targets.

“We are very much a vertically integrated company,” says Hernando. “Our three main competitors buy components and put a cartridge together from different sources. We control everything from the origin of the powder to the production of all components, and we

ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

“The factory makes up to 90 million every year for the estimated 600,000 Brits who regularly shoot live quarry, clays or targets”

extrude the tubes. All that integration allows us to get the economies of scale and maintain stability and the quality.”

Maxam is an industrial company with five strands, which includes manufacturing civil explosives for mining and road building, large

calibre munitions and wind energy.

Eley Hawk, which commands a UK market share of between 20 and 25%, is part of the Maxam Outdoors division, and accounts for around 15% of its business. Rather than rest on its laurels and 188-year heritage, Hernando and

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his team quickly set their sights on the future, updating everything from the famous shield logo to its catalogue – and the small matter of launching five new products within the first 12 months of joining.

The hard work has paid off, with turnover hitting £10m in 2015, equating to an impressive year-on-year growth of 13%. Eley’s Pigeon Select range has seen an incredible 150% growth in just six months.

“What we’ve done in 12/13 months is pretty intense – I now have some grey hairs – but it has put us back in the game in a big way,”

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ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

says Hernando. “The good thing about our business is it’s not focused on clothes for children or drinks for adults – it’s broad, but that’s also the challenge, to try and connect with all of them.”

He adds: “We have 188 years’ experience in loading cartridges, that’s an asset, but at the same time we don’t feel like an old fashioned company living on its reputation, so we had a lot of work done on bringing in new products, marketing them in the proper channels.

“Our average customer is an adult who has been shooting for many years, however this adult has an iPad, is keen on magazines, they are well informed, so we needed to provide what our customers require through the medium they require.

“The new products are much more user-focused rather than marketing-focused. We need to make sure we have gone through the cycles of development with a small focus group of consumers by our side, so we take on board their opinions and attitudes and feelings toward the product. It’s a social process and lived with passion – we’re far from being simply a commodity producer.

“This is an on-going race, and even when you achieve good results, you need to carry on.

There was a three-year plan set and there are

UK Game Fair 2016 Leading brands and personalities from the world of field sports and the rural life will be at the inaugural UK Game Fair, at the National Agricultural and Exhibition Centre, Stoneleigh, from 22-24 July.

A showpiece for the country pursuits community, the UK Game Fair will be a celebration of the British countryside, with a key focus on first-time tasters of shooting, fishing and working dogs, through its ‘Experience’ campaign.

Over 500 exhibitors and more than 100,000 visitors are expected at this new three-day event, which will focus on shooting, fishing, hunting, gamekeeping, estate management, rural crafts, working dogs and artisan food, with celebrity chef demonstrations, tastings and competitions.

“In terms of brand awareness, Hernando says Eley is number one in the UK, likening them to Bentley or Jaguar in the luxury car market” two more years to continue on that. The major focus for this year is to carry on gaining that acknowledgment in the market through our products, marketing, presence – the ‘recipe’ is listening to the customer, and developing products and solutions alongside them.

“We shoot, but we spend more time here and with our families than in the field, and I will have my opinion which may be different from the majority of customers, so we need to listen to them.”

In terms of brand awareness, Hernando says Eley is number one in the UK, likening them to Bentley or Jaguar in the luxury car market. Saleswise, they are in the top two.

“With regards to Europe, the UK is one of the most competitive markets, but I also think it’s very healthy,” he adds. “You see that when you go to shows and to championships. The amount of people entering or attending, it’s massive compared to elsewhere.

“It’s also healthy because of the number of companies producing products, however it’s an immature market in that it’s not high tech – we’re manufacturing cartridges in a sport that has been going on for centuries.”

Next month, Eley Hawk will meet hundreds of its customers when it sponsors the clay shooting lines at the inaugural UK Game Fair, which takes place at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire from 22-24 July.

“It was sad to see the Royal Show fail a few years ago, so we’re hoping that this will take on the mantle and amplify and grow that,” says Hernando. “You have all the manufacturers in one place; you can have a go [at shooting], eat, buy, enjoy, bring your kids – it’s a very welcoming atmosphere.”

While it was an intense first year in the UK for Hernando, the Spaniard has found time to explore his new surroundings with his wife and two young children, enjoying the likes of Sutton Park and the wealth of fine-dining restaurants around Colmore Row in the city centre, including Michelin-starred Adam’s where he celebrated his wedding anniversary. I really enjoying working here; all around Birmingham, you can see the city is growing,” he comments.

“There are cranes everywhere, buildings being refurbished; the [HS2] high-speed train is coming in a few years – there is life, money, investment and people; that’s very positive.” n

ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

“I really enjoying working here; all around Birmingham, you can see the city is growing.”

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first class and excellent in their field, and the decision is agonising. Our four winners this year were simply exceptional, though, and we know al tion g Nafor they are going to go on to be ones to watch in Eminergpreneur years to come. Every field needs a leader, and l nathe wider shortlist, andEntre 016 atioas these four - asNwell r2 ging sure r e Dinne ur we are watching our ones to watch Em - we’re e n e r l p e tiona g the entrepreneurial Entrleaders 20of16our future. With n thanks to BentleyDiLeeds i ner and g n r e Irwin Mitchell, m reneur ntrep 201we look forward to MADE festival in October, 6 r where we’ll crown one overall Emerging Dinne Entrepreneur of 2016.” n

evolving our own offer to make house buying and selling easier and fairer for everyone”

Na ging Emer preneur Entre r 2016 Dinne

nal Natio ging r e Em preneur Entre r 2016 Dinne

nal Natio ging Emer preneur Entre r 2016 Dinne

nal Natio ging r e Em preneur Entre r 2016 ne find a whole host of entrepreneurs who are Dinwe

onal rging eur repren016 nner 2

nal Natio ging r Eme preneur Entre r 2016 Dinne

nal Natio ging r Eme preneur Entre r 2016 Dinne

Feeling very inspired by all the talented entrepreneurs this evening. #BQEntrepreneur

nal Natio ging r Eme preneur Entre r 2016 Dinne

nal Katrina Cliffe @KatrinaCliffe Natio g Great to see fabulous female #entrepreneurs mergin E eur leading the #Yorkshire repren016 nal shortlist at the t o n i t E a N awards! r2 #BQEntrepreneur erging Dinne Em preneur Entre@andyhanselman r 2016 Andy Hanselman Dinne

Great to see young emerging entrepreneurs at #BQEntrepreneur Dinner -some real ‘3D Thinkers’ here!

Lewis Bowen @Lewis_Bowen nal Great evening and amazing group of businesses Natio ging @BQ_Entrepreneur @BQLive. #BQEntrepreneur Emer preneur l a n o i great winNMichael @purplebricks t Entre 2016 a

nal Natio ging Emer preneur Entre r 2016 Dinne

r ing Dinne Emergpreneur e BorroclubE@borroclub ntr 2016 er Josh Littlejohn from nnfrom Inspirational Ditalk @SocialBite_ a fantastic organisation we need one in #birmingham @BQLive #BQEntrepreneur RAW Digital Training @RAWDigi What an amazing thing @SocialBite_ has been doing! Loving hearing about tional g Nawhat in they’re achieving #BQEntrepreneur Emerg

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ur l prene 6 a e r n t o n i t E 1 Na ging r 20 Dinne mer reLamb @BonLamb ur EJonathan e n Tonight’s awards launched by 6 Entrepr#BQEntrepreneur 201@BQBryanH e @irwinmitchell - nervous n n Di anticipation in the air! #entrepreneur #startup

ONLINE AT BQLIVE.CO.UK nal

Natio

nal Natio ging Emer preneur Entre 2016

N E

BIT OF A CHAT Bill Borde’s examining the news behind the headlines Lethal weapon

To fly or not to fly

NEC Group boss Paul Thandi has taken up shooting – mainly the clay pigeon variety – as a way of getting away from work pressures.

“It’s relaxing,” he says, “because you can’t think about anything else when you’ve got a loaded gun in your hands. Your focus has to be on what you’re doing. Also, it doesn’t take up too much time, like golf, and there’s always someone who can shoot better than you, so it’s constantly challenging.” Thandi also keeps fit via running and in a small gym he’s built at his Warwickshire home. BQ’s ‘Business lunch’ interview with Thandi appears on pages 60 to 64.

Lufthansa surprised passengers flying into Birmingham with a series of Shakespearean announcements to mark the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death in April. Flight attendant Adam Sunderland tried out his acting skills on the Frankfurt to Birmingham flight with the following welcome: “Fair ladies, esteemed gentlemen and those of younger years: ‘tis with the most wonderful pleasure that we welcome

you aboard our chariot of the skies on this 23rd day in the month of April, two thousand six and ten. Captain Günther will be guiding our vessel to Albion’s fair skies, accompanied by trusty First Officer Mr Halle. And attending to your needs throughout our tubular transport shall be Mr. Zach and his well-seasoned team.

So ease your loins, rest your reason and enjoy our hospitality aloft!”

Hmmm … maybe stick to the day job, Adam!

Jodie’s weighty secret Be careful what you say next time you bump into Jodie Cook, the owner of Birmingham’s JC Social Media. Because the former BQ West Midlands cover girl (Summer 2014) is also a competitive powerlifter.

Jodie recently travelled to Kings Lynn for the British Drug-Free Powerlifting Association’s national championships, and won the 55.5kg bodyweight category by lifting a total of 307.5kg across the three disciplines: squat, bench press and deadlift.

She trains at MSC Performance, a strength and conditioning facility in Birmingham city centre.

Best curry in Midlands Asha’s, the popular restaurant and cocktail bar in Birmingham’s Newhall Street, has won the Restaurant Award in the Asian Business Awards Midlands 2016. Asha’s director Pawan Kenth, who owns the Birmingham outlet in conjunction with business partner Paul Bassi, said he was “thrilled”. The venue – which BQ often uses to host its ‘Business lunch’ interviews – celebrates its 10th anniversary later this year.

Your golden ticket!

Are you a sweet-tooth who’s always dreamed of being a character in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Well now you can be one, thanks to Cadbury World’s new ‘Chocolatier Experience’.

The £49, two-hour workshop gives visitors to the Birmingham venue a hands-on chance to try out the tasty world of chocolate making.

This will include a mini-lesson in the history and science behind it, and tasting the dark, milk and white chocolate to understand how each variety is made.

Trainee chocolatiers will learn how to get chocolate ready for moulding before preparing and filling their own set of chocolates. They’ll also learn hand-decorating and chocolate handwriting, plus get the chance to make their own chocolate shoe.

Book your golden tickets via www.cadburyworld.co.uk or call 0844 880 7667.

“Trainee chocolatiers will learn how to get chocolate ready for moulding before preparing and filling their own set of chocolates”

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82

EVENTS

bqlive.co.uk

BQ’s business diary helps you forward plan

JUNE

20

BBBC, Business Breakfast, 7-9am, Hotel du Vin, 25 Church Street, B3 2NR. Members £20. Details: 0121 236 0484 or www.bbbc.biz

23

GBCC, Burton Chamber, Let’s Do Business 2016 – Staffordshire’s largest business exhibition, 10am-4pm, Uttoxeter Racecourse, Wood Lane, Uttoxeter, ST14 8BD. Free event. Details: www.letsdobusinessexpo.co.uk

20

GBCC, Solihull Chamber – Speed Networking, 4-6pm, Solihull College, Blossomfield Road, Solihull, B91 1SB. Members £10, non-members £15.

Details: 0121 607 1772 or email, events@birmingham-chamber.com

23

UBBC, Venturefest West Midlands 2016, 8.30am-7pm, NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT. Free event. Details: newsletter@venturefestwm.co.uk

21

GBCC, Burton Chamber – Business Breakfast with Holiday Inn, 7.30-9am, Holiday Inn, Express, Second Avenue, Parkway, Burton upon Trent, DE14 2WF. Members 12.50, non-members £25. Details: 0121 607 1772 or email, events@birmingham-chamber.com

22

GBCC, Business Breakfast with Waheed Nazir, Director of Planning and Regeneration, Birmingham City Council, 7.30-10am, city centre venue tbc.

Members £15, non-members £22.50. Details: 0121 607 1772 or email, events@birmingham-chamber.com

GBCC, Sutton Coldfield Chamber Anniversary Celebration, 3.30-6.30pm, The Belfry, Lichfield Road, Wishaw, Sutton Coldfield, B76 9PR. Members free, non-members £25. Details: 0121 607 1772 or email, events@ birmingham-chamber.com

25

GBCC, Lunch with John Clancy, Leader, Birmingham City Council, 12pm2.30pm, Moor Hall Hotel, Moor Hall Drive, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, B75 6LN. Members free, non-members £25. Details: 0121 607 1772 or email, events@birmingham-chamber.com

IoD, Stafford & Stoke Mastermind Group, 6.30pm to 9pm, Weston Hall, Weston Bank, Stafford, ST18 OBA. Members £30. Details: Sue Hurrell, 07803 200189, sue.hurrell@Institute of Directors.com

AUGUST

J U LY

06 07 08

GBCC, Summer Networking BBQ, 11.30am -2.30pm, thestudio, 7 Cannon Street, B2 5EP. Members free, non-members £25. Details: to book exhibition space or promotional item, 0121 607 1772 or email, events@ birmingham-chamber.com

08

GBCC, Lichfield and Tamworth Chamber – Professional Business Lunch, 12.15-2pm, The School House & Wyatt Pavilion, Church Hill, Weeford, Nr Lichfield,WS14 0PW. Members £18, non-members £36. Details: 0121 607 1772 or email, events@birmingham-chamber.com

12

GBCC, Solihull Chamber – Curry Club Networking, 5.30-7.30pm, Ramada Hotel Solihull – George’s Restaurant, The Square, Solihull, B91 3QD. Members £12.50, non-members £25. . Details: 0121 607 1772 or email, events@birmingham-chamber.com

13

IoD, West Midlands Mastermind Group, 6-9pm, Ragley Hall, Alcester, B49 5NJ. Members £35. Details: Sue Hurrell, 07803 200189, sue.hurrell@IoD.com

14

GBCC, Making the most of your Chamber membership – open morning, 8.30-10.30am, The Belfry, Lichfield Road, Sutton Coldfield, B76 9PR. Free event. Details: 0121 607 1772 or email events@birmingham-chamber.com

18

GBCC, Burton Chamber – Top Tips to get more from business from LinkedIn, 7.30-9am, Holiday Inn Express, Second Avenue, Parkway, Burton upon Trent, DE14 2WF. Members £10, non-members £20. Details: 0121 607 1772 or email, events@birmingham-chamber.com

SEPTEMBER 07

GBCC, Solihull Chamber – Just Networking, 5.30-7.30pm, Ebb and Flow Cafe Bar Solihull, Herbert Road, Solihull, B91 3QE. Free event. Details: 0121 607 1772 or email, events@birmingham-chamber.com

14

GBCC, Solihull Chamber – Breakfast with business, 7.30-9.30am, Village Hotel Club Solihull, The Green Business Park, Dog Kennel Lane, Shirley, Solihull, B90 4JG. Members £8.33, non-members £12.50. Details: 0121 607 1772 or email, events@birmingham-chamber.com

16

GBCC, Solihull Chamber – Enterprising Women’s Networking Lunch, 12 noon-2.30pm, Holiday Inn Solihull, 61 Homer Road, Solihull, B91 3QD. Members £20, non-members £40. Details: 0121 607 1772 or email, events@birmingham-chamber.com

To add your event, email details to steve.dysonmedia@gmail.com, with ‘BQ events page’ as the email subject heading Please check with contacts beforehand that arrangements have not changed. Events organisers are also asked to notify us at the above email address of any changes or cancellations as soon as they are known. KEY: BBBC, Birmingham Business Breakfast Club. GBCC, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.

IoD, Institute of Directors. UBBC, University of Birmingham Business Club

The diary is updated daily online at bqlive.co.uk