Business Manchester May 2019 by The Samuel James Group

MANCHESTER M TECHNOLOGY firm UKFast is committing a further £3m to its cybersecurity fund to protect businesses online, taking the total amount donated to £20m. The BASEfund (Building a Safer Environment) initiative has given more than £17m to UK businesses in the decade since the scheme launched. Now, UKFast is pledging a further £3m, growing the fund’s scope and enabling hundreds of businesses to strengthen their security. The relaunch of BASEfund also sees the inclusion of a number of new security products including Threat Monitoring, DDoS protection, web application firewalls and penetration testing. UKFast collaborates closely with Secarma, the security business owned by UKFast founder and CEO Lawrence Jones MBE, to deliver cloud security solutions and penetration testing services. Jones said: “We spent the first decade and more of our journey explaining why people needed to get themselves online and get themselves higher up the search rankings. That has changed over the past decade, as businesses understand the value of being online. Now it’s our responsibility to help secure those organisations.

Irish Government trade agency opens office in p4 Manchester

Work starts on £26m Manchester waterfront leisure destination

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May 2019

UKFast cybersecurity fund tops £20m

“All businesses need cybersecurity, but for some, the cost is prohibitive and as a result, there are more and more insecure websites and applications holding critical, sensitive information. “BASEfund is designed to help businesses get the security they need, where it might otherwise be cost-

prohibitive or overlooked for other priorities. We’ve set aside this pot of money to contribute towards people’s safety and security online, because these threats have to be taken seriously. By the end of this year, we’re set to have given away a total of £20m to protect our clients. “The fund is specifically for

security products and originally gave people access to firewalls and other hardware. With cyberthreats constantly changing and evolving, we’ve expanded BASEfund to include a raft of security products which our R&D team has developed in recent years.”

POWERING MANCHESTER BUSINESSES We’ve helped hundreds of businesses across Manchester solve a range of utility cost, consumption, and carbon challenges. INSPIREDENERGY.CO.UK

Formula 1 fans will love our selection of incredible Grand Prix Experiences. Get closer to the action and soak up the thrilling atmosphere at these famous racing events. Formula One has become one of the world’s most stunning spectacles. With superb events surrounding each date on the F1 calendar to complement the adrenaline-pumping excitement of the race. The Grand Prix calendar has become a truly global event, travelling to five continents and 21 countries on its yearly procession. Coming along for the ride is a fantastic way to discover some of the world’s best destinations whilst also enjoying world-class racing. This season sees Lewis Hamilton looking to retain the drivers' championship and win it for the 6th time. He's made a great start in Australia and Bahrain, topping the table after two races. The main title challengers look to be team mate Valtteri Bottas and youngster Charles Leclerc who are currently 2nd and 3rd respectively. This year, tick seeing some of the world’s finest Grand Prix events off your bucket list and follow what promises to be an exhilerating F1 season. Along the way enjoy historic races which continue to hold a huge amount of prestige and tradition, or experience newer Grand Prix which have started to stand out for the huge parties that accompany their arrival in town. Monaco rightly holds onto its status as the best known race in the calendar, being part of motor racing’s Triple Crown. The race itself is incomparable, firstly with its track, known for twists, turns and elevation changes as it travels through the heart of the city. There’s also its place in the calendars of high society, with the rich and famous descending on the principality by super yacht to see this amazing spectacle.

Monza in Italy is also known for its unique and historic track. Almost 100 years old, the fastest circuit in Formula 1 is the place to really feel the speed and fury of these magnificent machines. Closer to home you can discover the history of the sport at the brand new Silverstone experience which is due to open in time for the British Grand Prix in July 2019. As new races have sprung up across the world the entertainment that surrounds the race has been ramped up. This year, the entertainment at the Singapore Grand Prix wouldn’t look out of place at a major international music festival, with Muse, Fatboy Slim, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Swedish House Mafia leading the line-up. In Abu Dhabi you can enjoy four days of world-class entertainment on and off the track, with ticket options including admission to Ferrari World, located on Yas Island which hosts the race. You’ll round off the entire F1 season with an after race show that has featured the likes of Guns ‘n’ Roses and Kendrick Lamar over the last two years. All packages include return flights or coach travel, a choice of accommodation, race entry, entertainment and transfers. Many other inclusions and optional extras are available by tour.

See the full range at shearings.com/grand-prix

SEE THE ACTION... ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX 3 DAY SOUTH GRANDSTAND TICKET* Yas Marina Circuit 6 days by air 4 Nights at a Park Rotana Bed & Breakfast 1 Day pass to Ferrari World Ethiad Race Pack • Pit Lane walk After race concerts 27th Nov from £1,972pp

SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX 3 DAYS GRANDSTAND TICKET* Circuit Park 7 days by air 4-Nights at The Peninsula Excelsior Hotel Enjoy both Qualifying and the Race After race concerts Resort Transfers 18th Sept from £1,612pp

MONZA GRAND PRIX GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS* Autodromo Nazionale Monza 10 days by Coach 7 nights at Hotel Seven Park Tickets for Qualifying day Tickets for Race day Visit Alfa Romeo Museum 3rd Sept from £899pp

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BRITISH GRAND PRIX GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS* Silverstone 2 days by Coach 1 nights at Carefully Selected Hotel Tickets for Qualifying day Tickets for Race day 13th July from £299pp

*TICKET UPGRADES AVAILABLE

For more info and to book visit

shearings.com or call

01942 416239 using code NBU918 Terms and conditions apply. Regional variations may apply to tour departure points and prices, some tours may not be available from all areas. All prices are from prices, based on 2 people sharing a standard double/twin room and joining at one of our interchanges (coach holidays only); single/room/flight supplements may apply. Prices correct as of 15/04/19. Insurance not included. E&OE.

Business Manchester/Lancashire.indd 1

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WELCOME

CONTENTS

...to the May 2019 edition of Business Manchester. In this issue, we read about how the Irish government is setting up a base in Manchester and how we have launched a partnership with the Northern Automotive Alliance. Other stories include how work has started on a £26m project in Salford Quays. Finally, we celebrate the Greater Manchester winners of Queen's Awards for Enterprise. CONTACTS & CONTRIBUTORS Group Editor: Andy Mann 07951 731722 andy@thesamueljamesgroup.com Editor: Phil Ghayour 01772 364152 07825 884003 phil@thesamueljamesgroup.com Design: Robert Leach 01772 364150 / 07930 962609 robert@thesamueljamesgroup.com

DIGITAL

EDUCATION

AWARDS

BUSINESS SUPPORT

INTERNATIONAL

ACQUISITIONS

NAA

TRANSPORT

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

APPOINTMENTS

PROPERTY

ENERGY

If you would like to be involved with BUSINESS MANCHESTER, please get in touch:

Group Commercial Director: Sam Whitear 01772 364150 / 0758462676 sam@thesamueljamesgroup.com

This publication is produced by The Samuel James Group Ltd, Unit 6/7 Eastway Business Village, Fulwood, Preston PR2 9WT. Reproduction of the contents of this newspaper in any form is not permitted, without the permission of the publisher. Whilst every care is taken to ensure accuracy, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors and/or omissions in advertisements, information, photographs or illustrations. The opinions and advice in this newspaper do not necessarily express the view of the company. © 2019

www.businessmanchester.co.uk

Published by The Samuel James Group

May 2019

Irish Government trade agency opens office in Manchester REAFFIRMING Ireland’s commitment to maintaining the strongest trading relationship with the UK, in a post Brexit era, the Irish Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys led Ireland’s trade and innovation agency Enterprise Ireland’s three-day trade mission to Manchester, a “Northern Powerhouse” initiative. The trade mission focused on key growth regions in the UK and growth opportunities across construction, manufacturing, digital technologies and smart solutions, with fifty-five Enterprise Ireland clients participating on the trade mission, from major players; PM Group and Mergon, to innovative new high growth companies; Over-C and CitySwifter. Enterprise Ireland also announced the opening of a new Enterprise Ireland office in Manchester, its second office in the UK. With Ireland being the first country to establish a trade office within the ‘Northern Powerhouse’, Enterprise Ireland will be focused on strengthening ties and boosting Irish companies’ contribution to the region. Irish companies contribute significantly to the economic success of the UK, with Enterprise Ireland clients employing over 100,000 people in the UK. The new office will provide an opportunity for local businesses in the region to

partner and collaborate with some of the most innovative SMEs in the EU and access an Irish workforce that the OECD ranked as the most productive in the world. Irish Business Minister Heather Humphreys said: “The UK is our longstanding trading partner and the Irish Government, through Enterprise Ireland, is committed to consolidating our exports to the UK market and continuing to contribute to the success of the UK. Currently over 100,000 people are employed by Enterprise Ireland backed companies in the UK. With such strong historic,

business, cultural and heritage ties between Ireland and Manchester, we are delighted to witness its renaissance and we are committed to the strengthening ties and building new partnerships into the future. The opening of Enterprise Ireland’s office in Manchester will be instrumental to this. “Regardless of the outcome of Brexit, Ireland wants the closest possible trading relationship with the UK after Brexit because this works for businesses on both sides of the Irish sea. It remains our strong hope that the UK parliament will ratify the Withdrawal

Agreement to make for as seamless as possible a transition to a new trading relationship between the EU and the UK.” Welcoming the Irish trade mission to Manchester, Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council said: “The opening of a new base for Enterprise Ireland in Manchester is a significant boost to our close trading and cultural relationships with Ireland, which have endured for many years and will continue to flourish in the future. As a proudly outward-looking city, we will continue to welcome close partnerships with

friends from around the globe and so this mutually beneficial development, with the potential to foster new economic opportunities and technological innovation both here and in Ireland, is hugely welcome.” Deirdre McPartlin, UK Manager, Enterprise Ireland said: “We are pleased to announce the opening of our new office in Manchester and I believe that Ireland is the first country to establish a trade agency presence in the region. The establishment of a new Enterprise Ireland office, outside of London, very much reflects that Manchester and the Northern Powerhouse region is an exciting and dynamic growth region in the UK. We have strong business ties in the North-West and many Irish companies, proven to be dynamic partners, have committed to the region by establishing their own local presence. The trade mission demonstrated Irish capabilities across construction, manufacturing, industry 4.0 and digital technology, with a focus on deepening mutually beneficial collaboration with our UK partners.” The opening of the office was celebrated at a business networking dinner in Manchester with guests including Sir Richard Leese, Irish Minister for Business Heather Humphreys and a number of Irish companies that have opened an office in Manchester over the last 2-3 years.

6 DIGITAL

Pixel Kicks wins Composite Wood Company digital brief PIXEL Kicks, the Manchester based full-service digital agency, has been appointed by Composite Wood Company to handle all aspects of its digital marketing activities. Headquartered in Oldham, Composite Wood Company is one of the UK’s largest stockists and suppliers of wood polymer composite (WPC) products. WPC is a durable and longlasting timber replacement. The firm has distributors and installers across Britain for its comprehensive range of decking, fencing, garden rooms, balustrades and railings. Pixel Kicks’ initial brief includes SEO, PPC, social media management

as well as video and content creation. All will be centered around the core messages of composite wood being the next generation in home improvement products and their environmentally friendly credentials. Over the coming months, a new website will also be commissioned. Chris Buckley, MD of Pixel Kicks, said: “The home improvement sector is a growing market so winning this project is fantastic news for the agency. Composite Wood Company is a dynamic business with a great story to tell so our focus will now be on driving visibility and enquiries from both its consumer and trade audiences.”

David McNicholas, MD of Composite Wood Company, added: “We have been keeping an eye on Pixel Kicks over the past few months and we’ve been impressed with the

projects they’ve delivered for their clients. Their ability to mix creativity and commercial acumen really stood out and we are now looking forward to seeing their ideas come to fruition.”

FinTech North returns to Manchester THE first FinTech North conference of 2019 took place in Manchester, following last year’s sell out event. One of a series of events held across the North, FinTech North Manchester 2019 took place at University of Manchester’s Whitworth Hall. The conference brought together policy and decision makers across the public and private sector, alongside some of the most established businesses, financial services and tech firms both regionally and nationally. Topics covered included the national and regional economy, the future of payments, how the lending market has been revolutionised, and the impact of open banking. Delegates and speakers from across the UK joined their counterparts from Greater Manchester and the Northern Powerhouse, as well as a large cohort of international attendees. This included a 25 strong delegation of guests from ICBC, the largest bank in China, in collaboration with the AMBS Executive Education Centre. The event focused on the skills, resources, innovation and economic strength of the FinTech

community in the North, as well as exploring opportunities for further growth and sharing expertise with counterparts across the UK and internationally. The day was chaired by Chris Sier, FinTech Envoy at HM Treasury. Keynote speakers included Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, and Henri Murison, Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership. Charlotte Croswell, CEO of Innovate Finance, also discussed London and global FinTech trends. Europe’s biggest FinTech organisation, OakNorth, valued at over a billion euros and with offices in Manchester, showcased the latest innovations in the field, alongside a range of Manchester’s fastest growing startups including Arro Money, Mojo Mortgages, and AccessPay. Now in its fourth year, FinTech North was established in 2016 as a non-profit project by Whitecap Consulting and White Label Crowdfunding. It aims to reinforce the UK’s

Northern Powerhouse region as a centre of excellence for FinTech. Julian Wells, Director of FinTech North, commented: “Last year was our first ever Manchester conference, and it was an incredible success. The region really pulled together to support the local FinTech scene, and seats were sold out. We heard interesting discussions on the challenges and opportunities for Manchester FinTechs, saw demonstrations of the latest technologies, and new relationships and partnerships were formed to help further the growth of FinTech in the area. “This year, we have decided to hold an even bigger conference in Manchester, so more local organisations can take advantage of the opportunities to network, collaborate with some of the most influential and exciting FinTechs, benefit from national and international expertise, and even influence policy. The response so far has been really encouraging, with speakers and signups in the North, but also across the UK and even internationally.”

DIGITAL

New start up raises £500k NORTHERN-based start up Guardian Angel, which is a free and private online platform that simplifies the bereavement process; connecting families, friends and funeral directors together, has closed its pre-seed round raising £492K and with it welcomes two former Co-op executives to its strategy team. Thanks to this significant new investment Guardian Angel, founded by former financial professional Sam Grice, is one step closer to easing the stressful bereavement process for families following the death of a loved one. The secure platform aims to reduce the stress in the immediate aftermath of a loved one’s death by enabling you to coordinate support from family and friends. There is a ‘Key times’ function which informs people when they can visit and when you and your family would like to be alone. Its ‘ToDo list’ allows you to manage all tasks and ask friends for help. You can share funeral information privately and it also staggers support, like flower deliveries, so they do not all arrive at once. Guardian Angel was conceived in 2017 following the unexpected death of founder Sam Grice’s mother in a road accident. Having been

personally exposed to the end of life industry, the lack of digital efficiency became evident as he and his family struggled to coordinate the tasks and sudden influx of communications. Sam said: “The support we received from well-meaning family and friends after mum’s accident was amazing. However, managing that support together with organising a funeral and wake, something I had never done before, proved immensely difficult during one of the most stressful periods of my life. And I’m not alone. Most of us have or will experience the death of a loved one and face the same issues that I did. “The funeral sector has been slow to modernise and digitise its services but we are talking to funeral directors on a daily basis about the benefits of creating a Guardian Angel support hub for their clients, as we believe technology can really help in the bereavement process.” Guardian Angel aims to use this investment to improve its current digital platform and to develop a tool to make the process of planning for the inevitable easier. As part of the raise, two members of the NorthInvest Angel network, Rod Bulmer and Alistair Asher, agreed to come on board as financial

and as strategic advisors. Between them, they have contributed a sixfigure investment. Rod Bulmer had executive responsibility for Co-op Funeralcare and Co-op Life Planning from 2014 to 2016. Prior to that, Rod was Deputy CEO, Coop Bank. Alistair Asher is also a former Co-op executive, with roles including General Council, NED Co-op Insurance and Non-Executive Chairman Co-op Legal Services. Professor Adam Beaumont, Founder of NorthInvest commented: ‘NorthInvest has attracted investment to several scalable platforms which address challenges or opportunities on a global scale. Guardian Angel is one of such platforms and we’ll watch with interest – I believe their empathic approach to help deal with difficult issues in an efficient way can not only be a successful start up but make a positive impact to many.’ Helen Oldham, founder, and board director at NorthInvest said: ‘NorthInvest is delighted to have supported Guardian Angel. Their larger aims are to make things like funeral plans and life insurance easier to assemble and more transparent. This has the potential to make a positive difference in an area which

affects everyone.’ Guardian Angel has also attracted ex-Goldman Sachs MD Andrew Weisz who will act as Financial Director going forward. The investment opportunity excited Bulmer for multiple reasons, he said: “Like many professional services, the funeral and end-of-life planning industries are only now starting to go through significant digital change. There is a real opportunity for an independent platform to help families through this process and provide a vehicle to promote active communities discussing the subjects around death openly and honestly. To this point, I don’t think there is anything in the market that is truly independent or that has been executed correctly. This is a real opportunity for Guardian Angel, which has an ethos focussed on support” Full Circle Funerals owner and director, Sarah Jones, was impressed by the project and made the initial connection to the NorthInvest Angels. She said, “The funeral sector has been very slow to embrace the digital age and Guardian Angel is actively trying to address this so that bereaved people can also benefit from technology”.

DIGITAL

SKV wins ‘Industry 4.0 transformation’ campaign for Siemens Digital Industries

AWARD-winning SKV Communications has been appointed by the UK arm of global engineering business Siemens to promote its leading-edge work in the digitalisation of industry, popularly known as Industry 4.0. Siemens’ transformational technology offer, which is delivered by Siemens Digital Industries features target manufacturing sectors including chemical, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, intralogistics and machine building. SKV will highlight key issues in specialist and business media such as increasing automation, supply chain integration, the industrial internet of things and increasing industrial productivity. SKV will be positioning the client’s specialists as providers of expert comment and thought leadership as well as utilising Siemens’ Digital Factory in Congleton, Cheshire, an industrial beacon for industry 4.0 in the UK. The agency will also work on Siemens’ Digital Talks national digitalisation summit in Liverpool on June 11th which will explore the opportunities offered by Industry 4.0 and showcase Siemens’ latest technological systems and solutions. The campaign follows SKV’s

successful execution of the launch campaign for Made Smarter, a joint private sector and government initiative to communicate the benefits to manufacturers of digital technology, which was launched in the NorthWest in autumn 2018 by The Growth Company. Siemens was one of the original architects of the Made Smarter initiative and their CEO Juergen Maier is co-chair of the national Made Smarter Commission alongside Business Secretary, Greg Clark MP. Paul Addison, digitalisation and industrial PR lead at Siemens in the UK said: “SKV impressed with their handling of the Made Smarter launch and they have shown a solid grasp of the digitalisation agenda, with a clear plan to target manufacturing decision-makers through structured and opportunity media relations and wider content.” Director of Strategy Richard Bond, who will lead the SKV account team, said: “Digitalisation is rightly high on the national agenda for both government and business. SKV is delighted to be working with Siemens Digital Industries to communicate to the benefits of Industry 4.0 technologies to manufacturers in a wide range of sectors.”

May 2019

Manchester to become first city in the world to use new payments system MANCHESTER has been chosen for the global launch of a fintech payments system, Fingopay. From this Summer, merchants across the city will be the first in the world to let customers pay with just a scan of their finger, with the company already in advanced discussions with a number of leisure and hospitality venues across the city’s Spinningfields, Ancoats and King Street districts. The award-winning technology, which uses Hitachi VeinID scanning, allows customers to link their vein signatures with their payment cards to pay using just their finger at a network of merchants. At tills, the unique pattern of the customer’s vein is scanned, verifying biometric signatures and payments in seconds through its cloud-based matching system. The identity and authentication system has been hailed as a game changer for payments. Removing the need for cash, cards and mobile, it has been described as the fastest and safest payment method on the market with no need for PIN or passwords and no transaction limits. Unlike other biometrics such as fingerprints, finger vein patterns leave no trace and cannot be stolen or copied, resulting in one of the most secure methods of payment or ID. Simon Binns, CMO at Sthaler, the UK fintech company that developed Fingopay, commented: “We have already successfully completed pilots at Festival Number 6, Proud bar Camden, Brunel University and Copenhagen Business School over the past two years.” “Manchester has a dynamic hospitality sector with some highly innovative operators, a large student

population and positive environment for fintech businesses. This city-wide scheme will be a world-first, and we’ve had real encouragement from Greater Manchester Combined Authority to invest and create jobs in the City. We look forward to adding to the city’s status as a centre for innovation.” Fingopay has been working with partners including CityCo and MIDAS to identify the first venues to become Fingopay enabled merchants. Tim Newns, Chief Executive of MIDAS, Manchester’s inward investment agency, said: “Manchester was recently named one of the most innovative cities in the world and the city’s growing status as a test-bed for digital innovation and transformation has attracted a wealth of companies looking to capitalise on both the high-growth market, as well as the finance and tech talent available here.” “We’re delighted to have helped Fingopay establish operations in the city and we are looking forward to embedding them in the city’s rapidly expanding fintech and payments scene.” CityCo Chief Executive, Vaughan Allen, also commented: “Many of our members are already aware of Fingopay and like the idea of making payments simpler for customers and help move to cashless. The identity component also has the potential to keep venues and streets safer, which is the highest priority for all concerned.”

DIGITAL

Charles Stanley appoints Manchester agency to drive their mobile strategy TECHNOLOGY specialists Apadmi is to take Charles Stanley’s tech to the next level, after being appointed the firm’s mobile partner. Established in 1792, Charles Stanley is a wealth management company that has never stood still. It has tasked Manchester-based Apadmi with enhancing its mobile offering to clients, and take its technology solution forward. Apadmi will design, build and deliver a new mobile app strategy, taking on its current apps (Charles Stanley Direct and Charles Stanley My Accounts), enhancing their performance and features, before bringing new functionality

to their customer bases. Users will be able to view and manage their trading portfolios, access financial advice services and more, through intuitive, helpful and fast mobile solutions that suit today’s investor. Marcus Hadfield, Chief Strategy Officer for Apadmi, said: “Charles Stanley has innovated for over 200 years. That’s why they’re so highly regarded, still. Their continued investment in mobile technology will deliver an even better experience for their clients – but this is just the beginning. “The enhanced apps will provide rich data on

the kinds of services their customers value the most when on-the-go, and this will inform future developments. We can’t wait to get started on this project, and we’re looking forward to the beginning of great partnership.” Magnus Wheatley, Managing Director of Charles Stanley Direct, added: “We always strive to lead the way, our last App with fingerprint and face-id log-ins was incredibly popular. I am very excited to work with Apadmi to take all the Charles Stanley apps to the next level and make it even easier for our clients to access and manage their investments from wherever they are.”

Digital content specialist joins SKV Communications SKV Communications has appointed digital journalist, and former Manchester Evening News business reporter, Stuart Greer, to work across its extensive portfolio of B2B clients. Stuart moves from MEN Media where, in his role as trending writer, he used real time analytics of audience metrics to optimise the performance of content. Skilled in developing engaging SEO and evergreen content as part of longterm editorial search strategies, he will work with SKV’s clients to help create, shape and amplify their communications. With thirteen years’ experience at MEN Media, Stuart has held a number of posts including Business Reporter at theManchester Evening News, working across print, web and social channels, and as a Senior Reporter on the Macclesfield Express, Salford Advertiser and Oldham Advertiser. Stuart has been short-listed for the Business and Finance Journalist of the Year category in the Regional Press Awards for 2018.

At SKV, he will be working across a client base which includes the UK arm of Siemens Digital Industries, the Siemens operating company responsible for industrial digitalisation. He will also work on the Made Smarter North West pilot, a £20m joint private sector and government initiative which promotes and delivers the benefits of Industry 4.0 processes and technologies to the region’s SME manufacturers. Managing Director, Andrew Spinoza, said: “Stuart’s combination of news reporting, business to business experience and extensive digital and online expertise makes him the perfect fit for SKV, especially with regards to our national and regional B2B accounts. “I also anticipate that he will get involved with our public sector and consumer work, especially with regards to maximising online content and generating a buzz across social media.”

10 EDUCATION

New training to tackle STEM skills shortage A NEW initiative at the Science and Industry Museum will tackle the STEM skills shortage which costs UK businesses around £1.5 billion per year. The Science Museum Group Academy will provide training and resources for teachers to support STEM learning outside a classroom environment. The aim is to encourage more young people into STEM careers in order to fill roles such as the 700,000 additional STEM technicians the Gatsby Charitable Foundation estimate will be needed to meet demand

within a decade. From its two sites, the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester and the Science Museum in London, the Academy will provide

free courses for primary and secondary teachers, made possible by funding support from BP. Susan Raikes, Director of Learning for the Science

Museum Group, said: “Helping more people find meaning and relevance in science is at the heart of the Science Museum Group’s mission to inspire futures. The Academy’s vital work, which is only possible thanks to BP’s support, is a critical part of this mission. Each STEM practitioner supported by the Academy will gain the tools to create incredible science engagement opportunities for a much wider audience, helping to address the challenges of low engagement with science across the UK.” Peter Mather, Group Regional President, Europe

and Head of Country, UK at BP, said: “Continuing BP’s 50 years of support for STEM education in the UK, we are delighted to be working with the Science Museum Group to build deeper engagement across the UK with the STEM subjects. As we make the transition to a lower carbon future, the STEM skills essential for our future sustainability are in scarce supply. Our work with schools, communities, families and teachers has an important role to play in helping to maintain and grow the talent needed for our shared future.”

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EDUCATION

New careers scheme helping disabled people get digital jobs A NEW employability programme in Manchester is helping teenagers aged 16-18 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to get digital jobs. ‘Digital Inc.’ will provide eight schools in the area with 10 days of employer-led support, with experts from local digital companies coming in to classrooms to take students through a business startup process and talk about how they themselves got a job in the creative digital sector. A total of 80 students will take part in the programme and 16 will then be offered a supported internship at a newly created agency – ‘Digital Inc.’ – where they will work on real life digital briefs. The scheme aims to increase employer confidence, supporting digital businesses in Manchester to provide meaningful opportunities and progression to students with special educational needs and disabilities. Funded by the Careers & Enterprise Company, Manchester City Council, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Digital Inc. was set up to plug the digital skills gap in Manchester and address

issues around employing people with disabilities. Recent research from the Office for National Statistics shows that the UK employment rate for people with disabilities is 51.3% – significantly lower than the employment rate for people without disabilities, which is 81.4%. Despite this, the Department for Education admitted in their recent Careers Strategy that ‘careers advice for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can often be poor and lacking in aspiration.’ Digital Inc. hopes to change this. In the past, students with special needs have taken part in its sister scheme, POP (pop-up digital agency) – a flagship 5-day Digital Advantage training programme – working alongside students from mainstream schools, with great results. But this is the first time a dedicated employability programme for SEND schools has been set up. Andy Lovatt, Managing Director of Digital Advantage, which delivers Digital Inc., said: “People with special educational needs experience significantly lower employment rates than

mainstream students. At the same time, there is a digital skills crisis which is costing Manchester’s economy millions every year. I’d like to ask the city’s digital sector whether they are looking hard enough for talent? What percentage of their workforce has special educational needs? Digital Inc. seeks to help talented teenagers from special needs schools get great digital jobs and also support employers that are keen to find the best recruits.” Marie English, internship manager at Redwood School, a secondary special school in Rochdale that took part in POP last year, she said: “I was impressed with the functional aspects of the programme and how it helped students to set up a viable business. The trainer had really high expectations of our students. There was no sense of giving them the answers because they had special needs. This meant the students raised their game – they gained much more than just work experience. Their confidence grew and they felt important and empowered because they all had valuable job roles within the leisure app business they’d created.”

University of Manchester Innovation Company holds Innovation Showcase OVER 100 people have come together to learn more about developments at the University in Vision Sciences, Bioelectronics and MedTech. There were demonstrations of new technologies, tours of MedTech laboratories, presentations by researchers and budding entrepreneurs as well as roundtable discussions and networking with the University’s technology transfer company, UMI3. Curtis Dobson, Professor of Translational Biology at the University, commented: “The University of Manchester carries out an astonishingly broad programme of research, with numerous world renowned teams eager to help companies pursue their R&D goals. “Events like the Innovation Showcase offer a fantastic opportunity for the University to engage with industry and further its mission to make a positive impact in the world.” Mary Canning, Associate at Epidarex, a specialist life science venture capital group, who attended the

Innovation Showcase commented: “We like to work closely with top universities and the Innovation Showcase was very helpful in pointing out where The University of Manchester’s strengths lie. We’ve had a good relationship with UMI3 for the last couple of years. They’ve pitched a number of projects to us and there’s a very exciting pipeline. “I’d also say that academics shouldn’t feel that

they have to have a perfect business plan before they talk to industry or talk to investors, because if the technology is exciting enough, people will want to help and give advice. “We like to engage directly with academics, even long before they need funding so we can give them some input and then talk again later on.” Mark Dearden took part in the Plenary Panel. Mark is VP of Strategy & Marketing at LG, a global leader in the life sciences sector, serving customers in healthcare, applied markets (including food, agbio and the environment), research and government. Mark commented: “Innovation is critical to our agenda as a company. We track the vitality of our portfolio, which is a measure of revenue generated from new technology. “The diversity of perspectives from such a broad range of attendees in the Innovation Showcase was really engaging.”

12 AWARDS

The 2019 Enterprise Vision Awards are open THE 2019 Enterprise Vision Awards Roadshow returned to Manchester in April. The EVAs recognise the successes and achievements of female entrepreneurs in the North West. Outside London, the EVAS are the largest awards dedicated solely to businesswomen. They offer

women an opportunity to shine the spotlight on themselves and the businesses they represent. Regardless of whether they are a business owner or an employee, a cake maker or an engineer, a large or a small organisation, all working women from the region are eligible to enter.

Pamela Cairns, Marketing Manager at Salford Business School, said: “We are delighted to support the EVAs. Salford Business School is committed to the Athena Swan agenda which encourages equality and

diversity in higher education and are working toward providing a more gender-balanced environment for staff, students and partners. As part of this, it is natural for us to want to support women in business and

recognise their achievements. We especially look to celebrate the fantastic work being done by so many women in the Professional Services sector by sponsoring this award category.”

Swinton Electro Plating wins its second successive industry marketing award SWINTON Electro Plating Ltd., based in Pendlebury, Manchester, is delighted to have recently won its second successive marketing award from its industry peers, the Surface Engineering Association (SEA). The SEA is a trade association that endeavours to be the voice of the industry and aims to highlight the positive contribution that the UK treatment industries have made to current technology employed around the world.

With over 50 years’ experience in hard chrome, electroless nickel plating and refurbishing services, Swinton Electro Plating utilises its strength in having one of the deepest hard chrome plating facilities in Europe, to supply clients globally. Commented Godfrey Evans, Managing Director, Swinton Electro Plating: “These awards are testimony to our hard work in building our reputation and credibility with our customers, potential customers and

associated supply chain. Without the support of them, our employees and the local community, we could not have achieved our continuing growth, particularly in our export markets. “Through effective marketing, Swinton Electro Plating has established a reputation for being the supplier of choice for engineering coatings and services. Something which we are extremely proud of. “We specialise in industrial applications and our bespoke

products are hard wearing, corrosive and friction resistant and we can significantly extend the shelf life and operational performance. Also, as one of the UK’s leading metal finishers, we constantly analyse our activities to eliminate pollution and improve environmental performance. “We are proud of our achievements over the last 50 years and look forward to striving to continually improve and be a great representative for our industry.”

Awards

Region’s top business talent named at 2019 IoD Director of the Year awards THE North West’s top business talent was celebrated at the annual Institute of Directors (IoD) Director of the Year awards. Embodying the IoD’s objectives in the North West by bringing the best leaders in the region to the fore, the event celebrated the diverse achievements of entrepreneurial and inspiring business leaders. Awards ranged from ‘Young Director of the Year’ to ‘Director of the Year Award – Corporate Social Responsibility’. Hundreds of business people, influencers and luminaries attended the awards ceremony, which was held at Hilton Manchester Deansgate. The awards have gained a coveted reputation for highlighting the success of North West directors – from young businesses leading a small but driven team, to large corporations based regionally, but overseeing operations throughout the world. Double award winner of the evening was Stockport-based Donald Moore of Rowlinson Knitwear who scooped both the Corporate Social Responsibility and Small-Medium Business Director of the Year awards. James Timpson OBE of Timpson Group, based in Wythenshawe, was congratulated as he was awarded with the Family Business Director of the

Year Award, followed by Debbie Francis of Crewe based Direct Rail Services Ltd, who stepped up to receive her Inclusivity Director of the Year award. The evening’s celebrations continued with the Innovation Director of the Year award being deservedly received by Dr Maurizio Bragagni MBA of Tratos Ltd in Knowsley, and the coveted International Director of the Year title was awarded to Marnie Millard OBE of Newton-le-Willows based Nichols PLC – famed for numerous beverages including Manchester’s own Vimto. Neil McArthur of the Hamilton Davies Trust based in Cadishead, Manchester, was honoured with the Chairman’s Award for Excellence in Director and Board Practice. Other winners included; Matthew White of The University Caterers Organisation, who picked up the Non-Executive Director of the Year, Steve Park of Warrington & Co as Public Sector Director of the Year, Paul Kerruish from the Fynoderee Distillery was awarded the Start-Up Director of the Year, Maura Jackson of BACKUP North West as Third Sector Director of the Year and concluding with Andrew Avanessian of Avecto who scooped the Young Director of the Year award. The IOD Director of the Year awards recognises

achievements in a whole host of sectors including healthcare, hospitality, construction and marketing showing the rich, varied and thriving economy in the North West. Claire Ebrey Regional Director for the North West and Isle of Man, said: “We offer our warmest congratulations to everyone who has won an award, as well as to all of those who were shortlisted. The IoD is proud to work closely with directors and their teams here in the North West – something that the organisation has been doing since 1903. “The awards embody the IoD’s philosophy of encouraging entrepreneurial activity and promoting responsible business practice for the benefit of the business community and society as a whole. The achievements of the above business leaders are a real celebration of this.”

North West businesses honoured by Her Majesty The Queen BUSINESSES from the North West represented over 13% of the 201 businesses, who have been recognised as proud winners of 2019 prestigious Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s 93rd birthday. Twenty-seven North West businesses have been recognised, of which 19 were in the International Trade category, where previous winners have seen a 73% boost to their international sales and worldwide recognition. Five winners were in the Innovation category and three in the Promoting Opportunity category. Among the double-award winning businesses recognised for outstanding achievements in both International Trade and Innovation categories was DriveWorks Ltd, a software developer from

Cheshire. The 2019 winners include businesses from a huge range of industries – from construction, agriculture, motoring and software development. This year, three quarters of the total are SMEs, 30 of which have fewer than 10 employees. They will join more than 6,000 British businesses who have in the past received this prestigious honour and who had the privilege of displaying the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise emblem for five years. The Awards, now in its 53rd year, are the most prestigious awards for UK businesses, with companies from across the UK recognised for their contribution in four categories. In total, there were 129 International Trade winners; 61 Innovation winners; 6 Sustainable Development winners and 5

Promoting Opportunity winners Business Secretary Greg Clark said:” These prestigious awards help shine a light on all that is great about UK business today. I am extremely impressed to see such a wealth of talent and innovation from across the UK being recognised by Her Majesty The Queen. “The awards recognise the innovative products and services being provided by British businesses, that are in demand across the world, as well as the sheer determination and hard work that comes with starting and running a business. “Many of these winners are small businesses the backbone of our economy – and we are backing them to grow, increase their productivity and create more jobs and opportunity across the UK through our modern Industrial Strategy.”

Awards

May 2019

Shortlist revealed for the 2019 St. Helens Chamber Business Awards Kath Boullen, Chief Executive at St Helens Chamber, commented: “It was fantastic to read all the entries and see how well so many of our local businesses are doing, despite a year of uncertainty.

Small Business of the Year – Sponsored by Inspired Energy • TF Jones Property Services Ltd • The Filter Design Company • Wellbeing Enterprises CIC

“The standard of entries was very high and I’m confident that we have a very deserving shortlist.”

Export Business of the Year – Sponsored by Brendon International • ATG Access • CFE Group (Compound Feed Engineering Ltd) • The Filter Design Company

The winners in each category will be unveiled at the St Helens Chamber Annual Dinner & Business Awards, taking place on Thursday 16th May at the Totally Wicked Stadium. Sponsored by GPW Recruitment and supported by Bericote and NatWest, tickets are on sale now for the event priced at just £45+VAT for Chamber Members and £55+VAT for Non-Members. The winning businesses will be entered into the national Chamber Awards which take place in London in November. Kath Boullen added: “Last year was our first awards and we’re very pleased that they have been so well received. Our winners from last year were put forward to the national Chamber Awards and we were delighted to have four finalists amongst our Members who went down to the national finals in London.”

Best Use of Technology – Sponsored by Network Space • Bluebird Care St Helens • Dynamic Vehicle Rental Ltd High Growth Business of the Year – Sponsored by NatWest • Cheshire Retail (NW) Ltd • Coral Products • Trinity Logistics Ltd Family Business of the Year – Sponsored by Knauf Insulation • CE Bettridge & Sons Ltd • Dynamic Vehicle Rental Ltd • The Branded Items Group

Customer Commitment Award – Sponsored by Clickworks • Accord Legal Services • Bluebird Care St Helens • Handepay • Mercury Hampton Employer of the Year – Sponsored by Wind in the Willows Childcare • 360 Resourcing Solutions • Handepay • Safer Sphere CHS Ltd Apprentice of the Year: Under 20 – Sponsored by Helena Homes • Alex McGrath, Inovus Medical • Alisha Bryan, Starbank Panel Products Ltd • Callum Conley, Flamco • Lucie Ross, Portico Nursery Apprentice of the Year: Over 20 – Sponsored by Starbank Panel Products • Abbigail Langtree, Express It • Elizabeth Cunliffe, Knauf Insulation • Nicola Walsh, St Helens & Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust • Reece Buckley, Liverpool One

BUSINESS SUPPORT

May 2019

FLG now includes online digital “Fact Find” for capturing customer data FLG, the complete customer engagement platform, with offices in Burnley and Manchester, has further expanded a range of new features available to new and existing customers, the most recent of which is a revolutionary new way to capture “Fact Find” type information on customers perfect for the finance and insurance industries. The new feature, called Journeys, provides an intuitive drag & drop interface that allows any user to design

fully interactive online forms that are tightly integrated with every other piece of customer data. This allows core information captured within the form to then be merged into standard emails, SMS or even physical letters. Digital journeys can be completed in a single session, or users can come back to forms and revisit them over time as needed, and a full PDF can be exported or sent back to the customers if required. Existing customers have already extensively embraced

this new feature, with forms being created and used for: mortgage applications, loans, expenditure assessments, insurance quotes and even recording details of pending house moves! John Jackson, Owner and Managing Director of FLG, said: “The FLG product has always grown organically, but last year we invested heavily in our product & development teams to give us the ability to really drive new features. The recent releases show our ability to innovate and our

dedication to respond to what our customers are asking for. We’re now releasing fantastic new features every few weeks - listening to our customers, which drives our product roadmap.” Journeys is available to all customers in early release now, together with new calendar integration to Google and Microsoft for setting agent appointments, and a fully integrated reporting and analytics product. The FLG platform provides customers with a powerful

CRM at its core, presenting organisations with the ability to communicate with customers across multiple channels, create compelling marketing campaigns, build intelligent workflows that drive sales processes. It has already found significant success within the legal, finance and insurance sectors, with customers including Gladstone Brookes, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, TFS Loans, Etico Group and Stonebridge Rock amongst many others.

The complete customer engagement platform

We help businesses create personal customer experiences and drive sales at any scale: • Powerful CRM • Multi-channel contact • Intelligent workflows • Marketing automation • Reporting & analytics • Seamless integrations Rated Excellent on Trustpilot 01282 798 545 | contact@getflg.com | getflg.com

BUSINESS SUPPORT

New Conister Finance and Leasing Business Development Manager will help SMEs to focus on their future CONISTER Finance & Leasing is committed to helping small to medium sized enterprises in the North West to grow, says new Business Development Manager Sid Ludbe. Sid, who is based in the company’s Spinningfields office, will be focusing his team’s efforts on helping SMEs to flourish through Business & Commercial Loans, Car Finance, Professional Practice Loans and VAT & Tax Loans. Sid has worked in financial services for over 10 years and is a qualified financial adviser. A highly motivated and professional individual with a proven track record of achievement in compliant sales, banking and wealth management, Sid looks forward to what he describes as “the fantastic opportunity

to meet new challenges, build long-term client relationships and create brand awareness in the North West’’. Conister Finance & Leasing has assisted small businesses with affordable loans for over 20 years; the group offers a range of funding options which give businesses access to funds that they may otherwise struggle to obtain, helping to ease the pressure on cash flow and enabling growth. “Conister Finance & Leasing fosters an entrepreneurial culture designed to help you develop your business” comments Sid. “We’re here to provide help and support when you need it, always acting in our customers’ best interests through the tailored range of lending solutions that

we offer’’. “Our straightforward approach and understanding of our customers’ requirements enables us to make quick, positive decisions so that we can offer facilities to customers and brokers alike. Funds are released within days of striking an agreement’’. “I am keen to do business in our region, and Manchester in particular; I encourage you to get in touch so that we can outline the broad range of competitive facilities we are able to offer, and look for a solution for you”. If you would like to speak to Sid, please feel free to call on 07930410988 or email sid.ludbe@ conisterfinance.co.uk

BUSINESS SUPPORT

May 2019

Ward Hadaway named as one of the busiest legal dealmakers LEADING commercial law firm Ward Hadaway has the second busiest team of all Corporate legal dealmakers in the country, according to the latest Q1 Experian MarketIQ legal volume rankings which tracks M&A deals valued at more than £500,000 at

regional and national level. The firm’s Corporate team, across its offices in Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester, advised on 20 deals in total. The North East team completed 11 of those deals, almost three times of the next ranked firm in the region.

Earlier this year, Ward Hadaway’s Corporate team was recognised as last year’s busiest Corporate dealmaker in the North East in the 2018 Experian MarketIQ league tables. Robert Thompson, who heads up the 30-strong

Corporate team, said: “We are extremely pleased to see that we are defying Brexitrelated uncertainty as one of the busiest law firms in the UK when it comes to buying, selling and fund raising for businesses during Q1. “We work with businesses

of all sizes and across many different sectors and so we are really grateful to our clients for continuing to trust us with their transactions, and to our fellow professional advisers who continue to recommend us to their clients.”

BUSINESS SUPPORT

Pioneering US investor Nitin Rai announced as keynote speaker for Venturefest North West 2019 PIONEERING American venture capitalist Nitin Rai has been announced as keynote speaker as Venturefest returns to Manchester for its sixth year. The region’s biggest annual innovation expo and conference, Venturefest North West takes place at Manchester Central on Wednesday 20 November, with registrations now open. Organisers, GC Business Growth Hub, is promising an exceptional mix of inspirational speakers, interactive workshops and networking opportunities. Nitin Rai is the founder and managing director of Elevate Capital, based in Portland, Oregon. Elevate prides itself on its inclusivity, investing more than $6m in 25 startups founded or led by diverse and underrepresented entrepreneurs in the Pacific Northwest of the United States since 2016. Nearly 60% of Elevate’s investments are in femaleled companies, and 40% in start-ups founded or led by entrepreneurs from African and Latin-American backgrounds. Nitin also serves as the chair of The IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE) Global Board of Trustees, leading the mission to help its 60 plus global

chapters ensure entrepreneurs become successful. Additionally, under his leadership, TiE Oregon Angels has invested $15m in 50 seed stage startups with 10 liquidity events. He also chairs the TiE Global Angel network, which consists of over 200 TiE Angels globally. Nitin said: “Manchester and the North West has an incredible global reputation for fighting for equality, promoting tolerance and supporting minorities, which is why I’m thrilled to be taking part in Venturefest. The region is also already buzzing with entrepreneurs from all kinds of social backgrounds. “As we have found through our work in the USA, having such a richly diverse, multi-cultural and inclusive pool of people to draw upon leads to a dynamic, innovative and disruptive start-up scene, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what the North West has to offer at the event in November.” Hosting the event for a second time will be business commentator and successful entrepreneur, Professor Vikas Shah MBE. Having started a web design business while at Stockport Grammar School aged 14, Professor Shah is now CEO of Swiscot

Verastar prepares for the future with Tech investment

Group, a diversified international trading business. He is also co-founder of feature film studio 53 Degrees North and a venture investor in a number of businesses. An honorary professor at University of Manchester, he was awarded an MBE for Services to Business and the Economy in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List. Professor Shah said: “Venturefest celebrates building business and, whether you’re starting out, scaling or a well-established business, this is an event where you will find a mix of the practical, inspirational and useful – from great speakers, to service providers, products and the people you need to grow. “This event also showcases the very best of business in the North West and, importantly, brings together many of the region’s most successful entrepreneurs to connect with each other.” More than 1,100 delegates attended last year’s Venturefest North West, as GC Business Growth Hub joined forces with regional partners Cheshire & Warrington Growth Hub, Cumbria Growth Hub, Liverpool City Region’s Local Growth Hub, and Boost, Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub.

MANCHESTER-based utilities and telecoms specialist Verastar is getting prepared for the future and investing further in their tech team, introducing two new disciplines into the business, product and user experience. The B2B services provider offers telecoms, broadband, mobile, gas, electricity and water all on a one-bill solution, which is the output of 1000s of processes using in-house developed systems. As the part of the business’s progression, they’re investing in these systems to drive further value. Paul Pearce, Head of Software Product, joined Verastar in October 2018 with over 20 years’ experience working both agency side and in-house. He recognised the opportunity available at the services provider and the need for new disciplines from the outset. Paul said: “For me, when looking for new opportunities it’s all about finding the right challenge. Verastar is the biggest business I’ve worked with

GC Business Growth Hub director of business growth, Richard Jeffery said: “One of the great things about Venturefest is that it brings together entrepreneurs, growing businesses, investors and innovation specialists from across the region, providing the perfect opportunity for inspiration and ideas generation. “We’re very proud of the North West’s tradition of innovative and independent thinking, and I’m really looking forward to seeing new business innovations being spotlighted.” To register your free place at Venturefest North West 2019 go to venturefestnorthwest.com. Businesses looking to access specialist support can visit www. businessgrowthhub.com for more information about the organisation’s extensive range of services. This event is part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the GM Business Growth Hub project, designed to help ambitious SME businesses achieve growth and increase employment in Greater Manchester.

directly, turning over £148m last year, and there was a lot of cross-over with the senior team’s values and mine. “We need new disciplines to take us forward and enable us look at things differently. The business so far has achieved great things from projects, we now need to look beyond these to continuously improve, so a product team was the next step.”

BUSINESS SUPPORT

May 2019

Cunning Plan wins Warrington BID project MANCHESTER’S Cunning Plan Marketing is celebrating after winning a four-way pitch to become the agency of choice for Warrington’s Business Improvement District (BID) project. The place marketing campaign for Warrington is part of a £1.8million investment that will improve services and entertainment in the town – making Warrington town centre cleaner, greener and a better place to shop, work and spend leisure time. The BID proposal was approved last year and promises to put Warrington firmly on the map thanks to a five-year business plan, which includes marketing an exciting schedule of events, improved retail support, more green spaces, enhanced safety and transport links and a suite of services to help businesses thrive in the town. Cunning Plan will work with the BID team to promote Warrington Town Centre as a destination to over 100,000 residents within a ten-mile radius of Warrington, increasing footfall through the promotion of a single brand for the town. The Altrincham-based agency is tasked with creating a fullyintegrated marketing campaign that includes branding, website

design and build, social media management, content creation, stakeholder relations and PR. Dawn McElroy, Chair of the Warrington BID team said: “Since BIDs were introduced in 2004, over 250 have been approved, now it’s Warrington’s time to shine! We have lots of exciting plans and need to make sure that the people of Warrington and further afield know about them. Fourteen North West agencies tendered for the project but Cunning Plan’s approach to the brief impressed us all; their experience, creativity and passion for the

project made them the obvious choice for such a high-profile project.” James Adam, Managing Director at Cunning Plan said: “Our goal is to give Warrington an individual, authentic identity that everyone can get behind. We’ll be working closely with the BID, the business community and those living on the outskirts of Warrington to create a place marketing campaign that truly sets Warrington apart from its neighbours. It’s a hugely significant time for the town and we’re very excited to be a part of the journey.”

Unity Trust Bank lending tops £400m UNITY Trust, the commercial bank with a social conscience is celebrating a significant milestone, with loan balances now exceeding more than £400m, with the North West having the largest number of borrowers outside of London. Unity, which has recently opened an office in Deansgate, Manchester reached this lending milestone in the same month as they announced a 68% increase in profit and confirmed that they had approved over £200m of lending to firms and projects that will deliver community, economic or environmental

benefits. CEO Margaret Willis said: “Since becoming independent from the Co-operative Bank, we have seen our lending and profitability more than double. This could not be achieved without loyal customers, shareholder support and engaged and committed employees. “Increasingly organisations and businesses are looking for an ethical bank that shares their values. Our performance shows that profit and community value go hand in hand. The better we perform, the greater societal impact we can have.”

BUSINESS SUPPORT

GC Business Finance expands loans team to meet start-up demand MANCHESTER based responsible finance provider GC Business Finance has created three new roles within its lending team to meet the growing demand for alternative finance. GC Business Finance, which is part of The Growth Company, is welcoming Zack Shaw and Alice Bloor as Loan Officers to the Start Up Loans lending team. Zack joins from specialist lender Together Money, bringing with him extensive industry expertise, and Alice formerly worked in the hospitality sector. GC Business Finance has delivered Start Up Loans in the North West since 2013 and is also a national back office provider for the programme, which supports new businesses that have been unable to obtain funding through a mainstream lender. Simon Truby takes up a new position as Senior Loans Manager for the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF) team

within GC Business Finance, helping small and medium sized businesses secure growth funding in the micro-finance sector. Simon formerly worked at RBS and within the wider commercial banking sector for over ten years, providing bespoke lending solutions to SMEs and growth businesses. He will also play a key role in driving the NPIF team as it enters a third year of delivering loans of between £25,000 and £100k from the £140m fund. Chris Hutchison, Head of Lending at GC Business Finance, said: “Our loans team works with some of the country’s most exciting, enthusiastic and entrepreneurial businesses and demand for funding has never been higher. “Simon, Zack and Alice are joining us in three newly created roles that will really develop and fortify the team and enable us to build on our work supporting businesses at all stages of their growth journey.”

Rochdale gets flavour of manufacturing Made Smarter MANUFACTURERS in Rochdale recently got the chance to find out more about the £20m Made Smarter business support programme in the North West designed to boost productivity and drive growth through the adoption of new technologies and design processes. Hosted at Crystal Door’s manufacturing facility, 25 innovative Rochdale manufacturing companies from a wide range of sectors attended the event. They got to hear from John Searle, Chief Executive of Rochdale Development Agency, Paul Halliday and Martin Hyman from the GC Business Growth Hub and Steve Cleaver from Made Smarter. Issues discussed included how Rochdale SMEs can fulfil growth ambitions and develop competitiveness through new technologies, and the wide range of support, advice, funding and guidance which is available via both the Growth Hub and the Made Smarter North West pilot programme. Those in attendance also got to see digital manufacturing technology in action with a tour of the Crystal Doors factory. Led by Crystal Doors Managing Director Richard Hagan, visitors saw how the company already utilises highly advanced robotics and other ‘Industry 4.0’ technologies to gain massive efficiencies in their production process. Richard Hagen, who helped to launch the Made Smarter programme last year alongside Siemens’ Chief Executive Juergen Maier, said: “Adopting digital technology such as automation within my business allowed us to leap frog the competition. The efficiencies such processes bring impacted massively on our bottom line, and I would encourage

any Greater Manchester manufacturer, from any sector, to explore how business initiatives like Made Smarter North West could change the way they work.” John Searle, Chief Exec of Rochdale Development Agency, said: “It was great to see so many local manufacturers coming together to find out more about the range of support available, and to learn from one another. “It was a useful forum where many of them realised that the issues they are facing in their own business, are very similar to those in others – even where the products are very different. “The business support available is vital to these organisations and through working with them and the Rochdale Development Agency we can improve productivity and increase job numbers.” Steve Cleaver from Made Smarter said: “I have been working with businesses across Greater Manchester to understand the barriers to technology adoption. The event in Rochdale raised the same challenges. The Made Smarter North West pilot will help businesses to overcome the barriers by providing specialist advice and match funding.”

BUSINESS SUPPORT

May 2019

Chase de Vere Medical partners with The Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management CHASE de Vere Medical, which has offices in Manchester and Preston and provides independent financial advice to the medical profession, is delighted to announce a partnership with the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM). FMLM was established by all the medical royal colleges and faculties in 2011. It is an independent charity and the UK professional home for medical leadership, with the primary objective of raising the standard of patient care by supporting doctors and healthcare organisations to improve medical leadership. Its 2,200 members and fellows are a combination of senior medical leaders, consultants, doctors, trainees and students. With the new partnership, FMLM members will be able to benefit from expert independent financial advice from Chase de Vere Medical on the NHS Pension Scheme, retirement strategies, investment services, financial protection and estate planning. They will also have access to a wealth of articles, guides and events

on these subjects, which are specifically designed for medical professionals.

Andrea Sproates, Head of Chase de Vere Medical, said: “Our partnership with FMLM is a great fit. We have 65 independent financial advisers based around the UK who specialise in providing financial advice to the medical profession, and we are committed to providing their members with informative events and access to information to ensure they make the most of the pension and other benefits provided by their employer and of their wider personal finances.” Peter Lees, Chief Executive and Medical Director of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management, said: “We are pleased to introduce Chase de Vere Medical to our members. As industry experts, we believe their independent, specialist financial advice and planning will be a major benefit for our members, wherever they are in their medical career, and will provide valuable support those with questions or concerns around the NHS Pension Scheme.”

CITY OF MANCHESTER BUSINESS AWARDS 2019 Thursday 19th September 2019 at 6:30 pm - 11:30 pm The Lowry Hotel 50 Dearmans Pl Manchester, Salford, Greater Manchester M3 5LH United Kingdom The ninth annual City of Manchester Business Awards will take place on the evening of Thursday 19th September 2019 at the Lowry Hotel. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT CHRIS MCKENNA AT: chris.mckenna@downtowninbusiness.com The Samuel James Group_Adverts.indd 1

23/04/2019 11:38

BUSINESS SUPPORT

E3 Business Expo delivers record returns THE North West E3 Business Expo 2019 took place at the University of Bolton Stadium in Bolton. Exhibitors reported the best returns on investment in the event’s four-year history. In the months before the event, 1 EM managing director Mubarak Chati committed to helping all exhibitors to achieve a clear return on investment. Post-event valuations have shown that the Expo has indeed helped exhibitors to win more business than ever before. “We’ve been monitoring exhibitor results especially closely this year,” said Mubarak. “We’ve also held supporting events, such as an exhibitors’ training day, and we’ve encouraged networking and referrals between exhibitors. That has all paid dividends. Twelve of the exhibitors reported that they had achieved a clear ROI before they had even set foot in the exhibition hall, purely as a result of the connections they had made in the preparatory stages. A further six said that they moved into profit

on the day itself. “What is particularly encouraging is that so many of the exhibitors have reported a really good quality of engagement with visitors, with most of them filling up their diaries with follow up meetings and presentations. As a result, the rest of the standholders expect to make their return on investment within five to ten days.” The headline sponsor for the Expo was the Blackburn-based manufacturer, Simply Doughnuts. “We were one of the companies that made our ROI weeks before the Expo itself,” said company MD Shiraz Master. “We recovered the cost of the exhibition as a result of new connections and contracts that 1 Events Media helped us to make. “We exhibited at the Expo last year and we absolutely support the principle of supporting other North West businesses, so that was why we took the decision to be the principal sponsor in 2019.” The Blackpool-based digital marketing agency

Code Galaxy was another that saw early returns. “We were visitors to the Expo in 2018,” said company director Mary Speakman, “and that was very good for us, so we decided to exhibit in 2019. Mubarak’s support has been great throughout the preparations for the Expo. Even before the Expo started, he had helped us to make new contacts that more than paid for the cost of the stand. The day itself was positive, too; we met lots of good prospects so we’re confident that we’ll improve our total return as a result of follow up meetings and new sales. We’ll certainly be exhibiting next year.” Greater Manchester Chamber has been an exhibitor at the Expo for the last three years running. “The E3 Expo has helped us to make new contacts ever year,” said Regional Area Manager Diane Elebert-Morgan. “Through the connections we made before the event itself, we had already achieved a positive return, and that can only improve as we follow up on the contacts we met at our stand.”

Rugby League World Cup 2021 announces first round of small grants for CreatedBy capital grants programme RLWC2021 InspirationALL ambassador Jodie Cunningham returned to her former school, Cardinal Newman Catholic High School in Warrington, to present one of the first seven CreatedBy RLWC2021 Capital Grants projects, which range from kit and equipment for weekly touch rugby league sessions at Castleford Tigers Women to a clubhouse refresh for Wigan St Judes ARLFC. The seven chosen small grant schemes, part of the tournament’s wider InspirationALL legacy initiative, are the first to receive funding for the provision of capital items, kit and equipment or to refurbish and improve existing facilities. Applications for grants have been open since October 2018, with a total of £10 million available for local clubs and community projects to create a positive impact. £9 million will be allocated to largescale requests costing more than £15,000, with the remaining £1 million being granted to smaller-scale projects. The government investment, delivered in partnership with the RFL and Sport England, is part of RLWC2021’s ambitious plan to leave a lasting legacy. The grants have been awarded to the following: • Aspatria Hornets RLFC – The club has been granted cash to purchase a professional lawn

mower for their new home pitch and some rugby equipment for their juniors • Cardinal Newman Catholic High School in Warrington – Funds will go towards the school’s aim to increase female engagement in the region with new equipment and goal posts allowing the school to develop its training, competition and guidance offering to potential new players • Castleford Tigers Women – The club will use the funds to establish a weekly touch rugby club for girls with a variety of rugby equipment • Drighlington Amateur Rugby League Club – CreatedBy will replace their old rusty posts, with new ones and will supply new post protectors to go with them • Golborne High School in Wigan– The school has been awarded new rugby equipment, kit and post protectors • South Leeds Spartans ARLFC – The club has been awarded with new kit and equipment to

grow the number of girls teams it can provide. The new under-8s and under-10s sides will join the already established under-12s, under-14s and under-16s groups • Wigan St Judes ARLFC – The club aims to complete a refurbishment of their existing clubhouse by replacing doors and windows, modernising the bar facilities, replacing flooring and improving sanitary areas Jon Dutton, Chief Executive of the Rugby League World Cup 2021, said: “It’s incredibly exciting to announce the first round of funding, which has been made available to help these seven worthy projects. Our CreatedBy Capital grants will make an immediate impact more than two years before our tournament begins and we look forward to seeing more projects get underway very soon.” Ralph Rimmer, Chief Executive of the Rugby Football League, added: “There are so many reasons for the game to be excited about RLWC2021, and the CreatedBy Capital Grants Programme is right up there. These seven awards are the first of many over the next couple of years and give a hint of the range of clubs and other organisations that are going to benefit. Congratulations to the seven successful bidders, and I know they’ll put the investment to good use for the development of Rugby League.”

24 INTERNATIONAL

UKFast targets global expansion with network investment MANCHESTER-based technology firm UKFast is investing £4m to expand its network globally, launching new points of presence (POPs) in Amsterdam, Seattle and Manchester. The landmark move marks the first phase in a series of global network investments for the firm. The expansion more than doubles the capacity of UKFast’s distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) mitigation network, DDoSX. DDoS attacks flood a website or server with malicious traffic, making it unavailable to its intended users. Attacks are still on the rise, with attackers harnessing insecure Internet of Things (IoT) devices to create ever-larger attacks. The largest DDoS attack ever delivered occurred in 2018, measuring 1.3Tbps. DDoSX uses complex algorithms and AI to analyse malicious online behaviour and defends organisations against the significant impact of DDoS attacks, absorbing traffic and filtering it away from the target’s IT systems. The global DDoSX infrastructure also offers clients access to content delivery network (CDN)

and web application firewall (WAF) services. UKFast CEO Lawrence Jones said: “The rise in the intensity and regularity of DDoS attacks in recent years is alarming. A decade ago we might have seen one DDoS attack a year. Nowadays it can be three or four a day. “The latest investment in DDoSX enables greater performance and resilience for clients, whilst giving us the capacity to absorb attacks of even greater strength. The new POPs are also strategically positioned to allow our network to deliver content at incredible speed to our clients’ end users around the world. “Whilst attackers often use proxy servers to mask their identity, everything is traceable on the internet. There are more and more people being prosecuted for DDoS and similar attacks. Our AI platform uses data from multiple touch points across the network and security operations centre, collating information about specific IPs and locations to keep on watch lists. We are working closely with law enforcement

agencies to help protect people online.” DDoS attacks are also used as a decoy while hackers attempt to access IT environments. UKFast CTO Neil Lathwood added: “DDoS attacks on eCommerce websites traditionally spike around peak shopping periods, creating the maximum amount of disruption possible. It’s not unknown for it to be used to blackmail business owners or bring down competitors. “Downtime from a DDoS attack is incredibly damaging for the countless organisations that depend on being up and running 24/7/365. “DDoSX is a simple, plug-and-play solution that’s proved incredibly popular in the marketplace. With attackers creating botnets by targeting IoT devices, DDoS attacks continue to increase in intensity and remain a significant threat.”

Beta Group MD visits key supplier in India

THE Managing Director of Bacup based Beta Group, Martin Lewis, has recently visited three factories in Kochi and Kollam, both in the Kerala province of Southern India. The reason was to meet a key supplier of raw materials, who is part of the firm’s international supply chain, to ensure Beta Group’s customers are getting the most cost-effectively priced and highest quality materials. Beta Group imports raw materials, so that they can be utilised at its Bacup base to manufacture their own air filters. Founded in 1987, Beta Group specialises in air filtration, spray

booths and building services. Employing over 60 people at its base in Bacup, as well as engineers located across the UK, the firm services and maintains spray booths for the surface coating industry, as well as supplying associated accessories and parts. Martin said: “India is a major part of our international supply chain, as we look globally to ensure our customers are getting the very best products from us, at the best price. Making regular visits to the facilities in our international supply chain is important to us, so that we can solidify our international relationships with

suppliers and be assured that the highest level of quality control and production is being achieved. “The purpose of this recent visit was to once again meet Santhosh Kumar and his family. Santhosh is the owner and MD of Clairon and Filtrowin, our main Indian supplier, who also has access to supplies from China. We are looking forward to a reciprocal visit from them to our factory in Bacup in late April. “The visit was extremely successful, since as well as building relationships and refining prices on the supply of existing products, we also negotiated

becoming the UK agent and distributor for their Clairon and Filtrowin brands of HVAC and spray booth air filters. As a result, we will be growing the already existing import of several containers per month to our Bacup facility. “The continual evolution and development of our supply chain, will ensure that Beta Group continues to provide exceptional customer service, as well as reliable and efficient products, since we offer our services on both a contract and no contract basis, giving our customers absolute flexibility.”

INTERNATIONAL

UK Labs targets 20 exports countries in 2019 WARRINGTON based E-Liquids manufacturer, Bowman Specialised Liquids, is targeting a 20 country export milestone, only a year after founding their new range ‘UK Labs E-Liquid’. The company currently exports to eight countries, including France, Germany, Spain, Norway and South Korea and is now targeting Japan, South Africa and Canada, as well as others, as it establishes a greater global presence for its innovative E-Liquids products. Established in May 2018, UK Labs is experiencing a period of rapid and sustained growth, with its team of eight, focused on delivering the highest quality E-Liquids, in the UK and globally. The growing business

currently manufactures six product ranges, with more than 40 available flavours. Chris Bowman, Managing Director, Bowman Specialised Liquids, said: “Bowman Liquids was established in June 2013, with the intention to supply the UK market with a clean and UK made alternative. The recently formed UK Labs brand was subsequently formed to allow us to push our products into new markets both in the UK and beyond. “For a relatively new company, UK Labs has experienced exceptional success, across our small but diverse range, both here in the UK and globally. This year, we are aiming to break into more international markets,

working with both our partnership stores and distributors to give UK Labs a truly global footprint. “As well as targeting 20 export countries, we are also developing three news products lines and overhauling our website, giving our customers a greater choice and online experience. All of our products are manufactured to the highest quality, at our bespoke UK facility. "We are very proud of the products we produce and delighted with the global demand. It is going to be a challenging but exciting next twelve months and one which the team is really looking forward to.”

26 ACQUISITIONS

Calvin Capital to acquire Lowri Beck CALVIN Capital has agreed to acquire Wigan-based Lowri Beck, one of the leading providers of meter installation and data collection services to the UK energy market for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition, which is subject to certain conditions, will see Lowri Beck join Calvin to create an endto-end market offering comprising the installation, servicing, managing and funding of domestic metering assets. This agreement also provides a platform for the future funding, deployment and management of a wider range of digital energy assets, including battery storage and EV charging infrastructure. Lowri Beck was formed by its founder Bob Vernon over 20 years ago and has a workforce of approximately 2,000 people across Britain, with offices in Wigan and Dunstable, plus a dedicated training centre in Ashton-inMakerfield. The company currently installs and exchanges over 300,000 domestic meters annually, collects data from another 5 million meters and is heavily

involved in the nationwide smart meter roll-out. It will continue to operate as an independent brand serving both large and small energy suppliers. Calvin is a leading Meter Asset Provider (MAP) for energy suppliers in the roll-out of smart meters and in the development of a digital energy infrastructure. Calvin owns over 7.3 million installed meter assets. Commenting on the acquisition, Bert Pijls, Calvin’s Chief Executive

Officer, said: “This is a very positive development for two complementary businesses and for the wider energy market. Bringing together Calvin with Lowri Beck will enable us to create a ‘one-stop-shop’ offering that will be available to all energy suppliers and new market entrants through a broader array of services, ranging from full Metering-as-a-Service to bespoke installation, servicing or funding solutions.

“In addition, Lowri Beck’s expertise will help Calvin to accelerate the development of a sustainable digital energy infrastructure beyond smart meters.” Jon Parr, Managing Director of Lowri Beck, said: “We are excited to be joining Calvin. Having built our business on delivering service excellence and innovation, with Calvin’s support we look forward to leveraging the resources of the new combined business to build greater smart meter ownership and installation capacity. This agreement also provides a broad platform for developing new services in energy infrastructure growth areas, such as battery storage and EV charging.” Lowri Beck founder, Bob Vernon, commented: “I am very pleased to see the company I started over 20 years ago become part of such a dynamic business. The energy market is fast moving and this acquisition will accelerate business growth while creating opportunities for personal development and career progression for our people.”

Secarma takes 13.3% stake in Shearwater Group PLC CYBERSECURITY firm Secarma Ltd has taken a 13.3% stake in Shearwater Group PLC, in a deal worth £7.4m. The transaction sees Secarma, a leading provider of penetration testing and cloud security solutions, sell its legacy Pentest subsidiary to Shearwater. The assets being sold include the Databridge Software Division, which owns and operates a cloudbased platform-as-a-service software package. Databridge is licensed to customers on a recurring revenue basis and integrates IT service management platforms and ticketing systems. Following the transaction, Secarma

will continue to employ a 40-strong team of penetration testers and senior management and is owned by UKFast founder and CEO Lawrence Jones MBE. Jones said: “Secarma continues to go from strength to strength and we have laser focus on the direction we want to take the business. “Two decades’ experience building and supporting cloud platforms with UKFast, and working closely with customers, has given us clear insight into their needs. Our fast-growing cloud security division is where we’re focussing our attention. “We’re building out some really innovative recurring revenue

products to give peace of mind to our customers.” Secarma continues to foster an ever-closer partnership with British hosting giant UKFast, also owned by Lawrence Jones MBE, addressing the overlapping needs of their respective customer bases and service offerings in response to the significant rise in cybercrime. Jones said: “Within UKFast, we’re developing our Security Operations Centre, our Threat Monitoring service with a £4m investment in our global DDoS protection network, DDoSX. These products sit incredibly well alongside Secarma’s cloud security division.”

Shearwater has a longstanding relationship with Secarma and will continue to collaborate across certain projects. Shearwater Group chairman David Williams said: “Secarma is going to be a meaningful shareholder in Shearwater Group and we’re looking forward to working closely together for the benefit of all parties.” Jones added: “There’s a symbiotic relationship and close synergies between the two businesses.”

AUTOMOTIVE STORIES IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE NAA

Northern Automotive Alliance partners with Business Manchester THIS month marks the start of a new partnership between the Northern Automotive Alliance (NAA) and Business Manchester, which aims to bring a new level of automotive expertise and sector awareness to our readers. The NAA is an independent, not-for-profit company, which provides a membership service, combined with a project management delivery function, to the automotive community. The NAA supports micro-companies through to our local major vehicle manufacturers, such as Jaguar Land Rover, Bentley, Vauxhall and McLaren, offering a diverse service using its established networks. This includes the provision of training, events (one per month), funding applications and strategic, business and technical advice. The NAA have a large number of members located in Greater Manchester, with close links with Manchester based organisation such as the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and Made Smarter. The NAA covers a significant region, with members across the North West, Yorkshire and Humber, communicating with over 2,000 automotive companies across the North of England on a regular basis. Observed Andy Mann, Group Editor, Business Manchester: “The NAA is a strong believer in partnership and collaborative working with both industry and the public sector, as well as working closely with organisations such as BEIS, DIT, Universities, local Councils and LEPs. This exactly matches the aspirations and vision of Business

Manchester, where we work with businesses to promote their good news stories and demonstrate that Greater Manchester is a great place to live, work, relocated and do business.” Commenting on recent developments, NAA’s Chief Executive, Rowan Egan added: “The NAA exists to support the UK automotive sector, but also works with many organisations and companies across numerous different sectors, such as aerospace, marine, chemical and software (to name but a few). “The automotive sector has changed more in recent years than ever before, and this trend is set to continue with the introduction of AFV (alternative fuelled vehicles) and CAV (connected autonomous vehicles). These vast changes bring new opportunities for companies who have not traditionally been in the automotive supply chain. “The push for electrification, in particular, brings significant opportunities for companies who have expertise in power electronics, electric motors and battery technology, but also for any company who can make contributions towards ‘light-weighting’, thereby making a car more efficient. “Often these contributions are made through unique designs and creative use of materials or composites – a particular strength of the North West, which goes back to its history of working with textiles and lightweight metals. Similarly, for CAV, it is believed that technology and software companies working in sectors such as gaming, will be critical in the development of autonomous vehicles and a whole new CAV supply chain.

“The UK government has recognised these significant changes in technology, and the need to support the automotive sector in the UK, by offering a range of grant funding and support to UK companies, who wish to take on new opportunities, such as those offered by APC (Advanced Propulsion Centre), Meridian (for CAV research) and the Faraday Challenge (Battery research). At the NAA, we can help a company identify these grant funding opportunities and support the application process. How to join The NAA would like to speak to any companies currently operating in, or with aspirations to work in, the automotive sector. Membership ranges from £360 to £2,050, depending on the size of your company. To experience the benefits, the NAA is happy to offer any company interested in membership, a complimentary ticket to one of its monthly networking events. The NAA is extremely proud of its reputation as the best automotive networking platform in the North. This view is reflected by Sally Hepton, Director of Government Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility at Bentley Motors: “Promoting the North West and the wider North as a great place to invest is vitally important to the automotive sector. The NAA plays a fantastic role flying the flag for Northern automotive and supporting small, medium and large companies to prosper”.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE NAA AND HOW TO JOIN, PLEASE VISIT THE NAA WEBSITE AT HTTP://NORTHERNAUTOALLIANCE.COM/ABOUT/BECOME-A-MEMBER/

28 TRANSPORT

Roxtec UK doubles European rail sector sales to £750,000

BURY-based cable and pipe seal manufacturer Roxtec UK is reporting rapid growth across the European rail sector after doubling sales to more than £750,000 in the last 12 months. Roxtec Divisional

Manager for Infrastructure & Industry, David Chalmers, said UK sales grew substantially by 120pc, following a series of high-profile project wins in the rail sector. The deals have

contributed to sustained growth over a four-year period, for new and retrofit applications. David said: “Roxtec UK has enjoyed another record-breaking year in the rail sector “We have developed strong business partnerships in the rail and rolling stock markets where we deliver specialist cable, pipe and conduit seals. We offer a complete package from design, engineering, installation training, maintenance and inspection support. Some key projects driving growth include the delivery of multi-cable transit systems for London Underground and heavy-duty cable seal solutions for Network Rail’s London Bridge Station. We

are also involved in pioneering projects such as Crossrail’s new Elizabeth Line for London and the South East. This passes through 42km of tunnels and is currently one of Europe’s largest infrastructure project.” Roxtec UK is a British subsidiary of the £173million turnover Swedish headquartered Roxtec Group. In 2018, the division delivered a record financial year. Following three successive years of stable turnover, UK sales rose substantially in the 2017/18 financial year to more than £6million. David added: “Our solutions make it possible to route multiple cables and conduits of different

sizes through openings in rail and rolling stock, as well as allowing our customers to add additional services at a later stage, without making new holes. Some applications Roxtec’s solutions can be applied to include signalling and rail control, communications, tunnels and bridges, railway stations and rail yards. “Within the rolling stock arena, we offer cable management and sealing solutions for jumper plates, bogies, HVAC systems, junction boxes, pantograph and partition walls. We also offer cable retention systems tested for shock & vibration and dynamic forces.

Ryanair’s first Liverpool to Copenhagen flight takes off RYANAIR, Europe’s No. 1 airline, has celebrated the first flight on its new twice weekly Liverpool service to Copenhagen. Ryanair’s Liverpool summer schedule includes 34 routes in total, with three new routes to Corfu, Paphos and Copenhagen. Paul Winfield, Director of Aviation Development, said: “We are delighted to be launching a new scheduled service

from Copenhagen, allowing passengers from across the North West region to travel to the Danish capital from the region’s Faster Easier Friendlier Airport. Additionally, the new route provides passengers from Denmark to come to the third most visited city in the UK, according to the recent Trip Advisor Annual Travellers choice awards, as well as the wider North West region.”

Transport

Nijman Zeetank develops its niche transport and logistic offerings NIJMAN Zeetank, a leading North West specialist international logistics company, is looking forward to a period of sustained growth, following increased demand for its specialist services across the UK and Europe. The firm, which has UK bases in St. Helens and Hull, provides organisations across Europe with safe, reliable, transparent and cost-effect logistics solutions. Offering transport via road, sea and rail, Nijman Zeetank works across many sectors, transporting glass, chemical liquids, fuels and cryogenic gasses. The logistics specialist has worked

closely with Pilkington Glass since the 1960s and took over the whole Pilkington UK Transport Division in St. Helens in 1993, further reinforcing the already strong relationship with Pilkington Glass. Consequently, Nijman Zeetank recently celebrated 25 years in business in the UK. One of the highlights of this relationship is the work associated with the development of ‘floatliner’ vehicles, which carry large and heavy sheets of flat glass, with loads of up to 29 tonnes. More recently, besides their longstanding significant involvement

with dangerous goods logistics, the company has diversified into the transportation of concrete castings for the property market, LNG transportation from inbound ports, as well as general haulage. Bill Owen, Technical Director, Nijman Zeetank, said: “Demand for our specialist, diverse offerings is growing day by day, as organisations across the UK seek to safely, costeffectively and confidentially transport their products across Europe. “We employ 70 logistics professionals at our St. Helens site,

servicing more than 140 clients, with over 70 specialist vehicles. Last year, we were delighted to be recognised for our capabilities and skillsets, with the St. Helens Chamber of Commerce’s Excellence in Logistics award. “As part of our bespoke offering, we also take responsibility for the preparation of import and export documents, as well as the clearance of good travelling across borders. “We are experts in transport and logistics, who enjoy the confidence, trust and respect from our customers to deliver on time, intact and cost effectively.”

30 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Cash-for-trash initiative looks to save Britain’s waterways MANCHESTER-based Environmental consultancy APEM has launched a ‘cash-for-trash’ initiative to help tackle the problem of plastic pollution in Britain’s waterways. Alongside the Welsh Water Biodiversity Fund, APEM’s charity fund has pledged to donate money to Keep Britain Tidy for every bag of litter it collects from waterways across the UK. APEM’s field scientists survey watercourses at over 100 locations across the country every year, providing opportunities to collect litter which would otherwise find its way into the sea and have a damaging effect on marine life. APEM is Europe’s leading independent environmental consultancy specialising in freshwater and marine ecology and aerial surveys. The head of APEM’s field team, Peter Dennis,

PROUD TO SUPPORT AND PROMOTE:

said: “During our field work, we are astounded by how much plastic pollutes waterways. It’s tragic to see, as not only does it look unsightly, but it adversely affects our wildlife and ecosystems. “Single use plastics like water bottles and crisp packets make up a shockingly high proportion of the litter, and we felt compelled to do something about the problem. “We’re all in this job because we are passionate about preserving our environment, so collecting the plastic was the best way we could do our bit. “APEM will donate £1 for every bag collected to support the fantastic work of Keep Britain Tidy and give our staff a strong incentive to get involved. “We are working alongside organisations such as the Big Blue Ocean Cleanup hoping to eliminate plastic at the source before it enters our oceans.

“We urge as many people and businesses as possible to start tackling the issue head on so future generations can see their waterways free from plastic waste.” Gail Davies, Environment Program Manager at Welsh Water Biodiversity Fund said: “This is a fantastic and ground-breaking initiative proposed by one of our environmental contractors who work across all of our operating areas. “It’s a simple activity which everyone can get involved in and together we can genuinely make a tangible difference”. Rory Sinclair, Chief Executive at the Big Blue Ocean Clean-up added: “APEM’s ‘cash-for-trash’ initiative to help tackle the problem of plastic pollution is an incredible project we fully support.”

AS PART OF OUR COMMITMENT TO BEING A GOOD CORPORATE CITIZEN

CSR

Beever and Focus-Trust CEO Struthers hits raises £2800 charitable for Diabetes UK organisation after completing milestone

Manchester Marathon HELEN Rowland, CEO of Focus-Trust, a multi-academy trust with schools based in Greater Manchester, Cheshire and West Yorkshire, has successfully completed the Manchester Marathon and, in doing so, has raised over £2800 for Diabetes UK. Helen completed the 26.2 mile course in the respectable time of 5:25:39 and, as her very first marathon, was delighted to have successfully made it round the course. Commenting on her achievement, Helen said: “I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported me and contributed to my fundraising efforts; it was really uplifting to have had so many family and friends cheering me on around the route. Helen chose to direct her fundraising efforts towards Diabetes UK as, in August 2014, her youngest son, Thomas, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Diabetes UK fund research into systems to make life with Type 1 diabetes as straightforward as possible and, as a result, Thomas, now age 13, benefits from a continuous blood glucose scanner and an insulin pump. Helen described how the support both Thomas and her family continue to receive from Diabetes UK has been “a

huge support in ensuring that he is able to live life as healthily and as actively as possible.” “Knowing that all funds raised will help Diabetes UK support even more people and their families gave me the determination to complete this mammoth challenge!” Maria Whittaker, Diabetes UK Regional Fundraiser added: “Our much-needed work wouldn’t be possible without the determination and generosity of our incredible fundraisers. “We are extremely grateful to Helen for her hard work – running a marathon is no mean feat! Her huge fundraising effort, achieved with the fantastic support of her local community, will help fund ground-breaking research, care services and campaigns that can change the lives of those living with diabetes.”

Struthers offered an all-round professional service in terms of disciplines that Big Life Group required. We also felt ACCOUNTANTS and that Beever and Struthers business advisors Beever and was able to give the personal Struthers represents more than level of client service that 170 charitable organisations larger accountancy firms nationwide after achieving a have difficulty in putting into 10 per cent increase in client practice.” numbers during the past year. Core services for charities Winning diverse and provided by the firm include influential new clients and external and internal audit, successfully retendering for independent examination of existing work throughout 2018 accounts, accounts preparation and in the first quarter of 2019 and financial reporting, allowed the firm with offices business assurance, risk in Manchester, Blackburn management, payroll, charity and London to secure a taxation and VAT and grant double-digit rise in fees from compliance. charities and not-for-profit Charitable organisations organisations. also benefit from ‘added value’ A specialist and multiservices such as governance disciplined team led by six and risk management reviews, partners across the three IT audit and data mining, locations made the gains business planning and cashflow by continuing to focus on forecasting, HR support, building strong relationships anti-fraud consultancy, due with trustees, executives and diligence, advice on viability operational teams. and restructuring, insolvency New clients won by Beever and data analytics and and Struthers include The Big benchmarking. Life Group, National Society Sue Hutchinson, partner of Epilepsy, Groundwork and head of the firm’s charity Cheshire, Lancashire and sector, said: “Thanks to Merseyside, Rapport Housing outstanding teamwork and and Care, Viaduct Care, investment in the sector across ALSG (Advanced Life various departments at Beever Support Group) and Trafford and Struthers, we are able to Carers Trust. provide excellent services, Phil Alty, finance director technical expertise, locallyof The Big Life Group, said: based unrivalled experience “Big Life is a complex group and easily accessible staff for and we felt that Beever and clients from our three offices."

32 APPOINTMENTS

Davis Blank Furniss increases team

DAVIS Blank Furniss, the Manchester & Glossop based law firm, has promoted property lawyer Jennifer Smith to partner and Lewis Thompson, private client solicitor, to associate solicitor. Jennifer joined the firm in 2013 and handles all aspects of commercial and residential property, including commercial property sales and acquisitions, advising on business tenancies for landlords and tenants, and sales, purchases and re-mortgages of residential properties. Lewis Thompson was appointed in March 2017 and works in the firm’s Glossop office. He specialises in all areas of private client work including Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Trusts, Court of Protection matters and Probate. Also, Charlotte Tyrer has been admitted as a solicitor in the Family and Private Client Departments following the successful completion of her training contract. Kate Oldfield, managing partner, said: “These promotions are incredibly well deserved. Jennifer and Lewis have worked extremely hard and have shown tremendous commitment and energy to our clients and are central to the firm’s future. We are also delighted that Charlotte is continuing her career at Davis Blank Furniss and I have no doubt that she will be an outstanding addition to the team.” Jennifer added: “Being promoted to partner is a real milestone in my career, but my focus will continue to be on adding value to my team, the wider business and our clients.”

Brabners’ family team hires divorce law specialist INDEPENDENT legal practice Brabners has strengthened its family team with the appointment of senior associate Amy Harris. Amy joins Brabners from boutique firm Vardags and has over 10 years’ experience in family law. She specialises in handling complex financial matters resulting from separation and divorce. She also has extensive experience helping unmarried partners and children with financial claims, as well as the arrangements for children, including the relocation of children abroad. Joanne Radcliff, partner in Brabners’ family team, said: “Amy brings a wealth of experience to the team and will be crucial to us continuing to develop our presence across the North West. Brabners is currently executing an ambitious

growth strategy and Amy’s arrival at the firm assists us in providing our clients with a full family law offering and demonstrates our commitment to expanding the team. “We specialise in offering the very highest level of service to our clients during significant periods in their lives and it is crucial that our team is equipped with the best people to provide clients with the expert advice and support they need.” Amy said: “The prospect of working for such a wellestablished and ambitious firm made Brabners an easy choice for me. Alongside the firm’s ongoing growth, the specialist family team has gone from strength to strength in recent years and I’m keen to get started on developing our presence even further.”

APPOINTMENTS

Highlyregarded QC joins Kings Chambers

GERARD McDermott QC is the latest leading Queen’s Counsel barrister to join Manchester-based barristers Kings Chambers. Gerard, who became a silk in 1999, has a diverse practice across common law and commercial fields and has worked on a host of international cases. He specialises in large catastrophic injury cases and has expertise in employment law and complex EU legislation. In the last year, Gerard has worked on a number of multi-million pound precedent-setting, litigation cases and is regularly instructed on the most complex and valuable PI claims in the UK. Stephen Loxton, Chief Clerk, said: “We’re delighted that Gerard has joined Kings to further develop his already successful practice.

“It is a huge advantage to have someone of Gerard’s calibre onboard with the Chambers and we’re certain to benefit from his wide-ranging experience and expertise.” Nigel Poole QC, Head of Kings Chambers, said: “Gerard is a leading figure at the Bar whose wide civil practice fits very well with the spread of specialist civil law services offered by Kings Chambers. “His international experience will enhance our growing reputation abroad and his arrival brings the total number of silks at Kings to eighteen, six of whom practise in personal injury and clinical negligence litigation. “Gerard is already known to many within Chambers and we very much look forward to working with him in the future.”

Malcolm Hollis Rights of Light specialist relocates to Manchester INDEPENDENT commercial building consultancy Malcolm Hollis has relocated Rights of Light and Neighbourly Matters specialist, Barney Soanes-Cundle, to its Manchester office. Barney moves from the firm’s London office on a 12-month secondment and will predominantly provide Rights of Light and Neighbourly Matters services to new and existing clients in the North of England. He joined the firm in 2015 and has worked with a range of clients, including

Whitbread, CLS Holdings Plc, City of London Corporation, M&G Real Estate and Argent Related, amongst others. “It is great to have Barney on board in Manchester, strengthening our Rights of Light and Neighbourly Matters offering to clients in the North West and beyond. As a business, we pride ourselves on staff wellbeing and development, which is why we offer people the opportunity to move to other offices and learn new skills,” said Ian McKenna, Head of Rights of Light, Malcolm Hollis.

APPOINTMENTS

Visualsoft hires new head of PPC VISUALSOFT has announced a new head of paid search, Craig Murphy, the company’s newest appointment within the PPC team. Prior to taking up this role, Craig held senior positions as head of PPC strategy at MediaCom North and head of paid media at Latitude Digital Marketing. At Visualsoft, he will be tasked with ensuring that its paid search offering remains at the forefront of the industry and adapts as and when needed. Craig’s ultimate purpose will be to offer the best and most appropriate PPC strategy to clients to maximise their growth. Visualsoft counts a team of 285 staff across three offices, all of whom specialise in the design, build, support and marketing of online stores for retailers. Currently, the company works with over 1,200 UK clients, from

Charles Clinkard, Little Mistress and The Lakes Distillery. Commenting on his appointment, Craig said: “I want to grow the department to become the UK’s biggest and most successful PPC team. This isn’t simply in terms of revenue for the business, but also by ensuring that our client product offering is of the absolute highest quality.” Gavin Lowther, head of digital at Visualsoft, added: “Craig will play a key part in our reevaluation of Visualsoft’s current PPC best practice and strategy. Our strength has always been our ability to adapt to changing market conditions – so, just as quickly as paid search evolves, we will be driving innovation for our clients to build their business. We look forward to benefiting from Craig’s vast experience and knowledge in this area.”

WorkMobile promotes Fairweather to new client services manager MANCHESTER-based data capture specialist, WorkMobile, has promoted Graham Fairweather to client services manager. Having worked at Workmobile for the past 11 years, Graham was previously in charge of the company’s support and testing activities. In his new role, he will be responsible for ensuring high client satisfaction levels and utilising his excellent product knowledge and understanding of the capabilities of the WorkMobile solution to improve its interface with existing and new customers. WorkMobile is an award-winning mobile data capture app that replaces paper to enable remote staff to complete digital forms and capture all essential business data, including signatures, videos, photographs and

GPS locations. Commenting on his appointment, Graham said: “WorkMobile is a fantastic place to work, which is why I have continued working here for over the past ten years. During this time, I have gained vast knowledge and understanding of the product and our clients’ requirements so look forward to helping to tailor our service and providing professional support to our customers in this new role.” Andrew Huntly, CEO at WorkMobile, said: “Graham is a highly valued and important member of the WorkMobile team, and we are delighted to promote him to head up our client services division. With his vast knowledge and experience, we know he is the best person for the job in helping us to develop the technical relationship with our clients going forward.”

May 2019

Manchester property specialist announces trio of senior promotions

MANCHESTER-based commercial property specialist, Matthews & Goodman (M&G), has announced three senior promotions to associate partner and partner level. Richard Moreton has become partner after working in valuation since 2004 and for M&G since June 2018. Alex Whilde and Richard Elton, who have worked for the firm since 2004 and 2013 respectively, have been appointed to the position of associate partner. With a collective experience spanning more than 50 years, the trio are three of six senior staff across the business who have been promoted to associate partner or partner positions. James Routledge, a member of the firm’s Central Management Team and Head of the National Investment Team, said: “These promotions are a public recognition of the sterling achievements of this group of very talented and very diligent professionals. “Knowing them all personally, I am convinced that the future of our firm is in good hands.”

APPOINTMENTS

Quantuma grows North West offering with senior hire BUSINESS advisory firm Quantuma has appointed Rob Parry as a partner to its Manchester office, as it expands its North West presence. Rob has almost 30 years’ industry experience as a specialist forensic accountant, with a UK-wide, and international, remit. He joins from the Manchester office of a global accountancy firm, where he served for 24 years. Previously, he was an accountant and management consultant at KPMG. Rob acts as an expert witness, providing evidence and advisory support on corporate transaction and shareholder disputes, company and share valuation, loss of profit from breach of contract, compulsory purchase and professional indemnity, alongside complex loss of earnings cases. He acts as an independent expert determiner, which also gives him valuable insight when preparing submissions for

determinations on behalf of clients. This appointment follows the opening of Quantuma’s new Manchester offering, bolstering the city’s booming financial and professional services sector. From its base at Number One, Spinningfields, the firm provides a full range of advisory services, including corporate finance, forensic accounting and restructuring. Rob Parry said: “It’s widely-known in the market that Quantuma is breaking the mould of a traditional professional services firm. The team is of an exceptional calibre, and its boutique structure means it is able to take on some of the most exciting mandates across the UK. I look forward to continuing to work with the outstanding North West lawyers and their clients at this exciting time for Quantuma.”

Carl Jackson, Managing Partner at Quantuma, said:“Rob is highly-regarded in his field for his expertise, and a sought-after advisor for complex commercial disputes, so it’s a real pleasure to welcome him to the fold. “The North West is a commercial hotspot, and a target area of growth for us. There is an influx of investment in Manchester, and with its strong connectivity links and breadth of talent, the city’s financial and professional services sector will continue to evolve. “We will continue to grow our headcount in the region to service the strong pipeline of activity.”

String of promotions as Slater Heelis continues to grow MANCHESTER and Trafford-based law firm, Slater Heelis LLP celebrates a string of promotions across its three offices as the firm eyes future growth. The firm now has a record number of fee-earners and partners following another successful year. Rhian Owen, Alex Sealy and Daniel Stern have all been promoted to the position of Partner. Rhian Owen specialises in Corporate work advising on acquisitions and disposals, private equity transactions, company reorganisations and joint ventures. Alex Sealy is a

private client specialist who will also head up the wills and probate department. He advises on wills and trusts along with complex probate matters and advising clients on inheritance tax. Danny Stern is a specialist in Property Litigation with experience in commercial, banking and real estate litigation, advising both national UK and overseas. The firm has also promoted Joanne Taylor, in the family team, and Richard Bradbury, in the commercial property team, to Associate Solicitors. Managing Partner,

Chris Bishop, said: “After another year of hard work, it’s with great pleasure to announce promotions across the firm. “The firm has gone from strength to strength amidst a competitive market, and the new Partners

are a testament to the high-quality legal service we strive to deliver. “After another successful year, we hope to continue this momentum for the remainder of 2019”.

36 PROPERTY

Hurstwood Holdings acquires Bentley Motors HQ in Cheshire HURSTWOOD Holdings, the Manchester based investment and development company, has boosted its growing £150 million property portfolio following the acquisition of Universal House, a 23,705 sq ft office building for an undisclosed amount The modern headquarter building is fully let to Bentley Motors Limited on a long term lease. The three storey building is situated on

a 4.13 acre site on the popular Midpoint 18 Business Park, which is close to junction 18 of the M6 motorway and is home to a number of blue chip occupiers including Optima Logistics, B&M Bargains, Wincanton, Kuehne and Nagel, and Scottish Power. Stephen Ashworth, Chairman of Hurstwood Holdings, commented: “As a nationwide commercial property investor,

we manage more than 650 occupiers over 100 sites across the country and we are especially pleased to add a first class business such as Bentley to our growing list of top quality clients.” Avison Young acted on behalf of Hurstwood Holdings with Gateleys providing the legal advice. The vendor, a private investor, was represented by B8.

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PROPERTY

Health Assured unveils new Manchester office

THE UK’s leading health and wellbeing provider, Health Assured, has moved into a new office in Manchester city centre after continuous years of growth which has seen employee numbers increase by 141 percent and their in-house sales team hitting £2m in sales for the 2018/19 financial year. The new office design, which was installed by fit out specialist Overbury truly embraces the concept of workplace wellbeing. The open plan space includes contemplation zones where staff can take time out to think without distraction and break out

areas where members of the Health Assured team can meet for meetings or impromptu catch ups away from their desks. David Price, CEO of Health Assured, said: “Moving into our new office is a significant milestone for the business as it means we can continue to grow and give our employees a healthy advantage.” “It’s a testament to the hard work of the Health Assured team and the strength of the services we provide that we are able to invest significantly into

our new office creating a fantastic space which is not only modern and inspiring but also a positive working environment for staff.” Philip Westwood, Director at Overbury PLC, said: “As a leading provider of Employee Assistance Programmes we are delighted that Health Assured chose to focus on staff wellbeing in their new office space. We are proud to have helped deliver their vision of a workplace that will help attract and retain the best talent in their industry.”

Green light for £35m residential development A £35m development of 262 new homes in Bolton residential schemes in Bolton town centre. has been given the go-ahead by councillors. “It will provide much needed new homes for Full planning permission was granted for the people in Bolton and further afield. The location scheme by Bolton Council’s planning committee. of our scheme is an important gateway to the town Homes will be a mixture of apartments and town houses in the Croal Valley part of the town centre. The residential scheme, from Bolton-based company Forshaw Land & Property Group Ltd, will be built on land fronting St Georges Road between Bark Street and Back Bark Street. Croal Valley is one of Bolton Council’s five intervention areas within its £1.2bn town centre masterplan. The scheme includes fully equipped gymnasiums, private cinemas, residents’ lounges and a roof terrace. Managing director of Forshaw, Lyndon Forshaw, said: “I am very pleased with the outcome. This project will set a new benchmark for high quality

which has been derelict for years and we are aiming to start work towards the end of the year.” Councillors have also approved plans for a £150m neighbourhood in Church Wharf, the first of two town centre masterplan schemes to be granted approval. Bolton Council director of place, Gerry Brough, added: “This is another piece in our masterplan jigsaw slotting into place. “This scheme – like Church Wharf – will rejuvenate a key gateway into the town centre, which needs significant regeneration. “It will also bring much needed housing to a brownfield site in the heart of Bolton, bringing more people into our town and creating jobs which will help the local economy. “It demonstrates yet more investor confidence in our vision and strategy.”

PROPERTY

May 2019

DA Languages chooses Old Trafford for new HQ DA Languages, the fast-growing Manchester based interpreting and translation services provider, has chosen leading regional developer Bruntwood Works Lancastrian Office Centre in Old Trafford as its new head office. Relocating from its Altrincham offices to 7,210 sq ft over the 3rd and 4th floor of Statham House at Lancastrian Office Centre, gives DA Languages the space it needs for its continuing growth, as well as access to great transport connectivity and health and leisure facilities for its growing team. DA Languages provides face to face spoken and non-spoken interpreting, telephone interpreting, translation, transcription and a full range of other language services to private and public sector requirements across the UK on a 24/7 basis. Sharon Johnson, Head of

Commercial at Bruntwood Works, said: “We’re delighted to welcome DA Languages to Statham House where their team will be relocating alongside other ambitious, fast-growing businesses. “Old Trafford is undergoing an exciting resurgence and the Lancastrian Office Centre is at the heart of this burgeoning business community. Bruntwood Works customers located at the centre are able to enjoy great surroundings with the opportunity to enjoy lunch on the building’s contemporary roof garden or head across to our sister building, Trafford House, to take advantage of our free Les Mills digital fitness classes. “This leisure offer is coupled with super-fast wi-fi and outstanding connectivity to Manchester city centre – providing optimum work-life balance and boosting team wellbeing. Customers also benefit from on-site

car parking and a dedicated customer service team to manage the reception area and ensure the smooth operation of the building.” Matthew Taylor Managing Director at DA Languages said: “Bruntwood has proven to be an excellent choice, providing our business with a professional facility

to continue our phenomenal growth. This strategic relocation has strengthened our position and contributed to DA Languages being awarded multiple new contracts. Our services now support over 600 national clients across 500 different languages.”

Interstate strengthens Manchester presence with new signing INTERSTATE Hotels & Resorts has been named as the new management company for the Holiday Inn Manchester, Central Park, marking the firm’s fourth move into the city in less than a year. Interstate was selected as the management company by a private investor that acquired the hotel in early 2019. The 83-guest room property houses a casual dining restaurant and five meeting rooms with a total capacity of up to 120 people. The news follows a duo of new signing announcements for Interstate at Manchester Airport and the opening of Interstate’s first hotel in the city, the Hotel Indigo Manchester Victoria Station.

Nicholas Northam, Executive Vice President, International said: “Manchester is a really exciting city with so much going on across both the leisure and corporate travel markets, so we’re thrilled to be further strengthening our presence in the area with this latest signing – the Holiday Inn Manchester – Central Park. “With Manchester Airport undertaking a major £1bn transformation programme and a real wave of new development taking place across the Manchester region, the city is embarking on a new era and we’re very proud to be playing our part.” Holiday Inn Manchester Central Park will take Interstate’s operational European portfolio to more than 70

hotels. Nicholas Northam added: “It’s been fantastic to get 2019 off to such a strong start with new signing announcements and the addition of an

operational property to our portfolio. “We pride ourselves on the experience and expertise of our team here at Interstate and our performance to date proves testimony to this.”

PROPERTY

Altrincham chosen as pilot for National High Street Perfect Day

The idea is inspired by a similar approach used by Timpson, the high street retail services group familiar to UK shoppers thanks to its 1,325 units across the nation. Sir John Timpson CBE, Chair of the Expert Advisory Panel on High Streets, and Chairman of retail services company Timpson, said: “Altrincham is where I served my first customer, and that’s one of the reasons I proposed it as the Pilot town for the ‘National High Street Perfect Day’. It’s a town where the partnerships are working really hard in a challenging national high street environment to buck the trend. “The ‘Perfect Day’ concept is one which we use in my shops throughout the country and it has worked for us for years. On one day each year, in every part of the business, the whole team get involved to make sure they shine on the day! Scaling it up to a whole town centre is an exciting proposition and I look forward to seeing the results in Altrincham.” The whole community, including the businesses ALTRINCHAM town centre is leading the revival of the UK’s high streets awarded the ‘Best represented by Altrincham Unlimited (the Business Improvement District), schools, voluntary groups and High Street’ in England last year, and it has now been selected as the pilot for National High Street Trafford Council will be working towards ‘one special day’ in many ways. The BID is coordinating a programme of jet Perfect Day. washing and working with Trafford Council’s contractors The pilot follows the Government’s ‘High Street Report’ chaired by Sir John Timpson CBE, which to focus on the appearance of the town centre. The BID is also partnering with six local schools on the ‘Eco Schools’ recommended that local leaders must be at the forefront of the rejuvenation of town centres and education programme and with ‘Our Altrincham’ on improving the housekeeping of their high streets. voluntary litter picks. Examples of how businesses can be involved include Now the idea of a ‘National High Street Perfect reviewing the look of their premises and ensuring their Day’ – one day in the year when every high street customer service is where they want it to be, through optional looks and feels the best it possibly can – is being mystery shops. They will also be offered support if they trialled in Altrincham. The lessons will be shared would like to spring clean their social media. with other town centres across the nation.

To celebrate all the hard work, the town’s great retail and business offer, and the community that is Altrincham, the BID will be producing the town’s first ‘High Street Festival’ which will also take place between 12-8pm in the town centre on Friday 17 May. Everyone will be welcome to come along and have fun. All town centres are challenged by the trends of outof-town retail and online shopping. Whilst visits to UK town centres are down 17% over the past decade and online shopping is rising 10% a year, Altrincham’s footfall has steadily increased over the last 5 years, and even visits for the first quarter of this year are up 10.7% on the same period last year. Government research finds that 8 out of 10 people in the North-West believe ‘that the High Street is about people’ and that they would miss it if it was no longer there. Elizabeth Faulkner, The BID Manager for Altrincham Unlimited, said:“We know Altrincham is not perfect and, like any other town, has its challenges. So many individuals and businesses have said they want to work together in partnership to try and make the town ‘look & feel’ the best it can for the 17 May and continue the initiative on a day-byday basis in the future. We’re thrilled to have been invited by Sir John Timpson to be the pilot town as it gives us all something to work towards.” Richard Roe, Corporate Director for Place at Trafford Council said: “Building on the Great British High Street success, this is yet another national plaudit for the town which the Council fully supports. We will be working closely with Altrincham Unlimited to make the day a success, and a model that we can further develop going forward.”

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PROPERTY

May 2019

Work starts on £26m Manchester waterfront leisure destination LIFESTYLE Outlets, part of Peel L&P, has started construction on 35,000 sq ft of new retail space in Manchester which will transform a waterfront site into a landmark food and beverage destination. Lifestyle Outlets is investing £26m into The Lowry Outlet to convert the southern waterfront into Manchester’s newest go-to leisure destination, creating 150 new jobs in the process. Recently, planning permission was granted for the new retail and leisure space in the centre of historic Salford Quays and construction work has now commenced. The initial works have focused on sustainable demolition, as 4,035 tonnes – the equivalent in weight of 325 fire engines, or the volume of 50 standard swimming pools – of waste has been removed. Of this, nearly 95% has been recycled. ‘The Watergardens’ at the Lowry Outlet will deliver a diverse and exciting range of restaurants,

bars and leisure amenities; all a short walk from MediaCityUK. The development, set to open in 2020, will be connected to the iconic Millennium Bridge by a new waterfront promenade and is within a short walk of some of Manchester’s most popular attractions, including Old Trafford and The Lowry Theatre. Designed by multi-award-winning architects Chapman Taylor, the development is part of a wider masterplan to regenerate Salford Quays into a world-class business, cultural and residential area, which includes the £550 million development of MediaCityUK. ‘The Watergardens’ is expected to be delivered next summer and talks are currently underway with a number of a high-profile restaurants and bar operators. Jason Pullen, Managing Director at Lifestyle

Outlets, said: “Salford Quays has undergone quite a transformation in the last decade, with widespread investment in infrastructure, businesses and homes. It’s easy to see why the area has become so popular to live and work in recent years – as well as being a hub for Manchester’s creative industries, its cultural heritage has been sympathetically restored, creating a sense of place. “The Watergardens has been designed to reflect the area’s history as well as its contemporary inhabitants, offering a vibrant dining offering with the best waterfront views in the area, as well as a host of quality retail and leisure spaces. “We’re pleased to have broken ground on ‘The Watergardens’ and look forward to delivering a quality development that will reinvigorate the waterfront at MediaCityUK.”

PROPERTY

GCA Altium signs to No.1 Spinningfields SCHRODER Real Estate has announced a further deal at No.1 Spinningfields with Global Investment Bank GCA Altium. The financial company has agreed a deal to occupy 5,600 sq ft on the 9th floor of the 19-storey building in Spinningfields. GCA officially move in during June. This latest deal follows the announcement that online price comparison platform and tech giant Moneysupermaket.com will occupy two floors in the building later this year. GCA Altium is the European business of GCA, a global investment bank that provides strategic M&A and capital markets advisory services to growth companies and market leaders. The firm offers worldwide coverage with over 400 professionals in 20 offices across America, Asia and Europe. GCA Altium is moving from Belvedere to take larger space in No 1 Spinningfields due to recent expansion of the business in Manchester. Jourdan Rajwan, Investment Manager, Schroder Real Estate said: “We are delighted to add another brilliant tenant to complement the mix at No.1 Spinningfields, following hot on the heels of Moneysupermarket.com. The building is made up of a diverse tenant mix and continues to attract top talent form both outside the city and from within offering the best in class office space, amenity and connectivity. ” The acquisition of No.1 Spinningfields by clients of Schroders in 2017 from Allied London was one of the largest single-asset trades recorded in the region, at c.£200m. Schroders has continued to work with Allied on the transition from a development to a virtually fully let building offering the highest levels of occupational performance. Currently, the building boasts a diverse tenant portfolio across professional services, legal, tech and leisure. The building also offers significant amenity including flagship restaurant and bar 20 Stories, independent coffee operator Pot Kettle Black, excellent connectivity with a Wired Score Platinum rating and one of the most sustainable buildings in Manchester.

Jourdan continued: “The lettings strategy for No.1 has proven very successful and in addition to the remaining vacancy on the part 3rd floor we have recently taken a surrender of level 17. Level 17 is the highest office floor in the building and boasts panoramic views of the Manchester city scape.” 2018 set a record for office space takeup in Manchester at 1,750,276 sq ft over 314 transactions – driven largely by the tech sector, as global giants Amazon and Booking.com took up 89,449 and 225,000 sq ft respectively. Phil Adams, CEO, GCA Altium said: “We are really excited about our forthcoming move into No 1 Spinningfields. Our business in Manchester has grown dramatically in recent years and we believe our new home will provide us with the perfect base to give our employees a contemporary, flexible working environment and our clients a superb facility to enjoy when they meet with us. We are delighted to make No 1 Spinningfields our latest office along with the other 20 offices we have globally and can’t wait to move in.” Michael Ingall, chief executive of Allied London said: “We’re pleased to see No.1 Spinningfields reach near full occupancy, with GCA Altium becoming the latest occupier, a real testament to the design and vision Allied London had for this world class commercial building. With an almost full house of occupiers and successful retail & leisure offering now in place, No.1 has set a new standard for commercial workspace in Manchester”. Will Lewis, transactions and asset management, OBI said: “We are delighted to have concluded this acquisition. It was a complex transaction as it involved assigning GCA Altium’s lease in Belvedere simultaneously with legally committing to the new lease at No 1 Spinningfields. The level of amenity within No 1 Spinningfields and the critical mass of high quality occupiers on the estate were stand out factors in the decision making process.”

Bardsley Construction to deliver £8.2m scheme in Manchester

BARDSLEY Construction is building on its expertise in the provision of extra care facilities by delivering an £8.2m scheme in Manchester for Southway Housing Trust. Secured via the Homes England DPP Framework, the extra care facility at Burnage Lane comprises the design and construction of 56 selfcontained one and two-bed apartments over three and four storeys. The scheme will provide a communal lounge for residents, a bistro for residents and visitors, a laundry, office space for Southway management, private balconies to the rear, large gardens and parking for residents and visitors. The design team on the project consists of Pozzoni Architects, civil and structural engineers Clancy Consulting and mechanical and electrical engineers S I Sealy, with Markhams retained as employer’s agent and quantity surveyor. Adrian Rooney, housing and development director at familyowned Bardsley Construction, said: “This prestigious project for Southway Housing Trust builds on our expertise in the

provision of such specialist facilities and will regenerate a former brownfield site on Burnage Lane which has remained vacant for several years.” Southway Housing Trust is a not-for-profit local housing company based in Didsbury, south Manchester. It owns and manages almost 6,000 homes across Burnage, Chorlton, Didsbury and Withington while also providing services for tenants, residents, the environment and wider community of south Manchester and beyond. Karen Mitchell, chief executive at Southway Housing, said: “The appointment of Bardsley Construction to deliver this long awaited and hugely necessary scheme proves our commitment to the provision of more social housing in Manchester. “The scheme was born from a great need and demand for extra care facilities in the area and while providing a community and environment for older residents, will also free up other much needed homes for young families.”

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ENERGY

Seven tips to reduce your organisation’s carbon footprint

AS more and more organisations across the county become aware of the impact their carbon footprint has on both the environment and their bottom line, Business Manchester has put together a list of initiatives and activities that can help to reduce a company’s carbon footprint. 1. Travel to work initiatives Reducing your carbon footprint can start before you even walk through the company’s door. A number of organisations use carpool schemes, cycle to work incentives and subsidised public transport costs, all contributing towards a green footprint. Working from home also means staff members don’t have to travel into the office at all, significantly lowering both their costs and their organisation’s carbon footprint 2. Keep the office airtight Investing in good office insulation and state-of-the-art climate technology can significantly reduce the energy costs of a business, in turn reducing its carbon footprint. Imposing a responsible culture and behaviours when it comes to using energy can also lead to lower bills. For example, ensuring doors are closed and radiators turned off by the last person to leave. 3. Minimise the use of plastics For larger companies with canteen facilities, phasing out singleuse plastics, including straw and cutlery, will help to lower their carbon footprint. Phasing out plastic cups at water coolers and asking team members to instead use reusable glasses or mugs will also greatly reduce an organisation’s plastic waste output. 4. Energy efficient technology Motion sensitive lights, coupled with efficient LEDs, can cut energy costs and usage dramatically, as well as enable offices to be dimmed to the desired level, ensuring the least amount of energy is being used. 5. Talk to your expert Ask the advice of your energy supplier regarding how you can lower your carbon footprint and energy bills. They could advise you if it is worth switching to a plan that takes more advantage of renewably sourced energy, or they could visit your office to give practical advice, tailored to your needs. 6. Manage your waste Waste management can be a headache for businesses. For most businesses, simply ensuring the right waste goes into the correct bin is an essential first step and correct labelling can help this. Making sure recyclable waste is disposed of properly also means less waste ends up in landfill, again reducing a business’s carbon footprint. 7. Change your culture Changing the way an organisation behaves is the most important step to lowering carbon footprint. Making your team members aware of what they can do to reduce energy consumption and the environmental impact of the organisation is key to reducing costs and carbon footprint.

44 ENERGY

May 2019

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) preparing for change Emma Hird, Client Optimisation Manager at Inspired Energy looks at the new Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) scheme, highlighting what qualifying organisations now need to report going forward. The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) recognised that the range of energy efficiency policies can create complexity and add administrative burdens to those that qualify. In response, the UK government announced reforms to improve the tax and reporting regime in 2016, this is now being rolled out. Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) is the new instrument for organisations to collect, measure and report on their carbon emissions. It replaces the reporting element of the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme for some organisations. Meanwhile, the tax element of the CRC has been transferred over to the Climate Change Levy (CCL), which is a chargeable element on business electricity usage, with rates for electricity and gas being significantly hiked from 1st April 2019. Organisations budgeting for their 2019/20 energy spend will need to factor in this rise. The main objective is to improve the incentive for organisations to save energy by improving energy efficiency in order to reduce energy bills and carbon emissions. SECR Framework Objectives: • Reduce the overall administrative burden on participants. • Improve incentives to save energy by improving energy efficiency. • Drive behaviour changes by raising awareness of energy efficiency with decision makers. • Boost the importance of energy efficiency in relation to organisational reputation. • Increase transparency for investors so that companies can be held account. Who needs to report under SECR? Over 11,900 organisations across the UK now need to comply with SECR. Large, unquoted companies are the main target of the Government’s new scheme, in addition to the UK quoted companies already reporting under Mandatory Greenhouse Gas (MGHG) regulations. In fact, SECR will see an additional 7,900 companies required to report on their emissions, some of whom may never have had to report on energy usage or emissions before.

QUALIFYING COMPANIES: Criteria 1 Quoted companies: i.e. those where equity share capital is listed on main market of LSE, officially listed in a European Economic Area, or admitted to dealing on either NYSE or NASDAQ. These companies are already reporting on greenhouse gas emissions in their Directors’ Report but will have some additional elements to include following the introduction of SECR from April 2019. Criteria 2 Large unquoted companies, and LLPs: i.e. those meeting 2 or more of the following criteria of large companies from Section 465-466 Companies Act 2006: • >=£36m turnover • >=£18m balance sheet total • >=250 employees in one year. This is to be re-evaluated on an annual basis, in order to account for changes in employee numbers and turnover, in accordance with other provisions made in the Companies Act 2006. What needs to be reported? For the qualifying reporting company, SECR mandates that all energy use in kWh and associated emissions are reported in the Directors’ Report. A commentary on energy efficiency actions taken in the year, and an intensity metric is also required. A new Energy and Carbon section of the Directors’ reports (for quoted and unquoted large companies), or (for large LLPs) inclusion of an ‘Energy and Carbon Report’ alongside the usual company accounts and reports is required to deliver this information. Are there penalties? As the information reported through this scheme is included in company reports submitted to Companies House, the Conduct Committee of the Financial Reporting Council will be responsible for monitoring compliance of the SECR information that will be included in company reports and accounts.

Should company reports not meet the reporting requirements, Companies House may reject the report submission, with a late filing penalty regime applying for non-compliance. The Conduct Committee also has authority to apply to the courts for an order requiring directors to prepare revised reporting / sets of accounts where it appears that the reporting requirements have not been met. How can Inspired Energy help with SECR? Inspired Energy can assist companies in complying with SECR legislation in a simple, and cost-effective way, while at the same time ensuring that the required energy components are reported in a consistent fashion to the financial elements of the Directors’ Report. Inspired Energy also have an extensive history of working on government compliance schemes such as CRC and ESOS, with 100% compliant external audits for both schemes by the Environment Agency. Feedback from these audits commend accuracy of reported data, and the steps taken in the reporting process for companies to ensure full compliance with legislative requirements. Inspired Energy works to provide a personalised service for each company, ensuring that the statutory requirements are reported in a format that meets their individual needs. What next? If you are unsure whether your organisation will be affected by SECR, we would strongly urge you to find out if you qualify for the scheme now. We anticipate a transitional period which will require organisations who qualify to review and make changes to how they collect data, report and demonstrate energy efficiency changes. Preparation in advance of the reporting deadline is now key. Qualifying organisations need to ensure that they have a methodology in place for collecting their energy data on a regular basis, as well as identifying and implementing energy efficiency actions throughout the reporting year. For more information on how Inspired Energy can assist you with your compliance needs call 01772 675 294 or email secr@inspiredenergy.co.uk www.inspired-secr.co.uk

46 ENERGY

May 2019

Engineering a low-carbon solution Lancashire engineering business Electropak is benefiting from a greener, lower-cost future thanks to the University of Central Lancashire’s (UCLan’s) Making Carbon Work (MaCaW) project. Preston-based Electropak worked with MaCaW’s expert advisers to identify ways to shrink its carbon footprint as well as its energy bills. The company is now applying for grant funding for 50 per cent of the cost of carbon-saving measures installed as a result of the scheme. Assessing Electropak’s business and energy needs Established April 1986, Electropak turns over £2.5m and employs nearly 30 staff to manufacture complete engineering projects. Its services include laser and waterjet cutting, milling and turning, and sheet metal fabrication as well as painting and powder coating. The business is based in Preston and owns a second major facility at Bushell Mill, which was used for the carbon assessment.

How the process delivers tangible rewards MaCaW project manager, Joshua Balmer, worked closely with the company to analyse data and carry out the audit. As a result, the business was able to evaluate its carbon footprint and identify ways to reduce energy usage and CO2 output. Measures introduced include behavioural and process changes, such as installing new energy efficient LED lighting, replacing insulation and introducing energy management systems and processes. Experts work collaboratively with businesses Electropak director Bill Lambert commented: “The expertise of the MaCaW team helped us to identify practices that we may not otherwise have found out about. Setting the carbon footprint baseline, as well as evidence that we have implemented strategies to reduce our energy use, will help us in future tendering processes. “The team at MaCaW worked with us in a way that kept us completely informed at all times, but didn’t

intrude unduly into our operational activity. We are delighted with the outcome, which has created significant commercial and social responsibility benefits.” Mark Nelson, business engagement officer at MaCaW, said: “We do the leg work, rather than the business, and then provide the findings in a clear, non-jargon format. We then help and support the business – and, in this case, their consultant Andrew Warner – to understand and implement the findings and recommendations. “Andrew introduced the company to the project and has been involved throughout. We work closely with consultants such as Andrew and would welcome working with any others who wish to refer their clients to the project for support.” MaCaW is a University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) project, an industry and academic collaboration funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and supported by Boost; Lancashire’s business growth hub.

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