My first job – Tom Higgins, CEO, Gold-i 2 More regulation in aesthetics industry needed 5 Statement gives businesses food for thought 6 Backing equities for steady returns in 2013 7
Jan 2013
getsurrey.co.uk/business in association with
finding the right answer While UK businesses do not seem to be looking for new ways of doing things, says one IT firm director, customers in the Middle East and sub-Sahara regions are jumping at the chance to put some newly-developed data management software to the test, giving one Dorking-based company a big boost in contracts By Pete Bryant
pete.bryant@trinitymirror.com
NaMax founder Charles Brewer.
A SMALL IT firm based in Dorking is heading for a record year, thanks to lucrative contract wins in the Middle East and Africa. NaMax DI has developed an IT programme called Mosaic, which helps business decision-makers and front-line managers sift through millions of data records to get information they need. The overseas contracts secured represent the company’s first foray into exporting, and were secured with help and support from UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), which works with companies to help them enter international markets. The Mosaic programme is capable of displaying tens, hundreds, thousands or millions of records on a single screen, allowing the user to zoom in and out of the data to reveal vital information about their business. It sits on top of databases of information and allows users at all levels to quickly eliminate groups of data to hone in on specific areas. Companies using Mosaic include Daman Health, the largest medical insurance company in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), an engineering conglomerate in the region, and a leading international bank, where the system is
currently installed in operations in the UAE and Kenya, with installations in a further six African countries scheduled this month. One of the aims of business-led economic development company Surrey Connects is to increase export activity by companies in the county, while the government hopes to increase British trade with the UAE to £12bn by 2015. Describing Mosaic, NaMax CEO and founder Charles Brewer said: “The problem with the UK at the moment is people aren’t really looking for new things and new ways of doing things,” he said. “There is a fear of things going wrong in businesses. “The idea behind this software
“It’s not about a complex question, it’s about getting a simple answer to the right question.” is to allow people to be in control, and be able to ask questions and get a quick answer. It’s not about a complex question, it's about getting a simple answer to the right question.” It is thought that Mosaic could also be used effectively by sports commentators to retrieve specific data, as well as by police forces.
HAPPY NEW YEAR WE WISH YOU A BOOMING 2013
Charles revealed that one unseen consequence of entering markets in Oman saw him putting together a business proposal on Christmas Day. It was due on Boxing Day, as the festive holiday period here in the UK is not mirrored in the Middle East. Charles founded NaMax with two business partners in 2009 and named it after his two children, Natalie and Max. The company has been selling for around 15 months and has expanded to employ seven people. NaMax DI is supported by UKTI’s Passport to Export programme, designed for businesses new to exporting. The firm has steadily grown in stature, with trials installed or scheduled with four separate ministries and a health care group in Oman, several universities in the UAE and Oman, and a vehicle tracking and logistics support company. “We seem to have hit a good vein in Oman,” added Charles. “South east Asia and sub-Sahara Africa are other areas we think we would fit into very well. “It’s not that we believe businesses in this country wouldn’t want the software, we just think they are being very conservative in their buying. “There is more appetite for innovation in these places.”
FROM EVERYONE AT
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January 2013
My first job THE first Working for Woking breakfast of the new year takes place later this month at Holiday Inn in Woking. Hosted in partnership with Surrey Chambers of Commerce, Woking Chambers of Commerce and the Woking Asian Business Forum, the event at 8am on Thursday January 31 is a chance to meet the top level of management at Woking Borough Council. The last 12 months have been a successful time in the town, during which Jubilee Square was redeveloped, and plans put in place for similar work in Commercial Way, Bandstand Square and a new market to be introduced in the coming years. Woking's new core strategy was also adopted to guide development in the borough, while business support service Start Up Woking was launched and recycling performances hit an all-time high. Places at the breakfast can be reserved by emailing economy@ woking.gov.uk. HART Brown partner Marek Bednarczyk has begun his new role as vice-president of the Surrey Law Society, having been appointed last month. He will now support the president, attend functions in his absence, and chair the strategy sub-committee of the Surrey Law Society. Mr Bednarczyk said: “It is an honour to be appointed vice-president, and it will be a pleasure to work with the current president Kieran Bowe to help ensure that the Surrey Law Society, one of the largest local law societies in the country, continues to thrive and to support its many members in a wide variety of activities and areas.” Bednarczyk is an experienced litigator and was appointed to the Law Society’s personal injury panel in 1995. Bednarczyk became a partner at Hart Brown in 1995, and has been on its personal injury panel since then. He specialises in personal injury and clinical negligence. He also hopes to stand for president in 2013/2014.
Tom Higgins, CEO of Guildford-based trading systems integrator Gold-i What was your first job? My first paid job was sanding walking sticks in the Coopers Walking Sticks factory in Chiddingfold while I was doing my A-levels. I was given a rack of 5,000 sticks in the morning and had to sand the bark off each one using a large sanding machine. I worked-out that if I pushed one of the sticks into a hole in the machine then it would stop working and I got a break while they fixed it.
How did you get from there to where you are today? I went to Kings College, University of London, in 1984 and read electronic engineering. This was a four-year course which allowed me to spend one year working for GEC Research, where I designed digital telephone exchanges. This experience taught me that I did not want to work in industry, so I became a management consultant. I worked at various financial exchanges until I decided to do an MBA in finance at Cass Business School in 1997. An MBA really makes you think about what you want to do, so after working my way up the career ladder and heading up a number of IT departments in the city, I ended up in a deep recession with no job. My plan B was to do some consulting work until I could find a real job, so I used my extensive network of contacts and
got some work in the USA. This allowed me to earn enough money to employ professional IT staff and begin the journey of creating Gold-i, which in four years, has grown from a start-up business into a global market leader. What does the future hold? The future is looking bright. We’ve just been identified by Real Business, Wonga and the British Library Business & IP Centre as one of the 50 most disruptive businesses in the UK and included in the Wonga Future 50 list of the highest potential businesses in the country which are triggering change in their markets. So far, Gold-i has focused on targeting retail FX, CFD and equity brokers. However, our products will work in any financial trading sector, not just retail, on a global basis – so future growth opportunities are huge.
changes have taken place at a Surrey estate agents as the company expands its expertise across the county and further afield. Liz Berman, who managed the Shere branch of Clarke Gammon Wellers (CGW), has taken over as manager of the Guildford office, while associate partner Ken Mead goes the other way to manage the Shere office. Liz, who lives in Albury, joined CGW in 2000 and specialises in selling country house and period town properties. Ken, who lives in Shere, has been with the company since 1994 and has extensive knowledge to further develop the firm’s presence and deal with ‘country and village’ properties over a much wider area. Tony Jamieson, senior partner at CGW, said: “This is a shrewd move for the company. Liz and Ken both have years of expertise within the industry and this move means we can utilise their specialist knowledge to further strengthen different aspects of the business to expand the geography we cover and widen our range of contacts.”
Editorial Director Marnie Wilson Group Deputy Editor Mark Miseldine Business Reporter Pete Bryant Commercial Manager Amanda Ducas Regional Sales Manager Sarah Firth
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Staff from Signature Publishing with their award.
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Top success for Signature Publishing A PUBLISHING company based in Grayshott has been crowned as the top independent publisher in the UK. Signature Publishing won the Independent Publishing Company of the Year award at the Independent Publishers Awards ceremony, held at visitor attraction Vinopolis, London. It was one of five awards the company was shortlisted for, among 12 categories overall, at the awards in December. Despite the award success, managing director of the company Danny Morris said he was disappointed Signature had not won any of these other categories. “It is obviously disappointing that we did not pick up the other awards we were nominated for as everyone deserved to win these
too, but we must not forget that being shortlisted by our peers is recognition in itself,” he said. “This Independent Publishing Company of the Year award recognises the fantastic and huge contribution of everyone at Signature, from editorial, design and marketing through to accounts and production. “Everyone plays a crucial role in our on-going success and together we make an award winning team. “We are all extremely proud and passionate about the magazines we produce which provide fun, entertainment and information across the children’s and lifestyle consumer magazine sectors so this industry award is seen as a tremendous reward.” Signature Publishing has a
particular focus on consumer magazines and websites, and has a portfolio that included several children’s and lifestyle magazines such as My Little Pony, The Home and Fabulous Food. The publishing awards are held to recognise companies that have clearly demonstrated excellence in their market and consistent allround quality. It was the culmination of an eventful year for Signature Publishing, with the company extending its portfolio with the launch of the Girls Love series, and with the first issue of a special 25th anniversary collectable edition dedicated to popular toy brand Sylvanian Families. Plans are already in place for further developments and launches in 2013. Many leading companies were
in the running for the publishing awards, and 14 judges chose their standout candidates. They stated that Signature’s win was down to the strength of its print product and young digitalfocused market. “Their consistent growth over the last seven years, along with their rise to number one spot, for The Christmas Magazine, made them an easy choice to win this award,” they said. It was the second time in three years that Signature has won the award, having also been runnerup in 2011. Amanda Clifford and Carol Herning, who both live in the Grayshott area, also received special shortlist nominations for Editor of the Year and Designer of the Year, respectively.
January 2013
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Angels watch over fledgling web firm Funding helps Property Detective’s online launch CASH from angel investors at the Surrey 100 Club has helped one Guildford business so much, its founders are going back for more. Barry Bridges co-founded Property Detective with Jack Waley-Cohen in the summer of 2010. Their brainchild is a website that allows users to view a collection of information on what it would be like to live in a certain location. The pair was successful in gaining £200,000 of investment following their pitch to the angel investors at the University of Surrey meetings in early 2011. The site is expected to go live later this month and was designed to help ensure those thinking of buying a property are wellinformed before they make their purchase. It reveals issues like noise problems, nuisances, passenger performance data from local train operators and nearby businesses.
“It’s stuff you wouldn’t think to ask about when buying a property but probably should,” said Mr Bridges. Asked what he felt sealed the deal in the pitch to the angel investors, he added: “I suppose really that it’s a massive problem. Buying a house is something most people will do in their life. “It’s also probably the biggest purchase of your life. Everyone always has something they wish they had known about before they moved somewhere.” Having been involved in business start-ups on a consultancy basis, Mr Bridges began the Surrey 100 Club investment process in late 2010 and received training in how best to get his company’s idea across to the investors. SETsquared Surrey incubation director Sarah De’Lacy, entrepreneur in residence Ben Partridge and administration officer Joan Moore offer their expertise to five
businesses deemed impressive enough to win investment. There are six angel investment meetings each year, which offer those with promising business ideas the opportunity to gain the capital they need to take their business to the next level. Property Detective received the £200,000 in two instalments over a nine-month period, which allowed the entrepreneurs to build a prototype and prove the concept works. Having done this, Mr Bridges said he was now preparing to go back before the investors to attempt to gain a second round of funding. “In 2010 we had no financial backing apart from our own investment,” he said. “Now we are building the website and we also have a lawyer thanks to the Surrey 100 Club. “It’s not just the funding, it’s the contacts we wouldn’t have made if it wasn’t for them.”
Barry Bridges, co-founder of the website Property Detective, is hoping for more funding from angel investors at the University of surrey. Picture: Steve Porter. (Ref: SA130166_2)
Barclays’ relationship banking head is prepared to do business
Sunil Sinha, head chef at Massala, is proud of The Good Curry Guide’s latest rating. Picture: Darren Pepe. (Ref: SA130114_002)
A NEW head of relationship banking at Barclays has said loans are available for businesses of all sizes in the South. Thorsten Seeger has been appointed head in the southern region, which includes Surrey, Kent Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. Having been with the company for five years he has moved from a similar position in London. “My first few weeks here have been very interesting,” he said. “I’ve been out with my team meeting customers, and what I’ve seen is many top quality businesses with top quality owners. “We’re working with companies of all sizes who are looking for finance – it’s wrong to think we are not prepared to lend. We are open for business and approve four out of five business loan applications.”
Before joining Barclays, Mr Seeger was a consultant in Accenture’s financial services practice in Germany and he also lived in Shanghai for two years, where he gained his MBA. He will manage a team of more than 200 business managers who support 85,000 customers ranging from start-ups to those with turnover up to £2 million. He added: “The most important thing is customers come and talk to us early and we will work with them to find the best way to help them – whether that’s through the traditional overdraft route, a commercial mortgage or utilising the governmentbacked ‘funding for lending scheme’, which can help businesses grow and offers an up-front lump sum.”
SMOKED salmon produced in a smokehouse founded by a Guildford businessman will be gracing the royal gardens of Buckingham Palace this summer as part of the Queen’s coronation festival. The food is courtesy of John Ross Jr Ltd, founded by Guildford businessman Andrew Leigh, whose head office is based in Hatchlands Park, East Clandon, and whose smokehouse is located in Aberdeen. The coronation festival is a fourday gathering of selected royal warrant holders, plus members of the public, which has been arranged between July 11 to 14 this year to mark 60 years since the Queen’s coronation with a cele-
bration called the best of British. John Ross Jr will join other brands with a global reputation for quality and craftsmanship including Bentley, John Lewis and jewellers Mappin & Webb. As part of the celebrations, a replica of the traditional John Ross Jr kilns will be built in the royal grounds to provide guests and visitors with an example of the art and craft that goes into the traditional salmon-smoking process. In addition, a limited edition celebration pack of smoked salmon will be launched that uses the original 150-year-old recipe, including rum and sugar cane. Smoked salmon carving demonstrations will also feature.
Head of relationship banking, Thorsten Seeger
Indian restaurant leaps up the Royal approval for Britain’s finest league of best UK curry houses AN Indian restaurant in Cobham has been voted one of the top establishments in the UK to have a curry, beating thousands of other entrants. Massala, located on Anyards Road, was voted the third-best curry house in the UK, according to the Good Curry Guide, which hit the shops last month. It beat more than 9,000 other Indian restaurants to the accolade in the guide, which is sponsored by Cobra beer. The Good Curry Guide has featured the UK’s best curries for more than 20 years. The result adds to a list of
awards won by Massala, as the restaurant also won Best Traditional Signature Dish in 2011 for its Dal makhani – made from black lentils and cooked over a charcoal tandoori on a low flame for 30 hours. Massala was praised for showing innovation and quality in the industry. At this time the restaurant was in the top-30 in the UK, so the most recent guide represents a giant leap forward. In 2010, Massala was also named Customer Restaurant of the Year and also received the Best Signature Dish award. Head chef Sunil Sinha, said: “It
is a real honour to receive such a prestigious award and to be recognised for our passion for producing outstanding Indian food. “Massala has received awards in the past for our signature dishes such as Dal makhani and Monk fish Malabar, but this award proves our status as an award-winning curry house nationally.” The author of The Good Curry Guide, Pat Chapman, has been called ‘a missionary seeking converts to curry’ by Loyd Grossman. Mr Chapman is known as the ultimate authority on Indian food having spent his childhood growing up in India.
Andrew Leigh said: “We are honoured to have been invited to showcase our award-winning smoked salmon products at this once-in-a-lifetime event. “Visitors will witness the level of dedication and commitment that goes into creating some of the nation’s best-loved products. “It also provides the chance for some of the world’s most prestigious brands to get together and celebrate 60 years of UK excellence in manufacturing and production.” Established in 1987, John Ross Jr uses traditional red brick kilns dating back to 1857 and is an official supplier of the royal network of kitchens.
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January 2013
‘I like to see treatments in action’ “More regulation within the aesthetics industry is needed” – Vicki Smith, director at Absolute Aesthetics in Guildford talks to Rebecca Younger about advances in non-surgical cosmetic treatments HELPING men and women enhance their looks has become a way of life for Vicki Smith. The 32-year-old, who runs Absolute Aesthetics on the Surrey Research Park, treats between 50 and 55 clients per week and has almost 4,000 people on her books. After graduating from the University of Gloucestershire in 2002 with a health and social care degree, Vicki moved back to Guildford and started work as a healthcare assistant in the operating theatres at the Royal Surrey County Hospital. “Up until that point I was always very squeamish over blood, I couldn’t even watch Casualty or Holby City,” she admitted. “However, theatre is nothing like the way they portray it on TV, a lot of it is not nearly as gory and I absolutely adored it.” While at the Royal Surrey she worked alongside consultants Mark Whitely and Tony Lopez, who encouraged her to get involved with their medical internet company.
“I worked as a sales rep for three years but I got bored. I’m not a pushy sales person by nature and I wanted to get more involved with patients,” she said. “I thought about nursing but I wanted to do something that people wanted to have done rather than something they have to have done.” Vicki went back to college to gain diplomas in anatomy, physiology and beauty, and by 2008 she was the only ‘non-medical’ clinician in the UK to be able to perform the Thermage skin tightening treatment using radio frequency heating. By then she had started to rent a room at The Whiteley Clinic, run by Mark Whiteley, the surgeon responsible for bringing keyhole surgery for varicose veins back in 1999. “Mark really mentored me through and in 2009 Absolute Aesthetics became part of the Whitely Clinic and I was made director of the clinic as its entirety.” The clinic offers all sorts of
non-surgical treatments from fatbusting Liposonix to skinsmoothing Thermage, medical microdermabrasion and the latest hair removal technique, Soprano. In fact, aesthetics treatments have advanced so much in recent years that you can literally slice off years in your lunch hour, without going under the knife. Most treatments offered at Absolute Aesthetics are walk-in, walk-out and have zero downtime. However fast-paced development within the field has its downsides. There is little regulation in place to stop people from carrying out treatments without the relevant qualifications, resulting in rogue cosmetic practices offering ‘backyard botox’style treatments. “There’s a lack of regulation within the aesthetics market and there are groups which are trying to push to have it more regulated and I believe that’s a good thing,” Vicki explained. “Should people be able to go
around to people’s houses and inject Botox? It concerns me that there are people out there doing this. “If you have it done on the kitchen table for example, what kind of comeback does a client have?” Vicki doesn’t believe in simply offering all the latest faddy treatments either. Her team carries out a lot of research into a product before using it at the clinic and Vicki attends regular aesthetics conferences across the globe to ensure she is up to date with relevant medical advances. “I like to see treatments in action and see results and I always ask for clinical data to back them up,” she said. “We have a huge interest in research here, in fact we are about to work on some research with Ellman on a new method of lesion removal. “With GP budgets being cut for lesion removal we want to help with that – it makes a huge difference to someone’s confidence and to me that is why I do what I do.”
Vicki Smith, director of Absolute Aesthetics in Guildford.
Sponsor’s feature
Buying or selling? Have you claimed capital allowances David Cooper, partner at Hamlyns LLP, chartered accountants and business advisers, talks about capital allowances available to commercial property owners In May 2011, the government launched a consultation process dealing with capital allowances on fixtures incorporated in commercial buildings. HM Revenue and Customs believed that capital allowances were being double claimed where properties were acquired second hand. New legislation introduced in the Finance Act 2012 amending
David Cooper.
the relevant sections of the Capital Allowances Act 2001 makes a claim for capital allowances conditional upon: (i) Any previous business expenditure on fixtures being pooled prior to a transfer to another person; and (ii) The seller and purchaser using one of two procedures to confirm their agreement about the value of the fixtures transferred – within two years of the transaction. The two alternatives are: (i) The seller and purchaser jointly to elect for any part of the sale price to be attributed to the fixtures subject to a cap of the sellers original cost; or (ii) If the parties are unable to agree to refer the matter to a First Tier Tribunal for an independent determination. Until now, there was no time limit by which expenditure on fixtures acquired as part of a commercial property purchase had to be claimed. Provided that the expenditure had been incurred, a retrospective capital allowance claim has been a long standing and uncontroversial matter of practice. There was nothing in tax legislation that prevented this. For a purchaser to make a claim the seller must have already identified the capital expenditure and
included it in their capital allowance general pool. This also applies to short-life assets that are integral features, which include: (i) electrical systems (including lighting) (ii) cold water systems (iii) space or water heating systems and air conditioning (iv) lifts, escalators and moving walkways (v) external solar shading These provisions are effective from April 2012 and so the twoyear time limit begins in April 2014. The balance of capital allowances will become a significant negotiation point between the buyer and seller. If the buyer has not recognised any plant or fixtures the seller will be unable to make a claim after completion. Special provisions apply for sellers who are exempt from claiming capital allowances such as charities. It is estimated that more than 90% of all existing commercial property owners have not claimed capital allowances on plant incorporated into their buildings. If you contemplate a sale or purchase, consider your capital allowance position to negotiate a tax efficient deal and maximise tax reliefs. Contact David by email – david. cooper@hamlyns.com – or ring 01483 755399.
The success of any business voyage lies in the calculated use of experience and knowledge
Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers • Business services • Private clients • Wealth management
Call 01483 755399
www.hamlyns.com
January 2013
Charity offers service with a smile From small beginnings as an NHS-funded service for people with mental health issues, Oakleaf has grown to become a charity meeting the needs of customers and providing vulnerable people with a lifeline
By Pete Bryant
pete.bryant@trinitymirror.com AN independent Guildford charity is at the heart of a deal that offers a service to customers as well as a lifeline to those with mental health issues. Oakleaf Enterprise has evolved from a charity that primarily got its clients back on the career ladder, to one that focuses on their wellbeing too. The only mental health charity in Surrey working as a social enterprise, Oakleaf offers on-the-job training in IT, horticulture, upholstery and packing. It started out as an NHS-funded service, but in 1997 became a registered charity. Around 125 people every week are now supported by Oakleaf, with 20 to 30 gardening contracts signed each month. CEO Clive Stone said: “The aim is to keep our clients well and
Upholstery assisstant Mark Perrott.
Malcolm Floyd puts his talents to good use.
Ann Bew gets to work.
provide a range of vocational training activities and social inclusion activities. “All manner of things go on on a weekly basis. We are always moving them back towards employment.” Clients of Oakleaf choose which
Austin Stortt, Lorraine Bushell and John Smith.
trade they wish to work in, before spending time learning basic techniques and working on contracts. Asked whether he felt customers were happy to contract relatively inexperienced workers to carry out work for them, Mr Stone said it was a formula that seemed to work well. “It’s rather difficult to know, as you don’t always get a reason why a quote has been turned down,” he confessed. “Customers are willing to explore the option to support the charity. Having said that, they want a commercial job done and won’t accept anything less.” On the role social enterprises play in communities, Mr Stone said he felt they provided a vital service that others were not providing. “The people we help we spend a great deal of time with to get them back to a point where they are able to function and be part of society.”
We are delighted to announce the merger of Merrony Wall Solicitors and Morrisons Solicitors LLP. Morrisons are one of Surrey’s leading law firms with offices in Redhill, Woking, Wimbledon and Camberley. The firm was established in 1720 and boasts a long history of serving local clients, supporting those clients, their families and their businesses whenever legal support is required.
Lucy Melbourne working on the computer.
Shaun Tysoe. Pictures: Steve Porter (Ref: SA127481)
Anne-Lise Wall, founding Partner at Merrony Wall, comments: “Morrisons is a modern organisation which has greater strength in depth, expertise and additional resources to offer our clients. Becoming part of Morrisons will enable us to offer a wider range of legal services to our clients including specialist advice on litigation, employment, company and commercial matters.”
Looking after you, your family and your business
Paul Harvey, Managing Partner at Morrisons, explains: “Having spent significant time with Anne-Lise, we are confident that we share the same values and focus on client service. In recent years we have built a team of talented lawyers and have fully embraced technology to ensure that we have the resources to provide an outstanding service to all our clients.” The Twickenham office will benefit from all the resources available to the team at Morrisons and we will be able to offer appointments to clients at any of our five offices. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us by telephone on 020 8898 4700 or email Twickenham@morrlaw.com
82 Hampton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex TW2 5QS Telephone: 020 8898 4700 • Fax: 020 8898 4701 DX: 200018 Twickenham Email: Twickenham@morrlaw.com
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January 2013
New food units set for Friary
Statement gives businesses food for thought MAJOR government announcements have provided plenty of food for thought for Surrey businesses recently, with particular interest paid to digesting George Osborne’s Autumn Statement. A number of welcome moves from a businesses point of view were included, such as the chancellor’s U-turn on the limit for the annual investment allowance, which will see it rise ten-fold to £250,000 for 2013/14. Jon Hills, a tax partner at the PKF office in Guildford, said: “The chancellor has clearly been stung by the criticism he received from the business community since the cut in the annual investment allowance – from £100,000 to £25,000 – took effect last April. “Surrey businesses remain concerned about the economic outlook and access to finance continues to be a problem, so the temporary increase in the threshold won’t benefit everyone. “However, the tax savings it could yield may be enough to persuade some of the more forwardthinking and better capitalised
SMEs to accelerate their investments in plant and machinery.” In addition, other business measures that will be welcomed were a cut in the rate of corporation tax to 21% from April 2014, the cancellation of the 3p-per-litre fuel duty rise, extension of small business rates relief to 2014 and £1bn more capital for the new business investment bank and extra support for businesses selling overseas. Jon Hills added: “Surrey and the South-East is well known as an entrepreneurial hub, and although some of those entrepreneurs will be sceptical about the likely impact of government-backed lending schemes and trade initiatives, there is no doubt that cancelling the fuel duty rise and continuing with small business rate relief will have a positive impact. “Local Guildford motorists, in particular, will benefit from paying less at the pump, given they spend much of their time gridlocked on the town’s notoriously congested roads.” Rhodri Whitlock, a partner and
Malcolm Parry, director of Surrey Research Park in Guildford.
science and technology expert at the PKF office in Guildford, said: “Chancellor George Osborne announced further investment in the technology and science sectors, including £35 million for the development of 5G cellular communications at the University of Surrey and £600 million more for UK scientific research infrastructure. “Guildford has a particularly strong presence in both these industries, so local organisations
will applaud such measures.” This applause was led by those at the Surrey Research Park, with praise coming in for the government’s £50m investment in London’s Tech City in that it suggested science parks and hi-tech clusters are being recognised as key to the UK’s long-term economic future and growth. Malcolm Parry, director of the Guildford-based research park, explained: “We’ve successfully developed our own technology
cluster of businesses, developing specialisms in the space and gaming industries, which has attracted significant investments from the likes of EA, Microsoft and EADS with other investments in some of our high growth companies from SAP, Oracle and TGS.” He added: “On the back of this success we’ve received additional funding for a £35m 5G research centre and a space business incubation centre known as ISIC-S.”
THE new year brings with it two new food units to Guildford’s Friary Centre, which are set to arrive in the spring. Café Moka and Fuel will provide a boost to the food court area of the shopping centre by taking 2,000 sq ft and 500 sq ft units respectively, at annual rents of £125,000 and £32,500. The lettings bring the Friary up to more than 90% let. Café Moka's outlet will be the first outside of London, and the Italian-style café will trade adjacent to Muji and Sabichi. Fuel will take the unit next to Hollister. Francesca Donovan, centre manager at the Friary Centre, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming both new restaurants in the new year. The food court continues to attract an overwhelming proportion of footfall on a daily basis, with customers even being seen sitting on the floor when seating becomes scarce during the lunchtime rush.” The deals follow a renewed lease for Monsoon Accessorize, with a refit planned for its unit, and Virgin Media committing to the centre in the near future. The centre is owned by Hermes Real Estate Investment Management Ltd. Sponsor’s feature
New recruit joins family and matrimonial team TWM Solicitors has appointed Lindsey Alexander as a partner in its Family and Matrimonial team, working at the firm’s Epsom office with the ability to continue to meet with her clients in London. Lindsey joined TWM from London law firm, Memery Crystal. TWM now has 11 family and matrimonial solicitors, all of whom are members of Resolution, and the majority qualified as collaborative lawyers or mediators. The team is one of the largest and most experienced in the area. Lindsey has wide experience in all areas of family law providing her clients with top quality advice. Her experience extends to all aspects of divorce, matrimonial finance, cohabitation and private law children work. She is regularly asked to advise clients seeking to preserve their assets in complex financial cases often involving family businesses and offshore assets for high net worth individuals. Lindsey frequently advises in the preparing of pre-nuptial agreements for both UK residents and non-domiciled individuals living and working in London. Lindsey is a member of Resolution and a practising collaborative lawyer with wide experience in this form of alternate dispute resolution. She is named as a Leading Lawyer in the Family and Matrimonial category of the 2012 edition of the Citywealth Leaders
List, published by Citywealth, based on recommendations from within the private wealth management sector as well as their clients. Commenting on joining TWM, Lindsey said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to join the Firm. “TWM has an excellent reputation in family law and private client services both of which are recommended in the 2013 edition of Chambers UK, a leading independent guide to law firms. With my clients and contacts I will be contributing to the firm’s expertise in providing a City-style service at a very reasonable rate.” TWM Solicitors managing partner, Patrick Stewart said: “That Lindsey has chosen TWM says a lot about the high regard our family and matrimonial team is held in by our peers. “The team has grown significantly during 2012, following the arrival of four family lawyers from Wheltons and Sarah Cornes, who rejoined TWM after four years at Howell Jones, to head the team.” Lindsey’s interests include playing netball, skiing and catching up with friends. She has recently taken on an allotment with a friend so is learning by trial and error how to grow her own vegetables. Lindsey Alexander can be contacted on 01372 729555 or email Lindsey.alexander@twm solicitors.com
Providing clients with a range of services to meet their legal needs, both in a personal and business context. CranlEigh Broadoak House Horsham Road Cranleigh Surrey GU6 8DJ 01483 273515 guildford 65 Woodbridge Road Guildford Surrey GU1 4RD 01483 752700
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E: info@twmsolicitors.com @twmsolicitors
Lindsey Alexander has joined TWM Solicitors.
www.twmsolicitors.com
7
January 2013
Investment watch
Keeping an eye on the markets
Backing equities to make some steady returns in 2013 By Philip Scott
Head of Advisory Stockbroking at Simple Investments Happy new year and welcome back to US Fiscal cliff implications, Eurozone nervousness, ongoing austerity and a potentially expansionist China. I suspect shares will ultimately move higher this year as slowly, investor and business confidence continues to improve. In the UK, I look forward to some new stimulatory government policies to promote growth. Relative to fixed interest bonds (gilts) and savings accounts, equities (if only on dividend yield) look attractive with the additional potential for capital growth. At some point, I also expect to see a major asset class switch trade out of overbought, low yielding bonds into shares, boosting further the appeal. If this doesn’t happen this year, maybe it will be next, depending on the (perceived) likelihood of an interest rate rise. Rates have been at 0.5% now for nearly four years and can only really move in one direction, certainly if the domestic outlook starts to improve. Thus I would not advocate buying into bonds in a general sense where the potential for capital losses is reasonably high, something the novice investor may not fully appreciate. Market sentiment remains linked to the outcome of ongoing US government wranglings over impending tax rises and public
spending cuts. Anxiety over the potential impact to the US growth rate has temporarily abated with a recent update, which largely delays some big decisions for a couple of months. A brisk relief move through the key 6000 level on the FTSE 100 has ensued (which looks a tad odd to me as there is still uncertainty) as investors seem to have gained in confidence that US economic contraction will not be more than expected. My suspicion is that the market is overbought on this spike, but time will tell. With my year end forecast for the FTSE100 @ 6300, we are only 200 points away as I write! Assuming the US debt reduction uncertainty is removed over the next few months, the general mood thereafter will largely become a product of the additional interplay of Eurozone updates and how the Chinese economic picture progresses. With valuations now very low and a transition into a new leadership progressing well, I believe this will be an improved year for China. Of course these are all macroeconomic issues (what I sometimes think of as general investor psyche influences) which have to be monitored and assessed in terms of assisting the timing of buying and selling stock specific decisions. Of more importance to me (and my day job) are which sectors and individual stocks one decides to deal in against the altering macro backdrop and this is where differences of opinion al-
ways present themselves. I will continue to take a stock specific, active approach to the market believing degrees of volatility will soon return. The Eurozone, for instance, always has the potential to disappoint and itself is slipping into recession. Further austerity will be needed to save the Euro and this will not help the growth potential of the region. Updates from Europe therefore could impact the markets and I will be looking to take advantage of shorter term swings in share prices, buying on dips and selling into strength or just looking to invest for the longer term when value appears. Often patience is required if one suspects markets look overbought (as now in my opinion). This is not to say a portfolio should be without core investment holdings but that it should be monitored closely and invested (in part) in stocks which have the potential to deliver solid returns recurringly possibly over shorter timeframes. Naturally the differing investment objectives and attitudes of individual clients needs to be assessed as such a strategy may not be suitable for everyone. Market Specific Comment The energy sector is one to own in 2013 in my view, having underperformed other sectors relatively last year. Oil price weakness concerns going forward are misplaced and thus valuations and income yields in this area look attractive.
Specifically, BG Group, whilst more of a capital growth share, near the £10 level warrants a look having fallen from over £15 last year on production issues. The shares are both technically supported on the chart at these prices and in terms of assets. I suspect management will put the company back on track. I own and will continue to hold on to the Fidelity China Special Situations Investment Trust, which is staging a recovery currently alongside a renewed optimism for the Chinese economy. The upside potential for China I have outlined above and assuming China can deliver, the mining sector is also probably an area to invest in on any dip in the market. In terms of areas where I would be cautious, banks and consumer services areas (such as leisure) come to mind. Banks will be subject to ever increasing regulatory pressures (which will impact earnings) and the consumer has less disposable income with further austerity to impact this year. Finally, keep an eye on National Express. The mid cap transport play has recently reassured that trading in Spain is stable and the shares are rising. The valuation is not overly stretched and the dividend yield is a secure 5%. The shareholder list also suggests some form of corporate activity may be possible at some point. n This report was written by Philip Scott, Head of Advisory Stockbroking at Simple Investments on 7/1/13 when the FTSE100 was trading at 6080.
Seymours’ deal backs theatre BETWEEN rehearsals for the seasonal stage production of Aladdin, the team at Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre found time to develop its partnership programme by renewing a sponsorship deal for 2013. The West Surrey network of independent estate agent Seymours, which sponsored the theatre throughout 2012, will continue to support the venue over the next 12 months. James Sharpin, director at Seymours in Guildford, said: “The Yvonne Arnaud is one of Guildford’s gems and one of the region’s most treasured cultural venues. “While businesses throughout the Surrey area continue to feel the pinch, it’s essential that we all rally together to support local talent and ensure that the theatre is in a position to continue providing the community with first-class stage productions.” The sponsorship deal forms
Philip Scott.
Firm sets up Big Apple base
Isabel Kay with Richard Stovold (centre) and James Sharpin from Seymours. (Ref: SA127770)
part of the theatre’s aim to grow its funding stream and provide businesses throughout Surrey with a cultural investment that they can use as part of their corporate social responsibility programme.
Isabel Kay, Yvonne Arnaud’s funding officer, explained: “We acknowledge that it’s a difficult time for businesses everywhere so it’s great that Seymours is able to commit to the theatre on an ongoing basis.”
She added: “Sponsorship from local businesses plays a large role in maintaining our profile and ensuring the theatre’s longevity. “So we thank Seymours and all our external partners for their continued support.”
A GUILDFORD-based digital payments firm has opened a New York office with its sights set on breaking into the North American market. Consult Hyperion has operated for more than 25 years, advising companies on the use of electronic transaction services from mobile payments and ‘chip and PIN’, to contactless ticketing and smart identity cards. Its clients have included global giants such as Visa Europe, Barclaycard, Orange and Transport for London. The American operation is called CHYP USA and is based on Madison Avenue, New York. Consult Hyperion’s chief executive Neil McEvoy explained: “As US businesses and retailers move into a world beyond plastic and consumers will shop and pay in a way that best fits their needs and lifestyles, we knew Consult Hyperion’s global expertise in guiding our client partners through every step in the electronic transaction value chain – from authentication, access and networks, to transactional systems and applications –
would be quickly embraced.” The office will be headed by managing directors Lanny Byers and Howard Hall, reporting to Mr McEvoy. Mr Byers has more than 20 years’ experience in the electronic payments industry having held positions with Bank of America and Western Union, followed by 11 years with his own consultancy. Mr Hall has an extensive background in electronic security and identity having built and sold several companies including Vericept to Trustwave and most recently Riverglass to ASG Software. Gloria Benson, director of Consult Hyperion, said: “Byers and Hall are the right partners to help build our business in the US and help clients bridge the gap between business and technology by providing practical, impartial advice from the conceptual phase through to project completion. “Their complementary backgrounds and proven expertise in the digital money and digital identity space make them superbly qualified to lead our growth in this dynamic market.”
8
January 2013 Sponsor’s feature
Charity’s web traffic leaps 10-fold in just six months Corporate social responsibility is something which Arcom IT takes to a new level. The amount of charitable work the company and Shahid Azeem undertakes is surprising. One of the charities that Arcom IT supports is Mosaic, which inspires young people from deprived communities to realise their talents and potential. Founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2007, Mosaic’s mentoring programmes create opportunities for young people growing up in our most deprived communities. The programmes are delivered by volunteers and aim to lift the aspirations of young people while closing the gap between those aspirations and their attainment. By linking young people with inspirational role models in this way, Mosaic boosts their confidence and long-term employability. Shahid, as well as being the Mosaic Chairman for the South East, is also a mentor, and Arcom IT is a Silver Partner for the charity. As if that is not enough, Shahid offered Arcom IT’s website expertise as a resource to the charity. Within the past year the website’s traffic has increased by around 1,000% and the charity is
Arcom IT can now resolve the vast majority of technical issues remotely.
Arcom IT’s Shahid Azeem shares some advice with a student at the charity, Mosaic.
very happy to have Arcom IT as a sponsor. The national director of Mosaic, Jonathan Freeman, said: “Arcom IT has been enormously generous in supporting the re-design, ongoing development and hosting of Mosaic’s website. “We now have a website that provides a shop window to our work that really shows off our work effectively.
“Over the last six months we have seen our website traffic increase almost 10-fold, leading to many more volunteers, which are key to the delivery of our work.” Arcom IT’s Shahid Azeem said: “We are honoured to be able to support Mosaic and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to make such a difference and that our work has resulted in more mentors to the scheme.”
Keeping your business IT infrastructure afloat isn’t a job for one or two people!
Research shows that most organisations rely on just one person to manage their IT. What happens if that individual gets sick, has a holiday or simply doesn’t have the answer? We do! Arcom IT is part of your business but not part of your overhead. Based in Guildford, our team of friendly experts can be on hand 24/7 to keep you out of the deep water. Providing state of the art solutions and first class customer service we can ensure it’s smooth sailing all the way.
• Server & Desktop Virtualisation • Storage Virtualisation • Application Virtualisation • Infrastructure Services • Cloud Services • Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity • Workforce Mobility • VoIP Telephony & Internet communications • 24/7 Monitored & Managed Support
W: www.arcomit.co.uk | E: info@arcomit.co.uk | T: 01483 505055 Arcom IT Ltd, 3 Walnut Tree Park, Walnut Tree Close, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 4TR
Arcom IT Sussex Office, 2 Tarmount Lane, Tarmount Studios, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 6DA,
Arcom IT Gibraltar Office Unit 2b, Garrison House, 3 Library Ramp, Gibraltar.
Peace of mind with the best IT support One of the services Arcom IT is renowned for is the level of technical support it gives to businesses across Surrey and the South East. Arcom can either augment a firm’s IT department or, for smaller clients, become the ‘virtual IT department’. For larger clients Arcom provides services such as expert technical support for when issues prove to be beyond the normal requirement. As Arcom IT’s engineers are highly trained, there is seldom a problem to which they do not know the answer. The professionals at Arcom IT take the trouble to learn about their clients’ business and systems, and this is why so many companies have used the firm for many years – knowing they will receive the best service. One client, Derek McQueen, of Charters Group, said: “We’re always impressed by the guys at Arcom. They go the extra mile and give us the best possible solutions, whenever we are stuck for a technical solution those guys deliver.” Technology has progressed in leaps and bounds over the last few years and, as such, has become more complicated. Therefore, it is a greater drain on company budgets to keep up to speed with technical knowledge (on average, 70% of an IT budget is spent on systems maintenance and support). There are now increasingly better ways in which Arcom IT can support its customers. Rather than having to pay a call out fee as in the past, and the
associated time/costs involved with this, it is now possible to solve the vast majority of technical issues remotely, increasing user productivity, by Arcom IT talking users through problems over the phone and, if needed, remotely configuring software and fixing problems immediately. Another service Arcom IT provides is proactive, user-defined monitoring with instant notification of problems or changes. This ensures disruption to operations is minimised. Arcom IT can monitor a firm’s servers and applications and predict when problems might occur. Forewarned is forearmed. Clients can elect to receive an alert when critical servers or applications are involved, if users alter their configuration or a possible security threat occurs. Arcom IT provides clients with the tools they need to proactively manage their systems and keep the organisation running efficiently. One of the nightmares of an IT manager’s life is the increasing use of mobile devices. In the past five years smartphones and tablets have become prevalent with most people having one, and executives want to use them to help them in their day-to-day work. Arcom IT is expert in dealing with these devices, which are increasingly known as BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and can integrate just about anything into a corporate network, giving flexibility, efficiency and, most important of all, network integrity.
With security of the utmost importance, Arcom takes this very seriously and has accreditations with all the major technology security vendors, such as Cisco, Watchguard, Juniper, Sonicwall, McAfee, Trend, Sophos, Kaspersky and Symantec. Arcom IT has recognised the importance of Disaster Recovery/ Business Continuity internally with dual service centres in Guildford and Shoreham-by-Sea, and shares this expertise with clients when they are reviewing their requirements. By considering what the business drivers are for Disaster Recovery, Arcom IT can ensure the appropriate level of protection is achieved. Having a disaster recovery plan and not testing it is nearly equivalent to not having a disaster recovery plan at all. In fact, an untested disaster recovery plan can be riskier than not having a plan because of the false sense of security it gives. Arcom IT makes disaster recovery testing simple and it is built around the premise that tests should be conducted as part of the periodic maintenance of any reliable recovery plan. The use of virtual machines makes it possible to simultaneously and quickly provision a disaster recovery test and provide a ‘live disaster recovery’ stand-by configuration to take over should a real disaster occur. More details are available at www.arcomit.co.uk or by calling 01483 505055.
A new face in the technical team Tristan Chance is 21 years old and has been with Arcom IT since August 2012 when he joined under an apprenticeship initiative. He is a member of the Support team and is responsible for overseeing Kaseya Monitoring, which alerts Arcom IT support and clients of any potential issues and, as part of a fasttrack programme, has already completed accreditations on VMware and Veeam technologies while delivering day-to-day support to customers. Tristan said: “It is great to be at
Arcom and working with such a knowledgeable and friendly support team. “They have helped me enhance my skills within IT support and that, coupled with the variety of support issues on a daily basis, makes this a great place to work.” Tristan lives in Aldershot and is an Aldershot Town FC Supporter. Shahid is a director at the club and tries to get everyone at the company to support them, regardless of where they live! Tristan also likes playing computer games, sci-fi and rugby.
Support team worker Tristan Chance.