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Science and Innovation See centre pages

Spotlight on:

Health and Wellbeing:

24 hours with...:

Mole Valley - a home for business pg 12

Workplace wellbeing pg 18

A typical day with Epsom Coaches pg 36

Contents

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Voice & Vision of Surrey Business www.surrey-chambers.co.uk

May-June 2014

Welcome to theChamber from our Chief Executive Louise Punter

Export key for sustainable economic recovery.

UK economic growth picks up with GDP growing by 0.8% in Q1 2014 which is a slight increase on the 0.7% recorded for the final quarter of 2013.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) now predicts that the UK will be the fastest growing economy in the G7 this year. These statistics support our view that the UK and local Surrey economy continues to strengthen.

However, we still urge government must do more to support growing companies in order for this to be sustainable.

This includes better access to finance, infrastructure investment and greater support for exporters.

The message continues to be played back to us that exports and inward investment are vital to the re-balancing of the economy if we are to win the global race. At Surrey Chambers we are contributing to this by working with Surrey Connects to create ExportSurrey. We have recruited Sarah Butcher to focus on encouraging businesses to consider looking at exporting. Those interested then have quick and easy access to a programme of support from the British Chambers and UKTI (The

government department for trade and investment).

The Chambers were represented at a business breakfast recently with the Prime Minister. One of the themes discussed was the future of Britain’s relationship with the European Union.

Different sorts of companies have very different views on the future relationship between the UK and its EU partners.

The feeling is that major quoted companies and manufacturers are generally loudest in their support for the EU – the former, because the biggest companies generally see advantage in the status quo, and the latter due to the intense supply chain and sales links. And predictably, small and growing companies frustrated by what they see as European over-regulation, as well as nimble global services exporters, seem the least wedded to the current state of affairs. During the months leading up to the General Election, Surrey Chambers are centrally placed to voice these diverse opinions felt within our business community and as always we would love to hear your views. www.surrey-chambers.co.uk @SurreyChambers @ExportSurrey

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Introduction Chamber News Member News Spotlight On...

MP Comment International Trade Health and Wellbeing Ask the Expert Cover Feature Big Interview Development Skills Finance

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24 Hours With...

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Editorial and General Enquiries

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Surrey Chambers of Commerce Unit 14a, Monument Way East, Woking, Surrey GU21 5LY Tel: 01483 735540 Fax: 01483 756754 Email: info@surrey-chambers.co.uk

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Chief Executive: Louise Punter Finance: Caroline Cherryman

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Editor Ella Parkes Tel: 01483 735545 Email: marketing@surrey-chambers.co.uk

Publisher Ian Fletcher Benham Publishing Limited 3tc House, 16 Crosby Road North, Crosby, Liverpool L22 0NY Tel: 0151 236 4141 Fax: 0151 236 0440 Email: admin@benhampublishing.com Web: www.benhampublishing.com

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Disclaimer The Chamber is published for the Surrey Chambers of Commerce and is distributed without charge to Chamber members in the county. All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor at Surrey Chambers.

Views expressed in The Chamber are not necessarily those of Surrey Chambers of Commerce. Reprinting in whole or part is forbidden except by permission of the Editor. © 2014.

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Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published in this journal, Benham Publishing and its agents can accept no responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributions in advertising or editorial content.

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Benham Publishing cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in web or email links supplied to us.

Published May 2014 © Benham Publishing

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Introduction

A word from our

President

The UK tax system really is appalling. This is largely as a consequence of abuse by successive politicians who have been desperate to retain a headline 20% income tax rate at all costs. That rate has been maintained by stealth tactics which have endeavoured to preserve the revenue generation without causing the tabloid papers to get excited by “tax” increases.

Increases in National Insurance are really not front page news unless you are a business owner. There are not enough of those buying the Sun to make the subject of any interest unfortunately.

The marginal tax generated by someone earning £20,000 in paid employment is 40%. That is how it crunches when 20% income tax, 12% Employees National Insurance and 14% Employers National Insurance are compounded.

The marginal rate of tax suffered by someone receiving unearned income in the form of interest or rent of £20,000 is 20%. So there is an effective 20% penalty for the luxury of being in paid employment as compared to sitting on your backside or being a landlord. That is truly appalling for a progressive economy.

The incentives for both job creation and the desire to work are really fundamental to the success of UK PLC and an overhaul of our tax system in that respect is well overdue. Rant over.

By way of contradiction to the “appalling” label, the budget had some positives for business in the form of the doubling of the investment allowance to £500,000 and further enhancements to the very excellent research and development relief. Both of these are very positive investment incentives which subsequent parliaments should be encouraged to preserve.

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Kevin Hurley The costs of crime in our communities are well known.

Criminals take a financial, personal and social toll from the areas in which they prey.

Seizures of money, community sentences and restorative justice programmes provide avenues for offenders to make amends for their crimes and give something back to the people and the communities they have affected.

With the next four years commemorating the centenary of the First World War, I am pleased to be able to fund a new project Respect and Remember – in which offenders serving community sentences and in other restorative justice programmes are to be put to work restoring war memorials in Surrey.

The project will offer improvement works across the county to tidy up, restore the surroundings and generally restore pride in the county’s many war memorials, war memorial halls and other places of remembrance, many of which have fallen into states of neglect over the last decades.

Chaired by my deputy, Jeff Harris, Respect and Remember is a partnership involving Surrey and Sussex Probation Trust, Surrey County Council Youth Services alongside my office.

Hundreds of thousands of people left the shores of this country to serve in the Great War, never to return. Their sacrifice should never be forgotten. The Respect and Remember project will ensure that the men and women of Surrey who were cruelly denied the chance to live out full lives are properly commemorated. Moreover, it is my hope that this project will give offenders pause to reflect on the direction their lives are taking and realise it is not too late to for them to make a change for the better.

5 Key tips of legendary customer care In today’s world of social media and connectivity the customer has never had more power. A customer who has consistently good experiences with their supplier, regardless of the product, will return for more.

In a recent American Express Global Customer Survey they found that 70% of customers are willing to spend an average of 13% more with companies who provide excellent customer care, yet only 26% of companies were found to have a welldeveloped strategy for growing and improving their customer care.

So here are five ways you can radically improve your customer care and boost your bottom line: • Understand the difference between customer service and customer care • Make sure your staff have all bought into the success of your business • Management - For staff to deliver outstanding customer care means being able to react to the situation at hand, using common sense and a willingness “to go the extra mile for the company”.

This cannot work if staff are micro managed or have to react using a predetermined set of procedures or instructions that senior management think best fit the situation • Systems and Processes - Ensure that your systems are built to support your staff, not hinder them. Try asking the staff who have to use them how they should best be used • Hire the right people and de-hire the wrong people, quickly Outstanding customer care contributes to your bottom line in a very practical manner whereas even excellent customer service does not. At the very least it will deliver the extra customers from your existing customers talking, texting, facebooking and tweeting about you.

For the full article please see our blog at http://ptsbusinessconsultancy.com/blogs Or join us at our Surrey Chambers seminar for a lively discussion on the five tips. http://shop.surrey-chambers.co.uk/allevents.html

Chamber News

Eco Rewards British Chambers of Commerce Conference Review On 1st April, two students from Tomlinscote School, Camberley, along with Louise Punter, CEO, Surrey Chambers of Commerce, were invited to attend the annual British Chambers of Commerce held at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster. This is their report

The conference began with a message from John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce; he talked about the performance of British businesses in the past year and the British Chambers of Commerce’s plans for the future.

There was a message from the Rt Hon David Cameron who detailed the importance of the Chambers of Commerce in the modern day society of business. He also explained that he would strive to improve export feasibility for British businesses as there was a strong theme throughout the day that British businesses were not able to take advantage of foreign markets and felt that this needed to be addressed.

There was a speech from Karren Brady CBE, who I see as a perfect role model for all young business people, as her passion and determination was evident from her speech and these skills and attributes would have been instrumental factors in her success.

There was a strong message in her speech about incorporating youth into businesses.

She also discussed feminism in the workplace and it is clear that she has been instrumental in changing attitudes towards women.

The Rt Hon Michel Gove, the Secretary of State for Education spoke with a strong focus on the ‘youth of today’. His speech fixated around improving the education system, in a way that ensured more students came out of school and college having the correct skill, and knowledge to be deemed as ‘employable’.

There was a debate about ‘The skills and international competitiveness of Britain’s current and future workforce’. The panel consisted of Theo Paphitis, Jill McDonald, Lord Adonis, Matthew Hancock MP, Nora Senior and Sir John Parker GBE. This debate was informative because, previously, I thought that if I was to go to university, I would be guaranteed a job in which I would earn a sufficient amount of money. However, the panel (Theo in particular) made Nick and myself realise that in order to be successful in a particular job, you need to develop the right skills. Developing the right skills is not always achieved through going to university and, in some cases, an apprenticeship is the better option.

Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills spoke about the importance of the government and businesses working together to get UK’s economy back on track.

The Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, stressed the importance of making exporting easier for British businesses.

The last debate of the day was whether ‘Britain’s Economic recovery was a good recovery or a great recovery’. The panel consisted of Stephanie Flanders, Justin Urquhart Stewart, Vicky Pryce, Dr Andrew Sentence CBE, James Ashton and Joel Hills.

The majority of the panel thought that the economic recovery was a good recovery rather than a great recovery.

Nick Wild

Hasan Khan

If someone offered you a scheme that gave you cash-back rewards to spend at 1000’s of retailers just for leaving your car at home and catching a bus, or cycling or walking to work, what would you say?

Surrey Chambers of Commerce, in partnership with Smartran Ltd, are proud to introduce an innovative scheme where you and your employees can earn cash back rewards by leaving the car at home, reducing the amount of traffic on the road, and choosing to walk, cycle or travel by public transport to and fro work. This scheme is based entirely in Surrey.

The scheme works by the participant completing a weekly online survey, receiving points that then allow them to gain cash back at 1000’s of online retailers including Argos, Expedia, Next amongst others.

Great benefits of the scheme are: • Financial incentives for your employee • Health benefits for your employees, especially if they cycle or walk to work, therefore improving staff efficiency and lowers absenteeism

• Reduction in traffic at peak times, reducing pollution and congestion in the area • Reduction in traffic will also mean better public transport journey times, as well as reduction travel times for your business needs/deliveries The scheme is easy to use and is open to any business and we would welcome any business interested in joining to contact Gary Hayes at gary.hayes@surrey-chambers.co.uk.

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Member News

10 reasons for businesses to adopt Hosted Desktops David Sturges, Chief Commercial Officer, WorkPlaceLive

Businesses that adopt a cloud-based, hosted desktop service can give their employees the freedom to work from anywhere using any internet-ready device.

Opting for a hosted desktop solution, where data is professionally managed and stored in a secure UK datacentre, brings benefits including: • Business users can log on to their desktops, their entire suite of business applications their emails and files securely from any location • Moving to hosted desktops will cut up to 50% from a typical corporate IT budget over a four year period • Companies will enjoy a low fixed monthly pay-as-you-go price resulting in improved

cash flow and more predicable budgeting

backup power and generators, cooling, fire systems and 24 hour security • Cloud solutions reduce energy use and carbon emissions by more than 30%

for large companies and by more than 90% for smaller deployments • Employees can share the latest version of their chosen applications.

• Businesses can scale their IT requirements up or down easily • According to research from Pixmania, “Staff work two hours more per day if working on mobile devices” • Employees no longer need to be tied to an office • With most cloud providers promising 99.999% uptime, a business can always be open • A cloud computing provider will perform daily data backups for their clients and data is typically stored securely in a UK datacentre with

Appropriate advice and correct cover when you need it Sutton Winson took over the insurance arrangements for a well established company based in the south, which manufactures drilling rigs for the water exploration industry.

A full review of their policies was undertaken and resultant gaps were addressed leaving the client confident about the extent of their current policy protection.

The client has since formed a subsidiary in Africa to meet the area’s demand. In African countries the insurance cover has to be purchased locally.

This did not present a problem for them as they are a founder member of UNiBA, a group of independent insurance brokers assisting clients in over 120 countries. Therefore, we contacted our partner in the area, who was able to offer valuable advice and place the appropriate cover.

We also have our own inhouse risk manager, who has been able to work with the client to carry out a full audit of their health & safety policy and assist with the completion of a disaster recovery/business continuity plan. Not only does this give them peace of mind, but it also provides their

customers with confidence that should the worst happen, they have plans in place to ensure that any disruption will be kept to an absolute minimum. There is no point in having a shiny new factory if all of your customers have gone elsewhere! ...and it transpired that their previous broker was receiving commission as well as charging a fee, so they now rebate the commission... isn’t it refreshing?

To find out how Sutton Winson can save you money help with your health & safety and risk management visit our website (https://www.suttonwinson.co m/case-studies/suttonwinson-chamberinsurance.html) or email neil.hobbs@swib.co.uk.

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Member News

Managing home-workers to get the most for your organisation Robert May, Managing Director at ramsac

As businesses seek to maximise productivity levels and increase the morale of their workers, an increasing number are offering flexible working options.

Allowing employees to work from home some or all of the time ensures they can eliminate a lengthy, costly and stressful commute and spend more time with loved ones.

This can have a positive knock-on effect, both in terms of the volume and quality of work, and in their sentiment towards the organisation.

Some employers and team leaders appear reluctant to embrace homeworking, owing to concerns over employee management. However, providing organisations put

systems, processes and policies in place, there are typically few, if any, negatives:

Give employees independence According to Phil Flaxton, chief executive of WorkWise UK, the best way to manage remote employees is to encourage independence of thought and action.“The whole management ethos has to become much more open, less hierarchical and more trusting,” he claimed.

“Building a culture of information sharing and

creating trust takes time and careful planning, but by structuring the organisation to make best use of its virtual employees, most organisations should be able to see an improvement in productivity of between eight and 15 per cent.”

Communicate regularly Developing continuous communication – whether by email, instant messaging tools, video conferencing or over the phone – ensures homeworkers remain ‘in the loop’. This can also allay any fears managers may have about workers being

unleashed, and free to do as they please during the working day.

Set targets for homeworkers Giving homeworkers additional independence can be a positive step – it allows employees the freedom to find the way of working which suits them best. But it is important that they are given clear targets, and that they have specified tasks to complete.

Schedule contact time Unless your home workers are based in the Outer Hebrides, it makes sense to bring them in to the office periodically. This allows you to address any performance or management issues face-to-face, and also helps better integrate teams.

Protect yourself before you commit to taking commercial premises

By David Lewis, partner, Grillo LLP Chartered Surveyors, Surrey.

Consumers are well-protected when it comes to taking a letting of residential property but the same protection is not afforded to prospective tenants of commercial property where it is up to the individual and their solicitor to ensure their interests are safeguarded.

There are some practical steps that both landlords and tenants can take before signing the lease 1. Appoint a surveyor to negotiate Heads of Terms as favourable as possible for you 2. Appoint an experienced solicitor well-versed in commercial property law 3. Have a detailed Schedule of Condition prepared. A schedule, that includes photographs, will serve as visual and written evidence of the condition of the premises at the time that the lease was granted. This can help to limit the tenant’s repairing responsibility when the lease ends 4. Have a Survey of Condition (Building Survey) carried out before you sign the lease 5. If you’re a tenant, negotiate out of the lease, as far as possible, liability for repairs

to the building or obligations to renew or upgrade the structure or services. For example, if there is an old heating or air-conditioning system that will not last out the lease, you would not want to find yourself having to pay for a replacement unless this formed part of your negotiations at the outset When the lease ends, the landlord can usually expect the property to be handed back in repair and redecorated. The precise condition required should be set out in the lease.

Whether or not your business proves successful, you do not want to be faced with a significant repair bill or damages claim from the landlord for outstanding work (dilapidations), possibly running into thousands of pounds, when the lease ends.

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Member News

Phone System Hacking ...costing businesses over £1bn per year

5 Ways to Acknowledge Loyalty It’s estimated that over two thirds of customers will fail to return if they feel unappreciated. This is the number one reason businesses lose customers. So are you doing enough to show your appreciation of your most loyal customers?

It is surprising how the solution to one problem can often be applied in unforeseen circumstances.

The technology used to record telephone conversations being an example of such an evolutionary process. The recording of telephone conversations is a common business practice.

At a basic level providing a record of who said what to whom, it can help resolve disputes and, in the event of litigation recordings, can be used in evidence.

But who would have thought that this could be used in the fight against telephone hacking which is becoming a growing threat to businesses.

Unscrupulous people hack into your telephone system (evenings and weekends) and make expensive international call at your expense! This is more widespread than you may believe but companies are often reluctant to confess to being hacked for £1,000’s worth of calls.

Telephony firewalls are a solution to this.

Specific activities can be blocked such as calls to mobiles, international dialling, out of hours usage or just calls to specific numbers.

Telephone recording also helps ensure staff adhere to codes of conduct.

Companies easily see how the technology can help improve business processes i.e. organising shift patterns based on analysis of call volumes and the number of dropped calls. Logistics companies can track vehicle locations as well as replaying original instructions in order to minimise errors.

The Voice Firewall technology works for ISDN2 & ISDN30 lines. www.retellrecorders.co.uk

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Here are 5 things you could be doing if you’re not already…

Ask for feedback. Never take your regulars for granted; ask for their feedback and resolve any shortfalls quickly.

Problems or challenges are often your opportunity to shine and leave a positive lasting impression if dealt with positively.

Now’s a chance to exceed expectations.

Face to face will always win over a questionnaire. Ask customers what they like and what (if anything) disappoints; learn from this and continually improve.

Customers appreciate you valuing their opinions. Keep them updated to demonstrate you’ve been listening. What better excuse to invite them back to show the changes you’ve implemented?

Show your appreciation of their custom with a simple thank you message.

Naturally you’ll do this in person. But follow up with a personalised thank you note.

Some think in this web based age this is out dated; how would your customers react to receiving a handwritten personal note in the post, rather than another bland email clogging up their inbox?

Remember them. It’s not only addressing your customers by name (although don’t underestimate the impact of this, especially when you aren’t expecting it), it’s also about remembering their preferences. Do they have any particular likes and dislikes; special requirements, or

preferences? Do we know their important dates? How do they take their coffee?

Remembering simple details will always be appreciated. Record personal details and any special requirements so the service they receive is consistent whoever attends to them.

Make them feel special. Give them access to services, events, information or facilities which are exclusive to them, and that have genuine benefits. How does it make you feel when you see promotions offering special deals for new customers that aren’t available to you as an existing customer? Make your loyal customers feel valued.

Show you care. Be attentive to your customers’ individual needs and specific circumstances. Listen, engage and take time to show your genuine interest in them.

Take every opportunity to give spontaneous and unexpected little extras that they won’t get from your competitors.

Pay attention to detail, be consistent, do that little bit extra when needed, so your customers always feel appreciated.

Caroline Cooper is an author, speaker, trainer, and consultant on customer services and customer loyalty helping businesses to get more sales through their existing customers.

E: caroline@naturallyloyal.com www.naturallyloyal.com

Member News

Helping young people into work Mike Walker is managing director of MGN events, an events management and party planning company based in Walton on Thames. Here he talks about his recent work as a business mentor for young people in Surrey.

I got involved with the Apax/Mosaic business mentoring scheme through Louise Punter at Surrey Chambers. As a young entrepreneur myself, I was talking to her about how few young business owners I had met since I had moved to Surrey and how I would really like to help inspire young people to get involved in business from a young age.

Louise put me in touch with Fullbrook school in New Haw who were preparing to compete for investment of up to £3000 for their school as part of a young peoples’ national business enterprise competition. The project is part of the Apax-Mosaic Enterprise

The Ingram Collection Inspires Community Groups The Lightbox gallery and museum in Woking is fortunate enough to have ‘The Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art’ on loan. The owner of this collection, local media entrepreneur Chris Ingram, has created what is now recognised as the biggest privately owned publicly accessible collection of modern british art.

Challenge 2013/14. The national competition is run by Mosaic, a mentoring charity founded by the Prince of Wales, and is an initiative of Business in the Community.

I worked with Year 9 and 10 pupils as they started to prepare for their GCSEs over the course of six weeks, teaching them the basics of setting up in business. I wanted to show them that it is possible to start a business at any age if you have an idea that you really believe in.

Encouraging young people to want to succeed and do well in business is vital for the future of our economy, not only regionally but nationally.

Marilyn Scott, director of The Lightbox, commented on Chris Ingram’s generosity in making his works available to The Lightbox for use in learning and community projects; “The open and accessible way he allows us to use the collection is incredibly enlightened and shows how art can be used to inspire creativity in those people who might not usually have access to precious collections”.

A new exhibition at The Lightbox, ‘The Ingram Collection: Skyscapes’ (10

May – 22 June 2014) brings together modern british art with extraordinary works of art developed by groups from the local community. The exhibition is presented in association with the Paul Hamlyn Foundation as part of the ‘Our Museum’ initiative.

Print-maker Tozzy Bridger, along with installation artists Jono Retallick and Mary Branson, have worked with people with learning difficulties to produce artwork that will feature in the exhibition alongside the stunning skyscapes from The Ingram Collection that inspired the works.

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Spotlight on...

Mole Valley – a home for business Mole Valley is in the northern sector of the Gatwick Diamond at the heart of the beautiful Surrey Hills.

Gatwick and Heathrow airports, the centre of London and the south coast are all within reach in less than an hour by train or by car.

The main towns of Dorking and Leatherhead, home to a number of UK and international business headquarters, both have mainline stations and are close to the M25.

As well as convenient transport links, Mole Valley offers businesses a variety of facilities at Dorking Halls theatre, cinema and conference centre and sports activities at both Leatherhead and Dorking leisure centres.

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Key international businesses in Leatherhead, which is home to a number of business parks, include Unilever, Exxon Mobile, KBR and CGI (formerly Logica), alongside Wates and Era Technology.

Dorking, famous for its antiques quarter in medieval West Street and an exceptional number of specialist independent shops, is Kuoni’s UK base and home to Mole Valley District Council, Friends Life, Sabre Insurance, manufacturer Johnston Sweepers and the UK’s largest independent vineyard, Denbies Wine Estate.

Vineyard to celebrate English Wine Week Denbies Wine Estate, which has 265 acres of vines in the heart of the Surrey Hills, is England’s largest vineyard.

Developing the Economy of Mole Valley Mole Valley means business!

That’s the message Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) wants to get across – we are here to support our existing businesses and to encourage new businesses to come and see what Mole Valley has to offer.

Whether you are a small, medium or large business, our economic development officers want to get to know you. Sandra and her team are often out and about in Dorking and Leatherhead and are available to offer advice and support to any business in Mole Valley. Just give them a call on 01306 885001. The same goes for our environmental health team - did you know that they can give businesses lots of useful advice free of charge? Look out for some exciting events too, such as the Dorking Business Show and the Leatherhead Chamber Business Awards. These are surefire ways of showcasing your business and undertaking some useful networking.

The seasonal outdoor vineyard tour takes visitors to the highest point of the vineyard...

Indoor wine tour experiences are available all year round, including a 360° cinema detailing the history and geology of the estate and a guided tour through the working winery and cellar. Wine tastings are held daily.

commences with a traditional barn dance and BBQ on Saturday 24th May at 7.30pm.

The seasonal outdoor vineyard tour takes visitors to the highest point of the vineyard, overlooking Box Hill and the North Downs, and is available until the end of October.

On Thursday 29th May, The Gallery Restaurant Wine Club, in conjunction with Surrey Heritage, presents an informal talk on ‘John Broadwood & Sons: Two Centuries of Musical History’.

English Wine Week takes place between Saturday 24th May–Sunday 1st June and

The full list of events are on www.denbies.co.uk.

MVDC provides information on financial support too. Check our website at www.molevalley.gov.uk/business for sources of finance if you are setting up a new business or planning to expand. Did you know that if your business was affected by flooding there are various ways you can get financial support while you are getting back up and running and to help protect it in the future? Find out more online.

MVDC is also looking beyond Mole Valley in its ambitions to promote business in the district. As a member of the Gatwick Diamond Initiative within the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership, we have submitted a bid for the Regional Growth Fund covering a range of initiatives including support for young workers and apprenticeships, help for businesses to export, support for rural businesses and a visionary plan for the regeneration of Leatherhead town centre.

So whether you are a large or small business, Mole Valley District Council is here to help. Call the Economic Development Team on 01306 885001 or drop Sandra an email at Sandra.grant@molevalley.gov.uk.

We’d love to hear from you!

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MP Comment

Reasons to be confident in a recovering economy Sir Paul Beresford, the MP for Mole Valley, has welcomed the publication of data from the Office of National Statistics which he says serves as more clear evidence that the Conservative plan for economic recovery is now starting to show real results.

Valley stood at 3.1%, it has now dropped to 1.2%.

Sir Paul said: “What we are seeing more and more clearly is that the Conservative plan for the economy is working. Nationally the situation is seriously improving, and here in Mole Valley we are seeing a more vibrant and opportunity rich job market – something which benefits us all.”

Among factors helping businesses in the area, he cites business rate relief, improving rail and road networks and the move to place health budgets in the hands of doctors.

He said: “The number of complaints I am receiving about the changes to the health service has diminished. These are businesses which contribute to the local economy, they generate a lot of turnover, and I think greater budgetary control is having a beneficial effect.”

He also said he was pleased to see the support being given to businesses who were hit hard by the recent winter floods.

Sir Paul said: “It was a dreadful time and I said at the time that I would intervene if people were having problems with their insurance companies. I am glad to say that I had very few cases brought to me.

According to the figures, there are now 1.5 million more people in work than would have been the case if the economy was still in the hands of the Labour Party.

Sir Paul, a Conservative, carried out his own enquiries to see how the Government’s economic policies have helped Mole Valley.

His conclusion, going by a number of key indicators, is that residents are in a better economic position now than immediately after the last General Election.

In June 2010 Mole Valley had 1.8% of residents unemployed and claiming Jobseekers Allowance. By March of this year the figure had dropped to 1%. This is a reduction of 45%.

The challenge of getting young people into work is one of the most important aspects of managing economic policy so Sir Paul welcomed news that Mole Valley youth unemployment has sharply declined since the coalition took office in 2010.

In June 2010, youth unemployment in Mole

“The work that is being done now in rebuilding and repairing affected areas is generating work for local companies.”

He also welcomes recent figures suggesting that the UK economy is recovering from the dark days of recession.

Sir Paul said: “I think firms are taking advantage of the opportunities being presented to them and several of our big local companies are looking at expansion.

I think businesses feel increasingly confident.”

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Member News

Preview: Summer 2014 Open-Air Season 12 June – 26 July Guildford’s award-wining professional theatre company continue 2014 programme with another exciting double-bill of outdoor Shakespeare.

Guildford Shakespeare Company have chosen two of Shakespeare’s most popular and well-loved titles for their 9th open-air season: the sublime comedy of mistaken identity Twelfth Night and the rousing Henry V. Twelfth Night kicks the season off in June, amidst the leafy surroundings of Guildford Castle Gardens. Featuring some of Shakespeare’s favourite characters – Sir Toby Belch, Malvolio, Viola, Sir Andrew Aguecheek – and some of his most enduring poetry, Twelfth Night is a glorious, frivolous mix of wine and song, romance and trickery. Director Tom Littler and Designer Neil Irish return to GSC with a Victorian production, following their triumph last summer with the

beautiful, HHHH As You Like It, “They seem to surpass themselves at every show.”

(British Theatre Guide) In July GSC relocates to the iconic Guildford Cathedral for Henry V. A celebration of the power of theatre, the imagination and the English language, Henry V is a sweeping story of victory over adversity, the burden of kingship, and the pride to fight for king, country and your fellow brothers and sisters.

Given the unique GSC treatment, just five actors will come together to tell this stirring, patriotic tale, including a stunning illumination of the cathedral itself. Poignantly staged in the weeks leading up to the national commemoration of the outbreak of the First World

War, Caroline Devlin follows her successes with Othello and Macbeth to direct Shakespeare’s hymn to England.

Dates & Times Twelfth Night 12 – 28 June (no performances Sundays) Evenings 7.30pm Henry V 14 – 26 July 2014 (no performances on Sunday) Evenings 7.30pm, Saturday Matinees 2.00pm

Ticket Info £ 21 Adult £ 17.50 Concessions (Over 60, under 16, students, Equity) £ 16.50 Matinees £ 12.50 Preview £ 65 Family (2 adults, 2 children under 16)

Special Offer: Save £5 when booking for both Twelfth Night and Henry V at the same time.

T&Cs apply www.guildford-shakespearecompany.co.uk Box Office 01483 304384 no booking fee.

Help us to help them Mane Chance Sanctuary in Compton rescue and rehabilitate abandoned, old and abused horses and once they are healthy, allow them to integrate with sick and special needs youngsters.

We work closely with the Shooting Star Chase Children’s Hospice, with Challengers and with pupils who have lost their way in mainstream education. Many of these children come to visit our residents and we often take our little Shetlands to those who are not able to travel.

Founded by actress, Jenny Seagrove, in 2011, the sanctuary is on a 47 acre site and is a vast oasis of peace and tranquillity for 26 horses.

Here, they live freely and safely in an environment where they are loved and cared for in equal measure. We work closely with renowned animal

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communicator, James French, who spends many hours gaining and building the trust of all our residents. Despite being such a new charity, we were recently named as winners of the BBC Surrey Animal Welfare Award for 2013 in recognition of our hard work.

This was a fabulous accolade for our wonderful staff and dedicated team of volunteers.

However, our commitment to our standard of care is expensive. Over the coming months, we have many fundraising events including a golf classic on June 3rd, followed by Jenny’s birthday lunch, a sponsored swim, fun

run, table quiz etc. All details of these events, along with more charity information, details on our horse sponsorship and volunteer programmes can be found on our website, www.manechancesanctuary.org.

International Trade

Export Surrey: helping Surrey businesses to prosper in overseas markets Here in Surrey, we are keen to work with local and regional decision-makers – including councils, LEPs, individual companies, other business groups and the voluntary sector – to take pragmatic steps forward on promoting the benefits of international trade to business. Surrey Chambers of Commerce along with Surrey Connects – an independent business led economic development company - are working together to promote the benefits of international trade and exporting.

We have launched a new service - Export Surrey - with the aim to actively promote the business benefits that trading overseas can bring. The service will link local businesses with practical support to help them export for the first time or expand existing activities into new countries. As part of the accredited Chamber of Commerce network, Surrey Chambers see our role as a lead ‘front door’ for export promotion and advice and Export Surrey will play a leading position in facilitating international commerce by strengthening companies’ export potential.

We will be working closely with The Overseas Business Networks Initiative which is an innovative partnership between

the UK government and the private sector.

The £8 million initiative is led by British Chambers of Commerce, UK Trade and Investment and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and comprises a network that spans 41 countries across the world. An international trade expert, Mark Baulch, has been appointed to help South East exporters reach high growth markets and he will work with chambers in the South East to connect firms with an accredited network of overseas business centres and support services.

Sarah Butcher will be joining us at the chamber, with sole responsibility to advocate the opportunities available to organisations thinking about taking their

business into new markets overseas.

Louise Punter, chief executive of Surrey Chambers, said: “Sarah working with Mark, will play a vital role in building a global network of support for businesses in the Surrey. They already export all kinds of goods and services from commercial marine to IT systems. Firms will now be seeking to increase trade as the economy improves at home and abroad and the chamber network here and overseas is ideally placed to help them.”

For more information about the Export Surrey services contact the international trade team on tel: 01483 735 548.

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Health and Wellbeing

Make working out at work, work for your business Did you know? Sitting for long periods without adequate breaks can take a toll on our bodies and minds, leading to sickness or ill health and time away from work[i].

Poor work habits can increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and can lead to stress, depression or anxiety. lasting up to 10 minutes can be beneficial to health and wellbeing. The 10 minute bursts should form part of your daily requirement and be combined with a balanced and nutritional diet.

Easy to follow workout videos: To help your workforce lead a healthier life, why not encourage them to watch the workout videos with Jessie Pavelka. They can also download the easy to follow exercise workout sheets and make ‘Workout at Work’ part of their day.

Please visit bmihealthcare.co.uk/workoutatwork Work out at work day is happening across the UK on Friday 6th June 2014, BMI Mount Alvernia Physiotherapists will be rolling out Jessie’s exercise plan for free in local businesses.

If you are interested in our physio’s visiting your business please contact Joanna Hudson now on: 01483 442761.

Jessie Pavelka with Joanna Hudson - Physiotherapy Manager at Mount Alvernia Hospital.

It is estimated the majority of days lost due to work-related ill-health cost UK employers 10.4 million working days in 2012[ii] and costs the UK around £15 billion annually in lost economic output[iii].

What is Workout at Work? BMI Healthcare is working with health and wellbeing expert Jessie Pavelka to encourage people to build simple yet effective amounts of exercise into their working day. BMI Healthcare’s ‘Workout at Work’ aims to help people develop healthier work habits, to be more active and benefit from

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increased motivation, productivity and selfesteem.

BMI Healthcare’s Workout at Work programmes, designed by our physiotherapists and endorsed by Jessie Pavelka, aim to help build exercise into the day and can be performed at work by the desk or with colleagues at lunchtime, or even at home.

Take 10 minutes to move more. We need 30 minutes of exercise every day[iv] to stay healthy. A recent study[v] found that short bursts of moderate to vigorous exercise

Workplace Wellbeing Serious about health. Passionate about care.

Introducing Jessie Pavelka: Jessie is an international expert of health and wellbeing and is best known in UK for his life-changing work on Sky TV’s Obese: A Year to Save my Life and Fat: The Fight of My Life.

Jessie has also worked with US TV’s Oprah Winfrey on health programmes and in January 2014 presented ‘Motivation Nation’ on ITV Breakfast programme Daybreak.

Workout at Work Day is an ideal opportunity for your organisation to encourage staff to think about keeping fit for work by moving more.

Musculoskeletal disorders such as low back pain, muscular aches and strains, joint injuries and non-specific arm pain are major causes of absence from work. They not only affect the employees’ health but also the health of the organisation through lost productivity and performance and absence.

Getting staff more active could mean lower sickness absence rates, fewer compensation claims and less expenditure on temporary staff. Other likely benefits include increased employee satisfaction, higher productivity and improved staff retention.

What you can you do as a good employer to improve the situation in your organisation and encourage your workforce to get fitter: • Create a working culture which supports a healthy work-life balance and providing flexible working if possible •Support initiatives to get your staff moving eg, set up a workplace walking club or lunchtime exercise class, get them to use the stairs not the lifts •Display leaflets and posters promoting health advice and create links with local gyms and clubs •Provide information on local classes involving exercise.eg Spinning, Zumba Tai Chi, as appropriate for your staff •Ensuring staff receive appropriate work station assessments and encourage them to take appropriate breaks •Ask staff to report physical problems early when they are easier to treat.

•Encourage active travel (cycling, walking, running) to and from work. You could even implement a Cycle to Work scheme, loaning cycles and equipment as a tax-free benefit to staff •Encourage the use of what is free and available in your local area like a park or outdoor gym •Team games- consider challenging other sites or neighbouring businesses to games of rounders, football, netball, volleyball

Footnotes [i] http://www.csp.org.uk/news-events/events/workout-workday-2014/employers. [ii] Health and Safety Executive, Annual Statistics Report 2011/12. [iii] Black C, Frost D. Health at work - an independent review of sickness absence.

London: Department of Work and Pensions; 2011. [iv] http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/physical-activityguidelines-for-adults.aspx. [v] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22895372.

•Charity fund raising challenges involving exercise •Consider investigating the options for rapid access to physiotherapy for employees •Implement workplace wellness programmes e.g: Workstation exercises and education Joanna Hudson is the Head of Physiotherapy at BMI Mount Alvernia Hospital, and is a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and Health and Care Professions Council.

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Health and Wellbeing

Employee Wellbeing The continuing promotion of employee wellbeing is recognised as a key component of our commitment to making Allianz ‘A Great Place to Work’. We’re committed to an environment that helps our employees achieve a better quality of life. In order to achieve this vision we have decided to focus on the following four themes for 2014: Quarter 1

- Resolutions to keep

Quarter 2

- Physical Activity

Quarter 3

- Mental Wellbeing

Quarter 4

- Warm & Hearty

As well as caring for our employees’ physical safety at work, we seek to ensure they have access to healthy living and eating options, as well as a range of activities to promote physical and mental well-being.

The Well-Being Programme works to create healthy and positive working environments and helps our branches/sites to recognise their strengths and achievements as well as identify priority areas for development and action. Delivering improved staff health, engagement and support through wellbeing programmes can assist individuals to remain motivated and committed. This helps them to respond creatively and flexibly enabling them to perform to the best of their abilities.

Our wellbeing offering is more than just a lunch and learn session, its about ensuring a holistic approach is taken to establish a positive work environment, taking care of employees and paying attention to factors that keep our employees happy and healthy at work.

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Corporate Responsibility Made Easy Looking after the health and wellbeing of your staff can shave hundreds of lost work days and save thousands of pounds in lost revenue. Weight loss for health, is a very difficult subject to approach and a staff member can easily be offended if the subject is presented in a ham-fisted way.

So why not let our product take the sting out of it? Everybody likes to receive a free gift and the Diet Plate is the gift of good health. The Diet Plate is a portion control dinner plate and bowl which replaces an everyday one. It is a diet programme which has been through extensive clinical trials for general weight loss and Type 2 Diabetes. It retails at £29.99. It works!

We have wholesale prices for those who would like to gift one to their staff members and a discount coupon for companies who would like to offer the choice.

For more information on wholesale prices visit www.thedietplate.com for product information.

It can be used in the home or at work and it complies with corporate responsibility for diet and nutrition for larger employers and is a smart gift for not so large employers.

Support your staffs weight loss goals both in the canteen and at home, encourage them to do a sponsored slim for a charity, whether they would like to lose 7lbs or 7stones they are SIX times more likely to succeed if they have a Diet Plate.

New Health and Work Scheme could save employers up to £70m per year in sick pay and related costs Following an independent review of the impact that long term sickness has on British businesses, the Government has announced that it will launch an occupational health advisory service in late 2014.

The Health and Work Service will ensure that employers receive independent bespoke advice for cases of absence lasting four weeks or more. This initiative will come as a welcome relief for small employers who have no access to specialist occupational health advice and are struggling with those employees with manageable conditions, such as stress or back pain, to help manage them back to work.

The service will provide two elements: Assessment: subject to the absence being of four weeks or more, the GP will normally refer the patient to a free occupational health assessment.

Advice: employers, employees and GPs will be able to access advice through a website and helpline.

When we consider that after six months’ absence from work, statistically there is only a 50 per cent chance of someone making a successful return to the workplace, it is easy to see how this service will be of benefit to employers

whilst reducing the Government’s annual bill of £13 billion for health related benefits.

Pilot tests of the system are due to close at the end of this month, and the service will launch at the end of 2014. The Government is expected to provide more details on how employers can access the service imminently.

The legislation surrounding access to medical reports will not be changing. To ensure you comply with this legislation and that your sickness and absence policies are ready for this change, contact us for a free health check on your absence policy.

At MSP we are experts at ensuring our clients are fully up to speed with employment legislation changes.

If you require assistance with any aspect of employment advice, including the updating of contracts and policies and procedures, please contact Sasha Warr at hradmin@mspsecretaries.co.uk.

The Chamber Health Plan The Chamber Health Plan is an exclusive Chamber member benefit brought to you by award winning health provider, Westfield Health.

We’ve been working in partnership with the Chamber for over 12 years and have been supporting people throughout their working lives and beyond for almost a century, with affordable, innovative and best in class health cover from just £1.10 per employee, per week. And as a leading provider of corporate health insurance nobody knows more about keeping people healthy, motivated and fit for work than we do.

The Chamber Health Plan provides health cover that really works hard for you and your employees. The health plan can be

purchased as a standalone product or together as a package with Hospital Treatment Insurance to provide continuous cover from diagnosis right through to rehabilitation.

So from things like fast access to confidential counselling, MRI, CT and PET scanning, sight test and glasses, dental fees and surgical procedures such as hernias and knee operations, you can help keep your staff at their healthy best.

Please visit www.westfieldhealth.com/chamber

Trust helps make a difference When a family member becomes ill with a serious illness it can be really hard to combine caring, hospital visits and treatment with all that has to be done at work.

Having someone ill at home can make life complicated, stressful and lonely.

Is workplace health and employee wellbeing down to company culture?

By Luke Murrell CEO of MMV Sense Ltd

I was delighted to be invited to speak at Surrey Chambers’ Health and Wellbeing event at Foxhills on 23rd April and to see so many people at the event shows the importance of workplace health is steadily moving up the corporate agenda.

Two years since the launch of our employee health challenge, we have worked successfully with the chamber engaging and signing up many of the chambers’ members to our six week employee health challenge.

Sadly, the UK remains the least active country in Europe with two thirds of adults not meeting the government recommended levels of 150mins of physical activity per week.

In the workplace, whether it’s the large number of sedentary jobs we do today or the way businesses need to find ways to engage their staff, particularly those with large distributed workforces, the need to engage with and motivate a health lifestyle is more important then ever.

With our focus on the workplace, we are able to reach those busy people who are most prone to not finding the time to do the activity we know we should do, but we find company culture plays a big part when it comes down to who offers this

type of programme to their staff and who does not.

Is wellbeing a too fluffy soft word to be used in the workplace, is this seen as something best left to individuals to decide or is this seen as a cost to the business rather than an investment in a businesses most important assets, namely their people?

We often find employee engagement and team building are the factors that justify the investment.

A Brigitte Trust volunteer can help lighten the load. Trained volunteers make weekly visits offering emotional support and practical help at home. The same volunteer visits each time, building a relationship with the family. Just having someone close at hand on the end of the phone can make a difference.

“We would have been lost without the support and kindness of Brigitte Trust. A wonderful organisation who appear like a shining light to help you through difficult times. The volunteers were wonderful to my husband never faltering in their support, even during his last difficult weeks and days. Their kindness and support gave us the strength to make my husband’s last days as comfortable and as dignified as possible. Their support continues to keep us afloat in coming to terms with our loss.” Bereaved Mum

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Health and Wellbeing

Is your business working it?

“60% of people improve performance at work on days when they exercise” - International Journal of Workplace Health Management

If your employees are fit and well, it’s likely your business will be thriving too. Work It is Active Surrey’s sport and exercise employee benefit scheme, designed to help businesses support employees in building exercise into the working day.

No matter how small or large your workforce, Work It can: • Decrease absenteeism • Boost morale • Increase productivity and team work • Reduce stress levels Through the power of sport, our activities create team cohesion and boost the feelgood factor. Sessions are fun and challenging and we reward and encourage employees to take part with

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incentives. Employees access local activities and challenges and enter teams via our business community website.

From beginner tasters to skill courses and business leagues, there are many ways businesses can unite their workforce. We can also discuss bespoke activities for your workforce.

Find out how your business can be a part of Work It: workit@surreycc.gov.uk 01483 518944 Visit our employee website: www.workitsurrey.ning.com Active Surrey is a lotteryfunded organisation striving to ensure Surrey is ‘An active and successful sporting county’. www.activesurrey.com.

For better mental health Woking Mind was formed in 1979. We aim to promote the preservation of mental health and to assist in relieving and rehabilitating people suffering from mental disorders or conditions, or emotional or mental distress requiring advice or treatment.

Woking Mind provides support and assistance to adults (1880) who have difficulties with their mental health and may be experiencing social isolation.

We provide a vital part to our members’ wellbeing and deliver high quality services that encourage selfconfidence, independence and interaction with the community.

Our services include ‘Drop-in’ centres and we run a programme of events from these centres including frequent day trips as well as longer term projects aimed at improving both the mental and

physical health of our members as well as improving their social and employment prospects.

We also aim to educate the public by delivering training and awareness sessions which help to promote a healthy lifestyle as well as providing a good overview of the issues faced by people suffering mental ill health. These training sessions can be provided to schools or organisations and can include techniques for coping with stress and anxiety, such as ‘Mindfulness’.

High energy in the workplace Sarah Zorab Nutrition works with organisations to educate employees on the importance of a healthy diet in order to achieve optimum performance, productivity and results.

Are you an employer who has stressed staff that could benefit from a healthier lifestyle? Could eating a better diet help your staff to be more productive?

Often, people are too busy to think about how to keep their energy levels stable through the working day. Many are interested in a healthier diet and lifestyle but need practical advice on how to incorporate it into their busy daily routine.

Our ‘High Energy in the Workplace’ corporate talks can really help.

These talks cover the following: • Keeping energy levels stable through the day • Good food for mental alertness, clarity and concentration • The importance of breakfast

with quick, practical ideas • Lunches and snacks to avoid weight gain • Boosting the immune system to avoid colds, coughs and days off work The talks involve Sarah coming into your workplace where she speaks for 40 minutes followed by 20 minutes of questions.

Staff will be given some nutritional advice with handouts. Sarah is very motivational and employees go back to work feeling inspired and ready to make the changes necessary to improve their health. As a standalone, the basic talk costs £250.

For more information or to book a ‘High Energy in the Workplace talk’, please email sarah@sarahzorab.co.uk www.sarahzorab.co.uk

North Downs Hospital Celebrates 40 Years of Patient Care North Downs Hospital is one of Surrey’s leading private hospitals, located within the centre of Caterham just inside the M25. The history of the hospital is long and colourful having a number of owners through to its present owner Ramsay Health Care, an Australian hospital provider. The hospital offers all of the specialities that you would expect to see including Orthopaedics, Cosmetic Surgery, Gynaecology, ENT, Ophthalmology, Gastroenterology. house many of these features can still be seen today.

This year the hospital is celebrating 40 years of patient care with a number of events including an afternoon tea for past staff, patients, GPs and consultants, a family fun day on 12th July for the local community to come and have an enjoyable day out.

The original house was built in 1873 by William Thompson, a local builder, as a family home with a gatehouse. Apart from the usual reception rooms, bedrooms and servants’ quarters, it boasted a beautiful games room with full size snooker tables, overlooking extensive lawns. The house had a delightful staircase and high ceilings with detailed architrave and cornice work typical of the features of a large Victorian

Rumour has it that Hitler’s deputy, Herr von Ribbentrop, lived in the house whilst he was Ambassador to London in the pre-war years but this has never been verified.

After the Second World War the house was turned it into a Nursing Home, called Cedar Grange. Many of the London Teaching Hospitals sent their patients here for one or two weeks’ convalescence in the country air.

In 1974 the house was renamed North Downs Clinic, and an extension was added to include a theatre, kitchen, sluice, bathroom and four additional rooms.

Local clinicians, John Miller, an Orthopaedic Surgeon practicing at Mayday University Hospital, Dr Denis Couchman, a local GP and Anaesthetist and Jim Bush, an Accountant in partnership purchased

the hospital in 1983 when the unit took on the name of North Downs Hospital.

The next few decades saw the hospital change hands many times until Ramsay acquired it as part of the portfolio from the purchase of Capio Healthcare.

The hospital now admits over 4,500 patients a year and maintains extremely high patient satisfaction with over 97% of patients happy with the care they receive.

For more information on the services available at North Downs Hospital please call 08436 585307 or visit www.northdownshospital.co.uk.

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Ask the Expert

BSG Training – getting to the heart of ICT training At BSG, our trainers are always one step ahead in their skill set, ensuring we’re always delivering the most up to date technology courses.

For this month’s “Ask the Expert” article, Lesley Keddy, our Microsoft Lead Trainer, has put together some useful hints, tips & short cuts in Word, Excel & Outlook:

Microsoft Office Save as PDF In MS Office (versions 2007 and above) you can save your files directly as a PDF – no need for special PDF software. Go to File-Save As [under Save As Type choose PDF].

File Navigation Ctrl+Home will take you to the first page in a Word document (in Excel will take you to the beginning of the document and in PowerPoint to the first slide).

Ctrl+End will take you to the last page in the document (in Excel will take you to the last cell in the worksheet and in PowerPoint to the last slide).

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File - Save As Press F12 to go straight to File-Save As to save your file with a different name than the original.

Microsoft Excel AutoSum shortcut To add a list of figures place your cursor in the cell underneath the last number and press Alt + = [this will add up all the figures above until it comes across an empty cell].

Using the Windows Shortcut Key This key is on the bottom left hand side of your keyboard and has lots of different functions. Try the following: Windows + D will take you straight to the desktop whichever application you are in. Repeating the action will take you back to where you were before.

Windows + E will take you to Windows Explorer so you can look for files.

Ctrl+PageDown will take you to the next sheet in a workbook.

Windows + Tab will allow you to switch between open applications.

Ctrl+PageUp will take you to the previous sheet in a workbook.

Pressing the Windows key alone will activate the Start menu.

Business Name: Website: Call:

BSG Training Ltd http://bsgtraining.co.uk 01932 260606

Microsoft Outlook Shortcuts Mark a Message as Read Ctrl +Q Send a Message Alt + S Mark a Message as Unread Ctrl + U Create New Message Ctrl + N Reply to a Message Ctrl + R Close current Message Esc Forward a Message Ctrl + F Check for New Messages F9

E-commerce

Protecting Your Business in a Hyper-connected World

By Professor Alan Woodward from the University of Surrey - www.surrey.ac.uk/computing/people/alan_woodward

There are very few businesses that have failed to recognise the importance of the web. Whether it’s as simple as using email or producing a website, right through to full blown e-commerce, businesses now have an electronic channel that brings both opportunities and threats. As with anything in business, the key to making it more of an opportunity than a threat, is understanding the risk. have to be seen setting an example. It’s no difference to customer service or quality: senior management actions set the culture.

It has been well documented that smaller businesses in particular are at a higher risk of cyber-attack. This is not surprising as they rely on standard products, off- theshelf services and have little or no cyber security expertise within their workforce.

However, a little knowledge can go a long way in the world of cyber security. There are some quick wins that can dramatically improve the chances of avoiding successful attack.

The first point to note is that more than 80% of successful attacks involve human failure of some sort. Cyber criminals are inherently looking for the easiest return on their effort, and rather than devise some fiendish technology that can steal your passwords, they will simply ask for them.

“Phishing” (sending an email or SMS asking for login credentials under some apparently legitimate guise) is still the most efficient way of harvesting login details. Some of these ruses are very clever, but they are essentially scams that rely upon a set of weaknesses we all display.

The best defence is to educate the workforce on how to spot tricks such as phishing. This should start with senior management as they are known to be the worst offenders, and the most likely targets. Over 50% of all targeted attacks are aimed at executive level staff and that is for a reason. Remember good people do bad things when it comes to online security, so if you are asking others to not circumvent IT security, which it is often very tempting to do for convenience, then you

And there is help - where else but on the web. I would recommend www.getsafeonline.org which is full of examples and alerts for new types of scams. You can also help if you feel you have been a victim of some online fraud or attempted fraud by reporting it to www.actionfraud.police.uk, which also has some resources to help educate about online crime.

It also helps to have an IT Security Policy in your organisation, possibly even just as part of an overall IT Usage Policy. You can find these off-the-shelf and they don’t need to be particularly long. In fact the shorter the better, as people might then actually read it. These policies should contain advice on what is acceptable and unacceptable in using the companies’ IT assets. Something as simple as not sharing passwords has been shown to close open doors that hackers just love to exploit.

Should you be unlucky enough to have your IT systems breached, it is important that the passwords stored on your system are as “strong” as possible (www.surrey.ac.uk/features/reminderabout-importance-secure-passwords).

Some of this can be enforced technically, but again, simple education on how to choose passwords is the most efficient means of ensuring strength. Some simple guidelines are as follows: 1 Passwords should ideally be a combination of letters, numbers and symbols, as using real words leaves them vulnerable to what is known as a dictionary attack.

2 Don’t reuse passwords across systems – if one is compromised you want the damage to stop there and not be an automatic open door on other systems.

3 Choose long passwords – length leads to strength if the above is also followed.

4 Don’t use personal data such as pet or children’s names, as targeted attacks are surprisingly easy with this information being available on social media.

5 Never share your passwords – there is no need for even system administrators to ask for your password, so don’t give it to anyone.

If you have many passwords - and who doesn’t - consider using a password manager. This is a secure application (often on your phone) that securely stores all of your passwords and can even suggest new string passwords. They are sometimes free, but obviously do your homework so as not to be scammed, and ensure that this password locker is kept secure in itself.

Another growing security challenge for businesses is the phenomenon of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). Most people expect to be able to access company systems from their mobile device these days. However, there is a quid pro quo: if people are allowed to access systems (even just email) from mobile devices, then they have to agree to be subject to a company security policy e.g. the phone must have a PIN lock. If you don’t, it’s the equivalent of locking the door and leaving the windows next to it wide open.

Lastly, the obvious piece of advice for anyone running a business who thinks they need help, is to go and get it. Hiring cyber security consultants is like insurance (which I assume you would always want) but more than that, being seen to be secure in your online dealings can be a positive competitive differentiator, as your clients and customers are also aware of the risks posed by interconnectivity and they want to deal with a business they can trust.

Follow us for the latest news @UniSurreyNews Follow Professor Woodward @ProfWoodward

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Cover Feature

The home of science and in

Much of the economic performance of Surrey depends on scie with the county home to some of the UK’s most enterprising c The county hosts businesses working in some of the most advanced technological sectors in the country, using scientific invention to design new technologies and services.

From business and science parks to global players, the county has a proud track record of breaking new ground.

As a result, Surrey’s boroughs and districts are amongst the most competitive in the UK, based on the percentage of knowledge-based businesses, one of the cornerstones on which the local economy is built .

Indeed, a county council report published in 2013 showed that six of the eleven Surrey districts are ranked in the top 25 in the UK and Elmbridge ranked sixth out of 380 districts; 36% of all businesses are knowledgebased.

The UK Competitiveness Index also recognised the impact of science and innovation when it ranked Guildford as the most competitive ‘city’ in the UK outside of London, in 2010 One of the reasons for these successes is the skilled local workforce, 42.1% of the working age population is qualified to NVQ Level 4 (degree level) or higher and 77.6% have a qualification equivalent to a GCSE or higher.

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novation

Semmco Ltd works with First ScotRail on roof access project

ence and innovation companies.

First ScotRail needed to reach its train roofs to fit Wi-Fi and GSM aerials as a special project and thereafter to be able to maintain them on a regular basis.

The new generation of equipment includes a unique portable platform with fold-out ‘boxing ring’ to allow engineers easy access while maintaining trains at height. The drop-down-sides reduce the risk of falling.

Over the next 20 years, there is expected to be a further shift towards higher-end occupations, as the county’s knowledge-based sector continues to drive enterprise.

Among sectors expected to continue to record growth are pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, electrical and engineering and speciality fields related to digital technology.

That innovation is divided between major players - Surrey has just under 300 businesses that have 200 or more employees - and smaller ones, many working in niche sectors.

Figures show that 99.5% of the area’s business are small and medium enterprises and Surrey has healthy business start-up rates.

Summer Science Festival 2014 – Thursday 19 June CBSbutler will be sponsoring the SATRO Summer Science Festival again this year. The festival, which has been taking place for 17 years, is a unique celebration of the breadth of science, engineering and innovation going on regionally.

Semmco Ltd has been working with First ScotRail to supply five roof access platforms for trains in three depots.

The focus on skilled employees is important because more than half the jobs in Surrey are managers and senior officials, professional occupations, associate professional and technical occupations.

SATRO

The design allows work to be carried out on all heights of rail stock and the equipment can be folded away when not in use. Despite its size, it is easily manoeuvrable by one person.

High strength but lightweight access pit covers with handrails allow engineers to walk across different gauge width track safely, on a non-slip surface.

They easily reach below the train for maintenance using the modular steps thus solving an age old problem with a simple solution.

On Thursday 19 June about 800 students will visit the Surrey Sports Park in Guildford to have ‘hands on’ experiences in the company’s exhibition area ‘Future Working World’. With a great array of companies already confirmed, it promises to be a superb opportunity to change perceptions of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) study and careers amongst young people aged 14-19.

It also offers the opportunity for young people to showcase the results of their projects – in science, engineering, design and technology, and related subjects. Schools and colleges exhibit a range of projects from after school science clubs, to individual examination coursework.

The following companies and organisations work with CBSbutler to make the events possible. The Army, Astrium, BOC Group, Brooklands College, Brooklands Museum, CISCO, Field Studies Council, KBR, Kingston University, MERU, The Pirbright Institute, Royal Air Force, Robot Science Club, SEPnet, Society of Biology, St Mary’s University, U-explore, University of Greenwich, University of Surrey, Virgin Media, Xtrac.

Also, following the festival at 3.30pm THERE WILL BE A FREE SIXTH FORM EVENT designed to provide students of 16+ with an unrivalled, independent overview of all the amazing opportunities in our region in science, engineering, technology and maths related careers.

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Big Interview

Commitment to innovation shaped business park

Dr Malcolm Parry OBE Managing Director & CEO Surrey Research Park 28 theChamber

“I was offered the opportunity to turn the vision of the Vice Chancellor – The Surrey Research Park - into reality.”

For Dr Malcolm Parry OBE, strong ideas are not enough in themselves, they must be accompanied by an ability to commercialise them.

It’s a belief that has characterised his career and which has driven his role as Managing Director and CEO of the Surrey Research Park, at Guildford, for more than three decades.

Owned and developed by The University of Surrey, the park is a 70 acre development close to the campus in Guildford, providing a home to more than 110 companies engaged in a broad spectrum of research, development and design activities.

Malcolm can trace his beliefs in commercialisation to the early days of his career. He said: “One of the opportunities I was offered after graduating from the University of London in the early 1970s was to undertake a PhD on immunology in invertebrate systems there.

“What this taught me was that it is not enough just to undertake scientific research but it’s necessary for there to be a system in place to support the commercialisation of new ideas.

“The chance of becoming involved in that process came in 1981 when I was working as a lecturer running a commerciallyfunded research team and as a senior industrial tutor at the University of Surrey.

I was offered the opportunity to turn the vision of the Vice Chancellor – The Surrey Research Park - into reality.

“This has proved to be an ongoing 33-year project in which we have pioneered business incubation and support in the Surrey Technology Centre, and developed 65,000 square metres of office space for technology companies on the Park.

He has a strong belief in good communication and teamwork, saying: “For everyone, there is a premium to being able to manage time and not lose focus.

“Brevity is much more endearing to customers than confusing them with facts and wasting time. Being able to find people that know more than me as specialists and appreciating their talent is important.”

He also has a strong belief in helping others through the sharing of his experience, saying; “Along the way I have taken my experience into the community and served as a School Governor for 25 years, including as chairman of governors for what is now Kings College School in Guildford.

“Understanding the difference between solving problems for the sake of science and solving problems in a commercial environment is a crucial lesson.”

“I think one of my strengths is that, having risked my house twice in starting businesses which were subsequently sold as going concerns, I have had invaluable business experience.

“I was one of seven founders and have chaired the UK Science Park Association which now has more than 70 members, and I’ve been on the Board of the International Association of Science Parks.

“Understanding the difference between solving problems for the sake of science and solving problems in a commercial environment is a crucial lesson.”

“The process of project managing the Surrey Research Park has fascinated many others wanting to replicate what we have done here. This has led to UNESCO, the

United Nations Economic Commission to Europe, and the British Council asking me to act as an expert to advise a number of governments on how to create similar kinds of projects associated with their universities.

“To help with this, and with a lingering interest in academic work, I have contributed and edited two books on science parks and spoken at many conferences about the planning, development, funding and operation of these projects. My interest has never waned.”

At the heart of everything he does is a commitment to the encouragement of innovation. It’s a philosophy that guides the development of the business park.

He said: “Innovation is not only an end product but also a process. What the Surrey Research Park and the team members at the Park who run our incubator do is support the process with a range of tools from mentoring, specialist advice, coaching, and access to finance. The rest of the business lies with the entrepreneurs who are critical to the process.

“The products and services we offer and have offered for the last 30 years as pioneers in the science park movement are still what the market is looking for. The challenge for us is the cost of housing that makes the South-East in general, lose its competitive edge. I would say we need more housing that can be afforded by young entrepreneurs, engineers and scientists that make our companies work.

“The Park was originally planned in 1981 to be developed in 20 years but the reality is that it has taken more than 30 to achieve that.

“Starting the final phase of development of the park for some potential customers would be a welcome finale to what has been an incredibly stimulating and rewarding process.”

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Development

Grant to Develop Innovative Degree Courses at Guildford College Aims to Boost the Local Economy Guildford College is to receive a grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s Catalyst Fund to develop two new Foundation Degree courses aimed at supporting the UK’s economic recovery. It also fits with Guildford Borough Council Economic Strategy 2013-31, which highlights the gaming industry as one of the key industry sectors for the area.

The grant, which is the in the region of some £150,000, is part of a £50 million investment in cutting edge research and innovation projects across the country, to be allocated to sixteen leading universities.

At Guildford College, it will help to develop the infrastructure and resources for a foundation degree in design for the interactive industries and another in development for the interactive industries.

They will support the training of skilled individuals for the games industry, since Surrey, and Guildford in particular, is home to some of the industry’s leading companies in that area.

In recent years the College has invested heavily in its facilities, particularly in the area of creative technologies. A state of the art TV studio and a new learning hub

and suite of high tech classrooms were installed in 2011. Resources for these new courses are likely to include the latest PCs, tablets and software. The design route will cover interactive application, design principles, methodologies and technology whilst the development route will include modules such as system software design, networking and web architecture. Both routes include a work placement.

Announcing the investment at the Higher Education Policy Institute conference at the Royal Society, Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts said: “Universities and colleges are vital to the UK’s economy.

This extra £50 million will harness the potential for growth across the regions, focus on our world-class industrial sectors, and create a skilled workforce for the

future. It will support cutting-edge innovation and research projects and head us ahead in the global race”.

Richard Dotor, Guildford College’s Head of Higher Education, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for the College and students in the Guildford area. Application and video game design is a billion dollar industry and one that Guildford has a key role in, with companies such as EA Games and Lionhead Studios based here. Students who enrol on this course will be part of a national agenda to develop essential skills in this exciting medium”.

For further information, please contact Guildford College Marketing Co-ordinator Lucy Barker on 01483 44 85 62 or email: lbarker@guildford.ac.uk.

Values should be contagious – Embedding your Values (Part 3) This third and final article on company values looks at the most important step in bringing values to life in your business – embedding them in every day working activities. Without this, values will become worthless wall posters. Seven tried and trusted steps are:• Leadership: Your management team must visibly demonstrate value based behaviours in the way they speak to and treat, staff, customers and suppliers.

Include company values progress on every board meeting agenda • Performance Management: Show your belief that values are critical performance drivers by including visible employee behaviour in support of the values as a measured performance factor linked to performance related pay and bonuses. “On the spot” recognition awards for values behaviours are also great motivators • Values Champions: Appoint champions – advocates who constantly talk about the values and help to keep them at the top of everyone’s minds.

• Recruitment: Include values in the recruitment, assessment and induction processes. Candidates should be

familiarised with the values and understand the behavioural expectations of the company should they join.

• Feature everywhere: Embedded company values are seen everywhere – prominent on your website of course (try featuring an employee video focused on “How we live our values around here”) but on blogs, LinkedIn, director interviews and even on your invoices! You can’t over-communicate your values.

• 360 feedback: do this for senior staff in particular to identify if they are living the values – staff will appreciate being asked for input!

• Consequences: staff must see consequences in action for both supportive values behaviours (reward and recognition) or conversely any fundamental values breach must result in disciplinary action or even dismissal for repeated undermining behaviours

Company values devised and implemented properly can be a wonderful, vibrant tool in driving employee engagement and ultimately business performance so it’s worth the effort it takes to bring them to life in your company.

Some great local organisations who are making values work for them are:• Bastows Ltd (www.bastows.co.uk) – Values lived are “Brave, Harmonious and True” • Rainbow trust (www.rainbowtrust.org.uk) Values lived are -

We listen We work in an inclusive way We do the right thing

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Skills

More Apprenticeships announced as week proves a success Increasing numbers of people will be given an opportunity to earn while they learn, after more than 20,000 new Apprenticeships were pledged by employers as part of the recent National Apprenticeship Week.

Nationally, Lloyds Banking Group committed to hiring 5,000 apprentices, Greene King and Whitbread pledged 2,000 a piece and EE, Mitchells & Butlers and Starbucks each announced 1,000 vacancies.

Announcements were been made by hundreds of businesses around the country, not just corporates but many smaller companies with Surrey businesses among those supporting the initiative.

Indeed; 47% of the employers creating Apprenticeships are small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

National Apprenticeship Week also saw a boost to the new Traineeships, which give young people the work preparation training, English, maths and work experience they need to get an Apprenticeship or other job.

The announcements about the success of National Apprenticeship Week followed new research revealing that nearly half (44%) of employers intend to take on one or more apprentice in the next five years.

And research from the Association of Accounting Technicians revealed that apprentices delivered £1.8bn of net economic benefits to UK

organisations in the last year.

The Week also saw the Prime Minister announce the Government’s commitment to creating two million Apprenticeships over the lifetime of the current Parliament.

David Cameron also announced the next round of Trailblazer employers; 29 new groups of employers who will lead the transformation of Apprenticeships.

The new trailblazers, spanning sectors from accountancy to aviation, nursing to retail, include small businesses and sector specialists as well as some big names such as Tata Steel, John Lewis, British Airways and BMW. Other announcements during the Week included the launch of new Higher, degree level, Apprenticeships in Space Engineering and Nursing.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “The Government is putting an end to the damaging divide between vocational and academic learning. We are committing the biggest ever investment in Apprenticeships and are on track to create two million Apprenticeships over the course of this Parliament.

“Apprentices already contribute £1.8 billion to the economy and with these further commitments, thousands more people will now be able to get the practical skills they need to build careers and help firms grow.”

Skills and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock MP said: “We want to make going to University or into an Apprenticeship the new norm, and over half of young people say they would like to do an Apprenticeship if one were available. So it’s great that as National Apprenticeship Week 2014 comes to a close we can announce that 20,432 new positions are to be created.

“Apprenticeships are delivering for employers, young people, adults and the economy and are increasing at a record rate.

Nearly every employer that takes on an apprentice reports benefits to their business, including the ability to grow their own talents.”

Visit http://apprenticeships.org.uk or https://bitly.com/Traineeships 2014 for more information or ring 08000 150 600.

Opportunity to work on next generation warships Nescot has teamed up with BAE Systems to offer students the chance to work on the ‘brains’ of the Royal Navy’s next generation of complex warships.

The Higher Apprenticeship in Combat Systems Engineering will see apprentices design, develop and integrate state-of-the-art naval combat systems.

“We are delighted to be working with BAE Systems, and we think this will be a partnership that benefits the college and BAE Systems, as well as the students,” said Nescot principal Sunaina Mann OBE. “The apprentices will finish the course with highlyvaluable technical skills and experience, as well as immensely important practical skills, such as problem-solving and thinking laterally.”

Six successful applicants for the four-year apprenticeship will be based in New Malden or Frimley, receiving on-the-job training with the combat systems team.

The team is currently working on exciting programmes such as the mission system for the Royal Navy’s new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.

The apprentices will study at Nescot full-time in the first year, attending college one day a week in years two and three and block placements in the final year, learning cutting-edge engineering disciplines from platform and software security to understanding emerging technologies.

The apprentices will gain qualifications including a Higher National Diploma and a Level 4 Diploma in Professional Competence for IT and Telecoms Professionals, while being paid a competitive salary.

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Finance

Thinking inside the box: Tax incentives for innovation The government is keen to promote the UK as a global centre for innovation and the Patent Box legislation that was introduced on 1 April 2013 is a significant opportunity to substantially reduce corporation tax exposure and increase the return to shareholders.

The Patent Box offers a maximum corporation tax rate of 10% on relevant worldwide profits for companies that commercialise patents and patented products.

This incentive will be phased in over 5 years from April 2013 and could represent a potential tax saving of up to £12,000 for each £100,000 of relevant profits.

Who should consider the benefits?

The Patent Box is relevant to companies: • Which hold patents granted by the UK Intellectual Property Office, European Patent Office or certain EEA states.

• Which hold an exclusive countrywide licence to exploit a patent.

• Which have patents pending.

• Developing a patentable invention.

• Improving existing technology where the improvement could be patentable.

• Considering joint ventures which could develop intellectual property.

• Considering acquisitions of innovative companies.

What income is covered?

The Patent Box applies where patents or exclusive licences have been developed or are actively managed and it applies to the worldwide, not just UK or EU, income from exploiting Intellectual Property Rights.

The sources of income that come within the Patent Box are: • Sales income.

• Licence fees and royalties.

• Proceeds from the sale or other disposal of the qualifying Intellectual Property Rights.

• Infringement income; and • Damages, insurance and other compensation receipts.

What if the patent is only for part of a product?

Where a patented item is incorporated into a product, the income from the whole product should qualify for the Patent Box. Advice and planning in the product development stage can maximise the benefit of the Patent Box.

What if the patents are pending?

Where a patent is pending, the income will

still benefit from the Patent Box, but the relief will be given in the year in which the patent is granted.

How are profits calculated?

The taxable profits are calculated in a multiple step process which includes certain adjustments and careful consideration and planning can minimise the effect of these adjustments.

Workplace pensions, are you ready?

From April 2015 all SME with less than 50 employees, have to start putting pension schemes in place.

The date this affects your company is already set - do you know when it is?

Miss this and there is a £400 fixed fine, then possibly daily fines of £500 per day.

Are there any other relevant tax reliefs?

Our experience indicates that companies which develop patents may also qualify for the enhanced research and development tax relief.

This provides additional relief of up to 125% of the qualifying expenditure that can be claimed against the taxable profits that do not qualify for the Patent Box, representing an additional saving of up to £28,750 per £100,000 of expenditure.

How Menzies can help?

Our Patent Box and Research and Development team works in partnership with clients and other professionals to provide a commercially relevant and effective tax planning service from concept development through to commercial exploitation of the intellectual property, including: • Assessing the tax and commercial implications of patent applications.

• Introducing and coordinating an approach with patent attorneys familiar with the regime.

• Implementing effective systems to identify qualifying income.

• Identifying opportunities to maximise profits within the regime.

• Considering tax effective intellectual property ownership policies.

• Determining whether development expenditure will qualify under the beneficial research and development tax regime; and • Preparing relevant claims and disclosures.

Do you know which workers will have to be included in a pension?

Zero hours contracts, and contract for personal service are included within definition of workers!

Workers are split into 3 categories, Eligible, Non Eligible and Entitled, you need to assess your workforce every time you run payroll, and treat all workers appropriately.

Have you got an existing pension scheme?, if so is it automatic enrolment qualifying?

Most current payroll systems can help manage automatic enrolment, but all require some inputs from your staff, are you aware of how this will work for you in practice?

Can you explain all of this and more to all of your workers?

MBR Wealth has designed a service to help SME understand and implement automatic enrolment!

Please visit our website www.mbrwealth.co.uk for more details, or email enquiries@MBRWealth.co.uk with your PAYE ref number for a free staging date check.

For further information on any of the issues raised here, please contact Andrew England on 01372 360130 or email aengland@menzies.co.uk.

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24 hours with

Demands of transport industry make for long working days The working day begins early and ends late for Steve Whiteway. As Managing Director of Epsom Coaches, he lives and breathes transport and with 120 vehicles and 360 staff operating round-the-clock on a series of major contracts, including London bus routes, there is always plenty to occupy him.

Steve, who has been with the company for more than 30 years, said: “My working day begins when I wake up at about 4.30am and, since I live close to the depot, I get in by about five.

“There are already plenty of people there because we are a 24-hour service; no sooner has our late shift finished than we are starting all over again.

“I tend to have long days; it sounds sad but I often see the early shift come in and the late shift go home. I tend not to sleep much.

“When I get in to work, I will begin by sorting through my e-mails, then I will have a walk round the depot.

“Although I have a management team, I am a perfectionist and I like to see what people are doing.

“I am not one for spending all day in front of a computer, I like to be out and about in the depot, talking to people, checking on everything from the engineers to those fuelling the vehicles.

“I do not spend all my time at the depot. For instance, I attend meetings of our trade association, the most recent of which was in Coventry, and I also sit on the board of our parent company RATP Dev, who are based in Paris.

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“That means I may be at board meetings or I could be out looking at new vehicles. I was recently in Scotland buying new buses and I also did the same in Germany. I look after the North of the UK for RATP Dev.” Because he spends a lot of time at the depot or working away, he makes an effort to protect some time from the demands of the job.

He said; “I enjoy what I do and I have an understanding family. I like to have Saturday off but I will go in early on a Sunday to do four or five hours.

“Although the depot is busy, Sunday tends to be quieter and you can get a lot done.

“I operate an open-door policy and Sundays is a good time for people to pop in and have a chat about things.

“When I have done my work on a Sunday, I’ll meet up with my family and we’ll go out for the day.”

Legal

TOP 5 LEASE TIPS FOR OCCUPIERS OF COMMERCIAL PROPERTY David Haines, Charles Russell

there is to be a rent review, on what basis will the rent be reviewed? Ensure you get advice from a surveyor/agent.

If you are looking to acquire new business premises, there are many important decisions to be made before the deal is done. This article sets out our suggested top 5 issues to consider before signing up to your new business lease.

3 – Break Options If you have negotiated the right to terminate the lease early, it is essential that the break clause as drafted will in fact allow you to do so. There has been much case law recently on attempts to exercise break options (almost all of which have been decided against the tenant). Look very carefully at any conditions the landlord seeks to impose (which if not strictly complied with by the tenant will defeat the break).

4 – Service Charges It is important to know what (if any) services the landlord will be providing and the costs the landlord will be seeking to recover via service charge provisions in the lease. Is the cost for any communal services shared with other tenants, what obligations does the landlord have, what is the position with insurance? A tenant would be well-advised to seek to negotiate a service charge cap to limit service charge liabilities.

5 – Are Any Works Required?

1 – The Term and Contracting Out When negotiating the length of a lease, a business tenant needs to be confident it is adequate to enable the business to be set up and trade from the premises profitably (particularly for example given the fit out costs that will be incurred).

The Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 gives tenants occupying premises for business purposes a statutory right to renew their lease when the term comes to an end (and the landlord is only able to oppose the grant of a new lease on certain limited grounds). This will be particularly important if the business has generated “goodwill” at

the premises and to have to relocate at the end of the term would jeopardise this.

It is possible to “contract out” of a tenant’s right to claim a new lease, in which event it will be entirely at the landlord’s discretion as to whether it is prepared to offer a new lease at the end of the lease term or not. If not, the tenant will have no option but to move (and incur the costs and potential losses as a consequence of having to do so).

2 – Rent and Rent Review Is the rent the landlord is proposing reasonable and accord with market rental levels? Has the landlord offered or will the landlord agree to a rent free period? If

Are any works necessary or desirable to the property to enable the business to trade from it? If so, this should be negotiated with the landlord at the outset and consents obtained to any proposed works before the lease is granted (particularly any structural or external works).

It can often be helpful in negotiations to refer to the Code for Leasing Business Premises in England and Wales 2007, to which is attached Model Heads of Terms which can serve as a useful checklist of points to cover. Leases can only be varied after completion with the landlord’s agreement. Whilst applications may be made for consent where a proposed activity is prohibited by the lease, such applications may be refused or prove to be more costly than if all necessary consents had been obtained at the outset.

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Design

Aiming for excellence As all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, I spent a long weekend in Germany recently at the Werner & Iris Center in Dauchingen, with a group of like-minded archery enthusiasts.

The centre is attached to the Beiter company’s factory on a small industrial estate, where the owners tend to live alongside their business premises. (How much more attractive would our own industrial estates be, I wonder, if this mix of residential and industrial buildings was adopted as the norm over here.)

Werner Beiter’s description of the centre as an ‘archery laboratory’ perfectly reflects his attitude to everything he does and chimes well with this month’s topic of Science and Innovation. He trained as a toolmaker, but his success is borne out of his ability to solve problems using design, invention and innovation, particularly in the field of precision-moulded plastics. Among his achievements is an injection-moulding machine that enabled the production of tiny plastic parts smaller than anyone else was able to produce, and bone plates and screws that can be absorbed by the human body. As the factory has produced parts for vertical blinds, watches, toothbrushes, the electronics industry and for use in medical procedures, it is quite possible that you have something produced by the Beiter company in your home, office or even your body!

Mr Beiter has a long-standing interest in archery and his move into the production of archery accessories in 1985, came about because he identified problems, especially with the point where the arrow clips on to the bowstring. He applied his knowledge and experience to find solutions and the result is a range of exceptionally high-quality items used by archers all over the world, who can buy them safe in the knowledge that each product has been the subject of extensive research and development before going to market.

Users of the Werner & Iris Center apply the same principles; it offers a unique opportunity to examine every aspect of equipment and shooting technique in minute detail and many top international archers have benefited from Mr Beiter’s highspeed film technology, which reveals how each component of bow, arrow and archer affects shooting.

As a mere club archer, it is a privilege as well as a joy for me to visit the centre and to spend time with the indomitable Mr Beiter; his attention to detail and drive to create the best are an inspiration to me in both my sport and my business. A weekend away well spent, I’d say.

Marian de Kretser Partner Foster de Kretser Design Consultants marian@fdk.co.uk 01483 243565 For your FREE copy of our e-book “Good Design is Good Business”, visit http://www.fdk.co.uk/blog-posts/gooddesign-is-good-business

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Leisure

The Foxhills collection proves they truly are the place to belong this Summer with over £1.2 million invested in just 3 months March saw Foxhills sister Club, Farleigh (Warlingham) and TalkSPORTS’ Georgie Bingham host their first major Golf Event, The 2014 Golf Expo in association with Coopers BMW Croydon.

The Club welcomed over 400 guests to the estate to enjoy a complete family day out.

Russell Stebbings, General Manager goes on to say “Farleigh’s ethos is community, quality and fun the expo ticked all those boxes for me”. Guests were entertained by Trick Shot artist Jeremy Dale, Local Farmers Market, Urban Crazy Golf, Ladies and Men’s Fashion Shop, Magician, and live music.

Whist over at Foxhills, they welcome the popular Senior PGA Professional Championship to the resort. In a three year agreement with the PGA, the tournament will be in special tribute to the late Ryder Cup captain and former Club Head Professional Bernard Hunt MBE; The PGA is also renaming the trophy – the Bernard Hunt Trophy.

PGA Chief Executive Sandy Jones said: “Foxhills is a magnificent venue and given Bernard Hunt’s long association with the

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club, and The PGA, we also felt it was appropriate to rename the trophy in his name.”

Foxhills have also just announced for the second year running their sponsorship of the successful Surrey Life Food and Drink awards, assisting Surrey celebrate innovation and talent within the local food and drink industry.

The Club do not stop there, they have gone a step further and have just finished their £1.2 million resort investment in just 3 months, welcoming 20 new look poolside bedrooms, a dazzling cocktail and lounge bar, state of the art Manor Kitchen and new look Nineteen Restaurant.

With investment comes fabulous opportunity for all guests and staff throughout Foxhillls and Farleigh. Marc Hayton, Managing Director and Owner adds “Over the next 10 years we plan to

invest £25m into both Foxhills and Farleigh.

We don’t intend to rest on our laurels.”

JOIN US: See what all the fuss is about. Join Foxhills at their Annual Open Day on Saturday 28th June from 10am-4pm. Reserve your place now email membership@foxhills.co.uk or call 01932 704450. If you can’t wait until June why not enjoy Foxhills Summer Sizzler including tea or coffee & bacon roll with 18 holes of championship golf followed by a steak baguette & fries in Nineteen.

To book call 01932 704465 Terms and conditions apply. Package is available Monday - Thursday until 28th August.

Technology Showcase Surrey designer helps put the spring back in your step Commercialising ideas and turning designs into saleable products can be a challenge for organisations of all sizes and sectors. Flexyfoot is a shining example of innovative design and manufacturing collaboration in action.

Watching his sister struggle with the challenges MS can bring and hearing her complain about the difficulties and discomfort of using her walking stick, Surrey-based product designer David Goodwin knew he could do something about it.

Finding that the rubber feet on her walking sticks quickly wore down and were very difficult to change, and with his 95 year old mother refusing to use any sort of walking aid because she thought it made her look ‘old’, David saw there was a need for walking aids of all types to be sporty and smart. He set to work developing a flexible, safe and comfortable alternative to the humble walking stick ferrule. And Flexyfoot made its debut.

A new type of rubber ferrule for walking sticks, canes or crutches, Flexyfoot offers real benefits in pain relief and improved confidence in walking by not only bending to grip the surface you’re walking on but by absorbing the shock of impact through the hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders.

David knew he wanted Flexyfoot products not only look good and work well, but also have proven medical and therapeutic benefits, helping to challenge the stigma of walking aids and give safe, flexible

support to those who need it.

David commented: “With Flexyfoot, I want to alter the way people look at walking aids, by offering real solutions to the real problems faced by those who need, or prefer, to have a little bit more stability. The whole idea came from seeing my sister struggling and knowing that there has to be a better solution out there. There wasn’t so I had to create it. Flexyfoot has since become my life and a whole range of Flexyfoot products have followed. Feedback is extremely positive and hearing how it’s helping people makes it so rewarding.”

For more information please visit www.flexyfoot.com.

Consult Hyperion and Alaric announce winner of Future of Money Art award 2014 The winner of the Future of Money Art Award 2014, held in conjunction with Consult Hyperion’s Tomorrow’s Transactions Forum, is Sunnyside, entered by Renee Verhoeven and David Carr. Entries to the Future of Money Art Award once again challenged payments and identity industry members with exciting, creative visions of potential futures.

The theme of the 2014 Award was ‘Identity is the New Money’. Sunnyside challenged viewers to consider whether money is the best store of value and whether identity could be monetised, using wearable technologies and big data analytics. That, the winning entry stated, could potentially lead to a complete decentralised value system that links social backing with power and value. Sunnyside concluded that ‘it pays to be nice’.

Other shortlisted entries were Selfie Money

by Jonathon Keats and The Culturists by David Benque.

The Award, which has run since 2009 alongside Consult Hyperion’s Tomorrow’s Transactions Forum and, previously, the Digital Money Forum, was sponsored in 2014 by Alaric, an NCR company. Andy Brown, marketing director, Alaric and Alaric

representative on the judging panel, said, “With its reflection on today’s connected world and high quality presentation the Sunnyside entry was felt by the judges to be the best response to the theme of Identity is the New Money. It challenges all of us in the payments industry to consider how identity, used today to authenticate a consumer, could become a more important element in deciding the value of the transaction.”

Tomorrow’s Transactions delegates appreciated the left field perspective provided by the Award artists - delegate feedback as always listed the competition as a valued part of the Forum.

Next year’s Tomorrow’s Transactions Forum will again take place at One America Square, London on 18-19 March 2015.

Making a difference in the world of manuafucturing Welcome to the Technology Showcase. This time we are paying homage to manufacturing. There are several trends affecting the industry, including.

Innovation and commercialisation: The increased risk and expense that accompany commercialisation of new products mean many companies fall foul of the sombrely named Valley of Death (Technology Strategy Board 2014); the place where innovations fail. To compete in a global market, organisations must position themselves to effectively meet the commercialisation challenge.

High value manufacturing (HVM): The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) describes HVM as the ‘application of leading-edge technical knowledge and expertise to the creation of products, production processes and associated services’. Put simply, it’s where high research and development activity meets high growth, and the UK government, through the TSB, is investing heavily in this area. HVM is seen as a ‘key driver to UK economic success’.

Introduction of a circular economy approach: Limited resources and environmental impact are driving the need for manufacturers to move away from the linear, take – make – dispose, economic model that we have all grown used to. Taking a more sustainable circular economic approach means products are designed and manufactured with end-of-life and the re-use of key components in mind.

UK manufacturing has a strong pedigree which makes it well-placed to respond to changes within the industry.

Despite global technological and economic changes the doom and gloom merchants were wrong. UK manufacturers continue to rise to the ever-changing demands of our modern economies; investing in new technologies, working more collaboratively and sustainably and providing value-adding services.

With The EEF forecasting the sector will ‘grow by 2.7% in 2014’, 0.3% greater than the economy as a whole and the TSB investing heavily, the future of manufacturing in the UK is bright.

If you have any interesting tech stories please drop me a line at elaine@ehenterprises.com.

Dr Elaine Hickmott helps tech companies grow and thrive. Elaine is Surrey Chambers’ Technology Ambassador.

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Social Media

Evolving the website Q & A page

Do I need a Responsive Design Website or a Mobile App?

Orbital Media, a specialist social media marketing agency are new members to the Surrey Chambers.

With a heap of recent marketing awards and exciting levels of growth, the team are focussed on helping organisations become more social.

More recently the team have developed a cutting edge video response Q & A web application named VirtTuri, which is designed to integrate into an organisation’s website and give visitors a more direct way to get their questions answered, whilst on the move.

In addition, the new platform aligns perfectly with Google’s new Hummingbird algorithm, therefore the video content posted gains much greater traction on search engines, meaning more traffic for those embracing it.

There is no doubt about it, the unrelenting rise of the smartphone and tablet cannot be ignored. Recent Deloitte research found UK smartphone users has reached 72% (+14% in the last 10 months alone) - so that means 7 out of 10 of your customers may be viewing your website on a mobile device. Will they like what they see?

How do you know whether mobile customers are important to your business?

Director, Hayden Allen-Vercoe says; “The platform is proving incredibly popular with many organisations who are realising the medium of video featured within this app is not only great for driving more organic traffic, but also for creating an immediate bond with their prospects as well as differentiating themselves from the competition at the same time”.

To date the company have created VirtTuris’ for a number of medical and consumer healthcare based brands who have a responsibility to educate their prospects and customers, and are in discussions with a number of government departments.

More here www.OrbitalMediaNetwork.com.

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If you look at your Google Analytics data you will see the constant rise of your mobile device visitor. Some business sectors are seeing larger shifts to mobile device visitors than others but all are on the up.

So how do you cope with this trend?

If you have a website that has a transactional element - so your user needs to complete a purchase or a task, like registration - then I think you need to be seriously considering developing a responsive design website.

With a brochure-style website, you can probably ‘get away with’ what you have (for the moment!).

Perhaps I should get a Mobile App instead?

I would recommend a responsive design website as a minimum and then consider if any part of your customer journey or a process is suitable for translating into an

App. Be careful not to get drawn into developing one simply for the sake of it.

They might be the latest shiny marketing toy but they’re not cheap - and have ongoing development costs, so it isn’t a one-off investment.

As ever, and as with all marketing tactics, it depends on your target audience. Find out first how your customers behave online – are they increasingly accessing your site via their mobile devices and consider what you are asking them to do on your website.

This should drive your decision to develop a more mobile-friendly approach to aid website conversion and sales growth.

Sarah Orchard Director, Orchard Marketing Associates Vice Chair, Chartered Institute of Marketing - Surrey Branch Follow us on Twitter: @cim_se Join our LinkedIn group: CIM Surrey LinkedIn Group

Free social media training/SEO advice for SCC members

Recent Communications...

Twitter Surrey Chambers

@SurreyChambers May 7

As a special offer to all members of Surrey Chambers of Commerce, Extreme Studios have produced a complete online marketing package including a fully responsive website with the further option of SEO advice or social media training.

Having the most up to date fully responsive website is an absolute must. Your site could be the first port of call for a potential customer and it needs to leave a good impression. All of Extreme Studios sites are designed with this in mind, to supply that needed ‘wow factor’. We also pay special attention to using a website as a conversion tool and making the overall user experience as optimal as possible.

But online marketing should not end with a well-produced website.

We offer a choice of two packages free of charge when you sign up for an Extreme Studios site.

The whole team are on YouTube explaining the importance of Chamber membership #wellconnected http://dld.bz/de3Uf #SCoC_UK Woking Works

@WokingWorks May 2 Up bright'n'early this morning for Chamber Connections with @SurreyChambers.

Claire Dee

@ClaireDeeComms Apr 30 Latest @SurreyChambers Business Women in Surrey blog Women in the boardroom; work to be done, but the news is good: http://www.businesswomeninsurrey.co.uk/blog Surrey Chambers

@SurreyChambers Apr 2 New business opportunities - what's your big idea?: http://youtu.be/ECKJ0F-HTSw

LinkedIn Apprenticeship review

1) Free SEO Advice (3 months training & support) We offer the most up to date, tried and tested general advice on how to achieve higher rankings (page 1) in Google search without having to rely on external agencies or their associated costs. This will give you full control of your ongoing SEO program.

2) Free Social Media Training (3 months training & support) Social media is not going to go away. In fact, many companies are now using social to their full advantage, from brand awareness to SEO benefits. We will give you the very best advice on which networks to target and how to add content that will be of value to your business.

This exclusive offer to all Surrey Chambers of Commerce members is available right now, call 0208 090 2380 to find out more today.

Read more about Extreme Studios on www.extreme-studios.com.

Mike Walker Managing Director at MGN events Our colleague Abi has successfully completed her apprenticeship at MGN events and has written a short blog on her experiences!

Considering commercial premises to rent? Tips frm experts Grillo LLP Ch. Surveyrs. http://www.theguide2surrey.com/Business/Business-News/April2014/Protect-Yourself-Before-you-Commit-to-Taking-Comme

Paul Nathanson Founder and Director at PNPR

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Chamber Events Business Experience Exchange (BEXEX)

Key events coming up in Surrey Chambers’ calendar Property Group Lunch Tue 20-May-2014 The Guildhall, 131 High Street, GUILDFORD Non-Members: £50.00 Members: £35.00 Join members and their guests for a presentation followed by a networking buffet lunch. Run in association with the Guildford Business Forum. With Guest Speaker: Rupert Bates, one of the leading property journalists in the country, is editorial director of WhatHouse, a fastgrowing property portal as well as producing regional property magazines delivered to consumers’ doors, and Show House magazine, the leading trade title for UK housebuilders, which was in March crowned Magazine of the Year at the Property Press Awards.

Kindly sponsored by: Hart Brown

The Power of Social Media and Online Marketing Wed 21-May-2014 Foxhills Resort & Spa Stonehill Rd, Ottershaw, Surrey Non-Members: £0.00 Members: £0.00 We are all looking for ways to market our businesses more efficiently and effectively along with saving as many £’s as possible.

Marketing your business online brings with it many benefits that are not available with traditional and offline marketing. With Guest speakers; Phil Miller - Director - Dreaming Fish Productions Video & Animation Prem Gyani - Founder - Social Outsourcing Ken Nathan - Sales & Marketing Director Forfront.net Kindly sponsored by: Dreaming Fish Productions

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Business Women in Surrey at Pennyhill Park Wed 21-May-2014 Foxhills Resort & Spa Stonehill Rd, Ottershaw, Surrey Non-Members: £0.00 Members: £0.00 This networking ladies afternoon tea is designed to give you a regular opportunity to meet with like minded people, entertain your clients, share issues and widen your own network of customers, suppliers, neighbours and competitors.

Chamber Connections Betchworth Breakfast Wed 28-May-2014 Hartsfield Manor (De Vere Venues), Sandy Lane, BETCHWORTH Non-Members: £20.00 Members: £10.00 Come and join us at this informal networking breakfast being held at Hartsfiled Manor, midway between Dorking and Reigate. Designed to give you the opportunity to meet and discuss local issues, share best practice with decision makers and widen your own network of customers and suppliers.

Chamber Connections Guildford Breakfast

Tue 03-Jun-2014 Arcom IT, Export House, Cawsey Way, Woking Non-Members: £20.00 Members: £10.00 No matter how long you’ve been in business, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you will have new challenges and issues to deal with each and every week. However, what separates successful business people from those who just muddle along is how they look for solutions to these ongoing problems. With this thought in mind, Surrey Chambers and Home Counties Business Advisors (HCBA) have joined together to host a new Business Experience Exchange event which gives business owners and managers the opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss issues as a group.

With guest speaker: Susanne Currid, HCBA

Open 18 Hole Stableford Golf Competition at West Surrey Tue 10-Jun-2014 West Surrey Golf Club, Enton Green, GODALMING Non-Members: £80.00 Members: £65.00 Open 18 Hole Stableford competition open to all business people. Join us as a team of 3 or 4 players and entertain your own clients or as a solo player and we will place you in a team. Enjoy a bacon roll and coffee, 18 hole Stableford competition followed by lunch and prize giving, finishing by 17.30hrs.

Kindly sponsored by: Maris Interiors

Managing People Programme Employment Status Managing Your Workforce

Tue 03-Jun-2014 The Mandolay Hotel, 36-40 London Road, Guildford Non-Members: £20.00 Members: £10.00 Come and join us at one of our most popular networking breakfast. Designed to give you a regular opportunity to meet likeminded business people - It’s a great way to start the day, meet new people and get well fed into the bargain!

Thu 12-Jun-2014 Canon (UK) Ltd, Cockshott Hill, REIGATE Non-Members: £25.00 Members: £0.00 Surrey Chambers member benefit – Free to members!

The make up of the workforce is becoming varied. Any one business may have employees, casual workers, agency workers, as well as part time, fixed term contract and self-employed workers. The rights that attach to these individuals varies. Understanding these rights is key in order to manage your workforce effectively.

Kindly Sponsored by: ramsac

In partnership with: Charles Russell

Chamber Connections Surrey Heath Breakfast Thu 12-Jun-2014 Cafe Bar Restaurant, Camberley Theatre, Knoll Road, CAMBERLEY Non-Members: £20.00 Members: £10.00 Come to one, some or all of the breakfasts - it’s a great way to start the day, meet new people and get well fed into the bargain!

Being held in the recently refurbished Cafe Bar Restaurant.

Open 9 Hole Evening Golf Competition at Reigate Heath Golf Club Wed 25-Jun-2014 Reigate Heath Golf Club, Flanchford Road, Reigate Heath Non-Members: £40.00 Members: £34.00 Open to all business people. Tee off from 17.00 hrs, 9 Hole Stableford Competition followed by supper and prizes. Join us as a team of 3 or 4 players and entertain your own clients or as a solo player and we will place you in a team.

Chamber Connections Redhill & Reigate Breakfast Wed 25-Jun-2014 Reigate Hill Golf Club, Reigate Hill Non-Members: £20.00 Members: £10.00 You are invited to join us for a networking breakfast being held at Redhill & Reigate Golf Club. Designed to give you a regular opportunity to meet and discuss local issues, share best practice with decision makers and widen your own network of customers and suppliers.

Kindly sponsored by: Kingston Smith

Chamber Connections Elmbridge Breakfast Thu 19-Jun-2014 The Hilton Hotel, Seven Hills Road South, COBHAM Non-Members: £20.00 Members: £10.00 Come along to The Hilton Hotel, Cobham and make new business contacts. With Guest Speaker: Matt Ryder, MBR Wealth Management Limited

For further information regarding forthcoming events visit the Chamber website

www.surrey-chambers.co.uk

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46 theChamber

Business News Guildford at the heart of next generation communications with the 5G Innovation Centre

Greenacre School for Girls – Smallshaws All-Weather Hockey Pitch Grand Opening

Today, there are over three billion mobile devices connected to the internet, with the demand for evergreater network capacity growing every year. This demand for data is crucial for the UK’s economic growth, and the development of new technologies will help place the UK at the forefront of business innovation.

It was with great excitement that Greenacre School for Girls opened their All-Weather Hockey pitch on the School’s 81st Birthday.

which will enable technologies to be tested in a real-world environment. Support and expertise from its industry partners are an integral part of the programme, and will help steer research and ensure that it answers the needs and demands of businesses.

Professor Rahim Tafazolli, Head of the University of Surrey’s 5G Innovation Centre, said: To answer this demand, the University of Surrey has partnered with leading telecommunications companies, such as BT, the BBC, Huawei, Samsung and Vodafone to develop pioneering 5G technologies.

The 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC) is the world’s first dedicated centre of research for next generation communications. Currently under construction at the University of Surrey, 5GIC has already gained support from government and industry worth over £40 million.

The growing list of partners include major telecommunications businesses such as Aeroflex, AIRCOM International, ASCOM, BBC, BT, EE, Fujitsu Laboratories of Europe, Huawei, Rohde & Schwarz, Samsung, Telefonica and Vodafone as well as the UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom.

When complete in 2015, 5GIC will house academics and PhD students whose work will focus on the advanced technologies underpinning the 5G network of the future, with research already underway. The project will also include the development of a 5G experimental network, based on campus with 4km2 coverage,

“It is extremely important for us to find innovative ways of coping with the levels of mobile communications data traffic that are expected to continue to rise. Using state-of-the-art 4G as the starting point for our work, we are driving the development of advanced technologies which place the user at the heart of the design process

Sophie Bray and Sarah Haycroft, representatives from the Team GB Hockey squad cut the ribbon to officially open the pitch, whilst students aged from 3 to 18 looked on in awe.

Hockey has only been played at the school for the last 4

years but already in that time we have seen our girls in the Under 14 and Under 16 teams become District Champions!

This amazing new facility will enrich the school life of every Greenacre girl for many years to come.

“By bringing together leading academics with heavyweight industry partners, I believe we can develop the technologies that are required to provide much-needed capacity, drive economic growth and actively contribute to and shape the future 5G system. Ultimately, our vision is to provide a consistent and reliable mobile communications service and create the perception of ‘infinite capacity’.”

• 5GIC will be based on the University of Surrey’s Guildford campus • Predicted opening date of April 2015 • Home to around 150 researchers and 100 PhD students • Continued collaboration with a growing consortium of network operators, infrastructure, media and communications organisations.

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Member Spotlight

Fast, convenient access to the best healthcare?

Claire Shaw, Director, BSG Training Ltd

Stuart Emerson is the General Manager of North Downs Hospital in Caterham and is responsible for overseeing the whole operation of the hospital from the housekeeping and catering departments through to ensuring that the high levels of governance are maintained.

HFS Milbourne gears up for growth HFS Milbourne, the Surrey financial specialist, has added to its growing team of professional advisors with the appointment of Martin Clarke as business development manager.

Martin joins with 20 years’ experience at a senior level in the financial services sector, most notably with a leading wealth management company where he provided technical support on tax efficient investment and trust planning.

Stuart has been at the hospital for a year on 1st May having previously held a number of other positions within Ramsay Health Care, the hospitals owners. Since being in post Stuart has worked on improving the efficiency of the hospital and the services provided to ensure great value for money for all users of the hospital whilst also maintaining the excellent patient feedback, satisfaction and reputation of the hospital.

Prior to that Martin advised on offshore investments at one of the world’s largest life insurance and pension companies.

At HFS Milbourne, Martin will focus on developing the company’s existing professional network and advising on complex client affairs.

He said: “I have tracked the progress of HFS Milbourne over the past ten years and I am delighted to be joining such a professional team and looking forward to playing a key role in the company’s development.”

Stuart says

Rod Milne joint managing director added “By growing our team we are building on the vast wealth of knowledge and experience we already offer which stands us in good stead as we continue to expand the business.”

“This is a critical time for the hospital with significant changes ongoing within the healthcare economy. It is vital for North Downs to continue to deliver the great healthcare we have become known for, but also to drive change and efficiency in what we do.

Having been delivering fantastic patient care to the local community for 40 years the next challenge for North Downs is how we continue to develop to ensure that we can continue to help those in need of our services.”

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Claire founded BSG Training in 2011. Her many years experience in the IT training industry gave her the belief and confidence that she could continue to deliver to her existing and potential new clients a great ICT training service but at more affordable prices.

At BSG, none of the closed end user training comes ‘out of the box’. With each course carefully tailored to suit a clients needs as businesses can ill afford to waste employees valuable time away from their work on courses that don’t cover precisely what they need.

BSG’s trainers are always one step ahead in their skill set, ensuring delivery of the most up to date technology courses.

Chamber Chat Eventful time for Lisa

5 minutes with...

Ian Parker, Director, Henchards

Lisa Masters is Managing Director of Country Wide Special Events, Stag and Hen Events, Wild Monkey Events and Battlefield Live Surrey all of which are based at the beautiful Whithorn Estate venue in Brook.

Having worked in the Events Industry for over 20 years Lisa knows only too well what it takes to deliver exceptional multi-activity outdoor events to the Corporate and Private markets. Lisa and her team love welcoming local businesses, schools and children to their venue whether it is for a team-building day, multi activity day or children’s birthday party.

Lisa says:

“I am delighted to announce the launch of our latest venture, Wild Monkey Events, which focusses on creating action packed outdoor School Holiday Camps for children.”

Explain Henchards to someone unfamiliar with the business:

What 3 words would you use to explain your company?

The highest performers in any discipline be it sport, entertainment or business seek the best help in order to maximise their performance. If you are building a business to generate wealth for yourself, your family and your team you will value the support, advice and expertise that someone from outside the company can provide.

Building business wealth.

There are three areas where we work with our clients: improving business performance, accelerating profitable growth and exit planning to prepare a business for an eventual sale.

We agree each engagement around the specific needs and ambitions of our client. They get access to expertise and experience, plus leading business thinking and pragmatic processes.

Underpinning all of this is a trusting, supportive and fully engaged two-way relationship.

As a result we tend to be asked by our clients to help them build business wealth over the medium to long term.

Why did you join the chamber?

To connect with local businesses and to fully understand the Surrey business environment.

What is the best benefit you have received through the chamber?

The relationships engendered through the chamber’s events and publications. We have benefited from having met future clients and specialist partners with access to a wealth of advice and support.

We also utilise the help that is available through the chamber for our clients.

If you were telling another business person about the chamber what would you say?

Join, get involved, make yourself known and contribute.

The fundamentals of business success are rooted in the people and organisations you know and chamber membership gives you the opportunity to build these valuable relationships.

What advice would you give to a company considering setting up in Surrey?

There is a fantastic depth of talented people and businesses in Surrey covering a very wide range of industries and expertise. Most will have been through the journey you are embarking upon and are willing to extend help, advice and maybe a formal commercial relationship to help you take the right steps with speed and confidence.

Make yourself known and help will follow.

And finally, as a Surrey business, what do you see as the local key factors for success/growth over the next 12 months?

Business owners are pretty good at being creative, adaptable and resilient. These characteristics, combined with a good dose of confidence, take us a long way. However the context in which we work is also critical. Pro-employment policies, fast, easy access to finance and flexibility on key overheads such as rent and rates all make a huge difference to success.

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Member Benefits

New Members

Discounted Services for Members of Surrey Chambers of Commerce

Surrey Chambers of Commerce welcomes its latest member companies: Agile Procurement Consulting Ltd Karen Brand 07553 069051

Special member benefit from Chamber member Social Outsourcing

Procurement Brown Y Ltd Shailendra Sharma 01252 757222 www.vectorfog.com

Marketing & distribution Bruk International Leonard Pegler

UK/Brazil trade links ChangeWise Mike Williams 02380 464153 www.changewise.co.uk

Management consulting

Drywall & ceiling specialists Dorking & District Chamber of Commerce Nick Boot 01306 880880

Chamber of Commerce

Chamber members Social Outsourcing are offering members of Surrey Chambers of Commerce their bespoke social media package for £249 + VAT/month with NO set up costs (usually £199+ VAT).

Social Outsourcing goes through a tried and tested process to understand your company goals and ambitions with the digital economy, providing you with a plan and monthly reports that show quantifiable and measurable progress toward a realistic goal.

About Social Outsourcing: Social Outsourcing is a Surrey based company that hires 18-25 year olds from severely disadvantaged backgrounds, puts them onto a apprenticeship in a local college puts them in a nurturing office and then uses them to provide social media services to companies like yours under the watchful eye of their grey haired mentors. It’s all run on specially created technology and process that allows the young people to be creative and gain valuable experience within the industry.

For more information on the chamber member offer and the services Social Outsourcing provides contact Prem on prem@socialoutsourcing.co or tel: 0330 82 80 805.

Enterprise M3 Alex Williams 01962 845874 www.enterprisem3.org.uk

Local Enterprise Partnership Fides GF Consulting Ltd Jenny Boxall 01372 801536

Security consultants From The Hip Helen Neatherway 07766 037501 www.fromthehipvideo.co.uk

Video production GDC Bookkeeping Gillian Clarke 01252 612484 www.gdcbookkeeping.co.uk

Bookkeeping & payroll services Global Travel Management Ltd Simon Renwick 01483 227487 www.g-t-m.co.uk

Business travel specialists Godalming Chamber of Commerce Jane Blackwood 07810 563 676 www.godalmingchamber.org

Chamber of Commerce Grow Global Ltd Sarah Carroll

Micro-e Trudi Norman www.Micro-e.co.uk

0208 949 2191

Milford Golf Club Kevin Bonner

01483 419200

Golf Club Moving On UP Coaching Hazel McCallum 020 8407 0110 www.movingonupcoaching.com

Life coaching Orbital Media & Advertising Ltd Hayden Allen-Vercoe 01428 607802 www.orbitalmedianetwork.com

Social media marketing agency Parabola Software Stephanie Muzzall 0208 3394380 www.parabolasoft.co.uk

IT software services Raven Housing Trust Angela Ellis 01737 272411

Housing association SAS & Company Ltd Shelley Smyth 01483 755772 www.sasandcompany.com

Distributors of fragrance The Briars Group Ltd Jamie Shaw 01483 413400

IT Outsourcing & IT Support Transac International Ltd Debbie Edes 01737 222525 www.transacinternational.com

Counter terrorist technology TransGlobal Freight Management Janet Nakibombo 0845 3376419 www.tgfml.com

International freight forwarding Waverley Abbey House Jackie Girling 01252 784704 www.cwr.org.uk

Conferencing and wedding venue

07711 132179

Training Jelly Communications Joe Sivers 07908 031245 www.jellycoms.co.uk

Telecommunications Komputer Consultancy Services Ltd (KCS) Daniel Gregor 01494 773722 www.kcsltd.co.uk

Outsourced helpdesk support

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Financial planning

Outsourced IT support

07553 583338

DCP Group Holdings (UK) Ltd Chris Dulley 020 8647 6999 www.dcpuk.co.uk

Outsource your company’s social digital presence to local, skilled apprentices and their experience mentors at affordable prices.

MBR Wealth Management Matthew Ryder 07825 757248 www.mbrwealth.co.uk

Wheelers Solicitors Mel McCrum 01252 316316 www.wheelerslaw.co.uk

Solicitors Woking & Sam Beare Hospices Anita Avery 01932 826095 www.wsbhospices.co.uk

Hospice Wotton House Hotel Thomas Armes 01306 737456

Conference centre