LASTWORD
MOVERS&SHAKERS
The Last Word Name: Gerald Glover Company: Noted in Style Limited Job title: Creative Director Q. What was your first job and what was the pay packet? A. My first full time job was as a Graphic Designer at an agency in London and the pay was £8,000 a year. I started the day after my graduation - straight off to the bright lights of the big city!
Think Telecom welcomes new team member Think Telecom would like to introduce Sam Beautridge, Key Account Specialist. Sam has an extensive background in telecommunications and delivering tailor made solutions for small to medium sized businesses, whilst always ensuring best products and best price.
Sam comments “I’m delighted to be working in a role that allows me to focus on delivering truly exceptional experiences to our customers. Think Telecom pride themselves on delivering more than just great value and I’m incredibly excited to be part of the team.”
New Challenge for Elle
Q. What do you always carry with you to work? A. A notebook and pen, my laptop and phone. Q. What is the biggest challenge facing your business? A. Currently our biggest challenge is premises. The business needs more space, as we want to invest in more equipment to allow us to offer further products and to have more in-house production capacity, but there is nothing available within our location. We need a mix of office and light industrial. There are small or very large units available but none of a medium size - we’re looking for 3-4000 square feet ideally. If we cannot find somewhere soon it will start to become a real problem for the business and will prevent any further growth. Q. If you were Prime Minister, what one thing would you change to help business? A. That’s a tricky one as I’m not sure I’m qualified enough to answer that! But I think I’d look at ways the government could ensure that low cost funding is available to viable businesses that want to grow, perhaps with the government underwriting the scheme itself. Q. What can you see from your office window? A. From where I sit I can see the sky and clouds. Q. If you could do another job what would it be? A. Helicopter pilot. Q. As a business person, what are your three main qualities? A. I’d like to think that I am (i) a good listener (ii) hard working and (iii) creative. Q. What was your biggest mistake in business? A. In my last business (a graphic design agency) not capitalising on opportunities that arose and taking a risk to expand. Q. What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs? A. If an opportunity presents itself, grab it and run with it (although do some initial research to make sure it is a viable opportunity first!) Q. Who do you most admire in business? A. Sir Richard Branson. Not just for what he has achieved in business himself, but because he continues to try and push technological and creative boundaries and to inspire others in business. I’m a big advocate of those who achieve great success giving something back and helping to create a new generation of creative entrepreneurs, which Sir Richard does in my opinion.
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ThinkingBUSINESS October - November 2015
At just 17 years old Elle Cloke joined We Do Social Media in Kent and is now well into the flow of her new role of creating social media training programs. Company Director Elle started working at We Do Social Media in April 2015. The company had already enjoyed great success
within the Maidstone area and so Elle decided to take the plunge and start networking to build the company's reputation as a leader in the Social Media Management and Marketing field. Linda, We Do Social Media’s founder and Managing Director said “Elle’s passion and enthusiasm have brought a fantastic, positive vibe to an already energetic company. People are immediately struck by her maturity and knowledge when they meet her and so are often surprised to learn her age, but she’s been welcomed into the company and is already a big hit with both staff and customers”
Elle joined two apprentices employed as part of the KCC training program by We Do Social Media, along with a graduate who has been researching and posting for We Do’s current client base. Elle said, “I’m loving being a part of We Do Social Media. I recently did my first presentation to a group of thirty business people and I was pretty nervous, but the positive response has been overwhelming and it’s given me an amazing confidence boost. I really hope that in 10 years’ time I’ll be telling my story to young people at the start of their exciting career.”
New Associate for Girlings Girlings Solicitors is delighted to welcome Senior Associate Louise Purcell to its employment department, based in Ashford working with head of department Carl Vincent and assistant solicitor David Morgan. Louise has specialised in employment law since 2005 and brings with her a wealth of experience of advising and representing businesses in respect of human resources and employment law issues. Louise’s previous firms include Irwin Mitchell, Thompsons and Capsticks where she acted for
a broad range of clients including retailers, nursing homes, breweries, schools, charities, IT companies, NHS Trusts, contractors, care / nursing homes, GP’s, publishers, builders, insurers, SME’s and PLC’s. Louise is an experienced Employment Tribunal advocate and is able to advise businesses in respect of all employment issues including contracts, handbooks, day to day HR / employment issues, settlement agreements, disciplinary issues, problem employees, redundancies, employee sickness, grievances,
dismissals, disputes, discrimination claims, Tupe, restrictive covenants and employment tribunal proceedings.
Matthew joins business KVM Permanent Recruitment has made a new appointment. The company works with clients who are employing staff in Kent and London and specialises in permanent vacancies with a diverse client base including Construction and Consulting, Manufacturing,
IT, Senior Appointments, Sales, Finance and Insurance and Motor industry sectors. Matthew Meager has joined the business to help grow the client services portfolio. He has had a successful 21 year career within the motor industry, with the
last 12 years working for the prestige brand BMW as a Business Manager. Client Services Partner Matthew brings his sales expertise and client liaison skills to KVM Permanent Recruitment to drive the business forward and manage client relationships.