C&W January 2018

Issue 63 January / February 2018

David Winstanley - running an airport is like a military operation - page 20

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Foreword

CONTENTS January/February 2018

Looking forward to an exciting 2018

Go for Growth

4-5

News

6-7

Events

8-9

Corporate Profiles

10

International Trade

11

Dear Chamber of Commerce Member, Happy New Year!

I hope 2018 is a prosperous one for you and your business and/or organisation.

Throughout 2017, your Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber supported thousands of businesses to start-up, to grow, to access finance, solve skills challenges, export and network.

Our Annual Economic Conference, last November, was our best ever with Andy Street, West Midlands Mayor, Janice Charette, High Commissioner of Canada and Iain Duncan Smith MP. Our manufacturing and tourism and leisure networks, our women in business events and our Branch Committees went from strength to strength with growing numbers of Members attending.

We were delighted with the recognition given to Coventry University, winner of Business & Education Partnership West Midlands Award, and Vectric, winner of Exporter of Year West Midlands Award, at the British Chambers of Commerce Regional Awards.

We were pleased that Coventry Warwickshire Chamber Training (CWCT) was acknowledged, by the Skills Funding Agency, as a credible and ongoing deliverer of apprenticeships for employers (who are levy payers or non levy payers) and our CWCT continues to be one of the highest rated training and apprenticeship provider in the UK. Then, what an amazing, emotional and proud way to end 2017 when Coventry, with its' critical links to Warwickshire, was named as the City of Culture 2021.

The start of what will be an amazing and economically beneficial journey for our sub-region. Fabulous!

2018 looks to be a busy and fantastic year of supporting Chamber Members, with our not-to-be-missed CWRocks Trade Expo on 9th March at

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

the Ricoh Arena. Check out the details and opportunities for your business on www.cwexpo.co.uk. I look forward to seeing you all there.

2018 will also see the expansion of our International Trade and export documentation activity and our work around BREXIT. We will continue to act as voice of local business on issues that matter most to you, such as BREXIT, whilst, importantly, delivering practical support via our CW International Trade Hub, Membership Support, start-up and coaching services. Get in touch on 02476 654321 and make the most of your Membership services & support.

Membership will always sit at the heart of your Chamber of Commerce and we will continue to grow, and invest in, our relationships with our Strategic Members (Patrons) and Corporate Members, to the wider benefit of our local economy, whilst delivering more profile and networking opportunities for all Members, not least through the creative ramping up of our social media and e-businesssupport activity.

Corporate Profiles

12-13

Chamber Training

14

Business Support

15

Legal & Finance Property

16-17 18

Profile

20-21

Brexit Club

22-23

Around the region

24-33

Focus on GDPR

34-37

Education & Training

38-39

News

40-43

President & People

44-45

It's going to be a great 2018, so if you are yet to join your Chamber of Commerce, there is no better time than now!

Finally, on behalf of the Board of Directors of your Chamber of Commerce, I am pleased to advise that Mr John Nollett Esq has agreed to serve a second term as Chamber President and will be supported by Mr David Penn, Chamber Vice President.

Kind regards, Louise, Mrs L Bennett-Bayliss OBE, DL Chief Executive

New Members

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Training and Events

47

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Go for Growth

CONTACTS At the Chamber

News desk

Members are encouraged to send any news about their firm - new orders, staff, new products, expansions or relocations - for publication in C&W in business.

Mixed response to Budget from Coventry & Warwickshire businesses

Whilst every effort will be made to publish submitted articles, we cannot guarantee inclusion.

Send them to: news@cw-chamber.co.uk Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Chamber House Innovation Village Cheetah Road Coventry CV1 2TL T: 024 76 654321 F: 024 76 450242

At the publishers

Publisher

Ian Fletcher

Benham Publishing Limited Aintree Building, Aintree Way, Aintree Business Park, Liverpool L9 5AQ T: 0151 236 4141

Advertising Contact Karen Hall karen@benhampublishing.com T: 07801 788880 Production Manager Mark Etherington Accounts Director Joanne Casey Media Number 1536 © Benham Publishing 2018 C&W in Business is produced on behalf of Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce by Benham Publishing Limited and is distributed to members free of charge. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained in C&W in Business, neither Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, nor the publisher can accept responsibility for any omissions or inaccuracies it contains. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Chamber.

The official publication of the Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce 4

Firms across Coventry and Warwickshire have given their verdict on Chancellor Philip Hammond’s Autumn Budget.

Companies from a range of sectors were invited to give their views on the statement by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce at a Budget Panel event at the headquarters of the Deeley Group, which was part of the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Festival.

And there was plenty for business to discuss despite the Chancellor having little ‘wriggle room’ after he announced growth forecasts had been revised down over the coming years.

David Penn, vice president of the Chamber and partner at property company Bromwich Hardy, said: “The changes to business rates are welcome and the fact that future revaluations will be every three years offers more certainty.

“There was no repeal on void rates, which stifles development and that was a disappointment.

“There was a great deal on housing but little on employment land and that is a concern for this area as that is needed to provide the jobs for the future.”

Peter Deeley, of the Deeley Group, said: “The reform needs to be done in the planning system if we want to get development moving forward.”

Harvey Williams, of RICS, said: “There was support for first-time buyers with stamp duty and they are the very lifeblood of the residential property market.”

Two manufacturers at the event praised the Chancellor’s commitment to investing in productivity.

Paul Sullivan, of 52 Global Consulting, said: “The £31bn investment in productivity is more than welcome. When you look at the automotive industry in this region and what’s happening here, this will help. Also, the announcement around the Combined Authority and the new deal will give it greater clout and will be good for this area.”

Doug Squires, of Squires Gear & Engineering, said: “The investment in maths and computer skills is welcome and is something we are short of currently – the Far East is racing ahead of us on that at the moment.”

David Burton, of Sherbourne Solutions, added: “The investment in battery technology is the big one. Once we can get that technology up to speed, it is going to help immensely in driving forward that industry.”

Skills were also a hot topic as business leaders delved into the detail of the Budget.

Sally Lucas, of Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Training, said: “Developing skills is vital to help improve the quality of jobs and create pathways for progression in industry but there is not a quick fix.”

Fleur Sexton, of PET-Xi, said: “The investment in maths and computer skills is very good news. Upskilling people who are returning to work is vital for the economy and is extremely positive.”

Larry Coltman, of Coltman Warner Cranston, said he hoped to see more concrete policies to benefit the region while Sean Farnell, of Burgis & Bullock, said changes to tax on royalties provided an ‘interesting approach’ by the Chancellor in trying to prevent income shifting away from the UK. Patrick Murtagh, of Cranfield Business Finance, said: “It was a very balanced Budget when you consider the Chancellor had very little wriggle room!”

Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Chamber, said: “The companies in the room felt it was a well presented, well delivered Budget by the Chancellor – who has been under a bit of pressure over recent months.

“We welcome a prioritising of productivity through investment but this, is of course, set against a picture of downward forecasts in GDP over the next few years.

“Here in Coventry and Warwickshire, we are always very pleased to see investment in technology-led and knowledge-led businesses. This region is at the cutting edge of the digital and tech-led economy and this will enhance our opportunity to grow that area.

“We are very pleased to see that the West Midlands will receive a new devo deal and this will present further opportunities for growth in our patch – so we are delighted for Andy Street and the region in securing that and we look forward to seeing the full detail of the deal.

“On business rates, the Chancellor has listened and reduced the burden but we still feel there is much more to be done.

“As we said in the build up to the Budget, there is often an obsession with reducing corporation tax but actually businesses have to have made those profits in the first place for them to be taxed on. The real challenge is getting the up-front costs of doing business down, to give firms an even greater opportunity to grow.

“In terms of skills, there were positives around investment in maths and computer science but the real challenge will be delivering this at speed because finding teachers will be a real issue.

“We also felt there has been a missed opportunity around making the apprenticeship programme even more business-friendly as an announcement was due on that and was deferred.

“The Chancellor talked about infrastructure and housing – which our property clients welcomed – but there was very little on unlocking employment land which is needed to provide the jobs for the future when all of the new homes are built.

“So, on the whole, there was enough in there for businesses across our patch to welcome but, with Brexit looming and no real detail on it emerging, firms will want to see even more work done to help invest in our future outside of the EU – whatever shape that takes.”

“Here in Coventry and Warwickshire, we are always very pleased to see investment in technology-led and knowledge-led businesses.

This region is at the cutting edge of the digital and tech-led economy and this will enhance our opportunity to grow that area.”

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Policy Go for Growth

Company goes for growth An automotive engineering company in Coventry, which designs and manufactures parts for some of the best known luxury car makers in the world, is investing £200,000 in its growth after receiving assistance.

Allesley-based MarchantCain, described as one of the city’s best kept engineering secrets, is now looking to expand its team from 16 to 50 over the next four years after enjoying solid growth since it was formed in 2006.

The company, which designs, prototypes and manufactures components for prestigious car manufacturers as well as start-up OEMs, has been supported in its growth by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce through the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme.

Through the programme, the Chamber has helped to secure a grant of £40,000 through Coventry City Council towards the company’s investment in new equipment and a reconfiguring of its headquarters to make space for more staff.

MarchantCain specialises in mechatronic systems – such as the technology within a vehicle’s door that lowers and raises the window, and devices to redirect airflow around the car to aid aerodynamic performance and fuel efficiency.

It designed and made an underbody actuator for the Porsche 918 Spyder and

the worlds-first installation of electrochromatic glass and controls in moving side glass for the Bentley Grand Limousine.

Tom Meredith, who joined the company as an apprentice four years ago and is now the company’s Group Finance Director, said the firm has recently had to recruit more engineers to fuel its growth.

He said: “We have a growth plan that takes us to 2021 which would see us 50-strong.

“Of course, we are competing with other automotive manufacturers and suppliers in the region for great people but we believe we offer a really exciting career where no two projects are the same.

“The Chamber has been excellent in the support they have given us and the grant will help us to execute the growth plans that we have in place. The support – both through the grant and additional assistance – has been critical in moving our plans forward.”

As well as providing support for the company’s growth, Pam Cain, of MarchantCain, has been working with Martyne Manning Head of Policy at the Chamber to highlight the issue of migrant workers and the potential loss of skills on the back of Brexit. Support will be provided to address these issues.

Helena Bassett, of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce,

Business leaders in Coventry and Warwickshire say companies across the region saw the rise in interest rates to 0.5 per cent coming and will be concerned about further increases.

Pam Cain (left) with Martyne Manning

said: “MarchantCain is a fantastic success story for the city and, yet, they are one of the best kept secrets, too.

“They have been pro-active in looking for support because they can see the benefit it can bring to their business and their growth.”

The Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, in partnership with Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and the District and Borough Councils.

For more information or to book on to the Business Support programme, call the Chamber on 024 7665 4321 or log onto www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Family business enjoys growth Peter Brazier began sheet metal engineering company PAB Coventry more than 30 years ago.

His son Mark, the current CEO, started working there whilst still at school, putting on his overalls and getting stuck in after classes had finished for the day.

Fast forward to 2016, the company had developed significantly, supplying to the high-end automotive, aerospace and defence industry sectors.

Mark said: “Sales were good but there were some issues in the company, not least where we’d doubled in size and felt some serious growing pains.

“I’d also hoped to get to the point where I was working less in the day-to-day operations of the business and, despite

promoting our Operations Director, Danny Wheldon, to Managing Director, we were still too busy for me to take my foot off the gas.”

Danny said: “I wanted to prove I could make a strategic difference to the business but I found myself still running around ordering materials and checking parts went out on time to our clients. So, when Mark and I were approached by business coach David Lee, we decided to hear him out, despite being very sceptical.

“We agreed an objective of improving the team around me as MD which would ultimately feed into improvements for Mark as CEO. David didn’t do the work for me, he coached me to find suitable solutions for our business. Just one example of the improvements we made was working with

each team member to ensure they understood, agreed and bought into how we would map out and move each role forward at six-month intervals.”

Eighteen months on and the results are clear – an increase in turnover from £4.9million to £8million and the team has grown from 60 to 90 staff.

“We get just as much done with half the effort now the team are all pulling in one direction,” said Mark. “I’ve reduced my days in the office to just three a week and have started building my dream home.”

Danny said: “When we looked at the cost of David’s coaching, it seemed significant but now, when we take into consideration cost efficiencies and the time we save, it stacks up to five or six times the money we’ve invested.”

Netmetix 2018 Predictions for the Cloud Cyber Security With an increasing number of data breaches during 2017, data security has become a key topic for businesses of all sizes, and rightly so; there’s little doubt that these types of incidents will only increase Paul Blore, Managing further during Director at Netmetix 2018 in line with the value of data.

Whilst no business wants to be the target of any attack, many businesses still see IT as a tactical overhead rather than a strategic investment that is vital to the success of their business. SMEs can often

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feel they are too small a fish to be a target but fundamentally, if data is valuable to a business, it’s valuable to hackers. As such, we expect to see a greater emphasis from the security industry on reviewed security measures.

There has been a seismic shift in opinions surrounding security and the cloud. In recent years, businesses have feared that with no physical security, data could be vulnerable to attack.

However, businesses are recognising that the cloud might actually be a safer place for data and as a result, are now focusing on the operational benefits of the cloud.

The Cloud With 60% of workloads expected to be operated in a hosted cloud service by 2019, we anticipate further growth of cloud computing amongst businesses of all sizes. With wider understanding of the

Concern over rate rise

operational and cost benefits (amongst others) that cloud computing offers, more businesses will be confident in looking to hosted services.

As cloud adoption grows, the choice of cloud providers is greater than ever.

As such, the consideration of a multicloud environment is becoming increasingly commonplace.

However, for organisations that cannot justify this approach, we expect to see an uptake of customers hosting their infrastructure with one provider, but using multiple web-based applications from several vendors.

This multi-cloud approach is an unintended consequence rather than a planned strategy for the majority of organisations, but importantly from the user’s perspective, it is invisible.

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee put interest rates up for the first time in a decade which the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce said was broadly expected.

Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “This rise is restoring rates to their pre-Brexit levels which, at the time, was a record low any way.

“So we don’t believe companies across our patch will be dramatically concerned by this individual rise as it has been widely predicted. We feel it is still slightly early when you look at the economic performance over the past 12 months.

“The real concern is where interest rates might go and how quickly. There is still huge uncertainty around Brexit, and economic growth is some way short of where we want it to be.

“There are inflationary pressures, which the Bank will have considered in this decision, but they have not come from a sudden rise in consumer confidence but, actually, a weakening of the pound which has driven up the cost on imported goods.

“Businesses used to watch with interest on every first Thursday of the month to see where rates would go but that hasn’t been the case for many years now – I have no doubt we will be monitoring interest rates with a keen eye from now on.”

Jobless figures fall Business leaders have welcomed news that unemployment figures took a healthy tumble in the run-up to Christmas in both Coventry and Warwickshire.

In Coventry, the number of claimants fell from 3,935 to 3,860 in the month to November and, in Warwickshire, it fell “from 4,480 to 4,315.

Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said that seasonal jobs are likely to have played a part but that it was still a welcome fall.

She said: “These are positive figures in the lead up to Christmas and reflect a very upbeat mood across the city and the county that was highlighted in our most recent Quarterly Economic Survey, with Warwickshire County Council.

“We always have to factor in a rise in seasonal jobs at this time of year but, that said, we have seen a consistent fall in Coventry in recent months and it is great that Warwickshire has also experienced a drop.

“As we look ahead to 2018 and beyond, the real issue is going to be companies being able to find the staff with the right skills to fill the posts required for them to grow.

“Another issue we are facing, is the very real shortage of employment land in Coventry and Warwickshire and where the new jobs in the future are actually going to be based, as we are quickly running out of space.

“These are two issues that the Chamber continues to campaign on at local, regional and national levels.”

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News

Weatherbys win Healthy Eating in the Chamber Workplace accolade offers specialist ICT support to small businesses The annual Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards celebrates the best in local food and drink.

Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce has launched its new ICT Business Support service, funded through European Regional Development Funding and working in partnership with CSW Broadband.

The Chamber will be providing a package of ICT support for SMEs (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises) across Coventry and Warwickshire that includes specialist 1:1 advice, a range of masterclasses and workshops, and funding towards implementing Superfast Broadband.

SMEs across Coventry and Warwickshire can access a complete end-to-end service, aimed at businesses that are looking to effect transformational change through the use of technology and faster connectivity. The specialist team will be able to provide support on a range of ICT issues, including accessing “the cloud”, optimising your digital media and keeping yourself safe online. You may be struggling to understand which technologies are available, or just getting to grips with the jargon within the industry.

The Chamber’s specialist advisors can explain the benefits of new technologies and support businesses to take up superfast broadband by reducing the cost-barrier. The aim is to enable transformational change by assisting businesses to make the right choices for their business.

To help with this, a Connection Voucher is available that will offer match-funded grants to help the SME to actually implement the change and to take advantage of the new technologies. The voucher is to be used towards the cost of a complete end-to-end solution, including: a Superfast connection to the Internet; Networking within the business, either wireless or cabled, as appropriate; Equipment and software to implement transformational business.

Masterclasses – coming soon in 2018. The Chamber will deliver a range of workshops and masterclasses on topics such as Social Media, Online Marketing, Staying Safe Online and the impact Superfast Broadband connectivity can have on your businesses productivity and efficiency.

To find out more please call Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber on 02476 654 321 to speak with an advisor today.

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Weatherbys Ltd scooped the Healthy Eating in the Workplace award, which is provided to the company by T (n) S Catering, beating stiff competition from runners-up John Lewis and Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains.

The award was presented by food critic William Sitwell at the event in at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate Theatre.

The Weatherbys group of companies are the main provider to British horse racing with its central administration under contract to the British Horseracing Authority; acting as its bank and maintaining the Thoroughbred breed transfer along with racecard production, pedigree research, printing, publishing, marketing and ticketing services to the horseracing market.

Weatherbys outsource their workplace catering to Leamington Spa based T (n) S Catering Management Ltd. The catering is run and managed by Matthew Edwards, Chef and Catering Manager at T (n) S Catering supported by team members Jill, Janet, and Cheryl.

Gary Eldershaw, head of (L to r) Food critic William Sitwell, celebrity chef Sophie Grigson, T (n) S Matthew Edwards, Councillor Sylvia Hughes responsible for Public Health & Wellbeing facilities at Weatherbys said: ‘’Having worked in the standard choices usually offered in the partnership with our on-site catering team T(n)S workplace. Winning this accolade really does Management Ltd for the last five years, they have highlight the hard work and commitment which successfully enhanced our catering offering whilst has been shown by both organisations in working towards developing a food provision developing a service which goes above and delivering a balanced and healthy alternative to beyond our expectations at Weatherbys.”

Woman’s Who Awards under way for 2018 The Woman Who…Achieves Awards were launched at the Coventry & Warwickshire Business Festival as the search begins for the 2018 entrants.

A record 120 women attended the event hosted by BBC Broadcaster Dave Sharpe MC which received the accolade of the Winner of the Best event in the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Festival.

Held in the elegant surroundings of Coombe Abbey, guests heard from previous winners Dr. Sonya Wallbank, MD of Capellas children’s nurseries, Jo Derviller. MD of Imaginate Creative and Laura Brindley of Coventry University, winner of the Woman Who.. Rising Star Award who each shared their inspirational and very personal journeys to success.

: Jo Derviller, Managing Director of Imaginate Creative winner of the Woman Who… Achieves Award

Paul Carvell, Managing Director of the SFB Group and a Woman Who judge also spoke about the lessons he has learned throughout his career.

Julie McGarrigle of Alsters Kelly, main sponsor and last year’s winner of the Woman Who… Through Networking award spoke about what winning meant to her.

Now in its third year, the prestigious awards initiative is designed to celebrate the achievements of women in business and nominations are now open to recognise inspirational woman across the West and East Midlands and beyond.

Founded by well-known businesswoman Sandra Garlick, Woman Who…Achieves is all about the impressive work of women in business as well as inspiring the rising stars of the future.

The awards are run in partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses.

Initially launched in Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull, it is an initiative which has gone from strength to strength having been embraced by both the FSB and it is for this reason that its footprint has extended from Staffordshire through to Rutland, Leicestershire and Northants.

Sandra Garlick said: "It is fantastic to see that the ethos behind Woman Who... is having an impact. The purpose of the Awards is to inspire women in business to recognise and celebrate their achievements."

Each of the 14 categories shine a spotlight on their achievements across a range of areas, including women who work in a Start Up through to established Women in Business, Women who

Innovate through Technology and Rising Stars who are still in education or training, working towards their first career.

Jo Derviller, Managing Director of Imaginate Creative who won both the Women Who… Achieves in Business as well as the Judges Special Recognition Award, said: “It was the first time I had done anything like that but I’m so glad I did as not only did I have the thrill of winning, but I found a network of support which has just been fantastic.”

Finalists will be announced on International Women’s Day at the Woman Who…Achieves Network on Thursday 8th March sponsored by Coombe Abbey. The awards lunch will once again take place at Coombe Abbey on the 27th April where the Woman Who…Achieves and Rising Star winners will be announced during an afternoon of entertainment with keynotes from Emma Heathcote-James, Holly Matthews and Fleur Sexton.

Sonya Wallbank, winner of the Woman Who..

Real Life Entrepreneur, said: “The Woman Who..

Awards is a fantastic initiative as it enables you to recognise your own strength, builds confidence and self-belief..”

All entries must be received by Friday 23rd February 2018.

To enter yourself or to nominate someone for a Woman Who Award, simply visit our website at https://womanwho.co.uk/enter- now/ and download an entry form.

New Security Hub to help you and your business become security savvy The technology to protect our IT networks has become so advanced that the cyber criminals have had to change tactics and look at more underhand ways to extract money from businesses. Statistics show that 95% of cyber-attacks are now due to human error.

Does the blame lie solely with the individual who clicked on the link or downloaded the document or should business owners shoulder some of the responsibility to protect their profits, data and reputation?

Zamurad Hussain, MD at HBT Communications, said: “Cyber security is one of the main services we provide but a robust security solution is not enough to fully protect your business. Recently, we came across a local SME who lost over £10,000 in a criminal transaction after an employee acted on what appeared to be a genuine request from the MD to transfer money to a bank account.

“The MD was out of the office and uncontactable. The tone of the email was urgent and so the transaction was made.

The mistake was only discovered the next day when the MD returned to work; too late to rectify and not covered by insurance.

“It is tragic to witness a crime like this against a small company who works so hard to make a profit and the employee responsible for making the payment was also personally affected; it will take months for both the business and the individual to fully recover.”

HBT wants to support businesses by helping them become more “Security Savvy”. A new Security Hub has been created which gives free access to a range of tools, including posters and articles

to help empower businesses and their teams to become more aware when online and to think before they act. The hub provides a sign-up for a free phishing test, allowing you to test the water on how your team behaves online.

To sign up for free access to HBT’s Security Hub, visit www.hbtcommunications.com or call 02476 867 422

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

News

Recruitment agency signs up to support the Armed Forces A Midlands based recruitment agency has become one of the latest organisations to demonstrate their support for the Armed Forces by signing the Armed Forces Covenant.

ASC Connections have more than twentyfive years of recruitment experience in working with clients and candidates from across the UK. With their recruitment experience the company understand the importance of transferable skills and appreciate the invaluable skill-sets and personal qualities that members of the Armed Forces community can bring to the workplace.

The covenant was signed at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford in Shropshire and co-signed by Neil McNally, Managing Director of ASC Connections, and Lieutenant Colonel Catherine Tye from 11th Signal and West Midlands Brigade.

sponsored column

Neil McNally, Managing Director of ASC Connections and Lieutenant Colonel Catherine Tye of 11th Signal & West Midlands Brigade, co-sign the Armed Forces Covenant

Neil said: “It was an honour to sign the covenant and having employed ex-forces personnel at ASC we have seen the value their training and skills can bring to a business. This is why we’re committed to supporting Armed Forces personnel find work and partnering with organisations to help the wider Armed Forces community.”

ASC Connections currently employ two ex-Service personnel and are aiming to further support the employment of veterans, Service spouses and partners through their voluntary pledge. They will also strive to support any employees who choose to be members of the Reserve Forces.

Matt Sellick, Technical Recruitment Consultant at ASC Connections and a Royal Navy veteran, said: “I am extremely pleased to have suggested the Armed Forces Covenant to ASC. They were more than happy to get involved and embrace it fully moving forward.

“Having had a Naval career myself, it is still something close to my heart. I didn’t receive the support and advice I needed when leaving the forces and this is why I’m really passionate in assisting future leavers and current veterans in any way possible.”

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly.

If you would like to find out more about how your company could benefit from signing the Armed Forces Covenant or how employing veterans or Reservists could add extra skills to your workforce, please contact Siamha Butt, Head of Engagement for the West Midland Reserve Forces and Cadets Association on 0121 427 5221 ext. 223 or wm-headeng@rfca.mod.uk

Cardiac imaging device triumphs at IET Innovation Awards

Creavo Medical Technologies (Creavo) has won two awards at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Innovation Awards for its cutting-edge cardiac imaging device which could help physicians accurately rule-out ischemic heart conditions in a matter of minutes.

The awards celebrate the very best in new innovations in science, engineering and technology, showcasing entries from around the world. Creavo took home the awards in the Healthcare and Emerging Technology Design categories, acknowledging the technology’s potential to revolutionise emergency department triage of chest pain patients.

It has been a busy year for Creavo, having secured CE mark registration in Europe, FDA (510k) clearance in the US, initiating rigorous multi-centre clinical trials in the UK and raising a further £13.4m in an oversubscribed funding round.

Chest pain is one of the most common reasons for people to present to A&E, but as many as 75 per cent of patients are not actually suffering from ischemic heart disease. In the absence of a true ruleout test, most will still be put through a lengthy, costly and resourceintensive process of blood tests and other diagnostic testing.

Creavo’s device uses magnetocardiography (MCG) to perform a non-invasive three to fiveminute scan to detect abnormal patterns in the magnetic fields of the heart which reflect loss of oxygen to the heart muscle. This can help physicians accurately rule-out ischemic heart disease meaning that patients can go on to the most appropriate care pathway for their needs.

The company’s Chief Scientific Officer Ben Varcoe said: “Historically MCG technology has been restricted to large and immovable devices and, despite its high accuracy, has

been impractical for use in emergency departments and routine clinical settings.

“However, for the first time, we have harnessed the technology into a batterypowered portable device that can be deployed directly to the patient’s bedside, meaning the potential rule out of certain cardiac conditions can become a much quicker process.”

Creavo’s CEO Steve Parker said: “We’re delighted to have been recognised by the Institute of Engineering and Technology.

“The device continues to impress across the industry and we’re confident that it can help address the huge global challenges hospitals face when it comes to triaging chest pain patients. Ultimately, we aim to save the healthcare industry time, costs and, importantly, improve levels of patient care.”

The IET Innovation Awards took place in London.

Apprentices are honoured

The Coventry and Warwickshire Apprentice of The Year Awards 2017 took place in Coventry Cathedral.

On the evening, 300 guests including finalists, training providers and businesses from across the region celebrated our region’s high achievers and the training providers behind them.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

The awards, organised by local radio stations Touch FM and Rugby FM were backed by partner organisations, which include Warwickshire County Council, Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, Chamber Training, The Careers and Enterprise Co, Coventry College, NFU Mutual and Alchemy Finishes.

This year’s winners are: • Administration / Accounting / Finance Joseph Vaughan • Adult Apprentice Marisa Marr • Agriculture / Horticulture / Animal Care Billy Kelly • Building & Construction Liam Taylor • Business Management, Marketing & Sales Natasha Adams • Child Development & Wellbeing Reece Pearson Nicholls • Engineering & Manufacturing Jeremy Blakey Joshua Painter

• Sports & Leisure Carys Weaver • Health & Social Care Chloe Hiscox • Hospitality & Catering Sarah Bomphrey • ICT Emilio Risi • Public Services Yseult Rigg- Widdowson • Training Provider of the Year Warwickshire College Group • Employers Commitment to Young People Award Bam Construct UK • Apprentice Team / Programme Of The Year The Eden Hotel Collection

It’s time to think about pensions As we approach the end of another tax year, owner managers should ensure they are on the ball in relation to pension contributions both for themselves and their employees.

For owner managers themselves, even with the restrictions to the annual and lifetime allowances over the past few years, pensions remain an important tax planning tool, with the primary benefits being • Tax relief on contributions; • Tax free income and gains within the pension fund; • The availability of a tax free drawdown of 25% of the fund value on reaching the age of 55; and • The potential for pension pots to be passed on free of Inheritance Tax. However, given the restrictions on annual contributions it is important to plan ahead and think creatively in order to maximise the available tax reliefs.

For their staff, owner managers should bear in mind a number of points • The minimum employer contribution under auto enrolment increases from 1% to 2% from April 2018.

• The auto-enrolment rules apply to ‘workers’ and not just employees.

‘Workers’ is a broader term and could encompass some individuals who invoice the business on a self-employed basis.

• Staff must be re-enrolled every three years, with the first re-enrolment three years from the initial staging date. Most companies with over 50 staff will already have reached their first re-enrolment date and smaller businesses will begin doing so from summer 2018.

Individuals wishing to discuss any of these points further should contact Paul Spencer or David Thomas on 02476 257481 or ps@sgduk.com/ dt@sgduk.com.

For more information please visit our website www.sgduk.com

To find out more about the event and view all images from the evening go to www.cwapprenticeawards.co.uk

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Events

A new business expo in Coventry and Warwickshire that will celebrate innovation in the region has been launched.

The Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce will host the CW ROCKS Expo on Friday, March 9, 2018 with the inaugural event taking place at the Ricoh Arena.

Hundreds of visitors are expected to attend the event, with the expo providing a platform to celebrate the best of business in the region.

The tagline for the event is ‘Discover, Learn and Engage’, with a range of new features introduced from the Chamber’s traditional expos.

It will feature the first ‘Learning Lab’, with a line-up of high-profile speakers providing business insight and knowledge around the challenges

affecting business regionally, nationally and around the world.

Business leaders and decision makers will also be brought together at the event – as part of a VIP Business Leader’s lunch.

A selection of prize draws will also take place, including the ‘Rockstar Prize Draw’, which rewards delegates for paying a visit to at least 15 stands.

They will also be challenged to find the ‘Golden Envelope’ during the event to win a prize.

The ‘Fizz Friday’ drinks reception will close the day, giving exhibitors a chance network and feedback on the expo.

Chris Nagle, Events and Marketing Manager at the Chamber, said: “We are looking to build on the success of our Business and Trade Expo with the new CW ROCKS, bringing something new to the region.

“It’s fantastic to be able to host our first CW Rocks Expo at the Ricoh Arena, it’s a premier venue and is perfect for exhibitors and visitors great transport links and exceptional exhibiting space.

“The addition of the Learning Lab is very exciting, we will have some brilliant speakers who will provide great insight into business in our region and internationally.

“Coventry and Warwickshire is known for innovating and pushing boundaries, this new expo will provide the perfect platform to show everything that is great about business here.

To find out more about the inaugural CW Rocks Expo and to find out more about exhibiting visit www.cwexpo.co.uk or call 024 7665 4321

“Coventry and Warwickshire is known for innovating and pushing boundaries, this new expo will provide the perfect platform to show everything that is great about business here.”

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www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Events

sponsored column

Area ends year on a high note Coventry and Warwickshire companies ended 2017 on a high – and will go into the New Year with new found confidence that they will grow, according to a major survey.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce conducted its final Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) of 2017 in conjunction with Warwickshire County Council.

The results were revealed at a Business Outlook Breakfast at Stoneleigh Park and showed that companies in both the manufacturing and service sectors across the city and the county are in buoyant mood going into 2018.

The QES recorded its highest confidence score of the year with an overall index score of 67.3 with anything above 50 suggesting the economy will improve. That’s up on the previous quarter by 3.9 points.

Manufacturing reached a new high of 71.1 up by 5.8 points and services went up to 66.2, a rise of 3.2 points from the previous quarter. Not only is it an improvement in confidence in the region, it shows Coventry and Warwickshire pushing way ahead of the national average of 56.3.

There were strong rises in domestic orders in both manufacturing and service-based businesses – which outstripped expectations from the third quarter of the year.

Overseas orders also rebounded on the previous quarter, with manufacturers particularly taking advantage of the weaker pound to export their goods internationally.

Investment is also set to rise according to the survey with companies determined

(L to R) Tom Mongan, Sam Van de Schootbrugge, Sally Dhillon, David Myskow, Martyne Manning

to improve productivity by investing in training and in plant and machinery.

Sam Van de Schootbrugge, an economist at Warwickshire County Council, spoke at the Business Outlook Breakfast.

He said: “This is the highest rise we have seen this year in it means businesses are going into 2018 much more confident than they were coming into 2017.

“It is slightly unexpected based on the results from the third quarter and is much higher than the national average.

Confidence breeds confidence and that helps to increase investment plans and, therefore, higher productivity growth.”

Sally Dhillon, partner at Career Mums, Tom Mongan, general manager at Subcon Laser and David Myskow, general

manager at the Holiday Inn Kenilworth Warwick, formed a panel and spoke of the potential barriers to growth.

Martyne Manning, policy manager at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said skills continues to be raised by businesses.

She said: “The figures from the latest QES are extremely positive and put Coventry and Warwickshire businesses in a great position to grow in 2018.

“However, skills remains an issue for businesses across our patch with 62 per cent saying they believe their company is suffering from a skills shortage.

“The Chamber continues to work with partners right across the board to look to alleviate the issue for members across the city and the county.

Chamber brings business leaders together to consider their future challenges Hosted at Warwick Conferences, based at the University of Warwick, guests were welcomed by Group Commercial Director, Louise Wall, who thanked members for their support in 2017 and reinforced the Chamber’s commitment to supporting continued business growth and a competitive UK business environment.

The University of Warwick’s Registrar, Rachel Sandby-Thomas, then welcomed guests to the University of Warwick campus and reinforced the University’s strategy to engage with the local business community.

Following a festive lunch, guest speaker Professor Abhinay Muthoo, Professor of Economics and Dean of Warwick in London delivered an insightful and thought provoking talk around the importance of embracing new technologies in business, exploring new markets and an economic outlook for 2018.

The Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce brought together key business leaders in December to thank them for their valued support throughout 2017 and to discuss the business challenges being faced in 2018 and beyond.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Professor Muthoo encouraged business leaders to set aside time every day to plan and invest for the future of their businesses.

The lunch was attended by over 40 business leaders from the Chamber’s Strategic Partners and Corporate Members including Burgis & Bullock, Cranfield Business Finance, HSBC, PETXi and Prime Chartered Accountants.

Louise Wall, Group Commercial Director, said “With so much uncertainty in the business environment currently, it was great to hear a very positive economic outlook from Professor Muthoo.

The chance for business leaders to get together to discuss common challenges and share best practice is invaluable.

We thank all of our members for their valuable support in 2017 and look forward to working closely with them all in 2018.”

“Professor Abhinay Muthoo, Professor of Economics and Dean of Warwick in London delivered an insightful and thought provoking talk around the importance of embracing new technologies in business, exploring new markets and an economic outlook for 2018.”

2018: How to boost your probability of success?

In a changing world, success depends on our ability to adapt says Richard Miller, Strategic Services Partner at Dafferns The pace of innovation and change is always increasing. Research tells us that the probability of change success in whatever project or initiative you undertake can be as low as 30%, which means there is a 70% probability you will fail.

Let’s take your plans for 2018, either for yourself or for your business. If you continue with your current approach with only a 30% probability of success, it means you will need to keep trying many more times before being successful. What’s more, this ‘trial and error’ approach to change comes with a high cost in terms of lost time, reduced confidence, wasted money and poor utilisation of resources.

Current research by global business experts Mindshop has examined how to improve your probability of change success, identifying 3 main contributing factors: Readiness (30%) How ready the organisation and the people within the organisation are to implement change – does the leadership visually and emotionally support the change? Do the participants understand the need for change? How do you answer the question “What’s in it for me?”

Do you have an appropriate process to bring about the change? Is there sufficient confidence for it to succeed?

Capability (40%) The skills, people, training and resources needed to implement change – both operational and dynamic Beliefs (30%) The overall attitude of the organisation in relation to the change The challenge for business leaders is to identify where the key gaps are before you start, and to put in place specific action plans and key performance indicators to bridge those gaps.

We use a simple diagnostic tool with our clients, as a starting point in testing how likely a particular plan or initiative is to succeed.

This online diagnostic comprises 20 questions and takes about 5 minutes to complete. For an SME, resources are always scarce, so a little time invested in assessing whether your business is “change ready” in the first place will boost your probability of achieving those all-important plans for 2018.

If you would like to discuss this further or have any questions please contact Richard Miller on 02476 221 046 or email richard.miller@dafferns.com

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Corporate Profiles

Growth plans for AC Lloyd celebrating its 70th anniversary A leading Warwickshire homebuilder and commercial development company is looking to further expand as it prepares to celebrate its 70th anniversary this year.

AC Lloyd, whose headquarters are in Tachbrook Park, Warwick, is continuing to make its presence felt in the residential and commercial markets throughout the area.

Currently, the housing side of the business, is working on four sites: Chesterton Gardens, Oakley Grove and Station Approach in Leamington Spa and Hillside Views in Napton on the Hill.

These sites will provide 669 new homes and there are plenty more developments which have planning permission programmed over the next few years.

The commercial and strategic land arm of AC Lloyd has completed the development of a new building for MKM Building Supplies’ new branch in Leamington, and in Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire where 70,000 sq ft is under construction for two major businesses.

The iLECSYS Group, which predominantly works in the electrical sector, will move into

a 40,000 sq ft state-of-the-art headquarters in February, re-locating from Tring in Hertfordshire, while Curtains and Linens is relocating from Aylesbury into its 26,000 sq ft new home in the summer.

AC Lloyd is also promoting a number of sites through Local Plans with the potential to create over 1,000 homes, and 1million sq ft of commercial space.

Tony Hargreave has been appointed property asset manager and has overseen the letting of 100 per cent of AC Lloyd’s investment portfolio in industrial and retail units and offices.

All of this activity has been matched behind the scenes at AC Lloyd following the launch of its new website at www.aclloyd.com, new signs at its housing and commercial developments throughout the county and new branding in its corporate communications.

Des Wynne, a director at AC Lloyd, said the company has built a long-lasting reputation for providing quality properties.

He said: “We are celebrating 70 years of building homes and commercial properties

in 2018 and in both areas of the company, business is booming.

“I think our commitment to the quality of the buildings we create and the standard of our service has made us one of the most trusted developers in the West Midlands over the last 70 years.

“Homes are selling well, which is great news, and testament to our excellent designs and quality of build.

“On large housing sites we will work with other housebuilders by selling down part of the land to increase the production rate so, for example, we are in the process of finalising a deal with Persimmon Homes and Taylor Wimpey to sell them 200 plots

each on land south of Oakley Grove (out of a total of 740 consented dwellings).

We have just constructed the entire infrastructure for the site giving the two developers serviced sites to allow them to immediately commence house building following contract completion.

“We are looking to acquire more commercial land for development because we have developed out most of the sites we currently own.”

AC Lloyd is a corporate member of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.

For more information about AC Lloyd, please visit www.aclloydhomes.com and www.aclloyd.com/Commercial

“Homes are selling well, which is great news, and testament to our excellent designs and quality of build.”

Semiconductor manufacturer looks to expand operations in the Midlands A new semiconductor material manufacturer is looking to expand its operations in the Midlands as it supplies its material to world-leading innovative companies across the world.

Advanced Epi, which spun-out from the University of Warwick back in 2016, has developed material technology that will underpin a number of innovations across the semiconductor industry.

The SME, which subcontracts facilities from the University and across the country, accelerated development with funding and support from Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency.

The new patented silicon carbide material will enhance and enable a number of technologies including higher efficiency LEDs, mobile communication devices for upcoming 5G networks, power devices for electric and hybrid vehicles and sensors for demanding environments.

The material is a cross between silicon, the foundation of the entire microelectronics industry, and diamond, one of the hardest and most resilient substances on Earth. The result is a semiconductor that can help devices operate at higher temperatures, increase speed and overall efficiency.

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The SME supplies the material to companies across the USA, Europe and Asia and is now seeking investment to capitalise on its momentum with customers and expand its production capabilities in the Midlands.

Gerard Colston, one of the inventors and founders of the company, said: “People have been trying to produce silicon carbide for semiconductor applications for many years but the processes used have been too expensive.

“Our process is compatible with equipment used across the silicon industry making our material cheaper, higher quality and easier to scale in volume. This is what makes our material so exciting to our customers and collaborators.

“We hit the ground running about 18 months ago with huge support from Innovate UK after intense market research. This allowed us to commercialise our technology and get material into customers’ hands very quickly, which is critical in such an innovative industry.

“We are now seeking investment to take the business forward. The process could be licensed or sold off to a big semiconductor manufacturer but that may leave many opportunities of the technology unexplored.

“We are keen to continue research and development activities and our goal is to set up our own dedicated facility and boost the UK’s semiconductor industry.”

Advanced Epi is a corporate member of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.

Gerard added: “Being a member of the Chamber is very useful for us as an SME.

We are able to access HR and legal advice rather than having to outsource these services.

“We also hope to increase awareness of the company with our potential end users, so being able to connect with businesses across Coventry and Warwickshire will be very useful. It may also help us make useful contacts for any future investment opportunities.”

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

International Trade

sponsored column

International attention turns to region

Delegates meet at the MTC

Coventry and Warwickshire’s automotive prowess has been shown off to key figures from the industry from across Europe.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce held an Automotive Summit at the Manufacturing Technology Centre where delegations from France, Catalonia and Sweden found out about some of the exciting work being undertaken across the city and the county.

They met Coventry City Council, London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC), Aston Martin and Penso and heard about the innovation and developments taking place by the businesses

and others in the area. The delegation also gave presentations on their work and how they could potentially tie-in with the sector in Coventry and Warwickshire.

Delegates from CCI International Hauts-deFrance – a body from the north of France – also visited MIRA, the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering and Jaguar Land Rover and have already written to the Chamber in a bid to develop long-term relationships.

James Ahearne, the International Trade Commercial Executive at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “This was an extremely positive couple of days and really helped to raise the profile of Coventry

and Warwickshire’s automotive expertise with some key regions across Europe.

“The Automotive Summit gave companies from our patch the chance to find out more about the capabilities and potential partnerships they could strike with the organisations who visited from France, Sweden and Catalonia.

“They were also very keen to hear more about our businesses too.

“It really showed that, despite Brexit, there is a very positive outlook towards Coventry and Warwickshire and there is still huge potential for growth and investment here.

“Within just a couple of days of the visit, we received a note from CCI International Hauts-deFrance saying how impressed they were with what they had seen in Coventry and Warwickshire and the real depth we have here.

“They are very keen to strike up new partnerships and relationships with companies here in the city and the county and that is extremely encouraging for us.”

He added: “We have a great story to tell when it comes to the automotive sector in our region and the Summit provided a great opportunity to hear about some of the investments taking place in Coventry & Warwickshire and the fantastic innovative work going on here.

“We’re now looking at how we can take this forward and plan future trade missions and events in 2018 and beyond.”

Overseas executives receive language support A Warwickshire company is coaching overseas executives the subtleties of the English language to help them in their working lives.

Williams and Cooper, which is run by Melodie Williams and Nicky Cooper, has received support from the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce through the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme.

The company, which is a member of the Chamber, is now looking to expand its clientbase which already includes a range of small and medium-sized businesses as well as BMW, Arup and Hewlett Packard.

Rather than teaching language, Williams and Cooper coach individuals to use English in the right way and to understand culture, phrases and the way people communicate in business.

Its clients are from right around the world – from European business executives through to Chinese students – and the company tailors its services to each individual or small group.

Melodie said: “People may have a good technical understanding of English but that doesn’t always mean they understand the culture or the nuance of language. And, as a nation, we don’t always say what we mean.

“If you are a native English speaker, you will very often understand the subtlety and the culture of your working environment but, if you are not, you can take things very literally.

“We work with individuals or small groups and we look at what businesses they are in and how they communicate.

“We’ve had great support from the Chamber.

Helena Bassett has given us some excellent advice on how we use the website to get our message out there in the right way to attract new clients.”

Helena, a business adviser at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “With a huge skills gap, more and more companies are having to tap into the overseas market when it comes to recruitment.

Melodie Williams, Helena Bassett, Nicky Cooper

“Having English on your CV is one thing, but actually being able to cope with all the different slang and subtle phrases is very different and that’s where Williams and Cooper comes in.”

The Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, in partnership with Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and the District and Borough Councils.

For more information or to book on to the Business Support programme, call the Chamber on 024 7665 4321 or log onto www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Finham Park School awarded Global Confucius Classroom of the Year A Coventry school is celebrating being recognised on the world stage after receiving an international award for its development of Mandarin teaching.

Finham Park School has been presented with the Global Confucius Classroom of the Year award by the Confucius Institute, an educational organisation which aims to support Chinese teaching internationally.

The school received the accolade for its development of Mandarin teaching and longstanding links with sister schools in Shanghai.

The announcement was made at the 12th Confucius Institute Conference, held in Xian, China, where Executive Headteacher Mark Bailie accepted the award.

The annual event was attended by more than 2,000 delegates including university presidents, scholars and educational officers.

Mark said: "This is a fantastic achievement for Finham Park and for Coventry within a few days of being announced UK City of Culture for 2021.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

“We have had Confucius Classroom status – which recognises ambition in Chinese teaching and learning – for seven years, so to be awarded Global Confucius Classroom of the Year is an excellent demonstration of how well we have progressed.

“I would like to thank Helen Lewis, Danni Yan and the staff of our MFL Department, together with the students and their parents for supporting this initiative and making it so successful.”

Progress test results from pupils on the Department for Education’s Mandarin Excellence Programme indicate that the first cohort of almost 400 pupils from 14 schools across England including those from Finham Park, Finham Park 2 and Lyng Hall - are excelling when it comes to learning Mandarin Chinese.

Delivered by the UCL Institute of Education in partnership with the British Council, pupils on the programme spend an average of eight hours per week studying the language.

This includes four hours in the classroom which is a significant increase on the time usually spent

on a language in school, with the results showing that the Year 7 pupils’ skills are developing at pace.

Mark added: “We are proud to be on the Mandarin Excellence Programme. Mandarin Chinese opens up a world of opportunity - as the most spoken language in the world, it can connect speakers with an exciting and dynamic culture as well as boost career opportunities.

“We are delighted with students’ progress.

Finham Park School was one of the first 14 schools in the country to be part of the Mandarin Excellence Programme, with Finham Park 2 and Lyng Hall joining shortly afterwards.”

Louise Bennett, the chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “Language skills are becoming increasingly crucial for UK plc and being equipped with the ability to communicate in other languages will stand young people in good stead.

“So huge congratulations to Finham Park School on this achievement and for securing strong links with China – a major market for this region and the rest of the UK.”

Why is Strategy Fundamental to your Business?

At the start of a new year many organisations are considering their future direction.

Those visionary leaders are sitting in the balcony looking down on the field of play.

They don’t get caught up in the detail and are more big picture thinkers. The “operator” leader however, is on the pitch making the tackles. They are so close to the play that they cannot clearly identify the actions required to take them where they want to go.

You would think that there must be leaders who can span both these areas, but in fact, very few do, which is where a strategy comes in.

Why is strategy important?

Strategy is fundamental to the success and sustainability of any organisation to help you to: 1. Understand your company and industry Strategy allows organisations to develop a clearer understanding of their own organisation and what’s required for them to succeed. It helps them to understand their core capabilities, identify and address weaknesses and mitigate risks so they can focus on the right things that are most likely to deliver the best performance, productivity and profit both now and in the future.

2. Grow in a changing world Understanding what is taking place within the external environment is important to preparing a strategy that will ensure longterm profit and growth. If you don’t adapt you die. Every business needs to realise that what made them successful today is not what will make them successful tomorrow.

3. Create a vision and direction for the whole organisation All organisations and their staff need to understand their purpose, their destination and the course they’re taking to get there.

A company without a strategy is akin to sending your staff into the desert and leaving them to follow mirages in search of water.

While strategy is can be difficult for many organisations to commence, its benefits are far-reaching.

••• Written by Neil Liddell, Neil has 25 years’ experience as a senior executive, management consultant and speaker. He is a certified facilitator of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method and materials for strategy workshops. He is CEO of Sandler Training Central, providers of Sales and Management Training.

T: 0845 0573563 M: 07547 227442 nliddell@sandler.com www.central.sandler.com •••

11

Corporate Profiles

Orscheln Europe prepared for further expansion

The European arm of a global manufacturer has seen significant growth at its base in Warwickshire and is expanding again in 2018.

Orscheln Europe is based at Central Park in Rugby and is part of Orscheln Products Group which is headquartered in Missouri, USA. Turnover at the business has grown an average of eight per cent per year over the last three years, with six new employees joining in that time, including two in the past 12 months.

The Rugby facility assembles and distributes products from the company’s line of motion control systems, supplying original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and distributors throughout Europe.

Orscheln Europe has been based in the region since 1999 and has seen significant expansion in that time, moving from a 3,500 sq. ft. facility on Webb Ellis Industrial Park to their current 12,500 sq ft location.

The company provides a wide range of vehicle equipment with a focus on commercial heavy-duty trucks, buses,

coaches, agriculture vehicles, construction vehicles, marine vehicles, military and aircraft.

Orscheln Europe’s customers include the likes of Volvo, DAF, CNH, Cummins, Renault Truck and Leyland – with a distribution network across Europe trained to build and distribute the Orscheln range of mechanical cables, shifters & dipsticks.

All Orscheln products are available through the Rugby site, which is an ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004 certified operating facility.

Pete Smith, General Manager of Orscheln Europe, said: “We are very proud of our history here in Rugby, we have enjoyed a hugely successful 19 years in the region and look forward to that success continuing for many years to come.”

“The team has done a great job in winning new business and continuing growth across Europe, with the company’s turnover growing to £4 million and still on the rise.

“A major part of our success has been through supplying our customers with innovative solutions, leading-edge products and putting customer service first and foremost.

“With new electronic products coming through, new business awarded and future acquisitions part of our strategy the Orscheln future remains bright.”

Orscheln Europe are corporate members of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and joined to open up new opportunities with businesses in the region.

Pete added: “We have been members of the Chamber for many years but decided to take the step up to corporate membership in order to further develop our presence in the region.

“As a business, we want to tap into the rich and historic industry in the region, in particular the automotive sector.

“We have companies like London Taxi Company, Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin all based in the region and being corporate Chamber members gives us a chance to get face-to-face with these companies.

“There is a large community of suppliers in Coventry and Warwickshire, some that are similar to us and we believe that businesses in the region can support and beneficially help each other.”

“Orscheln Europe has been based in the region since 1999 and has seen significant expansion in that time, moving from a 3,500 sq. ft. facility on Webb Ellis Industrial Park to their current 12,500 sq ft location.”

PBX to expand its operation A hosted communications specialist which connects millions of minutes’ worth of vital business phone calls per month is looking to expand its operation in 2018.

PBX Hosting offers a range of cutting edge hosted telecommunication solutions which cater for the needs of small businesses to large enterprises.

It was formed in 2013 by experienced managed hosting gurus Stuart Gibson and Phil Thomas, who between them had racked up more than 30 years in the industry before starting up the company, which marks their second venture together.

Phil and Stuart were previously the founders of one of the UK’s most successful managed cloud hosting providers, Netplan Internet Solutions, which specialised in offering high-security cloud hosting services to SMEs and major blue chips.

That business was acquired in 2014 and subsequently floated on the stock market so the pair could concentrate solely on PBX Hosting, the area they were most passionate about.

With a projected turnover of £1.5 million for 2017/18 and more than 30,000 extensions live across PBX Hosting’s platforms, connecting over 2 million call minutes per month, this year is set to see the company grow once again.

Managing Director Stuart Gibson said: “PBX Hosting now employs 10

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members of staff with a wealth of knowledge in telecoms, networking and managed hosting solutions.

“We plan to expand the team in 2018 to accommodate our rapid growth.

Our aim is to offer reliability, value, security and cutting edge products to the local community and further afield.”

In 2017, PBX Hosting recorded a number of impressive achievements which has helped put them on the global map in their industry.

They have been certified as 3CX Platinum Partners and Preferred Hosted PBX Providers, putting them among the leading providers of the multi award winning 3CX Unified Communications platform in the world.

The platform is used by more than 30,000 companies worldwide, including household names like Pepsi, Hugo Boss, Boeing, Harley-Davison and many more.

Not only this, PBX Hosting has also acquired another company, another strong indication that that a strong year is ahead.

Stuart said: “With our foundations in place we are achieving an average year on year growth of around 35 per cent.

“Such has been the success that PBX Hosting recently acquired another company, Ring 24 Ltd. This we hope will bring rapid expansion and experience to an already successful setup.”

Managing Director Stuart Gibson and the team at PBX Hosting

PBX Hosting is a corporate member of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.

Stuart added: “We hope being a corporate member of the Chamber will help us demonstrate that we can offer local businesses in the area a reliable, state of the art, hosted business telecoms solution, backed up by our world class infrastructure and 24x7x365 support team.

“We aim to offer reliability, value, security and cutting edge products to our customer base, both new and old. Not only that, EU funding is now available for eligible

businesses within Coventry and Warwickshire to improve their business communications technology.

“We are a member of the scheme, which is set to run for the next couple of years, meaning we are able to advise on and implement a solution. This makes it the perfect time for local businesses to act on bringing their communication infrastructure into 2018.”

Further information about PBX Hosting can be found by calling 0207 0999 930, emailing sales@pbxhosting.co.uk or visiting www.pbxhosting.co.uk

“Such has been the success that PBX Hosting recently acquired another company, Ring 24 Ltd. This we hope will bring rapid expansion and experience to an already successful setup.” www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Corporate Profiles

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Double celebration at Coventry hotel A premier hotel has a double cause for celebration after completing a £1 million refurbishment and helping Coventry with its City of Culture Bid. The Ramada Hotel and Suites Coventry, which is the only four star rated hotel in the city centre, completed a three year overhaul which started in 2014 with a major investment in its conference facilities.

The following year £250,000 was invested in improving its restaurant and 2017 saw a £1 million revamp of the hotel’s 166 spacious en-suite rooms.

General Manager Mark Hills said 2017 was a successful year for the Ramada, with more improvements in the pipeline for 2018.

He said: “We have had quite a strong 2017, we finished our £1 million refurbishment in September, so all of our rooms now have new carpets, soft furnishings, beds and more.

“We are looking forward to 2018 and are always looking for ways to improve our service.

“We will be focusing on tweaking some of the smaller things this year that really add to the experience of our guests, as well as our additional care services.

“Another thing we are looking into is how we can change the front exterior of our building in order to bring it in line with some of the newer buildings that are popping up in Coventry.”

The Ramada sits in an ideal location for business and leisure guests at the heart of Coventry city centre and was one the

first hotels to offer its backing to the successful Coventry City of Culture 2021 bid.

Mark believes that the city’s new status will lead to an increase in tourism, which the Ramada is more than ready to handle.

He said: “We were one of the first hotels to become a 2021 Club member and have worked quite closely with the team behind the bid over the last year.

“I think this is a really exciting time not just for the leisure industry in Coventry but also for the people.

“Hopefully being awarded City of Culture status will lead to more people visiting the city.

“I think we are in a perfect position to handle increased tourism, we have just had our refurbishment and we are in an ideal location for business and leisure visitors with our proximity to the train station, Coventry Airport, the M6 and Birmingham NEC.” The Ramada is a corporate member of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce which will allow the hotel to network with businesses in the area who may require meeting or conferencing facilities.

Mark said: “Being a corporate member of the Chamber will not only allow us to network and promote our corporate offerings to other members but also continue to ensure that they fully meet the needs of the local business community.”

“I think we are in a perfect position to handle increased tourism, we have just had our refurbishment and we are in an ideal location for business and leisure visitors with our proximity to the train station, Coventry Airport, the M6 and Birmingham NEC.”

More than 13 million passengers travel through airport Birmingham Airport smashed through the 13 million passenger mark in late September, achieving the record after 30 months of consecutive growth.

Over the past twelve months the Airport has welcomed new airlines and growth on existing carriers with additional routes.

Jet2.Com and Jet2 Holidays launched in March and now operates 22 direct routes, that coupled with Monarch and Ryanair having added additional destinations to their route network. In May after ten years the BA tail fin was welcomed back operating four summer flights.

David Winstanley, Chief Operating Officer, said: “It has been an immensely busy year at Birmingham Airport, we have smashed all records. We are delighted to have broken the 13 million passenger mark and this was made possible with the 150 direct destinations and 340 onward connections around the world that our airlines serve.

The passenger throughput this year has far surpassed anything we forecasted with over 18% growth.”

More than £450 million will have been invested in facilities by 2017 and the airport is already planning for Summer 2018.

“It has been an immensely busy year at Birmingham Airport, we have smashed all records. We are delighted to have broken the 13 million passenger mark.”

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

13

Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Training

An Ambassador for Success

Nicki Ballinger in the beautiful grounds of Ben’s Town Thorns Care Centre

A Caring Touch

Nicki Ballinger, who works for Ben, the not-for-profit organisation that provides support for life to the automotive industry, has recently achieved her CIPD. Nicki has worked for Ben’s Town Thorns Care Centre for over 22 years and first joined as an Enrolled Nurse (EN) after spending six years as a nurse at Walsgrave Hospital. Ben supported Nicki to complete further training and she qualified as a Registered Nurse in 2004.

Nicki then spent 10 years as the Assistant Care Centre Manager at Town Towns Care Centre. In 2015, CWCT supported Nicki to study Level 5 Apprenticeship in Leadership in Health & Social Care. Nicki demonstrated a natural ability to relate well to people, so she took on a role as a Peripatetic Manager in Southport, supporting the HR team using skills gained during her level 5 apprenticeship. During this time, she focused on staff support, conflict resolution, legislation and training and development of staff working at Town Thorns Care Centre.

Following this, Nicki became interested in the principles of HR in the workplace and decided to change her career path. She applied and secured the role of HR Business Partner at Ben, specialising in care, and within six months she started CIPD training at Coventry University, under guidance from Diane Jackson. Nicki now works between Ben’s three care centres, located in Berwick on Tweed, Ascot, Rugby and Coventry.

Ben’s Town Thorns Care Centre in Rugby was established 27 years ago and, before that, it was an orphanage. The centre cares for 66 residents and offers services in: Residential & nursing care, Care for younger adults, Dementia care, Respite care, Rehabilitation and Assisted living accommodation.

Commenting on how the team at CWCT supported her new career path: “It was hard work to fit in study time whilst working full time and travelling to support another care centre at the time but I found it very extremely beneficial and rewarding in terms of my future career prospects.

“I also enjoyed the on-the-job training and visiting the CWCT training centre. Diana Jackson was so helpful and gave me specialist advice and guidance. I can now combine my nursing skills experience with my current role as HR Business Partner for Care and it’s an excellent mix.”

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Allana Watson, a CWCT Apprentice and Ambassador for the Prince’s Trust

We are so proud at C&W Chamber Training (CWCT) as one of our Apprentices has become an Ambassador for The Prince’s Trust to encourage other young people to start their journey into employment.

Allana Watson, 23 was unemployed for over a year and struggled to find a suitable job role. After discovering The Prince’s Trust, she completed a four week employability programme which included work experience at Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership Trust (CWPT).

The company soon recognised Allana’s talents and offered her a Business Administration Apprenticeship with CWCT their approved provider.

This has proven to be a fantastic step forward in her development and future career path for her and the organisation.

Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership Trust provides inpatient, community and day clinics as well as specialist services to a population of around 1million in Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull.

The team of 4,000 dedicated staff provide a wide range of mental health and learning disability services for people of all ages and community physical health services for people in Coventry.

Commenting on her fantastic progress with CWCT, Allana said: “I am thoroughly enjoying my role at Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership Trust. I hope to be able to continue with my studies at CWCT and progress to a level 3 Business Administration Apprenticeship. CWCT has offered me an invaluable support network.

Christine Giles, Account Manager for the Apprenticeship programme gave me the initial information I needed whilst Christine Cusick and Heena Chauhan

have been extremely supportive in offering me fantastic hands-on guidance. I am now really looking forward to the future.”

As a continued response to Allana’s progress, Charlotte Sutton, the Talent for Care Manager at CWPT and a NHS Work Experience Co-ordinator said: “Allana is becoming an integral part of the team at CWPT and we feel she is gaining the right mix of experience alongside her training at CWCT. “We are committed to investing valuable time and effort into all of our Apprentices and we truly value the time and effort provided by CWCT. They have provided Allana with the vital support and encouragement she needs.”

To find out how C&W Chamber Training’s Apprenticeship skills can help your business, contact our business development team on 024 7623 1122 or email enquiries@cw-chambertraining.co.uk

“I am thoroughly enjoying my role at Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership Trust. I hope to be able to continue with my studies at CWCT and progress to a level 3 Business Administration Apprenticeship.”

Apprenticeship of The Year 2017 Success for CWCT It was the Coventry & Warwickshire Apprenticeship of The Year Awards 2017 recently at Coventry Cathedral.

We were delighted to celebrate four Apprenticeship winners from C&W Chamber Training (CWCT) plus we were also a finalist for the Training Provider of the Year.

The four Apprenticeship winners were: Business Management, Marketing and Sales Apprentice of the Year, Natasha Adams; Child Development and Wellbeing Apprentice of the Year, Reece Pearson Nicholls; Sport and Leisure Apprentice of the Year, Carys Weaver and Hospitality and Catering Apprentice of the Year, Sarah Bomphrey.

The full details of our winners can be found on the news page of our website at www.cw-chambertraining.co.uk Jan Ryan, Operations Director at CWCT commented: “We would like to congratulate all of our Apprenticeship winners and nominees and we wish them the best of luck in their chosen future career paths. It was a fantastic evening and the team at CWCT are so proud of them.”

From left to right are the C&W Apprenticeship Winners 2017: Reece Pearson, Carys Weaver, Sarah Bomphrey and Natasha Adams

“We would like to congratulate all of our apprenticeship winners and nominees and we wish them the best of luck in their chosen future career paths. It was a fantastic evening and the team at CWCT are so proud of them.”

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Business Support

sponsored

Agency seeks to grow A creative agency in Rugby is planning to breathe new life into the town’s business community as it executes a five year growth strategy.

Oxygen, based in Albert Street, is run by couple Malcolm Freeman and Natalie Hughes and provides a range of design, digital and print services to a cross-section of companies – from micro-businesses through to large manufacturers.

It was established eight years ago, employs six people and now has exciting plans to grow the team and the services it offers, following support from the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and after becoming official Google Partners.

The pair are scouring the area for new commercial space that would allow them to open a business centre for Rugby including a café, hotdesk and meeting facilities to benefit other local firms.

They were advised by Helena Bassett, of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, on everything from planning through to work-life balance.

Malcolm said: “I was made redundant eight years ago and started up two weeks afterwards. There are always challenges in life, and in business, but I’ve really enjoyed starting up the company and growing it.

“I met Natalie around the same time and she got involved in the business and it works really well.

“We’ve got two children now so we are striking the balance of working as hard as we can to grow the company but, also making sure it doesn’t impact too much on family life.

“We have two new staff joining us in the New Year and see opportunities to bring in new business and expand further.

“We also feel there is a gap in the market for a business hub in Rugby where people can pop in and get a coffee and work out of the centre – we are actively looking into that opportunity because we feel it would be good for the town and good for business too.”

He added: “Helena from the Chamber has been great. She didn’t come in and read from a script – she understood what we were going through as parents trying to run and grow a successful business.

“We could really see she cared and the advice really came from the heart. The meetings with Helena really sparked our imagination and we are now looking to grow the team and the business.”

The support from the Chamber came via the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme, which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, in partnership with Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and the District and Borough Councils.

Keely Hancox, operations manager at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “Oxygen have very exciting

Back (left to right): Jordan Forrest, Louis Ernest, Malcolm Freeman; Front (left to right) Thomas Wurwal, Keely Hancox, Natalie Hughes

plans for the future and they are doing an amazing job of balancing their business expansion with their family life.

“That’s something that many small businesses find challenging and I am very pleased that we have been able to help with that and support their growth.”

The Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, in partnership with Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and the District and Borough Councils.

For more information or to book on to the Business Support programme, call the Chamber on 024 7665 4321 or log onto www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Charity benefits as company grows Charities are set to benefit from the growing success of a Coventry maintenance repair business.

Chamber member Motors, Pumps & Gearboxes UK Limited (MPG UK), based at Little Heath Industrial Estate, recently trebled the size of its premises and as turnover grows so will its donations to good causes.

Stephen Phillips, who founded the business in February, set up the business after receiving free help and advice from the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, through the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme The organisation specialises in the sale, maintenance and repair of all types of AC and DC electric

motors, pumps, gearboxes and fans across the Midlands and Warwickshire area.

Stephen’s son Thomas was diagnosed with a brain tumour before his second birthday and he decided he wanted to give back to the organisations who supported his family.

As part of its corporate social responsibility programme MPG UK supports a different charity each year, starting with Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce member Molly Olly’s Wishes, with year two being Birmingham Children’s Hospital and CLIC Sargent in the third year.

Stephen said: “My son was diagnosed with a brain tumour in September 2013, when I took the first step to starting my own

business, I knew I wanted to give something back to the charities that helped my family in that time.

“As the business continues to grow, so will the donations, as we donate part of our profits to our local chosen charities.”

He added: “I wanted some reliable, helpful advice and support to help my business plan and accessing funding streams – the Chamber ticked these boxes.

“My mentor was very professional, very reassuring.

I took away that you really need to do your homework, don’t be afraid to put the long hours into the business.”

Margaret Bull, business advisor at the Chamber, said: “MPG UK has had a very successful first few months as a business and it is

fantastic that Stephen will be increasing his support of charitable causes as the business itself develops.

“Stephen is a great example of how business people can do more to help in local communities, he has a great corporate social responsibility target.

“But without the right advice and the right plans for growth, that would not be possible, so I am delighted that we have been able to help in this way and will continue to support the company’s growth.”

For more information or to book on to the Business Support programme call the Chamber on 024 7665 4321 or log onto www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Dream comes true for business owner

The owner of a new business at FarGo Village, that is 20 years in the making, has urged others with dreams of starting their own company to get support.

Jess Edwards runs Backhaus&Co, a community-oriented, independent café bakery based in the heart of the vibrant Village.

She launched the venture with Dan Smith back in August and, since then, the pair have enjoyed a steady stream of customers – from families with children to private bookings.

The company has been supported by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Start-Up Programme and Jess believes anyone wanting to get a business off the ground should seek their advice. She said: “We opened in August and we are really pleased with how it is all going and, with all of the Christmas activities coming up at FarGo, we are anticipating a really busy time in the next few weeks.

“We are just a nice, relaxing place for a drink and some home-made food using, where possible, locally sourced produce.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

“I’ve been in the catering industry for more than 20 years and have, for a long time now, wanted to set up my own business. I was about to do it five or six years ago – and then got pregnant with my youngest child – so that held it up!

“When this place became available we decided to go for it and we are delighted that we did because we love the location.

“The support we have had from Margaret Bull and the Chamber has been wonderful.

We’ve benefitted from all of her experience and she’s been giving us advice on all sorts of aspects of the business that we just wouldn’t have thought of.

“It’s also been nice to have someone to talk to who has seen lots of different things in business – Margaret has been a great sounding board and has given us support in so many ways.

“I’d definitely urge any other business to seek advice from the Chamber if they are thinking of setting up a business or have done so recently.” As part of Enterprise Week, the Chamber ran a workshop at Backhaus and

offered advice on starting a business and help to those companies who have started in the past year and want to move to the next level.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, in partnership with Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and the District and Borough Councils.

For more information or to book on to the Business Support programme call the Chamber on 024 7665 4321 or log onto www.cw-chamber.co.uk

New Criminal Offence Act for Companies From 30 September 2017, the Criminal Finances Act 2017 makes businesses criminally liable if they fail to prevent tax evasion by either a member of their staff or any third party who provides services for or on behalf of them, even where the business was not involved in the act or was unaware of it.

A successful prosecution under the new Act could lead to unlimited penalties as well as significant reputational damage and adverse publicity.

For a company or partnership to be liable under the Act, three things must have occurred: • Stage one: criminal tax evasion by a taxpayer (either an individual or an entity) under existing law.

• Stage two: criminal facilitation of the offence by an ‘associated person’ - a person acting on behalf of the corporation and knowingly aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the tax evasion by a taxpayer.

• Stage three: the business failed to prevent its representative from committing the criminal act outlined at stage two.

A business may avoid criminal liability where it can show that it has implemented reasonable prevention procedures.

What should you do now?

Businesses will have to ensure that they have reviewed their current practices and procedures to minimize any risks and to put in place appropriate monitoring and training of staff at all levels.

The first and most important step is for the business to undertake a risk assessment to determine the extent of potential exposure.

The assessment needs to define its ‘associated persons’ and consider the areas of higher level inherent tax evasion risks based on its markets, products, customer base etc After the review a business may need to design or upgrade its procedures to cope with any concerns.

For further help in understanding these changes and what steps you need to take please contact our Head of Tax Services, Anne Rose on 01926 451000.

Contact us today or visit our website for more information. www.burgisbullock.com Offices in Leamington Spa, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Nuneaton, Leicester, London and Rugby.

Jess Edwards with Margaret Bull

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Legal

Accolade for law firm

Law firm celebrates continued Legal 500 success Law firm Alsters Kelley LLP is celebrating after four of its service areas have been recommended in the world’s largest independent legal guide.

The firm has been recommended in the following four practice areas: • Crime, fraud and licensing – Crime: general • Family • Private Client – Personal tax, trusts and probate • Personal Injury.

In addition, ten of the firm’s lawyers were given recommendations, including all three of the Crime department, four members of the Family Department, two from Private Client and one from their Personal Injury team.

Cathy Wahlberg, Operations and Finance Member at Alsters Kelley LLP, said: “We are really thrilled with the outcome of the latest Legal 500 survey.

Having ten of our lawyers recommended really reflects the hard work and commitment we have towards achieving the best possible outcomes for our clients.”

Legal 500 is an annual directory, now in its 30th year and is widely acknowledged as the world’s largest legal referral guide. It is an independent guide and firms and individuals are recommended purely on merit.

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A Coventry law firm has been named Law Firm of the Year at a regional awards ceremony.

Band Hatton Button, based in Coventry city centre, claimed the title at the annual Warwickshire Law Society Awards in front of 150 legal professionals at the Manor Hotel in Meriden.

The Warwickshire Law Society was established in 1915 and aims to provide members, ranging from new-starters to partners and key decision makers, with professional support and representation.

Mark Moseley, Managing Director at Band Hatton Button, put the firm forward for the award after a strong year.

He said: “This recognition is testament to the variety of work that has been going on behind the scenes to ensure we remain as competitive as ever, both in terms of our customers and retaining and attracting the best talent.”

Sarah Jordan, Head of Marketing & Client Relations at Band Hatton Button, added: “A happy and engaged workforce are central to business success, and we have very much focused on developing both the team and individuals this year.

“All of our lawyers have attended networking training which has helped to ensure they have the skills and

confidence to go out there and grow their profiles, and that of the firm, and everyone is also currently going through training around client expectations.

“Our Wills, Trusts and Probate team have all become Dementia Friends and the solicitors within the team have also each passed their Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) qualifications.

“We have also committed to taking on at least one new trainee solicitor every year and we have two trainee Legal Executives with us currently – this is really important for Band Hatton Button to attract up and coming talent while also supporting the industry’s future as a whole.

“We have also made great strides in our customer service. We have recently launched a Client Relations Team who deal with all new business enquiries, which frees up more time for our lawyers to focus on their caseloads.

“It’s also really motivating for our staff to see what we are performing above the industry average score for anonymous customer service scores – LawNet (of whom the firm is a member) shows we are currently trading at 61 per cent, two per cent above the average, and we have targeted ourselves with a marked improvement next time we are assessed.”

“All of our lawyers have attended networking training which has helped to ensure they have the skills and confidence to go out there and grow their profiles, and that of the firm, and everyone is also currently going through training around client expectations.”

Record rankings for Lodders in leading legal guide Warwickshire law firm Lodders has been awarded the highest recognition for a record number of its practice areas by the latest edition of the UK’s guide to the best legal specialists, The Legal 500.

It has been recommended as a Top Tier firm in the West Midlands region in four specialist practice areas – Private Client, Agriculture, Real Estate and Family – with a record twenty-seven of the firm’s solicitors recommended.

Paul Mourton, Head of the Real Estate practice, Commercial Litigation specialists Jane Senior, Michael Wakeling and Amrit Samra, Private Client solicitors Martin Green, Louise Igoe, Ian Flavell, Natalie Smith, Sofia Tayton, and Stephen Brignull, and Corporate and Commercial Partners Victor Matts and Kim Klahn, are all recommended in the Guide.

Also listed are several of Lodders’ newest senior team members, including Jessica Beddows, a Partner in the Private Client practice, Real Estate Partner Mark Miller, and Real Estate Solicitor Daniel Macleod, together with five members of Lodders’ dedicated Family Law team, including Partner Beverley Morris.

In addition, Lodders’ Charity law specialist Mark Lewis, and Commercial Property lawyer Nick East have been named in the Guide’s elite ‘leading lawyers’ list.

A key element of how The Legal 500 ranks and rates law firms is through feedback from their clients, which, says Lodders’ Senior Partner Martin Green, makes the recognition ‘significant’ as it is based on the impartial and first-hand experiences of the individuals the firm works with every day.

He said: “To be recognised as a Top Tier firm for our work and advice in a growing number of practice areas and in the whole of the West Midlands region is without doubt impressive but what is particularly important is that our clients have come out to show their support and given some excellent comments and feedback on the high standard of advice and service they have experienced from our lawyers.”

“A key element of how The Legal 500 ranks and rates law firms is through feedback from their clients, which, says Lodders’ Senior Partner Martin Green, makes the recognition ‘significant’ as it is based on the impartial and first-hand experiences of the individuals the firm works with every day.” www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Finance

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Greg Clark announces £80 million funding for partnership A partnership between WMG, at the University of Warwick, Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership and Coventry City Council has been awarded £80 million to establish a new National Battery Manufacturing Development Facility (NBMDF).

Funding plans for 2018 As we move into 2018 our heads are full of ideas, anticipation and plans for the year ahead.

The announcement was made by The Rt Hon Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, while attending an energy conference on the University of Warwick campus.

The new national facility will be established in the Coventry and Warwickshire area by WMG, the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP and Coventry City Council and it will enable UK- based companies and researchers come together to build and maintain a world leading position in manufacturing technologies for batteries and their components in vehicles and transportation.

The new National Battery Manufacturing Development Facility will enable the development of the next generation of battery systems across battery chemistry, electrodes, cell design, module and pack levels. It will have a central location in the Coventry and Warwickshire area providing excellent transport links and is near to established automotive supply chains.

Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, Chairman of WMG said: “We are delighted to have been successful in the

This may include ways we can save money within our business, improve our productivity, enhance our service or develop something new.

Whilst this is exciting it often comes with a price tag, be that financial, emotional or temporal and that can be off putting.

MCS corporate has worked with businesses across all stages of growth, and know that R&D tax credits can be a useful – but often overlooked – financial tool to help facilitate fast growth.

Here are four ways that tax relief could help your business through scaling up:

Trial and error bid to create this new national battery facility here in the Midlands. Working with industry and the supply chain we will develop and expand battery R&D which will see the creation of skilled jobs and developments within the automotive sector.”

Greg Clark said: “Battery technology is one of the most game-changing forms of energy innovation and it is one of the cornerstones of our ambition, through the Industrial Strategy and the Faraday Challenge, to ensure that the UK leads the world, and reaps the economic benefits, in the global transition to a low carbon economy.

“The new facility, based in Coventry and Warwickshire, will propel the UK forward in this thriving area, bringing experts from academia and industry together to deliver innovation and R&D that will further enhance the West Midlands’ international reputation as a cluster of automotive excellence.”

Martin Yardley, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP), said: “This will be a centre which will lead and drive forward battery technologies, making alternative vehicle propulsion systems practical across a wide range of uses.”

The process of scaling up can include an element of trial and error, as you explore new avenues of expansion. Whether it’s a new customer base, a new range of products, a new service or simply an expansion of your existing activity, finding your feet as you step up to the ‘next level’ can be difficult, and not every plan is guaranteed to succeed. R&D tax credits can help to alleviate some of the pressure of this stage of growth, allowing you to recoup some R&D costs, whether the development is successful or not.

Cash injection Most businesses looking to scale up need to approach external financiers for funding. Yet for any business that has carried out research and development activity in the last two years, R&D tax credits could provide a generous cash injection to kick start scale up activity. It may not be enough to facilitate full expansion plans, but it could be enough to get the ball rolling with an initial investment into the area of the business you are looking to grow.

Attracting external investment

“The new facility, based in Coventry and Warwickshire, will propel the UK forward in this thriving area, bringing experts from academia and industry together to deliver innovation and R&D that will further enhance the West Midlands’ international reputation as a cluster of automotive excellence.”

Fifth anniversary New Chamber Member Cooper Curtis Accountants, based near Southam, Warwickshire, celebrated their fifth anniversary in November.

If you are looking to external investment to facilitate fast growth, your research and development activity will naturally be a key signifier of future growth potential for interested financiers. However, R&D tax credits could also play an important role in your financial reporting, illustrating your business’ ability to self-fund development projects and explore expansion opportunities.

Adapting to demand One scale-up challenge that many businesses face is the ability to adapt quickly to changing demand and grasp fast growth opportunities.

For example, an existing client is expanding their own service to a new market or new region, and would like your business to support the activity.

Yet doing so will mean making changes to your processes or technology. R&D tax credits provide the flexibility to facilitate this activity, allowing you to recoup some of the development costs and injecting that cash into future projects – or offsetting it against losses if the deal doesn’t pan out as expected.

To speak to one of our experts and find out how R&D tax credits could help your business to scale up, call us on 01926 512 475

www.mcs-corporate.com

Cooper Curtis provide specialises in accountancy services for the recruitment industry.

Co-partner Brian Dormer said: “We are delighted to join the Chamber at this key point in our business cycle and look forward to working with the Chamber over the next five years.”

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

17

Property

Fantastic Management and Refit at Leofric Court Flexible Approach – The offices that meet YOUR needs.

Coventry’s newest arrival in the flexible office market is now fully open in the heart of the city centre.

Fig Offices offer serviced office space, coupled with a suite of well-equipped meeting rooms. Based in the iconic Friars House opposite the station and adjacent to the ring road, it is ideally located for transport links.

Fig is the serviced office arm of FI Real Estate Management (FIREM), a leading UK based property management company.

Fig offer four key products- Serviced offices, meeting rooms, virtual offices and co-working - all with flexibility at the core.

The offices come fully furnished in a distinctive Nordic Ash finish starting from one person upwards.

Bespoke packages can be created allowing the use of a mailing address, a local telephone number and the use of the centre’s breakout space and meeting rooms.

Fig have teamed up with sector specialists to supply IT and Telecoms. Operations Manager Garrick Hurter said: “Reliable and flexible IT is imperative to our product. By teaming up with IP-Xchange we can offer companies as much bandwidth as they require with the ability to increase or decrease at any time, backed by a UK based support team promising minimal downtime and high SLAs. We are confident there’s not much we can’t handle from an IT perspective.”

Fig have appointed an experienced centre manager for Coventry in Caroline Middleton.

She said ‘What appealed to me about Fig was the attention to detail, the focus on customer service and the autonomy given to all levels of staff. My target is to create a real community spirit in the centre through business, charitable and social events. We want Fig to become a mainstay within the Coventry business community and following a soft opening in September we are planning a main launch in 2018.”

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Leofric Court is another multi-let office development which came into the management portfolio of Drake Howard Property, relatively recently.

In a short space of time our experienced team has focused on improving the environment in which the building stands, by careful service charge budgeting.

Landscaping and planting has been upgraded, including new path with steps and handrail on the frontage embankment. The tenant directory board has been renewed and building signage erected to give the estate a contemporary, corporate image.

The entrance barrier call system is now a modern unit operated by SIM connection to each office and parking spaces at the front of the building have been designated for visitor and disabled use.

Combined with essential remedial work to remedy an arrears of maintenance; such as relining lead valleys and repointing brick footings and garden walls; Leofric Court is now fit for purpose.

Property management attention to detail and Landlord spend on improvements has once again paid off very quickly, with a letting of the last empty unit.

Saint Gobain Building Distribution, the parent to Jewson the Builders Merchant and Graham’s the Plumber Merchant, has taken a 5 year lease on 1 Leofric Court, which extends to 2,135 sq. ft. over two floors.

A headline rent of £19,500 per annum was agreed, to reflect the quality and cost of an impressive re-fit to a ‘Digital Hub’ for the Company’s customer experience operation. Suspended ceilings have been swapped for a new grid, acoustic tiles and

LED light boxes. A glass fronted meeting room, new kitchen and staff break-out area has been constructed and the entire premises, decorated and furnished in an interior designer scheme.

A spokesman for the Landlord, Forest Team Limited, congratulated the letting and managing agent. “Martyn Howard and his team has done a remarkable job at Leofric Court. The property had become a concern to us and was not maintaining its position in the market. Empty space was not attracting the level of demand of past years.

A skilled and experienced property management team has made the difference. We are pleased to have spent a little to accumulate a lot and, we do not intend to stop here. It is our intention to assess architect designed improvements to the building fabric with our agent, Drake Howard Property.”

“Martyn Howard and his team has done a remarkable job at Leofric Court. The property had become a concern to us and was not maintaining its position in the market.

Empty space was not attracting the level of demand of past years. A skilled and experienced property management team has made the difference.”

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Financial Planning with a purpose Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Finance

KLO Financial Services are a team of independent financial advisers and dedicated client managers. We provide client focused advice in all aspects of financial planning.

“Personalised service, personal and professional integrity coupled with extensive industry knowledge” Mr A Mullaney, Birmingham

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Profile: David Winstanley

Military make-up ensures solid landing

If running an airport is like a military operation, then Birmingham has the perfect man for the job.

David Winstanley took up his current job as Chief Operating Officer at Birmingham Airport four years ago after joining the business in 2007 in, what he describes as, quite an obscure role which was recommended to him by a friend.

But his move into the commercial world followed an illustrious 22-year career in the military, serving first in the Royal Navy and then the Royal Air Force where he trained as an Air Traffic Control Officer and rose through the ranks to become Wing Commander.

It was a career that took him across the globe and included everything from helping the Iraqi Army with governance (based from of Saddam Hussein’s palace in Baghdad) through to teaching the Canadians how to clear snow at airports!

His decision to leave the military was both personal and professional but it has given him the perfect grounding to be part of senior management structure that oversees the fastest growing airport in the UK, employing 750 people directly and nearly 8,000 more based on the site within other businesses.

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“The arrival at Birmingham Airport was truly by accident,” he said. “For the whole of my life I was involved in aviation.

I should have gone to university to read Government & Politics, however my heart wasn’t in it and, to be honest, I didn’t excel in that area – I was far more comfortable being in a disciplined and structured environment!

“The military seemed a really good fit so I chose to join the Royal Navy on completing A-Levels. I served with the Royal Navy for two years and realised I wasn’t cut out to be a Naval officer.

I was better suited to the RAF. “I left the Navy, worked at Manchester Airport for six months, and then joined the Air Force and did 22 years with the military.

“In 2006, I decided I wanted a better lifework balance with my children because I realised I was not spending enough time with them so I elected to leave the military after a very successful career.

“I effectively retired. I did one year’s consultancy, which I didn’t enjoy and then a friend of mine picked up the phone and said that there was quite an obscure job going at Birmingham Airport as head of regulatory compliance and safety.

“He said it was right up my street and I thought it was ridiculous! I just didn’t get the connection but he told me to read the job spec and that I was perfect for it.

“I was given a lot of freedom to set up a regulatory compliance programme. I did that for around 12 months and the new CEO said that I was the right man in the wrong job so he moved me to aviation security to rearrange the department and sort a few things out.

“Then they decided to split the Ops Director role and Development Director role and the then CEO asked me to apply for the Ops Director job. I was successful, did that for three years and then, in 2014, I was promoted to the current role.

“It’s been ten years, four different jobs and eight different desks and probably six different offices!”

Despite working at an airport, he does far less travel than one might expect – particularly compared to his RAF days.

“I went all over the world,” he said.

“Germany, Canada…Scotland. I’ve been to most of Europe, and spent a lot of time in the Pentagon working with the Americans on leadership development during the latter part of my career.

“I served in Baghdad for four months, actually in Saddam’s Palace, working with the Americans in 2005 which was a huge eye-opener. It was more focussed on rebuilding and helping the Iraqis rebuild governance.

“What the military do very well is train you to observe, adapt and apply because you have to react to different situations. Sometimes that works in a civilian environment, sometimes it doesn’t. In the case of an airport operations environment, there are some direct cross-overs which work very well.” www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Profile: David Winstanley “Canada was the most intriguing because I was sent up there to establish an exchange role and I was the first RAF air traffic exchange officer to go out to Canada so it was a brand new role.

“I was teaching Canadian air traffic controllers and, ironically, the first lesson I taught them was snow clearing!

“They had a Brit who sees one centimetre every four years teaching them how to physically move mountains of snow which they found most amusing.

The Canadians were very welcoming, very warm and it was very enjoyable.”

With two young children, his priorities changed and he stepped out of the military for greater work-life balance and, also, to test himself in the commercial world.

David said: “At that time in the military, I was very career orientated so that balance is very difficult to strike and I openly admit that, at times, I got that wrong. That’s why I left, to ensure that my children wouldn’t grow up with this constant feeling that dad was always away.”

His background meant that he could adapt to new challenges and he believes that has stood him in good stead at Birmingham Airport.

“The two environments compare in some areas but there are fundamental differences in drivers,” he said. “I have to be careful that I don’t devalue one against another. One of the initial hard things for me to grasp in a commercial environment was that in the military, if you set a deadline, it was absolutely done.

“One of things I struggled with initially was setting a deadline and people saying: ‘does it really matter if it’s 4pm on a Friday, can it just be 3pm on the Monday?’ I had to temper my response but it was a case of: if I give you a deadline, it’s for a reason.

“There’s a difference in how direct you can be. You can be very much to the point in the military.

“A lot of the skills are transferrable but that comes down the individual, who has to translate them over to the new role.

“What the military do very well is train you to observe, adapt and apply because you have to react to different situations.

Sometimes that works in a civilian environment, sometimes it doesn’t.

“In the case of an airport operations environment, there are some direct cross-overs which work very well.

“I don’t know whether I am still perceived as military or not but there is the old saying that you can take the man out of the military but you can’t take the military out of the man.”

The decade that David has spent with Birmingham Airport has seen a variety of challenges – from the recession through to the Davies Commission – but it has come out the other side much stronger.

It now sees around 13 million passengers jet off to more than 160 destinations worldwide and is set to reveal a new masterplan that will set it out its future strategy, as part of the West Midlands future growth.

“The airport is in a very strong position,” he said. “It covers a broad sector of airlines and a cross section of markets.

“We do very well with low cost market but also we’ve also got a very active long haul market.

“What the runway extension has allowed us to do is make routes that were uneconomical, now economical, the aircraft can carry more fuel which means www.cw-chamber.co.uk

they can fly that sector with more passengers and more freight.

“It’s enabled to expand pure reach too so we can fly to China direct from Birmingham, which is significant.

It opens up not only the Far East and Middle Eastern routes but also the west coast of America.

“Now we are looking at how we can maximise capacity from our current site, integrate with HS2 and then look to see how we might expand beyond that if required.

“It is critical we support the wider region and the Combined Authority and we are ready to play our part as a key economic enabler for them to achieve what they want to achieve over the next 25 to 30 years.

“Key political leaders such as Andy Street and Bob Sleigh are driving the region forward and you are seeing a more coherent voice in the West Midlands.

It’s definitely our time.

“We were an early backer of Coventry’s bid to be UK City of Culture and were really pleased to support that and we are keen to play our part as the airport gateway for the Commonwealth Games.

“If you look at the benefits that Glasgow and Manchester received from hosting the Commonwealth Games and then the benefits that Hull and its wider region have received from City of Culture, it’s massive for this area and we will play a big part in that.”

And then, of course, there is the small matter of Brexit.

“If only I had a crystal ball!” he said.

“I don’t know how it will change the propensity to fly, nobody does. What I am pretty confident on is as an industry we have invested millions and years in developing networks with our European colleagues to facilitate the ease of transport and ease of use of air travel.

“I don’t believe, fundamentally, that we are in a position to unpick that.

It’s in the best interests for UK plc and for the European Community to keep some of those structures we have in place for aviation, ease of travel and use of air space.

“I am a board member of the AOA, which is the industry’s trade body. I am there to represent the industry, rather than Birmingham Airport, to advise on how we lobby central Government.

We work closely with the Secretary of State, the Brexit ministers and the Department for Transport to make sure they are aware of the detail of what they should be discussing on what the impact of Brexit will be on the aviation industry.

“I think they get it. We’ve got a Government that is aware of the

importance of aviation within the economy of a whole. Aviation and UK plc are absolutely linked.”

So spare time still comes at a premium and is usually taken up by sport although his job doesn’t afford him the luxury of jetting off to follow the England cricket team around the world and claiming it’s ‘on business’.

“I would have a tough job justifying a visit out to Australia to watch the test matches!” he said. “And I am not sure I’d want to with the way the Ashes has gone!”

Working Day “I have patterns – a battle rhythm. I get up at 4.50 in the morning when the alarm goes off. I live 62 miles away and I want to beat the traffic in.

“I will look at emails before anyone else gets in and I’ll fire a few emails off in the hope that mine are the first ones that other people look at when they get in.

“I am in meetings from 9am until 6pm and then try to wrap up and head off.

You can establish what you think you are going to do in a day. You can fix certain patterns but if there is an operational incident, you clear the calendar and all of those important meetings are pushed back.

“The vast majority of time is spent building relationships and managing those, and it’s all for the benefit of the passenger.”

About David Winstanley Date of birth: Birthplace: Married: Children: Hobbies: Favourite book: Favourite film: Last holiday: Car: Favourite gadget:

15th March 1966 Manchester Yes, 28 years Laura 23, James 21 Cricket, Cycling, Skiing ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ by Richard Bach ‘Reach for the Sky’ & ‘Field of Dreams’.

Skiing Holiday in Austria Audi A6 Ski Lock!!

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Brexit Club

Chambers join forces in Brexit call

The Brexit Club view of negotiations

The British Chambers of Commerce has joined with national Chamber organisations from six countries to call for politicians to swiftly move to talks on Brexit transition and the future EU-UK trade relationship.

By David Burton

The joint statement, from Chambers of Commerce representing businesses in seven countries that account for 70% of EU-UK trade in both directions, calls on both sides to provide clarity on what the future relationship will look like.

The statement has been signed by the British Chambers of Commerce, Chambers Ireland, the Danish Chamber of Commerce, the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry, The German Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Netherlands-British Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Belgian Chambers of Commerce represented by VokaFlanders Chamber of Commerce and BECI -Brussels Chamber of Commerce.

It says: “We need clarity on what the future relationship will look like as soon as possible and call on negotiators to strive for a trade-friendly agreement and a realistic transition period.

Maintaining the status quo until the new agreement is implemented is highly desirable.”

It adds that ‘No deal is extremely undesirable for all sides’.

The statement says: “Many companies are embedded in supply chains spread over several northern European countries that depend highly on tight ‘just in time’ management cycles, which can be severely disrupted by even the slightest unforeseen regulatory changes. All these companies that engage both directly and indirectly in EU-UK trade and EUEU via the UK trade, most notably in the case of Ireland, need to start taking the necessary actions to prepare for new EU-UK trading arrangements as soon as possible.

“However, most of the big issues that are of concern for our businesses have not yet even been touched on by the EU and UK negotiators. Issues like future customs procedures, the extent of regulatory alignment between the UK and the EU and the mutual recognition of standards, and safety checking agencies are just a few critical areas in which companies need clarity.”

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The recurrent issues from our meetings to date have been the status of EU nationals in the UK and vice-versa, trade talks including regulation, standards, customs arrangements and vat, and the need for appropriate transition arrangements.

In the days leading up to the December summit the EU decided that sufficient progress has been made on Citizens’ rights, the Ireland /Northern Ireland position and the financial settlement for implementation and trade talks to begin in the New Year.

The joint report published on 8th December is deliberately capable of differing interpretations by all parties concerned. It is clear that UK politicians are going to be increasingly vocal in the months to come to exploit the ambiguities.

My understanding of the current position is as follows 1 Citizens.

It is clear that many sectors, especially hospitality, health and care, logistics, and horticulture, are employing EU nationals at all skills levels, and uncertainty, possibly encouraged by the drop in Sterling / Euro rates, is already causing workers to return home with difficulties in replacing them. The joint report indicates that those EU citizens actually in the UK on 29th March 2019 will be entitled to stay, with provisions for close family not currently here being allowed into the UK in the future. EU Nationals’ positions will be protected for absences of up to 5 years, and there are many other matters set out in the joint report. The position of UK Nationals in the EU will mirror these arrangements.

There is no positive information regarding the policy for immigration in the future. Labour at lower skills levels, particularly in the hospitality and horticultural sectors, tends to be transient and from a practical point of view will not travel from too far way.

We will need to lobby on how our businesses can enjoy the flow of labour they require without excessive regulation.

It is also unclear whether there will be changes to the future policy will be towards workers from countries outside the EU.

At present these tend to be at the higher skills levels, but any policy towards current EU workers might have unforeseen consequences on all immigration. Our area now has effective full employment, so any losses from the current workforce could have serious effects on companies’ ability to trade and expand.

2 Transition arrangements.

These are said to be discussed and agreed before trade talks can start.

I am at a loss to understand how details of these and the time frame can be even discussed until it is known what the new arrangements are to be. I believe that each new arrangement will be of variable complexity and therefore require a timescale appropriate to the practical changes. For example we would hope that arrangements for airspace and flights will require little of no change and could come into force almost immediately.

Arrangements for border / customs controls, which of course will affect both sides, will take considerably longer.

I would hope that both sides will agree that it is in nobody’s interest to make transition to whatever the new arrangements are to be more complex and lengthy than necessary. It is also vital that whatever time frame is agreed it is not used for procrastination without the UK having a voice at the EU tables.

3 Trade talks, Regulation and Standards.

There are many views as to what the UK’s preferred position might be, loosely stated as being “Hard”, leaving the EU with no agreement and relying on WTA

rules for future trade, or “Soft”, retaining as many features of the single market and customs union as possible.

In practice I suspect that we will end up somewhere in the middle as the Ireland proposals lean heavily to the “soft” end of the spectrum. However the talks progress the UK Government will have a difficult task to sell the deal to both Houses of Parliament and the population as a whole. We will of course lobby the business case to our members of parliament, UK Government and EU contacts in business or in Brussels.

The rescinding of current EU Regulations and Standards will be almost impossible if we wish to continue trading with the EU. We should however remember that many of these were “gold plated” by UK governments, and therefore some relaxations might be possible.

We have discovered a number of sector specific issues which will have to be worked through. It is very disappointing that the analyses that the Brexit Secretary has made reference to over many months may or may not exist, may not cover vital sectors and in any case have not been read by him. How on earth can this lead to sensible negotiations?

The whole agreement is supposed to be in final draft by October 2018 so that it can be ratified by all 27 EU parliaments, and our own, before 29th March 2019.

There are already rumblings from some EU members regarding the likely future trading relationships, so getting agreement will make herding cats look simple!

We shall call meetings as appropriate to monitor progress and lobby our MPs and DexEU officials.

“It is very disappointing that the analyses that the Brexit Secretary has made reference to over many months may or may not exist, may not cover vital sectors and in any case have not been read by him. How on earth can this lead to sensible negotiations?” www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Brexit Club

(L to r) David Ollier (London Electric Vehicle Company), James Ahearne (Coventry & Warwickshire Chambers of Commerce), Nigel Driffield (The University of Warwick), David Burton (Chair of Coventry & Warwickshire Brexit Club), Anastassia Beliakova (British Chambers of Commerce) , David Ayton-Hill (Warwickshire County Council), Mark Wakeford (Stepnells) & Adam Shutter (Exact Logistics)

BCC welcome for next steps Making Brexit Work for Coventry & Warwickshire Event 22nd November 2017

Commonwealth makes common sense

By Darren Jones

As we are buffeted by the blabber around Brexit, regardless of an individual’s opinion, any business should be making plans. It is a fact that most wealth is created during times of change, so why not ride that wave?

Every business should ask how can it most easily benefit from Brexit. Is the Commonwealth part of the answer? Many will reel and say “old Empire”, “colonialism” etc etc. But that would be to do this collective of nations a disservice.

The Commonwealth has 52 nations who share a common bond. Contrary to what most believe, some of its members were never part of the British Empire but have joined the Commonwealth subsequently.

So why should this “club” that harks back to a bygone era have any bearing on business today? The Commonwealth is not a Free Trade Area (FTA), its not even an economic body, so what is its relevance?

For a couple of years now, I have been working with the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council under the auspices of its Commonwealth First trade programme which has been encouraging and assisting SME to trade across the Commonwealth.

So what is the point, why bother?

The simple truth is that it is easier for a British company to trade across the Commonwealth than anywhere else.

“How so without an FTA?” I hear you ask.

Simply because tariffs are not the biggest trade barrier, it is non-tariff barriers that make exporting tough.

The first thing to remember is that people buy from people. The majority of the 52 members speak English and they have cultural connections that add a familiarity.

One key is a similar business framework with similar legal systems. A 2015 report said that trade costs within the Commonwealth were 19% lower than trading outside.

With Commonwealth trade by 2030 set to be $2.75 trillion, India set to have a larger middle class than the EU, mature markets such as Australia and Canada and developing ones across Africa and beyond, the Commonwealth offers sustainable and long term growth opportunities.

Coventry and Warwickshire also has a large Commonwealth diaspora , an asset that should be unlocked by all businesses in the region.

Personal experience tells me that it is easier to trade with Perth than Paris, Delhi has higher growth than Düsseldorf, Coventry can trade with Canberra and Nuneaton with Nigeria.

From the region that brought us the jet engine, we should understand that the globe is shrinking. Geographical proximity is no longer the predeterminate of ease to market.

The Commonwealth should be embraced as a serious part of our exporting future.

Interesting discussions at Brexit half-way point The opportunities and risks of Brexit were highlighted by business leaders from an array of sectors at a major event for Coventry and Warwickshire.

At the halfway point between the referendum and March 29, 2019 - when the UK leave the European Union (EU) Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce hosted the session for firms across the region.

Making Brexit Work for Coventry and Warwickshire was staged at Coombe Abbey Hotel and it was a chance for companies from across the region to come together.

Guests turned out to listen to talks, ask questions, share their opinions on what they think will happen and what they need in the future.

Presenters for the event at the Brinklowbased venue were Senior Trade Policy Manager for the British Chambers of Commerce, Anastassia Beliakova; Head of Economy and Skills at Warwickshire County Council, David Ayton-Hill; Head of Strategy, Public Affair and Communications at LEVC, David Ollier; Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor

(Regional Engagement) at the University of Warwick, Nigel Driffield; Managing Director of Exact Logistics, Adam Shuter and Joint Managing Director of Stepnell Ltd, Mark Wakeford.

They were each given a chance to present their views, thoughts and predictions for the future and how it would affect their industries, as well as join in with a panel discussion.

David Burton, chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Brexit Club, said the event was a chance for everyone to share their views and get advice.

He said: “Leaving the EU is an extremely important issue for businesses within the region, so we thought it would be a good idea to organise an event like this.

“It was extremely interesting to hear what the presenters had to say and I’m sure that all the delegates welcomed listening to all of their opinions.

“There were similar themes that came out of the presentations and the panel discussion as well, one of which is clarity. Businesses would like to know more about the Brexit talks and what the plan is on issues such as

Nigel Driffield Presenting at Making Brexit Work for Coventry & Warwickshire’

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

trade and movement of people so that they can plan for the future.

“We encourage businesses in the area to keep lobbying their MPs and raising their concerns so that their voice is heard.

“The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce will also continue to make sure that Government hears the voice of the region and that companies have an outlet such as this event to speak up and find out information as time goes on.”

James Ahearne, head of international trade at the Chamber, added: “Brexit is something that comes up time and again within our regional branch meetings, so this was a great opportunity to have an event solely focused on the business implications of Brexit.

“We want to make sure that businesses are always kept up to date with vital information and events like this also help Chamber to gauge what needs to be done and what everyone is thinking.”

For further information about the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and its Brexit Club visit www.cw-chamber.co.uk

(L to r) David Ollier, David Ayton-Hill & Anastassia Beliakova

The BCC welcomes the fact that the European Council has approved the progression of talks to the discussion of a transition period, and a future trade relationship – and has confirmed what EU and UK citizens can expect with regards to their rights.

The biggest priority for many firms since the referendum has been to get clarity and security for their European employees, and we are delighted that they, as well as UK citizens living and working in the EU, now have more clarity and can plan their future with greater confidence.

The transition period must now be agreed as soon as possible, to give businesses in every region and nation of the UK time to prepare for the future relationship. A status-quo like transition period –announced with sufficient notice – is the best option to provide business with the highest possible degree of certainty and predictability.

Talks must then move on to the discussion the future trading relationship. Any further delays to these discussions could have damaging consequences for business investment and trade, as firms in 2018 review their investment plans and strategies.

Many companies are embedded in supply chains spread over several European countries that depend highly on tight ‘just in time’ management cycles, which can be severely disrupted by even the slightest unforeseen regulatory changes. All these companies that engage both directly and indirectly in EU-UK trade and EUEU via the UK trade, most notably in the case of Ireland, need to start taking actions to prepare for new trading arrangements as soon as possible.

However, most of the big issues that are of concern for our businesses have not yet even been touched on by the EU and UK negotiators. Issues like future customs procedures, IP protection, data sharing, and the mutual recognition of standards checking agencies, are just a few critical areas on which companies need clarity.

We therefore call on EU and UK negotiators to create clarity on the outlines of a future trade friendly EUUK relationship in the following months – as well as provide some answers to practical business questions.

Companies all across the UK want absolute clarity on the long-term deal being sought, and want government to work closely with business experts to ensure that the details are right.

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C & W - January 2018__ 09/01/2018 16:04 Page 24

Area Focus: Coventry

Charity bike ride to take place WA Coventry company has joined forces with Coventry Road Club to stage a charity cycle ride and celebrate two of cycling’s greatest innovators.

Chairman of Gallagher, Pat Gallagher with Katie Chedgey, and members of Arty Folks

Coventry office is recognised for its charitable efforts

The Starley Sportive will recognise the contributions of James Starley and John Kemp Starley to the modern bicycle industry and take on place on Sunday, 18 February.

Deeley Group have joined up with Coventry Road Club to hold the event, marking Coventry Road Club’s sixth sportive and following on from the successful Deeley 80 Cycle Ride in September 2016.

All money raised on the day with be donated to support Zoë’s Place Baby Hospice.

James Starley is known as the father of the bicycle industry, while John Kemp Starley is widely considered the inventor of the modern bicycle – both worked and lived in Coventry.

The day will feature a choice of two routes to ride from Coventry into the Warwickshire Countryside, with one route 59 miles and the other 30 miles.

Katie, who is an Account Manager at the Coventry branch located on Queen Victoria Road, was nominated by her colleagues. She regularly organises fundraising and volunteering activities at Coventry-based Zöe’s Place Baby Hospice, in addition to charitable donations to Macmillan Cancer Support, the Stroke Association and Breast Cancer Care.

Coventry Chairman Cheryll Rawbone was also rewarded for her efforts.

Cheryll, from Leamington Spa, was named as ‘Unsung Hero’ for her contributions to The Friendship Project.

The charity aims to support children that are in need in order to develop their interests and confidence. Cheryll started working with the charity in 1986.

The Coventry branch was also able to secure £5,000 funding for local charity Arty Folks, after nominating it as part of Gallagher’s ‘Making a Difference’ initiative.

Making a Difference was launched to provide further financial assistance to smaller local charities.

Katie and her colleague Hannah Nicholson, were invited to pitch their nominated charity in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style competition which took place in the London head office and Arty Folks was announced as a runner up.

Arty Folks is a charity, founded in 1995, which today inspires adults across Coventry and Warwickshire to achieve mental well-being through the visual arts and through peer support.

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Neil Ward (Coventry Road Club), Ian Court (Coventry Road Club), Ian Clorley (Deeley Group).

On-the-day entry will cost £15, with complimentary tea, coffee and cake for participants after the ride.

For more information and to register for The Starley Sportive visit www.coventryroadclub.org.uk

Family-run Coventry butchers celebrates 30 years of trading

Coventry-based insurance broker and risk management specialist Gallagher has been recognised for its charitable achievements at an internal company awards ceremony.

As part of the Gallagher Gives Awards 2017, Katie Chedgey, from Leicester, was recognised as the ‘Charity Champion of the Year’ for her contributions to numerous charities in the local community.

The sportive will leave from Deeley Group’s headquarters in Coventry at 9am.

Ian Court, of the Coventry Road Club, said: “We wanted to recognise the incredible contribution of James and John Kemp Starley, both of whom were, of course, based in Coventry, and raise funds for a very worthwhile cause in Zoë’s Place Baby Hospice.

“We’re excited to be working with Deeley Group to put on the sportive and have already received a lot of interest for what should be a brilliant day of cycling.”

Edward Hudson, Business Development Manager at Deeley Group, said: “We have been long standing supporters of Zoë’s Place Baby Hospice for many years now, it is a wonderful charity that does some incredible work and we’re very pleased to be able to support them with this event.”

Earlybird tickets for the event cost £10, with the earlybird window open until Sunday, 1 January.

Online entry is priced at £12, with the deadline for online entries Sunday, 11 February.

Ron and Wayne Barker marking the handover of Ron Barker’s Quality Meats

Ron Barker Quality Meats in Coventry has reached 30 years of trading with the announcement that Ron’s younger brother, Wayne Barker, has taken ownership of the business with financial support from HSBC.

The family-run butchers has been successfully led by Ron for three decades and following his decision to retire, HSBC provided a £60,000 Management Buy Out (MBO) loan to enable Wayne Barker to purchase the business.

Most famous for its secret family recipe sausages, Ron Barker Quality Meats prides itself on using locally sourced and ethically treated meats, serving on average 900 customers a week. The business has been run by the Barker family since its inception, with Wayne working at the shop for the last ten years, alongside his wife, daughter and niece.

Wayne Barker, now owner of Ron Barker Quality Meats, said: “The last 12 months has seen a lot of change for our business, but with HSBC’s support we’ve been able to embrace the next chapter. We’ve been trading for 30 years and have a valued customer base, so

it’s fantastic that our shop will continue trading under the family name. With Ron enjoying retirement, I intend to continue the fantastic service we are renowned for. “ Debbie Harper, HSBC Area Director for Business Banking in Greater Birmingham, added: “It’s hugely important to HSBC to provide support and funding which enables independent businesses like Ron Barker Quality Meats to maintain and grow their presence in the community.”

The five-figure funding package was secured through HSBC’s recently launched £10bn SME fund.

HSBC’s Relationship Manager in Coventry, Craig Jones, led the deal for Ron Barker Quality Meats and continues to provide guidance as the company progresses its business strategy.

Groundbreaking for £30m clean transport lab Work has begun on a clean transport lab on Coventry University’s Technology Park, heralding the start of a £30 million collaboration between the university and German-based international engineering service provider FEV. The new low carbon technology centre is being built next to the university’s recentlylaunched £7 million National Transport Design Centre (NTDC), creating a cluster of transport-focused research and development facilities on the Technology Park.

Representatives from Aachen-based FEV – including its president and chief executive officer Professor Stefan Pischinger – visited the site where contractor Willmott Dixon broke ground to kick off construction of the facility.

Activity in the centre will focus on testing and improving performance and emissions on a range of different powertrain concepts, including hybridized, electric, conventional and alternative fuel propulsion systems.

Vice-chancellor Professor John Latham said: “This new centre represents another boost to the university’s and the city’s rich portfolio of transport research and development activities.

“We’re delighted as one of the region’s universities to be playing a role in attracting investment from key international players in this field, and to be helping position Coventry at the forefront of advancements in low carbon technology.”

FEV already works closely with anumber of UK customers. These leading international names in the automotive and aerospace

industries are expected to use the facility to develop cleaner transport technologies, with a significant area of work set to be advanced propulsion systems – a key innovation theme identified in the UK government’s industrial strategy.

Contract Success for CWCT

Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Training (CWCT) are celebrating their success in securing a government contract with the Education and Skills Agency to support non-apprenticeship levy paying businesses with apprenticeship training, including recruiting new talent, up-skilling their existing workforce and ensuring that apprenticeships offer a valuable skills solution to support business growth.

Starting in January 2018, Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber Training will be

working closely with employers, identifying their skills needs and designing apprenticeships which are tailored around business needs.

In what was a highly competitive tendering round, Chamber Training used its vast experience of delivering high quality apprenticeships across Coventry and Warwickshire.

Sally Lucas, Executive Director of Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber Training, said, “We are excited at the prospect of working closely with employers, supporting them to

access apprenticeships with ease, train new and existing staff and gain a business return on their investment.”

To find out more, call CWCT’s Business Development Team on 02476 231 122 or email enquiries@cw-chambertraining.co.uk

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Area Focus: Coventry

Furniture firm on the move Creative Hire currently holds the largest stock of exhibition and conference furniture, including designer and bespoke items in the UK. The business has delivered furniturehire solutions for exhibitions ranging from The Craft Shows, BodyPower Expo and the International Paris Air Show.

The new HSBC-funded facility is three times larger than Creative Hire’s previous premises and is located near Nuneaton, a short journey from the NEC. At 120,000 sq. ft., the warehouse will provide the necessary space to accommodate approximately 165,000 items of stock.

The business will be able to stock more furniture, as well as invest in new product lines to deliver furniture-hire solutions for a larger number of exhibitions.

Following the move to the new warehouse and with HSBC’s support, Creative Hire hopes to triple turnover in the next five years. In addition, the business aims to recruit 10 new permanent staff and a further 200 temporary

Creative Hire, a leading Coventrybased furniture hire business, has purchased a new, larger warehouse with the help of a £3.35 million commercial mortgage from HSBC.

employees next year to keep up with new contracts. The HSBC funding is part of the bank’s £10bn fund to support SME’s across the country.

Wes Britton, Managing Director at Creative Hire, said: “We’re thrilled to be moving into a larger warehouse. We continue to see increasing demand for highquality exhibition furniture and this move will enable us to deliver more contracts than we’ve previously been able to. HSBC’s support has been key to securing our new home and we’re looking forward to growing the business from our bigger base.”

Mark Lupton, HSBC Area Director for Business Banking in the Midlands, said: “HSBC is committed to helping British businesses realise their ambitions.

We’re delighted to be helping Creative Hire with its move. The larger warehouse means the rapidly expanding business can deliver a greater range of solutions for existing customers and secure new contracts.”

The HSBC funding was arranged by Rakesh Patel, International Commercial Manager.

Belgrade Awarded Theatre of Sanctuary Status Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre has become one in only a handful of theatres across the UK to be awarded Theatre of Sanctuary status, recognising its commitment to becoming a welcoming and safe place.

The award was presented to the Theatre during an event to mark Universal Children’s Day, which featured a showcase of music, artwork and live performances by Syrian Refugees in collaboration with the Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre in partnership with The Children’s Society and Positive Youth Foundation.

Dr Seyedeh F. Naseriniaki, a member of the City of Sanctuary assessment panel, and Reem Doukmak, Community Participation Officer at Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre and President of Student Action For Refugees, presented the award which was accepted by the Belgrade’s former General Manager Claire Simpson.

In order to achieve this status as a Theatre of Sanctuary, the Belgrade has demonstrated to a visiting panel its ability to raise

awareness of what it means to be a person seeking sanctuary and take action to support the inclusion of sanctuary seekers and refugees in its activities.

The Belgrade’s Associate Director, Justine Themen, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the status of Theatre of Sanctuary.

The Belgrade prides itself on welcoming and building strong relationships with the diverse communities in the city – whether as audiences, participants or artists.

We recognise that a city is a continuously evolving place, and that we need to be responsive to change within it.

“Whilst continuing to build our longer term relationships with existing communities, we want to open our doors to newly-arriving communities to share their stories and build understanding. We look forward to the challenges and inspiration that come with this.

A theatre is a space for dialogue within the city and celebrating both our differences and our shared humanity.”

Together with the Community Participation Officer at the Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre, the Belgrade Theatre will be codesigning a short pilot programme of four workshops for newly-arrived women.

The workshops will use drama to build confidence and language skills. If the work is found to have significant impact, the partners will work to explore the possibilities of rolling out a longer programme.

Coventry named top entrepreneurship university Coventry University has won an award for its efforts to support entrepreneurial opportunities among its staff, students, businesses and the wider community.

It picked up the Duke of York Award for University Entrepreneurship at the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards 2017 at the Grosvenor Park Hotel in London.

Now in their 16th year, the awards recognise and reward business excellence in the UK and are open to any company across the country, whether public, private or third sector, and regardless of size or industry.

Coventry was amongst seven universities from across the UK shortlisted in the university entrepreneurship category.

It emerged as the winner with the judging panel – made up of members of high profile companies from the private and public sectors - commending the depth and breadth of the university’s services, which include enterprise-based degree courses, expert tutoring, placement services, consultancy and financial support.

Coventry’s work helping not-for-profit social enterprises – it has a dedicated subsidiary (CU Social Enterprise) - was also singled out for special praise by the judges.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise & Innovation Paul Noon said: “Enterprise and entrepreneurship is core to what Coventry University is focused on and we are extremely proud of the support we give to staff and students to set up new and innovative companies.”

Coventry car manufacturer moves to Silverstone the racing circuit, which was an ideal location for the motor manufacture and its 25-strong workforce.

Motor manufacturer David Brown (right) with Nicholas Evans from ehB Commercial at the new headquarters at Silverstone

A Leamington firm of commercial property consultants has been instrumental in a Coventry manufacturer of bespoke luxury cars moving its operations to Silverstone.

David Brown Automotive, which started out as a design studio and grew to three

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separate sites in Coventry, wanted to consolidate its manufacturing and officebased departments under one roof and asked ehB Commercial to find a new site.

Nicholas Evans, a director of ehB Commercial, said his firm located the new-build on a business park just outside

Managing director David Brown said that moving to Silverstone would enable the company to construct between eight and ten of its £594,000 Speedback GT (inspired by the classic design hues of the Sixties) cars each year; and up to 100 of its £90,000 Mini Remastered cars, including the two limited production special editions, ‘Inspired by Monte Carlo’ and ‘Inspired by Café Racers’.

David said: “Of course, Silverstone’s heritage as the home of British Motorsport and the only full Grand Prix circuit in the UK is hugely advantageous too. We’re proud of our partnerships with a number of British suppliers, and the chance to grow alongside an even wider supplier network around Silverstone is something we’re equally proud of.”

Star-studded line up for venue International star Billy Ocean is among a star-studded line-up of 80s music artists that will perform at Coventry’s Ericsson Indoor Arena next summer.

The concert, called 80s Live, will perform at the Ricoh Arena’s indoor venue on Saturday, June 16.

Other artists set to grace the stage include Five Star, Roland Gift - Fine Young Cannibals and Blow Monkeys plus two other very special guests still to be announced.

Tickets can be purchased from www.ricoharena.com, at the Ricoh Arena ticket office or by calling 02476 786 411.

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Area Focus: Coventry

Delight at culture bid victory Coventry is gearing up for one of the biggest years in its history after being named UK City of Culture 2021.

Paul Wrightman, managing director of Red Kangaroo, and Charlie Brooks, construction director of Wigley Building and Development.

Work under way on trampoline park Work is under way to transform an industrial warehouse on the edge of Coventry into one of the largest indoor trampoline parks in the UK. The 54,000 sq ft unit in School Lane, Exhall, is being converted by trampoline operator Red Kangaroo which is investing around £2 million in the new leisure attraction, the first of its kind in the Coventry and North Warwickshire area.

The three-month refurbishment is being carried out by Wigley Building and Development, the construction arm of Coventry-based commercial property company The Wigley Group which owns and leases the site to Red Kangaroo.

The park is due to open on February 1 in time for half-term and is expected to create around 80 jobs.

Paul Wrightman, managing director of Red Kangaroo, said: “We’re excited for work to get underway to create a trampoline park that will be the first for the area and offer a very different experience as it will be considerably bigger than other facilities of its kind.

“It made sense for us to appoint Wigley Building and Development to carry out the refurbishment as the building is owned by The Wigley Group and we know they will do a great job.”

The work is being overseen by Charlie Brooks, construction director of Wigley Building and Development, which specialises in commercial projects from refurbishments and fitouts to new builds.

He said: “We are delighted to be working with Red Kangaroo to bring this exciting new leisure facility to the area.”

It will be Red Kangaroo’s third trampoline park in the UK following openings in Reading and Nottingham in 2017.

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The city beat off strong competition from Paisley, Stoke, Sunderland and Swansea to win the prestigious national title and was named the winner live on BBC TV. Work will start straight away to deliver the plans for an incredible 12 months that were set out in the city’s bid to the Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport.

Laura McMillan, Manager of the Coventry City of Culture Trust, said: “This is a win for Coventry, a win for young people and a win for diversity. The economic impact will be huge for the city and the West Midlands.

“It’s been a bid by and for the people of Coventry. It has brought so many people and organisations together and this is just the start. Over the next three years we will ensure that everyone in the city, which has been moving people by cycle car and jet engine, is now moving people through culture.”

Coventry’s programme will include a Street of Culture programme co-producing work in local communities. The first build-up event will be the UK’s first Shop Front Theatre Festival in March 2018 and the city will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its Cathedral with a major new lighting commission.

A 2.2 mile Ring Road poem is set to be one of the digital centrepieces of 2021 along with major productions by the RSC and the screening of the entire works of Shakespeare in iconic locations.

An artist-led festival called ‘Moments of Silence’ will create moments of silence and beauty and reflect on the city’s 700-year-old Carthusian monastery Charterhouse and play on the myth of being ‘Sent to Coventry’.

Building on the success of 95-year-Old Indian Photographer Masterji’s exhibition, the city will develop a project Tale of Two streets that looks at two of the most diverse streets in Britain through the eyes of photographers.

David Burbidge, chair of the Coventry City of Culture Trust, said: “I am so proud of everyone involved and now we are determined to put on the greatest show that Coventry has ever seen.”

Coventry City Council leader George Duggins said: “I am delighted we have been named UK City of Culture 2021 - it’s the Christmas present we were all hoping for and it means so much for our city.

“Coventry is a vibrant, multicultural city with a fascinating and inspiring story to tell and an arts and cultural scene that deserves its place in the national spotlight.”

Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are absolutely thrilled – this is great news for Coventry and for the whole region.

“Our congratulations to David Burbidge, Laura McMillan and everyone who has worked on this amazing bid.

“As a Chamber, we supported the bid from very early on because we could see the benefits that it would bring to the region – culturally, socially and economically.

“Everyone can see the huge economic boost this has brought to Hull in 2017 and we believe that this will be incredible for the city, the county and the wider region.”

Nick Eastwood, chief executive of Wasps and the Ricoh Arena, said: “We are proud to have supported Coventry’s bid to be UK City of Culture from very early on and we are absolutely thrilled that the city has won this massive and prestigious title.”

Stuart Croft, Vice Chancellor of the University of Warwick, said: “As a community in this great city we have worked together as never before to achieve this exceptional result. Coventry will put on the greatest UK City of Culture year ever.”

John Latham, Vice Chancellor of Coventry University, said: “Our city continues to defy expectations. Everyone who helped

make us UK City of Culture, including staff at Coventry University, backed the bid with heart and hard work.”

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “This is a clear message that the Midlands is working together as a team.

Coventry has shown how partnerships make a real difference. This is a chance to help people realise that the city has so much to offer from its medieval past to its modernist architecture, creative talent and diverse youth.”

Coventry is also in line for up to £3million of National Lottery funding to help celebrate its heritage. The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has made the funding available after successfully investing the same amount into Hull, this year’s City of Culture winner.

Discussions will now take place between HLF and Coventry 2021 to agree how the money will be spent.

Ros Kerslake, HLF Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “Whether a famous landmark or an untold family story, the eyes of the UK and beyond are turning to Coventry and we’re delighted that National Lottery funding will be shining a spotlight on its unique culture and heritage.”

The future is bright for Coventry manufacturing Coventry-based steering system manufacturer Pailton Engineering has responded to Coventry being named as City of Culture 2021, attributing part of its success to having headquarters located in the city.

The company is in support of increased investment and recognition that the city is receiving, building on the great legacy of manufacturing excellence in Coventry.

Pailton's managing director Cy Wilkinson said: “Coventry has a rich heritage of manufacturing, and it is time we build on this and look to 2021 as an opportunity for economic revival.

“Coventry has taken a lot of knocks over the years, but the resilience of its people has always shone through.

This city is stepping outside the shadows of nearby Birmingham and is now seen as a place where great change is happening, particularly in terms of growth for the manufacturers based here.

"The economic impact on the city will be huge, it will increase tourism, investment and attention to this city — which are all catalysts for regeneration. Investors should choose Coventry as an attractive location to pursue new growth, just like the people who set up Pailton in 1969 did.”

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Area Focus: Coventry

City celebrates bid triumph Coventry’s victory in the bid to become UK City of Culture in 2021 has seen the city’s profile sky rocket.

The decision, announced live on BBC TV’s The One Show, was beamed around the UK on all mainstream channels – with almost 3,500 articles mentioning the win and the city in the 72 hours after the decision was made.

News outlets from Scotland to the Channel Islands ran the story while ITV and BBC based themselves in the city for outside broadcasts.

The interest has taken the value of the media achieved since the city declared its intention to bid to £19.3 million, while 2,000 more people have started following the @coventry2021 account since Thursday.

Laura McMillan, Manager of the Coventry City of Culture Trust and part of the team who led the pitch to the judges in Hull, said the interest had been incredible.

“We have been blown away by the level of interest from all across the UK,” she said.

“From the moment we were revealed as the successful candidate, it has been incredible.

“There were a lot of national press who were up in Hull for the decision and we were thrilled to be the subject of their pieces.

That included titles such as The Guardian and The Times, as well as The Independent on line.

“Down in Coventry there were 13 media outlets at the Belgrade Theatre to watch the decision live. All the national news bulletins carried the scenes of jubilation, while BBC and ITV main national news bulletins carried interviews with key Coventry stakeholders.

“That carried on the following morning when BBC Breakfast broadcast from the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum all through their show, which was great exposure.

“BBC Midlands Today and ITV News Central broadcast live from the city, while we had guests on BBC Radio 4 and Talk Radio.”

The winners of Mander Hadley’s ‘what Coventry means to me’ art competition – Ashleigh Roach with ‘Religious Family’, Billy Clarke with ‘Historic Icons’, Jonathan Hall, Managing Director at Mander Hadley Solicitors, George Millerchip with ‘Cathedral Scenes’ and Jasmine Baguley with ‘Godiva’

Coventry law firm celebrates city’s winning bid Professionals at a Coventry law firm joined the rest of the city in celebrating the successful bid to become UK City of Culture 2021.

Minister John Glen, Laura McMillan (Bid Manager) and Phil Redmond (chair of the judges)

The weekend saw no let-up in the interest.

Laura added: “Our reports show that there were 3,384 articles or media mentions of the fact that we have won the competition, and the variety is amazing. BBC Radio Orkney and BBC Radio Jersey both ran the story, which also appeared in the Ballymoney Times and the Westmorland Gazette, neither of which can be described as local!

“We have always said that if we were successful, it would be a game-changer for the image of the city and certainly the interest is there.

“We had some very favourable reviews from national press, who had carried

details of our campaign throughout the last two years, and we now have to ensure that we maintain that interest and produce a programme which will allow us to build on such a great start.”

Coventry City Council, The University of Warwick, and Coventry University are Principal Partners of the bid and have provided significant support. The Ricoh Arena is Bid Sponsor while Jaguar Land Rover, Adient, Friargate, Coventry Building Society, the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, Birmingham Airport, PET-Xi, SCC, Pertemps, and CEF (City Electrical Factors) are also Bid Development Sponsors. Positive Youth Foundation is an Honorary Partner.

Mander Hadley Solicitors has backed the bid since its inception and is a member of the Coventry 2021 Club of businesses which lent their support.

Most recently, to mark the countdown to the announcement, the firm held an art competition for art, photography and design students at Coventry College, calling for entries depicting ‘what Coventry means to me’.

Four finalists were chosen, from more than 80 entries, to have their works displayed prominently on signage measuring nearly two metres tall outside the firm’s offices at 1 The Quadrant for a week in November. The overall winner will be announced at an event in February.

Jonathan Hall, Managing Director at Mander Hadley Solicitors, said: “As a firm which has been established in Coventry for more than a century and has assisted generations of local families, we are delighted that the city has been named UK City of Culture 2021.

“This is an exciting boost for Coventry, which will bring in millions of pounds of investment, as well as international exposure, as we have seen in Hull this year.

“We have been privileged to be part of the bid and I would like to congratulate the entire bid team on their efforts as we now look ahead to the next four years.

Culture win ‘could keep talent in the area’ Keeping graduates in Coventry could be one of the major benefits of winning the UK City of Culture 2021 title.

That’s according to business leaders who met at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Coventry branch meeting, which takes place once a quarter.

Coventry landed the prestigious title after two-and-a-half years of work on the project and will succeed Hull, which has seen massive economic and profile uplift from being UK City of Culture in 2017.

And the Chamber says there will be many more positive knock-on effects for the regional economy.

David Penn, who chairs the Coventry branch, said: “It was a very robust discussion about Coventry at the branch meeting – what’s great about doing business here and, also, where we need to improve.

“I have been leading on the campaign around the shortage of land for new jobs as we look to grow our economy in the future and that topic was certainly raised by others

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in the meeting too. It’s certainly an issue that isn’t going to go away any time soon.

“Skills was also very high on the agenda, and how we retain the talent that we have coming through both Coventry University and the University of Warwick which is crucial for the future of the region.

“Now, on the back of the amazing City of Culture win, we have a very strong reason to shout about Coventry right around the world.

“It’s not only a fantastic selling point to businesses looking to locate to the region but also a wonderful attraction to skilled people.

“Students at Coventry University and the University of Warwick will hopefully feel the great vibe there is here thanks to being City of Culture and will want to be part of that in the years to come.

“The more graduates we can keep in the city and the wider region, the better it will be for our companies’ prospects for growth.

“Business was feeling optimistic about the future in this region prior to the result – now I think that has been increased massively on the back of this great news for Coventry.”

Martyne Manning (Policy Manager at the Chamber) and David Penn seated with members of the Coventry branch.

“Now, on the back of the amazing City of Culture win, we have a very strong reason to shout about Coventry right around the world.”

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Area Focus: Mid Warwickshire

Society scoops two awards Staff at the Heart of England Co-operative Society are celebrating two awards in one week.

Cllr Andrew Mobbs from Warwick District Council (left) with Brian Harrabin from Complex Development Projects

The Society, which operates a network of food stores and funeral homes in Coventry, Warwickshire, south Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, picked up the Corporate Commitment to the Community Award in the Coventry Telegraph Business Awards.

The award came on the back of the Funeral Division’s success in the Leamington Business Awards, in which staff at the Society’s Leamington funeral home won the Customer Service Excellence award.

Chief Executive Ali Kurji was among those who attended the Coventry Telegraph Business Awards at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry on Thursday, November 16th. He and his workforce were

Creative Quarter plan takes step forward Ambitious plans to regenerate the Old Town of Leamington Spa as a new Creative Quarter focused on the booming creative/digital sector have taken a step forwards with the appointment of a development partner by Warwick District Council.

Regeneration specialist Complex Development Projects (CDP), which developed FarGo Village and Electric Wharf in Coventry, has been selected by the Council to work up and deliver a long-term masterplan for the area’s renaissance.

The regeneration programme will include the restoration of several key buildings and public realm including the improvement of links from the railway station to the town centre.

The project will further enhance the town’s strengths as a centre of creative industries and its national ‘Silicon Spa’ reputation.

CDP, which has been appointed after an open procurement process, will work with the Council to develop a masterplan for the 10 year initiative, identifying how best to grow the diverse range of vibrant creative industries in the town largely around the under-developed riverside and Old Town area.

The Leader of Warwick District Council Councillor Andrew Mobbs said: “Warwick District is already home to a wide range of successful enterprises and we hope this new initiative offers an exciting proposition for even more vibrant and interesting businesses wanting to set up in the area.”

A recent report by the innovation foundation Nesta and Creative England identified Leamington as one of 47 “creative clusters” in the UK, and the only one in the West Midlands.

There are more than 1,500 creative businesses in Leamington employing over 7,000 people with software and digital companies accounting for half of the total.

The games development industry is worth £1.7bn to the UK economy and the town has a range of games developers with many based in and around the vicinity of the new Creative Quarter.

Warwick District Council is hoping the regeneration programme will see the restoration of several key buildings – potentially The Royal Pump Rooms which are home to the Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum, Leamington Public Library and the Regency Assembly Rooms.

The Council hopes to secure Government funding to support the regeneration of the area but acknowledged that attracting the right regeneration partner with experience of complex projects is the major first step in securing the success of the scheme.

Brian Harrabin, a director of CDP, said there is already a thriving creative and digital sector in Leamington but there remains considerable scope to build on its national and international reputation.

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recognised for their consistent efforts in achieving success for the business, staff and customers.

Ali said: “Corporate responsibility has been at the heart of our organisation since our foundations were laid 185 years ago and this award is testament to the daily contribution of all our staff - from the board room to the shop floor.”

Now in their fourth year the Leamington Business Awards celebrate the achievements of businesses and individuals in the town, promoting the best it has to offer.

Judges highlighted The Co-operative Funeralcare’s Leamington funeral home for demonstrating excellence in customer service, seeking and acting on feedback from customers and implementing strategies to ensure every client family receives the highest level of customer care.

Darryl Smith, General Manager of the Society’s

(Left to right) - Ali Kurji, Chief Executive of the Heart of England Co-operative Society; Jo Dyke, Community and Membership Adviser of the Society; and Matthew Hayes, from award sponsor Champions After Dinner Speakers.

Picture: Coventry Telegraph

Funeral Division, was among those who attended the awards ceremony at the Royal Pump Rooms in Royal Leamington Spa.

Winners revealed at the 2017 Leamington Business Awards The winners of this year’s Leamington Business Awards were revealed at a glittering ceremony at the Royal Pump Rooms.

The event, sponsored by The Box Factory, celebrated some of Leamington’s best business success stories, while raising over £5,000 for local charity, Helping Hands.

Local independent business, Bellagio Stone, was crowned Business of the Year, following strong performances in a number of categories across the awards. Judge, Jonathan Smith, said the independent company had shown strong customer service and a positive commitment to staff training and development, as well as solid growth over a number of years.

The black-tie ceremony, organised by chartered accountants and business advisers, Harrison Beale & Owen (HB&O), was presided over by Master of Ceremonies, Dave Sharpe, and featured a three-course dinner and drinks, with entertainment and a charity raffle, as well as the awards presentation.

Mark Ashfield, Managing Director of HB&O, said: “The Leamington Business Awards has a long tradition of supporting local charities. We were delighted to be able to present Lianne Kirkman from Helping Hands with a cheque for £5056.80 thanks to the support of all those who attended the event, as well as our many sponsors and supporters, who gave time and funds to help ensure the awards was a success.”

It was a great night for Helping Hands as the charity also won the Not for Profit Excellence Award, and walked away from the event with the promise of an oven for their soup kitchen, donated by Aubrey Allen, following a plea made at the start of the evening.

Lianne Kirkman, CEO of Helping Hands, said: “I’m overwhelmed with the support we have had from the Leamington Business Awards.

The night was particularly special because one of our guests was someone who had been unemployed and living in a garage before Helping Hands provided support – he is now kitchen manager at Coffee Architects and living in a house with a great future ahead of him. Our work is only possible thanks to the donations and support we receive, and the Leamington Business Awards has given us a great boost.”

Local pub restaurant, The Drawing Room, scooped the New business of the Year Award while The Leamington Wine Company secured the top spot in the most hotly contested category – Independent Business of the Year.

Customer Service Excellence, which included a mystery shopping exercise by Shopper Anonymous to aid the judging, was won by Heart of England Cooperative Funeral Care, while the Outstanding Achievement award was won by the Warwickshire Crisis Outreach Service Team.

The Leamington Business Awards were judged by an independent panel of experts, featuring Sarah Tremellen, Founder of Bravissimo; David Hanson, Chief Executive of the Independent Association of Prep Schools, Jonathan Smith: Founder of the Leamington Business Forum; and Roger Scott, Area Director, SME banking, Lloyds Bank.

The event was made possible thanks to the generous support of sponsors and local organisations who donated funds, supplies and skills to ensure the continued success of the Leamington Business Awards.

Leamington Business Awards 2017 Winners: • Employer of the year, sponsored by Wright Hassall Winner: Aubrey Allen • Customer service excellence, sponsored by BID Leamington Winner: Heart of England Cooperative Funeral Care Highly commended: Aubrey Allen • Innovation of the year, sponsored by Warwickshire College Group Winner: Labyrinth Logistics Consulting Ltd • Not for profit excellence award, sponsored by Aubrey Allen Winner: Helping Hands Highly commended: Motionhouse • Business and the community, sponsored by Trelawny SPT Winner: Stacey Calder Highly commended: Coffee Architects • Outstanding achievement, sponsored by Lodders Solicitors Winner: Warwickshire Crisis Outreach Service Team • New business of the year, sponsored by Bravissimo Winner: The Drawing Board Highly commended: Swirls • Independent business of the year, sponsored by The Royal Priors Winner: Leamington Wine Company Highly commended: Bellagio Stone • Young Business Person of the Year, sponsored by IAPS Winner: Kent Packman, Magik Arts • Business of the Year (Judges’ Choice Award), sponsored by The Box Factory Winner: Bellagio Stone

Businesses ‘should embrace vacancies programme’ Businesses across Coventry and Warwickshire are being urged to capitalise on a new government programme designed to tackle thousands of vacancies across the region.

The Department for Education has announced a £4 million Career Strategy for every school and college in the UK to have a dedicated careers leader from September 2018, and the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce is encouraging businesses to take a proactive approach.

The Chamber’s advice was echoed by Kenilworth and Southam MP Jeremy Wright who joined a meeting of the Mid-Warwickshire branch of the Chamber of Commerce at the Holiday Inn in Kenilworth.

Martyne Manning, senior policy officer at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “While business investment intentions are at their highest this quarter and overall business confidence is up - recruitment difficulties have intensified.

“Our businesses have told us that they are unable to reach full capacity due to a shortage of available workers. One of the common reasons we are hearing is due to a lack of awareness amongst young people so we welcome this latest move by the government.

“It is important to ensure that careers provision is linked to local labour markets and job availability.

“That said, we also need to be considering people of all ages to fill vacant roles as there are no age limits to taking part in apprenticeships – this isn’t widely known and we have asked Jeremy for help in how this is communicated.”

MP Jeremy Wright attended the meeting to listen to recruitment concerns from local businesses.

He added: “Attending these meetings is really useful to understand the mood amongst the local business community, and it’s clear a lot of work needs to be done to improve recruitment and boost business productivity.

“A key ingredient of helping to bring through the next generation of workers in any sector is

ensuring there are role models not much older than the school pupils themselves that they can relate to.

“I’ll be working with the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce over the coming months to help where I can on the implementation of the Career Strategy at a local level.”

Jeremy Wright MP, flanked by Martyne Manning (Chamber policy manager) and David Myskow (mid-Warwickshire Chamber branch chair).

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Area Focus: Mid Warwickshire

Collaboration with a transformative effect A brand-led creative agency in Leamington Spa has transformed the face of a property company based in the town. rbl started a strategic brand review with leading Warwickshire homebuilder and commercial development company AC Lloyd in May 2016 with its new brand identity being launched at its renovated headquarters at Tachbrook Park.

The brand has been implemented on the new website at www.aclloyd.com, along with signage at developments and across corporate communications. rbl was established in 2004 by Rebecca Battman and the agency works with a diverse range of clients from FTSE 100 businesses, local leaders and entrepreneurial start-ups, helping them to build, design and manage their brands.

Karen Newbold, Head of Client Services at rbl, said the two businesses have been working in close collaboration for over a year to refresh AC Lloyd’s positioning as a local leader and reaffirming the company’s vision, culture and values, offer and image.

Steph Green (left) and Alistair Clark from AC Lloyd with Karen Newbold (rbl)

She said: “Our focus was very much on the residential arm of the business. We established quite early on that the previous brand wasn’t showcasing the quality customer service and exceptional build standards that set AC Lloyd apart in the local market.

“They don’t just build properties, they create communities, and the brand needed to represent this personal care and commitment.

“We’ve loved working with AC Lloyd to help them transform the face of their business. They are incredibly passionate about what they do, and they enjoyed the collaborative process.”

Three teams made up of members of staff were formed at AC Lloyd to give their input to the creative team at rbl, who also contacted customers of the business, which has been operating in the region for 70 years.

Stephanie Green, Sales and Marketing Manager at AC Lloyd who led the project, said involving colleagues from different departments meant they looked at every aspect of the company.

“We wanted to build on our ethos of creating quality homes and commercial developments as well as help the business to grow and create a better environment for our staff and visitors.

“The whole process has given AC Lloyd more of an identity and every aspect of the company has stepped up a level.

“It has reinforced our commitment to building homes for communities in the heart of their communities and high-quality commercial units for businesses with a vibrant website which is easy to navigate.

“Creating three teams to work on the project really involved our staff and meant there was a clear plan.

“We wanted to work with a local business and rbl has been great throughout the whole process.

“We have already received positive comments from visitors to our headquarters and the website has also been well received from new and old users. We are really pleased with the final outcome.”

Apprentice awards run in the family for the Kirbys

A father and daughter from Leamington have won apprenticeship awards at college ceremonies 34 years apart.

Tehya-Leonie Kirby won the Outstanding Apprentice Award: Service Industries at WCG’s recent Apprenticeship Graduation, following in the footsteps of her father, Paul, who won the 1983 award for Best Motor Vehicle Apprentice at Mid-Warwickshire College of Further Education, now Royal Leamington Spa College, part of WCG. Tehya, 19, was the first apprentice at Alsters Kelley LLP, completing her Level 2 Business Administration apprenticeship earlier this year

and securing a role as a Conveyancing Assistant with the solicitors firm.

She attended the WCG Apprenticeship Graduation ceremony at The Old Shire Hall, Warwick, which recognises and rewards those who have completed their apprenticeships and was chosen as the winner of the Outstanding Apprentice Award: Service Industries.

Tehya said, “I didn’t know my dad was an award-winning apprentice until I won on the night! It’s really nice that we’re an awardwinning family.”

Paul went into his Motor Vehicle Apprenticeship with Gray’s Garage in Leamington straight from school. After completing his apprenticeship he ran his own business before moving on to do a HND and degree in mechanical engineering. He then worked as a design engineer and management consultant before going back to his roots and running his own garage business - Lambsdons Motor Services.

He said: “The apprenticeship gave me a really good basis and place to start from - as well as the practical skills - the initial training gave me those transferable skills you need as well.

Tehya has gone through apprenticeship process and I’ve seen her study very hard for it

and seen the benefits she’s got out of it - not just the qualification but also confidence and working with clients.”

Paul is also continuing his support in apprenticeships by employing a Motor Vehicle apprentice, Jake Woodward in his business.

Jake trains at Warwick Trident College, part of WCG, one day a week.

Paul said, “The apprenticeship is of course very different to when I did it - technology in cars has moved on massively - but what I find pleasing with Jake is that doing the apprenticeship has really given him a lot of confidence - he’s grown in stature and his way of thinking has developed.

“Finding the right staff can be difficult, so the apprenticeship route of ‘growing your own’ workforce is a really good way of addressing that challenge.”

Operations & Finance Member at Alsters Kelley LLP, Catherine Wahlberg said, “From a business perspective going down the apprentice route was a new experience for us but has been very rewarding. From day one Tehya has shown consistent commitment to learning and a willingness to take on responsibilities as her role has progressed within the Property team.”

New ale heads to the Midlands!

A Leamington entrepreneur who developed a specialist ale to compliment spicy food due to the lack of choice he felt he was offered when dining in Indian restaurants, is now introducing it to the Midlands, following a successful launch in London.

Empress Ale is the brainchild of Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber member Surj Virk, and has made a huge impact with Indian chefs and restauranteurs since its launch last year.

Indeed, it has been added to the drinks list of three highly acclaimed restaurants: Michelin starred Benares, in Mayfair, owned by celebrity chef Atul Kochhar, Café Spice Namaste, near the Tower of London, owned by Cyrus Todiwala, and the recently Michellin starred Jamavar, also in Mayfair, whose head chef is Rohit Ghai.

Now, having established itself in such esteemed venues, Mr Virk says bringing ‘Empress Ale’ to the Midlands seemed a ‘natural next step’.

He said: “As well as London, I’ve already tried it out with some Indian restaurants in Leamington, and it’s been very well received. Next up is Asha’s in Birmingham city centre, and I’m very excited; after that I want to take it into Coventry, then nationwide.”

Mr Virk has already had ‘Empress Ale’ recognised within the Government’s GREAT Britain campaign, which showcases the country’s finest artisan brands; indeed, Empress Ale has also been a guest beer at the Houses of Parliament.

Business branding specialist finds new home in Leamington Spa Glued, business culture and branding consultants, have taken office space in Imaginate’s offices in Oxford Street, Leamington Spa. After ten years in rural Snitterfield, just outside Stratford upon Avon, Glued have moved to the creative and digital hot spot of Leamington Spa.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Glued focus on serving business-tobusiness clients where the impact of brand on internal performance and external sales and marketing is often undervalued.

Reflecting on the move, Rob Harrison said: “Being in a vibrant town with more businesses on the doorstep and in neighbouring industrial parks,

presents us with a brilliant opportunity to serve more clients.”

David Wilson, creative director for Glued, praised the town, saying “The creative atmosphere in Imaginate’s offices and the town as a whole will provide a rich source for new ideas and new ways of working that Glued’s clients can only benefit from.”

Rob Harrison and David Wilson standing outside The Warehouse in Leamington Spa

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Area Focus: North Warwickshire

Box-it launches Omnidox Document Manager Box-it Central, the Warwickshirebased regional office of the nationwide document management business Box-it UK, has launched a new web-based repository for securely storing, viewing and sharing digital documents Omnidox Document Manager has been developed by Box-it using their highly-acclaimed ‘Omnidox’ platform, which has won multiple awards within the document management industry.

Introduced as a cost-effective, viable solution for SMEs looking to implement ‘paperless strategies’, Omnidox Document Manager has many useful features to support digital integration and control organisational digital filing needs.

Dan Ward, Sales Manager, Box-it Central, said: “We are really pleased to offer Omnidox Document Manager.

While it has many features, it is userfriendly and affordable, even for small businesses. With the GDPR coming into force in May, controlling data becomes even more imperative. It will be a viable, beneficial system for many businesses.”

Honour for Tom A senior figure at a laser cutting specialist in Nuneaton has been named as one of the most influential individuals in the manufacturing industry.

Subcon Laser Cutting general manager Tom Mongan has been featured “ in The Manufacturer Top 100 2017.

The list recognises the UK’s most inspiring role models within manufacturing sector and they are nominated for demonstrating bold leadership skills and contributions in changing the face of the industry.

It was decided by a panel of expert judges that Tom would be selected as an inspiring leader in Top 100 list for his hard work and dedication within the sector at The Manufacturer Leaders Conference and Exhibition in Liverpool.

Tom, who sits on the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s North Warwickshire branch, said that being nominated and recognised on the list was a huge honour and he was thrilled.

“It was truly humbling to discover that I had been nominated in the first place and an honour to discover further that I was selected for an award,” said Tom. “As this industry evolves it is exciting to think what lies ahead in terms of innovation and technology, I am proud to be part of that and I am doubly proud to come from a city that has a long and distinguished history within the engineering and manufacturing world.

“Apart from winning an award it is really inspiring to see manufacturing, an industry I have served in for the best part of 45 years, back on top and promoting itself to the next generation.”

After 25 years of working at Subcon, the award has provided a platform for Tom to be recognised as an exceptional leader who has created wealth and stable employment at a UK based manufacturing firm.

The multi award-winning firm was established in 1989 and is a long-standing member of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.

Louise Bennett, chief executive from the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, has congratulated Tom on his achievement.

“The Chamber offers Subcon assistance and advice on a range of topics, including

exporting, grants and schemes that could benefit the business. It is wonderful to see the company and Tom getting the recognition that is richly deserved.

We are proud of Tom and Subcon Laser and will continue to support them in all their hard work.”

“Apart from winning an award it is really inspiring to see manufacturing, an industry I have served in for the best part of 45 years, back on top and promoting itself to the next generation.”

Copy Café launch helps firms to develop better business writing Professional copywriter Kyla Skinner has launched a new business writing resource to help companies and individuals to develop better business writing.

Copy Café is an online venture that offers free tips and advice, plus affordable monthly subscription options.

Full members of the Copy Café community are able to access a wide range of valuable resources and support, covering all aspects of typical business and marketing communications.

Kyla said: “I wanted to create an easy and effective resource that not only encourages people to develop better business writing, but also helps individuals to improve their

30

confidence when it comes to written communications.

“Copy Café brings together professional business writing insights, tips, templates, guides and examples, plus very costeffective coaching and consultancy options – all in a friendly ‘community café style’ environment.”

Kyla has run her own business, The Jarrah Consultancy, for the past 15 years. Based near Henley-in-Arden, she provides copywriting, brand language and creative communications expertise for a wide variety of clients, ranging from start-ups and SMEs through to PLCs. She recently ran a ‘better business writing’ showcase event as part of

the Coventry & Warwickshire Business Festival. The Write Impact event ‘sold out’ two weeks in advance and attracted very positive feedback from attendees.

Kyla said: “The special Business Festival session that I ran with my training business partner Melinda Nicholds-Brown clearly demonstrates the level of interest in – and the need for – developing better business writing.

“Starting in February, we’re now rolling out a number of dedicated workshops designed to share the same insights and professional writing support in a more relaxed and fully interactive three-hour format.”

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Area Focus: South Warwickshire

Investigator advises BBC in new daytime comedy drama The Managing Director of one the country’s largest independent investigation agencies, whose Head Office is in Coventry has been advising the BBC with their new daytime drama about 2 private detectives who operate from Sheep Street in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Mayor of Royal Leamington Spa, Caroline Evetts; Village Manager Trish Staite; Mayor of Warwick, Stephen Cross; Mayoress of Warwick, Christine Cross

Visitors Inspired at Retirement Village Open Day Visitors were welcomed to an open day at Inspired Villages Warwick to celebrate the start of work on phase two of the development.

The retirement village, in Heathcote, is a partnership between Inspired Villages Group and Legal & General.

The first phase in the £65m development has already opened, and scores of people have moved into the village.

Its second phaseis due to be completed by the end of 2018 and will include more apartments and a village centre.

The village, in Gallagher Way, will have a total of 167 one and two bedroom luxury apartments for the over 65s.

Facilities will include a wellness spa and relaxation pool, gym, deli shop, restaurant

and community rooms. Care is available for those who need it.

Sales & Marketing Director James Cobb said: ‘We are proud of what we have achieved at Inspired Villages Warwick, and the difference we are already making to people’s lives.

‘This is a sociable community where our residents can feel safe and secure and enjoy the freedom of later life. We put the health and the happiness of our residents at the heart of everything we do.’

Visitors to the open day enjoyed champagne and refreshments, and also had the chance to look around the village.

Inspired Warwick is a development for Inspired Villages Group who aim to create 3,000 new quality homes during the next five years.

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Frank Hathaway, a seasoned police detective played by Mark Benton of Waterloo Road and Early Doors, teams up with Lu Shakespeare played by Jo Joyner of East Enders as they have their investigations around the Stratford-upon-Avon countryside.

The show which will be aired on BBC daytime TV is made up of ten episodes and has been advised by David Kearns, Managing Director of Expert Investigations.

David has worked with the scriptwriters, the actors and the production team in advising in various techniques and methods and advised on what the duo would realistically be able to achieve as investigators.

He said: “It has been really great fun being involved in the process as clearly it gives a

Stratford's transport infrastructure main focus The increasing pressure on Stratford’s transport infrastructure was the main focus of a meeting between MP Nadhim Zahawi and local businesses.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce organised the session to outline the planned projects which will impact on the town and the south Warwickshire area.

Schemes including the Birmingham Road improvement, the South-Western Relief Road, the Eastern Relief Road and the A46 Expressway were all discussed at the session which was attended by more than 20 business.

Peter Burns, past President of the Chamber, chaired the session held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

different element to my normal daily life of running the business. It has been wonderful to see how the script writers and actors have embraced what they have been advised to give the element of realism in the storylines.

“Going on to set is a fantastic opportunity to see the development from the script writers inception to final production filming. It was a pleasure catching up with everybody again, clearly all will be hoping that there is a run of several more series so we can continue involvement with the team.”

David is a former Warwickshire Police Field Intelligence Detective whose Police life often found him liaising with Coventry colleagues and his company conducts many investigations into theft and fraud which are committed in the Coventry and Warwickshire region.

His company conducts commercial investigations across the country from their Head Office in Coventry and regional offices in London Birmingham and Leeds. Earlier this year his teams evidence was instrumental in the prison sentence of Wendy Dillingham who committed a £400 000.00 fraud from her Stratford on Avon employer.

Peter Burns and Nadhim Zahawi (front) with members of the branch

He said: “The next few years are going to be vital for the future of Stratford’s transport infrastructure. There are a series of planned developments – such as Long Marston – which are going to put an already creaking system under further pressure.

“That pressure was put into perspective at the meeting when Warwickshire County Council reported that Clopton Bridge, which is a Grade I listed structure that can trace its roots back to the 15th Century, sees 900 heavy goods vehicles go over it every 12 hours.

“All local business people know that if there is a single glitch in the network, then the town can grind to a halt, so it is vital that any significant developments that are brought forward have transport at

the front and centre stage of planning.

“At the same time, it is key that any major schemes bear the needs of business in mind, as long-term projects can cause major disruption which can in turn have a series knock-on effect to local companies.

“Warwickshire County Council attended the meeting along with Nadhim, and we certainly emphasised the need to consult with business and to ensure there is proper communication before and during any improvement works.”

For more details of the Chamber activities in South Warwickshire, or if you have a business issue, please contact mmanning@cw-chamber.co.uk

Rotary award college teenager A Public Services student at Stratford-uponAvon College has received a reward for his commitment to community projects and charity work.

Luca Buratti, 18 from Stratford-upon-Avon, is now an honorary member of the Rotary Club a position shared with the Stratford-upon-Avon Mayor - in recognition of the magnificent work he has done for them across the local area.

Luca has used his organisational skills on charity events to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society and Blood Bikes, and organised a drive-in screening of Grease to raise money for Warwickshire Hearts.

He became involved in the Club’s diverse fundraising events at an early age as a result of his father’s membership, and after years of dedicated hard work, Luca has been rewarded with membership of his own.

Luca said “It’s really nice to receive recognition for all the activities I worked on to raise money for charity. I’d love to continue running events for them; I’ve found I’m really quite good at it and it’s very rewarding.”

And the Rotary Club is full of praise for Luca.

Geoff Weedall, the Club’s Honorary Secretary for Birmingham, said: “The drive-in movie events have been a great success. Luca organised the venue, food stalls, fund raising and volunteers as well as tickets and online portal. He has also helped the Club with other social media projects and is currently looking at revising our Website.”

Luca’s service to the community does not stop here. Since July he has also served as the Scout Association’s District Youth Commissioner for Stratford-upon-Avon. A member of the Scout Movement since the age of six, he became a Scout Leader at 1st Stratford Scout Group, and has now taken on the highly regarded position of District Youth Commissioner.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Area Focus: Rugby

Exciting year ahead for Rugby Rugby is in a prime position to grow economically in 2018 – and should be looking to make the most of its near neighbour’s recent success, a business meeting has heard.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Rugby branch met at Brownsover Hall to discuss any issues facing industry in the region and to decide where to focus its efforts in the New Year.

The meeting heard from Martyne Manning, policy manager at the Chamber, who said that the statistics for Rugby were positive but there were still potential barriers to growth.

She said: “Our most recent Quarterly Economic Survey, in conjunction with Warwickshire County Council, showed that there is confidence across the region which is reflected here in Rugby.

“There is a 30 per cent increase in the number of business births and survival rates for those businesses is well above the national average.

“It’s important, however, that we look into the reasons why some of those businesses don’t then scale up and go on to employ more than 20 people which would, obviously, bring additional benefits to the economy. They are surviving but we need to take them to the next level.

“As we have discussed at recent meetings, there is a skills shortage, which is one of the reasons for not growing – therefore, businesses can talk to the Chamber to find alternate ways of increasing productivity such as upskilling staff and investing in technology.”

Skills and availability of commercial space have both been high on the agenda for the Chamber in 2017 and Rugby branch chair Karen Shuter said they were ongoing issues that would continue to be raised with decision-makers.

Karen said businesses needed to be more aware of issues around cyber

Students from Rugby High School reach final A group of students from Rugby High School have been selected to compete at the UK finals of a science and engineering competition after their exciting project caught the eye of judges.

The three-strong female team of 11-13-year-old pupils from the school will now take their place in next year’s The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition.

The team has been announced as one of the winners of the regional heats at The Big Bang Fair East Midlands, with the project from the group entitled ‘Our suggestion to your indigestion question’.

Karen Shuter (front, left) with Martyne Manning and the Rugby branch of the Chamber

security and General Data Protection Regulation as potential pitfalls.

Karen said: “That’s certainly one of the topics I want firmly on the agenda in 2018 as well as the effect that HS2 is going to have on Rugby and how businesses in this region can benefit from it.

“I believe Rugby also needs to start planning now for how it can benefit from the recent news that Coventry will be UK City of Culture in 2021.

“This will bring additional visitors to our region and Rugby must be prepared for that, particularly our hospitality industry, to ensure we maximise the positive economic affect it will have here.

“Overall, Rugby is in good shape going into 2018 but there is still plenty to do to ensure the conditions for economic growth here are the best they can be for companies across the borough.”

As part of the project, the team carried out surveys to find the most popular brands of indigestion tablets which were then tested for effectiveness at neutralising excess stomach acid. The results were also used to consider the marketing of a new product.

Beth Elgood, Director of Communications, EngineeringUK, said, “The team from Rugby High School really impressed the judges with their project and we’re excited to see how they do at the finals at The Fair."

The students will be invited to attend the competition finals, which are taking place at The Big Bang Fair at Birmingham’s NEC in March.

Stepnell appointed to build new boarding house for Rugby School

Rugby School head master Peter Green (centre, holding spade) helped officially celebrate the start of work at a ground-breaking ceremony. Also pictured are, front row, left to right, Stepnell construction director Bill Haynes; Judith Robinson, Rugby School estates manager and David Allsop, partner, GSSArchitecture.

Contractor Stepnell, which has its national head office in Rugby, has been appointed by Rugby School for a £5.5 million construction contract to build a new boarding house. www.cw-chamber.co.uk

The energy-efficient three-storey building at the leading co-educational boarding school’s Collingwood Centre site, off Oak Street, will provide high-end ensuite study bedrooms for 60 students as

well as communal rooms and accommodation for the housemaster, assistant housemaster and matron.

Designed by architectural practice GSSArchitecture, it will feature a doubleheight atrium as well as a roof terrace at first-floor level.

Headmaster Peter Green helped officially celebrate the start of work at a ground-breaking ceremony and Judith Robinson, Rugby School estates manager, said: "It is incredibly exciting to finally be starting on site with the new boarding house after all the work and planning that has gone before.”

Stepnell construction director Bill Haynes said: “We are extremely pleased to be working with Rugby School once again through this latest project, delivering highquality, beautifully-designed contemporary accommodation for students and staff.”

GSSArchitecture partner, David Allsop, said: “The new boarding house will be the first purpose-built new boarding house at Rugby School since 1938 and an emphasis has been placed on creating high-quality spaces using robust, long-lasting materials to encapsulate the changing needs in society.”

Artist’s impressions showing the exterior of the new boarding house (1); the atrium (2) and a bedroom interior (3). Images courtesy of GSSArchitecture.

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GDPR Feature

Cyber security is biggest risk to GDPR

By Stuart J Mackintosh CEO / Founder OpusVL Password Advice from OpusVL A password is designed to enable a person to prove they are allowed to access information or systems.

It is an imperfect approach - the human is expected to remember something that is hard for them but easy for the computer.

Many security breaches are caused by passwords being stolen either individually or from other databases so a strong policy should be created and enforced.

Your policy should enable passwords to be: • secure • easy to remember • easy to change Tip: Try creating a short memorable story as a password. For example: "I have used this bank since I was 22!"

A good place to start is the GCHQ Cyber Security centre: www.ncsc.gov.uk To find out how good your password is, take a look at www.passwordmeter.com And if you would like to know if your password has already been stolen, visit www.haveibeenpwned.com

The biggest challenge to maintaining GDPR compliance is the risk of cyber security failure so the topics are closely connected and must be addressed collectively.

Computers and mobile devices are an essential day to day tool for most modern businesses. They store critical information for you and your customers and provide communications, financial and operational applications.

As these devices become more connected, they enable better communications and faster working, but they have also become much more complex.

Many businesses are now struggling to digest the overload of information around the cloud, a constant stream of security warnings, and now the introduction of the GDPR and UK Data Protection bill.

It is now beyond the capability of most organisations to manage this ever-changing tech landscape whilst developing their own business. Therefore it is time for many to find trusted partners who can help make the most of the opportunities whilst avoiding the pitfalls of the new connected computing age.

Choose a partner who operates transparently. For both compliance and security, you must know your software services supply chain and what their business model is. There is no such thing as free (gratis) so find out how they make their money, is it subsidised by selling your data?

Remember that software is a tool, not an outcome so keep it simple. Understand what you need to deliver your operations and think carefully before adding new software.

Stressed over the GDPR?

Find out where your problems are…

Your first steps to GDPR peace of mind are easy to take: • Work out where you stand against Data Protection law as it is today.

• Solve your problems with the Data Protection Act.

• Fix your issues with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).

These are the signposts that direct your GDPR preparations.

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The spirit of the GDPR is to put the user in control of their own data. This is intended to create confidence in tech and enable the development of the digital economy.

GDPR could put a large burden of administration and risk to your business if you are unable to automate compliance processes.

Once you know what data you hold, where it came from, why you have it, and what you do with it, providing self-service

and assisted service tools can address many of the GDPR demands.

Although it will seem like an uphill battle, getting cyber security and GDPR addressed will make your business better. You will feel more confident with your marketing activities, be more prepared to scale and ready to take on investment or grow.

For practical solutions, call OpusVL on 01788 298450 or visit opusvl.com

Data Protection regulations much stronger The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) are new EU regulations which will make the current Data Protection regulations much stronger.

The objective of the regulation is to bring digital accountability to organisations across Europe.

The GDPR comes into force in May 2018 and, if breached, could result in a fine of up to 4% of global turnover.

Every organisation processing personal data must carry out safeguards against loss, theft and unauthorised access.

Respect for privacy, security of data and awareness of breaches will be key. Privacy by design is the aim.

There is a duty to report a breach within 72 hours. If that breach is potentially of high privacy risk, then affected individuals should also be advised of the data breach.

This is a significant change to the current Data Protection regime in the UK.

The definition of personal data has been extended and includes anything that could be used to identify an individual. This includes, for example, genetic data and even IP addresses. The GDPR will be m ore robust in its protection of data than anything we have previously seen and businesses will be more accountable.

Certification to Cyber Essentials is a great first step. It can already mitigate ICO fines if a company suffers a breach. Cyber Essentials certification is evidence that you have carried out basic steps towards protecting your business and your data from internet based cyber-attacks.

The regulations will still affect UK organisations despite Brexit.

Similarly, if you are processing the information of EU nationals or trading across the EU, then you will need to abide by its regulations.

For more information contact Axiom Cyber Intelligence on 0333 355 8553 or email info@axiomci.co.uk

Is your Data Protection compliance up to scratch?

A menacing threat faces many UK businesses in the countdown to the GDPR. Their compliance with the Data Protection Act is non-existent. Which makes preparing for the GDPR painful.

Idvallo Solutions is your partner for GDPR readiness. Your starting point is resolving any immediate compliance issues with

current legislation. Our Data Protection Audit service finds your Data Protection problems. And directs you to fix them.

Our audit service covers compliance with the Data Protection Act, the PECR and the GDPR. You can find out more at https://www.idvallo.com/cw-chamber www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Continuing in the face of disaster Business continuity Traditional on-premise backup systems use removable media in the form of tapes or disk drives to store backup data.

But this often means designated employees are required to manage and shuffle the backup media every day and preferably, take a copy offsite for safekeeping. The relatively high level of manual intervention can lead to errors being made, resulting in failed or incomplete backups. The removable media is typically a consumable and needs to be replaced at regular intervals, which can be costly, especially for larger capacity backups and media.

Beyond simple backups, conventional Disaster Recovery is a much more complex and costly proposition and typically requires a duplicate set of all the critical systems installed at a remote location, ready to step in if disaster strikes at the primary location. Many businesses have other concerns when it comes to backups and DR so it’s easy to see why organisations would question spending often serious budget on ‘what if’ technology that may never be needed. But what if disaster does strike?

With 73% of businesses having had some type of operations interruption in the last five years, business continuity is becoming a concern for many organisations, especially the SMEs. Business continuity incorporates pre-emptive measures such as cyber-defences to minimise risk, proactive tactics such as system backups in case a problem arises and plans for a reactive strategy, which should include disaster recovery (DR), ready in case the worst happens.

Cloud based DR

But in the wake of disaster, how do businesses continue with everyday operations?

Paul Blore, Managing Director at Netmetix, explores the options available to organisations and how best to utilise them. .

Cloud technology has drastically reduced storage costs and has made backing up entire systems much more cost-effective and straightforward. All of the leading cloud providers – Microsoft, Amazon and Google – now offer backup as a core service of their cloud offerings,

and clients can generally select whichever backup schedule and retention policy they wish to utilise.

Cloud computing also addresses the DR requirement. Major cloud service providers employ largescale resilience and redundancy to ensure their systems remain operational. In the unlikely event an entire data centre goes down, client systems could operate from a second data centre.

Most providers will also be able to backup on-premise systems and store that data in their cloud-based storage with the same freedom to define schedule and retention. However, the very best systems can also provide a full DR service for on-premise systems by replicating onpremise data in almost real-time into the cloud. Then, if disaster strikes, the systems can automatically allocate computing resource e.g. CPUs, RAM etc. and “spin-up” virtual servers to seamlessly take over until normal service is resumed on-site. Once the disaster has passed, the cloud systems will “fail-back” to the on-premise systems and synchronise all data that was changed during the disaster window. This means that when it comes to defining a DR strategy, businesses now have far more options available, with genuine DR systems now a cost-effective possibility for SMEs.

The SME SMEs in particular are starting to discover the advantages of utilising cloud-based DR strategies. For businesses that may not have significant budget

set aside specifically for IT resource, cloud-based solutions hold the key to successful adoption. Operating on usagebased costings, this type of system is ideal for cloud DR as the secondary or replicated IT infrastructure lays in wait until it’s required and businesses need only pay for it when, or if, they need it. Without the need for physical storage in data centres, smaller businesses are able to deploy their own Disaster Recovery strategy, making it no longer just for the larger enterprises.

So, what now?

Although business continuity should be a priority for businesses, in traditionally ‘offline’ industries, organisations often see IT decisions as tactical rather than strategic. Businesses will cease to function at full capacity if a disaster strikes and the necessary business continuity procedures are not in place; and as a direct result will experience a significant increase in down time and expenditure.

If it isn’t already, business continuity must become a priority for organisations. It’s now easier than ever to migrate to the cloud and take advantage of the inbuilt backup and disaster recovery options available.

With the rate of cyber attacks on businesses of all sizes increasing significantly, no company is immune from the threat of hacking, human error or natural disasters and there is no longer an excuse to not have these systems and procedures in place.

DISTINCTION ABOVE ALL ELSE 4 Sycamore Court, Birmingham Road, Allesley, Coventry CV5 9BA 024 7640 8100 / info@netmetix.net / www.netmetix.net

AXIOM CYBER INTELLIGENCE

We are Leaders in the protection and security of your data and operations.

We are a trusted provider of end-to-end cyber security solutions including grass roots advice and awareness of cyber security, needs and risk assessment, technical assessment, practical implementation, evaluation, testing and audit.

Working across all sectors including, government, public, private and charity sectors we are able to provide the support and advice needed to obtain accreditation for your cyber security management.

Services we offer: • 27001 Implementation and audit • Cyber Essentials • IASME accreditation • GDPR support • Security Manager as a Service • Security Testing • Training and Awareness

GDPR is fast being moved up the 'to do' list, it’s time to find out more…

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will impact most businesses when it comes in to effect on 25th May 2018

The objective of the regulation is to bring digital accountability to organisations across Europe and will affect all businesses.

Any Company that holds personal data of clients, staff, prospective leads, to name a few will be required to protect this data to a high standard.

The financial penalties if you choose not to protect this data are potentially huge, add this to the loss of clients, potential clients and ongoing reputation, it really isn’t worth taking the risk.

Key Themes of the GDPR

Data Responsibility Overall, the

scope of GDPR is greater than the Data Protection Act, and it is easier to define the point when breach occurs. More responsibility is placed on the data controller and processor of data and full control is firmly with the owner of the data.

Protecting Personal Information

The scope of GDPR is set to ensure that your all personal Information is processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to individuals; it will only be collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes.

Data on Loan To understand the

principles behind GDPR, you need to consider that any data that you hold has been loaned to you by the owner, and they are in control of who has it and what they do with it. Consent must be freely given for the use of any personal data and the use for this must be made clear.

- You need clear explicit consent .

People have to OPT IN rather than assume consent is given unless they opt out.

Why not join us?

For a comprehensive overview on GDPR, including legalities, security and communications compliance and to hear from industry experts Axiom Cyber Intelligence and others.

Friday 08 December 0800 – 1100

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understandinggdpr-and-cyber-security-tickets-39213624005

We’ll be happy to discuss your Cyber Security needs. For more information or to book a meeting, give us a call on 0333 355 8553 or email info@axiomci.co.uk www.axiomci.co.uk

Education and Training

Why education never ends There is a growing awareness about the effect that the skills shortage is having on the economy.

Managers of companies working across many sectors in the area regularly comment on the difficulty of finding the right young people with the right skills.

Finding a solution is a process that begins long before the young people reach the world of work.

Schools, colleges and universities are playing a key role in helping young people to raise their levels of achievement while

at the same time giving them the practical skills required to survive and thrive in the workplace, an environment that is sometimes alien to them.

Once at work, training and Continuous Professional Development can play a key role by allowing staff to develop their skills further and explore new ideas.

Such programmes emphasise the point that education does not stop when you leave college or university but is a lifelong process. You are never too old to learn.

“Schools, colleges and universities are playing a key role in helping young people to raise their levels of achievement while at the same time giving them the practical skills required to survive and thrive in the workplace, an environment that is sometimes alien to them.”

High levels of satisfaction for training organisation A leading apprenticeship provider in Coventry and Warwickshire has been given an overwhelming seal of approval from employers in the region as it helps them to tackle the skills shortage..

Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Training (CWCT), a subsidiary of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, scored 95.6 per cent in an employer satisfaction survey run by the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).

It follows on from a student satisfaction survey of more than 93 per cent and is testament to CWCT’s commitment to helping find the right roles for apprentices to suit both the individual and the employer.

Sally Lucas, executive director of CWCT, said: “We have close to 650 apprentices placed with businesses and other organisations across Coventry and Warwickshire – from manufacturing through to retail.

“Our affiliation with the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce means we have our fingers on the pulse when it comes to what businesses want and we understand their concerns about the skills shortage.

“I believe that is why we have scored so highly in our employer satisfaction survey and it is testament to the team here for

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their efforts in ensuring both employers and apprentices are suited to one another.

“Apprenticeships are a great way of growing your own staff and means that they can be shaped to fit the company ethos.

“There have been significant changes to the way apprenticeships are funded in recent months but we are seeing this begin to settle down now and employers of all sizes and sectors are seeing the genuine benefits they bring at a time when skilled staff are hard to come by.

“This is reflected by the fact we have placed more apprentices in the past six months than we did in the same period last year so the message appears to be getting through – apprenticeships are a great way to go for individuals and employers.”

Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We speak to businesses all the time and, particularly through our branch and policy work, we hear from companies who are concerned about skills.

“Apprenticeships are a very important part of the mix if we are going to, ultimately, solve the skills shortage and we are very proud of the work that CWCT and its team are doing.”

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Education and Training

Sixth forms raise Studley High School thousands of pounds awarded grant to bridge skills gap

Young People First, formerly WAYC, was established in 1954 with the sole purpose of developing and improving provision for young people living in Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull.

In recent years, it has built a team of professionally qualified youth workers to provide support to the most vulnerable young people in the county. The team of 15 workers deliver the following programmes: • Young people living in supported accommodation/ leaving care • Young people with mental health issues who are socially isolated • Young people living in areas of multiple deprivation with limited services for youth • Young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET)

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Sixth form students from schools in Warwick, Rugby, Stratford and Nuneaton raised £6,200 in eight weeks for work supporting vulnerable young people whose lives have been affected by issues like mental illness, loss, bullying, abuse and homelessness.

In March 2018, more than 60 young people hope to take part in the challenge of a lifetime and do a tandem skydive at Hinton Airfield. Those who see the challenge through will be invited to an end of year celebration where they will be recognised as Ambassadors of Young People First.

The challenge, now in its third year, provides young people with an incredible experience which can enhance their CVs and personal statements for University.

Pupils at Studley High School interested in engineering related roles are taking part in an exciting new project to develop the skills needed to succeed in the local engineering and precision manufacturing job market, thanks to a boost from Warwickshire County Council’s Skills for Employment programme.

Across the region, engineering firms of all sizes are struggling to fill engineering and programming roles.

The County Council is tackling this issue head on with its Skills Challenge grant worth between £20,000 and £40,000 available to projects which address a specific skills need.

Studley High School has been awarded one such grant of £37,800 to help improve the match between the STEM skills of young people and jobs in the area.

This project, which runs until August 2018 will cater for pupils of all ages and abilities at the school, and will work with a ‘community’ of local businesses of different sizes, addressing a range of skills needs.

Some of the elements of the project include: • Computer programming training provided to pupils by engineering solution company, Visual Factory.

• Ricor, GKN and Allelys Haulage and others continue to engage with the school in supporting skill development through projects such as the design and development of cars or the design and build of Go Karts.

• Young people aged 10-16 to experience practical applications of STEM knowledge and skills through school and industry based projects such as employability and widening horizons as well as subject based developments linked to technical design, LEGO and robotics.

• Workshops and conference style days will assist young people to weigh up decisions around their future career paths.

• Cross company development days promoting interview techniques and skills alongside the development of CVs and building appropriate career related experience.

39

News

Helping to keep football fans safe

Family business wins award

Thousands of football fans have been protected against potential vehicle ramming attacks as Burnley FC became the first Premier League club to hire unique and mobile temporary security barriers from Coventry based company StadiumTM. StadiumTM is a specialist supplier of traffic management, stewarding, security and training services to the events industry both nationally and internationally. The hire and installation service of the barrier being the latest addition to their services.

The Lancashire club called in the events management company, which has been responsible for implementing its traffic management plan for the past eight years, to install temporary security barriers for their home game against Swansea City.

The barrier itself, The Surface Guard, is designed by global manufacturer of vehicle barrier systems, ATG Access.

A specially-trained team from StadiumTM installed 38 metres of barriers around Turf Moor ahead of the event.

The barrier system allows pedestrians to pass through safely, is accessible for wheelchair users, pushchairs and cyclists and can be dropped in less than 30 seconds to enable emergency vehicles to pass through the system, with police horses and police motorbikes also able to access the barrier.

David McAtamney, Managing Director of StadiumTM, said: “Keeping crowds and public spaces safe during an event is paramount, and following shocking vehicle attacks across the globe – including here in the UK – we wanted to be at the forefront of bringing effective barrier systems to public events.

“The safety of fans is the club’s highest priority and they were keen to become the first football team to use this innovative security method.

“The barriers are a temporary security measure which not only acts as a deterrent, but can also arrest and stop vehicles.”

40

(L to r) Adam Petros, Ajay Desai, Ian Kinsella, John Crabtree OBE (Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands), Julie Gordon, Lord Mayor Tony Skipper, Simon Petros

A family business with its origins on Coventry market and which now exports supplements all over the world has been given a Royal award for outstanding achievement.

Premier Health Products, based in Wolfe Road, started out as a project between Fakry and Pauline Petros in 1989, with the couple selling vitamins and supplements direct to customers as well as local health stores.

The business grew steadily over the years and in 2001 the couple’s son, Simon, officially joined having grown up offering help wherever and whenever he could.

At the time, Premier Health Products was still primarily focused on trading in the UK but its more recent impressive performance exporting goods to mainland Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia over

the last six years, with assistance and guidance from the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, has now seen the business receive the The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2017.

Exporting became a major part of what the company does after Simon’s brother Adam joined in 2007, with the pair taking over the reins a few years later following their father’s retirement.

Adam said: “Exporting is around 50 per cent of what we do now but after Dad decided to retire we did find ourselves at a bit of a crossroads.

“We decided to actively pursue foreign markets, we went out to the Middle East and learned about how the market works over there, how we would have to tailor

our products to fit in with the culture over there and since then things have really started to develop.”

Premier Health Products has seen its export sales grow by a massive 440 per cent over the past six years thanks to the expertise of the Petros brothers and the 20-strong team in the Coventry office.

The Queen’s Award is suitable recognition for all of their hard work.

The pair were invited to a Royal reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by The Queen earlier this year, as well as receiving an official presentation of the award in December.

This saw two of Premier Health Products’ longest serving members of staff, Ian Kinsella and Julie Gordon, who have worked with the company for 18 and 14 years respectively, presented with the Queen’s Award Crystal and Queen’s Award Scroll by John Crabtree OBE, Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands.

Simon said: “It has given us that extra confidence to go out there and tackle markets. It certifies us as a successful company and it has given everyone a lift.”

The firm’s exporting was supported by the Department of International Trade, which is delivered by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce in this area.

Ajay Desai, of the Chamber, said: “Premier Health Products are a shining example of how to expand a local business into an international one and it is a testament to the family’s hard work that they have received the Queen’s Award for International Trade.

“We’d encourage every firm to think about exporting and Premier Health Products is the perfect example of what can be achieved.”

For more information on international trade, contact the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce on 024 7665 4321.

Specialists appointed for ICT project A leading business organisation has appointed two ICT experts to help companies in Coventry and Warwickshire grow their business with better use of technology.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce has taken on Neil Batchelor and John Fitzgerald to deliver free, specialist, impartial ICT advice on a Business support project part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Neil has a background in IT and spent five years as an Operations Manager with a local telecoms company. He’s also spent four years as a web hosting specialist.

John has 25 years’ experience running his own creative agency in the heart of Warwickshire and is an expert in delivering marketing objectives through web and social media.

Their combined expertise means that businesses can benefit from a range of advice and support that will help cut through the science behind the technology and get to the root of how it will benefit their business.

It will range from a digital audit, enhancing their digital presence, developing a digital marketing plan through to transforming their business into the cloud.

As well as offering advice, the pair will also be able to assist with the cost of implementing a Superfast Broadband

Connection with vouchers available, subject to eligibility, to help firms move to a connection above 30Mbps.

Keely Hancox, Operations Manager at the Chamber, said: “We are delighted to welcome Neil and John to the team – they bring fantastic knowledge and experience, which will benefit businesses across Coventry and Warwickshire.

“Most companies aren’t really interested in how the technology works, they just want it to improve efficiency, increase sales, drive growth and improve the bottom line.

“John and Neil are here to support businesses by translating the digital mumbo jumbo and really help businesses get the most out of technology”.

The match-funded connection vouchers are available on projects up to a maximum of £2,500 that will help businesses to transform their digital capabilities.

The voucher can be used on a superfast connection to the internet as well as equipment or networking capacity that would mean companies can make the most of new technology to help grow their business by moving from slow Internet connections to a minimum of 30Mbps – and much more in many areas.

Companies must be based in Coventry or Warwickshire postcodes and must have a broadband speed of less than 30Mbps to qualify for the vouchers

The vouchers are also part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which is part of a larger project, working with CSW Broadband, which operates across the region to improve broadband speeds.

For more information contact the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce on 024 7665 4321 or email ict-advisors@cw-chamber.co.uk

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

News

New Speaking Masterclasses Launched Zenzero

If you shy away from public speaking you could be missing out on lucrative business and career opportunities.

That’s the message from two Chamber members who have joined forces to launch a series of Speaker Masterclasses in 2018.

Dave Sharpe and Sandra Garlick share the stage with some of the world’s most talented and sought-after speakers and get to see, first hand, what it takes to deliver the prefect presentation.

Dave, who travels the world as an MC and Event Host, said: “Studies consistently show that people place their dread of public speaking ahead of fears about spiders, snakes, and even death!

It’s shocking, but that’s the mind-blowing truth.

“When you master the art of public speaking you race ahead of your competitors and become known as the ‘go-to’ person and expert in your field.

It’s a brilliant way to boost your reputation and stand out from the crowd.”

Sandra, the owner of Woman Who… Achieves, says it’s crazy that people are missing out on the chance to win new business or advance their careers.

She said: “Public speaking is not for everyone, but it is a proven way to get leads and clients. Whenever I’ve delivered my keynote I meet people who want to hand over their business card or book me to speak at their event.

“Some people we talk to tell us they’re ready to speak on stage, but don’t know where to start. Others say they want to sharpen up their speaking skills, get more bookings and grow their business as a result. That’s why we’ve launched our Speaker Masterclasses.

“We share the shortcuts and steps needed to set you on the quickest path to speaking success, and we do this in a fun, friendly and engaging way. It’s easy to understand our methods… we make them very simple and straight-forward.”

If you’d like to become a ‘speaking sensation’ and tap into Dave and Sandra’s extensive experience and know-how, the next masterclass is on Monday 5th February at Woodland Grange in Leamington Spa. Visit www.SpeakerMasterclass.co.uk for details and to book your place.

continues to grow

Zenzero has announced the opening of a new branch in Birmingham.

Located in the iconic Alpha Tower, in the heart of the city centre, the new office is ideally placed to service existing customers, as well attracting new clients.

Anne Tasker, Managing Director of Zenzero, said: “This is a very exciting time for us.

Due to our expanding workload, and as part of our strategic plan to develop our business in the West Midlands, we required further premises in a central location to service our clients’ needs.

“Our new office at Alpha Tower offers us the high quality space we have been looking for with room to support our anticipated growth." The new office is one of a number of key investments for the company, with further branch openings planned over the next 12 months.

Zenzero is a provider of managed IT services and support for small and medium sized businesses.

The company has been trading since 2004 and employs more than 40 people out of two offices, its Head Office in Warwick and a second office in Chelmsford, looking after 135 organisations, 2900 users, 400 servers and 100TB of data.

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www.cw-chamber.co.uk

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News

When Two Tribes go to War

Brochure launch To celebrate the launch of their summer 2018 Door to Door Holiday brochure, Johnsons Coach Travel took 400 clients to Blenheim Palace for the day.

Johnsons’ Summer 2018 brochure is out now and packed with more than 200 departures between April and October 2018, including 40 new tours or itineraries including new luxury tours, active traveller holidays, holidays to Scotland, Ireland, Europe and a 27 day escorted ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ tour of New Zealand.

Clients had the chance to chat to Johnsons’ hoteliers, who included Brend Hotels, Maritim Hotels, Q Hotels, Best Western

Leading Independent sourcing experts Quantum Plus teamed up with awardwinning law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner to share new research and insights into the human mechanisms that lie behind good and bad outsourcing relationships.

Quantum Plus CEO Lauren Tennant presented to an auditorium of attendees from all sides of the fence, including the lawyers that are all too often drawn in to settle the wars between two tribes.

Lauren, who is currently completing a doctorate in outsourcing relationships, presented her research results that were aimed at exposing the hidden risks of outsourcing relationships, their effect on outsourcing outcomes and divulged some industry techniques on how to identify and mitigate them.

The breakfast seminar was well received by those attending and offered an interactive and inclusive chance to discuss the real opportunities to improve services and efficiencies that outsourcing can offer as well as the common conflicts that occur and the potential causes of relationship breakdown.

Voting using their smart phones an overwhelming 65% of the audience said they were unhappy with their current outsourcing relationships.

T(n)S Catering wins education accolade for school meals in the FSM awards Julia King, Catering Manager for Leamington Spa based T(n)S Catering, has been awarded a national catering award for the education sector.

On 20th November the UK’s contract catering elite joined together at the Royal Garden Hotel in London for the annual FSM Awards. The gala dinner event was filled with nearly 400 industry guests honouring the 16 winning finalists.

The annual FSM Awards recognise the exceptional talent of the contract catering world, those outstanding individuals who have made a huge contribution to the industry.

Julia won the award for her commitment and dedication to creating high quality, healthy meals at a large secondary school in Oxfordshire.

Managing the catering service at the multi-site secondary school with its 2,100 pupils over the past three years, she has developed the catering service, making improvements at every turn.

Andrew Odell-Rourke, Managing Director of T(n)S Catering, said ‘The impact Julia has had on her team has been outstanding, developing her chefs, some, who hadn’t worked in contract catering or schools before as well as everyone else in her motivated, empowered and dedicated team.”

42

Zoe’s Place Ball set to be a truly Royal occasion Pomp and ceremony will be in abundance at the Zoe’s Place ball with a theme of Kings and Queens.

Preparations are already well under way to ensure this exciting annual event on the Zoe’s Place calendar will be an occasion fit for a royal.

Once again, the venue will be Coombe Abbey, which is not only steeped in medieval history, but also once the home of Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King James 1.

This will be the third year that the Zoe’s Place Business Group has organised this spectacular event which in the past two years has raised a staggering £100,000 for the Coventry baby hospice and it is hoped that 2018 will hit a new record.

Once again Free Radio’s JD will compere the event and after a banquet fit for a king, guests will be entertained by Coventry band the Kicks.

Every penny raised on the night will go to Zoë’s Place annual running costs of £1.3 million per year.

Peter Jarvis, Managing Director of Warwick- based Contechs and Chairman of

the Zoë’s Place Business Group, a group of business and community leaders from across Coventry and Warwickshire who joined forces in 2015 to help swell the coffers of the charity, said: “The ball has proved to be a fantastic fundraiser for Zoe’s Place and a premier event in Coventry and Warwickshire’s social calendar.

“Not only are we reaching new heights each year we are also welcoming new supporters as awareness of Zoe’s Place increases which is so important in helping the charity reach its targets. “ The Kings and Queens event takes place on Friday, May 18th. Individual tickets for the event are priced at £60.

There are also Gold, Platinum and Diamond packages available for tables of 10 at £600, £900 and £1,200. Sponsorship packages are also available at £1,500.

To book tickets, or to find out more about how to support Zoe’s Place, contact the Hospice on events@zoes-place.org.uk or call 024 7636 1675.

Hotels, Marriott Hotels, HF Holidays, Silverfern, Travelsmith, Warner Leisure Hotels, Travelsphere, Thwaites, and Norman Allen.

There was also a charity raffle, in aid Johnsons’ Charity of the year, Acorns Children’s Hospice - and a total of £650 was raised.

John Johnson, Commercial Director for Johnsons said: “This was great event, it’s always great to meet our clients face to face and explain the new holidays we have planned for the summer and hear their feedback and comments.”

EBC Group win national award

EBC Group won ‘UK Managed Service Provider of the Year’ at the national SVC (Server, Cloud, Virtualisation) awards.

Joined by a host of other businesses from across the UK, the prestigious ceremony held at the Hilton London Paddington celebrates the achievements of end-users, channel partners and vendors.

EBC Group’s win highlights their exceptional development and expertise in the IT sector and the services they have implemented throughout 2017, including work with Worcestershire-based solicitors Hallmark Hulme, Shropshire based PDM produce and property management group Mainstay.

Group Managing Director of EBC Group Richard Lane said: “We couldn’t be more thrilled to have won UK Managed Service Provider of the Year.

“To be recognised at a national level is a fantastic achievement for EBC Group and a testament to the hard work and excellent service our team continues to deliver.

This award marks the end of a great year and we will continue to make 2018 a real success.”

Operators use TruAnalysis for Earned Recognition pilot TruTac, the fleet compliance software experts, have announced an enthusiastic take up of its recently introduced Earned Recognition reporting features.

The company attributes its success to a close working relationship with the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) and the fact they do not charge customers any extra fees

for being part of the pilot.

Unlike competitors, TruTac include earned recognition reporting as a standard feature for all customers at no extra cost.

Earned recognition is a new way for vehicle operators to prove they meet driver and vehicle standards.

Pilot participants voluntary agree to regularly share performance information with the DVSA and, in return, their vehicles are stopped less for inspections.

Earned Recognition will be accredited to operators who record and submit data which

satisfies key performance indicators relevant to vehicle maintenance and drivers’ hours.

Terry Ramsey, Managing Director at TruTac, said: “This is the coming together of two key elements. On the one hand, the Earned Recognition pilot is a superb initiative enabling operators to maintain high standards, while benefiting from reduced admin’ and fewer vehicle inspections, while on the other, TruAnalysis provides a simple-to-implement software package which facilitates all the requisite data - both for the DVSA and audit records.”

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

News

Charity celebrates successful year

It was revealed that this year, Heart of England Community Foundation distributed £2,315,000 to 1,034 projects across Coventry, Warwickshire and the wider West Midlands, benefitting up to a quarter of a million people.

Foundation Live also showcases some of the groups funded by the Foundation and this year staged performances from Imagineer Productions, which was awarded Paul Belfield, David Connell (PSA Group), Phil Ewing & Tina Costello £75,000 to work with young people who are A charity that distributes money to great not in education, employment or training, causes that make a positive impact across and Northern Star Community Arts.

Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull has The event, which attracts key civic and celebrated an incredible 12 months. business figures from across the region, The Heart of England Community then heard from Cheryl Soonius– whose Foundation, which attracts funding from project, God’s Coffee Shop received £1,492 businesses and individual donors and then for the work it undertakes to feed homeless distributes it to groups and organisations to people in the area. improve their communities, held its annual Tina Costello, CEO of the Heart of England Foundation Live event at PSA Group’s Community Foundation, said there were headquarters at Pinley House in Coventry. ambitious plans to grow the work the

organisation undertakes across the region and to help more causes.

She said: “Firstly, I must thank PSA Group which is a patron of the Foundation and gives us free office space in their Tile Hill offices which are vital to us.

“It’s been an incredible year in which we’ve grown our endowment and have given grants of £2.3 million to causes across the area.

“But we want to continue to grow so we can do more and help more causes like we heard from at Foundation Live. We want to have an endowment of £20 million by 2020, which will provide a very stable future platform to continue to give to good causes.

“We are immensely proud of the work we do and of the people we support – but we are also extremely driven to do even more.”

Tina thanked outgoing chair of trustees Paul Belfield and welcomed new chair Phil Ewing, of accountancy company Harrison Beale & Owen.

Phil said: “I am proud and humbled to be taking on this role from Paul, who is a very good friend. We will work hard to deliver the three-year plan to get to £20 million in endowment by 2020 and make the Heart of England Community Foundation the go to charity for philanthropy in this region.”

Doing your bit for local charities The growing sport of obstacle course racing has hit Coventry & Warwickshire over the past few years, and one event in particular is doing its bit to help raise the profile and vital funds for a number of local charities.

The Mudnificent 7 was the brainchild of local entrepreneur Kevin Newey, who is the owner of Obstacle Race Magazine.

Kevin said: “We launched the event in 2015 as a showcase event for OCR (obstacle course racing). The idea was to let seven different event companies each design and build their own section of the course, so that our runners got a taster of seven different events in one.”

The event has been held at The Heart of England Conference Centre in Meriden since 2015, and with the 2018 date set as Saturday 11th August, there’s plenty of time to get fit ready for the big day.

Kevin said: “We were originally catering for the growing OCR community, but 2017 changed all of that, and we saw a large increase in the amount of charity runners taking on the challenge. We work directly now with a number of local causes, and we managed to help them raise over £30,000 this year through our event. For 2018, we’d like the event to help raise £100,000, and this is where we want all local businesses to get involved.

Saville raises standards with early ISO accreditations

Creating a sustainable, safe and secure way of working are key requirements for all businesses in today’s modern world.

Organisations and businesses need to address international pressures to comply with environmental legislation, raised obligations for Health and Safety and the need for an audited methodology.

Leading global audio visual solutions and services provider Saville Audio Visual have further

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

committed to the company’s continuing programme of investment in setting new standards with the successful attainment and recertification to the new ISO 9001:2015, 14001:2015 and ISO 18001:2007 standards.

Together, these certifications demonstrate the company’s ethical and responsible approach towards its employees, the environment and its business operations.

Nicola Matchett, Health, Safety, Environment and Quality officer at Saville, said: “The safety of staff, clients, suppliers and the general public is of paramount importance to us. Achieving this independently assessed, globally recognised certification in addition to our other industry accreditations showcases the importance we place on providing high quality of service whilst maintaining our commitment to health & safety and the environment.”

For more information about the event, or about the charities looking for team members, please email kevin@obstacleracemagazine.com or go to www.mud7.com.

Deal is announced

Vodafone and CityFibre, the UK’s largest alternative provider of wholesale fibre network infrastructure, have announced a long-term strategic partnership that will bring ultrafast Gigabit-capable full fibre broadband to up to five million UK homes and businesses by 2025.

Under the wholesale agreement, Vodafone will have a period of exclusive rights, predominantly during the build phase of each city network, to market ultrafast consumer broadband services on the FTTP network to be built, operated and owned by CityFibre.

Construction of the first phase of deployment to one million premises is due to start in the first half of 2018 and will be largely complete in 2021.

Both parties have the right to extend the commercial terms of this agreement to expand coverage to a further four million homes and businesses by 2025.

FTTP networks use fibre-optic cables for every stage of the connection from the customer’s home or workplace to the Internet, providing extremely fast and reliable broadband services capable of Gigabit speeds (1,000 mbps).

The Vodafone and CityFibre partnership represents one of the most significant developments in UK telecommunications since the launch of ADSL broadband 17 years ago.

The partnership will help to bridge Britain’s fibre gap, bringing world-class Gigabit-capable FTTP connections to households, businesses and public sector sites such as schools, hospitals and GP surgeries, and delivering 50% of the UK Government’s target of ‘full fibre’ to 10 million homes and businesses.

Chief Executive of CityFibre Greg Mesch said: “This agreement will unlock the UK’s full fibre future and is a major step forward in delivering our vision for a Gigabit Britain.”

Vodafone UK Chief Executive Nick Jeffery said: “Vodafone is already playing the leading role in building the Gigabit Society across Europe by providing customers with high-speed, high-quality broadband. The UK has fallen far behind the rest of the world, trapped by the limited choice available on legacy networks. We look forward to working with CityFibre to build the Gigabit fibre network that the UK needs and deserves.”

Lego – it’s not just a toy!

Everyone loves LEGO®, no matter what age you are but you might only think you can get away with it as a child…or if you have children.

But LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology is an innovative process designed to enhance innovation and business performance.

Neil Liddell, a Certified facilitator of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP) method and materials, is also a Sandler Training professional based in the Central Midlands.

He uses the combination of LSP and Sandler Training methodology to create a fun and exciting learning experience for his clients, underpinned with some serious outcomes.

As a facilitator you are working more as a guide – helping a group of people through a process to unlock and share their own knowledge rather than instructing or advising

them what to do, so the Sandler Training combination works really well. One of the important features of LSP is that it helps to create an environment in which participants feel safe and comfortable sharing whatever they have on their mind.

There are no right or wrong answers and individual differences are considered a benefit rather than an obstacle.

At the same time, the participants get space and time for reflection during the building process without interruption. The result is a response not based on a hasty and superficial answer, but a deeper reflection.

The model eliminates the ‘one or two’ individuals who ‘take over’ the meeting. The fact that 20% of people speak 80% of the time not only challenges the quality of a session but also the sustainability of the outcome. This results in people leaving the meeting with little or no determination to change.

From the outside, it may look like just playing with bricks, but the structured process elicits deep thinking, compelling storytelling, authentic collaboration and the solving of complex challenges that organisations face.

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President & People

Local lawyer qualifies as family mediator

Preparing for life in the spotlight Dear Chamber member, A very happy New Year to you. I hope you had a good break and, like me, you are now looking forward to what should be an exciting and prosperous year ahead.

This region ended 2017 on a real high and we must build on that over the next 12 months and beyond.

There was the exciting news about the National Battery Manufacturing Development Facility (NBMDF) coming to Coventry and also the fact that aerospace company Meggitt will be expanding its operation in our area.

And, of course, there was the tremendous news that Coventry won the bid to be UK City of Culture in 2021.

It was a cause for genuine celebration not only in Coventry, but across Warwickshire too, and brought huge civic pride to the city and the region which hasn’t been seen for many years.

I am proud that this Chamber saw the potential in the bid in the very early stages and took the decision to substantially back it. Many, many more businesses followed and I have no doubt that the private sector support will have played a part in Coventry’s success.

Now, we have three years to plan for 2021 and the experience from the Olympic Games in 2012 tells us that it may seem like a long time to prepare but it will come around very quickly.

It’s important that all of us make plans to ensure we get the most out of our region’s time in the spotlight, especially with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham following on in 2022 which is another magnificent boost for the region.

While those key announcements were very, very positive for this area, we also saw that, generally, businesses are feeling buoyant about the future.

The final Quarterly Economic Survey of 2017 conducted by the Chamber, in conjunction with Warwickshire County Council, was the most positive of the year and meant that we came into this year with an additional spring in our step.

Manufacturing output is up, unemployment is falling and there are many reasons for businesses to be cheerful.

But I am still acutely aware of a range of issues that many small, medium and large companies are facing – from broadband to Brexit and from infrastructure to innovation – and that’s where your Chamber membership can really help to get you ahead.

Make sure you are using the services available to you, that you are attending the networking events to develop contacts and that you are calling upon the support that you can access.

Our branches across the five areas – Coventry, Rugby, South, North and Mid-Warwickshire – give you a chance to have your voice heard while events such as our business expo #CWRocks in March are the opportunity to showcase your business and pick up a range of hints and tips to improve your own business.

I look forward to seeing you there and at events across the region as we look to make 2018 another great one for doing business in Coventry and Warwickshire.

John Nollett

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Lawyer Emma Piff, who has worked for Coventry & Warwickshire law firm, Alsters Kelley LLP for nine years has qualified as a family mediator.

Emma, an Associate solicitor in the Family Department at the firm, has worked exclusively in Family Law for more than 14 years. As well as being a collaboratively trained lawyer Emma is also a Resolution accredited specialist in complex financial remedies and domestic abuse.

Emma said: “I am thrilled to have qualified as a solicitor mediator – this will

be of real benefit to our clients to help them resolve their family issues. Mediation offers clients a safe and neutral place where they can meet with an impartial mediator to work out plans for their future and to decide for themselves what to do about their children and finances.”

Erica Kemp, Member of Alsters Kelley LLP & Head of Family Law Department, says, “Huge congratulations to Emma on qualifying as a mediator. We are really proud of her achievement. Emma is the only solicitor mediator in Nuneaton and as

Erica Kemp & Emma Piff

such is uniquely placed to help separating couples reach practical solutions that are in the best interest of their family.”

Emma is based in the Alsters Kelley, Nuneaton office, situated in Dugdale Street.

Growth leads to new appointments After steady growth over the past five years, Alcester-based Exhibition Equipment UK Ltd has introduced its two newest team members.

Mark Green is an Exhibition Operative and Jessie Demetriou is Sales Office Co-Ordinator.

Laura Ross, from Exhibition Equipment UK Ltd said: “‘We’re so happy to welcome Mark and Jessie in to the Exhibition Equipment family. Over the past five years, our team has had to double in size, in order to keep up with demand.”

Senior appointment to new world-class skills centre confirmed A Midlands-based £9.5m skills centre for the automotive sector has been given a boost by the appointment of an operations manager to lead on its launch, planned for September 2018.

Lisa Bingley will take up the Operations Manager role on the development of the MIRA Technology Institute (MTI), designed to develop specialist skills for the global automotive industry.

Construction work started on the training facility at the MIRA Technology

Park in Nuneaton in September 2017, and is due to open its doors in 2018. The MIRA Technology Institute is being developed with the help of government growth funding and is expected to become a global centre of excellence, helping to nurture specialist skills in new disruptive technology areas such as electrification and driverless cars, ensuring a sustainable supply of future technical specialists and engineers.

The project is led by North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College and HORIBA MIRA, working closely with a collaboration of key partners including Coventry University, Loughborough University, and the University of Leicester.

Lisa joins the MTI on a secondment to North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College from HORIBA MIRA, where she is currently a Programme Manager across a range of large programmes.

She said: ““The MIRA Technology Institute will provide an answer to the real skills challenge we have in the automotive industry and I’m thrilled to be a part of its creation. I look forward to working with the project partners to bring the MTI to life and provide a centre of excellence for the development of automotive skills.”

Marion Plant OBE, Principal and Chief Executive of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, said: “I am delighted with the appointment of Lisa Bingley to the role of operations manager for the MIRA Technology Institute. Her experience and skills mean that she is well-placed to lead this exciting project, designed to transform the skills supply, particularly at high levels, to the automotive industry.”

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

President & People

Shouting about the professional services capability in the sub-region Communication specialist Cathy Connan is taking over as Chair of professional services membership organisation, Coventry & Warwickshire First, replacing Michael Durkin, Relationship Director at Santander plc.

Under Michael’s stewardship Coventry & Warwickshire First launched the incredibly successful YoungPro, a celebration of the next generation of leaders in the professional and financial services sector. Looking ahead to her year in post, Cathy intends to ‘shout about’ the professional services capability in the sub-region.

She said: “Collectively, our members advise local businesses on everything from complex mergers and acquisitions and investment decisions to HR strategy and communication campaigns.

“Comprising the leading professional services businesses in the region, our member firms and the technical experts within them, are recognised in their specialist publications as leaders in their field. Businesses can get the advice they need right here, without having to go to Birmingham or London.

“This year we intend to shout about this capability, celebrating our members’ achievements in a reinvigorated FirstPro Awards programme. We are introducing completely new categories to reflect the

University honours a lifetime of success

(Lto r) Michael Durkin, Cathy Connan, James Oliver.

collegiate approach of the region and moving to a new venue – Coombe Abbey – for the April awards dinner.”

Cathy will be supported by Vice Chair James Oliver, Relationship Manager at Yorkshire Bank. The two are working closely with the Young Professional network to build on the success of the inaugural YoungPro. YoungPro 2018 was launched in September at Mallory

“Comprising the leading professional services businesses in the region, our member firms and the technical experts within them, are recognised in their specialist publications as leaders in their field.”

Court, nominations for the awards, taking place in January 2018, are open now and the new category of Apprentice of the Year has been introduced.

A series of new initiatives, design to inform and connect members, is also being introduced.

These include: • A programme of private dinners • A members-only Leaders’ Breakfast, at which local politicians will outline their vision and answer questions from members on its impact on theirs and their clients’ businesses.

• Coinciding with International Women’s Day, a forum in which the region’s female leaders can share their experiences with the next generation, who in turn will benefit from relationships that will help them develop their careers.

Stepnell secures two top awards for craftsmanship Construction specialist Stepnell won two prestigious merit awards for craftsmanship at The Leicestershire & Rutland Joint Consultative Committee Awards.

Recognised at the awards was the firm’s £1.6 million extension and refurbishment of the Wood Trades Centre for Leicester College. Judges praised the team’s attention to detail and care shown throughout the project.

The second award was given for the £1.8 million refurbishment of De Montfort University Student Union Building at The Gateway, Leicester. The accolade recognised the high standard of workmanship displayed throughout the project, while overcoming technical difficulties such as opening the staircase to the first floor.

The Leicestershire & Rutland Local Joint Consultative Committee for the Building Industry holds annual merit awards for craftsmanship. The www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Committee comprises of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors; the Association for Consultancy and

Engineering and the National Federation of Builders (Leicestershire & Rutland Association).

(L to r) Patrick Shannon, quantity surveyor, Stepnell; Mukesh Parmar, snooker impresario and guest speaker, and Liam King, senior quantity surveyor, Stepnell.

A key business figure who led Jaguar and the Volkswagen Group in America before chairing the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) has received an honorary degree from Coventry University.

Jonathan Browning was given an honorary doctorate in Business Administration in recognition of his significant contribution to the global automotive industry.

During his career, Jonathan has worked as CEO of Volkswagen Group in America, played a central role at Ford and worked with brands and businesses all over the world.

He was appointed to his current position as chairman of the CWLEP in 2014, and has a lifelong love of sport. He is currently a board director of British Cycling.

Jonathan said: “I am very flattered to be given this degree.

I have had a really rewarding career with some great companies. It has allowed me to work across the world in a fascinating industry.

“I returned to Coventry and Warwickshire after working in America and was keen to put something back into the area I very much regard as home and in my time with the CWLEP, we have been able to make a tangible contribution to the local economy.”

The full list of other honorary doctorate recipients at Coventry University is: • Maghanbhai Patel: Honorary degree of arts, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the photographic heritage of Coventry • Pete Chambers: Honorary degree of arts, in recognition of his significant contribution to the musical heritage of Coventry • Delia Derbyshire: Honorary degree of arts, in recognition of her longstanding contribution to the field of electronic music • Irina Bokova: Honorary degree of arts, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to equality and human rights internationally • Hugh Conway: Honorary degree of technology, in recognition of his significant and ongoing commitment to the work of the Bugatti Trust • Ali Ghufron Mukti: Honorary degree of Science, in recognition of his significant contribution to the health development sector in Indonesia • Gavin Kibble: Honorary degree of business administration, in recognition of his ongoing contribution to public service in Coventry in the field of food relief • Carmel McAlmont: Honorary degree of science, in recognition of her significant contribution to the field of midwifery and longstanding pursuit of excellence in care for women’s and family health • Jack Monroe: Honorary degree of arts, in recognition of her ongoing commitment to the alleviation of food poverty • Ashley Tait: Honorary master of arts, in recognition of his contribution to professional ice hockey and local and national community sporting initiatives • Liv Garfield: Honorary degree of business administration, in recognition of her significant contribution to the communications and water industries • Paul Marsh: Honorary LLD, in recognition of his significant and longstanding contribution to the legal profession • Alan Malik: Honorary degree of technology, in recognition of his longstanding contribution to entrepreneurship and innovation and ongoing commitment to the third sector • Peter Laybourn: Honorary MSc, in recognition of his contribution to the field of environmental resource efficiency and industrial ecology

45

New Members

Welcome to new members Strategic Partner

BCRS Business Loans

Calor Gas Ltd Athena House Athena Drive Tachbrook Park Warwick CV34 6RL 01926 318773 pblacklo@calor.co.uk www.calor.co.uk

Technology Centre Wolverhampton Science Park Glaisher Drive Wolverhampton WV10 9RU 03453 138410 enquiries@bcrs.org.uk www.bcrs.org.uk

Corporate Members

Biffa Waste Services

Luckmans Duckett Parker Limited 1110 Elliott Court Coventry Business Park Herald Avenue Coventry CV5 6UB 02476 627200 ashr@luckmans.com www.luckmans.com National Express Coventry 2 Ford Street Coventry CV1 5WT 02476 817000 ali.bell@nationalexpress.com www.nationalexpress.com Ramada Hotel and Suites Coventry City Centre The Butts Earlsdon Coventry CV1 3GG 02476 238110 mhills@ramadacoventry.co.uk www.ramadacoventry.co.uk

Collins Road Heathcote Industrial Estate Warwick CV34 6TF 01926 350402 malcolm.drizen@biffa.co.uk www.biffa.co.uk

International Trade Member Assured Group Heathcote Industrial Estate Harriot Drive Warwick CV34 6TJ 01926 887988 s.peachey@assuredgroup.org www.assuredgroup.org Catalonia Trade & Investment 2nd Floor 17 Fleet Street London EC4Y 1AA 02075 834000 xbardaji@catalonia.com Perform Better Rhodes House Northfield Road Southam CV47 0FG 01926 813916 steve@performbetter.co.uk www.performbetter.co.uk

46

Chosen Lives 24-28 Meriden Street Coundon Coventry CV1 4DL 02476 224907 karenlittle972@gmail.com www.chosenlives-co-op.co.uk Cooper Curtis Accountants Office 3 Manor farm offices Northend Road Fenny Compton, Southam CV47 2YY 01926 702260 brian@coopercurtis.co.uk www.coopercurtis.co.uk Davidson Mahon Solicitors Rural Innovation Centre Avenue H Stoneleigh Park Kenilworth CV8 2LG 01926 357555 caroline@davidsonmahon.co.uk http://davidsonmahon.co.uk

Fixed Cost Exhibitions Enterprise House Tenloes Road Nuneaton CV10 7UR 07740 575082 craig@fixedcostexhibitions.co.uk www.fixcostexhibitions.co.uk Great Exhibitions Ltd 25 Appledore Drive Allesley Green Coventry CV5 7PQ 07422 508879 jmgreatrex@gmail.com Imaginate Creative 44 Oxford Street Leamington Spa CV32 4RA 01926 290202 sarah@imaginate.uk.com www.imaginate.uk.com Leam Financial Services The Coachhouse 1A Cross Road Leamington Spa CV32 5PB 01926 332231 mario@leamfinancialservices.co.uk www.leamfinancialservices.co.uk

Shakespeare's England 15 Church Street Stratford Upon Avon CV37 6HX 01789 260567 enquiries@shakespearesengland.co.uk www.shakespearesengland.co.uk Shine a Light Floor 14 Coventry Point Market Way Coventry CV1 1EA 02477 981359 sam@shinealightss.org.uk The Ballroom Climbing Wall Ironmonger Row Coventry CV1 1FD 07557 857459 priorwalls@gmail.com The WMG Academy for Young Engineers Mitchell Avenue Coventry CV4 8DY 02476 464661 k.tague@wmgacademy.org.uk www.wmgacademy.org.uk

Motorvate UK 1 Clarence Street Hillfields Coventry CV1 5SS 02476 555999 phil@motorvateuk.co.uk http://motorvateuk.co.uk/company

Unmatched Fitness

Pherlock 1 Crowsfurlong Rugby CV23 0WD 07718 490692 Philippa.yeodundas@pherlock.com www.pherlock.com

65 sherbourne crescent Coventry CV5 8LG 07867 383982 d.harding1995@hotmail.com www.unmatchedfitness.co.uk

When contacting members listed above, The Chamber request that, in line with the Marketing and Advertising Law, you provide a clear 'unsubscribe' option.

Further details can be found via www.gov.uk/marketing-advertising-law/direct-marketing

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Training & Events C&W Chamber Training Seminars

Chamber Member Price +VAT

Non-Member Price +VAT

Duration

£250* £250* Full Day Understanding Sales - New £260 £295 Full Day Letters of Credit/Methods of Payment £215 £240 Full Day Online Marketing £65 £85 Half Day - am Microsoft One Note - An Introduction - New £110 £120 Half Day - am Managing Effective Meetings £215 £240 Full Day Finance for Non-Financial Managers £2,000 £2,000 27 Days ILM Level 3 Diploma in First Line Management £495** £550** 6 Days Level 3 Award in Education & Training (City & Guilds) £2,400 £2,400 37 Days ILM Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management £100 £125 Half Day - am Professional Telephone Techniques £100 £125 Half Day - pm Business Email Writing £215 £240 Full Day Social Media Strategy - Facebook, Twitter and Blogs £215 £240 Full Day Developing Effective Presentation Skills £120 £150 Full Day Microsoft Excel - Intermediate to Advanced £260 £295 Full Day Import Procedures & Inward Processing (IP) £100 £125 Half Day - am Effective Communication £100 £125 Half Day - pm Conducting Team Briefings & Buzz Meetings £215 £240 Full Day Time Management - Get More of the Right Things Done £65 £85 Half Day - am Microsoft Excel - Formulae Top Up - New £65 £85 Half Day - pm Microsoft Excel - Data Tools Top Up - New £100 £125 Half Day - am Building The Team £100 £125 Half Day - pm Motivating the Team £100 £125 Half Day - am Settings Goals and Targets £100 £125 Half Day - pm Training & Coaching The Team £100 £125 Half day - am Customer Services Essentials £100 £125 Half Day - pm Account Management £90 £100 Half Day - am Principles of Manual Handling £215 £240 Full Day Negotiating to Win £100 £125 Half Day - am Managing Difficult People £100 £125 Half Day - pm Understanding Discipline in the Workplace £110 £120 Half Day - am Practical Social Media Prices subject to VAT. *Subject to optional accreditation fees. ** Plus registration

Apr 2018 10 11 12 13 24 25 4,11,18,25 4,11,18 12,19,26

May 2018

Jun 2018

2,9,16,23,30

6,13,20,27

3,10,17,24,31 1 1 10 15 16 23

7,14,21

5 5 6 6 6 13 13 20 20 20 20 21 26 26 26 28

Course dates for the quarter are shown above, please contact C&W Chamber Training on 024 7623 1122 or visit www.cwtcov.co.uk for other course dates and further information

Events

AEO: How To Make a Successful Application

Wednesday 24th January 2018 9.30am – 4.30pm Holiday Inn Kenilworth-Warwick, Abbey End, CV8 1ED Chamber Member - £250 + VAT Non-Chamber Member - £295 + VAT With Brexit and the UK's departure from the Customs Union there is a growing interest in AEO which has been cited in numerous government papers regarding future trade and customs arrangements with the EU. This practical session will run through the AEO framework with hands on advice and support on how to make a successful application

Women in Business Lunch Thursday 25th January 2018 11:00am – 2:00pm Coombe Abbey Hotel, Brinklow Road, CV3 2AB Chamber Member - £35 + VAT Non-Chamber Member - £45 + VAT Join us for our first Women in Business Lunch of 2018 and hear from star of the BBC’s The Apprentice, Michelle Niziol and from Dr Margaret Casely-Hayford, the first female Chancellor of Coventry University

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Chamber Networking in Hinckley Wednesday 31st January 2018 4:00pm - 6:00pm Sketchley Grange Hotel, Sketchley Lane, LE10 3HU FREE Join us for an informal networking event and meet fellow business people from across Coventry & Warwickshire

Meet Your Chamber Friday 2nd February 2018 11:30am – 2:00pm Croner Group Limited Croner House, Wheatfield Way, LE10 1YG FREE This event offers Chamber Members a fantastic chance to hear how your Chamber of Commerce can support your business growth as well as network with local companies, in a friendly and relaxed environment

Chamber Networking in Leamington Tuesday 13th February 2018 12:00pm – 2:00pm Wright Hassall Leamington, Olympus Avenue, CV34 6BF FREE Join us for Chamber Networking in Leamington Spa, hosted at Wright

Hassall's offices, for the opportunity to introduce yourself to businesses from across Coventry & Warwickshire, make new connections and also hear about the launch of a brand new Business Mediation Scheme being offered exclusively to Chamber Members by Wright Hassall.

Exporting to Canada: The CETA Trade Deal & New Opportunities Tuesday 20th February 2018 10:00am – 1:00pm Venue TBC FREE This exciting event will provide an opportunity to hear from the Department for International Trade about the CETA agreement, new opportunities in the Canadian market and a case study example of a local company successfully selling into Canada

Managing your Finances when Trading Overseas Monday 5th March 2018 10:00am – 1:00pm Holiday Inn Coventry, M6 J2, Walsgrave, CV2 2HP FREE Drawn from the experience of helping over ten thousand customers to take

steps towards growth, this roundtable discussion will provide practical support and advice on trading overseas.

So whether you're importing, exporting or looking to take advantage of the international market place this event is for you.

#CWROCKS Business Expo 2018 Friday 9th March 2018 10:00am – 3:00pm The Ricoh Arena, Jimmy Hill Way, CV6 6GE FREE to attend The aim of our brand new Business Expo is to provide a platform for showcasing the “best of business” in our region, an iconic venue in our region and so often the focus for recognising achievement, we are in the business of helping organisations grow and there will be a line up of speakers are planned throughout the day in our dedicated Learning Lab!

Find out more information or to book a place please see the events pages at www.cw-chamber.co.uk or contact events@cw-chamber.co.uk

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