Business 12 March 2014

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Don’t miss our 8-page supplement – inside

The Bristol idea that’s leading the way in alternative lending for SMEs – page 3

Find out who is in the running for the Women in Business Awards – page 5

Business bristolpost.co.uk

www.

12 MAR 2014

READY FOR THE NEXT LEVEL? As the economic gloom lifts, companies are turning their attention back to training and staff development.

But how can companies succeed in getting their team to the next level? Pages 8&9

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Gain knowledge & learn new skills www.businesswest.co.uk

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Growth

Recovery

City among the best locations for business ● BRISTOL is fifth in a table of UK towns and cities offering the best environment for businesses.

The Experian report took into account insolvency rates, numbers of start-ups, turnover growth and financial strength. The surprise top town was Northampton, followed by Southall, south east London and Aberdeen.

Bristol was 10th best on firms going out of business, with just 0.69 per cent becoming insolvent.

Max Firth, managing director of Experian Business Information Services, said: “This study highlights that business conditions are starting to show real signs of recovery. It is encouraging to see signs of positivity from areas like Northampton, Bristol and Aberdeen, with a strong upward trend in the creation of locally-formed businesses and the success of those companies.”

Economy

Growth will soon pass its pre-recession peak ● NEARLY six years after the global financial crisis first hit, the economy is finally set to grow past its pre-recession level in the second half of this year, according to the latest Business Trends report by Bristol-based accountants and business advisers BDO LLP. Graham Randall, partner and head of BDO LLP in Bristol, said: “We expect economic output to surpass the level last reached before the onset of the financial crisis by July this year. However, as the remaining spare capacity in the economy is spent, the spectre of a skills shortage is likely to rear its head again, which could become a new drag on growth.”

Get in touch Assistant Editor (Business) Gavin Thompson Call 0117 934 3336 Email gavin.thompson @b-nm.co.uk Twitter @gavin_thompson1

Writer Rupert Janisch Email business@ b-nm.co.uk Advertising Robert Rodgerson Call07828 941469 Email robert.rodgerson @b-nm.co.uk Advertising Jane Chapman Call 01179 343025 Email jane.chapman @b-nm.co.uk Advertising Simon Coy, Media Sales Executive - Business Call 07736 900 705.

Email simon.coy @b-nm.co.uk

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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Advertising Shama Abokor, Regional Business Account Executive Call 0117 934 3426 Emailshama.abokor@ b-nm.co.uk

Economic revival ’Exciting’ Bristol is leading the way, says Minister Gavin Thompson Assistant Editor (Business) gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

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HERE must be something in the water in Bristol to explain why the city is leading the economic recovery, according to a top Cabinet minister.

Minister without portfolio and Tory Party chairman, Grant Shapps, visited Bristol in a bid to promote awareness of a new tax break for businesses.

Mr Shapps told Business: “I get a sense that this is a place with a newfound confidence in its step.”

He said people in the city had “sacrificed a lot” as the Government worked to control the deficit.

But he said, based on his own visits and feedback from Conservative MP for Bristol North-West, Charlotte Leslie, “I get a clear sense that things are on the up here”.

He said: “Bristol is leading the way in the recovery. What we see here is entrepreneurship and lots of tech start-ups... there’s something in the air or water in Bristol.

“When I was Minister for Housing, it was always in Bristol and the surrounding area where companies were doing exciting things, so I think there’s a sense Bristol often occupies the leadership position when we talk about economic recovery.”

He said that was the reason the city often seemed to be bustling with Government ministers, although the more cynical might suggest the key role local seats could play in the 2015 General Election was a bigger factor.

Mr Shapps said he was “passionate” about business and the way it could “transform people’s lives” with employment and opportunity.

He said some people and “some politicians” tried to put business down and make out that “profit is a nasty thing”. But he said: “My view is diametrically opposite.”

Mr Shapps’ visit to the Bristol Post offices in Temple Way was to promote the employment allowance, a discount on employer national insur-

● Minister Without Portfolio Grant Shapps is interviewed at the Bristol Post offices

THE ALLOWANCE ● EMPLOYMENT allowance means businesses can get a £2,000 reduction in their employer national insurance contributions.

● The allowance applies to businesses, charities and community sports clubs that pay class one NI.

● It was announced in George Osborne’s Autumn Statement and comes into force on April 6.

● There are exceptions, including domestic staff such as nannies and local councils and other public authorities.

● If you usually pay less than £2,000 a year in employer’s NI, you won’t pay anything at all.

● But to claim you have to act through your payroll software, otherwise you will miss out

Picture: Dan Regan

ance contributions that comes into force next month.

He said: “On April 6, your readers will be entitled to get employment allowance, or jobs cash back.

“That’s £2,000 back for every single company in Bristol. All they have to do is tick the right box when doing PAYE returns as a business.”

The discount applies to firms of all sizes, to keep the administration simple, but is really aimed at smaller firms for whom it might make a difference. He said the Government hoped it could be the difference between having the confidence to hire a new employee or not, and give someone an opportunity in life.

Europe

Key sites impress commissioner THE European commissioner responsible for innovation and a £65 billion research fund visited two major sites in the city.

Maire Geoghegan-Quinn saw the National Composite Centre in Emersons Green and Bristol University.

After the visit, Mrs GeogheganQuinn said: “This is clearly a region on the move, at the cutting edge of the kind of research and innovation that will create the jobs of the future and tackle global issues around health, climate change, energy and much more.

“We need more places in Europe like the National Composite Centre.

Bringing together EU funding, national and regional support, universities and leading businesses, it provides a superb platform for turning today's research into tomorrow's hi-tech industrial applications.

“Visiting Bristol University, I saw exactly why it is so highly rated

nationally and globally. It won close to £100m of funding under the last EU research and innovation programme and with world-class researchers like those I met, it is well placed to do even better under the new Horizon 2020 programme. “ The commissioner was visiting at the invitation of South West Lib Dem MEP Sir Graham Watson.

He said: “Attracting research funding from the EU for science, technology and innovation is one area the UK has been particularly successful in and it’s been very encouraging to see how the Bristol University is engaged in the process and benefiting from closer ties with the EU.” The Horizon 2020 fund is a huge EU programme to support research and innovation in member countries including the UK. Research and innovation is the area where the UK benefits most from EU money, obtaining 15 per cent of the total funds.

● European commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn visits the National Composite Centre, in Emersons Green. She is pictured with MP Steve Webb, Peter Chivers, Sir Graham Watson and Professor Guy Orpen

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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Finance

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Engineering ● Adam Tavener came up with the idea for a lending web portal on a visit to 10 Downing Street

Exit from EU ‘would be deeply harmful’ THE boss of one of Bristol’s big employers has warned about the dangers of Britain leaving the EU in future.

GKN employs 1,500 people in Bristol at plants in Avonmouth and Filton.

Speaking at an engineering conference, chief executive Nigel Stein said: “The prospect of the UK talking itself into an exit from the EU would be deeply harmful to our industries, where we are part of a European footprint, not a country in isolation.

“In Aerospace, the UK makes all the wings for Airbus aircraft… assembled in the European Union. In Automotive, much of the output from the car plants here goes to the EU.

“Competition for investment is intense. And if there is one thing investors hate it’s uncertainty. Be sure, even now the uncertainty over the UK’s position in Europe is being used against us.”

He did not directly say an EU exit could cost jobs in Bristol or threaten a move abroad.

During the speech, Mr Stein also called for more talented people to go into engineering.

He said: “Engineering skills command a premium, with engineering graduates second only to medicine for average annual salary. I have also heard that it’s more than in financial services, too. And engineering is much more fun than financial services!”

Shake-up on lending as ‘one-stop shop’ opens for business Gavin Thompson Assistant Editor (Business) gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

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● BUSINESSES seeking alternative finance visit the website and answer a few simple questions about their company funding requirements. ● The site signposts to only those funding options that can meet the potential requirements of the business, using an at-a-glance red-amber-green traffic light system. ● Funders’ contact details are provided along with a simple explanation of each funding option. ● The portal is not competitive, as there is no cost to funders who join it, and no personal contact details from the business owners are requested, so they can use the site in confidence as many times as they want.

example of Bristol leading the way.

He said: “There are lots of innovative alternative finance products on the market in the UK for growing firms, but the simple fact is that most businesses aren’t aware of what’s available, or how to get hold of it.

“So it’s really encouraging to see some of the leading providers getting together to raise awareness of their products by launching a new one-stop shop website.”

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HE main alternative lenders to business are joining forces to make borrowing easier for SMEs, in a new initiative sparked by a Bristol businessman.

Seven of the main alternative business lenders have launched a web portal, www.alternativebusinessfunding.co.uk, to be a one-stop shop for small businesses looking for ways to borrow in order to invest in their companies.

The idea was first raised by Adam Tavener, of Pill-based Clifton Asset Management, at a summit at 10 Downing Street last year.

Mr Tavener said: “We see this portal as a genuinely national disruptive influence, as it will shake up the SME finance sector and drive the current inefficiencies from the system.”

Faced with the number of choices of potential sources of funding, many business people don’t know where to start.

The new portal gives access to different kinds of funding in one place.

Collectively the seven lenders – CrowdCube, Funding Circle, Market Invoice, Platform Black, Seedrs, Zopa and pensionledfunding.com – account for 85 per cent of the alternative non-bank funding market and have so far loaned more than £580 million to SMEs nationwide.

Matthew Fell, CBI director for competitive markets, endorsed the idea, which is another

HOW IT WORKS

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Wiltshire Concrete

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Advertisement feature

Restoration A new chapter for Wick Quarry

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FTER 20 years working for RMC (now Cemex), Kevin McQuaid returns to Wick Quarry to finish the quarrying and start the restoration work, which will herald the start of the site’s new life as a wildlife haven.

The restoration project is likely to take up to ten years in total.

The first three to five years will be spent extracting surplus quarry material, while recycling existing material and then possibly importing restoration soil to create areas that will encourage vegetation and a more natural and less severe landscape.

Kevin and his company, Wiltshire Concrete, based in Devizes have taken on this exciting project, which includes recycling the remaining material left on the quarry floor and working with landscape architects and geologists to put together a restoration plan.

Ultimately, the aim is to create a private nature reserve for the new owner of the site; a natural landscape providing habitats for flora and fauna as well as aesthetically improving a site that was once considered a blot on the landscape.

Part of this process will enable Wiltshire Concrete to provide Bristol and the surrounding area with building materials produced at the quarry as well as a range of landscaping and bagged products.

Products available at Wick Quarry ● Products include aggregates such as: ✔ limestone ✔ gravels ✔ sharp and soft sands ✔ scalpings and fill materials ✔ topsoil ✔ bark/mulch ✔ decorative gravels ✔ compost All products listed above, including cement, can be bagged too, and will be available for collection or delivery.

Opening hours ● Opening hours will be 7am – 5pm Monday to Friday, Saturday 7am-12pm. The address is Wick Quarry, Wick, Bristol, BS30 5SJ. For details, call 0117 937 3129. ● Wick Quarry will be transformed over the next few years into a wildlife habitat with help from Kevin McQuaid, inset, and his team at Wiltshire Concrete

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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Women in Business Awards

Sponsor profile

● The judges for the Bristol and Bath Women in Business Awards meet at the Bristol Post offices to decide on the finalists. Back row, from left, Martin Racher, Lloyds area director for SME banking in Bristol and Somerset, Patricia Voaden, of UWE Bristol, Neil Ridge, HSBC deputy regional head of business specialists South West and Wales; front, Bernie Glancey, managing director of PPC; Joanne Van, from City of Bristol College, and Helen Tucker, of Ashfords

Decision time Shortlist drawn up after judges face the toughest test Gavin Thompson Assistant Editor (Business) gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

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HE votes are in and the finalists for the inaugural Bristol and Bath Women in Business Awards can be revealed today.

After more than two hours of debating and discussing, the judges whittled down the nearly 100 submissions into a shortlist for each of the categories.

Ashfords partner Helen Tucker said the judging was tough, but rewarding.

She said: “It’s inspiring when you

read the things these women have done and the obstacles they have overcome to create really exciting new enterprises.”

Helen added that the hardest aspect

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was comparing big, established, successful firms with smaller, newer businesses.

“There were so many inspiring stories that were hard to compare,” she said.

“We felt the weight of responsibility to do so fairly.”

Bernie Glancy, managing director of PPC, said: “In some cases it was quite straightforward and we all came up with the same names.

“In other categories, other judges suggested people I might not have put forward, but then you listen to their point of view.”

She added that the longest discussions was around the Woman of the Year category, which PPC is sponsoring, and the outstanding contri-

bution award, with a high standard of entries.

Bristol News and Media managing director, Sarah Pullen, said: “We had some amazing nominees and it was incredibly hard for the judges to narrow it down to these very deserving finalists.

“Everyone who was nominated should be very proud, whether shortlisted or not. You are all inspiring role models and we hope to see all of you on the night to celebrate the achievements of women in business in Bristol and Bath.”

The awards will be handed out at a gala dinner on April 9 at the Bristol City Centre Marriott.

● Women in the Workplace, sponsored by Crest Nicholson.

Finalists: 2S Recruitment, Bedminster; Brunelcare, Whitehall; The HR Dept, Henfield, South Gloucestershire

● New Business of the Year, sponsored by HSBC Commercial Banking.

Finalists: YourStreet Ltd; Granny’s Secret, Chipping Sodbury

● ASHFORDS Solicitors are delighted to support the Women in Business Awards, recognising the vital role that women play in the South West business community.

Our Bristol office marks its 10th birthday this year.

Situated at Tower Wharf, close to Temple Meads station, our team there offers a broad range of legal expertise, including corporate and commercial – with a particular strength in the technology sector – education, employment/HR, commercial property, commercial litigation, professional negligence and business risk.

Helen Tucker, a partner in our Bristol office and head of education at Ashfords, is assisting in judging the awards. Helen advises a number of independent schools, academies and local education authorities both in the South West and nationally, as well as being chair of governors of a Bristol school. Before joining Ashfords, Helen was a senior litigation associate at Herbert Smith in the City, before specialising in education law and becoming head of legal for The Girls’ Day School Trust – a large charity group of 26 independent schools and academies.

Ashfords is recognised nationally as a leading provider of legal and related professional services. We deliver commercially-focused advice to our clients across a range of industries and sectors. Our aim is straightforward - to help our clients get the results they want.

● To book tickets or a table, visit www.bristolpost.co.uk/wiba.

The finalists ● Woman of the Year, sponsored

by PPC. Finalists: Romy Gill, of Romy’s Kitchen, Thornbury; Susie Hewson, managing director of Natracare, Kingswood; Michelle Michael, of Weston’s Grand Pier; Rachel Demuth, of Demuth’s Cookery School, Bath; Suzanne Baxter, group finance director of Mitie, Emersons Green

● Business of the Year, sponsored

by City of Bristol College.

Finalists: 1pm, Bath; Fabulous trading as Pandora, Bath; Mitie, Emersons Green ● Contribution to the Community Award, sponsored by Southgate Shopping Centre.

Finalists: Low Carbon South West CIC, Queen Square, Bristol; Jenny Foster, of Bristol Fairtrade; Geometry PR, Bath

● Female Apprentice, sponsored by the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership.

Finalists: Emma Sparks, of Geometry PR, Bath; Jessica Docherty, PES Consulting, Rudgeway, South Gloucestershire ● Innovation Award, sponsored by Ashfords.

Finalists: YourStreet Ltd, Ashley Down; LiteTile Ltd, Rooksbridge; In Touch Studios, Bedminster

● Marketing Campaign of the Year Finalists: Hancock Communications, Bath; Merlin Housing Society, Chipping Sodbury; Rapport Digital, Brislington ● Outstanding Contribution to Business in Bristol or Bath, sponsored by UWE Bristol.

Will be announced on the night.

● Overall awards sponsors: UWE Bristol

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● Young Entrepreneur of the Year, sponsored by bclear Communications.

Finalists: Rebecca Kench, of PropertECO, Bath; Amy McCormack, ETM Recycling, Ashton Vale; Grazziella Pinto, Fashion Bloodhound, Longwell Green

● Mentor of the Year, sponsored

by Lloyds Banking Group.

Finalists: Debs Eden, of Debs Eden & Associates, Southville; Joni Farthing, Women Outside The Box, Bristol; Emma Sparks, Geometry PR, Bath

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Business diary Advice clinics: One-hour clinics with Business West for ambitious managing directors who want to focus on the challenges of growth. Leigh Court, Abbots Leigh, today. Email info@growthsouthwest.co.uk.

The Education Agenda: Whose Business Is It? The Institute of Directors debates the relationship between education and business. At the Engine Shed, Temple Meads, 7.30am to 10am, Friday. To register, call 0117 370 7785 or email iod.southwest@iod.com.

Advice clinics: One-hour clinics with Business West for ambitious managing directors who want to focus on the challenges of growth. Rivergate Business Centre, Temple Quay, on Tuesday, March 18. Email info@growthsouthwest.co.uk.

Advice clinics: One-hour clinics with Business West for ambitious managing directors who want to focus on the challenges of growth. Leigh Court, Abbots Leigh, on Wednesday, March 19.

Email info@growthsouthwest. co.uk.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

In pictures Bristol’s business communi International Women’s Day business lunch ● AN Olympic silver medalist, a leading business coach and a polar adventurer were among the speakers inspiring women at an event in Bristol.

HSBC organised the International Women’s Day celebration at the Future Inn Hotel, near Cabot Circus.

More than 100 guests attended – a mixture of business people and the bank’s own women workers, from personal assistants to area directors.

Organiser Victoria Bernard-Hayklan, area commercial director for Gloucestershire, said she was thrilled with how the day had gone.

She said: “It was an emotional day with inspiring speeches from the likes of Miriam Luke, who took silver in the Sydney Olympics in the quad sculls.

“Even the speakers were telling me they had found it inspiring listening to the other speakers.”

Between courses, the delegates, who had travelled from across the South West and Wales - with one coach leaving from Bangor at 4.30am to be there - listened to a host of successful women.

Julie Ashmore, regional director of HSBC invoice finance, told of overcoming challenges in and out of work, including skiing to the South Pole. Clinical psychologist and coach Ros Taylor, entrepreneur and author Nicola Cook and HSBC head of UK commercial banking, Amanda Murphy, rounded off the speakers.

Victoria said: “We doubled the size of the event from last year and are under strict instructions to double it again for next year because it was such a great day.”

● Amanda Murphy, HSBC BRML20140307E-014

Wednesday@6: Institute of Directors informal networking at the Radisson Blu Hotel 6-8pm, Wednesday, March 19. Non members welcome. Free but to register call 0117 3707785 or email iod.southwest@iod.com.

The Bristol Distinguished Executive Address Series: Networking event and opportunity to hear from a leading business voice. The speaker is Air Vice Marshal Julian Young OBE, UWE Frenchay Campus, 6pm March 19.

The Bristol Distinguished Executive Address Series: Networking event and opportunity to hear from a leading business voice. Simon Collins, chairman and senior partner at KPMG, City Hall, on March 20 at 6pm.

● Speakers Miriam Luke, Julie Ashmore, Nicola Cook and Ros Taylor Pictures: Michael Lloyd BRML20140307E-001

Project You: Developing Female Leaders

IoD Bristol & Bath Young Business Forum Dinner: A place for ambitious directors to interact, learn and engage with peers and mentors. Waterhouse, Monkton Combe, Bath, 6pm to 8.30pm, Thursday, March 20.

Email roger.plahay@sandler.com.

TasteTech: Institute of Directors hosts an interactive evening at Explore@Bristol with award-winning taste technology experts TasteTech. Tuesday, March 25, 6-8pm. Call 0117 370 7785 or email iod.southwest@iod.com.

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Responsible Business Awards: Organised by Business in the Community, the awards recognising the responsible role business plays in society will be handed out at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery on June 17. Find out more at http://www.bitc.org.uk/ south-west/responsible-business -awards.

Email your business events to gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk.

Events are sometimes cancelled without us being notified so please check with organisers before travelling.

● Kate Jennings and Ricki Critchell, both BDO LLP BRML20140306B-005 ● LOOK smart, dress appropriately, put yourself forward and find a mentor.

That was some of the sound advice given to nearly 100 women business leaders of the future at Bristol’s M shed museum.

Organised by the University of the West of England’s faculty of law and business, the event was entitled Project You: Developing Female Leaders.

Speakers included UWE’s Professor Jane Harrington, head of the faculty and pro-vice chancellor of the university, PwC partner Katherine Finn and Lloyds Banking Group chief operating officer Sally

● Kate Redshaw and Sarah Embleton, both of Burgess Pics: Michael Lloyd BRML20140306B-006 Salmon

Jones. Sandra Forbes, partner at Bristol-based law firm Burges Salmon, told delegates: “Be adaptable – adaptable people are future leaders.

“Seek out support and encouragement. If your organisation has a mentoring scheme, get on it.

“Get along with the influencers and have good communication with them and external clients.

“Set clear objectives. If you don’t manage your career, no one else will. And enjoy what you do.”

But Sandra, a mum of twins, warned of pitfalls, too. “Don’t play the parent card,” she said. “Don’t expect special treatment.

● Maria Geczy, Lloyds Banking Group, Zoe Heth Gemma Feldon, Lloyds, and Karen Betts, Lloyds

● Lucy Kirk, TLT LLP, and Kate Watson, BRML20140306B-012 Bristol Green Doors

● Louise Dutton, PWC, and Gemma F Lloyds Banking Group BRML201403

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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

nity out and about

Send us photos from your event, with names please, to business @b-nm.co.uk

GALLERIES GALORE

FOR MORE PICTURES Check out our website at bristolpost.co.uk/business

Bath Ales launches Colston Hall venues ● BATH Ales hosted an opening night for its two new venues inside the Colton Hall in Bristol.

The Warmley-based brewer has transformed the first floor restaurant into a charcuterie bar called Gordito, while Colston Street Bar & Kitchen, the café bar on the Colston Street level, boasts a menu drawn from modern American and European influences.

Robin Couling, managing director at Bath Ales, said: “Colston Hall is the perfect setting for a new concept for Bristol and we’ve been able to bring our ambitious ideas to life at this landmark location.

“With each new venue we try to offer consumers something original and genuinely exciting and I feel that we’ve achieved that with Gordito and the Colston Street Bar & Kitchen. Colston Hall is a centre for music and culture, so we couldn’t think of a better partner to work with on these new venues.”

Marguerite Jenkin, finance and commercial director of Bristol Music Trust, which runs the Colston Hall, said: “We’re very excited to be working with Bath Ales, and the newly designed spaces look fantastic, stylish and welcoming.

“They have a real buzz about them and are a great fit with our vibrant foyer building.”

Among those in attendance on the night was Councillor Hibaq Jama, who represents Lawrence Hill. She said: “The new venues inside Bristol's Colston Hall are fantastic and very versatile. A lot of thought has gone into the design, lighting and menus. I'll look forward to attending many more events in Colston Hall in the future.”

● From left, Jon Craig, Aluel de Garang, Hibaq Jama, Roger Griffins and Robert Buckland

● Bath Ales staff, from left, Matt Hoskin, Rhian Abraham, Mark Sellick, Karin Ashwell

● Marguerite Jenkin, finance and commercial manager, and Nick Craney, general manager, both from Colston Hall

auction

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commercial investments to include (unless previously sold or withdrawn)

Lot 33

Lot 35

Retail 81 High Street, Weston-Super-Mare lot 35: Well located Goldsmiths Jewellers let at £50,000 p.a.

Lot 95

34/36 the Mall, Clifton, Bristol

e Hetherington, Mitie, BRML20140306B-017 loyds

lot 95: Two well located shops and two flats.

Total rent £88,080 p.a.

● Jill Brown, Trigon Pensions

BRML20140306B-015

● Carol Jarvis, UWE, and Sally BRML20140306B-016 Jones-Evans, Lloyds

Colleagues without children should not be put upon by parents in the team – they have lives, too.”

And dress smartly. “If you look a mess, it tells everyone in your organisation that your life is a mess.”

Fiona Jordan, director of postgraduate professional studies in business and law at UWE, said they had been delighted by the response to the event.

“People have come from a wide range of organisations around Bristol, so it shows there is a real appetite for this,” she said. “Now we can look at where we take it from here.”

Unit 16 School Road, Cadbury Heath, Bristol lot 106: Let to Southern Co-operative Ltd at £42,000 p.a. Expiring 2028.

3 Rosebery Road, Dursley lot 108: Let to Mid Counties Co-Op at £19,000 p.a. Lease expires 2023.

OffiCe 33 West Park, Clifton, Bristol lot 33: Period offices let at £100,665 p.a.

Monday 24th March 2014 The Dorchester, Park Lane, Mayfair, London, W1K 1QA

020 7543 6803 Online auction catalogue at

www.allsop.co.uk

February sale - £38.35m raised 88% sold

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ma Feldon, 0140306B-009

Get in the picture

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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Focus on start-ups | Sponsored by THEME SPONSOR’S NAME HERE.

Training & team building special

HOW BUSINESSES CAN GET THEIR As companies begin to invest to grow again, Rupert Janisch looks at the various options available to firms wanting to invest in staff training and development

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T’S a universal given that the most important part of any business is its people. It therefore follows that investment in those people, whether by giving them the skills they need to perform their jobs properly or by making sure they work well as a team, is important for the ongoing health of a company.

Recent times have seen many businesses in survival mode, with the key focus understandably on making ends meet. But as the economy gathers pace and business owners rebuild for the future, it is becoming increasingly important to ensure staff are properly skilled and motivated to remain with the company.

The danger otherwise is that you have a workforce that is not capable of helping the business progress or which, worse still, leaves your company and joins a competitor.

But budgets remain tight and investing in training or team-building exercises where goals are not clearly defined can be a waste of valuable resources. So it’s important to get things right.

Based in Bristol, Rachel Stone is a partner and head of the HR consultancy team at accountancy and investment management firm Smith & Williamson. She designs a variety of team-building and training initiatives for firms around the city, delivered either at her offices, at the company itself, or off-site.

She said: “For me, the most successful type of team-building training is focusing on a real situation from work. Whether that’s done on site, in a meeting room or off-site, the important thing is that people go to a team-building event knowing what problem they’re trying to solve and what improvement they’re trying to make. This usually starts with management, but it’s also good to get the whole team involved before the time away takes place, so that problems can be identified and worked on.

“The success of these initiatives can be measured in a number of ways.

On the one hand, it might be quantitative, where the business objective is to speed up the production time in a business process. On the other hand, it might be a qualitative measure, where the aim is to think more about how a team communicates about inquiries from customers, so that customer feedback scores get better.”

Of course, return on investment and the impact of such initiatives on the bottom line is bound to be a concern for any business. Rachel says things have changed in that respect.

“In the past five years,” she said, “a lot of companies made dramatic reductions to their training budgets, so in many businesses things like away days and team-building days disappeared from the agenda for a long time. But we are starting to see it come back. Businesses have been mainly in survival mode and all of a sudden we are seeing economic recovery and there are opportunities to save money in their processes, launch a new service or to improve the products they already offer.

“We are also seeing companies starting to recruit again, and clearly when you have a number of new team members coming in over a short period of time you need to do something to make them feel integrated, as well as helping existing staff members understand how their roles might

“ Family businesses are the backbone of the nation’s economy – they are our unsung heroes – and they make a massive contribution to our GDP. Tracey Bentham, family change as new people come in.”

Other aspects of team-building training are also changing, says Rachel. Gone is the outdated stereotype from the 1980s and ’90s of chest-puffing extroverts taking charge of hands-on tasks. Things are more inclusive these days.

“For some people – often the more confident ones – completing tasks like making a raft out of barrels was a hugely enjoyable process,” she said.

“However, for quieter, more reserved people those sorts of activities often don’t gel. These people often want to be appreciated for the skills they have. They want time to be able to reflect and think, too. So a good team-building event will take all personality types into account.

“I have one example of a company where the team-building exercise was always kept a surprise until the team arrived – fine for the extroverts, but the more reserved staff, who wanted time to reflect and consider how they would tackle the task, found it quite hard to join in.

“All that approach did was polarise the different types of people. We made a simple change to their programme,

Marketing training courses: • Strategic marketing • Digital marketing • Social media

which was to get the task sent out a few days before the weekend, so that the more reserved types had time to consider their approach. The manager also had to remember to specifically ask those people for their points of view, so they got a chance to break into the conversation.”

What other options are there for companies to which the idea of team-building away days doesn’t necessarily appeal?

Many companies, says Rachel, are now starting to engage in team-building exercises that also benefit the disadvantaged, as part of corporate social responsibility packages.

“Not only does it benefit them and their organisation,” she says, “but it also gives them and their team the great satisfaction of doing something to help in their community.

“We have also seen many companies investing their training time in

TRAINING COURSES - SPECIAL OFFER ● BUSINESS West is offering Bristol Post readers an exclusive 10 per cent discount on any of its new training courses (as listed) if booked before May 31, 2014. Readers should visit the website www.businesswest. co.uk/training and enter the promotional code bristolpost10 at checkout to claim their 10 per cent discount.

Courses: ● Strategic marketing, April 1, 8, 15; May 8, 13, 22 ● Social media, April 9; May 14; June 18 ● Digital Marketing, April 30; May 21; June 26 ● Introduction to Export

www.businesswest.co.uk

Procedures, June 24; October 14; Feb 4, 2015 ● A Foundation Course in Importing, June 25 ● Exporting - Understanding the Paperwork, July 22; December 2 ● Using Documentary Letters of Credit, Drafts and Bills, July 23; December 3 ● Classification of Goods Using Commodity and Tariff Codes, October 15 ● Incoterms, October 15 ● Export controls and licensing, February 5, 2015 ● Inward Processing Relief, February 5, 2015.

All courses take place at Leigh Court, Abbots Leigh.

www.bristolpost.co.uk/business

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

STAFF PULLING TOGETHER TRAINING TIPS PRACTICAL tips on good training, by Rachel Stone, inset, of Smith & Williamson. ● How to Attract Think really clearly about what you have to offer somebody and what they would gain from their time in your business. Sell the career benefits to them.

Some people might enjoy a steady job in social surroundings, while others might want an opportunity to get real breadth of experience or to become a technical specialist ● How to Retain Retention is all about regularly listening to what staff are interested in. What bothers them? What can you do to help them do their best every day? What can you move out of the way that is a real irritant to them? ● How to Motivate People are motivated when they feel that they are getting

training the managers to be coaches or mentors to staff. It doesn’t cost a lot to do and has the advantage of upskilling the managers.”

So that’s the personal side of professional development. What about more specific, skill-based training?

These days there are many providers of training, from professional bodies to private companies and business support organisations.

Business West, for example, has recently launched a new range of training courses following demand from the local business community.

Taking on board the advice it usually gives, the business support organisation researched and assessed the latest trends and developments.

A survey revealed that marketing and export were the most sought-after subjects, with over 70 per cent of businesses expressing an interest in learning about or im-

proving their knowledge in these areas.

The result? A new training programme was developed to cater for these needs.

In the rapidly changing world of marketing, it is no surprise to find businesses want to keep abreast of new developments. These new marketing courses will enable them to do just that, strengthening their strategic marketing planning and digital marketing, ensuring that their marketing activity supports their company vision and commercial objectives.

Phil Smith, managing director of Business West, said: “We’ve listened to the needs of our members and the local business community to tailor our new training programme from next month to meet their needs. The programme embraces the changes in marketing to encompass the

trends in digital and social media.

“With more and more companies taking our advice and choosing to expand overseas, we have added to our extensive range of support for exporters by providing a wide range of courses to support them in their export journey. Delivered by experienced professionals, the acquisition of new knowledge and skills will help any business develop and thrive.

“In a fast-paced and constantly changing environment it pays to step back, review internal workings and assess the latest trends and development in business.”

Of course investing in the development of an existing workforce is one thing. How about those entering employment for the first time?

John Roddy, chief executive of business security firm The Shield Group, said apprenticeships were proving a key business initiative in his firm.

He said: “It is encouraging to see more businesses in the Bristol region taking the noble step of investing in our young people.

“Apprenticeships are a great opportunity for young talent to enter the workforce, giving them the chance to develop vital skills for their chosen career.

“Schemes have been shown to mo-

tivate workforces through fostering a culture of professional learning and training. According to the National Apprenticeship Service, some 86 per cent of apprentices stay in employment after their initial apprenticeship finishes, while more than half of young people would choose an apprenticeship if one were available.

“This has a knock-on effect within the business – other employees are more likely to feel more motivated as such schemes demonstrate an employer’s commitment to training and further professional development at all levels.

“At The Shield Group, the fact that we pay our apprentices at the same rate as other employees helps us attract an even higher calibre of applicants and has demonstrated our willingness to invest in our staff, boosting morale among current employees.

“Apprenticeships are a two-way street as they give both employers and their staff the skills they need to help both of them succeed in their careers.”

So whatever your requirement and wherever you see a need for staff development, there are options available. The most important thing is to plan carefully and make sure the investment is thought through.

www.businesswest.co.uk

Expert eye Sarah Arikan Owner of Berwick Lodge Hotel www.berwick lodge.co.uk 0117 958 1590

Exciting ways to help your team

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T Berwick Lodge, we understand that teamwork is key to the success of any business.

Our experienced events team works closely with companies across the South West to create tailored team-building activities that will help them achieve their business objectives.

One of the most important elements for any team-building exercise is to take employees out of their office environment so they can relax and interact with their colleagues.

Although Berwick Lodge is just 10 minutes from the centre of Bristol and five minutes from the M5/M4, our 18 acres of gardens and woodland create a relaxing environment that transports employees away from the day-to-day stresses of work.

We offer traditional outdoor events like clay pigeon shooting, archery and quad biking.

However, in recent years we have seen a growing demand for more cerebral activities. Some of our most popular ones are cookery courses, which are taught by our top chefs. Employees work in teams or as individuals to learn a variety of skills, from bread-baking to butchery, pasta-making to cake-decorating, wine-tasting to cheese appreciation. What’s more, they can eat and enjoy the results of their hard work at the end!

TV culture has played a role in our recent introduction of new and inspiring activities, including singing workshops, ‘Strictly Corporate Dancing’ and one of the most thrilling – a crime scene investigation (CSI) workshop. Such events take employees out of their comfort zone and help them focus on working with their colleagues to achieve results.

The feedback we receive from businesses is that these activities work well in the short term, with employees enjoying the experience and having the time to get to know their colleagues better. However, they also have excellent long-term benefits, helping with motivation, increasing productivity, improving working relationships and, in some cases, giving employees confidence to put forward new and innovative ideas towards the business. Surely this has to be the ultimate goal of any team-building event?

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Export training courses: • Introduction to export procedures • A foundation course in importing • Exporting: understanding the paperwork

recognition for doing a good job. Money is nice but regular feedback and a sense that your boss cares when you get it right is far more powerful. For training managers, it’s good to realise that most people unconsciously copy people who have previously managed them. If you’re lucky enough to have had a good manager then you’ll treat your staff in the same way.

However, many people have only seen very poor management. ● How to Engage Engagement is all about helping people solve real business problems. What engages people is being asked to solve problems and create opportunities. When the chief executive asks people for their opinions on how to change a problem, staff’s brains fire away and give some really valuable input.

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www.bristolpost.co.uk/business

Know how

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

The Big Interview

John Bonney Online marketing specialist

Think local for online drive

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HILE the UK economy is looking a little more optimistic, it remains challenging.

Small-to-medium-sized business owners need to embrace the economic situation and the accessibility of clients via the internet and get excited by the opportunities available to them in 2014.

Smaller companies are more nimble and can react quicker to the ever-changing world online.

However, all too often we find they simply batten down the hatches, spend less and hope it all goes away.

It is time to “think local”. The currency in this new economy is trust.

There is a massive decline in trust in our society today, so customers are looking for companies they can put their faith in, have a relationship with and buy from with confidence.

When we think about the online world, we tend to think of a global community.

However, for many small business owners there is more than enough business within their local community and surrounding area.

Google has made more significant changes (where small business owners are concerned) to how it ranks websites in the past 18 months than it has in the past 10 years.

This has made it very difficult for small business owners to compete globally and to keep up with this constantly-changing online landscape.

However, rather than seeing this as a problem, we should see it as a blessing in disguise and focus our attention on being exceptional online within our own community and our own local area. Global domination can follow, but let’s start by being exceptional on a smaller scale.

I will be writing a series of columns in these pages looking at how to help small business owners become exceptional in their own community and generate a significant increase in revenue from their online presence.

I’ll be covering subjects such as social media, Google optimisation, content marketing, email marketing, website performance, lead generation and conversion marketing.

Over the coming weeks and months we will show all small business owners exactly what they need to do to be exceptional online.

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For more details, contact Craig Sheppard on c.sheppard @bathchron.co.uk or 07818 517296.

CANDLE FIRM BOASTS THAT SWEET AROMA OF SUCCESS Yankee Candle international president John Fontana believes his business is about making memories. Gavin Thompson follows the scent to find a fast growing firm exporting to 60 countries, all from a warehouse in Avonmouth

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OHN Fontana hasn’t always carried a torch for candles. The man who runs the Bristolheadquartered international arm of a hugely successful, and growing, Yankee Candle Company is an enthusiastic advocate for his aromatic offerings.

But before he took his first steps into the industry, he was less convinced.

John said: “I said to my wife, ‘Who buys candles anymore?’ And she led me round the house and counted up 34 candles of different kinds and I said, ‘Okay, this is a real business’.”

Now the 54-year-old is full of passion and pride about his products.

He said: “My favourite fragrance candle is fresh cut rose. When we had our eldest son, I bought roses for my wife at the hospital. I will never forget the smell of my wife, newborn son and the roses, and when I burn the candle that’s what I remember.”

John joined three years ago to head up the international division – meaning everything outside the US.

While the brand is well known, the fact that its non-American business runs out of a warehouse in Avonmouth is less so.

The business moved from a 40,000sq ft site in Bradley Stoke to take 160,000 square feet in Avonmouth two years ago and is already fit to burst. From here, the firm distributes the scented candles to Europe and Asia. But it’s not just distribution – the firm has been growing in all areas, such as marketing, sales and human resources and now employs about 160 people on site, with 15 to 20 more out in field sales.

“We hired 53 people last year and we are on target to hire about 60 more this year,” said John. “We have doubled numbers in three years.

Turnover was within pence and pounds of £100 million last year.”

The firm has enjoyed double-digit growth year-on-year.

“I’m exceptionally proud of the team,” added John. “The most important thing we do here is understand the market and develop the

Vital statistics Name: John Fontana Age: 54 Born: Burlington, Vermont, United States Education: Yale University First job: Started a video game arcade Hero or inspiration: Winston Churchill

product for it and service our customers and consumers. We do that with a big distribution centre.”

You might expect the reason for being in Avonmouth is because the candles are shipping in. They are… but through Southampton. Plans for a deep-sea container port, one big enough to bring in the size of vessel Yankee uses, have been mooted but never delivered at the Bristol Port Company.

“It would be fantastic if we had that facility,” said John.

Thankfully, it hasn’t deterred the company from choosing Bristol.

“I love Bristol,” said John. “There are good people and the food is pretty good. I live in Clifton and love to walk

across the Suspension Bridge in the mor nings.”

You will have to get up early if you want to see him there, though. Because the centre handles exports to Asia, he is up before dawn taking calls. John says his working day starts at 5.30am.

Yankee Candle is a firm with a clear idea where it sits in the market, which is somewhere in the middle.

John said: “We don’t want to be in Sloane Square and we don’t want to be in pound shops.

“There are 4,200 people in London who are worth £30 million. They’re not our focus. Equally if you are trying to buy something for a pound, you are not our customer either.”

And John is equally clear about what customers want.

“Our customers don’t buy a candle, they buy a memory,” he said. “They remember picking apples with grandma and her making apple pie for the first time and when they burn our candle it reminds them of their grandma.”

He is dismissive of some of the more expensive brands with their exotic fragrances.

“Tahitian amber midnight dream?

We don’t know what that is or what it should smell like,” he said.

“We try to develop the themes and the memories and stories, then work

www.bristolpost.co.uk/business

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

My working day Wake up: 4.30am for a walk over the Clifton Suspension Bridge Breakfast?

Branflakes and sultanas Start work: 5.30am, when Asia starts calling Typical working day: Meetings with team members, customers and far too many emails Go home? 5.30pm Take work home? Almost always, the US keeps calling!

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JOHN FONTANA What’s the best piece of advice I’ve ever received?

Watch the video to find out bristolpost.co.uk/business

● Left, John Fontana; above, the Yankee Candle warehouse in Avonmouth

My downtime My perfect weekend Walking around Bristol My favourite book/film/TV show Dr Zhivago - I am a romantic Hobbies Poker, I enjoy the Rainbow casino

ibility on us to do right by our colleagues,” he said.

Another area where the passion shines through is in John’s belief in the high street.

“Our business is the high street gift store,” he said. “That’s how we built it. They are the people we are committed to, about 5,000 high street accounts in the UK and Ireland – that’s our business, that’s how most people find us.

“We are exceptionally proud we are a major reason that a lot of shops survive.”

But he said the high street was in distress, for which he blamed some “antipathy” in British society towards business people and success.

“It should be a considered a

“ We don’t make unhappy fragrances that bring back terrible memories, we make people happy and so we need to be happy.

John Fontana glorious thing to run a successful store,” he said.

As for the future, Yankee was bought out by Yardley plc last year, but John is enjoying his time in Bristol and running a growing business. The firm needs to expand, but that is more likely to be with an additional facility in Europe than a bigger site here.

For John, he loves what he does. And, just like that moment in his own home years ago when the penny dropped about candles, there’s always something in business to surprise you.

“Who would have thought a fresh-cut grass scented candle would be a huge seller in Dubai?”

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with fragrance houses. That’s why people love what we do.”

Recently the team has been working on an Indian Summer collection, to go on sale in the early autumn as people hark back to the final, often glorious, days of summer.

“We want to evoke memories of summertime, late in the day when the sun goes and you are sitting with your partner and having a beverage of your choice,” he said.

John, from New Hampshire in the United States, has an unashamed American enthusiasm for his work.

“The business is fun,” he said.

“We do things that make people very happy.

“It’s great when you go into a store and you watch people go, ‘Smell this one… oooh I like that, it reminds me of when…’ ” He recalls a taxi ride when the cabbie told him his wife burned the baby powdersmelling candle around the house because it reminded her of when the children were young and still at home.

John finished the story declaring: “I’m so damn proud of what we do.”

“I have been here three years.

Two years ago, I started changing the culture from sales and finance and money to ‘let’s get this whole business behind our culture, behind our products, behind each other and let’s have fun.

“Let’s be evangelical around making people smile with our fragrances. We don’t make unhappy fragrances that bring back terrible memories, we make people happy and so we need to be happy and we need to love it and be able to represent it in the market.”

Those values seem to run through the firm. When staff members were balloted over whether the Unite trade union should have collective bargaining rights on their behalf, they voted no, Something John sees as an endorsement.

“It puts a tremendous respons-

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www.bristolpost.co.uk/business

Up and coming

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

The future of business

Motor trade

Simply the best SEAT manager takes UK crown Rupert Janisch Business@b-nm.co.uk

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CUSTOMER service manager from Nailsea who started his motor trade career as a 16-year-old apprentice has been declared the best in the UK by car manufacturer SEAT. Anthony Harris, who is based at Holders SEAT in Congresbury, has won the Service Manager category at the firm’s Top Service People UK awards.

Mr Harris, right, now aged 33, said: “I am delighted to have won. This is huge confirmation that I must be doing the right things in my job. It still really hasn’t sunk in that I’ve beaten competition from the whole of the UK. “My job is all about achieving the highest possible standards of customer care and satisfaction. I run my department in a way that makes everything as straightforward as possible for customers. I also oversee health and safety, training and scheduling of work in the workshop.

“It is really good that SEAT runs this competition. It helps boost our dealership’s profile and it rewards good customer service, which is what it is all about.”

Mr Harris lives in Nailsea with his wife Laura, 33, and their two daugh-

The latest appointments news. Send your news to business@b-nm.co.uk

have seen an increase in job market activity over the past two quarters, so our new staff are here to meet demand and ensure future capability.”

● EXECUTIVE Recruitment firm Moon Consulting has made three new appointments at its Bristol office to take advantage of the growing South West job market.

Simon Quinn and Samantha Bunn join as executive search consultants, while Gemma Webber joins as office administrator.

All three have previous recruitment experience – Simon in multiple sectors, Samantha in financial services and Gemma on the operations side of a training company.

Director Vanessa Moon said: “We

● HSBC has appointed James Jordan as area commercial director for Bristol and Bath, with responsibility for supporting businesses with a turnover of between £500,000 and £30 million.

Raised in Somerset, his role marks a return to the region after he spent the past two years in London.

James, below, will lead a team of 22 relationship managers. They include specialists who focus on smaller businesses with a turnover of up to £2 million, and specialists in overseas trade.

James said: “Bristol and Bath are home to strong, innovative and diverse economies and the area boasts some world class businesses, both large and small.

We are keen to grow our business

Movers & shake-ups

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ters and before joining Holders SEAT two years ago he worked for a Skoda dealership near Bristol for 11 years.

He was one of 21 finalists in the competition, chosen from master technicians, service advisers, service managers, parts managers and paint technicians from 131 dealerships.

The UK winners were chosen from the finalists who scored best in a practical skills test, a theory test on their area of expertise and a brand knowledge test. The winners go through to SEAT’s international final of Top Service People in Barcelona in April.

Holders SEAT has also been boosted by the news that another of their employees, Jennifer Gibbens, was a runner-up in the Service Advisor category.

Rex Jeffrey, managing director of Holders SEAT, said: “Anthony is a key member of our team and I am delighted he has won this award against fierce competition from across the UK. Jennifer’s success just demonstrates that Anthony is supported by a professional and focused team here at Holders.

You can’t win awards like this without support from colleagues.”

SEAT UK’s service development manager, Jim O’Donnell, said: “Top Service People recognises and rewards outstanding performers from our dealer network’s service and parts departments and workshops, and the great work of our group paint and body dealers across the UK.”

Apprentices

Liam dreams of Rio in contest for electricians AN apprentice electrician from Weston College has won the regional heat of an international competition that could see him test his skills in Brazil.

Liam Bennet, 18, of Ebdon Road, Worle, entered against contestants from nine South West colleges in the SPARKS competition, gaining 170 out of 200 points – 30 more than his nearest rival.

Weston College building services and environmental technology manager, Christopher Simpson, said: “Liam has done brilliantly and we’re really proud of him.

“He’s been with us since he was 16 and is now a level three apprentice working for Weston Electrical Services.

“The whole electrical team here and at work have supported him.”

Liam is now set to compete at a national level in April at Birmingham and if he succeeds is set to fly to Rio de Janeiro later this year for the international final.

The South West Skills Campus, on

● From left, competition judge Tony Cable, Liam Bennet, and Alex Jackson, Weston College lecturer Locking Road, is undergoing an £11 million investment.

In 2010, the Construction and Engineering Centre of Excellence won a National Training Award for the South West of England. It delivers training in a wide range of construction occupations, including plumbing, electrical installation, carpentry, trowel trades, painting, decorating, plastering and property mainten-

ance, and provides renewable energy courses and apprenticeships.

The CECE holds specialist workshops for training electricians, along with bespoke brickwork and carpentry workshops at a resource-based learning centre, with online learning available.

The CECE is also a test centre for the Construction Skills Certification Scheme and health and safety card.

Food

Taste of success as Janis gives advice on growth THE entrepreneur owner of an expanding food flavourings company will give a talk on how to grow your business later this month.

Janis Sinton will discuss the challenges of growing her company, Brislington-based TasteTech, at the event at @Bristol on March 25. She will talk about how TasteTech has grown over the past 21 years from six employees working from her home and garage to 50 employees exporting from its Bristol factory to more than 30 countries.

TasteTech is an innovative niche company designing and manufacturing encapsulated ingredients and flavourings for the food industry.

The company supplies some of the world’s most recognised brands and most recently created the flavourings for the first multi-sensory firework display for London’s New Year’s Eve celebration.

The firm has continued growth plans and aims to double turnover and profitability every five years.

at HSBC and work with companies from the region to help them meet their domestic and international aspirations.” ● ULTIMATE Finance has hired Nick Smith as the company’s new group sales director as part of its growth plans.

The Bradley Stoke-based firm is a sizeable independent in the UK invoice finance industry and was recently acquired by Renovo Group. Nick was previously a regional managing director of Aldermore Invoice Finance.

Nick said: “I see this as an exciting opportunity to join a company with a great range of products and great financial backing that offers terrific opportunities for growth.

“The company is strong in the South West, but with plenty of room to grow in the major commercial centres of Yorkshire, the North West and the Midlands.” ● BNP Paribas Real Estate has

appointed Richard Clark, above right, as head of Bristol valuation from Jones Lang LaSalle.The company also appointed Andrew Shoubridge, left, as a senior surveyor from DTZ. Richard has considerable experience in the provision of valuation advice for secured lending purposes, acting for clearing banks, building societies, financial institutions and developers.

Head of Bristol and national head of debt advisory, Patrick Pryce, said: “These appointments follow our growth strategy for the Bristol office. As part of this plan, we will continue to build our expertise at all levels of the business and ensure we have the right people for the future.”

The event will be an interactive networking meeting and will include demonstrations and tastings, as well as informative talks.

Organised by the Bristol branch of the Institute of Directors, it is open for people to attend and bookings are being taken until Friday, March 21. It runs from 6pm until 8.30pm and costs £18 to attend.

To book a place, contact Debra Baker or Sarah Roberts at the regional IoD office on 0117 370 7785.

● CHARITY Business in the Community has appointed Dairy Crest chief executive Mark Allen, below, as chairman of its South West advisory board, based in Portwall Place, Bristol.

He will focus his attention on helping South West businesses of all sizes integrate responsible practices into their operations.

He said: “I’m really looking forward to being part of a partnership that will help tackle serious social issues in the South West. Dairy Crest has already achieved some great results for our business and local communities by putting doing the right thing at the heart of our business strategy.

“I want to build on this and work with other local businesses to do the same and make a real difference in the South West, a beautiful area already known for its sustainable and responsible business credentials.”