Business News Wales - Issue 1

Outstanding Performers

Autumn | Winter Edition 2020

in an Extraordinary Year!

Making Moves

The definitive list of Wales’ fastest-growing companies

EU Transition • Regional Growth • Manufacturing • Finance & Investment • Technology • Transport • Leadership

Reach your target stakeholders, customers and influencers across Wales.

Business News Wales is the voice of Welsh business – offering you a choice of channels to connect you with the people you want to reach, including: Articles, Features, Interviews and Podcasts that give you a powerful, national online platform to tell your story.

Highly engaging Digital Discussions and immersive Virtual Events that ‘put you in the room’ and bring your messages alive in real-time.

A high-quality limited-print-run Magazine delivered directly into the hands of key decision-makers in the Welsh business, government and procurement ecosystem.

Find out more about our channels and how you can connect with the audiences you want, anywhere in Wales. e: mark@businessnewswales.com t: 029 20376 122 Business News Wales, Unit D, Tramshed Tech, Pendyris Street, Cardiff, CF11 6BH

www.businessnewswales.com

BusinessNewsWales

Editor's Foreword

A year of challenge, uncertainty, roadmaps & opportunity…

Mark Powney Editor & Managing Director, Business News Wales If someone had told me in February that Wales and the World was less than a month away from the biggest peacetime upheaval of modern times, I would have thought they’d gone mad.

10 months ago we were all obsessing about Brexit but pretty much going about our normal everyday lives. Then Covid hit. The shock can’t be overstated and the many personal tragedies will live with us forever. But if there’s one thing that the rich variety of stories in this magazine illustrates, it’s the resilience, ingenuity and downright chutzpah of the Welsh business community when faced with the challenge of a lifetime.

“ A triumph of human spirit, collaboration and commercial acumen” Throughout this magazine you’ll read about the triumph of human spirit, collaboration and commercial acumen over sometimes tremendous adversity. Each and every one of the 50 fast-track companies are testimony to the growing strength of the Welsh SME economy. The likes of Rototherm, Penderyn and the Royal Mint have pivoted to become leading suppliers of PPE and sanitiser. The emerging Welsh clusters of world-class excellence in AI, Compound Semiconductors, the Creative Industries and Medtech continued to show they can go the distance and lead the field in what they do. Our national infrastructure continued to transform through

progression of the South Wales metro and Openreach’s fast fibre broadband.

And keynote collaborations have been further strengthened between Academia and Manufacturing, with the birth of Manufacturing Wales, a new independent voice championing innovation and futureproofing to meet the needs of Wales’ highpotential manufacturing community.

“ Regional Growth Deals, the Welsh Government and Westminster have all stepped up” The Welsh business community has not been left isolated and alone. Far from it. The Cardiff Capital Region (CCR), the Welsh Government and Westminster have all stepped in and up to the plate, with support and initiatives focused on more than survivability. It’s a credit to CCR that the 20-year investment strategy for South East Wales has not been derailed (with the Challenge Fund launched to involve as many organisations as possible in ‘building something better’); and we can only applaud the fact that the North Wales Economic Ambition and Swansea City Deal have all been further cemented during the past few months. Without wishing to minimise the pain of 2020 and the challenges ahead, all of this cohesive action and connected thinking augurs well for a post-Covid Wales where inclusive growth across all communities and every region is an achievable goal.

“ Cohesive action, connected thinking and multiple channels augurs well for 2021” Business News Wales is proud to be playing our part in moving forward the drive for sustainable prosperity, pan-Wales.

Digital Transformation has been key to this, of course - with our weekly Digital Discussions becoming ‘must-views’ and our Virtual Events (including hosting the firstever Virtual Royal Welsh Show and the UK Government’s Brexit Transition webinars) informing Wales like never before.

But taking a lead role in the Digital Revolution is only part of the story. Everevolving in our OneWales vision, we’re launching even more streams and services in 2021 - online and offline - with this magazine a prime example of our mission to inform, engage and connect the whole of the Welsh business community with key influencers and markets across Wales and beyond, through multiple channels.

Enjoy our first printed edition I’m looking forward to working with you in the new year to help drive forward our economy and build a brighter sustainable future for everyone in our communities.

www.businessnewswales.com 3

Contents Contributors and team

Technology

North Wales A challenging year is set to have a positive ending when the North Wales Growth Deal is signed and sealed in the coming days

Editor

Mark Powney

Editorial

22

Steve McNally Beth Thomas

Design

Megan Raine

Production

Stephen Davies

Business Development Tina Price

Contributions

Alwen Williams Catherine Morris-Roberts Duncan Foulkes Dylan Jones Evans Frank Holmes Gordon Merrylees Graham Davies Ian Price James Williams John-Paul Barker Leigh Hughes Lisa James Lisa Jenkins Martin Williams Natasha Fulford Noel Davies Pressiana Naydenova Robert Lloyd Griffiths Ron Moody Simon Collins Stanley Powney

Business News Wales Unit D, Tramshed Tech, Pendyris Street, Cardiff, CF11 6BH t: 029 20376 122 e: mark@businessnewswales.com www.businessnewswales.com

4

06

Transport & Logistics

The Welsh cluster at the centre of net zero technology (and so much more)...

06

Openreach commits £12 billion to connect Wales through “Fibre First”

09

Box UK: Delivering your digital future… 10

Transport for Wales: Building a transport network for future generations

24

Associated British Ports: A wealth of commercial property solutions at ABP’s ports in Wales

26

Box UK: Accelerating digital capabilities 11 for wide-ranging clients…

Introducing the Data Innovation Accelerator to businesses in East Wales

12

26

Manufacturing Are we serious about sustainable, secure Manufacturing supply chains?

14

Manufacturing Wales: the membership community championing and future-proofing manufacturing across Wales

16

How a Welsh engineering company became the lead PPE supplier in the UK

18

Gambit Corporate Finance LLP: Survey of Welsh company exits 2000-2019

28

Creative Industries The Welsh Creativescape: a growing global force delivering world-class productions, training and careers

Mid Wales Mid Wales economy optimism but infrastructure support essential

Finance & Investment

19

32 www.businessnewswales.com

32

Contents Skills & Training Six Key Questions: Apprenticeships, a genius decision The Cardiff Capital Region Skills Partnership: An extraordinary year of remarkable challenges and encouraging progress

UK Government: Transition 34 37

Foreword from the Secretary of State 51 for Wales Manufacturers urged to take action now to prepare for the end of the Brexit transition period

52

Exporting goods from GB to the EU – What you need to know

53

Moving goods into, out of, or through 55 Northern Ireland Brexit transition guidelines for the construction industry

37

.eu domain names – what you need 59 to do before the end of the transition period

Leadership 2020 has been a year of unprecedented challenge for Welsh businesses

Preparing to import goods from the EU

60

39

Empowering entrepreneurs through 40 the pandemic and beyond…

Bridging the women entrepreneur gap 42 The IoD looks forward to 2021 with hope and pride

56

45

50 Employee Ownership set to grow sustainability in 2021

46

Realising the PwC vision for progressive, inclusive change across Wales

48

Fast Growth 50

FG17 Countrywide Hearing

87

FG18 One Team Logic

88

FG19 Econotherm

89

Barclays Eagle Labs

90

FG20 Hilltop Honey Ltd

92

FG21 Indigo Telecom Group Ltd

93

FG22 Delio

94

FG23 CDSM Interactive

95

FG24 The Edenstone Group

97

FG25 2buy2.com

98

FG26 Employ Staff

99

FG27 PHG Consulting Engineers 101 FG28 A dvanced Carpentry Solutions

102

FG29 CP Hire

103

FG30 Avondale Motorpark

104

Acuity Law: Explore your options

105

FG31 The Consumer Helpline

107

FG32 A &R Contract Cleaning Specialist

108

FG33 W armserve Plumbing & Heating

109

FG34 InSite Technical Services

110

FG35 Character.com

111

FG36 GS Verde Group

112

FG37 EvaBuild Ltd

113

FG38 Sonovate

114

FG39 Gower View Foods

115

Development Bank Wales: Managing and accelerating growth with equity funding

116

FG40 Mech Tech Professionals

118

FG41 LCB Construction

119

FG42 UK Leisure Living Group

120

71

FG43 Boss Brewing

121

FG44 Bodysocks

123

FG06 SL Recycling

72

FG45 Nutrivend

124

FG07 Motion Rail

73

FG46 Genmed.me

125

FG08 Central FM Group

74

FG47 Amser Building Services

126

FG09 Cowshed Communication

75

FG48 CCS McLays

127

FG10 Total Care Services

76

FG49 Team Metalogic

128

Barclays: High Growth and Entrepreneurs

77

FG50 Zeal Innovation

129 130

FG11 Flyform

78

CCR Graduate Recruitment Scheme

FG12 Skillcert

79

FG13 Sgiliau Cyf

81

FG14 TrakCel

82

FG15 Lightning Solutions

83

FG16 CashCalc

84

Fast Growth 50: Introduction

65

FG01 Creating Enterprise

66

FG02 Freight Logistics Solutions

67

FG03 Vetro Health

68

FG04 Trueform

69

FG05 Bad Wolf

70

Barclays: Backing the UK through Covid-19 and beyond

www.businessnewswales.com 5

Technology

The Welsh cluster at the centre of

net zero technology (and so much more)...

It may surprise, but Wales helped give birth to the modern UK Semiconductor industry with the Inmos plant opening on the fringe of Newport in 1982. By the late 90’s, when South Korea’s LG Electronics launched its state-of-the-art clean room operation at Imperial Park on the west side of Newport (at the time seen as the largest single inward investment in Europe), Semiconductors were absolutely essential to helping power just about ‘everything’. Even 20 years ago, people couldn’t imagine a world without them. The TV plants at Sony, Panasonic and Hitachi relied on them as integral parts of any visual system being made. The vehicles being manufactured at Ford needed them for the computerisation of a new generation of car.

The fast emerging devices called 'Mobile Phones' wouldn’t work without them. Nor your microwave oven, and possibly not even your fridge.

Semiconductors have allowed us to continually miniaturise devices to become ever smaller, more efficient and more powerful. They have literally shaped the world we live in and the way we live in it.

And the world of Semiconductors itself is changing. Hugely. With Wales yet again the engine of that seismic change, through a

6

fast-emerging global centre of excellence, built on pioneering businesses such as Newport Wafer Fab, IQE - and a global game changer called CSA Catapult.

There’s a new world of ‘everything’ about to be powered by a Welsh Catapult...

The Welsh Compound Semiconductor Cluster will take everything to a whole new level, from vastly improving healthcare monitoring and saving the lives of millions of people, to powering satellite systems that help crop growth to feed the world’s population. The 5G antennae so sorely needed throughout Wales and beyond will be much smaller and massively more powerful, able to connect people and businesses far more efficiently. And your electric car will be lighter, able to recharge quicker and allow you to drive longer on a single charge. Compound Semiconductors are taking the world and the way we live to a new level, in a much more sustainable, net zero way. And the Catapult is at the heart of this.

Shaping a more sustainable, net zero world The Catapult is leading the way in two fields that are essential for everyone on the planet - smart energy distribution that delivers a net zero world; and the 5G telecoms so critical in an increasingly homeworking postCovid world that needs to be much more connected, in the process making Wales as a country much more resilient and futureproofed.

In 2019, the UK became the first major economy in the world to commit to ending its contribution to global warming by 2050.

Meeting ‘Net Zero’ demands innovation across the economy: in new technologies and deployment of existing technologies, in new business models and consumer offerings - and in new ways of designing, regulating and operating energy markets.

This has triggered a cascade of innovation at UK companies. But those companies need expertise and cutting-edge facilities to develop and commercialise their prototypes.

The Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult is the not-for-profit industrial research organisation offering expertise and facilities here in the UK – accelerating

www.businessnewswales.com

Technology

At the centre of

the development of innovative net-zero technologies, and securing skilled jobs and supply chain investment in our economy.

zero emission vehicles

At the centre of

the net zero economy The Catapult has created a state-of-the-art innovation centre within the compound semiconductor campus at Imperial Park, in South Wales. The centre includes not just offices and space for collaboration, but a design studio and world-leading test and verification laboratories – facilities of strategic importance to the sector which do not exist together anywhere else on the planet. Combining these facilities with a deep technical expertise and the ability to build new supply chains, the Catapult is helping the UK to build the advanced technologies at the centre of the new Net Zero economy - contributing to the longterm success of the UK electronics industry and the companies that successfully apply Compound Semiconductors.

This world-class centre of excellence is already accelerating the UK towards its Net Zero goal: working with over 60 partners on projects worth in excess of £70m - further electrifying vehicles in collaboration with companies such as BMW and directly impacting our ability to use more renewable energy.

At the centre of

flexible energy networks Achieving a Net Zero energy system means integrating and managing increasingly diverse energy sources - using a new class of power electronics components which offer greater flexibility, efficiency and reliability than ever before. The Catapult is working with industrial and academic partners to support the development and rapid industrialisation of these advanced power electronics components and systems, in many different ways...

Realising new designs The Catapult is working to help manufacturers of solid-state transformers bring new products to market more quickly.

These transformers provide flexibility that simply doesn’t exist in the electricity grid right now - revolutionising the way we can store energy from renewable sources; unleashing the possibilities of directing the energy to consumers when it is required.

Building the supply chains of the future Major energy suppliers in the UK recognise that they need to find new ways of working with a wider range of companies. Networks need to adopt new designs that take advantage of the latest thinking in advanced power electronics. The question is “How”?

The Catapult is acting as the gateway to creating an ecosystem that will make this happen - working with innovative companies large and small, creating new business and supply chain models that will benefit both energy suppliers and end users.

The transition to Net Zero is being driven by bold targets to reduce emissions from vehicles, with power electronics at the heart of vehicle electrification. The Catapult is a catalyst for managing and optimising the power transfer between the battery (or fuel cell) and the electric motor. Incorporating Compound Semiconductors into power electronics creates significant performance and cost advantages – delivering vehicles that are lighter, more powerful and have greater range.

Increasing UK competitive strength The Catapult is part of a consortium building a unique supply chain for SiCbased power electronics. Led by McLaren Applied, the £20M project involving 12 UK partners is developing components and systems for electric vehicles. A new £30M project involving BMW will leverage these capabilities to deliver the components needed for volume production - and the demonstrators being developed within the project could be incorporated into new battery electric vehicles as soon as 2024.

High performance components Although vehicle manufacturers and their supply chains have been working on electrified vehicle powertrain designs for many years, it’s widely accepted that there’s still significant scope for improvement.

The Catapult is leading the project to develop a compact power inverter that’s small enough to mount directly onto an electric motor, offering significant weight and space savings which will translate into greater vehicle range, lower running costs and more flexibility for the vehicle designer.

www.businessnewswales.com 7

Technology new technologies that can be applied to cross-sectoral electrification challenges, in sectors that include rail, marine and aerospace.

Developing skills

At the centre of

advanced research and development Cementing its role in electrification, The Catapult has been appointed as coordinator of a new centre of excellence in materials and components within an Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund initiative called Driving the Electric Revolution. The centre will enable industrial and academic partners to collaborate to develop and industrialise

The Catapult is working with local and national organisations to improve curricula and promote the skills that the sector needs.

It’s also bringing its own expertise and that of renowned academics to a wider audience - training engineers and PhD students in the practical skills needed to successfully use Compound Semiconductors in products.

Beyond passenger cars

Get Involved...

Find out more about the fascinating work being undertaken at our world leading Compound Semiconductor Cluster here in Wales.

Contact us on:

01633 373121 or at info@csa.catapult.org.uk Or visit our website for the full story:

www.csa.catapult.org.uk

Looking far beyond the power requirements of the passenger car, The Catapult is working on next generation power electronics capable of supporting the increased electrification of heavy-duty and offhighway vehicles, ships and even aircraft - meeting unique electrification challenges that can only be addressed by Compound Semiconductors.

Emerging Tech Fest 2021 Brought to you by CEMET, Innovate UK, KTN and Technology Connected

Wales’ Leading Emerging Technology Conference 26 8 January

2021 - 28 January 2021

Register Here: www.businessnewswales.com technologyconnected.net/events

Technology

Openreach commits £12 billion to connect Wales through “Fibre First” When Openreach committed £12 billion of its own money to bring full-fibre broadband to Wales and the rest of the UK, government and business leaders alike applauded the arrival of the fastest and most reliable broadband speeds in Europe.

Now more than ever, every business, community and household in Wales needs to be connected in a faster, more reliable and future-proofed way - and with Fibre First delivering broadband speeds 15 times faster than today’s UK average, this pioneering pan-Wales infrastructure is sure to make a huge difference to the lives and livelihoods of millions of people.

“ The fastest and most reliable broadband speeds in Europe 15 times faster than today’s UK average” For Penarth-based Connie Dixon, Openreach’s Partnership Director for Wales and West of England, this commitment to Welsh connectivity is more than ‘just’ a monumental feat of engineering. It’s testimony to the Openreach belief in helping Wales grow and prosper. “ Our next-generational infrastructure is already being rolled out to 2,000 properties a week, from Cardiff and Swansea to approximately 100 Welsh market towns and villages,” says Connie “and we’re determined to make sure that even the most hard-toreach households and communities see the full benefit of this, right across Wales. It’s an infrastructure that’s fit for generations to come, putting Wales ahead of the curve so that as internet usage increases year on year, this state-of-the-art infrastructure will be ready for the inevitable increase in demand.”

“ A fully-fibred Wales could bring a £2 billion boost to the Welsh economy” Nobody is investing more than Openreach to help empower the final 5% of Wales (including 40,000 homes) that currently doesn’t have access to any fibre broadband, working closely with the Welsh Government to make this part of the ‘gigabit broadband’ reality by 2025. The economic impact of building this network across Wales is enormous - with a CEBR study showing that a full fibre network across all of Wales could potentially result in a £2 billion boost (including 27,000 new jobs) to the Welsh economy. In Connie’s eyes, the fact that the new infrastructure can be a catalyst for the Welsh economy and society reflects the values of Openreach itself:

“ We’re passionate about offering apprenticeships to people from some of the most disadvantaged communities in Wales.”

“ A £1.5 million state-of-the-art training centre in Newport.”

That commitment as an employer can be seen through the 2,500-strong Openreach team, based in all parts of Wales, working every day to bring the future to the country. And the ‘people investment’ hasn’t stopped there. Openreach recently opened a best-in-class National Training Centre in Newport: a £1.5 million centre of excellence, complete with simulated streets that allow engineers to perfect their practices working on ‘real-life’ homes, without impacting on customer properties or the wider environment.

Look out for the results of this amazing team and incredible infrastructure, as Wales truly connects in the next few years...

“ We’re an inclusive team” emphasises Connie “ and proud of the fact that we’re the largest private sector provider of apprenticeships in the UK. As a company we’re passionate about reaching out to offer life-changing training and careers to people from all backgrounds. Our apprentices live and work in every constituency across Wales representing their own communities.

We continued to recruit throughout Covid and we’re investing all the time in sustainable high-value careers - including a commitment to having a minimum 20% female engineering team, through our ground-breaking ‘Watch Us’ programme.”

www.businessnewswales.com 9

Technology

Delivering your digital future…

If 2020 was a year like no other, 2021 promises to be a truly pivotal 12 months. As we exit both the Covid economy and the EU, the future performance of most organisations will be dictated by how and where they invest across the digitalscape. With the pandemic accelerating some businesses 6-7 years forward in a matter of a few months, it could be argued that the digital future is already here. But the paths to be chosen and the steps that need to be taken will be different for every organisation. There’s no one size to fit all, or even a few. So what approach should organisations adopt in choosing the approach that’s right for them?

Business News Wales asked Box UK to share how they’ve been helping drive and shape digital acceleration in 2020 for a wide variety of organisations - and in particular, how they provide the agile digital solutions that help very different types of business adapt and evolve at pace, in a way that’s right for them.

Paul Evans

Andrew Beaney

Operations Director, Box UK

Managing Consultant, Box UK

“ We think and work through your future digital transformation, starting from today.

Building on the good that’s already present.”

" What we provide is a flexible, client-first, 'get things done' team who deliver the measurable return clients need, in an inclusive and collaborative way"

“ The way we work means we become an extended part of your team”, explains Paul Evans, the Cardiff-based Operations Director of Box UK. “We share your challenges and ambitions, we work with you to reimagine what’s possible, and we put in place - again, with you - the systems, tools and practices that deliver future growth.

In any digital transformation, there can be many different drivers at play - the ongoing ecommerce revolution, the higher standards expected from the customer experience, accelerated product development lifecycles, even the evolution of the capabilities expected from your CMS - and it’s our job to make sense of everything for our clients, in a way that they can embrace, understand and hopefully even enjoy."

Andrew Beaney, Managing Consultant, explains: “For some clients, transformation can mean taking small incremental steps at the apparent margins of their business; for others it translates into quantum leap transformation. And there are very many staging posts in between. The point is that our solutions are ‘right’ for taking the ‘now’ and making it work in the future, building on the good that’s already present. We start from the inside and build out.”

www.boxuk.com

10

www.businessnewswales.com

Technology

Accelerating digital capabilities for wide-ranging clients…

Box UK has been part of the drive towards an accelerated digital capability for a broad range of clients and - true to their mission - they’re providing an array of transformational digital solutions, from shaping digital strategy and embedding cultural change via the implementation of agile, to delivering and accelerating ecommerce growth and replatforming legacy websites.

Here are just two case studies, showcasing how the team at Box UK work with individual clients to deliver solutions that are bespoke for those organisations…

CTO as a Service drives forward ateb’s long-term digital transformation ambitions. ateb website: www.atebgroup.co.uk

Strategy & Planning Software Consultancy Agile Transformation

Helping medical professionals access clinical information 70% faster than before.

Best Practice App information: www.bestpractice.bmj.com/info/app

Software Design Hybrid App Development User Experience Visual Design

As a leader in the housing association sector and with over 3,000 properties under management, ateb’s IT ecosystem is naturally large and highly complex.

When looking to identify how they may optimise core service delivery for tenants, then, ateb recognised the importance of understanding how this ecosystem works, and where it may be improved to give them flexibility in their systems to meet customer expectations.

They also quickly realised that achieving this understanding would require the support of an experienced partner, engaging specialist consultants Box UK to support them by: • leading an in-depth discovery phase that revealed many disparate and often manual systems throughout the organisation • suggesting approaches to streamline

Across the globe, over 100,000 medical professionals rely on the information delivered through the BMJ’s Best Practice app to inform their clinical decisionmaking. And with lives on the line, ensuring that this information can be presented accurately and quickly is of paramount importance.

Keeping speed and accessibility frontof-mind, Box UK rebuilt the app from the ground up - reducing the time required to download it and its contents by almost 70% as well as making the experience of finding relevant information intuitive, fluid and, crucially, fast. The app’s offline capabilities have also been significantly improved – a necessity for many medical

and consolidate this ecosystem • conducting a thorough options analysis to determine the most appropriate technology solution for the team ateb now have in place the centralised ecosystem, streamlined processes and prioritised, strategic roadmap they need to work more flexibly and focus their efforts where they’re most needed. Box UK continues to provide support through strategic CTO as a Service capabilities, working with the housing association to maximise value and keep ateb on track to achieve their wider digital transformation and modernisation goals. “ By taking advantage of Box UK’s expertise from a range of industries we’ve been able to develop new skills, understand the potential of new technologies and expediently implement new systems.”

professionals working in facilities with numerous different WiFi hotspots.

As the highest-ranked clinical decision support app in the competitive space, BMJ Best Practice has been really wellreceived by health professionals and medical students around the world and allows BMJ to safeguard standards and best practices in the medical profession for years to come.

" This is the best mHealth decision support tool I have found... Highly recommended for clinicians and academics alike."

www.businessnewswales.com 11

Technology

Introducing the Data Innovation Accelerator to businesses in East Wales The Data Innovation Accelerator could help your business leverage data to generate new opportunities.

Data is everywhere. It is being collected by businesses every time they make a sale, manufacture a product or improve their services for clients. Business data is therefore a resource that all companies have, yet not all understand the value of.

How can you harness that data to benefit your business?

The Data Innovation Accelerator (DIA) team helps companies in Wales identify and realise the power of their data – from helping engage better with customers, to forecasting sales and demand, or simply getting an objective

12

evidence-based ‘truth’ of how your business is performing.

What is the DIA? Part-funded through Welsh Government by the European Regional Development Fund, the DIA’s data science team works with businesses to tackle real challenges.

The DIA supports SMEs in East Wales, helping them to apply data science techniques to benefit the future of their business, whether that’s identifying challenges at an early stage, or reviewing production processes.

The East Wales region covers the local authorities of: Flintshire Wrexham

Powys

Monmouthshire Newport Cardiff Vale of Glamorgan

www.businessnewswales.com

Technology

How can the DIA help your business?

If you’ve ever wondered how you should be using your data to improve your business, the DIA can help answer those questions through a ‘data innovation health check’ and a collaborative project.

They have completed health checks for all types of businesses from online retail to Know-Your-Customer services, and from energy and utilities consultancy to digital media production, right through to organisations that didn't even see themselves as being data-driven.

The data science team will carry out a health check that is bespoke to your business. They apply the latest data science techniques and make authoritative recommendations, tailored to your needs and interests – leveraging your existing data to generate new opportunities, products and services.

Ultimately, the health check can aid decision making and future product development at your company, helping you harness innovative data techniques on an ongoing basis.

Collaborating with the DIA After the health check, companies will be invited to propose ideas for a collaborative project with the team. This could be based on real problems facing your company, ideas you want to explore further, new products or updating your processes.

If the plan is approved by the DIA’s management board, you are then invited to plan a project with the data science team.

Work will be distributed evenly between both parties and companies will meet regularly with the DIA to update each other on progress.

Through these projects, the DIA aims to help companies improve their use of data, expand their knowledge of data science, and provide a solution that helps companies improve their processes or products.

What can data innovation help businesses do?

• Forecast sales and demand • Visualise data to gather insights quickly • Process and analyse large amounts of textual data – such as product reviews

If you want to learn more about what the DIA can do for your business, contact dia@cardiff.ac.uk or 02922 510992 The Data Innovation Accelerator is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.

EatSleep Media, a South Wales-based media company, used the DIA to boost engagement with their content. “ We wanted to find ways and means of finding audiences we don’t quite have access to yet” said Daniel Harris, Commercial Director of EatSleep Media.

Through collaborating with the DIA, the company launched ‘Ballers’, a platform for women’s football content aimed at 15-25-year-old girls and women. The team worked with the DIA to find out more information about this audience and their interests in order to tailor content to them. “ The techniques we’re learning from Ballers will hold us in good stead for going into other markets and industries as we grow post-Covid. “ We can start implementing this data in the real world and explore other avenues as we grow as a business.”

www.businessnewswales.com 13

Manufacturing

Are we serious about sustainable, secure Manufacturing supply chains?

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way millions of us live and work. It has made many of us do things we would not have thought possible three or four months ago.

Crucially, it has also made us question some of our long-held assumptions, and think again about the nature of our economy and society.

Nowhere is this more true than in manufacturing. Previously the commonly held view was that manufacturing had a lesser role to play than services, and was in long-term decline; that for the sake of efficiency most firms would offshore much of their activity; and that manufacturing required long and convoluted supply chains as companies sought the best places to make the myriad components that make up modern manufactured goods.

Britain had long since ceased being the workshop of the world; the ubiquitous words Made in China showed who now claimed that title. Never mind that Britain is still the 9th largest manufacturing nation in the world, and that the average salary in the sector is 13% higher than in the rest of the economy.

Mark Powney Editor & Managing Director, Business News Wales

14

Covid-19 has exposed the weakness of our assumptions. As governments closed borders and transport ground to a halt, our reliance on long supply chains suddenly looked less efficient.

Equipment essential for helping our overstretched health service tackle the virus was unavailable, partly because of the sudden rise in demand, and partly because there were no local suppliers.

In this emergency, many manufacturers stepped up to the plate with impressive speed and agility. Companies that had never made medical equipment before pulled together their design teams, worked out the designs, had them approved, made the tools they needed and reorganised their production lines, all within a matter of days. Nothing like it had been seen in Britain since carmakers and other manufacturers turned over their factories to making tanks and fighter aircraft during the Second World War. It’s not the only way our experience in this pandemic resembles a wartime mobilisation. The responsibilities government has taken on – guaranteeing wages, backing loans, deferring taxes and taking on debt – are unlike anything we have seen for decades.

As our thoughts turn towards how and when we come out of the lockdown and return to something like normality, questions arise about what lessons we can learn and how we should think about reconstructing our economy.

We don’t yet know what shape our economy is going to be in 2021.

Although the Government has extended the Job Retention Scheme, it’s still likely we will see a big rise in redundancies when it does end. It’s difficult to imagine normal economic life returning until the vaccines in process have been developed, tested and produced in quantity.

www.businessnewswales.com

Manufacturing

We don’t yet know how many businesses will be able to survive the loss of trade, how government-backed loans or other support will be managed. We don’t know whether people will go on a postvirus spending spree, or if they will be cautious with their money.

What we do know is that there is an opportunity in the agility that some of our best manufacturing businesses have shown. We should be thinking again about our manufacturing supply chains and our security of supply. Let’s remember that, as we come out of the economic shock of Covid-19, we will be heading once again into the uncharted territory of EU transition, we have no idea what trading relationships we will have with the EU or the rest of the world.

In these circumstances, it makes sense to reimagine our manufacturing sector. Suddenly globalisation looks less attractive than localisation. In a post-virus, post-Brexit world, reshoring makes more sense than offshoring. We should do what we can to strengthen our manufacturing sector.

It’s above all our younger, more agile firms that have shown their mettle in this crisis. Some of our older firms have perhaps been too ready to shut up shop and furlough their workers. The problem is, many of our younger firms

are too small to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there. There is a need for collaboration, for working together so our businesses can grow into new markets.

This is why we need to see a new effort to promote manufacturing, and help our manufacturers both compete on the world stage and provide us greater security of supply at home. We need to see companies working together to make the most of opportunities, and government supporting the sector with incentives and well-planned investment.

Above all, we need to see a renewed recognition of the critical importance of manufacturing to our life as a nation.

"Nothing like it had been seen in Britain since carmakers and other manufacturers turned over their factories to making tanks and fighter aircraft during the Second World War."

www.businessnewswales.com 15

Manufacturing

Manufacturing Wales: the membership community championing and futureproofing manufacturing across Wales A new voice to represent the vision and ambitions of manufacturers across Wales launched in November 2020 - raising the credibility of Welsh manufacturing brands, maximising value chain opportunities and building-in resilience for member organisations - to great applause from business leaders and research bodies.

Manufacturing Wales is a collaborative consortium created specifically to help meet the complex needs of Welsh-based manufacturers serving all sectors in the UK and globally. Founder members already include major names such

as Creo Medical, FSG, IQE, Penderyn, Pro Steel Engineering, Rototherm and SPTS Technologies (a KLA company) - establishing a pioneering new ecosystem focused on making member businesses more efficient, futureproofed and sustainably successful by sharing ideas, innovations, intelligence, connections and market opportunities. “ Sharing problems and finding solutions is essential in today’s economy. Which is why Manufacturing Wales, with its commitment to working in deep partnership with Universities as well as established manufacturing operations, is such an exciting new force for good.”

expertise for creating a world-class manufacturing standard across all our sectors, industries and markets. “ It’s about more than ‘just’ developing collective supply chain efficiencies and facilitating commercialisation of university research and facilities, critical though they are. It’s about raising our eyes to the horizon and seeing the full extent of the incredible opportunities ‘out there’. That means developing longterm high value-added procurement and export strategies, profiling manufacturing as a career of choice, showcasing what we do and letting the world know that Wales is open for business.”

– Matthew Taylor Director of Innovation at Cardiff Metropolitan University

Frank Holmes, Chair of Manufacturing Wales, is clear and unequivocal about the mission and opportunity for this unique entity: “ Collaboration is key for a thriving manufacturing sector here in Wales and this is a membership community built to harness our passion and

16

Robert Lloyd Griffiths OBE, Director of IoD Wales, noted: “ Covid-19 has proven many supply chain assumptions to be wrong; and with the Brexit scenario still to play out, Manufacturing Wales represents a shining light for the world-class potential shown throughout Welsh manufacturing, from our traditional industries right through to the emerging green and tech sectors.”

www.businessnewswales.com

Manufacturing

What’s included in the Manufacturing Wales membership?

• Exclusive sponsored local networking events and webinars.

• Access to a Welsh community of manufacturers and supply chains.

• Market leading Welsh and Global industry intelligence from Members, Academia and Community Sponsors - including Barclays’ manufacturing insights and data.

• Connection with and influence of decision making via the Manufacturing Wales Board.

• A direct link to Wales’ Universities for R&D facilities for product development, post graduate project support, work experience and full employment candidates.

• Voice on Welsh Government’s Manufacturing Wales framework and sector leads.

• Lobbying of public sector procurement opportunities and export initiatives.

• Access to UK Government ministers and departments on UK initiatives and UKRI.

What’s included in the Academia Membership for Universities and Colleges?

• Access to Manufacturing employers for work experience, full time employment, undergraduate and postgraduate projects.

• Access to Manufacturing companies who require research products and development support with students, teaching personnel, facilities, or industrial capability.

• Participation in Manufacturing Wales events and Webinars.

Fully supported by Acuity Law, Barclays Bank and Business News Wales, Manufacturing Wales has also forged the closest possible partnerships with the brightest minds in Welsh colleges and universities. “ The Welsh manufacturing sector is highly dynamic, with strong potential for investment and growth. Manufacturing Wales can be a real focus for the knowledge transfer, shared learning technologies and rapid deployment of these all-important insights. We’re delighted to be a part of this.”

With Brexit and continued economic uncertainty ahead, what can members of this new manufacturing community expect in 2021? Frank Holmes has great confidence that the combined knowledge and energy of the membership can make a real difference to everyone involved and Wales as a whole: “ We don’t know what shape our economy is going to be in over the next year or so. We have no idea what trading relationships we will have with the EU or the rest of the world. What we do know is that there is an opportunity in the agility that some of our best manufacturing businesses have shown.

In these circumstances, it makes sense to reimagine our manufacturing sector, help our firms compete on the world stage and provide greater security of supply at home. “ Above all, we want to see a renewed recognition of the critical importance of manufacturing to our life as a nation – and that’s what Manufacturing Wales is here to help achieve.”

The full story of Manufacturing Wales can be found at: www.manufacturingwales.com – and to discover more about the benefits of becoming a member of Manufacturing Wales, please contact: emily.price@manufacturingwales.com

– Karen Thomas Head of South Wales Corporate, Barclays Bank

www.businessnewswales.com 17

Manufacturing

How a Welsh engineering company became the lead PPE supplier in the UK Written by Steve McNally In years to come, many people will look back on the Covid crisis as a make or break moment in their personal and business lives.

For Oliver Conger, Managing Director of Port Talbot-based Rototherm Group, the past few months have seen him and his team ride a rollercoaster of emotions – from staring down the abyss at the potential demise of their 173-year old business, to producing an astonishing 50,000 face masks a day in the fight against the deadly virus, by unleashing the power of his company’s agile precision engineering.

How did Oliver’s firm go from the dark days of late March, to give birth to Rotomedical: a new company within the group that’s become a beacon of hope across the UK – producing per head of workforce what may well be the largest volume of high-quality Surgical Masks, Face Shields and Goggles anywhere in the UK?

Oliver Conger Managing Director, Rototherm Group

18

“ From a potential crisis to taking the market lead” Oliver takes up the story: “ A week before lockdown I stood in front of everyone in one of our twice weekly team meetings and explained we have only two objectives to achieve going through the pandemic. One was to keep everyone safe, and the second was to keep everyone in a job by working through the crisis.” Easier said than done when accommodating scenarios of 25%-50% trading downturns – and an understandably concerned 110-strong workforce seeing one-third of private sector Welsh employees being furloughed around them. “ A number of our people were asking ‘Why should we remain open, we’re not essential workers or supplying the NHS?’. It was very challenging to keep everyone motivated.

But we’ve always been a lean, honest and tight-knit team, so I owed everyone the truth, which was the simple fact that if we closed down we might not have a business to reopen.”

“ We got the call and stepped up to the challenge” Fortune favouring the brave, Oliver then received what transpired to be a game-changing call from a contact at none other than the NHS. Rototherm have long enjoyed an arrangement with Cardiff and Vale Health Board, providing factory tours and training in lean management. This time, though, the call was for help. Critical, life-or-death help. Could Rototherm make some visors for an intensive care unit? “ We’ve always prided ourselves on being innovative and able to meet any need, so we cut some visors and sent them down the Vale. The next day the phone started ringing, with people enquiring ‘are you the guys making face shields? After the fourth or fifth call we turned to each other and said, ‘I guess we are’.”

Rototherm’s engineers worked through the weekend to design an improved prototype, sending it off for regulatory approval.

Within two weeks of the initial request Rototherm had a CE marked face shield ready for quantity production.

A formal contract with NHS Wales followed.

All within a month of standing in front of his team, fearing the worst.

“ From prototype to regulatory approval in record time” “ That’s when the floodgates opened,” Oliver said. “They asked, how many hundreds of thousands can you manufacture over a week? So we went from making 1,000 a day to ramping up to 5,000 a day, then 10,000.

Now we’re making 50,000 plus a day.”

What does Oliver put this “insane” period of successful product transformation and operational development down to? “ We’ve always run a highly-focused operation with a blend of the right skills in the right place – and a working culture where everyone commits to achieving goals together. Mindset is just as important as the latest lean practices and it’s that combination that’s enabled us to be agile when we needed it most – bringing in new automated equipment, rejigging the entire factory here at Margam, more than doubling the size of workforce, all done seamlessly.

“ Speed, Skillsets, Cost-efficiency – and Quality, Quality, Quality” “ Achieving all that at phenomenal speed while maintaining the highest ISO 8 rated cleanroom standards has been central to everything. Quality is the key constant running through our 173-year history. We’re very cost efficient but we simply refuse to compromise on quality. When we looked initially at the face shields for example, we worked with a number of surgeons and GPs to refine the design, making it high comfort and very durable. If you’re wearing them for six or seven hours a day, on maybe one operation, you don’t want something that’s going to start hurting your head after an hour. That blend of quality, cost-efficiency and the right skillsets working at critical speed means we can produce better medical and non-medical grade PPE than China – and much quicker, at almost the same cost.

“ It’s a combination of key characteristics that’s always been and always will be at the heart of what we do."

www.businessnewswales.com

Mid Wales

Mid Wales economy optimism but infrastructure support essential Written by Duncan Foulkes That’s the conclusion of a Business News Wales survey of businesses across this rural and sparsely populated Welsh heartland that comprises the counties of Powys and Ceredigion and the Meirionnydd part of Gwynedd. We asked businesses and business leaders for their views on what they think a future Mid Wales economy will look like.

To help them achieve their vision, businesses want the region to receive a fairer share of Welsh Government investment that, for decades, has been concentrated on South and North Wales.

Despite the Covid-19 stranglehold in 2020, tourism and manufacturing leaders are upbeat about future opportunities for Mid Wales businesses that adapt to meet market changes.

Mid Wales is perfectly positioned to become a zero carbon region, a leader in sustainable development and a hub for green businesses, using the expertise of the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) near Machynlleth, which recently hosted the popular BBC Two Autumnwatch series.

Duncan Foulkes Managing Director, Duncan Foulkes Public Relations

Nick Evans Managing Director, EvaBuild & Chairman of Mid Wales Chamber of Commerce

That’s the view of Nick Evans, chairman of Mid Wales Chamber of Commerce and managing director of multiaward winning groundworks and civil engineering company, EvaBuild in Newtown.

Forthright in his views on the keys to the future Mid Wales economy, he believes the region needs a much stronger voice and favours a stand-alone board, driven by the private sector, that feeds directly into Welsh Government. “ There’s no magic wand and no quick fix for the Mid Wales economy,” he warns. “It comes down to investment in the region and this means taking investment from South and North Wales and centralising it. This in turn will alleviate transport congestion, for example on the M4 at Newport, by redistributing it equally throughout Wales. “ Lack of connectivity continues to strangle existing businesses and prevents new companies from being attracted to Mid Wales. If the country becomes connected by better road, rail and digital links, then this overcomes the biggest weakness.”

“ Mid Wales predominantly is populated by small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) and 95% are micro businesses with less than 10 employees. Only 8% have more than 50 employees and the region has the lowest GVA in the UK due to lack of higher paid work. “ The region needs more higher quality businesses paying good wages, which will help keep young people in the region and entice them to return after they have left university.”

Nick says there’s a need to lower the age profile of Mid Wales, which has an ageing population, by halting the “crippling” outward migration of talented young people after they have finished their studies.

However, that’s an age old issue for Mid Wales. It was one of the goals set for the former Development Board for Rural Wales (DBRW), which never quite managed to deliver. Now there’s talk in some political quarters of a similar agency returning to look after the interests of rural Wales.

Returning to his keys to the future, Nick adds: “ The Mid Wales Growth Deal is a potentially positive step in attracting

www.businessnewswales.com 19

Mid Wales

investment into the region, but to succeed projects will require significant investment from the private sector to match Government funds. “ We need to create high-tech sites, with excellent connectivity - digital, transport and mobile – and become a region renowned for alternative, green technologies and how these are researched and developed by specialists, such as CAT. “ We have the potential to become a net exporter of green energy and to make Mid Wales a world renowned region for agricultural advancements and technologies.”

Michael Taylor Chair, Centre for Alternative Technology’s Board of Trustees Michael Taylor, CAT’s board of trustees chair, takes up the theme of a green and sustainable future. “The emerging vision for the Mid Wales economy is an exciting one,” he says.

“ Drawing on the region’s sectoral strengths of agriculture, food and drink and tourism, as well as future-focused sustainable innovation, we are hopeful to see the Mid Wales economy emerge from the pandemic in a strong position for sustainable development and go further to become a happy, healthy, zero carbon region.

“ With a real feeling of increased ambition, drawing on the Wellbeing & Future Generations Act and enabled by the Mid Wales Growth Deal, new green businesses will be created in Mid Wales, hopefully addressing the crucially important skills shortage and exit of young people. “ Also, the strong, emerging, thematic approach to tourism in Mid Wales sets us up to capitalise on the projected increase in domestic tourism in the postcoronavirus period. “

Rowland Rees-Evans Chairman, MWT Cymru & Director, Penrhos Park This optimistic view on tourism prospects is shared by Rowland Rees-Evans, chairman of MWT Cymru (Mid Wales Tourism), which represents more than 600 tourism and hospitality businesses across the region.

He’s a director of Penrhos Park, a holiday, golf and leisure family business at Llanrhystud, south of Aberystwyth, which has demonstrated its faith in the future by investing in pitches for 50 caravan holiday homes this year.

The park already has a 15-bed hotel, a leisure complex with a spa and swimming pool, log cabins, lodges, caravan holiday homes, 9-hole and 18-hole golf courses and a floodlit golf driving range.

Rowland predicts that changes in lifestyle and working patterns, prompted by the pandemic, will continue into the future.

“ At Penrhos Park, we have taken the decision to install broadband in every caravan which will give customers the opportunity to extend their stay with us,” he explains. “The traditional ways of working have changed, possibly forever, with people advised to work from home wherever possible during the pandemic. “ They are not going to be running to the office every day and we must ensure that we are able to meet their needs by being digitally connected. “ I think that ‘staycationing’, which had already begun before the pandemic, will continue to grow to boost tourism in Mid Wales. The more we promote Mid Wales, the more people will come here and want to come back to enjoy the countryside, fresh air and everything that we have on offer here. “ That must be good news for all businesses connected to tourism and hospitality.

There will be opportunities for many businesses to take advantage of this surge in interest in Mid Wales. “ Although it’s almost certainly going to be a struggle for tourism and hospitality businesses following the pandemic, those that adapt to the new opportunities will prosper in the future. “ I anticipate opportunities for new people to come into the sector and It’s important that we attract the right type of businesses to invest in Mid Wales to create well paid jobs. “ Tourism will certainly continue to be a key driver of the Mid Wales economy as businesses adapt and evolve to meet the future needs of the customers.”

Mark Bebb Managing Director, Salop Leisure Mark Bebb, managing director of awardwinning leisure company Salop Leisure, which has a sales centre in Machynlleth and supplies caravan holiday homes and luxury lodges across Mid Wales, is similarly positive about the future of tourism.

20

www.businessnewswales.com

Mid Wales

“ The outlook for domestic tourism is strong,” he says. “With the great Mid Wales offering, we anticipate very positive caravan sales, hire and use, as people rely on holidaying in the UK whist being unwilling or unable to travel abroad.

Covid-19. Strengthening support for local communities, exploring new approaches, utilising digital technology opportunities, strengthening local resilience, with increased support for Ceredigion suppliers and working towards a low carbon future are priorities.

“ We are expecting a strong 2021 and future growth fuelled by existing pent-up demand and new people considering caravanning as an option for the first time. That has got to be good news for every business in Mid Wales that relies on tourism.”

Ceri Stephens Group Manager, Mid Wales Manufacturing Group Whilst manufacturing businesses face short term challenges from Covid-19 and Brexit, Ceri Stephens, group manager of Mid Wales Manufacturing Group, is upbeat about the future.

“ Longer term, the economic support landscape is moving towards a regional approach with Mid Wales being recognised as its own region,” she says. “ The Mid Wales Growth Deal is gaining momentum and should result in exciting projects being brought forward. “ In addition, the Regional Learning & Skills Partnership will provide a focus for skills purely in Mid Wales and drive economic growth by ensuring investment in the right skills. " I am optimistic that, with the engagement of businesses, a regional focus and investment in infrastructure, we can ensure that Mid Wales is a thriving economic region.”

New start businesses in Mid Wales are also optimistic and excited about what the future holds for them. Take Mid Wales Sign and Print, based in Welshpool, for example.

Directors Gary Williams and Daniel Gough launched the signage, print and work/ leisure wear clothing business after being made redundant during the Covid-19 lockdown by a local printing company after 46 years and 24 years’ service respectively.

Councillor Rhodri Evans, the council’s cabinet member with responsibility for economy and regeneration, said:

Gary Williams Director, Mid Wales Design & Print To their delight, business in the first three months of the company’s existence has far exceeded expectations and orders are increasing.

“ It has been a very difficult period for the county as a whole due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. There have been many challenges, but we now want to build on the positives and the opportunities that have emerged to make our communities, businesses and Ceredigion even more resilient for the future.”

“ Based on our experience, businesses will certainly need to consider diversifying in the future,” says Gary. “Businesses that stick rigidly to the only product or service they have ever supplied may struggle. You must embrace new opportunities and not be stuck in your old ways. “ It’s very hard work and you have to network as much as you can, but we are very optimistic and excited about the future. I get the feeling that people are now looking differently at their businesses and there are opportunities out there waiting to be explored.”

Looking to the future, Ceredigion County Council aims to make the county a distinctive place where people want to live, work and visit. Supporting market towns to make them vibrant places to visit, making more of Ceredigion’s cultural assets and traditions to support local communities and the economy, providing opportunities for young people and creating a culture of entrepreneurship are key priorities for the council.

Cynnal y Cardi Local Action Group, which implements the LEADER scheme in Ceredigion for the council, is keen to build on opportunities arising from

www.businessnewswales.com 21

North Wales

A challenging year is set to have a positive ending when the North Wales Growth Deal is signed and sealed in the coming days.

Our region is on the cusp of an exciting partnership between the UK Government, Welsh Government and the North Wales Economic Ambition Board, to fund a portfolio of transformative capital investment programmes designed to see the economy here develop and prosper over the next 15 years.

The Deal’s projects are focused on placing investment in land and property, low carbon energy, innovation in highvalue manufacturing, agri-food and tourism and digital connectivity, to drive inclusive growth in GVA, create new jobs and attract further investment.

Alwen Williams Portfolio Director, North Wales Economic Ambition Board

22

The UK and Welsh Governments are both investing £120m, and overall, the Deal will attract a total of more than £1bn into the North Wales economy between now and 2036.

The announcement, expected shortly, will go some way to clearing the dark clouds of past months.

It has been a tough period, notably for the hospitality and tourism sector. In fact, all industries have been affected and are craving an injection of investment and confidence after displaying admirable fortitude since the Coronavirus took hold in the UK. We believe these programmes will bring about significant change, improve the region’s digital and physical infrastructure and, importantly, create more than 4,000 new jobs in North Wales.

And we also know that from 2021 onwards there will be an appetite for real progress; people quite rightly want to see a ‘spade in the ground’

www.businessnewswales.com

North Wales

and a physical presence at the locations identified as part of the Deal.

These advances are pivotal to the wider Growth Vision for North Wales.

The foundations have been laid, the business cases finalised, and we are ready to deliver.

And one thing that cannot be underplayed is the way in which the Welsh and UK Governments, the Ambition Board – which is made up of the six local authorities, two colleges, two universities and private sector representatives – have worked side by side to bring this Deal to fruition.

The £35m Morlais renewable energy scheme – to be delivered by Menter Mon on Anglesey - will be among the first to begin.

This is a new initiative that will be sustainable, create employment and generate enough electricity to power tens of thousands of homes via tidal stream power.

It is also another example of investment in low-carbon energy which will enable us to contribute to the global climate change emergency, helping to make North Wales a cleaner, greener environment and positioning ourselves as one of the leading UK locations within this sector.

It is an innovative and exciting development and brings positive news and job prospects to the island after disappointment at the suspension of Wylfa Newydd earlier this year.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, further strides have taken place to bolster the broadband connections of public sector services in all six counties.

There has been significant investment in digital connectivity, with key sites – including GP surgeries, hospitals and libraries – benefiting from ultrafast broadband as a result of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) Programme, in partnership with the Ambition Board and Portfolio Management Office.

Less than a decade ago there was a different approach, a more county-bycounty focus on economic development.

A silo mentality that all agreed would not enable the region to prosper on the international stage.

The North Wales Economic Ambition Board developed a single, joined-up vision for growth, with a commitment between all the partners to work together collaboratively for a common purpose with three aims:

These aims form the core of everything we do and are paramount as we move forward together with the overarching ambition to increase the value of the economy by up to £2.4bn over the next 15 years.

We will strive to deliver on these targets, and - with the support of our incredible businesses and communities in Conwy, Anglesey, Denbighshire, Wrexham, Gwynedd and Flintshire - seek to inspire, empower and grow as a region, together.

For more information on the Growth Vision for North Wales and updates on the North Wales Growth Deal, follow us on social media: @northwaleseab (English) @buegogleddcymru (Welsh)

Smart North Wales – with a focus on innovation in high value economic sectors to advance economic performance.

Resilient North Wales – with a focus on retaining young people, increasing employment levels and skills to achieve inclusive growth.

Connected North Wales – with focus on improving transport and digital infrastructure to enhance strategic connectivity to and within the region.

More will follow in the new year.

www.businessnewswales.com 23

Transport & Logistics

Building a transport network for future generations The year 2020 will be forever remembered in our history books as the one that truly shook the world.

Covid-19 has created heartache and pain for many, and as a society we have faced challenges forcing us to change and adapt.

At Transport for Wales, prior to the pandemic, we were already in a state of transformation. We were set up as a not-for-profit company by the Welsh Government in 2015, although we didn’t launch publicly until the end of 2018, with the introduction of our new rail service.

At a strategic level, we have a clear purpose to drive forward the Welsh Government’s vision of a high-quality, safe, integrated and affordable transport network. We’re developing a reliable, accessible and low-carbon network of which the people of Wales can be proud.

James Williams Head of Media, Transport for Wales

24

Valley Lines, £187 million to fund our Rail Services and £28 million on projects and operation.

If we were to peel back our strategic layers and our financial expenditure, there is a clear set of values driving TfW. To keep it in its simplest and purest form, TfW is focused on improving people’s lives throughout Wales and the Borders. Transport plays a significant role in improving the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales, and TfW as a not-for-profit organisation is fully aligned and built upon the principles of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

One of our biggest achievements to date, was the successful transfer of the

We’re implementing a huge investment programme to reach our vision and in 2019/20 we invested £796 million; £581 million on the acquisition of the Core

www.businessnewswales.com

Transport & Logistics Core Valley Lines (CVL) from Network Rail and into our ownership in March 2020. This has allowed us to progress with our three quarters of a billionpound plans to build the next phase of the South Wales Metro. We’ve already opened our Treforest Metro Infrastructure Hub, which is home to around 200 colleagues (many currently working from home) and this will be fundamental in our delivery of the project and for future maintenance of the Metro. We’ve recently erected the steel frame of our new Metro Control Centre as part of our £100 million Taff’s Well Depot. The Depot will also contain a maintenance facility for our brandnew tram-trains and in the future will be home to approximately 500 staff.

Although the South Wales Metro is currently one of our flagship developments, we’re also working with Welsh Government and local authorities to expand the Metro model to other parts of Wales including North Wales and Swansea Bay. Our role and remit is continually evolving and last year we collaborated with all

Welsh local authorities and the Welsh Government to successfully roll out newstyle Concessionary Travel Cards to over 600,000 people across Wales.

As part of our growing advisory role, our in-house transport analytical unit is working hard to improve the quality and consistency of the evidence that underpins transport decision-making and investment in Wales. We’ve been supporting the Welsh Government with the implementation of the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013. This means that we're encouraging an integrated approach to walking and cycling with a purpose as well as bus and train travel and carsharing.

Covid-19 has meant that we’ve had to rethink certain elements of public transport and in the last six months, we’ve launched ‘fflecsi’ in various parts of Wales – a demand-responsive bus service allowing people to request pickups from near a home, work or shops.

Through using an app, customers can pre-book spaces on buses and ensure social distancing.

" As with most businesses throughout the world, Covid-19 has and will continue to present us with many challenges, but we’ve remained resilient as an organisation. The safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority and we’ve continued to provide vital transport links in times of need."

At the end of October this year, as a result of the unprecedented challenges of Covid-19, we announced our new partnership model for the rail industry in Wales, that secures the ongoing transformation of our network.

2020 will be remembered in the history books and at TfW we’ve had to change and adapt, but we are very much pushing forward with transformational plans for transport in Wales. There are opportunities for SMEs to become our partners and help us to improve people’s lives in Wales.

www.businessnewswales.com 25

Transport & Logistics

A wealth of commercial property solutions at ABP’s ports in Wales Associated British Ports (ABP) is the leading and best-connected port owner and operator in the UK. Its wide network of 21 ports around Britain offers unparalleled commercial property solutions thanks to its excellent marine, road and rail access to domestic and international markets and proximity to population centres.

Indeed, across its 21 land, road and sea-connected sites, many of which also benefit from rail connections, the company offers 960 hectares of portbased development land, managed

by ABP’s property division. As the Head of the ABP property team in Wales and Short Sea Ports, Helen Thomas is responsible for this region, which covers 16 ports, and 5,400 acres of ABP’s port estate.

In Wales, ABP has five ports – Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Port Talbot and

26

Barry, each of which offers excellent commercial property opportunities, in close proximity to town centres and ideal for port-centric development and manufacturing. It also offers vast warehousing and open storage opportunities, which benefit from 24-hour security, excellent connections to major road and rail networks and the flexibility for both long and short term stays.

Helen Thomas, ABP Head of Property, Wales and Short Sea Ports, said: “ Many businesses in Wales are not aware of the scale of property opportunities, which lie beyond the gates of our ports.

I’d like to say come and talk to us, as we are here to help you find flexible storage, office space and low-cost, low-carbon distribution of your goods locally, nationally and globally.”

With a proven track record of delivering high profile sites, ABP’s dedicated property teams know how to offer the flexibility and responsiveness required to succeed. A recent example of a high profile project is the HMS Cambria campus in Cardiff, which represented an investment of £11 million in Wales.

The state-of-the-art building, which was completed in 2019, was designed to offer a unique combination of land, air and sea capabilities. It uses sustainable systems as well, as it benefits from photovoltaic roof panels and helps improve training and operational efficiency by unifying the separate facilities of the Royal Navy Reserves, Royal Marine Reserves, and University Royal Navy Unit.

Recent ABP property wins in Wales include a new lease with Power Poles Ltd (PPL) in Newport, which will provide secure storage space to support the company’s regional operations and

www.businessnewswales.com

Transport & Logistics

leases with Sinclair Vehicles Storage and Appliances Online. In Cardiff, ABP has recently signed agreements with leading Welsh aggregate supplier, Stone Supplies, fuel supplier Greenergy and international tyre dealer Kal Tire.

New leases have also been agreed with JD Marine and Wernick Group at the Port of Swansea. What all of these examples highlight, is the great range of businesses which find the land and facilities they need at our port locations.

Above all, we can help find ways of avoiding supply chain disruption, which is of course more vital than ever with the current challenges presented by the pandemic.

Whilst the current pandemic has undoubtedly affected businesses across the globe, fortunately the industrial property market in Wales has proved to be very resilient. According to research recently conducted by our property agents, Cushman & Wakefield, in Q3 of 2020, the demand for UK logistics and distribution space increased, reaching record levels, as retailers and 3PLs expanded their supply chains in response to the ongoing pandemic.

The firm’s research revealed that the third quarter of the year was the busiest on record with 16 million sq ft of space transacted, nearly double the ten-year average for Q3 of 8 million sq ft. The figures also indicated a further acceleration in demand for logistics and distribution space to keep pace with the boom in e-commerce. In total, e-commerce has accounted for 40% of take-up so far this year – an all-time high – with related sectors including meal kit operators, parcel delivery and fulfilment companies also expanding.

The data also highlighted that commercial property take-up in the UK this year has already outstripped the full-year take-up for 2019 of 33.2 million sq ft, with 2020 on course to set a record for take-up. In South Wales, take-up of all sizes reached 504,000 sq ft in the third quarter of the year.

ABP is committed to the continuous improvement of its facilities and as part of this the company is currently exploring the option of conducting master planning exercises in Wales, so that it can apply the lessons it has learned from similar analysis in other regions such as the Humber and create long-lasting economic benefits in the region.

We also believe that master planning will help provide a road map for all future development decisions at our Welsh ports, by identifying commercial opportunities. As part of this we will work closely with government and regional partners in order to make sure we can boost the long-term prosperity of the region. We look forward to engaging with our neighbours in Wales when we are ready to share more information about our exciting plans.

A further significant future opportunity, which could drive economic prosperity in Wales is the prospect of introducing freeports, which can bring great benefits to coastal communities by attracting new investment, creating new jobs and facilitating global trading opportunities.

In Wales, our ports have the facilities, scale of operations and available land needed to support the establishment and growth of future industries. We are excited about the opportunity to deliver an ambitious freeports bid, as the process for devolved administrations to join the freeports competition develops.

If you are a commercial business, be it a manufacturer or goods distributor, ABP’s property team has the right solution for you and would be delighted to show you around our port estates in Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Barry and Port Talbot.

Around 500 acres of development land are currently still available across Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Barry and Port Talbot, and we encourage business to get in touch and reserve their space.

www.businessnewswales.com 27

Finance & Investment

2000

Dot-com crash

2001 9/11

2005

Survey of Welsh company exits 2000-2019

Credit boom

2007

Peak year for exits

2008

Global banking crisis

2009

‘The Great Recession’

2011

Lowest year for exits

2016

EU referendum

2019

UK leaves European Union 28

Over the two decades, change in ownership has not had a negative impact on the Welsh private sector as over 80% of companies surveyed are still operating in Wales.

Welsh business exits recovered to pre-global banking crisis levels with trade sales and management buy-outs/buy-ins (MBO/MBI) proving to be the most favoured routes.

Twenty one ownership transfers (with individual exit values of over £100m) exceeded £9.8bn in cumulative value, whilst the total estimated value for disclosed deals in the twenty year period surpassed £14.5bn.

Gambit Corporate Finance LLP has compiled and analysed a database of corporate exits involving Welsh companies spanning the first two decades of the 21st Century.

Business exit volumes can be given context by the economic conditions which prevailed during the period under review.

The twenty year horizon saw key economic drivers define the era, globally and in Wales, including the dot-com crash, 9/11, the Great Recession, Eurozone Crisis and Brexit. This survey’s timeframe excludes the Covid-19 pandemic and the UK’s prospective withdrawal from the European Union which will influence business transactions in 2020 and beyond.

Gambit’s database includes transactions with undisclosed values and, where possible, market intelligence or in-house knowledge has been applied. The data has been adjusted to exclude non-indigenous companies (e.g. subsidiaries of overseas companies) and property transactions. Exits comprise of trade sales, buy-in/buyouts and divestment. Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), although not strictly exits, represent a significant change in ownership and have therefore been included in the survey data.

As have delistings which are sale induced outcomes for quoted companies.

Transactions with deal values of over £100 million, albeit limited in number, skew the twenty year trend analysis as twenty one deals have a combined value of over £9.8bn. Most notably, the £2.9bn sale of Hyder Plc assets and the delisting of Gyrus Group Plc which was acquired by Olympus for over £1.1bn.

By removing these outliers, a clearer picture of Welsh corporate exits emerges. Against a backdrop of the Welsh economy recovering from the dot-com crash and 9/11 in the early 2000’s, an economic boom between 2003-07, the subsequent Great Recession and Brexit uncertainty, the overall value of the remaining transactions, equates to over £4.7bn.

The period between 2003-2007 were years of record economic growth globally and in Wales. The average consideration for disclosed deals between 2003-2007 was £10.1m. In the build up to the Great Recession deal volumes and values were trending upwards, peaking in 2007 with 133 reported exits achieving a cumulative total of £748m.

www.businessnewswales.com

Finance & Investment

During the Great Recession 2008-2011, the average year on year fall in deal volumes was c.25% while cumulative deal values fell year on year by c.50%.

Business exits began to recover in 2015, with deal volumes returning to pre-crash levels in 2019, achieving a cumulative disclosed

deal value of £332.6m; as the UK left the EU. Brexit’s influence is visible as cumulative disclosed deal values fell from £374.1m in 2017 to £179.1m in 2018. This is due to an increased volume of MBO/MBI exits while simultaneously higher value trade sale volumes fell.

Gambit’s Notable Welsh Deals

1992

Below is a snapshot of our findings:

70%

28%

1in3

Of business exits were trade sales.

Of exits were in manufacturing sectors.

Exits occurred outside the south eastern region.

>£100m

19%

2007

Twenty one business exits were over £100m.

Increase in the number of deals transacted in 2019 as compared to the beginning of the millennium.

>80%

30%

Of business surveyed are operational and remain in Wales.

Remains the year for the highest number of business exits in Wales.

Fall in the cumulative value of disclosed deals between 2010-19 when compared to the previous decade.

Welsh business exits As expected there is notable disparity across the Welsh regions. During the twenty year period, c.80% of exits occurred in South Wales of which 63% percent were in the south east.

South Wales generated 89% of deal value of over £4.2bn. Notable deals that occurred in this geography included the trade sale of Hyder Plc and the institutional buy-out of PHS Group in 2005 for £732m. The largest exits outside south Wales were the delisting

2000

2010

2015 of Big Food Group Plc which was acquired by an investment consortium in 2004 for £688m and the flotation of Watkin Jones Plc in 2016 for £131m.

Service sector exits exceeded manufacturing business exits which declined in number throughout the period. Around 40% of the total service sector exits by volume took place in the wholesale and retail, business and IT services sub-sectors.

Significant deals included the trade sale of Acano to CISCO Systems in 2015 for £518.9m and the delisting of Peacock Plc in 2005 for

2019

www.businessnewswales.com 29

Finance & Investment Exit volume by region The largest business exit in food and drink was, again, the delisting of Big Food Group Plc which was acquired by an investment consortium in 2004 for £688m, whilst the largest transaction in machinery and equipment was the trade sale of Invertek Drives, also in 2019, for £100m.

£430.8m in a MBO led by Echelon Capital.

Removing deal values of over £100m, business and IT services transactions’ cumulative value was £521.8m and wholesale and retail exits amounted to £485.4m, during the 20 year period.

Manufacturing sub-sectors representation was significantly more widespread with the prevalent sub-sectors being machinery and equipment and food and drink, which accounted for just under 30% of total exits by number of transactions.

15%

North Wales

5%

17%

Central Wales

South west Wales

It is anticipated that the impact of Covid-19 and Brexit could result in more localising of manufacturing which may influence crossborder transactions in years ahead.

Highest cumulative disclosed deal value

Average consideration for disclosed deals

63%

South east Wales

Average number of deals per annum

£748m

£374m

£9.8m

£7.4m

70

67

2000-2009

2010-2019

2000-2009

2010-2019

2000-2009

2010-2019

Total number and value of disclosed deals occurring in Wales below £100m Peak year for exits Global banking crisis Credit boom

140

Number of exits

120 100 80

UK leaves European Union

The Great Recession Dot-com crash 9/11

Eurozone crisis Lowest year for exits

Trump elected

£800m £700m £600m £500m £400m

60

£300m

40

£200m

20

£100m

0

£0m

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 mil GBP No. of Deals

30

www.businessnewswales.com

Finance & Investment Welsh business exits The most popular route to exit over the twenty year period was via a trade sale with 71.4% of shareholders choosing this transfer option. Removing deals over £100m, the average disclosed trade sale was over £11m.

The second most prevalent route to exit was via an MBO/MBI. Excluding deal value above £100m, the average value of an MBO/ MBI transaction was c.£3.4m. Notable MBO/ MBI exits were the MBO of Bluestone Resort Ltd in 2013 for £87m and the MBI of Penn Pharmaceutical Services in 2007 for £67m.

Only 23 flotations have featured during the 21st Century, the largest of which were the IPO of Admiral Group Plc in 2004 for £385.6m followed by the IPO of Watkins Jones in 2016 for £131.3m. Excluding these two IPOs, the average value of Welsh IPOs was over £10.5m. Most notable listings were Diurnal Group Plc in 2016 for £24.8m and Brickability Group Plc in 2019 for £56.7m.

Meanwhile, four delistings took place with an average value of £44.4m including BBI Holdings in 2007, privatised by the US based Inverness Medical Innovations for £73.5m and 3M’s acquisition of Biotrace International in 2006 for £57.8m.

UK bidders comprised 77% of transaction acquirors with Welsh purchasers accounting for 46% of this percentage. The high proportion of Welsh acquirors can be attributed to the commensurate levels of MBO/MBI exits.

Overseas purchasers accounted for 15% of total successful bidders while 8% were not disclosed.

During 2000-2009, 55% of exits involved businesses that were less than ten years old which dropped to 43% in the following decade. This was symptomatic of the lack of available liquidity during the deep recession and the uncertainty around Brexit. Whilst companies of all ages were exited throughout the period, 35% of businesses had existed for between ten to twenty five years.

According to the latest data, in 2019, the average age of shareholders exiting via trade sale was 57 whereas by MBO/MBI the age was slightly higher at 60. Overall, the average age of shareholders exiting was 58.

The age of shareholders at exit has been increasing over the past decade as economic uncertainty and availability of finance, has resulted in exits being delayed while shareholders grow older.

A review of the current ownership of exited companies over the twenty year period reveals that out of over 1,400 exits that have been collated and analysed, over 80% of the acquired companies still remain active in Wales, dismissing the notion that change of ownership has a negative impact on the Welsh private sector. Change of ownership for succession, new management and corporate longevity are indicative of a healthy and stable business sector.

This is our fourth publication on the ‘Survey of Welsh Company Exits’ which looks to examine changes of ownership in Wales.

Looking forward, the Welsh private sector has to overcome the challenges of leaving the EU, Covid-19 pandemic and adapting to a ‘new normal’.

The impact that Covid-19 had on Welsh business exits in the first half of 2020 was stark. Reported transactions have fallen dramatically as the country went into lockdown in late March 2020 and exits were delayed or put on hold.

In the second half of 2020, it is uncertain how business exit values and volumes will recover, if at all, from the continued impact of the pandemic. The anticipated changes to Capital Gains Tax has the potential to encourage shareholders to exit, however these are likely to be concentrated in sectors that have been shielded from the stringent lockdown measures.

Brexit uncertainty will continue to persist, peaking in Q4 2020, as the UK completes its own transfer out of the European Union.

This may encourage overseas acquirors seeking to gain access to the UK market at favourable exchange rates for quality assets or distressed company acquisitions.

Total number of exits by transaction type

120 100

Number of exits

Looking forward

80

Trade Sale MBO/MBI IBO/LBO Flotation Delisting

60 40 20 0

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

J. Frank Holmes

Partner

jfrank.holmes@gambitcf.com T: +44 (0) 845 643 5500 M: +44 (0) 789 992 8029

Gambit Corporate Finance London Office

23 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6HE

Cardiff Office

3 Assembly Square, Britannia Quay, Cardiff, CF10 4PL

This bulletin is not an offer to sell or solicit an offer to buy any security. It is not intended to be directed to investors for making an investment decision. This bulletin does not rate or recommend securities of individual companies, nor does it contain sufficient information upon which to make an investment decision. The information provided in this bulletin was obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. It is not to be construed as legal, accounting, financial or investment advice. Information, opinions and estimates reflect Gambit Corporate Finance LLP’s judgement as of the date of publication and are subject to change without notice. Gambit Corporate Finance LLP undertakes no obligation to notify any recipient of this bulletin of any such change. This bulletin is not directed to, or intended for distribution to, any person in any jurisdiction where such distribution would be contrary to law or regulation, or which would subject Gambit Corporate Finance LLP to licensing or registration requirements in such jurisdiction.

www.businessnewswales.com 31

Creative Industries

The Welsh Creativescape: a growing global force delivering world-class productions, training and careers News that the National Film & Television School (NFTS) is establishing a national hub in Wales, located at BBC Cymru Wales’ new HQ at Central Square in the centre of Cardiff, confirmed the status of Wales’ Creative Cluster as a serious destination for (and producer of) world-class creative talent.

For nearly half a century, the charitable status NFTS has developed some of the UK and the world’s leading creative talent - many with their roots here in Wales. Its alumni have gone on to win 13 Oscars and 145 BAFTAs with graduates including double Oscar winning cinematographer Roger Deakins (1917), creator of global Netflix hit Sex Education, Laurie Nunn and BAFTA winning director Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here).

“ The creative and media industries contribute £361 million to the Cardiff Capital Region alone” The NFTS joins a media and creative sector that’s become an indispensable part of

the future economy, with more than 1,300 firms employing over 5,000 people and contributing about £361 million GVA to the Cardiff Capital Region alone.

As well as backing from BBC Wales, the new hub has secured investment from the Welsh Government's creative industry support body, Creative Wales - and will focus its activity on supporting very recent graduates to acquire the skills required to either pursue postgraduate study or to successfully transition into the creative industries.

“ A new national training centre to support emerging talent and strengthen skills development” The new national training centre for Wales will also support emerging talent, as well as strengthen skills development - becoming operational in April 2021 with enrolment for the first intake of courses starting in the summer. It is expected to work with around 400 young people per year when at full capacity. Courses covered will include

production accounting, script editing and factual development, with Jon Wardle, NFTS director, enthusing: “We are thrilled to announce our expansion into Wales. The success of our other hubs, NFTS Scotland and NFTS Leeds have clearly demonstrated the demand for bespoke training and education in the nations and regions.

“ The Welsh creative industries are thriving and this will provide students with a clear pathway to jobs.” “ With the creative industries across Wales thriving, as the UK’s National Film and Television School a key part of our strategy is to support the growth of film and television production outside of London.

NFTS Wales will actively seek out and develop Welsh talent and provide students with a clear pathway into jobs within the industry.”

The Creative Industries in Wales are receiving significant support right now, with BBC Three partnering both BBC Wales and Creative Wales in a new collaboration designed to discover fresh and innovative programme formats. The partnership will invite independent production companies based in Wales to pitch new ideas for programmes that reflect the life experiences of 16-24 year olds.

“ This is a golden moment for creative and media industries in Wales” Indeed, this is a ‘golden moment’ for the creative and media industries in Wales. We’re enjoying high-profile and conspicuous growth, creating a raft of successful media productions for international audiences (think Dr Who,

32

www.businessnewswales.com

Creative Industries

Sherlock, Discovery of Witches, His Dark Materials, Hinterland and Hidden) highlighting the huge potential ready to be unleashed by Clwstwr, the first UKRI and Welsh Government funded programme to systematically expand R&D capacity in the Welsh media sector, already funding over 60 R&D projects with Welsh companies to date.

All of these fantastic developments are building on the strong foundations built on the decades-long work put in to establishing the credibility of Welsh Creative expertise – championed through the inspired effort of many different organisations, such as Creative Wales and Screen Alliance Wales.

“ Screen Alliance Wales has opened eyes and minds to a wide variety of creative careers, to over 10,000 people” Since 2018, Screen Alliance Wales (SAW) has engaged with over 10,000 people throughout Wales to help open their eyes and minds about the wide variety of careers available across the Creativescape. The fruit of this includes 46 SAW Trainees, 204 Work Shadowing Placements, 2567 visitors to studios and 7821 people communicating about careers in the Film and TV Industry, through the SAW outreach programmes.

SAW is a not for profit organisation for the whole of Wales created through Bad Wolf’s corporate commitment to building a sustainable workforce for the ever-growing Film and TV industry in Wales. Their aim is to find, nurture and promote the talent, crew and services of this industry in Wales offering everything from paid Traineeships, bi-lingual online courses and virtual masterclasses to a Jobs Portal for vacancies.

Making the creative sector an inclusive employer is a huge part of SAW’s work – establishing close links with local communities and the Cardiff Commitment to support the vision that the public, private and third sectors can work in partnership with schools and education providers - connecting children and young people to the vast range of opportunities available in the world of work.

“ Creative Wales is here to capitalise on both the economic and cultural benefits brought by the creative industries.”

2020 saw the launch of Creative Wales, offering a streamlined, dynamic and innovative service to the creative industries sector, directly aligned to the needs of the whole industry. Establishing such an organisation speaks volumes for the importance of developing skills in a declared priority sector - and also

recognises the opportunity to capitalise on both the economic and cultural benefits that this dynamic industry delivers. The timing could not have been better, as the shock of Covid felt across the industry saw Creative Wales step in to deliver an £18m emergency fund for the culture, creative and sport sectors in Wales.

Looking forward, the Creative Wales focus on a more targeted regional and sub-sector will develop the right skills to support continued growth - recognising that this cannot be done in isolation and will require closer working with industry and trade union partners. Raising standards… promoting diversity and inclusion… championing fair pay and exemplary working practices…taking a lead role in the marketing and promotion of the Creative Wales brand…everything points to a strong performing future for the Creativescape across Wales.

With so much positive development going on despite the pandemic impact, let’s enjoy the Welsh Creativescape as it delivers extraordinary work and grows outstanding talent in 2021…

www.businessnewswales.com 33

Skills & Training

Six Key Questions:

Apprenticeships, a genius decision Apprenticeships expert answers your key questions on recruiting an apprentice Apprenticeships Programme Development Manager Catherine Morris-Roberts, at the National Training Federation for Wales, speaks to us about apprenticeships, the countless benefits of recruiting an apprentice and tackles some of the most common questions she’s been asked by businesses in Wales.

Why choose an apprenticeship?

There are so many benefits you can gain from recruiting an apprentice – it doesn’t matter what size or sector your business is in.

If you’re looking to grow a skilled workforce, then apprenticeships are an affordable way to attract fresh talent, hungry to learn and loyal to your business. The Apprenticeship Programme in Wales can also be used to increase the skill levels of your current workforce.

Employers are able to tailor the apprentice’s training so they’re armed with the knowledge and practical skills that will specifically meet the requirements of your business and plug any skills gaps you may have. So, not only will you be ahead of your competitors with the very latest skills, but you’ll also develop a pipeline of talent that could future-proof your business for years to come.

How do I recruit an apprentice?

Catherine Morris-Roberts Development Manager, National Training Federation for Wales

34

You will be provided with as much support as you need throughout the recruitment process, so if you’ve never recruited an apprentice before you shouldn’t let this deter you. First, you’ll need to complete a simple Expression of Interest Form on the Skills Gateway for Business website. An Employer Engagement Adviser will then contact you to talk through the different apprenticeship routes and levels available so you can choose the right option for your business.

Alternatively, if you are already engaged with a training provider, you can speak with them directly.

The Welsh Government has an Apprenticeship Vacancy Service that allows

you to advertise your apprenticeship opportunities to potential candidates and access a wide pool of talent.

There is also support available through training providers and Business Wales to help employers write job descriptions, contracts of employment and company policies if needed. We can also refer employers who require support with HR to one of the regionally based Business Wales HR Advisers.

What is expected from me throughout the Apprenticeship Programme?

Once you’ve decided on which apprenticeship route you want to undertake an advisor will let you know which training providers can support the delivery of your provision and you can choose which one you’d like to work with.

Your training provider will work with you to develop a personalised Training Programme for your apprentice that supports your specific business needs, as well as managing your apprentice’s training and assessment.

You will need to assign a mentor within your organisation to support your apprentice’s training and progression. This is a brilliant opportunity to pass on existing skills and knowledge from experts in the field.

What are the costs involved?

The Welsh Government is currently offering businesses an incentive payment of up to £3,000 for each apprentice they recruit until February 28, so now is a great time to take

www.businessnewswales.com

Skills & Training

on an apprentice. Most of the training costs are covered by the Welsh Government, though you’ll need to cover the wage of the apprentice, as you would with any employee.

Can you tell us more about the apprenticeship incentives?

You could receive up to £3,000 for each new apprentice you take on, depending on their age and their number of contracted hours.

Employers who recruit apprentices with a disability can receive up to £1,500 while those employers who choose to recruit an apprentice made redundant could receive up to £2,600. Visit the Skills Gateway for Business for more information about this funding.

Companies who have needed to furlough staff and make use of the Job Retention Scheme meanwhile have been able to do the same with their apprentices as they qualify as employees. But most furloughed apprentices have been able to continue to make progress with their Apprenticeship Programme as training providers quickly moved their delivery online.

Make a genius decision and find out more about the Apprenticeship Programme in Wales, visit: www.gov.wales/apprenticeships wales

How has the coronavirus pandemic affected apprenticeships?

Businesses are still able to recruit new apprentices during the pandemic, training providers will need to do a health and safety review of the workplace and as long as your business operations are Covid secure training programmes can go ahead.

Whilst the pandemic has undoubtedly affected businesses and the recruitment of all sectors in Wales, the apprenticeships team are currently seeing an increase in demand for apprenticeships, receiving more and more leads every week.

www.businessnewswales.com 35

RECRIWTIWCH BRENTIS DEWIS DOETH Fe gewch dalent newydd sy’n llawn cymhelliant ac yn awyddus i ddysgu, a gallech gael hyd at dair mil o bunnoedd hefyd i’ch cefnogi.

Mae hyn yn ffordd gost-effeithiol o gryfhau eich busnes.

Chwiliwch Prentisiaethau yng Nghymru neu ffoniwch 03000 6 03000

RECRUIT AN APPRENTICE A GENIUS DECISION You’ll get fresh, motivated talent, hungry to learn and you could receive up to three thousand pound in support.

Making this a cost-effective way to strengthen your business.

Search Apprenticeships Wales Genius Decision or call 03000 6 03000

36

www.businessnewswales.com

Skills & Training

The Cardiff Capital Region Skills Partnership:

An extraordinary year of remarkable challenges and encouraging progress 2020 has been a year like no other.

And Leigh Hughes, the Chair of the Regional Skills Partnership, shares with us his own perspective on how the RSP has connected, collaborated and coordinated throughout the ‘Covid Economy’, to help drive the upskilling and reskilling of South East Wales...

“ We’re still on course to deliver our Three-Year Priority Sector Plan." “ The remarkable truth is that we’re still on a positive path to deliver our three-year Priority Sector Plan” says Leigh. “And that’s down to a huge effort from FE and HE, from employers and Government, from funding organisations and training providers - all of whom have shown an incredible appetite to adapt and innovate at pace and with real agility.” “ In fact, the overwhelming feedback from organisations of all sizes is that they see the Covid effect as a short-term thing. There’s a real positivity in the messaging that a vaccine should arrive by the spring, and while many companies are still in a ‘survival mode’, we’re also seeing a strong focus on business planning and business continuity.”

“ Every sector and every company is experiencing different challenges - and different opportunities."

Leigh points out that a pandemic-hit South East Wales paints a complex picture, with the local economy characterised by a huge diversity of companies, each affected in different ways.

Leigh Hughes Chair of the Regional Skills Partnership, Cardiff Capital Region

“ Aviation and Automotive have clearly seen downturns, as flights and car sales have slowed to the minimum and the short-term conditions for those key markets are still

unclear. Hospitality, obviously, has probably been hit hardest of all, so I’m relieved that we’ve been able to launch our Hospitality Forum, which at least gives this vital industry a voice in these worrying times.”

On a more positive note, some sectors have been stable - and many have even enjoyed significant growth: “ Food, Pharmacy and Engineering have all held up well; and the need for more Social Care has seen huge opportunities open up in that area. Construction, especially in the house-building market, has also continued to expand, though Brexit may affect growth in that industry.”

“ There’s a real upside in the number of companies who have transformed in this period."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the fast-growing sunrise economy in South East Wales has provided some of the most impressive performances: “ The Compound Semiconductor ecosystem based around Newport has seen demand soar as the need for greater connectivity and bandwidth continues to rocket. In fact, some companies in that cluster have even reported record quarters” says Leigh. “And the feedback from the Cybersecurity and FinTech companies in our region is equally encouraging."

www.businessnewswales.com 37

Skills & Training

Leigh is also keen to applaud the spirit of innovation and adaptation that’s been shown by employers who have reskilled and upskilled in 2020. “ We’ve seen Gin & Whisky manufacturers becoming producers of hand sanitizer, the Royal Mint diversify to become a provider to the NHS; and engineering firms transform into world-leading PPE providers. That takes resilience, collaboration and a belief in the capabilities of people to grow new skills.

Those are all the things we’ve been working hard to help facilitate, fund and embed.”

“ Our remit has now moved far more towards identifying areas for transferable skills, early and expertly."

Much of the work of the Regional Skills Partnership is largely ‘under the surface’, so how would Leigh characterise the workload over the past quarter? “ In many ways we’re the glue in the design, development and structuring of skills programmes, as well as helping decide where those programmes should be located. So

38

our bandwidth in 2020 has grown into a much larger remit to cater for transferable skills. Early identification is a key part of this, so the work we’re doing every day with colleges, companies, funding organisations and training providers is absolutely vital right now. “ There’s an array of programmes and initiatives out there. So we make sure companies get connected with the programme that’s right for them. It could be a programme funded by the Local Authority, the Welsh Government, the EU or the Department of Work & Pensions. The diverse expertise of our Board means we can give the best advice and guidance; and help make it happen.”

“ Our data is helping us get ahead of the curve on predicting the future industrial landscape - and the talentscape it needs."

“ Our 3 year plan is about future proofing South East Wales, looking at the emerging industrial landscape, identifying the talentscape it will need - and working to get ahead of this curve.” “ Our Data Capture is much more robust now and we’re finding that the continuous communication with employers to understand the gaps they have, and the skills they need, is proving very valuable.

It’s bringing both sector resilience and also enabling our Board to understand how our regional trends fit into a global perspective, so we can help facilitate further inward investment. That’s what collaboration is all about: continually looking at the 3 year plan, having the agility to secure the right interventions, to get the funds to meet the skilling needs of the Regional Economic Growth Partnership. One thing is for sure: if we continue to work together, we’ll get through this in the best possible way; and we’ll realise our vision set out in our Skills Partnership plan.”

‘Data’ is a recurring theme in Leigh’s assessment of how the Regional Skills Partnership is helping develop success across many sectors.

www.businessnewswales.com

Leadership

2020 has been a year of unprecedented challenge for Welsh businesses It may be clichéd, but it is also true to say that 2020 has been a year of unprecedented challenge for Welsh businesses.

Firms recognise the need to prioritise health as the pandemic enters its second wave, however, the Welsh economy was already struggling before Covid-19 hit, and now every single bit of growth matters for people’s jobs and livelihoods.

That is why, earlier this year, CBI Wales laid out an ambitious, health-first, recovery plan to help secure a sustainable future for the economy, focused on: • M aking job creation, skills training and opportunities, especially for young people, the top priority.

• I nvesting in the green economy to create new jobs, investment and a more sustainable future.

Ian Price Wales Director, CBI

• K ick starting demand to boost competitiveness.

These proposals will help to prevent the scarring impact of unemployment, as well as creating the conditions for business investment to bounce back, creating the jobs of the future and addressing Wales’ poor productivity performance.

There are undoubtedly challenges ahead with the cumulative impact of coronavirus’s continued presence, and ongoing uncertainty around Brexit suggesting a difficult winter to come. However, it is important to bear in mind that the challenges from the past year have not been without positives.

Welsh businesses have demonstrated their adaptability and resilience, navigating an extraordinary pace and scale of change.

Business and government have found new, innovative ways to work together in supporting Wales’ economic recovery. There has also been a nimbleness of response from government and a willingness to provide forward guidance in an effort to avoid

the additional stress and uncertainty which results when firms are left at the eleventh hour, struggling to work out if and how they can open.

There are further grounds for hope on the horizon, with the piloting of mass rapid testing beginning in Merthyr Tydfil.

Mass testing is an area where businesses stand ready to assist and could help keep the economy open until a vaccine is delivered.

Whilst many businesses are understandably focused on survival, harnessing the hard won skills and collaboration from 2020 will allow them to salvage the best from a bad year in the short term, and in the long term will allow businesses, and the Welsh economy to thrive.

www.businessnewswales.com 39

Leadership

Empowering entrepreneurs through the pandemic and beyond…

Lockdown might not seem like the best time to launch a business, but as Gordon Merrylees, Managing Director of Entrepreneurship at NatWest explains, there are plenty of people across Wales with a very different mindset.

“Wales is bursting with talent,” buzzes Gordon Merrylees, the man in charge of NatWest’s support of entrepreneurs throughout the UK. “And we want to help that talent succeed.”

It’s hard not to be inspired by his passion.

Every word is enthused with an excitement and devotion to helping aspiring entrepreneurs and those who want to grow their business.

Gordon began his senior career with NatWest back in 2006, just before the financial crisis.

Since then he’s seen periods of recession and growth, yet throughout both the shining light of entrepreneurism has always shone brightly he says.

Gordon Merrylees Managing Director of Entrepreneurship, NatWest

40

And that’s no truer than here in Wales. “ The numbers of successful entrepreneurs from across Wales that have come through

the doors of our accelerator programme in Cardiff underlines the entrepreneurial spirt here,” he explains. “These are businesses that are achieving success on a global level generating significant amounts of investment and providing real employment opportunities.

“These are businesses that are achieving success on a global level generating significant amounts of investment and providing real employment opportunities."

www.businessnewswales.com

Leadership

“ The trait that unites all of these businesses is their ‘growth mindset’, which is something we try to in instil into entrepreneurs as part of our accelerator programme.

initiative focused on developing transferrable entrepreneurial skills in 16 to 18-year-olds.

Wales’ green economy is up there too as a priority as Gordon explains.

“ Entrepreneurs with a growth mindset will always find a way of being relevant; looking at the business model, pivoting, understanding new markets, entering new markets and finding opportunities even during difficult times. This mindset has never been more important than today.

“ We really want to get behind greener businesses with our digital climate accelerator programme, which we launched earlier in the year. It’s our ambition as a bank to try and address the climate challenge and this programme is designed to help climate focused businesses to grow and scale.

“ The economy has bounced back 18 percent in the last few months – things still aren’t easy, far from it, but I think we will continue to see more and more start-ups in 2021, particularly here in Wales.”

“ We achieve this through specialist one-toone mentoring, group workshops, access to specialist networks and supply chains including those in the climate sector, as well as support from NatWest’s national programme partners. We’ve already welcomed nearly 300 carbon neutral or carbon negative businesses onto the programme, which is a wonderful start.

In true entrepreneurial style NatWest pivoted its accelerator programme from physical to digital to continue supporting entrepreneurs during the pandemic. Since 2018 it has supported over 3,000 entrepreneurs across the UK and the switch to digital has allowed it to reach even more start-up and scale-up businesses. “ We’ve run 900 digital events over the last 10 months to nearly 40,000 attendees. It’s a huge number,” reveals Gordon.

" Ultimately our work isn’t about NatWest, it’s about the people, communities and businesses that are at the heart of where we live. That is why we are a purpose-led bank, and why our purpose drives everything that we do."

To find out more about NatWest’s support of entrepreneurs visit: www.business.natwest.com/ business/business-services/ entrepreneur-accelerator.html

“Ultimately our work isn’t about NatWest; It’s about the people, communities and businesses that are at the heart of where we live. That is why we are a purpose-led bank, and why our purpose drives everything that we do.”

“ The impact this has had in terms of empowering entrepreneurs is just incredible. We’ve provided around 7,000 hours of coaching in this time giving wrap around support, so entrepreneurs have the help they need at every stage of the business. “ Adapting our support digitally is allowing us to reach new audiences. Our Business Builder online platform is a great example of this. It’s a portal that allows entrepreneurs to discuss, test, validate and grow their business providing them with access to the communities and supply chains they need to be a success.

Since we launched Business Builder earlier this year, we’ve seen nearly 12,000 people register. It’s the kind of numbers that I find truly inspirational because it defines the talent that is out there.”

Tomorrow’s next generation of Welsh entrepreneurs are just as important to NatWest, which is why the bank earlier this year launched Dream Bigger, a fully funded

www.businessnewswales.com 41

Leadership

Bridging the women entrepreneur gap Wales boasts some of the UK’s most famous women entrepreneurs.

From Harley Parsons to Laura Tenison there’s an abundance of talent, but the numbers still don’t stack up when measured against men. Business News Wales spoke to Cheryl Gourlay, NatWest National Women in Business Manager, to find out why and what can be done.

What are the biggest barriers stopping more women from starting their own business?

The single biggest issue holding female entrepreneurs back is the lack of funding directed towards them. This was one of the key findings from last year’s Rose Review into female entrepreneurship led by our CEO Alison Rose.

Cheryl Gourlay

The fact is that female-led businesses receive less funding than those headed by men at every stage of their journey. Women launch businesses with 53% less capital on average than men, are less aware of funding options and are less likely to take on debt. Often this can be down to simply a lack of confidence. We know that women will typically ask for less money to launch or fund their business with compared to men regardless of how good their venture is.

NatWest National Women in Business Manager

Sadly, primary care responsibilities are still holding women back too

42

and this is something that has regrettably been magnified during lockdown with the crisis having a disproportionate impact on women. Not only do they make up the majority of key workers, their businesses are often in sectors that might see a greater impact of coronavirus. Accommodation, food services and retail sectors, among others, have all been adversely impacted by consumer spending power and changed preferences.

And finally access to relatable mentors and role models. This was again a prevalent finding from the Rose Review and our continued work as a bank. It is vital women have access to mentors they can relate to and often that isn’t a millionaire business woman, but someone who has just found success and is earning a comfortable living.

So what is NatWest doing to address these challenges?

We’ve set a challenge of supporting the launch of 50,000 new businesses by 2023 and 60% of these being led by women.

Empowering more women to follow their dreams into entrepreneurship is a huge part of purpose, which drives us every day. To support this target, we announced at the start of the year £1bn in debt funding as part of our commitment to help create new businesses in the UK

and have followed that up with several other initiatives to help women better succeed in business.

We have over 600 Accredited Women in Business Specialists, over 25 of whom are based in Wales, who are able to provide tangible support to women and their businesses. This has such a positive impact – both for those looking to start a business, or scale one.

Our entrepreneur accelerator programme is available too and we’re really proud of the fact that nearly 50% of people on the programme are women.

And we’re reaching younger women with initiatives like Dream Bigger, as well as evolving our opportunities through the launch of new projects like Be The Business, a partnership which aims to address the lack of relatable role models available to women.

We don’t have all the answers though, which is why we have been providing grants of up to £30,000 to organisations throughout the UK to run their own projects to support more women launch their own business. In Wales we’ve been working with Chwarae Teg and Simply Do on their Future Female Founders project, which has been hugely successful in supporting more women to launch their own business.

Who are the shining lights in Wales when it comes to women entrepreneurs?

www.businessnewswales.com

Leadership There are so many that we’ve seen excel through our work in Wales. All of them make me so proud and they have achieved so much, but two standouts would be Ceri Gillett, CEO of Mubo, and Sarah John, founder of Boss Brewing.

Ceri is a really inspirational speaker and has supported many of the events we’ve held across Wales empowering women in business. Mubo is a great company that shares a similar vision. As a social enterprise it helps parents start and scale brilliant businesses via a five-week start-up course, as well as community groups made-up of likeminded people.

Similarly, Sarah John at Boss Brewing, just shines with the glow of a successful entrepreneur. She was bold and took the step of launching her own brewery in a male dominated industry and what a success she’s been. She’s part of our Accelerator Programme in Cardiff and her success is inspirational stuff. Even in a pandemic she’s been working to achieve success, pivoting her product to a subscription box service with great results.

Why is it so important to NatWest that you support more women in business?

That’s a great question. It would be easy to think we’re just another high street bank trying to win some brownie points by doing something good, but it is so much more to us than that.

We’re driven by our purpose, and our purpose is to champion potential, helping people, families and businesses to thrive. It’s this purpose that resonates throughout the bank all the way to the very top. Our values are important to everyone who works for NatWest and inspire us to help the customers we serve. By empowering more women to launch their own business great things can happen – both to the women taking that amazing first step to start a venture and to the communities those businesses will become a part of. That’s what inspires us and that is why it is so important to NatWest that we support more women in business.

Business News Wales talks to…

Ron Moody CEO, Connect Assist Tell us about your business and what you do?

Connect Assist is a specialist 24 x 7 contact centre handling helplines for charities, public sector and socially focussed organisations.

Established in 2006 and based in South Wales, the business operates three contact centres employing 400 amazing people. We complement the helplines with technologies that deliver holistic omni-channel experiences.

2020 has been what I call ‘the year of the pivot’. Our business has coped well despite the chaotic state of the markets and the economy. We’ve grown during Covid and created over 100 more jobs (much needed in the local community). Our key focus has been supporting our staff to cope with isolated home working and also supporting our clients; it’s definitely been a year where contract terms get set aside and we have taken a longer term view of ensuring our clients are ok and supported.

What makes your company different from your competitors?

What’s it like being an entrepreneur in Wales?

Our culture, values and ethics are, we believe, our point of difference. We employ all of our staff on a permanent basis (no zero hours or temp contracts). Our advisors deliver nonscripted emphatic engagement with the goal of making a positive human outcome.

We care deeply about doing business responsibly and that means looking after the environment, the local community, our people, our clients and also looking after our suppliers by paying them on time and sourcing local, ethical suppliers.

Is it any different from England, Scotland or Northern Ireland? Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely role! Wales has some great networks, events and support. Getting involved with other businesses is of great value giving me time out of the business to share and learn with other entrepreneurs.

What have been the highs and lows of your entrepreneurial journey so far?

The highs have been seeing the business and our people grow and develop. It never ceases to amaze me how individuals step beyond their perceived capability. It’s been important to create and maintain a culture that says ‘it’s ok to make a mistake, the value of the learning has to be greater than the cost of the mistake’ and that has paid dividends for us. The lows for me (and the business) has been me getting drawn into the weeds too much. Sometimes its needed but often I have allowed myself to get too involved.

Where do you see your businesses in five years’ time?

Since I did an MBO in 2017, we have more than doubled the business. Our goal is to do that again and create many more jobs in our community as well as attracting more clients.

We will want to see many of today’s talented staff in more senior roles in five years’ time and that will be one of the greatest things I will look back on.

If you could travel back in time to when you started your business, what one piece of advice would you give yourself?

Work on the business, not in it!

Connect Assist is part of the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator Programme in Wales.

How challenging has 2020 been for your businesses and how have you adapted to find success?

www.businessnewswales.com 43 43

Thought Leadership

We have

property available

ABP – meeting your requirements across South Wales

Design & Build

Offices

Cargo Handling

Storage Yards

Industrial Units

Development Land

Our friendly team is on hand to meet all your property needs.

You can reach them at propertysolutions@abports.co.uk

Helen Thomas

Jeff Gibb

Haydn Dawson

Byron Lewis

Liam Slater

Sophie Bowyer

Our agents:

property.abports.co.uk Delivering Property Solutions

Chris Yates chris.yates@cushwake.com

Rob Ladd rob.ladd@cushwake.com

Leadership

The IoD looks forward to 2021 with hope and pride Robert Lloyd Griffiths OBE

National Director of the IoD in Wales and the South West

2020 has been an incredibly difficult and challenging year for us all but as we look forward to 2021, we should have hope that life will get easier and be proud of all that we have achieved this year.

Covid-19 has taught us that we can work together and that we can support each other during some of the darkest times that our country has ever experienced.

We’ve lost lives and livelihoods but we cannot give up hope.

We’ve learnt the true value of friendships, we’ve helped each other in business and we’ve all done our bit to support our local communities. We’ve worked together to nurture goodwill, foster good relations and overcome unprecedented times with resilience and courage.

The power of digital communication has come to the fore; binding us together and maintaining our networks but traditional print has played its part too. We’ve got time to read, we’re interested in what others have to say and we take comfort from the support mechanisms around us.

That’s why I was keen to support this new magazine from the team at Business News Wales. From Caernarfon to Carmarthen, it gives us an exciting new opportunity to share information and celebrate our successes.

I know that members of the IoD value the great support network that we have here in Wales. From Business Wales to other

membership organisations like CBI Wales, FSB and the Chamber of Commerce, we are all working hard to support economic growth and prosperity.

Ever since its formation in 1903, the IoD has been at the forefront of British business. The Royal Charter, received just three years later, charged the IoD with promoting free enterprise, lobbying government on behalf of our members and setting standards for corporate governance in the UK. The IoD has always spoken its mind, without fear or favour. Sometimes that has meant saying things political leaders do not want to hear; at others, it has meant criticising leading companies or businesspeople whose actions may be damaging the reputation of entrepreneurialism.

We have hosted first ministers, prime ministers and presidents, royals and raconteurs, artists and adventurers. But, as history, now well into its second century, demonstrates, we have always done so with the best interests of British business in mind.

Who knows what 2021 will bring but I do know that as the organisation for Directors, we will continue to represent the views of our members at both a local and national level. We’ll continue to make sure our voice is heard; particularly when governments are reviewing policy, legislation or seeking the opinions of the wider business community.

Our members will continue to access business information, training, professional expertise, networking opportunities and flexible working spaces. Importantly, our renowned Chartered Director qualification and training portfolio will provide business leaders with the platform to hone their skill set and reach their full potential as a business leader.

There is little telling what the coming years will hold for UK business. However there is one certainty - the IoD will maintain an unwavering commitment to support our members, encourage entrepreneurial activity and promote responsible business practice for the benefit of our members and the business community as a whole.

Better directors make better business If you'd like more information about IoD membership and how it can help you and your business, then please contact: Simon Williams simon.williams@iod.com Membership prices start from just £35.00 per month to include:

• O pportunity to connect with over 25,000 members across the UK and overseas • 5 2 visits per year to our 18 premises across the UK, including our prestigious headquarters at 116 Pall Mall, all of which are designed for meetings and networking • A ccess to a wide range of open courses and qualifications including Chartered Director - the only director qualification awarded under Royal Charter • 2 5 enquiries per year to the IoD Business Information Service • 4 sessions per year with the Directors' Advisory Service for independent and confidential business advice from a specialist • 2 5 calls per year to our expert legal and tax helplines • A ccess to the physical business library in 116 Pall Mall and our online library of guides, research and reports • A ccess to our Policy Unit and Policy Voice to enable to you make your voice heard on key business issues • A ccess to a range of essential products and services handpicked for you including insurance, car rental, health plans and more.

www.businessnewswales.com 45

Leadership

Employee ownership set to grow sustainability in 2021 With Wales and the wider UK adjusting to economic shifts brought about by the Covid pandemic, many business experts are increasingly making the case for Employee Ownership and how it will bring about greater businesses resilience and wider economic stability in the long-term.

This year has already seen the Employee Ownership model being adopted by a growing number of firms in Wales including BIC Innovation, Wavehill Research, Heron House Financial Management, Lorax Ltd (Heinie Haynes) and Arfon Timber.

They were all guided by the Employee Ownership Wales team at Social Business Wales, which provides fully-funded advice for the whole EO journey and has guided more than 50 businesses through the process.

workforce. Employee Ownership provides just that, meaning it will undoubtedly become even more prevalent as the Welsh economy is reset to ensure it's fit for purpose and resilient.”

There are different levels and styles of Employee Ownership, from share options to selected members of staff to the employees or a trust owning 100 per cent of the company. Most Employee Ownership arrangements see more than 50 per cent of a company’s shares transferred to the staff, typically done by an entrepreneur or family-owned businesses. The Employee Ownership model also attracts strong tax benefits.

Huw Watkins, a founding director from Bic Innovation, a business management consultancy based in Pencoed, echoes a number of Welsh firms when he talks about his motivation for taking the EO route. He said:

“ We didn’t want to see the business being taken over by somebody from outside and we felt a hybrid Employee Owned structure lent itself very well to anchor the business in Wales and to create an opportunity for the staff to take a more active role in the future direction of the business.”

Paul Cantrill from Employee Ownership Wales said: “ With the long-term repercussions of the Covid-19 crisis playing out in our boardrooms and regional economies, firms in Wales are focused upon building back better. The Employee Ownership model lends itself to this. “ The impact of coronavirus has exposed the need for businesses to take a long hard look at their structures and practices, to ensure they are more resilient and working as efficiently and as smartly as possible, and that they have a business model that protects their firms and their

46

www.businessnewswales.com

Leadership

And, he said, the benefits are not simply financial.

“ An EO structure aligns with our values and it has created an ethos where we want to achieve more together. It has created something quite special - a level of belonging and a platform for people to increase their involvement in the business. in Wales, given the scenario we find ourselves at the moment, I think we will see more companies explore the possibilities and consider what options might work for them.”

Saran Allot-Davey, Founder Director of Newport’s Heron House Financial Management, said keeping the firm locally rooted was a key driver on their EO journey too:

“ We see many organisations in our sector selling out to big corporates, but we feel that wealth management and financial planning is done best on a very personal basis by organisations of our size - we have 15 to 20 staff at any one time. “ We wanted to make sure Heron House Financial Management could continue running in its current format for the very long-term, so we felt that creating a really good management team was the best way of doing that. But because the company has a decent amount of value in it, it wasn’t practical to simply sell to the management team, and we wanted to involve the whole company. Having built the business up for 25 years and having put heart and soul into it I also wanted to be properly remunerated for selling those shares and EO allows for that, so it feels like a very good place to be.”

ment, productivity, long-term thinking and innovation, thanks to enhanced employee wellbeing. Employee-owned businesses also tend to be more resilient, which stands them in good stead for our post-Covid-19 economy.”

Funded by:

Jane Steen, Marketing Manager at ETL Solutions, said similar motivations underpinned her firm’s EO transition.

“ One of our founders, who is also the majority shareholder in the business, started to think about how he might exit the company eventually. We regularly get approached by venture capitalists interested in buying us, but he felt he wanted to leave more of a legacy rather than just selling to somebody else.”

ETL opted for an EOT, with the trust owning 100 percent of the company on behalf of employees. And a carefully planned handover is allowing the company founders to retain an active role on the board for five years, facilitating a steady exit and transition.

Employee Ownership Wales is a service provided as part of Social Business Wales which is delivered by the Wales Co-operative Centre and funded by the European Regional Development Fund through Welsh Government.

To find out more or to get a free options appraisal visit:

www.employeeownershipwales.co.uk

Paul Cantrill, from Employee Ownership Wales, said:

“ Huw and Saran’s perspective on EO is common. There is a real sense of responsibility toward a local workforce and the local economy of a potential sale. And, as they have both found, EO drives engage-

www.businessnewswales.com 47

Leadership

Realising the PwC vision for progressive, inclusive change across Wales It’s not often that professional life delivers “the dream job”. But that’s the heartfelt phrase used by JohnPaul Barker to describe his role as PwC’s Regional Leader for Wales and the West of England. Husband, father, Global Strategy Consultant and very proud Welshman, 'JP' talked to Business News Wales about his vision for positively impacting society and the business community across Wales…

" My role is making sure we play our part in driving inclusive, sustainable economic growth in Wales” “ I grew up in Cardiff, went to Ysgol Glantaf, and joined PwC from Exeter University where I studied Economics. My wife and I have 3 children, live in Dinas Powys and while much of my working week over the last 10 years has been split between London and Amsterdam, I’ve always returned to Wales at weekends. So having led the PwC Strategy business in the UK over the past few years, I was hugely excited to take on the role of Regional Market Leader. It’s my dream job, bringing together my pride in PwC, the impact we have in society and my passion for Wales. “ I’m responsible for all the services we provide to our clients in the Region - and for making sure we use our “convening power” as a firm to drive progressive change. My purpose is to make sure we play our part in driving inclusive, sustainable, economic growth in this Region, both through helping our clients to grow and by making sure we expand our own presence here as a firm.”

“ Our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems”

John-Paul Barker Regional Leader for Wales & the West of England, PwC

48

“ This guides and underpins everything we do. We have a huge part to play in building a better Wales. We do that by supporting clients directly and by using the breadth of our connectivity across organisations in Wales to bring people who can effect change together. We connect with pretty much every organisation in one way or another through the services we provide. We’re a multi-disciplinary firm so whatever problem a business has, we are equipped to help them - be that tax, audit, consulting or deals services.

With digital disruption all around us, the demand for our services has never been greater.”

“ Investing in Wales, connecting people who can effect change together” “ Fundamentally, our role is supporting clients and helping business, academia and government to come together to consider the biggest challenges facing Wales, such as those posed by climate change, automation and growing wealth inequalities. I’ve been impressed how prepared people are to collaborate.

People are seeing the bigger picture and the need to work together in a way that historically has not always been the case.

A good example of this was a virtual trade and industry roundtable event we held recently, bringing together business, academia and government for their views.

The UK’s role is changing and in Wales we need to strike the right balance between future industries and using our existing strengths, such as advanced manufacturing, creative industries and our natural resources. There was a really strong sense of alignment across all participants on the trade and investment vision for Wales.”

“ Emerging technologies lie at the heart of Wales’ future” “ Technology is a big part of the future for us and we’ve responded to increased

www.businessnewswales.com

Leadership

demand for clients for services in this area - such as our recently launched #TechEnableWales campaign, where our people are telling their stories through blogs and videos, explaining what we can deliver through our cyber team and ethical hackers, right through to the work we do in fintech, data analytics, AI and beyond.”

“ Closing the skills gap and creating opportunities for young people is vital” Inclusion and social mobility are clearly very important to JP and PwC as an organisation; and they’re key threads that run through our conversation: " Closing the skills gap and creating opportunities for young people is simply vital.

Wales has particularly big challenges and we need to act now to make sure a generation of people aren’t left behind.

This comes back to the importance of education, but also how Wales’ problems cannot be solved by government alone. The role that business has to play in upskilling is critical to ensuring Wales’ workforce is where it needs to be as the 2020s progresses. “ With growth comes a commitment to improving diversity in all forms. PwC was recently ranked number one on the UK Social Mobility Employer Index for the second year running, but we know we have lots more to do to better reflect society in our workforce. That’s especially the case here in Wales, where the wealth disparity challenges we are facing over the next 10 years are going to be significant.”

“ Acting now to make sure a generation of people aren’t left behind” “ As a top graduate employer we’ve a strong record on making sure that there are continued opportunities for employment, despite the pandemic. And through our New World. New Skills initiative, PwC has made a US$3bn commitment to upskilling in the 155 countries where we operate globally.

This will primarily be invested in training our people, and in technologies for supporting clients and communities. Here in Wales, we’ve run a schools programme off the back of this - with 3,000 students

from 19 Welsh schools signing up. It helps build confidence and key employability skills, including digital upskilling, aimed at those from disadvantaged backgrounds.”

“ Post-Covid, we’re helping our clients Repair, Rethink and Reconfigure” JP’s vision for PwC in Wales is clearly focused and positive. But what about the short to medium term effects of Covid-19? “ We’ve been doubly committed to supporting our clients through the shock of Covid - helping them deal with new tax schemes, access support, manage new trading risks and maintain their essential services. To us, it’s been a matter of Repair, Rethink and Reconfigure and for the businesses that have made it through, it’s been about using the pandemic as an opportunity to make long overdue changes, accelerate investments such as digital transformation and get fit for the future.

With the recent vaccine announcements I think we can also see light at the end of the tunnel - and while that’s not to underplay the severity of the current conditions for business, it’s really important as it begins to remove the uncertainty and starts to unlock investment.”

“ We’ve protected the jobs and wellbeing of our people. No one has been furloughed or made redundant”

“ We’ve also moved seamlessly to deal with the lockdown by making the most of our own technology investments made over the last 5 years. Remote working has been part of our culture for a while and from the moment the pandemic hit, we’ve been able to focus on protecting the wellbeing and jobs of our people. No one has been furloughed and no one has been made redundant, with the PwC partners agreeing to shoulder the financial burden of the impact of coronavirus. “ We’ve also honoured our offers to new recruits - and in Cardiff this amounted to 25 graduates and school leavers arriving this autumn, all onboarded virtually. Half of those new colleagues are female, with 86% from a non-selective state school, where 9% received free school meals. And more than half of our new recruits have joined us from universities in Wales or the South West of England, so we’re practising what we preach. “ The time is right for growing our footprint in Cardiff - which houses 280 colleagues in normal times - as the firm moves its emphasis further from London. 65% of the UK firm’s 3,000-strong graduate, apprentice and school-leaver intake this year are based outside London. 2,200 of those are apprentices and right now half of our workforce is outside London - so we’re playing our part in driving the wider levelling-up agenda. We’re looking forward to strengthening our commitment to Wales still further in 2021 and beyond.”

www.businessnewswales.com 49

#TechEnableWales PwC in Wales is right at the heart of the firm’s investment in digital. We’re already doing lots of work in the tech space to help our clients, our people and our communities in Wales solve some of their most important problems.

Now, we’re showcasing everything that we do under something we’re calling #TechEnableWales.

This demonstrates what we can deliver in our cyber team, our ethical hackers, right through to the work we do in fintech, data analytics, AI and beyond.

It’s our aim to be the number-one professional services firm when it comes to digital and technology services in Wales, so that whatever you need – when it comes to tech – we should be the people you choose to work with.

When you think of PwC we would like you to also now think ‘technology’, and how we’re helping to #TechEnableWales.

For more information on #TechEnableWales visit pwc.co.uk/techenablewales or get in touch with a member of the team: Doris Davis doris.davis@pwc.com +44 7841 561 549

Rhodri Evans rhodri.evans@pwc.com +44 7843 333 819

@2020 PwC. All rights reserved.

pwc.co.uk/techenablewales

EU Transition

Helping Welsh business through challenging times These are tough times for businesses everywhere and Wales is no exception.

The Covid-19 pandemic throws up new challenges for businesses large and small on a weekly basis. The UK Government recognises and understands the incredible difficulties businesses face to get through the global Covid crisis, which is why the support we have provided – furlough, support for the self-employed, loans and VAT reduction – have been so thorough and long-lasting.

thoroughly with new customs procedures, including those who trade with Northern Ireland.

The UK Government is here to help and support businesses in Wales to navigate their way successfully through this change.

As we help business through the pandemic, we are also providing support through the year’s other significant event which will affect how many businesses operate and trade.

We are investing £705 million in new technology, infrastructure and jobs at the border. Border controls on imports will be introduced in stages, easing the transition. Hauliers can check their documentation is ready with the new Smart Freight web portal. £80 million is being made available in grants for organisations to support an expanded customs intermediary sector.

The UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020 and the end of the Transition Period – when new rules for people, businesses, travel and trade will come into effect – arrives on 31 December.

The UK Government has been meeting regularly with its devolved counterparts and also directly with hundreds of businesses to ensure we are all working together on our preparations for the end of the Transition Period.

This deadline will not be extended and significant changes will take place.

This hugely significant moment – with all the challenges and opportunities it brings – is now upon us. I urge all Welsh businesses to meet the challenge head-on and to ensure Wales retains its reputation as a great place to invest and start a business. The UK Government is with you every step of the way.

This is an exciting moment with great opportunities for the UK as an independent trading nation and for Wales as an integral part of that Union. The UK Government has already signed deals with Japan and Canada, two countries where the potential is clear for exporting the best of our Welsh goods and produce.

But there will also be undoubted and significant challenges for which we all – businesses, citizens and the UK Government – need to prepare.

Simon Hart Secretary of State for Wales

For example, businesses trading with Europe need to familiarise themselves

www.businessnewswales.com 51

EU Transition

BusinessNewsWales

Manufacturers urged to take action now to prepare for the end of the Brexit transition period Business secretary Alok Sharma is calling on businesses to familiarise themselves with the actions they will need to take.

When the transition period ends on 31st December 2020, there will be a guaranteed set of changes and opportunities for which businesses need to prepare as the UK leaves the customs union and single market, including changes to the way businesses import and export goods, the process for hiring people from the EU, and the way businesses provide services in EU markets.

The vast majority of these actions will need to be completed regardless of the outcome of negotiations with the EU. As a business in the advanced manufacturing sector, you can find out what you need to do by going to www.gov.uk/manufacturing-2021.

There will be special provisions which only apply in Northern Ireland so if you move goods into, out of, or through Northern Ireland make sure you check the latest guidance at: gov.uk/northern-ireland-trade The UK Government is providing a range of support, including webinars to walk you through the changes. These are available to watch on demand at: www.gov.uk/ transition-webinars.

You should also check with your suppliers and customers that they are taking action. These are challenging times, but the transition period is ending on 31 December 2020 and there will be NO EXTENSION. Unless you take action, there is a risk your business operations will be interrupted. The UK Government will be there to help you to take advantage of the many new opportunities that being an independent trading nation will bring.

The top actions you can take now to prepare are: 1. U se GOV.UK to identify changes affecting manufactured goods, such as new marking requirements or approvals needed, to ensure your business is ready to sell them in the UK and EU. You may not be able to sell your goods in the UK and the EU from 1 January 2021 unless you act.

2. G et ready to make customs declarations. Import and export declarations are complicated, requiring specialist skill, knowledge and IT. If you are not able to make declarations or provide the wrong information, your business could face delays, disruption or administrative costs.

3. C heck if a visa or work permit is required to travel to the EU for work purposes and apply if necessary. You may face delays or refusal at border when travelling for business if you do not comply with the immigration requirements of the EU27 if travelling from 1 January 2021.

4. I f you are moving goods into, out of, or through Northern Ireland, check the latest guidance. At the end of the transition period, the Northern Ireland Protocol comes into force.

52

www.businessnewswales.com

EU Transition

BusinessNewsWales

Exporting goods from GB to the EU – What you need to know The EU is the UK’s single biggest export market, accounting for 46% of all UK exports and valued at £289 billion. The legal relationship between the UK and the EU will change, meaning the process for exporting goods to the EU will fundamentally change.

From January, all goods exiting the UK to go to the EU will require export declarations and exit Safety and Security declarations and many controlled goods will need to have additional licenses or go through additional procedures.

The EU will have full import controls for goods arriving from the UK, from

customs declarations to checks and inspections for controlled goods. At the point of publication UK goods may also face the EU MFN tariff schedule, adding costs onto businesses.

The combination of tariffs, customs procedures, and regulatory change may create both additional burdens and costs.

The imposition of EU tariffs will mean that some businesses will face challenges in offering competitive pricing to their EU customers.

The additional customs checks at the EU border have the potential to cause delays at ports if processes fail or are

not followed correctly by transporters.

These delays will have knock on impacts on supply chains – and are difficult for perishable products in particular - with all products of animal origins and plants having to enter the EU via a point of entry with a Border Inspection Post.

Key questions for business to consider

Continuity plans for the end of the transition period will be unique to every organisation. However, there are some key questions your transition plan should answer, to ensure the major issues are covered.

• D o you know how important goods exports to the EU are to your business?

• D o you know your GB Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number?

• H ave you considered whether transporting using the Common Transit Convention (CTC) rules will benefit your business?

www.businessnewswales.com 53

EU Transition

• H ave you checked if the importers you work with have an EU EORI number?

You'll need to get an EU EORI number if you're exporting to your own business within the EU. You can get one from the customs authority in any EU country.

• Does your business understand the impact of potential delays at the border on your customers, particularly if you export perishable goods, are part of a just-in-time supply chain or commit to same-day or next daydelivery?

• H ave you considered extending your promised delivery deadlines in case of a no deal to account for delays?

• H ave you thought about moving forwards or pushing back your scheduled delivery dates to avoid the transition deadline?

• H ave you spoken to your customs broker, freight forwarder or logistics provider about how you make customs declarations? Have you familiarised yourself with VAT rules for exporting to the EU and considered any cash flow implications?

• H ave you checked what you need for the types of goods you export? There may be specific licences or rules for certain goods.

• H ave you considered how the EU’s external tariff schedule may impact the goods that you export?

54

www.businessnewswales.com

EU Transition

Moving goods into, out of, or through Northern Ireland The transition period ends on 31 December 2020. The Protocol is a practical solution to avoid a hard border with Ireland whilst ensuring the UK, including Northern Ireland, leaves the EU as a whole, enabling the entire UK to benefit from future Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). There will be special provisions which apply only in Northern Ireland while the Protocol is in force.

The application of the Protocol will involve some changes for goods movements into Northern Ireland. The UK Government's unfettered access policy will ensure that businesses and individuals will be able to move goods from Northern Ireland into the rest of the United Kingdom on the same basis as now. The end of the transition period will, however, mean some new arrangements for goods movements into Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

Trade in goods between Northern Ireland and Ireland will be unaffected. There will be no new customs infrastructure required in Northern Ireland.

Key challenges for business How will the rules for moving goods from GB to NI change after transition?

Great Britain will be subject to certain checks and/or controls: 1. E U Tariffs: Any goods ’at risk’ of onward movement to the EU (including the Republic of Ireland) will be subject to EU duties.

2. S anitary and phytosanitary (SPS): SPS checks, which build on existing processes, will be applied at designated Border Control Posts in NI Ports to products of animal origin.

3. R egulatory Compliance: Goods entering or leaving NI will be subject to EU Single Market rules.

4. E U Customs Code: This entails some new administrative processes for traders, notably new electronic import declaration requirements, and safety and security information, for goods entering NI from the rest of the UK. These are needed to make sure that tariffs are not paid on trade within the UK and that goods going to Ireland pay tariffs when they should. However The UK Government have established a new, free to use digital service. The Trader Support Service (TSS) will help GB-based businesses and traders of all sizes to navigate the changes to the

way goods move once the Northern Ireland Protocol comes into effect on 1 January 2021. The TSS will be in place to assist with new administrative processes in moving goods from GB to NI. TSS will also offer education and advice to help traders understand and prepare for the upcoming changes, provide support with declarations for goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland and provide contact centre support.

If your business is impacted by the changes, you should register for Trader Support Service – more information can be found at: www.gov.uk/guidance/tradersupport-service 5. V AT: Northern Ireland maintains alignment with the EU VAT rules for goods, including on goods moving to, from and within Northern Ireland.

However, Northern Ireland is, and will remain, part of the UK’s VAT system.

Further details can be found: www.gov.uk/government/publications/ accounting-for-vat-on-goods-movingbetween-great-britain-and-northernireland-from-1-january-2021/ accounting-for-vat-on-goods-movingbetween-great-britain-and-northernireland-from-1-january-2021

Unfettered access means no declarations, tariffs, new regulatory checks or customs checks, or additional approvals for goods from Northern Ireland businesses to be placed on the UK market. Those goods will be able to be placed on the market in Scotland, Wales and England, whether certified against EU or UK rules. In the first instance, the approach to unfettered access ensures no changes to Northern Ireland businesses moving goods directly to the rest of the UK from 01 January 2021 compared with now.

From 1 January 2021: Goods entering Northern Ireland from

www.businessnewswales.com 55

EU Transition

Brexit transition guidelines for the construction industry The top actions you can take now to prepare are: 1. C heck the new rules on importing and exporting goods between the EU and Great Britain from 1 January 2021. Different rules will apply in Northern Ireland. Your business could face delays, disruption or administrative costs if you do not comply with new customs procedures from 1 January 2021.

2. U se GOV.UK to identify changes affecting manufactured goods, such as new marking requirements or approvals needed, to ensure your business is ready to sell them in the UK and EU. You may not be able to sell your goods in the UK and the EU from January 2021.

3. I f you are planning to recruit from overseas from 1 January 2021, you will need to register as a licensed visa sponsor. You may not be able to legally hire people from outside the UK if you do not have a licence. New employees from outside the UK will also need to meet new job, salary and language requirements. Irish citizens and those eligible under the EU Settlement Scheme are not affected.

4. I f you are moving goods into, out of, or through Northern Ireland, check the latest guidance. At the end of the transition period, the Northern Ireland Protocol comes into force. There will be special provisions which only apply in Northern Ireland so if you move goods into, out of, or through Northern Ireland make sure you check the latest guidance at: gov.uk/ northern-ireland-trade

56

The UK Government has published the latest set of guidelines for businesses in the construction sector and the actions needed for exiting the EU on 1 January 2021.

As a business in the construction sector, you can find out what you need to do by going to: gov.uk/construction-2021.

Frequently asked questions 1. After the end of the transition period, will there be a greater risk of unsafe products on the GB market?

We remain committed to ensuring that UK standards are maintained. Our regulations ensure that the same standards that applied before the end of the transition period will continue to apply afterwards. In addition, we intend to implement the recommendations of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety to further strengthen regulatory oversight of construction products at a national level.

2. How will products already circulating on the GB market be affected?

For an individual product already circulating on the GB market prior to the end of the transition period, no additional action is needed. A certificate issued by a EU notified body that was valid immediately before that date continues to be valid for the purposes of the GB market.

3. What do I need to do to place a product on the GB market after the end of the transition period?

Businesses must prepare for the end of recognition of the CE mark in GB and affix the UK marking using a UK-recognised ‘approved body’ on 1 January 2022.

Until then, in GB both the UK marking and the CE marking will be recognised.

Manufacturers will either need to: • affix the UK marking using a UK-recognised ‘approved body’, or • affix the CE marking using an EU-recognised ‘notified body’.

Where no third-party conformity assessment is required (AVCP system 4) the manufacturer can choose whether to affix the UK marking or the CE marking, provided that the underlying requirements are met.

www.businessnewswales.com

EU Transition

4. What do I need to do to place a product on the EU market after the end of the transition period?

After the end of the transition period, it will be for the EU to determine the arrangements that apply.

5. If I am placing products from the EU on the GB market, will my obligations be affected?

If you place products from the EU on the GB market you will, in most cases, now be classified as an ‘importer’ bringing in products to GB from a third country. There will be a requirement: • for importers to label their products with their name and address • to ensure that the assessment and verification of constancy of performance (AVCP) requirements has been carried out by the manufacturer • that the product bears the conformity marking • that the manufacturer has complied with their labelling obligations.

In addition, importers must not place products on the GB market if they have reason to believe that the product does not comply with the applicable requirements of the UK Construction Products Regulations.

www.businessnewswales.com 57

EU Transition

6. What happens if I am part-way through conformity assessment activity at the end of the transition period?

Where conformity assessment activity has been undertaken (in full or in part) by a UK notified body and the product has not been placed on the UK market before the end of the transition period, that conformity assessment activity can be used to support the affixing of the UK marking.

If the conformity assessment activity is being undertaken by an EU-recognised notified body, the process can be completed after the end of the transition period and the CE marking can be affixed in accordance with EU rules, and provided that the goods are placed on the GB market before 31 December 2021 they can be placed lawfully on the GB market with the CE marking.

However, businesses must prepare for the end of recognition of the CE mark on the 1 January 2022 for products being placed on the GB market.

7. Will manufacturers need to test products twice to sell on GB and EU markets?

Businesses must prepare for the end of recognition of the CE mark in GB and affix the UK marking using a UK-recognised ‘approved body’.

In GB both the UK marking and the CE marking will initially be recognised. Manufacturers will either need to: • affix the UK marking using a UK-recognised ‘approved body’ or • affix the CE marking using an EU-recognised ‘notified body’.

The EU have indicated they will only recognise the CE marking.

From 1 January 2022, businesses must affix the UK marking to place products on the GB market.

8. Can I still use certificates from EU-recognised notified bodies for products placed on the GB market?

Businesses must prepare for the end of recognition of the CE mark in GB and affix the UK marking using a UK-recognised ‘approved body’.

9. Can an EU-recognised notified body certificate be used to enable a manufacturer to affix the UK marking?

No. For a UK marking to be affixed, any third-party conformity assessment must be undertaken by a UK approved body.

However, where CE marking has been legitimately affixed, the product can be continue to be placed on the GB market until 1 January 2022. There is no need to affix UK marking in addition to CE marking. After this date, the UK mark must be affixed.

This approach should provide manufacturers with sufficient time to make the necessary changes to move over to the UK mark.

10. How do I transfer an existing conformity assessment certificate to an EU-recognised notified body?

Check whether your UK notified body is taking steps of its own to transfer certificates, so that you can continue to export to the EU without needing to find a new EU notified body.

If not, you will need to either: •a rrange for information held by your existing UK notified body to be transferred to an EU notified body so they can issue you a new certificate. This would be subject to contractual arrangements between the EU-recognised notified body, the UK body, and the manufacturer, or •g et your products reassessed by an EU-recognised notified body.

If your existing certificate is transferred to an EU notified body then you will need to update the 4-digit notified body number on your products. You will not need to do this for products already on the market or which were manufactured before the transfer took place.

A list of EU-recognised notified bodies is available (the UK bodies would be removed from this list at the end of the transition period).

From 1 January 2022, you should also prepare to need separate certificates for the GB and EU markets, so you should speak to both your existing and new body to make arrangements that mean you will be covered for both markets in the future.

However, until 1 January 2022, the CE marking can be affixed where any third-party conformity assessment has been undertaken by an EU-recognised notified body.

58

www.businessnewswales.com

.eu domain names – what you need to do before the end of the transition period Find out what you need to do before the end of the transition period if you hold a .eu domain.

1. Check your eligibility From 1 January 2021, you’ll no longer be able to register or renew .eu domain names if: •Y our organisation, business or undertaking is established in the UK but not in the EU/European Economic Area (EEA) or •Y ou live outside of the EU/EEA and are not an EU/EEA citizen Read the latest .eu domain names notice from the European Commission.

You can only register or hold .eu domain names if you are: •a n EU/EEA citizen, independently of where you live •n ot an EU/EEA citizen but resident in the EU/EEA

•a n organisation, business or undertaking that is established in the EU/EEA If you already have a .eu domain or are considering obtaining one, you should check the eligibility criteria set out in Article 4(2)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 733/2002, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2019/517, and seek legal advice if necessary.

You may still satisfy the eligibility criteria if you have your registered office, central administration, or principal place of business within the EU/EEA, are established within the EU/EEA, or are a natural person resident in the EU/EEA. The European Commission and EURid have confirmed that EU citizens who are resident in the UK will be able to retain their .eu addresses. If you are an EU citizen living in the UK and have registered a .eu domain name, discuss

with your registrar whether you will need to provide proof of eligibility.

2. What will happen if you don’t meet the eligibility criteria On 3 June 2020, EURid, the registry which is responsible for the day-to-day running of the .eu Top Level Domain, published guidance for UK registrants and the steps it will take around the end of the transition period.

The notice states that: •U K registrants will receive an email notification from EURid on 1 October 2020 informing them that they will lose their eligibility to retain their .eu domain name as of 1 January 2021 unless they can demonstrate their compliance with the .eu regulatory framework by updating their registration data before 31 December 2020 •E URid will then send a further email on 21 December 2020 notifying all UK registrants who did not demonstrate continued compliance with the eligibility criteria and their registrars of risk of forthcoming non-compliance with the .eu regulatory framework •T he notice then states that as of 1 January 2021, any UK registrant who cannot meet the eligibility criteria will have their .eu domain names

www.businessnewswales.com 59

EU Transition

withdrawn. A withdrawn domain name no longer functions, as the domain name is removed from the zone file and can no longer support any active services (such as websites or email).

•T he EURid notice states that withdrawn domain names will not be available to any other entity for a further twelve months. On 1 January 2022, all the withdrawn domain names will be revoked and made available for registration by other entities.

If you no longer meet the eligibility criteria 1. Discuss with your local domain name registrar whether to transfer your internet presence to another top level domain. Examples include .com, .co.uk, .net or .org. Your registrar will be able to offer advice on how to let your customers know that you’re moving or have moved to another domain, such as a holding page to

redirect web traffic towards a new domain, or advice on how to update your search engine optimisation.

2. You may wish to seek advice from your local domain name registrar on whether the terms of your contractual agreement provide for any recourse in the event of withdrawal or revocation of a .eu registration.

3. Consider developing a migration plan for services and functions that your .eu domain, website or associated email address is linked to or supports, such as: – .eu email addresses that access critical business processes, including online banking services, online payment providers, government services like HMRC online, or payment verification systems – .eu email addresses that access services that use an email and

password for registration, including membership organisations and clubs, social media, and two-factor authentication services – . eu email addresses used to communicate with customers, clients, internal communications or to distribute mailing lists – . eu websites or email accounts that hold data that you need to transfer before any loss of access –V irtual Private Network (VPN) or other services that use your .eu domain name –T rademark or intellectual property rights impacted by the loss of your .eu domain name.

This list is not exhaustive, and you may also wish to consider and address any other areas that depend on your .eu domain name.

Preparing to import goods from the EU 54% of UK imports come from the EU, at a value of £345 billion. The UK border will become the literal frontier of the UK's post-transition trade agenda, with disruption for supply chains a serious risk. Businesses will need to adapt to new processes and, in many cases, apply new import tariffs for imported goods.

Key challenges for business How will the rules for importing from the EU to GB change after transition?

CUSTOMS,DECLARATIONS AND DUTIES The UK Government has introduced a new staged approach to imports from the EU as of January 2021 that will apply both in a deal or no deal scenario. While there will still be considerable changes

60

that importers will need to prepare for, the Border Operating Model introduces some of the most significant changes in three stages:

1. From January 2021: • Traders importing standard goods, covering everything from clothes to electronics, will need to prepare for basic customs requirements, such as keeping sufficient records of imported goods.

• T raders will also need to consider how they account for and pay VAT on imported goods. Traders will then have up to six months to complete customs declarations. While tariffs will be payable where due on relevant goods, payments can be deferred until the customs declaration has been made.

• U K safety and security declarations will not be required on imports for the first six months. Standard customs

www.businessnewswales.com

EU Transition

declarations will be needed from this date for controlled goods and excise goods like alcohol and tobacco products.

• T here will also be physical checks at the point of destination (or other approved premises) on all highrisk live animals and plants, and a requirement to pre-notify for certain movements. However, they will not be required to enter GB via a Border Control Post (BCP).

• E xport declarations and UK exit safety and security declarations will be required for all goods.

• T raders importing and exporting goods using the Common Transit Convention will need to follow all the transit procedures. These will not be introduced in stages.

• T he Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) will be introduced from January for transit movements only.

• C ompanies importing goods will need to adapt to new import tariff schedules, applying the new UK Global Tariff (UKGT) for all markets where the UK does not a preferential trading deal and checking the terms of any new preferential trade deal, including with the EU.

• Any physical checks will continue to be conducted at the point of destination until July 2021.

registered traders will be able, but not normally compelled, to account for import VAT on their VAT return by using Postponed VAT Accounting. However, UK VAT registered traders who import non-controlled goods and either defer their supplementary customs declaration; or use Simplified Customs Declaration Procedures where authorised, and make an Entry in Declarants Records, must use Postponed VAT Accounting. Non-VAT registered traders have the same options available to report and pay import VAT as they do for customs duties. VAT treatment of goods imported in consignments not exceeding £135 in value will be treated differently to those goods in consignments exceeding £135.

3. From July 2021:

TARIFFS

• Traders moving any goods will have to make full customs declarations at the point of importation and pay relevant tariffs.

In a no deal scenario, imports from the EU will face tariffs when they enter the UK border. Businesses will have to adapt to new import tariffs under the new UK Global Tariff (UKGT) which comes into force from January 2021. The UKGT will apply to all countries where the UK doesn’t have a preferential trade deal, so companies will need terms of trade with all markets, including the EU.

notification and the relevant health documentation.

• Full safety and security declarations will be required, while commodities subject to sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls will have to be presented to BCPs. There will also be an increase in physical checks and the taking of samples.

• SPS checks for animals, plants and their products will take place at GB Border Control Posts and not at the destination.

• The GVMS will be in place for all imports, exports and transit movements at border locations which have chosen to introduce it.

After July, the trading conditions will default to the negotiated EU/UK FTA or no deal depending on the outcome of the negotiations.

2. From April 2021:

VAT

• A ll products of animal origin (POAO) – for example meat, honey, milk or egg products, and all regulated plants and plant products – will require pre-

From 1st January, VAT will be levied on imports of goods from the EU, following the same rates and structures as are applied to RoW imports. UK VAT

Previous no deal preparations were based on the UK’s ‘temporary’ most favoured nation (MFN) tariff schedule published in March 2019. The new tariff is significantly different, so companies’ modelling assessments will now need to be refreshed. While there are some advantages to the new tariff rates (see below) they will represent a change and therefore require a process of adaptation.

The UKGT will result in 60% of relevant imports into the UK being tariff free (as compared to 47% under the EU’s Common External Tariff and 88% under the UK’s previous no-deal tariffs).

Its key features are: • I t simplifies 40.2% of tariff lines by rounding tariffs down and eliminating low and so-called nuisance tariffs.

www.businessnewswales.com 61

EU Transition

• I t eliminates tariffs on certain products where UK domestic production is zero, or very low, for example, cotton, textile fibres and wool.

• I t scraps the Meursing table, which is currently used to determine tariff codes on foodstuffs. This should result in a significant reduction in the complexity faced by businesses in determining the rate of customs duty applicable to over 13,000 goods.

• I t retains high tariffs on sectors the EU wishes to protect, including the agricultural, automotive and ceramics industries by aligning these tariffs broadly to the EU Common External Tariff.

• I t will impose high tariffs on agricultural imports, e.g. up to 12% + £254GBP/100kg on beef, and £139GBP/100kg on cheese.

• I t leaves imports of finished pharmaceutical products and most medical devices tariff free, but applies a duty imposition of 6% on Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and key chemicals to produce APIs. • I t imposes a temporary zero tariff rate (and VAT waiver) to certain products used to protect against Covid-19 including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), medical devices, disinfectant, and medical supplies from non-EU countries.

As the UK Government has put these measures for EU imports in place unilaterally, they will apply in both a deal and a no deal scenario. Though this gives some additional time and certainty for business to be able to prepare, there will still be significant additional paperwork and resource that businesses will have to plan for 1 January 2021.

Even so, there is still a high probability that a no deal scenario will slow the flow of goods at the UK border and that the subsequent impact of delays on businesses is of most concern are in terms of cashflow, just-in-time supply chains and perishable goods.

• H ave you spoken to your customs broker, freight forwarder or logistics provider about how to make import declarations, or if you don’t have one, have you explored engaging one?

• H ave you considered whether you can stockpile any important products, to avoid having to import in the case of a no deal?

• H ave you investigated whether you are eligible to register for Transitional Simplified Procedures (TSP) to import from the EU?

KEY QUESTIONS FOR BUSINESS TO CONSIDER

• H ave you familiarised yourself with the VAT rules for importing from the EU and considered any cash flow implications?

Continuity plans for the end of the transition period will be unique to every organisation. However, there are some key questions your transition plan should answer to ensure the major issues are covered.

• H ave you considered how the UK’s no deal tariffs may impact the goods you import, whether you can take advantage of cheaper imports from outside the EU or whether you might face new competition from abroad?

• Do you know your GB Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number?

• H ave you set up a duty deferment account if you import regularly?

• Does your business understand the impact of potential delays at the border on your supply chain, particularly if you import perishable goods or use a just-in-time supply chain?

• H ave you analysed the UK’s Global Tariff (UKGT) to understand the potential impact of its application to goods that you import into the UK and checked whether the country you are importing from has a preferential trade deal with the UK.

• I t applies 0% rate of customs duty to imports of aircraft, helicopters and many aircraft parts.

• I t cuts tariffs on over 100 low carbon products.

It duplicates the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences so that products from the poorest countries will continue to attract no tariffs to protect their trade.

WHAT IMPACT COULD THE CHANGES TO IMPORTING RULES HAVE ON BUSINESS?

62

www.businessnewswales.com

FG

50

Making Moves

The definitive list of Wales’ fastest-growing companies

PR OUD to sponsor Fast Growth 50 Search Barclays Corporate to find out how we can support your business.

Connecting you to possibility

Barclays Bank PLC is registered in England (Company No. 1026167) with its registered office at 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP. Barclays Bank PLC is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority, and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services Register No. 122702) and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Barclays is a trading name and trade mark of Barclays PLC and its subsidiaries. KE10529-06.

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

Introducing 2020’s Fast Growth 50...

2020 will certainly be the year that none of us will forget. Just before lockdown in March, I was starting to prepare for the 22nd Wales Fast Growth 50 list and to celebrate the fastest growing Welsh firms. Three months later, it had become obvious that we could no longer hold the annual awards dinner and I had to consider whether to cancel the whole event.

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE Professor Dylan JonesEvans OBE is the founder of the Wales Fast Growth 50 and is Assistant Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of South Wales. fastgrowth50.com

“ We need, more than ever, to celebrate the creativity, innovation and sheer determination of the best of Welsh businesses during these unprecedented times.”

fastgrowth50.com

However, from speaking to those who had previously been on the lists and had applied this year, it was clear that we needed, more than ever, to celebrate the creativity, innovation and sheer determination of the best of Welsh businesses during these unprecedented times.

Of course, fast growing firms are not immune to such cataclysmic changes to our economy and society and like many other Welsh businesses, the majority of those featured on the 2020 list had been hit hard by having to close or curtail their business activities. Yet they have all survived, recovered and, more importantly, have started growing again with a number registering their best quarter of trading during the last quarter of trading.

Most have made significant changes to the way they operate over the last few months, becoming more flexible in the approach to delivering to customers. Some were fortunate in already delivering their services online and have been able to make a seamless transition to working from home with their business minimally affected. Others were given no option but to pivot their businesses in the face of reduced trade to successfully establish

wholly new enterprises that have already achieved incredible growth.

Such enterprising behaviour demonstrates, yet again, that despite considerable setbacks, fast growing firms will continue to make a significant contribution to sectors and communities across Wales. In fact, since the project was established in 1999, the 652 firms that have appeared on the twenty two lists are estimated to have created 44,000 jobs and to generate £25 billion of additional turnover, much of which is spent in their local area.

The impact of the 2020 group of the fastest growing firms is no exception with fifty businesses generating a collective turnover of £476 million and employing nearly 2600 people in 2019. More importantly, they produced an additional £301 million in turnover during the period 2017-2019 at an average growth rate of 172 per cent, higher than in 2019.

Together, these fifty businesses have created over 1,300 new jobs in just two years, doubling their workforce and demonstrating their continuing importance across the Welsh economy.

In 2020, the average age of a fast-growing Welsh firm is nine years old, which is younger than for previous years and the fastest growing sectors are business to business services, which account for over a third of all firms, followed by construction and building services.

By location, fast growing firms were to be found in fourteen Welsh counties with fourteen

FG

50

businesses located in Cardiff and eight in Swansea. Fifteen fast growth firms were based in the South Wales valleys and only two in North Wales, the lowest ever tally for the region.

There are twenty-four new entrants on the 2020 Fast Growth 50 with three firms – Amser Building Services, Employ Staff and 2015 overall winner Evabuild - returning to the list after an absence of several years. In terms of sustainable growth, online retailer Character.com makes it six years in a row on the list.

Therefore, this year has not been easy for any business in Wales including those on the Fast Growth 50 list. Indeed, the decline in sales of many businesses in 2020 could mean that we have a very different list of firms next year although it is worth noting that after the last recession when nearly 90,000 jobs were lost across the private sector in Wales and markets were drying up, the 2010 Fast Growth 50 list bucked the trend, creating 1400 new jobs and increasing their sales by an incredible £305 million between 2007 and 2009.

Hopefully, we will see the same in 2021 as the Wales Fast Growth 50 continues to be a shining beacon of the best that Wales has to offer. Certainly, we should all be proud of the success of those businesses that have made the list since 1999 and especially to the fifty firms which are the fastest growing firms in Wales in 2020.

I wish them all every success for the future.

65

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

01

Creating Enterprise (Colwyn Bay)

Building and maintenance contractor Established: 2015 Growth (2017-2019): 663.9% creatingenterprise.org.uk

66

Creating Enterprise is an award-winning building and maintenance contractor providing a wide variety of property services to the public and private sector. This includes property maintenance, facility management, environmental improvements, central heating installation and fuel servicing. It also specialises in building Passivhaus modular homes and has recently partnered with Beattie Passive to exclusively build their innovative product across North Wales.

As a social enterprise, Creating Enterprise invests all commercial profits into its social purpose which is to help tenants and local people into employment initiatives.

Its “Creating Futures” is a unique Academy which gives local people paid employment opportunities as well as offering qualifications and meaningful work experience.

The team also provides oneto-one and group support to those looking to upskill, gain confidence and widen their social circle.

The origins of the business are to be found in the Cartrefi Conwy Housing Association which invests significant amounts of money each year on maintaining their portfolio of 4,000 properties. The board was looking for a way to create a hardwired model that would give a social return on this investment and allow the money to be used in a way that would support the local economy and profits from the commercial works would be used to benefit tenants. It was this driver that enabled Creating Enterprise to be formed five years ago as a social enterprise that would initially carry out commercial activities for Cartrefi Conwy to maintain their properties.

Cartrefi Conwy has a commitment to demonstrating a strong social value and reinvesting profits back into the local community. Its hardwired model of social contractor of choice has led to more contracts with external clients, delivering a quality service within budget and the required time scales.

By having a preferred partner status with Cartrefi Conwy, it has a guaranteed work stream to deliver planned programmes to thousands of homes ensuring a regular income to reinvest into employment initiatives. Creating Enterprise’s hard working and dedicated teams work in partnership to ensure value for money whilst maximising

training and employment opportunities for tenants.

“ By being flexible, it has been able to diversify its work streams in line with Welsh Government’s agenda to build more zero carbon homes using Welsh timber and local labour.“ The new partnership with Beattie Passive gives it exclusive rights to build 350 new carbon zero Passivhaus Modular homes which are the very best in terms of innovation and energy efficiency.

Creating Enterprise will continue its growth strategy over the next five years in order to stay committed to its key principles of supporting more tenants and those furthest from the job market with employment, training and volunteering opportunities.

Its five-year business plan has an order book of £55m of guaranteed workstreams which means it can forward plan the number of people to support through its Academy.

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

02 Freight Logistics Solutions (Pontypool)

Supply chain solutions Established: 2016

Freight Logistics Solutions (FLS) provides end to-end supply chain solutions, offering logistical advice and transport solutions derived from expertise in operational, supply chain and logistics.

Growth (2017-2019): 623.3%

Like many new business founders, the directors of FLS freightlogisticssolutions.co.uk were driven by the desire to have their own business, that they run, control and receive the satisfaction of success from. After uncovering their business opportunity and identifying how sustainable and scalable it could be, they were so excited that they literally couldn’t rest until they had given up everything else they were involved with, rented a small office space and got on the phones.

The ultimate purpose of FLS is to improve clients’ transport service levels whilst reducing costs and it offers a range of services to suit all clients’ freight handling needs with over 40,000 quality vehicles working across Europe to

fastgrowth50.com

deliver operational excellence around the clock. FLS uses only preferred suppliers and quality carriers so that clients benefit from improved security, guaranteed service levels, greater flexibility, traceability, and time-definite deliveries and with its global supply chain, it not only offers an outsourced service that delivers outstanding service improvements and cost savings but also supports its customers’ strategy and vision for transport in the future.

With the pressure to streamline their logistics, transport managers are looking for maximum supplier transport resource and flexibility as well as minimising suppliers and the administration costs of multiple contractors. In a master vendor situation, FLS provides cheaper transport costs with better administration.

ners are looking for support to provide better customer service and tracking as well as better technology-based solutions. The investment by FLS in its business IT infrastructure is helping to close this gap to build a stronger logistics services and customers have really appreciated the service.

In the future, FLS will further develop its digital freight offer to clients and will expanding its client portal tracking abilities, invest in operations information technology and opening multiply UK hubs to expand and replicate its offer regionally. In addition, it will open and develop its first European hub, double its team size to 50, expand its contracted onsite solutions across clients throughout the UK and invest in staff training and apprenticeship programmes.

With the expansion of the quality gap between B2C and B2B deliveries, transport plan-

67

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

03 Vetro Health (Caerphilly)

Recruitment agency Established: 2017 Growth (2017-2019): 578.8% vetrorecruitment.co.uk

Vetro Health supports clients in the healthcare sector by providing them with temporary employment services including support workers, specialist nurses and medical professionals. It currently works with private healthcare hospitals, care homes, and will soon be supplying the NHS having just won a tender.

It was founded by Alastair Tulloch and Alun Davies who have extensive knowledge and experience working within the healthcare recruitment sector and both directors continue to lead from the front with clear and transparent goals for business growth.

Attracting and recruiting the right quality staff in today’s markets is a complex and time-consuming process and Vetro Health sought to achieve this by gaining a true understanding of the chal-

68

lenges faced by clients and candidates through employing people who had previously worked within the sectors that it supplies The firm’s internal culture is supportive, hardworking and fun and the directors like staff to feel engaged within the company and their roles. The job can be difficult at times and staff are rewarded for their hard work and dedication with quarterly away days, an annual VIP (Vetro’s Incredible People) trip abroad, and monthly awards.

Vetro has invested in the leading temporary recruitment systems to make sure it fills all requests at speed whilst

also giving clients the peace of mind that all workers supplied are meeting all compliance requirements.

The plan for the next five years is to continue with its growth strategy through further penetration into core sectors and diversification into others. It has recently opened new offices in North Wales, Bristol and Southampton and will be further expanding across South West Wales, the North West, and Midlands. The firm has also just been awarded an NHS Tender so the next few years will see large growth across England and Wales delivering this.

“ The firm’s internal culture is supportive, hardworking and fun and the directors like staff to feel engaged within the company and their roles.”

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

04

Trueform (Tenby)

Reinforced concrete manufacturer Established: 1996 Growth (2017-2019): 561.0% trueformltd.co.uk

Based in Tenby, Trueform is a manufacturer of reinforced concrete (pre-cast concrete and concrete structures) in any size from large infrastructure projects to smaller agricultural and domestic installations.

a building site and his initial motivation was to earn more money through starting the business. However, as time has moved on, Darren has focused on developing a sustainable business with a great ethos.

Its expertise covers the manufacture of precast concrete structures, formwork/ shuttering and falsework and groundworks and the business is also skilled in providing power floated floors, diamond drilling and concrete repairs. It works with major civil engineering contractors, building contractors, farmers and self-builders offering the same service and professionalism on every job, big or small.

The key success factors for Trueform include realising opportunities and grabbing them with both hands whilst ensuring that it does not overtrade but by focusing on profit rather than turnover. It is also an expert in providing high quality, cost effective precast concrete manufacturing at its facility in Pembrokeshire which allows more rigorous quality control to be exercised over individual pieces as well as having the ability to design, manufacture and supply bespoke pieces.

Clients have included the MOD, Bam Nuttal, TRJ, Valero, EP, and Costain and Trueform offers the highest quality concrete components at very competitive prices, always working closely with clients to find the best solution for any situation.

“ Trueform works with major civil engineering contractors, building contractors, farmers and selfbuilders offering the same service and professionalism on every job, big or small.�

Trueform aims to focus on steady organic growth over the next few years whilst always scanning the horizon for opportunities. It will also be investing in a concrete production and recycling plant.

The founder Darren Thompstone started as a labourer on

fastgrowth50.com

69

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

05

“Bad Wolf was built on the knowledge that Wales had something special to share with the world”

Bad Wolf

(Cardiff, London) TV Production Established: 2015 Growth (2017-2019): 503.5% bad-wolf.com

Bad Wolf is an independent high-end TV drama production company based in South Wales. Building on its knowledge, experience and contacts in the UK and US, the company produces ambitious drama productions utilising international rights for UK and international markets.

It has produced several TV productions over the past few years with the likes of SKY, HBO and the BBC including His Dark Materials, A Discovery of Witches and, most recently, I Hate Suzie and Industry.

Many of its productions are housed in its own studio space at Wolf Studios Wales, utilising the knowledge, experience and dedication of the local crew. Although the focus is local, the reach is global with its shows being shown in many international markets. Bad Wolf also develops shows from the very beginning, bringing new stories and talent to the forefront of TV drama across the globe.

Bad Wolf’s main motivation has always been Wales and when Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner founded the busi-

70

ness in 2015, it was built on the knowledge that Wales had something special to share with the world namely its capacity to host, crew and produce some of the best TV drama seen in recent years.

The uniqueness of Bad Wolf is its location not only with its access to excellent crew but also shooting locations that are in such easy reach of the main studio and head office. It is also this uniqueness that has allowed Bad Wolf to realise new opportunities which may not have been discovered in more mainstream locations. Wales, with its talented, energised and down to earth people, its wonderful spaces and locations was the major motivation for starting the business.

Wolf Studios Wales has become a creative hub for many businesses including Painting Practice and Technicolor which allows Bad Wolf access to highly skilled individuals sourced from the local Welsh talent pool.

grow members of the crew and train young people for the future so that growth is not just fast but sustainable and continued.

To deliver its ambitious plans, Bad Wolf will need to increase resources in a focused and targeted way to ensure small experienced teams can deliver outputs against key projects. The Bad Wolf slate aims to have faster and higher recoupment where rights can be retained by the business so it can deliver to partners that want shows that are high budget, global and of scale whilst, at the same time, delivering long term income through productions where Bad Wolf controls the rights.

Bad Wolf will continue to develop shows for a global marketplace that are made in Wales and as increasing resources will require the recruitment of experienced senior TV production executives to re-locate to Cardiff, this will further develop the industry in Wales as a whole.

Screen Alliance Wales has also helped Bad Wolf to provide training schemes, studio tours and work experience to

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

Backing the UK through Covid-19 and beyond This year the outbreak of Covid-19 has brought into sharp focus our obligation to help alleviate the social and economic impact of this crisis in our home market.

Barclays is committed to helping its customers, clients, colleagues, and the wider community deal with the current unprecedented medical and economic crisis caused by Covid-19, and in preparing for recovery in its aftermath.

Our £100 million Covid-19 Community Aid Package is bringing critical funds to charities working to support vulnerable people impacted by the pandemic, and to alleviate the associated social and economic hardship caused by the crisis, a number of Welsh charities have been able to take advantage of this.

We have swiftly implemented the rollout of the UK Government’s support schemes to provide fresh stimulus to businesses demonstrating the ambition, innovation and resilience to underpin economic

revival. So far, we’ve facilitated over £24bn of funding to help small, medium and large businesses.

At the heart of our support for UK businesses is the extensive expertise which we have mobilised to offer advice and support where it is needed most.

One of the first businesses in Wales to access the Government backed CBILS was a landmark pub in Cardiff. Croeso Pubs Ltd, which includes The Philharmonic, The Brewhouse and Retro Lounge in Cardiff, secured over £450,000 via the CBILS loan scheme to support them during the pandemic.

Another client to benefit from the scheme was iTeach. Established in 2012, iTeach are a Cardiff based I.T. Support company

offering technical support and services to Education and Business customers across the country. iTeach has invested over £700,000 to acquire 2,500 Chromebooks for distribution across Welsh schools and we were delighted to support them via the CBILS Government backed emergency loan scheme.

We know these are uncertain times, but through our financial integrity and strength we remain committed to playing our full part in Backing the UK through Covid-19 and beyond. We are proud to serve nearly one million British businesses and the dedication and innovation they display every day fills us with confidence that the UK has a thriving future ahead.

To find out more about how we can help your business success please contact: Karen Thomas Head of Head of South Wales Corporate

T: +44 (0)7775 542 684 E: karen.e.thomas@barclays.com barclayscorporate.com

fastgrowth50.com

71

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

06 SL Recycling (Hengoed)

Waste management Established: 2016 Growth (2017-2019): 495.4% slrecyclingltd.co.uk

From humble beginnings, Stacey Lewis - the founder of SL Recycling - had an aspirational view of future expansion while maintaining values. He now proudly offers the total package of waste management through in-house processing, skip hire, recycling and consultancy and where before it used to broker out contracts, SL Recycling now has control over costs which ensures customers get the best deal.

The firm’s growth is testament to its dedication to recycling and making waste matter. It continually strives towards zero-waste-to-landfill, exploring Best Alternative Techniques and maximising recycling solutions, currently recycling approximately 92% of all the materials it handles and focussing on diverting from landfill.

SL Recycling is dedicated to providing a flexible, reliable and cost-effective waste

management service with a personal touch. Combining expert industry knowledge with highly personal customer service, it puts clients at the forefront of its services and offers experienced account managers, specialist consultancy and flexible support to ensure clients are always taken care of.

Founded in 2016, SL Recycling began with its Ystrad Mynach site acting as a scrap yard. The firm purchased metals from manufacturers and quickly discovered a gap in the market namely that these customers wanted a reliable one-stop shop that would handle all their waste and metal needs. Customers wanted one point of contact, clear paper trails, high standards of service, compliance, and most importantly, a fair price but no one could offer it all.

hensive waste management service meeting the criteria of customers. Through investing over £10 million in equipment, machinery, vehicles and skips, infrastructure and expansion of the team, the Ystrad Mynach scrap yard has become a waste transfer station and the firm’s newer site - a material recovery facility at Pontypool - has enabled the business to take on a large portfolio of customers from a variety of sectors across South Wales.

The key success factors have been the implementation of ISO 14001 and 9001 standards, continuous investment in people, infrastructure and plant, and competitive pricing. In the future, SL Recycling will continue to invest in infrastructure and people with the aim of growing its customer base throughout South Wales and eventually further afield.

SL Recycling now fulfils those wishes, presenting a compre-

“ the firm is continually striving towards zero-waste-to-landfill”

72

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

“...committed to leaving a legacy for future generations and the communities it serves, people are the heart of Motion’s values.

Motion Rail (Ebbw Vale)

Rail systems engineering specialist Established: 2009 Growth (2017-2019): 468.4%

motionrail.co.uk

Motion Rail is a specialist in rail systems engineering that delivers innovative, safe designs and builds multi-functional resilient solutions, future-proofing infrastructure across the UK rail network.

Supporting the running of the UK rail network, Motion Rail specialises in integrating and modifying legacy and digital rail equipment. Its solutions consider whole-life costs from design through to implementation and maintenance, ensuring value for money and delivering effective engineering.

Its key priorities are meeting the needs of clients and putting passengers first. It is committed to leaving a legacy for future generations and the communities it serves and people are the heart of Motion’s values. Community engagement is fundamental in educating the public both about the risks associated with improper use of the railway and inspiring the next generation to consider a career in the rail industry.

After joining the rail industry and training as a telecommunications engineer at just 18 years old, Motion’s founder Emma Dymond was made redundant and ended up working in a coffee shop. As a single young mum, she quickly realised her coffee shop wages were not enough to provide for her family so with nothing to lose and knowing where her talents lay, Emma decided to go back to engineering. Her generous grandfather provided the money to

fastgrowth50.com

register a company - wrapped in a note saying ‘I believe in you’ - and in 2009, Emma set up Motion and went back to her passion, building a reputation as a trusted and competent engineer and going on to work on several high-profile projects including Thameslink and Crossrail.

Motion had to be different to be noticed and compete with bigger and more established competition and had to explore innovative ways to develop the workforce while keeping costs low to remain competitive and deliver value for money.

Now a mum of four, Emma saw the power of gaming technology and decided, in collaboration with the University of South Wales, to create the first virtual railway to carry out workforce training using gamification whilst encouraging STEM careers. Working with Network Rail and British Transport Police, this training aid has educated hundreds of thousands of children nationally about the dangers of the railway using gamification and also encouraging STEM careers.

07 presence and helped secure new clients, supporting further growth.

Pre Covid-19, Motion had secured several national design frameworks and developed a comprehensive business strategy with significant growth plans for both the organisation and workforce.

The strategy included building new bespoke and eco-friendly owned offices in Wales to accommodate and train more local talent and securing a principle contractor licence (PCL) needed to work with Network Rail directly.

The plan now is to spend the next 12 months recovering from the impact of Covid-19 and Motion is gearing up to deliver national design frameworks, has been working towards obtaining the PCL by Christmas 2020, and will continue to develop relationships with Transport for Wales to support the delivery of the Metro.

Motion won new projects with Transport for Wales on the Great Western Electrification and the South Wales Metro which has enabled growth, providing workforce security and investment in local trainees, premises, fleet, training and education.

In parallel, Motion gained work on several high-profile projects in London and Liverpool which provided a national

73

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

08 Central FM Group (Ebbw Vale)

Facilities management Established: 2012 Growth (2017-2019): 443.3% centralfmgroup.co.uk

The Central FM Group was created to service all sectors with a professional, cost effective one stop shop that covers the full range of facilities management. The services provided are security covering all areas of physical guarding and key holding, cleaning, building maintenance and gardening.

It also provides fire and security alarm systems including CCTV, 24 hour monitoring room and rapid response, and the recruitment of temporary and permanent recruitment across all sectors including managed services.

Where appropriate, the business eliminates inefficiencies and reduce costs for customers, by streamlining processes, introducing multi-skilled teams and continuously improving service lines by investing in innovation. This gives excellent standards of service, protected assets and an exceptional customer experience for clients, their employees and visitors.

It works in partnership with some of the UK’s leading businesses and customers range from single site to multinational organisations

74

across a wide range of markets in the private and public sector.

The Central FM Group listens to its customers and operates in an open and direct manner that builds trust, respect and loyalty between its team and clients. Providing exceptional service to customers is the firm’s number one priority and it is passionately committed to understanding what customers want and providing them with outstanding solutions and service. It is actively looking for better ways of doing things in to improve the value it delivers to customers and is committed to attracting and developing the best people it can.

Having worked in Wales for many years and in many sectors and roles, the founders became aware of a gap in the market for a Welsh based facilities management company that could truly be called a one stop shop and one that could save managers from trawling the internet and spending many hours listening to sales presentations.

The company has succeeded through the engagement

of experienced senior staff who have a proven record with the banks, an in-depth knowledge of the industry and a proven track record in management. The business also has a strong business and financial plan that can be delivered in the time scale (which is backed up by strong financial governance) and has recruited good staff who are well rewarded and who buy into the vision of treating clients with honesty and integrity.

“ The company has succeeded through the engagement of experienced senior staff who have a proven record with the banks, an in-depth knowledge of the industry and a proven track record in management.”

The growth of the business over the next five years will be through developing its current customer base, creating new service offering to customers and developing a sales strategy which, in turn, will help grow the customer base across South West England and Midlands.

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

09 Cowshed Communication (Cardiff)

Creative communications agency Established: 2014 Growth (2017-2019): 381.7% wearecowshed.co.uk

Cowshed is a creative communication agency based in the heart of Cardiff that delivers a fully integrated marketing and PR campaigns for clients that make a huge difference to the people they serve. Its client roster of over 25 organisations includes Welsh Government, Royal Marines Charity, National Trust and the United Nations Refugee Agency. The campaigns it has developed have encouraged more people to take up roles in Social Care or early years’ child care, encouraged political parties put mental health front and centre in their manifestos, and fundraised to help support refugees fleeing from some of the most war torn parts of the world. All the clients and the campaigns it delivers have one thing in common they are all causes Cowshed believes in.

After spending three years trying for a child, several rounds of IVF and miscarriages, the realisation that Cowshed founder Vicki Spen-

fastgrowth50.com

cer-Francis was not going to be able to have children hit hard. It seemed plans had to change and with that, a strong sense of needing to achieve something on her own. Work for causes has always been central to the way Vicki works and that’s why, when she set up Cowshed, she promised to be a creative agency with a difference namely one who only works for organisations who want to make a big impact on society.

“ All the clients and the campaigns it delivers have one thing in common - they are all causes Cowshed believes in.”

Cowshed’s purpose proposition helps it stand out from the crowd as organisations want to work with businesses with a strong moral compass and it has that at the core of its business. Gaining two places on the National Procurement Framework for Campaigns and PR also helped to gain work and it

has recently gained a further place on the digital framework. Finally, strategic hires and a close-knit team, working towards one goal and purpose, along with mentoring from key people in the industry, has helped the firm grow.

The next five years are crucial for Cowshed to gain further momentum and it plans to gain further places on frameworks in Wales which will help drive growth. Off the back of significant UK clients including the United Nations and Royal Marines Charity, coupled with some key strategic hires, it will expand its creative offering to deliver more digital and web projects as well as traditional design and branding work.

Cowshed is committed to delivering only for clients that it believes in and those with a strong purpose at their core.

As part of this, the business has signed up to the United Nations Global Impact which calls for companies to align their strategies and operations with the universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and take actions that advance societal goals.

75

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

10

Total Care Services (Merthyr Tydfil)

Healthcare recruitment specialist Established: 2016 Growth (2017-2019): 361.9% totalcareservicesltd.co.uk

Total Care Services supplies agency nurses and healthcare assistants to the private nursing and care home sector.

The team consists of former professionals who have many years of first-hand experience of working in the healthcare sector, so they speak clients’ language and understand the regulatory and legislative controls that are relevant in the provision of healthcare.

It provides a personal service within the healthcare sector by accurately matching the qualifications, skills, experience and capability of candidates with vacancy criteria.

It also takes the time to understand the aspirations of candidates in order to generate the most successful and productive match.

The directors had previously worked together in the healthcare sector and wanted to establish a business

76

with a reputation for providing high quality and well trained staff into an under-resourced sector. In the early stages of the business, the biggest challenge was to develop a strong reputation for quality in a competitive, price sensitive marketplace The key success factors are a focus on recruiting and retaining high quality staff, providing a first class customer service provided on a 24 hour a day 365 days a year service, and attention to detail in all areas, including financial management and management information, to ensure the best decisions are made on a daily basis The current Covid-19 crisis has made the firm re-evaluate its plans for the future and it has streamlined its business model to take all recruitment and training of staff online. It has reduced

costs and ring-fenced staff provision to certain homes to reduce Covid-19 risk and avoided any significant investment in the short term to ensure the business has strong cash reserves to ensure it can weather whatever comes its way in the future.

As a result, the business will develop its existing business model to other branches and other market sectors within the recruitment and temporary resource sectors.

“ The directors wanted to establish a business with a reputation for providing high quality and well trained staff into an under-resourced sector.�

fastgrowth50.com

High Growth and Entrepreneurs Our dedicated High Growth and Entrepreneurs team help fast-growth UK businesses achieve their potential. As you start, grow and scale your business and seek practical tools, expert knowledge, connections or inspiration, our innovative approach means you don’t just bank with us – you bank on your future.

Your pace of growth brings challenges, thick and fast. With High Growth Managers located within Wales we’re here to help you when you need to know exactly who to speak to, while being confident that we get what’s special about your business. We’ll find the most suitable options for you, respond quickly and solve problems – so you can get on with growing your business. To make that happen, you need to finance the opportunities that will help to grow your business. Rapid growth is a nice

problem to have, but it can bring with it an imbalance between income and capital, which can hold you back. Let’s work together to find appropriate routes to finance and tools to handle money that are tailored to help your business get to the next level as quickly as it’s growing.

need to crack each challenge. We have High Growth Managers located within Wales who will work closely with you, our community of founders and broad network of resources can help cut down the time you spend searching for solutions, so you can get back to building your business.

For many entrepreneurs, you start out as the CEO, CMO, CFO and CIO of your own business. It’s a lot to manage. We give you a fresh route to finding the expertise, inspiration and solutions you

To find out more about how we can help your business success please contact: Sam Cole Regional Head of High Growth & Entrepreneurs, Central, Wales and South West

T: +44 (0)7766 364 720 E: sam.cole@barclays.com barclays.co.uk/business-banking/sectors/entrepreneurs

fastgrowth50.com

77

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

11

Flyform (Cardiff)

Digital consultancy Established: 2015 Growth (2017-2019): 351.5% flyform.com

FlyForm is a digital consultancy that works exclusively with ServiceNow – the world’s premier B2B cloud platform - to usher in digital transformations in organisations across the country.

Clients span a variety of sectors including public sector, healthcare, managed services providers and financial services.

At the heart of the FlyForm’s philosophy are the three core principle of quality, integrity and delivery which allows the firm to deliver solutions it can stand behind and provide solutions that will benefit the client.

FlyForm was born out of the dream of co-founders Arron Davies and Phil Davies of making a positive impact on the world through the power of technology. Using the power of ServiceNow, they want to help more organisations across the UK and Europe to improve efficiency and productivity through better IT processes.

People have always been the engine that drives FlyForm’s operations and success and staff are not just the workers who share their talents but also individually contribute the per-

78

sonalities and life lessons that add up to the company culture that it has today. The team is a cohesive combination of all members’ individualities and that’s what makes the FlyForm difference.

As the company keeps expanding, it has been a top priority to maintain a healthy cash position and retain a cash cushion to help accommodate the ever-changing client demands.

Every investment decision – from a new system to a new office – is considered carefully, with regards to their potential impact on the company’s financial health in the long run.

It was thanks to this fiscal responsibility and the financial cushion that Flyform was able to weather the setbacks from Covid-19 and keep the team and operations going strong.

Its services can only be as good as the product it represents and FlyForm stands behind the best B2B cloud solution on the market. With ServiceNow, it can confidently serve clients and meet their IT transformation needs because they have a powerful tool to rely on. As Ser-

viceNow continues expanding its global presence with an annual R&D budget of hundreds of millions of dollars spent on new innovation, Flyform believes in the vast potential of aligning with the product to serve many more customers across the country.

As a Welsh company at its roots, FlyForm is confident that there is still a lot of potential to be tapped into in the Welsh labour market. That’s why it is planning on expanding its headquarters in Wales and building up a workforce of up to 100 within the next 12 months to explore the pipeline of existing and up-and-coming technical talent the market has to offer.

It will also be expanding its operations into more areas of the UK to introduce itself to a broader client base and help more organisations do great work with ServiceNow, especially in maximising the potential of the platform to help more organisations power their operations.

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

12 Skillcert (Cardiff)

Training and assessment Established: 2015 Growth (2017-2019): 290.1% skillcert.co.uk

Skillcert was founded by its managing director Steffan Edwards who identified that there was an opportunity to work with clients that were new to the apprenticeship marketplace. As a result, he set out to create a qualification offering that delivered impactful, bespoke and results driven training and assessment for employers and their staff.

This model has allowed Skillcert to experience significant growth since inception and become a leading provider of specialist apprenticeship qualifications to customers in the manufacturing, engineering, financial services, recycling and logistics sector. Skillcert is operational throughout the UK and currently works with over thirty multinational brands including Ocado, Vitality, DS Smith and Suez.

In addition to apprenticeships, Skillcert delivers ‘through the gate’ offender management programmes in several UK prisons alongside the Greggs,

fastgrowth50.com

Timpsons and Halfords rehabilitation academies and has worked with over 400 offenders, supporting over 70 learners into sustainable employment.

The introduction of the levy has seen several multi-national employers entering the apprenticeship marketplace for the first time. Employers are buying specialist provision and Skillcert has invested heavily in ensuring that it has a team of experts delivering this provision to meet buyer demands. There has also been a shift in perception towards apprenticeships, particularly with the introduction of degree apprenticeships into a wide range of new sectors. Apprenticeships are now seen as valid alternatives to University degrees for a much wider group of employers and candidates.

Skillcert also saw a large increase in demand for its offender management programme as employers were looking at ways in which to widen their recruitment pool to meet staff

demand/shortages post Brexit.

In addition, clients are now also placing far greater emphasis on their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) requirements as they often now appear as contractual KPIs in supply tenders and supply chain arrangements.

These include targets on often includes recruitment targets on offenders and apprentices which has supported demand for Skillcert’s offering.

Skillcert is currently preparing and supporting employers for the introduction of traineeships programmes in England which will involve the setting up of regional hubs to support young people into their first apprenticeship. It will also be looking to diversify apprenticeship offering to meet ongoing client demand including supporting clients with coverage in Scotland which will to allow the firm to deliver an aligned recruitment and leaderships and development approach on a cross border basis.

“ Skillcert is currently preparing and supporting employers for the introduction of traineeships programmes in England...”

79

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

Sgiliau is a new kind of learning organisation providing practical skills and experience for the creative industries and is one of the few providers in Wales specialising in this kind of learning in the creative sector.

We foster an environment that allows students to develop and improve their confidence and self-esteem through enabling them to express themselves through creative media.

By doing so learners develop the wider skills they require for employment, further education or training.

Our learners are guaranteed: •

A bespoke learning programme that suits their needs.

•

D aily support to help overcome personal barriers and behavioural issues.

•

A ccess to pastoral support via 1-to-1 support workers and counselling.

•

A friendly, comfortable and safe environment and ‘0’ tolerance towards bullying.

•

o work in small groups T of students where they have plenty of support.

•

egular progress updates R and target setting so learners know they are progressing.

C O N TA C T U S :

mail@sgiliau.wales 01633 619086 sgiliauwales W W W. S G I L I A U . W A L E S 80

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

13 “ Sgiliau will actively look at the emerging ‘opportunities’ that must follow [Covid-19] to help support young people”

Sgiliau Cyf (Cross Keys)

Supporting young people in education and training Established: 2016 Growth (2017-2019): 265.4% sgiliau.wales

Sgiliau Cyf operates in the education and training sector and specialises in supporting young people aged 16-24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) as well as school pupils that are not achieving in mainstream secondary education.

The motivation behind Lindsay Evans’ decision to start the business was the opportunity to provide young people that are marginalised and disaffected with inspirational activities that will engage and help them develop new skills, confidence and motivation as well as improve their selfesteem.

The learning and personal development programmes it provides for young people is focused on creative practical activities that importantly are hands-on and engaging.

Sgiliau offers a wide range of creative learning opportunities including music (performing, recording, writing and music technology), photography, film making and animation, art and

fastgrowth50.com

design, textiles and fashion, T-shirt printing, badge making, 3D printing and applying ICT and new technology to enhance these activities as well as improve the digital skills of young people it works work with.

It also supports the wider development and learning of the young people it engages through providing literacy, numeracy, IT, employability and soft skills development all its programmes are focused on ultimately progressing the young people onto higher levels of education and training as well as employment.

Part of its success is down to the fact that it has never relied on the normal recruitment methods from referral agencies for young people but has been pro-active in using a range of social media platforms to reach out to disengaged young people. The dynamic nature of social media promoting what the business does on a daily basis and acting as ‘shop front’ has been key to its growth.

Sgiliau has also developed a superb team of people who are all self-starters. The business has a fairly flat structure and everyone is encouraged to self-manage working towards business targets. This requires self-discipline to manage the autonomy everyone is given and whilst it is not for everyone, the individuals that embrace this culture have been pivotal in the growth of Sgiliau. They must want to do more than just do the job and have to care for the young people they work with and these qualities have been key in Sgiliau’s growth.

For the future, Covid-19 continues to disrupt the education, development and careers of young people and in response, Sgiliau will actively look at the emerging ‘opportunities’ that must follow to help support young people who will be heavily impacted upon due to the fall out of the pandemic.

81

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

14

TrakCel (Cardiff)

Supply chain software developer Established: 2012 Growth (2017-2019): 257.9% trakcel.com

TrakCel is a cloud-based software platform that streamlines the delivery of personalised medicine to vulnerable patients whose treatment window is time critical.

Personalised therapies such as CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T cells) are showing real promise in the treatment of a number of oncology related illnesses and have been labelled as one of the most exciting developments in modern medicine.

To deliver this innovative therapy the patient becomes the product by collecting, editing and reintroducing their own modified T cells back into the body. Once the modified CAR-T cells are reintroduced into the body they have the ability to recognise and attack tumours cells.

“ The TrakCel platform was the first of its kind in the cell and gene therapy industry...”

82

Advanced therapies are often referred to as a “third-line” treatment option once other options have failed. The initial extraction of the patients T cells leaves the patient at their most

vulnerable and as such creates a very limited window to modify and infuse back into the patient. The complex supply chain that handles the treatment is orchestrated and streamlined through TrakCel’s “single pane of glass” software. By connecting and notifying all participants of the supply chain in real-time, TrakCel provides a compliant and innovate platform to deliver treatment to patients globally.

In other words,“There is a patient at the end of everything we do.”

TrakCel was founded as a joint enterprise between academic spinout AwenID and Biotec Services International, a specialist provider of ultra-low temperature-controlled supply chain management services to the biotechnology industry.

TrakCel’s vision was to use the expertise of their founders to create a technology-driven, collection-to-administration supply chain management platform for the orchestration and efficient management of cell and gene therapies at clinical trial and commercial scale.

The TrakCel platform was the first of its kind in the cell and gene therapy industry and significant investment in product development means that TrakCel is one of only a couple of platforms that can cater for three of the major advanced therapies in the autologous therapy, allogeneic therapy and personalised cancer vaccines sector.

The company will continue to invest heavily into its product development and additional integrations with complimentary service providers will continue to drive demand and increase access of the platform to users internationally.

TrakCel has also built a partner ecosystem of connected companies and is regularly running partnership networking events to educate the market on the benefits of an integrated supply chain. It will also be looking to develop its service offering outside of the product in customer service and project consultation.

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

15 Lightning Solutions

(Merthyr Tydfil) Electrical contractor Established: 2008 Growth (2017-2019): 248.6% lsuk.org.uk

LIGHTNING S LUTIONS electrical services

Started by Ben Smith when he was only 23, Lightning Solutions is an electrical contractor that provides an array of electrical services, carrying out works within the domestic and commercial sector. It is recognised throughout the UK for its specialised fields and this has helped clients trust that it put their needs first, regardless of the type of project it is working on.

The company supports numerous local authorities and housing associations with electrical services such as reactive maintenance, callouts, and large scale planned works. It also works on large scale electrical projects for reputable companies in the private sector across Wales and England, carrying out office fitouts. Its electrical team is also security cleared which enables them to work in home office buildings and MOD sites across the UK. Ben had always envisaged being able to provide electrical services to specific clients and customers and had set himself

fastgrowth50.com

goals as to how he was going to achieve this. To gain these clients, he realised it wasn’t going to come overnight and so built a business structure, implemented various fundamentals and ensured the business had a sound financial rating.

Ben had always envisaged being able to provide electrical services to specific clients and customers and had set himself goals as to how he was going to achieve his aim of working with these. He realised that gaining these clients wasn’t going to come overnight and that he wasn’t to achieve this alone so he built upon the business structure, implemented various fundamentals, ensured that the firm had a sound financial rating and made important decisions that could help grow the business.

One of the key decisions made by the company was the employment of an incredible office team that has worked extremely hard in recent years to achieve the overall goal.

This decision has had a massive impact on the growth of the business and with rigorous principles and structures in place having gained clients and customers, the main goal is to maintain the functioning of the business and retain customers by going above and beyond to exceed expectations.

“ One of the key decisions made by the company was the employment of an incredible office team that has worked extremely hard in recent years to achieve the overall goal.”

83

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

16

CashCalc (Newport)

Cashflow planning software Established: 2014 Growth (2017-2019): 230.6% cashcalc.co.uk

CashCalc offers market-leading cashflow planning software that enables financial advisers to create detailed and precise financial plans without unnecessary complexity. Its mission is to make the financial planning process simpler, more visual and more productive with incredibly powerful and intuitive tools.

It believes in simple inputs, complex calculations, and powerful outputs, giving users a suite of tools and calculators covering all aspects of financial planning and enabling advisers to compile a concise report which, as well as being a perfect compliance document, can be provided to their client as part of their advice.

CashCalc takes pride in perpetual development and innovation which, to date, has cemented its position as a leader in the financial planning field. By fully investing in enhanced user feedback and development initiatives such as public beta tests, it can ensure that its tools are shaped by and constructed specifically for users.

Before the firm entered the market in 2014, CashCalc founder Ray Adams identified

84

that the current offerings of cashflow software were very often too complicated and clunky. If the advisers themselves were finding it difficult to understand the system and outputs, then their clients will likely understand them even less. He found there was a significant gap in the market for a powerful yet straightforward and easy-to-understand cashflow software which can benefit both advisers and their clients.

CashCalc prides itself on its engagement with users and each feature released has been designed with them in mind and a priority was ensuring an ease-of-use and ease-of-understanding for users and their respective clients. That priority has not changed and is still at the forefront of each new development and feature that is added to the software.

Recently, it has been focusing on eliminating the need for advisers to rekey data by redeveloping its digital Fact Find and integrations with a

number of back-office systems.

Now clients are able to input their own financial data which increases accuracy of information with that data pulled into CashCalc and then pushed into an advisers back-office system without the need for them to key any data at all. It is now looking to make the client onboarding process and ongoing engagement easier by introducing new features including a secure Client Portal which will soon bring with it link sharing, secure document exchange, and secure messaging.

CashCalc is looking to build upon its well-established platform and become the driving force in changing how the financial advice industry works by best serving advisers’ clients and giving them the best advice possible for their situation. This will be achieved by streamlining the client onboarding process, securely communicating with them, providing world-class tools to assist advisers in planning and explaining to the client how they plan to implement the advice going forward.

“ ...there was a significant gap in the market for a powerful yet straightforward and easy-to understand cashflow software which can benefit both advisers and their clients.�

fastgrowth50.com

A new way of working?

The Covid-19 pandemic means that we have all had to make adjustments in the way we live and work every day. For much of the workforce, remote working has become the norm; something the Welsh Government has committed to continuing, with the First Minister setting a future target of 30% of workers working remotely in the future.

But what does this mean for the organisations managing their staff? This new hybrid workplace model, where staff can work in the office, at home or at a shared working space is encouraging; and it’s something workers themselves want, with a recent YouGov survey finding that only 7% of British workers want to return to the office full-time after Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.

As part of our own research project, bootthecommute.co.uk, we’ve analysed over 5,000,000 miles of commutes across the UK and found some interesting things.

85% of those we surveyed want to work close to home. Not surprising, with the average commuter spending £2,890 per year travelling to and from work. That’s 307 hours (or 38 working days) of typically dead time moving from home, to the office and back again.

Working more flexibly is something that can have a much wider impact than simply cutting travel times. Research suggests that less commuting leads to greater job satisfaction, more money spent locally and CO2 reductions equivalent to 44 extra fully grown trees for every commuter.

Since TownSq started reopening our spaces, we have seen a big trend for people who just need a bit of headspace, and this is what we think is the big opportunity for the Minister’s vision of work in Wales. Whilst 30% of the workforce working remotely is a good start,

Money...

Miles...

Time...

What does your commute cost?

BootTheCommute.co.uk

it won’t be that concrete. We see a different pattern of change that is more flexible e.g. one day a week working from home, two days in an urban centre, and two days walking or cycling to work in their local town centres.

With many employers considering a change to their normal places of work, it’s clear that more and more companies will go this way in the coming months. A commitment from organisations to this new way of working could leave a lasting legacy for future generations and one that could engender a revolution in the way we live and work.

It is an idea that we have waited for since devolution began over two decades ago and it is one that could finally transform the Welsh economy if we work together to turn it into a reality that benefits workers, businesses and communities across every part of Wales. If there was ever a time to make this positive change, it is now. Let’s make this happen.

countrywide hearing We are the UK’s leading hearing aid replacement specialists.

Founded in 2012 by team Ben and Trine Davies, Countrywide Hearing identified an unmet need in the insurance sector for lost or damaged hearing aids, which was leaving vulnerable customers without support.

Since then, we have developed a unique insurance replacement solution and become trusted suppliers to UK insurers. Our award winning claims management service is designed to be dynamic, to ensure rapid response to the changing insurance environment and challenges such as COVID19.

From our South Wales HQ, we coordinate a UK wide network of experienced Audiologists, so that we can help insurers validate claims and replace hearing aids for the customers quickly and correctly.

INTERESTING FACTS Hearing loss is the UK’s second largest disability, affecting over 12 million adults. That

is 1 in 5 people.

—————————

The technology is incredibly advanced, with rechargeable, Bluetooth enabled and AI technology available on the private market. They are part of every day life and users come to rely on them.

—————————

Private hearing aids have no RRP so prices vary between suppliers, sometimes by £1000’s for the same product, demonstrating why specialist claim validation is crucial.

AWARD WINNING From 2017 - 2019, Countrywide Hearing recorded 219.5% company growth, winning ‘fastest growing consumer and retail services firm’ out of 260,000 businesses in Wales, for the second year. .

In 2020 we also won the Insurance Times ‘Claims Product Solution of the Year’ and were finalists in two industry awards for excellent customer service.

We are very proud of our achievements and hope to prove sustained growth and development at next year’s awards.

0330 016 5110 • CLAIMS@CWHEARING.CO.UK

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

17 Countrywide Hearing (Swansea)

Hearing aid dispensers Established: 2012 Growth (2017-2019): 219.5% countrywide.co.uk

Countrywide Hearing works with insurance companies to validate claims and replace hearing aids that have been lost, damaged, or otherwise claimed for. Its services are provided throughout the UK and coordinated from premises in Mumbles, Swansea.

With one in 6 people experiencing hearing loss, which is estimated to increase to 1 in 5 by 2035, the private hearing aid market is set to grow year on year. In particular, private hearing aid claims are anticipated to be around 10% of the annual market and insurance companies have been lacking in the specialist knowledge to properly validate these types of claims.

This is why the business was established by husband and wife founders Ben and Trine Davies who had specialist audiology knowledge which enabled them to offer a bespoke and unique solution for this unmet need in the insurance sector.

fastgrowth50.com

Being without a hearing aid can be extremely stressful for the wearer, and the end goal is to ensure that the user has the correct replacement hearing aid in the shortest amount of time possible, along with lifetime aftercare. For those clients who feel vulnerable without their hearing aid, Countrywide Hearing accelerates the time taken to replace, or offer loan aids.

All of this is done whilst navigating the insurance company through a complicated market and ensuring that clients receive the best care at a competitive price.

Ben and Trine have put a huge amount of effort into attention to detail, visiting and revisiting its claims process to ensure the offering cannot be rivalled by any competitor. Where larger companies may find it challenging to change their processes, Countrywide Hearing’s ethos has been to provide an ever-evolving system so that clients’ preferences shape operations. This agility has been a key factor in the company’s success but has also allowed it to adapt to the challenges that have arisen as a result of Covid-19.

The business has been fortunate to be able to work with extremely resourceful, creative and innovative people who have totally engaged in its vision to be the market leader in the sector.

“ The business has been fortunate to be able to work with extremely resourceful, creative and innovative people who have totally engaged in its vision to be the market leader in the sector.”

87

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

18

One Team Logic

(Talbot Green) Safeguarding software developer Established: 2014 Growth (2017-2019): 215.0% myconcern.co.uk

One Team Logic is a safeguarding company that provides world class and market leading products and services to help keep children, young people and adults at risk safe from harm.

It was founded by Martin Baker and Mike Glanville who had worked together for eight years as Chief Constable and Assistant Chief Constable (Operations) for Dorset Police. They are also both school governors and between them have over 75 years’ experience in safeguarding children and adults at risk. They formed the company in 2014 with Darryl Morton who leads the software development and information security arrangements for the company.

The hero product in its portfolio is MyConcern, the Queen’s Award-winning safeguarding software designed by child protection professionals and created by world class software developers. Initially, it was created to enable the easy management of all safeguarding concerns in schools and colleges but other sector-specific versions of the solution have also been adopted by a growing number of local authorities, charities and high-profile sporting organisations.

88

Having proven itself in the education industry (being used by thousands of schools and colleges in the UK and worldwide) MyConcern now not only serves the education sector but other sector-specific versions of the solution have also been adopted by a fast-growing number of local authorities, charities and high-profile sporting organisations.

Whatever the industry, MyConcern serves the same purpose namely to keep children, young people and adults safe and enable those responsible for their safety to act quickly to prevent harm. It also enables secure information sharing with trusted professionals in social care, health and policing to protect children and young people.

It also allows staff the ability to record, report and manage all safeguarding, wellbeing and pastoral concerns using a trusted, secure and intuitive platform, enabling early intervention, providing safeguarding leads with peace of mind that they’re meeting their statutory, legal and moral obligations to children and young people under their care.

More recently, One Team Logic has diversified from a single product to a diverse range of

products and services namely Clarity (which provides high-level, anonymised reporting to enables senior Leaders to compare establishments, detect trends, identify actionable insights and track progress); Sentry (a safeguarding software tool that effectively manages a school’s safer recruitment process and acts as the Single Central Record; and Safeguarding Training (a wide range of CPD certified courses, delivered by experienced practitioners in person and online which have been designed to provide practical knowledge and the skills required to confidently carry out safeguarding effectively in a variety of roles).

Currently employing more than 100 people, One Team Logic will continue with its vision of protecting people around the globe from abuse, harm and neglect by bringing together the best technologies with worldclass safeguarding expertise, as well as forging the way to establish a global safeguarding industry as a category in its own right. Its product roadmap has a whole raft of new products and services it will deliver over the coming years to further enhance the safety of children, young people and the vulnerable.

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

19

Econotherm (Bridgend)

Industrial Waste Heat Recovery Established: 2007 Growth (2017-2019): 208.1% econotherm.eu

Econotherm is a leading UK based manufacturer of heat pipe waste heat recuperators, economisers, pre-Heaters, steam generators and steam condensers. Its patented super conductor heat pipe technology is used in a wide range of applications across many diverse industrial sectors. The technology is renowned for being extremely robust and able to operate in many challenging heat recovery environments for the benefit of high energy users seeking to reduce ever increasing energy costs and reduce CO2 emissions.

Econotherm’s equipment is used to recover otherwise difficult to recover industrial waste heat that is otherwise emitted to the environment.

During the last thirteen years, it has invested heavily in developing its technology and products to the extent it is now recognised globally by many large industrials across almost every industrial sector.

fastgrowth50.com

The motivation to start the business was to bring to the market an environmental technology that could address the vast amounts of industrial waste heat being needlessly expelled to atmosphere. As with the origins of any business there are a number of factors that need to intersect to create the correct environment.

The key ingredients in the case of Econotherm were the right technology, access to capital and capability and a strong and growing market.

Last year, the firm has reached a tipping point whereby there are now enough customer success stories to support new business and also a critical mass of repeat business from the existing client base as well as referrals from key customers.

and the customer – the third largest oil and gas company in the world - has confirmed its delight at the units’ performance and characteristics and have now confirmed Econotherm is to be the preferred option for their refineries around the world. It is now focused on closing further contracts for its technology and marketing the solution to other global industry customers.

“ Econotherm’s equipment is used to recover otherwise difficult to recover industrial waste heat that is otherwise emitted to the environment.”

It has successfully commissioned both very large Air Pre-Heaters delivered in 2019 during the early part of 2020

89

Barclays Eagle Labs are a platform to connect the UK’s entrepreneurial community and run a national network of spaces that provide business incubation, acceleration, business coaching and mentoring and coworking and office space for ambitious high-growth businesses.

By cultivating a community of likeminded entrepreneurs through providing a collaborative work environment and giving them access to their peers, opportunities to maximise growth through facilitating physical and digital connections, dedicated growth programmes, curated learning, events and funding, networking and international opportunities, Eagle Labs are able to help start-ups to grow at pace.

With a flagship Lab in Cardiff with state-of-the-art facilities and dedicated programmes to support local tech businesses - we are committed to helping entrepreneurs and innovators from Wales to scale and grow.

2020 has been a challenging year but we are proud of how we have supported our members at this time. Companies like Health and Her and Yoello have accelerated during the pandemic.

Ecosystem member, Creo Medical Innovations Limited, have recently taken part in Global Connect programme which immerses UK entrepreneurs from our network directly in the San Francisco ecosystem and provides them with access and exposure to pioneers of Silicon Valley and establishes an overseas network.

We partner with tech growth specialists, CodeBase, as well as with Cambridge Judge Business School to provide tailored mentoring to our member businesses any time they need it. We also have local mentors, predominantly serial entrepreneurs and investors who are keen to support and provide their expertise and guidance to a new generation of entrepreneurs.

Our dedicated programmes include a Funding Readiness programme designed to help members understand the crowdfunding, grant funding and investor

Cardiff member, Health and Her, received one-to-one mentoring from Codebase as well as facilitated introductions via our dedicated Health Tech programme. It was great to see founder, Kate Bache, speak at our Female Founders Network and inspire other female founders from across the network. Health and Her are also finalists in the Social Entrepreneur category of the Barclays Entrepreneur Awards 2020 and we have seen the business go from strength-to-strength.

90

fastgrowth50.com

To find out more about how we can help your business success please contact: Yoello with their “Help Hospitality” campaign has been crucial to supporting this important sector react to Covid-19 in the Welsh capital and beyond. Many of Barclays’ clients have utilised this technology to support re-opening of their businesses safely. Yoello won two awards at the recent Welsh Start-up awards. Founder, Sina Yamani, benefited from mentoring and connections to Rise, our Fintech incubator in London.

funding landscape better and with a view to getting them ready to apply for the most suitable funding for their business after the programme.

We also specialise in positively disrupting industries by bringing together key corporates, industry bodies, leading universities and startups to enable rapid innovation and investment by asking them to collaborate and currently have dedicated LawTech, HealthTech, GameTech, EnergyTech and AgriTech industry-aligned programmes that members from across the whole network and beyond can access and participate in.

We champion inclusivity and celebrate founders who may feel overlooked because of their race, gender or sexual orientation and have created dedicated propositions to help shine a light on

fastgrowth50.com

Niki Haggerty-James Ecosystem Manager, Cardiff Eagle Lab, Barclays UK

T: +44 (0)7917 270 934 E: niki.haggerty-james@barclays.com labs.uk.barclays

businesses led by people from diverse backgrounds, including a Black Founder Accelerator, Female Founders Forum and events series to support the LGBTQ communities.

During Covid, we’ve had to adapt how we work and when we temporarily closed our physical spaces, we responded by moving many of our resources online. We introduced virtual events and mentoring, created an online support hub to support our members through Covid with business resilience, continuity and wellbeing content and converted our programmes to be run virtually online.

With 25 Eagle Labs across the country, our focus is to help to connect, educate and accelerate ambitious UK businesses and entrepreneurs.

91

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

20 Hilltop Honey Ltd (Newtown)

Honey manufacturers Established: 2011 Growth (2017-2019): 194.8% hilltop-honey.com

Hilltop Honey is an awardwinning, established brand of pure and natural honey with the overall mission to help food consumers learn that ‘there’s more to honey’. Its diverse range of honey offerings available in hexagonal jars and easy squeezy bottles - are all pure and natural honey with nothing added and nothing taken away.

yard and found himself unable to continue with laborious work. During his recovery, he was fascinated by the nature of bees and all they do to create this delicious golden nectar.

After researching the everexpanding market, he decided to create his own brand but with a younger image and of the utmost quality and Hilltop Honey was founded in 2011.

Each individual product is unique in its own way from the colour right down to aroma notes and flavour.

As a business based in the heart of Wales, delivering and innovating to the honey sector, it provides a natural, healthier alternative to refined sugars.

During those early days, Scott took a risk and used the remainder of the overdraft to attend a trade show which allowed him to meet and pitch Hilltop Honey to a buyer within health giant Holland & Barrett, a discussion that led to the company’s first large contract of 20,000 units.

The business was started when, at the age of 23, Scott Davies was made redundant from his job at the local coal

92

and into a roomier space. The fourth year was a breakthrough year for Hilltop Honey, gaining listings in leading retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Wholefoods, Selfridges and Planet Organic as well as various independent chains.

It also created the firm’s Soil Association certified, organic hero lines from this range - Organic Acacia Honey and Organic Multiflower Honey – that have sold amazingly well since they were launched.

In the future, Hilltop Honey is planning to maintain at least 50% growth every year for the next 5 years by investing in its capacity, diversified product portfolio and staff.

At this time, it became apparent that the business needed to move out of his parents’ home

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

21

Indigo Telecom Group Ltd (Caldicot)

Telecommunications support services Established: 1997 Growth (2017-2019): 188.7% indigotg.com

Providing network infrastructure to fixed/mobile carriers and the enterprise sector since 1997, the Indigo Telecom Group is a leader in design, build and support services to a fast-changing market where business and consumers demand increasingly powerful connectivity.

A reputation for reliability has made Indigo a trusted partner to some of the biggest companies in the world including Vodafone, Nokia, BT, CityFibre, Cellnex, Equinix, Google, Facebook, and NTT. Its pursuit of value and innovation has seen its reputation grow and its footprint expand into over 90 countries by providing clients with both a local and global presence and supporting infrastructure anywhere in the world with a single point of contact.

The company’s hard-earned expertise has been forged over many years across diverse fixed and mobile network technologies, enabling its teams to

fastgrowth50.com

add value to any project at any point in its evolution. Because it is as expert with leading-edge technologies like 5G as legacy infrastructure, it can solve problems in the most complex environments including greenfield, hyperscale or Edge data centres, upgrade or a hybrid mix of multi-generational technologies.

The rapid growth of the business can be attributed to a global data explosion across fixed and mobile telecommunication networks along with data centres, fantastic service levels and a great team.

Indigo Telecom is also widely recognised as one of the market leaders for reliability of service and dependability and the business is agile and adaptable, constantly realigning its core expertise to meet fast-changing client needs. More recently, it has seen growing demand

for expertise in 5G, edge, fibre and optical networks and data centre services as well as maintaining technology to support infrastructure that is increasingly software-driven and time critical.

Fuelled by the accelerated global deployment of next-generation networks, Indigo Telecom Group is planning a new phase of growth to expand its network design, build and support capabilities across the UK, Ireland, France and Germany. Its goal is to continue with an acquisition strategy and recruit more talent to strengthen its position as a trusted engineering and services partner to customers who rely on Indigo to deliver real and long-lasting value. It is also now looking to use its expanding skills portfolio to capitalise on the current market opportunities around wireless, 5G, data centres, digitisation, and managed services.

“ A reputation for reliability has made Indigo a trusted partner to some of the biggest companies in the world.�

93

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

22 Delio

(Cardiff) Financial technology Established: 2015 Growth (2017-2019): 175% deliogroup.com

Delio is a fintech company that helps financial firms across the world to transform their private markets propositions.

Its configurable technology enables these firms to make private markets investments more accessible and transparent for today’s investors. It is also designed to seamlessly complement the operational processes of financial institutions of all sizes, acting as a centralised digital hub with integrated modules that support all private markets activity.

Over the last five years, Delio has established an international client base of more than 70 organisations, ranging from boutique wealth managers, angel networks and family offices through to some of the world’s most respected financial institutions. From its Cardiff headquarters, Delio has expanded to London, Dubai, Singapore, Sydney, Geneva and New York over the last two years, internationalising the client base and supporting financial institutions across the globe.

Delio’s co-founders, Gareth Lewis and David Newman, started their careers in wealth management and corporate finance. It was here that they noticed the changing demands

of today’s investors and wealth creators who were becoming increasingly interested in private investment opportunities across sectors that they knew and understood. This is where David and Gareth saw technology as a solution and Delio’s business purpose was created from a simple idea to help a broad range of organisations connect their clients with private investment opportunities quickly, transparently and compliantly.

One of the key factors in the growth of the firm was the completion of a Series A investment round, raising over £3 million to invest in its product and growth strategy that focused on expanding the technology and delivery teams aggressively to build new platforms in line with client expectations as well as expanding sales and marketing teams in key international territories, including Asia, the Middle East, Australasia and North America.

A user-led approach to product development meant that, relatively early on, Delio adopted the approach of working closely in partnership with key strategic clients to build solutions around their needs. In doing so, digital solutions were devel-

oped and enhanced to delight existing clients while also creating market-led solutions that resonated with other financial institutions.

Finally, the firm’s positioning of technology as an ‘enabler’ of financial institutions, rather than a competitor, meant that it was able to engage high-profile organisations much earlier in the business’s evolution than normal and less than three years after being formed, Delio had already gained industry leaders such as Barclays, ING and Coutts as clients.

The next step of Delio’s development is to strengthen its position and increase market penetration across North America, Asia and the Middle East whilst simultaneously scaling its tech-offering to increase inter-connectivity across the financial sector. It will also be developing new functionality that will benefit clients and users by making the world of private investments more accessible and collaborative by widening the ability of institutions, investors and private businesses to engage with one another in a controlled, secure and compliant way.

“ Delio’s business purpose was created from a simple idea to help a broad range of organisations connect their clients with private investment opportunities quickly, transparently and compliantly. ”

94

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

23

CDSM Interactive (Swansea)

Bespoke e-Learning and Learning Management System Established: 2000 Growth (2017-2019): 174.8% thinqi.co.uk

CDSM is an online learning management system (LMS) provider for education and business that is led by educationalists with a passion for organisational and personnel development. Unlike its competitors, CDSM does not treat education as just another vertical market or learning and development as just another corporate function and budget to exploit. Instead, it understands and recognises that both schools and businesses need an effective digital learning and development function to succeed. CDSM’s profound appreciation of this manifests itself in the design and development of a class-leading software product for corporate organisations and schools, servicing customers worldwide.

As young professional teachers at the turn of the 21st century, it was clear to the founders of CDSM that the digital revolution was going to have a significant impact on teaching and learning. As a result, CDSM was born as an ed-tech company with a difference and

led by educationalists with a passion for organisational and personnel development.

The business has developed an online learning management system (LMS) for education and business through recognising that both schools and businesses need an effective digital learning and development function to succeed. CDSM’s profound appreciation of this manifests itself in the design and development of a worldclass leading software product for corporate organisations and schools, servicing customers worldwide.

CDSM has succeeded by having an unwavering conviction and commitment to the development of an excellent product-set that genuinely supports and enables high quality learning and development. It has also driven international sales development via commercial partnerships which has enabled it to operate effectively and compete against larger international brands.

It has also seen a successful national implementation of its learning management system technologies in Wales. By being the prime contractor for the Welsh Government’s Hwb project, CDSM now has a digital blueprint for success when working with ministries for education, especially for those developing economies that are prioritising investment in education for children and young people to transform their lives.

In the future, the aim will be to grow the international education business, develop a great working environment for its people and focus on commercial corporate business growth in the healthcare and finance verticals. It will also develop its brand, story and service-quality so that customers become CDSM’s champions and evaluate complementary digital learning and assessment products and services that add value to both existing and new customers.

“ CDSM has succeeded by having an unwavering conviction and commitment to the development of an excellent product-set that genuinely supports and enables high quality learning and development.”

fastgrowth50.com

95

Main image is computer generated.

Beaufort Gardens, Lisvane Village offers an unmissable opportunity to embrace village living in a home that combines modern luxury with traditional architecture befitting the location. The first of the development’s 35 private luxury homes are now available to reserve off plan.

Contact us for more details or to make an appointment with our friendly sales team.

Beaufort Gardens Lisvane Road, Lisvane CF14 0SG Marketing Suite open daily by appointment

T: 02920 765837 / 07392 090258 I edenstonehomes.com

Part of the Edenstone Group

PROUD TO BE PART OF THE FAST GROWTH 50.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THOSE NOMINATED.

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

24 The Edenstone Group (Caldicot)

Construction business Established: 2003 Growth (2017-2019): 164.3% edenstonegroup.com

The Edenstone Group - which consists of Edenstone Homes, Bluebell Homes, Edenstone Land and Ashgrove Partnerships - is an independent homebuilder creating vibrant, sustainable new communities across South Wales and the South West of England where people will love living.

The motivation by the founders in starting the business was to create a company that would ease the housing shortage by building new homes while also providing the community facilities people want from a neighbourhood. Creating employment opportunities was also a key driver with direct jobs created within the business along with indirect roles within the supply chain supported by the Group.

More than just a homebuilder, it is creating the neighbourhood facilities its residents need with many of its developments featuring amenities more commonly provided as part of much larger projects.

The company is also commit-

ted to giving back with a proportion of the proceeds from every home sold invested in the Edenstone Foundation to support good causes.

With the UK continuing to face a housing shortage, the Edenstone Group is well-placed as an independent homebuilder to meet consumer demand in South Wales and the South West of England as it is able to take a flexible approach to the homes and developments created.

Diversification of its product mix, including the launch of the Bluebell Homes brand last year, has contributed to the rapid growth of the business and has enabled the group to appeal to a broader purchaser profile, to include first time buyers, young professionals and families.

Edenstone is passionate about helping to tackle the housing crisis by providing high quality market and affordable housing options to meet local housing needs. As a socially responsible homebuilder, it launched

Ashgrove Partnerships as part of its commitment to working with registered social landlords to deliver affordable housing.

Working with partner housing associations and local authorities, it targets key areas of need in support of delivering ambitious Government-led affordable housing targets.

The Group’s strategy continues to evolve and adapt to reflect housing market conditions and the changing needs of home buyers. It aims to continue with its growth plan and to help address the housing shortage by offering both affordable and private sale homes to satisfy consumer demand.

The experienced team of chartered surveyors, solicitors, planners, project managers and architects at Edenstone Land are pivotal to the firm’s continued growth as they are adept at delivering short and medium term strategic land opportunities for the development pipelines for the business.

“ The Group’s strategy continues to evolve and adapt to reflect housing market conditions and the changing needs of home buyers.”

fastgrowth50.com

97

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

25

2buy2.com (Bridgend)

National buying group Established: 2009 Growth (2017-2019): 162.5% 2buy2.com

Set up by Rob Kissick and Russell Stables, 2buy2.com is a procurement company that works closely with schools, churches, businesses and charities to help them save money and time on their day-to-day activities, enabling them to use that money where it matters most. Through the use of innovative technology, aggregation and framework supplier agreement, it helps organisations achieve value for money and savings particularly where there is no dedicated in-house procurement resource.

After a slow start, 2buy2’s big break came in 2011 when it was awarded a contract by the Church of England to establish and run Parish Buying, the Church of England’s and Church in Wales’ online procurement service. With over 13,000 churches as well as cathedrals, colleges and other units, this was a major test for 2buy2’s vision. Nine years later, it continues to run the service across England and Wales with over 21,000 registered users ranging from small rural parishes to large cathedrals.

2buy2 was one of the first fifty Living Wage employers in Wales and is committed to social responsibility, encouraging staff to take three days ‘mission leave’ to support charities and donating 10 per cent of profits to charities each year.

In 2017, 2buy2 won a £1.76m Dept for Education contract to pilot a procurement service for 900 schools in the North West of England and in the following year, launched Maintenance Booker, a service helping churches, chapels and historic building throughout England and Wales access quality building maintenance to support

The founders are passionate about excellent customer service and have worked with clients from multiple sectors and diverse backgrounds, providing a consistent attention to technology, data management and customer service.

98

the long-term maintenance of these historic buildings.

In order to save half a billion pounds for clients over the next five years, the business aims to have a clear structured target operating model delivered and working efficiently, to deliver a profit that enables further growth without further funding and to focus on sectors neglected by other professional procurement providers.

It will also establish a flexible IT procurement platform that can give smaller organisations those skills and tools to be able to manage their procurement and to have a 2buy2 academy that, through appropriate recruitment, training and development, delivers a continuous supply of excellent people to work for 2buy2 in accordance with its values and methodology.

“ 2buy2.com encourages staff to take three days ‘mission leave’ to support charities and donating 10 per cent of profits to charities each year.”

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

26 Employ Staff (Cardiff)

Recruitment agency Established: 2004 Growth (2017-2019): 162.5% employstaff.co.uk

Employ Staff is a specialist recruitment consultancy operating within the construction, power and utilities sectors across the UK. It has built an exceptional reputation over sixteen years of trading and provides a unique service for all of candidates and clients. It offers tailored solutions, ensuring the right person is always matched with the right job and its strong company culture embraces flexible working and encourages a positive work-life balance for all its team.

From qualified crafts people to freelance professionals at all levels, it offers personalised and dedicated services to get the job done. Its strong company culture embraces flexible working and encourages a positive work-life balance for all the team. Embracing innovation and technology has meant that the company has not experienced any drop in service levels during the last few months..

fastgrowth50.com

Having had careers in the traditional world of recruitment, the founders felt there was an opportunity to create a different kind of business and wanted to create a company which embraced flexible working, work-life balance, and autonomy. They strongly believed that there was a gap in the market to offer a more transparent service to clients while building great and long-lasting relationships.

“ Client and candidate satisfaction levels have ensured that the firm continues to have high repeat business levels...�

Client and candidate satisfaction levels have ensured that the firm continues to have high repeat business levels and clients trust that as specialists, Employ Staff will always fit the

right job with the right candidate and at the right price point.

By embracing flexible working over the past five years and having a strong company culture, there has been consistently high levels of staff satisfaction, productivity and staff retention which have ensured better service for candidates and clients.

The business plans to develop organically with repeat business and word of mouth referrals and its culture of autonomy, flexible working, value for money and building long-lasting relationships will be core to any future business growth. There are also opportunities to explore new sectors and locations with its blue chip clients, as well as increasing a focus on senior interim or permanent roles.

99

The only Facilities Services Company you will ever need

Facility Services Group (FSG) is aiming to build on a successful first decade in business and harness its can-do attitude into an exciting era of expansion. The Swansea firm was founded in 2007 and identified an opportunity to eliminate the day-to-day distractions of juggling a variety of tradespeople and service providers.

FSG offers a comprehensive building maintenance and facilities management service, working on the simple premise that one phone call to a dedicated account handler would quickly secure the right trades’ professionals for the task at hand.

Fast response times, a can - do attitude and delivering work of the highest professional standards are at the heart of the operation out of the company’s Swansea Business Park base. FSG enables clients to have a clean and safe working environment, maintain business continuity and optimise the value of their assets.

Working in a variety of sectors across South Wales and the South West, FSG has teams of experienced tradespeople, multi-skilled engineers and a network of specialist contractors – all backed by a dedicated team of account handlers and project managers.

• Facilities Services • M&E Services • Building Fabric Maintenance • Construction Services • New Projects

SWANSEA HEAD OFFICE

CARDIFF

4 EUROPA WAY | FFORESTFACH

EASTERN BUSINESS PARK | WERN FAWR LANE

SWANSEA | SA5 4AJ

ST MELLONS | CARDIFF CF3 5EA

enquiries@fsgfm.co.uk | 01792 898 040

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

27 PHG Consulting Engineers (Cardiff)

Consulting civil and structural engineers Established: 2013 Growth (2017-2019): 162.3% phg-consulting.com

PHG is a firm of consulting civil and structural engineers offering design services to clients in a range of sectors with work ranging from supporting planning applications to providing structural engineering advice and details to refurbishment work. The firm is also a leader in cinema structural design and refurbishments and undertakes numerous commissions for numerous cinemas including large extensions for new Imax and 4DX auditoriums It was set up by Pierre Grigorian who had previously been a director in a medium sized firm of consulting engineers in Cardiff for several years. Originally focusing on structural engineering, the business has grown since an experienced civil engineer was persuaded to join PHG as a business partner and the combination of the two elements led to far larger commissions and a doubling of

fastgrowth50.com

turnover in the next two years.

Other benefits included a sharing of the workload of the directors was shared and enabling a management structure to be put into place to allow for future expansion.

who understand first principles of engineering and PHG will be removing carbon intensive materials such and concrete, brickwork and blockwork from the process as much as possible to enable this.

As well as moving to a new larger office in a more central location that will include a small conference facility capable of hosting events, the directors also plan to set up a second related company undertaking two separate aspects which include new research and development and housing developments to undertake on a carbon zero basis as the firm’s skills in engineering can be used to de-carbonise new housing developments. This can only be done by engineers

The plan is to start modestly with its own developments and then once a tangible product can be shown, to go into partnerships and joint ventures with housing associations to produce such housing on a wider scale. PHG may also look to open a second office in London in due course and plans to look at overseas opportunities wherever they may arise.

“ ...the firm’s skills in engineering can be used to de-carbonise new housing developments.”

101

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

28

Advanced Carpentry Solutions (Pontypridd)

Carpentry services Established: 2015 Growth (2017-2019): 144.1% advancedcarpentrysolutions .co.uk

Advanced Carpentry Solutions (ACS) covers a range of disciplines across multiple domestic and commercial projects. Its aim is to complete contracts with exceptional quality, on time and within budget whilst providing a personal service for clients within the construction sector. It was set up to provide a higher-class professional service to clients.

With Wales having the fastest growing construction sector in the UK, this has helped to facilitate the rise of ACS to the top of the carpentry industry in such a short space of time.

This has provided ample space for businesses to scale up and expand and there is also room to create new products or services and corner the market with less rivalry.

The Cardiff Capital Region City Deal also aims to unlock sites that have stalled, invest in projects that will deliver housing in areas where it is needed most, generate construction activity, jobs and sustainable develop-

102

ments and enhance the longterm growth prospects and competitiveness of the region through improved infrastructure, increased connectivity and regeneration.

In the future, ACS will predominantly focus on the private and public housing sectors with the Welsh Government setting a target of 20,000 new affordable homes by 2021. ACS is currently affiliated with BM Trada, the market leader in testing, inspection and certification services and currently undertakes the installation, certification and maintenance of fire doors under their supervision. With new fire regulations constantly coming to light and the need

for these services becoming more apparent year after year, ACS is on the lookout for new technologies and procedures to incorporate into its ever-growing skillset and aims to make an entry into the firestopping sector.

“ Advanced Carpentry Solutions was set up to provide a higher-class professional service to clients.�

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

29

CP Hire

ment from several locations to suit customers’ needs.

(Cardiff)

Equipment and plant hire

It was founded by John Rawnsley who believed that there was a space for an independent plant hire business that could offer a high-class service on a regional level and one which provided all the support and strength that would expect from a larger national business.

Established: 2012 Growth (2017-2019): 138.5% cphire.com/gb

Making its fifth appearance on the Wales Fast Growth 50, CP Hire rents construction equipment to civil engineers, house builders, county councils and utility businesses throughout Wales and England. It is committed to excellence in customer service and its relationships with those customers, constantly, constantly putting itself in customers’ shoes to ensure it provides and delivers what they need. Products include all sizes of excavators, dumper trucks, road rollers and forklifts, all of which are supplied by world-leading brands and CP Hire delivers, services and supports all of its equip-

fastgrowth50.com

It is committed to excellence in customer service and its relationships with those customers, constantly putting itself in its clients’ shoes to ensure that it provides and delivers what they need.

“ The firm has continued to develop successfully through the recruitment of excellent staff that have shown commitment, desire, humility and a shared interest in watching the business grow.”

recruitment of excellent staff that have shown commitment, desire, humility and a shared interest in watching the business grow. It also has a loyal customer base that has supported CP Hire as they expect to be supported themselves and a very open management style that runs throughout the company which enables staff to make the necessary decisions on those key factors that are important to the business.

In the future, CP Hire will continue to expand its depot model as customers work throughout the UK and supporting them in new geographical areas is key to the firm’s expansion.

The ‘Operated Plant’ business continues to grow from strength-to-strength and this model will be rolled out to more of depots to support on-going infrastructure requirements in the UK such as HS2. Economies of scale through product expansion have also brought great benefits to the company as it has grown.

The firm has continued to develop successfully through the

103

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

30 Avondale Motorpark (Cwmbran)

Commercial vehicle retailer Established: 2014 Growth (2017-2019): 136.4% avondalemotorpark. com

Avondale Motorpark specialises in the light commercial vehicle industry, concentrating on vehicles under five years old.

A large number of its vehicles are purchased from well known leasing companies which are for re-sale to businesses and private purchasers.

The business was set up by James Crees whose father Anthony was known as one of South Wales' top motor traders. James was raised being involved in his father’s business, saw his father as a great role model and wanted to learn the business from grass roots up.

He began his career as a valeter for his father’s business and then got more involved with buying and selling before starting his own dealership.

Quality of stock has become a key factor in the success of the business as customers increasingly require high end quality and specification for their money. James spends many hours trying to source vehicles which have all the luxury he himself would expect as being essential such as Sat Nav, Bluetooth and air conditioning. James

104

also prides himself in being able to offer customers an extremely competitive price by sourcing vehicles to purchase and price checking through various advertising platforms to get the best re-sale price.

“ Avondale’s major plan for growing the business is to relocate to a larger premises where everything that it outsources at the moment can be achieved under one roof” Every member of staff at Avondale plays an invaluable role within the company and it has valeters which take pride in their role to ensure the vehicle they assigned to is in

showroom condition, an onsite mechanic which checks each vehicle thoroughly and spots any potential issues that needs to be sorted before customers view and test drive, and a sales team who have vast knowledge of all the vehicles on site in order to give the customers all the information they require before purchasing. It is a powerful cycle which keeps the business running smoothly and continue to grow.

Avondale’s major plan for growing the business is to relocate to a larger premises where everything that it outsources at the moment can be achieved under one roof including bodywork and paint, MOTs and servicing, valeting and sales.

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

Explore your Options: How to Incentivise your Employees with Share Ownership The opportunity to participate in the ownership of a fast growth company and share in its financial success is a powerful differentiator to attract, retain and incentivise the best talent.

Christian Farrow, partner and Head of Corporate at leading law firm Acuity Law explores how share ownership can help achieve your business' goals.

Why shares?

www.acuitylaw.com

Principally this depends on your overall business strategy and the culture that you wish to foster. Some companies offer shares only to senior executives whereas others offer every employee the opportunity to acquire shares. Both approaches have their merits but the key is ensuring that the stakeholders that you want to retain are incentivised to invest their efforts in the success of the company and have a material stake to lose if they leave.

Share ownership (or equity participation) offers fast growth companies a cost-effective way to supplement employees' pay with the opportunity of sharing in the company's capital growth. Those employees who come in early get share awards based on a lower valuation and so will get a greater reward when they sell their shares.

Who should participate?

How much should we offer?

Most successful fast growth companies allocate between 10% to 20% of their share capital to equity incentive schemes.

As a general guide, individual senior executives often get between 1 and 3% whereas junior employees may only get 0.1% or less.

Christian Farrow Partner and Head of Corporate, Acuity Law Christian Farrow heads up the Corporate team at Acuity Law and has specialist experience in advising on equity incentives schemes across many industry sectors, with a strong focus on high growth companies.

His corporate background means that he and his team do not merely implement the terms of the schemes but also carefully consider the longerterm implications such as future investment rounds and sales.

fastgrowth50.com

The key is to use percentages as a guide but never to promise an individual a percentage of the company, always a number of shares only. Typically awards should be capable of dilution when further equity investment comes in.

How do we structure this tax effectively?

Companies can award shares or grant options to acquire shares. An employee who is granted an option does not become a shareholder until they exercise their option to purchase the shares. An option can be structured so that it can only be exercised at designated times or on the occurrence of certain events, such as a sale of the

company so that the employee is incentivised to work to further the company’s strategy without diluting the ownership of the company unless the end goal is achieved.

For many fast growth companies, the best form of award is to grant Enterprise Management Incentive (or EMI) share options.

EMI options are particularly suited to fast growth companies because there is a very short holding period required to satisfy the conditions for tax relief. An EMI option only needs to be held for 12 months to qualify.

The key benefit of EMI options is that employees only pay capital gains tax when they sell their shares and the tax rate can be as low as 10% if certain conditions are met. If structured optimally, there should be no income tax for the employee to pay and there are no NI charges. The company may even get corporation tax relief for the gain made by the employees – essentially the Government will pay towards incentivising your employees!

For those companies that do not qualify under the relevant EMI legislation, another option is to create a new employee class of ordinary shares, often called growth shares, which can also be very tax effective. Alternatively, they may be able to take advantage of other HMRC approved share options such as CSOP and SIP. For companies looking to reward non-employees, such as consultants and non-executives or to make larger awards, other types of tax efficient equity participation schemes are available.

However the awards are structured, the focus should be on creating a share incentive scheme that aligns with your overall business strategy to ensure that key personnel are incentivised to work towards achieving your common goals.

105

ABOUT US Established in January 2016 and now into our fifth year of trading, The Consumer Helpline is an outsourced contact centre based in the heart of Swansea, Wales. The Consumer Helpline specialise in utilities and currently operate three major outbound telesales campaigns: long standing and successful sales campaigns with Octopus Energy, ESB energy and Peoples Energy.

As well as outbound sales The Consumer Helpline also run outsourced customer service campaigns and appointment booking campaigns for companies such as Bristol Energy, Magnum Utilities, Easy R&D and Engage EV. In 2019 The Consumer Helpline launched a comparison portal designed to deliver an impartial compar-

ison in every possible profile of customer in the market.

Prioritising value for money, customer service and green energy in our partners, we feel any customer can use our service and procure a fair and beneficial deal on their tariff.

The main motivations for starting The Consumer Helpline was due to the senior management having a lot of experience working in the telecommunications industry and utilities sector. As a result, a key ambition when starting The Consumer Helpline was to offer all employees a chance of a stable working environment which believed in coaching and mentoring to improve performance and give employees the chance of progression.

Over the last 5 years The Consumer Helpline has built good

relationships with account and senior managers from a range of different energy suppliers allowing the business to increase its successful campaigns. Through slow and steady growth, money has been reinvested into training and development in order to improve performance and staff progression. Over the next five years, the plans for The Consumer Helpline is to open a second site in South Wales, be recognised as expert leaders within the telesales and utilities industry and become one of the biggest employers in the region.

CONTACT US Tel: 01792 720 194

theconsumer-helpline.co.uk

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

31 The Consumer Helpline (Swansea)

Outsourcing centre Established: 2016 Growth (2017-2019): 135.3% theconsumer-helpline. co.uk

The Consumer Helpline is an outsourcing centre that works in the energy industry and has direct sales and customer service campaigns for many of the UK’s leading energy suppliers including Octopus Energy, Peoples Energy, ESB Energy, Utilita, Shell Energy, Orbit Energy and Spark Energy. The business also has customer service campaigns for Bristol Energy, Spark Energy and Magnum Utilities.

The main motivations for starting The Consumer Helpline was due to the senior management having a lot of experience working in the telecommunications industry and utilities sector. As a result, a key ambition when starting The Consumer Helpline was to offer all employees a chance of a stable working environment which believed in coaching and mentoring to improve performance and give employees the chance of progression.

fastgrowth50.com

During the first three years there were many challenges the business faced, a main challenge the business faced including having a client cease trading, leaving the business to find other clients in order to avoid job losses. It was able to overcome these challenges and made the business stronger over the long term and due its growing reputation, it now has plenty of clients who are looking to work with the business, thus creating stability for its operations.

The Consumer Helpline has built good relationships with account and senior managers from a range of different energy suppliers allowing the business to increase its successful

campaigns. Through slow and steady growth, money has been reinvesting into training and development in order to improve performance and staff progression. It has also had successful campaigns for many energy suppliers leading to more suppliers wanting to work with the business.

Over the next five years, the plans for The Consumer Helpline is to open a second site in South Wales, be recognised as expert leaders within the telesales and utilities industry and become one of the biggest employers in the region.

“ Over the next five years, the plans for The Consumer Helpline is to open a second site in South Wales, be recognised as expert leaders within the telesales and utilities industry and become one of the biggest employers in the region.�

107

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

32

A&R Contract Cleaning Specialist (Bridgend)

Facilities Management Established: 2010 Growth (2017-2019): 133.5% arcs-cleaning.co.uk

Making it four years in a row on the Wales Fast Growth 50, A&R Contract Cleaning Specialists is a soft facilities management company based in Bridgend, offering professional cleaning and security services to businesses across South Wales and South West England.

Since 2010 the business has grown and now provides professional commercial cleaning services to over 150 clients including FRF Toyota, One Central Square and Hugh James.

It was first founded in 2010 by managing director Rayner Davies and financial director Ashley Davies and since then, the business has grown year on year through a commitment to providing high quality services to clients, recruiting local people and providing in-house training to further its staff’s knowledge and qualifications.

There has been a rising demand from clients that are seeking a local company which can offer a full package from cleaning, washroom services, pest control and provide a

108

full supply of all consumables keeping everything under one roof. As a result of this demand, the business has diversified its services into the security sector which has proven to be a success.

All of its 215 staff are directly employed and trained in-house to provide the highest cleaning standards and customer experience that clients expect. Since it was founded, A&R prides itself on delivering a service that is not just a cleaning service but one that totally understands individual customers and their business needs.

Very early on in the business Ashley and Rayner understood that for the business to be as proficient as it could be, they would need to introduce systems, processes and, later on as the business grew, KPI’s.

Having such systems in place has meant it has created an exceptionally strong foundation throughout each stage of growth and staff have always been fully aware of their roles and responsibilities meaning the team take responsibility

and there is accountability for each area of the business.

The next step for the business is to become more focused on some of the larger contracts such as multiple floor office buildings, shopping centres, comprehensive schools and factories in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Bridgend and the surrounding areas. It also has a strategic plan in place to expand security services to new and current clients and look at increasing the total amount of services each of its current customers receive. A&R Cleaning Services aims to reach a turnover of over £5m, create further jobs within the Welsh economy and become Wales’ number one choice for commercial cleaning and security services.

“ the business has grown year on year through a commitment to providing high quality services to clients, recruiting local people and providing inhouse training to further its staff’s knowledge and qualifications.”

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

33

Warmserve Plumbing & Heating (Swansea)

Plumbing and heating services Established: 2011 Growth (2017-2019): 126.4% warmserve-services.co.uk

Warmserve delivers plumbing and heating services throughout South Wales and covers all aspects including plumbing, heating, gas, oil, solid fuel, solar and bathroom installations. It has 20 staff that cover all types of jobs daily from planned installations and maintenance to emergency claims where there is a need to be on site within two hours.

Its founder, Ashley Carlisle, had always wanted to have his own business and even at a young age would be found cleaning people’s cars. He had always wanted to enter a trade and open his own business and did so when he was 20 years of age.

The major challenges he faced during the first three years was cash flow, doing larger jobs and having to wait for payments from contracts whilst suppliers needed paying for the materials before being paid for the job.

The business has seen rapid growth through being awarded contracts with main insurance companies to cover

fastgrowth50.com

home emergency claims for the Swansea and Cardiff postcodes. These contracts equate to 70% of all insurance home emergency claims and account for around 300 jobs per week for the company.

Over the next five years, Warmserve will be looking into training its engineers in renewable energy such as heat pumps.

As the government is looking to move away from using gas boilers as a form of heating and hot water then the business will invest in training in order to be ready and qualified for when renewable energy is implemented. It will also look to expand into other avenues such as working for housing associations and councils.

“ The business has seen rapid growth through being awarded contracts with main insurance companies to cover home emergency claims for the Swansea and Cardiff postcodes.”

109

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

34 InSite Technical Services

(Pembroke Dock) Engineering design, consultancy and support Established: 2014 Growth (2017-2019): 124.3%

insitetechnical.com

InSite operates supply engineering design, consultancy and support to a variety of national and international clients in the oil refining, LNG, nuclear and renewables sectors from its base in Pembrokeshire.

Its experienced engineers are committed to working closely with clients to meet or exceed their expectations, specialising in brown-field modifications, debottlenecking, safety and environmental enhancements, and refurbishment of operational process plants. These engineers are backed up by extensive operational, integrity management, reliability and control knowledge within the company.

The business was established when the founders - all experienced refinery engineers and managers - recognised a gap in the market to deliver high quality engineering and consultancy to energy businesses based around the Milford Haven waterway. As a result, skills which might otherwise been lost from the area were retained and InSite has recruited new talent and forged alliances with engineers returning to the area

110

who have previously worked in LNG, refining, upstream and power distribution.

The leadership team’s experience of being the client “inside the fence” gives them a different perspective from competitors. They often say, “We were in your position. We understand your needs” and repeat business has developed naturally as successful projects generate returning clients. InSite has demonstrated they work to schedule, delivering projects which are safe to construct, operate and maintain. Their determination to overcome obstacles, to find solutions and their commitment to clients’ projects have become unique selling points.

workforce and with a passion in developing the engineers of the future, the company provides opportunities to increase skills by offering specific technical and business training. At InSite, employee welfare is fundamental, and a healthy work-life balance is encouraged.

InSite is working to establish close relationships with other operating sites in the UK and overseas and is working hard to secure its first order in the nuclear industry as it has recognised that many of the services and skills available are easily transferred to that sector. InSite have also considered several possible acquisitions and are pursuing them alongside organic growth.

The focus on quality and experience in recruitment has created a talented and experienced

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

35

Character.com (Swansea)

Online retailer of licensed children’s clothing and accessories Established: 2009 Growth (2017-2019): 123.5%

character.com

Making its sixth consecutive appearance on the Wales Fast Growth 50, Character.com is the UK’s largest independent online retailer of licensed clothing and accessories for children and adults. It produces an exclusive range of nightwear, clothing and accessories featuring the nation’s favourite characters from the worlds of TV, film and books. Its products range from Minnie Mouse to Minecraft and Peppa Pig to Star Wars with a focus on great quality, great value and fantastic customer service.

The major motivation for Stephen Hewitt in starting the business was looking for a way to combine his online marketing skills gained while being a marketing manager at a bank, alongside his wife and business partner’s love of children’s fashion.

Despite initial success, it took two years of hard work and determination to be able to develop enough knowledge of the market and economies of scale to develop a profitable range of products that were exclusive to Character.com. As growth has continued, finding and manag-

fastgrowth50.com

ing a superb team of people to help grow the business has been the hardest challenge alongside managing cashflow in a growing business. Character.com has been a fully self-funded business since the outset with all growth financed by sales. With revenue heavily slanted toward the Christmas period but long lead times for garment production, this has often meant extremely careful management of cash flow.

The biggest factor in the success of the business is the great team of staff, all the way from the warehouse team fulfilling orders to the buying team, customer services and marketing teams. Their hard work and dedication have made the founders’ desire to drive the business forward a reality.

es are only as good as their reputation. Character.com is extremely proud of its simple philosophy of delivering great products on time and offer in a first class no quibble returns and exchange policy. It also strives to make sure that in a competitive market, its range is some of the best designed, highest quality and value for money products that a customer can find.

Character.com continues to have ambitious growth targets that it will achieve with a combination of increased product ranges across more licenses as well as continuing to grow its own brand direct to consumer offers. Brexit and Covid permitting, it also has plans for further international expansion in Europe and North America.

The firm has also been focused on having superb customer service as online business-

“ The biggest factor in the success of the business is the great team of staff...their hard work and dedication have made the founders’ desire to drive the business forward a reality.”

111

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

36 GS Verde Group (Cardiff)

Professional services group Established: 2013 Growth (2017-2019): 118.9% gsverde.group

The GS Verde Group - consisting of corporate law firm Greenaway Scott and corporate finance firm Verde Corporate finance - is an integrated professional services group which specialises in mergers and acquisitions, growth capital and investment projects and advisory to fast growing scale-up businesses.

The business was started because the founders were convinced that traditional advisory work could be undertaken within a modern business framework with a clear and specific focus on mergers and acquisition advisory services.

The re-imagining of how professional services should be delivered allowed the Group to become an alternative business structure with lawyers and accountants operating together as one team with a focus on providing corporate finance advice to fast growing modern businesses.

112

The major challenge was similar to that of a lot of growing businesses namely how to achieve the scale and growth it wanted within its budget so it had to balance available cash with potential to grow rapidly.

“ The re-imagining of how professional services should be delivered allowed the Group to become an alternative business structure�

The business is very specialist and only focuses on companies and businesses that are growing rapidly or are at a point in their cycle of growth where a sale, merger or acquisition provides the best strategic solution for that business. The firm is multi-disciplinary and integrated, so its corporate team has lawyers and accountants operating together as one team on a transaction which results in a continuous joined together approach. Its commercial and

intellectual property team all come from STEM backgrounds and have a grounding in new technology and its practical application in addition to their legal qualifications.

The GS Verde Group has recently launched a digital product in collaboration with fellow Fast Growth 50 firm Delio and created a digital investment platform used to create a private market for equity investment, extending or reach further in the UK. It is also looking at an acquisition in the South West of England and developing a major project involving the public markets.

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

37 “ The most significant success factor has been the appointment of key staff as the foundations of Evabuild’s success to date is attributable to those that work for the business.”

EvaBuild Ltd (Newtown)

Construction services Established: 2011 Growth (2017-2019): 117.1% evabuild.co.uk

The fastest growing firm in Wales in 2015, EvaBuild is an award-winning construction company covering the UK providing quality modular groundworks, civil engineering and construction services. The company was founded in 2011 and has quickly grown in size thanks to customer recommendations, excellent satisfaction ratings and an unwavering determination to raise industry standards.

The overriding motivation in starting up the business was to create something that was successful in disrupting the status quo that exists within the construction industry. The construction industry has many flaws and the founder Nick Evans saw the chance to exploit this and make a difference, especially in Mid-Wales where job opportunities in this sector are scarce especially for young people.

Another major factor for the founders was being able to exploit their own skills and push them to the extreme, knowing that implementing a high growth strategy was going to be an emotional rollercoaster that would sap a huge amount

fastgrowth50.com

of time and energy. Mid-Wales is an area where job opportunities in this sector are scarce, especially for young people, so being able to create job opportunities and wealth for job seekers was a hugely motivating factor.

At EvaBuild, the customer is always put first and the company makes a real effort to fully understand their requirements, budgets and circumstances.

Over the company’s history, it has demonstrated a strong track record of completing significant contracts on budget, on time and to the highest standards. It also provides professional site surveys, ground investigations and a project management service.

The most significant success factor has been the appointment of key staff as the foundations of Evabuild’s success to date is attributable to those that work for the business. It has a fantastic team who share and buy into the firm’s values and through a mix of luck and good timing, a number of young, high calibre and passionate people were attracted to the company.

High growth has only been achievable through being able to finance the work as the business has grown from nothing and without any external borrowing and therefore managing finances with meticulous detail soon became critical.

Finally, passion and dedication has been a major feature with employees literally giving their all to make the company what it is.

The company’s growth plan is to consolidate as Evabuild has a core identity and a set of values that connects it with clients and future growth may endanger this. Maintaining these values that are intrinsically associated with the brand is paramount to the continuing success of the business.

The EvaBuild brand name was originally set up so that it could be used to create ‘’sister’’ companies and this was further realised in 2018 with the incorporation of EvaBuild Developments. There are plans to monitor some niche markets and when the time is right, other new companies will be established to service these markets.

113

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

38 Sonovate (Cardiff)

Back office support for the recruitment industry Established: 2011 Growth (2017-2019): 117.1% sonovate.com

Sonovate solves cashflow and administration headaches for recruitment agencies, consultancies and human cloud platforms in the UK. It is able to release more profit from unpaid invoices than the major banks by advancing 100% of invoice profit (minus its one fee) ensuring that cash flow is optimised. Finance is on-demand for whenever clients need it and the platform gives access to everything clients need to fund contingent workers - contracts, invoices, timesheets.

When it was founded by Richard Prime and Damon Chapple, the key motivation for Sonovate was to make it easier for businesses and individuals to get paid by increasing cash flow, simplifying the process, providing more flexibility, lowering the

barriers to entry and democratising finance, and giving users one state of the art platform to run and manage their business account with Sonovate.

Since 2012, it has marketed its service to UK recruitment agencies engaged in contract activity through the simple message that it releases 100% profit from unpaid invoices, minus its one fee, and manages all the back-office administration. The responsibility for the business is to simply add a placement into their account.

The combination of innovative finance and cloud-based tech has resulted in the business becoming the market leading provider of invoice finance to UK recruitment agency startups with 52% of agencies who

Damon Chapple

used a financier for the first time in 2019 choosing Sonovate. To date, it has funded over £1.5bn invoices to UK SMEs ranging from start-ups to £50m+ turnover businesses, paying over 20,000 contractors in 40 countries.

Over the next five years, Sonovate has ambitious plans to expand the reach and impact of its services including establishing a new category – Cashflow as a Service – and enabling developers to build and innovate on its services and innovating with new products such as ‘Instant Pay’ for immediate payment upon completion of work and Statement of Work Funding to enable independent and boutique consultancies to access better cashflow. It will also look to create more partnerships in Fintech, accounting, tech platforms and the wider ‘future of work’ supply chain

“ The combination of innovative finance and cloud-based tech has resulted in the business becoming the market leading provider...”

Richard Prime

114

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

39 Gower View Foods (Cross Hands)

Food manufacturer Established: 2005 Growth (2017-2019): 115.5% gowerviewfoods.co.uk

Gower View Foods is the UK’s leading independent butter packer. It has a highly sophisticated dairy production site that is able to package a large range of fast moving consumer goods for the UK chilled dairy and yellow fats sector.

Gower View specialises in butter and yellow fats but operates extensive range of liquid potting filling lines too with cream, yogurt, brandy butter and breakfast muesli pots all filled on site. It also offers promotional packing such as netting, shrink wrapping and blister packs and produces flavoured and alcoholic creams and butter for all the main UK retailers.

As a contract manufacturer Gower View Foods works with many businesses within the food and drink sector packing both private label and branded products. The company is also very proud to have reintroduced the Shirgar, a traditional

fastgrowth50.com

Premium Welsh butter brand that was lost for a while until Gower View Foods successfully brought the brand home to Carmarthenshire.

Shirgar Welsh Butter is an award winning Premium Welsh Butter, traditionally salted for a rich taste. Freshly churned and packed in the dairy county of Carmarthenshire. Shirgar is available in salted, unsalted, spreadable, butter rolls and individual portions. Shirgar is the oldest Welsh butter brand first churned in Carmarthenshire in 1850 and is the best butter on the market in Wales. This was once again confirmed at the recent Great Taste Awards with the 250g Salted variant picking up two stars demonstrating the quality of the product.

The key success factors include relationships with key businesses within the food and drink sector, a new bespoke built site on Cross Hands Food Park and continued business, facility and personnel development. High quality and hygiene standards are other factors that have been instrumental in the success of the business.

In the future, the business will further develop existing relationships and will expand its retail and branded portfolio of products.

“ In the future, the business will further develop existing relationships and will expand its retail and branded portfolio of products.”

115

Health & Her De Cymru / South Wales

Ein busnes ni yw helpu ariannu'ch busnes chi.

It's our business to help finance yours.

Apply now: Banc Datblygu Cymru ccc (Development Bank of Wales Plc) yw cwmni daliannol Grŵp sy'n masnachu fel Banc Datblygu Cymru. Mae'r Grŵp yn cynnwys nifer o is-gwmnïau sydd wedi'u cofrestru gydag enwau gan gynnwys llythrennau cychwynnol yr enw BDC. Mae Banc Datblygu Cymru ccc yn gwmni cyllid datblygu sy'n eiddo yn gyfan gwbl i Weinidogion Cymru ac nid yw'n cael ei awdurdodi na'i reoleiddio gan yr Awdurdod Rheoleiddio Darbodus (ARhD) na'r Awdurdod Ymddygiad Ariannol (AYA). Mae gan Fanc Datblygu Cymru (Banc Datblygu Cymru ccc) dri is-gwmni sy'n cael eu hawdurdodi a'u rheoleiddio gan yr AYA. Sylwer nad yw Banc Datblygu Cymru ccc nac unrhyw un o'i is-gwmnïau yn sefydliadau bancio ac nid ydynt yn gweithredu fel y cyfryw. Mae hyn yn golygu na fydd unrhyw un o endidau'r grŵp yn gallu derbyn dyddodion gan y cyhoedd. Mae siart strwythur cyfreithiol cyflawn ar gyfer Banc Datblygu Cymru ccc ar gael yn bancdatblygu.cymru.

Development Bank of Wales Plc (Banc Datblygu Cymru ccc) is the holding company of a Group that trades as Development Bank of Wales. The Group is made up of a number of subsidiaries which are registered with names including the initials DBW. Development Bank of Wales Plc is a development finance company wholly owned by the Welsh Ministers and it is neither authorised nor regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) or the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The Development Bank of Wales has three subsidiaries which are authorised and regulated by the FCA. Please note that neither the Development Bank of Wales Plc nor any of its subsidiaries are banking institutions or operate as such. This means that none of the group entities are able to accept deposits from the public. A complete legal structure chart for Development Bank of Wales Plc can be found at developmentbank.wales.

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

Managing and accelerating growth with equity funding Managing growth effectively is all about having the resources to deliver as demand increases and the right support around you to ensure that your growth is sustainable.

You’ve got to nourish your business to ensure it stays healthy and strong.

Now more than ever, accelerating growth may mean that you could benefit from additional investment. If you’re an established business, getting the right finance partner can be key to sustained growth.

According to the latest Small Business Equity Tracker report published by the British Business Bank earlier this year, 2019 saw £60 million of equity invested in Welsh small to medium-sized businesses. With a record number of deals, Wales outperformed many parts of the UK with 73 deals.

But how do you know when your business is ready to seek growth equity?

1. Your business is experiencing growing pains If your business has shown steady growth to date but is now finding it increasingly difficult to break through to the next level, it might be time to consider equity. Businesses in this position often experience “growing pains”, meaning that their current infrastructure is no longer adequate and resources are getting stretched.

For example, your employees may feel that there’s not enough time in the day to complete their work or it might be that your current systems and equipment are slowing down business processes. If these signs sound familiar to you, it’s likely that your business is ready for investment.

2. You want to grow without debt repayments You may be in a situation where you have already raised capital by taking out several loans, but now want to grow your business. In this case, equity investment could be a catalyst to growth. Unlike debt finance, equity allows you to focus on your growth objectives without the burden of making regular repayments. You can also generally raise larger sums of money with equity than you can through debt finance.

fastgrowth50.com

In addition to this, equity investors know that growing your business takes time and won’t expect an immediate return on their investment. This gives you freedom to concentrate on longer-term goals.

3. You’ve identified a market opportunity Perhaps you’ve identified an exciting opportunity to move into new markets or diversify your product offering. Equity investors can offer added value in the form of sector experience, expertise and contacts. They will be aligned with your management team to formulate a growth strategy and can provide follow-up funding as your business develops.

4. Your exit plan is based on selling your business If you’re planning to sell your business in the future, you’ll want it to be as attractive as possible to potential buyers. It’s possible to grow your business organically through reinvesting profits, but this might take some time. Equity finance, whereby you sell shares in exchange for growth, can be a more effective method. While your shareholding will be reduced, your business will ultimately be worth much more than if you hadn’t had investment.

How can the Development Bank of Wales help your business to grow?

Rhian Elston is Investment Director at the Development Bank of Wales.

She says: “ Equity funding is most suitable for high-growth businesses that need cash to speed up their growth plans. Often referred to as patient capital, equity investment is usually a longer partnership than a loan, allowing time for a business to achieve its goals. “ The advantage is that a business owner does not have to make monthly repayments and therefore all the investment raised can be used to expedite growth.

Choosing the right long-term investment partner means that businesses also benefit from valuable skills, contacts and experience. The relationship is based on so much more than just capital; supportive investors like the Development Bank actively add value to the management team because they have a vested interest in the business' success - its growth, profitability and increase in value. “ As the economic impact of Covid-19 continues to affect businesses across the country, many business owners will be considering equity investment as a means of supporting growth, investing in innovation, perhaps acquiring another business. Equity can also be particularly helpful when considering an exit strategy and we are certainly hearing more from owners and management teams lately...”

The Development Bank of Wales can invest from £1,000 to £5 million per round in Welsh businesses to start up, strengthen and grow. Equity investment from £50,000 to £5 million is available for established businesses to take a step change in growth. The Development Bank will coinvest alongside banks, crowd funders, grants, investors and other lenders.

117

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

40

Mech Tech Professionals (Caerphilly)

Recruitment consultancy Established: 2013 Growth (2017-2019): 115.2% mechtechpro.com

Mech Tech Professionals is a specialist recruitment consultancy suppling services to the heavy engineering and construction industry. It focuses on providing clients with tailored recruitment consultancy services in line with their business and culture while providing exciting opportunities for job seekers locally, nationally, and internationally. The business is committed to helping clients secure and retain the best talent as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. Its approach is consultative which results in quality service every time.

The founder Jonathan Hann had worked in the recruitment industry for over 20 years within corporate organisations and felt it was time to do things right, believing that larger agencies were taking too much margin for the poor service provisions supplied.

He wanted to flip this and reduce the margins therefore of-

118

“ The business has grown because of its market knowledge, experience and consultative approach along with value added service, honesty and solid morals.” fering a higher take home pay for operatives at the same time adding additional value-added services to clients including induction support, on site and project management support, face to face introductions of staff supplied and additional help with reference checks.

The business has grown because of its market knowledge, experience and consultative approach along with value added service, honesty and solid morals. Whilst the Covid-19 pandemic has hit the firm’s bottom line, it has taken the opportunity to strategically hire new staff to create new markets and sectors within the company. Its current processes have been reviewed with new processes have been developed to help streamline the business and create additional efficiencies.

It has also invested in a new home working platform which will enable us to work seamlessly from home during future lockdowns should they arise.

The aim for the future is to grow Mech Tech Professionals to a £20m turnover by 2025 and using the blueprint of past successes, the firm has added several new divisions over the past few months including technical engineering, electrical, training and educational and industrial services.

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

41

“ The business has succeeded through having a clear framework of its target market as a business, delivering a quality service with customer satisfaction at the forefront of the firm’s objectives...”

LCB Construction (Cardiff)

Construction services Established: 2012 Growth (2017-2019): 113.0% lcbconstruction.co.uk

LCB Construction is a multidisciplinary contractor who specialise in the design, construction and maintenance of various building types for public sector organisations such as housing associations and councils. It is a well-established dynamic organisation whose reputation and credibility in the construction industry is widely recognised and the company operates a strict quality management system to which it strives to deliver the very best craftsmanship in all service delivery.

Working throughout the UK, it has developed an enviable reputation for the delivery of quality projects and its ethos is one where it guards the client’s interest as its own and ensures that it develops production

fastgrowth50.com

solutions which adds value to their business processes.

The business was started when the founder, Liam Bevan, was made redundant from a national householder following the 2007 recession. He faced a number of major challenges including business start-up capital with no access to borrowing or finance facility, managing cashflow and obtaining credit from suppliers, and getting established with clients especially with no previous experience of working in the sector or holding a senior management role The business has succeeded through having a clear framework of its target market as a business, delivering a quality service with customer satisfaction at the forefront of the

firm’s objectives, and establishing systems and processes that complement the staff it has and the sector it works in.

It encourages innovative thinking, new ideas and continuous improvement amongst its staff and attracts employees with an enthusiastic approach and who ‘care’ about the services they provide.

LCB Construction aims to further establish the company in South Wales with new frameworks for public sector bodies similar to existing clients whilst expanding business operations into England in a similar manner to its existing business. It will also further increase financial strength and reserves and look for potential acquisitions into peripheral sectors.

119

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

42

UK Leisure Living Group (Mochdre)

Leisure provider Established: 2015 Growth (2017-2019): 102.1% ukleisureliving.co.uk

The UK Leisure Living Group is one of the fastest growing leisure providers in the UK. Based in Mochdre near Conwy, the company boasts a 6000 sq ft showroom and has a number of brands under its umbrella including UK Leisure Living, Carbon Zero Renewables, Hot Tubs North Wales and Cheshire, Outdoor Kitchens North Wales and Cheshire, and Decking North Wales.

The founder Gareth Jones was motivated to create a business that could provide a stable income in contrast to his previous business in the turbulent energy market where business growth is dictated by Government grants. Instead, Gareth wanted something that was a business where he was the only person that would dictate his success.

much a normal business in that you buy something and sell it and make a profit so if you are really good and provide a great service, then you succeed.

However, he faced a number of challenges such as trying to get credit facility to help cash flow as a new business was difficult.

The development of the holiday sector has contributed to the growth of the firm and it quickly secured a number of key contracts when it was launched.

The company also sells good quality products that are well

priced for the Welsh market and it prides itself on giving the best service possible.

The three main success factors have been the booming staycation market, a growing appetite for hot tubs and more focus by people in investing in their own homes rather than moving and UK Leisure Living has exciting plans to build on these over the next few years to substantially grow the business.

Moving into the leisure sector was the best thing he has ever done as the industry is very

120

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

43 Boss Brewing (Swansea)

Craft Brewery Established: 2015 Growth (2017-2019): 98.3% bossbrewing.co.uk

Boss Brewing is the fastest growing brewery in Wales and one of the few female-owned breweries in the UK. It produces a range of craft beers in can, bottle, keg and cask, manufactures white label beers for retailers and pub companies, and provides a contract brewing service for other breweries. As well as its own twenty barrel brew kit, its manufacturing facilities houses the firm’s own canning and bottling plants so all packaging is carried out on site. It also has its own taproom, a popular match day bar located on the brewery premises opposite the Liberty Stadium which serves its own beers along with a range of other beverages and food.

When Sarah John co-founded Boss Brewery, she knew she had all the attributes – grit, energy, hunger – to do it for herself and so turned a passion into an enterprise. She could see that the brewing indus-

fastgrowth50.com

try was still male-dominated so her ‘why’ from the outset was always about showing that women could not only do it just as well, but even better.

Sarah’s background as a sales professional means that getting the product to market and creating commercially viable products to enable that has always been the absolute focus. As a result, Boss Brewery already has Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, the Co-op and Lidl as customers.

It has also carved out an incredibly unique, stand-out brand identity even having its own comic book universe where all of the characters are based on people at the brewery, winning design awards for this brand ID. The business lives and breathes the brand across every platform and with every interaction with customers, having a strong sense of who they are (which people in turn want to belong to).

Finally, its high quality products have won over 40 beer industry awards in five years and it has been the title-holder of CAMRA Champion Beer of Wales for the last three years in a row.

The plans for the future are to grow its pub company relationships, expand into more international territories whilst growing its existing retail accounts and gaining new retail outlets.

It will also look to increase its e-commerce business, including launching with Ocado and Amazon by the end of 2020 whilst growing its own webshop at the same time.

“ Boss Brewing is the fastest growing brewery in Wales and one of the few female-owned breweries in the UK.”

121

Are you struggling to hear at work or at home?

Did you know…

1 in 5 adults in the UK have a hearing loss, But there are lots of discreet solutions that can help.  New hearing aids connect directly to smartphones, streaming your calls, audio and music handsfree  They make listening simple, connecting to your TV, car, or other Bluetooth device

PHONAK PARADISE HEARING AIDS & ROGER SELECT

There are discreet accessories that make busy meetings or events easy to hear

find out more today Book a FREE TRIAL of the latest technology CALL HEARING WALES

0800 313 4304

WALES’ LEADING private hearing company WWW.HEARINGWALES.COM  marketing@HEARINGWALES.COM

MUMBLES • CARDIFF • SWANSEA • NARBERTH

WIDEX MOMENT HEARING AIDS

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

44

Bodysocks

(Pembroke Dock) Fancy dress costumes Established: 2011 Growth (2017-2019): 97.0% bodysocks.co.uk

Bodysocks designs and sells fancy dress costumes ranging from wacky piggyback suits to elaborate inflatable outfits. Its costumes have been featured on BBC 2’s Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Channel 5’s Big Brother and were used during the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games.

It has since grown to sell to over 70 countries worldwide and its vision is to become the world’s most recognised, respected and trusted fancy dress costume brand. In May 2020, it also started up BargainFox.com – an online retailer for discounted products.

Founded by Jack Lear, the business developed new costumes to be on trend with the latest crazes with excitement being the main driving force, especially the challenge of testing new markets and exploring them. It has grown through its ability to sell online, having a young and tech savvy team, and through

fastgrowth50.com

investments from its funders such as the Development Bank of Wales.

Obviously Covid-19 has affected its business hugely as it is a costume company and these products are usually bought for events such as parties which have diminished over the past few months.

“ Its costumes have been featured on BBC 2’s Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Channel 5’s Big Brother and were used during the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games.”

As a result, the business has diversified into launching an ecommerce retail site for household and everyday products called BargainFox.com.

This is an online retailer for discounted products and the aim is to enter those industries that are resilient in the face of Covid-19 or another pandemic.

It draws on much of the experience that Jack has gained from running Bodysocks but its reach is much more ambitious and the workforce has already increased from 8 to 33 people with an expected turnover of £2.5m.

123

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

45

Nutrivend (Pontyclun)

Sports nutrition vending services Established: 2012 Growth (2017-2019): 96.8% nutrivend.co.uk

124

With four years in succession on the Fast Growth 50 list, Nutrivend is the fastest growing distributor of sports nutrition in the UK providing a fully managed vending service as well as wholesale distribution to gyms, universities, hotels and leisure centres.

It is the only vending retailer that completely specialises in sports nutrition solutions with extensive specialist knowledge of the sector in a a rapidly growing market. Its vending machines and wholesale offering provide a comprehensive selection of the market leading sports nutrition brands – all provide a range of food and drink products aiding hydration, energy levels and nutrition before, during and after exercise and workouts. Offering either Fully managed or self-fill and rental solutions tailored to the customer’s requirements and backed up by a sophisticated management software system,

online helpdesk and a servicing/maintenance programme.

In starting the business, the key motivation for founder Scott Morgan was to fill the gap he saw in the market for providing a knowledgeable service to the fitness sector and to support the increasing demand for sports nutrition products as the growth in gym membership increased.

“ A key factor in the firm’s growth has been identifying the potential in proteinbased products and latent growth in the fitness sector...”

A key factor in the firm’s growth has been identifying the potential in protein-based products and latent growth in the fitness sector, particularly for the significantly growing gym

membership in the UK and Nutrivend was the first to get ahead of any potential competition in a substantial service offering. Scott also identified and developed strong business partnerships with both the market leading nutrition product suppliers and gym chains who shared Nutrivend’s vision, foresight and potential for growth.

For the future, the business will continue organic growth with the fully managed vending service adding further gym chains to Nutrivend’s customer base.

It will also look to significantly expand its wholesale offering in the sports nutrition marketplace and establish long term partnering with sports nutrition product suppliers as their distributor of choice. Finally, it aims to lead the sector with innovative solutions and improved software and systems to enhance customer experience.

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

46 Genmed.me (Cwmbran)

Managed services Established: 2007 Growth (2017-2019): 95.0% genmed.eu

Genmed.me provides vendor-neutral, flexible and scalable managed services to the NHS, to the broader public sector and private healthcare organisations in the UK and beyond.

It manages over 200 contracts in many clinical areas including theatres, pathology, endoscopy, imaging, renal and IT with a portfolio valued at £315 million in over forty NHS Trusts. It is working on several new initiatives providing an opportunity for other hospital departments to benefit from the financial and operational efficiencies that it can offer. Services to clients are continually improved with the development of inventory management, data analytics, and various costing options.

Genmed’s purchasing function (Genmed Commercial Services) offers data management, sourcing, logistics and inventory and consultancy to public and private sector clients.

The business was founded in 2007 by Robin Modak who had

seen the potential for managed services whilst working with GE Healthcare and, later, Rothschild Bank where he worked with several leading medical equipment manufacturers to finance their equipment. He recognised a niche in the market for a vendor neutral managed services provider as, at that time, managed services were being offered mainly by original equipment manufacturers. He then enrolled the help of three former customers all of whom had significant business and medical device experience and the four became the founder directors of Genmed.

The firm’s growth has been driven by gaining access to NHS frameworks for vendor neutral managed services providers as well as expansion into less traditional areas such as managing operating theatres which has resulted surgery and endoscopy contracts making up half of company revenues.

Genmed has also recruited well and has a core of ‘Genmed people’ who share the company vision and values. Many of these people have grown with the company and are prepared to go the extra mile to for the company and the customer and their drive and enthusiasm has been a major factor in the rapid growth achieved by Genmed.

The senior management team has developed a five-year plan that will take Genmed to a turnover in excess of £700m and the journey to achieving the growth target has already begun through the establishment of a commercial services division that will be a procurement and supply chain total solutions supplier. The operations team is also being strengthened to enable the provision of consistently high levels of customer service.

“ The firm’s growth has been driven by gaining access to NHS frame-works for vendor neutral managed services providers...”

Robin Modak

fastgrowth50.com

125

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

47 Amser Building Services (Cardiff)

Construction services Established: 2009 Growth (2017-2019): 92.1% amser.co.uk

126

Amser Building Services is involved in many design and build projects, including collaborative partnering with developers and main contractors.

Its client base is varied as it has worked on many projects within many commercial and domestic sectors throughout the South Wales area generally.

Established in 2009, Amser Building Services has become one of South Wales’s leading contractors with considerable experience across the UK in major and domestic works.

The main motivation and driving force in launching the business was to provide a service to clients that would allow it to develop relationships and partnerships moving forward, creating a trading history that would allow the business to grow.

Amser Building Services has grown by maintaining quality relationships with clients and suppliers. It has also had a continuity within its labour force with regular training and development from apprenticeships to senior management The business intends to maintain and improve its current standards and ethics whilst maintaining and improving the margins of the areas in which it operates. Amser plans to continue its year on year increase in turnover with the effort and support of its dedicated staff.

“ The business intends to maintain and improve its current standards and ethics whilst maintaining and improving the margins of the areas in which it operates.

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

48 CCS McLays (Cardiff)

Single-source solution provider for retailers Established: 2005 Growth (2017-2019): 91.6% ccsmclays.co.uk

CCS McLays was founded in 2005 with the sole desire to provide those within the retail industry an outsourced solution for their packaging & consumables. The solution is unique in terms of being 100% retail focused and the business has grown rapidly over fifteen years to annual sales of ÂŁ65m at the end of the 2020-21 financial year.

It was established when the founders identified that there was no consolidator within Europe focused on retail and recognised a demand that was not being fulfilled and built a solution to satisfy this.

Within the last few years, CCS McLays has been awarded several major contracts with larger retailers throughout the EMEA region. It has also acquired further warehouse facilities within South Wales and London in order to continue operating at a time of fast growth.

Entrance into the food, catering and pharmaceutical sectors of

fastgrowth50.com

the retail industry has allowed the firm to diversify its overall offering and to maintain sustainable competitive advantage whilst there has been a greater emphasis on making PPE and hygiene supplies available to its ever growing client base since the start of the global pandemic.

CCS McLays continues to bring expertise into the company (in most instances locally) and has a good balance of youth and experience. It is well positioned for growth having invested heavily in quality people, an IT infrastructure and improvements to its online ordering platform for clients. It will also continue to benefit from increasing warehouse facilities and logistic capabilities with global reach. It has moved into packaging manufacturing, as part of a joint venture with IG Design Group, giving a solution that is unique to the marketplace namely environmental packaging that is made in Wales. It will also be looking to expand its knowledge base into

GNFR (goods not for resale) and consumable supplies specifically for health authorities and local Government.

Being in Wales positions the business well in that it is away from many of its competitors that offer consolidation and packaging solutions. It has kept the firm as an industry secret to an extent although intends to be perceived as a well-known success story in the coming years.

“ CCS McLays is well positioned for growth having invested heavily in quality people, an IT infrastructure and improvements to its online ordering platform for clients.�

127

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

49

Team Metalogic (Caerphilly)

Managed IT services provider Established: 2005 Growth (2017-2019): 88.1% teammetalogic.com

Team Metalogic is a managed IT services provider that takes away the pain of managing and supporting both IT and telecommunications for businesses across Wales and the UK. It does this not only through being an outsourced IT department but by becoming a complete strategic partner for IT and giving exceptional response times and an award-winning service in plain old English. By making the complex simple, it breaks down difficult issues and concepts into a language customers will understand, allowing them to concentrate on the important aspects of running the business.

Mike Parfitt started the business one year after graduating because he could not find work and was already being asked to fix PCs and networks for local small businesses. There was a gap in the market at the time which would later be filled by what are now deemed ‘managed services providers’ but then there was just Mike, a mobile phone and a laptop.

128

The business has grown due to the increased popularity of outsourcing and over the last ten years, the ‘managed services provider’ has become mainstream as has the outsourcing of business functions such as IT, accounting and HR.

In the future, it will focus on emerging technologies, security and zero-trust models whilst investing in its people, ongoing training and systems development to ensure Team Metalogic continues to be the best it can be.

Team Metalogic has emphasised the excellence of service delivery and leading the way in response times and customer satisfaction. By putting itself forward as a strategic partner for IT, it has worked hard to build trust and understanding with clients so that it can become a strategic partner for IT and telecommunications, leading innovation and enabling mutual growth and success.

“ In the future, it will focus on emerging technologies, security and zero-trust models whilst investing in its people, ongoing training and systems development to ensure Team Metalogic continues to be the best it can be.”

fastgrowth50.com

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

50 Zeal Innovation

bodies, influencers and complementary brands to build awareness - and whilst this takes time and effort, it’s already paying off in bringing the brand to a growing audience internationally and across multiple channels.

(Swansea)

Manufacturer of innovative bike locks Established: 2014 Growth (2017-2019): 87.5% litelok.com

Zeal Innovation Ltd (trading as Litelok®) markets three product families of award-winning high security bicycle and motorcycle locks called LITELOK®.

Demand in the UK, Europe and Rest of the World for this innovative premium brand often outstrips supply.

In a world where bikes are getting lighter and locks are getting heavier, Professor Neil Barron, founder and CEO, invented the lightest, flexible, insurance rated bike and motorbike locks on the market.

Their patent protected BoaFlexicore® is a flexible composite material with unique qualities making it light and super strong. Coupled with expert design engineering and cutting-edge technology, Litelok® products can withstand sustained attack to the highest level from tools like bolt croppers and hacksaws.

fastgrowth50.com

The idea for Litelok® came from Professor Neil Barron, who as an avid cyclist had a number of bikes stolen on the streets of London and had to continuously carry around heavy bike locks. As a result, he started Zeal Innovation Ltd with marketeer Will Riley to develop and commercialise the Litelok®.

“ Proudly Made in Britain, and based in Swansea, the team are focussed on making Litelok ® a worldfamous brand within the security industry."

The Litelok® portfolio has already received a number of awards and accolades – turning a ‘should have’ accessory into a ‘must-have’ essential. From receiving a Red Dot Design Award in 2018 for Litelok® Gold Wearable, through to inclusion on Best Buy lists, and 5 Star reviews, they continue to grow from strength to strength.

Coupled with a 5 Star rating on Trustpilot, their loyal customer base and feedback continues to feed a business obsession to produce highly-secure, highly-portable, high-quality locks that are beautifully designed and easy to use.

The 5 year plan for Litelok® remains true to their original goal to protect bikes all over the world. Their continued investment in their team and infrastructure will support plans to launch further NPI in 2021, whilst also scaling manufacturing capabilities to meet the growing market demands.

Proudly Made in Britain, and based in Swansea, the team are focussed on making Litelok® a world-famous brand within the security industry.

The company has made lots of connections with industry

129

TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WELSH BUSINESSES

CCR Graduate Recruitment Scheme now offering enhanced benefits for businesses The CCR Graduate Scheme is designed to help match companies with talented graduates, freshly emerged from the four universities within our region.

Firms that sign up to the free service get a lot of benefits.

The scheme provides a quick turnaround, matching a graduate to a company’s needs within 2 to 4 weeks.

The entire recruitment process is undertaken remotely, from advertising and shortlisting to assessment and interview, with the interview undertaken by the employer. Graduates get a fullyfunded qualification to support their professional skills development in the workplace.

mentors who are successful business men and women from around the world, supplied through partnership with Global Welsh. www.globalwelsh.com We work with a variety of businesses and sectors across the region, right from micro SMEs to large multinational.

No business is too small to take advantage of our free scheme.

In these uncertain times, graduates are looking for work and businesses need highly skilled, flexible workers.

It’s certainly a time to consider getting involved with the Cardiff Capital Region Graduate Scheme.

We provide expert advice, helping you work out what sort of graduate you need, when you should recruit, how long the role should last and how you would like the recruitment to be done.

We appreciate that personality and mind-set are as important as technical skills, so we make sure we understand your company’s culture before recruiting so we recruit graduates that fit in from day one. Recently added to the scheme, and available to the employer and the graduate, are our new mentoring services provided by

130

fastgrowth50.com

Find top industry talent with our FREE Graduate Recruitment Scheme Businesses of all sizes could benefit from our expert advice, flexible approach and access to a wide talent pool of highly capable, skilled graduates.

Whether you are on a mass recruitment drive or fulfilling niche roles we can help you find the right candidates.

For more info visit www.ccrgraduatescheme.wales/ or contact Laura.Carter@cardiff.gov.uk

Countless Connections.

Many Channels.

One Business Voice for the whole of Wales.

Business News Wales is the voice of Welsh business – offering you a choice of channels to connect you with the people you want to reach, including: Articles, Features, Interviews and Podcasts that give you a powerful, national online platform to tell your story.

Highly engaging Digital Discussions and immersive Virtual Events that ‘put you in the room’ and bring your messages alive in real-time.

A high-quality limited-print-run Magazine delivered directly into the hands of key decision-makers in the Welsh business, government and procurement ecosystem.

Find out more about connecting with the audiences you want, anywhere in Wales. e: mark@businessnewswales.com t: 029 20376 122 Business News Wales, Unit D, Tramshed Tech, Pendyris Street, Cardiff, CF11 6BH

www.businessnewswales.com