Consultus Corner Jan 2024

consultus corner 2024 January 2024

THE MAGAZINE THAT EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT…

A packed issue, including:

vision!

A Day in the Life!

See in the new year with a fresh focus Recipes!

Pete VS Pete!

PRIZES

to be Won See page 18

CONSULTUS CORNER INTRO

Into 2024!...

Well, Consultus, what a year it’s been! We’ve made some fantastic achievements in 2023, and we can’t believe we’re already working on the last edition of Consultus Corner to round off an amazing 2023, time really does fly when you’re having fun eh?!

Coincidentally, as also mentioned in our January 2023 edition, as you all know we’ve recently grown our small team to increase the number of ideas and articles we can work on – for all of you.

Jo and Ioana have been brilliant additions to the team, so a big thank you to you both for diving straight into the deep end and for more importantly, sharing great new ideas of your own!

Sanjay

Chloe

Jen

To kick off 2024, we’ve got a lot of interesting and engaging articles for you in this January edition.

As always we’ve got business updates, a chance for you to meet our new starters, a day in the life of, and more, along with holiday-related articles, some healthy recipes for you (which we in the team will definitely need to read through after all the food we’ll be scranning over the holidays), and so much more!

And if you’ve been with the business for a few years now, there will be a bit of a throwback article too… A head to head – Peter VS Peter!

We really hope you enjoy the read, and hope you all had a lovely Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Cheers to 2024 – Bring it onnn!

Ioana

Jo-Anne

Craig

The Consultus Corner Team 2

Consultus Corner | January 2024

DIRECTORS COMMENT

A Word From Our Directors

by Adam Madeley Looking out of the window, it’s dark, cold and wet.

Personally, I’m a fan. Going for a long walk or a run in the cold rain is one of my favourite de-stress activities. But I know I am in the minority. I think most want to wrap up in a blanket, draw the curtains and get a good series on the TV. Either way, December is often an opportunity to recharge the batteries.

Whether you love Christmas and spending time with family, or you hate it and don’t have or want to spend time with your family, it is usually a quieter couple of work weeks.

As shared in recent Town Halls, we are in a brilliant position, and have an opportunity to go and make something great happen in the remaining three months of the financial year. Over the festive season, whether you had slippers permanently on your feet, hot chocolate in hand or avoiding awkward conversations with family members, or simply spending it by yourself, I hope that you took some time to think about all the great things that we achieved in 2023, and were getting yourself ready for an awesome January, February and March.

To try and help get us into the right frame of mind, I want to share a story from the world of Olympic Weightlifting ,that I have always found motivational. It’s a story that brings a smile and (maybe even a tear) every time I revisit it. It is a story about a man called Matthias Steiner.

Matthias Steiner

Prior to 2008, Matthias had struggled to make an impact on the international stage. Representing his country of birth, Austria, he had ranked no higher than seventh in either the European or World Championships, for the Snatch and Clean and Jerk.

In 2005, Matthias had a big fallout with the Austrian National Coach and decided to leave the Austrian Weightlifting Federation and applied for German Citizenship. That decision, to trade countries and coaches, forced him out of international competition for three years. This was a tough period for Matthias only found easier by his marriage to wife Susann. He promised her that when his citizenship issue was resolved, he would win an Olympic Gold Medal.

In July 2007, Susann was killed by a speeding driver in a car accident.

The loss hit Matthias hard, he lost lots of weight, but decided to continue to train.

In 2008, his German citizenship was confirmed. He entered some tournaments with great success, his newfound motivation pushing him to represent Germany at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

During the competition, Matthias made a number of mistakes, resulting in him finishing 4th in the Snatch. It came down to one final lift, in the Clean and Jerk, to take the overall gold. The weight was 258kg, which was a huge 10kg more than the next best placed competitor.

One attempt, one lift, it was his moment. Against the odds, Mattias made a successful lift, and took Gold.

Jump on YouTube and search for 'Matthias Steiner Beijing 2008.' There is footage of his incredible final lift, and a short interview (8 min) with him that shows the story. If you fancy it, take a look and hopefully it helps you tap into something. https://youtu.be/ lssO92BNsJc?si=DtVMLa3hT8Og7G5Happy New Year from all of the Directors. Here’s to a Gold Medal performance in 2024.

Adam Madeley

Consultus Corner | January 2024

3

FINANCE UPDATE

Great

Consultus UPDATE

We often talk about business wins and revenue generation, but it’s also exciting to reveal the launch of a brand-new Savings Log! Recent Town Hall events have seen us talk collectively about sharing these successes, which is where we do some of our best work for clients.

The Savings Log has been completely revamped and is being integrated into day-to-day operations, for each department to log their information.

This is, in effect, a new and improved Savings Log, where old data has been transferred to and is custom-built, to make it more user-friendly.

Martin Smith, Head of Bureau Services, has played a key role in this transformation of the Savings Log, which has been pushed forward by the Customer First Committee.

A company-wide incentive, relating to customer savings, is also in the works, which will see participants benchmarked against their departmental colleagues.

An email has been sent to all staff, containing a guide explaining how to navigate and update the Savings Log, which is in document and video form.

It’s now full steam ahead to the end of the 2023/24 Financial Year, so let’s all push towards making it even more profitable.

New sales and customer retention (97 per cent) remain strong, with our credit control performance continually improving. Initiatives ahead include a ‘win-back’ campaign.

We can all play a part in supporting getting outstanding work completed, before the (financial) year’s end. As always, remember that ‘cash is king!’

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Consultus Corner | January 2024

Completion for Zara The Consultus finance team have been counting on Zara Read to complete her apprenticeship – and she has certainly come through!

Zara worked towards Zara (left) shows off completing her Finance her Finance Assistant Assistant Apprenticeship, Apprenticeship certificate, which has put her on the alongside her Consultus colleague Rebecca AAT pathway, for 18 months, (Revenue Analyst) alongside her full-time role with Consultus.

This has earned her a Level 2 AAT Foundation Certificate in Accounting, with the Level 3 Advanced Diploma likely to be undertaken next year.

Zara, who is 24, first came to Leicester to study animation, at De Montfort University, and has stayed in the city, joining Consultus four years ago.

She said: “My mum works in finance, she’s a manager for a company back in Northampton, so I kind of got a job through her, during a gap year, and really enjoyed it.

“I started out doing purchase orders, for a large business and, at Consultus, now I’m the only one that does purchase ledger, so I’m pretty much everywhere.

“The apprenticeship has been difficult and took up a lot of time, but I’ve learned so much that translates into my job. It’s definitely helped me to gain a better understanding.

“I’ve had a lot of support and I’m grateful for that.

For most of the duration, Tamara Panczak, (Financial Planning and Reporting Accountant) was my manager.

“She would always ask, during my monthly one-to-ones, how the course was going and if there was anything more that Consultus could do to help.

“I enjoyed the learning and exams, but I’m taking a break and focussing on work, for a few months, before I look at what’s next. We’ve been really busy, over the past few months.

“When I first came here, I was so quiet and shy but, with time, I’ve gotten the confidence to know my role and ask questions, if there is anything that I need to know.”

RECENTLY JOINED

Meet our New Starters Welcome to our new starters, who joined the company from October 2023 Name: James Towell Start date: 02/10/2023 Department: Net Zero Implementation Job Title: Net Zero Design Engineer

Name: Lolly Willington Start date:16/10/2023 Department: Risk Job Title: Risk Management Specialist

Fact: I’ve slept on an active volcano watching another one erupt in front of me.

Fact: I keep 4 parrots, but used to volunteer for a charity and have taken care of and rehabilitated many more. I can talk about this fact for hours, so feel free to have a chat with me about it when you have a spare half a day!

Name: Eden Walsh Start date:20/11/2023 Department: Customer Service Job Title: Customer Service Executive

Name: Jaskirat Bains Start date:02/12/2023 Department: Risk Job Title: Risk Management Specialist

Name: Anas Hoque Start date:16/10/2023 Department: Customer Service Job Title: Hybrid Account Manager

Name: Daniel Street Start date:04/12/2023 Department: Bureau Job Title: Bureau Specialist

Name: Muhammed Adam Start date:02/10/2023 Department: Bureau Job Title: Bureau Administrator

Name: Tarishna Patel Start date:30/10/2023 Department: Finance Job Title: Financial Accountant

Name: Christianah Otaru Start date:04/12/2023 Department: Bureau Job Title: PayCheck Analyst

Name: Caius Neale Start date:09/10/2023 Department: Net Zero Implementation Job Title: Net Zero Implementation Engineer

Name: Power Mezu Bari Start date:30/10/2023 Department: Customer Service Job Title: Hybrid Account Manager

Name: Yakshana

Name: Emily Campbell-King Start date:12/10/2023 Department: Net Zero Services Job Title: Net Zero Specialist

Name: Ceri Reynolds Start date:13/11/2023 Department: Consultancy Job Title: I&C Consultant

Fact: I’ve visited the Himalayas twice.

Fact: I was born in Zimbabwe; I live in the UK, but I have an Australian passport.

Fact: After graduating from university, I converted a van into an off-grid camper with my brother, complete with solar panels on the roof and batteries, which we took on surfing trips in Cornwall!

Fact: I bake a lot of fudge, and my childhood dream was to be a fudge maker.

Fact: I am a qualified professional belly dancer who competes nationally.

Fact: I play football for a women’s team in Leicester, love the gym and can play Bruno Mars – Just The Way You Are on the saxophone!

Fact: I was an amateur boxer before I dislocated my shoulder.

Fact: I have the worst luck with driving! I crashed my parent’s car on the second day of passing my driving test, I have spun my car on ice, took off my side mirrors, gone into the back of people on numerous occasions and had tyres blow on motorways. Even with this, to date I have never had a speeding ticket!

Fact: I love dogs, so I adopted a rescue French Bulldog named Hugo and he has no tail!

Fact: I enjoy cooking and I have very recently started playing badminton.

Fact: I’ve been working and earning money since I was 12 years old.

Karunairatnam

Start date:05/12/2023 Department: Fixed Procurement Job Title: Fixed Procurement Team Leader

Fact: I support Chelsea football club, and work with churches both around the UK and abroad.

Name: Saurav Shahi Start date:11/12/2023 Department: Net Zero Services Job Title: Energy & Carbon Site Assessor

Fact: I am a captain of a cricket team ‘Erdington Strikers’. I play sports all around the year. My goal is to complete a full marathon next year.

Consultus Corner | January 2024

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HELPING WITH CHALLENGES

Department SPOTLIGHT :

RISK TEAM Hello everyone! For those who don’t know me, I am Matt, the Senior Risk Manager at Consultus. I’ve been with the company and within the Risk Management team for 8 ½ years now, joining as a Risk Manager back in 2015 shortly after finishing studying at De Montfort University.

After learning the ropes, I became the Risk Team Manager in 2018 after the “Beast from the East” hit. The team expanded shortly after and working together we’ve managed to help our customers with the challenges of COVID-19, the energy supply crisis and war in Ukraine to name a few “events”! I take great pride in the service we provide and in seeing my colleagues develop and gain lots of confidence in dealing with a demanding role. I’m amazed we don’t have more grey hairs and wrinkles in the team after the last few years!

The great thing about the Risk Team is that there is always so much to learn and new challenges and approaches that make the role different every day. In my time at Consultus, I’ve been fortunate to work alongside and learn from some very knowledgeable and talented people. I always say to interviewees

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Consultus Corner | January 2024

when asked that one of the things I love about Consultus is that people of all experiences are always willing to help others and I’m very grateful to everyone who’s helped me since joining.

I am looking forward to my new position as Senior Risk Manager and a reunion with Paul Gleaves as he joins as the Head of Global Trades. It’s an exciting time for Risk, working closely with Paul I am confident we can drive the team onwards and upwards with support from the fantastic team we have in place already.

Outside of work, my life has recently been taken over by becoming a puppy parent to Bryn the Beagle, but his love of walks helps me to keep active and explore a bit more of South Wales. I’m also a lover of pizza, dinosaurs and penguins, so I’m still waiting to grow up!

Matthew Hopkins Senior Risk Team Manager

MEET THE TEAM Conor Klapatyj Team Leader

How long have you been here?

Almost 2 years.

An insight into your specific role in the department: Oversee the daily operations of the Risk Team. Look after both trading and client-facing work.

Some of your hobbies/interests: TV and film, reading, sports, music, cooking.

Yahya Amodo

Risk Management Specialist How long have you been here?

5 months.

An insight into your specific role in the department: My daily endeavours involve validating and trading contracts, coupled with the strategic management of risks tied to energy contracts for our valued clients.

Hobbies/interests: My love for travel and connecting with diverse individuals fuels my passion for exploration.

HELPING WITH CHALLENGES

Talha Shaikh

Lolly Willington

How long have you been here?

1 year and 5 months.

How long have you been here?

2 months.

Risk Data Analyst

An insight into your specific role in the department: My role heavily revolves around Shield, keeping it up to date and using the data for PowerBI and providing support with ad-hoc queries and trades when it is a heavy trading day.

Some of your hobbies/interests: Games, football and cars.

Jaskirat Bains

Risk Management Specialist How long have you been here?

2 months.

An insight into your specific role in the department: My role requires keeping up to date with market insight, updating strategies, trading, and dealing with client queries.

Some of your hobbies/interests: I enjoy going to the gym, watching Arsenal win, and listening to a wide range of music.

Dipa Tank

Risk Management Specialist How long have you been here?

6 years and 7 months.

An insight into your specific role in the department: Alongside the usual daily risk management and trading activities, part of my role also entails utilising ETRM within Shield, providing guidance, training and support to my team and the business.

Risk Management Specialist

An insight into your specific role in the department: As part of the risk team, I’ve been updating strategies for our clients, and trading with their suppliers. During days when trading isn’t as busy, I use my time to look for possible improvements in the strategies used.

Some of your hobbies/interests: I enjoy spending time with my partner, friends, and animals or trips to various zoos, followed by the pub.

Glen Pereira

Risk Management Specialist How long have you been here?

10 months.

An insight into your specific role in the department: I assist new team members with any questions they may have, execute client trade requests, and implement automatic trades using our AMP/CaR model. Additionally, I offer trading recommendations to clients navigating market uncertainties, prepare risk policies, devise personalized strategies based on client risk appetite, compile energy insight reports, conduct risk workshops, and engage in monthly client calls.

Some of your hobbies/interests: I play football on weekdays, indulge in tennis and swimming during the weekends, and time to time compete in county athletics (100m and 200m).

Some of your hobbies/interests: Cooking, travelling, cars and walking in nature.

Consultus Corner | January 2024

7

A LOOK BACK AT LAST YEAR

: 3 2 0 2 Long Service Awards Congratulations to all the long service members of Consultus.

We appreciate the hard work that you have put in, over the years, and look forward to working and collaborating with you for many more years to come!

• David Shelton-Knight: 10 years • Mattia Bailoni: 10 years • Paula Evans: 15 years • Bradley Wilson: 15 years • Steve Atkins: 20 years Assured new CRM went live Assured Energy now have a CRM to call their own, allowing them to resolve customer queries and manage client relationships from directly within the team, along with other administrative tasks.

Assured was and is still rated #1 on Trustpilot Customer satisfaction is the lifeblood of Assured Energy and Team Assured can be very pleased with the feedback on Trustpilot, where they are No 1 in the Energy and Power Category and rated 5/5, from over 600 reviews.

Smiley face scores are on target Simplesat, our internal customer engagement platform, is better known to colleagues as the 'Smiley Face' metric. And it's certainly all smiles on the scoring charts, with a YTD (Year-To-Date) score of 4.79, going into 2024. Our ultimate target, for the Financial Year, is 4.8, so we are only another notch away from the promised land!

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Consultus Corner | January 2024

A YEAR IN REVIEW

Extra 2 days annual leave and sell-back scheme From April 1st 2023, annual leave days were increased to 24, then 25 after 3 years’ service and 26 after 5 years’ service. In addition, we are now able to sell back up to two days of annual leave. All requests need to be sent by end of March and payment is in the May payroll.

Talent LMS was launched Consultus’ first online learning platform, to help develop skills and knowledge, went live. It now provides the tools needed to succeed in your role and ensure we better serve our customers!

CORA re-branding Both internal and client feedback has shown that the term ‘Paycheck’ is quite misleading, with many people assuming that it is associated with Accounts/Finance.

For this reason, we therefore changed the name to Cost Optimisation & Recovery Audit (CORA). Our Cost Optimisation & Recovery Audit provides a hasslefree approach to help clients claim back the money they are potentially owed and optimize their energy costs moving forward.

Cocktail-making competition It was Cocktails & Consultus, here at Consultus House, with the very first cocktail making competition.

There were some tasty tipples, but

it was Sam, from Assured Energy, who served up the best drink.

Very Good by Best Companies After another update, Consultus are now ranked as the 15th Best Consultancy Company and 127th Best Mid-Sized Company to work for, in all of the UK. First Graduate Scheme started The Consultus International Group’s firstever Graduate Scheme saw New graduates two new Armin Peroznejad starters take up and Yeliz Asim their training schedules. This is a Consultus initiative to recruit and harness ‘grassroots’ talent, with bespoke roles created to shape the experience and progression of each graduate recruited.

Paid off bank loan Consultus paid off the bank loan in September! An amazing milestone in the company’s journey, as we are now free to make our decisions about the future of the business.

Record water contract secured

by Martin Smith Martin Smith did an incredible job by converting our largest-ever Water Commission contract, after negotiating SLM into signing a 5-year supply agreement with Water 2 Business.

ASOS client win Another fantastic win for Consultus, by securing ASOS as a client.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST YEAR Nine smiley faces in a day (Kirstie McElhinney) What a difference a day makes for Kirstie, from the Bureau team, as she racked up nine positive ‘Smiley Face’ clicks, over the course of just one Friday! This related to her sterling work, with Bill Validation, on the Ladbrokes Coral account.

All employees of the month in 2023 January

July

Vicky Kenney

Gita Mistry

Sales & Customer Service Administrator, Assured Energy

Procurement Administrator, Fixed Products

February Connectus Utilities re-branding Some of you know it as LSE or OSS, but we now have a new identity, which is here to stay, for our connections team in Rochford.

Introducing Connectus Utilities!

Clothing donation The Consultus family came together to collect coats, hats, and scarves for the Wrap It Up Appeal, helping the homeless, refugees and victims of domestic violence to keep warm in winter.

All promotions in 2023 In 2023, Consultus has proudly handed out 30 promotions across the business!

Number of all new starters in 2023 In 2023, from start to finish, Consultus welcomed a whopping 65 new starters! We are so pleased with how quickly the business is growing and look forward to an even higher number in 2024!

Weddings and babies We’ve had five babies and four weddings in 2023 alone!

The amount of Dominos orders we’ve had this year In 2023, Consultus have scoffed down 59 pizzas in the Leicester office alone!

Chris Pattani Energy Consultant, Assured Energy

March

Ketul Mehta TPI Account Manager Assured Energy

August

Hannah Archer Customer MI Team Leader

September

Amal Barigo Supplier Relationship Manager

October April

Louise Bennett Bureau Specialist

May

Simon Bellot Consultant

Clare Deacon Senior Customer Service Executive

November

Harvey Horsefield Customer Service Executive

June

December

Dipa Tank

Erica Staley

Risk Management Specialist

Flexible Procurement Team Leader

Consultus Corner | January 2024

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LIFESTYLES

A day in the life of…

Gavin McCormick One of the things I love about my job is the variety each day brings as I have a good mix of working from home, being in the office and visiting clients. This means that from week to week I get a different mix of time with colleagues, time admiring my Lego Star Wars working from home and then being on client sites getting to know them and what they do better.

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Consultus Corner | January 2024

LIFESTYLES

However, most days start at around 5am. I always find it amusing that I’m seeing 5am for very different reasons than I did in my 20s! It’s not so great in winter but I enjoy a slow start to the day, couple of coffees and catching up on emails and reading before the day begins. I often find I can be at my most productive in the hours before the office opens as I’m not distracted by calls or emails. Having moved to the Midlands I’m also enjoying rural living where I get to watch squirrels in my garden!

I do plan on adding a bit of yoga to my morning routine in the New Year as I begin my focus on health and wellbeing although, I am nervous I might get stuck until the wife wakes up! Maybe I’ll just watch some yoga on the TV and hope it rubs off!

In my role as Head of Consultancy my key focus which drives my day is working to make my team more successful. This tends to fill 5060% of my day right now, involving various projects either internal in the team (i.e. individual and team skills and knowledge development) or working closely with others such as the Tactical Team to drive forward efficiencies and improvements in the business. I have quite a few regular

weekly meetings which help me fulfil this ambition. I’m a big believer in collaboration as together, we can build something amazing but individually, we’ll be bouncing around never quite coming together. Right now, however we have a lot of distractions in dealing with client issues, reacting to unexpected events and I do look after a small number of clients myself so some weeks I can be more or less effective depending on whether I’m being pushed in a different direction because something needs attention.

When I’m working from home, I like to spend time away from the laptop strategizing and planning and focusing on my short, medium and long-term objectives. I had the benefit of being an outsider when I first joined so I wasn’t affected by being within the business but now I’m 6 months in I like to try and step away from the business to give myself an objective view of my strategy. I also like to spend at least 20 minutes checking my Lego Star Wars as my wife went through a phase of moving the mini figures around and there is nothing worse than realising that the Lego Death Star has a medieval Lego horse stuck in it!!

I’m lucky to have an amazing Leader in Brad supporting me and an amazing team of consultants, all with their own unique skills and a great bond between each other. In fact, whilst I’m at it one of the reasons why I enjoy my working day is 98% of you here at Consultus who truly add value to the business and make the company an enjoyable place to be.

I am a huge fan of meeting our clients and getting to know them. There is nothing better to create stickiness with a client than getting to know them in person, being attentive to their business and creating a bond

that goes beyond just service delivery.

Covid has really softened a lot of people’s stances on this and whilst Teams calls have a part to play, for our larger clients, creating that stickiness through meeting in person is critical.

However, having recently toured an abattoir (moo, splat, plate) I hope for some more appealing site visits!

Outside of work I was addicted to Military Bootcamp, but a bad injury put a stop to that so now I enjoy swimming several times a week with a visit to the sauna and steam room to relax.

I also have a new puppy – a 16 week old German Shepherd – who enjoys sticking anything in his mouth he can find so after a walk to tire him out we have a bit of a wrestle before dinner!

I love cooking and enjoy spending time in the kitchen so depending on what time I get home dinner can vary although now I’m home more evenings than I used to be I love cooking from fresh. After dinner it’s then a fight for the TV. Alex and I agree on a number of programmes but more recently I’ve been losing the fight (and brain cells) to The Housewives of Beverly Hills! During the week I’m in bed by 10.30pm to watch TikTok’s for a bit before sleep although I have started a stop smoking book so hopefully, I’ll be able to give up soon and not roll the book up and try and light it!

Consultus Corner | January 2024

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ASSURED ENERGY

Assured Energy

by Hiren & Sam : E T A UPD

Now that the energy prices have been steadying out, Assured Energy are giving it a final push into through the last quarter of FY2024. All figures mentioned will be from April 2023 until November 2023.

Firstly, we want to say a massive thank you to the Assured team who have demonstrated amazing work in both sales and operational efficiency so well done to the whole team and let’s keep pushing until the end of this financial year.

Assured are ahead of budget with a total top-line NET revenue of £1,632,353 vs a budget of £1,431,259. Great work from the whole team. We will be giving it a final push to achieve a further £522,353 for the end of March to hit our final budgeted figure of £2,140,000.

We are also ahead of our direct sales target which is budgeted at £1,001,600 with an actual figure of £1,454,590.

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Consultus Corner | January 2024

With indirect sales, we are slightly below budget but with a few more months to go until the end of FY24, we are sure to hit our budgeted figure. We are currently at £131,665 vs a budget of £160,000. For our Utilitymix sales we are currently sat at £46,213 vs a budgeted figure of £63,630.

Let’s not forget our operational team who have also been busy behind the scenes sorting through over 14,000 emails since April 2024. They have also processed over 1,500 contracts YTD. Again, the ops team have smashed their acceptance rate by achieving 91% which was targeted against 85%.

They are also ahead of their 75% target on their EAC/AQ validation hitting 92%. Fantastic work from everyone!

working alongside the newly rebranded Connectus Utilities.

Brian Joyce has been working in the background to set this up with Stuart Marshall and Marketing all providing assistance. This will be up and running soon so watch this space!

Brian Joyce

Stuart Marshall To close off, we want to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

We are also proud to say we are still rated 5-star on Trustpilot and still holding top position in the energy and power categories.

Assured Energy will also now be offering new meter connections

Hiren Kanabar

Sam Edwards

FOOD AND DRINK

Healthy

‘New Year, New Me’ RECIPES

What does January bring if not the tradition of kick starting that diet, or giving up alcohol for Dry January? After all, we are all allowed to indulge over the Christmas and New Year period, aren’t we?!

But are your clothes now feeling a little snug?

Here’s some healthy recipes suggested by our Consultus Corner team you could try, to kick start that January diet…

Jen

Healthy Chicken Curry Total Time: 45 min Prep: 10 min Cook: 35 min Serves 4

Ingredients • 4 sprays calorie-controlled cooking spray • Onion and red pepper – 1 medium, finely sliced • 2 garlic cloves, crushed • Root ginger – 1¼ inch slices, grated • 3 tbsp mild curry powder • 650g raw skinless chicken breast, diced • 1 large can tinned tomatoes, chopped • ½ chicken stock cube, to make 200ml stock • Rice • 15ml fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges to serve • 2 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped, plus extra leaves to garnish

Method Mist a large pan with cooking spray, add the onion and cook over a medium heat for 6-8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, red pepper and ginger and cook for another minute, then stir in the curry powder and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat in the spice mixture. Add the chopped tomatoes and stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.

Cook the rice to pack instructions, then stir in the lime juice and coriander. Serve the curry with the rice and lime wedges to squeeze over.

Jo

Berry & Banana Smoothie Ingredients • ½ mug (around 75g/2½oz) frozen mixed berries • 1 medium, ripe banana • 2 tbsp jumbo oats (gluten-free if required) • 2 heaped tsp no-added-sugar cashew nut butter • 2 tsp mixed seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and flax • 1 mug (around 250ml/9fl oz) milk alternative, such as soya or almond

Method 1 Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until thick and smooth.

2 Pour into a tall glass and serve.

Ioana

Chia Pudding with Mango Purée Ingredients • 50g chia seeds, 400ml coconut or almond milk, 1 tbsp honey • 1 well-ripened mango (approx. 650g), 1 banana (approx. 150g), 100ml water, 1 tsp honey • Muesli (optional), dried bananas (optional), shredded coconut (optional)

Method Put the chia seeds in a jar, pour the milk and honey over them, and mix until the honey dissolves. Cover the jar with a lid and put it in the fridge overnight (the seeds will swell and soften, and the milk will become a thicker consistency).

A few minutes before serving the chia pudding, prepare the mango puree. Peel the mango and cut it into cubes. In the bowl of a blender, put the banana broken into pieces, add the mango (save a few cubes for decoration), pour plain water, and add a teaspoon of honey (only if the fruit is not sweet enough).

Mix well until everything becomes a dense and smooth purée. Put 3 spoons of chia pudding in a suitable glass, cover with 3–4 spoons of mango purée, and decorate with muesli, dried bananas, coconut slices, or anything else you want. Serve the pudding immediately.

This preparation is rich in vitamins and minerals. You will receive a natural source of energy and proteins that help stimulate the immune system.

Consultus Corner | January 2024

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HEAD-TO-HEAD

Pete Pete VS

Peter Butler

Peter Murdock

In the words of PJ and Duncan (Ant and Dec to the younger generation), LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!

Battling it out in the ring, we have Peter Butler and Peter Murdock.

Fighting for the rights to their name with the very strict referee, Amie Schreder, we asked both Petes a series of questions. Those with the most answers that match the referee’s wins and will be forever known as Peter the FIRST! With the loser being known as number two for all eternity.

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Consultus Corner | January 2024

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Pete Pete VS

Question

Peter Butler’s Answer

Peter Murdock’s Answer

Amie’s Answer

Film or Book?

Film

Film

Film

Call or Text?

Call

Call

Text

Hot or Cold?

Hot

Cold

Hot

Superman or Batman?

Superman

Batman

Batman

Big party or Small gathering?

Small gathering

Small gathering

Big Party

Beach or Pool?

Pool

Beach

Pool

Cosy night in or Night out on the town?

Cosy night in

Cosy night in

Cosy night in

Tea or Coffee?

Tea

Coffee

Neither

Dog or Cat?

Dog

Dog

Dog

Early bird or Night owl?

Early bird

Night owl

Both

Online shopping or in-store shopping?

In-store shopping

In-store shopping

Online shopping

Time machine or Magic wand?

Magic wand

Magic wand

Magic wand

Concert or Sports game?

Concert

Sports game

Concert

Bath or Shower?

Shower

Shower

Shower

Rain or Snow?

Snow

Snow

Snow

And the winner is with 10 matching answers (the loser with 8)… Peter BUTLER! You are our Number 1

Consultus Corner | January 2024

15

FESTIVE TRADITIONS

Christmas and New Year

Traditions

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, folks!

Wherever you are in the world right now, why not take some time to learn more about Christmas and New Year traditions? Every country has its own rituals on the night before Christmas. From hanging stockings and opening one of your holiday gifts to leaving cookies for Santa, Christmas traditions make Christmas Eve a magical night like no other.

Looking to add some new Christmas activities to your family’s holiday tradition before the big guy with a beard in red makes an appearance? We have rounded up some unique traditions to help you celebrate and honour the holidays. See how they compare to your traditions at home and find out how other cultures see the New Year.

Romania

Morroco/France

Ioana Zarnescu (Bureau Specialist)

Amal Barigo (Supplier Relationship Manager)

The Christmas season is kicked off by the arrival of St. Nicholas on December 6th. On this night, children know they will receive small gifts in their boots from St. Nicholas. But only if they were good! Otherwise, instead of presents they will receive a stick!

I am from Morocco, I cannot speak for all Moroccan families as Morrocco’s traditions are a blend of Arab, Mediterranean, French, and Andalusian/ Spanish cultures; so, each has its own. My family does not celebrate Christmas per se, but we celebrate New Year with the occasional decorated tree and a lot of presents. On New Year’s Eve, my grandmother used to cook a succulent Duck Confit with cherry or orange sauce, a variety of amuse Bouches and make a Bûche de Noël from scratch for dessert. I used to help decorate the log while eating half of the cream and the chocolate; one of the most beautiful memories I have from childhood. None are Moroccan recipes, but more of traditional French Christmas dinner foods that stayed with some families post the French Colony.

On the evening of December 5th, every child must clean a pair of shoes and leave them by the door, hoping that Old St. Nick will leave a present for them. The gifts are usually fruits or sweet treats.

An important part of the Christmas festivities in Romania is The Caroling. This is a tradition that goes back to Medieval Times. Romanian Christmas carols use tunes and themes that vary according to their region of origin. Throughout the Christmas season, groups of small children and students especially those in the villages, go from door to door singing beautiful Romanian carols. They usually receive cookies or fruits.

The Christmas Feast is a rich, multi-course meal consisting of various kinds of traditional Romanian dishes such as pickled cabbage leaves stuffed with a mixture of meat, and rice. For dessert, you will always have a sponge cake filled with nuts, raisins, and chocolate. To wash all this rich food down, Romanians will have lots of red wine and a strong traditional spirit that contains 40-45% alcohol and is made from plums.

The New Year’s Eve celebration usually starts in the morning when small groups of children go from house to house performing folk songs.

Equipped with bells, the children sing or recite traditional lyrics wishing the hosts health and rich crops for the year to come. Later in the day, groups of teenagers or adults, dressed in traditional clothes play musical instruments such as drums, violins, or guitars.

Before midnight, people will prepare the fireworks ready to sparkle in the new year, and afterwards, they will have a drink, eat traditional food (grapes are necessary in the New Year’s dinner as they will bring more money and the fish is to have a new year ahead), and party all night.

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Consultus Corner | January 2024

Albania Liman Bruci (International Procurement Specialist) During the Christmas and New Year period, Christmas trees are put up in every town, city, and home, but they are known as New Year trees. In Albania, we celebrate New Year’s Eve and day over Christmas. New Year’s Eve is when we cook Turkey (or Sea Rooster as Albanians call it) and baklava and invite family to celebrate the New Year.

In my family, we do not really celebrate Christmas, but when me and my brother were young, my parents celebrated with presents from Santa, Christmas movies (which I know they secretly like), and Turkey dinner.

When we got older, we decided to buy presents for the household rather than individual presents. Also, for many years, we have duck for Christmas and Turkey with Baklava for the new year.

FESTIVE TRADITIONS

Slovakia

UK/Iran/Sweden

Eva Szaszova (Mobilisation Executive)

Armin Peroznijad (Net Zero Graduate)

On the Christmas Eve, we would gather to have dinner and give out presents. Our Christmas dinner does not have Turkey, we usually have a dish involving fish with potato salad and soup. We’ve been told that it is baby Jesus who brings us our presents for Christmas and not Santa, however, we do have a separate date where we celebrate Santa on the 5th December, when children will put their shoes by the door for it to be filled with little sweets and treats, sort of like stockings. The New Year is simple, we all make many sandwiches and party food with plenty of drinks to go around and we all celebrate the new year together at midnight.

Brazil Bruna Costa Migliani (International Account Manager) I would say we have more New Year’s tradition than Christmas, but they would be Brazilian traditions (believe me we are full of superstitions!).

For example, we will use clothes according to what you want from the year ahead, so if you want/wish for more money in the next year you will wear something yellow. Love? Red. Hope? Green and something that my Mom always does is cut little pieces of ribbons in different colours and we all wear it under our top.

She will also have two other things that is OBLIGATORY which is eat 3 spoons of lentils without having your feet on the floor (you can knee on a chair for example) – it means it will bring luck and prosperity for the next year (you must eat at midnight!!!) and she also distributes a bay leaf to everyone, which we then wrap up in a note and put it inside our wallet. You will not spend this money but will keep inside the wallet until next year.

Spain Chloe Iveson (Recruitment Assistant) In Spain, usually the whole family gets together for a nice big dinner on December 24th, and the children get a couple of presents on the 25th, but they don’t do anything to celebrate on this day.

New Years Eve is celebrated ‘in style’, with men typically wearing a full suit, and women wearing their best dresses.

What is celebrated the most in Spain, is the 3 Kings Day, on January 6th.

Villages and towns will have a parade, where 3 men dressed up as the 3 Kings (or the 3 Wise Men as we know them in the UK) stroll through town on a carriage (or a van! lol), throwing sweets out into the street for children / viewers.

Once the parade ends, the 3 Kings stand up to speak on a big stage set up in the town square, where parents have left presents labelled for their children. The Kings then proceed to call out the children’s names, one by one, then the children run up on stage to meet the Kings and receive their gift and more sweets.

UK

Growing up in North Yorkshire means that for me the Yorkshire puddings are the most essential part of the Christmas meal, if the Yorkshire pudding isn’t right then Christmas is ruined!

Iran

Christmas isn’t widely celebrated in Iran, and it isn’t a public holiday though some people will still celebrate Christmas and exchange gifts.

Most people will celebrate the conventional new year, but Iran have their own calendar, with the current year in their timeline being 1402. The Iranian new year is called Nowruz and typically occurs in spring usually occurring towards the end of March.

Sweden

Christmas in Sweden is called “Jul” and Rudolph should stay far away from Sweden as they enjoy Sautéed reindeer, particularly at Christmas.

In Sweden the tradition is to exchange gifts and have their main Christmas meal on the evening of the 24th (Christmas Eve). Part of the Swedish celebration is Kalle Anka, it is one of the most popular television events of the year and can be considered as Sweden’s “Super Bowl” as most households will be watching. It is basically a show consisting of a dozen classic Disney cartoons. The typical tradition is to exchange the gifts as soon as the show has finished. Another notable thing in Sweden is that pretty much all households will leave candle style lights in their windows so seeing all the residential areas lit up is truly mesmerising.

Poland Alex Michaluk (I&C Consultant) We celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve and it’s called Wigilia. We have a big family get together with traditional food such as Beetroot Soup, Mushroom Ravioli, Fish, potatoes and Saurkraut. There is no Turkey in sight!

Up until around 15 years ago, we couldn’t eat meat on Christmas Eve at all.

We start eating once we see the first star in the sky. Once we’ve eaten, we then open presents.

Ireland Laura Kirkland-Moore (Hybrid Desk Based Account Manager)

Always midnight mass on Christmas Eve, Horse races on boxing day (St Stephen’s Day and Christmas Day is swimming in the sea. One thing my Mum said was putting a candle in your window on Christmas Eve, it was to remember people who were far from home and not with their loved ones. It was to let people know that they would always have a light to show them home.

Consultus Corner | January 2024

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BIG FAT QUIZ OF THE YEAR 2023

Well everyone, the time you’ve all been waiting for has come, we wanted to give you a whopper of a quiz, so without further ado... here’s our very own Big Fat Quiz Of The Year 2023!

This consists of a very random mix of 2023 general knowledge, with a few Consultus-related questions thrown in too, to reaaally test your knowledge.

We hope as many of you as possible will participate, because as always... there’s a prize to be won! Good luck all!

JANUARY

APRIL

• On which date did Prince Harry release his

• Which European country officially joined NATO

• What was the currency of Croatia before they

• Which company’s Starship rocket exploded 4

• Which footballer joined Al Nassr for the ‘biggest

• Which film studio celebrated 100 years on

memoir, Spare?

moved to the Euro?

salary ever in football’?

becoming its 31st member? minutes into its launch?

4th April?

• What company benefit was replaced by 2 extra days of annual leave?

FEBRUARY • Which 2 countries experienced a 7.8 magnitude

MAY

• After winning four Grammys in February, Beyoncé

• Where was King Charles’ coronation held?

• Which city hosted the 2023 Eurovision contest?

• In which country was the G7 summit held this year?

• Who got promoted to UK Operations Manager?

earthquake on 6th Feb?

is now the most awarded artist in the prize’s history, but how many Grammys in total does she have?

• Who broke the world record to become the all-time highest scorer in NBA?

MARCH

JUNE

• What is the name of the company that released

• Which major music festival took place between 21st

• To which country did King Charles make his first

• Which date did Boris Johnson resign as UK’s PM? • Which football team completed a historic treble

Chat GPT-4 on 14th March? state visit abroad?

• Who won the ‘Best Actor’ award at the 95th Academy Awards?

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Consultus Corner | January 2024

and 25th June?

after beating Inter Milan in the Champions League final?

JULY

OCTOBER

• The top grossing movie of the year came out in July

• The worlds largest offshore windfarm started

2023 – What film was this?

• What music legend ended their touring career in Summer 2023?

• In July, which footballer declined what would

have been a world record signing deal with Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal? Bonus question – how much was the offer?

generating power for the UK electricity grid. Where in the UK was this?

• What international superstar released a movie of their tour in cinemas?

• Before being promoted in October, what was Kobe Lee-Davies’ original job title?

• What social media platform re-branded to X?

AUGUST • Which former US President had their mug shot taken?

• Who won the Women’s Football World Cup? • What country landed the 4th spacecraft on the moon?

SEPTEMBER • What epidemic was said to be being brought over to the UK from Paris?

• NASA declared Summer 2023 the hottest on record, is this true or false?

• Who in Consultus had their third child in September 2023?

NOVEMBER • Which music artist shaved his hair off in November, causing the internet to lose its mind?

• Who won Big Brother 2023?

• In November, who was promoted to Flexible Procurement Team Leader?

DECEMBER • What video game trailer broke the record for most views in 24 hours on YouTube?

• After a long career with Consultus, who retired in December?

• What date in December was the Winter Solstice?

Consultus Corner | January 2024

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