Diamond Edition 9 - July & August 2021

Edition 9 July & August 2021

The magazine for Gatwick Diamond Business members

Cubic: From Oyster Cards to Contactless payments, what's next for transport?

Thakeham Group Confirmed in Top 20 Best Mid-Sized Companies to Work For Gatwick publishes its second ‘Decade of Change’ goals - a sustainability policy looking ahead to 2030

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Jeff’s Message Welcome to the July-August 2021 edition of Diamond. As usual, it is full of information and compelling stories that demonstrate the strength of the gdb business community. To guide your way through it, here is our very first Diamond Quiz: • 'O Oysters, come and walk with us!

The Walrus did beseech’. But Lewis Carroll did not invent the Oyster Card - who did?

• ‘I built my house from barley rice ….

A simple garden, with acres of sky’ name the Gatwick Diamond business in the ‘100 Best Mid-Sized Companies to Work For’ top 20.

• ‘Keep On Truckin’ - how is a Gatwick Diamond MedTech company turning this 1973 hit on its head?

• Where will Fireman Sam be saving the Circus in August (no marks for Pontypandy!)?

• ‘You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.’ How can gdb members follow this bear’s advice?

• What on earth has Barry Island funfair got to do with a Porsche Taycan?

Read on to discover the answers to these intriguing questions and many more.

Entries on a postcard (to Fireman Sam care of Mandi).

On a more serious note! We are

really looking forward to our first in person networking events since March last year. We have ‘open-air’ events planned for July and August and, if all goes well, your September gdb Members Meeting (and AGM) will be at a splendid member’s venue.

We see a continuing place for on-line events but certainly not as a substitute for face-to-face. It takes more time and effort to be there in person but what you get out depends on what you put in. So please have a look at the events page and watch out for further information on more opportunities on there way to you.

And don’t forget Pooh’s advice!

My thanks as usual to Creative Pod for the design of Diamond and to all of you who have shared inspiring stories and advice with the Gatwick Diamond business community.

Jeff Alexander, Chief Executive of Gatwick Diamond Business

Follow @gdbmembership for the best networking in the diamond

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There is nothing more electrifying than meeting your soulmates.

The new Taycan. Soul, electrified.

The Taycan family welcomes its fourth fully electric member to an award-winning range. Together with a constantly growing charging network and intelligent charging solutions for the home, all Taycan models offer uncompromising flexibility and an electric driving feeling that is truly Porsche. Discover more at porsche.co.uk/taycan

Porsche Centre Mid-Sussex Innovation Drive York Road Burgess Hill West Sussex RH15 9TW 01444 242911 info@porschemidsussex.co.uk www.porschemidsussex.co.uk

Porsche Taycan model range official WLTP combined energy consumption 20.4-26.6 kWh/100km, WLTP combined CO₂ emissions 0g/km.

Figures shown are for comparability purposes only and may not reflect real life driving conditions, which will depend upon a number of factors including any accessories fitted, variations in weather, topography and road conditions, driving styles, vehicle load and condition.

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Getting the simple things right Is your financial plan due for a summer refresh?

Like many, I entered lockdown with dreams of using the ‘extra’ personal time to become accomplished at sunrise yoga, a master cook, or fluent in Mandarin. Four botched Hollandaise sauce attempts later and I realised that manageable goals were far more likely to yield the results I desired. I was not alone in starting in the wrong place though!

The pandemic undoubtedly refocused minds and nowhere is this more evident than with personal finances. Speaking to family and friends, I was surprised at how some of the simplest steps towards securing financial futures appeared elusive. I tried to work out why.

It seems the key factors, as with so many things in life, are lack of clear information about the benefits and guiding principles for people getting started. Investment is full of jargon and different offerings for

those beginning their journey. The best approach is often the simplest and so, like my father-in-law who stood perplexed as I asked rudimentary questions about French Mother Sauces, I realised that assuming people do, or even should, know the basics is foolhardy.

For me it was culinary rules, but for many it can be saving surplus income or having clear short or long-term objectives. It can also be using tax-efficient allowances such as ISAs and allowing the magic of compounding (Einstein’s eighth wonder) to do its work.

In a world where high-risk assets like cryptocurrencies offer an appealing ‘quick buck’, we must remember that, at its best, investing is the world’s oldest ‘get rich slow’ scheme and it is always rewarding to hear from those we have helped, whose money is now working harder.

Sam Hill As for me, it’s back to cooking for beginners... www.brewin.co.uk/individuals/our-offices/gatwick The value of investments can fall and you may get back less than you invested. Tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each client and may be subject to change in the future. This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment.

Are print & IT issues giving you headaches?

The way we work and how businesses operate are changing as a result of the pandemic. Remote working and hybrid working have led to many challenges, such as how to print securely from home, how to access key systems and applications, how to approve specific processes. All of which need to factor

in secure access anytime, anywhere.

IT Document Solutions are entering into our seventh year of trading, we are no longer a start-up business, and our story and approach to business is proving to be disruptive to the print management industry. Over the past 12 months we have expanded our team and have introduced a wider range of products and services which complement our traditional Managed Print Services offering. ITDS Managed Services was started in September 2020 and ITDS Mailroom Solutions has also been born during lockdown.

What should you look for when selecting a print and IT partner?

• A central contact to act as your trusted advisor for all your IT needs.

• A team that proactively recommend

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tools to help your staff work more effectively.

• A partner with experience of digital transformation, using technology to automate antiquated processes that make your life easier.

• Premium service and support to keep your devices operational 24x7.

• Strong partnership approach, ensuring the customer is the priority.

We pride ourselves on being an agile, local technology service provider who can help small and medium sized businesses achieve greater productivity and efficiency through office technology.

If you need help with your print and IT challenges then we’re here to help, please contact us - 0207 101 0096. www.itdocumentsolutions.com #Itswhatwedo

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Seven New Hires in Seven Months for The Creative Group The Creative Group strikes again, welcoming another new team member. This time they welcome Dan Gardiner as a Digital Designer to Creative Pod and not only is this department looking at expanding again soon, but Dan is also joining the team remotely, working full-time up in Scotland; another first for Creative Pod. Dan previously studied Visual Communication at North East Scotland College and has worked in roles as an in-house graphic designer for small businesses and non-profits. Back in 2016, whilst he was living in Hove, he decided to go freelance and enjoyed the challenge of running his own business, however, he missed the dynamics of working with a close-knit team, and therefore joined the Creative Group. Dan has excellent local knowledge of Brighton and Hove that he can bring to the team.

Dan Said: "Although I enjoyed working as a freelancer, I’m now enjoying working with a team again. The work so far

has been interesting, and it’s amazing to see the talent that each team member brings to the business”.

As Dan settles into his new role, the management team is already looking to hire another Digital Designer in the next month, and two more Marketing Executives, to cater for the volume of clients they are taking on for full-service marketing, design, and website work.

Matt Turner, CEO said: “Six months into 2021 and we are looking to double the numbers of the design team, whilst also looking to expand the marketing team again. Although we are considered to be a ‘small’ agency in West Sussex, we are certainly mighty and continue to thrive against larger companies in the surrounding areas. We are working on some exciting projects now, and I’m so proud of the team for their continuous hard work and dedication to the agency and clients.

Dan Gardiner

I’m so proud of the team for their continuous hard work and dedication

www.creativepod.uk.com

Sussex Data Solutions take the Low (Code) road!

A few years ago, computers were big, really big and not only were the machines big, but they needed huge teams to program and operate them. Apps were unheard of, and most software was specifically developed for the business that used it. As time has gone by our computers have got smaller and much more powerful. The way we buy software has changed too.

Now there are thousands of Apps that we can buy off the shelf which do much of what businesses need very cost effectively. For any business specific needs, we can still employ developers with all the attendant costs and time needed.

But now there is a middle course, known in the computing world as Lo Code/No Code development. This heralds the age of the “Citizen Developer”, giving much of the power of bespoke development to the business user. This approach uses a combination of click

and drag and formula (a little like Excel formulas). We can build processes to answer emails, record information, notify us of events and all sorts of other things.

So, for automation have a look at Zapier, Integromat or, for those already using Microsoft 365, Microsoft Power Automate.

We can even build phone & tablet business apps for our teams using Microsoft Power Apps. Examples include Inspection Apps, Monitoring Apps and Data recording Apps.

Sussex Data Solutions have been working with these new Lo Code tools for a while now and are loving what they offer business.

So why not check these new tools out for yourself. If you’d like some help with this then please get in touch with us at Sussex Data Solutions at: info@sussexdatasolutions.co.uk or on 01293 972902 www.sussexdatasolutions.co.uk

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Guide to green during Net Zero Week

If you want to get involved in supporting Net Zero Week, it takes place 17th to 23rd July and the key hashtags to use are #netzeroweek and #ourgreatestpursuit

As we approach Net Zero Week, a UK event, Control Energy Costs has been busy developing some helpful resources for gdb members who are looking to get on the road to net zero.

This is a key focus globally, as the world aims to achieve net zero by 2050.

The UK is in the spotlight this year, as Glasgow will be hosting the United Nation’s climate change conference in November (COP26).

We have made a video explaining what net zero is, the stages involved and how to start your journey. We have

also recently started our own journey to making our business net zero, and you can follow this on our blog.

Switching to green/renewable energy is a fundamental part of achieving net zero, so we have also written a free “Guide to green” eBook, which you can download from our website.

It covers the various types of renewable energy available, as well as the difference between carbon offsetting and net zero, greenwashing (activity that looks green, but isn’t really), Government schemes and how engaging

your employees in the process can really boost the pace of change.

If you want to get involved in supporting Net Zero Week, it takes place 17th to 23rd July and the key hashtags to use are #netzeroweek and #ourgreatestpursuit.

To view all our green resources for businesses, please visit the Green Hub on our website, where you can also watch the net zero video, read our journey to net zero blog and download the “Guide to green” eBook. www.cec.uk.com/services/green-hub

The Plan Group wins Claims Team of the Year The Plan Group’s bicycle insurance claims team has won Claims Team of the Year at the 2021 Insurance Times Claims Excellence Awards. The award celebrated the incredible hard work that the company’s team put in to improve the bicycle claims experiences for the customers.

The Plan Group is the family run business behind the Yellow Jersey bicycle insurance and Pedal Cover home and bicycle insurance brands as well as the SME focused Plan Insurance Brokers.

The top 50 UK broker, based in Redhill has worked hard to build a cycle claims function that puts its cycle customers' needs first.

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Up against stiff competition from across the insurance industry the team were chosen as the winners after a comprehensive process including a panel interview. Member of the deciding panel Gary Simmons, senior vice president and head of claims at Lockton said: “The judges were impressed with The Plan Group’s passion, innovation and strong customer service ethos. Their presentation showcased tangible impact and impressive evidence of success.”

Tom McMorrin, product manager at The Plan Group commented: “We are delighted that our hard work has been recognised by winning the Insurance Times

Claims Team of the Year. Our customers give us amazing feedback online, via email and even in handwritten letters, which is a true testament to our team’s determination to rewrite the stereotypes of insurance claims practices. We’ve worked hard with our underwriters to fine tune our policy wording, making it as easy as possible to understand, ensuring we can pay as many claims as possible.”

For more information please contact Emily Conrad-Pickles on: emily@theplangroup.co.uk | 020 3967 5074

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Digital Apprenticeship Incentive Payments Double To £3,000 Creative Process Digital Apprenticeships has been given an additional boost after the Chancellor announced an extended bonus for employers to hire digital apprentices. The Government will ‘pay businesses to hire young apprentices’ offering £3,000 for each apprentice. The purpose of these incentives is to support employers to build capacity and capability following the disruption of Covid-19, while creating high quality opportunities for individuals and equipping them with skills that are in demand.

Key Points for Employers • The scheme will run up until 30th September 2021

• £3,000 is accessible to any company that hires a digital apprentice • In addition to the grant access, there will be up to £12k worth of digital skills funding per apprentice Apprenticeships will be more important than ever in helping businesses to recruit the right people and develop the digital skills they need to recover and grow – both now and in the long-term.

"Local, digital savvy young people and employers have an important role to play in ensuring that we are developing connected and inclusive communities and enabling local people to be a part of the success story, BT Sport is supporting

this by employing Digital Apprentices and bringing new talent into our business." - BT Sport We encourage any business considering taking on a young apprentice to make the most of this opportunity while it lasts! www.creativeprocessdigital.com

On the other side?

Jonathan Grant reflects on how a year like no other has impacted regional M&A activity The impact of Lockdown 1.0 on deal flow was significant but corrected much faster than expected as various digital platforms helped us to adapt to remote working and completions. The second half of 2020 was much busier than the previous year came – something of a surprise - and consistent growth in 2021 saw us completing seven deals in just one week pre-Budget. May and June continued the trend.

We’ve seen financial services leading the way, with technology, digital, building and construction and logistics businesses all active.

Financial services and insurance broking were fast to respond the lockdown and has continued strongly since. Larger businesses have implemented “buy and build” plans, while private equity (PE) has become more active.

Building services and supplies proved to be robust, consolidating to support continued commercial construction and domestic demand.

We have seen continued acquisitions in facilities and premises man-

facilitate remote working and digital and online marketing. Some infrastructure projects, such as high speed broadband suppliers, have grown fast and are attracting PE investment.

Cash rich trade buyers have been active, and private equity has been a notable feature of high value deals, many including international elements.

Looking ahead

Jonathan Grant agement; trade acquirers have been taking the opportunity to grow using surplus cash. Logistics is understandably buoyant given the demand for moving goods around the globe and goods travelling further and faster thanks to online business.

Technology and digital didn’t disappoint; businesses continued to invest to

I see no sign that the market is slowing dramatically; the fact that CGT/Entrepreneurs’ Relief was not hit by the budget as expected helped, but CGT will certainly be increased at some point in the near future – possibly March 2022. In the meantime, our experience confirms that trade buyers and private equity remains active.

Jonathan Grant leads the Corporate team at DMH Stallard. Contact him on 01293 558506 or by email at: jonathan.grant@dmhstallard.com www.dmhstallard.com

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Featured Article

Cubic: From Oyster Cards to Contactless payments, what's next for transport?

Have you ever wondered how the London Oyster Card system was created? Or how it came to be that you could use your contactless debit or credit card to travel around London, and even out to Gatwick Airport? Wonder no more.

Hidden away in Salfords, right next to Gatwick airport, is Cubic Transportation Systems (Cubic). While many may not be familiar with the Cubic name, they have been the trusted partner of Transport for London (TfL), Network Rail, and the Department for Transport to introduce the latest transport payments technologies across the UK. In addition to the Oyster Card and contactless payments in the UK, Cubic is also the name behind the ticketing systems in many of the world’s major cities, including Sydney, Chicago, New York and Vancouver. Cubic is the leading integrator of payment and information solutions and deliver integrated systems for transportation and traffic management, through providing tools for travellers to choose the smartest and easiest way to travel and pay for their journeys and enable transportation authorities and agencies to manage demand across the entire transportation network – all in real-time.

Cubic’s team keep London and the rest of the UK moving.

With over 1000 UK employees, and more than 400 working from the European Headquarters in Salfords, Cubic has been at the forefront of deploying the latest transport payments technologies, including the ability to use your iPhone or Apple Watch to pay for travel even after the device's battery is dead through the Apple transit express programme.

In London, Cubic processes all the transactions made for travel, be it at a Ticket Vending Machine, at a station’s fare gate, a validator on a bus, paying for the Thames River Service, or hiring a Santander Bike. On average, over four billion

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transactions take place a year in London, and Cubic ensures you are charged the correct fare and even provide the fare capping capabilities, so you receive your daily, weekly, monthly, or zonal fare cap discounts. It doesn't stop there. Even outside London; most of the UK’s regional train stations will have Cubic gates, so you'll be using Cubic products wherever you go. Cubic even worked with ITSO (a membership organisation which defines and develops the UK-wide technical specification for smart ticketing), to ensure new smartcards other operators bring out, such as The Key by Southern, are supported on its infrastructure.

Recently, Cubic has worked with government to help make travel smarter and more digital. This has been a key priority during the pandemic in order to reduce touchpoints across the network. As part of this initiative Cubic has worked with transport operators such as Govia Thameslink Railways to provide barcode-enabled gates to allow areas outside London to swap from paper tickets, to digital barcode tickets that customers can purchase online or through an app. Cu-

Recently, Cubic has worked with government to help make travel smarter and more digital

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Cubic is continuously looking for talent to help build out the next innovations

bic has an impressive system testing area in the European Headquarters, where they conduct rigorous software, and hardware testing for all these technologies and can even do testing for specific gate lines around the UK without the need to go out on the field.

Cubic also supports the work of our customers worldwide by project managing and developing the next generation of technology that is getting implemented right now in cities such as New York. For example, you can now pay using contactless payments and even virtual smart cards integrated into mobile wallets. So, no need to worry about forgetting to bring your MetroCard; you can use what's already in your pocket, your phones to pay and go using your smart card.

Cubic has really come a long way from transitioning from paper tickets to smart cards, to contactless payments and now even mobile ticketing, so what's next? Advertising is becoming an exciting proposition for many industries out there, so why not bring it to transport. Imagine if travellers could be incentivised to travel based on the needs to optimise the transport network, would they change the time they would travel, to get rewards which could be redeemed for discounts for travel or even buy a coffee? Cubic is continuously looking for talent, to help build out the next innovations like all those mentioned in this article.

To find current roles please visit their website: www.cubic.com/careers

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Vail Williams appoints senior surveyor to support Sussex growth Property consultancy, Vail Williams, has appointed Jason Kidd as a senior surveyor to its valuation team to support the firm’s continued growth in Sussex An experienced surveyor, Jason joins Vail Williams from Mann Smith Chartered Surveyors in London, where he spent seven years specialising in property valuation and lease advisory work.

A RICS Registered Valuer, Jason has been involved in commercial, residential and development valuations for a number of purposes, including secured lending, accounting and tax, predominantly in the London and the south east.

His appointment will see the firm grow its valuation offering and follows on from two further additions to the valuation team, as Vail Williams continues to extend its stronghold on the south coast property market.

Peter Sudworth, partner at Vail Williams, explains: “We are pleased to welcome Jason to the team, bringing with

him in-depth experience of the local greater Brighton property market. His appointment sees us strengthen the multi-regional valuation teams spread across the South Coast, Surrey and Sussex regions, which will enable us to better service our investment and portfolio clients here, and their banks.”

Vail Williams, which has eight offices across the south east and south coast, has witnessed a resurgence in the property markets here in recent months, particularly in Sussex and the greater Brighton area, which are now moving forwards from COVID-19.

“As more people are released from working in London, this is having a positive effect on both the commercial and residential property market in Sussex.

Businesses are setting up smaller sat-

Jason Kidd ellite offices here, and more people are moving out of living in London, to places like Brighton. This represents a real opportunity for us as a firm, as well as for our clients, and we are pleased to be investing in our team in line with this,” concluded Peter. www.vailwilliams.com/

Is your business cyber safe?

By protecting your business, you’re giving it the best chance to succeed.

Our cyber insurance comes with a free cyber health check and access to more than 500 resources to help you stay safe.

For an immediate cyber insurance estimate email your company name and address to our friendly, responsive team.

quotes@custodianinsurance.co.uk

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Do you know someone looking for employment?

As we transition out of (hopefully) the last lockdown and step into the ‘new’ real world, we are starting to see real impact and changes in the employment sector. The UK’s furlough scheme will come to an end in September, so whilst some individuals are waiting to see how the next couple of months will unfold, there is also a large portion of individuals who are; 1. Seeking employment 2. Needing to learn new skills 3. Looking to utilise their current skills to apply in a new industry So the question is, do you know someone who fits these criteria? Or perhaps they will benefit from other support, such as social, training, or mentoring?

As we reach out to partners for the support they can provide, we also

reach out to individuals to see what support they need. The overarching correlation here is that you might know someone, whether that’s a friend or a colleague who has been made redundant who could benefit from the support that our partners provide. As a business or company, we can help you steer people towards the ‘Back on Track’ initiative.

Steve Sawyer, Executive Director at Manor Royal BID said: “Crawley is expect-

ed to be more badly affected by COVID than most. This is absolutely the best time for different sections of the community to come together and find ways to help one another by pooling the combined talent, skills, expertise, and energy available on our doorstep.”

Daran Bennett, CEO, RPD Foundation said: “We couldn’t agree more. We want to understand the current gaps in the employment market and most importantly, what local businesses/organisations are doing to help individuals. We should work together to help people get ‘Back on Track’ Please feel free to get in touch: www.rpdfoundation.co.uk

Are you excluding 1 in 5 people from your website?

When it comes to the web there is always something new to consider and website accessibility is a hot topic right now. Although, any business offering a service (your website is a service) must ensure it is accessible under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, a law was passed in 2020 requiring that public sector bodies’ websites meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 AA level standard.

It is difficult to attain full conformity, but if you are commissioning a new website then we strongly recommend adding accessibility to your brief. Right at the top of the priority list.

Areas requiring consideration include: colour blindness and colour contrast; readability of the content for screen readers; adjustable text size for visual impairment; keyboard only navigation for reduced mobility; captions and transcripts for hearing impairment. The list goes on.

Accessibility does not have to be at the expense of good design, as you can

see from this accessible design-led site for an office refurbishment company – www.irs-ltd.co.uk.

If you’re not looking for a new site just yet, there is still plenty you can do to improve your existing site. We run audits to analyse clients’ sites, before making accessibility improvements, for example https://cornexchangenew.com and a global client using Shopify.

We also recently updated the site (but not the design) for Sesame Access - www.sesameaccess.com - who make invisible lifts for listed buildings.

An accessible site for an accessibility company! www.scaramanga.agency

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Helping businesses to grow With the economic growth being a key focus in the media as we emerge from lockdown, for businesses in the Coast to Capital region, one way that companies are growing is with help from an Invest4 Grant. Helping businesses to access them is GetSet for Growth Coast to Capital with a series of bootcamps and training workshops delivered to over 300 companies and 290 1:1 support sessions.

Fraser Daun of Select My Talent is just one example – a start-up which helps pilots find new positions and airline operators to hire key staff. Both Directors had worked in the airline industry and had identified a need to provide a matching service, saving applicants and companies money and time during the recruitment process. The company successfully applied for an Invest4 Grant to support the design and launch of their website and branding with unique technological features to help in the assessment process.

“The Invest4 Grant and the support of GetSet, enabled us to invest in superior software which has significantly increased our capabilities as a company and provided us with a fantastic USP in a highly competitive market.” stated Fraser.

For more information about Invest4 Grants and how GetSet for Growth Coast

to Capital can help your business grow, visit www.getsetforgrowth.com/coast2capital or call 0800 756 0811. GetSet for Growth Coast to Capital is part of the Business Hothouse, a three-year business support programme part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Should you run Google Ads targeting your own brand name?

Google Ads generally appear at the top of Google search results and are an effective way to leapfrog your competitors’ “organic” (non-advert) listings.

Usually, Google Ads appear when you search for a product or service. Let’s say you’re a florist called “Austin Flowers”.

You’ll probably advertise when someone

searches for “flowers” or “florists” in your local area.

You might also set up Google Ads to display when someone searches for your company or brand name, in other words when someone types in “Austin Flowers”.

But why would you do this? Particularly if you already appear top of the organic search results when someone searches for your brand.

Here are 4 reasons why Google Ads targeting your own brand name could be a good idea: 1. Mitigate competitor tactics Competitors can choose to display Google Ads when someone searches for YOUR brand name. By doing the same and also advertising for your own brand name, you’ll almost certainly appear right at the top, above your competitor’s advert.

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2. It’s cheap Your competitor might be paying a pound or two each time someone clicks on their advert for your brand name.

However, you would only pay pennies, as Google will recognise the advert is for your own brand.

3. Improve conversion rates You can control the content of Google Ads more easily than you can control what appears in your organic search results. This gives you flexibility to dictate what the searcher sees and maximise the chance that they’ll convert.

Read our full article on the topic here: www.tomango.co.uk/blog/google-adsown-brand-name

Featured Article

Thakeham Group Confirmed in Top 20 Best Mid-Sized Companies to Work For South East community creator Thakeham Group has been listed 18th in the ‘100 Best Mid-Sized Companies to Work For’ in the country.

Thakeham was also placed 3rd in the year’s ‘Best Construction and Engineering Sector Companies to Work For’ and 17th in the South East. All of the businesses placed in the lists are acknowledged by staff as enlightened places to work with highly motivated employees and inspirational leaders.

It is the second year in succession that Thakeham has been acknowledged in the prestigious list. Last year, the Billingshurst-based home developer was ranked 94th in the list for small companies.

Thakeham Group delivers social, affordable and retirement housing for some of the biggest housing associations and local authorities in the country. The NHS England Healthy New Towns Initiative and the Plunkett Foundation are amongst its partners.

For Thakeham Group, CEO Rob Boughton said: “Last year’s listing in the prestigious ‘Best Companies to Work For’ was a proud moment for Thakeham Group. To achieve an even better placing amongst larger businesses in this year’s list has surpassed that achievement. As we continue to grow and employ a diverse team of skilled tradesmen and local people, it is important to us to retain all the values that inspired us when we started.

“The listing is important because it reflects the true opinions of our staff. Empowering our people is a core value of our business. We call ourselves the Thakeham family. To be recognised in this way for a second year in succession is a wonderful endorsement of the unique way we collaborate, build homes and improve communities.”

Liane Richardson, Thakeham HR director, said: “For us to have made it into the Best Companies lists this year whilst

The engagement and kindness shown by employees has been humbling

Thakeham operates a thriving graduate recruitment programme and supports the Movement to Work initiative to help young people secure work Liane Richardson dealing with the challenges we faced just demonstrates how amazing the team is here at Thakeham. Every single person has played a part and the engagement and kindness shown by employees has been humbling.”

To be acknowledged in ‘The 100 Best Small Companies to Work For’, Thakeham had to achieve one of the highest scores in a survey completed by every member of each company.

The survey examined confidence in company leadership; strength of the company’s values and beliefs; giving back to the local community and how empowered staff feel to freely contribute to the business success.

Thakeham operates a thriving graduate recruitment programme and supports the Movement to Work initiative to help young people secure work. The developer has signed the HBF Mental Health Charter and recently organised a health and wellbeing programme during Lockdown.

A Silver Armed Forces Covenant signatory and supporter of armed forces charity Mission Motorsport, Thakeham operates a Talent for Development outreach campaign for military veterans and college leavers. Away from work, Thakeham offers a range of staff events including quiz nights and participates in charity challenges including dragon boat racing. www.thakeham.com

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Alcohol and the workplace A reflection by a Wellbeing Advisor – we in Crawley Borough Council’s Wellbeing Team seek to enhance the health and wellbeing of the residents of Crawley. We work with individuals and workplaces.

Perhaps surprisingly, more alcohol-related workplace incidents are caused by moderate drinkers rather than by heavy drinkers. Statistically there are likely to be more employees who drink than don’t. With the prospect of more of us returning to the workplace it might

be a good time to reflect on your relationship with alcohol.

One of my clients commented that working from home has been tough, with the isolation; the uncertainty and the restrictions imposed by Covid having been both distressing and stressful.

Alcohol helped…… until it didn’t. For her it was all too easy to justify breaking those pre Covid drinking rules, such as no drinking in the working week, ‘what did it matter if I didn’t need to be in the office?’ In what felt like the blink of an eye she said she found herself drinking most days.

Interestingly this client didn’t know how much alcohol she was drinking, she thought not ‘too’ much more than the

recommended limits. She was surprised to find that the recommended limit was 14 units a week and she was consuming more like 4 times this amount. The calorie count also came as a bit of a shock!

Unfortunately this level of consumption is also likely to adversely affecting her health and wellbeing. I was not surprised when she told me she was experiencing a general lack of motivation in life.

Crawley Wellbeing offer an Alcohol service for those that wish to explore their use of alcohol, aimed at those that are not dependant. If we can’t help then we probably know who can. For more information visit www.Crawley.westsussexwellbeing.org.uk Call 01293 585317.

No more landfill trips for Elekta’s Crawley manufacturing plant As of March 1, Elekta’s facilities in Crawley, “Cornerstone,” stopped trucking the solid waste products from linear accelerator manufacture and office refuse to a landfill. Whatever can’t be recycled back into the manufacturing stream is converted into electricity via incineration and organic matter is transformed into biomass fuel.

The company-wide zero-landfill goal for all Elekta facilities worldwide is 2024-25. The facility joins its counterparts in Veenendaal, the Netherlands and Stockholm, Sweden in celebrating this impressive achievement well ahead of schedule.

“When Elekta moved into our Cornerstone facility we signed a new contract with the refuse disposal vendor that specified intensive segregation of materials,” says Elekta's Global Facilities Director Tim Rose. “We separate it all as it’s loaded into the building’s waste compound. We have wood and cardboard compactors and we segregate all metals and electrical waste. Anything that’s left goes into general waste and segregated at the waste company. Shipping crates

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get crushed and chipped and recycled into pallets and metal is melted down and recycled. Food waste from the building goes into biomass fuel production.”

At the end of these segregation and recycling processes is – over the course of a year – just five tons of hazardous waste destined for incineration at a gasfired power station in Shoreham-bySea. The incineration exhaust is passed to a steam turbine to create electricity (11,000 volts) that the waste vendor sells to the national grid to provide power for local houses.

“Realizing that Elekta went from sending about 1,000 tons of landfill waste every year to nothing in such a short time is a stunning achievement, particularly since the UK’s landfill acreage is low and rapidly diminishing,” Rose says.

Eliminating landfill input and decreasing CO2 emissions are major aspects of Elekta’s overall sustainability mission worldwide, according to Elekta Global Sustainability Manager Lisa Hjalmarsson.

“As an international company, we have global responsibilities, not just

to our shareholders and employees, but also to the communities we work in, and the world we leave behind to our children and grandchildren,” she says. Conducting a business sustainably and responsibly is not a matter of choice anymore. It is a necessity, and it is a fundamental part of our company strategy and integrated in everything we do at Elekta.” www.elekta.com

Diamond Magazine

Porsche and electric vehicles The electric powertrain is embedded deep in the Porsche DNA Ferdinand Porsche, the founder of Porsche, was fascinated by electricity even as a teenager. As early as 1893, the 18-year-old installed an electric lighting system in his parents' house. In the same year Porsche joined Vereinigte Elektrizitäts-AG Béla Egger in Vienna.

After four years there, he progressed from mechanic to head of the testing department and the first vehicles he designed also had electric drives — so the history of Porsche with electric drive begins.

Porsche began its electric production journey in road cars with the release of the Cayenne S Hybrid in 2014 – the first plugin hybrid in the premium SUV segment.

The Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid joined the Porsche hybrid range in 2017. Porsche developed and progressed this e-mobility vision with the launch of the all-electric Porsche Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S in 2019, joined by the Taycan 4S later that year. The Taycan entry model was released in early 2021 with a range of up to 301 miles (WLTP) on a single charge when equipped with the Performance Battery Plus.

This vision from Porsche has widened further with the introduction of

the eagerly anticipated new Taycan Cross Turismo which comes in four derivatives – the Taycan 4, Taycan 4S, Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S. This unprecedented model reaches out to a wider audience of Porsche customers seeking more space and flexibility from their high-performance electric vehicle, alongside the ability to head a little further off the beaten track.

Switching to an electric car can bring significant tax benefits for businesses.

For a company car driver, there is just 1% Benefit in Kind (BIK) applied to an electric vehicle like the Taycan. In fact,

there are 11 tax bands for vehicles with emissions of 75g/km and below, some of which are linked to the electric mile range that the vehicle offers. Additionally, if the company is VAT registered and the car was purchased through a lease, there could be additional VAT savings.

For more information on the Porsche electric vehicle line-up, if you are interested in taking a demonstration drive or you wish to understand more about the benefits of owning a Porsche, contact Porsche Centre Mid-Sussex on 01444 242 911, or email info@porschemidsussex.co.uk

Does your professional indemnity cover cyber exposures?

With cybercrime on the increase, and SMEs a key target for hackers, do you know what types of cyber crime are covered by your Professional Indemnity insurance policy?

Some policies cover elements of hacking, or viruses transmitted as a result of negligence. But lots of PI insurers are starting to reduce the cover for cyber as they become increasingly nervous about cyber crime. This has resulted in more companies taking out dedicated cyber insurance, recognising they need broader coverage.

• Business disruption • Data loss and regulatory fines • Mistakenly paying fraudulent invoices • Crisis PR to limit reputational damage

• Third party hacking attacks • Ransomware claims According to the government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2020, 46% of companies reported cyber security breaches in a 12-month period. And UK businesses faced more than 680,000 attempts to breach security in 2020 alone.

which sent in a forensic IT team to fix the system vulnerability. The insurer also hired a crisis communications specialist to help the clinic contact and advise more than 3000 patients. The clinic decided not to pay the ransom and insurers helped it to get back on its feet. They never heard from the hackers again.

What could happen?

A private healthcare clinic had its data stolen, and the hackers threatened to post the data publicly unless a ransom of £10,000 was paid. The clinic couldn’t afford the reputational damage or the potential fines for data loss.

Luckily, the clinic had cyber insurance,

Our cyber insurance comes with a free cyber fitness check and access to over 500 dedicated resources to help you manage your cyber security. If you would like to know how far your PI policy goes in covering your cyber exposures, just give us a call on 033 33 448 535 or email zahid@custodianinsurance.co.uk

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Influencing your company culture for success and growth Company culture directly influences employee motivation, engagement, morale, and, ultimately, productivity. It refers to the core set of values and behaviours that influence how a company operates and what priorities it sets for itself.

Below are 7 ways you can influence company culture: Top-down approach. Senior leadership have to genuinely buy-in and act the values on a daily basis to create the right culture. New joiners need the correct on-boarding to make expectations clear. It’s easy to live the values when things are going right, but what’s peoples position when the things get difficult? – Company values should be the default position.

Influence new starters. Don’t compromise on values when hiring and opt to up skill and educate people with the right values.

Create awareness. Apply visual brand points to your culture and values to re-

mind employees, constant communication and reference in everything that’s done will help the message sink in - include this within your marketing internal brand awareness strategy.

Technology. Technology and culture are two forces that heavily influence one another. You can help influence culture through technology in your company by using; behavioural assessment tools, live feedback tools and communication platforms.

Reward behaviours. Building and creating a stronger emotional relationship between you and your employees,

while helping staff feel motivated, energetic and appreciated is important - you could do this through; Bonus, values-based awards, promotions and general acknowledgement.

Make clear what is not tolerated. As an employer there are a few things you should not tolerate, such as; laziness, boredom, negativity, lying, discrimination and anger. To stop this you could; hold back promotions, confront bad behaviours and review behaviour. Failure to do this will severely dismantle your business culture and your company reputation.

Inclusion. Involve as much of the company as possible when setting or renewing the company values and identify areas of the culture that need to evolve.

This will help shape your business for the future. www.volt.eu.com

Crawley Borough Local Plan 2021 – 2037 Crawley Borough Council is currently seeking views on the Crawley Submission draft Local Plan. The plan will set out planning policies to guide development in the borough between 2021 and 2037 including housing and employment and infrastructure.

With Crawley being home to a major international airport and Manor Royal, and employing over 30,000 people across 240 hectares, it is unsurprising that the plan seeks to build on Crawley’s economic strength and maximise opportunities for growth.

With an increasing level of vacant office space, which could be further exacerbated by more people opting to work from home, flexibility in local plans is essentially to allow for changing demands and needs.

Employment generating development will be supported in the town’s ‘Main

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Sejal Patel Employment Areas’, as defined in the plan, and any net loss of employment land or floorspace must demonstrate, amongst other requirements, that there will be no adverse impact on the economic function of Crawley.

Similar separate policies in the plan protect employment uses around the Gatwick Airport boundary.

The loss of airport-related employment floorspace within the boundary

will only be permitted where it can be demonstrated that it will not have a detrimental impact on the long term ability of the airport to meet the floorspace need necessary to meet the operational needs of the airport as it grows.

New non-airport related employment floorspace within the airport boundary will be permitted, but only where it can be demonstrated that this will not detrimentally impact on: (1) the long term ability of the airport to meet the necessary requirements of the airport’s growth and (2) on the role and function of the other main employment areas within Crawley.

If you require any advice on the Local Plan and making representations regarding the changes please contact Sejal Patel.

Sejal Patel: sejal.patel@irwinmitchell.com

Diamond Magazine

Gatwick station transformation continues

There’s fantastic progress on site at the Gatwick station upgrade, with the completion of platform foundation works in readiness to start building the new Airport concourse superstructure, and the installation of additional lifts, escalators and stairs. All these improvements will radically transform accessibility, passenger flow and the journey experience for airport and rail users.

The refurbishment of the existing

station concourse is now also under way and it will make a big difference to passenger experience. Phase one of the Airport South Terminal link span refit was complete in time for the reopening of international travel on 17 May 2021, which also marked a one year milestone anniversary for the Gatwick station project. Phase two of the refit is now under way and due to complete in late July.

A new permanent ramp and stairs were

installed on platform 7 and opened to passengers on 7 June, which will support passenger movement across the station while platforms 5 & 6 are closed. In addition the team has been pressing on with foundation works for the new escalators on platforms 5/6 (circa 140m3 of low concrete was used!); building a breakthrough access deck on platform 3/4 to enable the installation of a new lift and progressing work for the new Back of House building.

Four new tax specialist hires at Access2Funding The fastest-growing research and development (R&D) tax specialist in the UK has recruited four new tax specialists from a range of accountancy backgrounds, all with experience at the top 20 accountancy firms or hailing from the ‘big four’.

Access2Funding has onboarded the new team to help maximise client R&D tax credit claims, as well as to provide training to the rest of the team and feed in to HMRC’s R&D consultation documents.

Craig Flynn joins with a background in corporation tax. He brings specialist knowledge in the construction sector, after working for the likes of Kier Construction, and he also worked in the finance department for United Utilities. Craig will work across the Midlands region.

Meanwhile, northwest-based Leslie Maloney holds a degree in chemistry from Oxford University, as well as having almost 20 years’ experience in the financial sector, most recently as technical director at a top 20 firm. Leslie has worked in a range of areas, covering corporate finance and transactional work, as well tax planning. He also brings an understanding of computer modelling and pharmaceuticals to the role.

On the Scotland team, Karen McCann joins with a vast background from her 25 years in the finance industry. She has worked in the likes of investment tax, asset management, personal tax and has also worked as a trainer and a university lecturer.

Kieran Newton covers the southern region and Northern Ireland, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge on corporation tax for SMEs, personal tax for high net-worth individuals and corporate tax planning and restructuring.

Dawn Coker, CEO at Access2Funding, said: “All four new team members bring something unique to the business and our clients will certainly benefit from their combined experience. As we expand into more alternative services, the tax specialists will become an even more vital cog in the Access2Funding wheel.”

To find out more about R&D, contact hello@access2funding.co.uk or visit the Access2Funding website.

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Creative radar: Mapping the UK's creative industries Creative clusters and micro clusters may hold the key to the UK’s post-Covid economic recovery, according to research by Dr Josh Siepel, Senior Lecturer at the Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School and the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre.

Creative clusters are the buzzing centres of the creative industries, where creative individuals and companies mingle, share ideas, and shape the innovative content and services that have made the UK creative industries successful.

The government has identified these clusters as engine drivers of success for creative industries, attracting investments such as the Creative Industries Clusters Programme. In the South East, established creative clusters include Brighton, Chichester and Bognor Regis, Eastbourne, and Hastings.

The report ‘Creative radar: Mapping the UK’s creative industries’, co-authored

by Siepel and fellow Business School researchers Dr Roberto Camerani, Dr Monica Masucci, Dr Patrizia Casadei, Dr

Jorge Velez-Ospina, and Martha Bloom considers how businesses cluster together in microclusters in certain streets or neighbourhoods. There are 709 creative microclusters in the UK and many are located outside established large creative clusters. An interactive map shows exactly where microclusters are based, both within and outside established areas, and how many firms are within that cluster.

Businesses that are part of a microcluster within a larger cluster, such as North Laine in Brighton, rely on their proximity to other creative firms, sharing knowledge and resources, and having access to a concentration of customers. They benefit from being within a

cluster, yet, these firms did not translate these benefits into faster growth in the pre-Covid period.

The research shows that microclusters are an important feature of the UK’s creative industries in cities, towns and villages around the UK. The challenge government faces is how to better support creative businesses across the country, in light of the enormous disruption from Covid and the uncertainty posed by Brexit for creative sectors.

Visit www.sussex.ac.uk/business-school For the report and interactive map, visit: www.pec.ac.uk/research-reports/ creative-radar

Pantone colour of the year 2021 Since the introduction of their universal colour matching system in 1963, Pantone has been a key resource for graphic designers.

Their standardisation of colours allows designers around the world to communicate clearly about which colours to use.

Each year, Pantone tunes into global trends and influences to designate a “Pantone Colour of the Year”.

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This year, they’ve actually chosen a pair of colours: PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating.

Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Colour Institute, explains: “The union of an enduring Ultimate Gray with the vibrant yellow Illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude. Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a colour combination that gives us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted; this is essential to the human spirit.”

What does this mean in the real world?

It’s also a useful reminder of the importance of colour to our businesses and, more specifically, our brand identities.

Colours which resonate with your audience are always going to give you a better connection. For example, the bright, energy of yellow works well with younger generations (think Chupa Chups lollies).

Grey is a more understated colour and great for brands targeting a wide ranging audience (such as Apple).

Colour is just one of many considerations when defining your brand identity. At Tomango, we’ll help you optimise every aspect of your brand to help you grow your business and get more of the customers you want.

Well, firstly, expect to see a few more yellow sofas and grey t-shirts in the shops!

Visit our website to find out more: www.tomango.co.uk

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Working together on future high streets Executive Director for Transformation, Partnerships and Prosperity, Michael Coughlin Multiple reviews over the past decade have recommended high streets cannot rely on retail and should move to a new role as community hubs. While there are some examples of good individual projects delivered in the last 10 years, few high streets have successfully managed to fully reinvent themselves. COVID-19 has not only added complexity into the mix, but also created conditions that present a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

An estimated 130,000 Surrey residents may now be working from home, reducing environmental impacts and creating new local markets and demand. Surrey County Council has found that community participation has improved, while there is also a broader appreciation of

our health, the great outdoors and an appetite to get out of our cars. We want to hard-wire these trends into a reimagination of our high streets.

We’ll work with our local communities to ensure full inclusivity, especially of our more vulnerable groups whose experience of lockdown was most negative.

We’ll support the distinct identity of each place in a unique and co-produced local vision. Our new approach is threefold, working closely with local people to...

• Re-imagine our future high streets; • Re-configure how we jointly plan; • Re-organise how we deliver; We want to create new high streets that give residents a persuasive reason to visit, a simple, reliable transport net-

work and a beautiful, welcoming environment. The retail component will remain while flexible space to encourage start-ups and allow businesses to test new opportunities will emerge. And our libraries could include health and wellbeing services, working and learning spaces to drive the success of this approach.

The real difference will be in how we do this. How we talk and listen to people about how these ideas will work in their places. How we work with multiple agencies differently from how we’ve done it before.

In Surrey, we’re ready. www.surreycc.gov.uk/

Image credit: Conor Morris

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Increasing lead generation through referral marketing Daniel Ryan, High Performance Business Coach and Owner, ActionCOACH Horsham According to The Harvard Business Review, referrals from existing clients are one of the best sources of leads, resulting in faster decision-making and healthier profit margins. Why? Because you start with the credibility of being a trusted supplier to a peer.

In order to leverage the full benefit of referrals, Referral Marketing will need to be included in your overall sales and marketing strategy, and given the same

due process as your other lead-generation activities, rather than just being a haphazard add-on.

Identify Start by creating a list of existing and past clients or customers who you are confident will provide you with a positive review if asked. Hopefully this list is extensive, because customer satisfaction should always be your priority!

Request Schedule time for conversations with the identified clients. They will hopefully be doing you a favour, and the conversation should be framed as such. It’s important to let them know that there will be no sales pressure placed on anyone they refer you to, simply a conversation around what you offer - and stick to that! It may

take a few interactions, over a couple of months, before a genuine lead emerges, but if no introduction is forthcoming after 3-4 conversations, it would probably be best to drop it for 6-9 months and then try again.

Appreciate Once you’ve been connected with a new referral, it’s important to thank your client! This can be as simple as a note or phone call, or a voucher or gift, but you want to show appreciation for the referral, and encourage them to do so again.

For more guidance on creating a successful Referral Marketing Strategy, email danielryan@actioncoach.co.uk to book your free 30-minute coaching session.

Kreston Reeves supports Dare to Dream Brighton The LoveLocalJobs Foundation C.I.C. are delighted to announce that accountants, business and financial advisers Kreston Reeves will be supporting the Dare to Dream programme, which begun for Brighton schools in April.

Dare to Dream is an inspirational programme challenging young people to change the way they think. Kreston Reeves business volunteers will be working with students at Dorothy Stringer School to give young people the confidence they need to fulfil their potential.

Using themes of self-awareness, mindset, gratitude, resilience, teamwork and employability our inspirational speaker, local radio presenter Jack 'the Lad' Hayes and mentors from Kreston Reeves will be using their own experience and extensive knowledge to drive and motivate young people.

Jake Standing, Partner at Kreston Reeves comments: “We have been long-

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term enthusiasts of the events delivered by the team at LoveLocalJobs, and we are excited to support the 2021 Dare to Dream programme with Dorothy Stringer School.

In our experience, some of the most successful organisations in the region have a diverse range of people working for them and we want to encourage young people to understand how they too can be a part of and contribute to this success. Every young person is gifted and has a unique set of skills and we often just need more self-belief and that little push to help us on our way.

Our mentors have their own experiences of learning and faced challenges which they will be able to share with the group. As a socially responsible employer we are proud to continue to be one of the very few accredited ‘employer training providers’ within our sector, training and mentoring the next generation of accountants through our student

apprenticeship intake each year."

The Brighton Dare to Dream programme will be supporting students in the following Brighton Schools: Cardinal Newman Catholic School, Kings School Hove, Longhill High School, Patcham High School, Portslade Aldridge Community Academy and Dorothy Stringer School.

Please follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter and share these good news stories to help us support even more schools and young people across Sussex.

Diamond Magazine

Business Seek Outsourced Financial Services as Lockdown Eases Nathan Keeley, Partner, Carpenter Box As the lockdown continues, many companies across Sussex are turning to external experts to help them navigate the pandemic while preparing for an anticipated upswing in trading driven by a full lifting of COVID restrictions, hopefully in July.

Leading regional chartered accountants Carpenter Box has seen an influx of clients for its outsourced financial services over the last year as businesses look not only to control costs but to gain access to high level skills.

Over the last year, the firm’s Business Services outsourcing team has grown from 3 to 17.

Throughout the lockdown from early 2020, many businesses have become aware of the benefits of being flexible in enhancing internal resources with tailored external support. Outsourcing can certainly offer a cost-effective route for many functions including:

• Bookkeeping • Credit Control • Payroll • Cashflow Management In fact it can also enable companies to access expertise at a finance director level.

This flexibility has attracted interest from companies of every size working in many different sectors.

Carpenter Box’s dedicated outsourced finance team works alongside businesses to take over back office accounting and finance functions, ensuring that clients have access to the most up to date technology, systems and processes, while removing the administrative burden. The firm applies the skills, capabilities and technologies developed specifically to support finance and business functions.

As we start to move on from the pandemic, value for money is the prime

Nathan Keeley consideration for just about every organisation. For many businesses, outsourcing can provide essential finance functions and access to experts in their field in a cost effective way. Certainly, we have seen growing levels of interest in adopting this approach.

For more information, please refer to the Business Services Group at Carpenter Box at www.carpenterbox.com/outsource or call on 01903 234094.

Thank you gdb ‘heroes’ gdb members have assisted the Golden Lion Children’s Trust during the past 15 months in various ways.

Faced with cancelling 50 annual projects and events GLCT knew one that simply had to run – the 2020 Special Christmas Deliveries project. Everything was so very different...except the number of families facing a very bleak Christmas.

We adapted usual plans but still liaised with schools, social services, domestic abuse and other agencies to identify families in crisis; talked with them about suitable gifts. Lockdown impact soon became very evident.

Health issues and bereavement; high unemployment (especially in Crawley / Gatwick area); domestic abuse, abject poverty … everything we read and hear about, but yes, on our doorsteps, involving real people, real children.

On 19th Dec over 200 local children

received sacks of gifts.

One recently unemployed single mum tearfully thanked us for “such generous gifts” having told her children this Christmas they could choose presents or food, not both. No parent should have to say that. No children should hear those words.

The connection with gdb? Two members generously donated grants towards this much-needed annual project.

In late Dec GLCT received 5 years’ outstanding rates bills (no prior notification received!). gdb members shared

their expertise. Eventually all charges were dropped.

Before Easter a gdb member offered GLCT a quantity of chocolate eggs. Within hours these were delivered to a local special needs secondary school. Staff reaction? “Older pupils aren’t usually considered when people donate Easter eggs”.

Following a desperate plea to GLCT to help staff source and purchase small fridges and specific rubbish bins for each class bubble to help fight spread of the virus within a local special needs primary school our thanks to the gdb hero who not only tracked down the scarce items but personally delivered them. gdb members have really helped GLCT during past strange months - thank you for your invaluable support.

Lynda Guy, GLCT Chairman https://glct.org.uk/

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Gatwick publishes its second ‘Decade of Change’ goals – a sustainability policy looking ahead to 2030 • The new policy sets out the airport’s goals on the transition to Net Zero, contributing to local environmental stewardship and supporting the local economy, people and communities • The policy includes a zero-waste goal and a science-based approach to net zero emissions • The 2030 goals take account of local and national sustainability priorities Gatwick has today published its second Decade of Change sustainability policy which looks ahead to 2030 and sets out the airport’s goals on the transition to Net Zero, contributing to local environmental stewardship and supporting the local economy, people and communities.

The 2030 goals take account of local and national sustainability priorities and will enable Gatwick to play its part in national and international action to deliver on the Paris Agreement to limit climate change and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The new Decade of Change policy – the second of its kind produced by Gatwick - focuses on a renewed set of 10 goals set over the next 10 years, including: Transition to Net Zero and further improve local air quality: • Reduce the airport’s own direct emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by a further 25% by 2030 – so that emissions have reduced by 80% against a 1990 baseline - as part of a science-based goal of reaching net zero before 2040 • Work with airlines and fuel providers to implement the Sustainable Aviation decarbonisation roadmap and interim goals; and set a science-based target for Gatwick

Over the next ten years Gatwick will work towards becoming a net zero airport, conserving water and sustaining good jobs

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• Working with transport partners to increase public transport and zero and ultra-low emission journeys to 60% by 2030 Local environment stewardship: • Achieve zero waste by ensuring that all materials used in operations, commercial activity and construction are repurposed for beneficial use i.e. repaired, reused, recycled etc • Reducing potable water consumption by 50% per passenger, compared to 2019 levels • Continue a sector leading net gain approach to protecting and enhancing biodiversity and habitats on the airport, including zero use of pesticides by 2030

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Our policy recognises the importance of taking an integrated approach to economic, societal and environmental issues and solutions

People and communities: • Continue to be a partner and advocate by continuing to invest resources in partnerships and projects which benefit the local economy and local people • Continue to contribute to local and regional workforce skills partnerships and initiatives • Increase workforce diversity and ensure accessibility and opportunity for colleagues and passengers with disabilities • Limit and where possible reduce the airport’s impact on local communities by working with partners and stakeholders to create the most noise efficient operation possible Stewart Wingate, CEO, Gatwick Airport said: “We met or exceeded our first Decade of Change goals and as we enter the second decade our commitment to a sustainable Gatwick is stronger than ever. Our policy recognises the importance of taking an integrated approach to economic, societal and environmental issues and solutions.

“By combining a healthy economy, sensible use of financial resources, human and technological innovation, teamwork and partnerships, over the next ten years Gatwick will work towards becoming a net zero airport, conserving water and sustaining good jobs and strong, inclusive employment, to benefit the local community, the environment and the economy.”

Gatwick also reported today on the airport’s sustainability achievements over the past year, which has been heavily impacted by the effects of COVID-19 and a significant downturn in passenger volumes. Key achievements for 2020 that support the local community and environment, include: • 95% of Gatwick flights being operated by the two cleanest categories of aircraft • Reusing or recycling 67% of the 3,787 tonnes of materials collected across the airport’s operations and maintaining zero untreated waste to landfill for the fifth consecutive year • Gatwick’s Biodiversity Benchmark accreditation was renewed for the 7th consecutive year • Gatwick spent £48m with local and regional suppliers during 2020 • Gatwick Foundation Fund awarded 23 grants totalling £100,000 to community groups that help over 15,000 people; and the Gatwick Airport Community Trust awarded grants totalling £230,000 to 113 projects • More than 100 laptops were issued to support local students with home schooling during the pandemic and four more apprentices joined airport’s engineering apprenticeship programme. www.gatwickairport.com

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The Hawth is open and can’t wait to welcome you!

After months of closure due to the pandemic The Hawth is delighted to announce a fantastic lineup of events in the coming months The Summer season of outdoor events is always massively popular and full of fantastic performances for all ages but this Summer it will be extra special as it marks the re-opening of the Crawley venue and a return to live theatre that has been so sorely missed in the last year.

The Hawth is taking its own in-house production outside with a brand new contemporary retelling of Robin Hood (8-11 July) complete with music, song and stage fights galore. There are two top class Comedy Nights (16 & 17 July), children’s favourite The Secret Garden (10 Aug) and Austen’s classic Jane Eyre (21 Aug) and the award-winning Illyria return with Much Ado About Nothing (29 July). Audiences can also book now for Brighton Shakespeare Company’s Julius Caesar (28 Aug) and Slapstick Picnic’s The Importance of Being Earnest (3 Sept).

There’s lots more comedy inside the theatre too in the coming months with

Katherine Ryan: Missus (2 Sept), Josh Widdicombe: Bit Much (14 Sept), Alfie Moore: Fair Cop Unleashed (24 Sept) and Daliso Chaponda: Apocalypse Not Now (1 Oct) just some of the acts audiences can look forward to.

Families looking to get out and have some fun together can enjoy some of their TV favourites live on stage with Fireman Sam Saves The Circus (16 Aug), CBeebies superstar Justin Fletcher live on stage in an all-singing,

all-dancing extravaganza, Justin Live!

(2 Oct) and Peppa Pig’s Best Day Ever (23 & 24 Feb).

Finally, West End musicals coming back to Crawley once more; Waitress (20-25 Sept), School of Rock (17-22 Jan), Chicago (1-5 Feb) and My Best Friend’s Wedding (15-19 Feb) tickets are already selling fast.

Tickets for all these shows and more can be booked at hawth.co.uk

Flexible working is business critical – let us help you make it work for you!

As we emerge from the pandemic, businesses are having to work out how to manage a more hybrid workforce that combines remote and office-based teams. The enforced need to adapt has fundamentally changed the way companies are run and has shown that many jobs can and are being done remotely, part time or with compressed hours.

At Flexibility Matters we have been actively championing this necessary business change for the past 6 years and are uniquely positioned to resource for this new ‘normal’. Matching businesses with results-oriented professionals that need a flexible approach to their work hours, has meant that we

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know the key requirements for successful partnerships.

We also have the tools to support the full implementation of a flexible working culture and strategy within any sized business with our ‘recruit’, ‘train’ and ‘retain’ full-service collaboration. Our partners, Ursula Tavender, Co-Director of Flexpo, provides the ‘how to’ on embedding a flexible working culture, and Anna Rasmussen, CEO of OpenBlend a people centred performance management platform, enables the productive administration of a blended team. We also partner with Freedom Works, who are all about the flexible workspaces.

For ultimate flexibility, we recently

launched a service specifically designed to help businesses maintain projects whilst teams were scattered or unable to work. Experts in their fields, such as Marketing, HR and Finance, Flexibility Matters Consultants work on an agreed day rate and on continual rolling contracts.

If you think you may benefit from all, or any, of these services, contact Emma to find out more about how our team, plus our partners, can help: 0781 0541 599 or email: emma@flexmatters.co.uk. www. flexibilitymatters.co.uk

Diamond Magazine

Has the pandemic made you sit back, reflect, and re-evaluate your work life?

The past 12 months or so hasn’t been easy for anyone. However, for some, the pandemic has given them an opportunity to slow down and re-evaluate their lives, something they wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do otherwise In 2020 alone, over 13,000 new businesses were registered. The pandemic pushed people to do what they’d maybe been holding back from doing in previous years.

Being brave and branching out?

We are seeing an increasing number of people branching out on their own and starting their own businesses. If you are one of these brave entrepreneurial people whom we admire and you would like to talk about the best ways to set up your IT in the Cloud, your fourth utility, then please do get in touch.

Engineering a flexible community Our purpose is to engineer a flexible community and empower organisations, and people, achieve more.

At Extech Cloud, nothing makes us prouder than seeing what can be achieved and the difference it can make to business owners long-term.

If you’ve recently gone solo or are planning on doing so shortly and you’re concerned about being alone when it comes to your IT, fear not…we would be delighted to help you get your business off to a flying start!

You’re not alone – we’re here to help At Extech Cloud, we’ve spent years refining the process of cloud implementation for businesses just like yours – whether you’re starting up alone or if there’s a group of partners that will need help – our team of experts can help you start your journey to the Modern Workplace straightaway.

Contact us now and you could be the next customer to save thousands of pounds, improve your overall performance and ensure the future of your business.

Call 01444 443200 or email us at info@extech.co.uk for more information.

Align your business structure with your business strategy Business structure is an important consideration. Just as circumstances change over a business’ lifecycle, any structure should be kept under review to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

The impact of the last year will be lasting: both economically and socially in terms of how behaviours, priorities and expectations have also changed. As businesses emerge from the pandemic, an opportunity arises to reassess the effectiveness of existing structures to ensure their ongoing appropriateness.

Careful planning is important to ensure there are no unexpected tax issues.

The reasons for business restructuring are numerous, but examples might include: 1. Succession and exit planning Covid has encouraged many owners to reconsider their objectives and plan for what will happen beyond their tenure.

Whether the goal is permanent retention

of assets, succession amongst existing management or family, employee ownership, an external sale, or a combination, advance planning will always be beneficial to understand how this will work. Restructuring may be advantageous to facilitate a more agile or tax efficient transition.

2. Inheritance tax protection Covid has been a harsh reminder as to our own mortality and unexpected inheritance taxes can exacerbate already unpleasant situations. There are reliefs for trading businesses, but these have specific exclusions: some businesses may not qualify or may have evolved (for example if surplus profits have been invested) such that reliefs are prevented.

Restructuring can be hugely advantageous to protect against estate taxes.

3. Risk management and business reporting

It’s vital that management maintain visibility over the performance of business operations so as to remain adaptable, and that distinct risks are isolated to protect shareholder value. Restructuring can provide better monitoring of performance, risk separation or provide strategic flexibility.

The tax environment applicable to reconstructions is complex and planning and implementing a restructuring often requires careful consideration. Menzies has specialist experience working with business owners to establish and implement effective restructuring solutions. www.menzies.co.uk Peter Mills, Business Tax Senior Manager pmills@menzies.co.uk

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From Barry Island to the Porsche Taycan!

My first car was a used Ford Escort MK2, 1100. I thought it was the height of sophistication – even when the exhaust was held on by a wire coat-hanger and additional ventilation was provided direct from a hole in the floor!

I’ve had a few cars since, each one a bit more sophisticated than the one before.

This was gradual progression – evolution not revolution. All that changed, sadly for one weekend only, when I picked up a Porsche Taycan from gdb members, Porsche Centre Mid-Sussex.

This was a whole new experience, as far removed from my Escort as it was from something out of the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (call me old fashioned but ‘Genevieve’ is one of my favourite British comedy classics). The similarity with any car I’ve owned just

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about ended with it having four tyres and a steering wheel!

I am not a petrol-head, but neither is the Taycan. It is of course electric - in power source, looks and performance.

Don’t take my uninformed word for it, the professional reviews agree that it offers all the performance you’d want from a sporty 4-door luxury saloon with all the added advantages of being an EV. The frustrating thing for me was that I could only scratch the surface of its capability and stay within the law (which I did!). Nevertheless, even within legal limits the acceleration is amazing – I’m told that is down to the instant torque provided by two electric motors producing 563bhp and 650Nm of torque. I certainly didn’t do justice to the 0-62mph

in 4 seconds let alone the 155mph top speed! I did however have great fun showing off and enjoying a totally different driving experience.

Porsche Mid-Sussex have the very appropriate address of ‘Innovation Drive’.

And innovation is certainly a hallmark of the Taycan. As well as the looks and performance that you would expect from a luxury Porsche, the Taycan has a range of 257 miles and of course has zero CO2 emissions.

At the end of the weekend, though the temptation to do a runner was great, I did return the car to the excellent team at Porsche. My first experience of driving an electric vehicle was on the Barry Island bumper cars. My most recent one was nearly as exhilarating!

Diamond Magazine

NHS workers’ Virtual Trek to Australia for local charities Six NHS workers are virtually trekking 10,599 miles (17,057km) from Brighton to Sydney, Australia in support of local children’s hospice, Chestnut Tree House, and Sussex Community NHS Charity.

The team, who all work in Information Governance for the NHS, set themselves the challenge after a member of the team’s trip to Australia was cancelled due to COVID-19.

To complete their goal of 10,599 miles before the end of 2021, the team must each complete a minimum of 34 miles per week, in whatever way they want! So far, the team has covered 3771.52 miles, walking, running, skipping, and even paddle boarding their way to Abu Dhabi.

“We’re very grateful to everyone who has donated,” says Laura Watson, spokesperson for the group. “This virtual trek is encouraging us to keep active

and, more importantly, giving us the opportunity to help two local charities.”

“We’ve all been touched by everyone’s support. We hope others will read about what we’re doing, and the fantastic causes we’re trying to help, and choose to be just as generous.”

The NHS workers have already reached their £1,000 fundraising target, with nine months of the challenge remaining.

Explaining what the team’s support means, Chestnut Tree House fundraiser, Grant Phillips said: “The last year has been a difficult time for everyone and, like many other charities, we have been hugely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The closure of our shops and cancellation of fundraising events has meant a significant loss in income, at a time when children and families have needed us more than ever.

“We’re so grateful to Laura and her colleagues for taking on this incredible challenge and choosing to support Chestnut Tree House along with Sussex Community NHS Charity. We wish them the best of luck for the remainder of their virtual journey Down Under!”

To support the team and follow their journey, please visit: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ Team/SCFTsInformationGovernance

How do we effectively disinfect the air during the Coronavirus pandemic to ensure staff and customer safety?

Are you worried that the current cleaning procedures that are being carried out in your business premises are not sufficient, plus the use of harmful chemicals is also having a negative impact on the environment and your bottom line?

Is it taking you and your staff a lot more time and effort but with no certainty that it has worked and that your surfaces are properly cleaned and disinfected? Without the guarantee that your premises are virus-free, how do we really know that what we are doing is sufficient.

UV-C light – is this your solution?

LED-UK Lighting Ltd have a new range of UV-C lights, to combat, not only Covid-19 but all known common germs, viruses and pathogens.

UV-C light is a common method of conducting specialised disinfection, mainly in medical facilities and food processing plants.

How does it work?

High-energy particles of UV-C rays penetrates the cell membrane of the pathogen whether it is on surfaces or in the air. As a result of the absorption of particles by DNA / RNA cell proteins, their structure is permanently damaged. This process is irreversible, which means that from that moment onward, the pathogen cannot survive or reproduce.

The process is responsible for the elimination and neutralisation of 99.99% of microorganisms, including pathogenic pathogens.

UV-C light is part of ultraviolet radiation with a wavelength of 200 to 280nm (specified in PN-90 / E-01005).

UVC-Air 216 Our new UVC-Air disinfection mobile unit will work quietly in the background, purifying the air and removing all germs, pathogens, and viruses. UV-C light is proven to inactivate up to 99.9% of microorganisms and pathogens, including SARS-Cov-2.

It is ideal for receptions, waiting rooms, surgeries, and offices. It will keep everyone safe in a fast, effective, and efficient way.

Information on our full range of UV-C systems, including copies of all the certifications and approvals is available from LED-UK Lighting Ltd, 01424 222200, www.led-uk.co.uk or enquiries@led-uk.co.uk

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Gatwick Diamond Business Awards: Diamond Alumni Gatwick Diamond Business is pleased to introduce DIAMOND ALUMNI, a prestigious new members club, exclusive to Gatwick Diamond Business Awards winners, sponsors and partners; the very best of Gatwick Diamond businesses as recognised by the region’s premier business awards.

In partnership with Creative Pod, DIAMOND ALUMNI launches on 1st October 2021 with a celebration lunch at The Grand Hotel, Brighton. As an Alumni, you will be able to reserve places for yourself, colleagues and guests (gdb members and non-members).

The Alumni lunch will be an annual event offering high-level networking opportunities and adding value for sponsors and winners of our Awards. But the lunch is just the start we plan to develop GDBA Alumni to provide other exclusive opportunities for members.

Members of DIAMOND ALUMNI will be contacted soon to register their Membership, and full details of the inaugural lunch event and information on how to book will follow shortly after.

For more information, please contact sally@gatwickdiamondbusiness.com For opportunities to sponsor this new prestigious event contact james@creativepod.uk.com Diamond Magazine

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Do you want to grow or transform your business?

If you do, what is holding you back?

If you need expert advice to get you going, Diamond Experts could be just the thing for you. You can access up to 90 minutes of free advice from other gdb members willing to share their expertise.

Or perhaps you would benefit from being mentored by a gdb member with experience of growing their own business. If that’s the case, take a look at Diamond Mentors.

If additional training would help equip you or your team for growth, Diamond Training offers a range of flexible short courses and workshops designed specifically to meet your personal and team development needs.

All three benefits are included in your membership package so no additional charge!

Please do get in touch if you’d like to discuss.

We are here to ensure that you get the most from your gdb Membership!

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#BuildingBusinessConnections

gdb welcomes new members

Membership of gdb will help you raise your organisation’s profile within the Gatwick Diamond and build your business connections.

Bakers Garden Buildings

www.bakersgardenbuildings.co.uk

At Bakers Garden Buildings, we have created contemporary garden rooms for clients across London and the home counties for the last 36 years.

Our inspiring designs and unique solutions for zero maintenance with a complete package approach, means people can re-imagine how they can

use the space in their gardens. From gyms and offices to music rooms and chillout spaces, we are seeing a real change in the way people are using our products.

Our focus is to provide you with the best garden buildings in the UK with an unparalleled customer service.

Global 4 Communications

www.global4.co.uk

Global 4 Communications, based in Horsham have been delivering trusted telephony solutions for over two decades to more than 3000 customers.

We offer a full suite of solutions from Mobile, Broadband, Data Connectivity, Hosted Telephone systems and Energy.

We work collaboratively with our sup-

pliers to find the best solutions for you and your business and if we can’t save you 20% off your bills, we will give you £5,000 for your time.

If there is any way Global 4 could help you with an introduction into our customers let us know and we would be happy to help.

HCB Legal

www.hcbgroup.com/site/contact/gatwick

What is it about HCB Legal that makes the firm a good choice for commercial and residential property services?

At HCB Legal client relationships are our primary focus. If we know you well, we’ll be able to serve you better and that is why building a long term relationship with our clients is vitally important.

Primarily working on a fixed fee basis means there is less uncertainty as to your expected financial outlay. Where a fixed fee is inappropriate, you will be provided with other options.

Please contact us for further information: gatwick@hcbgroup.com or 01293 602 890.

Need to Put Your Company In the Spotlight?

Contact us for excellent advertising rates! diamondmag@gatwickdiamondbusiness.com

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Diamond Magazine

LED-UK

www.led-uk.co.uk

LED-UK is an established East Sussex designer, supplier, and installer of LED lighting for commercial properties in the public and private sectors.

Switching to LED Lighting can save up to 71% on your energy bill and reduce your carbon emissions. We offer a “FREE” survey and energy savings report

to show the savings you would obtain by switching to LED Lighting.

For businesses based in East Sussex and Kent, a grant is available that will pay 40% of the costs to install these energy saving products.

For more details: call 01424 222200 or email enquiries@led-uk.co.uk

Louise E. Taylor

www.louiseetaylor.com

Are your key people in need of clarity about managing change in a sea of uncertainty? As a creative leadership coach and keynote speaker, I help teams and individuals to manage change creatively.

My signature workshop Switch Off to Switch On Your Creativity enables clients to recover their inner power, restore

team spirit and discover new resources, swiftly. I use the transformative power of poetry, humour and coaching to help clients find insights and solutions to key business and personal challenges.

I’ve been bringing the arts and business together for corporates, SMEs, MDs and entrepreneurs for more than 25 years.

MEKEDA HR

www.mekeda.co.uk

MEKEDA HR is a Human Resources Consultancy proud of being a little different.

We can support companies to maintain a positive working relationship with a workforce if they are experiencing unprecedented strains and stresses. And, of course, helping them stay abreast of the ever-changing and complex Employee Legislation and statutes.

Our approach offers innovative HR solutions that foster a sense of fairness and transparency in your business. Our services are tailored to manage all aspects of your people and employment management, either in place of, or to support your own internal resources.

Contact meryl@mekeda.co.uk, telephone 07710998291

Tell your story, profile your people, share your expertise and successes, or just offer your opinion in the Sep/Oct edition of Diamond. Deadline 10th August.

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Upcoming Events www.gatwickdiamondbusiness.com/events Networking Friday 2nd July: 09.30 - 10.00

“What comes next?” Life after Lockdown • Come and join experts from NatWest Mentor’s HR and health and safety consultancy teams, where they will discuss and answer questions about what comes next: Life after Lockdown & Employee Wellbeing • Free for gdb Members • Non-Member Fee Applies Tuesday 6th July: 10.30 - 11.30

gdb Virtual Elevenses & Networking • Stay connected with the gdb Team and your fellow Members • Free of Charge – gdb Members Only Thursday 15th July: 11.00 - 12.00

‘Ask the Expert’ – Making Best Use of Gatwick – Bringing the Northern Runway into Routine Use • Hear from Jonathan Deegan Northern Runway Programme DCO Lead, Gatwick Airport Limited.

• Free for gdb Members • Non-Member Fee Applies

Tuesday 20th July: 11.00 - 14.00

Tuesday 10th August: 10.30 - 12.30

BBQ & Networking at Ashdown Park Hotel

Woods Mill Nature Reserve: Guided Walk & Networking

• First in-person event of 2021!

• £35 + VAT for gdb Members Only

• Observe a range of species that call Woods Mill Nature Reserve home and network with fellow gdb Members.

• £25 + VAT for gdb Members Only

Friday 30th July: 11:30 - 12:45

gdb July 2021 Members Meeting • Stay connected with the gdb Team and your fellow Members • Free of Charge for gdb Members • Non-Member Fee Applies Tuesday 3rd August: 10.30 - 11.30

• Stay connected with the gdb Team and your fellow Members • Free of Charge for gdb Members • Non-Member Fee Applies

• Stay connected with the gdb Team and your fellow Members • Free of Charge – gdb Members Only

latest advice that could help you and your business

Diamond Magazine

gdb August 2021 Members Meeting

gdb Virtual Elevenses & Networking

Join the gdb LinkedIn Group and keep in touch with the

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Friday 27th August: 11:30 - 12:45

Wednesday 15th September

Lunch & Networking: MalMaison Brighton

Diamond Magazine

Diamond Listing Directory Welcome to your Diamond Listing Directory The gdb member companies listed below have a Diamond Listing in the online gdb Members Directory.

For a full list of gdb members please go to www.gatwickdiamondbusiness.com/68-diamond-listing.html And contact us to find out how to enhance your listing and raise your profile in PINK!

Accounting / Financial Services BDO http://www.bdo.uk.com/ tania.fensom@bdo.co.uk 01293 591000 Brewin Dolphin https://www.brewin.co.uk/ individuals/our-offices/gatwick paul.cannons@brewin.co.uk 01293 661323

Servo Private Wealth https://www.servoprivatewealth.com/ info@servoprivatewealth.com 01444 715200 Your Right Hand Finance Team Limited https://yourrighthand.co.uk/ hello@yourrighthand.co.uk 01252 820002 Airport / Airline Services

Carpenter Box https://www.carpenterbox.com/ info@carpenterbox.com 01293 227670

Gatwick Airport https://www.gatwickairport.com/ richard.lennard@gatwickairport.com 0844 335 1802

KPMG https://home.kpmg/xx/en/home.html Timothy.Rush@KPMG.co.uk 01293 652000

Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd https://www.virginatlantic.com/ 01293 747747

Kreston Reeves https://www.krestonreeves.com/ tracy.morrison@krestonreeves.com 01293 776152

Architectural / Construction / Maintenance

mnAI https://www.mnai.tech/ sales@mnai.tech 020 31516624

Bill Solutions Ltd http://bill-solutions.co.uk/ enquiries@bill-solutions.co.uk 01293 553221 Vulcan Ellis https://www.vulcanellis.co.uk/ info@vulcanellis.co.uk 07903 911727

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Banking

Insurance / Risk Services / Compliance

HSBC https://www.hsbc.co.uk/ andrew.steer@hsbc.com 08455 854001

1st Central https://www.1stcentralinsurance.com/ Jo.harrison@1stcentral.co.uk 0333 043 2066

NatWest https://personal.natwest.com/ personal.html Paul.Mcconalogue@natwest.com 01293 643096

Plan Insurance Brokers https://www.planinsurance.co.uk/ marketing@planinsurance.co.uk 0203 004 5572

Environmental Services Cleankill Pest Control https://www.cleankill.co.uk/ enquiries@cleankill.co.uk 0208 668 5477 Food & Drink Love Water https://www.lovewater.com/ nick.swan@lovewater.com 0345 5200820 Nestle UK Ltd https://www.nestle.co.uk/en-gb 020 8686 3333 Hotels / Venues / Events Ashdown Park Hotel https://www.ashdownpark.com/ conference@ashdownpark.com 01342 824988 Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Plc https://www.millenniumhotels.com/ torsten.puck@millenniumhotels.com 01342 348800 South Lodge Hotel http://www.exclusivehotels.co.uk/ enquiries@southlodgehotel.co.uk 01403 891711

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IT Services / IT Support E-mpower IT https://e-mpower.it/ sales@empower.IT 01444 250404 Extech Cloud https://extechcloud.com/ info@extech.co.uk 01444 443200 Red River http://www.river.red/ info@river.red 0844 8802357 Legal Services DMH Stallard LLP https://www.dmhstallard.com/ enquiries@dmhstallard.com 01293 605000 HCB Legal Limited https://www.hcbgroup.com/site/ contact/gatwick/ gatwick@hcbgroup.com 01293 602890 Irwin Mitchell https://www.irwinmitchell.com/ Lee.Harding@irwinmitchell.com 01293 742700 Mayo Wynne Baxter https://www.mayowynnebaxter.co.uk/ info@mayowynnebaxter.co.uk 01273 477071

Diamond Magazine

Leisure / Entertainment K2 Crawley https://www.freedom-leisure.co.uk/ freedom-leisure-in-crawley/ laurenpullen@everyoneactive.com 01293 585300 Local Government / Public Sector Crawley Borough Council https://crawley.gov.uk/ 01293 438000 Logistics / Travel Services Cubic Transportation Systems https://www.cubic.com/transportation krishna.desai@cubic.com 01737 782200 DNA https://www.dna2b.com/ info@dna2b.com 0333 335 8585 Gatwick Express https://www.gatwickexpress.com/ Angie.Doll@gtrailway.com 0345 850 1530 ILG https://www.ilguk.com/ info@ilguk.com 0844 264 8000 Metrobus https://www.metrobus.co.uk/ kevin.carey@metrobus.co.uk 01293 449191 Manufacturing / Engineering Commtel https://commtel-uk.com/ sales@telguard.co.uk 01306 710120

Pentagon Plastics Ltd www.pentagonplastics.co.uk sales@pentagonplasitcs.co.uk 01403 264397 Marketing / Media / PR Huxley Digital https://huxleydigital.co.uk/ hello@huxleydigital.co.uk 01903 896624 Medical / Health / Wellbeing Elekta https://www.elekta.com/ Crawley.Accounts@elekta.com 01293 654378 Varian https://www.varian.com/ steve.pullen@varian.com 01293 601200 Welland Medical https://wellandmedical.com/ SamJackson@WellandMedical.com 01293 615455 Motoring / Vehicles Bluelite Graphics Ltd https://bluelite.co.uk/ info@bluelitegraphics.com 01444 232366 Office Services Global 4 Communications https://www.global4.co.uk/ sales@global4.co.uk 01403 272910 IT Document Solutions Ltd https://itdocumentsolutions.com/ jermaine.weeden@ itdocumentsolutions.com 0207 101 0096 Regency Grove Communications http://www.rgcltd.co.uk/ enquiries@rgcltd.co.uk 03300 022222

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Property / Planning Services

Utilities

Thakeham Group https://thakeham.com/ info@thakeham.com 01403 787300

Control Energy Cost https://cec.uk.com/ sales@cec.uk.com 01737 556631

Recruitment / HR

Southern Water https://www.southernwater.co.uk/ 01903 272776

Mekeda HR Limited https://www.mekeda.co.uk meryl@mekeda.co.uk 07710 998291 Volt https://www.volt.eu.com/ 01737 774100 Training / Education Chichester College Group https://www.chichestercollegegroup.ac.uk/ info@chichester.ac.uk 01243 786321 East Surrey College https://www.esc.ac.uk/ employerservices@esc.ac.uk 01737 788316

Follow @gdbmembership and keep touch with latest news from the gdb community

Rewards Training https://www.rewardstraining.co.uk/ enquiries@rewardstraining.co.uk 01293 562651 Roffey Park http://www.roffeypark.com/ enquiries@roffeypark.ac.uk 01293 854020 University of Brighton https://www.brighton.ac.uk/businessservices/index.aspx enterprise@brighton.ac.uk 01273 641039 University of Sussex https://www.sussex.ac.uk/ information@sussex.ac.uk 01273 606755

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Join the gdb LinkedIn Group and keep in touch with the latest advice that could help you and your business

Hir

ea

£3, 000 Diamond Magazine I N ne CEN GO wA V pp TIVE P ERNM ren AY EN tice ME T

by NT 30 Sep t

Recruit an Apprentice to grow your business Discover the BENEFITS of Hiring an Apprentice with East Surrey College Hiring an Apprentice is a productive and effective way to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce.

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Talk to our Employer Services Team TODAY for information and advice: 01737 788316

employerservices@esc.ac.uk * Based on the Further Education Choices Survey Results for Colleges and Training Organisations in England 2019.

Businesses rated us with an Employer Satisfaction rating of 95.6% for the quality of training and fulfilling employer satisfaction.

East Surrey College, Gatton Point, London Road, Redhill, Surrey RH1 2JX

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