Norfolk Voice 47

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by Rebecca Pymar

Plus... Member News / International / Policy / Events THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

JULYAUGUST 2018

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MembersNews Contents 26/27 FEATURE

03 CONTENTS

Image © Mark Ashby

Celebrating Norfolk Summer is almost here! And this edition certainly feels like we are focusing on the summer vibe with our front cover designed and illustrated by Norwich based artist Rebecca Pymar, of Wells beach huts. This summer we are celebrating everything great about Norfolk, as well as our CEO, Chris Sargisson being in post for a year too.

Chris talks to us about the mission, vision and values for the Chamber’s future, which make it an exciting time for us all. Norfolk Day is coming on Friday 27 July, this article focuses on how you and your business can be part of this great celebration, so it’s time for us all to play our part, and create our 15-second film.

Our Big Interview brings an exciting insight into four of the speakers at the forthcoming ‘Talking Tech’ Conference in September. These speakers are some of the country’s top experts, thought leaders and entrepreneurs in Tech.

We hear from James Duez, Investor, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Rainbird Technologies and Paul Grenyer - CEO of Naked Element Ltd and chair of Norfolk Developers about their thoughts on decision making and technology skills gap within business.

The article and conference is also an opportunity to celebrate the success of women in key positions, as we hear from Professor Fiona Lettice, Pro-ViceChancellor (Research & Innovation), UEA and Rebecca Lewis Smith, Managing Director, Fountain who discuss the impact of marketing and technological innovation within the business environment.

Fiona Ryder gives us an insight into her professional journey in the Last Word and as Vice President of the Chamber too. And of course, the magazine would not be the same without our regular features such as members news.

Happy summer!

Dominique Bivar Segurado Marketing Coordinator

JULY/AUGUST 2018

Celebrate Norfolk Day

04/05 CHAMBER NEWS

28/33 TRAINING & APPRENTICESHIPS

06 MEMBER NEWS

34 MEMBER NEWS

08/09 MEMBER NEWS

36/39 HOSPITALITY & EVENTS Advertising

10 POLICY

A47: just dual it!

New broadband voucher scheme West Norfolk

40/41 CHAMBER EVENTS

12/15 BUSINESS SUPPORT

42/43 CHAMBER TRAINING

Advertising

Advertising

16 MEMBER NEWS

44 & 46 GOLD PATRONS

17 INTERNATIONAL TRADE

48 NEW MEMBERS

With Fabcon Foods

20/21 BIG INTERVIEW

Greater Anglia, MIGSOLV

49 MEET THE TEAM

With Talking Tech keynote speakers

Sam Brown

24/25 FEATURE

50 THE LAST WORD

With Chris Sargisson – One Year on

Fiona Ryder

CHAMBER’S GOLD PATRONS

Norfolk Voice is a Norfolk Chamber of Commerce publication.

ALL EDITORIAL AND GENERAL ENQUIRIES: dominique@norfolkchamber.co.uk

NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Norwich Office: 9 Norwich Business Park, Whiting Road, Norwich NR4 6DJ Tel: 01603 625977 hello@norfolkchamber.co.uk Front cover Rebecca Pymar, ‘Wells Beach huts.’ https://rebeccapymar.co.uk

PRODUCTION & DESIGN Distinctive Group, 3rd Floor, Tru Knit House, 9-11 Carliol Square Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 6UF Tel: 0191 5805990 www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

ADVERTISING John Neilson, Commercial Director Tel: 07813 874 970 email: john.neilson@distinctivegroup.co.uk

FEATURE EDITOR Ellen Rossitor email:ellen.rossiter@distinctivepublishing.co.uk

DISCLAIMER: Distinctive Publishing or Norfolk Chamber cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies that may occur, individual products or services advertised or late entries. No part of this publication may be reproduced or scanned without prior written permission of the publishers and Norfolk Chamber.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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A rest can be a real benefit to developing your business.

With Summer and the Holiday season now upon us, it is often difficult to keep focussed on business issues, especially when most people’s thoughts are now more directed towards their week away in the sun or what they are going to be doing with the children during their summer holidays.

Whilst just returning from a 3 week break, the first decent holiday since setting up my business over 9 years ago, I fully understand these feelings and pressures. By the time you have made sure that everything is in place and everybody is fully briefed before you leave, you often can’t wait to get away from it all and to just put your feet up and kickback.

With the internet and smart phones enabling communication possible anywhere in the world.

It is very difficult to get away from your business completely. It is however often in these situations, when you are fully relaxed sat on a sun lounger, away from the day to day pressures of the office, that owners and entrepreneurs come up with their next new idea or business opportunity.

It is when they return from their holidays that the works really starts turning these ideas into reality.

It is at this time when a business needs a clear vision and a set of values to maximise the benefit of these new ventures, making sure that the team is all pulling in the right direction.

This edition of the Norfolk Voice will concentrate on these issues, outlining the excellent progress Chris has made with developing the Norfolk Chamber’s own vision and values since arriving over 12 months ago. Hopefully you will be able to enjoy reading this whilst topping up your Vitamin D.

Jonathan Cage

President, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce

Charlotte Upcraft, PA to the Senior Management Team.

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Norfolk leaders gather for Wellbeing Conference.

Wellbeing has been at the forefront of all business agendas recently. On Tuesday 15 May, Norfolk Chamber supported the Leaders in Wellbeing conference which brought speakers from different backgrounds in wellbeing to discuss this key topic.

Amongst the speaker line-up were Aviva, Adnams, UEA, Nelsonspirit and more. Each expert touched on how wellbeing in the workplace doesn’t need to be expensive or extravagant – Adnams shared how they often take their meetings to the beach, or do walking meetings.

The event was attended by over 80 business leaders from across Norfolk and provided an invaluable morning of discussion and mindfulness.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

A big welcome to our most recent member of staff, Charlotte Upcraft. Charlotte joined us at the start of June as the PA to the Senior Management Team. She comes with a wealth of experience having previously worked at EEEGR as the Programme Support Executive.

You can find Charlotte working for the Chamber from Monday to Wednesday. Outside of work she loves great food and fine wines and spending time with her young family and friends.

JULY/AUGUST 2018

ChamberNews

It’s all about the ‘bike’ .

Thursday’s breakfast got off to a great start with the sun shining, in the beautiful setting of the Norwich Cathedrals’ Hostry.

With the theme of the morning being all about the bike, it seemed only right that several of our members and staff choose to dust off their bikes to travel to the breakfast, this also included two of our guest speakers who arrived in style on their Ofo bikes.

Launched in Norwich, October 2017, the Ofo bikes have become part of our landscape and even now stretch out into the suburbs too. No doubt you have seen the bright yellow bikes or

even taken a ride on one. A great concept which was originally conceived in Beijing, China. You begin your journey by simply downloading the app, find the bike, scan and off you go! Ofo has not only revolutionized national and international commuting time for all the generations, but it also offers everyone a cheap, environmentally friendly, and hassle-free way to travel.

It was really great to hear about the Ofo business journey from Matthew Thomas-Keeping, Regional Operations Manager, and Paul Harding, Operation Coordinator from Ofo. Matthew gave a real insight into the journey of the company and its growth too. Since 2014 when the original company was set up, over 6 billion people have used an Ofo bike for their trips. In one day 32

We got Quizzical with 80+ Chamber Members!

On 31 May we took over The Earlham Arms, Norwich, to deliver a knowledge testing evening of informal networking and team building. Over 80 attendees joined us at our annual quiz to make 14 determined teams all competing for bragging rights of being the Norfolk Chamber Pub Quiz winners.

The evening of quizzing was made up by 6 rounds, including two table top rounds.

Norfolk Chamber staff took part by writing rounds for the quiz, and coming along for the evening to present their questions.

Not only did they have the longest team name in quiz history, but ‘Tiger Eye AKA King Quizzard + the Lizard Wizards’ were also crowned winners with a total score of 54.5 out of a possible 77.

JULY/AUGUST 2018

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million people across the globe will use an Ofo bike, that’s a lot of cycling and on the plus side fewer cars on the road, which is great for the environment.

With over 100 of our members and some non-members attending too, there was lots of opportunity for networking and a chance to talk to some of the young entrepreneurs from the Norwich School and our business stands included our featured charity Community Sports Foundation, as well as Norfolk County Council’s Pushing Ahead project, Big Fork, St Augustine’s Neighbourhood Forum and East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices. We also heard from Mark Shields, EDP Business editor about the launch of the Norfolk Business awards, which are open for applications norfolkbusinessawards.edp24. co.uk/home The Chambers breakfasts are not just about the coffee and eggs, (although a nice treat). They are focused on building a voice for all Norfolk Businesses, the Chamber is here to support and build a strong voice and working relationships for all.

Don’t miss out on our next Norwich breakfast at Sprowston Manor on Thursday 15 July, or try something new with our evening networking Cocktails and Pizza at the Chambers Cocktails Company, Norwich!

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

MemberNews

Energy business Proserv opens landmark HQ built at Beacon Park by Great Yarmouth Borough Council.

Energy services company, Proserv has officially opened its new purposebuilt Centre of Excellence within Great Yarmouth’s Beacon Park.

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Developer, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, together with New Anglia LEP and key stakeholders, joined Proserv at the 65,000 sq ft ‘Artemis House’ - named after the site’s ‘Artemis 2G’ (A2G) subsea control system technology - to mark the occasion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Artemis House is the largest site within Beacon Park, featuring modern offices, 25% additional manufacturing space and a yard area. There is also the ability to add a further 20,000 sq ft of workshop capacity in the future and increase office headcount.

Davis Larssen, COO of Proserv, welcomed the guests. During his opening speech, he highlighted the importance of the move to the enhanced site, underlining Proserv’s long-term commitment to the area and, indeed, the energy industry. He said: “Having just began building this exceptional site a little over a year ago, I would like to thank everyone involved in helping us reach this key milestone. This opening is a new chapter for us as we consolidate more than 180 employees from our previous two

sites in the area. It’s fantastic to see our workforce unite, ensuring we are well placed to not only meet customers’ expectations but exceed them, now and in the future.”

In a joint statement, the borough council’s political group leaders, Cllr Graham Plant and Cllr Trevor Wainwright, said: “This landmark HQ is a symbol of Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s partnership work as a proactive authority dedicated to supporting local investment, jobs and growth, as well as bolstering Beacon Park’s national reputation as an established energy hub and topperforming Enterprise Zone.

“Artemis House will ensure that these skilled jobs, mostly held by local people, will continue to be based within the borough, while generating rental income which will be used to help support vital public services. As the developer, we would like to thank the skilled team who helped to make this important development a reality, and we’re sure that Proserv’s staff will enjoy their brand new purpose-built workplace.”

Website makeover for Norwich Housing Society.

Website design agency Bigfork Ltd was delighted to be tasked with redesigning the Norwich Housing Society website, a not-for-profit organisation which provides affordable housing for older people.

Their brief was to bring the website up to date, make it easier to use, more accessible and attractive.

Bigfork has developed many new features for the new website including a search filter to help visitors quickly find suitable housing and an easy to manage document library for providing resources.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Fire alarm and life safety issues in education in the 21st century.

Prior to the introduction of the RRO in 2006 most schools had been granted an exemption certificate under the old 1971 fire act on the basis that the staff had control of the building and could safely get everyone out into the car park or sports field quickly and safely.

In the 21st century considerations for the provision of fire alarm systems and life safety generally in schools has changed considerably, schools are now, more than ever not just places of education, they are in all but name a medium sized business with income and expenditure running into many millions of pounds annually.

As a result of this massive change of emphasis there are legal and contractual issues relating to all of the extra curriculum activities that now generate revenue for the school or college that affect the applications for the fire alarm and its associated areas.

Also now, and more than ever before, legislation requires full assessment of all disability and special needs requirements for the school, these for pupils, staff and visitors as well as those who use the schools facilities after hours.

As a result the design perimeters for the life safety package needs to have more diligent thought and considerations than ever in the past to ensure not only compliance but also its suitability for the site.

If therefore you are involved with the decisions over the fire safety in your school or college and would like some independent and unbiased advice on what you should (or should not) have by way of a Life Safety package then please feel free to contact me for a discussion. Do read more about this article on the Norfolk Chamber website.

JULY/AUGUST 2018

loss in employee productivity due to document related processes Smart, Print OKI Transform your business - end manual processes Are inefficient processes holding your business back?

Time to take action. According to IDC, businesses experience a 20% loss in productivity each year due to document-related challenges. OKI Europe’s smart multifunction printers (MFPs) are ‘customisable transformation tools’ that unlock substantial workflow benefits, automating many of the time-consuming manual tasks and outdated paper-based processes which drain time and resources.

The result? Liberated from slow, inefficient working, businesses are more productive and have more time and capacity to grow.

Discover how OKI can help your business work smarter, visit www.photostatic.com or call 01603 613 969 Your local Oki Executive Series dealer and service centre Photostatic Anglia Ltd 39-41 West End Street, Norwich NR2 4NA 01603 613 969 sales@photostatic.com

MemberNews Birchwood Energy becomes official partner.

The Eastern Landlords Association (ELA) has formed a strategic partnership with Birchwood Energy Norwich to support its members with the procurement of the best Gas & Electricity supply tariffs and contracts.

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Healthier chocolate sees Norwich business boom.

Recently marking its 7th Birthday, Norwichbased Gnaw Chocolate have just launched an exciting range of new healthier chocolate bars.

The innovative new bars have required significant investment in the Gnaw factory and to ensure their business growth continues, there are also three additional members of the Gnaw team.

developed these indulgent chocolate bars with a healthy twist”, states Matt Legon, Gnaw’s Founder.

Handcrafted in Norfolk with 35% healthy ingredients, natural flavours and no added nasties; the bars are made with seeds, fruits, nuts and Granola – grown in the finest Norfolk fields.

The business has also invested heavily in their team in recent months. Gnaw prides itself on its customer and retailer support and with this in mind, Rebecca Buck joined the U.K sales and customer support team. Rose Hotten, relocated to Norwich to take up the position of Production Manager, overseeing all production and Angi Davies joined as Marketing Communications Manager. “It has been a really exciting time to join the Gnaw team.

The new Chocolate and Granola bars are not only scrumptious, but these inventive products have seen the business soar,” Angi explains.

“The new chocolate bars with granola have received a great reception so far, from both consumers and retailers. People are more conscious than ever about the importance of maintaining a healthier lifestyle and parents are also increasingly mindful of the occasional treats they give their children. With this in mind, our New Product Development team have

As with all Gnaw products, the new bars themselves are handcrafted, but the new 35g bars required their own packing line which required a significant investment into the manufacturers Livestock Market factory.

KLM UK Engineering team completes EAAA epic cycle ride.

KLM UK Engineering entered a team of 6 colleagues to take part in the East Anglian Air Ambulance EPIC 50 mile cycle ride Friday on 18th May. Colin Gamson, Paul Green, Mark Walker, Janel McFadyen, Shane Boyle and Steve Batten completed the ride as a team on this North Norfolk course, starting and finishing at North Walsham Rugby Club.

A big thank you to our team for volunteering and completing this challenge and to East Anglian Air Ambulance and Pedal Revolution for organising this charity event. We look forward to next year’s event!

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

With so many suppliers and tariff options to choose from, selecting an energy supplier and correct contract structure can be an overwhelming task. Birchwood Energy takes this task on board and will offer all ELA members a no obligation energy contract audit.

The process is simple. Members of the Eastern Landlord Association engage with Birchwood Energy who will carry out a detailed analysis of their current supplier and then procure the energy via a tendering process on their behalf.

Birchwood Energy does not charge for the service as they are paid by the energy provider, making it a well worth exercise. It is reported that 86% of customers who used Birchwood Energy saved money on their gas or electricity contracts.

Warren Munday, Director or Birchwood Energy said: “We are delighted to form a partnership with the Eastern Landlords Association.

Helping landlords who tend to have multiple properties is a real pleasure and we are looking forward to creating many new relationships. Our mission is to ensure each and every customer finds the very best way to fulfil their energy requirements, whilst driving down costs and improving energy efficiency.”

Be part of Norfolk’s premier business network - join today norfolkchamber.co.uk Norfolk Chamber of Commerce

JULY/AUGUST 2018

MemberNews

Full Mix Marketing deliver keynote speech to assembled experts.

The popular day-long event, held at Norwich Cathedral’s Hostry on 27th April, is now in its third year. It attracted over 70 delegates from as far away as London and Nottingham, all keen to gather and share hints and tips on successfully marketing their businesses to other companies.

The day was led by the keynote address from Sarah, a CIM Chartered Marketer and founder of the growing Norwich-based agency. Sarah’s presentation focused on the different considerations when marketing to businesses and the lessons she has learnt delivering powerful promotions for her B2B clients.

Sarah West, managing director of Full Mix Marketing, delivered an insightful keynote address to Friday’s packed Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) East of England Conference on Business-to-Business Marketing.

“It was such an honour to be asked to present,” says Sarah.

“With a changing economy, evolving forms of media and ever more savvy businesses, it’s important the marketing community comes together to

share information. We’re making a real name for the East as a hub for B2B expertise.”

The event featured a packed agenda of talks and workshops from experts from across the East and South East, including Norfolk’s 101 Smart Media, Luminous PR and Armstrong Design. Sarah was chosen to share her experience working both within businesses and as the founder of a successful marketing agency.

Sarah has just celebrated ten years as a CIM Chartered Marketer. “Achieving my Chartered status was an important milestone. Clients rightly expect strong skills and results, so they need assurance we know what we’re talking about” says Sarah. “There’s always new developments, so it’s vital that marketers demonstrate professional leadership and keep learning.”

No-nonsense apprentice champion awarded OBE. Richard Bridgman, skills champion and founder of Thetford engineering business Warren Services, has been awarded an OBE for services to training young people in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours list. The 70-year-old businessman, originally from Surrey, is wellknown in the East Anglian business community and nationally for his tireless work promoting apprenticeships, improving work experience and job opportunities often for the long-term unemployed.

The energetic entrepreneur is an active member of the New Anglia LEP Skills Board, the Norfolk County Council Skills Group, EEF Regional Board in East Anglia, is a government Apprentice Ambassador, STEM Ambassador and enterprise advisor to Thetford Academy. He was East of England chairman at SEMTA, the sector skills council for manufacturing, until 2010. Bridgman is well-known for his direct, no-nonsense style of communication to cut through to the important issues in delivering training provision.

In an engineering career spanning five decades, Bridgman has sought to help young people reach their potential. After completing a toolmaking apprenticeship in Kingston he worked for a local engineering company for 22-years, then in 1990 with wife Sharon he founded Warren Services in Feltwell, Norfolk. The business relocated to the Fisons Estate in Thetford in 2005 where it opened a second factory in 2014. Bridgman has helped JULY/AUGUST 2018

train many apprentices at the company over the last 28-years, many of whom still work here.

Bury St Edmunds resident Bridgman believes the value of work experience to young people and business is seriously overlooked. He said: “I believe I have worked hard outside my company to champion high quality training for young people. To be recognised for this with an OBE is just fantastic and a very great honour.”

For the past eight years he has worked closely with the DWP in Norfolk and Suffolk to identify novel ways of providing the unemployed with jobs. “I work very closely with DWP on giving work experience and job opportunities to NEETs [people Not in Employment, Education or Training], and many have been given a job or that vital experience to making them job-ready,” he said.

Driven by the paucity of local training providers, Bridgman previously tried to establish an independent training school at Warren Services, but the plan was derailed by government funding changes and red tape. He has supported West Suffolk College, which he rates very highly, on standards and courses and is currently helping the college with its bid to be one of 10 Institutes of Technology in the UK. Harry Haskew, a higher level apprentice at Warren Services, said “Being an apprentice for Warren Services has given me the opportunity

to learn and progress new skills in a varied engineering environment. Richard is always keen to hear about how I’m getting on and it’s clear that he is very passionate about apprenticeships.”

In January 2012, Bridgman was invited to No.10 Downing Street to advise on Health and Safety at Work legislation at a national level and while at SEMTA he co-chaired a House of Lords event to give SMEs a stronger voice on health and safety. He is a former nominee of the “Top 100” in The Manufacturer magazine’s annual awards to reveal inspiring people in the manufacturing sector.

Bridgman said: “Many people have helped me throughout my business life and without their support and understanding I don’t think this award would have been possible. One of my personal dreams was to take my wife to a garden party at Buckingham Palace, so this award tops that.”

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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Policy

Can you help influence change in West Norfolk?

Following the relaunch of Norfolk Chamber in West Norfolk this April, we are now seeking new West Norfolk Chamber Council members to continue to drive the business agenda for the region.

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The West Norfolk Chamber Council meets on a quarterly basis and aims to represent the local business community. They will champion issues that affect

local businesses and support economic growth in West Norfolk.

The West Norfolk Chamber Council promotes the views of the local businesses, both to the Norfolk Chamber Main Board and to other local stakeholders, such as the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, Norfolk County Council and New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership.

Commenting on the need to appoint new West Norfolk Chamber Council members, President of the West Norfolk Chamber Council, Michael Baldwin said: “The West Norfolk Chamber Council supports the positive promotion of the West Norfolk business community and our aim is to encourage greater local engagement amongst the business community.

We are championing the needs of the region, such as campaigning for improved infrastructure and the need to develop our future workforce and close the skills gap.

“We are therefore looking to recruit a wide range of local businesses from all the key sectors to ensure that we have the ability and expertise to best support the innovative and dynamic business community in West Norfolk.”

For more information on becoming a West Norfolk Chamber Council member and to obtain an application form please email: Nova.fairbank@norfolkchamber.co.uk or call 01603 729 713.

“The West Norfolk Chamber Council supports the positive promotion of the West Norfolk business community and our aim is to encourage greater local engagement amongst the business community. We are championing the needs of the region, such as campaigning for improved infrastructure and the need to develop our future workforce and close the skills gap.”

Michael Baldwin, President of the West Norfolk Chamber Council

New broadband voucher Scheme available to Norfolk business.

Full fibre broadband connections offer the fastest and most reliable speeds available, and the Department of Digital, Culture Media and Sport has recently announced a UK-wide £67m Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, which is open to Norfolk businesses and residents.

Gigabit vouchers can be used by small businesses and the local communities surrounding them to contribute to the installation cost of a gigabit capable connection.

Businesses can claim up to £3,000 against the cost of connection, either individually or as part of a group project.

It is also possible for multiple businesses to pool their vouchers i.e. if there are 10 businesses on a business park and they all apply, that’s £30,000 towards the connection costs (for installation and other year 1 costs).

For more information and how to apply: gigabitvoucher.culture. gov.uk/for-businesses

A47: Just Dual It! Since the end of March 2018, Norfolk Chamber, together with Norfolk County Council and the EDP have been campaigning to convince the Government to commit to fully dualling the A47 from Lowestoft in the East, through to Peterborough in the West.

We have received significant support for the campaign from across the east of England, however it is crucial that we ensure we have a comprehensive business case to present to Government, and we now need to show evidence

of business support from key businesses along the route to maximise our chances of success.

If you agree with us that the A47 is vital to the region’s economy and believe getting the road fully dualled will benefit your business, please help us to make the case to the Government as strongly as we can by providing a letter of support.

If you email: nova.fairbank@norfolkchamber.co.uk, we can provide you with an easy to use outline template for your letter.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

JULY/AUGUST 2018

Advertising

10 GDPR steps your organisation should take now.

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was implemented into UK law on 25 May 2018 but many businesses remain confused.

All employers are legally obliged to comply with the new stricter GDPR requirements and, as with the previous data protection regime, a failure to comply can lead to possible fines, claims and reputational damage.

Under the new rules employers are required to demonstrate data protection compliance by documenting their data handling procedures.

Here are ten steps your organisation should take towards data protection compliance.

3 Establish a lawful basis for data processing and document it

8 Prepare for security breach response and notification

n Consider the lawful basis for each processing activity you undertake and document it.

n Make sure you have the right procedures in place to detect, report and investigate a personal data breach and a register to record breaches and remedial action taken.

4 Review and update employment contracts and policies

9 Data processors

n Review your employment contracts and update data protection provisions.

5 Data subjects’ rights

1 Build and maintain a data governance system

n Configure systems and put in place processes to accommodate data subjects’ rights.

n Establish a leadership team responsible for GDPR implementation.

6 Prepare privacy notices

n Where appropriate appoint a Data Protection Officer.

2 Conduct an HR data audit n Compile a table setting out the categories of data you process. n Document what personal data you hold, why you hold it, where it came from, who you share it with, where you hold it and how and when the data is disposed of.

n Identify all current processing arrangements and put those processors on notice that contract terms will need to be amended in line with the GDPR. 10 Training n Consider GDPR training for all staff to raise awareness and assist in achieving and demonstrating compliance.

n Review your privacy notices and ensure that they contain the relevant information about processing activities required under the GDPR.

Jeanette Wheeler Partner and Head of Employment, Birketts LLP 01603 756427 jeanette-wheeler@birketts.co.uk

7 Prepare privacy impact assessments n Be aware of when privacy impact assessments are required and ensure that you have procedures in place for these to be undertaken and documented.

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Build up a head of team…

No, that’s not a misprint! At the Hawk and Owl Trust Reserve in Sculthorpe, near Fakenham, we have known about the team-building benefits of volunteering for many years. Our own team tell us that they get as much benefit from giving their time as we do for receiving it. They know they are with like-minded people who enjoy putting their skills and time to use to benefit others. That’s a powerful motivating force!

Now businesses can benefit from the same feeling by taking part in the Hawk and Owl Trust’s Corporate Supporter Scheme. By choosing one of three levels of membership we can offer team-building volunteer opportunities. In return we will express our recognition of your support on and off-line. We will give you membership cards for your team to use, your own nest box for your office premises – or one at rural location if

that is more suitable. Newsletters and magazines will keep you up to date with activities at the reserve and, during spring and early summer, at our Urban Peregrine Project at Norwich Cathedral.

Much has been written in the national press about the health benefits associated with being close to nature. When you volunteer at our reserve your team will see some of the country’s rarest birds as well as rare flowers, insects and mammals.

Enquire today about Corporate Membership by calling Angela Glynn on 01328 850590 or email her at: angela.glynn@hawkandowltrust.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 1058565

JULY/AUGUST 2018

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Advertising

Brexit update: Business as usual in the IP world, for now... the risk of not knowing how their EU rights will be converted just yet.

Intellectual property rights are key assets for many organisations, large and small. One of the many areas of uncertainty within the Brexit transition is how IP rights, specifically rights which have been harmonised throughout the EU member states, will be affected once Britain has left. A recent draft agreement has helped to shed some light on this topic, although nothing can be confirmed just yet.

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Patents, however, are one aspect of IP rights where there is some certainty at this stage. The European patent system operates completely separately from the EU treaties, and the present system includes many non-EU members. It has been confirmed that that system as a whole, including representation

by UK-based attorneys, will be unaffected by Brexit.

There is an EU post-grant “unitary” patent system waiting in the wings that still has to overcome a number of political hurdles before it can come into existence, and it is not clear whether it will come into force before the UK ceases to be an EU member state.

Brexit appears to have delayed this process although the UK has ratified the agreement and expressed a desire to still be a member of the unitary system, and potentially a host of one of the courts to settle disputes. Time will tell how the European unitary patent system progresses, but for the time being, the patent system in its current state remains unchanged.

In contrast, trade marks and designs can be protected with EU unitary registrations as well as with national registrations in the UK and other countries. These rights will be affected by Brexit as membership of the EU is a mandatory criterion for inclusion, and what will happen to these rights post-Brexit is one of the intellectual property issues that

was set out in the draft withdrawal agreement published by the UK and EU authorities in March 2018.

In the draft withdrawal agreement, it appears to be agreed that current EU-wide registered rights will continue to be enforceable in the UK during the proposed transition period. In the longer term, the current thinking seems to be that there will be a conversion process to bring those EU rights into the UK national system.

Presumably, details of such a conversion process will be announced in due course, although the draft agreement does appear to suggest that this transition will be completed in a timely (perhaps automated) manner, and hopefully without a cost to the rights owner although this can’t yet be guaranteed.

The agreement also mentions that these newly created UK national rights may not be vulnerable to attack over lack of use in the UK until at least the end of the transition, meaning that current EU-wide rights holders who exclusively market their products and services in mainland continental Europe may be given an equivalent UK right that cannot be attacked through lack of use until at least December 2020. This would effectively give them a substantial window to decide whether or not to enter the UK market without jeopardising their UK rights.

Some businesses are opting for a “belt and braces” approach at this stage – filing both UK and EU applications in parallel for their most valuable brands to avoid the uncertainty of having to wait for the final agreed transition process and any required administration.

However, we do not generally believe that there is a pressing need for firms to duplicate their filing strategies at this stage, providing they are comfortable with accepting

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

There is still an opportunity to file now for new EU trade marks while the UK is still a member to cover all 28 current member countries, and to subsequently benefit from parallel UK and EU rights postBrexit, after which time duplicate filings will have to be applied for to cover both the UK and remaining EU markets.

While we wait for the details of a full and final withdrawal agreement to be announced, we can be fairly confident that Brexit is unlikely to turn the IP landscape on its head!

British businesses are known as strong innovators, designers and brand developers so it is reassuring to see that the UK government is laying a foundation for a smooth transition for existing EU IP rights.

For any aspect of IP advice or overall strategy please get in touch with the ip21 team.

Richard Jones MBA DipPC CMgr MCMI

Business Relationship Manager

Ed Clarke MPhys CPA EPA

Senior Patent Attorney for ip21 Ltd

A specialist Intellectual Property company that moves with the times At ip21 we pride ourselves on offering a full range of IP services, as well as IP advice and support tailored to the commercial benefit of our clients.

• Patents • Trademarks • Licensing • Design Rights • Litigation • IP Strategy • IP Valuation • IP Budgeting

Intellectual Property Specialists Offices in Norwich, London, Chelmsford and Bury St Edmunds Tel: +44 (0) 1603 457008 Email: info@ip21.co.uk www.ip21.co.uk

JULY/AUGUST 2018

BusinessSupport

The Marketing You Want.

The Results You Need.

Strategy

Digital

Offline

We deliver the creative and intelligent marketing our clients need to succeed. And succeed they do.

Discover more

fullmixmarketing.co.uk

01603 446277

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From talented INDIVIDUALS to extraordinary TEAMS! Everybody wants to be on a team that does well; one that is successful, meets its targets and is fun to be on.

But we are often working in teams that do not work well together; meetings take up lots of time and are unproductive and team members frequently go off at a tangent and do their own thing.

Based on the work of Patrick Lencioni’s international best-seller The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team® helps teams apply The Five Behaviors™ model of Trust, Conflict, Commitment, Accountability, and Results to drive team effectiveness and productivity. The program uses Everything DiSC®, a tool that helps build effective team communication and relationships, to help participants understand their individual DiSC® style and discover how each style brings value to the team.

Participants complete an on-line assessment which includes questions about team culture.

Individual profiles, team profiles and one-onone comparison reports are produced and used in a group learning session. Six months after the learning session, team progress reports can be

produced to show how well the team is now performing against the Five Behaviors.

The model is very successful and RESULTS has been used across a broad range of organisations around the world to ACCOUNTABILITY improve the way in which team members work with each COMMITMENT other. The result – extraordinary CONFLICT teams!

TRUST The Five Behaviours of a Cohesive Team™ Model

Get in touch to find out how to achieve the results you want: www.corporategrowth.org • 01379 308690 • Hello@corporategrowth.org

JULY/AUGUST 2018

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

BusinessSupport

Advertising

14

Dash cams: How do they reduce insurance premiums?

Dash cams, or in-vehicle cameras, despite being around for a number of years now, remain relatively underused and misunderstood by commercial vehicle owners and fleet operators. One of the most common questions we’re asked when talking about dash cams is “how much discount on my insurance will I get if I install them” - a question that highlights the misconception to the benefit of cameras on an insurance policy, and perhaps goes some way to answer why more aren’t installed. So, should you be looking to invest in cameras for your vehicle(s)?

Disputes regarding what happened in a motor accident were a major issue, particularly in the absence of an independent witness or CCTV to give an independent perspective on what happened. The outcome of these disputes was more often than not that an innocent party had to concede a proportion of responsibility, when they knew that the other party was not being wholly honest regarding the circumstances of the accident. Apart from a feeling of injustice it also led to a fault claim being recorded against the innocent party, which could have an adverse effect upon future insurance premiums.

There is, and has been for a little while, a tool to assist in minimising the outcome, described above, in the form of dash cam technology, which can provide footage at the time of an accident and act as the independent witness so vital in the past. Dash cams are simply cameras, which

can be fitted to any vehicle, admittedly some car manufacturers are now fitting them to their vehicles, but the majority still need to be installed by the owner.

Depending upon the amount you are willing to pay they can merely be forward facing or also rear facing and on larger vehicles such as heavy goods vehicles or buses have the facility to record a side view.

In the event of an accident, depending upon the system you select, the required footage can be downloaded from the camera and shared with your insurance broker to aid them in their negotiations with your insurer and the third parties. The footage obtained from dash cams is now recognised within the insurance industry as being an important tool which aids the early resolution of many claims. The support they can give to the arguments your broker / insurer makes on your behalf is

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

invaluable in protecting your claims record, recovering uninsured losses and keeping your renewal premiums down. It is far harder for an unscrupulous third party to maintain a false version of the event when faced with footage which clearly shows they’re not being honest or misremembering the circumstances.

The footage this brokerage sees on a regular basis has made it easier for us to establish and gain admissions of liability at an earlier stage than previously, minimising the time taken to recover uninsured losses. In addition the consequence of vindicating you is that your claim, having been settled on a non-fault basis, should have minimal effect upon your insurance premiums.

In conclusion, the benefits of installing dash cams is far broader than a simple premium discount.

By shortening timescales and preventing fraudulent claims, your claims history will almost certainly benefit, and your claims history is one of the most key factors that make up the premium you pay. We recommend dash cams to the majority of our clients, and work with reputable suppliers and insurers to ensure clients receive the best deal for them.

If you would like to discuss anything raised in this article, or anything else insurance related, please contact us on 01603 626155.

Of course, dash cams can have other benefits too, such as capturing incidents that take place when parked and assisting with driver training.

JULY/AUGUST 2018

Dependable independence since 1906.

At Hugh J Boswell our values underpin everything we do.

Independence is important to us; we have built a business where independence of ownership, action and thought allows us to always put our clients’ interests first in an ever changing world.

To discover more about how our values driven approach could be protecting your business, visit www.hughjboswell.co.uk or call us on 01603 626155.

Hugh J Boswell Chartered Insurance Broker

The chartered insurance broker with values: Independence . Trust . Customer Commitment . Professionalism . Innovation Hugh J Boswell Limited is authorised & regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Hugh J Boswell Limited (registered in England, No: 318993) Carrow Hill, Norwich NR1 2AH

MemberNews

Norwich Company funds Big C cancer research project.

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Leading independent insurance brokers and financial planners, Alan Boswell Group has given £50,000 towards a Big C funded cancer research project being undertaken at the Norwich Research Park in Norfolk. This is in addition to the group raising £15,000 in 2017, for the Norfolk and Waveney based charity.

corporate organisation pledging their involvement and financial backing to help accelerate the progress of cancer research and enhance our understanding to better prevent and treat the disease. We would welcome approaches from any other organisations interested in this area of support.”

Dr Dan Brewer will work with Professor Colin Cooper to research and discover new sub-types of cancer. Understanding these sub-types of the disease is important to help predict survival, inform treatment options and suggest new drug treatment strategies to improve the lives of those affected by cancer.

Group Executive Chairman Alan Boswell, comments: “Everyone has a story about somebody close to them who has been affected by this disease. We’re extremely proud to help support the amazing research undertaken right here in East Anglia.”

Dr Chris Bushby, Chief Executive at Big C, said “We are extremely grateful to the board of directors at Alan Boswell Group for their commitment and partnership in this significant cancer research project, which will benefit those affected by cancer locally and far beyond. It is a fantastic example of a

Big C has a long-standing partnership with Alan Boswell Group, which has seen the company raise nearly £100,000 over the past 20 years for those locally affected by cancer.

To learn more about the work Big C does to improve the lives of those affected by cancer in Norfolk and Waveney, please visit www.big-c.co.uk

Local disability employer wins national trade show award.

Norfolk Industries for Disabled People has won 'Best New Product Award' at the UK's premier pet trade event, PATS Sandown. This is a real achievement for the Norwichbased company which provides employment opportunities for people with disabilities and manufactures small animal pet bedding products using recycled materials.

The award was given for their recently introduced medium pet house product which has been

designed to appeal to children.

Supplied with non-toxic pencils and bedding, the houses can be coloured-in before being given to pets, such as hamsters and gerbils, providing them with a cosy nest and a chewing activity. The judges at PATS liked the innovation behind the product and made it a winner in their small animal category saying: "The product has a good price point because you get a lot included. It will provide hours of fun for children and their small furry pets."

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Norfolk Industries factory manager, Sharon Tooke, said: “This is an amazing achievement, a great recognition of our products and will help to raise our profile across the UK. Ultimately any business growth created by the award and our attendance at PATS will directly contribute to the employment of people with disabilities or the provision of work placements to those who wish to get closer to employment but need support to do so."

Leathes Prior Solicitors is today delighted to announce two key promotions.

Leathes Prior Solicitors is delighted to announce the promotion of two key members of staff, Tej Thakkar and Sabina Haag have both been promoted to Associate level.

Tej joined Leathes Prior in 2011 as a paralegal, and started his training contract with us in 2012.

He qualified as a Solicitor in 2014, working ever since in our specialist Regulatory and Defence Team (which sits as part of our Litigation & Dispute Resolution Team) supporting Partner Tim Cary.

Sabina joined Leathes Prior as a trainee solicitor in 2011, qualifying as a Solicitor in 2013. She also sits as part of our Litigation & Dispute Resolution Team, working closely alongside Partner Darren Bowen, specialising in Wills and probate disputes, as well as commercial property disputes.

Leathes Prior is particularly proud to see another two of our trainees retained and progressed through the firm, bringing the total to 11 of our current Associates and Partners that started off their careers as trainees with the firm.

Partner and Head of the firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Team Mike Barlow said: “I am delighted to congratulate Tej and Sabina on their well-deserved promotions. Their contribution to the growth of the team since joining the firm has been invaluable and their expertise and professionalism is a credit to them and greatly appreciated by the firm’s clients. I am sure that they will both have long and successful careers with the firm.”

JULY/AUGUST 2018

InternationalTrade

Fabcon Food Systems – a Norfolk success story on a global scale.

Located near to Norwich Airport, Fabcon Food Systems is one of our region’s brightest small business success stories.

Led by managing director Trevor Howard, Fabcon employs a 22-strong team of machinery designers, skilled engineers and sales professionals – all playing a role in Fabcon’s vision to be a leader in the manufacture and supply of handling and process solutions for the food sector.

Known for its British-built machinery, it’s a little known fact across Norfolk’s close-knit business community that Fabcon, formed in 2015, has gone on to supply its products to food manufacturers across four continents – in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and into Australia.

Supporting the food chain In a nutshell, it’s Fabcon’s machinery which allows manufacturers of potato crisps, tortilla chips, and products like popcorn, to weigh, fry, season, sort, package and generally process them into the finished article.

One customer is the thriving Essex-based Fairfield Farm Crisps.

Another is the Kuwaiti-based AlWazzan Foodstuff Industries Group – a company which last year opened the Middle East’s first purpose-built fried crisp factory.

The list could go on but this shows just how big an impact Fabcon’s reputation for quality and flexibility has had.

17 Trevor is respected globally for his intricate sector knowledge – watching it flourish and develop as he has built his team right in the heart of Norfolk.

He said: “Aside from being a growing local employer, first and foremost we’re a British company and that comes with a certain amount of respect abroad. However, it’s always up to us to match those expectations with the best and most cost-effective products, backed by our skilled team.

“I am really proud that we continue to do that, backed by a promise of first-class customer service and after-sales support. I think for any business that’s a winning combination.”

Aside from winning foreign fans, Fabcon has also spent time in recent months improving its internal communications and ensuring everyone in the business understands the company’s new vision and values.

Trevor continued: “I have always been really keen to take the time and articulate exactly what Fabcon stands for. The work we have done on our vision and values has been a key part of that process and was well worth the time spent discussing and debating them. The project has given us a great platform as everyone is now clear about what we stand for and how we can exceed the expectations of our customers.

There’s no grey area.”

Fabcon’s vision is wrapped in its ambition. Put simply, it is all about becoming a leading supplier of innovative, reliable and costeffective food processing and handling equipment. Underpinning that vision are five core values: n Focused on customers – delivering excellence in every area n Ethical and honest – treating people with transparency and integrity

If you are wanting to increase or start exporting in 2018 contact the International Department at Norfolk Chamber call 01603 729715 or email export@norfolkchamber.co.uk.

Visit norfolkchamber.co.uk for more information.

JULY/AUGUST 2018

n Innovative – created by a culture that is confident to do things differently and stay one step ahead n Ambitious – constantly engaging challenges n Being a leading employer – able to retain and attract outstanding people.

“It think that any business can relate to our values as they are simple yet effective”, added Trevor. “Many can often lose sight of the clarity a strong set of values can provide and how it can shape your culture. It’s early days for us but we’re seeing a good impact as we prepare for a busy second half of 2018.”

“Overall, it has been a big period of progression for us and we want everyone to see not only our credentials and our track record, but what Fabcon is really all about – whether that’s locally or globally.

Our values are central to that.” www.fabcon.co.uk

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Advertising

The challenge of knowing where your data is really stored.

What if I missed these in my GDPR Now that we’ve all managed to prep? survive GDPR, I guess we know a Once you’ve got over the initial panic, the whole lot more about what we are supposed to do with the data we hold important thing is to take action.

Find out which systems your team are using: on our customers, prospects, and basically anyone we’ve ever met.

Which of these are hosted and which are stored You will have gone through your systems and tightened up procedures about whose data we’re keeping and for how long.

But let me ask you this: you’ve gone through your CRM, customer spreadsheets, accounting software, and maybe the odd industry specific system you’ve got lurking around…did you consider all those “other” systems? (not to mention the dusty boxes in the attic)

What other systems?

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Here’s where I started to scare myself. I thought about my emails and the files on my local PC. I even thought about the filesharing system we’ve got and the internal messaging system we use.

And I felt safe and sorted. We’d thought about these things.

Saying that, there were other systems, when discussing this issue with some colleagues things that need considering. My Outlook Contacts and iPhone contacts, I panicked thinking there might be some data hiding there! Then I started thinking about all those times I’ve read emails on my phone…could there be personal data hiding in my backups or my iCloud account?

I even scared myself to the point that I checked my car contacts to make sure I wasn’t sharing anything I didn’t want to share and worried for a few short minutes about any hire cars I may have connected to via Bluetooth. (Don’t worry, I got it all sorted.)

And backups…oh the backups!

locally? How many people have access to them? What data is stored in them? To understand where you hold data Its crucial that you do a systems audit.

I guess there are some businesses that don’t send out marketing and didn’t really need any of that “old” data that they had lying around. GDPR gave them a reason to tighten up their processes, but otherwise didn’t change a great deal.

Other businesses (those who sent out regular mailshots, bought and sold data, had additional obligations, etc.) will have been forever changed by the introduction of these new regulations. The way they operate on a day-to-day basis will have changed forever.

Are they all using the same ones? If they aren’t, which systems can you get rid of? Just think of the time you are losing with people having to copy from one system to another.

The big thing GDPR has done, for all businesses, is to make us all stop and think about where we are holding our data and why.

Make sure these systems meet your security requirements:

In some cases, this has been an easy question to answer. In others, the answer is more complex and needs a serious investment of resources to answer.

Is the data held in the EU? What about the backups? Do your data retention policies cover all of these periphery systems or just the central ones?

Now get the procedures in place: Work with your team to ensure that everyone knows how and when these systems should be used. Think about who should have access and how long the data should be held in them.

You will also want to put procedures in place to stop any new systems being added into rotation without undergoing some of these same rigorous checks.

GDPR has changed everything… hasn’t it?

In reality, especially for most small businesses, everything has changed. GDPR has caused a few weeks of grief for everyone, no doubts there. My question is: are there any out there that won’t see an impact on their day-to-day way of doing business?

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

In still more cases (and I think a lot of people will find this an ongoing battle), business will be uncovering data that they didn’t know they had.

They will be sorting it out, putting procedures in place to prevent it happening again, and looking at their GDPR compliance as an evolving process rather than anything that can be marked as completed.

To talk to a member of OpenCRM team about how CRM software can benefit your brand, just call 01748 473000 or visit the website: www.opencrm.co.uk

Graham Anderson, is the CEO and founder of OpenCRM, one of the UK’s leading customer relationship management systems.

JULY/AUGUST 2018

Making tax digital with help from BDO. HMRC has now published legislation detailing its plans to digitise VAT accounting from 1 April 2019.

All businesses should start preparing now for the major systems changes this will entail What is Making Tax Digital for VAT? Making Tax Digital (MTD) will introduce the requirement for certain VAT registered businesses to keep digital records and file their VAT returns via ‘functional compatible software’. Other European countries have already created or are planning similar systems, and it is anticipated that this is the first step in a long term goal of requiring ‘real time filing’ of individual transactions with the tax authority.

from online filing of VAT returns.

HMRC has confirmed that charities will not be excused from MTD for VAT.

While it initially planned for a 2018 roll out for income tax and NICs, HMRC has since postponed MTD for direct taxes until at least 2020, leaving VAT to pioneer the new regime with effect from 1 April 2019.

n The time and value of each supply made and the VAT rate charged

MTD for VAT will be compulsory for all organisations with a turnover above the current VAT registration threshold of £85,000. Exceptions to this obligation will be extremely limited and broadly confined to those who would also be exempt

n The amount of any adjustment or corrections

How will it work?

HMRC says that, under MTD, the following information must be kept using functional compatible software approved by HMRC: n The taxable person’s name, address and VAT number, plus any VAT accounting schemes it uses

n The time and value of each supply received, plus the amount of input tax to be recovered

n The VAT exclusive value of each of the following outputs: standard rated, reduced rated, zero-rated, exempt or outside the scope.

HMRC says MTD requirements can be met by a number of software packages, not just one, as long as they are digitally linked. HMRC gives the example of a business which records sales and purchase transactions in its accounting system, transfers the totals into a spreadsheet on which it calculates the return figures then sends the information to bridging software which submits the return to HMRC. In its draft public notice, HMRC expects these three pieces of software to be digitally linked, although this conflicts with separate assurances given by HMRC that only the spreadsheet would have to be digitally linked to the bridging software/VAT return.

end of the period in which the error is discovered.

The required information must be entered into the electronic account no later than the date on which the return is due or made for that period, whichever is the earlier.

Errors must be corrected in the electronic account no later than the

Sarah Elms +44 (0)1473 320 732 sarah.elms@bdo.co.uk

In the short term, MTD is not expected to alter the deadlines or the frequency of VAT returns.

How can BDO help?

BDO can assist with system reviews and help you to identify the necessary changes that MTD will bring. We have already supported a number of GP practices in converting to software capable of meeting these requirements.

BDO is also participating in a number of stakeholder groups involved in consultation meetings with HMRC and can keep you up to date with the latest developments in HMRC’s approach.

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Norfolk engineering firm reformed.

Few stories can be more compelling than that of Andy MacCallum. Andy worked for respected Norfolk engineering firm Dabbrook/Tideland Signal, however the firm was sold to a new owning group, and during this process Andy, along with all his colleagues, was made redundant.

Here the story takes an interesting turn, for such was Andy’s belief in the firm, that he immediately reformed the company, and with the help of a few loyal colleagues, set it back on the right course.

Dabbrook has built up a sterling reputation for their Off Grid Solar PV Power Systems, junction boxes, and electrical control systems, bringing power to areas that have none.

Solar Power Systems Supplied & Installed in the UAE

JULY/AUGUST 2018

Such is the quality and durability of their products that they are used in the oil and gas industry, on unmanned & decommissioned platforms, AtoN systems etc. The

GRP Battery Boxes company has developed a strong customer base in the Middle East, where their products are used to power wellhead control systems in remote areas.

What makes Dabbrook stand out from the crowd? “We don’t cut corners” says Andy, “We design & manufacture products that are fit for purpose and endure.

We take the time to understand our clients’ needs and keep up a dialogue with them throughout the process. Communication is the key to ensuring we deliver exactly what clients want.”

Today the firm is going from strength to strength, with additional staff and new purpose built premises in Great Yarmouth.

They have also just achieved ISO9001:2015 accreditation. What’s clear is that Dabbrook, building on its strong Norfolk heritage, is here to serve the region, assisting companies at home and abroad.

T: +44 1493 809 122 E: andy.maccallum@dabbrook.com http://www.dabbrook.com

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Looking forward to September 19th sees the return of the region’s flagship technology conference. Building on the success of last year’s event Norfolk Chamber of Commerce have created an inspiring and interactive half day packed with workshops, and a technology themed exhibition. New for 2018 are panel discussions which are guaranteed to generate lively debate. And there will of course be keynote speakers. These women and men are entrepreneurs and thought leaders who reflect the talent, innovation and diversity which characterises Norfolk.

We spoke to some of them, ahead of the Conference.

Professor Fiona Lettice

Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation), UEA

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Professor Fiona Lettice was appointed Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) at the University of East Anglia in 2017. Responsible for developing and communicating the vision and strategy for all research and innovation activity across the UEA, Professor Lettice is also a Professor of Innovation Management in the Norwich Business School. Bringing a wealth of experience to Talking Tech 2018, including her work with Centrica and BMW/Rover she said: “I am really excited to be speaking at this year’s Chamber of Commerce Talking Tech Conference.

Technological innovation allows organisations to do more with less. As well as improving innovation and productivity, new technologies will help us with some of the key challenges ahead – making better use of limited resources like energy and water, mitigating the effects of climate change on food and poverty, disease prevention, and improving healthcare for an ageing population.”

“Technological innovation has generally been a powerful force for good, creating new jobs and improving salaries. But new technology also threatens jobs and whole industries, with devastating consequences in some communities and with the benefits unevenly distributed. If we are to realise the potential of new technologies, like artificial intelligence and machine learning, we will need responsible innovation approaches and new regulatory frameworks.”

“We will need to develop future technologies using multidisciplinary perspectives and methods so that we better consider the future of work, protect our privacy and data, build consumer trust, and respond effectively to ethical and safety issues. Norfolk Chamber of Commerce’s Talking Tech Conference is facilitating this by bringing together its members and speakers to debate and shape a healthier technological future.”

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Sam Brown

Conference and Events Manager, The Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Sam Brown is Conference and Events Manager at Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. She’s involved in planning, marketing and delivery of the Chamber events, Talking Tech 2018 among them - of course!

Alongside this conference Sam is immersed in planning large scale events including The MPs Event, The B2B Exhibition and other specialist events.

Her life is all about being organised. It has to be because she’s constantly focussed on meeting deadlines and delivering events of the highest standard. Like Talking Tech 2018, of which she says: “When we first started a technology focused conference back in 2015 things like virtual and augmented reality were unheard of in business environments, but it’s now an in-demand topic. With such rapid growth in the industry we’re making Talking Tech 2018 bigger than ever by shaking up the usual agenda and doubling our speaker line-up to cover more topics.”

“We’ve introduced panel discussions for the first time to bring together experts from different industries and backgrounds to share their knowledge by answering your questions. Talking Tech is all about its attendees and what they need to know, giving vital insights into new technological developments to aid their business.”

Paul Grenyer

CEO of Naked Element Ltd and chair of Norfolk Developers

Paul Grenyer is CEO of Naked Element Ltd and chair of Norfolk Developers. In 2016 Naked Element helped its clients increase their efficiency by up to 95% with made to measure, cohesive software solutions.

Of naked Element he said recently “we’re all about making your business process more efficient and more accurate, saving you time and money.”

Of Talking Tech 2018 he said even more recently: “Addressing the technology skills gap is a priority for businesses in Norfolk and elsewhere, with employers greatly concerned about how they can find, recruit and retain the right candidates.

“Norfolk is a fantastic place in which to live and work; and a thriving centre for the technology, digital and creative industries, so there is a huge demand for technology skills in the region, but more can be done to promote these opportunities.

“Employers also have a role to play in making their job opportunities more attractive, with relatively small changes making a huge difference in terms of vacancies appeal. In addition, businesses need to invest the time and resources in finding the right candidates and training them.

“One company doing a great job of addressing the skills gap is Netmatters, who have taken on bedroom coders and are training them up to be qualified software developers.

“Apprenticeships can also be helpful in bridging the skills gap, but the way in which these are often presented falls short, they need to be seen as an alternative for the brightest students.

“The Talking Tech conference is an opportunity for us to explore how best to address these challenges and I am looking forward to taking part in the skills panel discussion.”

JULY/AUGUST 2018

BigInterview

Talking Tech 2018.

Rebecca Lewis Smith

Managing Director, Fountain

As Managing Director of Fountain Rebecca Lewis Smith, has helped build an exceptional digital marketing agency known for delivering outstanding results.

Fountain’s rapid growth has been the result of client successes, and approaching digital marketing with outcomes and evidence at the core of their methodology.

It’s an approach that won international recognition from no less than Google. Twice!

First in 2016 with the award for Best Search Performance at Google’s inaugural Premier Partner awards for EMEA - and then again in 2017, when Fountain were awarded not only the EMEA award, but also the Global Premier Partner Award for Growing Businesses Online.

She says of her forthcoming appearance at Talking Tech 2018: “Norfolk is home to an exceptional group of technology businesses and the conference is a great opportunity to bring them together and to learn from their experience.

“Marketing is one area in which technology is having a huge impact. Artificial Intelligence won’t replace your marketing departments, but it can prove a useful tool for their work.

“John Wanamaker famously said that ‘Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half,’ yet this need no longer be the case given the technology to hand. We now have access to a huge amount of data, which means that marketing is far less risky than was once the case.

“By embracing digital marketing tools, you can make evidence-based decisions when planning your marketing strategy which will make your campaigns much more effective.

“In using technology platforms, however, we also need to keep in mind that they are not neutral, and to question who is creating that virtual world to ensure diversity in our planning. Digital marketing platforms are incredibly useful, but they should be used with a critical eye, they can never replace your insight and understanding of the business.

“I am very much looking forward to taking part in the conference, and hearing what people have to say.”

JULY/AUGUST 2018

James Duez

Investor, Co-founder and Executive Chairman, Rainbird Technologies

James Duez, Investor, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Rainbird Technologies, and a serial entrepreneur James has launched a number of successful disruptive tech businesses over the past 20 years servicing leading companies and governments.He currently sits on the board of three highly disruptive cognitive start-ups, all of which which seek to help enterprise solve some of their largest problems.

Totally results-driven with a focus on growth, sustainability and profit, James has vast software engineering and business development experience. An effective and decisive leader he says of Talking Tech 2018: “Poor decision-making is bad for business. It leads to increased costs, reduced revenue, breached compliance obligations, and disastrous customer outcomes. Even successful businesses struggle with poor decision-making. Studies have shown that whether due to business ‘noise’, bias, or even simply fatigue, the same work-related decisions made by the same people can vary significantly from day to day. A recent study in Harvard Business Reviews found variables of up to 70%.

“For most businesses, the status quo – of relying on unscalable and flawed human decision-making – is unsustainable, especially in complex and regulated environments. AI-powered decision-making platforms that allow companies to synthesise and scale human expertise will be key to businesses looking to counter the cost of inconsistent decisions. “‘To err is human’, and all large organisations rely on humans to make critical operational decisions that affect us all; loan decisions, credit decisions, risk decisions, fraud decisions. But automation can raise the consistency of these critical decisions, while freeing up people to do less of the repetitive work, and more of the nuanced, communication-oriented work that they are best at.

“It’s a pleasure to bring these ideas to ‘Talking Tech’ and explore technology’s impact on business alongside so many forward-thinkers.”

Wednesday, 19 September, 2018 08:30 to 14:00.

The conference venue is: The Space, Roundtree Way, Norwich, NR7 8SQ

Early Bird Discounts!

Book before the 13 July 2018 to take advantage of the early bird rate of just £30 + VAT for a member or £35 + VAT for a non-member. Workshop only tickets will also be available.

For full ticketing and conference information visit our Chamber website: norfolkchamber.co.uk/ events/featured/talkingtech-2018

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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Advertising

Is your bike riding smoothly?

Cycling may be the new corporate answer to golf and as a self-confessed MAMIL (middle aged man in lycra) I could bore you all day about bikes. However, I’m not talking about the latest carbon fibre model with go-faster wheels but something much more important; the ‘bike of life.’

The bike of life, just like a real bike, has two wheels. The front wheel is your ‘business life balance’ and the back wheel is your ‘personal life balance.’

Each wheel has several spokes, which are the important things to you and your business. For example:

are now, and put a dot on the spoke; 0 is really poor and 10 is amazing and can’t get any better. Now comes the fun part! Join the dots up. What do your wheels look like now!?

Personal wheel – family; social; health; well-being; philosophy; money

Most people find that one, if not both, look a bit out of shape.

Imagine if the wheels on your real bike were shaped like that. How well would your bike roll along and how much effort would it take to get to where you’re trying to go? Probably not very well and too much effort to make it worthwhile.

Once you’ve decided what your spokes represent, score each of these from 0 to 10, representing where you

So you can either throw your bike in the hedge and give up on it or carry out repairs. How do you repair the

Business wheel – finance; operations; people; innovation; strategy; marketing

wheels on your bike of life? There are two steps: 1. Bring your line into equilibrium.

What actions do you need to take to get all of your scores level?

2. Let’s say your line sits at 6 out of 10.

The next step is to work out how you move your line to 7, then 8 and so on.

So there you go, it’s as easy as riding a bike!

If you’d like help aligning your wheels and working on strategies to achieve this, please contact Mark on 01603 624181 or email mark.curtis@larking-gowen.co.uk

Mark Curtis Partner

This article is designed for the information of readers. Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, information contained in this article may not be comprehensive and recipients should not act upon it without seeking professional advice. “Larking Gowen” is the trading name of Larking Gowen LLP, which is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales (LLP number OC419486). Where we use the word partner it refers to a member of Larking Gowen LLP. ©Larking Gowen.

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The Heat is on – so keep your IT equipment cool.

Summer is here and however fleeting that appearance may be, temperatures at this time of the year are certainly high. This is great news for those fortunate people on holiday, however not so good for the company server grinding away under a desk.

Larger businesses generally have expensive dedicated server rooms with air purification and temperature controlled zones ensuring their servers and IT infrastructure are in an optimum environment. However small businesses neither have the financial ability or physical space to maintain such as asset.

Fortunately, there are ways to keep your data safe and your equipment cool without investing thousands of pounds. n Keep your environment free of dust and clutter - Dust finds ways

of blocking ventilation, slowing the internal fans inside equipment and generally being a nuisance such as causing short circuits. Clutter is also a tripping risk, fire hazard and disrupts air flow. n Take the temperature regularly and aim to keep it around 20c Take readings at different points in the day. Evenings can be hotter as there is less movement of air when offices are empty.

most of these units require frequent emptying or plumbing to extract the water. Servers dislike moisture more than they do dust. n Consider moving server applications, files and processes to the cloud. - It is far more cost effective and stress free to let Microsoft deal with the temperature

and condition of their data centres and let you get on with the running of your company. Services such as Office 365 can negate the need to have on site servers completely and can be more cost effective.

For more information please email info@cloudspark.co.uk or call 01603 673160

n Air Conditioning - Consider renting a free standing air conditioner. However be aware that

CloudSpark Solutions Ltd provides a complete range of IT solutions from cloud computing support and development, Security and disaster recovery advice to fully managed traditional IT Support.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

JULY/AUGUST 2018

“I take pride in getting to know my clients, so I can deliver a completely bespoke inspection service�

Terry Hammond Engineering Inspector

Do you have questions about risk management?

Speak directly to our team on

01603 967900 www.alanboswell.com/june18

One year on.

We catch up with Chris Sargisson to get his thoughts and reflections on his first year as CEO of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.

It seems impossible to him, and us, but it is a whole year since Chris Sargisson stepped into the role of CEO at Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.

With an enviable reputation as a “disruptive entrepreneur” Chris had been there, at the start of the digital revolution, leading the field, quick to see how technology could be harnessed to reinvigorate businesses and make them customer-centric.

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Working first in financial services, Chris went on to transform a range of industries, including insurance, by using emerging online and digital technology alongside a new generation of skills and cultures to best match the product.

“The key thing” he says, “is that I rarely if ever changed the product. It’s about changing and enhancing the delivery mechanism, behaviours and culture.”

That’s precisely what Chris addressed at the top of his agenda when he joined the Chamber.

‘You have to define the Mission…’

He opens by saying, “You have to define the Mission. And ours is - connecting, supporting and giving voice to every Norfolk business. So it wasn’t about the product which, in our case is The Chamber, it was about how to improve the ways in which we communicate with our members and prospective members, and to those we seek to influence. And it wasn’t just about the technology either. It was about geography. In the last twelve months we have got better at communicating and we’ve reached out more to all the key Norfolk areas like King’s Lynn, Breckland, North Norfolk and Great Yarmouth.

The Chamber needs to represent the whole of the business community in Norfolk.”

Chris is a natural strategist, and his ability to see the ‘big picture’ is one of his numerous strengths.

But make no mistake in assuming that he either lives in an ivory tower, distanced from the details, nor that he exists in a rarified and purely technological world. He’s a communicator first and foremost, seeing technology as an enabler, rather than an end in itself. He’s spent much of his first year out and about, meeting people and engaging current, past and new members to really, as he puts it, ‘get the insight to craft the mission and values and share my thoughts on what change could look like.”

‘Our vision….’

That, we ask, would mean defining the ‘vision’ too wouldn’t it?

“Absolutely” he says. “Our vision is to be ‘always your networked, trusted and expert business partner’. Successful organisations move with the times, investing in the emerging technology yes, but always fostering the right culture.”

Reflecting on that has been key to Chris’ strategy and, ticking them off on his fingers he leads us through the key words in that vision. He sees it like this; n ‘Trust’ - to be totally transparent about what we do and to genuinely represent the interests of our customers, so we are trusted. n ‘Expertise’ – ensuring that everyone we connect with or recommend has genuine expertise so that we are experts at identifying experts and by doing so ensuring that we are the ‘Bentley’ of the business support industry. n ‘Networking’ – so we are connecting businesses with the community, linking needs with solutions. n ‘Partnership’ – we are working with you, not for you, we are with you as your needs or circumstances change. We won’t assume one size fits all in the service that we offer so that you receive the support you need.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Ask him about implementing that, making it happen, and he’s as clear as it’s possible to be.

“I want to apply what I know to make that happen.

Supporting every business is quite a motivational driver to get me out of bed in the morning. I’ve set the team here three clear goals for this year: Create a working culture focused towards customer engagement and support, reinvigorate the experience by transforming and creating new ways to engage and connect, and build new technology so we are reaching out to more people, engaging with them and representing their interests 24/7.”

His vision for the Chamber sits well with his passion and vision for Norfolk. Firm in his beliefs that Norfolk is a region with huge amounts of opportunity and some really incredible business stories and ground-breaking innovation, Chris is adamant that we, as a county, should not feel on the back foot. “The Chamber will always reflect the creativity, technology and innovation that exists here.”

Yet again he backs up his theory with real, practical, attitude. ‘Both the board of directors and myself want to do something fundamentally different so that we truly represent the whole of Norfolk and offer an effective support mechanism to businesses like never before’.

Reflection inevitably means some looking back and it seems an appropriate time to ask Chris JULY/AUGUST 2018

Feature what inspired him to apply for the role of CEO. “First off, I’m firmly rooted in Norfolk. I married a Norfolk girl, both my children are Norfolk born and educated and I’ve built a successful business here. Secondly, I’m really driven by the challenge of simplifying complicated business models so the customer can engage simply, relevantly and always have a ‘value added’ experience. The Chamber has the ability to support everyone. We just need to find all the methods to do that.”

That reference to his having run a successful business leads us to ask his views on what success ‘looks like’.

“For all organisations, growth must always be the focus; and I want to refocus the Chamber on growth. We are very good at understanding what and who we know’ - the ‘known-knowns’.

We’re on a journey now to push into the ‘knownunknowns’ by connecting and supporting all business in the region.”

Chris is very clear about that concept of the ‘journey’. He develops the analogy by referring to the mission as a ‘direction of travel’.

“So we’re off” he says, “moving forward and changing the way that we work. We are in the process of making a 180° turn, from being an inbound organisation to being more outwardlooking and engaged. The more that we engage, the more we will understand what our customers need, rather than guess at it, meaning we can offer better support. We will be your networked, trusted and expert business partner.”

Ask him to sum up his first year and he ponders for a moment, framing the right words.

“We have defined a clear mission. Of course it’s been about change but let me say that the business community has been really supportive of us wanting to do things differently. We have a very receptive audience who are really wanting things to work well. We can do things well because we have an outstanding team

here, and they have not only been immensely supportive of me, but they’ve also been a joy to work with. Bringing about cultural change in an organisation’s culture is one of the most difficult leadership challenges, and I’ve been blessed with colleagues who have embraced that. We have been better in meeting our need to connect, be relevant, supportive and to learn much more about what the business community wants from its Chamber; and that is just what we are putting in place; becoming more outward-looking and customer-centric.”

And does he feel that changes have become visible, tangible?

“Very much so. For instance, we’ve just relaunched ourselves in West Norfolk and we will be rebranding as the Norfolk ‘Chambers’ rather than ‘Chamber’ of Commerce, a subtle but significant difference. We’ve also made the Chamber mobile rather than primarily office-based.

Our team need to have the behaviours and skills that mean they are comfortable with mobile working and we’re tackling this head on.

“We’re putting KPIs in place that will measure whether we are reaching our target of spending 60% of our time out in the business community, rather than in an office. Our team is funded by our membership, so we need to demonstrate that we are representing them.”

In closing we have to ask for a purely personal reflection on Chris’ first year.

“I’m really encouraged that I have expertise that is relevant at the moment. I want to apply that and to add value in the time I am here and enjoy doing it, setting the Chambers - note that plural - on the right path.

I want my first year to be the first of The Chambers’ next 120 years.”

Both the board of directors and myself want to do something fundamentally different so that we truly represent the whole of Norfolk and offer an effective support mechanism to businesses like never before.

JULY/AUGUST 2018

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Celebrate Norfolk Day. Bunting at the ready? Norfolk Day is only weeks away, so don’t forget to make a note of it in your diary: Friday 27 July 2018. Now’s the time to plan how you and your business, or your family and friends will join in the fun and celebrate all that is great about Norfolk.

At the Norfolk Chamber, we’ll be preparing for the big day by showcasing some of the many great businesses in the county, in a series of short 15 second films, as part of our new viral campaign.

Attention-grabbing films, that give an insight into these businesses, their leaders, what they do, why and how they do it, are what we are aiming for. We want to capture and reveal, the innovative, progressive, and creative work companies are undertaking every day across the county, and beyond.

Providing real-life glimpses into the professional business world, and the great things happening here is what it is all about. Whether you want to show your MD talking about the company or a clip of the factory, your office or your colleagues on their commute to work - the possibilities are endless, so let’s get creative!

Our aim is to create a campaign that will have an impact and stop people in their tracks, making them consider the many great things happening

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

in Norfolk today. To add weight to the campaign, both the EDP and BBC will be supporting the project on their media channels.

These show-stopping films will run throughout July until Norfolk Day on Friday 27 July, after which we plan to present the films at a special event – details to be confirmed. Prizes will be awarded for the most creative and funniest films (we know you will keep these entirely professional!).

JULY/AUGUST 2018

Feature

Your Chamber needs you.

This project can only happen with your help. If you haven’t yet got involved, there’s still time! Here’s how you and your business can take part in the campaign.

The team behind the campaign: We are really pleased to say that we have enlisted a team of talented professionals to help with the project: TCD Media JMS Group Eye Film There will even be an opportunity to attend a masterclass on how to get the ball rolling on this project and see our website for some ‘how to’ tips.

Once you have finished your films please feel free to share them on #15secbiz

n Visit the Norfolk Chamber website norfolkchamber.co.uk/norfolkday for ‘how to tips’ and share on #15secbiz n Visit the Norfolk Day Shop, thenorfolkdayshop. mercadoone.com/celebratoryitems, where you can purchase balloons, bunting, celebration packs, flags and posters to help you decorate your office and celebrate on the day. n Let us know what your business has planned for Norfolk Day - are you organising a special event like a product launch or will you be opening your doors to the public?

Email your plans to hello@norfolkchamber.co.uk n Keep up to date on activity planned for Norfolk Day by visiting the EDP’s dedicated Norfolk Day website edp24.co.uk/going-out/ norfolk-day n Download the Norfolk Day logo from norfolkchamber.co.uk/ sites/default/files/fields/files/ page/norfolk_day_logo.jpg n Join in and promote the event on social media, tweet @Norfolk #NorfolkDay or log on to the Norfolk Day Facebook group www.facebook.com/groups/ norfolkday/about

JULY/AUGUST 2018

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Advertising

Why Apprenticeships and good training makes sense.

For employers, apprenticeships present the perfect opportunity to find the next generation of young workers.

With more than 80 different types of apprenticeship available, covering everything from Providing Financial Services to Creative and Digital Media, Modern Apprenticeships now go far beyond traditional trades and offer a great career start for both men and women.

For employers of all sizes looking to attract new young talent, fill vacancies or simply plan for the future, Modern Apprenticeships offer a great way of ensuring their business has the skills it needs to grow.

Three quarters of Modern Apprentice employers report improved productivity as a result of employing apprentices, while 71 per cent said Modern Apprentices improved service or product quality – so the benefits to businesses are clear.

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In addition, investment in training can be the difference between a company surviving and a business that takes advantage of the opportunities as they open up. Train your staff to spot those opportunities and anything is possible

So investing in training is important because: n It allows improved recruiting and holding onto staff. When people know that a company believes in their personal development, they are more likely to join and stay with that company for a longer period of time n It allows improved output. A well trained team that wants to stay with company produces stability and results in a more productive, enthusiastic and motivated workforce

n It can fit in with the company’s aims. Training should fit in with the company’s strategic plan. Training should help employees develop both technical mastery and interpersonal skills such as effective communication, dispute resolution, quality management and team building, and it should be wrapped up within the company’s strategy for growth.

Delivering excellence in Apprenticeships, NVQ’s, Diplomas, and more!

Here at Poultec Training, we pride ourselves in delivering training specific to the needs of your business and your staff. This has led us to establish long-lasting relationships with businesses in many industries and achieve a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating.

• • • •

Apprentices help you attract new talent to your business We work closely with schools, careers services l Business & Administration l Butchery l Contact Centre and other organisations to help you find the l Customer Service l Engineering l Equine l Fitness l Hairdressing & Barbering l Hospitality & Catering perfect applicant l Information Technology l Leadership and Management An Apprentice will work within your business l Manufacturing l Poultry Production l Retail to develop their hands-on skills Contact us for more information!

Funding is available to train Apprentices

South Green Park, Mattishall, Dereham, Norfolk NR20 3JY Tel: 01362 850983 Email: enquiries@poultec.co.uk Web: www.poultec.co.uk

PTL0049.2

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JULY/AUGUST 2018

Training&Apprenticeships About KLM UK Engineering Training KLM UK Engineering has been training engineers for over 30 years in Norwich and has moved to a new facility within the recently opened International Aviation Academy – Norwich. This brand-new purpose built facility, not only has classrooms & workshops for students, but houses a live Boeing 737 Classic Generation aircraft, so students can get hands on. This new facility is located next to the maintenance hangars making it an inspirational place to work & study and is close to the main hub of the business.

We work in partnership with Colleges & Universities to deliver apprenticeships and degree programmes which incorporate EASA courses & B1.1 Licence.

As well as this we offer initial & continuation training and aircraft type training courses, Boeing 737 NG/ MAX & Embraer 170/190. Over recent years we have developed a variety of online training courses which include EASA CAT A, B 1.1 & B2 Licence, Fuel Tank Safety, Human Factors, and Electrical Wiring Interconnect System (EWIS) and can be studied anywhere, anytime via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) which was launched a couple of years ago with great feedback from users.

Luke Frost – Journey at KLM UK Engineering.

Having left school, I knew that a career in aviation was what I wanted, but finding the right route in was the challenge.

I had a real passion for engineering, but wanted to have a better mix of both theory and practical working in aviation maintenance. Whilst researching the options, I worked for 12 months in retail which gave a great foundation as to what ‘working life’ was all about, and helped with the transition into my training. After much research, I decided that an apprenticeship was the best route for me to pursue my passion and interest in aviation.

I joined KLM UK Engineering as an apprentice in the Summer of 2007. The course was split over four years, and was a blend of both theory and practical training. KLM UK Engineering has always had an onsite technical college, so the theoretical and practical elements for aircraft maintenance can be taught at one location, whilst building relationships with the existing engineers and allows them to pass on their expertise. The course was broken into bite size chunks, with different mile stones, the first year completing basic hand skills NVQ training, the second studying for my EASA Part 66 Licence, and the final two years writing about ‘on the job training’ in an Aeronautical Engineering NVQ. At the end of the four years, I graduated from the course, and joined the team as an Approved Aircraft Mechanic, working on many different types of aircraft from Boeing 737’s to Airbus A320’s, Fokker’s and BAE146/RJ. KLM UK Engineering has a diverse mix of aircraft and customers which helps you build a very broad range of skills.

JULY/AUGUST 2018

I have been extremely fortunate to be able to work with KLM UK Engineering. They have been very supportive in offering different work placements around the business to gain a broader skill set and find areas that spark individual passions and interests. The Company has supported me working in our Safety & Compliance Department, and more recently our Innovation Team, looking at new products/methods in the market that can help us deliver the best possible service, and make the engineers life quicker and easier.

My experience has been a great one, and I can’t recommend it enough. I am in an industry which is so varied and has such a diverse range of opportunities. I have had many opportunities, and at the end of it all, I am in a career with fantastic prospects, and don’t owe a penny for my training.

The industry identified a worldwide shortage of aircraft engineers a few years ago and this skills gap needs to be filled. KLM UK Engineering is committed to and passionate about training the next generation of aviation engineers and has been key in promoting this and making it happen through its own apprenticeship scheme, degree programmes and retraining out of industry engineers. The Company also has a high percentage of ex-military staff and embraces their knowledge and skills across the hangars and in the support departments. The Company also supports the engineers through a night school to help gain licences while the engineers continue with the day job.

For all training enquires please contact: +44 (0)1603 254660 / training@klmuk.com For all employment enquires please contact: +44 (0)1603 254446 / jobs@klmuk.com www.klmukengineering.com Twitter @klmukecareers Instagram @klmuke Facebook @klmukengineering LinkedIn KLM UK Engineering Limited

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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Did you know we offer apprenticeships in:-

Agricuture Bench Joinery Business & Management Carpentry Conservation Equine Greenkeeping Horticulture Light & Heavy Vehicle Maintenance Sport Vet Nursing

Our experienced team will be able to offer advice and guidance to levy and non-levy employers.

To discuss in more detail please contact us.

connect@eastonotley.ac.uk 01603 731317

Training&Apprenticeships

Norfolk Agricultural Apprentice of the Year 2018.

2018 has produced another crop of farming apprentices keen to be put to the test to find the Norfolk Agricultural Apprentice 2018. All competent technicians in their specialist fields, the judges selected a clear winner in George Lenihan who is studying for a Level 3 Mixed Apprenticeship at Easton and Otley College.

George’s employer, Robert Alston of Silfield Farms Ltd was keen that George entered the competition run by the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA) which aims to showcase the excellent range of career opportunities in modern farming.

Robert Copeland, Silfield’s Farm manager explained: ‘Our industry has so many good career paths for technically minded, practical, bright young people these days but sadly the schools are still not promoting agriculture properly to their pupils, despite the good salaries on offer.

George’s standard of work is brilliant, he follows instruction well and being mechanically minded, is good at looking after the machinery and equipment he is using. Training up staff through an apprenticeship is working really well, we have been able to tutor George into our way of working from the beginning and in turn he brings back fresh ideas from his college work.’

George drives a CAT Challenger on the 1700 ac arable farm and takes his turn on the combine at harvest. The business has a number of different enterprises including property, share farming with a neighbour and a gluten free flour production giving George a wide variety of work.

‘I chose to study through an apprenticeship as I wanted to get the best training whilst avoiding getting into debt with a student loan. I go into college for one week every six weeks and in between get on with my on-line portfolio. I’ve also had the opportunity to travel in Europe on educational visits which are a great opportunity to learn different aspects of the industry’ Ben Turner, Ben Burgess & Co’s - Sales and Marketing Manager who judged the students on behalf of the RNAA said, ‘Each entrant submits a short video of themselves made on their mobile phones to illustrate what they do at work and all that they are learning. It was encouraging to interview such enthusiastic young people. They demonstrated just why an apprenticeship is an excellent way to attract just the right sort of staff into our industry.’

Tim Styles, from Fram Farmers Ltd who sponsor the competition and joined Ben in the judging said, ‘Fram Farmers are delighted to be sponsors again, our members tell us that they want to raise awareness of the excellent career opportunities that there are in today’s modern agriculture businesses. This award is designed to be an accolade to champion our industry, raising

its profile in the county’s schools and colleges and fueling ambition and aspiration in our young people to encourage them into our industry’ The runner up was Luke Dewing apprentice at the John Innes Centre. Luke started his studies by completing an extended Diploma in Horticulture and is now expanding his arable knowledge through an apprenticeship working in field trials and the glass houses.

Cathy Mumford from the John Innes Centre said: ‘Luke quickly grasped the technology behind the specialist machinery we use such as plot drills and plot combines. He works carefully and independently and is very interested in the research we facilitate’.

The competition which is now in its second year explained is facilitated by Easton & Otley College, the winner receives a cheque for £100 along with the RNAA’s trophy and a free short training course such as chain saw operator. The runner up receives a cheque for £50 along with a trophy.

The prizes were presented at the Norfolk Show

by Ben turner MD Ben Burgess & Co, this year’s show president.

Training up staff through an apprenticeship is working really well, we have been able to tutor George into our way of working from the beginning and in turn he brings back fresh ideas from his college work.

JULY/AUGUST 2018

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The College of West Anglia is one of the largest and most experienced providers of apprenticeships in the region, offering a wide range of apprenticeships across different industry areas.

Hiring an apprentice is a productive and effective way for any business to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workplace. Employers who have an established apprenticeship programme reported that productivity in their workplace had improved by 76%.

(Employer Guide to Apprenticeships 2018, National Apprenticeship Service) Other benefits that apprenticeships contribute towards include: • Increased employee satisfaction • Reduced staff turnover • Reduced recruitment costs The College of West Anglia offer a range of apprenticeships including: • Brickwork • Business, Admin, Management & Team Leading • Carpentry • Catering & Hospitality • Childcare • Customer Service • Electrical • Engineering • Hairdressing • Health & Social Care • Horticulture • Information Technology • Laboratory Technician • Motor Vehicle Maintenance • Painting, Decorating & Property Maintenance • Plumbing • Retail • Sport • Teaching & Learning • Veterinary Nursing Plus many more in development including higher level apprenticeships.

CHLOE LUDKIN

Laboratory Technician Apprenticeship Chloe works for Treatt, an ingredients manufacturer and solutions provider to the global flavour, fragrance and consumer goods markets. She successfully completed the level 2 laboratory technician apprenticeship with the College of West Anglia.

Chloe said: ““I was offered a place at university but decided on an apprenticeship as it meant I could earn a wage, gain qualifications and receive in-house training. Completing my apprenticeship lead to a full-time position within the company so I didn’t have the stress of finding employment, something I would have to do if I went to university.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT

CWA.AC.UK OR CALL 01553 761 144

Training&Apprenticeships Are you missing an opportunity to grow your business?

You wouldn’t turn down free money, would you? Well, right now SME’s can benefit from 90% funding to develop their leaders and managers, but many are missing out because of confusion and misinformation about the Apprenticeship Levy. Before you write it off, do you know the facts?

Recognise any of the following in your business? n Growing business, but struggling to succession plan n Managers lack confidence to make decisions n Technically proficient people struggle to manage their people n Managers fail to tackle underperformance If any of these are true for your business you will be dragged into the detail, working in the business rather than working on it.

2. You can’t use it to develop your existing staff.

Many small businesses can’t afford to recruit, so developing existing staff is vital. These qualifications are designed for experienced staff.

3. 20% of time ‘off-the-job’ This puts a lot of people off and stems from a misunderstanding of new apprenticeship standards. There are classroom-based workshops, but most of the time is spent productively applying knowledge, adding value in the workplace.

If you’re not focusing on the future needs of the business to keep it growing, who else will?

Many small business owners recognise these challenges but lack the funds to invest. That’s where this funding helps.

It is ring-fenced to increase the provision of apprenticeships within SME’s and yet, many small business owners write this off as irrelevant.

So, let’s dispel a few myths:

4 Apprenticeship Levy myths exposed 1. Apprenticeships are only for new starters.

You don’t have to be 16-24 or wet-behind-theears. Ok, might be an image problem, but you don’t have to call your staff who undertake them ‘apprentices’.

4. This is only for Levy payers If you have a wage bill of under £3m then you qualify for 90% funding towards any apprenticeships from the Adult Education Budget. That includes Leadership and Management Diplomas.

Find out more about how you and your business could benefit? Call Lighthouse on 01473 610555. www.lighthouse-group.co.uk

33 PROVIDING FIRST CLASS TRAINING AND CONSULTANCY SERVICES TO INDIVIDUAL AND CORPORATE CLIENTS ACROSS EAST ANGLIA

01603 261768

Bluebell Barn Annex, High Common, Hardingham, Norfolk, NR9 4AE

info@blstraining.co.uk www.blstraining.co.uk

JULY/AUGUST 2018

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MemberNews

Kate Tansley

Start-Rite Shoes appoints Product Director.

Premier Travel nominated for travel agency of the year.

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An East Anglian travel firm is a finalist for two travel agency of the year accolades in the UK’s most prestigious industry awards.

prestigious events of the year in the UK travel trade industry.

Premier Travel’s branches in Norwich, Swaffham, Dereham and Wymondham are in the running for Large Agency of the Year in two categories - London and South East England, and Central England – in the 2018 Agent Achievement Awards.

Paul Waters, director at Premier Travel, said: “We are delighted to be nominated for this prestigious accolade; to have been selected as a finalist in this category is excellent news for our staff. This has been a fantastic year for Premier Travel, with an increase in sales year on year and several award nominations under our belt. We are very proud of the results that our team of dedicated staff has achieved.”

The annual awards honour the best travel firms and consultants in the UK, organised by leading trade title Travel Weekly. It is regarded as one of the most

Premier Travel will go up against four other travel agencies in both categories at the awards ceremony in July.

Archant launches new marketing services business.

Archant Local Impact is a new marketing services business brought to you by Archant in partnership with Hearst.

Local Impact aims to offer small businesses a full marketing service. It will offer customers everything from simple advice to a complete marketing campaign.

With a range of products including print advertising, digital display, content marketing, social media, search engine optimisation, email marketing, pay per click and digital presence management,

Local Impact aims to help local businesses to improve their marketing presence across a range of platforms.

Local Impact customers also have access to a unique, easy to use, reporting portal. This portal allows clients to track how each element of their campaigns are performing in real time, providing measurable

and accurate results and allowing companies to simply and quickly see how ads are performing. It also allows them to make changes to their campaigns and elements all within one simple tool.

Archant has partnered with Hearst Communications, who are one of the world’s major media and information companies and whose portfolio includes worldwide magazines such as Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Elle and Esquire, and numerous newspaper titles in the US.

Have you got a news story to tell? Publish on the Chamber website and share with 1000’s of monthly visitors.

Call Dominique Bivar Segurado 01603 7729709 for help and information.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Start-Rite Shoes has appointed Kate Tansley as Product Director to provide leadership and direction for the strategic development of its product portfolio.

Kate has extensive experience in product environments; her last role was that of Brand Director at Multiyork where she was responsible for its creative and brand strategies, as well as the briefing of all product design and development. Prior to this, Kate held positions with Harrods, Tesco’s, TK Maxx and British Home Stores.

Ian Watson, Chief Executive Officer, said: “Kate boasts a very strong, category focussed background and will be instrumental in bringing our strategic vision to life. She will have overall responsibility for our Product, Technical and Design teams and we’re delighted to have her on board.”

Kate Tansley, Product Director, Start-Rite Shoes, said: “I am delighted to be joining the team at Start-Rite. I have a passion for product and design and I’m excited to be applying this to a new category. Children’s shoes are close to my heart and I’m looking forward to developing the product portfolio with our expert design and technical team. I’ve always been a Start-Rite customer, they are a brand that inspires trust through their great heritage and expertise.

Our new brand positioning builds from this while refocusing on the pioneering spirit that was so central to Start-Rite in the past. We know kids and take a lot of time and care to understand what they need from their shoes as they grow and develop - that for me is what makes our design approach so refreshing.”

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce

JULY/AUGUST 2018

Advertising

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“You produce TV ads... in Hethersett? Really?“ We get that a lot. People are surprised when they hear there’s a TV commercial production company on a farm just outside Norwich, and that we’ve been here for thirty-five years.

Our commercials - for regional and national brands - are seen around the clock on channels across the nation and, above all, they deliver great results! That’s why we are recommended by both Sky AdSmart and ITV. This year we have put TaxAssist Accountants, TrustATrader, University of Suffolk, Crisp ‘n Dry, and the East Anglian Air Ambulance on TV across the region.

Get YOUR business on air, in primetime breaks, for less than you’d think. Find out about the potential of TV advertising, call JMS Group on 01603 811855.

jms-group.com JULY/AUGUST 2018

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Advertising

Do you think business events are a waste of resources? You’re doing it wrong.

Here is some advice from a professional organiser on how to create an event that delivers a return on investment.

The financial crisis and ensuing recession changed everything – and those working in the events industry were hit hard. Gone were the days of lavish budgets and using events as a spending exercise, it was time to get creative. While nobody would have wanted that cataclysmic global event to happen, the change it forced on my industry hasn’t been all bad. In fact, I’d argue that it’s revitalised the work we do as events professionals, compelled us to work more closely with in-house marketing teams and the benefit to our clients is significant. That’s why when you do them right, events can deliver a great return on your investment.

So, how do you avoid the pitfalls of staging an event?

Speak to a professional

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There’s a good reason why an events specialist should be your first investment and that’s because of the amount of time and money they can save you. Don’t expect your in-house team

to have the knowledge and expertise to deliver a great event because the chances are that they won’t. There are several key decisions an events professional will help you make – including whether your idea can be achieved for the budget you have, the right suppliers to use to help you deliver a great experience and any risks you need to take into account.

Decide on your business goals It’s so easy to hit upon an idea you love and get carried away with excitement. You need to keep your business goals in focus. Ask yourself, how does this event fit into the bigger picture of our marketing activities? What value will it create for my target audience? How does the customer experience map out at the event and beyond? Any events professional you use should be guiding you through these questions, and helping you to define what a return on investment means for your company and how to achieve it.

Be realistic I’ve spoken to a lot of local businesses who have amazing ideas for events but don’t have the budgets to make them happen. This doesn’t have to be the end of the conversation, because any events professional worth their salt will help you find innovative ways to solve gaps in funding.

They’ll also be able to give you advice on the timeline of event preparation. Fantastic events involve a time investment and can’t be turned around in two weeks, so be prepared to take your time.

Mitigate risk Every decision you take in your events planning will have consequences so think them through. An events manager will help you avoid making costly mistakes, or taking a decision that could backfire on another part of the planning. Minimising risk and fighting fires are badges of honour for seasoned events pros. Let us help you deliver an amazing experience on budget and on time.

CHRISTMAS PARTY NIGHTS PREPARE TO BE DAZZLED AND HAVE SOME FUN!

In our Manhattan inspired marquee for the ultimate Christmas party

From £24.95!

Call Caroline on 01603 759393 before the 31st July and quote ‘Norfolk Voice’ for an exclusive afternoon tea bookers treat.

Honingham Road, Barnham Broom, Norwich, Norfolk NR9 4DD www.barnham-broom.co.uk | enquiry@barnham-broom.co.uk NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

JULY/AUGUST 2018

Hospitality&Events

The perfect solution for your business needs and corporate events From private meetings of 2 people to 120 capacity seminars, we have conference suites to suit all needs and requirements.

Hot and cold refreshments, be it a platter of sandwiches to a three course gourmet dinner can be requested for your attendees.

Here at Park Farm Hotel we can provide the facilities and service specific to your needs as a large scale company or a private business.

Equipment is available to meet your requirements, such as projectors and large wall mounted screens, as well as photocopying and faxing services. You can be assured of an efficient, friendly team on hand to assist you at any time.

Quote “Chamber of Commerce” to receive a free gift when booking your event.

Terms and Conditions apply Telephone: +44 (0)1603 810264

Email: enq@parkfarm-hotel.co.uk

web: www.parkfarm-hotel.co.uk

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one of the most exciting and versatile conference venues in the region Coming this Summer, Norwich city centre conference venue, OPEN Conference, are launching a day delegate rate (DDR) with prices from as little as £25 (plus VAT). Not only that, every penny of profit from all conference bookings goes towards OPEN Youth Trust, a charity providing activities promoting resilience for disadvantaged young people living in Norfolk.

Save the date!

On Saturday 8th September, join us as at our Wine and Cheese Tasting event, where you’ll be able to enjoy a variety of local cheeses along with a wide range of wines.

OPEN Conference provides a bespoke service with rooms ideal for meetings and events accommodating 4 – 60 delegates plus a versatile two-level Club room and a large multi-purpose Banking Hall holding up to 500 theatre style. Each space offers a plethora of possibilities to suit your individual requirements and most rooms are also fully licensed for wedding ceremonies, allowing you an intimate gathering or extravagant party.

Or choose to celebrate Christmas with us in the splendour of our Banking Hall, on any Thursday in December (weekends all sold out!) for just £30. Included is a 3 course locally sourced traditional Christmas dinner with live music, licensed bar and cocktail menu to ensure you enjoy a fabulous evening.

So, whether you’re looking for a unique and professional venue to host your conferences or are celebrating a birthday, wedding, graduation or Christmas party, we have the space, onsite catering and dedicated team to work together and create an individualised package to suit all your requirements.

Further details about room availability call 01603 252117 or 252123 and for details of all our events including our Christmas parties, Wine and Cheese Tasting visit www.opennorwich.org.uk

JULY/AUGUST 2018

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Advertising

Meet Head Chef, Marcin “Magic” Pomierny Describe your journey to becoming Head Chef at the Maids Head Hotel, Norwich

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I trained as a Chef in my home town of Krakow in Poland and came to Norwich in 2005 when I was 20. Initially I worked as a kitchen porter to improve my English, taking up several Chef positions before joining the Maids Head Hotel in 2013, when I was appointed Head Chef.

2 AA Rosette WinePress Restaurant Contemporary Accommodation Weddings | Meetings | Events

What have been the highlights of your career?

Being voted Chef of the Year in the EDP Norfolk Food and Drink Awards in 2016, the same year that I earnt a second AA Rosette for our WinePress Restaurant. This year has also been extremely exciting reaching the semi finals of the Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year competition. Working with a great team of Chefs at the Maids Head has certainly helped me to achieve these goals.

Describe the ingredients you like to cook with I am extremely passionate about using English produce and my menus always reflect this. We choose to champion local suppliers whenever possible. The A La Carte menu for the WinePress Restaurant changes every few months and the dishes always reflect the seasons. Currently my favourite dish is the duo of English lamb, mint panisse, tomato ragout, pickled onion, red pepper sauce and salsa verde. It is all about the intense flavours, the textures and how the colours and shapes all sit perfectly on the plate to tempt the diner with their eyes.

Explain what motivates you most in your role?

I love to cook using a wide range of amazing ingredients and to go that extra mile, whether making the Bride’s favourite flavour of ice cream for her wedding day or designing a bespoke tasting menu for an intimate dinner in our “Snug”.

These all create amazing memories for our guests. I work closely with our great Front of House team whose expertise and passion reflects my own and allows for the perfect dining experience.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Maids Head Hotel, 20 Tombland, Norwich, NR3 1LB 01603 209955 winepress@maidsheadhotel.co.uk www.maidsheadhotel.co.uk Complimentary Car Parking JULY/AUGUST 2018

Hospitality&Events Your team adventure starts here Your team adventure starts here Team away days and group activity Team away in days and group activity sessions a stunning location sessions in a stunning location

Corporate activity days Corporate activity days

Cabin meeting room hire Cabin meeting room hire

Team building activities Team building activities Bespoke Land and Water activities Bespoke Land and Water activities Climbing Sailing SUP C limbing P U Sailing S Kayak Kayak

Archery Archery

Canoeing Canoeing

Courses start from £20 Courses start from £20

Norfolk County Council Norfolk County Council Educator Solutions is a trading enterprise of

01603 632307 01603 632307 www.whitlinghamadventure.org.uk www.whitlinghamadventure.org.uk

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S3287 Norfolk Voice Corporate Ad v4.qxp_Layout 1 31/01/2018 08:55 Page 1

Deliver your best

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JULY/AUGUST 2018 89x126mm_NorfolkVoices_Art.indd 1

07/12/2017 11:46

King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 3HQ T: 01553 675 566 E: conference@knightshill.co.uk

www.knightshill.co.uk

Sister Hotels: Le Strange Arms Hotel, Old Hunstanton, Norfolk PE36 6JJ Orton Hall Hotel & Spa, Peterborough, Cambs PE2 7DN

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Diary Dates.

Networking Events Sixty Minute Seminars: Perfect your Pitch Where: Yours Business Networks, King’s Lynn When: Wednesday, 25 July, 09:00 to 10:30 Join Norfolk Chamber for a new event series in King’s Lynn that delivers expert led training sessions by Norfolk Chamber members. Start your morning with 30 minutes of networking over coffee and pastries, followed by a free 60 minute training seminar to boost your business performance.

Fenland Quiz & Hog Roast

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Where: Elgood & Sons Ltd, Wisbech When: Wednesday, 25 July, 17:00 to 20:00 Come and meet members of Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce to learn about new opportunities and perhaps even pick up a few referrals outside of Norfolk. The evening will kick-start with some networking followed by a quiz and hog roast.

After Hours: Cocktails & Pizza Where: Chambers Cocktails Company, Norwich When: Thursday, 26 July, 18:00 to 20:00 This summer, Norfolk Chamber are taking you to Chambers Cocktail Company for a fun evening of networking with a twist! You’ll get the chance to try your hand at making one of their delicious cocktails from their new menu - and that’s not the best part. We’ll also bring you a fresh delivery from Brick Pizza!

After Hours: Look the Business 2018 Where: Jarrold, Norwich When: Thursday, 23 August, 17:30 to 20:00 Our After Hours series continues with an evening of networking, nibbles, beauty and fashion!

Our hosts Jarrold will provide a fabulous evening with the hottest trends in business and casual fashion. Attendees will also be treated to an exclusive shopping discount on the night as we let you shop after hours.

Great Yarmouth Business Breakfast Where: Great Yarmouth When: Thursday, 13 September, 07:30 to 09:30 Join Norfolk Chamber for our business breakfast in Great Yarmouth. Make new contacts and catch up with existing ones as you network over a delicious breakfast.

Special Events Talking Tech 2018 Where: The Space, Norwich When: Wednesday, 19 September, 08:30 to 14:00 Talking Tech is a half-day conference bringing together local and national speakers for an interactive and inspiring event.

The event is made up of keynote speakers, panel discussions, workshops, a tech themed exhibition and over 180 business attendees.

The B2B Exhibition 2018 Where: Norwich City Football Club When: Thursday, 11 October, 10:00 to 16:00 Celebrating its 20th year in 2018, the region’s premier business to business exhibition returns to Carrow Road this October.

This unmissable event offers businesses a chance to showcase what they can offer to hundreds of visitors that are keen to discover new ideas and opportunities for their businesses.

For more information, to see a full list of upcoming events, or to book visit: norfolkchamber. co.uk/events

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

JULY/AUGUST 2018

MemberNews ChamberEvents

Wednesday 19 September, 08:30 – 14:00 The Space, Norwich

Norfolk Chamber’s flagship technology event, Talking Tech, is back this September. Now in its fourth year, the event is having a major shakeup to its regular agenda, making it the biggest it’s ever been.

Be at B2B! Thursday 11 October 2018, 10:00 - 16:00 Norwich City Football Club

The B2B Exhibition stands are selling at a record rate for 2018.

The B2B Exhibition 2018 is on track to sell out months before the exhibition date with over 70 stand spaces already booked. This unmissable event gives your business the opportunity to showcase the amazing things it does to over 750 business attendees.

The Norfolk Chamber half-day conference on Wednesday 19th September at The Space, Norwich features local and national industry specialists. The focus for this year’s event is ‘what’s coming’, giving delegates an insight into how technology will continue to change and adapt their businesses in the future.

Stand bookings include: n Extensive brand exposure through profiling in EDP supplement n Flexibility to choose the stand size and placement of your choice n Access to a marketing toolkit n Exhibitor training and top tips n And more!

We also have a range of exciting sponsorship opportunities available designed to give you maximum exposure at this premier event.

For more information or to book your stand visit norfolkchamber.co.uk/b2b

This year the speaker line-up has almost doubled with speakers joining us from Rainbird Technologies, Fountain, Orbital Media and the University of East Anglia.

This significant increase in speakers means the event will cover a wider range of topics and bring more experts together from different backgrounds in technology.

A first for this event, a series of panel discussions will be held with topics including Virtual Reality and disruptive technology. These panels are designed to get the audience involved in the conference, asking their questions direct to a selection of experts. Norfolk Chamber are also asking delegates to pre-submit questions, allowing attendees to lead the discussions.

Closing the event will be a networking lunch followed by a selection of 2 workshops. Special ‘workshop-only’ tickets have been released this year for those who only wish to attend the workshops and not the whole conference.

Early bird tickets are now available for the conference until Friday 13th July. Don’t make this superstitious date unlucky by booking your tickets for Talking Tech 2018 today.

Tickets can be booked at norfolkchamber.co.uk/ talkingtech18

JULY/AUGUST 2018

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

41

Expert, affordable courses and free training.

Business Training.

Chamber Training offers a wide range of training solutions to help you unlock the potential of your workforce and boost your business performance.

Twitter for Business 10/07/2018, 09:00 to 12:30 Chris and Sara Greenfield,Bright Yellow Marketing

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Did you know that you can use Twitter to locate potential customers based on their tweets? Of all the social media platforms, Twitter is one of the most versatile to use. No need to have any prior connection, Twitter allows you to connect easily with potential customers and suppliers.

Time Management

Improve your E-commerce Sales

12/07/2018, 13:00 to 16:30

17/07/2018, 09:00 to 12:30

Finance for Non-Financial Managers

Ian Hacon, Yellow Brick Road

Michael Townsend, Wolf Digital Marketing

12/09/2018, 09:00 to 12:30

In this session, we will cover TimeManagement and offer some strategies to be more effective. What we mean by TimeManagement? In this context the great Peter F Drucker captures it all.

If your business sells products online there is an enormous opportunity to increase the profitability and number of direct sales coming through your website. This half-day training course run by Michael Townsend, Managing Director of Wolf Digital Marketing, will look at the key elements that your website will need to increase sales and conversions.

Julian Hammond, TIPS for Good Management

Create Profitable Google AdWords Campaigns

Building Rapport with Clients 02/10/2018, 09:00 to 12:30

How to Improve your Sales Success

25/09/2018, 09:00 to 12:30

Ermine Amies, Sandler Training

18/10/2018, 13:00 to 16:30

Michael Townsend, Wolf Digital Marketing

Ermine Amies from Sandler Training will help you develop your rapport building skills in an engaging and entertaining way. You will get some serious insights you can put into action straight away. Practical effective training.

Matt Sykes, Salescadence

This interactive half-day workshop will be delivered by Google AdWords Specialist, Michael Townsend, Managing Director of Wolf Digital Marketing. This AdWords training course will give delegates an in-depth & comprehensive view of what elements combine to create profitable campaigns.

To book your place on a training course visit norfolkchamber.co.uk/training

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

This session aims to give you the basic knowledge about how financial controls work in a UK organisation including P & L Statements, Balance Sheets and Cash Flow.

The starting point is to understand the saying: “Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity and cash is king!” and how finance is distributed in a business.

This transformational session ran by Matt Sykes from Salescandance is designed to help you understand how to address those two problems. Selling is a fundamental business skill that is totally learnable and one that anyone can master.

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce

JULY/AUGUST 2018

MemberNews ChamberTraining

International Export Training.

Delivered by experienced trainers, these courses are specifically designed for staff involved in exporting and/or importing goods to and from the UK. Most International Trade courses are BCC Accredited.

Export Documentation

43 Customs Procedures and Documentation

Preference Rules of Origin

Your company’s success in the field of exporting hinges upon the practical knowledge and expertise of the staff involved.

This accredited course creates confidence and proficiency through clarifying and educating on any export documentation and teaches you how to produce documentation.

13/09/2018 09:30 to 12:30

This course will benefit exporters/importers with accurate documentation and greater understanding of the rules of origin. By the end of this course you will understand the determining preference rules of origin and the percentage rule and how to apply it.

Incoterms 2010

Import Procedures

03/10/2018 09:30 to 16:00

04/10/2018 09:30 to 16:00

As international trade becomes increasingly more complex, universally used rules are essential to avoid misunderstandings and costly disputes. This course looks at the rules from a practical point of view and explains all the costs, delivery and risk implications and where to go for more help and information.

This full day course will explain import documentation and giving knowledge of the key elements of important procedures, including where to go for sources of information and assistance. It will also cover how to comply with customs procedures.

19/07/2018 09:30 to 16:00

The course highlights the company’s and the individual’s legal responsibilities when declaring cargo to HM Revenue and Customs.

By the end of the course you will have a working knowledge on the UK trade tariff, the different duties payable and how to calculate them.

To book any of the training courses please visit norfolkchamber.co.uk/training

JULY/AUGUST 2018

13/09/2018 13:00 – 16:00

Letter of Credit/Methods of Payment 25/10/2018 - 09:30 to 16:00 This full day course aims to provide delegates with knowledge and understanding of procedures involved to ensure they are paid for their goods. Can you describe the four main methods of payment and three types of letters of credit? With over 75% of letters of credit being rejected on first presentation to the bank, companies what to be able to avoid the extra costs involved.

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

GoldPatrons

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A delegation of stakeholder from the East Anglian region were invited as guests of Abellio to visit the Stadler factory in Switzerland to see the new trains in production. Fiona Ryder, Vice President of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce was amongst the delegates

Entire fleet of trains to be replaced

by Greater Anglia.

Greater Anglia is replacing its entire fleet of trains in 2019/20 in a £1.4billion investment programme.

169 new trains made of up of 1043 new carriages are being built by two train manufacturers - Bombardier (665 carriages) in Derby and Stadler (378 carriages) in Switzerland.

The new Stadler intercity trains are expected to improve the journey time from London to Norwich by an estimated 10 minutes, a significant step in the right direction for regular services into London delivering a journey time of 90 minutes or fewer from Norwich and 60 minutes or fewer from Ipswich on some daily weekday services bringing a boost to the local economy.

Mike Kean, Abellio’s Deputy Managing Director said the new Stadler fleet would enable Abellio to move from ‘Train constrained to infrastructure constrained’.

The first trains are almost complete and will then go through a testing, commissioning and employee training programme, initially on the continent and then in the UK, over the next 12 months.

The new trains all have air conditioning, wi-fi, plug points, USB ports, improved accessibility and cycle parking. The intercity trains also have First Class accommodation and a café bar.

The new Intercity Stadler train The 58 trains Stadler is building include both the 10 intercity trains for the Norwich - Ipswich Colchester - London route and the 38 “bi-mode” trains (which can operate with both diesel and electric power) for the regional and local lines across Norfolk from Norwich to Cambridge, Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. They are also building the 10 new Stansted Express trains.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

As well as an improved travelling environment, they will provide at least 20% more seats, better reliability and some new services, such as some direct Norwich to Stansted Airport services, as well as 4 direct Lowestoft to London services and hourly Ipswich to Peterborough services on weekdays.

The first new trains are due to enter passenger service in early Summer 2019, with some of the bi-mode trains phased in on the local lines in Norfolk and Suffolk, at the start of the full roll-out, which is due to be complete at the end of 2020.

JULY/AUGUST 2018

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE YALE CENTER FOR BRITISH ART

Norwich Castle

Museum & Art Gallery

23 June – 23 September 2018

www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk

Mounted nautilus cup.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

A Food Centre for Norfolk.

GoldPatrons

South Norfolk Council has been investigating the feasibility of building a Food Centre in the county.

Norfolk has a strong heritage in agriculture and food & drink manufacturing, which together contributed £4.42bn of GVA to the East of England economy in 2015 (ONS GVA Income Approach, 2016). Nationally recognised brands are manufactured in Norfolk, including Bernard Matthews, Colman’s Mustard and Kettle Crisps.

Discussion with Norfolk’s food and drink manufacturers and stakeholders – primarily through our Environmental Health Officers identified a demand for good quality food grade premises, which are required to meet strict regulatory standards but are in short supply to SMEs in the region. We commissioned the Food & Drink Forum to carry out a feasibility study which has confirmed the need.

Businesses also identified a need for specialist food and drink support to help them grow sustainable businesses, e.g., to develop new products, achieve food management standards and improve their production processes.

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The most sensible location for a Food Centre is the Food Enterprise Park near Norwich. A Food Centre would offer various sized food-grade

premises that SME manufacturers can rent to expand their businesses.

seasonal products without needing to commit to premises on a long-term basis.

We want it to include a Hub from which tenant and regional manufacturers can access support. It will provide a development kitchen for creating, trialling and showcasing new products. A production kitchen would be enable manufacturers to scale-up production to supply new customers or manufacture

We’re working closely with colleagues from Broadland Council to develop something that would benefit the whole of Norfolk. We believe a Food Centre would help to increase the proportion of Norfolk’s agricultural output processed in the region (currently less than half) and encourage our small and medium businesses. We plan to publish the study in July.

MIGSOLV launch data backup for businesses of all sizes.

Norfolk’s world-class data centre has partnered with disaster recovery specialists to launch an easily accessed data backup service for businesses of all sizes.

The stand-alone service provides a simple way for any organisation to create a fully encrypted backup of their data. Should their IT be subject to an attack or failure, their data can be quickly recovered and restored.

“This is an important development for MIGSOLV” says David Manning, MIGSOLV’s Managing Director. “As well as housing physical servers and IT, we can now provide a simple way for every organisation to take advantage of our facilities and protection.”

The new cloud-based service utilises hardware housed in MIGSOLV’s data centre and managed

by Blocz IO. A 256-bit encrypted copy of an organisation’s data is taken from their existing IT and, in the event of a cyber or physical attack, it can be quickly recovered and thus restore the organisation to business-as-usual.

“This is a great way for smaller businesses to feel safe and secure.” adds David. “They have the reassurance of a full disaster recovery backup, with peace-of-mind they know exactly where and how their data is being protected.”

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

As well as businesses looking for an easy way to backup their data, the service is expected to appeal to organisations with an existing backup looking for an additional line of defence.

Best-practice guidelines now recommend organisations hold three copies of all sensitive or critical data, stored in different locations. In particular, it will help companies address new GDPR legislation by providing evidence of UK data sovereignty and protection.

For more information, visit www.migsolv.com

JULY/AUGUST 2018

Mineral Surveying

It’s all about Commercial Whether you are an investor, developer, landlord, or a business seeking to move premises, receiving the right commercial property advice is key.

We are a forward-thinking, independent firm with an in-depth knowledge of the local, regional and national commercial property markets. We manage a diverse range of properties, working with owners of offices, shops, industrial units and other commercial premises.

We provide expert solutions to help protect your property investment and keep your business running smoothly. Our range of tailor-made services, including valuations, property acquisition, planning & development, property management, sales and lettings means that we can cater for virtually every need.

Valuations

With access to comprehensive market data, our team of RICS Registered Valuers provide accurate, reliable and impartial property valuations on a wide range of commercial properties for a diverse range of purchasers.

Property Management

We manage a diverse range of commercial properties. Our services include the management of assets on behalf of owners – negotiations for new leases, lease renewals and rent reviews, collection of rents and other income, service charge budgeting and administration, plus immediate and adapted response to any issues.

Property Acquisition

If you are a business or investor looking to find new premises (to purchase or lease), we will use our expert knowledge of the local commercial property market and unrivalled contacts across the region to source ideal properties and fully assist through negotiations.

Property Sales

We make the process of selling your commercial property a simple and effective one. From an initial market appraisal, through the entire negotiation process, you will be informed and consulted at every step.

Property Lettings

We always negotiate the best possible lease terms for landlord clients; with all negotiations expertly conducted in accordance with the Lease Code.

Planning & Development

We offer comprehensive and technical advice to investors, landowners and developers with regard to both the planning and the development process.

Business Rates

We have up-to-date knowledge of the rating system, including business rate exemptions and reliefs. We also offer advice to businesses on whether an appeal against their business rating could result in significant savings.

Other Services

We also offer residential survey services to individual homeowners, throughout the purchase process and beyond. We operate throughout Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Tyne & Wear and County Durham.

For more information about any of our services, please contact our specialist team on 01603 751577 or email: survey@watsons-property.co.uk

To support the continued growth of our surveying business, we have recently expanded to provide mineral surveying and land agency services across the UK. We can advise on a large range of property issues pertaining to minerals and waste, together with associated industrial properties. These include valuations, negotiations concerning option agreements for leases, the acquisition and disposal of property, compulsory purchase, rent and royalty reviews and business rates Our mineral surveyor can offer advice on potential mineral sites, ascertaining the commercial potential of mining or quarrying, assessing risk, mapping mineral deposits and predicting the environmental impact of extraction.

We can advise upon and negotiate legal contracts, manage and develop individual sites, plus map and record the extent of any mineral reserves.

Once a site has been exhausted, we will work closely with other land and planning professionals in the restoration and aftercare of the land.

We’re experts on a large number of operating sites, including: • Landfill and waste management sites • Aggregate and chalk quarries • Onshore oil and gas installations • Methane extraction sites • Mechanical biological treatment facilities • Concrete and asphalt batching plants • Brickworks • Recycling centres • Waste transfer stations.

For more information about our mineral surveying services, please contact our team on 01603 751577 or email: survey@watsons-property.co.uk

Membership means more.

NewMembers

The Norfolk Chamber of Commerce is really pleased to welcome our new Chamber Members. Below you will find their company and contact information. We look forward to supporting all our new and current members over the following year. The team are here to support you and your business our contact details can also be found on the opposite page, so do get in touch.

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8 Retail Consulting

Face to Face Finance

The County Wire Ltd

07951201044 www.8rc.co.uk Consultants

01603 625100 ftof-finance.co.uk Finance

01603 555310 norfolkwire.co.uk Marketing Services

Andrew Denny Consulting

Governors For Schools

The Dial House

07798 616237 www.andrewdennyconsulting.co.uk Consultants (Business/Management)

020 7354 9805 www.governorsforschools.org.uk Education

01603 879900 www.thedialhouse.org.uk Restaurant with Rooms

Blink SEO

Invisible Vision Ltd

The Maids Head Hotel

01603 928247 www.blinkseo.co.uk Marketing

01603 631155 www.invisiblevision.com Audio Visual Presentation Equipment

01603 209955 www.maidsheadhotel.co.uk Hotels

Blue Lights Digital

Prospect Consultancy

Todd Hayes

07506 434036 Technology

07702 555510 www.prospectconsultancy.org.uk Consultants

01603 251787 www.toddhayes.co.uk Recruitment

DB Accounting & Software Solutions

Surface Repair Solutions

Tracy Turner Ltd

07917 343881 www.dbaccounting.co.uk Finance

07881922217 www.surfacerepairsolutions.co.uk Construction

07818 052507 www.tracyturnerltd.co.uk Occupational Health Services

E-Screen Limited

The Atarrah Project

University Technical College Norfolk

01953 609185 www.e-screen.co.uk/index.php/ Technology

01603 782200 www.milestoneshospital.co.uk Health Care

01603 580280 utcn.org.uk Education

En-Gen Diesel Products Limited 01493 738397 www.engen-diesel.com Oil & Gas

www.norfolkchamber.co.uk/directory

900+ Members With Over 100,000 Employees NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Representing 46 Sectors 80+ Events Run Each Year JULY/AUGUST 2018

Meettheteam Access your Chamber membership benefits

Sam Brown

As part of your Norfolk Chamber membership you have access to free protection for HR, Health & Safety, Legal and Tax.

Conference and Events Manager

QDOS Website chamber.norfolk.qdoshr.com/ office/ Featuring a comprehensive library of employment, legal and health & safety documents.

Advice Line O1455 852037 Covering HR, employment, legal, health & safety, tax and VAT.

Chamber Key Contacts General 01603 625977 hello@norfolkchamber.co.uk

Governance, Press and Partnership Team Nova Fairbank Public Affairs Manager 01603 729713 Nova.Fairbank@norfolkchamber.co.uk Dominique Bivar Segurado Marketing Co-ordinator 01603 729709 Dominique@norfolkchamber.co.uk

Customer Experience Team

What is your role at the Chamber?

My role as Conference and Events Manager sees me managing the prestigious range of large scale conferences, exhibitions and events held by Norfolk Chamber. I take my events from the initial ideas and planning, all the way through to the execution and follow up, as well as marketing them to Norfolk businesses. A lot of my time is spent strategically planning new ideas and researching current topics to keep our events relevant and rewarding for our attendees.

What are you hoping to achieve in 2018?

With what’s left of the year I want to focus on making our programme of events exceed expectations. My ambition is to inject new and innovative ideas into our existing events, as well as creating a more modern series of networking opportunities to not only connect Norfolk businesses, but to build the relationship we have as the Chamber with those businesses.

JULY/AUGUST 2018

Superpower?

I’ve always fancied the idea of flying. Being able to get anywhere and anytime without (hardly) any worries – it would be wonderful.

Hobbies and interests?

If being obsessed with Films and TV Series is a hobby then that’s the one! I also enjoy gaming; I recently purchased a VR Headset which is excellent! That said, when I don’t want to spend a day on the sofa I enjoy going for walks, running and taking pictures of my cat.

What are you most excited about in the coming months?

I’m really excited about Talking Tech 18! I’ve given it a big shakeup compared to its usual agenda and more than doubled the number of speakers – it’s going to be big so hopefully you can make it!

Talking Tech tickets can be booked at norfolkchamber.co.uk/talkingtech18

Philippa Bindley Head of Customer Experience 01603 729703 Philippa.Bindley@norfolkchamber.co.uk Sam Brown Conference and Events Manager 01603 729712 Sam.Brown@norfolkchamber.co.uk

International Trade Julie Austin International Trade Manager 01603 729706 Julie.Austin@norfolkchamber.co.uk Darcy Bayfield International Trade Assistant 01603 729715 Darcy.Bayfield@norfolkchamber.co.uk

Finance Tina Bush Accounts Assistant 01603 729717 Accounts@norfolkchamber.co.uk

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

49

LastWord Name: Fiona Ryder Position: Managing Director, TCD Media and Vice President, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Company: TCD Media Fiona is an award-winning senior media executive with over twentyfive years’ experience of UK production across the broadcasting, digital and commercial sectors, developing creative content for international entertainment and multi-national corporate clients.

Fiona was the founding managing director of Mustard TV, the local TV station for Norwich from 2012 to March 2016. She wrote the winning bid which secured the local TV operating licence from the regulator, Ofcom and was subsequently engaged by regional media publisher, Archant to build the online and broadcast station for the media group.

Over the last 18 months she has been one of the principal architects of an e-learning platform which supports start-ups and entrepreneurs through the provision of video and multi-media tutorials. She has also recently produced and directed a number of award-winning documentaries for BBC4, most notably ‘In Search of Arcadia’ which won the Best Factual Programme award in the Royal Television Society East Awards 2018.

Briefly tell us about what you do

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TCD Media is a multimedia production company, producing video, e-learning, TV and audio programmes for a wide variety of commercial, corporate and media clients. We’re storytellers bringing subjects to life to inform and entertain viewers and listeners. Our clients are nearly as diverse as the work but whether the final product is a podcast or a documentary, the production process is similar.

How many employees do you have?

We have between 10 and 12 people that freelance for us on a regular basis but the number of people working with us at any one time depends on the type and scale of the project we’re producing for clients.

Tell me a little about the history of the business I started TCD Media (formerly Tin Can Digital) after I stepped down as Managing Director at Mustard TV in late March 2016. The business has grown quite rapidly, and we were nominated for two RTS Awards this year. The work we produce is diverse, but I love that we’re able to move between broadcast and digital seamlessly.

Ultimately, producing good content is not about the distribution platform; it’s about understanding the context and audience, and telling the story in the right way to maximise impact for clients. I‘m really enjoying the fact it’s given me a chance to return to producing.

What is the biggest challenge facing your business in the current climate?

Securing decent commissions from network broadcasters and uniting the creative industry in the East are two of the biggest issues we’re tackling at the moment. As a region we’ve often been overlooked from a creative industry perspective, certainly in terms of TV

Fiona is Vice President of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. She is Honorary Treasurer of RTS East and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She lives in South Norfolk with her three children and a daft fox red Labrador called Fin.

commissioning. I think it was very disappointing that Channel 4 didn’t shortlist Norwich as a potential Creative Hub. We have excellent universities in the region producing capable and talented creative graduates; from film and moving image students to animators and games’ designers, but most of them leave the county after graduation. I hope we can work together to change this.

What has been your greatest success and why?

That’s a very difficult question to answer!

I’ve pleased to say there have been a few moments where my work has been recognised or celebrated and each one is humbling and motivating in equal measure. I would say selling my London based business for seven figures only six years after I started it, would be one of them.

More recently I’d mention my RTS Award earlier this year for a BBC4 documentary that I produced and directed and the successful launch of a significant e-learning platform in late 2017.

What do you do as the Vice President of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce?

As Vice President of the Norfolk Chamber of commerce I aim to support the CEO and local businesses by helping to drive change as part of the Chamber board. Although I’ve always been involved in the creative industries, I’m passionate about supporting local businesses and our region. The chamber is modernising, and I’m delighted to be part of it at such an exciting time. Recently I’ve had the pleasure of visiting the Stadler factory in Switzerland as a guest of Abellio to see their new trains in production. The new rolling stock will help to improve journey times to London and back. As a Chamber Board we’re focused on improving our local infrastructure issues. Broadband, road

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

and rail are the big three for me. The challenges we face in these areas are hindering economic growth. I’m keen that we work with our Chamber of Commerce counterparts in Suffolk to drive faster change and ensure that the East of England is better supported through Government investment.

Can you tell us about the developing women in business initiative?

Alongside championing the region through the chamber, I’m keen to ensure that we support equality in business in the East of England. The recent Hampton-Alexander Review of FTSE 350 companies revealed the extent of the entrenched sexism that pervades many boardrooms of Britain’s top companies. Of all the excuses exposed in the review the worst three for me were “I don’t think women fit comfortably into the board environment.”

“There aren’t that many women with the right credentials and depth of experience to sit on the board - the issues covered are extremely complex.”

“We have one woman already on the board, so we are done - it is someone else’s turn.”

I’d hope that these pitiful and patronising comments exposed in the Hampton-Alexander Review would not be commonplace in Norfolk, but its time to drive positive change, both in terms of the gender pay gap and board gender balance. The most successful companies are those that champion diversity. I’m now working with the Chamber staff to devise a programme of activity to champion equality in the workplace and in boardrooms in Norfolk.

JULY/AUGUST 2018

THE INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY: FUNDING TO HELP YOUR BUSINESS

HOW WILL WE WORK TOGETHER?

In line with the Government’s Industrial Strategy, UEA has been awarded significant funding to increase our collaborations with business and boost productivity.

TALK TO US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS AND HOW WE CAN HELP HERE ARE SOME OF THE WAYS WE COULD COLLABORATE...

Come to work with us on a project linked to your strategic goals

Engage a UEA academic to Host a member of help with a project or UEA staff at your business challenge organisation

Talk to us about a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)

Professional Development courses to benefit your workforce

Suggest a collaborative project that fits with the Industrial Strategy

EMAIL BUSINESS@UEA.AC.UK OR VISIT WWW.UEA.AC.UK/BUSINESS

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