Business Network Feb 22

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BUSINESS

Keep up to date on latest developments at

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FEBRUARY 2022

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SHAPING THE ECONOMY EAST MIDLANDS MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING CONFERENCE 2022 TO HIGHLIGHT POSITIVE OUTLOOK

INTERVIEW

POLITICS

METALFACTURE BOSS ON THE VERSATILITY OF MANUFACTURING AS HIS FIRM DIVERSIFIES

WHY NET ZERO IS ‘JUST ANOTHER ENGINEERING CHALLENGE’

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THE FIRST WORD

CONTENTS FEBRUARY 2022

NEWS UPDATE 4

MEMBER NEWS Tidyco’s new plant officially opened

30 APPOINTMENTS Raft of promotions at Hardy Signs

n the first ever East Midlands Top 500 Companies list, published by Reach plc in partnership with three universities and the Chamber in 2020, one discovery within the wider research stood out.

Although 41 industries were represented – highlighting the diverse nature of the region’s economy – manufacturing accounted for 32% of the companies, with a combined turnover of £24.2bn. It was by far the largest industry and provided another pillar to the evidence base supporting our claims that the East Midlands is at the heart of making, and moving, the goods our country and others rely on daily.

From Rolls-Royce and Toyota UK to Samworth Brothers and Boots, we are home to manufacturing powerhouses.

Outside these global names, there are many smaller cogs in the supply chain across various sectors including automotive, aerospace, food and drink, medical, energy, agricultural technologies and beyond.

These SMEs are vital to our economy, providing the skills, jobs and wealth that fuel numerous communities, not to mention the innovation that drives productivity growth.

This is why manufacturing must be at the heart of the Government’s much-hyped levelling up agenda – a topic that took centre stage at a recent event co-hosted by the Chamber with a number of partners.

We follow the discussion in our focus feature on p64, while also profiling two innovative East Midlands manufacturers that have been recognised in recent editions of our Business Awards – PCE Automation and Penny Price Aromatherapy.

Another shining example in this industry is Metalfacture, the Wigston-based sheet metal work sub-contractor that has turned itself into a thriving exporter by adding its own product line now used by major consumer brands in markets spanning from the US to Japan.

Director Ben Jones-Fenleigh tells the story of the Chamber’s 2021 Leicestershire Business of the Year in our big interview on p32.

Other news stories and advice articles related to manufacturing feature throughout the opening edition of 2022 for Business Network, as we draw attention to our Manufacturing and Engineering Conference on 16 March – see p38 for more details.

After a testing period for us all, this industry will be crucial to what we hope will be a strong year of economic recovery, and perhaps a return to normality.

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THE BIG INTERVIEW 32 Ben Jones-Fenleigh, commercial director at Metalfacture 36 PATRONS What does homeworking mean for apprentices?

38 CHAMBER NEWS Manufacturing must play a part in levelling up

SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS 56 Jewellery maker utilising pioneering plastic

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 58 The ongoing impact of Brexit

POLITICS 60 Meeting the challenges of net zero

FEATURES 62 ACCOUNTANCY SERVICES Essential financial support for manufacturing firms 64 FOCUS FEATURE Manufacturing prosperity in the East Midlands 69 APPRENTICESHIPS Apprentices driving our electric future 75 Are apprenticeships the solution to your recruitment challenges?

Dan Robinson, Editor, Business Network

EVENTS & TRAINING 80 Why partnerships are a formula for success 81 Bespoke training for team leaders returns

DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY

Editor Dan Robinson T: 07764 431028 E: dan.robinson@emc-dnl.co.uk Contributor Jasmine Thompson All Submissions E: magazine@emc-dnl.co.uk Chamber Membership E: membership@emc-dnl.co.uk Follow the Chamber W: www.emc-dnl.co.uk Twitter: @EMChamberNews

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83 How the Digital Growth Programme has supported local manufacturers

BUSINESS SUPPORT 86 LEGAL Gateley adds IP attorney to group 88 FINANCE Insurance trends for 2022 90 SKILLS Unemployed youth are facing mental health crisis

Printers Warners (Midlands) plc

92 PROPERTY How landlords can get the full potential from their sites

BUSINESS NETWORK is produced on behalf of East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) by Kemps Publishing Ltd and is distributed to members without charge. The Chamber and the publisher are committed to achieving the highest quality standards. While every care has been taken to ensure that the information it contains is accurate, neither the Chamber nor the publisher can accept any responsibility for any omission or inaccuracies that might arise. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Chamber. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format without prior written permission of Kemps Publishing Ltd.

94 MOTORING Nick Jones tests the Ferrari 488 GTB 96 INFORMATION Keeping employees engaged post-pandemic

COMMENT 98 THE LAST WORD New Chamber president Lindsey Williams looks ahead to her year in office February 2022 business network

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MEMBER NEWS

Tidyco’s new plant officially opened Former transport secretary Lord Patrick McLoughlin was on hand to help Tidyco open its new maintenance plant.

The ex-Derbyshire Dales MP visited the rail overhaul facility, located off Pentagon Island in Derby, after it was recently acquired as part of the company’s growth plans.

Tidyco is one of the biggest providers of hose assemblies for the rail industry and wants to expand its scope of supply by scaling up its production of heating, ventilation and air conditioning units for a number of train manufacturers and operators.

Production director Phil Mason led the project to restore the unit to make it fit for the company’s growth strategy.

L-R: Tidyco production director Phil Mason, Lord Patrick McLoughlin, rail division director Paul Jacks and managing director James Tidy

He said: “It wasn’t a case of just replacing fixtures and fittings – the entirety of the building needed to be stripped out and refitted.

“This was to not only to futureproof for the projected growth of the business as a whole, but also to make sure it was suitable for rail

overhaul employees to carry out the work in a comfortable and suitable environment.”

Guests and colleagues were invited to witness the official opening of the factory, which adjoins to the company’s existing units, in November. Lord McLoughlin cut the ribbon in an unconventional manner by using a pair of scissors attached to a train nose cone device that, when activated, moved forward and sliced the ribbon in two.

Lord McLoughlin, who served as Transport Secretary from 2012 to 2016, said: “Tidyco is a great example of a UK SME quietly going about its business supporting the UK railway. The new facilities provide excellent scope to build on their established brand.”

Stem cell study paves the way for cultured meat Scientists have for the first time obtained stem cells from livestock that grow under chemically-defined conditions – paving the way for manufacturing cell-cultured meat and breedingenhanced livestock.

Researchers from the University of Nottingham’s School of Biosciences, together with colleagues at the Universities of Cambridge, Exeter, Tokyo and Meiji (Japan), have developed stem cell lines from pigs, sheep and cattle embryos grown without the need for serum, feeder cells or antibiotics.

The technical disadvantages to using serum include its undefined nature, batch-to-batch variability in composition and the risk of contamination. This new chemically-defined approach provides greater consistency and safety, making it an ideal solution for manufacturing new lab-grown food products.

Professor Ramiro Alberio, who led the research, said: “The ability to derive and maintain livestock stem cells under chemically defined conditions paves the way for the development of novel food products, such as cultured meat.

“The cell lines we developed are a step change from previous models as they have the unique ability to permanently grow to

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make muscle and fat.”

The technology offers new opportunities for expanding research into gene-editing animals to improve their productivity, as well as adaptation to climate change and modifications of diets to reduce the environmental impact of livestock production.

Prof Alberio added: “With a growing population to feed in a changing climate, finding reliable and sustainable food is vital. This research offers potential solutions that the food industry could use at scale.”

The research could help reduce the impact of livestock production

Project to revolutionise manufacturing Researchers from the University of Nottingham are involved in a £1.4m pioneering project examining how ultrasonic imaging can be delivered remotely to revolutionise the quality of manufacturing processes.

The three-year project, funded by the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), is aiming to develop a new capability for real-time, remote ultrasonic imaging that can be used for non-destructive evaluation in industry.

The research team, led by the University of Strathclyde and involving the Universities of Nottingham and Bristol, will examine how laserinduced phased arrays (LIPAs), based on principles of laser ultrasonics, can be used to cut the imaging process in manufacturing from half an hour to under a second.

The remote arrays, made of light, can be applied in extreme environments, such as in process monitoring or inspection, and will be designed to pick up potential issues to enable the process to be stopped or modified if faults are detected.

Professor Matt Clark, head of the University of Nottingham’s Optics and Photonics Research Group, said his team’s contribution to the project involved improving the speed at which information is collected from the parts being inspected.

He said: “These speed improvements bring the inspection time in line with the manufacturing time for metal 3D printing. The real-time inspection of the complex components would help spot and repair any defects that occur, alongside minimising the need for costly post-manufacture inspections.”

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MEMBER NEWS

The trains will run on the west coast HS2 line

HS2 train contracts are awarded HS2 has confirmed that a Hitachi-Alstom joint venture has been awarded the contracts to build Britain’s next generation of high-speed trains at their factories in Derby and County Durham – with the deal set to support 2,500 jobs across the UK. The landmark contracts – worth about £2bn – will see the partnership design, build and maintain a fleet of 54 high-speed trains that will operate on the initial phases of the high-speed railway section being built between London, the West Midlands and Crewe.

Capable of speeds up to 225mph, the fully electric trains will also run on the existing rail network to places such as Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and the North West.

Alstom’s UK and Ireland managing director Nick Crossfield said the trains will “transform rail travel” by “offering passengers unparalleled levels of reliability, speed and comfort and help

in the fight against climate change”.

He added: “I’d like to congratulate Alstom and Hitachi, and I look forward to working with them as together we bring these exciting new trains to passengers across the UK.”

‘Offering passengers unparalleled levels of reliability, speed and comfort’ Building on the latest technology from the Japanese Shinkansen “bullet train” and European high-speed network, they will be some of the fastest, quietest and most energy-efficient highspeed trains operating anywhere in the world.

The design, manufacture, assembly and testing of the new trains will be shared between Hitachi Rail and Alstom.

The first stages including vehicle body

assembly and initial fit-out will be done at Hitachi Rail’s factory at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, with the second stage of fit-out and testing to be completed at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane plant in Derby – the UK’s largest train factory.

A recent study commissioned by the HitachiAlstom joint venture estimates the contract could generate benefits of £157m per year across the UK and support 2,500 jobs, including opportunities for apprenticeships and graduates.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: “This places Britain firmly at the forefront of the highspeed rail revolution with these state-of-the-art trains serving communities right across the country from London to Glasgow.

“This is another landmark step in the delivery of HS2 which will open up new employment and leisure opportunities for millions of people, levelling up opportunity for generations to come.”

Rolls-Royce prize in search for inspiring STEM teachers Rolls-Royce has recognised inspiring teachers developing innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) teaching methods in a flagship education programme.

The Rolls-Royce Schools Prize for Science & Technology is an annual competition run throughout the UK, and was created to inspire teachers to develop STEM teaching ideas.

Last December, it held a virtual awards ceremony to announce the prize winners and recognise the teachers who, despite the pandemic, have worked hard to deliver inspirational teaching programmes to their students.

Rolls-Royce community investment manager Debbie Duro said: “As a major global employer of scientists and engineers, we have a clear interest in the development of STEM education and are focused on generating a strong pipeline of diverse talent into our business.

“We recognise that the future supply of skills needed in our industry is dependent on high quality of science and maths teaching delivered in schools and colleges.

“As the pace of technology develops, this is even more important as we drive towards net zero and look to create sustainable jobs for the future.”

The programme, founded in 2004 formally as the Science Prize, awards an overall winner from a shortlisting of six schools based in the UK, while also recognising a “runner up” and an “employer choice”.

Rolls-Royce's head of corporate heritage Neil Chattle with pupils at Parkside School

The 2020-2021 virtual ceremony saw Parkside School in Cullingworth, Bradford, awarded the overall prize, with Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox Primary, in Salford, and Milton Mount Primary in Crawley, West Sussex, as the runner up and employer choice respectively.

Lorna Windle, project lead at Parkside School, said: “Teaching our students about ‘skills for the future’ has opened so many doors for us and allowed our students to learn so much.

“Working with Rolls-Royce as partners has been a fantastic experience, and we look forward to further inspiring our students with STEM projects for many years.”

Queen’s Award for MasterMover MasterMover has been officially presented with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in international trade.

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the UK, and the Ashbournebased electric tug manufacturer has been recognised for its continuous growth in overseas sales – with its electric tugs used to improve safety and efficiency in a wide variety of sectors.

HM Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire, Elizabeth Fothergill, presented company representatives with the 2021 honour in her capacity as representative of the Queen.

MasterMover partner Andy Owen said: “The Queen’s Awards are the highest honour that can be bestowed on a UK company.

We've received this in recognition of our work in international trade and outstanding growth in overseas sales and we couldn’t be prouder.”

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MEMBER NEWS

Keeping track of Healthy Stuff with new app A health testing company is helping people to monitor their health and keep on top of allergies via their mobile.

Castle Donington-based Healthy Stuff has helped more than 1.4 million people in 48 countries to discover their food sensitivities using testing kits since it was formed in 2008 – and has now launched an app to give customers a wellrounded snapshot of their health.

Its main purpose is to store the allergy and intolerance information from tests, which can then be linked to local restaurants to show

where is safe for users to visit and eat following diagnosis.

Managing director Jason Wootton said: “We have rapidly become a global market leader in allergy and intolerance testing, and continue to develop new health tests available to people easily and affordably from our state-of-the-art laboratory and exclusive technology platform.”

The Healthy Stuff app records the results from a range of health tests including kidney, liver, and vitamin D tests – with a new range of tests for iron deficiency, thyroid

‘We have rapidly become a global market leader in allergy and intolerance testing’

The app links personal allergy and intolerance data with information from local restaurants

and prostate due to launch soon.

It was built after the company created a £250,000 on-site lab that can operate 24 hours a day, enabling it to increase testing capacity by 300%.

James added: “Our growth has been supported by highly skilled and dedicated team members that ensure our customers receive the very best advice and support through their wellness journey.”

Business leaders beat loneliness The East Midlands has the fewest business leaders experiencing loneliness, new research by law firm Shakespeare Martineau has revealed.

Bosses from the region reported feeling the least alone during the coronavirus pandemic, with 57% saying they were not at all isolated – compared to other areas where up to 63% claimed feelings of loneliness or isolation.

One thousand senior decision-makers in UK businesses were surveyed by Censuswide on behalf of the law firm, which has offices in Nottingham and Leicester, as part of its annual Ambition Index.

More than a quarter of the region’s bosses also spoke about how nothing is holding them back as leaders.

Duncan James, partner and regional head of Shakespeare Martineau in the East Midlands, said: “It is really interesting to hear that senior decision-makers in our region felt the least lonely during Covid and it is positive to see this continue as we emerge from the pandemic. This continues to show what a great place to work the East Midlands is.”

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Karen Miles

Derby bus driver takes top award Derby-Nottingham bus driver Karen Miles has been crowned the Top National Bus Driver in the UK Bus and Coach Awards 2021.

Karen is only the second ever female winner of the UK bus industry’s premier driving award in its 26-year history. She follows fellow red arrow driver Carole Hind’s breakthrough win in 2015.

Karen, 53, joined trentbarton in 2015, initially driving the Mickleover and royal derby routes before moving on to the red arrow in 2019.

The UK Bus Awards citation said: “Karen was given a perfect score in her last company mystery customer audit, thoroughly impressing with how smart she

looked, how well she drove and how friendly and welcoming she was. Seeing how the pandemic was affecting her colleagues, she has been studying mental health and wellbeing to become a mental health champion and was given a Covid British Empire Medal in the Queen’s birthday honours list.”

Karen added: “It is great that the UK Bus and Coach Awards shines a spotlight on the whole industry.

“I love my driving job. I get to meet so many different people every day and have a laugh with them.

I love the little conversations and how I start their day off right, taking them to work or to meet family and friends, and finish their trips right too.”

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MEMBER NEWS

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MEMBER NEWS

Gigabit Networks rolls out full-fibre Thousands of homes and businesses in Derby now have access to full-fibre internet after an internet supplier flicked the switch on to give the city a “oncein-a-generation opportunity to prosper”.

Gigabit Networks joined forces with Derby Mayor, Councillor Robin Wood, to officially launch its service at a ceremony held in December. It gives people across the city the opportunity to sign up to enjoy near-limitless bandwidth and greater download speeds of up to 930 megabits per second (Mbps).

Derby is the first city in the East Midlands, and among the first in the UK, to enjoy the benefits of full-fibre internet technology, which is stated as a “game-changer” for the city.

Dan Ilett, co-founder of Gigabit Networks, said: “Our recent experience of lockdown showed everybody how critical good

Purpose Media wins film contract The video production team at a Derbyshire-based digital marketing agency has won a contract to film and photograph the delivery by helicopter of a refrigerator in the Swiss Alps on behalf of True Manufacturing.

Purpose Media has helped the commercial refrigeration company, which already has a strong foothold in the USA, to develop its UK and European marketing strategy over the past four years.

The South Normanton agency has now assisted the firm in launching a new communication strategy to establish True’s “Passion for Cold”.

The contract in Switzerland involved the team filming True products in various commercial settings, followed by the delivery of a refrigerator by helicopter to a restaurant in a remote location in the Alps.

Claudio Davanzo, creative director at Purpose Media, said: “We’ve gone from working next door to the Peak District to filming in the Swiss Alps. There were challenges with the weather, but the team managed to get the shots they needed, and I’m pleased to say the end product is a triumph.”

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connection speeds are and, with more and more data being shared and received across the internet each day, the need for a fast and reliable connection is only going to grow.

“Derby is now able to handle that growth thanks to its new network, meaning that this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the city to prosper while others are being left behind.”

Derby Mayor Councillor Robin Wood (centre) with Gigabit Networks cofounders David Yates (left) and Dan Illett

Not only will the superfast speeds give its businesses a huge commercial advantage over competitors in other cities, but there are hopes it could boost Derby’s bid to become a City of Culture in 2025 and win the race to accommodate the new stateowned rail transport body Great British Railways.

Councillor Wood said: “I am proud to say that I am now one of the first people to be able to say they are Mayor of a Gigabit City.

“That is very important because Derby’s future plans rely on connectivity, so [this is] giving us exactly what Derby needs at the right time.”

Gigabit Networks, which operates from an office in Uttoxeter Old Road, is working in partnership with CityFibre, which is installing the cabling that will create a fullfibre internet network beneath Derby’s streets as part of an initial £45m private investment.

BT gifts free advertising space

Robert Dixon, head of business growth at Nottingham City Council, with BT's Rebecca Hambleton

Nottingham is one of the first places in the UK to benefit from BT’s new digital street units.

The Street Hub 2.0 units, located in Canal Street, include services such as an emergency call button, rapid mobile device charging and ultrafast Wi-Fi. After the launch in late December, BT offered free outdoor advertising space worth £7.5m via its digital screens to local firms – which can be nominated by the public to take advantage of the opportunity.

The Street Hub’s digital advertising screens are designed to help small firms attract more customers following the local and national lockdowns.

Sarah Walker, director for BT’s enterprise business in the Midlands, said: “We hope that by gifting free digital advertising space via our new Street Hub units, we can give small businesses in Nottingham an extra boost as high streets spring back to life.”

Improving the city’s waterways Businesses in Leicester are being encouraged to help improve the city’s waterways for people and wildlife.

The Canal & River Trust has launched the Leicester Waterway Improvement Partnership to use the River Soar and Grand Union Canal to help tackle some of the city’s key challenges.

With more than a third of Leicester’s population living within 1km of waterways, they are uniquely placed to help improve people’s lives by supporting physical and mental health, contributing to economic recovery and providing opportunities for social interaction and skills development.

The Canal & River Trust’s business and corporate engagement partner Scott Miller said: “We’re calling on businesses in Leicester to get involved with this new partnership and help

ensure that everyone can feel the benefits that healthy, thriving waterways bring.”

To find out more, email scott.miller@canalrivertrust.org.uk

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MEMBER NEWS

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MEMBER NEWS

Medilink Midlands reaches milestone The region’s life sciences industry has a “bright and vibrant future”, believes trade association Medilink Midlands as it marked a year since it was formed following a merger.

The Medilink East and West Midlands branches combined to create Medilink Midlands in the last quarter of 2020.

With a network of more than 5,700 contracts, 2,300 organisations and a membership based of more than 210 companies, it has since positioned itself at the centre of the region’s life sciences sector, connecting industry, universities and the NHS. The merger was designed to better serve and aid the entirety of the Midlands region and present a more cohesive approach to Government.

The organisation has since delivered 90 virtual events to more than 3,000 delegates, including a series of post-Brexit webinars designed to help the Government gain invaluable industry insight to the regional life science sector.

Professor Martin Levermore MBE DL, chairman of Medilink Midlands, said: “Going forward, we will build on these firm foundations which we have established in this past year and continue to advance further.”

The Dairy renews rugby partnership West Bridgford-based creative agency The Dairy is set to continue its long-term partnership with Nottingham Rugby Club, after agreeing to continue to provide marketing and design support for the 2021/22 season.

The agency has been the club’s official marketing and design partner since 2006, developing its brand identity and creating marketing materials over the past 15 years.

Steve Smith, chief operating officer at Nottingham Rugby Club, said: “We’re delighted to have had such a longstanding relationship with The Dairy.

“After a hard year of little to no games, we’re excited to get back on the pitch, surrounded by fans – and what better way to do it than with a refreshed look and feel ahead of the new season.”

Nigel Rowlson, managing director at The Dairy, added: “I am delighted that our relationship has developed and flourished with the club over the past 15 years, and I look forward to continuing the relationship for many years to come.”

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Galliford Try’s new office at the Gateway House development in Grove Park, Leicester

Galliford Try moves into East Midlands workspace Galliford Try, one of the UK’s leading construction groups, has moved into a new East Midlands base.

The company’s original headquarters had been located at its Wolvey campus, in Leicestershire, where it has had a presence since around the time of the First World War. The group has now moved to a new office at the Gateway House development in Grove Park, Leicester.

Its latest workspace is energy-efficient, with internal green spaces and electric vehicle chargepoints – in line with the group’s sustainable growth strategy and move to an all-EV and hybrid fleet – but will also house reclaimed elements from the group’s historic base in Wolvey.

Jon Marston, managing director for Galliford Try Building East Midlands, said: “We are excited to be starting a new era for the business in our energyefficient offices at Gateway House. This move aligns with the overall group strategy for reducing carbon from our operations, and gives us a modern workspace.

“For those of us who have been with the business for a long time, it has been great that we have also been able to preserve a few memories of Wolvey, and the original Galliford business, within the new offices.”

The construction, security and telecommunications units, as well as teams from the investments businesses and group services, will be based at Gateway House.

The new Volvo lorries are fitted with Fassi cranes

Pickerings adds to delivery fleet Pickerings has continued to invest in its fleet of delivery vehicles with the addition of six new Volvo lorries.

The Derbyshire-based national supplier of quality portable and modular buildings operates a fleet of more than 100 HGV and commercial vehicles from 12 depots, providing building solutions

for customers to hire, buy or lease purchase.

Each of the new vehicles are fitted with a Fassi F660RA lorrymounted crane, which enables the company to easily off-load portable cabins and building modules at its customers’ sites.

Fleet director Kevin Barber said: “These Volvo lorries are great

trucks and, when fitted with a Fassi crane, they are a fantastic piece of equipment with many safety features. Pickerings is really showing commitment to continued investment into our delivery fleet with market leading equipment to provide our customers with an exceptional logistics service they have come to expect from us.”

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MEMBER NEWS

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MEMBER NEWS

Iconic projects for engineering firm

Rayden Engineering managing director Richard Hayden (left) and fellow director Brendan Hayden at the company base in Ilkeston

From the Angel of the North to the hometown of one of Ireland’s best preserved medieval structures, a family engineering company in Derbyshire worked at some iconic locations during a bumper year.

Rayden Engineering, based in Ilkeston, continued to work throughout the pandemic on essential infrastructure projects across the country worth millions of pounds.

The specialist welding and engineering firm was awarded a major contract for Northern Gas Networks for a pipeline diversion, and a micro tunnel 24 metres deep and 160 metres in length, in the North East.

It forms part of a £220m Highways England scheme to widen and restructure a four-mile section of the A1 dual carriageway near the Angel of the North statue in Gateshead, which will ease congestion and cut journey times when completed.

Other major projects last year included a new gas pipeline and two above-ground installations for a new power generation unit at Carrickfergus – the Northern Ireland town best known for its 800-year-old Norman castle that played an important military role until 1928 – for EP UK. Closer to home, Rayden also contributed to a design and build scheme for Uniper UK that will enable the construction of a new power generation unit at Cottam Power Station in Lincolnshire, as well as providing specialist support to National Grid Gas at various Midlands sites.

Managing director Richard Hayden said it had been a “record year” for the business, adding: “Despite the pandemic, we carried on in the face of adversity in 2020 and last year also, because these critical contracts are crucial as essential infrastructure work.”

Established in 1979, Rayden specialises in manufacturing and installing high-pressure pipework systems.

It operates in specific market sectors such as the gas, oil, petrochemical and water industries.

To help support its busy workload, the firm made heavy investments in new HGVs and specialist equipment.

TJ lends expertise to businesses in need A businesswoman with experience in running a manufacturing firm has helped a number of Chamber members achieve strong results during the pandemic.

Business Glu consultancy founder TJ Duncan-Moir, who received an MBE in June last year for female entrepreneurship and helping businesses recover during Covid-19, worked with companies including Ubiquitous Engineering, Avalon Cabins and Aerofab Fabrications.

Her support has included structural and process reviews, R&D tax credit assistance, identifying new markets and procurement knowledge.

TJ, who set up her Retford-based consultancy in April 2020 after three decades of running businesses, said: “My passion is helping businesses succeed and consider myself their critical friend.

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gained recognition as a woman in manufacturing, I am keen to pass my knowledge and skills onto others.

‘My passion is helping businesses succeed and consider myself their critical friend’ “There is so much more to manufacturing and lots of businesses aren’t aware of their importance. For example, processes are vital for the smooth running of productivity and its operations – they set more precise limits to maximise profitability, ensure quality and prioritise safety, but most importantly ensure they are documented.”

At the beginning of the pandemic, TJ helped Coalvillebased Ubiquitous Engineering to diversify its business by switching from 3D printing parts for the aerospace industry to making PPE

equipment for the NHS, care homes and food producers.

As well as liaising with MPs to get the PPE to end users, she helped the company achieve EN accreditation so they could meet medical use requirements.

Another firm that has found a new market with her support is 40year-old modular building manufacturer and installer Avalon Cabins, in Colsterworth.

She was parachuted in by a second generation of management, which needed confidence that the business could remain sustainable for the future.

With finances restricted due to the downturn in work during lockdown, TJ helped the management team to secure contracts with some well-known companies while advising it on filing for R&D tax credits – resulting in a tax saving of £70,000.

Meanwhile, TJ supported Aerofab

TJ Duncan-Moir

Fabrications, in Wigston, to recognise gaps in its business that were affecting sales, production and profitability. Processes were reviewed, a rebrand carried out and over £200,000 saved via R&D tax relief.

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MEMBER NEWS

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Setting the right tone in the workplace PPL PRS, the Leicester-based company that issues TheMusicLicence to UK businesses wishing to play music to their customers and staff, recently launched a new campaign called Release the Rhythm to help businesses spark creativity. Managing director Andrea Gray (pictured) and communications executive Rhiannon Jepson explain how music can help establish the right environment in a workplace.

Whether it’s finally joining a gym or kickstarting a brand-new career, it can often be refreshing to think about change and a new start at this time of the year.

Many people have used the events of recent months to their advantage to channel their talents into new, and sometimes unexpected, roles or to strive fiercely independently into starting up businesses of their own.

According to Companies House, there were 340,500 new businesses registered in the UK in the first half of 2021 alone, a rise of 32% compared to 2019.

With start-ups now more popular than ever, and small businesses with 10 employees or fewer making up about 95% of the UK’s private sector, there has possibly never been a better time for entrepreneurs and new business owners to embark on their new ventures.

A UNIQUE OFFERING Businesses that offer something different are often much more appealing to visitors, with 42% of those surveyed by YouGov saying they buy from small businesses because of the unique products or services.

From hair salons to accountancy firms or even micro-breweries, more start-up businesses are getting creative with their workspace and atmosphere, especially now there is more emphasis on how we can all get the most out of the working environment.

This could be anything from re-thinking your desk area to ensure you remain comfortable and calm during admin jobs, or giving your staff a designated breakout space so they can recharge.

MUSIC GETS OUR CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING It may even be choosing to play music or listening to the radio to help spark creativity, improve focus and help you to stay in-tune with any new thoughts and ideas.

A study by Total Jobs found that 79% of people surveyed would benefit from listening to music at work, while the BPI found that 78% felt more motivated after listening to music.

Not only can music help to boost concentration and improve our working ability, but it can also create a happier and more calming environment, while driving collaboration.

Just as we might choose to listen to the radio as we unwind in the evenings, listening to music at work can help us to feel more positive, energised and engaged – allowing us to achieve a deeper focus, and channel creative thoughts and ideas.

So, whatever you are planning for the months ahead, music can help you make more of your mojo, stay in-tune and start out at your best.

University medtech spin-out wins top award A University of Nottingham spinout has been named the best medtech start-up at the life science industry’s OBN Awards.

Cerca Magnetics received the award in recognition of its achievements in developing, and bringing to market, the first commercial, wearable brain imaging magnetoencphalography (MEG) device – which is used as a non-invasive technique for investigating human brain activity.

The device has since been installed at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto – known as SickKids – for ground-breaking research into autism, as well as at UK charity Young Epilepsy’s diagnostic suite, where it is being used to improve how the condition is diagnosed and treated.

Matthew Brookes, from the University of Nottingham, receiving the award

Cerca CEO David Woolger said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded best start-up. Since we formed the company, we have had so much interest in this system and are delighted to already be working to improve the lives of children with brain disorders.”

New gowns developed to better protect nurses Gowns that protect nurses from viruses like Covid-19 could soon be safer, more comfortable and sustainable after research by Nottingham Trent University.

A team led by Professor Katherine Townsend (pictured), of the Nottingham School of Art & Design, is working in collaboration with Dr Sonja Sterman from the University of Maribor, in Slovenia, to redesign the isolation gown to be reusable, while enhancing fit and protection.

The prototypes are being sampled in a polyester and carbon textile specially developed in the UK, which has antiviral properties and can be washed in temperatures high enough to kill off all viruses and bacteria.

Professor Townsend said: “Isolation gowns are not currently afforded the research and development that a typical uniform is, yet they’re used every day to protect thousands of people on the frontline of healthcare. This is about moving forward to a higher level of design and fit, which is sustainable in terms of the environment and the suitability to the wearer.”

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MEMBER NEWS

Queen’s Green Canopy takes root Leicestershire’s Deputy Lord Lieutenant is encouraging people in the county to get involved in the Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this year.

The project invites individuals and corporate groups from across the UK to enhance their sustainability credentials and “plant a tree for the Jubilee”.

The project was launched last March, when Her Majesty and Prince Charles planted the first tree in the grounds of Windsor Castle, and will continue until the end of 2022.

Businesses can get involved by planting trees on their premises, or alternatively link up with other organisations such as the QGC, which is inviting businesses to plant trees on their sites or support proposed community forest planting projects.

David Wyrko, who is leading the project for the Leicestershire lieutenancy office, said: “There is no doubt that this project has come at a very apposite time given the environmental issues highlighted last year at COP26. I’d therefore urge businesses to get behind the QGC by getting in touch with their local lieutenancy offices.”

Mosaic 1898 works to reduce carbon footprint Disability charity Mosaic 1898 has invested in LED lighting alternatives to boost its sustainability credentials and save money.

The organisation appointed Blaby Electrical, based in Wigston, to install 90 LED lighting fixtures for its base in Leicester Forest East.

It predicts it could save more than £1,500 in annual energy costs – with an anticipated 10-year return on investment worth almost £7,500 – while it will save almost 1,300kg of CO2 each year, the equivalent of planting 126 mature trees.

Mosaic 1898 CEO Zoheb Shariff said: “The move to more efficient and effective lighting not only furthers our commitment to creating safe and comfortable environments for our people to do their life enhancing work, but it also means taking an important step forward in our responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint.”

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Mandy-Jayne Evans (left), senior specialist in young people's education at YMCA Derbyshire, with service user Kawan Nadri

YMCA Derbyshire in search for new partners YMCA Derbyshire is on a mission to provide work opportunities for young people. Having already given more than 100 teenagers and young adults the chance to work with organisations such as Toyota UK, Santander, Mercia Image Print, Derbyshire Wildlife Group and the University of Derby, the charity is now on the hunt for new partnerships to create more opportunities for those looking for work.

YMCA Derbyshire supports more than 300 people each year who are at risk of facing homelessness. The charity also has an educational arm, YMCA Key College, which provides accredited vocational training courses to 200 young people each year aged 16 to 18, and up to 24 in some instances. Partnering with other businesses enables the charity to provide real-life work experience and employability development opportunities.

One of its successful partnerships has been with Toyota UK, which has delivered a work placement programme with YMCA Derbyshire for the past six years, where young people have had the chance to gain support with maths and English skills, alongside help on CV writing and interview techniques.

Louise Curd, director of lifelong learning at YMCA Derbyshire, said: “This is just one wonderful example of working with a Derbyshire business to help young people gain confidence, increase their self-esteem, build their aspirations all with the aim of moving them along their positive pathway and towards employment.”

Any businesses able to support YMCA can email louise.curd@ymcaderbyshire.org.uk

Charity launches funding appeal Youth charity Base 51 has launched an appeal after it had funding worth £360,000 cut by Nottingham City Council.

The Nottingham Children in Crisis Appeal looks to secure the charity’s shortfall in funding, which has put its centre for youth support in Castle Gate, Nottingham, as well as some of its services, under threat.

Established in 1993, Base 51 provides a safe space to support vulnerable and disadvantaged 11 to 25-year-olds via a range of services including counselling, group work and one-to-one support. It relies on local authority funding, as well as donations from local businesses and the general public.

Martin Barnett, Base 51 trustee and owner of Nottingham-based gifting business TTK Confectionery, said: “Base 51 is a constant in the lives of many of Nottingham’s vulnerable young people. It

them to turn their lives around.”

It’s the charity’s work with those linked to crime where Martin sees the greatest impact, and believes the funding cuts will only increase the cost to taxpayers in the long term, while creating a vicious circle for those involved in crime.

He added: “Putting it into numbers, if a young person goes to prison, receives no intervention and continues to reoffend, then on average they cost the taxpayer £3.15m during their lifetime – whereas if Base 51 can intervene at a young age, backed by the council’s funding, then the cost to the taxpayer is £900 across their lifetime.”

Martin and Jess Barnett

provides a safe space for them to receive the support they need and feel comfortable in the company of people who truly want to help

Those wishing to support Base 51’s Nottingham Children in Crisis Appeal can do so by visiting cafdonate.cafonline.org/18448#!/ DonationDetails or can text HELPUS to 70450 to donate £10.

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Coach inspires small businesses to take action Lockdown provided a watershed moment for people to finally take the plunge by setting up their own companies – and now a business coach believes he can help take them to the next level.

Tony Prueitt, owner of ActionCOACH Derby, specialises in working with small businesses and corporate executives in South Derbyshire.

He is keen to bust the myth that only those in particular need of support can benefit, citing successful people like ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and former US president Barack Obama as successful people who have worked with coaches.

‘We saw a boom in entrepreneurs during lockdown as people began to reassess their work-life balance’ Tony said: “We work with clients that have a growth mindset and are seeking to bring structure, focus and accountability to their business goals and plan. We challenge and support to instil belief and confidence

in their vision, purpose and values which, in turn, delivers growth.

“We saw a boom in entrepreneurs during lockdown as people began to reassess their work-life balance and now, almost two years later, things are getting more serious and we’re here to help restore belief, to create an environment that inspires people to become the very best version of themselves.”

Last year, Tony was hailed as one of 11 breakthrough stars by ActionCOACH, the international business coaching firm, after setting up a Derby branch in November 2020.

While humbled to have been recognised by his peers, he says that he gets far greater satisfaction from seeing the success of others including clients Fox Vintage Wholesale, an up-and-coming vintage clothing business, and Derby giftbox company Colleague Box – whose managing director Natalie Bamford was recently named Business Woman of the Year award at the Chamber’s Enterprising Women Awards.

ActionCOACH Derby is now looking to launch a group coaching programme called ActionCLUB, which will be a new opportunity for business owners to network, learn and benefit from accountability coaching.

Tony Prueitt

Capitalising on the lessons the pandemic taught us Chris Darlington (centre) with Simple Marketing Consultancy directors Elliot Cook and Bev Cook

Experts to deliver marketing strategy WestBridge Group has appointed Chris Darlington and Simple Marketing Consultancy to lead its marketing strategy.

Chris joins the specialist tax advisory company as group marketing director, having previously been the head of the Leicester offices for BDO, Tenon and Mazars.

Simple Marketing Consultancy is jointly run by Bev and Elliot Cook.

Together, they will lead the marketing strategy and help to raise the profile of the group, which has its main office in Leicester.

Chris said: “We have some ambitious plans for growth and our main goal will be to ensure we implement a focused and coordinated programme of marketing activity that ensures our audiences understand the benefits of the specialist advice we can offer.’

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Despite the constant uncertainty of the past two years, people have made a quantum leap in terms of how they live and work. Angela Tooley (pictured), enterprise development manager at the University of Derby, offers eight ways in which businesses can embed the learning they have gained during this period to exploit new opportunities.

INVEST IN YOURSELF Take time out of the business to develop a clear vision and plan for growth – and act upon it.

INVEST IN YOUR WORKFORCE It’s not just about upskilling but creating a culture that empowers, supports continuous improvement, and focuses on wellbeing and inclusion. With a global skills shortage, you need to “grow your own”, investing in those with potential to lead the business in the future.

BE A RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS

SEEK OUT AND GROW NEW MARKETS

INNOVATE

Find new areas of growth in response to changes in consumer behaviour, business models and ways of working – then identify potential partners who can help you access them.

Create value from your inventions by turning ideas into opportunity. Inspire and support your staff to do the same.

Not only is the growing demand for green and sustainable products creating new markets, but adopting sustainable and responsible practices helps reduce costs, drives innovation, and makes you an attractive employer to Gen Z.

GROW AND USE YOUR NETWORK LISTEN TO THE DATA Adopt and embed technology and learn how to use your data to gain market and customer insight, solve problems and aid decision making. Start by learning how to use the full functionality of existing software to improve the way you do things as a business, develop new services or improve customer and employee satisfaction.

See what others are doing, get a different perspective and fresh ideas – learn, share, and collaborate.

UNDERSTAND YOUR BUSINESS SUPPORT ECOSYSTEM This includes universities, chambers of commerce, investors and professional services – and be an active contributor in your own regional ecosystem.

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Advancing smart manufacturing A new national robotics research centre will receive £25m to improve collaborative technology and help businesses unlock the full potential of automated industrial manufacturing.

The Made Smarter Innovation Research Centre for Smart, Collaborative Industrial Robotics, led by Loughborough University, aims to advance smart manufacturing by eliminating barriers and accelerating widespread use of smart collaborative robotics technology to unlock the full potential of the UK industry.

The centre will bring together a team of world-class experts from Loughborough University, Cranfield University, the University of Strathclyde, University of Warwick and University of Bristol.

Project lead Dr Niels Lohse, of Loughborough’s Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, said: “The need for highly specialised skill sets limits the design, implementation, and maintenance of automation.

Specialised equipment is often too inflexible particularly for SMEs, being either too expensive or impractical.

“Bringing the automation community together will be essential for addressing the unique challenges faced by UK industry to unlock the full potential of their highly skilled workforce through automation and digital technology.”

Hello People Solutions owner Amanda Bayliss with fellow tenant D&D Accountancy Services owner Kym Ellington

First tenants move into £1m business centre The first tenants have taken up offices in a state-of-the-art business centre in Ilkeston – after the building had undergone a transformation costing almost £1m.

More businesses are queuing up to join them at Toll Bar House, close to the White Lion Square roundabout junction that acts as a gateway to the town centre.

So far, more than half of the 27 fully-serviced office spaces have been signed up since the centre opened last September.

It is managed by enterprise agency Erewash Partnership on behalf of owner Erewash Borough Council.

Partnership chief executive Ian Viles said: “We are proud that Toll

Bar House is the third business centre we are now managing in Ilkeston, bringing jobs to the town.

We are delighted at the early success in attracting tenants.”

The local authority invested £425,000 in refurbishing and breathing new life into the building.

This was matched by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership.

A further £126,000 was secured by contractor J Tomlinson from the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which helps local authorities with projects designed to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon output and lower energy bills – taking the total transformation cost to £976,000.

The fully-managed offices, ranging in size from 174-497 sq ft, are all broadband-ready and individually key fob-secured.

Among the first to move in was Hello People Solutions. The company deals with HR issues for small businesses.

Owner Amanda Bayliss said: “I was attracted by the location just outside the town centre. These premises are modern, well-fitted out, have good security and a strong professional feel.”

There are several meeting rooms and a bookable conference suite seating 18 people. All floors have their own kitchen areas and there are showers, secure basement storage and 59 parking spaces.

Ampa welcomes CSS Assure Global cyber security firm CSS Assure is joining the group that contains East Midlands-based law firm Shakespeare Martineau.

CSS Assure is the first non-legal service provider to join the law firm’s parent company Ampa, and will see it continue to trade under its existing brand across the UK and internationally.

‘CSS Assure will support our legal experts with technical knowledge to protect our customers’ Legal and professional services group Ampa – which was set up by Shakespeare Martineau and is pending B Corporation status – also includes consumerfocused brand Lime Solicitors, as well as a leading property planning consultancy Marrons Planning, and debt and asset recovery expert Corclaim.

Ampa and Shakespeare Martineau CEO Sarah Walker-Smith said: “Cyber security is a growing sector, with hacking, attacks and data breaches 20

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causing significant issues for businesses at every stage of their lifecycle, as well as people and their families. CSS Assure will support our legal experts with technical knowledge to protect our customers and unlock their potential.”

CSS Assure supports business and consumer clients, with a range of services including cyber security, data protection, financial crime resilience and background checks as well as supporting clients to optimise and commercialise their data resources, from self-service to fully managed data and cyber security provision. The cyber security consultancy’s co-founders Mike Wills and Charlotte Riley will join the Ampa membership, subject to the Solicitors Regulation Authority approval, ultimately holding equity in the group of brands.

Mike Wills said: “Our mission is to make information security simple and businesses and individuals ‘hard to hack’. We saw that collaborative nature and desire to do business for good shine through at Ampa, which is what first attracted us to this partnership.”

Ampa CEO Sarah Walker Smith

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MEMBER FOCUS: THE PEOPLES MUSE The past two years have brought significant change to the workplace environment. For Amy Healey (pictured), this was an opportunity to engage with business owners to transform their thinking around their people and culture. The owner of The Peoples Muse, based in Derbyshire, tells Business Network about why she set up the business and the services it offers.

Tell us what your company does and a brief overview of its history?

The Peoples Muse is a new change agency fostering culture and people as the key to unlocking business potential and growth.

We collaborate with leaders and their teams to achieve excellence – a workplace where people are healthy, happy and motivated to achieve.

Our specialisms include leadership and strategy development, employee engagement and talent management.

Who are your main customers and what is your USP to them?

We support start-up businesses and SMEs across the East Midlands to integrate a human-centred approach to growth.

We promise credible solutions, relationships built on trust and a big return on investment – and

that’s not forgetting a positive experience for all those involved.

What is your role in the business and what does your day-to-day role involve?

As a culture specialist, I assess, plan, do, and review people strategies. This involves reconceptualising how a business approaches and deploys initiatives as part of its overall employee experience programme.

I also do all that “other stuff” that business owners do, with the ambition of making The Peoples Muse true to its name – a source of inspiration.

How have you fared during the Covid-19 pandemic?

Although saddened that many people have struggled to cope with their health and wellbeing in the pandemic, I saw it as a time for opportunity.

The world of work changed, and businesses would need to adapt

and evolve to succeed in this new era – and just like that, the Peoples Muse burst into life to provide the support and expertise required.

What are the company’s plans for the future?

It may seem like an obvious answer, but I’d like to develop and nurture our own high-performance team.

Going from zero to five in 12months would be monumental.

How long have you been a member of East Midlands Chamber, and what encouraged you to join and continue your membership?

I recently joined to expand my network, raise awareness, learn and share knowledge.

What do you believe is the most important role of a chamber of commerce?

To support local economic development in a sustainable way.

Liniar named Covid-19 hero Derbyshire-based Liniar has been recognised as a “Covid-19 business hero” at a prestigious national awards ceremony.

The industry-leading poly vinyl chloride (PVCu) systems company attended the G-Awards ceremony at the London Park Lane Hilton, where it was presented with the award for its community engagement during the pandemic.

The award primarily commended the company’s personal protection equipment (PPE) project, where from April 2020, the Liniar team designed, prototyped, 3D-printed and manufactured protective visors, invested £20,000 on tooling and got them out to those who needed them in just two weeks.

It was pioneered by design and development apprentice Oliver Marriott after he learned from family members at Royal Derby Hospital about the struggle to obtain PPE. He said: “My family members were telling me about continued PPE shortages, and as the pandemic continued to get worse, I could see the stress they were under. I’m so proud that Liniar took my idea and ran with it and delighted at how many people, along with my family members, we’ve been able to help.”

The G21 judging panel chose Liniar as one of the two joint winners, alongside hardware specialist UAP. Group sales director Nigel Bishop said: “The PPE project gave our whole team a great sense of direction and satisfaction during very uncertain times.

Sue and Nigel at the G-Awards

Thepandemic hasn’t stopped our community engagement – in fact, we’ve helped more people than ever before – so I’m extremely pleased Liniar has been recognised for the amazing work that’s still helping to deliver vital PPE to the NHS and care workers.”

NEW MEMBERS In November and December 2021, the Chamber welcomed 57 new members: • • • •

Anglo Adhesives ApnaKey Axiom Energy Ltd Bartels Rawlings International Ltd • Base 51 • Baytree Cars LTD • Bondswell Properties Ltd • Cheff Ltd • Citizens Advice Ashfield • Database For Business Limited • Develop Training Ltd • Dice Ideas • Dunston House • Orderly Limited • EMT Healthcare Limited • Equipment Leasing Solutions Limited • Event - Trees Ltd • Exlen Technology Ltd • Gods Grace Supplies • Good Travel Management • HM Accountancy Services • Hydrus Hygiene LTD (International) • Ignite Your Inner Potential • Intercontinental Commercial Enterprises Ltd • Lomas Editorial • Menphys • Momentic Limited • Monkey Park CIC • Moore Large & Co. Limited (International) • Newton Fallowell Syston • ODD Exhibitions Limited • OMEETO • One CIC • Orton Property Group • Paperclip Limited • Pencil and Coffee Ltd • Pharm2Farm Ltd • Pride Property Care • The QSS Group Limited • RammSanderson Ecology Ltd • Regus • Rimpro-Tec Wheelbands Limited • RPM Consultants • Salloway Property Consultants • Schroders Personal Wealth • SDE Group • Severn Trent Services (Water & Sewerage) Ltd • Sherwood Phoenix Ltd • Specialist Crafts Limited • Sport Sessions • Studio 44 • Steph's Sustainable Stuff • TDP Recycled Plastic Furniture • Tinderbox Ltd • Turbine Creative • Vines Legal Limited • Warning Zone Ltd

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Focus project to support council’s net zero target College rated as ‘outstanding’ Loughborough College has been rated “outstanding” by Ofsted – which commended it for providing “exceptional care, support, leadership and experiences to students”.

Inspectors visited the college in November 2021 and said in their report that the college provided highly effective services that consistently exceed expected standards.

They added that the college’s approach “contributes to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for young people”.

Jo Maher, principal and CEO of Loughborough College, said: “To achieve ‘outstanding’ is an absolute testament to the care and support we provide for our students. I know how hard our staff team work to genuinely put the student experience first and set the highest possible standards.”

Built environment consultancy Focus will play a key role in a retrofitting project that forms part of Nottingham City Council’s activities backed by the UK Community Renewal Fund (CRF).

The company, which has offices in Nottingham and Leicester, will advise the council on the £384,000 Nottingham Carbon Neutral Housing scheme, one of four projects that are funded by the £3m Government allocation.

It will help accelerate the city’s ambition to reach net zero by 2028.

The Cost vs Carbon Retrofit Roadmap seeks to transform the city’s existing housing stock of nearly 153,500 dwellings – 61.4% of which have an energy performance certificate (EPC) of band D or lower – into carbon-neutral homes using advanced retrofit strategies, fabric improvements, and integration of solar PVs and air-source heat pumps.

Focus partner Keith Butler (pictured) said: “Retrofit rather than demolition is one of the key tools in creating a sustainable built environment and Nottingham City Council is paving the way.”

The retrofit project will develop the framework to deliver change at the pace and scale needed to effectively address the UK Government’s 2050 target and need to decarbonise existing homes.

Keith added: “Our team will advise on all aspects of commercial feasibility and opportunity.

“We will bring to the project our growing database of cost information derived from continued

involvement in the successful delivery of housing retrofit projects such as DREeM 2050s, Whole House Retrofit Demonstrator Project, and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator Project, all of which are based in Nottingham.”

Among the other CRF-backed Nottingham projects is the £1.1m Chamber-led East Midlands Accelerator scheme. This will support 280 businesses to recover from the pandemic in key growth sectors and help 300 young people aged 16 to 24 into employment, converting Kickstart placements into sustainable jobs.

Focus has also been appointed to oversee the refurbishment of the listed Dora House in London – the Grade II-listed home of the Royal Society of Sculptors.

The firm has been appointed to provide project management and cost management services along with contract administration.

The building, in South Kensington, retains many of its original features, including tall leaded windows and original fireplaces, but the building is in decline. It requires fundamental repairs and conservation work to prevent further water egress and damage to the outside.

Working alongside Purcell, the project’s conservation architect, Focus is now undertaking work to replace the roof and carry out repairs to the building’s façade, as the first phase of a £6.5m restoration project.

Focus partner Ellie Clarke said: “The project will make sure that the building is much easier to maintain and repair going forward, so that the society can continue to look after it.”

Family funeral firm expands into Allestree

Allestree branch manager Amanda Howitt (seated) with Bec and Helen Wathall

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Wathall’s has expanded its branch network with the opening of new premises in Allestree – which will be a hub for the company’s bereavement support services.

The company, which is Derby’s longest-established independent funeral director, has its head office in Macklin Street, in the city centre, and branches in Alvaston, Ashbourne, Borrowash and Burton-on-Trent.

Helen Wathall MBE, who is the fifth generation of her family to head up the company, said: “Over the generations, we have always been dedicated to providing services to local communities and to support people at times of greatest need in a number of ways.

“I have wanted to open a branch in Allestree for many years both to serve its community with bespoke funeral planning and services.”

Its Dandelions Bereavement Support programme was launched in 2014 and offers a range of services including grief journey programmes for communities and businesses, as well as children’s bereavement support.

The new branch will allow the programme to further develop the service by offering in-person bereavement counselling support.

Helen added: “I am incredibly proud that we are the first local funeral directors to offer this service but available space and Covid restrictions have meant that this has so far only really been possible virtually – and the Allestree branch will give us the space needed to offer in-person bereavement counselling support.”

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The MacMartin team, including founders Claire MacDonald and Anna Hutton in the centre

Sister act behind digital-led growth A Derbyshire creative agency believes it has proved a strong digital presence is vital for growth in pandemic times – as it prepares to double in size for 2022.

MacMartin, a full-service marketing agency based in Church Broughton, is taking on new office space that will double its square footage, as well as employing two more members of staff.

The move comes during a successful growth period – despite the pandemic – for the business set up by sisters Claire MacDonald and Anna Hutton back in 2017.

Claire said: “When the pandemic came in 2020, like all businesses we worried for the

future, but what we’ve actually found is that our digital services were a lifeline to clients that needed a strong online presence during those times.

“Clients such as food businesses needed to pivot their offering to home delivery or takeaway services, which meant they needed a robust web-based shopfront that we were able to provide for them.

“We’ve also found that many businesses that have managed to survive the pandemic have in fact done more than survive – they have thrived, perhaps by having a greater market share than they previously did.”

Following a boost in their company’s growth, Claire and Anna have taken on two new members of staff – Jess Henty and Daria Blok.

Jess joins MacMartin from a previous job as an account co-ordinator for a national sporting body, while Daria is an experienced graphic designer with a background in print. They join the now 10-strong all female MacMartin team, which works in a converted farm building at the Bartonfields Centre – and has recently taken on the lease for the next-door office.

Anna added: “We’re so proud of our business and our staff and we look forward to continuing to flourish in 2022.”

Taste of success for business trio

Ian Marriott and Simon Winiarski

Russell Scanlan supports WBRFC Nottingham-based independent insurance broker Russell Scanlan has continued to show support for its local community by sponsoring West Bridgford Rugby Football Club (WBRFC).

Ian Marriott, membership secretary at WBRFC, said: “Longestablished local businesses, such as Russell Scanlan that step forward to show their support for community-based sporting clubs and associations are vital.

“Its sponsorship not only provides a boost in funds but also creates long-term partnerships.”

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Three friends who created a business so they could work together have collected a raft of awards during 2021 and been named among the UK’s brightest new entrepreneurs.

The founders of luxury doughnut company Project D beat off competition from almost 5,000 others to win a Great British Entrepreneur Award in the contest, which counts the founders of LAD Bible, Tangle Teezer and Grenade as former winners.

Max Poynton, Jacob Watts and Matthew Bond were named the 2021 Food and Drink Entrepreneurs by judges including Cath Kidston, former Dragon’s Den star James Caan and Ann Summers’ creator Jacqueline Gold.

Alongside this accolade, the founders were also awarded five regional titles from Derbyshire Live, East Midlands Chamber, Generation Next and Marketing Derby last year.

Operations director Max Poynton said: “To have our hard work recognised by multiple awards last year was fantastic and the Great British Entrepreneur Awards success was the icing on the cake for us both because it’s a national award and it has been given to some truly inspirational business leaders in the past.”

L-R: Project D founders Matthew Bond, Jacob Watts and Max Poynton

Now in its ninth year, the Great British Entrepreneur Awards celebrate the inspiring stories of entrepreneurs across the UK. Francesca James, founder of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, said: “The winners were thoroughly deserving, overcoming some stiff competition from their fellow finalists, and we look forward to welcoming them into our alumni community and seeing what they do next.”

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MEMBER NEWS

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Change can be brilliant So says Sarah Roach (pictured), owner and founder of Fishinwater Ltd, a local business which helps individuals and organisation prepare for, manage and cope with change. hange is constant. Whether you think that is a good thing or a bad thing probably reflects your mindset; you’ve just come through the first month of a new year. You’ve survived Blue Monday – which this year landed on Monday 17th – and the pressure to reset and commit to new objectives. Well done!

Fishinwater’s founder Sarah Roach loves change; “One of my favourite quotes is from Tom Peters ‘Excellent firms don’t believe in excellence – only in constant improvement and constant change'."

After many years helping to guide project and programme delivery, she is absolutely passionate about the importance of managing change properly – with people at the heart of it from start to finish. “After years of being part of large-scale company transformations, it’s very clear to me that people do not recognise Change Management as a distinct but linked process. We’ve all had a lot of change forced upon us by the pandemic – we’ve had to adjust and cope and have done to varying levels. But one type of enforced change – those at work – are the most frustrating for me and many of my network, because it can be done better!”

Alongside her passion for well-done change, Sarah also works with companies to ensure their people have the necessary ‘bouncebackability’; as an approved trainer with The Happiness Club, she can deliver workshops which pack a punch, giving people easy to remember techniques to help them manage stress, whilst getting an understanding of what stress really is.

That’s what Fishinwater’s mission is – to make change brilliant – for everyone!

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“Excellent firms don’t believe in excellence – only in constant improvement and constant change” – Tom Peters

For more information visit: www.fishinwater.org You can also find us on LinkedIn

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MEMBER NEWS

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APPOINTMENTS

Raft of appointments is a positive sign of growth

Katie promoted to board at TTK Confectionery Food gifting company TTK Confectionery has promoted Katie Gilbert (pictured) to commercial director.

Katie is the second female director on the Nottinghambased company’s board and at 26, will be its youngest ever board appointment.

TTK Confectionery creates food gifting solutions for major retailers across the UK such as Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Matalan, Urban Outfitters and WH Smith. It also sells to more than 21 countries worldwide, as far afield as Canada and Australia.

Katie, who is a champion of the Chamber’s Generation Next network for young professionals, has been with the company since its creation, initially joining on a university internship.

She now heads a team of eight and plays an integral part in the running of the company, managing multimillion pound budgets across several departments.

“I’m extraordinarily proud that I’ve managed to reach this pivotal point of TTK’s growth journey and that I get to help shape our future,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to be able to have such an influence over our strategy and I owe it all to the belief that our directors had in me from the very beginning.”

From the outset, TTK Confectionery CEO Martin Barnett looked at building a team of high potential individuals who could form a winning team to develop and grow the business, and believes Katie is a shining example of what can be achieved through hard work and dedication.

Martin added: “Katie’s team is inspired by her journey at TTK, and we are delighted that she is now taking her place as a member of the board. We are so proud of all she has achieved.”

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Burton-based Hardy Signs has expanded its team with four new appointments.

The professional and digital signage manufacturer has welcomed marketing and sales executive Sian Webb, apprentice accounts assistant Rowan Redfern, account manager Adam Langford and workshop operative Daniel Woodward – while two executives, who have been at the “forefront of business growth” have been promoted into new roles.

Adam Bates, who has been with the company for 20 years in roles including head of design and most recently marketing manager, is promoted to general manager.

He said: “This experience has been invaluable and serves me well in a general manager’s role, to oversee the various departments of the company. We have strived hard to succeed and grow Hardy Signs into one of the leading signage

Hardy Signs managing director Nik Hardy (left) with the new hires

companies in the UK and I look forward to continuing to build on those successes.”

Account manager Scott Sudale has also been promoted to senior accounts manager and will play a

key role in managing and maintaining all new and existing clients at the company. From taking the initial enquiry, to site visits and planning, Scott will manage all aspects of customer service.

Becky to promote sustainable travel

Manik Karunaratne, Andrew Stock and Ruth Gray

New staff at Planning & Design Practice Planning & Design Practice has announced new recruits in its planning, architectural and heritage teams.

Joining the Derby company’s team of RIBA chartered architects and architectural assistants is project architect Manik Karunaratne. Having worked on commercial architecture practices previously, Manik has experience on office buildings, high-rise apartments buildings, housing developments and barn conversions.

Andrew Stock joins as a principal planner, having spent more than seven years in local government. He will utilise his experience and local knowledge to assist the company in the preparation, submission and management of all types of planning applications.

Having recently completed a master’s degree in public history and heritage at the University of Derby, Ruth Gray joins as heritage assistant.

She will assist an Institute of Historic Building Conservation planner and a specialist conservation architect to carry out research and help to prepare heritage assessments and planning applications in conservation areas.

Director Richard Pigott said: “We are excited to be growing the team again following the restructuring last year. This is in response to continuing demand for our services and demonstrates our confidence in the future.”

Go Travel Solutions has appointed Becky Watson as its new marketing and communications officer.

The Leicester-based sustainable transport consultancy is supporting the Government’s strategy to become net zero by 2050 by offering a range of transport solutions to help workplaces and communities incentivise low-carbon transport.

Becky’s role will involve promoting the company’s services to help raise awareness around sustainable travel solutions, including its national SmartGo scheme – which provides discounted workplace travel – as well as its community travel package LocalGo. Managing director Robin Pointon said: “We’re delighted to welcome Becky to the team.”

Managing director Robin Pointon with new hire Becky Watson

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APPOINTMENTS

IP specialist welcomes four new team members Intellectual property (IP) specialist Adamson Jones has appointed four new members to its team.

The Nottingham-based law firm, which has just been acquired by Gateley, welcomed Natasha Walker as an associate and chartered trade mark attorney, specialising in brand protection, trade mark registration and enforcement of trade mark rights.

Having been actively involved in the start-up of the Derby Junior Lawyers Division of the Derby and District Law Society in 2017, Natasha became active president in 2018, a role that she still holds to date.

James Tagg is training at the firm to become a chartered patent attorney, having joined the patent profession in 2016 as an associate patent examiner at the UK Intellectual Property Office in Newport and qualifying as an examiner in early 2020.

In addition, Sedella Hearson and Jade-Akina Charlton have joined the firm’s IP support team.

Sedella is a qualified IP administrator and brings a wealth of experience to the formalities team, while Jade provides administrative support to clients and

Professor Richard Ambrosi, executive director of Space Park Leicester

Richard to lead Space Park’s ambitions

Natasha Walker

the team while training in all areas of IP formalities.

Adamson Jones managing director Simon Cooper said: “We hope to continue attracting the very best talent in the IP profession to the East Midlands.”

Promotions at leading law firm Stuart Walters

Gemma Wrighton

Law firm Geldards ushered in the new year with a round of promotions across its offices.

Five senior associates have been promoted to partner across different practice areas, bringing the total number of partners at the firm across its offices in Derby, Nottingham, Cardiff and London to 61.

They include Stuart Walters and Gemma Wrighton in the commercial property team in Nottingham and Derby respectively, and Elizabeth Bray, Joga Singh and Helen Snow in Geldards’ Cardiff office.

Geldards chief executive Jeff Pearson said: “I offer my warmest congratulations to our five new partners and all of our colleagues whose dedication and hard work have been recognised with these well-deserved promotions. I look forward to watching them grow in their new roles as they continue to provide an exceptional client service and build the excellent reputation of Geldards.”

Devonshire Group welcomes Katie Katie Saunders (pictured) has been appointed as people director at the Devonshire Group, the company that represents the interests, charities and businesses of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.

She now has responsibility for more than 1,400 employees spread across 65,000 acres of estate at Chatsworth in Derbyshire, Bolton Abbey in Yorkshire, the Compton estate in Sussex, and Lismore in the Republic of Ireland.

She previously operated at board level for the past 15 years in high street retail and spent 20 years in the motor industry, including at Volkswagen UK and Audi UK.

Katie said: “My experience is very broad, which I think will be important given the group includes such a variety of businesses from visitor attractions, shops, restaurants and luxury accommodation to farming, forestry and property development.

“It's very clear there is a strong, shared passion for the organisation and its values at all levels. Part of my role will be to share my experience and expertise in learning and development, and particularly management development and leadership, to enable everybody to make the very best of their skills and reach their full potential.”

A new centre for space research in Leicester has brought on board an executive director.

The University of Leicester’s Professor Richard Ambrosi joins Space Park Leicester to lead the development of its innovative research, enterprise and education cluster, supporting the skills pipeline required to expand the UK’s space ambitions.

Richard, an expert in space instrumentation and space nuclear power systems, first joined the University of Leicester in 2000 after completing a PhD in Physics at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Since then, he has lent his expertise to a number of international space missions, including the Swift Gamma Ray Burst Mission and ExoMars. Richard has also led the development of radioisotope power systems for the European Space Agency.

He said: “Having worked on the project from the beginning, it is very rewarding to have been part of the team that transformed an idea into the state-of-the-art facilities we see today.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity of realising the ambition of Space Park Leicester, which ranges from enabling discovery science to transforming how we use data to address global challenges and driving innovation through collaboration with our industry partners.”

Developed by the University of Leicester in collaboration with local, national and international partners, Space Park Leicester comprises a 100,000 sq ft facility featuring offices, shared laboratories, teaching facilities and co-working spaces.

Professor Sarah Davies, pro vicechancellor and head of the College of Science and Engineering at the university, added: “In Richard, we have appointed an executive director who matches our ambition to advance world-leading excellence in space research, inclusive education and training, and space-enabled industry.”

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

The versatility of manufacturing Over the past 25 years, Metalfacture has built a solid reputation as a sheet metal work subcontractor and in recent years has branched out to also become a major exporter of its own innovative products. After this quiet evolution culminated in its coronation as the Leicestershire Business of the Year for 2021, commercial director Ben Jones-Fenleigh sits down with Dan Robinson at its Wigston factory to tell his company’s story.

n the corner of Metalfacture’s 95,000 sq ft factory, a series of metal frames are lined up across a dozen or so pallets. These 5ft-high stands are fairly nondescript but once they leave the warehouse, they will become a key part of the fight against Covid-19.

Antibacterial gel dispensers will be fixed to the top and the hand sanitiser stations will eventually end up in shops, arenas and workplaces across the UK. At the height of the pandemic, 2,000 stands were pumped out every week, with 40,000 produced to date.

“Some of our core customers took a hit at the start of the first lockdown but the need for hand sanitiser became very apparent,” says Ben. “Because we had the manufacturing capabilities, we quickly designed a hand sanitiser floor stand that could be wrapped in branding.

“When the Government said in June 2020 that stores would need a hand sanitiser station to reopen, it was like a tsunami hitting us and my phone was ringing just about every minute with companies asking for them.

“It was relentless and we had shifts across all 24 hours of the day, with people working socially distanced, to get them completed in time.

“Diversifying in the short term was also really important for our business and the welfare of our employees as it meant they could continue working – we’ve never had to furlough anyone at all during the pandemic.”

While still a relatively small part of Metalfacture’s sheet metal work operation in Wigston, it’s a primary example of manufacturing’s versatility. In the early days of lockdown, factories across Britain were repurposed to provide emergency supplies such as PPE and ventilators.

It offered a timely reminder, coming hot on the heels of the UK officially leaving the EU on 31 January 2020, of the importance of an industry that had declined considerably in recent decades.

Ben adds: “For me, the beauty of manufacturing is having the ability to change the wind in your sails to suit a new requirement so that when something big like the pandemic hits, we are among the first to respond to provide what the country needs.

“It’s something that genuinely excites me. I went to London recently and I saw our stands in everywhere from Costa, KFC and Burger King to Madame Tussauds, Sea Life and Goldsmiths – it was incredible to see them all.”

I

MANUFACTURING HAS ALWAYS been in Ben’s blood. He spent Saturdays taking stock checks at his grandfather’s plastic injection moulding firm in Leicester as a teenager, eventually learning the ropes of running a business.

He admits hands-on manufacturing wasn’t a key strength but his burgeoning sales knowledge – supported by a BTEC diploma in business and finance, as well as a short stint working as for a business travel agency – made him a good fit for what came next.

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BENEFITS OF DEGREE APPRENTICESHIPS Degree apprenticeships could be a huge boost for training young people in traditional industries like manufacturing, believes Ben. Many universities now offer these new programmes, which combine working and studying part-time with a view to gaining a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

Ben is actively encouraging his 17-year-old stepson Joshua to study an engineering degree apprenticeship after recalling being at a similar crossroads when he was a teenager.

“After finishing my BTEC diploma in business and finance, I had to decide whether to go to university or straight into a job, and I chose to go down the work route,” says Ben, who also has two daughters – Amelia, 12, and Isabella, 10.

“Although the path ended well for me at Metalfacture, I’m encouraging Joshua to go to university so he doesn’t miss out on the life opportunities.

“We’re having a conversation about doing an engineering degree apprenticeship and it’s something I’d really encourage for young people.

“Degrees are great but if you can combine that with quickly getting into a working environment, then it sets you up much better than leaving university without an immediate career path. As an employer, if I was looking at two candidates – one with a straightforward degree but no real work experience, and another with a degree apprenticeship who has been in that environment already – then the second person definitely gets an extra tick against their name.”

James Cooper, his best friend since the age of four who he attended Oakham School with, had set up Metalfacture in 1997 and Ben joined him within a month as a fellow director.

Ben, now 50, says: “James’ strengths were on the manufacturing side and I brought sales, marketing and finance knowledge to the business.”

Its focus then, as now, is in sheet metal fabrication work – the process of forming metal sheets to the desired shape using different manufacturing methods, including laser cutting, bending, folding, punching, welding, painting and assembling.

As a subcontractor, it offers solutions to other manufacturers that don’t have the in-house specialism – or, if they do, the required capacity for big projects.

At that time, sheet metal work tended to be “old school” as companies sent pricing quotes via annotated drawings.

Metalfacture decided to type up quotes and provide reference numbers – a seemingly small detail but one Ben says helped to quickly establish a reputation for professionalism.

Mistakes were made too as a keenness to impress led to the firm taking on projects that didn’t necessarily meet its skillset or manufacturing capabilities.

Learning to say no to people was as important as finding work, with Ben adding: “Some customers felt let down but after a while, they respected our honesty.”

The Vertical Vendor display stand is used by brands including Coca-Cola

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

Ben Jones-Fenleigh with the hand sanitiser stands in Metalfacture’s factory

Ben picking up the Leicestershire Business of the Year award in December

Mark Tebbatt would later join the senior leadership team as production director and all three remain on board – with James the majority shareholder – in hands-on roles.

“We’ve always been a company very much based on oldfashioned values where we treat people like we’d want to be treated ourselves, and we’re only as good as our last job,” says Ben. “Our office is open-plan so there’s a constant dialogue and if an issue arises, we will get involved immediately. We find that kind of environment stimulates growth.”

AND GROWTH IS exactly what Metalfacture has experienced in recent years. It now has about 75 permanent employees and the team can top the 100 mark via agency staff during busy periods.

The company is renowned for its work in point-of-sale retail – with lots of small shops dotted around Leicester, there was a huge shopfitting market to tap into on its doorstep, although it also branched out into items such as laboratory-based mini metal furnaces and gear tray light fittings.

New product launches will usually be accompanied by in-store display stands that Metalfacture is adept at creating, while one of its most successful campaigns involved building 8,000 newspaper display stands for News UK’s newsagents over a three-month period.

Ben explains: “Product launches and new campaigns tend to be very sensitive so reliability is really key to customers. That’s why they come to us, knowing our capability in producing 1,000 units of the floor stands they need.”

Diversification has been central to the Metalfacture journey too, even pre-dating the pandemic. While its subcontracting work continues unabated, it began creating its own range of products about five years ago to give the business more resilience.

“As a subcontractor, you are relying on your customers to sell new products,” says Ben. “When our accountant asks what the next month will be like, it could be a really good month if we have lots of orders but it could be very quiet because we’re relying on the destiny of someone else for our own company’s prospects.

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

“So we wanted to find some products that we could make to fill those peaks and troughs.”

He noticed how many petrol stations were undergoing internal refurbishments with concessions for brands like Costa, but outside areas had been left neglected, with bestselling seasonal products like barbecue coal and deicer cans piled high on pallets.

Metalfacture came up with a new modular product outdoor display system design that would make these goods more appealing to customers.

Numerous leading petrol retailers were quick to adopt them, with some sites taking 14 metres of units in their forecourts.

“We’ve become a market leader for this in the industry,” says Ben. “We sell more than 100 metres per month of these pods to a lot of the multiples and other petrol retailers like Euro Garages and Ascona.”

IT WAS ANOTHER point-of-sale innovation that gave the company its international kudos and led to it “breaking America”.

The Vertical Vendor is a display stand that enables products to be tightly stacked at an easy-reach height, with a spring-loaded system meaning only the top item is displayed at any one time and the rest hidden out of sight.

The stand, made using sustainable materials, can be wrapped in branded material for regular promotions, with the ultimate aim of increasing impulse sales.

Given that one stand can accommodate up to 192 cans – equivalent to four metres of shelving – it has become a hit with both brands and retailers as it can get products into the front of customers’ minds without occupying much floor or shelf space.

Clients including Coca-Cola, Red Bull, Diageo, Heineken, Pepsi, Carlsberg, Monster and AB InBev reported up to 35% increases in impulse sales.

In 2019 alone, Metalfacture delivered 25,000 units to more than 50 countries and it won a number of retail industry awards for the innovation, which has had patents granted in key markets and IP protection in more than 150 countries.

A network of distributors in markets such as North and South America, Japan, Australia and Europe continue to grow the Vertical Vendors name – now a trademarked brand in its own right – and offer the local sales knowledge.

The ability to divert manufacturing processes is one of the industry's biggest assets

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TAKING THE LEAP TO TRADE INTERNATIONALLY Despite its initial hesitancy, Metalfacture has never looked back since exporting became a major part of the business in 2018.

Before then, international trade accounted for very little but it now commands at least half of the business, and even up to 80% of sales in some months.

Ben says: “We were initially quite nervous about exporting, but setting up our distribution network meant we had our eyes and ears to the ground.

“After the first couple of shipments, we realised international trade is no different to local trading once you are confident about the paperwork, which we received lots of help with from the Chamber.

“We thought about risks before starting the export work and have increased our normal checking procedures during the assembly process to reduce the likelihood of any issues arising.

“Exporting gives people in the factory a sense of pride because they know that what they’re making will be sent to Japan or the US. “It’s a big part of our business now. Britain is a great market but there’s a big old world out there, and not only does it provide growth and prosperity, but makes you more resilient to shocks too.”

He admits to having learned a lot about how different countries operate – Germany, for example, has a rigorous approvals process, while South American customers are often more laid-back about the status of orders. In Japan, meanwhile, businesses will want to independently test products at controlled sites before buying them.

Communication is key throughout the process and Ben believes there are ample opportunities out there for British manufacturing given the gold plate standard attached to it.

“A lot of customers really like the fact it’s from the UK,” he adds. “If we send something to Saudi Arabia, they want us to apply a sticker saying it’s UK-made because it’s a sign of quality.”

While petrol forecourts are once again among clients, convenience stores and supermarkets are the biggest sectors – particularly in the US, where some large stores accommodate 60 display stands.

Its impact on the business has been clear. About 15 extra pairs of hands were brought on board in roles ranging from assembly and project management to graphics and export administration.

‘Creating our own product range has been a huge success and instantly evened out the peaks and troughs’ Turnover grew 60% to £7.5m between 2018 and 2021, with an ambition to scale £10m within the next three years.

Ben says: “Most of our business through Vertical Vendors has been in the export market because in the US, store layouts are brand-driven so it’s easier to get into the supermarkets than in the UK, where it’s more store-driven.

“Creating our own product range has been a huge success and instantly evened out the peaks and troughs.”

While the past two years have been tough for many businesses, Metalfacture can reflect on a successful period having had the foresight to repurpose manufacturing, which also involved making water purification systems for the temporary Nightingale field hospitals.

It rounded off 2021 with being named Leicestershire Business of the Year at the Chamber’s Leicestershire Business Awards – where it also won the Outstanding Growth Award and Excellence in International Trade prize.

Ben plans to place the three certificates on the wall of his boardroom alongside previous recognition over the past two decades.

In 2001, while still in its infancy as a company but growing quickly, Metalfacture won the Enterprise Award at the same awards and in 2007, a year after moving into the current factory as part of an expansion, it won an Investing in Leicestershire Award by the Leicester Mercury.

“Each award has represented a key milestone in our journey, and this latest recognition really puts the icing on the cake after 25 years in business,” Ben adds.

“It’s meant a lot to everyone in the factory as a reward for their hard work, and it’s great to fly the flag for our industry.”

Metalfacture’s main business is sheet metal work subcontracting

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PATRONS

What does the homeworking trend mean for apprentices?

Ahead of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), now in its 15th year and running from 7 to 13 February, Access Training managing director Corrina Hembury (pictured) reflects on the value that apprentices bring to a business.

As businesses continue their post-Covid recovery, they face two key challenges in addressing this year’s NAW theme of “Build the Future” – how to deal with staff shortages and how to embrace homeworking without impacting business performance.

Apprenticeships are playing an increasingly important role in addressing both.

Firstly, how staff shortages and high turnover can be tackled first and foremost by recruiting the right individuals.

‘Apprenticeships provide the opportunity to assess over a much longer period whether an individual presents a good fit for the long term’ At Access Training, our expert free recruitment service is one of the reasons we rank in the top 5% of apprenticeship providers in England, according to the Department for Education’s latest FE Choices Employer Satisfaction survey.

Apprentices can continue to learn in a homeworking model

We carefully vet our apprentice candidates to put only the right ones in front of our employers; so successfully in fact, that the apprentice retention rates of many clients outperform those of staff from their usual recruitment drives.

Unlike a standard post with a three-month probationary period, apprenticeships provide the opportunity to assess over a much longer period whether an individual presents a good fit for the long term.

Secondly, the very structured training framework of an apprenticeship programme – in terms of learning, shadowing, and recording and assessing performance – lends itself well to a homeworking model. That proved to be the case for Castle Donington-based CET Structures, an outsourcing partner for some of the biggest and best-known insurers in the UK. It first embarked on its new apprenticeship programme during the pandemic – taking on a cohort of eight customer service apprentices who were onboarded, and continue to work, virtually.

Taking time to invest in a more in-depth training programme for their young apprentices has derived benefits for CET staff across the board, with its standard four-week staff induction programme now extended to match the six-week apprentice version.

Free recruitment, Government subsidies and a lower wage bill aside, the apprenticeship model is undoubtedly a key way for a business to deliver on its commitments as a responsible employer, creating a positive working experience which staff want to join, and stay in, for the long term.

University boss honoured with CBE

Niche awards now open This year’s Niche Business Awards is now open for entries.

The public can nominate their favourite businesses or individuals in Leicestershire across 15 categories – including best new business, rising star, eco excellence, businesswoman of the year and businessman of the year. Entrants are also encouraged to nominate themselves.

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and DMU’s Leicester Castle Business School is headline sponsor for the 2022 event, which will be held in September with a Back to the Future theme.

Jenny Cross, CEO of Cross Productions, said: “We love to be able to recognise great businesses and individuals each year.”

Nominations close on 1 April and can be made at www.nichemagazine.co.uk /nominate-now

Professor Kathryn Mitchell DL (pictured), vice-chancellor and chief executive of the University of Derby, has been awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

She was recognised with the highest-ranking Order of the British Empire Award for her services to education in the 2022 New Year honours list.

During a 30-year career in education, Prof Mitchell has also held the role of deputy vice-chancellor at the University of West London, been a Wellcome Fellow at the Institute of Psychiatry, London, and worked for the University of Chicago, the Rockefeller Institute in New York and the Friedrich Miescher Institute in Basel.

As vice-chancellor at the University of Derby since 2015, she has demonstrated transformational leadership that has impacted positively not only on the quality of education at the university, but also across the city and county.

She admitted to feeling “honoured” by the CBE, saying: “Raising the educational aspirations of people regardless of their age or background and assuring that a high-quality education is accessible to all is something I am extremely passionate about.

“Having the opportunity to influence and make an impact within your local communities is a privilege, and I am grateful for the commitment of colleagues and partners who have worked with me to achieve this.”

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PATRONS

IN BRIEF

L-R: Neil Berry, Shelley Harvey, Tina Hayes and Shiran Wynter

MHA MacIntyre Hudson signs up as Chamber patron MHA MacIntyre Hudson, a chartered accountancy, tax and business advisory firm that is consistently named in the top 20 of industry league tables, has strengthened its relationship with the Chamber as a new patron.

A member of the Baker Tilly International accountancy and business advisory network, the company employs more than 900 people across 10 UK offices.

‘We became a patron of the Chamber to increase the contribution we are able to make to other Chamber members and the East Midlands business community’ This includes over 50 people based at its Leicester branch in Meridian Business Park, which works particularly closely with industries such as manufacturing, technology and healthcare on issues such as R&D tax credits.

As well as its patronage, MHA MacIntyre Hudson becomes the latest partner of Generation Next, the Chamber’s network for young professionals and future business leaders in the East Midlands.

Partner Neil Berry, based in Leicester, said: “East Midlands Chamber works actively in our region to support the wide range of growing businesses and entrepreneurs, representing members and the wider business community on local, regional, national and international issues.

“MHA MacIntyre Hudson echoes this throughout its own organisation. We recognise the value this brings in truly connecting with our clients and influencing their business growth.

“We became a patron of the Chamber to increase the contribution we are able to make to other Chamber members and the East Midlands business community by providing greater access to our business services.”

The Chamber’s chief executive Scott Knowles said: “Bringing on board a firm with the heritage and stature of MHA MacIntyre Hudson as a patron is a fantastic coup for the Chamber.”

East Midlands Airport is recruiting more than 150 customer-facing roles as it anticipates a strong recovery this year.

As travel restrictions continue to ease, delivering a boost to the aviation sector, the airport is now planning ahead for what it expects to be a busy summer season for leisure travel, with passenger numbers forecast to reach 75% to 80% of prepandemic levels.

Filling vacant security officer roles is its immediate priority as new starters will need to undergo compliance training.

Other jobs are in the car parks and passenger services team.

Managing director Clare James MBE said: “After two of the most disruptive years in the history of aviation, I am confident that we will turn a corner in 2022.”

The latest vacancies are posted at careers.magairports.com Cultural heritage research at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has earned a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, the highest national honour for a UK university.

The work has brought together science, engineering, arts and humanities to develop innovative ways to reveal, record, understand and help restore culturally-significant objects and protected monuments.

Pioneering solutions include the novel digitisation of sites and artefacts, as well as the application of advanced imaging and remote sensing techniques to significantly improve analysis of artworks and historical sites.

NTU vice-chancellor and president Professor Edward Peck said: “This award recognises the impact our innovative research has across the globe.”

THE CHAMBER IS HONOURED BY THE SUPPORT OF ITS STRATEGIC PARTNERS AND PATRONS

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CHAMBER NEWS

Ian Harrison

Conference to explore digital tech The role of digitisation in transforming manufacturing will be the focus at the Chamber’s 2022 Manufacturing and Engineering Conference.

With an ambition for the region to maintain a worldclass, innovation-led and highly productive economy, this year’s event will explore how industrial digital technologies can drive growth and how to make these more accessible. keynote speakers will include a representative from Rolls-Royce, who will explain how the firm has applied industrial digital technologies into real-world applications and supply chain relationships, and Adamson Jones patent attorney Nicholas Ferrar will cover the importance of considering intellectual property in innovation.

Make UK’s Midlands region director Charlotte Horobin and the Department for International Trade’s regional head of exports Ian Harrison will provide outlooks on industry and international trade respectively, while University of Derby engineering course director Dr Patrick Barber will discuss upskilling.

This year’s event is part of the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership’s “The Future is Now” campaign to support SME manufacturers to maintain a competitive edge by adopting digital tools, as its head of business and innovation Frank Horsley will outline in another talk.

The conference, one of three key exhibition opportunities taking place as part of the Derbyshire Festival of Business, will be held at the Enterprise Centre, Derby, on Wednesday 16 March.

• Find out more about the Derbyshire Festival of Business on p80

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Manufacturing must play a part in levelling up The Midlands Engine is calling on Government and industry to capitalise on emerging opportunities within its manufacturing heartland – as it targets 165,000 new jobs in the industry by 2030 to support the region’s transition to net zero and to deliver on the Government’s vision to level up.

The pan-regional partnership’s latest report, Manufacturing Opportunities, highlights that the manufacturing industry could be worth an additional £13.7bn gross value added (GVA) to the Midlands by the end of the decade – with exponential growth forecast in sectors such as food and drink (£2.1bn GVA and 32,000 jobs) and next-generation transport (£3.3bn GVA and 37,000 jobs).

It points out how the Midlands has a proud history in the industry, with household names such as Boots, Walkers Crisps, Panesar Foods, JCB and Cadbury’s leading the way both regionally and nationally.

‘Our region was the original global manufacturing pioneer, and we continue to lead the world’ The report was published in late November ahead of The Role of Midlands Manufacturing in Levelling Up the UK event hosted by the Midlands Engine in partnership with the Chamber, Centre for Social Justice, Make UK and Morningside Pharmaceuticals.

Sir John Peace, chairman of the Midlands Engine, said: “Our region was the original global manufacturing pioneer, and we continue to lead the world with a rich environment of innovation in the fields of food and drink, transport, health, low carbon, advanced materials and much more.

“Through consistent, scaled up public and private sector investment, Midlands Engine partners have the potential to deliver real growth in these sectors and real change for our region.”

In the wake of supply chain disruption and surging energy prices, grasping the opportunity to increase the UK’s sovereign capabilities and domestic manufacturing capacity is critical to securing the UK’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.

Following the UK’s departure from the Customs

Michael Gove is Secretary of State for Levelling Up

Union, the Midlands’ 22% share of the UK’s exports has been affected by new administrative rules on import and export, reducing the capability of small businesses to export efficiently, while the pandemic has created challenges across the region including securing goods due to global delays and shortages.

The Manufacturing Opportunities report analyses regional strengths across many sectors, revealing the biggest opportunity for economic growth lies in lowcarbon goods, which could bring in £4.2bn GVA. Exploiting the Midlands’ capabilities in hydrogen – such as hydrogen heat pumps and boilers being developed by Worcester-Bosch, as well as research into hydrogen generation and hydrogen vehicles taking place at Loughborough and Birmingham universities – has the potential to create 7,000 green jobs within the region. This is in addition to 20,000 new jobs in the wind sector and over 12,000 in solar.

Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, added: “The Midlands helped to power the first global industrial revolution and has remained the manufacturing heartland of the UK ever since. It is a leading light in innovation and ingenuity that drives our economy. With strengths in goods from cars and medicines to textiles and food, the Midlands Engine will help to power our mission to level up communities across the UK.” • How manufacturing can play a key role in levelling up – see p64

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CHAMBER NEWS

East Midlands’ labour market is bouncing back The East Midlands’ unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest point on record, new figures show.

It was 3.5% for the period between September and November last year, compared to a 4.1% national average.

This is the lowest level since the Office for National Statistics (ONS) began publishing regional labour market figures in April 2015, and represented the smallest proportion of the workforce being unemployed since the three months to December 2019, when the rate was 3.6%.

It also marked a significant drop on the previous reporting period for August to October 2021, when the region’s unemployment rate was on par with the UK average at 4.2%.

‘We are represented by a very diverse economy in the East Midlands but there have been some standout sectors to celebrate in recent times’ The Chamber’s chief executive Scott Knowles said: “This is fantastic news for the region’s

The region's unemployment rate fell from 4.2% to 3.5% labour market and sends a clear signal that the East Midlands is open for business.

“It reflects our own research that indicates our region’s firms are creating jobs to meet strong demand following the effects of the pandemic. The Chamber’s latest Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) for Q4 2021 showed two-thirds of companies attempted to recruit, while a net 35% expect to increase their headcount in the first three months of 2022.

Removal of Plan B restrictions welcomed Removing the Plan B restrictions imposed to combat the Omicron variant will be “hugely welcomed” by businesses, believes the Chamber.

Measures including vaccine passports, homeworking guidance and compulsory face masks had “caused great harm” to many firms in the hospitality, leisure and retail industries over the festive period, Scott said.

“This is a very important step in the economic recovery,” he added.

“The rhetoric of further restrictions surrounding fears over the Omicron variant during the build-up to Christmas had squeezed the brakes on the growth we had experienced in the previous months due to the confusion and loss of confidence it created.

“This announcement should go some way to offering the certainty that businesses have desperately needed to invest and provide the engine for growth that will accelerate the recovery during what we all hope is now the final throes of the pandemic.

“Ending the work from home guidance will also be welcomed by businesses in the city and town centres that rely on footfall from office workers, as well as the office-based firms that are trying to develop a consistent approach to how their employees will work for the long term.”

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As inflation rose to 5.4% in the year leading to December 2021 – the highest level since March 1992 – the Chamber warned about soaring costs for businesses.

Scott said: “It feels like we are dangerously close to a very real cost of doing business crisis that, if it continues unabated, could have a profoundly negative impact on the region’s economic recovery.

“Spiralling energy costs are a particular worry for businesses. In the East Midlands, we have a high proportion of energy-intensive firms in industries such as manufacturing and engineering, so every price hike squeezes their margins.

“This ultimately affects their ability to create jobs and wealth locally, as well as increase wages for their employees, who will bear the brunt of rising inflation at home. Remember, these individuals are also the customers of other businesses and local services, so their diminished spending capacity has a huge knock-on impact.”

Responses to the Chamber’s QES shows the proportion of East Midlands businesses concerned about price rises – in everything from raw materials to staffing – grew from 46% to 62% between the third and fourth quarters of last year.

While much of this is caused by global pressures, Scott warned the national insurance hike, forthcoming energy price cap increase and reversal of VAT reductions for hospitality “means this problem isn’t going away”.

“We are represented by a very diverse economy in the East Midlands but there have been some standout sectors to celebrate in recent times, such as the logistics industry that has been a major driver of job creation during the pandemic, which has accelerated pre-existing online shopping trends.”

While the East Midlands has one of the lowest unemployment rates for over-16s in the UK, the economic inactivity rate for people aged 16 to 64 rose from 21.2% to 22% in the most recent reporting period.

UK job vacancies also soared to a record high of 1.24 million between October and December – 462,000 higher compared with the three months before the pandemic.

Scott said many businesses are still encountering major recruitment challenges in a “super competitive jobs market”, while the 0.8%

increase in the economic inactivity rate could partially represent a rise in the number of people taking early retirement.

“This means the labour pool is tightening at a time when companies are desperately trying to fill roles to cope with demand, which will enable them to continue growing and creating more jobs for local people,” he added.

“Many companies in traditional industries such as manufacturing and construction often tell us about the difficulties in replacing an ageing workforce with younger talent, and the latest QES showed that eight in 10 of those that attempted recruitment struggled to find people with the right skills.

“The wider context behind the latest ONS data illustrates the need for policymakers to understand how we can pull the right levers in order to support the local economy’s requirements.”

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Christmas giving surpasses fundraising target M

ore than £2,800 was raised at the Chamber’s Annual Christmas Lunch – making a solid contribution as outgoing president Eileen Richards MBE surpassed her fundraising ambitions.

The 3 December event at Leicester Tigers’ Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium coincided with the Leicestershire Business Awards.

It took the total raised throughout Eileen’s presidential year to £12,000 for her three nominated charities – Chesterfield Samaritans, Help the Homeless Leicester and Nottinghamshire Hospice.

She said: “I set out my presidential year with the goal of trebling the previous amount raised for the Chamber president’s charitable fund of £3,000.

“With the support of the Chamber team and our generous members, we were able to quadruple this amount and my chosen charities were absolutely delighted to receive the support for their vital charitable causes.”

The day also featured 13 awards being handed out, with Metalfacture crowned the Leicestershire Business of the Year.

ABOVE: Eileen Richards MBE at the Chamber's Christmas lunch

ABOVE: Apprentice of the Year winner James Cook, of C S Ellis Group, with Loughborough College principal Jo Maher RIGHT: Hundreds of people attended the lunch at Leicester Tigers’ stadium

ABOVE: The lunch coincided with the Leicestershire Business Awards RIGHT: The Chamber’s deputy chief executive Diane Beresford 42

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ABOVE: Metalfacture directors Ben Jones-Fenleigh (left) and James Cooper (right) with Bob Johnson (centre), partner at Mazars, which sponsored the Leicestershire Business of the Year award

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CHAMBER NEWS

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Recruiting healthcare professionals from overseas - introduction to the process of sponsorship Article by Danica Luces (pictured) s of August 2021, vacancies in the care sector have returned to pre-pandemic levels. Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic have made it extremely difficult for organisations to retain their nurses and care staff on a long-term basis. It caused a knock-on effect, reducing the number of available beds in NHS hospitals because of the increased number of hospital patients unable to be discharged to care homes due to the lack of care workers.

To relieve the shortage of nurses and care workers in the UK, health and care organisations have the option to apply for a Worker sponsor licence to fill their vacancies with overseas staff under the Health and Care Worker route. To be eligible to apply, the employer must be an approved and registered UK health and care sector organisation providing adult social care.

The salary requirement for sponsored nurses and care workers, with the minimum being the higher of £25,600 per year.

A

The application process The application process for a Worker sponsor licence does not allow room for error. The nonrefundable Home Office application fee is £536 for small organisations and £1,476 for mediumto- large businesses. A flawed or incomplete sponsor licence application may still be approved. Still, it could result in the licence with a B-rating instead of an A-rating, which prevents an organisation from applying for a Certificate of Sponsorship for overseas workers.

Eligibility To be eligible, as an employer, one cannot have unspent criminal convictions for immigration offences or certain other crimes, such as fraud or money laundering, or had a sponsor licence revoked in the last 12 months. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will review the company

Caring for a patient in the UK

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An overseas professional in the UK

application form and supporting documents.

They may visit the business to ensure it is trustworthy and capable of carrying out its duties.

The Skilled Worker route includes the health and care visa, which applies to qualified doctors, nurses and allied professionals working in either health or social care.

The Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) cap has been suspended, which means there will be no limit to the number of eligible skilled workers wishing to come to the UK unless this is reinstated.

Fast tracking Applications are fast-tracked by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), and the aim is to process them within three weeks, providing biometric

information has been made available. The CoS may be granted within one working day. Once the CoS is awarded, it must be assigned to an individual within three months, or it will expire, and the process would need to be completed again.

As an employer, the organisation must assign a certificate of Sponsorship to each foreign worker its employs. It is an electronic record (SMS system) and not a physical document.

Each certificate has a number, which a recruit may use to apply for a visa. When a company assigns the certificate to a worker, they must apply for their visa within three months.

Necessary training All overseas healthcare workers must go through the necessary training. For example, nurses must successfully take exams in CBT, OSCE and OET within eight months after arrival. The requirement is in accordance with the NMC regulation, allowing them to obtain their PIN as registered nurses in the UK. Organisations such as QAQF specialise in such training and help organisations speed up the process to under three months.

Danica Luches is the Nova Horizon Group Ltd. compliance officer. During the last few years, Nova Horizon supported UK companies finding, moving, and deploying hundreds of professionals from Africa and Asia. It offers help in the Sponsorship license application, candidate selection, legal support and training for overseas recruits.

Consider recruiting from abroad?

Contact Danica Luches at info@novahorizongroup.com

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CHAMBER NEWS

Lindsey takes the chains of office indsey Williams, who has headed up one of the region’s largest housing associations for almost two decades, is the new Chamber president.

The chief executive of Futures Housing Group, which manages more than 10,000 homes across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire, was inducted into the role at the Chamber’s annual general meeting, held virtually on 15 December.

In her first speech as president, she spoke about her two priorities – to support the Chamber’s objective of strengthening links between businesses and communities to create a “Sustainable East Midlands”, and to support the region in attracting, developing and retaining great talent via the young professionals’ network Generation Next.

She said: “I’m extremely proud to become president of East Midlands Chamber after observing its great work across the region as a board member, and I’m excited about what we can achieve in the year ahead.

“I’m passionate about people having choice – something that is limited by poverty and a lack of opportunity – so I want to ensure our region has equity of investment compared to the rest of the country and, specifically, to promote how any company can have an impact on the community.

“The Chamber’s aim is to help its members achieve their aspirations in supporting their communities by getting 70% of our members active in local communities – so I hope I can support in increasing this number over the next year by sharing best practice and ideas, celebrating the work of members and providing encouragement to organisations to engage.”

Outgoing president Eileen Richards MBE, presented her three charities – Chesterfield Samaritans,

L

WHO IS LINDSEY WILLIAMS? Lindsey has a rich history in the housing sector, which she entered via a management traineeship at Birmingham City Council ahead of becoming one of the UK’s youngest housing association directors before the age of 30.

She has been chief executive of Futures Housing Group since 2003, when it was known as Amber Valley Housing. She led it through the acquisition of Daventry and District Housing in 2007, as well as in buying a stake in Nottingham-based training provider Access Training – which helps more than 1,000 learners a year – and launching a grounds maintenance social enterprise Futures Greenscape, which last year merged into the wider group.

During her time at Futures, the organisation has doubled headcount to about 330 people, achieved Investors in People platinum accreditation and, last year, moved from Ripley to a new 20,000 sq ft home called Futures House, based at Pegasus Business Park next to East Midlands Airport. Lindsey is an active member of the National Housing Federation in the region.

CHAMBER’S CHARITABLE FUND Lindsey chose the three charities she will support during 2022: Treetops Hospice Care: An end-of-life care charity operating in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Focus: Helps young people in Leicester to develop skills, confidence and aspirations Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust: Protects the green spaces that have become so valuable during the pandemic.

Help the Homeless Leicester and Nottinghamshire Hospice – with their equal share of the £12,000 she fundraised.

She spoke about the “immensely fulfilling” experience of seeing her priority objectives – which included encouraging member-to-member partnerships, developing Generation Next and helping to shape the region’s economic recovery – take great strides forward.

During the AGM, which was hosted by chair of the board of directors Ian Morgan OBE, Stuart Dawkins was elected as the new vice-president. He brings a wide range of experience, including heading strategic planning and corporate communications for a FTSE 100 company, and has been a board member for organisations for a wide variety of sectors.

New directors elected to the board were University of Derby commercial director Dr Peter Dewhurst, Geldards LLP chairman David Williams, SMB Group chief executive and principal Dawn Whitemore and Dr Cham Kang, chief visionary officer at business growth consultancy Qinesis.

Ian Morgan OBE (pictured), chair of the Chamber’s board of directors, will be the High Sheriff of Derbyshire for 2024/25.

High Sheriffs are appointed by the Queen to represent Her Majesty in each county in matters related to law and order.

Louise Potter is the incumbent and Ian is now one of three High Sheriffs in Nomination for the coming years.

Alongside his role at the Chamber, where he is a past president, Ian is deputy chairman of Wellglade Group, which owns bus operators including trentbarton.

In 2015, he was awarded an OBE for services to the bus industry – in which he has worked for 40 years – and the East Midlands business community. The following year, he was elected chairman of Derbyshire County Cricket Club, a post he still holds.

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CHAMBER NEWS

generationnextemc.co.uk

Buddy up: Mentoring on offer for Generation Next Generation Next members can gain a helping hand in progressing their careers by buddying up with senior businessmen and women as part of a new initiative.

The Chamber’s network for young professionals in the East Midlands has introduced a mentoring scheme as part of its membership package.

Members can sign up to be paired with a business leader among a group of volunteers, representing a range of business sizes and sectors, to ask for advice and learn from their experiences.

They can access the scheme via a new portal on the Generation Next website, which also contains learning and development material via a document library.

The Chamber’s director of resources and Generation Next lead Lucy Robinson said: “We are thrilled to launch our new mentoring scheme. A mentoring relationship can be incredibly valuable to a young worker who is looking for extra support or advice as they embark on their career.

“Whether you’re unsure how to ask for that promotion, or need advice on solving a work-related problem, the Generation Next mentors each have the experience to coach you through.”

Generation Next was established by the Chamber in 2020 as a

Fraser Stretton founders Jaz Kaur and Narinder Singh Nijjar

George Oliver, of 1284 Ltd

Chamber director Lucy Robinson

network for young professionals to make connections, build new skills and advance their careers.

The new mentoring scheme will mean Generation Next members can now link up with a chosen mentor to receive career guidance and coaching, covering a minimum of eight hours support over four months.

Business leaders from across the East Midlands have signed up to support the scheme, with the first cohort including 1284 Ltd owner and former editor of the Leicester Mercury George Oliver, Fraser Stretton owners Narinder Singh Nijjar and Jaz Kaur, Nottingham University Business School

associate dean for business and community engagement Professor David Park, and Loughborough Educational Trust chair Ian Sharpe.

The programme’s launch was marked with an online panel event on 25 January jointly hosted with the network’s headline partner, the University of Derby.

The university’s employer and community engagement manager Jacqui Measures said: “Through our own employer mentoring scheme at the University of Derby, we understand the value and the benefits that can be gained through successful mentoring conversations and relationships for all involved. We are thrilled to be involved in the launch of the Generation Next mentoring scheme, and to be part of the wider project to inspire young people to become the business leaders of the future through a combination of academic expertise and real-world experience.”

Anyone wanting to access the Generation Next mentoring scheme can sign up at www.generationnextemc.co.uk/be come-a-member

GENERATION NEXT PROFILE: BYRON BURGHART Generation Next champion Byron Burghart (pictured) is an investment manager at Brewin Dolphin, based in Nottingham. He tells Business Network about his career journey so far, future goals and why he wanted to join the Generation Next board.

What has your career journey been to date and what does your current role involve?

Brewin Dolphin was my first “proper” job after university, and I celebrated my 10-year anniversary in October 2021. Prior to that, I did every part-time job going including working in a children’s nursery, manual labour and working on the 2011 census, but my favourite by far was being a chef.

My current role involves working with all kinds of clients – private individuals, trusts, charities and corporate entities. I help them to identify their savings goals and aspirations, and provide them with a plan on how to achieve them.

What are your future goals?

On a personal level, I have just become a dad, so naturally I want to set a good example to my 46

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daughter and show her the sky’s the limit for her own aspirations.

Professionally, I have ambitions to ascend to a more senior role within Brewin Dolphin. Our current CEO used to be my head of office and I aspire to follow a similar path.

I recently enrolled on a part-time MBA, which opened my eyes to the importance of strong leadership and gave me a much greater understanding of all areas of business. I hope I will be able to put some of this theory into practice as and when opportunities present themselves.

Do you have any advice to other young people on how to succeed in business or their career?

I feel particularly strongly about the importance of establishing a great network. Network internally and externally because you never know when you

will need that little “leg up”. I don’t mean just thrusting your business card in as many faces as possible, but nurturing genuine relationships with people similar to yourself – as well as those who might challenge your position and open your eyes to a new perspective.

Why did you want to be involved with Generation Next and how can it help young people?

Generation Next is exactly the kind of group I wish was available when I first started in my career. It would’ve been great to connect with a diverse group of like-minded professionals as we all grow through our own career journeys.

From what I’ve seen so far, Generation Next organises great events with excellent speakers.

The members I’ve met have been really welcoming and come from a range of disciplines.

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CHAMBER NEWS

Contact us now T: 01623 825516 E: nfsl@notts-fire.co.uk

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T: 01482 214169 M: 07926 566220 E: darren@randdsecurityservicesukltd.co.uk E: accounts@randdsecurityservicesukltd.co.uk W: randdsecurityservicesukltd.co.uk 48

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CHAMBER NEWS

An exciting line-up of events to mark a milestone year

L-R: Eileen Richards MBE and Jean Mountain

Jean Mountain takes home top business award The co-founder of the Chamber’s Enterprising Women network has been recognised for her career achievements with a major award.

Jean Mountain was named the Businesswoman of the Year at the Nottinghamshire Live Women in Business Awards last month.

She was commended for “fighting tooth and nail to break the glass ceiling” for other professional women via her work with the group, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

Jean, who owns The Dressing Room boutique ladies’ clothes shop in Mansfield Woodhouse, said: “I am absolutely delighted to have won the Businesswoman of the Year award 2021 – it's such a huge honour.

‘I’m proud to be recognised with this prestigious award’ “I've dedicated my entire working life to being focused on collaborative networking with businesses especially in my home county, Nottinghamshire.

“As co-founder of the East Midlands Chamber Enterprising Women network, I truly believe in holding out a hand to the next person by helping each other to learn, grow and succeed.

“As I diversify through my businesses and grow my high street boutique, I’m proud to be recognised with this prestigious award.”

Jean has a long history of entrepreneurship over three decades after completing a business studies course at West Nottinghamshire College in the 1980s.

She was aged 23 when she was first tasked with

running a factory for The Supreme Rubber Stamp Company, based in Huthwaite, before going on to set up an accessories business, become a silent partner for numerous companies and a director at a national print management firm.

Alongside her commercial activities, she has been heavily involved in the region’s business community.

Initially joining the former Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce board of directors, she went on to become president of East Midlands Chamber in 2015/16 and chair of the Chamber’s Nottinghamshire members’ forum.

Another role as chair of the East Midlands Business Crime Forum led to her becoming vice-president of the National Business Crime Forum, setting up an all-party parliamentary group lobbying for better security to stop business crime.

But it has been via the Enterprising Women network that Jean has had a profound impact on other professional women working across the East Midlands since it was set up in 1997.

She runs it alongside Eileen Richards MBE, the owner of Leicester-based ER Recruitment, and has grown it to a membership base of more than 500 people. It features regular networking events with guest speakers and an annual Enterprising Women Awards, which will be launched again this spring.

Eileen said: “Jean is a truly entrepreneurial spirit who manages businesses across a variety of sectors, and is an influential leader to both her employees and all of us who are part of the network.

“This award will mean the world to her and I know everyone in the Enterprising Women network will agree just how much it is deserved.”

Find a new approach to recruitment “New approaches for a new era” is the mantra for the Recruiting Talent in Nottinghamshire programme, which is helping businesses to find their next employees.

Run by the Building Better Opportunities scheme, which is delivered in Nottinghamshire by stakeholder manager Maria Ward, it will host an event for Mansfield

and Ashfield employers on Wednesday 16 February.

It takes place at Vision West Nottinghamshire College from 9.30am to 1.30pm, featuring keynote speakers, workshops and an opportunity to learn about the support available for businesses.

The Enterprising Women network enters 2022 with an exciting year ahead to mark its 25th anniversary.

Coming up over the next couple of months are a breakfast event in Nottingham and an International Women’s Day celebration, which will also launch the annual Enterprising Women Awards.

A special gala dinner and awards ceremony will take place in the autumn to commemorate the anniversary.

Co-chair Jean Mountain said: “We are really looking forward to the year ahead and excited to share our upcoming events this year with our members.”

This year started with “The Turnaround CEO” Amanda Daly, a business turnaround consultant based in Leicester, as the guest speaker for the first Enterprising Women event on 13 January.

Next up is a “peer share” breakfast networking event at Nottingham Trent University’s Dryden Enterprise Centre on Thursday 24 February from 8.30am to 10.30am.

The Enterprising Women Awards will be launched at a special event that also marks International Women’s Day on Tuesday 8 March at Casa Hotel, in Chesterfield.

Colleague Box co-founder Natalie Bamford, who won the Business Woman of the Year award in 2021, is the guest speaker and there will be a twocourse business lunch.

Co-Chair Eileen Richards MBE added: “Our awards grow year on year, and we hope that in connection to our 25th anniversary, the number of applications and level of celebration will be even bigger.

“The network encourages our members to push themselves outside of their comfort zone, so if you’ve considered applying – this is the year.”

For more information about upcoming Enterprising Women events and the awards, visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/connectingyou/enterprising-women

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East Midlands IoT given the go ahead The Government has given the green light for a new £13m East Midlands Institute of Technology (IoT).

The University of Derby, Loughborough College, Loughborough University and Derby College Group (DCG) will work together on the new Institute, which will aim to create the highly advanced workforce needed to lead the digital revolution – otherwise known as Industry 4.0.

It will focus on levelling up the critical engineering, manufacturing and digital skills needed by employers to address the grand engineering challenges of clean growth by embracing the advanced skills required for AI and a datadriven economy.

The IoT will work closely with global powerhouse employers, including Rolls-Royce, Toyota, National Grid ESO, Alstom, Fujitsu, Uniper and Bloc Digital, to ensure programmes level up the workforce with the right skills.

Students will have access to a new IoT centre in Loughborough, as well as partner sites, including training environment at the University of Derby’s Enterprise Centre and DCG’s Roundhouse technical and professional skills college.

Don’t block sale, says Chamber The Chamber joined an alliance of civic, political, business and cultural leaders in Derby to put pressure on the English Football League (EFL) to remove obstacles blocking the takeover of Derby County.

The Rams are up for sale but the EFL stood accused of blocking an announcement of a preferred bidder among three interested parties.

Scott Knowles, chief executive of the Chamber, said: “Derby County is a part of the city and county’s fabric, and every passing day in which the club is kept in its current state of limbo damages the communities and businesses that rely on this sporting institution.”

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Helping high street firms build business resilience High street businesses in Derby are being offered a helping hand to step into the 21st century with a package of free support to implement modern forms of trading.

Up to 100 retail, hospitality and leisure organisations can benefit from access to expert advice via the Derby Business Resilience Programme, which is funded by Derby City Council and delivered in partnership with the Chamber.

Advisers can assist in establishing an online business strategy and, depending on requirements, the creation of a fully search engine-optimised e-commerce website with 12 months’ free web hosting provided by Derbyshirebased digital marketing agency Purpose Media.

‘It’s vital that businesses ensure they see this as an opportunity, rather than a threat’ Grants to cover bespoke consultancy support are available to some eligible businesses, while aspects of the support scheme are also open to companies in the transport industry supply chain.

The Chamber’s head of enterprise Paul Stuart said: “Purchasing habits have changed as a result of Covid19, with fewer in-store visitors and a move towards online transactions.

“We expect this to be a long-term shift, so it’s vital that businesses ensure they see this as an opportunity, rather than a threat.

“By engaging with the Derby Business Resilience Programme, small businesses can benefit from expert support to equip themselves with the right mix of tools needed for the online world – something that will complement their existing services, attract new customers and, ultimately, future-proof their organisations.”

Derby City Council has provided £200,000 in funding towards the programme, with East Midlands Chamber contributing £42,000.

Councillor Steve Hassall, cabinet member for regeneration, decarbonisation, strategic planning and transport at Derby City Council, said: “We want to do all we can to offer practical support to independent

WHAT DOES THE DERBY BUSINESS RESILIENCE PROGRAMME INVOLVE? The programme is aimed at independent micro or small businesses based within the Derby city area that can demonstrate the adverse impact of Covid-19 on their trade.

The fully-funded support includes a dedicated business resilience adviser with specific digital or business support skills, who can work alongside a company to help develop an online business plan.

This involves reviewing current marketing and social media activities, setting up a Google listing or even signing up a company to its first social media account.

By setting up e-commerce websites with features such as click and collect or other delivery options, businesses can increase their profile and use their virtual shop window to drive greater footfall to both their physical and online store.

One year’s membership of the Chamber is also provided – giving them access to business protection services in HR, health and safety, tax and legal issues, as well as discounts on member products and services – while they will be able to attend regular events and webinars to increase their digital know-how.

Businesses have until 31 March to apply for support. For more information, visit www.emcdnl.co.uk. Alternatively, call 0330 053 8639 or info@emc-dnl.co.uk

retail and leisure firms across Derby and help drive our recovery from the pandemic.”

Purpose Media, based in South Normanton, will deliver digital marketing advice, and to design and build websites for those businesses that are eligible.

It has previously worked alongside the Chamber in delivering the Chesterfield Digital High Street project, which has offered similar support to more than 30 businesses – ranging from gin shops and cafés to hairdressers and butchers.

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CHAMBER NEWS

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CHAMBER NEWS

Local Skills Improvement Plans: What’s all the fuss about?

In past editions, we’ve reported that the Chamber has been successful in being named as one of eight “trailblazers” across the country, backed by the Department for Education to produce a new Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for Leicester and Leicestershire. But what does it actually entail to develop an LSIP and how is this any different to skills plans that have gone before? Chris Hobson (pictured), director of policy and external affairs, explains.

To be delivered by the end of March 2022, LSIPs form an important part of Government’s Skills and Post-16 Education Bill, and at their heart have three aims:

‘In Leicester and Leicestershire, we’ve taken the spirit of doing something differently to heart’

1 To break down “information barriers” between employers and providers around employer skills needs

collaborating, designing an approach that has consideration for the future, and being responsive to in-project learning. We’re not trying to deliver more of the same and see this as an opportunity to try something different.

2 To work with providers and others to overcome other barriers that stand in the way of a more responsive local skills system 3 To deliver “proof of concept” through a process of “learning by doing” and independent evaluation.

Importantly, the evaluation of LSIPs will assess both the product and process followed to get there.

One possible way of looking at the questions set by DfE is “Are business representation organisations better placed than what’s gone before in bringing stakeholders together to deliver a dynamic and evidence backed skills plan?”.

In Leicester and Leicestershire, we’ve taken the spirit of doing something differently to heart and have developed an approach underwritten by a number of key principles – being innovative,

LSIPS IN THE LEICESTERSHIRE ECONOMY So what does this mean in practice?

Focusing on manufacturing, logistics, and sport and health, our project has data at its centre.

Much of the focus, working with our partners at De Montfort University, has gone into establishing processes where different data sources can be accessed in an automated fashion, allowing continuous comparison and updating without the need for human intervention.

Essentially, machines talking to machines. This innovation is furthered in the new ways we’re piloting of gathering intelligence from businesses.

For each of our sector focuses, we’ve established panels of willing businesses – drawing from membership across the Chamber,

Recognition for Chamber at BCC Business Awards East Midlands Chamber has been recognised as one of the best chambers of commerce in the UK. It was named as the runner-up in the Chamber of the Year category at the British Chambers of Commerce’s Business Awards 2021.

Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce was the overall winner at the virtual ceremony, which was held on 9 December.

It also featured five Chamber members among the finalists – TTK

Confectionery, DB Automation and Premier Bowl Feeders, Octopus Energy, Composite Braiding, and Portland College.

CBI, Make UK, FSB, IoD and others (there’s some of the collaboration) – and have asked participants to download an app onto their mobile phones where they’re receiving short daily surveys that take literally a minute to complete.

No more long surveying, but instead trying to get softer data on a more frequent basis. The use of the app means this “demand-side” data can also be analysed in the format at the “supply-side” data being gathered elsewhere.

Importantly, with the questions, we’re exploring the key knowledge, skills and behaviour areas important to those businesses for their success.

The idea being we can then better map them against what’s on offer, with both the business intelligence and the education intelligence for the first time being couched in the same language to enable proper comparison.

CREATING A USEFUL END PRODUCT The big, and obvious, question is “so what?” There have been lots of data-led projects before and pretty

dashboards do not make a skills strategy.

This is where the principle of collaboration comes into its own.

Throughout the process, we’re working with colleges – led by Loughborough College, which has a related project with Government – schools, independent training providers and awarding bodies.

The presentation of our findings is being tested and refined with those partners. By co-creating the product, we can make sure we’re designing something that can be used and not sit on a shelf somewhere.

As is often the case with Government funding, the project is short and sharp, and while the finished plan come 31 March 2022 will hit the brief, we’re equally as excited at the lessons we’ll be able to learn from the processes undertaken in its production.

The rollout of LSIPs post-March is still unclear. However, if we want to finally crack the nut that is ensuring business needs can meaningfully shape the education offering, then innovation and collaboration must be at the heart of that answer.

MEIF lends support to over 475 local firms The Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) has now supported more than 475 growing businesses and invested £146m since its launch in 2017.

These investments have helped leverage a further £150m of private sector funds – creating more than 3,800 forecasted jobs.

The MEIF reported its impact after another £400m was announced during the Autumn Budget for the next generation of the programme, which provides access to finance in the Midlands where market gaps have been identified.

It will deliver scale growth capital for businesses via a new fund providing debt and equity to firms.

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CHAMBER NEWS

IN BRIEF A new vision that sets out an ambition to increase the proportion of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire businesses that export goods and services has been unveiled.

The D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has published the D2N2 Global: International Trade Strategy, which outlines how the area can build its competitiveness, drive productivity and create more jobs by increasing international trade.

It also identifies a range of emerging markets – including India, Indonesia, Turkey, Vietnam and Brazil – that firms can explore further by matching the region’s strengths in food and drink, life sciences, low carbon, transport equipment, and creative and digital.

Elizabeth Fagan, chair of the D2N2 LEP, said: “Our international trade strategy sets out a clear evidence base on the challenges and the actions required to support our businesses to grow and create new export-oriented jobs for our region.”

Small businesses can learn how they can play their part in the climate crisis while improving their bottom line via a series of webinars.

They will be advised on how to reduce carbon emissions at the same time as attracting more trade. The Business Gateway Growth Hub, which runs across Leicestershire, has commissioned Sustainability West Midlands to run the free events, which began last month.

Upcoming webinars cover greener transport (8 February); energy saving in your small business (22 February); reduce your waste, increase your profitability (8 March); and engaging your customers and staff (22 March). Each one runs from 1-2.30pm.

Book a place at bit.ly/2ZYYN53 Midlands Connect is exploring options to improve the rail service between Lincoln and Nottingham as part of its remit to improve connectivity between the East and West Midlands.

Evidence suggests the rail network may be under-serving the potential market and the transport campaign group is engaging businesses to understand how improvements to the service may impact their organisation and employees.

A short survey that will support future strategy can be completed at midlandsconnect. consultationonline.co.uk/lincoln -nottingham

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MIRA Technology Park is an example of the technology-led strengths at the future of Leicestershire’s economy Inset: Kevin Harris

LLEP strategy outlines plans for economic growth The Leicester and Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) has unveiled its strategy for responding to the twin challenges of Covid-19 and the post-Brexit transition while delivering a decade of economic growth.

The Leicester and Leicestershire Economic Growth Strategy 2021-30 sets out how local strengths, innovation and skills will be harnessed to create a productive, inclusive and sustainable economy for the future.

It describes, in broad terms, the LLEP’s ambitions and how these will inform decision-making over future funding bids and allocation of resources.

The strategy is supported by four pillars: 1 Productivity: Increasing the region’s existing output and productivity as it continues to develop a leading science and technology-led economy 2 Innovation: Working closely with Leicestershire’s three universities and local businesses to build upon the region’s existing strengths in R&D to become a global leader in innovation while simultaneously transferring knowledge to SMEs

3 Inclusivity: Creating a resilient and adaptive workforce in which all residents have access to skills and career progression while being paid at least the living wage 4 Sustainability: Becoming a leader in zero carbon, with principles of sustainability built into everything the LLEP does.

Kevin Harris, chair of the LLEP board of directors, said the county had transformed into an innovative, technology-led and knowledge economy over the past decade, and these strengths would continue to shape its future growth.

He added: “There currently exist external economic and policy uncertainties, but the LLEP is clear that we need to deliver economic participation and prosperity for all residents, to improve people’s health and ensure a carbon neutral future. Our new Economic Growth Strategy sets out our direction of travel through to 2030 and is based on economic analysis, research, strategies and action plans, and, of course, the aspirations and concerns of our partners and stakeholders.”

High demand for Innovation Festival More than two-thirds of available event slots for this month’s Leicestershire Innovation Festival have now been filled or reserved.

Organisers aim to stage 20 events during the fortnight of the festival and 70% of these have now been either booked into the calendar or awaiting final scheduling confirmation.

A launch event that explores solving problems by thinking differently in manufacturing will be held at Space Park Leicester on Monday 14 February and the festival will run until Friday 25 February.

It is run by a partnership between the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership, Leicestershire’s three universities, Innovate UK Edge, Midlands Engine and the Business Gateway – which the Chamber helps to deliver.

Sonia Baigent (pictured), chair of the Business Gateway board, said: “During the festival, we expect to see innovation highlighted in lots of different sectors and applications such as automotive, textiles, medicine, and lots more. Every business benefits from innovation, and that’s part of our message.”

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CHAMBER NEWS

www.rheintacho.com

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SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS

www.emc-dnl.co.uk/sustainability

Applications open for Low Carbon Growth Fund SMEs, public sector organisations and community groups developing sustainability projects across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire are urged to apply for investment through the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership’s new Low Carbon Growth Fund.

The fund, which is now open for applications, will invest £6.5m in low-carbon capital projects to create a pipeline of investable propositions that can be matchfunded to help the region meet challenges around highcarbon output and unclean industrial practices.

Successful schemes must be able to clearly demonstrate current or future carbon reductions through carbon sequestration.

They will be encouraged to support local supply chains, helping to create new jobs and must be able to start delivery in the 2022/23 financial year.

D2N2 chair Elizabeth Fagan CBE (pictured) said: “Investing in low-carbon capital projects will support the delivery of our Recovery and Growth Strategy, and our strategic aim of delivering the UK’s largest carbon turnaround.”

For more information, visit d2n2lep.org/low-carbon-growth-fund

Anchor & Crew’s “Reach for Change” bracelet uses Lyfecycle technology

Jewellery maker puts pioneering plastic to use A Derby-based jewellery craft manufacturer is helping to tackle the “global plastic pandemic” by using a sustainable new version of the material to make its latest product.

Anchor & Crew, based at Banks Mill Studios, has adopted Lyfecycle, the world’s first “selfdestructing plastic” to create its “Reach for Change” bracelet.

The material quickly and safely degrades in the natural environment without leaving any toxins or microplastics behind.

Chris Warner, brand development director at Anchor & Crew, said: “Such an idea is a tangible example of how Lyfecycle materials designed for biodegradation can also be upcycled into highvalue items such as jewellery thanks to the unique time-set biodegradation property.

“Redefining the way we think about and design plastics is essential if we are to solve the plastic pandemic.”

Lifecycle was created by Imperial College London-based biodegradable plastics start-up Polymateria as a means to end “fugitive plastic” – that which is littered or leaked out of waste

collection systems into the natural environment.

It is estimated that 32% of all plastic doesn't get recycled or disposed of properly. Polymateria says solving fugitive plastic could prevent four billion tonnes of plastic reaching the oceans by 2050.

The new plastic material is engineered to degrade in a pre-set amount of time – little over a year, compared to the thousands of years that typical plastics will likely take to break down – with the process requiring only open air, sunlight, moisture and soil to take place.

Prince Charles has praised the technology, saying: “Brilliant ideas like this come from realising that nature has worked out how to fix most of the problems we face.”

The “Reach for Change” bracelet features sustainable beads repurposed from Lyfecycle cups, an adjustable cord from recovered plastic bottles and a recycled Fairtrade silver emblem.

Anchor & Crew – which handcrafts ethical and traceable accessories with a modern-minimalist style – has joined the Lyfecycle team at a number of campaign events in Greenland and India to showcase the technology.

Regional disparity in green jobs The transformation to a net zero economy is feeding through to the employment market – but disparities are already arising in how the transition to greener jobs is affecting different parts of the UK, according to new research.

PwC’s Green Jobs Barometer – a first-of-itskind analysis – found jobs in the low-carbon market accounted for 1.2% of total advertised roles, equating to 124,600 new jobs, for the year to July 2021.

It said that currently, the proportion of new green jobs is small, but each new position generates a further 1.4 jobs – rising to six jobs for sectors closely aligned to the energy transition – through increased demand for goods and services in the supply chain.

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This figure should also grow as the UK accelerates efforts to transition to net zero.

Nevertheless, the scale-up will need to intensify to meet Government targets of two million green jobs by 2030, the report said.

It added that work was also needed to ensure the green jobs transition doesn’t exacerbate regional inequalities.

PwC’s Midlands region leader Matt Hammond said: “The focus shouldn’t just be on the number of jobs at risk, but where they are concentrated, both in terms of industries and communities.

“It is incumbent on all of us to ensure that a reduction in economic opportunity is not the legacy of the green transition. Green jobs must not become elite jobs.”

Matt Hammond

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SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS

Powering bodies and buildings at the gym In the latest case study of the Chamber’s Sustainable East Midlands campaign to showcase businesses successfully embracing low-carbon practices, Business Network speaks to SA Green Solutions.

SA Green Solutions Description: Supplies sustainable solutions to the health, fitness and medical sectors, including home workout products.

Location: Shepshed, Leicestershire Headcount: : Two employees Spokesperson: Roger Eldergill, managing director

How does your business model embrace the sustainability agenda?

We are a sustainable company working in the health, fitness and medical sectors. Working alongside our chosen partners, we have a passion and a drive to ensure all our B2B and B2C customers are exposed to the opportunity of a unique “turnkey” value proposition. It has the potential to change the industry and into a net-positive contributor for a greener planet.

With rows of cardio machines, air conditioning

and fluorescent lighting, traditional gyms are an energy bill’s worst nightmare.

But we can change all this with an innovative approach using sustainable solutions for business or home, implementing a total or partial fitout that creates an innovative health and fitness solution.

Why waste all that home-produced energy?

Just imagine if all the world’s health clubs or homes had revolutionary ECO-POWR technology, which that captures human exertion and turns it into usable electricity.

What prompted this business decision?

It is our vision to be the sustainable solution to all of your health and fitness needs.

Founded through the mantra “there is no planet B”, we have a strong desire to do our bit for Earth – and not only help to halt, but help to reverse the effects of climate change.

We seek to achieve this by reducing our carbon footprint and that of our clients, as well as their clients, all while offering products and services that not only contribute to the healing of the planet, but the healing of people through improved physical and mental health.

SA Green Solutions’ sustainable fitness machines turn human exertion into usable electricity

What are your future plans for making your business more sustainable?

We have decided to close our office and all employees now work from home, which saves on travel and resources. We encourage them to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle through a plant-based diet, recycling and using a renewable energy supplier.

Regarding our business model, we have an ever-growing portfolio of sustainable partners that share our values and passion for providing a complete sustainable solution across the health and fitness sector. One our newest partners, MoreTrees, is involved with carbon offsetting initiatives.

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

The ongoing impact of Brexit It’s just over a year since the UK-EU transition period ended, leaving many East Midlands businesses with red tape and other obstacles to overcome when exporting and importing with EU customers. Dan Robinson speaks to two manufacturers in the region about the extent of the Brexit impact. rom gridlocks at the border to raw material price rises, our concept of supply chain stability was well and truly rocked in 2021. While it may have been easy to jump to conclusions on the cause, given this fraught period coincided with the UK’s full departure from the EU, finding answers isn’t so simple.

Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, who has exported to about 120 countries over the past three decades via his Loughborough-based medicine manufacturing company Morningside Pharmaceuticals, believes the dual challenges of Brexit and Covid-19 have vastly escalated the problems either would have caused in isolation.

“It’s been a mixture of both,” he says. “Covid definitely slowed us down and created a lot of issues for our sector in particular as global supply chains effectively broke down.

“We had some factories down to 25% capacity because of lockdown. Bringing containers over from China would have typically cost about £2,000 to £3,000, but many companies were having to pay between £10,000 and £15,000.

“On top of that, we had driver shortages resulting from Brexit as a lot of European drivers went to work in other countries with more favourable terms. This meant getting stock in time to the right places has become more difficult.”

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‘For medicines, we have to manufacture a separate pack with different artwork and licence numbers for Northern Ireland’ Morningside Pharmaceuticals, which makes and supplies high-quality generic and branded medicines, had spent four years preparing for Brexit. One of the most important actions it took was applying to be an authorised economic operator (AEO), an international standard accreditation awarded by HMRC that shows its supply chain is safe and secure.

It also ensures the holder benefits from arrangements under mutual recognition agreements, in which two or more countries agree to recognise one another’s conformity assessments results to enable trade.

Yet the company has not been immune to many of the issues that have plagued businesses over the past 13 months.

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Huge lorry queues were a common sight in the weeks after the UK-EU transition period ended

Dr Nik Kotecha OBE

inflation that has led to price rises for energy and raw materials.

There’s also been the additional paperwork burden. Dr Kotecha believes the rules of origin aspect of the UK-EU trade agreement, a set of criteria used to define where products are made so customs treatment can be determined, simply “don’t work” as the components they comprise can be sourced far and wide.

The ExWorks incoterm, meanwhile, has tipped the weight of responsibility firmly towards the buyer and UK exporters have discovered it is an inconvenience many of their EU customers could do without.

Many of the post-Brexit headlines have belonged to the Northern Ireland protocol and Dr Kotecha doesn’t feel a sustainable solution has been found yet.

He adds: “We fought very hard with the politicians about this because Northern Ireland is now in a different customs group.

“For medicines, we have to manufacture a separate pack with different artwork and licence numbers for Northern Ireland. But as it’s such a small market, no-one is really prepared to do this.”

GIVEN THAT CHESTERFIELD-BASED label manufacturer MTM Products imports most of its materials from the EU and exports about a fifth of its products directly into the continent, Brexit

was always going to add an extra burden alongside the challenges Covid-19 has posed.

Initial issues centred on delays of two or three days on normal delivery times as couriers struggled with the new border protocols in the weeks after 1 January 2021. There were also problems with getting the wording for preferential rates of duties correct, although this has now settled down.

“We’re still getting delays but the big thing for us is that the company in Europe importing from us now has greater responsibility than previously,” says managing director Ian Greenaway, who believes his firm was reasonably well prepared for the transition period’s end.

“Effectively, whereas it used to be the case that a product would just arrive on their doorstep, now they have to pull it through their international customs.

Ian Greenaway

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

EXPORTING STILL AN ISSUE ONE YEAR ON

“Not everyone knows how to do this so we have to make sure our customers are up to speed.”

The problem is that for some customers in the EU, it’s easier for them to find an alternative supplier on the continent where additional administration can be avoided.

Ian says: “One company in the Czech Republic started buying locally because it was too much of a hassle. It was a top 20 customer for us worth £50,000 a year, so it was a blow.

“There are some EU customers where everything runs smoothly and relationships are secured for the long term, but they are normally buying things from us that require regulatory approval so they can’t move to a new supplier easily.”

He estimates the extra bureaucracy – which for his company takes up roughly half a day per week for both the finance and dispatch departments – adds about £25,000 to £30,000 in overheads.

It’s a sizeable chunk for a company like MTM, with a £3m turnover and £200,000 operating profit.

When placed alongside supply chain issues caused by Covid – factory closures in the Far East meant there have been two major material shortages – it is leading to significant cost pressures. For example, the price of a thin PvC sheet it imports has risen by 40%.

“You can’t absorb that, so you have to pass it on to the customer otherwise you go bust,” adds Ian, who has not seen this level of price hike for materials since the 1970s.

“Normally, we would try to keep prices constant for a year but we can’t at the moment because it’s relentless.”

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has unveiled a trade manifesto to recruit legions of new UK exporters – as its latest research continues to show poor overseas trade growth.

It sets out a comprehensive list of steps to get more businesses – currently just 10% – involved in international trade by working with its global business network across 76 markets.

Its trade manifesto was published last month as its Trade Confidence Outlook report for Q4 2021 found 29% of exporting firms experienced sales growth – versus 24% that reported a decrease – while 45% confirmed UK sales increased.

Shevaun Haviland (pictured), director general of the BCC, said: “The UK is bursting with amazing businesses offering goods and services that are high quality, sustainable and well designed. There are hundreds of overseas markets which are crying out for what we can offer.

“Yet only 10% of UK businesses are currently involved in exporting when all our research shows that firms trading overseas are more productive, innovative and resilient.

“So, it’s vital we now recruit a new generation of exporters to help take our overseas trade to the next level. We are standing at a moment where we can seize the opportunity to be in the vanguard of a world-wide revolution in new technology, digital services and net zero innovations.”

Additional research by the BCC found a net 30% of businesses have reported difficulties adapting to changes in rules for buying and selling goods since the UK-EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA) was implemented in January last year.

Recommended steps to make trade with the EU easier include streamlining customs and trade processes to reduce paperwork and delays, developing more business-friendly rules on crossborder VAT, and bringing back the Brexit SME Support Fund to help firms adapt.

ChamberCustoms, the HMRC-linked customs declaration service delivered by East Midlands Chamber, can support businesses via training, advice and brokerage services. For more information, call 0333 320 0333 (option 4) or email chambercustoms@emc-dnl.co.uk

Despite all this, Ian is optimistic his firm can increase EU sales in 2022 and believes it will continue to be the biggest international market.

He adds: “We just have to make sure we’re selling products that can’t bought by a local printing company. Thankfully, we have the local expertise to differentiate.”

REGULATORY CHALLENGES WILL be one of the next battlegrounds in the healthcare and medical devices industry once a two-year standstill period passes in 2023, but Dr Kotecha feels his business is well-placed for the future after making the necessary preparations.

He also believes there are plenty of opportunities available to the UK post-Brexit. A Department for International Trade “export champion” who sits on its SME Trade Advisory Group, he has been privy to every trade deal agreed by the UK so far.

“I’m very impressed and excited by the new markets we can move into,” he adds. “The EU will continue to be an important destination for us, but there’s a real opportunity for exporters to think beyond our traditional markets.

“As long as we continue to make innovative products and invest in R&D, our businesses will be very successful in global trade.”

FREE CHAMBER WORKSHOP Exporters and importers can learn what’s in store for them this year at a free Chamber workshop.

The Hot Topics in International Trade in 2022 session will be held online on Tuesday 8 February from 9-10.30am. It will cover the additional import controls implemented on 1 January this year and the roll out of new customs systems, along with the revision of the harmonised system tariff.

These changes may have significant implications for businesses’ cost base, staff workload, training requirements, operating procedures and compliance.

Stark Export Focus owner Becky Stark will deliver the training via Zoom.

Due to demand for this free workshop, places are limited to one attendee per company. To book a place, visit bit.ly/HotTopicsEMC For a full list of upcoming international trade training courses, visit www.emcdnl.co.uk/enabling-internationaltrade/international-trade-training3

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POLITICS

The challenges of net zero - and how we can meet them he journey to net zero is effectively “just another engineering challenge” – but one of the most exciting the energy industry has ever faced.

This was the view of one of the keynote speakers at the Chamber’s Midlands Energy Summit, in which industry leaders urged the region to unite in order to develop supply chains for the emerging low-carbon economy.

Stephen Scrimshaw, vice-president of Siemens Energy UK & Ireland, believes businesses will need to “learn by doing” and collaborating with other sectors when it seeks to address key infrastructure challenges that will determine the success of the UK’s transition to net zero by 2050.

These include growing the electricity system by up to four-times its current size, decarbonising freight, scaling up carbon capture and storage systems, replacing gas boilers in homes with low-carbon alternatives, and producing and transporting hydrogen.

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‘Ultimately, net zero is just another engineering challenge to apply your skills to’ He said: “It’s the most exciting challenge the energy industry has ever faced and provides the backdrop to the rest of our working lives.

“The world really does need businesses that understand energy systems and the way we use energy in our operations to step up and provide sustainable alternatives.”

Stephen explained how the energy industry has already been cleaning up in recent decades, with coal use dropping from 45% to 2% of the UK’s power system in the past 10 years as lower-carbon alternatives have grown in prominence – and

phasing out natural gas the next logical step.

Acknowledging that some industries will have bigger hurdles to overcome than others in the coming decades, he said: “Ultimately, net zero is just another engineering challenge to apply your skills to. We’ve always energised society and now we need to do it in a different way.

“There needs to be a recognition there is no silver bullet. It’s a general trajectory of where we’re heading, but there’s no single route to get there.

“This means new industries will grow in between existing ones and will require collaboration like you’ve never seen before because no single business will be able to do everything. It takes time to build supply chains and skills but need to go as fast as we can.”

CARROT VERSUS THE STICK The Midlands Energy Summit, held in partnership with the University of Nottingham on 30 November, reflected on outcomes from COP26 and the role of regulation in the energy transition. In a panel discussion, speakers agreed on how businesses must be aware the policy environment is gradually moving from the “carrot to the stick”.

Peter Ware, chair of the Midlands Engine Green Growth Board and a partner at Nottingham-based law firm Browne Jacobson, referenced the impact of legislation to introduce a 10p charge for carrier bags has had on reducing single-use plastic.

Cheryl Hiles, director of Energy Capital, a smart energy innovation partnership in the West Midlands, admitted that businesses needed to convince policymakers that the market would address key issues such as universal access to energy cost-effectively.

She added: “The market needs clear signals and regulation could play a hugely important role in this. In the successful examples of this, we’ve seen the market has been given time to evolve and bring the solutions forward.

“The important reason for this is that we need costs to come down – the engineers can solve pretty much any problem we’ve ever faced in our society, but we need to get to the point where we can afford it.”

SMALL MODULAR NUCLEAR REACTORS

Stephen Scrimshaw, VP of Siemens Energy UK & Ireland

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Michael Dunnett, head of sites and programmes for operating plant service at Cavendish Nuclear, spoke about the emerging role of small modular reactors (SMRs) in making nuclear energy supplies more flexible.

He said: “They’re interesting in concept because they can be built remotely and transported to a site with a very small footprint, making them particularly useful for rural or small industrial locations.”

Cavendish is building SMRs – which can also be used for generating heat and hydrogen – at its Leicester base but has encountered challenges in finding local suppliers.

“It’s safe to say there’s opportunities out there for companies to get involved in this new way forward for the nuclear industry and expand our capabilities as a region,” he added.

The Midlands Engine’s work in developing hydrogen technologies via its Hydrogen

THE CHAMBER’S VIEW ON SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS “What is becoming increasingly apparent is the huge scale of the challenge we face globally, and how a shift in mindset is required now to address this because we need to travel further, faster.

“Rather than this being a daunting prospect though, there are equally significant opportunities at a localised level, particularly in supply chains. The East Midlands, with our energy-intensive manufacturing heritage and world-leading universities, is already at the cutting edge of many future technologies that will guide the energy transition. We now want SMEs to understand that they have a key role to play in the emerging supply chains being built in our region.

“Beyond supply chains, new industries will grow in the space between existing ones.

We need to be ready to take advantage of this, while also recognising that taking a user-centric approach is key to bringing people along with us on this journey – viewing our energy consumers as part of the solution, rather than a barrier to change.”

Chris Hobson, director of policy and external affairs at the Chamber

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The vision retains the Broadmarsh structural frame for new leisure activities

Ambitious plans announced for former shopping centre

Small modular reactors could make nuclear energy supplies more flexible

Technologies Strategy and H2GVMids project was highlighted along with a range of research specialisms at the University of Nottingham.

The university’s vice-chancellor Professor Shearer West CBE explained how its Energy Institute is addressing three key societal challenges – energy generation and management, transport and mobility, and communities and the built environment – via a series of sustainable energy research projects.

She said: “Energy is absolutely vital for our survival but our existing energy systems present an existential threat. In COP26, we saw a lot about the interconnections between energy and climate change. The transition to net zero relies on a deep thinking for our energy system – not just the technologies we use but our expectations and behaviours.”

A vision to breathe new life into Nottingham’s Broad Marsh area has been unveiled – in what has been branded a “once in many generations” opportunity for the city.

Proposals for the future of the 20-acre site, which is currently dominated by the part-demolished former Broadmarsh shopping centre, include a new “green heart” that embraces the building’s retained structural frame to create a new centre for a diverse range of leisure activities.

It will aim to reinstate many of the city’s lost street connections and create a new “engine room” for its growth aspirations by bringing 400,000 sq ft of new business, office and conference space, as well as ground-floor retail that will have the capacity to accommodate more than 3,000 jobs.

About 750 homes could also be built on the west side of the city with views of Nottingham Castle, while the 15th century Severn’s House nearby could be turned into an “art hotel”, creating a new tourism opportunity for guests to sleep right above the caves – which will also be given a new entrance.

The vision was created by Nottingham’s independent Greater Broad Marsh Advisory Group, which was established in March this year by Nottingham City Council after the local authority was handed back the shopping centre by its former operator intu

when it collapsed into administration during the pandemic.

Thomas Heatherwick, who designed the honeycomb-like Vessel structure in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards development, said: “The aim is to bridge between generations, communities and cultures so that the new Broad Marsh can reflect the true diversity of the city.

“In the fog of Covid-19, Nottingham has seized the opportunity to create a new blueprint for the future of city centres.”

City centres set to lose billions

Prof Shearer West CBE

City centres stand to lose £3bn in 2022 as a result of permanent changes caused by Covid19, according to a new study.

Economists from the Universities of Nottingham, Sheffield and Birmingham, who analysed data suggesting the average UK worker will be based at home 20% more than pre-pandemic, say this shift will move more businesses to suburban areas.

This could result in about £3bn in annual spending leaving city centres – particularly in very dense centres – and lead to about 77,000 hospitality and retail workers being forced to relocate or lose their jobs completely. Their research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and published in a paper titled, Covid reallocation of spending: The effect of remote working on the retail and hospitality sector.

Co-author Shivani Taneja, research fellow in the School of Economics at the University of Nottingham, said: “Employees are now travelling less frequently to the offices in the city centres and more time is spent in suburban locations, resulting in major implications for city centres.”

The report argues that in order to stay relevant, city centres may have to transform themselves by becoming more residential instead of retail-focused.

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ACCOUNTANCY SERVICES

Essential financial support for manufacturing firms

By Darryl Hoy (pictured), R&D tax relief specialist in the Radius team at accountancy firm Shorts new year is a time when motivation is high, whether for pursuing new opportunities and ventures, improving efficiencies or meeting emergent challenges head on. One of the biggest obstacles facing manufacturing, perhaps more so than any other UK industry, is the country’s ambitious decarbonisation goals.

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Manufacturing covers a vast range of sub-sectors, many of which supply each other, which means they are being hit even harder by ongoing supply chain and labour issues associated with the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit.

These challenges are why it is essential for manufacturing companies to both innovate and maximise the Government-backed financial support available to them.

In fact, companies can actually do both at the same time.

SIGNIFICANT TAX BREAKS FOR MANUFACTURERS THAT INNOVATE To incentivise greater innovation, the Government is offering manufacturers the most generous corporation tax break currently available – we are talking about R&D tax reliefs.

These are a significant financial incentive designed to reward businesses that invest in R&D. For an SME, this is worth about £25,000 of every £100,000 that a company has spent innovating.

Similar incentives are available for larger companies too as part of the RDEC scheme.

This sizeable financial relief is available as either a payable cash credit or a corporation tax reduction, and almost any company can apply, providing their expenditure meets HMRC’s definition of R&D. This definition is broader than you might think, and it is strongly

recommended that anyone paying technical people to solve technical problems checks their eligibility as soon as they can.

EXAMPLES OF QUALIFYING R&D IN MANUFACTURING There are plenty of examples demonstrating how innovative companies of all sizes have taken advantage of R&D tax reliefs.

One packaging manufacturer saved more than £60,000 in tax through its development of innovative, high-performance packaging solutions using recycled waste materials. Another company, this time making thermal systems, saved over £25,000 on an R&D project developing insulation, heat tracing and protective enclosure solutions.

Another example is an industrial refrigeration manufacturer, which saved more than £25,000 developing and producing more energy-efficient units. A similar amount was saved by a metallic components maker as a result of a major R&D project around

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increasing efficiency and reducing waste in production.

Innovation is good for companies, good for consumers, good for the economy and, crucially, helps manufacturers play their crucial role in decarbonisation.

PATENTED PRODUCTS AND PROCESSES PAY OFF An additional financial support scheme that could also benefit innovative manufacturers is the HMRC “Patent Box”.

The Patent Box scheme allows businesses to pay a lower effective corporation tax rate of 10% on profits arising from patented products or services.

To qualify, the patent must have been granted by the UK Intellectual Property Office, European Patent Office, or the relevant national office in select European countries.

Your company must also have been directly involved in the development of the patent, including the R&D.

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HOW CAN BUSINESSES MAKE A CLAIM? R&D tax relief claims can be made as part of a company’s CT600 corporation tax return, which can be done through your accountant or corporation tax adviser. A company has two years from the end of its accounting period to make a claim.

Due to the complexity of claims, and the potential for HMRC investigations for submission of incorrect information, we strongly recommend contacting a specialist R&D tax adviser.

HMRC is actively focusing on what it sees as potentially incorrect R&D claims, so it is very important your claim is managed by a qualified, experienced adviser who understands the full scope of the legislation.

The Radius team at Shorts includes an ex-HMRC R&D tax inspector for this very reason, to ensure all claims are valid before submission. This is why Radius has never had a claim amended as a result of an HMRC enquiry.

Chamber members can book a free 30-minute consultation with Shorts’ Radius team to find out if they can qualify for R&D tax relief.

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MANUFACTURING AND LEVELLING UP

Manufacturing prosperity in the East Midlands The Midlands and manufacturing go hand in hand, with the region accounting for 20% of the industry’s national output via world-leading businesses and smaller bricks in the supply chain. Despite the decline of British manufacturing in recent decades, business leaders and politicians believe it is vital to both the UK’s postBrexit economic hopes and the levelling up agenda. The Chamber recently partnered a key event exploring this topic, with Dan Robinson in attendance. or a few decades in the 19th century, goods manufactured in Britain dominated global trade as the country became dubbed the “workshop of the world”. Some of the country’s richest towns and cities could be found in the North and Midlands, the latter being the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution 100 years earlier with Derby’s Silk Mill, built in 1721, regarded as the first mechanised factory on Earth.

Times have moved on – much of our manufacturing has been offshored and the country’s economy is now heavily reliant on London and the South East – but the Midlands believes this industrial heritage makes it well-placed to provide the engine for the UK’s post-Brexit growth aspirations.

For Gavin Rice, policy director and manufacturing lead at the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), it’s also a platform for making significant inroads in the much-hyped levelling up agenda.

He says: “The story of British manufacturing over the past few decades has been one of proportionate decline, from 30% of our economic output in the 1970s to 10% today.

“At the same time, and I would argue as a consequence of this, regional disparities within our country have increased.

“We believe it’s time that manufacturing came to the rescue because we have fantastic regional businesses that bring growth and jobs to communities of the Midlands.”

In a country that hasn’t been able to agree on much in recent years, economists and academics have formed a consensus that Britain is one of the most regionally unbalanced nations in the industrialised world.

At the extremes, the Centre for Cities think-tank estimates London’s economic output per head (£51,000 in 2018) is 2.5-times that of North East England (£21,000).

The East Midlands fares only very slightly better at £23,000 and, in fact, every region other than London and the South East are lower than the UK average.

This is as much a productivity issue as a prosperity one and Gavin says it has been getting worse every year since “at least the 1980s”.

He adds: “Many regions are falling further and further behind the national average, but there are some exceptions in those regions where we still have thriving manufacturing hubs. In those areas, we still see higher productivity, better wages and a higher quality of work.”

Regional inequalities can also be identified in the labour market – while the UK enjoyed record employment levels pre-pandemic, 31% of the 3.2 million jobs created between the 2008 financial crash and the beginning of lockdown were based in London.

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CSJ policy director Gavin Rice

Since the turn of the millennium, job creation has been concentrated in the public sector, services industries and less productive sectors such as hospitality and retail.

“This shift towards services means that while the top 20% have experienced a rise in real wages over the past 10 years, UK average earnings have barely shifted at all,” says Gavin.

“And for every 10 medium-skilled jobs that disappeared between 1996 and 2008, about 4.5 of those jobs on average were replaced with high-skilled jobs – but 5.5 were replaced by lower-skilled jobs.

KEY ASKS FROM MANUFACTURERS Business leaders at The Role of Midlands Manufacturing in Levelling Up the UK event provided feedback to the CSJ on their biggest needs. Key asks were: 1. Skills: A “radical change” is needed in the post-16 education system, in particular overhauling the apprenticeship system and technical skills development 2. Access to finance: Replicating the super-deduction tax break for capital expenditure on plant and machinery for the skills agenda would encourage investment in people 3. Refreshing manufacturing’s image: With an ageing workforce, more promotion of the exciting and modern roles within the industry is required to encourage the next generation 4. Devolution: Local decision-making powers could enable regions to develop their own industrial strategies to suit their specific economic needs

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LUTTERWORTH FIRM IS LEADING THE WAY IN AUTOMATION Industries ranging from plastics to pharmaceuticals increasingly rely on automation equipment – and a business based in Lutterworth is at the cutting edge of this technology.

PCE Automation manufactures bespoke automation machinery that is distributed across the world and used by brands including Unilever, Rolls-Royce, Continental, The Plastek Group and CooperVision.

Its exporting success has led to plenty of recent recognition, including winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade and being named the Chamber’s Leicestershire Business of the Year in 2020.

Nick Parker, production director at PCE Automation, says: “We’re very much disruptors in our markets, where the frequent investment allows us to bring the very latest and greatest machinery forward.

“The technology we’re producing is having a big role in evolving manufacturing processes so innovation is critical to everything we do.

We aim to stay ahead of the game by building alliances with leading suppliers of equipment.”

PCE Automation, its name since December 2020 when the db automation and Premier Bowl Feeder brands merged, employs 100 people split between sites in Leicestershire and Suffolk. Nick witnesses first-hand the glowing reputation attached to UK manufacturing overseas, and expects to see more onshoring as businesses have faced rising costs and delays for importing from the Far East in recent months.

He believes Covid-19 has “changed the face of manufacturing” as

Nick Parker, left, at the firm’s Lutterworth base

supply chain issues have also placed a greater emphasis on automation.

He adds: “Naturally, the market has shifted during the pandemic so we have moved away slightly from fast-moving consumer goods and injection moulding to focus more on biotech, pharma and ocular.

“Healthcare is a more profitable market for us and allows us to express our technical capabilities more.”

“So while we do have a bedrock of manufacturing in this country, we seem to have come a long way from the workshop of the world, when the industrial North was wealthier than the South.”

GAVIN IS SPEAKING at a landmark event held at the Morningside Arena in Leicester last November, with the aim of creating an alliance between manufacturers and regional leaders ahead of the Government publishing a levelling up white paper this year.

Titled The Role of Midlands Manufacturing in Levelling Up the UK, it is hosted by the CSJ in partnership with East Midlands Chamber, Midlands Engine, Make UK and Morningside Pharmaceuticals, a Loughborough-based company that makes high-quality generic and branded medicines.

Even if the glory days appear far in the past, the Midlands remains at the heart of the UK’s manufacturing industry, boasting a raft of global names including Alstom, Bombardier, Jaguar Land Rover, JCB, National Grid, RollsRoyce, Tarmac and Toyota UK. It also has a burgeoning supply chain in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, rail and medical, with further opportunities available should the UK manage to onshore some of the manufacturing it lost to the Far East and other

Midlands Engine chairman Sir John Peace speaking at the Morningside Arena event

parts of the world since the 1970s, according to Morningside Pharmaceuticals chairman Dr Nik Kotecha.

He says: “After we work out how to live with Covid, there’s going to be lots of opportunities and with our heritage in manufacturing, we will be well placed to take advantage.”

The Midlands Engine Science and Innovation Audit identified advanced manufacturing and engineering, digital technologies and data, and systems integration as three competencies in the region. It also highlighted four marketdriven priorities in future transport, MedTech, future food processing and low-carbon energy systems.

Sir John Peace, the Experian founder who chairs the Midlands Engine public-private partnership, says: “We are where the first Industrial Revolution took place. We’re now undergoing a new Industrial Revolution and it’s absolutely essential the Midlands is at the forefront of driving this technological change.

“Manufacturing has to be a core part of any strategy associated with driving economic growth.”

He points out the Midlands – with a population of 11 million, 4.4 million homes, 800,000 businesses and a GVA approaching £250bn – has a larger economy than Denmark, as well as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland combined.

The region comprises one-fifth of the UK’s manufacturing output, with a value of £36bn, but Midlands Engine executive director Rachael Greenwood says future growth is constrained by systemic challenges such as a lack of public investment in transport, digital and energy infrastructure, as well as R&D and skills.

“Levelling up is about jobs, but is also about healthier communities, accelerating innovation and investing in R&D,” she says. “It’s about making sure there are opportunities for today’s and tomorrow’s generations.

“Over the past decade, R&D investment in the Midlands has been the lowest in England. For every £4 of private sector money from this region, it leverages just £1 in public sector money – while it’s £1 for every £1 in Scotland and London.

“The impact of both the pandemic and EU exit can’t be understated. We’ve got a significant specialised manufacturing base and have been a powerhouse for exporting.”

MARK CARNEY ONCE called the East Midlands “a real bellwether for the UK economy”, and its experiences during the past two years have indeed closely followed the national trend.

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MANUFACTURING A TRUSTED HEALTH AND WELLNESS BRAND

Charlotte Horobin is the regional representative at Make UK

Every three months, the Chamber updates its State of the Economic Index by aggregating various indicators of activity and confidence reported by its Quarterly Economic Survey, which provides an insight into how the region’s economy has performed.

It dipped to its lowest level on record as the country went into lockdown in Q2 2020, before improving in every quarter until the most recent edition at the end of 2021 – mirroring the systemic challenges affecting almost every industry, as well as the national uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant.

‘We talk about manufacturing as 10% of the economy, but it’s actually producing more than half of our exports’ Focusing on manufacturers, seven in 10 attempted to recruit in Q4 2021 and four in five of those struggled to find the right people. A squeeze in supply chains meant that cashflow declined for a third – only 23% reported improvements – while cost pressures meant nine in 10 plan to increase prices, the highest ever found by the Chamber.

Despite strong demand, there is a hesitancy among businesses to invest due to a lack of confidence.

“Ultimately, we’re struggling with a resource problem as we don’t have the people or raw materials,” says Charlotte Horobin, Midlands and East region director at industry body Make UK. The next major economic trend will likely be found in the Green Industrial Revolution as the UK sets out on its journey to net zero by 2050.

Charlotte believes the region is well-placed to play a key role given it is an “absolute stronghold” for manufacturing, while it doesn’t rely on a single dominant sector.

She adds: “This diversity provides resilience, which is something we saw during Covid-19. Automotive and aerospace were two of the hardest-hit sectors and are still undergoing quite a slow recovery – but our food and drink manufacturers’ performance went through the roof, while we succeeded in generic medicines and our ability to make PPE. “We talk about manufacturing as 10% of the economy, but it’s actually producing more than half of our exports and paying salaries that are 12% higher than average. It’s also creating 16% of business investments and two-thirds of R&D.” She notes how manufacturers can’t just pick up and move their operations very easily, so they require investment in places via local schools, high streets and affordable housing.

Skills, local transport links and digital connectivity are their major needs as they enter a new era of sophistication in which a company’s capabilities, rather than just their products, will be in demand by a growing list of markets that appear in the gaps between traditional industries.

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From stress-relieving essential oils to skin-healing creams, Penny Price Aromatherapy makes a wide range of products that bring a natural, holistic approach to health and wellbeing.

These can be supplied to individual aromatherapists and brands in batches ranging from one to 10,000, while the Hinckley-based company also has its own catalogue featuring hundreds of items that are sold mainly online and a training academy.

Behind every potion or formulation is a lengthy manufacturing process at its 2,300 sq ft production site that can take up to a year for new products and three months for variations of pre-existing ones.

“Because we’re primarily an aromatherapy company that’s renowned for our training to a clinical level, people don’t always appreciate the work that goes into manufacturing,” says director of operations Ellie Dunmore (pictured), daughter of founder and managing director Penny Price.

“It’s a very rigorous process as we’re making products that are applied to people’s skin to help them therapeutically with aches, pains and general wellbeing.

“If someone comes to us saying they want to create a brand-new hair product, for example, it could take 12 months from beginning to end.”

The family behind Penny Price Aromatherapy is credited with bringing modern aromatherapy to the UK in the 1970s, and it continues to innovate with pet care products among the latest stock. The company entrusts every aspect of production to its 20-strong team rather than outsourcing. Many of the circa-250,000 units it makes every year will be sent to other businesses on a white-label basis, although it increasingly sells its own branded stock.

Following an initial brief, the manufacturing process includes market research, sample production, quality and safety tests, ethical checks and packaging.

Ellie, whose company has won a number of Chamber awards in recent years including the Innovation in Manufacturing category at the Leicestershire Business Awards 2020, adds: “Even after we’ve had approval from a client, we need to check the compatibility and suitability with other products in a range.

“We’re managing different sets of customer expectations – our business clients and their end users, as well as the individual customers, aromatherapists and retail outlets we sell to directly. They’re all equally important to us, and it means we need a very diverse knowledge and skillset within our team.”

This all feeds into levelling up, which is expected to be one of the key policy agendas between now and the 2024 general election, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledging to return the UK to a “high-wage, high-skill, highproductivity” economy.

The CSJ wants the Government to resurrect its dormant modern industrial strategy with the explicit goal of boosting manufacturing output, which Gavin believes is central to stimulating the real-terms economic growth that leads to higher wages.

“And it’s manufacturing that – provided it’s supported by Government – can offer the technical training, apprenticeships and skills that will transform the prospects of many,” he adds.

“A bigger, more dynamic manufacturing sector could unlock opportunities throughout the UK as a showcase for what it does best – which is create innovation, growth, jobs and prosperity.”

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The Polestar Precept car under development at MIRA Technology Park

Apprentices driving our electric future Apprentices at the MIRA Technology Institute (MTI) are playing a key role in supporting an all-electric future for auto marque Polestar erformance electric car brand Polestar, based at a national centre for automotive excellence on the Leicestershire border, is rapidly growing its UK workforce – with apprentices at the centre of its future.

The Swedish business started with 50 employees at its facility in MIRA Technology Park, located between Hinckley and Nuneaton, in 2019 but now has more than 300 people working on the development of future models to expand its all-electric line-up.

It has plans to expand further as it combines its UK and Swedish research and development capacity for global reach.

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AIMING TO IMPROVE SOCIETY Polestar’s sustainability and ambition to improve society extends to all business behaviours and decisions, including the development of skills and its commitment to apprenticeships.

The company has engaged with the MIRA Technology Institute (MTI), which is based on the park and develops specialist skills in emerging automotive technology, to support its first apprentice technicians and will grow its capacity to continue to support more entrants into the automotive manufacturing sector.

Polestar’s HR business partner Kylie Bennett said: “Our business has grown so quickly, and we are enormously proud of what we have achieved despite the pandemic. Our all-electric Polestar 2 model has been on the road since

2020 and brand awareness has grown exponentially over that time.

“To support our future success, it is imperative we invest in talented and skilled individuals that will enable us to achieve our goals, to make a positive contribution to a sustainable society and deliver a ‘climate-neutral’ car by 2030.

GENUINE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES “Skills in electric vehicle engineering are in short supply, and we are keen to grow our own technicians and contribute to the shortfall by providing opportunities for individuals at the start of their careers.

“It is vital that we only hire apprentices that we have the resources to support and nurture fully, and we’re lucky to have some of the best mentors and coaches and wideranging opportunities to test their skills in a live, dynamic environment.

“The MIRA Technology Institute is well placed to deliver the classroom and workshop skills that our apprentices need. The facilities are great, and the team does an incredible job.”

Polestar’s apprentice technicians are following a Level 3 light vehicle maintenance and repair apprenticeship standard to help them build the skills, knowledge and behaviour to continue their careers in automotive manufacturing.

Apprentice Jamal Gask-Clarke, from Coventry,

‘It is imperative we invest in talented and skilled individuals that will enable us to achieve our goals’

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formerly played rugby professionally for Wasps, but pandemic disruption changed the direction of his career and he was attracted to the automotive industry by growth in electric vehicle sector.

Connor Foster, from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, previously studied electrical engineering and was looking for a fresh and exciting career opportunity.

Sophia Booth, from Bedworth, has been a keen motocross enthusiast since the age of 14 and completed A levels while helping her mechanic father to keep their neighbours’ cars on the road.

Polestar apprentice technicians, from left: Sophia Booth, Connor Foster and Jamal Gask-Clarke

STANDOUT CANDIDATES Kylie added: “The recruitment process was highly rigorous, but we were unanimous in selecting Sophia, Connor, and Jamal – they stood out and really showed that they are hungry for the opportunity. We are very pleased with how all three are progressing.”

The MTI is the result of a unique collaboration led by North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, and its partners HORIBA MIRA, Coventry University, the University of Leicester and Loughborough University.

The emerging technology areas where it is developing skills include electrification and driverless cars.

Since it opened its doors, it has welcomed more than 32,000 students and delegates. This includes over 1,100 studying for accredited qualifications – from a Level 1 Institute of the Motor Industry certificate up to master’s degrees – and 700-plus following apprenticeships at all levels. More than 10,000 automotive professionals have taken part in professional development activities.

Lisa Bingley, operations director at the MTI, added: “We’re delighted to be working with Polestar in support of its first UK apprentices and helping the business to create a skilled future workforce. We understand the pressures of this fast-paced industry and are in a good position to help other businesses to grow their own skills and keep ahead of demand.”

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‘We’re delighted to be working with Polestar in support of its first UK apprentices and helping the business to create a skilled future workforce’

MTI operations director Lisa Bingley

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Are apprenticeships the solution to your recruitment challenges?

By Lisa Wilson (pictured), group director of apprenticeships and employer service at Nottingham College s one of Nottingham’s largest employers, we know first-hand here how challenging the job market is at the moment.

Recruiting new staff is one of the biggest issues facing the employers we work with and we are no different. And the challenges don’t stop there. Retaining staff, particularly as we see increasingly more remote working as standard, poses its own difficulties.

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RECRUITMENT INTENTIONS Hays conducted a national survey towards the tail end of 2021 that revealed the majority of UK employers are planning to hire staff over the next 12 months – the highest recruitment intentions in eight years – as Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic have caused acute shortages of workers in sectors ranging from haulage to hospitality.

An astounding 80% of businesses and other organisations are planning to take on more staff over the next 12 months. Within this, just over two-thirds (67%) of employers hiring are looking for permanent staff, while a

third are recruiting for temporary positions.

Staff shortages have reached the highest levels in decades and threaten the economy’s recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. As well as the direct issues caused by the pandemic. Brexit has resulted in large numbers of workers from the EU leave.

APPRENTICES CAN HELP PLUG THE GAP What’s interesting is hearing how employers are trying to tackle these shortages. While around 44% have hired temp or contract workers, and 22% have ramped up their marketing spending to attract talent, more than a fifth of businesses have recruited apprentices to fill the gap.

Apprentices have long been used in certain sectors to develop talent, bring in fresh ideas, balance the demographic of a perhaps older workforce or help businesses grow into new areas and markets.

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FEATURE

APPRENTICESHIPS

academic route, we could see apprenticeships come to save the day and become a crucial component of our national, and local, economic recovery.

BUSINESS SUPPORT AVAILABLE The business team at Nottingham College, with its extensive range of apprenticeship opportunities on offer, and a team of recruiters ready to find you the next star candidate, could help you to fill those roles that you’ve been struggling with.

Similarly, if you are looking to retain and develop existing staff, an apprenticeship can be offered to your existing employees, in which they can gain a new qualification while working for you.

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Colleges have an extensive range of training options, in many cases fully or partly funded, that can also develop your existing workforce, helping you to retain as well as develop and nurture your talent.

With qualifications on offer in team leading, project management, accounting, customer service, coaching and more, there really is something for most organisations to benefit from.

Apprenticeships can cover a vast range of sectors, including healthcare, sports, hospitality, engineering, construction, marketing, motor vehicle, finance, IT and administration.

The opportunities really are endless.

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APPRENTICESHIPS

FEATURE

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BUSINESS NETWORK

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BUSINESS NETWORK

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EVENTS & TRAINING

Why partnerships are a formula for success

By Sanjib Sahota, strategic partnerships manager at the Chamber Over the past few years, the Chamber has enjoyed fantastic growth in the number of commercial partnerships we have formed as part of our portfolio of opportunities.

My primary focus has always been on building positive relationships with people. This, coupled with having a great offering to engage with the business community via the Chamber’s comprehensive list of activities, seems to be a formula for success.

Often people ask me, “why should I invest?

What are the benefits?” So here are my top five reasons for considering partnerships or sponsorship with the Chamber.

1. INCREASE BRAND AWARENESS If your brand is looking to raise its profile and stand out from the crowd or competitors, then the Chamber can support this as a part of your marketing strategy – via events, Business Network magazine, social media, e-shots or direct emails to more than 4,000 members.

2. BRAND ASSOCIATION Aligning your brand to a partnership or sponsorship property can help with creating a positive association. Your aim should be to create long-term loyalty and trust in the marketplace.

Form relationships with brands that have similar values and be a part of their “community”.

the Chamber to ensure you have an opportunity to achieve your objectives.

5. ENHANCE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES 3. ACCESS TO HARD-TO-REACH CONSUMERS The Chamber can provide you with a great opportunity to access new or hard-to-reach audiences. Utilising our networks and media channels can open doors you may not normally be able to and increase engagement. An alternative approach may also be more timeconsuming, costly or may not yield the desired objectives.

If you can give your consumers a great experience then this will assist in achieving many objectives. We remember good experiences, whether at an event, online or face to face. The Chamber’s major events programme – including the Business Awards, Enterprising Women Awards, Annual Dinner and many others – can assist in achieving this.

So when allocating your marketing budgets, consider forming a partnership with the Chamber. It really can help you to achieve your objectives in 2022 and beyond.

4. POSITIVE RETURN ON INVESTMENT Partnerships or sponsorship as a part of your marketing strategy can assist with a positive return on investment. Marketing momentum is key, and you must exploit all the benefits from

I’m always happy to support our members so if I can help in any way or for more information, please feel free to contact me at Sanjib.Sahota@emc-dnl.co.uk.

Festival to put Derbyshire on the map Three key events will round off the Derbyshire Festival of Business to showcase the county’s extensive economic capabilities to future clients, customers and investors.

In March and April, the Chamber will host a Digital Marketing Conference and Exhibition, Manufacturing and Engineering Conference, and Celebrate Chesterfield.

These exhibitions mark the culmination of the festival, run by the University of Derby in partnership with the Chamber and Vision Derbyshire. Launched last autumn to help connect and support local organisations to capitalise on new opportunities during the economic recovery, it has featured a wide range of free workshops, masterclasses and networking activities.

MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING CONFERENCE Date: 16 March Time: 8.30-1.30 Venue: The Enterprise Centre, Derby One of the three key exhibitions showcasing Derbyshire’s business capabilities, this conference will explore the major challenges for manufacturing and engineering via a range of keynote speakers and panel discussions – which will explore the current and future economic, political and technological outlook.

See p38 for more details.

CELEBRATE CHESTERFIELD

DIGITAL MARKETING CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION

Date: 23 March Time: 7.30-11 Venue: The Winding Wheel, Chesterfield Delegates will receive an update on the latest regeneration projects taking place in the town and network, while local businesses have the opportunity to showcase what they do.

Date: 9 March Time: 7.45-3.15 Venue: The Palace Hotel, Buxton Learn about the latest trends in digital marketing that are crucial to helping your business grow, including SEO, social media, Google Ads, automation and WordPress, from a range of expert speakers.

Speaking as the festival was launched last year, Professor Kamil Omoteso, pro vice-chancellor dean of the College of Business, Law and Social Sciences, said: “This festival is an opportunity to showcase what our county has to offer, to identify current and future talent, and to create opportunities for collaboration

Upcoming events within the Derbyshire Festival of Business include:

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between businesses, the university, policymakers and advisory organisations, which will help us build a strong, resilient and inclusive economy as we recover from the impact and challenges of the pandemic.”

The Chamber’s chief executive Scott Knowles added: “The Chamber is a conduit for local companies to work closer together, share advice and seek new opportunities – something that has never been more important than right now as the economy recovers.”

For more information about the Derbyshire Festival of Business, visit bit.ly/DFoB22

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EVENTS & TRAINING

Love Business Expo steps back in time The post-war economic bounceback of the “Roaring Twenties” is the inspiration of an upcoming business event in Loughborough.

Love Business Expo 2022 will capture the theme via event partner Fancy Entertainment, whose staff will don their best Charleston gear to set the scene and provide an interactive, immersive experience for guests at Holywell Park Conference Centre.

Taking place on 17 February and headline sponsored by the Chamber, the event features an action-packed line-up of speakers representing organisations including the Midlands Engine Investment Fund, East Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre and Your IT Department.

North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen will give an insider’s view from the Houses of Parliament, while in a “Question Time” session, a panel of prominent regional business and political leaders will dissect the big economic issues of the day.

To book a free delegate ticket, visit www.lovebusinessexpo.co.uk/delegate-booking and to book an exhibition space, visit www.lovebusinessexpo.co.uk

Join the Chamber’s celebration of culture Music, dance and food representing the East Midlands’ diverse mix of cultural backgrounds will be on show as the Chamber’s Celebration of Culture and Communities event returns this year.

The evening of entertainment at Leicester Tigers’ Mattioli Woods Welford Road stadium aims to acknowledge the work that is making a difference to the region.

Taking place on Thursday 24 March from 6.30pm to 11.30pm, it will feature local performers including Nupur Arts and Embark Federation and speakers including business leaders Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, founder and chairman of Morningside Pharmaceuticals and the Randal Charitable Foundation, and emh group chief executive Chan Kataria OBE. Tickets cost £55 + VAT, with charities receiving a discounted rate. Visit bit.ly/EMCelebration22

Bespoke training for team leaders returns

Two key training courses that equip directors, senior managers and team leaders return this month.

The Chamber’s Director Development Programme and Managers Development Programme are each delivered as full-day courses over several weeks.

Both are due to be held face-to-face for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, and will be delivered by the Chamber’s training partner partners Challenge Consulting and Infinite Possibilities.

Business Network breaks down what each course offers:

DIRECTOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME Designed for directors or senior managers within organisations that want to support and grow their business, or the department they lead, this programme commences on Thursday 17 February.

The objective is to equip them with the skills and confidence needed to achieve objectives that will ultimately drive the business forward.

Delivered as a five-day modular programme with each session roughly two weeks apart, it covers the following topic headings: • Developing vision, values and strategy leadership (17 February) • Planning, direction and priorities (3 March) • Finance for non-financial directors (17 March) • People management approaches (31 March) • Driving performance and leading change (7 April) The course is structured as progressive stages in a business development process, with participants having specific action steps to begin during the session and complete between each one.

At each subsequent session, they will be expected to discuss how they have applied the material covered during the previous instalment in order to ensure the process is grounded in practicality.

The Director Development Programme is delivered by Charles Barnascone, of Infinite Possibilities, at the Chamber’s office at Commerce House, in Millennium Way, Chesterfield.

It costs £1,450 + VAT for Chamber members and £1,850 + VAT for nonmembers. For more information, visit bit.ly/DDPFeb21.

MANAGERS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME People who manage teams and individuals – or who aspire to do so – would benefit from this programme, which begins on 21 February.

It recognises the important cog in the chain that first-line managers have in any organisation due to the first-hand view they have of results of company policy, strategic initiatives, marketing and production capabilities.

The course focuses on the key topics needed to fully execute the requirements of a management role efficiently and effectively.

It will highlight ways in which participants can develop their own management skills in order to make better decisions on prioritising work, setting objectives, and leading and managing others to get the best out of them.

Delivered as a four-day modular programme with each session held a week apart, it covers the following topic headings: • Leadership in focus: How brightly do you shine? (21 February) • Communications and influencing to enhance performance (28 February) • Managing teams and individual performance (7 March) • Identifying opportunities for innovation and supporting others through change (14 March) The Managers Development Programme is delivered at Challenge Consulting’s training centre in Woodborough, Nottinghamshire. It costs £1,100 + VAT for Chamber members and £1,500 + VAT for non-members. For more information, visit bit.ly/MDPFeb21

The Chamber also runs bespoke training programmes for businesses.

To discuss, contact business training manager Vicki Thompson on 07469 148833 or email vicki.thompson@emcdnl.co.uk

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DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY

Programme goes for growth Ahead of the Chamber’s Digital Marketing Conference 2022, Business Network looks at how the Digital Growth Programme has supported Leicestershire-based manufacturers.

Mowbray Leather Goods Mowbray Leather Goods, a business with quality craftmanship at its heart, counts some of the world’s most discerning fashion houses and several high-end independent retailers among its longstanding client base.

Like most fashion manufacturers, importing plays a major role in the Melton Mowbray-based company’s operations as it sources most of its materials from Tuscany, where the best vegetable-tanned leathers are produced.

It received one-to-one support from the Chamber’s digital business adviser Tom Conway, and was awarded a £16,000 technology grant from the programme.

The funding has been used to invest in cutting-edge print technology, which allowed Mowbray to elevate its prototyping service, speed up turnaround times, and offer clients almost limitless possibilities in terms of design and finish – giving it a huge competitive advantage.

New channels of business have also opened up that wouldn’t have been possible pre-investment, with the print system fuelling innovations such as the ultra-slim Trove wallet, one of the most customisable wallets on the market with more than 100,000 combinations of colours and designs possible.

Digital business adviser Prashant Gandabhai (left) with Limelight Beds purchasing manager Lee Townsend (centre) and founder Aiyub Sidat (right)

Limelight Beds Leveraging growth through innovation has been the goal for Limelight Beds managing director Aiyub Sidat.

The Leicester company, founded in 1999, has sold his high-quality bed frames on a wholesale basis to a network of both bricks and mortar and internet retailers, including Dunelm, Freemans and Wayfair, operating entirely on a B2B basis.

Aiyub wanted to focus on streamlining its online ordering system, which relied too heavily on manual inputs and he felt was resulting in orders being lost or cancelled.

His objectives were two-fold – reduce the time spent by his team processing orders, and give customers an inside view of Limelight’s current and projected

stock landscape to offer more options, flexibility and control.

The Chamber’s digital business adviser Prashant Gandabhai signposted Aiyub to financial support and Limelight received a £23,000 technology grant that contributed towards a £60,000 investment in a new automated ordering system.

This has enabled real-time stock reports to be sent to customers so they can place fulfillable orders via a password-protected portal on the website at any time. Orders are automatically entered into Limelight’s accounting system so the entire order processing journey is “hands-free”.

Limelight has reported a significant uptick in business with e-commerce suppliers and several major contracts have been secured.

Don’t miss our free conference Blackfriars Bakery Time-honoured snacks like flapjacks and muffins are where Blackfriars Bakery has specialised since 1988, and the family-run business has trebled manufacturing capacity at its Wigston site, where it employs 50 people.

But having identified weaknesses in its digital marketing know-how and outdated IT systems – an issue compounded during the pandemic as many of the team began working remotely – it turned to the Chamber for digital support.

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grant funding to help it invest in a new server, which have resulted in added efficiency and reliability, while also better supporting homeworking without disruption.

Staff also attended several strategic action planning workshops and received one-toone advice to learn more about effective digital marketing methods. Two people were added to the digital marketing team to maximise its growth potential and turnover has increased from the twin support.

More examples of how the Digital Growth Programme has made real-life positive changes to businesses will be showcased at the Digital Marketing Conference 2022.

Delegates at the in-person event will also gain knowledge and insights on the latest digital marketing trends, including social media, SEO, WordPress, Google Recommendations and automation.

The day will bring together like-minded businesses that are keen to embrace the digital world, highlighting what companies need to be doing to keep ahead of the game, as well as celebrating the success of the programme and its achievements.

It will be held at the Leicester Marriott Hotel, in Blaby, on Friday 4 March from 8.30am to 3.15pm, and is available to eligible SMEs for free. Sign up at bit.ly/DigMarConf22

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DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

3 tips to stay secure when working remotely With 43% of online attacks targeting small businesses1, whether you’ve built a business from the ground up or you’re a medium business looking to scale, it is more important than ever to stay secure when working remotely. Focus on what matters: 1. CARE FOR CUSTOMER DATA AS IF IT WERE YOUR OWN To differentiate your business on service, you need to keep your customers’ confidence. Your business depends on their data and trust. In fact, 33% of UK organisations say they have lost customers after a data breach1.

2.GET PROTECTED SO YOU CAN WORK ANYWHERE 85% of enterprises let workers use personal devices to access corporate data1. The truth is, this lack of visibility when working from

anywhere increases your chances of a cyber threat. To mitigate the risks, secure every device in use with an anti-virus tool like McAfee. One licence can cover up to five devices!

3. BACK UP YOUR MICROSOFT 365 DATA The biggest security threats to SMBs include unsafe remote access (opening security loopholes in your network), and a lack of training or awareness across your teams (making them more vulnerable to attack). After all, 88% of UK data breaches are caused by human error2.

The good news is, there are many simple steps you can take to keep your business safe.

Together with O2, technology partners like fellow EMC member Welcomm Communications can add the business apps you need onto your phone bill – for easily managed subscriptions and added visibility.

To get started with Welcomm, take a look at the offers below!

1 - tinyurl.com/securewitho2 2 - csoonline.com/article/3440069/ukcybersecurity-statistics-you-need-to-know.html

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DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY

T: 01332 473400 E: info@licencepro.co.uk W: licencepro.co.uk/our-services

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DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY

Why failing to prepare means preparing to fail Whether it’s taking cars for annual MOT check-ups or digitally tracking the wear and tear of machines in factories, there are countless instances of people and businesses proactively making changes before the worst happens. David Boulter (pictured), senior relationship at Long Eaton and Derby-based managed service provider LogicBarn, explains why it’s time to do the same with our IT. PROACTIVE VERSUS REACTIVE IT MONITORING The IP Access grant is essentially an “add on” to support provided through the IP Audit Plus Scheme, which provides funding of £2,500 to help qualifying businesses obtain an IP audit.

That We’re not just talking about PCs and laptops, but also data centres, networks, security systems and software.

In today's digital world, something as simple as the failure of a PC that holds critical business data could cause a company to go out of business, so managing your IT services properly is of paramount importance.

The approach to IT service management for many businesses

is to call an IT service provider after the event has occurred.

It may be the network is down or your website has been hacked, but resolving the issue at this stage can be incredibly costly – both financially and in terms of time.

If your business with five employees loses a day of productivity as a result, it will cost your a minimum of £1,000, depending on your product or service.

With the current supply chain issues and chip shortages, failing to prepare for this type of issue could leave your company without proper IT equipment for weeks, causing huge issues for not only productivity, but also for HR, payroll, marketing and sales.

HOW CAN MANAGED IT SERVICES IMPROVE YOUR IT INFRASTRUCTURE? Managed IT services handle everything, from ordering and maintaining the appropriate hardware for your needs, to ensuring your data is safe and computers up to date.

Ever walked into the office to face an hour of Windows updates?

Managed IT services render this a thing of the past. Good managed IT providers offer the following: • Monitoring the back-up schedule for your data • Monitoring resource usage, whether it’s physical or performance-based • Managing antivirus, firewall and

Recognition for innovative entrepreneur The founder of a sustainable boys’ fashion brand supported by the Digital Growth Programme has been named as one of the UK’s most inspirational and dynamic female entrepreneurs.

Ismay Mummery, who set up Boy Wonder in 2016, was one of 100 people profiled by the f:Entrepreneur #ialso100 campaign, which celebrates the multiachievements of women running businesses today.

Now in its fifth year, the growing initiative delivered by Small Business Britain attracted a record number of applications for this year’s line-up.

“I am so proud and honoured to have been selected for the #ialso100 list, and stand alongside so many amazing and inspirational female business leaders,” said Ismay.

Ismay uses organic cotton and chemical-free prints in her clothes, which are accompanied by repair kits and care guides to avoid waste.

She also launched a “take back and resell scheme” in her online shop.

After crowdfunding to raise capital for a new e-commerce website in 2020, she was supported by the Chamber’s Digital

Ismay Mummery

Growth Programme to improve her understanding and abilities in key areas of digital marketing, including SEO, analytics and social media.

This helped deliver a 42% increase in traffic to her website, which was converted into a significant uptick in online orders.

The #ialso100 line-up sets out to showcase trailblazing female founders who lead businesses alongside a roster of other responsibilities, such as volunteering, mentoring and

community support, while many of the companies demonstrate a strong commitment to the environment.

The campaign also features events, training and networking opportunities to boost skills, capability and confidence.

Meanwhile, Boy Wonder is shortlisted in the Innovation in Creative Industries category at the upcoming LeicestershireLive Innovation Awards, which takes place on 24 February.

ransomware protection • Applying patches and hotfixes • Managing licences for software and products such as Microsoft 365 • Managing the warranties for hardware and making sure that when one piece of hardware fails, there is another fully installed and ready to go immediately.

Most businesses use computers so it’s almost always beneficial to outsource these services as the cost is minimal in comparison to a full-time employee.

Working with an IT service management company enables you to call them at any time to get you back online within minutes.

IT service launched for new businesses Cyber Security Partners has launched a new service for SMEs to add protective layers to their IT systems.

The Nottingham-based business, a collective of cyber security specialists, offers a bespoke package of cyber security support via its new brand Click and Protect (C&P).

Director Kevin Else said: “Cyber security skills are in short supply, and with C&P we want to bring our skills to help companies succeed,” he said.

“With over 90% of businesses in the UK being SMEs, an area often ignored by the large consultancies, most cyber security companies dealing in this market just want to sell others a product or a pre-defined service, which gives the default response to any security issue.

“This is not C&P’s approach.

We are fiercely independent and do not sell any products – just our advice based on years of experience.”

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LEGAL

Gateley adds IP attorney Adamson Jones to group Legal and professional services group Gateley has acquired patent and trademark attorney Adamson Jones.

Adamson Jones is the 11th business that Gateley, which has offices in Leicester and Nottingham, has acquired since its IPO in June 2015 and is the group’s first takeover in business services. This is one of four platforms that now make up its operation – alongside corporate, people and property – to complement legal and consultancy services.

Adamson Jones, which employs 25 people across offices in Nottingham, Leicester and London, is well known to the Gateley Legal division’s IP team in Nottingham.

Adamson Jones is headed up by directors Simon Cooper and Nicholas Ferrar, who will continue to work as part of the management team postacquisition.

Simon said: “We are convinced that combining these two entities will create a truly formidable force, enhancing our client offering and providing the framework for our ambitious growth plans.

“At Adamson Jones, we will continue to offer our UK and overseas clients the outstanding, comprehensive and tailored intellectual property services they have come to expect, and we look forward to working closely with our new colleagues to enhance the group’s business services platform.”

Adamson Jones directors Simon Cooper (left) and Nicholas Ferrar

Gateley’s business services platform supports clients in dealing with their commercial agreements, managing risk, protecting assets and resolving disputes.

It also includes the group’s multi-jurisdictional forensics and business intelligence services via Gateley Omega.

Getting your start-up investment-ready With the pandemic creating a wave of entrepreneurialism, many new businesses may now be seeking cash injections. Kerry Russell (pictured), legal director at Shakespeare Martineau, which has offices in Leicester and Nottingham, discusses how start-ups can make sure their company is legally ready for investment.

Product innovation, market size and strong financial forecasts will all peak an investor’s interest in your business. However, when ploughing money into a company, investors will want to know their outlay is a safe bet.

With this in mind, there are multiple steps start-ups can take to make sure they have the best chance of securing the cash they need on their scale-up journey after they’ve attracted an investor through their doors.

CORPORATE STRUCTURE It’s very unlikely an investor will give money to an individual, so it’s important to have a corporate structure in place. Having a good idea is a great place to start, but most growing business are operated through a corporate vehicle that enables you to contract with other people – as well as eliminate personal liability for damages.

Limited companies or limited liability partnerships (LLPs) are often used.

CONTRACTUAL ARRANGEMENTS Investors will need to see you’ve got proper contractual arrangements established, so that everything you think applies to that relationship is agreed in writing.

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covers important things like limitation of liability, termination, price and deliverables.

Confidential information – which is protected when someone owes an obligation of confidence to someone else – is also something that needs to be thought about.

While an obligation may sometimes be owed under common law, it is better if it arises formally under a contractual arrangement with a non-disclosure agreement in place.

OWNERSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Intellectual property (IP) – for example, copyright that exists in source code for software, patents that protect inventions or trade marks to safeguard brands – is a really important factor that people miss all the time.

IP is usually the most valuable asset of a start-up business, so it is crucial to get advice on what rights may be registered to get the best protection, particularly as investors will want to see this. Investors will also want to make sure any IP is owned by the corporate vehicle into which they are investing, and that third parties do not have conflicting rights.

EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS While not all start-ups employ people, if you do, make sure there are contracts in place so employees

know the scope of their roles, their obligations to the company and that anything they create belongs to the business.

REGULATORY Even if you’re only holding customer or employee details, almost all companies will need to comply with data protection law, so it’s important to make sure you know your obligations. Depending on which sector you’re in, there will be other regulations you need to be aware of.

The financial penalties for noncompliance can be significant. If an investor discovers your business is not complying with the necessary regulations during their due diligence checks, they may back out of the deal as the risk of severe fines is simply too large.

CONSEQUENCES While an investor is unlikely to pull their cash straight away if none of the above actions are in place, it may negatively affect the investment in some way as the risk profile will have changed. Therefore, carrying out your due diligence checks upfront is key to ensuring you secure the investment you need for future growth.

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LEGAL

Community law firm wins award A Nottingham legal practice that offers free and low-cost legal advice has scooped an award for its commitment to addressing unmet legal needs in the local community, particularly during the pandemic.

Nottingham Law School Legal Advice Centre, part of Nottingham Trent University, was awarded Best Contribution by a Small or Medium Firm at the LawWorks Pro Bono Awards 2021.

It was the first Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)regulated law firm fully integrated into a law school in the UK and provides pro bono advice across a range of service areas. It is staffed by a small team of qualified solicitors and legal case workers, student volunteers and practitioner academics.

Laura Pinkney, head of the Legal Advice Centre, said: “All our initiatives are taken in pursuit of our aim to provide access to justice to those who cannot afford, or otherwise access, legal services.

“We are committed to providing a high-quality pro bono service and our clients have the reassurance that dealing with an SRA-regulated entity provides.

“This is extremely rare in the regulated sector, both in England and Wales, but also internationally.

“While our services have needed to adapt as a result of Covid, all of the above have been introduced or developed to address an unmet legal need in the community.”

To date, the centre has achieved financial awards for its clients totalling more than £5.5m.

For the year ending August 2021, it dealt with 162 cases across nine different service areas, with a total of over £995,000 secured for clients.

Its welfare benefits service achieved an average award in excess of £28,000 per client. The centre has also provided practical work experience to more than 580 students. Despite the challenges encountered by having to move to a remote offering due to Covid, its services increased during the pandemic. This included the relaunch and significant expansion of its housing service; provision of online resources relating to furlough, which have been accessed more than 380 times; delivery of seminars to community interest groups on

Covid-related topics; and the introduction of a wholly not-forprofit IP advice service from a specialist trademark attorney, helping those starting new businesses during the pandemic.

The centre also expanded its special education needs and disability (SEND) service, which supports families of children with special educational needs who are appealing local authority education and support decisions.

As part of its growth, it also introduced a new service for victims of crime, offering advice in relation to the Victim’s Right to Review Scheme, the application process that enables victims to challenge a decision by the police or Crown Prosecution Service not to prosecute a suspect.

Nottingham Law School’s executive dean Jenny Chapman added: “The team truly deserve this award, particularly in view of the life-changing impact they have on their clients; their achievement in expanding and developing services and student opportunities, notwithstanding the pandemic; and their commitment to raising the profile and awareness of the importance of pro bono work.”

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FINANCE

Inflation impacts foreign currency Super-charged inflation was one of the main economic stories at the back end of 2021, hitting 5.4% in the year to December, and is forecast to continue throughout the first half of 2022. Andy Medler (pictured), senior account manager in corporate partnerships at moneycorp, the Chamber’s foreign exchange service, explains what this means for currency markets.

Throughout 2021, we saw sterling move 10 cents against both the dollar and euro. The poundeuro rate moved from €1.0920 to €1.1931, and pound-dollar rate from $1.3227 to $1.4226.

For a business importing $1m over the past year, sterling moved £53,090 – a massive swing that can have a huge knock-on effect if foreign exchange is not managed effectively.

As we begin 2022, the uncertainty in the markets continues to rear its ugly head, putting more pressure on business to get their timings or policies correct. The multi-bank views on the markets are as follows: • Pound-dollar: $1.53 (high) $1.23 (low) For a business importing $1m per year, this represents a difference of £159,414.

• Pound-euro: €1.33 (high) €1.08 (low) For a business exporting €1m per year, this represents a difference of £174,046.

While the ranges are huge between the highs and the lows – and are only forecasts – the point here is banks can’t agree of where sterling may or may not be throughout the year, but the risk to businesses continues.

Managing your foreign exchange is a key factor – and if there is one thing that businesses do not want at the moment, is any more uncertainty, especially as far as costs are concerned.

Locking in costs, securing margins and profits, is one area that business can do very easily.

Playing the foreign exchange markets is nothing more than a gamble, and more often than not, results in losing. Why take the risk when you can lock rates in, and secure your profits as a business?

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The insurance market: What to look for in 2022

By Chris Mallett (pictured), associate director and head of Aston Lark’s Derby office 2021 was a year of unprecedented challenges across the insurance market, with the ongoing effects of the pandemic, ever-more severe property losses and reductions in capacity all having a negative impact.

For the majority of businesses, the 2021 insurance renewal cycle meant higher premiums and more restrictive cover terms – but what should businesses across the East Midlands expect from the insurance market in 2022?

And what can businesses do to make sure they get the best possible insurance coverage at the most competitive possible premiums?

MORE OF THE SAME IN 2022?

“Hard market” was very much the buzzword across the insurance industry in 2021, with the most significant pricing increases since the early 2000s and nearly every class of insurance seeing premium increases in excess of 10%.

On certain types of insurance – professional indemnity, and directors and officers liability in particular – increases were closer to 50%.

Thankfully, 2022 should be marked by a stabilisation of premiums. After close to two years of insurers increasing rates, we expect these will level off during the forthcoming year.

Unfortunately, prices won’t be going down just yet, but premiums should hold closer to level, giving businesses more certainty when budgeting for their insurance costs.

There is also a sense that after a period of focusing on their existing accounts, insurers are once again more receptive to taking on new business.

With greater competitive tension between insurers, there is more opportunity to drive a good deal for your business and 2022 may be the year to ensure your broker is approaching a range of underwriters, not just your current insurer.

SUPPLY CHAIN AND STAFFING CONCERNS When you’re thinking about supply chain and staffing challenges, the chances are insurance isn’t the first area where you’d expect to see an impact.

But with the cost of materials soaring, lead times longer than ever and staffing shortfalls in all sectors, all businesses should ensure they’re protected against the risks associated with these challenges.

You should seriously consider whether existing sums insured for your property are sufficient, as well as thinking about whether business interruption indemnity periods are long enough for your business to fully recover after a loss.

Now may also be the time to expand your insurance protection. With quality candidates few and far between, key person cover could be a useful additional tool to protect against the financial impact of critical staff members being unable to work.

NAVIGATING INSURER RESOURCE CHALLENGES While more insurers are open for business, underinvestment in underwriting resource remains an industry-wide problem.

Ensuring your business is presented to insurers in a compelling way, which goes beyond just a description of assets and activities, can be critical to getting underwriters engaged in your business and consequently securing the best possible terms.

Having a broker that looks to understand the detail of your business and takes the time to present you in a way that captures insurers’ interest is all the more important as you look to secure the right deal for your business.

Additionally, aligning with an insurer that has strong relationships across the insurance market is key.

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FINANCE

If you’d like to join us, please contact Amanda on 07715 078 789 or at amanda.mcfarlane@vistablind.org.uk for your invitation and the meeting link. www.vistablind.org.uk Registered Charity No. 218992

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SKILLS

Unemployed youth are facing mental health crisis

By Paul Price-Hazlehurst (pictured), CEO at Futures Group

NWSLC student Kelys Ramsay, who won gold for hairdressing skills

College reaches top of medal table Students and alumni from North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) were celebrating after they collected 16 medals at the national WorldSkills UK finals.

It put the college at the top of the medal table in England, and fourth in the UK, with five gold, three silver and eight bronze medals.

Results were announced live

by TV presenter Steph McGovern from her Channel 4 Packed Lunch studio.

Gold medallists included NWSLC alumni Maddie Lock (visual merchandising) and Samuel Abbott (joinery), as well as current students Kelys Ramsay (hairdressing), Georgina Price (professional cookery) and Samuel Barns (motor vehicle technician).

NWSLC principal and chief executive Marion Plant,who is also deputy chair and trustee of WorldSkills, said: “We are so proud of all our students who worked so hard to achieve such fantastic results.”

Find out about apprenticeships Employers can learn about what apprenticeships involve at an upcoming event in Derby.

The Get on Board with Apprenticeships workshop, hosted by Derby City Council, aims to help SMEs understand the benefits of such schemes, as well as introduce them to providers and funding support to get them started.

The face-to-face event takes place on Tuesday 8 February from 4pm to 6pm at the Enterprise Centre, in Bridge Street.

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Employed or not, the coronavirus pandemic has impacted us all.

While some things changed for the better – like the millions of people who have become driven to find meaning and purpose in their life and work – other things, sadly, changed for the worse, with research from the Office of National Statistics showing 813,000 pay-rolled jobs were lost in the year to March 2021.

Times have been particularly hard for young people in the UK, with 54% of jobs lost being held by under-25s.

This has led to the number of young people in employment falling to a post-pandemic low, which in turn creating a rallying cry for apprenticeships and employment programmes such as the Kickstart Scheme to offer incentives to young people.

BARRIERS TO WORK Research carried out by Prospects and Jisc revealed nearly half of university students don’t feel prepared for work, citing difficulties

in accessing work experience and a lack of jobs in their area.

And it’s not just university graduates who are feeling the sting of a shrinking job market. Some 96% of college and university students reported facing barriers when searching for a job or apprenticeship.

This uncertainty has caused a mental health crisis, with a study from The Resolution Foundation finding less than half of young people reported “good” mental health, and more than a quarter fear

their poor mental health will mean they will be unable to find a job.

As more people find themselves unemployed, the Prince’s Trust Youth Index found 60% of young people feel competition is so high that it will be impossible for them to find a job, while 21% admit it has been so long since they completed education that they worry their skills are no longer useful.

With young people in the UK being four-times more likely to be unemployed than the rest of the population and sectors that primarily hire younger staff, such as hospitality and retail, shrinking as a result of the pandemic, it’s no surprise that 23% say they lack confidence about their future.

Unemployment can be a really difficult time. While the Prince’s Trust Youth Index report may have found that 54% of young people say it is hard for them to ask for employment help at a time where “everybody needs it”, businesses have a role to play by supporting a young person through an apprenticeship or placement.

Siemens offers career opportunities East Midlands-based students were among dozens of women who will be undergo work placements at Siemens.

The technology multinational continued its drive to increase the number of female engineers within its workforce by hosting a Women in STEM event at its UK headquarters in Manchester.

Some 42 people attended and met female employees at various stages of their careers, with 33 of those – including students from Loughborough University and the University of Nottingham – fasttracked for early careers opportunities at Siemens’ digital industries, smart infrastructure and mobility divisions.

These include three-month summer placements, intern development and graduate development programmes.

Women only make up 24% of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) workforce in the UK but Siemens wants to play its role in increasing this proportion by achieving 50-50 gender parity in its early careers recruitment by 2025.

Siemens engineers, from left: Kelly Lo, Titi Oliyide, Allegria Bwitonzi, Yanely Jimenez-Licea and Maya Solanki

Currently, 43% of those enrolled in graduate programmes and 36% in apprenticeships are female.

Faye Bowser, head of Siemens’ energy and performance services team, said: “At a time when we’re facing society's greatest challenges such as climate change, we need to harness diversity-of-thought to become a more inclusive and vibrant workforce fit for the future.”

Faye Bowser

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SKILLS

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PROPERTY

Are landlords getting the full potential from their sites?

With the pandemic having accelerated changes to the demands and needs of building occupiers in city centres, many landlords are exploring the repurposing of their empty premises. James Alger (pictured), real estate director at Chesterfield-based BRM Solicitors, discusses.

Repurposing buildings, rather than leaving them empty, can provide a solution to the ever-growing number of empty properties and is a huge opportunity for all landlords.

In theory, this would seem to present an easy route to re-let and get rent flowing back in, but is it that simple?

This route will provide landlords with numerous challenges and hurdles to consider.

WHAT TO DO WITH OLD DEPARTMENT STORES? Several of the properties that are ideal for repurposing are department stores, such as the former Debenhams branch in Nottingham’s Old Market Place that closed in April.

The size of these buildings lead to the first thought of turning a

The Debenhams store in Nottingham closed in April 2021

tired and vacant department store into luxury apartments or student flats. This would appear to fit the bill but a question to consider is whether the property is subject to covenants restricting its use or requiring third-party consent for changes of use.

Another angle for landlords to

Future of luxury retail and leisure space secured The future of a boutique retail, leisure and business space in the grounds of a 15th century estate has been secured after a major deal brokered by East Midlands commercial property consultancy Innes England.

Nestled in a countryside location just three miles from Leicester city centre, Stoughton Grange Rural Centre offers an alternative environment for shopping, working and relaxation.

Innes England, which was first instructed in 2016 to oversee major site improvements that resulted in rental income more than tripling, has now secured a multi-million pound sale of the site on behalf of Co-operative Group, which owned it for more than a century.

The new owner, which has appointed the agency to continue managing it, has plans to build a farm shop and distillery in 2022.

Matt Howson, director at the agency who oversaw the sale, said his agency had been given an initial remit to improve the tenant mix, increase rent roll and ultimately have a fully tenanted site.

“We have gone above and beyond all the targets that we set out to achieve in 2016 and the site now provides a great working environment for all our tenants and their visitors,” he added.

During its 600-year history, the site has passed through royal hands and been privately owned.

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consider is the potential PR outcry of repurposing a building with historic meaning, or a popular department store making way for discount and charity shops.

A MIXED-USE FUTURE Property owners may also consider whether repurposing a large space

into a single-use is a better option.

Increasingly, the bigger city centre conversion projects will involve elements of residential, leisure, retail and high-specification office use.

On the flip side, repurposing may appear an obvious solution but is likely to be an expensive and timeconsuming exercise.

With high demand for city centre living accommodation, these types of properties will be highly soughtafter, and a sale with subsequent reinvestment outside the urban landscape may present more accessible growth opportunities.

As city centres evolve, clear strategies emerge. Landlords and their advisors should speak to local authorities and city stakeholders to get a feel for their long-term vision and establish how their vacant buildings could form part of it.

Big deal for Omeeto

Halinka Hepworth, of Futures Housing Group, and Omeeto founder Chris Wright

Commercial property agency Omeeto marked its first anniversary by securing its largest deal to date – on behalf of a Chamber strategic partner.

The Derby-based company, which was set up in late 2020 by experienced and award-winning commercial property agent Chris Wright, secured the off-market letting of a 7,000 sq ft office near East Midlands Airport to a major bank. The deal was on behalf of Futures Housing Group, which has

moved its head office from Ripley to a new 20,000 sq ft freehold office at Pegasus Business Park, in Castle Donington.

Futures wanted to let the first floor of its new HQ and Chris worked with the company’s acquisition agent Jody Lauder, of LPS Commercial, to broker a deal with Avison Young.

Chris said: “This is a fantastic way of celebrating our first year in business and puts Omeeto firmly on the region’s commercial property map.”

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PROPERTY

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MOTORING

The Ferrari 488 boasts a 660 horsepower

One man and a Ferrari

FACTFILE MODEL Ferrari 488 GTB

PRICE OTR from £251,590

Motoring journalist Nick Jones lives the dream for many of us by getting behind the steering wheel of one of the latest supercars to grace our roads, the Ferrari 488.

PERFORMANCE Top speed: 202+ miles per hour 0-60 mph: 3 seconds

CO2 EMISSIONS 260g/km

eplacing the incredible 458 version, this new incarnation was initially met with trepidation by journalists and Ferrari owners alike.

Not for the beautiful lines and low-slung looks, but for the engine soundtrack. You see, while the 458 was naturally-aspirated and sounded like a Formula 1 car on the road, the 488 here has added twin turbos to the 3.9-litre engine that produces an astonishing 660 horsepower.

But some will say the “whoosh” from the turbos is not “Ferrari-like”, but I’m not having any of it. I’ve driven lots of Ferraris in the past and they all sounded mega, so why not this 488?

R

To explore fully, one really needs to take it onto a circuit on a track day I’m pleased to report it didn’t disappoint. Press the starter button and the engine produces a dramatic bark on start-up until you turn it off – and one grins from ear-to-ear during the session.

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COMBINED MPG 660 horsepower

POWER 17-18 mpg

WOW FACTOR 11/10

revved up to the red line with no inhibitions of running out of aggression.

The seven-speed paddle shift is derived from F1 technology and shifts quicker than you can blink an eye, and the noise… well, the noise is incredible.

For a car that will reach more than 200mph and hit 60mph in three seconds, it is quite a civilised drive while around town and on B-roads, as it doesn’t feel lumpy on the road.

For sure, when you do start to push its limits, that’s when you feel all the “tech” being applied.

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MOTORING

Most functions are found on the steering wheel

To explore fully, one really needs to take it onto a circuit on a track day where you can hoon it around to your heart’s content.

But it remains an impressive car to drive on the roads where it will spend 99% of its time.

I love the slip slide angle control it uses, which helps the car turn into corners and kind of “irons out” tight twists and turns to make you feel in total control.

On the inside, it’s awash with technology and one has a choice of two seat options.

Here, the manually-adjustable seats I found in mine

were really comfortable and you could find that perfect posture to hold you in place.

Incredibly, most of the functions – lights, starter button, wipers, suspension settings, traction control and indicators – were to be found on the steering wheel (yes, you read that right).

It was a very pleasant experience. I was aghast at how easy the Ferrari was to drive and easy to live with for such a focused machine.

I can also confirm I do check my lottery numbers twice-weekly.

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INFORMATION

Keeping employees engaged post-pandemic Keeping employees motivated once full-time homeworking comes to an end will be a key challenge for businesses in 2022. Nicki Robson (pictured), managing director of HR specialist Breedon Consulting, outlines five areas where organisations can focus on to ensure staff continue thriving.

1. COMMUNICATE THE OVERALL BUSINESS STRATEGY

2. RELAY ROLE EXPECTATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROGRESSION

It’s vital that on return to the workplace, staff understand your business position and strategy clearly following the impact of Covid-19. It can be a worrying time for employees, with questions around how the business is performing and in turn how that may affect their position and flexibility.

Be transparent, communicate effectively any changes, and share any future business plans or goals.

This will directly correspond to how their role adds value within the wider commercial setting, and allow the employee to feel respected and involved.

Outline clear responsibilities to staff, monthly expectations, and if appropriate, re-communicate clear KPIs – allowing performance to be measured effectively by both the business and individual.

Communicate any career opportunities and consider providing training. This should help to reestablish motivation, clarity and confidence within the workplace.

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3. HAVE FUN After such a long period, it can be a daunting prospect to acclimatise to a sociable office environment and work alongside colleagues again. Ensure to put together a

calendar of activities and events to aid an employee’s adjustment. Think about activities that will unite your team – perhaps a common interest.

It will help boost team morale and can also provide a level of healthy competition in the workplace.

4.CREATE A SAFE SPACE TO SHARE During the pandemic, employees faced many stresses including job security, health and safety.

With so many employees becoming accustomed to the benefits from working from home – it was inevitable staff would start to require levels of flexibility and support. Create a safe space for employees to share any concerns or needs they may have on return

to the workplace. Consider sending out anonymous surveys or creating a staff forum where workers feel able to share their worries.

5. ADAPT AND UPDATE THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT Adapting to sitting at a desk daily when it’s become a norm to work from the comfort of your sofa could encourage a shift in how we perceive the office environment.

Consider adding a “breakout” area and ensure there is a space to eat lunch away from their desk.

Factors such as increased interruptions and noise could be unsettling, so provide quiet areas for working. Also consider allowing employees to wear headphones if this wasn’t in your policy previously.

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COMMENT

THE LAST WORD In her first column as Chamber president, Futures Housing Group chief executive LINDSEY WILLIAMS examines the importance of networks and looks ahead to what 2022 will bring. s we take our first steps into 2022, we are facing a very different world to the one we enjoyed before Covid-19 and Brexit, both of which have taken us into new territory.

Back in early 2019, few if any of us could have foreseen the long-term effects that now ripple through our economy and wellbeing at so many levels. Both individuals and organisations have been highly adaptable and resilient. There have undoubtedly been winners and losers, and even for those who have continued to thrive there are fresh challenges ahead.

While many organisations have contingency plans for short-term crises, a key challenge has been determining how to stay resilient in the long term as the situation now demands.

That’s where I think organisations like the Chamber have an even more vital role to play now than perhaps at any other time – supporting businesses, establishing networks and lobbying for the investment and activities the East Midlands needs to thrive.

We can be stronger together and I hope that, in my year as president, I can play a key role supporting the chamber and its membership

A

THE POWER OF NETWORKS Our membership is incredibly diverse. This issue of Business Network focuses on manufacturing, something initially I didn’t feel I could talk about from my own experience of heading up an organisation that provides affordable housing and support services. But as I started to think deeper, the connections and similarities became more obvious.

All businesses – whether commercial, professional services, social, charities or manufacturing – are facing the current challenges of attracting and retaining good employees, considering inflation, supply chain delays and shortages, navigating new government policy, changing operating models – basically business planning for the future.

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transform the lives of people in the local communities.

The impact businesses can have runs far and wide across training and learning, transport, health and wellbeing, and so many other areas of our region’s economic activity. So I would urge all business to take every opportunity to consider the positive impact they have and together we can help the East Midlands.

THE POWER OF PEOPLE The Chamber’s most recent Quarterly Economic Survey told us that confidence on turnover and profitability improvements for the East Midlands fell by 3% and 8% respectively in the third quarter of 2021. Nationally, the Chamber tells us that 62% of business are expecting price increases to continue.

These are undoubtedly hard times for businesses. Let’s not forget though the impact all these changes have on our employees, without whom we are practically powerless.

‘I believe investing in people and skills is the way to secure long-term success’ Encouraging noises about “levelling up” continue to come from central Government, but day after day I hear from the teams at Futures Housing of the hardship people living in our communities endure.

As well as investment in the region as a whole – which we know is needed – we can all play a part in investing in our communities too. That isn’t easy when your businesses are under pressure, but I believe investing in people and skills is the way to secure long-term success.

That’s why I’ve chosen learning, development and investing in future leaders as one of the themes for my year in office.

I’m a huge supporter of the Chamber’s Generation Next initiative for young professionals and I hope you’ll support me this year in my drive to double membership.

GIVING SOMETHING BACK One of the privileges of being Chamber president is being able to nominate and raise money for local charities.

Last year, my predecessor Eileen Richards MBE did a truly amazing job across the board (thanks for being such a hard act to follow Eileen!), which included bringing in a mindboggling £12,000 for her chosen charities.

This year, in line with my passion for developing leaders, my charities include Focus, which helps young people in Leicester to develop their skills, confidence and aspirations; Treetops Hospice, an end-of-life charity working in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire; and the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, which helps protect our green spaces.

While I hesitate to take on the challenge of beating Eileen’s mammoth fundraising achievement, “in for a penny, in for a pound”, so please support me in trying to do all we can for these three vital organisations that do so much for the region.

Supporting others isn’t just about money though – raising awareness is important too.

That goes for our own achievements, as well as the many voluntary organisations doing so much across the East Midlands.

So please do let me know about your own work in supporting communities, as well as new developments and innovation. The more I have to showcase, the more I can use my year in office to help fly the flag for this part of the world.

THE LAST WORD IN THE LAST WORD I’ve already mentioned Eileen and her fundraising accomplishments during her year as president but that’s really just the tip of the iceberg.

I can’t close my first column here without giving her huge thanks – personally and on behalf of all of you – for a truly tremendous year working for the Chamber and its members.

We wish you well in your future ventures now that you’ve passed the baton and obviously we’re delighted that you will continue to play a vital role in your ongoing membership of our board.

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