Platinum Business Magazine - issue 89

platinum ISSUE 89 SEPTEMBER 2021

THE LARGEST CIRCULATION REGIONAL BUSINESS PUBLICATION IN THE UK

Employee ownership trusts When mentors turn nasty The Platinum Club is back

The Best South East Exhibitions DYNAMIC MAGAZINE INSIDE

MOTORING McLaren 720S Spider

CHRIS WHITTY

“NEXT SLIDE PLEASE”

The Platinum Club has been the region's leading peer-to-peer business networking event for CEOs, Managing Directors and Senior Directors of many of the leading companies across the South East for over 12 years.

And it is finally back with the first event of 2021 taking place on September 30th at the Grand, Brighton.

Limited memberships are available and to apply, please contact maarten@platinummediagroup.co.uk

The Platinum

for Leaders and I

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❛❛ The Platinum Club is unique in the manner in which it is run and the high level of guests that attend. There is no other networking event quite like it and l ensure if l only attend one such event, it is the Platinum Club ❜❜

❛❛ The Platinum Club is a fantastic networking event. There is always such a great turnout of diverse businesses and it is hosted in such a way that all you need to do is relax and wait to be introduced to everyone in the room.

The most important networking event of the month ❜❜

❛❛ I make sure l never miss an event and thoroughly enjoy the evening ❜❜

ALAN HARBER REGIONAL DIRECTOR, LLOYDS BANK

KATIE GIBSON MANAGING DIRECTOR PIER RECRUITMENT

GARY CHOWN FORMER REGIONAL DIRECTOR NATWEST BANK

Business Club

Innovators in Business

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❛❛ The networking highlight of the month and never to be missed ❜❜

❛❛ The Platinum Club is all l could ask from a networking event, superbly run and full of high level decision makers ❜❜

KEITH JACKMAN MARKETING DIRECTOR MERCEDES-BENZ

RICHARD KENDALL-TOBIAS CEO BLUE DIAMOND SECURITY

THE PLATINUM CLUB

Thinkers Challengers Innovators Leaders DISCOVER THE SUS SE X MBA

FIND OUT MORE

www.sussexmba.com

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S E P T E M B E R 2021

CONT ENT S LEGAL 18 Destination collaboration 40 When mentors turn nasty

BUSINESS PROFILE 20 Expert in residence

EVENTS 27 Game-changer for Network Xpress 28 UN Climate Change Conference

INNOVATION

38 Why should you hire a graduate?

Because they are a catalyst, of course!

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FINANCE 35 Is it time to restructure your business?

48 Employee ownership trusts Are they right for your business?

BIG STORY

ECONOMY

22 Chris Whitty The man of our times

TECHNOLOGY

32 IT Continuity Management Drill your teams to fight more than fire

FEATURES 30 A history of divorce – Part 2

36 Business activity continues to grow in July, but inflationary pressures intensify

TRAVEL

54 Fabulous exhibitions for easy days out

BUSINESS

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44 15 Years and counting with Barry Carden 47 Natwest Accelerator Case study VOTCH 50 Ready to Grow?

PEST CONTROL 53 Why pest prevention should be a top priority

MOTORING

58 Mclaren 720s spider 61 The EV newbie

PLATINUM MEDIA GROUP

OBITUARY 63 RIP Charlie Watts

All rights reserved. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.

The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions relating to advertising or editorial.

The publisher reserves the right to change or amend any competitions or prizes offered.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent from the publisher.

No responsibility is taken for unsolicited materials or the return of these materials whilst in transit.

Platinum Business Magazine is owned and published by Platinum Media Group.

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WELCOME The green shoots of business growth are here for all to see as we rise from the ashes of the pandemic.

Issue 89 of the country’s largest circulation business magazine brings you a vast array of such green shoots. Our Big Story brings you the enigma that is Chris Whitty, DMH look at the much needed art of collaboration, Haines Watts asks if it is time to restructure your business, ITHQ encourage firefighting and Kreston Reeves look at employee ownership trusts.

Maarten still has his licence (somehow) after reviewing the stunning McLaren 720S Spider and we invited Richard Pollins, Managing Partner of DMH Stallard, to review his new car. Tess got busy with UK travel with a guide to the best exhibitions, and we encourage every business in Sussex and Surrey to enter THE county business awards.

Dynamic, the business magazine for women, is inside with some great features on impostor syndrome, NatWest’s new Expert in Residence programme deigned for female entrepreneurs, the four-day week, and Fiona gets fast and furious with the all-new Audi TTRS. And finally, The Platinum Club is relaunched. The leading peer-to-peer business club has been sorely missed but the wait is nearly over – and there are new memberships available for the first time in over five years.

Enjoy the sun, enjoy the new normal and enjoy the resurgence of business across our region.

The Platinum Team CONTACTS PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Maarten Hoffmann maarten@platinummediagroup.co.uk COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR: Lesley Alcock lesley@platinummediagroup.co.uk EVENTS DIRECTOR: Fiona Graves fiona@platinummediagroup.co.uk TR AVEL EDITOR: Tess de Klerk tess@platinummediagroup.co.uk STAFF JOURNALIST: David Bagnall david@platinummediagroup.co.uk STAFF JOURNALIST: Roxy Costello-Ross roxy@platinummediagroup.co.uk HEAD OF DESIGN: Michelle Shakesby design@platinummediagroup.co.uk SOCIAL MEDIA: Faye Greenwood faye@platinummediagroup.co.uk PROOFING: Alan Wares alan@platinummediagroup.co.uk

W W W.PL ATINUMME DIAGROUP.CO.UK

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INDEFENSIBLE The business rates system is ‘indefensible’ and is stopping small firms from investing in post-Covid expansion plans, the FSB has told government in a letter in which it calls the tax ‘regressive and outdated’. The government is due to release the findings of a review into business rates this autumn.

NEWS BULLETIN A BIT OF GOOD NEWS The price of Bitcoin has risen above $50,000 (£36,480) for the first time in three months as the cryptocurrency continues to recover from a deep slump. The coin fell sharply in May after a crackdown in China and a decision from Tesla not to accept it as payment any more. Bitcoin is now up 81% since January, when it was trading at just $27,700.

Bitcoin isn’t the only cryptocurrency to be on the up; Ether, another popular digital coin, was up more than 4% at $3,367.51 earlier in the month. It came as PayPal said it would allow customers in the UK to buy, sell and hold Bitcoin and other digital currencies as it expands its crypto services outside of the US for the first time.

❛❛ Life’s most persistent

and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others? ❜❜ Dr Martin Luther King Jr, Baptist minister and American civil rights activist

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NEXT UNDER FIRE Shop workers at Next have been victorious in the first battle in their fight for equal pay. Over 400 retail workers, most of which are female, say they are paid between £2 and £6 an hour, less than the company’s male warehouse workers, despite doing work that they feel is of equal value.

With Next employing over 25,000 people across 500 stores in Ireland and the UK, if all eligible staff were to join the claim they could lead to a court case of over £100m. Despite the equal value part of the claim being under way, it could be years before a final decision.

NEWS

❛❛ In order to fix it, you

need a passionate anger about something that doesn’t work well ❜❜ Sir James Dyson, Founder of Dyson Ltd

LAMB FIRST TO RECEIVE PROTECTION JOHN LEWIS PAYS THE PRICE 191 companies have been fined for owing a total of £2.1m to over 34,000 workers, after a government effort to crack down on the abuse of workers. Among the fined companies is John Lewis, a business that prides itself on being employee-owned.

The breaches to minimum wage laws occurred between 2011 and 2018, and employers have since been forced to pay back what was owed, with an additional punitive fine that totalled £3.2m on top of the already seizable £2.1m blow. Paul Scully, business minister, said it was “unacceptable for any company to come up short” when concerning minimum wage laws, which exist “to ensure a fair day’s work gets a fair day’s pay”.

Lamb grazed on samphire, sorrel and sea lavender on the Gower peninsula in Wales is the first UK food to receive protection under the UK’s independent geographical indications scheme. The scheme was set up to protect products from a particular region to prevent them being surpassed by replicas from elsewhere, ironically replacing the EU-wide scheme that aimed to do the same thing.

Despite the attempt at replacing the EU scheme, Gower salt marsh lamb, and any future products listed under the new UK scheme, will only be protected from copycats in England, Wales and Scotland. Producers of the lamb, and any other products wanting to join the list in England, Wales and Scotland, will have to apply for separate protection in the EU, involving further costs and paperwork.

❛❛ Who is the happier man? He who

has braved the storm of life and lived, or he who has stayed secure on land and merely existed? ❜❜ Hunter S. Thompson, American Journalist and Author

THE PITFALLS OF POWER ESB Independent Generation Trading (ESBIGT) and Carrington Power, capable of supplying up to 1 million homes, are to pay £6m after breaking market manipulation laws. For more than a year, the two companies pushed up energy costs for households by sending inaccurate data to the grid.

The energy regulator, Ofgem, said the two companies had admitted to inadvertently breaching rules when they reported how much energy they were able to supply to the grid. They have agreed to pay £6m into a fund managed by Ofgem that supports charities that help vulnerable energy customers. By doing so they avoided a formal enforcement investigation.

❛❛ Victory has a thousand fathers, but failure always finds itself an orphan ❜❜

Fidel Castro, Cuban Revolutionary and Prime minister

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Gatwick Diamond Business Awards: Diamond Alumni Inaugural Lunch at The Grand Hotel Brighton DIAMOND ALUMNI is a prestigious new business club exclusive to Gatwick Diamond Business Awards’ winners, sponsors and partners. It brings together a selection of the very best of Gatwick Diamond businesses as recognised by the region’s premier business awards since their inception in 2009.

In partnership with Creative Pod, we are launching DIAMOND ALUMNI on 1st October 2021 with a lunch and networking event at The Grand, Brighton sponsored by the Thakeham Group, Richard Place Dobson, Custodian Insurance and EY Breakthrough Incentives.

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

The lunch will also ‘cut the ribbon’ for GDBA 2022 - planning is in full swing for our usual high-profile programme culminating with the Awards dinner and ceremony in March. Following the virtual Awards ceremony delivered in December 2020, we will also take the opportunity to further celebrate the success of last year’s winners and acknowledge the support of sponsors and partners.

Members of DIAMOND ALUMNI can now book their places at the lunch for themselves, and guests (both gdb members and non-members). We are very pleased with the support DIAMOND ALUMNI is receiving from sponsors. If you are interested in being associated with this top-level event, please let us know.

(See below for contact details).

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

Event programme The event will start at mid-day with a VIP drinks reception supported by Custodian Insurance. The Thakeham Group, as lunch sponsor and Gatwick Diamond Business Champions, will then give the pre-lunch address.

The sumptuous three course lunch will be served in the Empress Suite. During lunch Alumni and guests will experience a short trip down memory lane, as we look back over past award ceremonies and then round things off with a look forward to GDBA 2022.

After lunch, Matthew Tyson, Director of Richard Place Dobson, will introduce our keynote speaker, Lara Morgan, British Entrepreneur, Investor & Inspirational Leader.

The formal proceedings will end at 14:30 but all will be welcome to remain in the splendid setting of the Grand to enjoy further informal networking or just to relax.

The event will be expertly and entertainingly hosted by Steve Bustin, broadcast journalist and professional speaker.

Keynote speaker - Lara Morgan Lara founded her first business, Pacific Direct, in 1991 at the age of just 23. Having arrived in the UK from Hong Kong with little or no hotel experience, Lara quickly grew Pacific Direct into a specialist global supplier of luxury high end brands for five-star hotels. Seventeen years later, she sold Pacific Direct for £20 million.

A proud mother of three girls and a committed volunteer and philanthropist, Lara is a world class engaging speaker on subjects where she can bring direct experience and shared lessons. She has also commented live on current affairs and business issues with Sky and BBC News, and is a published author of the Amazon best-selling business book “More Balls Than Most”.

Your host for the day Steve Bustin Steve has worked in various facets of communication throughout his career including as a Broadcast Journalist for BBC Radio and TV News. He is also an award-winning print journalist.

As a professional speaker on engaging communications, he was named National Speaker of the Year 2015 by the Professional Speaking Association.

He has spoken in world famous auditoria to audiences of all sizes and performed as a stand-up comic for some years, which taught him how to work pretty much any audience!

Spaces at this prestigious annual event are filling quickly, so we encourage you to book early.

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

SPONSO

Sponsoring the awards is a great way for us to celebrate local business and help the Sussex economy grow...

Coffin Mew

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CATEGORIES ★ Company of the Year ★ Large Business of the Year ★ SME Business of the Year ★ Micro Business of the Year

The sponsorship is both worthwhile, and very enjoyable, and your team are brilliant in all aspects of the process...

HSBC

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★ Business Innovation of the Year ★ Business Growth Award ★ International Business of the Year

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★ Start-up of the Year ★ Best Customer Service ★ Business Pivot Award ★ Businessperson of the Year ★ Community Hero Award ★ Employer of the Year ★ Professional Services Award ★ Creative Industries Award

HOW TO ENTER VISIT WWW.SBAWARDS.ORG.UK • Review the categories and determine which are most appropriate for your business.

• Download the entry template and write your entry ensuring that you answer the criteria outlined.

• Entries should not be more than four pages of A4.

• Save entry as a pdf and email to fiona@platinummediagroup.co.uk.

• Each business is permitted to enter a maximum of three award categories.

• Deadline for entries is September 21st 2021.

ORED BY

Winning this award was a huge achievement for us as a company and for all our fabulous employees, past and present, who have worked hard for the past 14 years to make the company what it is today Rockett St George E-Commerce Business of the Year 2019

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Winning a Sussex Business Award was wonderful recognition of our hard-working team for their passion in going above and beyond in every aspect of our exciting business..

Tamara Roberts, CEO Ridgeview Wine Estate Businessperson of the Year 2019

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IS THE END IN SIGHT? Just months before the Elizabeth line is finally expected to open, the debate over where the line should go still isn’t over. Despite years of delays and an increaase of £4.4billion, the final destination still isn’t finalised. With the train departing from Reading, Heathrow and Paddington in the west, its eastward destination is still unclear, with the choice currently being between Shenfield and Abbey Wood.

C2E Partnership (a network of local councils in the area and Ebbsfleet’s developers) wants to know if the public supports proposals to extend the line, or an alternative transport proposition to the Ebbsfleet Valley.

To find out more about the potential changes, and to have your say, follow the link below: www.abbeywood2ebbsfleet.com/index. php?contentid=60

LOCAL NEWS ❛❛ An intelligent man neither

allows himself to be controlled nor attempts to control others ❜❜ Jean de La Bruyère, French Philosopher

I360 ON A LOW The latest financial reports show that the i360 made a loss of more than £5 million last year.

Brighton and Hove City Council are now owed almost £48 million after another successive year in the red. Only 195,754 people went to visit the attraction in the year ending June 2020, just half the predicted number.

The report comes just a month after councillors agreed to defer a £1.2 million loan repayment from the Brighton i360, after the committee was told that the i360 had performed well during the coronavirus pandemic compared with other tourist attractions.

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KNIGHTS RECOGNISED Miya Knights, 45, has been nominated as a finalist for this year’s Black British Business Awards (BBBAwards), for the arts and media senior leader of the year award. Local to Brighton, Knights is a global content strategist at Poq Commerce and a published author. She has over two decades of experience as a journalist, editor, publisher, analyst, research director, consultant and now a content strategist.

In total, 39 black professionals across the UK have been shortlisted across 12 categories for their achievements and contributions to the business world. Knight commented that “The systemic disadvantages that black people in business have had to overcome have been well documented, so it’s incredibly empowering to see so many succeeding in their respective fields.

NEWS

❛❛ The quality will

remain when the price is forgotten ❜❜ Henry Royce, British Engineer and co-founder of Rolls-Royce

CROYDON LOSES SHOPPING CENTRE The long-awaited regeneration of Croydon town centre will not see the huge Westfield shopping centre built, a blow to many.

The planning permission for the shopping centre, a site that was hoped to bring 7,000 new jobs to the area, has now expired, leaving many disappointed.

After an internal review by Croydon Council, it was found that the original scheme is no longer sustainable nor suited to the area.

Following on from this set back, the council aims to launch a £50,000 consultancy on how to aid the borough’s main shopping district regenerate after the pandemic.

GATWICK BURNING LOW Gatwick lost £244.6 million during the “most challenging six months the airport has witnessed”, it has been announced. With travel bans and the traffic light system still in place, the airport saw just 569,000 people pass through the airport from January to June. To cover the costs, the airport had to reduce operating costs by 34% in the first half of the year through the renegotiated contracts and temporary infrastructure shutdowns.

Gatwick Airport, Chief Executive Officer, Stewart Wingate said: “First I would like to thank all our staff for their hard work and fortitude throughout what has no doubt been the most challenging six months the airport has witnessed... I remain certain that Gatwick will recover and as a business we are financially and operationally well placed for that.”

❛❛ Judge a man by

his questions rather than by his answers ❜❜ Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher

MARTLETS FC FIRST MATCH A brand-new football team comes to Brighton and Hove in the form of Martlets FC made up of local celebrities, business associates and ex-pro footballers who are all lacing up their boots to help Martlets reach its fundraising goals!

The team has come together to support Martlets and help people across Brighton and Hove and the surrounding areas affected by terminal illness. The brainchild of volunteer club managers, Ryan Gayler (of Dockerills, Brighton’s famous hardware store) and Richard Skerritt (of Skerritt’s Chartered Financial Planners), Martlets FC was set up to encourage community support for Martlets through the power of football. Ryan commented: “We had the idea to set up Martlets FC in 2020 but of course the pandemic made meeting up and training hard to organise – but we are now ready and can’t wait to play."

X MARKS THE SPOT Magpie Maps is a free digital map that will display a variety of independent businesses in Brighton created by Oliver Dall, owner of Harry Potter themed shop Oliver’s Brighton in Trafalgar Street.

Over 150 businesses in Brighton have signed up to the app, with the map being open to all companies, including restaurants, cafes, bars, shops, tattoo parlours and more. Oliver has claimed that the inspiration for the map came from people coming into his store and not knowing what to do or where to go, making him feel as though the city needed a “map that shows clear as day, black and white, what is independent, new and active.” magpiemaps.co.uk

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SPONSO

SURREY

I am absolutely delighted and incredibly proud to have won Businessperson of the Year. There are so many fantastic businesses in Surrey and I was very honoured to be a part of it...

Giles Thomas of the Manor Collection, Businessperson of the Year 2019

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HOW TO ENTER BUSINESS AWARDS ● ●

2021

Visit www.surreybusinessawards.com

Review the categories and determine which are most appropriate for your business Download the entry template and write your entry ensuring that you answer the criteria outlined

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CATEGORIES Chamber Member of the Year Employer of the Year Business Growth Award Most Sustainable Business Professional Services Award Best Customer Service Business Innovation of the Year Business Pivot Award Businessperson of the Year Community Hero Award International Business of the Year Start-up of the Year Micro Business of the Year SME Business of the Year Business of the Year 1STLarge 2021 Company of the Year

FREE TO ENTER ●

Entries should not be more than four pages of A4

CELEBRATING THE ACHIEVEMENTS ● Save entry as a pdf and email to OF THE COUNTY’S BUSINESSES fiona@platinummediagroup.co.uk ●

Each business is permitted to enter a maximum of three award categories.

VIEW CATEGORIES AND ENTER ONLINE Deadline for entries is September 10th 2021.

WWW.SURREYBUSINESSAWARDS.COM ●

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES SEPTEMBER It really is a testament

❛❛ to the fantastic team we AWARD CEREMONY NOVEMBER 18TH 2021

To receive this external ❛❛recognition is a great

have and our wonderful customers, four legged and two who make it all possible…

Bruce’s Doggy Day Care, 2019

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achievement and reward for our staff who put so much time and energy into making our business what it is…

BDH Sterling, Professional Services Award 2019

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AWARD CEREMONY November 18th 2021 Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking PRESENTED BY Natasha Kaplinsky

ORED BY

SPONSORED BY

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LEGAL Working practices have changed massively in the last year or so. Property expert Emily Wood considers the implications for the commercial real estate sector

DESTINATION COLLABORATION We didn’t witness the death knell of the office during the pandemic, but our expectations around the workplace have certainly changed. It’s also true that many businesses and individuals have come to value their commercial workplace as a collaborative, social hub that is critical to the culture and the future of their businesses.

TELL IT HOW IT IS

DMH Stallard undertook a post-pandemic workplace survey in Spring 2021 as we made our way out of lockdown to see how clients’ and contacts’ workplaces had been impacted by Covid, and what they thought the post-pandemic workplace might look like; we particularly wanted to understand the implications for commercial landlords. Responses came primarily from those in the property and professional services sectors.

The majority had occupied offices as tenants pre-pandemic.

CUTTING BACK

More than one third reported a reduction in the commercial workspace they occupied during the year leading to May 2021; some of that was already planned, but more than half of those reducing their space attributed it directly to the impact of the pandemic, and downsizing seemed to go further and faster than originally expected.

Nearly one third of respondents believe their workplace requirements will change in year ahead: most, 81%, anticipate a reduction, but an encouraging number, 19%, expect to see an increase.

BACK TO IT

The return to formal workspaces has gathered pace over the summer.

According to our survey, nearly half of workers will be back in a commercial workspace to some degree by the end of September, and 76% by the end of 2021.

Looking forward, 87% of respondents will encourage a form of hybrid working with the working week split between home and office; a substantial number, 27%, acknowledged that some people will not be required to return to the workplace at all.

GOOD NEWS FOR LANDLORDS

Businesses and employees recognise the synergies of team working and collaboration in a shared space: over 90% of respondents maintain that there is still a need for commercial workspace.

Training and welfare were amongst the key drivers cited for retaining space–key factors that contribute to the culture of a business

The biggest casualty [of working from home] has been company culture ❜❜

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LEGAL THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT

Half of respondents are expecting to re-model their current accommodation in order to make it more suitable for agile, flexible, Covid-secure working practices.

“The workplace is still key for culture and engagement… that’s why we’ve redesigned the office to create zones for collaboration, quiet spaces, social interactions.”

Many businesses, 60%, are also returning to workplaces with a growing recognition of the need for greater energy efficiency.

REAL ESTATE – A CHANGING SECTOR

The pandemic has certainly shaken things up, proving that technical support, a flexible mind-set and a little trust can enable many office-based employees to work very successfully from home.

However, it has also reinforced the fact that both businesses and workers appreciate the connection to a physical workspace, and the value of human interactions that enable knowledge-sharing and problem solving; workplaces are key to demonstrating the culture and shared values of many organisations, and crucial for staff wellbeing.

There has been an inevitable strain on some landlord and tenant relationships as tenants have fallen into arrears and sought to renegotiate their leases: landlords and tenants now need to collaborate to find a solution to the new ways that many commercial tenants will want to occupy workspace.

Discerning occupiers will be keen to make their space a ‘destination’ that staff want to attend. Fit-out and other services may become part of the package, and the adoption of smart technology (e.g., buildings recognising us via our smartphones) may be what’s needed to establish a competitive advantage.

New leases are also likely to look different: more breaks, shorter terms, and pandemic rent suspension clauses will be on the agenda.

RESIDENTIAL SPACES

Many tenancies and leases of rented flats and houses prohibit business use, but do they allow working from these spaces? Landlords should check that the terms of any mortgage, superior lease or insurance policy are not being breached.

Physical office gives a sense of community and belonging ❜❜

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And noise nuisance claims have increased, with homeowners and tenants working from home more aware of disruption from works being done in common parts, neighbouring buildings or by adjoining flat owners. Developers would be wise to look at future builds in light of changing working patterns.

As long as the workplace offers significant benefits to employers and staff, its future is secure. But expectations and requirements are changing, and landlords and developers must take note.

Emily Wood is head of Real Estate Dispute Resolution at DMH Stallard.

She can be contact by phone on 01293 605578 or by email at emily.wood@dmhstallard.com dmhstallard.com

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BUSINESS PROFILE

EXPERT IN RESIDENCE NatWest launches an innovative new programme to assist female entrepreneurs realise their ambitions. Levelling the gender playing field

NatWest has launched its Expert in Residence programme across the UK, dedicating 28 roles based in branches and communities to help female entrepreneurs realise their growth ambitions, following a successful two-year pilot of the programme in the Solent and South East regions of England. The initiative is launched in conjunction with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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The 28 Expert in Residence roles will be based in NatWest branches, in the LEP Growth Hubs and in the wider community. The role will aim to provide expert advice and support the LEP with additional insights to help female-led businesses achieve their potential.

These roles will also support with lending and banking services in partnership with other specialists from the bank.

Coast to Capital LEP, a partnership between local authorities and businesses near to Gatwick Airport, was selected to pilot the programme. Over six

Since the launch of the Rose Review in 2019, strong progress has been made in breaking down barriers facing female entrepreneurse ❜❜

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BUSINESS PROFILE

months, NatWest’s experts worked closely with female entrepreneurs across the Coast to Capital region in Greater Brighton, West Sussex and East Surrey, to help them develop and grow their business. The pilot helped to support an uptick in funding applications from female entrepreneurs – with almost 1 in 4 (23%) applications for the LEP’s Growth Grant in 2020 received from women, compared to 14% in the previous year.

Expert in Residence is the latest action taken by the bank following the Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship, which was launched in 2019 and co-authored by NatWest’s CEO Alison Rose.

The review demonstrated that up to £250 billion of new value (equivalent to one SME million businesses) could be added to the UK economy if women started and scaled new businesses at the same rate as UK men.

NatWest’s expert worked closely with female entrepreneurs across the Coast to Capital region in Greater Brighton, West Sussex and East Surrey ❜❜

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considerable commitment and action across financial services and the wider business landscape. Yet there is more to do and, post-pandemic, support which is practical, face-to-face, and tailored to local communities, will be critical in enabling entrepreneurs to rebuild and thrive.

“We are delighted to be working with BEIS and the LEP Network to roll out NatWest’s E xper t in Residence programme across the UK, and I encourage businesses to reach out to their local Expert in Residence via their LEP or Growth Hub to take advantage of what they can offer – alongside the wider package of support available.”

NatWest’s E xper t in Residence programme is provided at no cost to the LEP, Growth Hubs or to any participating entrepreneur. Further information can be found by contacting your LEP or Growth Hub.

Alison Rose said: “Since the launch of the Rose Review in 2019, strong progress has been made in breaking down barriers facing female entrepreneurs, with

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BIG STORY

CHRIS WHITTY

THE MAN OF OUR TIMES

By David Bagnall Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer for England, is a name and face we have come to be all too familiar with over the past 18 months, presenting countless public health messages about the pandemic. But who is the man behind the messages, and other than standing in front of the camera, who’s the man behind the lectern? For answers, it’s best to look to his past.

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BIG STORY

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BIG STORY

Outside of his sizeable medical credentials, Whitty has obtained a law degree, MBA and economics degree, something that many consider impressive to have just one let alone three ❜❜

❛❛

Born into the Whitty family in 1966 as the youngest of four children, Chris spent most of his childhood in Malawi and Nigeria, where his father was posted as a diplomat. He went to prep school in West Sussex, and later to Malvern College in Worcestershire where he excelled in his A-levels, despite the tragic loss of his father who was assassinated by the Palestinian terrorist organisation Revolutionary Organisation of Socialist Muslims, headed by Abu Nidal. Kenneth Whitty’s murder, which occurred in Greece when he was serving as Cultural attaché to the British Embassy in Athens, was explained in a message sent to a news agency in Beirut which said Mr Whitty had been targeted in response to Britain’s bid ‘to resume its former colonial role in the world by spreading colonial culture under a new guise’.

One year after his tragic loss, Whitty received a place at Pembroke College, Oxford. It was here that he qualified as a doctor, immediately taking up a role in Africa during the early ‘90s where he developed his passion for tropical medicine and infectious diseases.

Returning to the UK at the age of 29, he was recruited into the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, he also held a clinical position as a registrar at the Hospital of Tropical Diseases.

A member of the interview panel, Professor David Mabey, recalled that there were multiple older applicants,

though it was Whitty who “was exceptional, even in those early days.” As if to prove a point, he was soon recognised for his expertise in malaria research and was a key player in securing a $40 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for research.

In 2009 Whitty was appointed Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for International Development, where he was instrumental in tackling the ebola crisis in west Africa, a feat that enabled him to take up the same position in the Department of Health in 2015. It wasn’t until 2019, when Dame Sally Davies announced she was stepping down as Chief Medical Officer, that Whitty had the chance to fill her shoes after performing exceptionally during the ebola and Salisbury Novichok crises.

Back then, it must have been impossible for him to realise the trials that he would face going into this role, just months before the pandemic struck.

Few could have ever surpassed Whitty as a choice for the position, even without the knowledge that we were going into a pandemic. His experience and expertise were perfect, being a trained epidemiologist, an infectious diseases expert and

also benefiting from ten years of experience working in government – what more could a nation want from the man?

“Where Chris is outstanding is translating the science for the politicians.

His job is distilling complex, nuanced science into something that can be put to them as a series of options.” Professor John Edmunds, an epidemiologist and member of the governments SAGE Advisory Committee – Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies – said.

In short, he gives the government ‘science for dummies’ lessons – an unenviable task, especially during a pandemic.

As we have witnessed, it isn’t just the government to whom he gives these lessons, it’s also us, the general public.

One Downing Street official remarked that when it came to choose who was fit to present the guidelines to the nation it was an easy decision: “If you look at the darkest moments of the pandemic and

Keneth Whitty, Father to Chris Whitty, assassinated aged 44

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Chris Whitty, Boris Johnson and Patrick Valance presenting a public health message in 2020 ask the question, ‘Who does the public want to hear from?’ It was Whitty” he says. “They knew they were going to get straight, authoritative advice.”

The official wasn’t wrong, and soon publications like The Financial Times were calling him “an unlikely hero for anxious times”, and at one point, according to Matt Chorley, some have gone as far to claim that for those that believe in science, “he is like the pope.”

For all the exaggeration, there is no one who has disagreed that he has not inserted himself within the debates and discussions about the right course of action. In an address to the Royal Society of Medicine in April, Whitty commented that he would never overstep his remit, having a respect for the societal nature of politics, but when it came to his field, science, he would “really forcefully” present his case, demanding the respect that his expertise commands.

Alongside his wilfulness and penchant for clear and concise explanations of complex science, Whitty is also said to be exactly that: witty. Another Downing Street official commented that “He always has a sharp one-liner that will bring the conversation back to where it

needs to be... He has a very dry sense of humour.” As all parts of his character seem to, his humour is another area of his ability to keep the conversation concise and focussed: after his heckling encounter on London’s streets earlier this year, Whitty swatted reporters questions aside, saying “I’m sure he’ll become a model citizen in due course.” Perhaps Whitty meant that this would occur after the completion of the 8-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, that his heckler received.

However, early on in the pandemic, before our first lockdown, on March 9th, 2020, Whitty stated at a press conference that “there is a risk that, if we go too early, people will understandably get

fatigued and it will be difficult to sustain over time.” Though Professor Susan Michie, a behavioural scientist at University College London and member of SAGE, later disputed this, saying that the idea of behavioural fatigue was not recognised as a concept. To go further, she added, “It appears that someone made it up as shorthand then used it to justify policy... no one appears willing to say where it came from.”

Michie’s criticism is damning, particularly to those who view the man as a ‘pope’ of science, and indicates a slip in the otherwise pristine condition of Whitty’s reputation, especially when considering that we went into multiple and extended lockdowns anyway.

On top of his governmental work, Whitty also volunteers at University College London Hospital as a doctor, despite the opportunity to take the time to rest instead ❜❜

❛❛

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BIG STORY

medical credentials, Whitty has obtained a law degree, MBA and economics degree, something that many consider impressive to have just one let alone three.

His comments concerning the initial deaths forecasted by Professor Ferguson’s team last February, which stated that hundreds of thousands were likely to perish if the virus entered the country, also demonstrate one of his few errors. Ferguson stated that “He was willing to accept them as a reasonable worst case, but not as the central estimate, at least not straight away”, and despite some sharing the same feeling, today’s figures show how wrong he was; over 155,000 people have died from the virus, with time still for more.

Moving away from his role as Chief Medical Officer, it seems as though his reserves of energy have no limits. On top of his governmental work, Whitty also volunteers at University College London Hospital as a doctor, despite the opportunity to take the time to rest instead. His superior, Dr Mike Brown, claims that he is always the first to volunteer for the unpopular shifts and times: “he doesn’t have children and so he’s always been very ok about taking the less popular slots”.

Whitty has said that “I self identify primarily as a doctor, so to me it matters a lot” in previous interviews. “It’s also helpful to talk to colleagues all the way through the system – doctors, nurses, all of the other professionals. It grounds you in how the system works.” His professionalism seems to know no bounds, only stepping down as an on-call consultant out of fears that he would no longer

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One year after his tragic loss, Whitty received a place at Pembroke College, Oxford ❜❜

❛❛

be able to keep up with the official guidelines on top of his other work.

Without a wife or children, it seems as though his truly free time is taken up with what many would consider more work – degrees. Outside of his sizeable

Revealing something that is more relatable to most of us though, Whitty also commented that he enjoyed walking, kayaking and going into the hills and mountains for his times of true relaxation.

Perhaps, in light of Whitty’s personal life, it is fair to call him the ultimate public servant, ever diligent in his studies and duties, devoting himself entirely to the task at hand whilst also taking on voluntary hospital work on the side. There seems to be have been few moments when he has genuinely taken a step back from his working life, and without this level of commitment and dedication on top of his expertise and ability to communicate, we may have found ourselves in a wholly different situation, particularly when it comes to the vaccine rollout programme and the ability to provide as broad protection to as many as possible.

EVENTS

Game-changer for Network Xpress Network Xpress’ biggest show yet is due to be launched in 2022, with a refreshed new style and feel, cementing its profile in the B2B event scene Renowned for more than just B2B tradeshows, Sonny Cutting, the event director has, for a number of years hosted, tradeshows with a twist. Bringing together game-themed events to break the ice and pioneering conferences offering innovative B2B services, Network Xpress puts the experience on par with functionality and opportunity.

Now however, Network Xpress is pushing the boundaries for what is possible for trade shows, after a seismic shift in how businesses operate following the 2020 pandemic and lockdowns. The disruption gave Sonny the opportunity to evaluate the different options for the business and evolve into an event that hits the right mark with differing customer demands and needs.

Introducing the Sussex Business Show, a new hybrid event, blending digital and face-to-face seamlessly, on May 5th 2022.

The new hybrid events model enables Network Xpress to host the day’s events both online as well as in person in live time, via streaming technology. The all-new Sussex Business Show will help

businesses, from start-ups to larger SME organisations, to grow, enhance their reputation and make connections across the area.

Its use of the latest tech allows for a fantastic business-focused show, whilst catering to the sensitivities surrounding attitudes towards Covid, as well as removing geographical boundaries across Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and beyond.

Network Xpress embraces the future today, with features to look forward to at the event including a new infographic showcasing the their service portfolio and harnessing augmented reality (AR) to allow visitors to visit the different areas of the show simply by using their

own mobile phone. An app also offers a virtual show guide for those who are happy on digital (though a printed one will be available) to keep you informed on timings and what to expect, with four excellent keynote talks and twelve workshop leader masterclasses.

Whilst ushering in the future, utilising such high-end technology, Network Xpress also pays an ode to its past, ensuring its core focus of bringing life to outdated B2B events is achieved. The Sussex Business Show will have a casino theme to showcase a full deck of professionals and to make sure they win big on the day. The day will also feature well-received aspects of previous shows, such as the Customer Experience Award and other bonuses.

Get the date in the diary early, and register for exhibition stands, sponsorship or express an interest in joining us with free tickets to this new and exciting county-wide event. If you have an interest in joining leading experts and business leaders across Sussex, then please register your interest on the website sussexbizshow.com or search social media - @SussexBizShow.

Contact 01273 833 222 for more event information.

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THE UK WILL HOST THE 26TH UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE (COP26)

Glasgow on October 31st – November 12th 2021

The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The UK is committed to working with all countries and joining forces with civil society, companies and people on the frontline of climate change to inspire climate action ahead of COP26.

In light of this major conference, it is imperative that there is no more time wasting and feet dragging - the time for change is now or it is no exaggeration to say IT WILL BE TOO LATE. Nature is already wreaking carnage around the world and this is just the first round. As humans have been trying to destroy the planet for over 100 years, how long will it take to fix it - longer than we have left has to be the answer.

In the October issue of Platinum, we will dedicate a major 20-page feature to the issue of the Climate Change and the Environment.

We beg you to read it and make the changes required to survive on our fragile planet.

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FEATURE

A HISTORY OF DIVORCE Part 2 Following from last month's look at the collapse of long standing and beneficial English trade agreements in the 16th century, the question ‘where did England’s maritime eyes turn to next if not Europe?’ becomes ever prominent. A question similar to that which I’m sure many of you have also been grappling with other the past years. By David Bagnall Almost exactly the same as we have done today, after exiling ourselves from the European good books, the English mercantile and political minds quickly turned themselves towards America, sending multiple colonial expeditions and scouting parties to see the lie of the land. The clearest statement about North America as a potential for developing English trade was the formation of the Plymouth and London Companies under King James I in 1606. Both were joint-stock companies, including knights, planters, settlers and merchants with the purpose of colonising and claiming the North American east coast, setting the foundations for what would develop into the Thirteen Colonies, and later the USA as we know it today.

The change to our trade characteristics

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that the colonisation of America brought to England can hardly be understated.

Before 1600, English exports were 80-90% woollen cloth, solely to Europe, and though this didn’t end immediately – with the 1640 levels being almost the same – by the time the colonies had planted themselves firmly and become

fully operational, English exports looked drastically different. Under 100 years after the royal charter was given to the London and Plymouth companies, woollen cloth had dropped to below 50% of England’s total exports, diminished almost wholly by re-exporting tobacco and sugar from the Americas.

FEATURE

For the whole of English trade, which had stayed at a constant for centuries, to be disrupted in such a short span of time was phenomenal, even if our imports from Europe didn’t change to a striking degree. Today, in a time where national characteristics are able to change much faster, and after a shift in the viability of our long standing trade routes, perhaps we are on the path to see something similar in the coming years.

What use is the 17th century to any understanding of today’s turmoil and changing maritime landscape? To answer that, we need to turn to the Navigation Acts of 1651 and 1660, both of which came after the nine-year long English civil war, ushering in Cromwell to be Lord Protector of The Commonwealth – I’m sure that to some Boris Johnson holds a similar position. During this time, Dutch merchants had taken serious advantage of English disunity and political upheaval to steer large portions of English colonial goods into the Netherlands and other European ports, rather than their proper destination of English ports. A state of affairs that many may feel happened during our time

within the EU, with Britain enduring unfair terms, being unable to properly regain autonomy over trade which ought rightfully be ours.

The acts, both reinforcing the same legal position that all American colonial goods should be traded via English colonial ships, forced a slight bottleneck of American goods entering Europe to come through the British Isles, causing England to become a pseudo distribution base for goods from across the Atlantic. Could this be exactly what our government is looking to do today?

361 years later, and the national borders are considerably different, though we seem to find ourselves in a similar political position to centuries past. Following the past five years of relative political unrest – though admittedly nothing like

The stage is once again set to become America’s gateway to Europe ❜❜

❛❛

the civil war of old – with questions of sovereignty and trade security, Britain and her Prime Minister once again turns its head westward to the Americas for its main comfort.

On March 16th 2021, the UK government outlined its strategy for the development of British security, defence, development and foreign policy, and whilst this document mainly focussed on these elements, the emphasis and implications were clear.

British and American engagement is only to increase, with new levels of cooperation and integration of security and defence; the document also poses our American cousins as Britain’s most important political relation. Whilst the topic of trade is only mentioned explicitly once, the tone is clear throughout, the eye of the public is being turned to see the United States as the key to our new situation.

When lines such as “none more valuable to British citizens than our relationship with the United States” find themselves spread throughout the text, the similarities between now and the 17th century can't help but be noticed.

The potential to slip back into an age old habit is striking, especially when considering the language surrounding the issue of the two periods. Boris has clearly expressed the want to create a globally agile Britain, not being bound any longer to a singular trading bloc or area. The Navigation Acts did much the same thing, expressing a wish for self-sufficiency and ability to act on a global scene without the confines or interruptions of foreign powers when concerning our trade abilities. In turn, the stage is once again set to become America’s gateway to Europe, preparing ourselves to become the distribution centre that we were centuries ago.

Whether it be the 17th or 21st century, Britain has constantly looked to The New World to supplement un-favourable European conditions, and once again we may enter a new age of discovery when it comes to our foreign trade.

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TECHNOLOGY

What’s your cyber attack game plan?

By Scott Nursten, CEO, ITHQ

IT CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT

Drill your teams to fight more than fire When a well-known UK business was hacked with ransomware, it took them 17 days to issue a press release.

How can they have been so unprepared for this increasingly common scenario?

The answer lies in a flawed view of how IT continuity should be managed and tested.

Models for business continuity and disaster recovery follow the good old-fashioned fire drill. An alarm is triggered, a building is evacuated, critical systems are isolated and everyone participates. The standard protocol remains the same, regardless of how the fire started. Overcoming potential damage is not even considered as part of the drill.

IT continuity management requires a different drill because unlike natural disasters like fire and flood, the nature of threats to IT networks and data assets keep changing. This unpredictability requires a different approach to disaster preparation that builds a library of responses.

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WHY YOUR BCP AND DR MODEL DOES NOT WORK FOR IT CONTINUITY

BCP and DR were the stuff of thought leadership articles in the ‘90s. It has taken over 20 years for best practice to become commonplace, but threats have moved on. These models prepare you for a disruption to IT function caused by natural disaster but were never designed to help you prepare for a cyber attack.

IT continuity testing is part of your cyber resilience strategy, aiming to ensure your business can anticipate,

Businesses almost ❛❛ invariably believe they

are better prepared for a cyberattack than they are, yet they are reluctant to test the resiliency of their IT continuity plans ❜❜

withstand, recover, and evolve from an advanced, sustained attack. Testing your resilience to advanced threats means thinking up worst-case realworld scenarios and playing them out.

ARE YOU PREPARED TO TACKLE 1,500 SIMULTANEOUS FIRES?

Ransomware is a classic example of how ill-prepared most businesses are for shifting modern threats. Ransomware was relatively rare until 2011, when it really took off. Then, according to a McAfee Labs Threats Report, cases leapt from 100,000 in 2014 to 720,000 in 2015.

Since then, both frequency and cost of attacks have increased. When Kaseya was hit by a supply chain ransomware attack, it impacted 1,500 businesses at once – and IBM puts the average cost of a corporate breach today at $3.86 million.

In terms of recovery, paying the ransom is only the start. There is no guarantee

TECHNOLOGY

Yet this is exactly what we need to be doing: creating scenarios that test the systems in place to protect us, before a proper, advanced attack shows us our weaknesses in the most damaging way.

I believe people should write down on pieces of paper, the worst things that could happen to their network and drop them in a bag. Once a month, someone should randomly select one of those pieces of paper and whatever is written on it gets tested. It could be “we’ve just had a massive ransomware attack”, or “we’ve just had a data centre fail”, for example.

REHEARSE YOUR IT CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT LIKE A SPORTS TEAM DOING DRILLS

that your data will be released or not sold on the dark web. Backups help a lot, providing they are immutable: at least then you can recover your data yourself.

If your backup data can be overwritten or deleted, you must test for any threat here as well. But what about recovering from the aftermath of far-reaching reputational damage and ongoing costs? Do you have a pre-prepared press statement, for example? Or a plan for managing the situation with your customers? Your staff?

One year after getting hit by the NotPetya cyberattack in 2017, FedEx Corp. and Merck & Co. were left dealing with millions of dollars’ worth of technology clean-up, disrupted business and lost sales. For FedEx, the bill stretched to

}}NEXT MONTH’S TOPIC THE IMPORTANCE OF ZERO TRUST

$400 million in remediation and related expenses. At Merck, manufacturing, research, and sales operations were disrupted. Orders went unfulfilled, such as many relating to the Gardasil 9 HPV vaccine, and costs of $670 million were reported.

PREPARE FOR WORST CASE SCENARIOS, NOT GENERIC DISASTERS

Businesses almost invariably believe they are better prepared for a cyberattack than they are, yet they are reluctant to test the resiliency of their IT continuity plans. I always ask clients, “Would you install the latest variant of a piece of ransomware on five critical machines?”

The answer is usually, “Are you mad?

Why would we do that?”

Businesses should be running drills as routinely as they test the fire alarm. IT continuity management is all about being prepared to recover as quickly as possible. It is not only about having systems in place to alert you when an attack inevitably happens, but also about testing your response.

Technology is too often seen as a pre-emptive panacea that can prevent a cyber disaster. This is a mistake for two reasons: it creates a false sense of security and takes focus away from how the business should respond to a crisis.

Even the best cyber security systems can fail. What happens then? Crisis response should be so well rehearsed that it becomes like corporate muscle memory. Everyone needs to know their position and actions for scenario A, scenario B etc. Think of set pieces in sports. Testing your IT continuity should be treated the same.

For more information, feel free to get in touch with me at transform@ithq.pro www.ithq.pro

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Celebrating our clients for 200 years

Priory Direct – Planet Friendly Packaging – is the UK’s largest sustainable packaging provider. It also offers a bespoke packaging design service that aims to minimise packaging and the large voids that all adds to transportation costs and environmental damage.

Josh Pitman, Managing Director at Priory Direct, tells Kreston Reeves of the steps it is taking to change online retailing, the community and the planet, one parcel at a time.

Josh started working for the family business when he was 15 working occasional shifts in its 15,000 sq ft warehouse in Paddock Wood, Kent. On leaving university, he worked across the entire business before becoming its Marketing Manager in 2011 and its Managing Director in 2018.

“At around the same time I became Marketing Manager we developed a new type of integrated label for an emerging e-commerce business, Photobox,” explains Josh. “It contained all the information a retailer needed to ship products efficiently. We caught the start of the e-commerce wave and very quickly the business grew to over 3,000 customers.”

It was at this point that Priory Direct took a major change of direction that built the foundations for the business that exists today.

“We asked our 3,000 customers what they stick the labels on, with a view of improving the adhesive,” says Josh. “80% said padded envelopes, so we thought we ought to stock those. My dad asked me to present a business plan to the board, which included a change of name, and Priory Direct emerged.”

Today, Priory Direct has more than 28,000 customers worldwide, an extensive range of over 2,500 products, a new 60,000 sq ft purpose-built A+ rated warehouse in Aylesford, Kent, with 45 people, a turnover of £10.25m and growth in February 2021 of 94%.

But what stands Priory Direct apart from its competitors is its commitment to planet-friendly packaging.

“Six years ago I wanted to inject purpose into the business and to differentiate ourselves from our competitors, some of which are much bigger than us,” explains Josh.

Josh Pitman, Managing Director at Priory Direct

“I wanted to make the rapidly expanding e-commerce market truly sustainable, and that meant looking at our supply chain, materials, waste, transportation and manufacturing. I wanted to make a difference to our community and the planet.”

Priory Direct is now the UK’s largest provider of planetfriendly packaging and on a mission to go further and help businesses of all sizes on their own sustainability journey.

Accountants, business and financial advisers have been a key partner in Priory Direct’s transformative journey, as Josh explains.

“Our business is an unlisted PLC, meaning that we must have an audit every year. But that audit is more than just a statutory requirement. Kreston Reeves’ work on the audit has instilled good financial discipline that has helped support double-digit growth over the past decade. The need for strong financial and management information is critical.

“Businesses all too often overlook R&D tax credits, and again Kreston Reeves has been brilliant in guiding us and helping us understand what can be claimed. This has been particularly valuable when developing our packaging range and our e-commerce platform.

“Most importantly, Kreston Reeves shares the same values as we do, making them a valued part of the team.”

This year Kreston Reeves is celebrating 200 years of history. We are using the significant milestone as an opportunity to celebrate our clients, our colleagues, and our communities!

Visit our website to find out more www.krestonreeves.com/200

FINANCE

By Daniel Morgan, Managing Partner, Haines Watts Esher

IS IT TIME TO RESTRUCTURE YOUR BUSINESS? Restructuring a business periodically is certainly not a new practice. It’s part and parcel of coping with changing market realities and realigning your business and personal goals. The last 18 months have however brought this conversation into sharper focus for many business owners.

In essence, restructuring is about managing risk. It’s about working out how you can future proof or build resilience in your business so that you can keep your plan on track or indeed accelerate it.

So, what are the benefits and what are the most common forms of restructuring today?

DEMERGERS Demergers are used to separate out various parts of a business and are undertaken for a wide variety reasons.

Most commonly, shareholders may want to: n streamline operations or develop different parts of a business in different directions under separate ownership n ring-fence liabilities n manage shareholder disputes or n Work towards exit planning and c o ns e qu e ntl y s tr u c tu re th e ir company in a way that may be more attractive to buyers.

ESTABLISHING A HOLDING COMPANY If you hold your core assets (including cash reserves) in your trading company or on one single balance sheet, you’re leaving your business open to a degree of commercial risk. Creating a group structure enables you to ring fence assets in a holding company which protects them from the commercial risks of any trading or subsidiary company within that group. There are also tax advantages particularly in the case of property held within a group, where the transfer of property between companies does not trigger Stamp Duty.

CONSOLIDATING COMPANIES INTO A GROUP STRUCTURE Occasionally businesses that have historically operated separately may reach a point where it makes sense for them to now work together.

Consolidating or simplifying structures can drive efficiency and cost savings.

SHARE REORGANISATION I see a lot of share reorganisations being undertaken at present as a means to attract new investment or as part of clients’ talent acquisition and retention activities. The reorganisation of shares typically includes alterations to rights attached to shares, purchasing of shares or capital reductions. Share reorganisations are often undertaken as part of wider growth or exit planning.

Whether driven by the need to save costs, become more profitable, take advantage of tax reliefs or as part of exit planning – restructuring is about making the right choice for your business at the right time. As with all significant decisions, it is import to talk your options through with someone who understands the context and is able challenge your assumptions and help you assess the implications.

If you would like to have an exploratory chat about whether restructuring activity is right for you and your business, please get in touch. www.hwca.com/accountants-esher E: esher@hwca.com

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ECONOMY

› K E Y F I N DI NG S n Activity and new order growth softens, but remains robust n Backlogs rise at fresh record rate in July n Inflation of output charges and input prices quicken to new series highs

BUSINESS CAPACITY

Fifth straight monthly expansion in headcounts Employment levels in the South East’s private sector rose for the fifth successive month at the start of the third quarter. Although softening to a threemonth low, the rate of expansion was robust, and amongst the quickest in the series history. Greater output requirements and rising backlogs encouraged firms to add to their workforces during the month.

At the sector level, manufacturers recorded a quicker rise in headcounts than service providers.

Outstanding business rises at survey-record rate Incomplete work at private sector firms in the South East rose sharply in July, extending the current period of accumulation to five months. In fact, the rate of backlog accumulation posted at a second successive record high. A combination of higher order volumes, delivery delays, material scarcity and staff shortages were mentioned by panellists.

The rise in outstanding business in the region was quicker than that seen at the UK level.

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Business activity continues to grow in July, but inflationary pressures intensify SOUTH E AST BUSINES S ACTIVIT Y INDE X

sa, >50=growth since previous month 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

2013

2015

2017

2019

2021

Sources: Natwest, IHS Markit

PRICES

Input price inflation quickens to new record high Average cost burdens faced by private sector firms in the South East rose for

❛❛ July saw a sustained broad-based recovery in business activity across all regions and nations of the UK ❜❜

the fourteenth consecutive month in July. Moreover, the rate of inflation strengthened for the eighth month running and reached a new series high.

Higher fuel, staff, raw material and transportation costs were cited by panel members. Firms also mentioned that material scarcity and Brexit continued to exert upward pressure on costs.

Input prices rose sharply at both manufacturers and ser vice providers, although the former saw a much steeper rate of inflation.

ECONOMY

Selling prices rise at the quickest rate in the series history In line with higher cost burdens, prices charged by private sector firms in the South East rose for the tenth month in a row.

Moreover, the rate of increase quickened from June, to signal a new record increase in average charges. Higher freight and material costs were widely passed on to clients, according to respondents. Selling prices also rose across the UK as a whole, although at a softer pace than that seen in the region.

UK REGIONAL PMI OVERVIEW

Business Activity July saw a sustained broad-based recovery in business activity across all regions and nations of the UK. Topping the growth rankings was the South West, which was one of only two regions, alongside the East Midlands (ranked sixth overall), to see a faster increase in output. Northern Ireland saw a loss of momentum and remained at the foot of the table.

BUSINES S ACTIVIT Y INDE X

sa, >50=growth since previous month July 2021 South West

EMPLOY MENT INDE X

sa, >50=growth since previous month, July 2021

FUTURE ACTIVIT Y INDE X

sa, >50=growth expected over next 12 months, July 2021

South West

South East

London

Yorkshire & Humber

West Midlands

East Midlands

East of England

North West

South East

East of England

Wales

West Midlands

Yorkshire & Humber

London

North West

South West

Scotland

Wales

East Midlands

Scotland

Northern Ireland

North East

North East

Northern Ireland

UK

UK 50 55 60 65

Employment The South West was the bestperforming region for employment growth in July, seeing the rate of job creation accelerate to a record high. The majority of areas, however, recorded slower increases in workforce numbers than in June. The North East and Northern Ireland were two other exceptions, though the pair still registered the slowest overall rises in staffing levels.

50 60 70 90

Future Activity Firms in all parts of the UK remained upbeat about the year-ahead outlook for activity in July. Those in the South East reported the strongest optimism, followed by Yorkshire & Humber.

However, the latter, like two-thirds of the regions monitored, recorded lower expectations than in June. Sentiment was weakest in Northern Ireland, where it dipped to a five-month low.

Wales London East of England

› COM M E N T

North West East Midlands

STUART JOHNSTONE

Yorkshire & Humber

Managing Director, London & South East, Corporate & Commercial Banking

West Midlands Scotland South East North East Northern Ireland UK 50 55 60 65 Sources: Natwest, IHS Markit

“The South East recorded another robust expansion in activity in July, despite growth having moderated over the last two months. Robust recoveries were maintained in new orders and employment, with growth supported by easing COVID-19 restrictions. Meanwhile, another record rate of backlog accumulation suggests employment levels will continue to rise as firms seek to work through outstanding business that has accumulated over the last five months.

“At the same time, however, a record rate of input cost inflation acted as a break on activity growth, as firms in the South East dealt with rising transportation, material and staff costs by making unprecedented price increases of their own. The effects of Brexit also continued to feed through in the form of higher costs, according to surveyed businesses.”

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INNOVATION

WHY SHOULD YOU HIRE A GRADUATE?

Because they are a Catalyst, of course!

The Catalyst programme, a placement scheme run by Sussex Innovation to support University of Sussex graduates, is entering its eighth year. Project Manager Kelly McDonald, a former Catalyst Team member herself, shares the benefits of the programme, for graduates and clients alike

The Catalyst programme hires graduate and placement students straight out of the University of Sussex and makes them readily available as a riskfree and resource-light way for scaling businesses to hire on a flexible basis.

The projects they support can range from sales and marketing, to CRM and fundraising support – anything that needs a dedicated pair of hands.

Having come through Catalyst myself, the benefits of the programme from a graduate perspective have been entirely When we were struggling to cope with our own in-house work we asked Catalyst to step in and help. Jamila was nothing short of brilliant from start to finish. She has implemented shopping across all of our channels and has given us a fresh new look. We are very pleased with the work she has done and would recommend Catalyst as a service Stuart Morris, Hippy Clothing Co.

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evident to me. The wealth of experience we gain from the variety of clients that we work with, combined with the scope of projects we get involved in is a truly invaluable opportunity, and one that is unique.

It has been common over the years for the Catalyst team to attract students who aren’t entirely sure what direction they want to take their career in. It offers a sort of year-long ‘taster session’ for different departments and industries. Our team often feels far

more certainty about where their skills lie, and how they want to use them by the end of their time on the programme, nearly always securing a permanent professional role ahead of leaving us.

Last year’s team has gone on to land themselves the start of a career in PR, research, marketing and law – just to name a few.

As I have stepped into my role as Project Manager, the benefit of the Catalyst team from a client perspective has become even more evident to me.

Clients not only express how useful our service and the tailored nature of the business model is, but also of their gratitude for the enthusiasm and dedication of our team.

It goes to show how vivacious graduates are. Coming straight out of university, they have their finger on the pulse, they are eager to succeed and they offer a fresh perspective. They have purposefully chosen to join the Catalyst team to take advantage of the richness of experience it offers –

INNOVATION to any new client. Whether that be in the food industry, in PR, in property – it’s likely that whilst our team may not be experienced in this field, they are passionate about it and interested in it. Passion and fresh perspective go a long way.

Want to shake up and energise your business? Hire a graduate! Need someone to take the administrative yet important work off your hands, so that you can focus on the bigger picture?

Hire a graduate!

Our incoming Catalyst Team eight is joining us throughout August and September. The year ahead for us is incredibly exciting and we can’t wait to see the team flourish with their clients, making valuable connections and providing support to our business community. If this interests you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Visit www.catalyst.sinc.co.uk.

“Catalyst has been a great discovery and if you are a small business or team it offers a simple way to dip your toe into employing extra help.

GOOD KOFFEE gained a valuable and enthusiastic member of the Catalyst team, Isthiak, who helped us engage our successful crowdfunding campaign. I’d be keen to explore the team’s wider potential and see how it can help us further.”

Chris Crocker, GOOD KOFFEE meaning they are keen to get involved in as much as possible.

The energy that hiring a graduate can inject into any business is undeniable.

We hire based on character and drive, rather than degree or business experience. We aim to hire a group of individuals with a range of different interests, so that the team is broad and diverse.

Diversity is important for several reasons. One being it means we usually have a team member who will be suited

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LEGAL

By James O’Connell, Partner, Mayo Wynne Baxter

WHEN MENTORS TURN NASTY Even if you have a technical skill or vision that could form the basis of a successful business, the whole ’how to run a business’ side of things can seem quite daunting. Not surprisingly, therefore, numerous mentors offer their business experience to new entrepreneurs.

At their best, mentors can be a phenomenally useful resource.

Regrettably, I often get to see those who

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have gone over to the dark side and used their superior knowledge of business processes to grab a slice of a promising business before their clients outgrow them. Too often, I see 20% – 40% of a business given away in return for vague mentoring ‘promises’ with few tangible outcomes and invariably no measurable ones.

At worst, dark-side mentors demand

LEGAL

❛❛ Too often, I see 20%-40% of

a business given away in return for vague mentoring ‘promises’ with few tangible outcomes ❜❜ a shareholders’ agreement containing technical or arcane legal points that slyly elevate them to equal control of somebody else’s business (but leaving the original founders to do all the work and take all the risk). Clients are always shocked to find themselves in an unwanted but unbreakable partnership with a mentor because of clever legal wording.

Mentors are often in a unique position of trust. Clients assume that their mentors act, if not in their best interests, at least fair and reasonably. Learning otherwise is a huge business lesson, but it comes at one hell of a price.

So, what do you do if you have a mentor demanding not only payment but a stake in your business:

n Buyer beware! It may be a fantastic offer, or it may be the start of your business imploding. n If you are already paying the mentor, then ask yourself what extra value you will get? n Put a cash value on the shares demanded. If you would reject a cash offer from an investor at that price, then the mentor’s offer had better be something truly amazing. n Make any shares conditional upon targets met. n Don’t automatically throw in a directorship with the shareholding; they are separate things. n Understand the total reward. Monthly payments and capital value of shares and dividends and director status and a say in your business? n Watch out for a ‘land-grab’. Under the guise of ‘I just want to protect my shares,’ the greedy mentor may demand to be treated as an equal ‘partner’ with the same right of veto as the owners. Again, if someone offered to buy, say, 13% of your company, would you give them all the rights of influence, disclosure and veto over crucial aspects of your business as if they had 51%? If (hopefully!) not, why would you give it to a mentor? n Make sure you can sack them if a director, and that you can buy back their shares (at fair value) if they are a shareholder.

There are many great mentors, and this article is not trying to dissuade you from using them - but equally, you may encounter a mentor who sees you as an exploitable opportunity: so, make sure any deal makes hard commercial sense.

James O’Connell, Partner E: joconnell@mayowynnebaxter.co.uk T: 01273 223209 Mayo Wynne Baxter www.mayowynnebaxter.co.uk

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Selling, buying or starting a business?

Call us on 0800 84 94 101 Offices across Sussex

www.mayowynnebaxter.co.uk

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TEMPERAMENT TEMPERATURE

Ever sat in front of your computer and realised you’re slightly too cold or slightly too hot? End up feeling uncomfortable and ultimately distracted? The right temperature can do a lot to boost morale and ensure staff can work efficiently – they won’t be stuck trying to figure out how to alter the heat or air conditioning.

Avoid peaks and drops with BMS controls as they’ll monitor and optimise the overall temperature in the building. No one will be stuck trying to figure out how to alter the system, thereby boosting productivity levels, plus ventilation can be streamlined to ensure employees that suffer from severe allergies can work without any major discomfort.

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CENTRAL POINT OF CONTROL

As we’ve touched upon already, a building management system allows users to control from one central point of preference.

Rather than having to monitor several different systems, you can access all those installed under one point – from fire and security to heating and ventilation, it’s all under one roof.

Business owners are often inundated with questions regarding the property’s installed systems; where it’s located, how to operate it and so on. But, when there is just one central point of control, this confusion can be almost eliminated.

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GOING GREEN

One of the most obvious reasons for the installation of BMS controls is to improve your energy efficiency. In fact, it’s generally considered the primary purpose. Both new and old systems can be optimised, ensuring your carbon footprint is limited.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BMS CONTROLS?

BMS, also known as a building management system, is a computer-based control system that can monitor a range of installed mechanical and electrical equipment including a property’s heating, ventilation, power and security systems. Whilst this is often pushed to the side, it’s a crucial component to the overall success of a business. Failure to monitor and optimise your workplace and you may unintentionally create an ineffective environment.

A building management system also means staff can monitor how much energy is being consumed on a daily basis, saving not only energy but money too. They may be more likely to consider turning off an unnecessary lighting fixture or perhaps ensure their computer is switched off at the end of the day. Whilst this may seem like small steps, they can certainly add up!

At Javelin Controls, we’ve been specialising in commercial BMS control systems for over 15 years so know exactly how these can benefit a business. It may not initially seem like an essential step, but BMS control can considerably improve your employee’s work performance.

JAVELIN CONTROLS

Reece and Dan of Javelin Controls have been installing BMS controls for over 15 years in the South East area, successfully supporting businesses with the development of their property management.

Get in touch with the team on 07808 791998 or sales@javelincontrols.co.uk to transform your workplace environment with a high quality building management system.

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BUSINESS

In 2021, Barry Carden is celebrating 15 years as the Founder and Managing Partner of Cardens Accountants and Business Advisors.

In recognition of this milestone, he reflects on his career and the takeaways that he can now share with others, from establishing the firm to maintaining growth over the years

15 YEARS AND COUNTING WITH BARRY CARDEN A-LEVELS TO PARTNER

“I qualified as an accountant at 23, having spent five years working for a small accountancy practice in Hove which I joined straight after college. Due to the size of the firm, the role provided great client exposure at a very early stage of my career.

“From there, I took the decision to move to a larger multi-Partner firm in Eastbourne to gain more exposure to larger clients and improve my technical experience.

“Five years later I was approached to join a multi-office accountancy practice closer to home that was undergoing a merger. The merger did not go smoothly, but after working hard to re-establish the firm, I moved to salaried Partner then equity Partner.

Spending time to ❛❛ understand clients,

rather than just focus on what we do as accountants, has been an invaluable lesson in business ❜❜ 44

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FOUNDING CARDENS ACCOUNTANTS

“After five years as an Equity Partner, I thought I could create a better future by running that office as its own firm.

So, 15 years ago, Cardens Accountants was formed with the same team of eight – some of whom are still with us today.

“The decision was my drive to grow the firm and allowed extra time to spend

on business development. I had been lucky enough to have NLP training with my previous firm. Whilst this was not a direct accounting qualification, I would highly recommend it for improving self-awareness, listening skills, and creating empathy with clients. Spending time to understand clients, rather than just focus on what we do as accountants, has been an invaluable lesson in business.”

BUSINESS

FIVE TAKEAWAYS FOR LONG-TERM SUCCESS IN BUSINESS:

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A successful business is a journey not a destination The world is constantly changing and to be successful long-term your business must adapt.

THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS IN THE FIRST THREE YEARS IN BUSINESS:

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Focus on winning business Growth can cause problems, but sales are the lifeblood of any business and if you don’t have enough, you will invariably get into trouble.

2

Really focus on your team and what you give them and expect from them Find the time to create role expectations to allow your team to flourish and support the business which is really important.

Focusing your time ❛❛ on the things that make 2 the biggest difference each day, week, month is key to avoid drift in a business ❜❜ FIVE LESSONS ABOUT WORKING WITH PEOPLE:

Never stop learning To stand the test of time, you must move on to new technologies and business methodologies.

3

As your business grows, keep reviewing how you do things As your team and client list grows, the harder it is to rely on familiar practices.

Your systems and processes need to adapt to your size of business.

1

4

2

5

4

3

Cardens Accountants is an award-winning accountancy firm in Hove. They work hard on your accounts so you don’t have to.

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3

Time management is the third key skill There was always lots for me to do in those early years but focusing your time on the things that make the biggest difference each day, week, month is key to avoid drift in a business. The alternative could lead to a demotivated team or lost sales due to lack of care and turnaround times for clients.

Build a rhythm or routine in your business Regular management meetings are a must to monitor performance with the team and ensure you are heading in the right direction.

Evaluate opportunities as they arise but keep close to your core service offering if it is working for you There are often opportunities to diversify into new services or opportunities which seem to offer better rewards and less effort. In my experience, supposed opportunities that rely on you ‘selling’ something to your own clients outside of your core offering rarely works in the way you think it might.

Gauge yourself against some of your most difficult team members or clients If you can keep them happy, you will invariably keep everyone else happy!

Having said that, do have the courage to move the time vampires on Whilst investing in relationships is great, if it’s not reciprocated then it’s probably time to look elsewhere.

Whilst a clear vision of what you want is key, listening is one of the most under rated skills Listening to people builds empathy and trust, which in turn builds strong relationships and helps business referrals.

To maintain success, you need to have a social purpose, too It’s important for local businesses to improve and stay in touch with the local communities.

Balance in business is key.

Work/life, team/individual, growth/ stability; long term success is about evolution and building on what has got your business to where it is today.

Adapt your communication style to your audience One approach does not fit all when it comes to people. To get your point across, you’ll need to flex your communication style to get the desired result or understanding.

5

Avoid tech speak Nothing turns people off faster than speaking to them in a way they can’t comprehend!

https://cardensaccountants.com

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It’s finally time to bring that idea to life.

Join NatWest’s free online Business Builder course today to start turning your idea into a business tomorrow.

Search NatWest Business Builder to sign up

BUSINESS

VOTCH CASE STUDY

Votch is a vegan and sustainable watch brand founded just over five years ago by Laura. Before setting up the company, Laura was working as a TV Producer in advertising. She’d frequently go on work trips as part of her job, and it was during one of these trips that she realised she had forgotten her prescribed steroid cream, which she had been taking for years for treatment for her eczema.

Laura noticed her skin rapidly deteriorating and went to her GP. A few tests later and she was diagnosed with Topical Steroid Withdrawal. Her skin had become addicted to the Steroid cream and without it her skin with going into withdrawal, causing peeling, skin rashes and redness. The only way to recover was to cease using the cream, cold turkey.

Laura faced years of battling this condition, from edema, to leaked plasma and constant skin shedding. She moved back to her family home and ended up

❛❛ Laura donates a

percentage of Votch’s profits to charities, and for every watch sold on her website she plants a mangrove tree in Madagascar ❜❜

have collectively shunned fur, but wondered why the same wasn’t being done for leather? Laura donates a percentage of Votch’s profits to charities, and for every watch sold on her website she plants a mangrove tree in Madagascar. She is also the first company in the world to offer watch recycling in partnership with Recycling for Good Causes, which allows you to recycle your old watch in return for a Votch discount voucher.

spending 20 plus hours in the bathtub a day for relief. During this time, Laura wanted to educate herself and take her mind off the pain, she did this by watching countless documentaries, mostly on animal welfare, climate change and sustainability. Although she was already an ethically and environmentally conscious person, her newfound knowledge and appreciation for her body pushed her to overhaul her lifestyle and habits, part of which included her becoming a vegan. Laura says, “having felt the pain of losing my own skin, I vowed to never use the skin of another being again”.

After over a year, Laura got better and returned to work. When her watch strap broke, Laura was surprised to find no vegan alternatives and looked into producing her own. Hence Votch was born as an ethical alternative to leather watches. She noted that as a society we

Votch now sells globally and has many different ranges that work with various sustainable materials. Her most popular ranges include watch straps made out of apple skin material – a bi-product from the apple juice industry – and Pinatex a – bi-product from the pineapple harvest – both use no extra land, pesticide, fertiliser or water in their production, as well as generating an extra income for the farmers. She also offers enviro-leather, which includes recycled and renewable content, low VOC emissions and is more renewable and durable than animal-based leather. Laura is constantly seeking out new innovations, utilising solar power and recycled materials to constantly push the boundaries of how sustainable her brand can be.

Follow Votch @votchwatch and browse the ranges at www.votch.co.uk

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FINANCE

Rodney Sutton, Advisory and Assurance Partner, and Head of Manufacturing and Tim Levey, Chairman at Kreston Reeves

EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP TRUSTS Are they right for your business?

The last 15 months have shown us that however much we plan, sometimes we are thrown a curveball. However, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t plan or ignore the future.

There are lots of options to consider when creating the best succession plan for your business, including identifying future leaders, empowering and retaining them or a change of ownership. Each route will have its own advantages, complications and tax consequences. In our experience, the most effective succession is carefully thought through with a clear and far-sighted roadmap.

In our experience, the ❛❛ most effective succession is carefully thought through with a clear and far-sighted roadmap ❜❜ 48

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You could: n S tart a talent management programme to develop individuals who are important to the organisation n O ffer a share option scheme to encourage the retention of key managers n E stablish an employee ownership trust to help employees own shares within the business

n C onsider whether a management buyout is an option n D ecide whether there’s a family member capable of assuming a leadership role in the future n Investigate selling the business to an external buyer Below we explore Employee Ownership Trusts (EOT).

FINANCE

WHAT ARE THE MAIN REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY? The qualifying criteria include: n S tandalone trading company or parent of a trading group. n Trustees of the new EOT must restrict application of the shares for the benefit of all eligible employees on the same terms. n The trustees must always maintain at least 51% control of the eligible company or group which means that the selling shareholder must sell a controlling interest. n T he number of continuing shareholders who are directors or employees, or any person connected to them, cannot exceed 40% of total employees of the company or group.

Although application of the shares must be on the same terms to those eligible employees, there is the opportunity for trustees to distinguish eligible employees on basis of length of service, remuneration levels and hours worked.

EOT – IS THIS AN EXIT ROUTE THAT BUSINESSES OWNERS SHOULD BE CONSIDERING? Many business owners and professionals were expecting the government, in its March 2021 Budget, to make sweeping changes to the capital gains tax legislation. As a result, strategies for company share disposals were aimed at completing prior to this date. There was a collective sigh of relief when no significant changes were announced.

However, it is widely acknowledged in professional circles that this is a temporary reprieve and that changes including increases to the capital gains tax liabilities on company share disposals are still very likely.

Furthermore, many business owners acknowledge that their employees are their greatest asset, and are concerned that in a conventional trade sale, long standing and loyal members of the workforce could be laid off by the new owners wishing to cut costs and maximise the return on their investment.

There is a situation which is prevalent in many SME businesses where the owner is nearing retirement, there are no immediate family successors and management does not have the funds available for a potential management buyout.

Is an EOT a viable alternative in the above scenarios?

EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP VIA EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP TRUSTS EOT legislation was introduced in 2014, allowing for the sale of company shares by shareholders to their employees with generous tax advantages to the sellers.

Basically, there is no tax to pay on the proceeds.

Employee ownership contributes 4% of UK GDP annually as stated by the Employee Ownership Association.

Most people are aware of the John Lewis Partnership as a significant and pioneering example of businesses successfully owned under this model.

EOTs are an alternative that have some very attractive advantages both from a tax perspective and from a potential read y mad e su c c essio n o ptio n .

However, there are risks to the sellers as their purchase price settlement remains dependent on market sustainability, future profits and cash flow.

This is a move that would benefit from early planning and strategising.

At www.krestonreeves.com we will be exploring other options to give you inspiration on how to develop a succession plan for your business.

E: rodney.sutton@krestonreeves.com E: tim.levey@krestonreeves.com T: 0330 124 1399 www.krestonreeves.com

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BUSINESS

Whether you’re a sole trader or running a small to medium enterprise (SME), you will inevitably come to the point where you’ve outgrown your original business plan and it’s time to grow

READY TO GROW? Perhaps you want a larger customer base, new premises or to take on more employees. Maybe you want to diversify your products or try stepping into new markets. An exciting but nerve-wracking time for anyone as your new business is now stable and steady, and ticking along nicely.

Sometimes you can see the next step it’s clear - you are snowed under and need another employee, or you’ve outgrown your current premises so expanding into a new location is the obvious step. But often the path isn’t that simple. You can see there is room for growth, but you’re not sure what it should be, or there are too many options to decide which would be best.

NEXT STEP – DO YOUR RESEARCH

The Business & IP Centre (BIPC) Brighton & Hove based in the Jubilee Library in Brighton gives you free access to £50K worth of business, market and industry databases, which will make up the core of your business growth decision making. Our information specialists also offer free impartial advice that can help highlight opportunities and clarify your next steps.

MARKET & INDUSTRY INFORMATION

Market research is something we cannot stress the importance of enough in regard to how invaluable it is for the longevity of any business.

The BIPC has four industry and market databases – EMIS, Euromonitor, Mintel and IBIS World – to help you research the state of your industry, how COVID has affected it, what your competitors are doing, future trends and predictions and even information about your customers - what problems they are facing that you can solve or what their spending habits are.

In examining the market, you can often find gaps and niches which can be stepped into.

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COMPANY CONNECTIONS

Let’s say you’re considering working with another company, such as a HR provider, but aren’t sure if they are stable or financially secure. Or maybe a company list of new suppliers or a business-to-business mailing list would be of more use for your next step to growth.

Whether you’re working locally, nationally or are considering going global, the BIPC has two company databases which are key for such information – FAME (UK & Ireland) and Kompass (global).

Look into the details of a particular company or make a detailed company list – looking to contact new businesses less than three years old in your county, with up to 50 employees, in the food industry and a turnover of less than £2.5M per year? No problem.

BIPC Brighton & Hove ❛❛ gives you free access to £50K worth of business, market and industry databases, which will make up the core of your business growth decision making

❜❜

BUSINESS

To make an informed ❛❛ decision about your business growth, it is vital to do your research first and all the information you need is out there – gathered by experts for you!

❜❜

AREA INSIGHT

A common conundrum is where to set up a new shop or customer facing premises, especially in such a city as Brighton, jam-packed with businesses on every corner.

Another of our databases - Local Data Online - can help you in planning this step. Select a town or city and it will narrow it down on an area you’re interested in – say the Marina, an industrial estate or the town centre, and tell you what businesses there are, the locations, the premises sizes and costs so you can pick and choose.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

A major hurdle in any company’s potential growth is the funding to make it a reality, and although a lot of companies worry about this a great deal, there are a surprising number of options available for SMEs. Small business loans are available from most banks, with financial advice given freely, and the government’s small business loan option has helped many.

Or maybe funding or grants suit you more, in which case the BIPC has the GrantFinder database, which will find you what you need! There’s no interest to pay, but each will have specific deadlines and criteria to meet for the funding to be awarded, which some businesses find a headache, but others find useful to keep them on top of their growth progress.

To make an informed decision about your business growth, it is vital to do your research first and all the information you need is out there – gathered by experts for you!

Book a free advice session with one of the BIPC information specialists to discuss where your business is and where you’d like to be, and they will help you search the relevant information databases or sign post you to the right business expert for advice.

Perhaps your new florist location should be on the high street, one of the busiest roads – or, as there’s already two florists on that road, maybe by the restaurants, or train station as there’s no competition from nearby footfall. So look up all the available premises in your chosen location.

You can also look at where the major business happens regarding your industry type - is the majority of coffee sold on high streets, industrial estates, via independent retailers or other locations, such as train stations? Find out everything about the area before contacting the commercial properties teams.

Find out more at www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/bipc or email bipc@brighton-hove.gov.uk

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Our focus is you Outstanding legal advice for individuals, families and businesses.

For business We make it our business to know your business, working with you to add value and to deliver tailored legal services with energy and creativity whether you’re an established market leader or an ambitious start-up.

For you Your family’s security and wellbeing are your priority.

And we have the legal skills and knowledge to support your plans and the challenges life brings.

Brighton

Gatwick

Guildford

Horsham

London

Our success depends on understanding your needs Please call or email to discuss how we can help you: 03333 231580 enquiries@dmhstallard.com

dmhstallard.com

PEST CONTROL The power of social media to spread news of an infestation in your premises and the potential for reputational damage is just one of the reasons that it’s far better to be on the front foot when it comes to pest control

WHY PEST PREVENTION SHOULD BE A TOP PRIORITY It is far more cost effective to pay for a preventive contract than calling in pest controllers to deal with an emergency situation. Not to mention the stress, hassle and that you might be putting your staff and customers at risk.

Recent cases have involved office workers returning to their offices after COVID 19 restrictions were lifted and discovering rats and mice had been busy setting up home. In some premises the rodents had gnawed right through electrical cabling and in others the pests had contaminated desks and files with urine and droppings.

Instances like this, and the increase in rodents in cities and the countryside, make it more important than ever before to limit the risk of pests in your premises especially if they are unoccupied some of the time.

Proofing against mice and rats should be looked at as part of an overall integrated pest control system. Install fly-control devices, such as Cleankill’s Electrifly units, in kitchens, catering areas, bin rooms and delivery bays to catch the flies before they enter the building.

Make sure you have a pest control contract with a minimum of eight inspections a year. The contractor should belong to the British Pest Control Association, with all staff qualified to the RSPH Level Two, have written accreditations in Health and Safety

and full employers’ and public liability insurance.

Like Cleankill, reputable pest control providers should provide detailed digital report at the end of each inspection which is available within minutes of the service being carried out. This will help you when environmental health officers inspect your premises.

Cleankill Pest Control deals with ‘distress’ pests inluding wasps, fleas and bedbugs as well as preventive maintenance against public health pests such as mice, rats, cockroaches and pest birds such as pigeons and seagulls. The company prides itself on a fast and efficient service and aims to be recognised as a market leader for innovation, ‘green’ and new pest control techniques.

Launched in 1995, Cleankill Pest Control has grown year on year and now has several thousand clients throughout London, Bristol, Buckinghamshire, the South East and across the UK. Cleankill is the only pest control company in England to achieve a Gold Investors in People accreditation.

For more information go to www.cleankill.co.uk or E: info@cleankill.co.uk for a free survey or price comparison.

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TRAVEL This dismal summer weather doesn’t have to mean missing out on terrific days out! The pent up demand for culture and experiences is fully satisfied with hundreds of exhibitions all over the UK. We offer our curated collection for the South East. By Tess de Klerk

Fabulous exhibitions for easy days out OUR FUTURE PLANET

Learn how modern technologies can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. The fastest way to reduce climate change is by removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it permanently. Experts from around the world are racing to develop new methods to do this. The exhibition demonstrates state-of-the-art technology and naturebased solutions currently being developed to capture carbon dioxide released by human activity, including the burning of fossil fuels.

Science Museum, London.

Running until 19th May 2022

EPIC IRAN

THE PICTURE LIBRARY

Explore the changing nature of photojournalism throughout the 20th century through the iconic Guardian picture collection. Discover how photojournalism contributed to sharing stories about feminism, nationalism, postcolonialism, racism, class, and environmentalism while celebrating a liberal outlook through imagery.

Throughout the exhibition, images by acclaimed photographers such as Bruce Davidson, Madame Yevonde, Yousuf Karsh and Cecil Beaton are displayed alongside photography by lesser-known photographers, without hierarchy ascribed to any artist.

The Photographers’ Gallery, London.

Running until 26th September 2021

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Featuring over 300 objects from ancient and contemporary Iranian cultures, Epic Iran marks the first major exhibition of Iranian art and culture in the UK in over 90 years.Spanning 5000 years, it includes rarely seen objects from the V&A’s vault alongside loans from other institutions and important collections, including The Sarikhani Collection. This landmark exhibit reveals a unique glimpse into one of the world’s greatest civilisations, its journey into the 21st century, and its numerous artistic achievements that have been largely unknown to the modern world.

Victoria & Albert, London.

Running until 12th September 2021

TRAVEL

DAVID HOCKNEY

The Arrival of Spring, Normandy, 2020 In the midst of a pandemic, David Hockney captured the unfolding of spring on his iPad, creating 116 new and optimistic works in praise of the natural world. The works he created have been printed on paper at a large scale and densely hung, evoking a sense of immersion in nature across this ethereal exhibition.

Royal Academy of Arts, London.

Running until 26 September 2021

A DRAWING, A STORY, AND A POEM GO FOR A WALK

Mariana Castillo Deball curates the Towner Collection Mariana Castillo Deball is presenting previously unexhibited works alongside familiar and beloved scenes from the Sussex landscape in the newest Towner Collection exhibition. Bringing together the geological, social and cultural history of Essex, Kent and East Sussex, Deball explores the uniqueness of each area through the stories and creative spirit of people who live there. The exhibition also displays contemporary art designed to respond to these magnificent landscapes with commissioned artists including Andreas Angelidakis, Holly Hendry, Jasleen Kaur, Katrina Palmer, Pilar Quinteros and Michael Rakowitz offering all manner of visual art.

Towner Eastbourne. Running until 16th January 2022

MOMENTS: AN EXHIBITION OF MODERN ART

Reflect on modern art by world-renowned contemporar y ar tists. A noteworthy lineup of artists, including Banksy, Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin are joined by The Connor Brothers, Blek Le Rat, Pure Evil, Kaws and Rachel List in celebration of the concept of moments.

Moyse’s Hall Museum, Bury St Edmunds.

Running until 30th September 2021

A PRINCE’S TREASURE

The Royal Pavilion hosts a spectacular loan from Her Majesty The Queen.

Over 120 remarkable decorative works of art, that were originally commissioned by the Prince Regent, have been relocated from Buckingham Palace and brought together at the Royal Pavilion & Museums.

The Royal Pavillion. Brighton.

Running until January 2022

HOW WE LIVE NOW:

Reimagining Spaces with Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative ‘How We Live Now’ delves into the previously unexplored archives of Matrix, a radical feminist architectural cooperative from the 1980s. In an installation consisting of films, photographs, drawings, and architectural models, the exhibition explores explore two critical social questions – for whom and how do our buildings and shared spaces exist? Matrix particularly challenged the exclusion of certain groups due to gender, race and disability in the design and building process.

Barbican Art Gallery, London.

Running until 23rd December

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TRAVEL MASTERPIECES IN MINIATURE

The 2021 Model Art Gallery More than 80 original – but miniature – works of art in three model art galleries, with work by artists from Augustus John, Vanessa Bell, Paul Nash, Sir Peter Blake and Richard Hamilton to new pieces by Rachel Whiteread, Damien Hirst, John Akomfrah, Tacita Dean and Lubaina Himid. The galleries are a time capsule of 80 years of British art.

Pallant House Gallery, Chichester.

Running until Spring 2022

AN ODE TO AFROSURREALISM

Through a Black British lens, this photographic exhibit explores contemporary relationships with spiritualism, reality, and surrealism. Through their photography, Hamed Maiye and Adama Jalloh consider spiritual identity in terms of metaphor, mythology and symbolism.

Horniman Museum and Gardens, London.

Running until 7th November 2021

ALICE: CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER

The immersive and theatrical exhibition charts Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’s evolution from a manuscript to a multi-generational phenomenon. This landmark exhibit at the V&A pays tribute to one of the greatest stories of all time. With an immersive and mind-bending journey down the rabbit hole, this fantastical exhibition will explore Alice in Wonderland’s origins, adaptations and reinventions over 158 years.

With over 300 objects covering film, performance, fashion, art, music and photography, the V&A will be the first museum to fully explore Alice’s cultural impact and her continued influence on leading creatives such as Salvador Dalí and The Beatles, Little Simz and Thom Browne. The exhibit includes models, stage costumes, and fashion and photography from Tim Walker and Annie Leibovitz as well as illustrations by John Tenniel, Ralph Steadman, and Disney.

Victoria & Albert, London. Running until 31st December 2021

1920/2020: FREUD AND PANDEMIC

This exhibition explores the similarities between Freud’s experience of the 1918-20 Flu pandemic and the Covid-19 pandemic. Sigmund Freud, known as one of the fathers of modern psychology, lived through the devastating Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-20. This exhibition explores how Freud reacted to that crisis and how modern psychoanalysis has responded in 2020. Interestingly, similar measures were taken by governments in 1918 as in 2020, schools, shops and restaurants closed, restrictions were placed on transportation and social distancing was encouraged.

Freud Museum, London. Running until 12th September 2021

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MOTORING

MCLAREN 720S SPIDER

By Maarten Hoffmann, Senior Motoring Editor

Two years after its launch, the McLaren 720S Coupé remains one of the best supercars in the world, all the more remarkable from a British company that has been making road cars for less than a decade.

But, chopping the roof off a car can have serious repercussions for the resulting convertible and those kind folk in Woking have presented me with the resulting Spider to see what l think.

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I think a lot! The strength of McLaren’s carbonfibre tub meant a conversion from coupé to convertible could be made without sacrificing stiffness and adding little weight, thus avoiding the main pitfalls that have nearly always historically made a convertible supercar a slower, heavier and a worse-looking version of the coupé from which it’s derived. No fixed roof means the addition of a new rollover protection system, bonded to the chassis, made from carbonfibre and 6.8kg lighter than the 650S Spider’s steel construction.

MOTORING

❛❛ Chopping the roof

off a car can have serious repercussions for the resulting convertible ❜❜

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MOTORING

TECH STUFF MODEL TESTED: McLaren 720S Spider ENGINE: 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8 POWER: 710 bhp SPEED: 0-62 2.9 secs TOP: 212 mph ECONOMY: 23.3 mpg combined PRICE FROM: £237,000 AS TESTED: £246,990

Key components, such as the 710bhp twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine and the advanced hydraulic Proactive Chassis Control suspension set-up transfers over from the coupé, with the two cars sharing a 0-62mph time of 2.9sec and a top speed in excess of 200mph. In fact, the Spider can hit 202mph even with its roof down and 212mph with the roof up.

This is a seriously fast car and as exhilarating as anything l have ever driven.

Not only the 0-62 time but it will hit 100 mph in 7.9 seconds – try counting to eight seconds and realise in that time, you will be at 100 mph – and grinning like a deranged baboon. The gearbox is equally superb, silently clicking through the seven gears as fast as you wish and wonderfully integrated.

optional glass roof that turns from opaque to transparent at the touch of a button and floods in the interior with light.

The remarkable thing about this car is it usability. It's one of the fastest and most capable cars in the world and yet, with everything dialled down it is calm and docile enough for your granny to drive it.

❛❛ Try counting to eight seconds

and realise in that time, you will be at 100 mph – and grinning like a deranged baboon ❜❜ One might expect a few loose teeth on British roads but the ride is very comfortable and cruising to Monaco would be a breeze with no back surgeon required upon arrival. In fact, after saying HI to a few friends, l would want nothing more than to get back in and return. It’s highly addictive, fast as Hades and totally engaging.

The roof will disappear in 11 seconds and even when up, there is a clever

It absolutley encourages you to test your limits, to push it harder and harder.

The steering is superbly weighted, the seat holds you firm, the noise pops the hair up on the back of your neck and you will feel as if you have died and gone to heaven.

Then we must turn to the look of the car.

It is one of the most beautiful cars in the world - sleek, stylish and sits on its haunches daring you to drive it. Hit the carbon ceramic brakes at speed and the rear spoiler moves up to act as an air brake and just serves to make its derriere look even more spectacular.

We are often battered with comments that the UK has lost all its manufacturing excellence, that we are now just a service nation, that we have lost that hard won reputation for creating beauty, for innovation and design. Well, eat those words. McLaren is a British company, based in Surrey having been making road cars for fewer that ten years and produce some of the most aesthetically beautiful, fastest and sexiest cars on planet earth.

The 720S is at the top of that tree and rather than the road, it should really be in a museum as a true work of art and likely one day will be and I will buy a ticket.

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MOTORING

THE EV NEWBIE

By Richard Pollins Managing Partner, DMH Stallard LLP

I must admit I’ve been a bit late to the electric car party. I’ve watched from afar in recent years with interest but the lure of the internal combustion engine (particularly one with a V8) has so far been compelling. After all EVs are just posh milk floats aren’t they? But after an

ill fated trip to Wembley to see the Euro 2020 Final and a night on the hard shoulder of the M25 following a breakdown, a new family car was in order. So we went electric for the first time.

We carried out some research and decided to go for the Volkswagen ID4.

Something big but not impossible to park . And happily V W had one in stock in a decent colour (Manganese Grey) so we didn’t have to wait months for delivery.

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MOTORING

TECH STUFF MODEL TESTED: Volkswagen ID.4 Life BATTERY: 77kWh POWER: 204 bhp SPEED: 0-62 8.5 secs TOP: 99 mph RANGE QUOTED: 310 miles PRICE FROM: £34,995

❛❛ But the real test was to come.

Within a few days we set off on a family holiday to Gloucestershire ❜❜

We picked up our nice new electric car a few weeks ago. First impressions were positive – this is a very decent car to drive. Comfortable seats and excellent driving position. Quick acceleration but not ridiculous. 0-60 in eight seconds and a top speed of 99 mph is perfect for the real world rather than the race track. Nice screen and display (not oversized as found in some other EVs) with controls much easier to use than reviews suggested. Voice command was rubbish though but with seamless Apple Play integration this really wasn’t an issue. A software update is apparently due soon which should sort that out.

But the real test was to come. Within a few days we set off on a family holiday to Gloucestershire. two Adults, two Kids, two dogs all comfortable in the ID4’s expansive cabin. Motorway driving was smooth and assured with a range of driver assist features to keep us safe.

The ID4 was a delight to drive. Smooth, responsive, quiet and dare I say fun at times. It exceeded all expectations.

Build finish throughout is excellent with an impressive range of standard

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kit. The only disappointments were the drum brakes at the back, steel wheels (not alloys) and no parking camera.

I would have expected a bit more on a £43k car but I’m being picky really. And some of the driving assistance makes fine control on parking somewhat challenging (particulate on a gradient). Again a software update should sort that out.

But how did we deal with the dreaded PCA – Phobic Charging Anxiety.

It was fine. You need to be a little more organised than in a normal car for long journeys but on our 77KV life performance, the stated range was 310 miles and in the real world we got 290 miles. That’s more than sufficient for most commutes and town driving. A blast on a fast charger (125kWh) filled her up in half an hour and overnight using a charger to a 3-pin wall socket we added 100 miles. Charging at home is much cheaper than on the go. Typically the car costs around £7 to fully charge overnight at home but you’ll pay a premium of up to £30 for commercial charge points. Still cheaper than gas though.

So I think I’m now a convert. My other car, a Ford Mustang GT now feels very old and dirty by comparison. EVs are indeed the future (and good of course for the planet). I’m green and I’m sold.

OBITUARY

RIP CHARLIE WATTS

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THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR WOMEN

September | October 2021 #12

Recognising ADHD in women MOTORING The Kermit Car IMPOSTER SYNDROME

How about a four-day week?

ALEX SCOTT

THE FIRST BLACK FEMALE FOOTBALL PRESENTER THEVACCINE BBC THE FEMALE LEDON OXFORD

Unusual, playful & fiercely independent

DISTILLED

BESIDE-THE-SEASIDE IDE!) (& DELIVERED NATIONW

brightonginstergram

@brightongin

www.brightongin.com

BrightonGin

cont ent s 8 BIG STORY Alex Scott

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STEERING COMMITTEE

5

WELCOME

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UPFRONT All the latest bulletins from the world of business

8

BIG STORY Alex Scott

14 Get ready to go on the best ride of your life 16 Impostor syndrome

28 20 Is it time for a tax check-up?

23 Is the 4-day week really an option?

26 What’s the plan? Part 2 28 Recognising ADHD in Women 30 MOTORING The Kermit Car Why colour is so important under the cover of darkness

30 DYNAM I C

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MOTORING

MEET THE STEERING COMMITTEE

Our illustrious steering committee guide the editorial tone of the magazine

JULIE KAPSALIS CEO Chichester / Crawley College Group

EMMA LANE Director Allied Irish Bank

VICTORIA KERTON ROSEMARY FRENCH OBE Regional Director Executive Director NatWest Gatwick Diamond Initiative

FAIZA SHAFEEK CEO Carrot Events

ALISON ADDY Community Officer Gatwick Airport

LOUISE PUNTER CEO Surrey Chambers of Commerce

LESLEY ALCOCK Commercial Director The Platinum Media Group

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ABIGAIL OWEN Corporate Partner DMH Stallard

FIONA SHAFER Managing Director MD HUB

MAXINE REID Partner Quantuma

MAARTEN HOFFMANN CEO/Publisher The Platinum Media Group

ANA CHRISTIE CEO Sussex Chamber of Commerce

ALISON JONES Partner Kreston Reeves

ZOE RUDLING Partner RSM

FIONA GRAVES Events Director The Platinum Media Group

welc ome

FROM ROSEMARY FRENCH OBE Chair of the Dynamic Steering Committee ROSEMARY’S OBE WAS AWARDED FOR SERVICES TO WOMEN IN BUSINESS It fills me with such sadness that after 20 years of living normally

by Western standards, 14 million Afghan women and girls now fear that their lives will revert to a fundamentalist regime of fear, oppression and brutality. They expect the Taliban to implement their radical views of Islamism, twisting Sharia Law to fit their idea of women, an ideal of total power, control and ownership over women’s lives. I cannot imagine the dread with which they now approach every day.

I remember before the war attending women’s pressure groups highlighting the treatment of women in Afghanistan and being horrified and feeling helpless. No man nor woman wants a war under any circumstances but,

following the 9/11 atrocities, war indeed arrived in Afghanistan. In the same way that the First World War emancipated women so did this invasion improve women’s rights. Not through government policy but through the endeavours of the women themselves with

Afghan women reaching the higher echelons of political society as ministers in parliament and even as judges, all impossible before the war.

Our role must be to lobby our politicians harder than ever to influence and collaborate with international leaders around the world to negotiate agreements with long term solutions that include women’s rights in every decision made. In the meantime, we need to donate to and promote those charities that support Afghan women.

Perhaps when we reflect on their situation that we need to stop having doubts about our own abilities as outlined in our Imposter Syndrome article. If only the Afghan women had this luxury!

Contacts PUBLISHER/EDITOR: MAARTEN HOFFMANN maarten@platinummediagroup.co.uk COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR: LESLEY ALCOCK lesley@platinummediagroup.co.uk EVENTS DIRECTOR: FIONA GRAVES fiona@platinummediagroup.co.uk TRAVEL EDITOR: TESS DE KLERK tess@platinummediagroup.co.uk STAFF JOURNALIST: DAVID BAGNALL david@platinummediagroup.co.uk STAFF JOURNALIST: ROXY COSTELLO-ROSS roxy@platinummediagroup.co.uk HEAD OF DESIGN: MICHELLE SHAKESBY design@platinummediagroup.co.uk SOCIAL MEDIA: FAYE GREENWOOD faye@platinummediagroup.co.uk PROOFING: ALAN WARES alan@platinummediagroup.co.uk

WWW.PLATINUMMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK DISCLAIMER All rights reserved. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions relating to advertising or editorial. The publisher reserves the right to change or amend any competitions or prizes offered. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent from the publisher. No responsibility is taken for unsolicited materials or the return of these materials whilst in transit. Dynamic Magazine is owned and published by The Platinum Media Group.

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DO BETTER DOCTORS Nine in 10 female doctors have experienced sexism at work in the UK, including unwanted physical contact, denial of opportunities and being asked to massage male colleagues in meetings. The findings have emerged from a survey of medics by the British Medical Association, which said the results were appalling and the incidents made for shocking reading.

Official figures show that female doctors in the NHS earn less than their male counterparts.

Danny Mortimer, the deputy chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said the NHS needed to do more to combat sexism.

{up f r o n t } All the latest bulletins from the world of business

CALL THE MIDWIFE A midwife from Kent has launched a new app that combines the mindful pregnancy and birth preparation expertise of a renowned hypnobirthing teacher, with her own professional experience of more than a decade as a midwife.

She is hoping the app will change the landscape of the pregnancy and birth app sector as it is the only one to embrace both physiological and abdominal birth choices. Sexual orientation and routes to pregnancy have been carefully considered when designing this app.

My Mindful Midwife® is different from the other pregnancy and birth support apps on the market as it is the only pregnancy app that allows parents to track their pregnancy and birth journey in a hypnobirthing and mindfulness friendly way.

FESTIVAL HARASSMENT Mabel, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Glastonbury’s Emily Eavis are among the names backing a call for change to end the harassment and abuse of women at gigs and festivals.

Organisers of a new Safe Spaces Now music industry initiative say more than 40% of women under 40 have experienced sexual harassment at a live music event. Recently released data revealed just 3% of 18 to 24-year-old women had not been harassed in a public space.

The statistic does not surprise Claire Barnett, the executive director of UN Women UK, who said the hope was that festivals, venues, labels and artists would sign up and that would be the first step to discussing tangible measures that will bring about change.

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ENDING WAIT TIMES FOR ENDOMETRIOSIS

Commitments to reduce waiting times for diagnosing endometriosis from over eight years to less than 12 months, offer individual care plans after a woman’s first miscarriage and widen access to specialist menopause services form part of the Scottish government’s first women’s health plan.

The plan, which was informed by women’s testimonies, is described as “the first stage of a long-term commitment to reducing health inequalities for women”. It also pledges to appoint a national women’s health champion, establish a research fund to close gaps in scientific and medical knowledge and improve information and public awareness of heart disease symptoms and risks for women.

N E WS

HISTORICAL CHANGE FOR HENLEY

The Henley Royal Regatta has updated its dress code to allow women to wear trousers for the first time in its 182-year history. The annual rowing event, which has been held in the Oxfordshire town since 1839, stated in its new dress code for the Steward’s Enclosure that women can wear “jackets or blazers with trousers, or trouser suits”, in addition to dresses or skirts “with a hemline below the knee”.

The change comes after Georgina Grant, an Oxford student and member of the University Women’s Boat Club, launched a petition last year calling for women to be able to wear trousers alongside men. The petition garnered more than 1,680 signatures. In the description, Grant wrote that the old dress code was “oppressive and serves no purpose”.

CALLS TO BAN “VIRGINITY REPAIR” SURGERY The government’s pledge to outlaw virginity testing will be undermined unless fake surgery touted as “virginity repair” is also banned, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has warned.

Last month ministers committed to criminalising the invasive and unscientific “tests” offered by some private clinics to determine whether someone is a virgin through an examination to see if the hymen is intact. However, there are no plans to ban a procedure the same doctors claim can “restore virginity” by constructing a layer of skin at the entrance to the vagina to create the illusion of an unbroken hymen.

Typically girls and women are forced into the surgery known as “hymenoplasty” by their relatives, who want to present them as a “pure newborn virgin” who will bleed on their wedding night. The RCOG claims efforts to ban virginity testing will be compromised if procedures that “repair or reconstruct” the hymen are not also made illegal.

THE “MOTHERHOOD PENALTY”

British women still face a drastic “motherhood penalty”, with those who have children earning up to 45% less than those who do not, according to a study by researchers at University College London. Their report shows this disparity for six years after the birth of a first child. In the first year, wages drop by 28%, an average of £306 a month.

While the dip in pay predictably varies according to how many children a woman has and how many hours she can work on her return, those who have children in their thirties suffer less than younger mothers, possibly because they return to an established career.

The study’s findings, published in the European Sociological Review, were based on evidence from the British Household Panel Survey, which compared childless women with those who became mothers from 1995 to 2005.

A HEALTHY FIRST Amanda Pritchard is to become the first female chief executive of the NHS in England after being appointed to replace Sir Simon Stevens.

Ms Pritchard, NHS England's chief operating officer, stepped up on August 1st. She was previously head of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust in London and an adviser in Tony Blair's government.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said her experience and expertise made her "perfectly placed" to lead the NHS.

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BIG

STORY

With football being such a male dominated sport, both on the field and on the television, it is refreshing to see the corporation finally appoint their first female presenter in the shape of Alex Scott. Having enjoyed a very successful career as a major part of the England women's football team, Alex will bring a breath of fresh air to the stale male world of football pundits.

By Roxy Costello-Ross

ALEX SCOTT THE BBC’S FIRST FEMALE F O OT B A L L P R E S E N T E R 8

BIG

STORY

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STORY

Professional footballer turned television broadcaster and pundit Alex Scott was the second child born to her Irish mother and Jamaican father on October 14th 1984 in Poplar, east London. She began her football career at the early age of eight when she was signed for north London football giants Arsenal FC after her passion for the sport became apparent in primary school. Following on from her early entry to the sport, she went on to associate with Arsenal for a further three decades. After moving from the Arsenal youth squad in the 2004-5 season to play for Birmingham City, she returned to Arsenal for a brief time, becoming a key figure in the team’s FA Women’s Cup and FA Women’s Premier League victories in 2005 and 2006.

She was also instrumental in their season of four trophy wins across 2006-7, before moving across the world to play in the United States of America. While she was in the USA, she played for both the Chicago Red Stars and the Boston Breakers and was one of few British footballers plying their trade abroad.

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Her life hasn’t all been easy however, at age seven her father left the family, taking everything in their home with him In 2011, Scott founded ‘The Alex Scott Academy’ for female footballers aged 1619, partnered with Kingston College and Puma, to grow women’s football into a mainstream sport. Her football career became hugely successful after making 140 appearances for the England women’s national team, including the World Cup and the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Scott has been regarded as one of Great Britain’s most versatile players and, further adding to her success, she became the seventh player to earn 100 caps and won a bronze medal with England at the 2015 Women’s World Cup.

Her life hasn’t all been easy, however, at only age seven her father left the family, taking everything in their home with him. In an interview, Scott shares how he “basically took everything – the television, the radio… everything in the house until there was nothing.” She expresses how her mother “let him take everything, she didn’t fight or scream” and that “there had been enough of that in our house, and that was never something she was going to do.” Scott speaks very honestly about the role that her mother played in making sure that she and her brother still had a happy childhood, saying “even though we had nothing, we were going to be OK because we had her.” She revealed that she uses this life event as a motivator to work hard so that she never has to be in a position where everything would be taken away from her again.

BIG Before her retirement in 2017, she appeared on Bear Grylls’ ITV show, Mission Survive, which she won, and in 2019, she appeared on the 17th series of Strictly Come Dancing with her dance partner Neil Jones. This upgraded her to being a household name, as the pair made it to the 11th week before being eliminated, coming in a respectable fifth place. Alex spoke about her time on the dance show and how it helped her to show off other parts of her personality outside of her football ability, saying: “I can put on a dress but also the next day put on my football boots, and that should be celebrated. I’m so proud of my career but, as Strictly showed, there can be so many parts to a person – and I’m no different.” She also shared her other passions besides sport, saying: ”I love fashion and music, and I love going to my mum’s in east London for a roast dinner”. Scott was also appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for her services to football.

STORY

Even while still playing football, Scott started the transition into her media career, making appearances in programmes such as Soccer AM, and had other minor roles at BBC Sport, BT Sport and Sky Sports. This set her up for a seamless transition into full-time television broadcasting after she retired from football in 2017, when she began co-presenting on Match of the Day Kickabout.

She then became the first female football pundit at a World Cup for the BBC after covering the 2018 FIFA World Cup, also exposing her to a wider audience of soon-to-be Alex Scott fans.

However, this job has come with its hardships; when Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed just before half-time in his team’s opening match against Finland, Scott was one of the BBC’s Euro 2020 commentators who had to react to the incident, which looked to be fatal, live and on camera. She tearily told host Gary Lineker “Football totally

goes out of the window right now…

You’re thinking about his family and all the rest of the players that are out there witnessing it as well. I just got on my phone and messaged my mum and told her I love her, and I think it’s a reminder of how quickly life can change, just like that.”

Unfortunately, Scott has faced her fair share of criticism, from both online ‘trolls’ and people with larger social media presences. Former government minister Lord Jones of Birmingham went on a Twitter rant after Scott presented the BBC’s Olympic coverage, saying she “spoils a good presentational job” with her “very noticeable inability to pronounce her ‘g’s at the end of a word.”

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STORY

He went on to mock her accent, saying: “Competitors are NOT taking part, Alex, in the fencin’, rowin’, boxin’, kayakin’, weightliftin’, and swimmin’”, and compared her to Sky presenter Beth Rigby and the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, both of whom have been mocked for their accents in the past.

Scott responded to Jones’ tweets, saying she is “proud” of her accent and “proud of the young girl who overcame obstacles”. She offered an inspirational word of advice to any young kids who may not have a certain kind of privilege in life to “never allow judgements on your class, accent, or appearance hold you back”. Many people spoke out in support of Scott after these tweets, including Piers Morgan, Stephen Fry and Rob Drummond. The latter, head of youth language at the Manchester Centre for Youth Studies, offered some education on dropping g’s as a feature of different accents, and that women, especially women of colour, are disproportionally called out on the way they speak compared to other people. Jones, however, still stands by his comments and says he was “disappointed” with Scott’s response.

She has repeatedly spoken out about the sexist and racist abuse she receives as a pundit, and in 2019 she said she receives hateful messages almost every day. She revealed how being on the receiving end of this unrelenting social media abuse forced her into her shell for some time as she struggled to deal with the negativity. Scott has demonstrated

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great strength to shake off the unwarranted hatred so that she can continue to succeed and make a pathway for women in the industry.

When on “Between The Lines”, a podcast hosted by the Independent’s Senior Football Correspondent Melissa Reddy, Scott shared how she lost herself with her personality because of the hate comments, and that she only spoke out about the abuse when it became too much for her to handle on her own. She talked about how speaking to people about her struggles helped her to feel less alone, especially after Sky Sports refreshed their Soccer Saturday line-up.

When Scott was announced as the new Question of Sport presenter, she was attacked with hate speech.

She speaks openly about how, at one point, she thought about coming off Twitter, until realising that it had been her strong social media presence that helped her to connect with fans. By staying on Twitter she could continue to offer support for them, saying: “If that’s giving more encouragement to young females in that they can see me and I’m visible and that they can do that, then that’s great”.

Despite the hate she receives, Scott likes to focus and emphasise the positive elements of how she is helping to alter the media sphere in football. She praises ex-footballer Graeme Souness, with whom she has commentated matches, for treating her in the same way that he would treat a male co-worker. Fans on Twitter rushed to her defence

STORY

I can put on a dress but also the next day put on my football boots, and that should be celebrated

following an exchange with Souness during a match analysis in February 2019, where he interrupted Scott and was dismissive of a football term she had used. Scott later expressed how she felt about the situation, saying “Graeme Souness is like that with every pundit he sits alongside, but with me, it’s highlighted because people see me as a female…If he’s got a strong opinion and he disagrees with you, he’ll say that. I respect that and want people to be like that with me.” She conveys how important it is for women to be treated in the same regard as men, even in male-dominated industries, and that she is not just there to tick a box, but she has done the work and deserves to be where she is.

Scott serves as a role model for many women out there and consistently shows how women today can be successful in whatever industry they like, no matter where they have come from.

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FI NA NCE

Get ready to go on the best ride of your life The UK has one of the most vibrant entrepreneurial communities in the world, but only one in three of our entrepreneurs is female – which is why we need to be more ambitious and find ways to unlock the huge untapped potential One such successful tech entrepreneur found NatWest’s dedicated programme to support Black Asian and Minority Ethnic female entrepreneurs, delivered in partnership with Black South West Network, came at the perfect time to develop a mentoring app for young women to follow in her footsteps.

As an IT postgraduate surrounded by male colleagues at university, Rav Bumbra’s passion for redressing the gender imbalance was fired. That

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passion has driven her on to an impressive track record helping more women enter and progress in tech roles.

In 2018, Rav developed a ground-breaking mentoring app, Cajigo, to help women enter and progress in tech roles – it was trialled first with women in industry and university students.

When the pandemic halted her work to encourage female school pupils in Bristol to study STEM (science,

technology, engineering and maths) subjects, Rav found the NatWest accelerator programme. She credits the programme with helping her move Cajigo on to the next stage.

“I’m so grateful for this programme because that was really what I needed at the time,” she says. “It helped me build that customer journey and focus on who was really going to benefit from Cajigo and where it was going.

“We’ve now got a primary focus of working with schools and helping 20,000 girls move into the tech industry.”

Julie Baker, Head of Enterprise and Climate Engagement and Partnerships at NatWest said: “As longstanding supporters of Women in Business we understand the various challenges that women might face when setting up or running their business. This is why we partner with organisations such as Black South West Network to run bespoke specialist programmes to support women in business, alongside our Business Builder and Accelerator programmes and our dedicated Women in Business Specialists who provide tailored support for women looking to start up and succeed in business to help them achieve their ambitions.”

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REDRESSING THE IMBALANCE

After postgraduate studies, Rav worked in IT with Compuserve, then as a technical consultant. Her next move – into technical recruitment – saw her enjoy great success mentoring and coaching women into tech roles. In that role, Rav spoke to employers about why they needed to embrace diversity and the benefits this would bring to their teams.

“It became a passion of mine, so in 2015 I set up Structur3dpeople to work with employers, and help them drive their diversity efforts,” she says.

Structur3dpeople helps organisations attract, recruit and retain diverse talent. It was instrumental in Rav setting up a mentoring programme for women, which proved another big success in driving confidence and aspirations.

“After the first session 90% of them were inspired and motivated to go away and start applying for jobs – and within six months we’d had 50% of the group apply for and get a job first time,” she says.

“I talk to women who work in technology roles across industries,” she says. “By sharing their stories and

Diversity is really more than just ticking the box

Women make up 17% of the tech workforce at the moment, and what’s even more shocking is they only make up 5% of tech leaders

strategies for successful careers, we hope to inspire many more women to enter and progress within technology fields.”

“Looking to the future, she hopes to see female-led businesses thrive in the UK. “That can only happen if there is better access to funding and more investment into female-led businesses,” she says. There’s no doubt that her work is helping to drive things in the right direction – Bumbra was awarded the TechWomen100 Diversity Champion of the Year award in 2020 from WeAreTheCity – and she’s as excited as

ever about helping more women into tech roles.

For women launching businesses in the sector, she has these words of advice: “Get ready to go on the best ride of your life. There will be many ups and downs, so don’t let the bad days put you off. “Make sure you carry out your research, gauge your potential markets, evaluate your idea, and get practical advice and support from mentors.

“And join an accelerator programme if possible: it will help you develop the building blocks of your business and your financial knowledge.”

◗ For more information visit: https://natwestbusinesshub.com/ articles/rav-bumbra-championingwomen-in-tech

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FE AT U R E

IMPOSTOR SYNDROME The psychological phenomenon in which a person doubts their abilities, they may feel like a fraud in the workplace and spend their lives waiting to be ‘caught out’ for their incompetence.

By Roxy Costello-Ross Between May 2020 and May 2021, Google searches for impostor syndrome increased by 150% in the UK alone. Although these feelings have always existed, it seems that the uncertainty from the pandemic and added stress from working at home has made people even more insecure about their performance on the job.

Originally named “impostor phenomenon” in 1978, psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes developed the concept with a study that focused on high achieving women, posing the hypothesis that “despite outstanding academic and professional accomplishments, women who experi-

Between May 2020 and May 2021, Google searches for impostor syndrome increased by 150% in the UK alone

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ence the impostor phenomenon persist in believing that they are really not bright and have fooled anyone who thinks otherwise”.

Whilst a quick Google search will bring up more than five million results' worth of information on how to tackle impostor syndrome, what’s less explored is the role that workplace systems play in exacerbating it in women and why it even exists in the first place.

In developing the concept, the impact of systemic racism, classism, xenophobia and many other biases was omitted, as well as many groups being excluded from the study such as women of colour and people of varied income levels, genders, and professional backgrounds. Without accounting for these historical and cultural contexts, we can’t understand how it will manifest in both women of colour and white women – impostor syndrome simply relies on putting the blame on the individual, directing our views towards fixing the women at work rather than fixing the places where women work.

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Though these feelings are fairly universal and affect both men and women, as white men progress in their career any feelings of doubt regarding their work or intelligence tend to subside as they are validated over time.

Unfortunately for women, it is often harder to find role models that they can relate to, and employers and co-workers frequently question our competence, contributions, and leadership styles. Impostor syndrome has become a normality for many working women and as a concept, it negates our ambition, resilience, and daily battles with microaggressions, especially for women of colour facing assumptions formed by stereotypes and racism, and puts the responsibility on the woman to deal with the effects of this. The word “Impostor” itself exaggerates simply being anxious about learning a new skill or joining a new workplace and brings an air of fraudulence to what would otherwise be considered a completely normal reaction. By put-

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ting “syndrome” after the term recalls the “female hysteria” diagnosis of the 19th century, once again putting down women for having ordinary emotions while workplaces remain focused on seeking individual solutions, rather than focusing on the root of the issues that have been caused by systems of discrimination and abuses of power.

Recognising the feelings that people call “impostor syndrome” within

The brunt of the work to end these feelings of inadequacy has nothing to do with women themselves, but everything to do with society and how we are raised as women

FE AT U R E for having too much of it, and all women for demonstrating it in a deemed unacceptable way. We clearly can’t win if leaders cannot create a workspace for women that addresses these systemic biases, or at the very least one that encourages and supports employees that are struggling and help them channel any self-doubt into positive motivation.

The importance of having a safe and supportive workplace is paramount in normalising any anxiousness surrounding your career, and not sensationalising these feelings into an “impostor syndrome” which gives the impression that your feelings are something that you need to be cured of. Doubting yourself is unfortunately a very ordinary part of being human, it is a universal experience and should be treated as such, not as something

that women need to fix within themselves specifically.

A survey by business training course provider, The Hub Events of 1000 British workers found that 60% wanted regular positive feedback at work, and 35% thought employers should provide mental health services.

With 85% of UK adults feeling incompetent at work despite at least three years of experience, and 48% suffering from intrusive and negative thoughts, it is clear that the real issue lies within the workplace. These feelings should be accounted for by employers so they can better reassure their workers and create a more comfortable and confident environment for both men and women who fear they won’t live up to expectations. Maybe then we can stop misdiagnosing anxiety for “impostor syndrome” after all.

85% of UK adults feel incompetent at work despite at least three years of experience, and 48% suffer from intrusive and negative thoughts

ourselves is an important step, and they can be overcome in many different ways – whether it’s reminding yourself constantly that you are good at what you do, recognising your achievements, visualising success or simply reaching out to a friend or colleague for some support. Even in saying this, rest assured that the brunt of the work to end these feelings of inadequacy has nothing to do with women themselves, but everything to do with society and how we are raised as women on foundations of self-doubt, while men are not. Women are told to be quiet, ask for second opinions, not be confident in their abilities and their contributions to a team and not take risks, while from an early age men are encouraged to lead, demonstrate self-confidence and exhibit less emotion than women. The same systems that reward male leaders for having confidence, even if they are inadequate for the job, punish white women for lacking confidence, women of colour

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Taking the time to check your tax situation could reward you financially and bring you added peace of mind, says Samantha Kaye from Wellesley Wealth Advisory.

Is it time for a tax check-up?

It’s true – most of us would rather clear out the garage or scrub the bathroom floor than review our tax position. But, by sparing an hour or two to do so, you could potentially be substantially better off – and also gain a surprising sense of calm (no, really!).

It’s important to keep an eye on your tax situation throughout the year and not store up everything for an annual ‘blitz’ – otherwise, you could wind up paying too much tax or, in some cases, not enough, which could see you landed with a nasty fine.

An ‘interim’ check-up is especially important if you have a change of circumstances – for example, changing jobs or even getting a pay rise. All these things could mean you need to manage your finances slightly differently to make sure everything is running as taxefficiently as possible.

The value of a proper tax review goes beyond simple financial gain. It’s also about the sense of calm that it can bring, leaving you safe in the knowledge that you won’t be hit by a surprise tax bill or be caught on the back foot

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www.platinummediagroup.co.uk

THE VALUE OF ADVICE

I’ve previously written about the importance of ladies having a financial adviser on their power teams, and financial guidance can really come into its own when it comes to keeping a watchful eye on your tax situation – even when it’s the furthest thing from your mind.

If you’re already drawing on your pension or contemplating dipping into it, an adviser can help guide you through accessing your cash in the most taxefficient way, taking all your finances into account. After all, the last thing you want to do is risk a big tax bill by taking a lump sum out of your pension when you could have taken it tax-free from another pot!

What’s more, if you own a business, an adviser can help you make sure you’re making the most of your tax allowances throughout the year – not just at tax year-end! Tax breaks and allowances can also help you grow your personal wealth, and taking advice can help make sure you use them to your full advantage – whether you want to build a nest egg to support a child or grandchild, or feather your own nest and grow your retirement savings.

PROMOT IONA L

FE AT U R E

ADDED PEACE OF MIND

It’s impossible to say how much money an annual tax review could save; however, when I talk to my clients, it’s clear that the value of a proper tax review goes far beyond financial gain.

It’s about the sense of calm that it can bring, leaving you safe in the knowledge that you won’t be hit by a surprise tax bill or be caught on the back foot.

I’m here to help – contact me today for a no-obligation review!

The value of an investment with St. James’s Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds you select and the value can therefore go down as well as up. You may get back less than you invested.

The levels and bases of taxation, and reliefs from taxation, can change at any time and are dependent on individual circumstances.

Wellesley Wealth Advisory is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Groups wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Groups website www.sjp.co.uk/products. Wellesley Wealth Advisory is a trading name of Wellesley Investment Management Ltd.

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◗ Samantha Kaye Chartered Financial Planner | Adviser Wellesley House, 50 Victoria Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 9LH T: 01444 849809 E: samantha.kaye@sjpp.co.uk www.wellesleywa.co.uk

www.platinummediagroup.co.uk

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FE AT U R E

Recent research from Ezra, the leading provider of digital coaching, has taken a look at the average amount of income received over the course of national public holidays; including bank holidays government holidays, non-working national holidays or sectorial holidays over the course of the year.

Is the 4-day week really an option?

The research found that the United Kingdom sits 32nd in the list, with just eight national holidays and an average daily net income of £71 equating to just £570 in public holiday pay, whilst El Salvador, Nicaragua and Myanmar offer the most public holidays of any nation, with a total of 32 official public holidays.

Topping the charts is Switzerland, offering the best combination of additional holiday days at the highest rate of pay. The average person in Switzerland earns a net income of £130 per day, and with a total of 24 public holidays throughout the year, that’s a

£3,131 paycheque for public holiday time off.

However, this has raised some questions around where the optimal holiday to work ratio lies. Unfortunately, there seems to be little correlation between the amount paid for public holidays and GDP per capita.

Though we might not be able to directly relate any benefits to having a larger amount of public holidays, there are certainly other studies that have been undertaken that have examined the benefits of working fewer hours weekly.

Some of you may have heard of Iceland’s nationwide study which examined the benefits and disadvantages of the ‘four-day working week’ - which 86% of its population now work to whilst maintaining full pay, but the findings have strong implications for potential changes to Britain’s labour model and how we structure our working week.

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FE AT U R E

Despite the common term, Iceland didn’t actually try a week that consisted of four working days. Instead, they reduced the number of hours worked within the week from 40 down to 35/36, whilst still being present at work on each of the five days during the week. To achieve this they introduced flexible working, such as sending home childcare workers when parents picked up their children early, or simply closing government offices earlier, often on a Friday afternoon.

Another slight misconception about the study is that all jobs were able to be done in a lower amount of hours, the

Icelandic government found that one area that particularly suffered was healthcare, causing them to need to hire more healthcare workers at a cost of £24.2 million annually.

Whilst a small portion of the study found that their industry didn’t benefit from lower working hours without additional compensation, across the board there was found to be no drop in productivity, whilst some areas actually reported an increase. Alongside the inspiring productivity reports, there was also wide reports of lower stress levels, lower fatigue and generally less burnout experienced by workers.

Most interestingly, interviews from the trials suggested that men took on more domestic responsibilities when working fewer hours

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A large amount of the evidence was sourced from tracking various government services. Some examples of this data are how a government call centre showed an 8% increase in calls answered during the study, from 85% to 93%, whilst the Department of Accountancy showed a 6.5% increase in invoices entered. These statistics also carry over to the police department, where the average amount of cases closed per month climbed from 7.8% to 8.8%. However, there was also a slight adjustment period, with wait times initially increasing at the beginning of the trial, but then falling back down to pre-trial levels after the first few months.

Perhaps most interestingly, interviews from the trials suggested that men took on more domestic responsibilities when working fewer hours, and all demographics spent more time with friends and family, reporting a large increase in quality of life. One possible

FE AT U R E

NUMBER OF PUBLIC HOLIDAYS COMPARED WITH HIGHEST LEVEL OF PUBLIC HOLIDAY PAY Nation Region Public Adjusted net

holidays national income

per capita (GBP) Switzerland Europe 24 £47,614 Iceland Europe 12 £41,973 United States Americas 12 £40,236 Germany Europe 13 £28,375 France Europe 11 £24,548 Italy Europe 12 £20,054 United Kingdom Europe 8 £26,010 El Salvador Americas 32 £2,466 Nicaragua Americas 32 £1,247 Equatorial Guinea Sub-Saharan Africa 14 £2,397 Myanmar Asia-Pacific 32 £921

reason for men taking on more domestic responsibilities as a whole is a greater work-life balance being introduced, where men would traditionally be working more hours than their partners in young families due to perceptions of gender roles in society. When it comes to which person takes on more working hours in the house, if those roles are broken down more by introducing the ‘four-day week’ then there may be a potential for wider gender equality when it comes to career development and domestic labour.

Similar to our poor public holiday statistics, Britain has some of the longest weekly working hours in Europe – the Office for National Statistics claims an average of 36.2 weekly hours, while union TUC’s research suggests 42. These figures roughly put British full-time employees at two and a half weeks’ worth of hours more a year than the EU average. By reducing our national

Adjusted net national income per day (GBP) £130.45 £115.00 £110.23 £77.74 £67.25 £54.94 £71.26 £6.76 £3.42 £6.57 £2.52

Est income for public holidays (GBP) £3,131 £1,380 £1,323 £1,011 £740 £659 £570 £216 £109 £92 £81

working hours on a similar level to Iceland, we are likely to see an increase in public health, as a quarter of all sick days taken are a result of overworking, whilst also potentially seeing an increase in gender equality and productivity; proving we have much to learn from the Icelandic pioneers.

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By Alison Jones, Partner Kreston Reeves

WHAT’S THE PLAN?PART 2 Why did you decide to set up your own business and is it on track to fulfil the goals you have for it, yourself and the life you want to lead? If it isn’t, what needs to change or have your own personal goals now changed?

In my last article, I wrote about the feedback I’ve had from a number of business owners who now feel they are running a start-up organisation once again, as so much in life has changed due to the pandemic. So don’t be afraid to review why you are running your

Don’t be afraid to review why you are running your business and ask if it is delivering everything that you hoped it would

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business and ask if it is delivering everything that you hoped it would.

You might need to rewrite your business plan to keep your business on track and growing.

That said, we have all had time to reflect over the last couple of years and many people have decided they want something different from life, or they want to use their talents and skills to give something back to society and to help build a stronger future for all.

A few business owners I have spoken

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Pension planning can seem a real chore in your 20s and 30s, but your older self will thank you in the years to come

to recently have also said they don’t have the same energy and drive to effectively start again, and they also don’t want the stress. They certainly aren’t alone, as the number of companies closing down and being struck-off the Companies House register in the first quarter of 2021 totalled 39,601, an increase of 743% on the same period in 2020.

It is worth noting that these figures should be viewed with caution, as there are concerns about CBILS and BBLS loan fraud. The Government is proposing increasing the powers granted to the Insolvency Service (The Ratings Coronavirus and Directors Qualification Dissolved Companies Bill) enabling it to investigate and disqualify the directors of dissolved companies.

If, however, you decide to exit the

business or if you decide there is no future for the business, then it is important to speak to your professional advisors about this as early, so they can advise you about the options available to you, to help you transition to the next stage. Especially in light of these new powers.

It is also worth considering other options such as whether your business can operate with less of your involvement or at a reduced level, to still provide you

with an income and to meet your life goals, without many of the stresses a larger business has. There is no point in being a busy fool.

Finally, don’t forget the personal financial goals you have, the age at which you plan to retire and the income you will need to live the type of retirement you want. Reviewing your personal wealth goals is just as important as planning for your business and it should be done regularly to make sure they are still on track.

Pension planning can seem a real chore in your 20’s and 30’s, but your older self will thank you in the years to come. Just ask anyone aged over 40!

As I said in my last article, now is the time to take stock and to plan ahead.

Whilst it is certainly likely we will be learning to live with Covid in the future, we shouldn’t forget to live life now, to enjoy our working and personal lives and to make sure it fulfils everything we hope and dream of.

◗ Alison Jones is Partner at Kreston Reeves alison.jones@krestonreeves.com T: 01273 811000 or 0330 124 1399 www.krestonreeves.com

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H E A LT H

Recognising ADHD in Women To date, there have been few and limited studies conducted on the manifestation of ADHD in women. Consequently, the mainstream ADHD model skews toward symptoms presenting in the male population but women’s lived experiences and the clinical observations of health care professionals are increasingly showing that there can be significant differences in the manifestation of consequences of ADHD symptoms between the sexes. By Tess de Klerk ADHD was first defined based on the behaviours of hyperactive boys, and ADHD in girls is often overlooked.

The condition can be divided into three subtypes: hyperactive/impulsive, inattentive and a combination of the two. Although the severity of ADHD symptoms can settle down as people age and learn to manage the symptoms, the root manifestations remain the same. Male and female symptoms may mirror each other but males tend toward the hyperactive/impulsive, which can present as ‘always on the go’, making quick decisions without thinking of the

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consequences, general impatience (especially when required to queue anywhere), speaking over people and excessive movement. Females often tend more toward the more subtle inattentive subgroup which only became recognised as a subtype in 1994. The commonly assigned manifestations of inattentiveness are forgetfulness, tardiness, poor organisational skills, jumping from task to task and anxiety but ADHD in women is rarely that straightforward.

On top of the above symptoms, women often labour under the added

burden of fluctuating hormones, restrictive gender roles and a greater tendency to self-doubt. Subtle ADHD presentations can easily be misinterpreted and disguised as girls mask their behaviour to conform to gender role expectations to find acceptance. Later on in life, these women struggle with an internalised sense of impairment and despair that affects their self-confidence and levels of achievement.

A woman dealing with ADHD may blame herself for feeling overwhelmed, disorganised or unmotivated at work instead of recognising that she is living with a disorder. She may censor her overwhelming emotions rather than risk inappropriate responses but when she is less guarded frustrations bubble over as she lashes out at partners or children. Such unintended outbursts can leave her feeling demoralised and

H E A LT H

Itai Berger, MD, most studies have considered monthly changes in sex hormones a nuisance to be controlled, or have ignored it completely by focusing exclusively on male subjects.

Subtle ADHD presentations can easily be misinterpreted and disguised as girls mask their behaviour to conform to gender role expectations to find acceptance overwhelmed with regret. Without a neurobiological explanation, she may blame herself and her ‘flawed character’.

Consequently, anxiety and depression are frequently diagnosed in adult women when ADHD is actually the underlying cause. Chronic sleep deprivation and dysregulated eating patterns are common and physical manifestations such as nail-biting or fidgeting are a way of attempting to dissipate excess energies. Women with ADHD are more likely to present with compulsive behaviours and substance abuse than their counterparts without the condition. They are also more likely to suffer from conditions related to chronic stress such as fibromyalgia and hypertension.

HORMONES COME INTO PLAY TOO

ADHD CAN BE A SUPERPOWER

Hormone fluctuations throughout the female lifetime also play a major role in the manifestation of ADHD symptoms.

Monthly fluctuations of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone impact symptoms, with a drop in premenstrual hormone levels exacerbating ADHD symptoms. Low estrogen triggers greater irritability and disruptions of mood, sleep, and concentration.

As estrogen levels drop throughout menopause, ADHD symptoms can intensify but according to researchers Ronit Haimov-Kochman, MD, and

Google successful people with ADHD and Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Einstein and many other famous names pop up but the lack of females is glaringly obvious. We know that this is not because "girls can't really have ADHD". No, it is because the traditional parameters of diagnosis have been based on the symptoms of hyperactive boys. Thankfully, this is changing as it is essential that the neurodivergence of ADHD in women and girls is recognised since learning how to channel symptoms can turn them into superpowers! When people with ADHD harness their inherent hyperfocus, creativity, problem-solving skills and phenomenal multitasking abilities, to name but a few, they can accomplish much more, much faster than many without this condition.

PERFECTIONISM

Interestingly, girls with ADHD may develop into highly-strung perfectionists. Many girls partly develop their self-esteem through early academic achievements and continue to rely on their intellect to compensate for their ‘flawed character’ into adulthood but their struggles in maintaining attention and focus cause them to doubt their intellectual abilities. Since they are less likely than boys to have been diagnosed with ADHD, less likely to have received help and acceptance and less likely to understand their own neurological needs, they tend to compare themselves unfavourably to colleagues who appear to achieve effortlessly. They judge themselves harshly and are determined to mask their struggles by projecting a flawless facade but this relentless selfmonitoring is fueled by exhausting anxiety. For example, she might spend most of her free time working, preparing obsessively to ensure that her work is to the highest standard but when something falls through the cracks she is left feeling utterly worthless and depressed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND RESOURCES https://chadd.org/understanding-adhd www.additudemag.com/what-is-adhdsymptoms-causes-treatments www.nhs.uk/conditions/attention-deficithyperactivity-disorder-adhd/symptoms

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MOTOR I NG

DYNAM I C

THE KERMIT CAR

Why colour is so important under the cover of darkness STATS

By Motoring Editor, Fiona Shafer, MD of MDHUB

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Model tested: Audi TTRS Coupé Engine: 2480cc Power: 400bhp Speed: 0-62 3.7 secs Top: 155 mph limited Economy: 31.7 combined Price from: £57,240

Whilst one might think that driving and reviewing a wide range of new and thrilling cars is one of the key perks of writing for Dynamic, it is actually the questions that arise from these experiences that are at times – equally (if not more) interesting and important for the potential purchaser.

As a result of a last-minute handover of the Audi TTRS Coupé with Maarten, I had not received the Advance Technical Spec but only the car keys.

So, imagine my slight alarm when I found myself face to face with what can only be described as an ostentatiously

neon, radioactive green car (Kyalami Green), the exact same shade as Kermit The Frog. Looking at an Audi – Sport forum, someone described the colour as like “being hit over the head with a baseball bat” – ouch.

My research into cars and their colours suggests that only the really audacious car models and their equally audacious owners can carry off such a colour – apparently Coupés can get away with bigger and brighter colours due to their sleeker exteriors and their very high performance. And one could argue that they are safer as they stand out more – more on that later...

I had 48 hours, a pair of very dark sunglasses and the option to go incognito to review it.

Clearly, that latter was not going to happen, so my introverted nature decided to embrace my inner Kermit and put my foot down and see what happened next.

Well, 0-62 mph in 3.7 seconds is

MOTOR I NG

YAY

THE VERDICT

◗ E xtraordinary acceleration ◗ F abulously fitted B&O sound system ◗ H ighly competitive price – a whole lot of car for £57,240.00. Compared to £80K – Nissan GTR and £127K – Porsche 911 ◗ S harp as cathedral glass brakes ◗ G reat driving position and plenty of legroom

NAY ◗ T he colour ◗ Sensitivity of the handling – just when you think you were settling in, it unnerved you especially on tight bends ◗ The MMI sound system was one of the least intuitive I have ever experienced and I found it hugely and endlessly frustrating ◗ I had to check out on YouTube as to how to work it all out along with 86,822 other people ◗ Huge boot space but a heavy manual door ◗ B ack seat is tiny and not worthy of that name There is a sign on the door saying that anyone over 5ft tall should not enter the space

7.5/10 This is a car is scarily fast, deliciously throaty and best placed for an Audi TT enthusiast, not a mere mortal like me

what happened next, which almost made my eyebrows fall off, leaving most normal mortals transported somewhere into another time warp or into the boot or in my case, Sainsbury’s car park in Royal Tunbridge Wells.

It is faster than a Porsche 911 Carerra 4S out of the traps – which is saying something.

With Aerosmith playing on the seriously fabulous B&O sound system, the mischievous imp in me thought that it would be a good ruse to drive up the A26, through and around the notable spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, to see if the “disgusted of Tunbridge Wells” Telegraph readers might lose all control of their Conservative faculties as I whizzed by, the vibrations from the roar of the Audi sending slices of lemon and ice cubes akimbo from their gin and tonics.

Having driven a bright red Audi TT by accident a few years ago as it was the only hire car available at the time, I am not a stranger to this “colour anxiety “ and it also gave me a chance to live out a basic Audi TT experience.

Fun, fast and great for motorway

driving but I also found it very light to drive and whilst I am sure this added to the driving sensibilities, it also left me feeling slightly vulnerable. It did not feel solid.

I had a slightly enhanced experience of this with the RS, whilst it handles well on firm, smooth and dry surfaces, I felt a lot less confident on more uneven rural roads. The RS carries more than 60% of its body weight over the front axle and its rear weight distribution is more like a proper hot hatchback than a sports car.

It sits 10mm lower than the standard TT as well and I kept on having to look at

It is faster than a Porsche 911 Carerra 4S out of the traps – which is saying something

the tyres as they were so low profile as to be almost non-existent.

Returning to car colour, I ended up researching this out of curiosity. Black is the top-selling colour in 2021, followed by grey. New car sales tend to be grey, black and white – all conservative colours, which can apparently help hold a car’s value. Interestingly, the most exciting it got was orange being the seventh most popular colour but it had to be a burnt orange and not a “stand out and shout at you” neon orange.

Sober colours have a broader appeal with green and yellow having a much smaller percentage of the market.

Insurers will rack up premiums for “hot metallics” as the paint is far more expensive to replace after an accident – so parents (or older hipsters) take note of this. Smaller cars suit big colours better and often appeal to a younger market. And green cars are a lot less likely to have accidents than grey ones.

Sorry if this is now sounding like a GCSE Maths conundrum.

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01483 916291 www.sandown-group.co.uk

*BUSINESS USERS ONLY. Based on an EQA 250 AMG Line Auto. Advance Rental of £2,175. 8,000 miles per annum. 48 month (9+47) Contract Hire agreement. All rentals exclude VAT at 20%.

No ownership option. Vehicle condition, excess mileage and other charges may be payable. Rental includes Vehicle Excise Duty for the contract duration. Orders/credit approvals on selected models between 27 July and 30 September 2021, registered by 31 December 2021. Subject to availability, offers cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Some combinations of features/options may not be available. Sandown Surrey and Hampshire Limited & Sandown Dorset and Wiltshire Limited are appointed representatives of ITC Compliance Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (their registration number is 313486). Permitted activities include advising on and arranging general insurance contracts and acting as a credit broker not a lender. We can introduce you to a limited number of finance providers and do not charge fees for our Consumer Credit services. We may receive a payment(s) or other benefits from finance providers should you decide to enter into an agreement with them. The payment we receive may vary between finance providers and product types. The payment received does not impact the finance rate offered. All finance applications are subject to status, terms and conditions apply, UK residents only, 18’s or over, Guarantees may be required. Image for illustration purpose only. Based on EQA 250 Sport. [1] The indicated values were determined according to the prescribed measurement method – Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). Figures shown may include options which are not available in the UK. Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) require mains electricity for charging, range figures determined with the battery fully charged. Figures shown are for comparability purposes; only compare with other cars tested to the same technical procedures. Figures may not reflect real life driving results, which will depend upon a number of factors including the starting charge of the battery, factory-fitted options, accessories fitted (post registration), variations in weather, driving styles and vehicle load. Further information about the test used to establish fuel consumption and CO2 figures can be found at www.mercedes-benz.co.uk/WLTP. [2] Specified voltage and current values refer to network infrastructure and can be limited by the vehicle. Times are from 10–80% charge using public rapid charging at 100 kW.