Platinum Business Magazine issue 46

PLATINUM BUSINESS MAGAZINE ISSUE 46. 2018

The Largest Circulation Regional Business Publication in the UK. Introducing the all-new

PLATINUM SPORT

MOTORING Audi SQ7 VW T-Roc

LEWIS HAMILTON World Number 1

TALENT ACQUISITION Hire and retain the best staff

Travel

ABU DHABI

THE WINNERS NEW WEBSITE: WWW.PLATINUMPUBLISHING.CO.UK

2B E F O R E

A P R I L 2 5 T H 2 018 AT W W W. BA H BA . C O. U K

START- UP OF THE YEAR sponsored by British Airways i360

GREEN BUSINESS OF THE YEAR sponsored by Green Growth Platform

BEST INDEPENDENT RETAILER AWARD sponsored by Churchill Square

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD sponsored by Uniglobe Travel

INNOVATION IN BUSINESS sponsored by University of Brighton

FOOD & DRINK DESTINATION OF THE YEAR sponsored by Platinum Business Magazine

BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY AWARD sponsored by Heart FM

CORPORATE FUNDRAISER OF THE YEAR sponsored by Rockinghorse

THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AWARD sponsored by Quantuma LLP

CHAMBER MEMBER OF THE YEAR

sponsored by Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR sponsored by Client Privé

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR sponsored by ACES Magazine

SME BUSINESS OF THE YEAR sponsored by Hilton Sharp & Clarke

BUSINESSPERSON OF THE YEAR sponsored by NatWest

COMPANY OF THE YEAR sponsored by DMH Stallard

OUTSTANDING BRIGHTONIAN sponsored by Skerritts Wealth Management

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Sky Dining Spend an elegant evening dining among the stars

Conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects.

Sky Dining is now available for private and corporate hire.

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Find out more and book at BritishAirwaysi360.com/SkyDining

Welcome

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THE BIG STORY LEWIS HAMILTON The most decorated sportsman in British history.

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THE WINNERS

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ALWAYS BE HIRING

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THE GROWERS

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TALENT ACQUISITION AND RETENTION

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MOTORING

The victors from the Gatwick Diamond Awards

Si Conroy says we should always be looking for talent

Who are the county’s fastest-growing companies?

A Breakthrough Moments debate hosted by Santander

At a Glance 6 Local & National News 18 NatWest - Be Aware 20 The Gatwick Diamond Awards 26 Carpenter Box - Equity Release 28 Kreston Reeves - Business Forecast 30 DMH Stallard - Prepare for the Worst 32 LMS - Cyber Essentials 34 Si Conroy - Always be Hiring 37 British Airways i360 - Sky Dining 38 Sussex Growth Awards 2018 40 Ticketmedia -The Ticket Master 42 Santander Breakthrough Moments 52 Business Travel - Abu Dhabi 56 Mailing Expert - Responsible Mailing 57 Charity News 58 Emma Pearce - The Platinum Club 62 Brighton Fringe 63 West Sussex Expo Platinum Sport 67 Introduction 68 News 70 Lewis Hamilton 76 Rob Andrew 79 When Business Meets‌ 84 Gary Stevens 86 Active Sussex 87 How to buy a Boat 89 The View from the Sofa 90 Education News 92 Motoring - Audi SQ7 94 Motoring - VW T-Roc 96 Net XP Expo 97 Chamber Events 100 Anger Management 102 Institute of Directors

Maarten Hoffmann reviews the Audi SQ7 and the VW T-Roc

PLATINUM PUBLISHING

GROUP

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 The Platinum Publishing Group.

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Issue 46 - 2018

A word from the Editors This is an exciting time of Platinum as we launch our brand new Platinum Sport section in this issue.

Laurence Elphick is our Head of Sport and has been hard at it with interviews, profiles and news ensuring that we bring you all the sport in the region, and further afield.

He has en exclusive interview with ex-Rugby legend and now the CEO of Sussex Cricket, Rob Andrew and an exclusive chat with Gary Stevens. He also has five regional business leaders speaking about their favourite sport.

Maarten knows absolutely sod all about sport, outside of F1 and Rugby, and therefore he gets his hand in with a profile of the most decorated sportsman in British history, Lewis Hamilton. He has also been a tad busy ripping up the Sussex tarmac in a behemoth Audi SQ7.

We have all the news of the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards and celebrate with the winners and we present our second Santander Breakthrough Moments series investigating Talent Acquisition and Recruitment. Rose has been busy in Abu Dhabi and Ian has been looking at the exciting new idea of dining at 450ft for the first such experience on the British Airways i360.

So, welcome to the new look magazine that remains the largest circulation regional business magazine in the UK and for that we thank you, our readers, and there are lots more changes coming.

Bigger and better, upward and onwards.

Maarten & Ian Platinum Business Magazine April 2018

The Team

Maarten Hoffmann – Director maarten@platinumpublishing.co.uk

07966 244046

Ian Trevett – Director ian@platinumpublishing.co.uk

07989 970804

Lesley Alcock

Fiona Graves

Laurence Elphick

Kate Morton

Rose Dykins

Business Development Director

Events Director

Head of Sport

Copy Editor

Travel Editor

Amanda Harrington

Beth Nash

Amanda Menahem

Steve Elford

James Morrison

Head of Design

Digital Manager

Food & Drink Editor

Head of Web Development

Head of Web Design

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News

LOCAL NEWS Watching the Snails Brandwatch, the leading social intelligence group, has signed up as Headline Sponsor for Snailspace, this autumn’s public art event presented by Martlets.

Katja Garrood, Creative Director at Brandwatch said: “We are very excited to be involved in this project as, despite being a global company, our home town is Brighton. It is fantastic to be able to participate in and help facilitate an inclusive event that is good for the whole city, whilst at the same time helping Martlets. Snailspace is an event we know our staff will love being part of, as well as offering them plenty of creative opportunities.

Imelda Glackin, CEO Martlets Hospice said, “By backing this campaign Brandwatch will help ensure that this event goes on to raise significant funds for patient care and our vital community services. Having Brandwatch on board is a real endorsement of the importance and impact of the event on the city as a whole.”

To download a sponsorship pack, visit www.snailspace.co.uk or email sarah.harvey@martlets.org.uk Photo ©Vervate Photography

“Business has only two functions – marketing and innovation”

Designing with Acoustics in mind Vega Europe has acquired an Acoustics Treatment and Furnishings division, complementing Vega’s Audio-visual and Video Conferencing portfolio.

Clients and architects have started to pay more attention to acoustic treatments of rooms, with evidence showing a majority of new builds and refurbishments having an acoustics package included.

Tim Dobson, Sales & Commercial Director at Vega, stated “Video conferencing technology is now of a very high standard, which in turn has increased the user’s expectations, especially when it comes to the sound quality.”

Jamie Hennelly, Acoustic Manager added “With many offices now introducing Apple-esq shiny surfaces, glazed partitions and industrial style open ceilings, acoustic treatment and soft furnishings play an important part in the design of a space.”

Visit https://vega-global.eu/eu/acoustics for more information.

Tunsgate Quarter opens in Guildford Tunsgate Quarter, the 80,000 sq ft high-quality shopping and dining destination in Guildford town centre opened in March.

Stuart Harris, Commercial Director and Co-Founder at Queensberry, said: “We’re thrilled to be welcoming our first customers to the new centre. Including store fit-outs, over £30 million has been invested into Tunsgate Quarter to create an attractive and appealing shopping and dining destination with a stunning new atrium at its heart. We’re so pleased with the way our vision has been brought to life connecting the High Street, Tunsgate, and Castle Street.”

Paul Spooner, Leader of Guildford Borough Council, added: “It has been exciting to see the vision we supported for Tunsgate Quarter come to life.

The design of the centre has been delivered with sensitivity to some of Guildford’s iconic landmarks, offering outstanding views of, and now from, Guildford Castle.”

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News

Charity kitchen takeover at the Arora Renowned chef Frank Coughlan took over the kitchens at the Arora Hotel in Crawley to prepare a four-course banquet in aid of Springboard, the hospitality sector’s charity which helps to nurture young unemployed into work.

Crawley Town Mayor Cllr Brian Quinn and his wife Sue were among the guests at a charity dinner just before Frank set off on Springboard’s annual trek to Vietnam. The chef had already raised around £21,000 for the charity. When he is out in Vietnam, Frank will be helping to rebuild a school in the poor province of Ham Yen. Back in the UK, the Springboard charity will use this money to support 70 people who face hardship and difficulties, giving them a chance to join one of its lifechanging programmes.

Frank is currently the executive head chef of BaxterStorey, overseeing the BA Lounge contract throughout the UK, but has been head chef at an impressive list of high profile

The Cloud - Down Under MHA Carpenter Box has embarked on an exchange programme with an Australian firm of accountants, with a cloud accounting expert from each practice flying to the other side of their respective worlds to share best practice.

MHA Carpenter Box has just welcomed Hayden Winters from Smart Business Solutions near Melbourne to its Worthing office on a four month secondment. At the same time, MHA Carpenter Box Accounts Senior, David Taylor, a member of the firm’s Platinum accredited ACCA training programme, has recently settled into life at the Melbourne firm.

Frank and his wife Sandra with Crawley Town Mayor and Mayoress Cllr Brian and Sue Quinn, and Arora Hotel Operations Manager Laura Walker

“Stopping advertising to save money is like stopping your watch to save time”

£10 billion can unlocked by South East businesses Businesses in the South East have the potential to tap into an extra £10 billion GVA (gross value added) in 2018 if they can overcome key barriers and exploit opportunities, according to a new report from Grant Thornton UK LLP. The report, Planning for Growth, found that across the UK the potential GVA to be unlocked amounts to a staggering £72.5 billion – this level of growth could translate in to 1.4 million jobs. With the UK economy expected to grow just 1.5% in 2018, missed growth could prove game-changing in making the UK a more vibrant economy.

Hayden said, “Although it’s been a bit chilly weatherwise, my first few weeks at MHA Carpenter Box have been outstanding – I’ve been given a really warm welcome by a great team with a great culture.”

For businesses to succeed, they need to emulate the attributes of ‘Growth Generators’: a group of sustainable, high growth companies identified by Grant Thornton, who have recorded growth of 20% or more in the last year and sustainable growth for the last three.

MHA Carpenter Box Practice Director, Chris Coopey, commented: “This is a great career opportunity for Hayden and David and came about through the success of our Business, Innovation, Technology & Efficiency (BITE) events held in 2015 and 2017.

Ellen Walsh, Practice Leader for Gatwick at Grant Thornton, commented: ““We believe that if more UK businesses adopt a Growth Generator mindset, we can unlock the UK’s full growth potential and the private sector can lead the way in shaping a vibrant economy. There is no doubt that businesses in the South East have the capabilities to drive up their growth performance and move nearer to claiming that £10 billion productivity prize. It is a question of having the confidence when the right opportunities arise and being clear about the strategy for the future.”

Following these events, Smart Business Solutions contacted us and decided to run their own exciting BITE conference last year, with another scheduled for this May.”

www.grantthornton.co.uk/en/insights/

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WHERE GREAT BUSINESSES RUN The home of business success on the South Coast Choosing the right office location matters. Lakeside North Harbour offers a vibrant business community and unparalleled lifestyle wraparound to traditional workspace, helping you build success.

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To join the other great businesses running at Lakeside North Harbour, contact Karen on (+44) (0) 23 9238 9056 or karentyrrell@nwglidefern.co.uk

Selection of Grade A office space Great transport links including shuttle bus Open landscape for running and walking Children’s nursery Onsite hotel, gym and leisure facilities Shops and cafes

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J12 M27 | www.lakesidenorthharbour.com

News

LOCAL NEWS Gatwick is London Airport of the Year Gatwick has won Airport of the Year at the London Transport Awards – the third such award in recent months – with the organisers praising Gatwick’s £2.7 billion investment programme and transformation of the North Terminal, while also maintaining strong customer service.

The airport’s Airline Moves project was also cited after Gatwick’s three biggest airlines seamlessly switch terminals over a 72 hour period.

The awards – presented by Valarie Shawcross, Deputy London Mayor for Transport - recognise transport excellence, innovation, strong customer service and the provision of first-class passenger facilities.

Gatwick also picked up ‘Airport of the Year’ at the UK Transport Awards in October and was awarded ‘Best Airport’ by the Airport Operators Association – the airports’ trade body – in November. These were in addition to a range of other awards for IT innovation, sustainability, health and safety, security, retail provision and airfield management.

Chris Woodroofe, Chief Operating Officer, Gatwick Airport, said: “Achievements like this only happen because of the collective efforts and dedication that people working at the airport – not just Gatwick staff - put in 24 hours a day, every day. I would like to thank them for everything they have done and look forward to working with them over the next exciting twelve months.

“Gatwick has transformed itself into a world-leading airport and there’s plenty more to come. We are only half way through our £2.7 billion investment programme, our long haul network now reaches over 60 destinations and we have some exciting tech and service innovations coming soon.”

Croydon upgrade is boost for Brighton line Network Rail has received government funding for significant improvement on the London-Brighton line around the Croydon area.

The Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme is designed to remove the ‘Croydon bottleneck’ where several routes to and from central London converge. New junctions to be installed are compared to motorway flyovers and will replace the existing junctions, where trains have to wait at red signals to allow others to pass.

East Croydon station will benefit from two extra passenger platforms.

John Halsall, Network Rail’s South East route managing director, said: “Redeveloping the railway through Croydon is the only practical way to further improve the reliability of services on the Brighton Main Line and transform journeys between London, Gatwick Airport and the south coast.

“The Croydon bottleneck is now the single biggest cause of congestion and delays to passengers on this vital rail artery and means that the railway is now effectively full at the busiest times of day. That’s not surprising when you consider that 50% more passengers pass through East Croydon each day than on the busiest parts of the East Coast or West Coast main lines.”

www.brightonmainline.co.uk.

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”

Only Finns and Horses Come rain or shine, you can get hot and sweaty on the beach in Brighton’s first ever Finnish Pop-up Sauna. Part of the Brighton Fringe Festival (4th May – 3rd June), WARMTH:Brighton is a traditional, woodfired sauna in a timber-lined, converted horsebox.

WARMTH:Brighton is brought to you by Brighton residents; Sauna Master, Katie Bracher and Wellbeing Entrepreneur, Liz Watson. WARMTH sauna was originally conceived and built by Bethany Wells, as a commission by Compass Live Art and supported by Arts Council England.

Katie Bracher explains. “An authentic sauna awakens all the senses, whilst also being a health-giving and endorphin-boosting experience’, ‘There is a real lack of traditional saunas in Brighton, so it’s very exciting to be bringing this unique, log-fired and steam-filled sauna to this city during the Fringe Festival. A real pocket of Finland, right on Brighton beach - it is the perfect location to sauna as it offers the opportunity to connect with the beach.

Heat up in the sauna, then run out into the sea for an invigorating plunge.

www.brightonfringe.org

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News

NATIONAL NEWS Stress Busters Research conducted by AXA Business Insurance has revealed that self-employed life is significantly less stressful than being permanently employed. In the survey, 78% of self-employed people described themselves as stressed to some extent, whilst nine in ten of those working for an employer said the same.

11% of workers say they are constantly stressed, which falls to just 2% for self-employed workers.

Fewer self-employed workers said their stress came from their work life, 42% compared to 61% of company employees.

Gareth Howell, managing director, AXA Direct, said: “We have the stereotype of the adrenalin driven entrepreneur and assume that being your own boss is always stressful. Looking at our index, self-employed people do indeed appear stressed, but that’s only before you compare them to everyone else. This is a fascinating bit of insight: does life just get less stressful when you’re self-employed, or do you simply become more resilient?”

Bright n’ Bountiful

London Hot Spots

The High Growth Small Business urban hub league table says that three out of every five high-growth businesses are located outside of London and the south east. They’re also responsible for creating one in three new jobs - three times the number created by FTSE 100.

London continues to dominate UK tourism, despite a combination of terrorism acts and unreliable rail links.

The 2017 figures from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) show the top 10 tourist spots are once again in the capital, while Edinburgh now takes 11th and 12th place.

According to new research from Informi which researched 63 cities, Brighton came out as one of the best places in the UK to start a small business - the local economy is estimated to be worth around £1bn in Brighton. In 2016, Edinburgh was named the best city in the UK to launch a startup; Cambridge scored highly in opportunity, innovation and entrepreneurship, boasting 24,476 companies with a combined turnover of £35.6bn. Just behind London and Cambridge, Leeds is at the forefront for fast-growing scale-ups - businesses that have achieved three years of 20% growth; whilst Manchester’s business survival rate is 35.9%, with businesses opening at five times the rate of Cambridge.

The British Museum is the outright UK winner, with 5.9 million visitors last year, with Tate Modern taking second place from the National Gallery. The V&A, Science Museum, Southbank Centre, Somerset House, Tower of London and Royal Museums Greenwich complete the top 10.

Bernard Donoghue, director of ALVA, said: “Overseas leisure visitors say that their primary reasons to visit the UK are to experience our history, heritage and world-leading cultural institutions, and this is borne out by our 2017 visitor numbers.”

Flix hits a high “Litigation is the basic legal right which guarantees every corporation its decade in court”

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From DVD postal service to streaming mega giant, Netflix’s stock market value topped $100billion (£71billion) last month as customer numbers soared to more than 117 million in over 190 countries – watching 140 million hours of binge worthy TV shows and movies a day.

Another 6.3 million users were expected by the end of last month – just under half in the US and the rest around the world. Netflix refuses to say how many UK customers it has but analysts put it at over seven million. Plans are now in place to spend nearly £6billion on new content this year. To put this into perspective, the BBC last year had just £1.7billion to spend on its TV programmes.

News

Happy Place Finland has emerged from a 10-year economic depression to be ranked by the UN as the happiest place to live on the planet, knocking Norway off the top spot. The World Happiness Report measures "subjective well-being" - how happy people feel they are, and why. Nordic countries regularly appear in the top five, while war-hit countries and a number in sub-Saharan Africa regularly appear in the bottom five.

Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland were the other countries in the top five. The UK and US came in at 19th and 18th places respectively. Togo is seen to be this year's biggest gainer, moving up 17 places, while the biggest loser is Venezuela, which dropped 20 places to 102nd. Burundi was the least happy, taking over from the Central African Republic.

This is not a stitch up Research conducted by a neuroscientist at the University of Richmond has found that keeping your hands busy can help you to feel more in control of the world around you and can improve your mood. During the nineteenth century, doctors prescribed knitting to women who were overcome by anxiety, and in this study, Dr Kelly Lambert found that knitting could potentially alter the chemistry of the brain in the same way that drugs do.

Dr Kelly Lambert, who works with rats to study the connection between the brain and hands, found that rats who were made to dig for a reward showed greater signs of mental health benefits, compared with rats who were just given their treat. Rats who didn't have to get hands on with a task to receive a reward were found to have elevated levels of hormones related to stress.

This research found that the repetitive movement of knitting could increase certain neurochemicals in the brain neurochemicals like dopamine and serotonin are crucial for mood stabilisation.

Phili’s gone a bit silly Chancellor Philip Hammond said he was “proud” of the economy - despite it suffering the slowest growth for five years. Figures show gross domestic product - the value of everything the country produces - expanded by a limp 1.8% in 2017. That was down from 1.9% in 2016, a sharp slowdown from 2.3% in 2015 and worst growth since 2012, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Better than expected 0.5% growth in the final three months of 2017 could not hide the fact that the economy is lagging behind many of our major competitors, including the US and Germany.

Peter Dowd, Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, commented: “It’s clear to everyone except Philip Hammond that with falling real wages and rising household debt, we need an urgent change of direction.

“The difference between a boss and a leader: A boss says just, ‘Go!’, a leader says, ‘Let’s go!”

A push for plug-ins Ministers have been urged to bring forward their 2040 ban on new diesel and petrol car sales by a decade, a move which an environmental thinktank said would almost halve oil imports and largely close the gap in the UK’s climate targets. The Green Alliance said a more ambitious deadline of 2030 is also needed to avoid the UK squandering its leadership on electric cars.

While the number of electric cars being sold in the UK has rocketed in the past four years, Germany overtook the UK last year in its rise in the registrations of new plug-in hybrids and 100% battery-powered cars. A 2030 ban on combustion engine models would boost sales of electrified cars in the UK and even raise the prospect of the country becoming a net vehicle exporter, the Green Alliance said.

Uni-leaver Britain’s third biggest company Unilever has picked Rotterdam over London for its main headquarters in a blow to Prime Minister Theresa May’s government a year before Brexit.

Under the new plan, the Anglo-Dutch maker of Dove soap, Lipton teas and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream will continue to be listed in London, Amsterdam and New York, and will divide into three divisions, keeping two based in Britain - this will enable it to retain its 7,300 staff in the UK. The company said the decision to end 88 years of two parent-ownership was not linked to Brexit, but would simplify its structure and facilitate acquisitions.

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News

NATIONAL NEWS For love or money?

The Sky’s the Limit

New research by Ipsos reveals that adults are far more likely to call time on a relationship than to sever ties with their bank, with the average Brit instigating 2.29 break ups, while most adults have changed their current account just 0.81 times.

Unmanned aerial vehicles are on course to revolutionise British business and transform sectors from transport to infrastructure, agriculture to medicine - across air, land, sea and space.

Personal finance expert Andrew Hagger, of Moneycomms.co.uk, believes there is a misplaced sense of fear when it comes to changing accounts. “People still think that switching bank accounts is really difficult, and have concerns because a current account is very central to all your finances,” he explains. “I do think there is this overriding fear that something will go wrong, because in the past the process wasn’t as slick as it is now.” The survey was conducted by Ipsos Mori on behalf of the Guardian and TSB.

The new standards are to be unveiled for the first time this spring in order to strengthen public confidence in the safety, security and compliance within an industry which is set to be one of the fastest growth sectors in the world.

David Brown of the British Standards Institution (BSI) says the new standards will accelerate innovation, boost productivity and enable trade, while promoting safety and consumer protection.

There are hopes Britain will be the world leader of an industry worth an estimated $100 billion by 2020.

“In the business world, the rear view mirror is always clearer than the windscreen”

Blast off from Britain

Spend your pennies

The creation of a UK spaceport is closer to becoming a reality with the signing of the Space Industry Bill, which gives companies the ability to build a facility and launch satellites.

The future of our pennies could soon be in doubt as the government launches a wide-ranging review of currency.

In a consultation paper released as part of Chancellor Philip Hammond’s Spring Statement, ministers question whether the current mix of eight coins and four banknotes denominated in pound sterling meets modern needs.

The legislation, which has received Royal Assent and became law, will allow UK businesses to conduct commercial space flights from a spaceport within the UK. "The Space Industry Bill will allow the first commercial space launch from UK soil in history," said a statement from the government's Department of Transport.

A number of sites have previously been earmarked as potential spaceport locations, including Glasgow, Newquay and Llanbedr in north Wales.

Once launched, the space satellites could help provide broadband to rural communities and monitor weather systems as they move around the earth.

The government report reveals that 60% of 1p and 2p coins are only used once before being saved in piggy banks or thrown away. An extra 500 million copper coins need to be minted each year to replace those falling out of circulation.

Many other countries, including Australia, Canada and Switzerland, have removed their lowest-denomination coins after inflation ate into their value.

The government is also considering dropping the £50 note, which it says is rarely used in everyday transactions.

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News

NATIONAL NEWS Britain’s bubble has burst U.S. drinkers overtook Britons as the world’s biggest buyers of champagne in 2017, after British purchases fell heavily for the second straight year following the vote to leave the EU, industry data has shown. Higher inflation since the Brexit referendum and slower wage growth have pinched the spending power of British consumers and left households more uncertain about their finances.

Billion dollar blow-out Astonishing new data has revealed that the five wealthiest entrepreneurs in the world have a whopping combined net worth of more than £319 billion - each earning well into the billion dollar bracket.

Despite many businesses promoting diversity as essential for the modern world, the list reveals that the top five billionaires primarily fit the white-male archetype, with four out of the five entrepreneurs both strongly Caucasian and hailing from the US. Three of the five billionaires made their money digitally - revealing technology’s further world domination as a wildly lucrative industry. The five wealthiest business owners are listed as: 1. Jeff Bezos, Amazon.

Net worth: £87 billion 2. Bill Gates, Microsoft.

Net worth: £66 billion

In volume terms, sales to Britons, long the biggest foreign buyers of champagne, fell 11% in 2017 after a 9% drop in 2016, said France’s champagne federation.

It was the first time the U.S. market has replaced Britain as the biggest buyer of the sparkling wine. French sales remained stable in value terms at 2.1 billion euros, out of a world total of 4.9 billion euros in 2017, the latest figures, released last month, said.

Jones moves from door to Dior The British designer, Kim Jones, who exited his role as men’s artistic director at Louis Vuitton in January, has been appointed as the new artistic director of Dior Homme. Jones’ appointment is the first big move by Pietro Beccari, the newly installed chairman and CEO of Christian Dior Couture, who joined the brand from Fendi in February. Jones will present his first collection for Dior Homme next June, during Paris men's fashion week. “I am delighted to welcome Kim Jones at Dior Homme,” Mr. Beccari said in a statement. “I am confident that he will continue to further develop Dior Homme on a global scale.”

3. Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway.

Net worth: £62 billion 4. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook.

Net worth: £53 billion 5. Amancio Ortega, Inditex.

Net worth: £51 billion

“If I tell you I want to be a door-todoor salesman, don’t knock it.”

West is Best in Europe Westfield London is now the largest shopping centre in Europe with the opening of a £600m extension. The 740,000sq-foot expansion of White City, west London, will increase the overall size of the centre to 2.6 million square foot to overtake Aviapark in Moscow and the Westgate shopping city in Zagreb, Croatia.

The key feature is a new state-of-the-art John Lewis department store over four levels and 230,000sq foot, while retailers including H&M, The White Company, Ugg and Cath Kidston will be launching bigger outlets within the new space. The new extension is launching six months ahead of schedule and will open in phases whilst Westfield Square, a new public events space surrounded with shops, dining and leisure outlets, will open in the summer.

The expansion will create 8,000 new jobs taking the total number at the centre to 20,000.

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Cybercrime

BE AWARE IN 2018 Social media spying, mobile malware, Brexit investment scams and World Cup rip-offs… NatWest reveals the EIGHT money scams to be aware of in 2018

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new report from NatWest and The Future Laboratory has identified the top ways they expect scammers and fraudsters will try and get their hands on consumers’ cash in 2018: from social media spying and planting malicious software on smart phones to Brexit, money muling and even taking advantage of the excitement around the Royal wedding. NatWest has also compiled advice for how consumers can keep themselves safe.

The NatWest Digital Safety 2018 report has found that while the banking industry is working hard to combat digital frauds and scams with innovative new systems, criminals are constantly coming up with new and more sophisticated ways to try and defraud customers.

NatWest is urging consumers and the banking industry as a whole to remain vigilant in order to stop scammers in their tracks.

As part of its commitment to protecting its customers from fraud and scams, NatWest has worked with research agency The Future Laboratory to analyse data from the last 18 months to predict eight frauds and scams expected to emerge as 2018 gets under way: 1. Social media spying: As we move into 2018 we can expect to see financial fraudsters target consumers in an increasingly personalised way. People can be very liberal with posting information on social media and might not realise how much they’re giving away, but to a fraudster the posts can be very helpful in setting up a scam. For example: A fraudster might spot a post from someone about moving to a new house and know it’s likely they will have funds from their previous property hitting their bank accounts soon. This could result in the fraudsters impersonating their solicitor and requesting for funds to be misdirected to them.

2. Malicious software on smartphones: An emerging threat is how malware will manifest in mobile banking on smartphones.

Malware is the malicious software criminal gangs use to spy on victims’ browsing habits. Up until now, malware has mainly been restricted to PCs, laptops and tablets, but it’s expected the threat will grow among mobile devices and people who ‘jailbreak’ their phones are especially at risk.

Digital Safety 2018

Digital Safety: 2018

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3. Bogus Brexit investments: As we enter 2018, Brexit remains a confusing issue for many people. Consumers should be wary of attempts from scammers to use our divorce from the EU to push fake investment opportunities. For example, scammers may email customers, warning Brexit will decimate their savings, and that they urgently need to move them into a seemingly plausible, but actually fake, investment product, safe from any potential Brexit fall out.

4. FIFA World Cup forgery: Football fanatics will be desperate to get hold of tickets to matches in Russia this summer for the World Cup. Tens of thousands of loyal fans will be hoping to head to Russia and looking for bargain tickets and travel companies to get them there. Some sites will sell tickets that are either fake – or will never arrive. It is also expected that counterfeit package trips to Russia will be sold by fake travel companies. These trips will never materialise, and the money will have disappeared into the pockets of criminals.

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5. Money mules: Mule recruiters are predicted to trawl social media for potential targets – particularly cash-strapped students in university towns – and use them to inadvertently launder money.

Money mules receive the stolen funds into their account, they are

Cybercrime

then asked to withdraw it and wire the money to a different account, often one overseas, keeping some of the money for themselves.

6. Royal Wedding fever: It’s not just Prince Harry and Meghan Markle getting married this year, lots of other couples will be tying the knot too. As the cost of weddings increases, experts fear brides and grooms are becoming easy prey for scammers who tempt victims with extravagant offers at bargain prices. Scammers can set up fake websites within minutes for elements of the big day like venue hire, catering, or wedding dresses that can look exactly like the real thing. Fake wedding planners will take people’s money and disappear into thin air.

7. Stealing hearts… and money: More than 16 million people were using dating apps in 2017 and this number is set to increase in 2018. Criminals create fake profiles to form a relationship with their victims. They use the messaging functionality to quickly (and subtly) mine personal details – where a person lives, a pet’s name, favourite sports team – and steal the customer’s identity and open credit cards and loans in their name.

Alternatively, they work to build a trusted relationship with their victim. Just when the victim thinks they’ve met the perfect partner the scammer asks for money – for example; they need money to pay for travel to come visit.

8. First-time buyers: With house prices beginning to fall in 2018, scammers are at the ready to steal deposits from first-time buyers who are desperate to own their first home. For example, computer hackers monitor emails sent by a solicitor and then they pounce, pretending to be the solicitor and telling them the solicitors’ bank account details have changed.

Julie McArdle, NatWest Security Manager said, “At NatWest, our top priority is keeping our customers safe and secure online. Financial fraud is now the most common crime in the UK, and we want to help our customers understand the different types of scams that

might emerge in 2018 and how they can best protect themselves.”

“Scammers are dogged in their attempts to get their hands on people’s money and are always looking for new ways to get ahead.

This means banks and customers need to evolve alongside scammers too. By being aware and staying ahead of scammers, we can stop them winning and keep the country’s money safe and secure.”

To download the report, please visit: https://www.rbs.com/rbs/ news/2018/03/natwest-reveals-theeight-money-scams-to-be-aware-ofin-2018-.html

To help customers navigate these potential frauds and scams, NatWest has developed its top tips for consumers to remember when banking online: 1. Be vigilant. Just because someone knows basic personal details (such as names and addresses or even a customer’s mother’s maiden name), it doesn’t mean they are genuine. We advise customers to listen to their instincts – if something feels wrong then it is usually right to pause and question it.

2. Customers should always follow their bank’s security advice and never provide remote access to their device when asked to do so following a cold call.

3. Customers should be cautious with what they disclose on social media and take precautions to ensure that their profile is private and only viewable to people they know.

4. We advise that customers should keep their mobile devices’ operating systems up to date to ensure that they have the latest security patches and upgrades. Think carefully before jailbreaking or rooting a device as it may weaken security and expose it to additional risks.

5. A genuine bank or organisation will never ask a customer to transfer money for fraud reasons or contact them out of the blue to ask for their PIN or full password. Stay in control and have the confidence to refuse unusual requests for information.

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Business Awards

Gatwick Diamond Business Awards 2018

THE WINNERS T

he winners of the 2018 Gatwick Diamond Business Awards have been announced.

MHA Carpenter Box picked up the sought after Business of the Year (over £1m turnover) and to mark the 10th anniversary of the awards, ILG was named the Business of the Decade.

The Awards were presented by TV comedian Brian Conley in front of a packed audience at the Copthorne Gatwick Effingham Park Hotel.

The Gatwick Diamond is home to a vast range of businesses, which span all sectors of the economy, from household names to niche companies, and from multinationals to sole traders.

The Business Award Winners are those businesses or people who have shown innovation and inspiration in their work, and have demonstrated a real commitment to this world-class region.

The Winners were unveiled at the 10th Anniversary of the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards at the Effingham Park Hotel, on 15th March, 2018.

The Headline Sponsors are B&CE, the Peoples Pension; Extech.co.uk; Gatwick Airport Ltd and NatWest. The Evening started with a Pre-Dinner Reception, and the evening rounded off with the now highly anticipated After-Show Party.

Brian Conley

Focus on

MHA CARPENTER BOX -

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (OVER £1M)

C

hris Coopey writes: 100 years ago, a young soldier called Harold Box was still serving in the Royal Sussex Regiment. Fortunately, he went on to survive the ‘Great War’ and subsequently took articles with Robert Carpenter in Brighton to train as a Chartered Accountant. A few years later the firm Carpenter Box was founded.

Whilst it’s great to have such an impressive pedigree, we understand that to be able to advise businesses on the best way forward, we have to be forward looking ourselves. That is why the firm has grown into one of the most respected accountancy, tax and business advice practices in the region, and why this year of all years this award is so special.

Above all, the award is about recognising the whole team at MHA Carpenter Box, all 160 of them. Our business is nothing without them and over the past twelve months their hard work and dedication to helping our clients has been phenomenal. We continue to show that we have a strong proposition that benefits thousands of businesses in the Gatwick Diamond region, supported by a national knowledge base at MHA and a global span through Baker Tilly International.

Our tagline is ‘passionate about your business’. This ethos embodies the principle that drives what we do. We strive to build strong and lasting relationships with our clients, so we can really understand their

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long term ambitions and add value to their business.

We would like to extend a massive thanks to Gatwick Diamond Business for organising the awards and to NatWest for sponsoring and judging the category – what a fantastic event!

Tel: 01903 234094 or visit www.carpenterbox.com

Business Awards

All the winners

The winners in each category were:

Business Person of the Year

Business of the Year - (Up to £1m Turnover)

sponsored by KPMG Rob Pierre, Jellyfish Group Ltd

sponsored by Platinum Publishing Group Juno Wealth Management Ltd

Business of the Year - (Over £1m Turnover)

Business of the Decade

sponsored by NatWest MHA Carpenter Box

sponsored by NatWest ILG

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Business Awards

Focus on

ILG

BUSINESS OF THE DECADE

S

ince 1990, ILG has sought to provide outstanding fulfilment and delivery services to businesses in the UK. Always keen to learn and grow, our mission is to continuously make our customers more successful. Our Fulfilment division provides a complete third party logistics function, including global delivery, for around 120 clients, many of whom operate within the Gatwick Diamond area. Our Delivery division provides a range of daily collection and global delivery services for around 500 clients, 400 of which are in the Gatwick Diamond area.

Being named Business of the Decade at the 10th Gatwick Diamond Business Awards was an amazing moment – one that filled us with excitement, pride and gratitude.

Gatwick Diamond Business has always been an important network for ILG. We enjoy longstanding relationships with many other businesses in the area and have been privileged enough to have been recognised a few times at the GDBA. This award tops them all.

Any recognition we receive is a reflection of the efforts of our fantastic workforce. ILG has grown a lot over the last 10 years and we have asked a lot of our teams to meet the demands of our ambitious journey, always learning and developing along the way. They have risen to the challenge magnificently and it’s heartening to see that their efforts have not gone unnoticed. At ILG, people are the key to everything we achieve. This one’s for them.

For more information: www.ilguk.com, call 0844 264 8000 or email sales@ilguk.com

Employer of the Year sponsored by Search Consultancy Assurity Consulting

Manufacturing Business of the Year sponsored by asblaw LLP PVL UK Ltd

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The Award for Developing People for Business Success

The Award for Supply Chain Excellence

sponsored by Crawley College Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club

sponsored by University of Brighton PVL UK Ltd

Apprentice of the Year

New Business of the Year

sponsored by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council Robert Wiles, Cloud9 Insight

sponsored by Basepoint Business Centres Growth by Design

Business Awards

Focus on

ASSURITY CONSULTING EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR 2018

T

he Sponsor of the Employer of the Year, Search Consultancy explained why they chose Assurity Consulting:

“Assurity Consulting has been present in the Gatwick Diamond for over 30 years. They support the local community and economy by providing employment for 82 people as well as engaging with local suppliers. Assurity Consulting has worked very hard with evidenced results to deliver an engaging, inspiring working environment with consideration for the local community and support for local charity. They have delivered a comprehensive employer of the year entry answering all questions with evidenced answers which show cases their commitment to their employees and customers.”

Ian Woodland, Director of Business Services, Assurity Consulting commented, “We are really proud to receive the award for Employer of the Year 2018. At Assurity Consulting we appreciate the contribution that all our employees have made to ensure our success for over 30 years. We want our employees to feel they are making a difference while carrying out their role and we also want them to have fun as well. This award recognises our efforts and provides confirmation that we are the best employer in the Gatwick Diamond region.”

This is the fourth Gatwick Diamond Business Award that Assurity Consulting have been awarded and they look forward to entering again next year!

Focus on

CLEANKILL PEST CONTROL RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

K

ate Thorpe of University of Sussex School of Business, Management & Economics who judged the category said: “Cleankill Pest Control has a comprehensive responsible business strategy with both social and environmental reach, and provide excellent support for staff development, leading to low staff turnover figures.

“The continuous improvement approach within the business and in terms of its reach is excellent. This can be seen by the response to feedback received at last year’s visit. Community engagement is now further developed across the business and recruitment of individuals who share these ethics and values has taken place during the year.

founded upon the desire to create a company that placed customer service, respect for the environment, care for the community and staff development on an equal footing with profitability.

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

“Green values have been embedded into the business since its inception, and Investment in people, commitment to the green agenda, excellent customer service and good community engagement make Cleankill worthy winners of Responsible Business of the Year 2018.”

With offices in Kenley in the London Borough of Croydon and Seaford, East Sussex, Cleankill Pest Control has been providing services across London and the South East since 1995.

Set up by former Rentokil employees, Cleankill Pest Control was

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Business Awards

Focus on

DRIVER HIRE GATWICK -

WINNERS OF THE CUSTOMER DELIGHT AWARD

D

river Hire Gatwick’s customer focus is clearly paying off. Business at the office which, in addition to owner Nic Chaviaris, employs five people and finds work for around 120 drivers every week, is heading for another record breaking year. Turnover is currently 33% up year-on-year and if that is maintained, it will be their fifth consecutive year of growth.

Nic Chaviaris, said: “The whole team feel proud to have won for the second year in succession. We always aim to go that extra mile to ensure our customers are delighted with the service we offer.”

Rob Boughton, MD of Thakeham Group, one of the Diamond Award judges added: “For Driver Hire, Customer Delight is what they do, delivered through their office staff, their drivers and other temps. A proactive approach to customer delight has seen Driver Hire work with their clients to deliver improved customer service to their customer’s customers. Driver Hire demonstrated how being honest and transparent has helped grow trust with clients and allowed them to deliver on their promises.”

Driver Hire specialises in the supply of staff to the road transport and logistics industry. It’s one of the UK’s longest established and most highly respected franchisors with a network of 102 offices. Driver Hire franchisees provide temporary and permanent drivers and other logistics staff to businesses and organisations. They help when customers need extra staff to deal with holidays, illness or business expansion.

Focus on

JUNO WEALTH -

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

J

uno Wealth Management is a multi-award winning boutique Chartered and Accredited Financial Planning FirmTM based in Bolney, West Sussex. We help our clients identify, understand and achieve their goals in life. Our service is exceptional and we treat our clients finances with the same care and attention to detail as we do our own. Our financial advice is independent, totally objective and non-conflicted.

We believe that the judges selected us because we were able to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to business improvement, a sustainable business growth plan that has worked and continues to work and we consistently deliver the highest levels of customer service and attention to detail. Our investment in a great deal of human capital to learn how to use leading edge software solutions to deliver a fabulous client experience also played a part.

To be selected as the winner of a Gatwick Diamond Business Award means a great deal to our clients, our fantastic team and our business.

Our clients love to hear news of the award and it gives them additional confidence that they made the right decision to work with us. Our team enjoy the accolade as it recognises that all the hard work and progress we’ve made was worthwhile. And, our business benefits from the trust that the award bestows upon us when we market our business to attract new clients.

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(UP TO £1M TURNOVER)

Business Awards

Focus on

GROWTH BY DESIGN -

G

WINNER OF THE NEW BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

rowth by Design offer their three tips for businesses to make 2018 a winning year…

1. Share your passion It’s very common to want to shout about your product or service and their respective features and benefits. But, on its own, this won’t begin to build a relationship with your prospects. Remember, people often buy from people they like and share values with.

2. Develop regularity When promoting your business, the key is in the regularity and the consistency of message. Very often businesses market heavily in a relatively quiet period but take their foot off the gas when operationally busy. The style and content should vary but the frequency of main marketing activities should be constant. If your business would benefit from more repeat buyers, this is the marketing tactic for you in 2018.

3. Mix it up You have cold and warm prospects, past prospects and new customers, established customers and past customers. Each group

has a different requirement in terms of the language and style of communication to which they’ll respond.

Get creative and mix up the messages you are sending out - you’ll be surprised at the difference it makes to the responses you get.

About the award Co-founder, Tim Rylatt, says, “The creation of jobs both within our own company through growth but also through our clients’ growth is exciting and motivating to us all.

We are over the moon to have won this recognition, and it inspires us about what is still to come!”

Visit www.growth-by-design.co.uk for a free marketing review or call 01444 810530.

Green Business of the Year

Responsible Business of the Year International Business of the Year

sponsored by Crawley Borough Council Hilton London Gatwick Airport

sponsored by University of Sussex School of Business, Management & Economics Cleankill Pest Control

sponsored by the Gatwick Diamond Initiative Acro Aircraft Seating

The Award for Customer Delight sponsored by Thakeham Group Gatwick Recruitment and Training Ltd T/A Driver Hire at Gatwick

The Awards were presented by the award-winning comedy legend, star of stage and screen and more recently, a popular contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, Brian Conley at the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards Dinner, on the 15th March, 2018.

For more, visit www.gatwickdiamondbusinessawards.com or follow @gdbizawards on Twitter

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Finance

EQUITY RELEASE

Preserve of cash strapped retirees or clever Inheritance Tax planning tool?

Roy Thompson, Head of Wealth Management at MHA Carpenter Box, discusses the advantages of releasing equity from your home.

E

quity release loans, or later life mortgages as they are now termed, allow a homeowner to borrow against the equity in their home during their lifetime, with the mortgage only repaid on death. This helps them release cash from their homes at a time when they need it.

Growing popularity Such mortgages have historically had a very bad press, with many borrowers under such schemes finding that the punitive interest rates prevalent in the 1990s had swallowed up all the equity in their homes, and that there was nothing left on their death as a result. However, their popularity is now growing steadily, with some providers having seen demand triple since 2012. Indeed, the average price of the houses used for “equity release” has increased significantly, pointing to wealthier individuals using these products as part of wider financial planning.

These later life mortgages are now heavily regulated, with those individuals that advise on the products and the firms that provide

them having to have obtained specialist qualifications, so perhaps this explains the reason for the increase in this form of borrowing.

There are other clear advantages that can accrue from implementing such products. The pension freedom reforms enacted in April 2015

allow individuals aged 55 and over to take their pension as lump sums, without having to purchase an annuity product. Perhaps more importantly for the later life mortgage market, that pension fund can be left to the individual’s children free of Inheritance Tax.

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With 2018 looking like it will be the highest figure on record for the later life mortgage market, these products have managed to throw off their bad reputation

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Effective Inheritance Tax planning tool This has opened up a further new opportunity for Inheritance Tax planning.

Wealthier individuals can effectively retire and leave their pension fund to their children tax free, whilst living off money raised against the value of their homes using equity release. The later life mortgage outstanding against the

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Finance individual’s home at death reduces the value of the property for Inheritance Tax purposes, thereby reducing the Inheritance Tax payable on the estate at death.

This has the feel of a double benefit, with the pension passing inheritance on tax free and the value of the individual’s estate at death being reduced by the later life mortgage, thereby saving further Inheritance Tax. To a large extent, this double benefit does exist, but later life mortgages do come at a cost, with interest rates for a 70 year old being typically 4%. However, there is significant

flexibility that can be built into the product, for example, allowing the individual to pay the interest during their lifetime so the value of the mortgage is static and does not eat into any further equity remaining in the property.

It may also be possible for a well-managed pension to achieve 4% tax free growth per annum, so having to pay the interest on the later life mortgage, may well be compensated for by the tax free growth in the pension fund that is being left untouched.

Later life mortgages are still used to a great extent to either carry out home renovations or to clear outstanding mortgage debt in

retirement. Down-sizing is still a preferable option for many, but with 2018 looking like it will be the highest figure on record for the later life mortgage market, these products have managed to throw off their bad reputation and should, for some, form part of a wider Inheritance Tax planning strategy.

Please note that you should seek professional advice before taking any action. If you would like to find out information about equity release, please get in contact with Roy on 01903 234094 or visit www.carpenterbox.com

APPRENTICESHIP LEVY no sign of success so far

T

he Apprenticeship Levy came into effect last April and was designed to encourage employers to offer apprenticeships in order to meet their skills and workforce requirements via funded training.

In the past year, both public and private UK employers with a payroll of more than £3m have been charged 0.5% of their payroll to contribute to the funding of apprenticeships. Optimistically, the government anticipated raising £3bn annually for four years, in order to fund three million places for apprenticeships.

We’ve now had a full year to analyse the effects of the Levy, and the results have been disastrous. Total apprenticeship starts for May, June and July 2017 fell a staggering 61% compared to the same period in 2016. The second half of 2017 saw little improvement, with government data showing a fall of nearly 30% in the number of trainee positions in the last quarter of 2017, compared to 2016.

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Why has the impact of the Levy been so devastating? Critics of the scheme blame increased costs and confusion around the design of the system, which are deterring businesses

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Why has the impact of the Levy been so devastating? Critics of the scheme blame increased costs and confusion around the design of the system, which are deterring businesses. Whatever the reasons, it’s clear the current design of the Apprenticeship Levy system is not working.

Myth-busting the Apprenticeship Levy at the next METALL event The next METALL (Manufacturing Engineering Technology Alliance) event will be held on 19th April at the Ricardo headquarters in Shoreham, followed by a site tour. There we will discuss apprenticeships and the skills gap in the industry, and how to find (and fund) the next generation of talent for manufacturing and engineering businesses in the area.

METALL was launched back in July 2016 with the primary aim to inform, educate and facilitate discussion and progress in the Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology sectors.

Places will be limited so please sign up quickly to avoid disappointment: www.metall.org.uk/events/

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Finance

FINANCIAL FORECAST Challenges and opportunities for growing businesses in 2018.

I

n a time of political and economic uncertainty, business and finance leaders from the South East gathered at the start of the year to learn what 2018 might hold in store for their businesses and how they should respond. Speakers from Kreston Reeves, the Bank of England and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, organised and chaired by Michael Page, set out the economic landscape, the changing reporting requirements for businesses, and the challenges finance leaders face.

With Brexit looming large, rapidly changing technology and greater reporting obligations, it is a landscape of challenges and opportunities.

The UK, until its decision to leave the EU in mid-2016, saw it lead the G7 economies in terms of GDP. It now trails behind. Whether that is due to the Brexit referendum or part of the natural economic cycle is very much open to discussion.

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Unemployment rates in the UK and across the developed world are falling. In the UK, unemployment currently stands at 1.47 million, or 4.4% of the labour force, with some 800,000 roles unfilled. It is a tight labour market, with employers often having to poach staff from competitors to fill key roles, with businesses in London and the South East finding the recruitment of talent particularly tough.

Falling immigration from the EU, a desired aim for many politicians, will add further challenges, particularly in the retail, leisure, care and agricultural sectors.

A tight labour market would suggest growing wage inflation, but against expectations this has not been the case. Wage growth in recent years has remained static at around 2%.

The growth in the UK economy has in part been driven by increased employment. In the decade prior to the 2008 economic crash, productivity increased by some 25%, yet in

the decade following the crash, productivity increased by substantially less. Growth in productivity and in the wider economy has been driven by more people in the workplace, and not by greater working efficiency, and that is something business leaders will need to address.

Interest rates are expected to rise over the next 36 months, but only in small and gradual steps, perhaps plateauing at 2 or 3%. The impact of these rises is expected to be absorbed easily by businesses and home owners, and will be a far cry from the higher rates witnessed before the 2008 crash.

GDP growth is expected to remain at around 1.5%, having hit a natural speed limit due to employment rates and the fall in business investment. Inflation is, however, much harder to predict, but a gradual fall to the 2% target is widely expected.

Finance Reporting change The reporting of non-financial business measures has taken centre stage for many businesses, with gender pay gap reporting capturing newspaper headlines around the world.

Gender pay gap reporting extends to all businesses with more than 250 employees and specifies that they report on six separate measures. Reporting needs to be both on a business’ own website and on a dedicated government site.

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Falling immigration

from the EU, a desired aim for many politicians, will add further challenges, particularly in the retail, leisure, care and agricultural sectors.

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Gender pay reporting is being closely watched by the media and the potential for damage to business reputations should not be underestimated - witness the continued fallout surrounding salaries at the BBC. Consider the findings of any gender pay gap and how they might be reported. If a gender pay gap is discovered and steps are being taken to reduce that gap, extended reporting on how the business is responding may help pre-empt press calls.

Payment practice reporting has not yet caught the imagination of the media, but as more companies report and examples of questionable supply payment terms are highlighted, the potential damage to both reputation and supplier relationships will again be considerable. Businesses with a turnover of £36m or more will be required to report every six months, allowing press and suppliers to track performance.

The tax strategies of some of the world’s largest businesses continue to remain under the political and media spotlights. Businesses with a turnover exceeding £200m or with a balance sheet exceeding £2bn are now required to report on their tax strategies.

Reports need to be published annually within 15 months of their previous tax strategy report and, whilst to date have been reasonably bland, must address risk management

Technology landscape The changing technological landscape, whether AI, Cloud services or analytics, all present finance teams with very real challenges. Finance teams need to be at the heart of technology-led change, and can do this by considering these six imperatives: • Aligning technology with corporate strategy • Ensuring there is a strong commercial and business case • The value of data a business holds • Managing the impact of change • Ensuring the right talent and skill sets are in place • Impact on governance and risk management.

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The changing technological landscape, whether AI, Cloud services or analytics, all present finance teams with very real challenges

It is important that finance teams understand the changing business demands in terms of information. It is no longer sufficient to provide historic performance data, rather stakeholders are looking for more detailed analysis of customer performance that can be achieved through data and analytics as well as improved forecasting aligned to strategic goals. This is an opportunity for finance to demonstrate its relevance to its stakeholders in a similar manner as organisations as a whole need to do. Finance teams also need to be aware of the technology risks, especially as they relate to cyber security and the increasing importance of social media.

For further information, please contact Peter Manser, Partner and Head of Audit and Assurance, at accountants, business and financial advisers, Kreston Reeves.

He can be reached by email: peter.manser@krestonreeves.com.

Visit www.krestonreeves.com

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strategies, controls and demonstrate Board oversight.

29

Legal

HOPE FOR THE BEST, PLAN FOR THE WORST

The trick is to keep the damage to a minimum and, if possible, keep the  business going.

Where, as a last resort, the business must fold, you need to act to ensure maximum value is extracted for you in relation to the assets. Assets can include trading names, vehicles, property, software, contracts with customers and bank balances.

Jonathan Compton

D

isputes can arise within a business for a number of reasons. It does not matter what form your business takes, it could be a partnership, a company or a limited liability partnership.

It does not matter if your business is large or a two-person operation. Regrettably, even the most reasonable people who own and run businesses do fall out or suffer business relationship issues.

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What steps can you take?

1. When everyone is harmoniously getting on with the job, that’s the time to have an agreement drawn up. Partnerships will have a partnership deed/agreement and companies will have a shareholders’ agreement. These set out how the business will run, how decisions are made, profits split and what the partnership/ company owns.

2. Anticipate issues. Try and deal with them before that office drama becomes a crisis.

3. When you feel that matters have reached impasse, there are business mentors you can turn to.

4. When all else fails use the exit procedures within your partnership/shareholders' agreement.

5. If there is no such agreement in place, then seek legal advice.

At DMH Stallard we will aim to keep the business going and ensure that, if and when you leave, you get most value out of it. If the business must be wound up or dissolved, we will ensure you get the most out of the assets and recover the value you have put in.

Spotting the trouble early 1.

Most problems revolve around money.

For example, one partner or shareholder feels that they are putting more into

Legal the business than they are getting out.

Alternatively, you may feel that your business partner is not pulling their weight.

2.

3.

4.

Conduct is also a common cause of disputes. One shareholder or partner may be misbehaving. We have advised in situations where one party has been using business opportunities for their own benefit, to the detriment of the company. In one case we have dealt with issues of outright defrauding of a partnership.

Health issues can arise. We have advised where one partner is dealing with issues of alcoholism and long-term absence through illness and stress.

Also, and perhaps the most problematic in many ways, where a party simply loses interest in the business and fails

to engage with the business in any meaningful way but insists on full payment of dividends or (in the case of partnerships) drawings.

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The trick is to keep the damage to a minimum and, if possible, keep the business going.

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The DMH Stallard Service Standard We work with businesses, big and small, and in all sectors from construction to software

design. We have advised companies turning over millions to two-person partnerships.

If you get in touch, we will aim to respond to you the same day. Initial consultations are free of charge and, above all, we try not to aggravate the situation. If we possibly can, we will de-escalate the situation and get a fair deal for you, without destroying the business. Sometimes, court action cannot be avoided, but it is very much the last resort. If the partnership/company cannot continue, we will work to ensure that you get the maximum value from any dissolution.

For further information, please contact Jonathan Compton, Partner at DMH Stallard T: 01483 467433 E: Jonathan.Compton@dmhstallard.com

DMH STALLARD IN THE NEWS top industry awards, fundraising and even the recent heavy snowfalls across the country.

Tony Hyams-Parish

When the snow fell, and the schools closed, the media wanted to know what rights working parents have when their children had to stay at home.

an unexpected incident, and school closures due to weather are likely to fall under these rules. Whilst there is no absolute right to pay in these circumstances, employers tend to be flexible and allow time to be made up or, alternatively, holiday taken.

Tony Hyams-Parish is an employment Partner at DMH Stallard and was featured extensively in the press all over the UK. Tony said: “The law does allow employees to take a reasonable period off to deal with

find my comments about the situation being used in newspapers in Scotland and just about every town and city between there and the south coast!”

“What came as a bit of a surprise was to

I

n addition to the enquiries the team at DMH Stallard receives from clients, the firm is also

high on the radar for journalists who need a legal specialist to provide expert comments on a story they are covering.

Since January 2018, the firm has appeared in over 200 different media, including TV, radio, newspapers and magazines. The range of subjects covered is very broad, from banking, finance, intellectual property and house building, to senior level appointments,

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Technology

STAY CYBER SAFE The digital playing field is getting more dangerous by the day, says Chris Pegrum, Technical Team Leader at LMS Group.

Here’s how you can protect yourself and indeed your business.

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ata protection, privacy, security, viruses, password complexity, malware, GDPR, firewalls, Cloud services, hacking, ransomware, identity theft… No doubt they’re all terms that you’ve heard of, but what’s it all about?

become law in May, the need for business to protect both personal and business critical data has never been more important. Let’s be honest, not having adequate cyber security is like a game of Russian roulette. It is to be frank, guaranteed business suicide!

Security and privacy are of absolute paramount importance, not just at a personal level, but more so than ever at a business level.

Introducing Cyber Essentials:

Cyber-attacks come in many shapes and sizes. The vast majority are very basic in nature, often carried out by relatively unskilled individuals, or easily downloadable automated programs. They’re the digital equivalent of a thief trying your front door to see if it’s unlocked. At LMS Group we’re all about security, and ultimately, it’s our job to prevent our clients from these attacks.

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Let’s be honest, not having adequate cyber security is like a game of Russian roulette.

It is to be frank, guaranteed business suicide!

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The National Cyber Security Centre (a government agency) some time ago came up with a simple list of five technical controls that are designed to protect businesses. Putting these controls in place and then going on to gain the Cyber Essentials accreditation not only demonstrates your commitment to security, but also your commitment to your staff, suppliers and customers, and any data that you may hold on them!

With the forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which will

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Cyber Essentials is a government-backed accreditation that helps you to guard against the most common cyber threats and demonstrate your commitment to cyber

security. There are just five technical controls that you can put in place.

How does it work?

The first control is the point of entry to your network: your firewall. Often this is built-in as part of your router or operating system, and the chances are you’ll have never have changed any of its default settings? Our advice is to introduce a device known as a Security Appliance. This device acts as a shield to your network, protecting your business with smart features such as Intrusion Prevention, Advanced Malware Protection and an IdentityBased Firewall. Smart!

The second and third controls that need to be looked at are your own devices.

Manufacturers often set the default configurations of new software and hardware to be as open and freely multi-functional as possible. They come with ‘everything on’ to make them easily connectable and usable.

Unfortunately, these settings can also provide cyber attackers with opportunities to gain unauthorised access to your data. Too often,

Technology 1. The simplest is to familiarise yourself with cyber security terminology, gaining enough knowledge to begin securing your IT. 2. If you need more certainty in your cyber security, you can go for basic, or entry-level Cyber Essentials certification.

3. For those who want to take cyber security further, you can go for Cyber Essentials Plus certification.

Certification gives you peace of mind that your defences will protect against the vast majority of common cyber-attacks simply because these attacks are looking for targets which do not have the Cyber Essentials technical controls in place.

❝

Certification gives you peace of mind that your defences will protect against the vast majority of common cyber-attacks

❞

The process of obtaining Cyber Essentials certification is simple, however, it pays to have some expert advice and a helping hand to ensure that you’re not wasting your time or money from day one. There are some basic principles that need to be looked at and implemented before even considering a Cyber Essentials accreditation.

If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you with gaining the Cyber Essentials accreditation, or even if you’d like some non-obligatory advice, give us a call on 0330 088 2565 or for more information please visit www. lms.group/cyber this is with ease due to the default administrative accounts being used.

Unnecessary functions, accounts, services and software should all be removed. Strong passwords should be enforced and all default passwords should be changed. Wherever possible, Multi-Factor Authentication should be used, and users should opt for restrictive (nonadministrative) accounts.

The fourth and fifth controls are keeping all software up-to-date (Patch Management), and ensuring that anti-virus and anti-malware software is installed. Exploits in software and pieces of code are constantly identified and used maliciously. By having anti-virus and antimalware software installed, and by keeping everything fully up-to-date, you’re adding an extra layer of protection, and reducing the chance of that vulnerability being exploited.

Not every business has the time or resources that are required to develop maintain a full set of cyber security defence systems and measures, especially not in the SME marketplace. Cyber Essentials has been designed to fit with any size business at whatever step they may be at with their cyber security. For ease of understanding and to be able to identify what you should be doing, there are three tiers of engagement:

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CEO Fight Club

CEO

ALWAYS BE HIRING

By Si Conroy, owner of Scarlet Monday

P

eople often seem surprised by the blindingly obvious, and I think this is often because the truth of the matter hurts. Hiring people is a perfect example of this.

Hiring people at first seems like one of the easiest difficult things to do in business. Before you’ve been through the process a couple of times and been disappointed, hiring those first team members seems like a nirvana. Sharing the load, expanding, reducing the reliance on you; all of these things seem like the magical outcomes of hiring your first people. The disappointment of poor performance, bad attitude and failure to keep promises are frequently the stories coming out of those first experiences however.

Unfortunately things don’t normally improve for a lot of employers because they don’t face up to the blindingly obvious: the best people don’t look for jobs. This may seem like a simple thing, but it immediately undermines most of the ways in which we’ve traditionally hired:

excellent start. Then you can start to face up to the paradigm shift you have to make. The title gives you a clue - always be hiring.

In practical terms this means: 1.

1. Put together a half-arsed job advert with incomplete information 2. Get it out to as many places as possible 3. Sift through the half-arsed responses you get back 4. Settle for someone because you’re desperate and then start back at point 1 again when they disappoint you.

So, what to do? Well, accepting the truth that the best people don’t look for jobs is an

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tools to identify prospective clients.

You should have a people relationship database to track your target hires and the relationships you’re forming with them. Start with a simple spreadsheet with the most important roles on the left and start to put the names you find for the pipeline on the right. Try and find people who the thought of hiring scares you (because of how good they seem rather than potential wage); this is normally a good indicator of the right level of next hire.

2.

Where are the best people? - you probably monitor new competitor products and services. You need to do the same for their people. Go to LinkedIn, find your competitors’ company pages and then click through to their employees and start to sift through to identify the best people. Normally the speed of promotion is a good start. As long as the ‘shape’ of the business is the same, alternative/adjacent industry players can also be targets.

Create a people CRM - you have sales

3.

Critical role shadows - you know those people in your team who you get cold sweats about if you think of them ever leaving. These critical people need shadows. They should be listed

CEO Fight Club

in your CRM with the names of their future potential replacements that you researched. The same step is true of new roles you know you’ll have to start hiring for in the next 6-18 months. This is your starting place for the next stage.

4.

Relationships in advance of the need - this is where most people cock their head and quizzically raise an eyebrow.

You now need to start to develop relationships with those best people to turn them into critical role shadows.

type of people we need. Create your own fast track training programme and target the university courses that produce the best potential candidates. Leverage your facilities: in one business we pay for beer and pizza and host specialist weekend events that we invite our targets to. I’ve even gone so far as inviting critical role shadows to company Christmas parties.

6.

There are multiple ways of doing this.

I normally start with a simple outreach email (if it’s from the CEO or a director it normally gets attention) inviting them for a coffee or lunch to discuss [insert their professional area here] 5.

Get radical - in some of the businesses I work with we’ve had to open offices on the other side of the world just to get the

Take a promise - when you’ve got to the stage with your targets that you’re both clear about the handbag you’re dancing around, it’s time to take their promise.

Simply, this is a request, should they decide to start to look for a new role, or get offered a new role from elsewhere, that they give you the first option to invite them to apply for your role.

7.

Really get to know people - as well as all the knowledge you’ve gathered on an individual over the lengthy courtship, you

also need to get to know people better to improve your hiring. As well as the bedrock of assessing competencies over experience - ‘tell me about a time that you…’ - I always use DISC psychometric profiling (usually http://icqconsulting. com/interculturaldisc/) as the results describe to me the person as though I’ve known them for a couple of years. Add to this real life case study assessments where you get them to prepare responses to complex job-based scenarios.

The unexpected outcomes from having an ‘always hiring’ mindset are fascinating, but I suppose not unexpected considering the power of relationships. I’ve made friends for life, sealed major new clients and diverted my businesses away from strategic stumbles because of the power of an impartial outside perspective. Most importantly though I stopped hiring half-arsed people.

Si Conroy specialises in helping business owners remove their blockers to profitable business growth; be they strategy, marketing & sales, people, finance or systems/process. Trained at PwC and owner of www.ScarletMonday.com and www.ConstantMentor.com, Si practices what he preaches across a number of businesses in which he has invested. si@scarletmonday.com @siconroy

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In association with

Innovative Networking Inspiring Seminars Invaluable Business Support Join us at the AMEX Stadium, June 14th EXHIBITOR STANDS ON SALE NOW DON’T MISS OUT!

To find out more about the exhibition or sponsorship opportunities visit letsdobusiness.org/platinum • info@letsdobusiness.org • 01323 411044

36

British Airways i360

DINE AMONG THE STARS Enjoy a taste of the high life as British Airways i360 launches its first Sky Dining evenings

T

he first Sky Dining evenings at British Airways i360 will take place on April 26th and May 24th, 2018, offering a magical three-course meal in the sky with the sparkling lights of Brighton and Hove spread out like a carpet below.

The glass observation pod will be laid for fine dining and decked with romantic white lights. The elegant three-course meal will be served during three consecutive 25-minute pod flights, with starters during the first flight, main courses during the second flight and desserts and coffee during the final flight. There will be a break between each flight to use the facilities at ground level.

The delicious dishes include mackerel parfait with pea shoots and garlic crostini, seared chicken with fondant potato, spinach, glazed carrots and jus; and classic crème brulee or rich chocolate mousse pot.

As the evening unfolds, relax at your table over a glass of wine as the pod glides slowly from ground level to 450ft and back again, watching as the sky darkens, the sun sinks into the sea and the stars appear overhead.

Sky Dining is the ideal night out for romantics or for those celebrating a landmark occasion. Customers will be contacted in advance and given the opportunity to book extras such as a bottle of Nyetimber English sparkling wine for their table, a bouquet of flowers or a birthday cake.

Sky Dining is also available exclusively for private and corporate hire, with the addition of a canapé reception and an after-party at ground level. Please contact the events team (see details on the right).

Sky Dining was trialled in February during a private event. Guests were delighted with the experience.

Neil Laughton of Laughton & Co said: “I’ve had a fantastic evening, the Sky Dining experience was wonderful, I can see my house from 12 miles away and the sparkling lights of Brighton, it’s been a magical experience. The food was delicious, three courses, fine wines, what more could one want. I shall definitely be recommending this Sky Dining experience to all my friends and corporate clients.”

How to book: Dates: April 26th and May 24th, 2018. Autumn dates will be released over the summer.

Price: £85 per person, including a three-course meal, half a bottle of wine at the table and coffee. Book an intimate table for two, right up to a jovial party of ten.

Adults aged 18+ years only.

Please book via BritishAirwaysi360.com/SkyDining or by calling 03337 720360 For private bookings, please email events@britishairwaysi360.com

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Business Awards

SUSSEX SUPER GROWTH AWARDS 2018 The fastest-growing companies are announced

The winner’s photo: (L to R) Tom Acott, Head of Commercial, Jo Harrison, Communications Manager and Andy James, UK Chief Executive Officer from First Central Insurance Management Ltd

T

he Sussex Super Growth Awards took place on Thursday 8th March 2018 at the Amex Stadium in Brighton. Now in its 4th year, over 120 people attended the prestigious breakfast event to find out which were the fastest-growing private companies across the region.

Sussex Super Growth is a collaboration between asb law, Kreston Reeves and Lloyds Bank, with Platinum Business Magazine and The Argus as media partners. It is different from traditional business awards in that finalists don’t need to apply to participate as the work is already done in their financial reports filed at Companies House. The turnover growth of companies that meet the awards criteria is assessed over a four-year accounting period to produce a finalist list.

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Popular broadcaster, writer and business consultant, Simon Fanshawe OBE, announced the Sussex Super Growth 2018 winner as First Central Insurance Management Ltd, with an outstanding growth rate of 391%. The company is based in Haywards Heath and employs more than 600 staff to provide highquality car insurance cover.

Commenting on their success, Andy James, UK Chief Executive Officer of First Central Insurance Management Ltd, said: “Since our launch in 2008, we have enjoyed remarkable growth at First Central, reaching our milestone three-millionth customer in July last year. This growth is testament to the talented staff that sit at the heart of our business. We are committed to delivering a simple experience for both our customers and our employees,

ensuring that our products provide people with quality cover at competitive prices. It’s an honour to have our success recognised at the Sussex Super Growth Awards 2018.”

First Central Insurance Management Ltd was followed by Horsham-based runner-up PSI-Pay Ltd, a technology-based payment solutions specialist, with a growth rate of 182%. Third place was awarded to World of Books, which sells quality used books at competitive prices to millions of worldwide customers each year, with a growth rate of 171%.

Simon Fanshawe, who hosted the awards presentation, explained the importance of these businesses: “These companies are key to the success of the Sussex economy. Their growth stories are fascinating and they’re

Business Awards bringing wealth-generating, job-creating business growth to the region.

I was hugely impressed by their level of ambition, enthusiasm and commitment to their customers and staff.”

Each of the Sussex Super Growth sponsors also added their own congratulations to the finalists during the event.

Russell Bell, Senior Consultant, asb law LLP

Russell Bell, Senior Consultant at asb law LLP, explained: “Sussex businesses continue to grow rapidly and contribute greatly to the prosperity of the region.

By creating new markets, new jobs and new product lines, entrepreneurs in the county are leading the way in innovation and dynamic leadership.

We’re proud to recognise these businesses by celebrating the Sussex Super Growth Awards for their fourth successive year.”

Richard Spofforth, Regional Managing Partner for Sussex, at Kreston Reeves, continued: Kreston Reeves is proud to be part of the Sussex Super

Richard Spofforth, Regional Managing Partner – Sussex, Kreston Reeves LLP

Nicola Haigh, Regional Director, Lloyds Commercial Banking

Growth Awards, which showcases some of the best and most successful companies. Each company plays a really important part in the region supporting other businesses in the supply chain, providing employment and incomes locally which then feed into the wider economy leading to higher living standards and prosperity.”

Nicola Haigh, Regional Director for Lloyds Commercial Banking, also commented: “We’ve been hugely impressed with the wide range of companies represented this year and their many inspiring growth stories. We congratulate all of the Sussex Super Growth finalists for their success and are delighted to be a founding sponsor of these important awards.”

Simon Fanshawe hosted the Awards presentation

THE 2018 SUSSEX SUPER GROWTH AWARDS TOP 30 FINALISTS COMPANY NAME First Central Insurance Management Ltd

GROWTH % 391.3%

PSI - Pay Ltd

181.8%

A World Of Buzz Ltd (World Of Books)

170.6%

Envision Pharma Ltd

157.1%

First For Fun Ltd (Paladone)

152.8%

Rydon Construction Ltd

124.3%

East Sussex Press Ltd (Pureprint Group)

101.7%

First People Recruitment Ltd

98.9%

Roffey Homes Ltd

98.6%

Focus 4 U Ltd (Focus Group)

92.8%

Jarretts Motors Ltd (Wilmoths Group)

83.9%

C J Thorne & Co Ltd

82.7%

J W Stratton Ltd

81.4%

Thakeham Homes Ltd

78.9%

Dual Energy Direct Ltd

78.8%

Cox Skips Ltd

75.8%

Chandlers Building Supplies Ltd

72.3%

Buxted Construction Ltd

72.0%

Kew (Electrical Distributors) Ltd

69.8%

Madgex Ltd

69.4%

BD Foods Ltd

67.0%

Parker Building Supplies Ltd

65.4%

International Logistics Group Ltd

65.1%

Sussex Turnery & Moulding Company Ltd

64.6%

Melrob Group Holdings Ltd

63.5%

Zenith Insurance Management UK Ltd

62.7%

Dinnages Garages Ltd

59.6%

Owen Contractors Holdings Ltd

59.1%

Paxton Access Ltd

57.0%

Airtech Air Conditioning Services Ltd

56.8%

THE SUSSEX SUPER GROWTH AWARDS WILL RETURN IN 2019

Sussex Super Growth Awards Criteria • Privately-owned business, trading with headquarters in Sussex.

• Profitable growth in turnover measured over a 4-year accounting period based on latest full accounts information filed at Companies House.

The Awards celebrate a fantastic gathering of high-growth Sussex businesses

• Minimum turnover of £2m in base year.

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Interview

THE TICKET MASTER With a turnover in excess of £5m and employing 25 people, Ticketmedia owner and Managing Director Jeremy Burbidge is one of Brighton’s most successful entrepreneurs.

Jeremy shares his story with Ian Trevett

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lobally recognised as the leading authority on ticket advertising, Ticketmedia in Hove works with SMEs, big brands and media agencies, providing effective advertising solutions to reach a variety of different consumers.

As a young man, Jeremy’s passion was engineering and he studied hard for his qualification only to find manufacturing jobs were disappearing by the thousands during the recession in the 1980s. Jeremy recounts, “Fortunately a college friend told me that his father had bought a company converting paper into till rolls and they needed someone to work on the machines, updating and automating them. This was just right for me, so I worked there as an extra part-time job and soon after, I was asked to take over production full-time.”

Jeremy relished the opportunity: “For me it was a chance to get my hands dirty making machines work.”

Lightbulb moment The business was, in reality, not going anywhere too fast. The company was sending articulated lorries full of till rolls to major supermarkets and the team was working really hard but the margins were very tight. It was a lightbulb moment during a break from work that changed the company’s direction.

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“One Saturday I was sitting in the Wimpy in West Street at lunchtime and from nowhere I came up with the idea of putting full colour adverts on the back of a till roll. I thought ‘Nobody’s doing that’. It soon became apparent why - there were no machines that could do it. So it was either a really good idea or a really bad one!”

After an international search, Jeremy couldn’t find the right equipment so had to use his engineering skills to make it work. After

being told “you’re never going to be able to do this”, Jeremy invested long hours adapting the printing press and after a lot of frustrated efforts, Jeremy and his team proved the doubters wrong.

Delice de France and The Body Shop were among the first brands to try out the new product in their stores and they loved it. This was just the start. Jeremy began to see the potential for growth.

Interview protect what you’ve got – just keep moving forward.”

To reach new audiences and appeal to advertisers in a wider range of industry sectors, Ticketmedia have introduced new formats including Petrol Station till receipts, Oyster Top-up Shop receipts, London Taxi receipts and Car Park tickets.

Jeremy is also future proofing the company by looking at different technologies and new sectors, although he’s understandably reluctant to give away too much detail.

“We’re looking at RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), WiFi portals, other sectors such as healthcare…but we’re also looking internally at how we can improve. Things like automation of processes all the way through to solar panels on our roof.”

The Importance of Community Just the Ticket “Following on from till rolls, the idea then came to put adverts on the back of bus tickets, providing a whole new opportunity for brands to reach potential customers. Prospective clients bought into the idea immediately – the only problem was we now had to work out how to print it on bus tickets, and find buses to take the tickets!”

Ticketmedia established a business model that worked for the bus companies and the adverts were a big success, with national and local companies encouraging people to visit their stores with discount offers. They arranged contracts with bus companies and then started looking for more clients to advertise on this unique product.

“In 1992 we ended up negotiating with a very well-known international fast food company for a national contract. They wanted it to go on every bus in the country something like 680 million vouchers! We only had two printing presses and I was still the only person who could run them.

“I’ve never worked so hard for so long. I was sleeping at work because I just had to keep printing. We got the bus tickets out and it was an enormous success for the company. We had made it and there would be no stopping us now.”

Breaking A Few Eggs As the saying goes, you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, and the team had a steep learning curve to understand the way things work in the

advertising industry. “Sometimes rules are there to be broken” says Jeremy, but after a few bruising encounters, he and the team realised they needed to seek specialist help to unlock the potential revenue. “It was one of the best things we did. As a result we understood the way the industry worked, built relationships with all the media agencies, established a sustainable financial model and joined Outsmart, the outdoor advertising association. We really have never looked back since that day.”

Reid Hoffman, co-founder and Executive Chairman of LinkedIn once said, “An entrepreneur is someone who jumps off a cliff and builds a plane on the way down”.

It is a sentiment that resonates with Jeremy, “I do think entrepreneurs are the kind of people who are comfortable with taking risks, but being inflexible about the way an industry works can lead to failure. Self-belief is important but adaptability and flexibility are critical to creating a successful business.”

Keep Moving Forward Ticketmedia now have a good mix of national and local campaigns, with their cost effective advertising proving a hit with huge household name brands as well as smaller local businesses. “Public service messaging has also proven to be very popular” says Jeremy, “We’ve run campaigns for local councils, the NHS, the police, military and fire services.”

“I love Brighton” says Jeremy. “As far as I’m concerned there isn’t anywhere else like it, it’s a wonderful place to be. The diversity of people makes it what it is. Brighton’s business community is a friendly, fun-loving and hugely supportive group. We help each other and we want to benefit the city.

Jeremy is an advocate of the city’s green credentials, “As well as our solar panels we are ISO certified, we only buy from FSC certified mills, our press uses recycled water and we use water based inks which are much better for the environment.”

Giving back to local causes is important to Jeremy, who has been a long-time supporter of Rockinghorse charity. “I like to get involved where I think I can make a difference and Rockinghorse do incredible work for sick children.” Ticketmedia provided free advertising for the charity and Jeremy even appeared as the Genie in a fundraising Panto alongside other members of the Brighton business community.

“You will always have battles in business but it is important to keep perspective - it helps me to keep pushing forward. I love what I do and I am doing my dream job. Being an entrepreneur is incredibly exciting and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Telephone: 0800 0286778 enquiries@ticketmedia.com www.ticketmedia.com

Jeremy, who took over the company in 2007, is not one for being complacent: “My policy has always been to not be defensive or

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Breakthrough Moments - A Santander advertisement feature

BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS TALENT ACQUISITION & RETENTION In Association with Santander

Facilitated by Maarten Hoffmann. Edited by Ian Trevett THE DEBATE PANEL CB – Colin Berkeley, Regional Director, Santander Business SD – Susan Davies, Commercial Director Santander Business LE – Laurence Emmett, Director Cranleigh Recruitment VF – Viki Faulkner, Head of Apprenticeships, University of Brighton KH – Keith Herrmann, Director of Employability and Careers, University of Surrey

Colin Berkeley

Susan Davies

Laurence Emmett

Viki Faulkner

Keith Herrmann

HOW DO SMEs RECRUIT MILLENNIAL TALENT? LE: Our business is an SME employing 12 people, and as we recruit ourselves we see what challenges are faced elsewhere. The common issue is competitiveness as you have to be in a strong position to compete for the best talents in the market. Companies often don’t recognise how competitive it is out there. They’re looking at what they need from the person coming in for an interview rather than actually looking at what they can give that person.

The struggle isn’t finding people. We’re finding them and they’re out there to be found. Actually convincing them to join your business can be the difficult part because the good people out there will be interviewing to three or four companies in one go.

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Breakthrough Moments

BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS Talent Acquisition & Retention In Association with Santander

ARE CANDIDATES EFFECTIVELY INTERVIEWING THE COMPANY? LE: I think it’s now 50/50. Big companies post videos on YouTube and people think: “Wow, I want to work for that company.” But people now come into companies almost expecting it to be like Google. Few companies can match Google but you have to work out: “What can we give to this person coming in today?” It’s not just a salary and a career path, but all the other life benefits. It’s tough because everyone’s doing the same thing.

If you’re clear about your company culture then that person can make a good decision. If you haven’t got stated principles or haven’t thought about what they are, you’re not going to get that across in a meeting.

The worst interviews you can have are just throwing questions at a candidate, ushering them on their way and then two weeks later getting back to them about the feedback.

SD: Even as a large organisation we have to compete. We have a graduate intake every year and they go through a rigorous process in order to get through the programme. But we have to pitch to them too.

We do a presentation then we have a ‘speed dating’ style format, which is quite gruelling. The dynamics have shifted considerably.

LE: I do a PowerPoint presentation where I talk about the history of the business, where we are right now and how we are looking ahead.

It’s all very realistic, we don’t ham it up at all. And my two co-Directors then perform the interview.

I’ve done the nice sell and I’ve projected a good side of our business and then the other guys come and say, “This is the reality of what you will be doing.” It’s very rare that people walk away from our company not feeling like they felt we put an effort into their experience. And also it’s rare that we lose people. It’s taken us five or six years of losing people to realise we had to keep stepping our game up. Keep it tight, have a good process, be organised, treat them well, keep them informed – and you’ll find the right people are going to stick with you.

CB: If you want really good, engaged candidates you’ve got to make a little bit of an effort. I am in favour of looking for students who’ve got a bit of a broader life experience such as placements or time abroad.

This has had the effect of self-regulating their enthusiasm because they’ve just seen more. They’re still excited and they want to add some value but they know it’s probably not as it looks on TV. VF: It is a competitive market out there and not all businesses have really picked up on that, particularly in those shortage sectors. We do a lot of work in construction and the built environment, in digital, IT – there are huge skills gaps here. And for smaller companies to attract and retain and get a good graduate coming out of university, you’ve got to compete for those graduates.

For example, with our ‘Built Environment’ students, we have 100% employment straight out of university - and we could fill the roles again and again and again. We have companies turning up and saying: “I could give one of your students a job.” And we have to say, in the nicest possible way: “Get in the queue!”

We can’t turn them out fast enough. It is a sector with an ageing workforce, it’s very under-skilled, it’s looking down the gun barrel of Brexit and a likely skills drain there. It knows that it needs to invest, particularly at those higher levels.

These are professional technical qualifications, so people are coming out of here with a lot of practical experience as well and are job-ready.

We want to expand these courses but we struggle to recruit staff who can teach with the right level of industry experience.

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Breakthrough Moments

BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS Talent Acquisition & Retention In Association with Santander

THERE IS AN INTERESTING DILEMMA. DOES THE SKILLS SHORTAGE ALSO AFFECT THE TRAINERS? VF: It is self-perpetuating. We work very closely with our FE college partners in subjects such as construction, engineering and manufacturing, but the colleges can’t attract enough qualified trainers to train the staff. We’re increasing the number of people that we’re training but it is four years before they come through the system. We’re always trying to look into the future and project what the workforce need is.

KH: Millennial students do have a real sense of the values of a company that they look at as they consider their options after graduating. It is slightly offset by a misunderstanding amongst students and amongst parents about student debt which is sadly encouraging more students to see their university experience as a transaction: “I’m here for three or four years, I’m going to incur £57,000 of debt. I must go out and get a job as quickly as possible.”

in-between the second and third year of university are so much more employable and have a much more realistic view of the workplace as well.

KH: They get really frustrated about not being able to have an impact. They’ve all been geared up as a generation to have an impact in their own lives and those of others and they join organisations and become incredibly frustrated. There is a lot of churning after graduating which is a major challenge for employers.

All of our undergraduate students have the opportunity to do a professional training year in industry as part of their degree programme. Some students choose not to do that here because they feel they want to get their studies over and done with as quickly as possible and then get out there and get a job. But they don’t realise that that year in industry is what gives them the competitive edge with employers.

VF: We also try to encourage all of our students include a year-long placement. On a lot of our courses it’s mandatory, on other courses it’s optional. Those students who have taken that year in employment

IF MILLENNIALS ARE GETTING FRUSTRATED IN THEIR CAREERS, IS IT NOT INCUMBENT UPON THE UNIVERSITIES TO ADJUST EXPECTATIONS? VF: We can suppress their expectations but do we want to? Don’t we want to turn out a generation of people who do want to make an impact, who do want to make a difference, who do want to go into a company and make a positive contribution from day one? We’re turning

out a generation of students who are actually thinking, “I’m here to offer something to this company and I have value from the beginning.”

LE: We have found that in the first two years we almost have to retrain their thought process. They come into the world of work slightly under-prepared for how tough it is to survive in a cut-throat working environment. We almost break our staff down a bit before we build them back up. We do that by giving them a lot of constructive feedback but constant support. We attach ourselves to these guys and micromanage them for the first six months and then slowly let the reins back off again.

KH: That’s a very mature approach to talent development. Many employers are looking to recruit a graduate into a functional role and then they say, “You’re in the job, off you go.” And that’s massively damaging. I can understand the need of a business to fill roles because they have functional requirements. Unless you support that, as you described, and provide a scaffolding frame that sits around a graduate, particularly in their early career development, then they won’t stay.

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Breakthrough Moments

BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS Talent Acquisition & Retention In Association with Santander

ARE WE PREPARING OUR STUDENTS FOR A GLOBAL MARKETPLACE? KH: It is very important to prepare students to become globally competitive, so engaging with modern languages is vital. We won something called a ‘Global Graduate Award in Languages’. We won another one in sustainability and we’ll soon be creating a ‘Global Graduate in Employability’. This is all about helping our students prepare to become global graduates.

We do find the international students are far more active than the British students. International students are global by definition.

They’ve got two or three languages, they’ve travelled to come and study here, they’ve got their cultural understanding, global mindset and they’ve got a way of thinking and absorbing. British students somehow

aren’t. That’s a sweeping generalisation but they are at a competitive disadvantage and to some extent we need to work with employers to help them understand that.

Successive governments have not emphasised the importance of a foreign language, and by that I mean at age five, not at age 18. Many high school students across Europe are encouraged to travel as part of their experience, and even as part of the curriculum; they come to London or other parts of the UK as part of their learning journey.

VF: I would say it’s not about UK students not being up to par, it’s about UK students not having a global mindset in the way that international students do.

ARE THERE REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN SKILL SHORTAGES? SD: Absolutely. My region includes the manufacturing heartland of the Midlands where the skills gap is very acute. There is an ageing workforce and part of the reason is that, over the past 20-30 years, successive governments have focused on education rather than apprenticeships. Now we have many people now who are retiring and those sectors just cannot get the talent into roles.

Added to this is the talent drain in certain parts of the country, with people seeing the grass being greener in London and the South East Having visited many engineering and manufacturing firms, you can see that younger people don’t see them as a glamorous choice in comparison to a Google-style, fancy, funky office in the centre of London.

KH: How are we selling manufacturing to young people? If you think about it, your mobile phone has tons of components in it. Young people are excited about the things like Google and coding and all these technological gadgets. We should be selling the opportunities to them: “Here’s a global challenge. Here’s a telecom sector that’s trying to develop 5G technology. Isn’t that exciting?” And yes, that involves manufacturing but it also involves coding and software development and problem solving and big data.

SD: It is about branding. We were working with a business, a foundry that manufactures the brakes that go into one of the most expensive cars in the world. Focusing on this can capture the imagination of children – a much more compelling sell than: “Come and work in a foundry in the Black Country.”

VF: We have got an image problem in manufacturing, construction, care, hospitality and in engineering. And a lot of those things need to be re-positioned and re-purposed.

MH: IBM have an Artificial Intelligence pioneer called Watson. They use that to grade their candidates. They’re putting their candidates into the computer and it’s telling them which ones they should be using, according to a ‘FIT’ score that is calculated. Another company called Predictive Hire has an SAS cloud-based analytic solution provider which

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saved one Australian client AUD1.1 million by using pre-hire assessment tools. Unilever uses something called Hire View. They video their management team and then the new recruiters get to assess whether they think they want to work for your management team. Is AI going to change the way we recruit and work?

LE: There are certain areas that are going to be totally disrupted. Will we pay someone to drive in 15 years’ time? I think absolutely not. The industries that will be disrupted include farming, travel agents, cashiers in shops, accounting, stock trading, fast food workers, telemarketing…

But there are going to be jobs created. You could look at the fact that there are sustainability managers being hired by corporates and this role did not exist 15 or 20 years ago.

CB: The mundane parts of jobs will disappear, which leaves the interesting and the creative parts. When I was away at the weekend I travelled through Heathrow and I barely had any contact with human beings. The baggage handling, checking in, passport control is all done by machines. There are no people around anymore. The whole landscape is changing but younger people are used to this.

KH: Big companies are already using AI to get to the right person.

If they’ve got x thousand people applying for 30 jobs, they’ve got to narrow those x thousand down to a shortlist. These companies have an incredibly sophisticated recruitment process.

Breakthrough Moments

BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS Talent Acquisition & Retention In Association with Santander

(...continued) LE: Personally, I like the human touch. I’ve worked with some large businesses that have the technology to assess candidates, but they use it alongside their interview process. They don’t screen through

how unconscious bias could surface. A bit of diversity from different backgrounds, a good mix of men and women and ages can make it a more rounded business. So I think that’s a positive about the AI.

technology. I think that’s quite dangerous. The first message is that that company doesn’t want to talk to you in any way, they don’t want to engage with you. You’re going through a series of tests just to be able to then speak to that company. I don’t know what sort of message that sends out.

VF: The application forms that come to us have no names, no dates of birth, and no gender on them, so we shortlist without anything on the form to affect judgement. It’s quite a useful thing to have in place to ensure that no bias creeps in.

SD: It is a consequence of the sheer volume of applicants that the companies are facing and there has to be an element of automation.

VF: It is a balance. There are certain companies like Rolls Royce that will get hundreds of applications. They sponsored 20 people through a degree apprenticeship in engineering and got over 300-400 applicants.

Can somebody really sit down and read in great depth and detail through every single application? It’s not until you get the applicant pool to a manageable size that you can then use personal judgement.

CB: One of the positives about using the Artificial Intelligence to do the sifting is that is avoids any unconscious bias. I went on a course where we were all given a pile of CVs to sort to highlight

HOW CAN YOU RETAIN STAFF? CB: We spend quite a lot of time and energy on employee engagement. We run a global engagement survey across the whole of the Santander Group, and we take very seriously the responses that we get back. It takes a lot of energy and sometimes you get feedback that is difficult to hear, but engaged people are productive and efficient..

SD: We champion talent assessment, looking at the talent within our business, understanding the career aspirations and then doing something about it. As a manager you can spend an awful lot of time focusing on the people who need support or who are maybe not performing as expected, but the people who are getting on with the job can be forgotten and they can become disenfranchised quite easily.

should really care about that. We’re terrified of it. We’ve got a team of moderately experienced recruiters now, we’ve trained them all up from scratch, and to lose them now would be devastating. We’d have to start again. So we continuously remind them, two years from now where can you be? We’ve actually just done vision boards where you cut loads of magazines up and cut articles apart and they put on all the things they want to achieve personally and with us in the next two years. We do it every year. We need to make sure that they’ve got a path forward with us.

Supporting career development with ongoing learning or working with them to get them onto the next step of their career is very important. People can often only see quite a linear path. We are looking at succession in the business, because it’s expensive to go out and recruit. It has to be better to find the talent within rather than going outside. We have to give the right signals in terms of culture and talent retention.

LE: The major reason why people look to move is not for money - it’s for development and because they found that they’ve plateaued in their business and the company they’re working for can’t offer them anything more. They might have a job that fits a certain structure but they grow beyond that structure – and that person will eventually leave.

Most companies are aware of this so it’s about continuously reminding your team what the next step is for them and making sure that they actually want to go there.

A company should be paranoid about losing their own staff. They

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Breakthrough Moments

BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS Talent Acquisition & Retention In Association with Santander

DO WE OVERLOOK OLDER EMPLOYEES AND RETURNING MUMS? LE: If someone is looking to change career at a later age, it’s really tough to start again, but age is irrelevant generally.

It depends on the sector. We tend to recruit people over 50 into the Health & Safety sector, where there’s a real dearth of talent in the younger age group.

If it is a physical role and the applicant is unable to perform the tasks, then age will be an issue but that would be more down to a health check rather than your age. We have an ever-expanding ageing population and I think there needs to be more creativity when it comes to working with an older generation. As far as older applicants are concerned, they need to be agile and be willing to ‘unlearn’, rather than saying: “This is how I used to do things.”

CB: We welcome flexible working that suits parents, though in certain parts of our business it is easier to accommodate their needs. For example, in a bank branch, a ‘ten-to-two’ employee works really well because the lunchtime period in branches is often a busy time and it allows full-time staff to take a lunch break.

As an employer in general we are very keen to be flexible and accommodate variable hours. We’ve got a responsibility to do this and it’s a good way of retaining people and it shows we want to support our people and means that we have a good work culture.

SD: Many women who want to come back into the workplace are comfortable with the convenience of working in a branch-type environment, but it’s also about how they can develop and have real opportunities. It may start with a returning mum wanting to work a few hours a week, but they also want to get back into their careers and we want to offer flexibility. The technology now means people don’t have to be in an office all the time.

KH: Smaller companies often still have a very conventional view about the workforce. We need to re-think and re-configure how people engage with work. The crucial thing is the signals that we give people.

If we don’t help people understand that this business is open to women who want to go to managing the family process then people just won’t bother. If we don’t say to the older generations that they have value and that value is recognised and rewarded, then we lose that talent.

LE: That talent does have to re-invent itself and I see that just in reading CVs. Sometimes I look at a CV from someone of an older generation and think “That needs a lot of work.” Straightaway it is apparent that this person hasn’t kept up with the times. You need to make sure you are computer savvy, understand what social media is and be aware of all the modern tools that are required of the modern workplace in order to stay competitive. Ultimately you’re losing competitive edge if you’re letting the world get ahead of you.

KH: I would suggest employers have a responsibility with those categories of employees to help them re-purpose, re-configure and re-train. Most folks who fall into this mature category have not written a CV for 15, 20, 30 years. Expecting them to understand how a 21st century CV works is wholly unrealistic.

LE: If you go on Google you can find out how to write a CV within seconds and that shows straightaway whether you’re trained to work in the modern workplace. If anybody says to me “I’m not sure how to do this anymore”, I would say you’re lazy because you can find that out in three seconds on your computer or on your phone. It proves the argument: If you haven’t got the tools to find out how to do something properly then maybe you’re not aware of what the tools are and you need to get trained in these things.

VF: It’s really important people have access to lifelong learning opportunities. We can’t just put everything down as the responsibility of an employer. It has been upsetting and disappointing to witness the huge dip in lifelong learning and part-time learning that we’ve seen over the last decade or so. There has been a 58% fall in parttime learning across both HE and FE since 2010 and that’s been a real disadvantage for people who are trying to come back into the workplace.

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Breakthrough Moments

BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS Talent Acquisition & Retention In Association with Santander

IS THE APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEM FIT FOR PURPOSE? ARE APPRENTICESHIP WAGES SET SO LOW THAT A YOUNG PERSON WHO HAS PARENTS WHO CANNOT SUPPORT THEM CAN SIMPLY NOT AFFORD TO DO AN APPRENTICESHIP? VF: Where we have a misunderstanding is that there is an apprenticeship minimum wage which is set at £3.50 per hour, just as we have a national minimum wage which is set at £5.60 an hour. The fact that the government says you must pay an apprentice the minimum wage of £3.50 an hour is a safety net. Most employers in most sectors will pay more than that and will pay at least the minimum wage.

VF: It’s not just about bringing new talent into your organisation.

You can use apprenticeships to upskill your existing workforce. You can now do a senior leadership Level 7 apprenticeship which would include the MBA programme.

It is a training salary. These people have to be employed by you as an employer, paid a salary but have a minimum of 20% off the job training,

SD: We’re looking at our internships as a whole because they have tended to come from business and finance degrees. However, our operating model is very diverse. We need good technicians, we need people with digital and IT skills and actually probably want to attract as

so you’re supporting them in that way.

many graduates from engineering backgrounds, for example.

Of course, some people are paying £3.50 an hour – personally I don’t think that’s a good employer, so I would shop around to find someone who pays more.

CB: We support Santander partner universities with their internship and apprenticeship programmes. Internships and apprenticeships give candidates a real life experience and helps them with employability.

We have a social responsibility in the community that we operate in to support and help people. The intern programme isn’t only open to Santander customers. So if you’re an SME in the marketplace, you bank with another bank but you’re interested in having an intern that is partly funded by Santander, you can also apply.

KH: The emphasis on apprenticeships is a major and very positive development by the government. For two or three decades, employers have simply not invested in their people. That’s why we sit with the problems that we have today in the economy. It’s a very positive thing that employers are obliged to pay the Apprenticeship Levy.

Some employers just consider this to be an extra tax and others have bought in apprentices without really thinking about the requirements of their business.

But many companies think strategically about where they can invest in apprenticeships from Level 2 all the way through to degree apprenticeships. There are niggles and bureaucratic processes, but it offers employers the ability to take a major step change in being more proactive about investing in their workforce. And that can only be a good thing for the competitiveness and the productivity of their business.

VF: The internships that Santander has been sponsoring with our students have been such a bonus for SMEs. It’s really valuable.

We recognise that students will need to build up the skills of entrepreneurship. Many of them will actually not be coming out and looking for a traditional job but might want to work for themselves and start up their own business. And even if they don’t, those entrepreneurial skills might kick in later, particularly as a woman returnee you might be looking at a different way back into the job market.

ARE THE YOUNG PEOPLE FROM THE GOOGLE GENERATION MORE LIKELY TO CREATE THEIR OWN START-UPS? VF: We have over 300 students a year going to our business start-up classes and last year we had more than 100 new businesses spinning out of student projects. Part of that is because we have a large creative media art school. They often need to be self-employed. They may be brilliant artists or theatre practitioners but have no understanding of how to write a balance sheet or a pitch.

CB: The entrepreneurship programmes at universities are often an add-on to the course they’re doing. I’ve been involved in the ‘Start-up business journey’ at the University of Kent where they run a series of lunchtime or evening lectures on finding an idea and how to bring it to life. We talk about different sources of finance and we get involved with Dragon’s Den events. The students are really very engaged in it.

SD: There is also a growth in multiple careers. Someone may be a web designer/yoga instructor/lifestyle guru all wrapped into one – a

50

collection of micro careers.

LE: With the future of automation shadowing over us I’d say that’s the best way for people to adapt to the world of work of the future. A long way ahead, beyond what we can see now, there is going to be a completely different working environment for most people. So I think it’s a good thing that people are more flexible and they can change.

Breakthrough Moments

BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS Talent Acquisition & Retention In Association with Santander

HOW ARE WE COPING WITH NEW WAYS OF WORKING? VF: Building comfortableness with remote working is really important. We still haven’t lost the notion that presentee-ism is more important than the actual productivity.

is supposed to be very outward-facing and it’s actually wrong when they’re all there. But I equally feel as disturbed inside when there’s nobody there all day. I can’t help myself thinking: “Where are they?”

SD: We’re in a transitional phase. You always have multiple generations in the workplace but the generation coming through has got a very different way of working and different expectations. We need to get the very best out of both ways of working and that’s what we’re all wrestling with a bit at the moment.

It’s even harder for older generations. I usually work from home on a Friday, and my father just can’t understand what I would be doing at home. It is totally alien to him.

VF: We do find ourselves in a transition period and sometimes it isn’t easy to adapt. There’s a large team that sit outside my office that

KH: Managing remote working is a skill and it’s a capability that organisations can’t just organically develop. You’ve got to work at it to ensure timelines and project targets are met. It doesn’t just happen magically.

HOW WILL BREXIT AFFECT THE FUTURE OF EMPLOYMENT, TALENT ACQUISITION AND RECRUITMENT? KH: The uncertainty at the moment is massively unhelpful for the university. We’re having to constantly reassure our staff, which is a great tragedy. It’s shocking, the lack of political courage that the current government has with regard to Brexit. It’s so narrow-minded and it’s not globally orientated at all. They keep talking about all these global trade deals. Nonsense! Not if they’re portraying the kind of mindset that they have.

There are major concerns around recruiting international students.

Numbers are down across the sector already as a whole, and the crude reality is that international students subsidise British students.

Universities are global by definition. They attract talent and people from different cultures, from different ways of life, from different countries.

PRESUMABLY THERE’S ALSO A FUNDING ISSUE BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF EUROPEAN RESEARCH MONEY COMING INTO UNIVERSITIES. VF: We’re a net gainer from EU research funding. Because of the quality of UK universities and the UK university research profile we attract a lot of funding from Europe and a lot of collaborative work is funnelled through here. We hope that that’s retained It’s not only about the funding itself, it’s about whether we want to cut ourselves off. Do we want to only do research and development staring at our own navel. Collaborating as part of a European-wide network is so much better; the learning is so much faster.

SD: We’ve yet to see what the impact will be but I suspect there will be some, undoubtedly, and that is a real shame. We have diversity amongst our teams and that brings a richness and a real dynamic that.

If we were to lose that, I fear for the business going forward.

LE: It’s business as usual right now. We’re just being asked to

find people and we’re not being told to steer away in any way from Europeans. I think heads are buried in the sand waiting to see – and then there’s going to be a huge reaction.

CB: The only comfort I take is that, in my experience, there is a very strong desire for Europeans to come and work and live in the UK. There is a lot of talk about the UK having quite a weak bargaining position but actually we buy a lot of goods and services from Europe. I think it’s very much a two-way street and I am hopeful that they will find a way.

Maybe they won’t call it freedom of movement but maybe it will be something under a different name; because Europeans want to come here.

We’re a very tolerant society and there’s a lot of opportunity here.

And lots of people in the UK want to go and work in Europe as well. If movement is restricted too much, we’ll all be poorer for it.

Any SMEs interested in finding out more about the Santander SME Internship Programme, please contact Colin Berkeley on colin.berkeley@santander.co.uk

51

Travel - Abu Dhabi

Shake Hands in

ABU DHABI

With the opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the emirate’s grand plans to become a global cultural hub are starting to take shape. Rose Dykins reports.

I

n 2007, the Cultural District of Saadiyat Island was a humble, low-lying piece of reclaimed land off the coast of Abu Dhabi.

Ten years and $1 billion later, thanks to the vital manpower of an immigrant workforce, the Louvre Abu Dhabi has landed upon the island. And it’s as otherworldly and ethereal as the artistic renderings promised it would be.

Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, its 7,500-tonne domed roof with traditional Arabic patterns cut into it allows scattered sunlight into the space below, coined the museum’s “Rain of Light.” In the external courtyard, still pools ripple from the breeze flowing in from the Persian Gulf, their water lapping at the museum’s white cuboid buildings. Inside, the 55 exhibition rooms

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Abu Dhabi has been frequented by business travellers for decades, but its vision for the next ten years is to become a bucket list destination for culturallyminded tourists

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house the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s fledgling permanent collection. Currently comprising nearly 130 pieces - including Picasso’s Portrait of a Lady and Leonardo da Vinci’s La Belle Ferronniere - the collection is being showcased

in the “Birth of a Museum” exhibition, running from April 22nd until July 20th.

Rather than being an extension of the Paris art institution, the Louvre Abu Dhabi is a museum in its own right. Adopting the brand name of a world-famous attraction is intended to reflect the calibre of the work on display here, and to put Abu Dhabi firmly on the map as a cultural destination to be reckoned with. The same goes for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. Borrowing the name of another established cultural brand to represent the quality of its exhibits, the art museum was originally due to open on Saadiyat Island last year (though according to the latest reports, construction is yet to begin). Frank Gehry has modelled its design on Arabic wind towers - a

Travel - Abu Dhabi

Plaza at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Photography Roland Halbe

Louvre Abu Dhabi’s ërain of light © Louvre Abu Dhabi, Photography Mohamed Somji

wacky gold and silver structure contrasting with the shimmering serenity of the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

In addition, Saadiyat Island will also gain the Norman-Foster-designed Sheikh Zayed National Museum, which will present exhibitions about Emirati culture. Named after the emirate’s former president, the museum’s five towers will represent the five pillars of Sheikh Zayed’s vision for Abu Dhabi, each one mimicking the shape of a falcon’s wing.

It’s no secret that the emirate’s ambitions to become a pinnacle of global culture are part of its plan to lessen its dependence on oil (which still accounts for roughly 30% of its GDP) and create a more sustainable future.

Some cynics from the outside have accused the emirate of “importing” culture for profit.

While it’s true that the emirate’s population may not currently have the same established museum-going habits or visible anarchic artistic subcultures as other parts of the globe, it’s rather patronising to suggest that there’s no demand for these things from Abu Dhabi’s people, and that the emirate has no culture of its own to showcase. While the grandeur of the plans for Saadiyat Cultural District are undoubtably designed to attract the attention of the rest of the world, the idea is also to provide a platform for Emirati culture and achievement, to be enjoyed by local people as well as tourists.

In February, Abu Dhabi Louvre launched a temporary “Highway Gallery”. Ten billboards along the emirate’s EE/11 Sheikh Zayed highway - which connects Abu Dhabi with Dubai - presented pieces from the museum’s collection, while the UAE’s three main radio

Louvre Abu Dhabi’s exterior © Louvre Abu Dhabi, Photography Mohamed Somji.jpg

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi

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Travel - Abu Dhabi

WHERE TO STAY RITZ CARLTON ABU DHABI GRAND CANAL The “Highway Gallery” along the EE11 Sheikh Zayed highway stations provide explanations of each one. This is just one example of plans to generate local excitement and cultivate a wider appreciation of the world-class art on residents’ doorstep.

Compared to fun but gaudy Dubai, Abu Dhabi has a more authentic feel. The flourishing wildlife of its mangrove forests, the awe-inspiring beauty of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the uniqueness of Al Ain Oasis - the first UNESCO Heritage site in the UAE, offering a glimpse of what the nation looked like before the oil boom changed everything forever - all offer ample reason to visit. Pair these with the gleaming facilities and supreme luxury of its five-star hotels, and you have an extremely attractive location for hosting corporate incentives and events.

As EXPO 2020 in Dubai grows ever closer, neighbouring Abu Dhabi’s hotel already rich hotel stock is experiencing growth. Marriott International will open an Edition hotel (its high design boutique brand) along the waterfront of Al Bateen in the Abu Dhabi Marina; it will have 198 rooms, a “gourmet market”, a pool bar and 900 sqm of meeting

and event space. And Jumeirah Hotels, which already has a heavy presence in the UAE, recently announced it will open Al Wathba Desert Resort in September. Set 50km from the centre of Abu Dhabi, it will be a luxurious “quintessential Arabian hotel” with 90 rooms, 13 villas, a conference and meeting space and an off-site desert camp.

Abu Dhabi International Airport is also about to gain a significant extension. Aiming to be “number one in the world in terms of customer service” the eagerly-awaited Midfield Terminal should be ready for operation by the end of 2019. With a striking x-shaped design, the new facility will have 35,000 sqm of retail options, and will be able to handle 84,000 extra passengers per year.

Abu Dhabi has been frequented by business travellers for decades, but its vision for the next ten years is to become a bucket list destination for culturally-minded tourists. If it can continue to carve out its own niche, and deliver on its dazzling plans for attractions, the sky’s the limit.

With a design inspired by the Italian Renaissance, this decadent hotel is within walking distance of the Sheikj Zayed Grand Mosque. It’s home to one of Abu Dhabi’s largest outdoor pools, has two private beaches and the top-floor club lounge offers canal views. Its Southeast Asian restaurant, LiJang, has an open kitchen where you can watch noodles and dim sum being crafted. ritzcarlton.com

EASTERN MANGROVES HOTEL AND SPA BY ANANTARA Set along a waterway flanked by mangrove forest, this resort has a tranquil feel. Its 220 rooms include the swish Royal Mangrove Suite, with its own private entrance and pool. The Anantara spa is a standout feature with traditional Middle Eastern treatments on offer, while Impressions restaurant is a popular spot for weekend brunch thanks to its vast variety of international food stations. abu-dhabi.anantara.com

GRAND HYATT ABU DHABI Opened at the end of last year, this ultracontemporary property has seven food and beverage options, including a Japanese eatery, a Latin grill and a cigar bar. Its 428 rooms include eight penthouses, two private cinemas, and there’s 4,600 sqm of event space in total. To top it all off, there’s a private beach, two outdoor swimming pools and a spa.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

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abudhabi.grand.hyatt.com

Travel - Abu Dhabi

TOP PLACES FOR A MEETING OR EVENT LOUVRE ABU DHABI

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Inspire delegates with a show-round of the new architectural icon.

Guided tours can focus on the story of how the museum came to be, or the masterpieces it holds within its walls. louvreabudhabi.ae

ARABIAN NIGHTS HERITAGE VILLAGE

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Covering 85,000 sam - including 3,000 sqm of event space - this exciting venue lies in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s desert, surrounded by sand dunes, so delegates can sleep under the stars. Activities such as sand sledding, camel riding and night safaris are all on offer for groups, and there’s a traditional dining hall that can host Bedouin-style meals. arabiannightsvillage.com

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YAS LINKS ABU DHABI

With an 18-hole championship course, a nine-hole academy course and a range of packages for corporate groups, including fun zones and team building activities, Yas Links Abu Dhabi golf academy is a gem, and its plush clubhouse has meeting space for up to 300 delegates. yaslinks.com

ROSEWOOD HOTEL ABU DHABI

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While there are plenty of slick hotels with gigantic ballrooms to choose from in Abu Dhabi, this five-star downtown hotel is a great choice for intimate events.

The al fresco Glo bar is the perfect place for a cocktail reception, while Sambusek restaurant serves delicious Lebanese cuisine in a smart yet understated setting. rosewoodhotels.com

YAS MARINA CIRCUIT

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Abu Dhabi’s pistol-shaped Formula One circuit regularly hosts corporate groups for test drives of concept cars such as the Chevrolet Camaro, so they can burn rubber down the palm-tree lined racing strip (delegates must bring driving licences for this). Other options include passenger rides in a three-seater dragster, which amps up to 100 km/ph in less than two seconds, or team go-kart races around the North Circuit. yasmarinacircuit.com

55

Direct Marketing

RESPONSIBLE MAILING How to minimise the environmental impact of direct mail plastic by David Vaughan, Director of Mailing Expert.

M

y goodness, it’s all over the news at the moment isn’t it?

And rightly so - humans use so much plastic that our beloved planet is being trashed. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking, ‘What’s the point of trying to limit the use of plastics? Little old me can’t make a difference to such an immense global problem.’

Here at Mailing Expert, we’re firm believers in doing what we can to protect the environment. There’s that famous quote, sometimes attributed to the Dalai Lama, but most likely an African proverb: ‘If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito!’.

So, here are our mosquito bites into the flesh of unnecessary plastic use:

Direct mailing and plastic wrapping

wrap, with a special additive that means it only lasts for 1-2 years in landfill before being absorbed into the ground as a harmless residue.

Polythene wrapping mailed items is popular, especially for brochures and magazines, helping to protect products from water damage and wear and tear. However, smaller items can be mailed plastic free, so think about using postcards, paper envelopes and one-piece mailers for your marketing; be creative and standout from the crowd.

We can offer all of these alternatives to our clients. These are great products although they do have a shorter shelf life, since they start to degrade as soon as they’re in contact with light and/or oxygen, and come at a higher cost.

Using “good” alternatives

We always use suppliers with excellent environmental standards

• There are recyclable, bio, oxo-degradable, compostable and photodegradable plastics available for mailing envelopes and bags.

• Shrink plastic film which breaks down is available, but it’s NOT truly biodegradable (yet), even if advertised as such. It is ‘degradable’ because the molecular structure doesn’t change, or if it does, it will take decades. The best thing to do here is minimise the thickness of the film you use. (It’s worth noting here, that weight-for-weight paper uses 100% more power in its production than plastic, so it too has an environmental impact).

• For packaging, there’s shredded cardboard and paper, and material made from corn or potato starch. There is also biodegradable bubble

Here’s a quote from one of them: “We implement a strict environmental policy which ensures that we exercise proper control over our activities, to discourage environmentally damaging and wasteful practices. As a minimum, we comply with all requirements of legislation and are always striving to achieve ever improved standards.”

We recycle!

Even if some plastics aren’t waste-friendly, they can be reprocessed into a form which means they can be used again for other applications which require lower grade material, such as refuse bags, fertiliser sacks, chairs, benches, tables and pallets. For this reason, we sort and recycle our plastic waste. It’s about giving things we do a little thought. So we only use soap bars in our loos and not those dispensers (the tops are very difficult to recycle).

Why not join us?

Richard Rogers, the British architect, once said, “The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved.”

How about it?

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Charity News

NETWORKING FOR A CAUSE Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice hosted its first networking breakfast of the year at the British Airways i360 in Brighton on Thursday 22nd February.

Over 130 people attended the event, with representatives from a wide range of businesses, including Amex Stadium-Sodexo Prestige, Barclays, Gemini Print, Hotel du Vin, One Digital, and guest speaker, Brighton Gin founder, Kathy Caton.

Derwyn Jones, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Chestnut Tree House introduced Steve Bax, Executive Director of the i360, and David Pegler, Chestnut Tree House Trustee. Steve welcomed guests to the i360 and David spoke about his role as a Trustee and some of the charity’s events. Derwyn also gave a moving account of the care provided by Chestnut Tree House, both at the hospice and in families’ own homes, and explained how the charity relies heavily on community support so that they can continue to care for local children with life-shortening conditions.

Derwyn Jones said: “Spreading the word about the specialist care services Chestnut Tree House offers to local children and families is so important to us, both in terms of increasing awareness and fundraising, and it was fantastic to see representatives from so many different businesses.”

Kathy Caton gave an inspiring speech about how she came up with the idea for Brighton Gin, and the pride she takes in it being a local business, with everything still done by hand. She spoke about the importance of being connected with the local community, and how Brighton, and Sussex as a whole, boasts a collaborative business world, which helps individuals turn ideas into reality.

Chestnut Tree House’s next networking breakfast is taking place at The PowderMills Hotel in Battle on Wednesday 18th April. Visit www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk/networking for details.

ARE YOU BRAVE ENOUGH TO RACE TO THE KING? In its 15th birthday year, Chestnut Tree House is looking for adventure-seekers to seize the moment and make this the year for taking on an ultra-challenge to raise vital funds for local life-limited children.

Taking place on 23rd-24th June, Race to the King is a double marathon challenge for walkers and runners who are willing to go the extra mile – or 52.4 to be exact – to raise money for Chestnut Tree House. Starting near Arundel, participants will walk, jog or run along the ancient South Downs Way, finishing on the steps of Winchester Cathedral, the burial place of the first Kings of England. Take on the full distance in one go, or opt to camp overnight and complete it over two days.

For more information or to register, please visit www. chestnut-tree-house.org.uk/race-to-the-king.

Feeling inspired? Talk to Chestnut Tree House today and find out how you can support them during 2018.

Tel: 01903 871846 / 01323 725095

•

Email: corporate@chestnut-tree-house.org.uk

www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk

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Networking

The Business Network

NETWORK REVIEW THE PLATINUM CLUB

By Emma Pearce Marketing Consultant – marketing planning, outsourced marketing and social media training www.pearcemarketing.co.uk Emma Pearce gives an insight into a fully hosted professional networking club for people that don’t like networking!

R

ead on if you are looking for a B2B networking group for senior players with a cocktail party vibe. You won’t experience any formulaic seated meals, one minute pitches or speakers. But there will be business leaders who value building long-term relationships, along with hosts to introduce you to each other.

This unique format has proved successful since The Platinum Club launched in 2010. In fact the club has never had a member resign their membership. So with a cap of four members per business sector, there can be a waiting list but some spaces are available.

Maarten Hoffmann, MD of The Platinum Group and founder of the club, said: “We host a highly enjoyable cocktail party with senior business leaders from some of the largest companies and organisations in the South East along with an array of smaller businesses with a niche product or service. In many instances, this is the only networking event that a number of our members ever attend. As well as making valuable contacts, it’s a hive of inside information about what’s going on in the region.”

Emma Pearce (Pearce Marketing), Steve Parmar-Greaves (Parmar Staffing) and Gemma King (Vivid Marketing)

When I attended the event, the champagne was flowing and The Grand Hotel team passed around delicious canapés (all included in the membership). This Brighton-based event certainly felt like a relaxed gathering where everyone was happy to chat.

So what does fully hosted mean?

Maarten and two colleagues, Ian Trevett and Lesley Alcock, host the event. They are also from The Platinum Group, that publishes the Platinum Business Magazine along with four other titles and owners of all the business awards in the South East. They all ensure that relevant introductions are made throughout the evening - the event is limited to 60 people to ensure they retain the personal touch.

Mark Gibson (Travel Counsellors), Derek and Tracey Evans (Juno Wealth), and Vicky Norman (Chestnut Tree House)

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Pam Loch (MD, Loch Associates) & Graham Pirce (MD, Neva Consultants)

Maarten Hoffmann, Jessica Beales (Grand Hotel) and John Burroughes (Uniglobe)

Networking

Kathy Taylor (Director, Sodexo) and Sandra Murphy (Director, Business Doctors) All members receive the guest list 24 hours prior to every event.

They can email Maarten, in confidence, to advise which people they would specifically like to be introduced to. The hosts will make casual introductions at some point during the evening. With 10 years experience and knowledge of the members, they often know exactly which members would benefit from meeting each other.

What type of companies attend?

The vast majority of the club’s members are MDs of their own businesses. There is a good mix of multi-national blue chip, mid-size and small businesses from a wide range of sectors. I chatted to David Sheppard, Chairman of the Sussex Chamber of Commerce, during the evening. He also has fascinating business interests beyond that role too!

David absolutely reinforced the easy relationship-building atmosphere of this club.

Maarten added: “The attendees are based across a wide area, ranging from London to Brighton and Chichester to Hastings, with a few from France too! We certainly encourage the businesses to trade with each other since they are the cream of their relevant sectors.”

Maarten described the event as based on the premise that: “You are coming to my house to meet my friends. It just so happens that my ‘house’ is rather grand (with 201 bedrooms) and my friends all run their own successful businesses.”

Key Facts • Location: The Grand Hotel, Brighton • Frequency: Monthly • Size: Maximum of 60 attendees (55 the day I attended) • Time: From 6.30pm until the last person leaves - you will always find a group of MD’s at the bar long into the night

John Burroughes (MD, Uniglobe Travel) with Platinum Head of Events, Fiona Graves

WHAT THE MEMBERS SAY...

“I am not a fan of the usual networking formula but Platinum is certainly not the normal formula - l love it every month” Caraline Brown - Founder, Midnight Communications “I have been a member of the Platinum Cub for a few years now and it has always been fruitful and highly enjoyable. If there is someone in the room you don’t know when you arrive, you certainly will by the time you leave. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to increase their business contacts” Chris Mansfield, Managing Director, Davenport Investments “The Platinum Club is a fantastic networking event and presents everything you would ever need from such an 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. We will never give up our membership as it is the most important networking event of the month” Katie Gibson, Managing Director, Pier Recruitment This is the only networking event l bother to attend - everyone is here, all the right people and it is like coming home John Burroughes, Managing Director, Uniglobe Travel “I make sure l never miss an event and thoroughly enjoy it” Keith Jackman, Marketing Director, Mercedes-Benz

THE PLATINUM BUSINESS CLUB BRIGHTON

• Lock out: Maximum of four per sector • USP: Fully hosted cocktail party with no pitches and speeches, plus a range of benefits exclusively for The Platinum Club members

Find out more at www.platinumpublishing.co.uk/ platinum-club or email membership enquiries to info@ platinumpublishing.co.uk

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HOW TO BECOME AN

AWARD WINNING C O M PA N Y

60

CATEGORIES COMPANY OF THE YEAR SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AWARD BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE BEST EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR BEST INDEPENDENT RETAILER BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY AWARD TOURIST DESTINATION OF THE YEAR BUSINESSPERSON OF THE YEAR FOOD & DRINK PRODUCER OF THE YEAR BEST GREEN BUSINESS LEAP ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR “It was a huge honour to be recognised as the ‘Best Employer’ in the Lewes District.

We could not do it without our incredible staff and partners working alongside a fantastic network of volunteers. ” DUNCAN KERR - CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF WAVE

ENTER NOW AT WWW.LEWESDISTRICTBUSINESSAWARDS.CO.UK

THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR ENTRIES

BUT YOU MUST ENTER BEFORE

APRIL 25TH 2018 61

Brighton Fringe

ENTERTAINING AT THE FRINGE

T

he colour and excitement of Brighton Fringe returns in May to deliver the largest arts festival in England, and the third largest fringe festival in the world. Each year we welcome over half a million people to Brighton & Hove who we hope to stimulate, educate and entertain a wide audience by providing a showcase for diverse art forms in a friendly, supportive environment.

Brighton Fringe is completely unfunded and are only able to do all this thanks to corporate support and partnerships. They’re proud of the positive relationships they build with businesses and have a range of exciting ways to work together tailored to individual needs.

The Brighton Fringe team work all year round to nurture fringe arts in the city and beyond. The organisation connects local, national and international artists and organisations to promote their work, to develop professionally and to meet other artists, promoters, venues and businesses.

Partners find they have new audiences, increased visibility and enhanced awareness as a result of working with us. Fringe work with

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key partners to bring brands, products and services to life in innovative and novel ways.

Fringe City

Packages range from Activation Partner (booking a space for a stall, stand or activation) to Headline Sponsor, which includes naming rights and the opportunity for further branding on the Fringe City archway and four performance stages.

A fantastic spot for brand activation, Fringe City takes over pedestrianised New Road in the centre of Brighton every weekend during Fringe. Roaming performers and open air stages showcase the best of Brighton Fringe and offer myriad opportunities for brands to get involved.

Fringe Hub

Social Media

Unique hosted events are available at the Fringe Hub for artists, producers and corporate partners. Everything is provided for a great party: good food and drink, a beautifully designed and comfortable space, interesting people, great music and some impromptu live performances.

Brighton Fringe social media engagement continues to grow at an impressive rate and is an excellent way to capitalise on any ‘on the ground’ brand activations. Boasting over 50,000 Twitter followers and a combined Facebook and Instagram audience of 15,000, Brighton Fringe social media support is a strong way to connect.

Corporate Packages Brighton Fringe corporate packages are designed to be as flexible as possible, from a small number of clients, a large team or whole department. It’s even possible to take over a whole night and be a co-host with the Fringe.

All packages are bespoke.

Julian Caddy, Managing Director of Brighton Fringe, commented, “Brighton Fringe is a really unique opportunity for businesses to support the arts and in turn grow their audience in a very organic way. We’re an exciting, growing festival and value these relationships enormously.”

Business Expo

F

EXPOS AT THE RACES

ollowing the success of the Brighton and West Sussex Expos in 2017, organiser Mike Monk has announced the 2018 dates:

• Thursday May 24th West Sussex Business Expo, Fontwell Park Racecourse

• Thursday October 11th Brighton Business Expo, Brighton Racecourse.

Mike says, “There will 70 Exhibitors at West Sussex and 110 at Brighton as we will be expanding into the second Hall.

“Also new this year are 1m x 1m Shell Scheme Stands at West Sussex at a cost of £245.00 for new start ups.

“Visitors will find new suppliers and contacts and be able to network with hundreds of business people in one day.”

As exhibitors benefit from: • A professional shell scheme stand with company name boards • Basic stand furniture, including a 2ft x 2ft display table • Lunch and refreshments for two exhibitors • Regular support and pre-event updates

• A listing in the printed show guide and online exhibitor list with a website • Invite to the Exhibitor Workshop and Masterclass • Free media pack and resources to help you promote your attendance • Association with the business expo and PR opportunities • Invite to our exclusive annual Exhibitor Party The list of all the other exhibitors, plus the delegate list which includes contact details, email addresses, number of employees and industry of all the people that attend.* The day will start with a Networking Breakfast, followed by Key Note Speakers and Seminars, a Speed Networking session as well as the Network Wall, plus a café where you can take a break or network with exhibitors & visitors. We create a real buzz at our Expos and bring good footfall through the doors…

Go to www.b2bexpos.co.uk/westsussex to register online as a visitor or to book a stand… * Please note that this only includes email addresses of the visitors that have given us permission to forward their details onto exhibitors.

• Social media promotion before, during and after the expo

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Style & Substance Why Compromise?

EST. 1864 Make your next conference or event a Grand one...

01273 224300 • conference@grandbrighton.co.uk • www.grandbrighton.co.uk

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TheGrandHotelBrighton

@GrandBrighton

@thegrandbrighton

When BUSINESS meets SPORT

GARY STEVENS

35 YEARS ON FROM THE FA CUP FINAL

LEWIS HAMILTON

CELEBRATING OUR F1 LEGEND

EXCLUSIVE

INTERVIEW

Rob Andrew with

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WELCOME

PLATINUM SPORT

Laurence Elphick Head of Sport

Introduction Welcome From The Sports Editor Welcome to Platinum Sport, I am absolutely thrilled to be part of the Platinum team and to have the opportunity to head up this new section in the magazine.

Apart from my family (including Alfie my cocker spaniel), Sport is my biggest passion and I can’t get enough of it. For me business and sport go hand in hand, so my aim is to keep you abreast of as many sports as I can, not only in Sussex but nationally and internationally as well.

Those of you that know me will know my playing days are well and truly over. I’ve always been more of a viewer - I was never that good anyway!

Over the years I’ve been fortunate to meet and interview many top sportspeople including Sir Geoff Hurst, Jimmy Greaves, Willy John McBride, Gemma Spofforth, Steve Cram and Jo Pavey MBE to name a few.

So, what can you expect to read in this first issue? With the new Formula One season already underway, Maarten profiles Britain’s most decorated sports person, World Champion Lewis Hamilton and we also meet with the CEO of Sussex Cricket and Rugby Legend Rob Andrew to learn his thoughts on the first 12 months in the role and his hopes and expectations for the 2018 season.

Plus, we talk to Brighton & Hove Albion’s legendary defender, Gary Stevens about playing in the FA Cup final 35 years ago and what he makes of The Seagull’s first season in the Premier League.

This year, we’ve got so much to look forward to, including the World Cup in Russia, England versus Pakistan, Australia and India in the cricket, the Masters, the Ryder Cup and The Open in the golf, US and French Opens and Wimbledon in Tennis, the Tour de France in cycling, Grand National, Epsom Derby and Royal Ascot in horse racing and this month it’s the Commonwealth Games in Australia. Look out for interviews with many of the big name stars in the world of sport. I can’t wait to interview them so ultimately if it moves, I plan to cover it, I just hope I have enough space to tell you about it.

Platinum Sport also aims to keep you in touch with everything happening in Sussex, from the Seagulls to the Red Devils at Crawley Town, the Parallel Youth Games in Crawley to the Brighton Marathon, from the Eastbourne Eagles in Speedway to Worthing Thunder in Basketball, and everything in between.

The great thing about sport is that everyone has an opinion so if you read something that you agree or disagree with please feel free to let me know. Additionally, if you have an interest in a sport that I’m not talking about, tell me and I’ll do what I can to include it. If you want to get involved with the largest circulation business magazines in the UK, get in touch. laurence@ platinumpublishing.co.uk Happy reading!

PLATINUM SPORT

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SPORTS LOCAL NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS

SPORTS NEWS SPEEDWAY Eastbourne (Forman IT) Eagles return to action in the National League this month with trips to Plymouth and Coventry and welcome Buxton to the Arlington Stadium on the outskirts of Hailsham together with a home and away tie against the Isle of Wight in the Knockout Cup.

ATHLETICS While the Great Britain team battle for medals Down Under, closer to home and following on from the success of the Half Marathon, the Brighton Marathon returns to the City on 15 April. Paul Sinton-Hewitt CBE, founder of the global phenomenon parkrun, will be the guest race starter for the 11,000 runners at the later start time of 9.45am.

Local runner Kevin Rojas of Brighton & Hove AC is back to form after pulling out before last year’s race due to illness. Up against him is Stuart Hawkes of Tipton, last year’s winner of the men’s race, who will be defending his title as will Helen Davies from Ipswich, in the women’s.

“Rugby is a beastly game played by gentlemen; soccer is a gentleman’s game played by beasts; football is a beastly game played by beasts.”

Henry Blaha

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PLATINUM SPORT

RUGBY Sussex’s highest ranked team Worthing Raiders are 10th in National League 2 South having won 3 out of their 8 games so far in 2018, while in London 1 South, Chichester are 4th and unbeaten in their last 3 matches. Brighton Blues are 2 places behind having won 4 out of their last 5 games, while. Hove RFC are 2nd on points difference in London 2 South East behind runaway leaders Dartfordians.

CRICKET Sussex CCC begin the season under new head coach Jason Gillespie with three consecutive County Championship games away to Warwickshire (13 April) and Leicestershire (20 April) followed by a home match versus Gloucestershire (27 April).

HOCKEY East Grinstead are represented at the Commonwealth Games in Australia by six players; Liam Ansell, David Condon and Chris Griffiths in the Men’s while Ellie Rayer, Amy Tennant and Laura Unsworth represent the County for the Ladies squad who are the current Olympic Champions.

FOCUS ON FUNDRAISING Despite his insistence that he is built for comfort not speed, Nick Poyner, Business Development Manager at The Focus Group is taking on a gruelling series of marathons and ultra-marathon events this summer.

The schedule includes The Manchester Marathon (8/4), The Brighton Marathon (15/4), Endure 24 Reading (9/6) and the Ragnar Relay (22/9). Nick is raising money for the Rockinghorse Children’s Charity and is keen to support the charity’s goal of providing The Trevor Mann Baby Unit with new Digital Radiography equipment allowing the doctors to take X-rays of preterm at a lower radiation and get instant X-ray images.

To sponsor Nick go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nick-poyner1 James Ross Jewellers is holding his annual charity golf day at West Hove Golf Club on 22 June with prizes for the winning team, longest drive and nearest the pin. There will be a 3-course meal and charity auction with all proceeds going to RNLI, Teenage Cancer Trust and the Adur Special Needs Project. Teams of 4 cost £300 to enter, to book contact James Ross on 07810652032 or email info@jamesrossjewellers.co.uk

NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS

ATHLETICS

CRICKET While last month saw the return of all-rounder Ben Stokes, England beat New Zealand by seven wickets in Christchurch to win the one-day series 3-2. As a Test side though, England look to be going backwards after their disastrous Ashes tour and subsequent opening Test defeat to New Zealand. Meanwhile Australia’s captain Steve Smith was banned and fined for ball tampering in their Test series in South Africa, but one shining light was Sussex’s Danni Wyatt who became the second England women’s player to score 2 x T20 hundreds after her knock of 124 led to a 7-wicket victory over India. In other news, England batsman Kevin Pietersen announced his retirement after scoring over 30,000 runs which included 152 fifties and 68 centuries.

“Serious sport is war minus the shooting.”

George Orwell

ROWING

FORMULA ONE

The 164th Men’s Boat race was won by Cambridge and secured the double for the light blues after Cambridge women won their race by seven lengths.

After losing the opening Grand Prix in Melbourne to Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari, World Champion Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes will be hoping to get back to winning ways with 3 races this month in China on the 8th, Bahrain on the 15th and Azerbaijan on the 29th.

RUGBY In the Six Nations, Ireland won the Grand Slam with Wales finishing runners up after a disastrous campaign for England. It was 12 years ago that England last lost three matches in a single Six Nations campaign, and with Scotland beating Italy and Wales beating France in the late kick-off, they eventually finished fifth in the table for the first time with only Italy below them.

HORSERACING The highlight of the Cheltenham Festival saw 5-1 Native River win the Gold Cup beating 4-1 favourite Might Bite and this month sees the Grand National take place at Aintree on the 14 April having been won last year by 14-1 shot One For Arthur.

The Commonwealth games take place in Queensland Australia from the 4-15 April and the London Marathon returns to the City on the 22 April with Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele set to take on Sir Mo Farah and Eliud Kipchoge in the elite men’s field, while Kenya’s Mary Keitany will aim to break Paula Radcliffe’s world record time of 2 hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds in the women’s race.

GOLF The first major event of the year takes place with the Masters in Augusta between 5-8 April. Having won his first Master’s title in 1997, Tiger Woods goes into the tournament in good form and as some pundits’ favourite to lift the title. Victory for former world number one Rory Mcilroy would mean he would become only the sixth player to complete a grand slam

FOOTBALL While Southampton, Spurs, Manchester United and Chelsea will do battle in the semi finals of the FA Cup at Wembley, this month sees the quarter and semi finals of the Champions League and Europa League with England’s representatives being Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.

Meanwhile in the Premiership, City continue to lead the way with the real battle for the next three places between United, Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal while at the bottom, West Bromwich Albion look favourites to be one of three teams to go down.

PLATINUM SPORT

69

COVER STORY

Lewis Hamilton The most decorated sportsman in British history.

Profile by Maarten Hoffmann

I

often hear that old chestnut that Formula 1 is not really a sport. What total rot.

The fitness levels of such drivers is on a par with any sportsperson in the world and they then climb aboard a rocket ship that will accelerate so fast it would make a normal persons eyeballs rotate and then spend two hours on the edge of death at every corner.

The top of the F1 tree is Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, four times World Champion and widely regarded at the finest driver of his generation. In addition, he has more race victories than any other other British driver, top of the all-time career points, most wins at different circuits, all-time most pole positions, most consecutive podium finishes from debut and the most grand slams in a season.

Lewis has been racing since he could walk. His Dad bought him a remote-controlled car when he was 5 years old and within hours, he was doing things with it that amazed everyone. At 6, his Dad bought him his first kart for Christmas and agreed to fund his karting career as long as he worked hard at school. He had quite a tough time

“In life we all accumulate baggage: if you’re lucky enough it might be Louis Vuitton, high-end baggage and if you’re unlucky it’s a Tesco carrier bag.”

David Coulthard

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PLATINUM SPORT

LEWIS HAMILTON at the John Henry Newman School in Stevenage as, being of mixed race, he was badly bullied and fixed this by taking up karate.

The early days were a great struggle as his father Anthony Hamilton was working three jobs and trying to make ends meet and financing his sons fledgling karting career. This was justified rapidly as he started winning races from day 1, leaving the field stunned at his raw natural talent.

Famously, at the age of ten, he approached the boss of the McLaren F1 Team, Ron Dennis, a feared task master, and boldly stated that he would be racing for him when he grew up. Dennis laughed and said ‘phone me in nine years and we will sort something out’. In 1998, Dennis actually called him after he won the the Super Class kart series and his second British Championship and he was enrolled in the McLaren young driver development programme, which included an option of a future F1 seat, which eventually made Hamilton the youngest ever driver to secure a contract, which later resulted in an F1 drive.

Ironically, his 2016 team mate and arch rival, Nico Rosberg was also his rival as kids in karts. I witnessed this rivalry first-hand many years ago when l travelled to Lake Garda in Italy with a friend and his son who was a very able karter, along with my daughter who was then twelve.

As we sat in the sun drinking cocktails at the circuit, l suddenly realised that my daughter was missing and sought her out. I located her in the pits surrounded by Hamilton and Roseberg who were also both 12. I stood back and watched as Rosberg was trying to chat her up with Lewis not terribly interested off to one side, until he heard Nico chatting to her at which point he shot over there and they started vying for her attention with little interest in her but in total unbridled rivalry, absolutely intent on getting the better of each other in every aspect of life. Needless to say, l stepped in and pulled her out of there and then shackled her to me for the rest of the day.

Although, l can now see certain benefits to Lewis being my son-in- law!!

They both went on to join the Mercedes F1 team as teammates and there were some ugly scenes on track as they fought tooth and nail with each other. Eventually, Rosberg beat lewis to the 2016 World Championship by a couple of points and, as the intense stress of fighting with Lewis took its toll, Rosberg promptly retired from the sport.

He just did not have the mental strength required to continue the fight and Lewis went onto win the Championship in 2017.

“He’s a quality driver, very strong and only 16. If he keeps this up I’m sure he will reach F1.

It’s something special to see a kid of his age out on the circuit.

He’s clearly got the right racing mentality.”

Michael Schumacher, speaking about Hamilton in 2001.

Many commentators will note that Lewis is temperamental and, on occasion, acts like to spoilt child and in many respects this can be the case but one should remember that he was a very young man to have reached such dizzying heights and has a talent only matched by the likes of Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel and Ayrton Senna. At only 33, he has time to smash them all.

It should be noted that he broke another F1 tradition, that of being the first black driver to join the F1 circus. He recently accused F1 of lacking diversity and claims F1 should do more to encourage participation from a wider range of ethnic backgrounds. “There’s barely any diversity in F1. Still nothing’s changed in 11 years I’ve been here. There’s so many jobs in this sport of which anybody, no matter your ethnicity or background, can make it and fit in”. Formula One has chosen not to comment on the remarks but it is not the first-time Hamilton has spoken out about racial issues. After being penalised by Monaco race stewards in 2011, he said: “Maybe it’s because I’m black. That’s what Ali G says.”

As we launch into the 2018 season, Hamilton has been talking about his mental state. “When your interest starts to decline and your drive starts to decline, then you are past the peak.

I definitely don’t feel like that,” he said. “I’m definitely in a good range now and that’s where I need to continue, to extract the most from it.”

Last season Hamilton battled Vettel, who led the title race until the 13th round at Monza. The German admitted it was difficult to find chinks in Hamilton’s armour. “There aren’t many,” he said.

“He has been doing a good job for many years now.”

Hamilton however was circumspect about his team’s chances, pointing to the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, which have made good progress over the winter. “Daniel’s been smiling quite a lot today so I think you’re going to be surprised this weekend just how competitive Red Bull are,” Hamilton said. “There’s a lot of hype around our team, which I think is very difficult to take much notice of. I’m excited to see

PLATINUM SPORT

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COVER STORY how we all fare once we get into practice.”

Ferrari are understood to have unlocked more power from their engine over the winter but Vettel insisted Hamilton was the man to beat. “I think Lewis is right to be the favourite but it’s a long season,” he said. “We have all the reasons to be confident. Our car is great. Based on testing I think we are in good shape.”

However, former McLaren driver and TV pundit, David Coulthard believes this could be his last if the Brit becomes bored by the day-to-day routine of the F1 circus. “I believe that you don’t lose the speed, you lose the need. He is, like all of us who start at a very early age, born to race. That’s what they do. That’s what he thinks about when he goes to sleep at night and that’s what he thinks about when he wakes up. The day he wakes up and is feeling a bit tired but not in the same way that he’s felt tiredness before, thinking “do I really need to do this?”, when all of that builds up… In life, we all accumulate baggage: if you’re lucky enough it might be Louis Vuitton, high-end baggage and if you’re unlucky it’s a Tesco carrier bag. We all have baggage but it’s about how well you manage your time and how hungry you remain.”

Hamilton himself was posed the same theory during the recent pre-race press conference in Melbourne, and reacted angrily to one journalist’s suggestion that he sounded ‘jaded’.

“Needless to say, l stepped in and pulled her out of there and then shackled her to me for the rest of the day. Although, l can now see certain benefits to Lewis being my son-in- law!!”

Moody Rosberg with happy Lewis

With his Dad Anthony

With Lionel Richie and Keith Richards

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PLATINUM SPORT

LEWIS HAMILTON “I’m definitely not tired – this is the 12th season of doing the press conference,” Hamilton said.

“I’m not the most excited about this section of the season and the race weekend – but I’m looking forward to getting in the car.” And when asked if he was still up for the fight, he replied: “Of course.”

Hamilton is the highest paid driver in the paddock and according to Forbes, he is the 11th highest paid sportsperson in the world with a £100 million, 3-year contract with Mercedes and an additional £40 million coming from image rights.

His net worth is estimated at £240 million.

Naturally, he lives the life of the multi-millionaire sport star with a private jet, homes in Monaco, Los Angeles and London and a stable of cars that make me salivate.

As far as the 2018 season goes, it is set to be really exciting. Vettel has arrived with a new Ferrari that should see some extra speed, Bottas has a matching Mercedes to Lewis but not the talent or the mental strength to fight and, most exciting of all, Dutch youngster Max Verstappen in a new Red Bull has the chance to go wheel to wheel with Lewis and that would be the most exciting fight of the year. Ideally, we would like to see them in matching cars and then the fight would really be on.

Most fans agree that the biggest, and worst, change for this year is the introduction of the halo. This monstrosity covers the cockpit to avoid debris flying in and hitting the driver as happened to Felipe Massa in 2009 when a spring became detached from the car in front, flew into the cockpit at 175mph and struck Mass in the head. He fully recovered but it was touch a go for a while. The halo is in advance of the move to a fully enclosed cockpit that will, in my option, kill the sport. This is life or death, wheel to wheel racing and we want to see the drivers.

The majority of the drivers agree and there is little appetite for the closed cockpit except from the new owners of F1, American Liberty Media. As with most Americans, they are terrified of lawsuits and bad publicity and will inadvertently kill the sport in search of protection for their profits.

Lewis with ex-girlferiend Nicole Scherzinger

“This was justified rapidly as he started winning races from day 1, leaving the field stunned at his raw natural talent.”

So, this is more than just a parade of cars going around and around. This is a tight fight between world-class athletes, driving the latest technology the world has to offer, in dazzling locations in a fight to the death.

And at the top of this international tree we have a young black kid from Hertfordshire.

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Wimbledon Championships 2 - 15 July 2018

COVER STORY

In Conversation with…

Rob Andrew CEO Sussex CCC You’ve been CEO of Sussex Cricket Club for just over a year, how would you describe your first 12 months?

It’s been hectic and very interesting; There’s been a significant amount of change behind the scenes, which has allowed us to refresh things commercially and have a good look at where we are, what we’re doing and why we’re doing it which has included bringing in a new Head Coach in Jason Gillespie. I’m ambitious and have been trying to make things better, but people always ask what are your goals? We just want to win every game, that’s what sportspeople do, but will we win anything this year? I hope so, I want to be at the T20 Finals day, I want to win the 50 overs at Lords and I want to get promoted. As does everybody at the Club. Will it happen? I’ll tell you at the end of September.

It looks like things are coming together nicely at Sussex, what do you expect for the season ahead?

I certainly think we have tried to make decisions to take the Club forward, but the proof will always be on the pitch because you can’t hide from the results. I think there’s some real talent here, we’ve got some experienced players and we’ve got some young very talented not quite the finished article players. That is an exciting mix for any coach and ‘Dizzy’ (Jason Gillespie) can see that. Is it going to come to fruition this year, or next? I don’t know, but what I do know is that there is real positivity around the place.

Where is the Club compared to where you thought it would be this time last year?

One of the key things about building a team is you’ve got to have a core of your own players

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CRICKET and then bring people in who add value. What we need now is a bit of stability as I didn’t feel that we were a tight team last year. We had some talented individuals and when they performed we looked like world beaters and when they didn’t we looked rubbish.

There was nothing in the middle, so we need to be more consistent. ‘Dizzy’ is aware of this and his strengths are making a team play like a team and developing players. That’s always been a strategy for me, to grow our own players, but we also need some strength in depth, so we’ve needed to bring players in as well. Fundamental though is developing the young players, they are not going to be good enough unless we give them time. I was lucky enough to do what I did, but I wasn’t as good at 19 compared to when I was 28.

We’ve got to have a vision about where the younger players can get to. Equally we’ve got to be tough enough to say if they’re not going to make it. Teams go through cycles as well, and this club has been in a transition phase, probably for too long. But I sense that if we can just be patient and have some belief in these young guys we can build something that lasts.

You’ve brought in Jason Gillespie as Head Coach who has won two titles with Yorkshire and the Big Bash with the Adelaide Strikers in Australia. Then the signings of Ishant Sharma and Rashid Khan, the 2nd best spin bowler in the world, so how we can do this year?

(Laughs!) I hate this question! I get asked it the whole time and I have had it for the last 25 years and you just can’t answer it! It’s just not possible, you guys always want the answer.

If you had a choice then, would it be to win the T20 or get promotion (from Division 2)?

It’s easy for you to sit there and ask that question.

We want both of course. We probably should’ve been promoted last year. In the T20 we were a little bit unlucky with the weather and the run rate at the end. We only had Tymal (Mills) for four out of fourteen T20 matches and we won all four when he played, so keeping our best players on the field is also important. On paper we’ve got a strong T20 line up if they’re all fit and playing well.

“We’ve got an almost absurd situation where we lose two players to go and play in a competition in India and we sign an Indian to come and play in an English competition to replace them.”

Cricket is more complex than any other sport with different formats of the game and players going off to play international cricket. At the start of this season Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan are going to be playing in the Indian Premier League which is why we’ve signed Ishant Sharma, so we’ve got an almost absurd situation where we lose two players to go and play in a competition in India and we sign an Indian to come and play in an English competition to replace them. We’ve only had five players here all winter, the rest of them have been away playing for somebody else. So you’ve got to have some flexibility in the squad.

What do you think of the balance between youth and experience that you have now?

Always a really interesting question, if it’s too experienced or too young you lose something either way…

…like last season maybe...?

Yes, possibly it was too young last season, the senior players probably didn’t perform as well as they should have. There’s a reason they’re a senior player and paid the most money, because you expect them to perform the best.

It puts pressure on the younger players if you’re expecting them to carry the team. If you want your younger players to perform and assist the senior players, then the younger players progress more quickly and you’ve got the balance right.

I think young players develop very quickly if they’re good enough especially when you look at Jofra Archer and George Garton’s development and also Michael Burgess who was really impressive last year. Good young players accelerate quickly and that’s where I think we can move on this year.

I am often told we haven’t replaced Chris Nash.

On one level we haven’t, and on another level, we’ve got Phil Salt, Harry Finch, Delray Rawlins, Laurie Evans, Michael Burgess, all effectively fighting for a place. Stiaan Van Zyl, Luke Wells, Luke Wright, Ben Brown should be in the team, if they are performing. That means there’s five batsmen going for two slots. If we replace Chris Nash we’ve got five young batsmen for just one slot, so what’s the point in keeping them.

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COVER STORY If you don’t believe in developing young players, then don’t have a development system which I think is wrong. There’s nothing better than seeing the next young talent emerge, that’s what sport is all about. I want all the established players to get over 1000 runs this year but wouldn’t it be brilliant if one of the young players gets 1000 runs as well? The opportunity is there for them and they can see that because we haven’t filled that hole. If we had, they’d be thinking they might as well go somewhere else.

Australia come here on the June 7th, are you looking forward to it?

Yes, it’s a huge fixture for the club the players and the fans, it’s a brilliant event for the club both on and off the field. The off-field side is very important as are the two concerts we’ve got here this summer… probably some fans won’t be interested in Lionel Richie and Little Mix but we’ve got a business to run here as well to enable us to drive revenue to be able to put back into cricket.

We’re not here to make profit to put in the bank, we’ll always try and invest in the ground to make that better and in cricket generally.

The England Women’s team will play South Africa in Hove and also the KIA Super League Finals Day is here again. Does this shows how far Sussex has progressed to be able to host these games?

It does, women’s cricket has always been strong in Sussex. There’s a long history of Sussex girls going on to play for England. We’ve got fantastic facilities for the girls and having England come here as well as the Southern Vipers who are playing as part of a double header with a men’s T20 match is fantastic. The Super League Finals Day was a great day last year and we would like to be a home for England women’s cricket. Women’s cricket is growing enormously, it’s going to be a big part of the future and we’ve got to be at the forefront of that.

Commercially, you’ve secured some big deals, but I imagine the hard part is trying to get everybody to buy into what you are building here?

The support from the local business community is fantastic and all the sponsors and partners are critical to helping the club balance the books.

You’ve got to have enough money to keep your

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Sussex County Cricket Ground

best players when other clubs are trying to take them, which means you’ve got to pay them a bit more, but also have a development system where you’re trying to bring good youngsters through.

Without all those companies and the Boundary Club members, the club is in a much poorer place, not just financially but also in terms of support for cricket in the county. Overall local businesses and local people like to see the club develop local talent.

England were regarded as one of the top test sides in the World but losing the Ashes and now struggling in New Zealand. What’s gone wrong?

Cricket is very complex in terms of the scheduling and there’s something clearly not gelling in the Test team. Possibly it’s the way red ball cricket with the County Championship is played at the beginning and end of the season. There has clearly been a massive focus on white ball cricket, where we look a much stronger team in the 20

and 50 over format. But all teams go through difficult times, look at the England Rugby team, couldn’t lose a year ago, they can’t win now!

…. ah ha, rugby, that’s another story for another time…

Next Issue of Platinum Sport in fact. Look out for the May edition to read Rob Andrew on rugby.

CRICKET

when BUSINESS meets SPORT

Ian Fletcher Price CEO Posturite Ltd

“My most memorable game.”

A

s a young man with a passion for the game of cricket, there was really no option but to save up and stretch the personal finances to tour with England (this was long before the emergence of the Barmy Army). It was even more enticing when the winter tour was in the Caribbean, to take on the mighty West Indies in their pomp and enjoy their fiercely partisan, knowledgeable supporters.

Before the shift in emphasis to the more lucrative shorter forms of the game had even been thought about, the pinnacle was a five Test series against the leading Test playing nations - led, of course, by the Auld enemy down under.

But for sheer enjoyment and atmosphere the Caribbean was THE place to watch cricket (and always will be!). Not only are you guaranteed warmth on your back, but the locals know the game inside out and will happily debate the day’s play long into the night over a rum or two!

I was lucky enough to be in Barbados for the 4th Test at the Kensington Oval where the West Indies had not been beaten at their Bridgetown fortress

since 1935. Not only did Alec Stewart score a first day century, but four days later (they still had a rest day back then on the 4th day) he went on to become only the seventh batsman to score centuries in both innings of a Test match scoring 118 and 143 to help England secure a famous victory.

‘Stewie’ and I are the same age (54) and have subsequently become friends.

I remember the wild celebrations in St Lawrence Gap going on well into the night. This is undoubtedly the most memorable live cricket match that I have ever seen, and for that matter, likely to.

Sadly, Test cricket in the West Indies has declined in popularity and intensity as T20 has taken its grip on the game and in the West Indies case, North American sports have had a greater influence on sports fans and their limited resources. At least the potential T20 riches have ensured the next generation of cricketers have something to strive for professionally and maybe, just maybe, an early promising start in the long form of the game can help them on their way to riches!

1. Best bowler:

“Michael Holding (Whispering Death)” 2. Best batsman:

“Viv Richards (That swagger!)”

3. My best score:

“87 for Chalvington & Ripe CC (Circa 1986)” 4. T20 or Test:

“Old School!”

Viv Richards

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CYCLING

when BUSINESS meets SPORT

Andrew Mosley

General Manager, The Grand Hotel, Brighton

“Why I took up cycling…”

How Andrew Mosley discovered that a bike can take you further than the pub...

I

’d never been much of an athlete at school

joined a local cycling club who meet and ride about

and in July 2010, shortly after I joined The Grand Hotel, I signed up to run the Brighton Marathon. After months of gruelling training leading up to the race, I had come to appreciate its benefits. But I also ached - permanently. And so, it wasn’t long before I found myself under the “supervision” of a chiropractor.

“You’re too old for this” she told me. I agreed.

“You need to find an alternative means of exercise. Something less brutal. Have you tried cycling?”

I knew little or nothing about biking. A few of my pals were “into it” but it wasn’t something I had ever really thought about committing to. At first I bought a cheap hybrid bike – as much as anything to ride to the pub on! But, as I used it more and more, I started getting the bug. So a few months later, with the encouragement of my MAMIL (Middle Aged Men In Lyrca) mates, I bought my first road bike.

50 miles every Sunday morning. There’s always a coffee or pub stop involved so whilst we are getting fit (gradually) we don’t take it too seriously.

I can sum it up by saying my cycling is “weather dependent”.

Apart from the obvious exercise I’ve found cycling helps you see and explore new territories. Often these are on your doorstep. Places you would never discover if you took the car. You meet new people.

You chat as you ride. Conversation rarely centres around work, our busy hectic lives or any of the stresses of our days, moreover simple chat that helps clear the mind. The fresh air is wonderful. It can be really exhilarating. I admit I’ve always been a bit of a speed freak so I love a good spin down a long hill – a perfect reward to a tough climb.

My recommendation is to start with a fairly basic bike and work up from there if you like it. There are now hundreds of fantastic second bikes for sale on the internet - their users having either upgraded

I predominantly cycle socially, albeit with a couple of bigger events thrown in each year to focus my attention. I will occasionally ride alone but prefer going out with a group of likeminded friends. I’ve

or lost interest. There’s no need to go mad on kit either – don’t let those MAMIL friends convince you otherwise.

1. What bike do you own?

“Carrera Hybrid (pub bike!), Giant Defy 2 (my first road bike – now for use after work when I stay in Brighton), Giant Defy Advanced 1 (my newer carbon upgraded bike – used at home on my main outings), Cube Mountain Bike – I couldn’t resist and bought it – last year to try cycling in the mud and wet!”

2. Cycling hero?

“Bernard Hinault. He won the Tour de France five times and is one of only six cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours.”

3. Furthest cycled in one day?

“100 miles – friends and I tend to do a 100-mile organised “sportive” once a year.”

4. Ideal cycling destination/route?

South of France. (Maybe into the Alps if I was able).

5. Mountain bike or road bike?

Bernard Hinault (right)

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“I now prefer the road bike.”

FOOTBALL

when BUSINESS meets SPORT

Richard Pollins Managing Partner, DMH Stallard

“My most memorable match.”

Brighton and Hove Albion Fan, Richard Pollins recalls the Seagulls return to Brighton

H

aving had season tickets throughout the Withdean era (not “the” Withdean as some commentators referred to it), I saw plenty of highs and lows and most of them seemed to

be in the rain.

The title winning game against Chesterfield (with brown envelopes) and penalties against Swindon to take us to the first play off final since 1991 came close, but my most memorable match watching Brighton and Hove Albion was the first league game back in Brighton after the wilderness years in Gillingham.

We were playing Mansfield town at Withdean.

It was a glorious sunny and warm August day in 1999 and we had a few cheeky pints at the station pub at Preston Park before walking along to Withdean. The crowd was small (around 6,000 fans) but we made quite a noise. It was so good

to be back in Brighton after those awful years both before and after the move to Gillingham.

1. Who is your favourite player?

Everything seemed new and exciting and there was a real buzz around the place (ironic really as a few years later the first day of the season we had a wasp’s nest under our seats in block E!). Micky Adams had just been appointed and had brought some of his old players with him from Brentford.

Charlie Oatway and Darren Freeman were excellent on the pitch that day; Darren getting the match ball after his hat trick.

“Steve Penney - the sight of him bombing down the wing was a joy to behold.”

It helped of course that Mansfield were down to ten men early on but that just summed up the perfect day. Nothing could go wrong! Times have of course changed for the Albion (and mostly for the good) but I still look at our time at the Withdean with some fondness, and the memory of that first game against Mansfield in the sunshine will last long in the memory.

“Brighton 6 Mansfield Town 0”

2. What was the most memorable game you’ve ever watched?

3.What’s your favourite ground?

“Apart from the Amex, White Hart Lane” 4. VAR or not?

“VAR (it will/must get better over time)” 5. Your childhood hero?

“Wayne Gretzky, the ice hockey legend.

I saw him play in Canada for the Edmonton Oilers. A genius.”

Withdean was a welcome relief after Gillingham

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RUGBY

when BUSINESS meets SPORT

Bruce Hayter

Chairman, Rix & Kay Solicitors LLP

“Why I love Rugby…”

S

port is in the blood. My father, Norman, was an all-rounder; football, rugby, tennis, athletics and swimming and he actively encouraged me in these sporting

activities. At the age of 15 in 1972 my father introduced me to the Colts team at Plymouth Argaum, his old club and my love of the game has continued since then. At the age of 15 I found myself playing in the front row against a much older and formidable Brixham Colts front row which was an education – and I thought my father liked me! Character Building he said! Living in Devon in the West Country my experience to top flight rugby was limited but at that time Bristol were amongst the best and the Bristol hooker, John Pullin was an inspirational leader of Bristol and England. Pullin also played for the Lions and the Barbarians. Pullin lead England to victories against South Africa, New Zealand and Australia which was a phenomenal fact at that time and was a role model for a young player.

Rugby has a great tradition of welcoming players at whatever level and I have enjoyed playing for Wolverhampton Poly, West Leeds Old Boys, Hellingly and Eastbourne. The friendships made last a lifetime and sharing experience on and off the pitch becomes a way of life.

When playing at Eastbourne my two daughters Jennie and Christine would come along and other players would bring their children and a mini-crèche was organised. As Jennie got older she would on occasions come to Twickenham for England games. The most memorable game we shared was 31-28 when England beat New Zealand in 2002. England were on the way to Winning the World Cup in 2003 but had to prove themselves in the build up. England built up a lead of 31-14 with Jonny Wilkinson showing signs of what was to come scoring a drop goal. At 31-14

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New Zealand raised their game and the tension rose in the last minutes with New Zealand scoring 28 points – could England hold on? – yes, but this was edge of the seat stuff that Jennie and I celebrated as if England had just won the World Cup.

Sean Fitzpatrick

1. Childhood Inspirational Player/ Leader:

Press coverage focuses on International Rugby and First Class rugby but grassroots rugby in Sussex is thriving. Clubs run senior sides both for men and women, junior and mini rugby.

Grassroots clubs are part of the local community and I am proud to be an Honorary Life Member at my club Eastbourne RFC and a Vice President at both Seaford RFC and Hellingly RFC. Rugby is very much still a way of life for me.

“John Pullin (42 England caps 1966-76)” 2. Memorable game:

“England v New Zealand 2002” 3. Favourite ground:

“Millennium Stadium” 4. Best Manager

“Clive Woodward – England World Cup Coach” 5. Favourite player of all time:

“Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand)”

Clive Woodward

when BUSINESS meets SPORT

GOLF

David Sheppard Chairman, Sussex Chamber of Commerce.

“My most memorable match.”

I

’m not your average golfing enthusiast having only taken up the sport seriously in 2015 and despite many hours on the course (Waterhall mostly), I have only slowly reduced my handicap down to a “nothing much to be proud of” 26.

But that belies the pure pleasure of ambling round the course on a fine sunny day without a care in the world and only a club, a ball and the course to confront. What a way to do four miles of exercise - beats going to the gym any day.

Playing on one’s own sounds rather pitiful, but without the peer pressure and competitiveness, one can indulge in one’s own thoughts and test Waterhall Golf Course out business (and personal) hypotheses in blissful seclusion, many a solution to intractable problems 1. Best sportsperson you’ve ever seen? has appeared by the 18th. Now, I do like a competition and can get quite “Bobby Charlton. I saw him hit a screamer of a upset when things go wrong (which is quite often) so if any of my golfing goal in 1972 in the 87th minute of the League Cup buddies are reading this, don’t despair I’m always up for another round.

Golf in the end is a wonderful social game. Where else can you spend so much quality time with likeminded individuals with the opportunity to explore personal, professional or political issues in such depth? No wonder it is characterised as the place to do business deals.

But what of the question? The one golfing event which will stick in my mind forever, for the wrong reasons, is watching the 1999 British Open championships on TV. I can still sympathise with Jean van de Velde the little known Frenchman who on the last hole of the tournament was so far ahead of the rest of the field that he only needed a double bogey (2 over par) to win the championships and be the first Frenchman to do so since 1907. He could nearly have achieved this using a putter! That endearing image of him paddling in the burn and his shot resting on a dry stone wall is every golfer’s nightmare and in the full glare of millions of viewers on TV. The fact that he kept his cool was marvellous to behold when us lesser mortals would have tossed the clubs into the lake. He subsequently lost the tournament as he was forced into a play off which Paul Laurie went on to win.

Such mixed emotion is the gift of golf and my recommendation is embrace it, get out on to the course and give it a try.

against my team Oxford United at the old Manor Ground, to level the score 2:2. I was devastated but in retrospect I’ve never seen another goal like it.”

2. Best course you’ve ever played on?

“Waterhall. It’s close (to Hove), inexpensive and beautifully positioned in the downs. I want my ashes scattered there!”

3. Your best round

“One where I don’t get overly cross with my play, which doesn’t happen very often.”

4. Have you ever achieved a hole in one?

“God no, I’m lucky if I get it on the green in one.”

5. Your favourite 19th tipple?

“I take my hip flask with me for the journey, which probably explains why my game deteriorates towards the end.”

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INTERVIEW

And Stevens does Score Gary Stevens is one of only two players who have scored an FA Cup Final goal for Brighton & Hove Albion.

Laurence Elphick asked Gary about the final and his football career.

You were part of the Brighton team that played Manchester United in the FA Cup Final at Wembley 35 years ago, what are your memories about that day?

If I chose to write a book about my football career I think the Brighton v Manchester United FA Cup Final would fill two or three chapters.

Back then the FA Cup Final was the biggest game shown live on TV. As a kid during the 60’s and 70’s, it was the highlight of the season for me and it was one of my ambitions to play in an FA Cup Final at Wembley and score a goal. Dreams do come true!

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You scored the equaliser three minutes from time to make it 2-2, what do you remember about the goal?

Everything… which tells you how important it was, especially as I sometimes can’t remember what I did only last week these days!

I had not scored a goal all season for Brighton and I was asked to stay back for attacking corners. It was late in the game and I looked across to our bench hoping to get the signal to push forward. Jimmy Melia, our Manager, and George Aitken, our coach, were both frantically waving me forward as a last role of the dice to try and force extra time.

I took up a position in the penalty area where I thought I could attack the delivery from Jimmy Case. Unusually, Jimmy picked out Tony Grealish on the edge of the area as he was unmarked.

Tony shaped to shoot, and I started to follow in looking for a possible rebound. Tony’s strike was certainly not his best contact and the path of the ball intersected with my run to perfection. Tony said afterwards that he intended to pick me out and it was a disguised pass, I don’t think so!

I controlled it with my left to smash it with my favoured right foot. I was only just outside the six-yard box and it flew into the back of the net like a bullet.

FOOTBALL

BBC chose you as Man of the Match that day. How did this rate in terms of the best moments in your career?

I loved the experience, but we lost the replay and that took some of the shine off reaching my first FA Cup Final.

Another one of my career targets was to play for England and appear in the World Cup Finals which I achieved in Mexico ‘86. Running onto the pitch at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, versus Paraguay in front of more than 110,000, with a worldwide TV audience was very special.

Unfortunately, we lost to Argentina in the quarter final with the infamous Diego Maradona ‘Hand of God’ goal.

Trophies are what marks a career, so winning the UEFA Cup with Spurs in 1984 and scoring my penalty in the penalty shoot was very important to me.

I also won the European U21 Championship with England in 1984.

You were playing in central defence at Wembley because Steve Foster was unavailable was that the best performance you gave in a Brighton shirt?

That performance brought me to the attention of a lot of people and was certainly one of the best games I played in Brighton colours. I was not aware of it at the time, but clubs had spoken to Brighton with regard to buying me during that season, and apparently the club were not prepared to sell me.

We were battling against relegation and with the cup run continuing, the decision was made, and I’m pleased it was.

Who was your stand out Brighton player in the team back then?

I played with some fine players in my four seasons at Brighton. If you look at the 1983 FA Cup Final starting 11 it was about a collective effort, a team game and less about individuals.

Jimmy Case was a fine midfield player who won so much with Liverpool before coming to Brighton, Gordon Smith had won the domestic treble in Scotland with Rangers, I could list impressive details regarding every player.

On the day against Manchester United we had 12 “stand out” players, that includes Gerry Ryan who came on as a second half substitute for the injured Chris Ramsey - teams only had one sub on the bench back then.

United had big players back then such as Ray Wilkins, Norman Whiteside, Bryan Robson and Frank Stapleton in their line up and won the replay 4-0. Who was the biggest difference over the two games?

Manchester United fans thought the biggest difference was not one of their own but our returning captain Steve Foster. The same 11 couldn’t start the replay for Brighton because Chris Ramsey was not fit following the injury he sustained from a Norman Whiteside challenge, which meant a reshuffle of the team. It was harsh of the United fans to give Steve a tough time with their verdict, Steve was a fine player for the Seagulls and a vital member of the team.

Personally, I still hold the FA Cup in high regard and it is still a great competition to win for today’s players and clubs. What club or fan doesn’t enjoy an FA Cup Final at Wembley?

Who was the best player you ever played with in your career?

When I was transferred to Spurs after the 1983 FA Cup Final I joined a club with some of the finest players in world football. On my first day at the club I sat in the changing room with Ossie Ardiles; one of the best England keepers of all time, Ray Clemence, and arguably England’s most gifted midfield player ever, Glenn Hoddle.

When I broke into the England squad there were the likes of Peter Shilton, Bryan Robson and Gary Lineker to mention a few.

Other greats that joined Spurs during my seven seasons at the club included Chris Waddle and Paul “Gazza” Gascoigne, so how can I select just one from such a vast array of talent?

Has the glamour of the FA Cup diminished now teams put out weakened teams?

How have Brighton performed in their first season in the Premiership?

Football today is driven by money and clubs earn the bulk of their income via the Premier League so staying in the top flight is more important for financial reasons than winning the FA Cup. The Champions League also earns clubs more money than winning the FA Cup.

Brighton have had an outstanding debut season in the Premier League and although as I say this the Clubs Premier League status for 2018/19 has not been confirmed, I’m sure it will. The growth of the club, the fan base, the team and every individual player has been wonderful to see.

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ACTIVE SUSSEX

SUSSEX PYG

Focus on the Sussex Parallel Youth Games

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his year’s Paralympic Winter Games at PyeongChang was officially the most successful in Paralympics GB’s history with two Bronze medals, four Silvers and one fantastic Gold. Off the back of this success I am delighted that this year’s Sussex Parallel Youth Games are fast approaching.

Organised by Active Sussex, one of 43 County Sports Partnerships across the UK, this flagship, Paralympic style event for children with disabilities across Sussex is the largest multi-sport participation event for disabled children in the county, with this year’s annual event taking place on May 23rd 2018 at the K2 in Crawley It is the event in the schools’ calendar for the 400 athletes taking part each year, as well as the 100+ young leaders and adult volunteers who make The Games happen.

Crucially, it introduces the participants to a range of sports and sees them compete in Boccia, new-age kurling, cricket, tennis, golf and swimming. This fun environment lets children try a range of activities and helps to build lifelong positive attitudes towards physical activity and teamwork.

Katie-George Dunlevy, Gold medal-winning Paralympic Cyclist says, “The Parallel Youth Games is an important day for disabled sports because it gives encouragement and lets children try out a range of sports. This is how I started out, going to days like this.”

The competition is supported by a Sporting Champion and medals are handed out at the closing ceremony for the winners of each sport. Previous champions have included Andy Barrow (GB wheelchair rugby player), Sasha Kindred (GB Paralympic Swimmer) and Shaun McKeown (GB Paralympic Track and Road Cyclist).

Active Sussex are looking for local businesses to sponsor the 2019 Parallel Youth Games and here at Platinum Sport we want to help.

If you or your business wants to invest in disability sport and give young people across Sussex the opportunity and skills to be active, then you can help too.

As a registered Charitable trust, Active Sussex’s funding predominantly comes from Sport England to help contribute to the government’s agenda of increasing the number of people participating in sport and physical activity.

So if you believe in supporting young leaders to reach their full potential then please contact Jo Ashworth on jashworth@activesussex.org or call 01273 644139 for more information.

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PLATINUM SPORT

HOW TO BUY & SELL A BOAT

BOATING

Ever considered buying a Boat?

DID YOU KNOW… you CAN afford a boat… probably! You may have thought you couldn’t, but you might just be wrong…

Nothing beats the feeling of stepping on your first boat, casting off and going somewhere for the first time. It could be nearer and easier than you think…we live on the South coast after all, with two of the biggest marinas in Europe – gateways to the continent and fun at sea!

If you love getting out onto the open seas, then maybe it’s time to invest in your own vessel, says Tim Kingston

Boat ownership is easier than ever – all you need to do is find a boat that suits you, somewhere to put her and make sure you really understand the cost and responsibility of taking her on.

If you’re unsure about ownership, another great way to get on the water is to join your local club, make lots of great new sailor friends and join in the club’s events and training – this will really give you a taster and you may be invited to try other people’s boats, before you buy.

So how best to find your new joy, look after her and make the best of her? We’d advise you to build a relationship with your local broker. A good broker will understand the international and local market, be able to articulate the full cost of ownership, and should assist throughout your boating journey with help, advice and assistance – this should be friendly, transparent, ongoing and impartial advice to make sure you get the absolute best from boat ownership.

When it comes to selling your boat, nothing beats good advice from a trusted broker – they know the market, the area, what your boat is worth and the best way to sell her, along with many tried and tested practical hints and tips.

You should receive advice on regular low level maintenance and get help with arranging favourably priced work from a multi qualified broker, who should have vast marine experience and local, bootson-the-ground help with everything you need from engine servicing to sail laundering.

Your broker should be experienced, with plenty of local contacts, be British Marine Federation trained and work to Maritime and Coastguard Agency practices – even better if they possess professional skills such as engineering or Royal Yachting Association certificates.

The average boat is taken to sea just 11 times per year and 10% of all boats are for sale – so the choice is bewildering – befriending your local broker will really help you find the one that’s right for you.

They should be able to take your boat to the global market and proactively work to sell her for you, allowing you to relax and know that you’re in the best hands and will achieve the best price.

SELLING YOUR BOAT

SO, WHEN SELECTING YOUR BROKER, THINK:

1 2 3 4

Are they accessible all the time?

Do they communicate?

Are they proactive? Do they take your boat to targeted buyers?

Do they have truly global coverage, along with local knowledge?

Do they have a database of buyers looking for boats?

Tim Kingston runs boatshedbrighton.com, a local brokerage covering the coastline around Brighton, Eastbourne, Shoreham, Newhaven and Rye, with global reach as part of boatshed.com and 800,000 registered boat buyers. Tel. 07920 022540 timkingston@boatshed.com

PLATINUM SPORT

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For pleasure For business For fun

ONE APP DOES IT ALL

01273 55 55 55 www.citycarsbrighton.co.uk

THE VIEW FROM THE SOFA

OPINION

Is VAR really the future of football?

Laurence Elphick has not been impressed…

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AR stands for Video Assistant Referee… or should it read Verdict Ambiguously Reached?

VAR has been trailed at English Cup games this season and it will be implemented in this year’s World Cup in Russia. But is it a good thing for the ‘beautiful game’?

VAR is designed “to correct clear errors and for missed serious incidents” in “matchchanging” situations such as whether a goal should stand or not, penalties, red cards and mistaken identity (i.e. was the correct player cautioned or sent off)?

So, has it worked so far? We’ve seen ridiculous stoppages of over 2-3 minutes simply to establish if there was a foul committed! Really, that long? The end result is total bemusement on the pitch and among the fans, mainly due to the total lack of communication. It has created as much confusion as clarity, but I appreciate it is still a trial and yes, we want to avoid situations where clearly a wrong decision has been made.

I appreciate technology can only improve things, but I’m uncomfortable with this being the future; the beautiful game is beautiful because it’s free flowing unlike the stop start sports of rugby and cricket. Lengthy delays when each major decision is checked will completely ruin the enjoyment of the game.

Is it more important to get the right decision? Well of course it’s always going to be the latter when it’s your own team, but c’mon, it’s hilarious when it’s another team. Or is that just me?

The decision will still be one person’s opinion and we assume VAR will solve all our worries but take the recent rugby match between England and Wales where VAR already exists. The Welsh were denied victory with a late try being disallowed after a review when it appeared the Welsh player had indeed touched the ball down first. An injustice or just impossible to agree? In this instance, even the camera angles were inconclusive.

I was always brought up to believe the referees decision was final and personally I would rather the authorities spent their time and energy eradicating the clear cheating which is designed to influence the referee’s decision.

What is completely unacceptable is the way footballers surround the ref and intimidate him or her into deciding in their favour. And this still seems to happen even when VAR has been used! This needs to be cut out of the game, as well as diving, feigning injury and brandishing imaginary cards to get the opposing player cautioned or sent off. And what’s with swearing at the ref if you don’t get the decision?

But hey, if England win the World Cup in Russia and VAR helps us get the correct decisions, then I take it all back! As a certain Meerkat would say, “Simples” .

PLATINUM SPORT

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HURSTPIERPOINT COLLEGE

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Education News

CLIMBING ONTO THE PODIUM

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he junior climbing team at Hurst College won gold and the seniors took bronze at the Inter-Schools Boulder Competition held at Brighton Boulder – and the U16 team also took bronze at the National Independent Schools Championships.

Hurst’s juniors out-performed all other teams in the competition to win the gold medal by a good margin, despite picking up injuries along the way – and also had the highest individual score of the day. The seniors had stiff opposition and fought well for a bronze.

Competing against the best schools in the country – including Eton, Harrow, Marlborough, and Tonbridge – Hurst’s U16 team took a well-deserved bronze medal at the National Independent Schools Championships, which covered all three climbing disciplines, and was held at the Big Rock, Milton Keynes.

IN THE NET

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hree netball teams from Hurst College won the Sussex Independent Schools Netball Association Tournament and a further three took the runners-up spots.

The U18 and U16 teams retained their titles on home ground and the U12 team were also crowned champions, whilst the U15s, U14s and U13s finished in second place.

Rebecca Jutson, Head of Netball at Hurst said, “The Sussex netball family continues to deliver games of a very high standard. Well done to all the teams – players and coaches - who demonstrated their talents by competing well”.

Under 16s

HURST HOCKEY BOYS WIN SUSSEX CUP

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urst’s U15 boys’ hockey squad, gave a champion’s performance as they came through their group matches and semi-final to win the Sussex Cup.

Having been drawn in a group with Sackville School, Blatchington Mill and hosts Eastbourne College, it was, as expected, a battle between Hurst and Eastbourne to finish top.

Hurst started the final with some very solid play and went 1-0 up through a converted rebound off a penalty corner. The second half continued in much the same vein, with Hurst’s defence holding strong. After a scramble in the goalmouth, Hurst scored again for an unassailable 2-0 lead, which they held onto until the final whistle.

Dafydd Charles, Head of Hockey at Hurst said, “This is a fantastic achievement for the boys, who rose to the occasion in the games that mattered, and continue to develop and improve their game with each match. I’m really proud of the effort the entire team gave to the cause, and I look forward to seeing their performances continue on this trend over the next few weeks”.

Under 19s

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Motoring

THE FULL HOUSE

by Motoring Editor, Maarten Hoffmann

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his top of the range Q model from Audi is so packed with stuff that it is a surprise it accelerates. It seems a little like a lesson in how to take everything you have in the parts bin and stuff it into one car.

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It seems a little like a lesson in how to take everything you have in the parts bin and stuff it into one car.

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This 2.5-ton, 17ft rocket would have been built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel were he still alive. Technically, this is a feat of engineering rarely surpassed and making this behemoth get to 60 in less than five seconds really is quite a feat. The 4-litre V8 under full acceleration

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feels like the tarmac would ripple backwards rather than the car moving forwards. You get twin sequential turbochargers and then something they call an electrically powered compressor that forces air into the cylinders and this EPC fills the lag that often comes with such turbo technology. I don’t really have the space here to list the rest of the tech gizmos but suffice to say that if they could dream it, they did and then stuffed it into this car.

But unlike the lesser model, the SQ7 gets a specification that can also include an optional torque vectoring, sport rear differential for its Quattro four-wheel drive system and the electromechanical active roll cancellation system.

It corners pretty damn flat for such a high car, goes like stink off the line with a satisfying

Inside you get superb quilted leather and the brilliant Audi virtual cockpit that allows you to customise the dials, and just about everything else, and places the Satnav on the 12.3 inch screen and in the centre of the dial cluster. This first appeared in the new TT and

growl, will storm up Ben Nevis and has seven seats. All it needs is a teasmade and you are hot to trot. When they mentioned that it develops 429bhp and a monstrous 664lb ft., l thought it churlish not to test it and good grief, they are right. It is blisteringly fast, sounds like heaven on toast and will stop on a dime. Even more impressive when you recall it weighs in at 2.5 tons. And, like the standard Q7, it offers four-wheel steering as an option.

l fell in love with it instantly. It is as close to a head-up display as you can get but for good measure they stuck a HUD in as well. If you get lost in this car you really are a total prat.

And then there is the embedded SIM card that delivers internet services and comes with three months of free data. Audi Connect offers Google Earth and Street View, news, weather and traffic plus oodles of entertainment functions. Take the B&O 3D surround system

Motoring and the cabin will fill with 1920W of musical heft.

The drive is relentless as there is so much power on tap that it feels as if you will never run out, and keep the right foot buried and it will just keep going and going and going until you either run out of courage, road or planet.

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l thought it churlish not to test it and good grief, they are right. It is blisteringly fast, sounds like heaven on toast and will stop on a dime.

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Competition comes in the form of the full fat Range Rover and the ‘ugly as sin’ Porsche Cayenne Turbo and it is quieter, cheaper, efficient, more easy-going and comfortable than either and, believe it or not, this is circa £21,000 cheaper than both of them. So, would you like a blistering, growling V8 behemoth with the best dash in the world and £21,000 spondoolies in your pocket. Of course you would.

TECH STUFF Model Tested: SQ7 Quattro TIP Engine: 4.0-litre V8 Turbo-diesel Power: 435bhp Performance: 0-62mph 4.9 seconds Top: 155mph Economy: 37.1 combined Price from: £72,460

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This 2.5-ton, 17ft rocket would have been built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel were he still alive.

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Motoring

T ROC & ROLL

by Motoring Editor, Maarten Hoffmann

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he new Volkswagen T-Roc is the latest incarnation of the ultimate crossover and arrives at the same time as the Scirocco dies and that tells the story. Small low coupes are out of favour as crossover SUV’s come of age. Bloody silly name but l will try to look beyond that.

The T-Roc is not some fancy 4x4 with outstanding towing capabilities - it is simply a butch Golf on steroids. Does it work - it most certainly does and l was taken by this little beauty within minutes of driving it. It doesn’t try to be something it is not - it’s a car. It rides higher affording great visibility and being a VW, it is superbly bolted together, looks great and drives beautifully.

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The T-Roc is not some fancy 4x4 with outstanding towing capabilities - it is simply a butch Golf on steroids.

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They have tried this before, and failed.

In the 80’s there was the Golf Country, and then the Cross Golf and the failure came as they were trying to extend their popular Golf range and fiddled with it until they, eventually, realised that the Golf is a Golf. Then, whilst looking at the popularity of the Tiguan and the Touareg, the lightbulb moment arrived and the T-Roc was born. This is a really good looking car and is VW’s version of the Audi Q2. It also goes up against the awful Vauxhall Mokka, Toyota C-HR, Fiat 500X, Nissan Qashqai, SEAT Ateca and the Honda HR-V and therefore, it has no competition at all as it leaves them all in the dust.

Design wise, with its curving roofline and sloping C-pillars, it is a hit. It also squats on the road with a relatively wide stance and if you were looking for the perfect crossover, here it is.

Engine wise you would have four choices and AT LAST, three petrol and only one solitary diesel. In petrol form you have the 1.0-litre 113bhp, 1.5-litre 148bhp and the 2.0-litre 187bhp. The mucky diesel offers 148bhp in the 2.0-litre TSI turbo with a 1.6-litre coming along soon. If you look at the rapid 2.0-litre petrol, you would have all the car you would ever need. And these top end models come with part-time four-wheel-drive as standard.

Inside it is not the most spacious and, as with all VW’s, it is a tad spartan but you get everything you need in the place you need it.

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Motoring Damn that German efficiency. Decent room for five with lots of options for colour changes and trim variations. The Active Info display screen does it all and phone pairing is a joy and you get four driving modes - pick Sport and rip the knob off. You also get the now obligatory door light that shines logos on the ground when you open it and the annoyingly obligatory dings and dongs whenever you do anything other than sit still and don’t move. I really do not need a ding to tell me l have just opened the door - l know l have opened the door due to the large hole to my right. My car also came with the optional Sport pack affording me sports seats, stainless steel pedals, red brake callipers and black rooflining that made the whole thing appear even sportier.

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This perky little thing has a cuddly personality that will force many to give it a name.

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My 1.5-litre petrol was smooth and rapid enough with great traction and security on wet corners and stopping in a hurry. Really people, move on as there is nothing to see here. Just that damned German efficiency.

The entry level 1.0 TSI comes in at £18,950 with its nearest rival the VW owned SEAT Alteca coming in at only £280 less - really, there is no competition here. Of course, they get you on the extras as you need to pay for for SatNav and more for Apple CarPlay but at least that’s your choice and worth every penny.

The market is stuffed full of crossovers and the choice can be a tad bewildering but no more. This perky little thing has a cuddly personality that will force many to give it a name. The T-Roc stands head and shoulders above the rest and has made the bewildering choice much simpler. If you want a compact, well built, high riding car that will hold its value, buy the T-Roc. You’ll get over the name - eventually.

TECH STUFF Model tested: 1.5 TSI SEL EVO Engine: 1.5-litre Power: 148bhp Performance: 0-62mph 8.3 seconds Top: 127mph Economy: 52.3mpg combined Price from: £23,705 As tested: £24,520

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Chamber Listings

CHAMBER LISTINGS Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce & Industry CHAMBER BISON BEER AND CHEESE TASTING SOCIAL Date: Wednesday 11th April Time: 6pm-8pm Venue: Bison Beer, 57 Church Road, Hove BN3 2BD Price: £25 Combine networking with excellently brewed beer at Brighton Chamber’s Bison Beer tasting social, featuring a range of five beers with cheese pairings.

POP-UP BREAKFAST WITH BLUEBIRD TEA COMPANY Date: Friday 13th April Time: 9am-11am Venue: Silo, 39 Upper Gardner Street, Brighton BN1 4AN Price: £20 Join us for breakfast with one of the UK’s most loved independent tea blenders.

BITE-SIZED LEARNING: INSTAGRAM MASTERCLASS Date: Tuesday 17th April Time: 9:30am-11:30am Venue: PLATF9RM Tower Point, 44 North Road, Brighton BN1 1YR Price: £44-54 A Brighton Chamber Instagram workshop led by Kerry Watkins of Social Brighton. Get to grips with hashtag research, styling, branding, photography and commenting.

BUSINESS LEADERS LUNCH WITH MICHAEL BREMNER Date: Wednesday 18th April Time: 1pm-4pm Venue: Murmur, 91-96 Kings Road Arches, Brighton BN1 2FN Price: £39-£45 Join Brighton Chamber for a two-course meal and a glass of wine, where chef Michael Bremner will reveal the secrets of setting up two award-winning restaurants.

BITE-SIZED LEARNING: CHATTING YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS - NETWORKING SIMPLIFIED Date: Thursday 19th April Time: 9:30am-11:30am Venue: PLATF9RM Tower Point, 44 North Road, Brighton BN1 1YR Price: £44-£54 Brighton Chamber workshop led by Kirsti Cox, of Kirsti Cox Wealth Management. Learn the essentials of engaging and building a network than empowers and enriches you.

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BITE-SIZED LEARNING: DISCOVER THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY Date: Thursday 26th April Time: 9:30am-11:30am Venue: The 1st Central County Ground, Eaton Road, Hove BN3 3AN Price: £44-£54 Brighton Chamber workshop led by Peter Desmond of the Circular Economy Club. Discover how the principles of Circular Economy can help your business.

CHAMBER BREAKFAST Date: Friday 27th April Time: 7:45am9:30am Venue: Carluccio’s, 1 Jubilee Street, Brighton BN1 1GE Price: £20 Beth Burgess will be sharing her journey from stage manager, to producer at the Southbank Centre and the Barbican Centre to executive producer for Brighton Festival.

THE BIG DEBATE: ‘FUTURE OF WORK: ARE WE DOING ENOUGH ABOUT FUTURE SKILLS?’ Date: Wednesday 2nd May Time: 5pm-7pm Venue: Brighton Metropolitan College, Pelham Street, Brighton, BN1 4FA Price: FREE Join us to take part in a panel discussion and debate all about how to prepare businesses, staff and students for a future workplace.

BITE-SIZED LEARNING: TOP LEGAL TIPS TO PROTECT EVERY BUSINESS Date: Thursday 17th May Time: 9:30am-11:30am Venue: Entrepreneurial Spark, 149 Preston Road, Brighton BN1 6AF Price: £44-£54 Brighton Chamber workshop led by Penina Shepherd of Acumen Business Law. Learn how to use the law to benefit your business and protect it from potential legal problems.

T: 01273 719097 E: events@businessinbrighton.org.uk W: www.businessinbrighton.org.uk/events

Chamber Listings

Chichester Chamber of Commerce & Industry NETWORKING CHAMBER MONTHLY MEETING Date: Monday 9th April Time: 6pm8.15pm Venue: Chichester College Price: Free Join us at our regular Networking Chamber Monthly meeting.

PRIVATE LUNCHEON AND NETWORKING EVENT WITH GILLIAN KEEGAN MP Date: Friday 13th April Time: 12pm-3pm Venue: Chichester Harbour Hotel Price: Members £30 | Non-members £35 Enjoy a two-course lunch including a glass of wine, coffee and a welcome drink in the company of our local MP Gillian Keegan. Kindly sponsored by Rathbones.

OBSERVER & GAZETTE BUSINESS AWARDS Date: Friday 20th April Venue: Hilton Avisford Park Hotel For more information visit www.jpsouthevents.co.uk

COCKTAIL TASTING MASTERCLASS NETWORKING EVENT Date: Wednesday 25th April Time: 5.30pm-8pm Venue: Chichester Harbour Hotel Price: Members £25 | Non-members £30 Join us for an evening of cocktail demonstrations, tasting and a chance to network in a relaxed atmosphere.

For bookings visit www.chichestercci.org.uk

T: 01243 531765 E: office@chichestercci.org.uk W: www.chichestercci.org.uk

Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce & Industry CHAMBER BREAKFAST Date: Tuesday 3rd April Time: 7am Venue: The Hydro Hotel Price: £10 Regular breakfast meetings are held every first Tuesday at The Hydro, with an opportunity to network and showcase your business.

CHAMBER BREAKFAST Date: Tuesday 17th April Time: 7am Venue: The Bloom Factory Price: £10 Breakfast meetings are held at different locations every third Tuesday of the month.

GDPR SEMINAR Date: Friday 20th April Time: 9.30am Venue: Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club Price: Free James Rann, Chief Executive of Warrens Law and Advocacy will be providing an introduction into GDPR; Astec computing will be explaining what GDPR means for your computer systems; Emma Pearce from Pearce Marketing will give practical advice for meeting GDPR requirements.

T: 01323 641144 E: info@eastbournechamber.co.uk W: www.eastbourneunltd.co.uk/events-networking/

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Chamber Listings

Sussex Chamber of Commerce & Industry BUSINESS NETWORKING BREAKFAST – IMPACTS OF A CYBER ATTACK Date: Wednesday 11th April Time: 8am-10:30am

BUSINESS NETWORKING LUNCH – INTERNATIONAL TRADE WITHOUT BARRIERS AND BORDERS Date: Wednesday 18th April Time: 12pm-2.30pm

Venue: East Sussex National, Uckfield Price: Members £15 I Non-members £25 Guest speakers include Lisa Downs, MD & Solicitor from LJD Law Ltd, Caroline Richardson from Vantage Professional Risks, and Martin Bannister, MD from Kogo Ltd.

Venue: Chichester Harbour Hotel, Chichester Price: Members £25 I Non-members £35 Anne-Marie Martin, Chief Executive, Council of British Chambers of Commerce in Europe (COBCOE) will provide tips and advice that will help your business overcome barriers to trading internationally.

MAXIMISE YOUR MEMBERSHIP – MEMBERS ONLY Date: Thursday 12th April Time: 8am-11am

GROW YOUR CONNECTIONS – (PURELY NETWORKING) Date: Thursday 26th April Time: 8:30am-10:30pm

Venue: The Kings Church, Burgess Hill Price: Free - members only Meet the team to ensure you are taking advantage of every available opportunity your Chamber membership offers.

Venue: Bolney Wine Estate, Bolney Price: Members £15 I Nonmembers £20 Meet other businesses, share best practice, grow your connections and widen your own network of customers and suppliers.

BETTER BUSINESS FOR ALL Date: Tuesday 17th April Time: 8am-1pm Venue: Hydro Hotel, Eastbourne Price: Members and non-members £15 Better Business for All (BBfA) is a programme that brings together businesses and regulators to consider and change how local regulation is delivered and received.

T: 01444 259259 E: info@sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk W: www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Worthing Chamber of Commerce & Industry GEAR UP FOR SUCCESS Date: Wednesday 28th April Time: 9.30am-12.30pm Venue: Centre for Leadership, GB Met College, Broadwater Price: Free – members only event Make plans to fast track your success at this three-hour business workshop.

TOUR OF WORTHING MUSEUM Date: Thursday 12th April Time: 6.30pm-8.30pm Venue: Worthing Museum Price: Free - spaces limited An update from Worthing Museum about their plans for expansion, followed by a tour of the museum.

CHAMBER HUB Date: Friday 20th April Time: 12.30pm-2pm Venue: Impulse Leisure, Lancing Price: Free Enjoy some informal networking with like-minded business people.

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UPDATE FROM LOUISE GOLDSMITH, WEST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL NETWORKING BREAKFAST Date: Friday 27th April Time: 7.30am-9am Venue: The Arundel Restaurant, GB Met College, Durrington Campus Price: £14 for members I £19 for guests Louise will inform us of local developments including The West Sussex Plan.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Date: Wednesday 2nd May Time: 5:30pm: Registration/ networking. 6:15pm: Prompt AGM Proceedings Venue: Worthing Dome Price: Free to all Come along and meet our exec committee, hear about our past year’s success and our plans for the future.

T: 01903 203484 E: info@worthingandadurchamber.co.uk W: www.worthingandadurchamber.co.uk

Chichester Business Expo

GET YOUR BUSINESS TALKING The Chichester Business Expo comes to town this July with a fresh perspective on business networking says organiser, Sonny Cutting of Network Xpress.

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hichester, the prospering market town nestled within the West Sussex countryside, is the perfect place to find a thriving hub of local business. Niche independent shops with unique offerings and cafes to warm your hands and heart on locally roasted coffee beans, Chichester truly caters to all businesses; commercial, professional and of course, any inspiring entrepreneurs.

Hence why Network Xpress are coming to Chichester in 2018 for the next round of networking with a fresh perspective. Uniting businesses across Sussex, and all under the roof of Chichester College, the Chichester Business Expo on the 19th July will be running a Virtual Reality Pool Tournament - a twist on the game of pool to get you and your feet involved, with multiple prizes including exclusive summer hampers, local sparkling wine, chocolate footballs and a whole host of other goodies!

With over 40 exhibitors and 100s of guests, the opportunities for connections and forming relationships are vast, with businesses such as The Chichester Bids, Chichester Chamber of Commerce, Platinum Business Magazine and local businesses gearing up for the big day ahead.

Along with the expo, a new style of ‘early bird’ conference has started to emerge from Net XP events and it’s been embraced and welcomed very quickly by exhibitors, preregistered guests and delegates alike. As a company we have seen many trends change in the industry and we adapt to keep our brand current, and as people have seen, our events are a little different, quirky, fun and exciting.

Net XP runs events differently to other standard B2B exhibitions. The ‘early bird’ speakers conference is on the same day as the expo but it takes place before the main event starts, allowing exhibitors to meet up preexpo, sit down and relax whilst being inspired by stories of the speakers, and enjoying a free buffet courtesy of the Net XP event sponsor.

Our speakers for the Chichester event will include Penina Shepherd of Acumen Business Law, Natalie Montagnani of Page Marketing

and the CEO of Checkatrade, Kevin Byrne.

A revolutionary trade show, the Chichester Expo is hosted by Net XP, a tech creative events company which holds technology at the very heart and core of the business. As part of the Chichester Business Expo, Network Xpress have nominated two worthwhile charities to support - Chestnut Tree House and St Wilfrid’s Hospice.

growth and development, and guarantee smiles as part of an innovative new way to get business talking.

The July 2018 Chichester Business Expo is sure to forge business relationships, encourage

Born in South London, Sonny Cutting was a Brighton local from the age of 16 and has lived in Hurstpierpoint for the past 17 years. Today in the sleepy little village of Hurstpierpoint, he lives with his wife, Andrea and their four-year old twins, Jack and Charlotte. Sonny is the managing director of Sussex Pages, The Business Marketing Network, a local digital marketing company which he set up after leaving BT as a new media specialist after eight years of service. netxp.co.uk

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Anger Management

ANGER MANAGEMENT

PAY PEANUTS, GET MONKEYS

by Maarten Hoffmann

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uman nature always seems to drive us to seek out the cheapest price regardless of our inner voice screaming the obvious, that they must have cut a corner or two to get that price down. But no matter, we surge forth secure in the knowledge that we are such great negotiators that we really have found a cracking cheap deal that will be as good as the right priced deal. Are we all morons?

Take the recent KFC debacle. They sourced a cheaper delivery alternative for their one vital ingredient – chicken. Delivery firm DHL got in there with a cheaper deal than their existing logistics company, Bidvest and thought themselves very smart and in line for whooping great bonuses and a pat on the back from the boss. Quick smart, 900 KFC restaurants ran out of chicken and shut their doors with the obese baying mob outside screaming for their secret recipe fix.

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Quick smart, 900 KFC restaurants ran out of chicken and shut their doors with the obese baying mob outside screaming for their secret recipe fix.

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Take the recent furore over the new blue UK passports to be introduced after we depart the broken and failing entity that is the European Union. Amber Rudd saw fit to sign off on the contract going to France of all bloody places as it would save £122 million. Not a small amount of cash l agree but at what cost. Social media

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Anger Management and MPs surgeries lit up with pious indignation as the baying mob once again screamed that regardless of cost, these passports should be printed in the UK. And of course, they are right.

After the saga of Brexit, the very first thing we create that establishes the token gesture of independence would be the new passports, therefore it is with a total lack of understanding, empathy and feeling the pulse of the nation that they see fit to save the cash and open themselves up to yet another storm of protest. Brexit will likely cost over £50 billion, therefore it would seem rather trivial that the government has got themselves into this mess for a piddling £122 million.

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Brexit will likely cost over £50 billion, therefore it would seem rather trivial that the government has got themselves into this mess for a piddling £122 million.

❞

Take the PPI scandal. The banks thought it a cracking wheeze to cream off an extra few hundred quid per deal by flogging their customers a totally useless insurance policy that would never pay-out. I am sure the bright sparks that came up with this after too many cognacs in a London strip club, thought it would make them an arm and a leg, impress the powers that be and would never get found out. Wrong. The total bill for all PPl claims will exceed £40 billion and the damage caused to all the banks’ reputations will likely reverberate forever.

his cunning and off they went.

Unfortunately, he suffered a heart attack in Miami on the same day their son broke his leg. Surprise surprise, when the money-grabbing US hospital contacted their insurance company, a little buried clause meant they were not covered and they were not allowed to leave the country until they paid the $268,000 hospital bill. He survived the heart attack but will possibly never recover from the saving of £180 that cost him a quarter of a million dollars.

We are all guilty of it l guess. We want something for nothing and love a bargain but without the rational thinking that 99.9% of those bargains come with a catch. The company offering them did not reduce their

margins or salaries to give you that great deal out of the goodness of their heart, they shaved off a part of the service in the hope that you would not notice, or in the case of insurance, that you would have no need to claim.

We as humans think we are so damned smart but when it comes to such things, we are limp, gormless morons and really should know better.

❝

The total bill for all PPl claims will

exceed £40 billion and the damage caused to all the banks reputations will likely never recover.

❞

Take travel insurance. I heard of a recent case of a family that baulked at the travel insurance price of £410 for their family trip to the USA. They went internet shopping and located a company that would offer the same coverage for only £230. Dad felt very smug at

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Institute of Directors

MEETING your objective?

By Dean Orgill, Chair of Sussex IoD and Chairman of Mayo Wynne Baxter www.mayowynnebaxter.co.uk • www.iod.com

M

eetings, some people love them, some people loathe them. Well, if truth be told, how many people actually do love them? Far more people probably dislike attending meetings, but we still go to them – lots of them.

In your year to date, how many meetings have you attended? If you look back and think about them a little, how many of those would you want to live through again if you had a “MeetingPlayer” function to allow you to relive your favourites?

Many of us would have answered the first question in the previous paragraph with “too many”. Which begs the follow-on question – “why?”. Is it because you think all meetings are a waste of time? Is it because most of the ones that you do go to will deal with some things which you agree need to be discussed, but will also involve a lot of time discussing things that do not need to be considered by that group (if they need to be considered by a group at all).

Possibly those meetings involve much longer than necessary being spent covering the things that actually need to be discussed.

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Like most people reading this I have been involved in countless meetings over the years, and in the last few years I have chaired many meetings too. I have not conducted a ruthlessly analytical study into the dynamics and effectiveness of meetings.

Many other people have done so and some of them have produced very interesting and readable studies. However, I do have a few observations.

Sometimes meetings are necessary. Various people interested in a project may need to exchange information and views to allow the project to proceed either in a more effective manner, or indeed at all. But even then is a particular meeting necessary? I would suggest that the people involved need to be able to establish exactly what the meeting is taking place to achieve. If that target cannot be achieved then why meet?

If the objectives can be identified then they should be shared, so that everyone goes into the meeting knowing its aims. People can then focus their contribution on helping to achieve the objectives by staying focused

and “on topic”, and not straying into areas that they might want to “sound off” about in order that others in the room are aware of their views.

The Chair has a big role to play here of course, but I would suggest that it is not solely the Chair’s responsibility. Everyone needs to be disciplined, and if necessary, prepared to challenge others to stay on the relevant topic. This sort of challenge need not be confrontational, and once the habit is established it becomes far easier.

As the culture changes to one of a clearer focus then the need to challenge will become much reduced, as may the number of your meetings. Without just skipping them I anticipate that you could drastically reduce the time you spend in meetings.

JUST A THOUGHT Could you halve the time you spend in meetings?

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