Platinum Business Magazine issue 44

ISSUE 44. 2018

The Largest Circulation Regional Business Publication in the UK.

PLATINUM COUTTS

Investment Outlook 2018

TAX-SAVING TIPS

PLATINUM Prepare for the end of the tax year

THE LAST MEDIA MOGUL?

MADRID

Tech talent and decadent surprises

WHY CAN’T WE RUN A RAILWAY?

Why is Rupert Murdoch selling to Disney?

NEW WEBSITE: WWW.PLATINUMPUBLISHING.CO.UK

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Welcome

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THE BIG STORY RUPERT MURDOCH Disney is set to buy virtually all of 21st Century Fox from the Murdoch family. Is Rupert calling it a day?

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INVESTING THROUGH DISRUPTION

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ARE YOU READY FOR THE END OF THE TAX YEAR?

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GDPR - ARE YOU IT READY?

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BUSINESS TRAVEL - MADRID

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WHY CAN’T WE RUN A RAILWAY?

Coutts, the private bank and wealth manager, reveals itsinvestment outlook for 2018

Carpenter Box offers some tax-saving tips

GDPR isn’t just about permissions to keep personal data - it is about keeping your data secure

Tech talent and decadent surprises in the Spanish capital

At a Glance 6 Local & National News 14 Coutts 16 Big Story - Rupert Murdoch 22 Kreston Reeves - Brexit & Growth 24 Carpenter Box - End of Tax Year 26 DMH Stallard - Intellectual Property 28 LMS - GDPR & IT 31 Go Plastic Pallets - Local Success Story 32 Si Conroy - Productivity Checklist 34 Mailing Expert - Changing Times 36 The Posturite Story - part 2 40 Nexus Create - Web Design 42 Focus on Event Management 45 British Airways i360 46 Sussex Growth Awards 48 GDB Speakers Conference - review 51 Gatwick Diamond Business Awards 2018 52 Entrepreneurs Conference - review 54 Business Travel - Madrid 61 Education News 62 Education - Pastoral Care 66 Chichester & Crawley Colleges 70 Motoring - Range Rover Velar 72 Motoring 74 Table Talk - And so to Food 74 Table Talk - The Bull, Ditchling 76 Table Talk - Wine 80 Charity News 82 Chambers of Commerce 88 Anger Management 90 Institute of Directors

Maarten Hoffmann lets off some steam

Homer discovers Fox has been sold to Disney!

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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2018 2018 1 0 TH A N N I V E R S A R Y

1 0 TH A N N I V E R S A R Y

DISTINCTIVE CREDIBLE PRESTIGIOUS Join us on 15th March 2018 to celebrate the 10th Annual Gatwick Diamond Business Awards in the Millennium Suite of the Copthorne Hotel Effingham Gatwick.

Our presenter for the evening will be Comedy Legend

6.30pm

Evening starts with Pre-Dinner Reception

& Star of Strictly, Brian Conley, before he embarks on

7.15pm

Take your seats for Dinner

9.30pm

Brian Conley

his UK Tour.

This Strictly Black Tie event starts with a Pre-Dinner Reception followed by a sumptuous three course dinner

10.00pm Presentation of the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards

with wine, and will see the very best of the Gatwick

11.00pm After-Show Party

Diamond Business community come together in

01.00am Carriages

celebration of the World-Class businesses operating in this World-Class destination.

For more information and to book your table, please call 01293 440088 or visit:

WWW.GATWICKDIAMONDBUSINESSAWARDS.COM

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@gdbizawards

Issue 44 - 2018

A word from the Editors We were putting off writing the welcome words for the latest issue of Platinum Business Magazine. Until, that is, we read Si Conroy’s feature on productivity and avoiding procrastination. Suitably inspired, we can now say welcome to an issue packed with business advice, opinion and thought-provoking features. As always it is fresh, relevant and irreverent.

Our big story focuses on Rupert Murdoch, the magnate who has dominated the media scene in the UK ever since he bought the News of the World back in 1968. At one point The Sun reached a daily readership in excess of 10 million, and the paper had a profound effect on the political landscape with Murdoch never afraid to promote his own agenda. His ever-expanding portfolio stretches across America with the Fox TV network and the lavish big screen productions from 21st Century Fox. Yet now he is set to sell huge chunk of his global empire to Disney. Ian asks the $52.4billion question: Why? Closer to home, Kreston Reeves look into their crystal ball to business life after Brexit, Luke Mead asks if your IT is up to the demands of GDPR, Carpenter Box offer some timely tips to save money before the end of the tax year, and Maarten demands to know why our railways never work.

Rose, as always, does the sensible thing and jets away from the cold and rain to the Spanish capital. As well as feasting on tapas and sherry, she reports on the thriving and vibrant start-up scene.

Finally, if you are recruiting you may want to take the advice of Ian Fletcher-Price. His policy is to always recruit people who play team sports. Golfers and tennis players need not apply. Find out why in the second part of the Posturite story inside these pages.

He is right that team-work is essential, so we salute the Platinum team who make it all possible.

Maarten & Ian Platinum Business Magazine February 2018

The Team

Maarten Hoffmann – Director maarten@platinumbusinessmagazine.com

07966 244046

Ian Trevett – Director ian@platinumbusinessmagazine.com

07989 970804

Lesley Alcock

Fiona Graves

Amanda Menahem

Kate Morton

Business Development Director

Events Director

Food & Drink Editor

Copy Editor

Rose Dykins

Beth Nash

Travel Editor

Digital Manager

Sarah Walker-Bennett Amanda Harrington Event Photographer

Head of Design

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News

LOCAL NEWS JUICE GOES GLOBAL Brighton’s best known local radio station, Juice 107.2, has been acquired by Global, which already own a portfolio of stations including Heart, Capital and Smooth.

The deal is expected to be completed in late February, after which more details about the future of the station will be announced.

Managing Director of Juice 107.2 Laurence Elphick is stepping down in February due to personal circumstances. “Juice has been a hugely important part of my life for the best part of 17 years.

I have huge admiration for what the team at Juice have achieved and immensely proud that in an increasingly competitive industry, Juice has continued to be a distinctive and successful part of our community in Brighton & Hove. I am confident that with Global, the future is an exciting one.”

Ryan Heal, Juice Chairman said: “Laurence’s role as figurehead and brand ambassador has been pivotal to the station’s traction and stability in the city. We are so grateful to him for the years of unmatched leadership but with his imminent departure, the board felt the time was right to seize the opportunity for new owners to take the business forward. This is a hugely positive step for radio in Brighton. We’ll be working with Global to ensure a smooth transition for everyone involved.”

Founder and Director Daniel Nathan adds: “Over 20 years, the radio station has reflected the best of the city we love, and helped launch so many broadcasting careers. As a new chapter begins, the board and I would like to thank every member of the Juice family past and present for their part in creating radio made in Brighton.”

Ashley Tabor OBE, Founder & Executive President of Global, said: “This is an exciting station to acquire for Global and we look forward to fulfilling the station’s successful future.”

SQUARING THE DOTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

PRACTICAL TIPS ON GDPR

One of the key challenges of growing a business is how gain and retain customers. While social media marketing can help you find new customers, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is pivotal in helping you to retain them.

There have been plenty of words written about the implications of GDPR, but practical advise can be less easy to access. A seminar will give you a clear to-do list to ensure

Santander are hosting a workshop with Dotsquares founder, CEO and CRM expert, Bankim Chandra, who will show you:

your business complies with GDPR from a legal, IT and marketing perspective.

• How you could attract new customers through social media marketing campaigns • How CRM systems can be used to track and manage those leads to develop a relationship service.

The free workshop is on Tuesday 27nd February at Santander’s Gatwick office.

Register at: www.santandercb.co.uk/insightand-events/events/customer-managementhow-find-manage-and-retain-them

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The panel features Penina Shepherd and Ben Rose from Acumen Business Law (legal), Craig Bird from Connect DS (IT and security) and Emma Pearce (marketing).

The seminar takes place on Friday 2nd March from 7.15am to 10.15am at Deans Place Hotel in Alfriston. Tickets are £31.94 including breakfast. Email Jim Bruckshaw on info@businesscornerstones.co.uk for more information.

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The only exercise l take is walking behind coffins of friends who took exercise

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News

GRAND PREPARES FOR BIG REVEAL The Grand Brighton spent most of 2017 hidden behind scaffolding, yet it still managed to have a hugely successful year. The major restoration of its famous Victorian exterior will result in new windows, balconies and rendering for the famed 153 year old seafront façade. Set to reveal in 2018, this ambitious total restoration project will help to further establish the hotel as one of Brighton’s most iconic landmarks.

The front-of-house team have already had a make-over, with eclectic new uniforms from Gresham Blake who is famous for creating designs for the likes of Plan B, Rag’n’Bone Man and Ray Winstone to name a few. Retention within the hotel’s team is also at an all time high, as is customer satisfaction for both weekenders and the valued corporate guests.

The hotel raised over £55,000 in 2017 for local children’s charity, Rockinghorse. The hotel is also taking lead sponsorship of the popular Brighton Half Marathon. The three-year deal will see the race renamed as The Grand Brighton Half Marathon and will ensure additional funds are raised for local charities. Plus it’s the venue for the 2018 Sussex Business Awards in November.

General Manager, Andrew Mosley, said: ‘2017 was a positive year which has enabled us to put the right attitude, look and ambience in place for a hotel that we want to lead the UK hospitality sector. We’re really lucky to have an amazing team of forward-thinkers who bring great ideas, and who are helping to give the hotel a real buzz, spirit and a local identity. 2018 raises the bar once again and we can’t wait for the people of Brighton and beyond to see the new face of The Grand.’

FTA SNAPS UP TRAININGTEAM

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EMC Corporate Finance has completed the sale of Crawley-based T Team Limited, trading as TrainingTeam, to the Tunbridge Wellsheadquartered Freight Transport Association (FTA).

It has been a busy time for the EMC team, led by director Michael Pay, following the sale of West Sussex firm Summersdale Publishers Ltd to Hachette Livre.

Fanaticism consists of redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim

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TrainingTeam was founded in 1988 by Charles Manetta following a successful career in airline ground operations and staff training.

He was instrumental in the development of specialist training for the handling of dangerous goods and security training in the UK airline industry.

Michael Pay

He said: “I am delighted to be handing on the organisation to the FTA which is equally passionate about the industry, security and safety.

“When I first met Michael, I hadn’t particularly been thinking about selling the business, but I later realised that maybe it was the right time to pass it on to a worthy partner. I am extremely happy with the outcome for everyone.”

David Wells, the FTA’s Chief Executive, said: “The FTA is already a leading provider of compliance training for the transport industry. This acquisition strengthens our ability to ensure that our members, many of whom are already customers of TrainingTeam, can be confident in the movement of dangerous goods across all transport modes, and cements the FTA’s position as the go-to provider for high quality training across the logistics sector.”

Michael Pay commented: “This transaction once again demonstrates our ability to bring parties together and structure a deal to their mutual benefit.”

EMC’s team advising the TrainingTeam shareholders was supported by Pitmans Law and Starus Accounting Limited. Gaby Hardwicke advised on property matters. asb law advised the Freight Transport Association.

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News

LOCAL NEWS SINGLE MUMS ARE PERFECT BOSSES

Ali Golds

Ali Golds, a former advisor to the government on enterprise education, is encouraging women to turn their back on stereotypes and become their own boss in 2018.

Ali, a single mum from Littlehampton, was recently listed in The Independent’s 20 Extraordinary Women of 2017 review and is re-launching her book ‘How to Be Your Own Boss As Single mum’ to mark her achievement.

She has been empowering women business founders and single mum entrepreneurs by teaching them start-up skills since 2012.

Ali’s journey has taken her from abuse as a child and being vulnerable to abusive relationships to a return to success with her own business coaching company.

Ali found that a lot of the women who came to her workshops were single mums desperate to support their families., and some who were also escaping domestic abuse, Ali says: “The single mums I know and I know a lot – are the hardest working people you will meet. The majority are desperate to make ends meet, not to have to rely on benefits in any form and to move forward with their lives in a positive, enriching and dream sustaining way.”

Ali is also the founder of the The Juno Project, working with girls aged 14-16 who’ve experienced difficult circumstances. The programme, which includes mentoring, is designed to give the girls the confidence to achieve whatever goals they set themselves.

www.thejunoproject.co.uk - www.aligolds.com

NEW HEAD FOR BRIGHTON BUSINESS SCHOOL

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How do you make an apple puff? Chase it round the garden

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Professor Toni Hilton has been named as the new Head of the University of Brighton Business School.

Professor Hilton, who will take up her new post in the spring, brings extensive experience to the role having run

four other business schools in three different countries. She is currently Dean of Glasgow School for Business and Society at Glasgow Caledonian University Speaking about her new role, Professor Hilton said: “The University of Brighton’s mission to make a positive difference to society chimes strongly with my personal values and approach. I am delighted to be joining Brighton Business School and looking forward to working with the staff and students as well as the School’s many partners.”

Professor Toni Hilton

Welcoming Professor Hilton’s appointment, Professor Debra Humphris, Vice Chancellor of the University of Brighton said: “Professor Toni Hilton brings with her a wealth of experience that will be invaluable in leading the Business School as it prepares to move into its new home in two years’ time. I am grateful to all of the local business leaders who gave up their valuable time to help us with the selection process.”

Brighton Business School is in the top five in the UK in terms of the impact of its research in business and management.

Local business leaders who took part in the selection process were Maarten Hoffmann (Publisher, The Platinum Publishing Group), Rod and Sheila Flavell (CEO and Chief Operating Officer of FDM Group), and Claire Hopkins (Director, Ideal).

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News

WARM HEADS, BIG HEARTS It is patently obvious that the number of people in Sussex without homes, sleeping rough or in precarious living situations is increasing. Last year, 17 individuals died on the streets of Brighton alone.

Off the Wall’s Antifreeze team need your help to support the vital work they do throughout the year; fighting against homelessness and supporting individuals through the process of being housed, overcoming addiction and entering work.

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On the continent, people have good food; in England, people have good manners

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The charity invites you to don your favourite, wackiest, woolliest hat on Friday 23rd February, donate a couple of pounds and send them your snaps! This is a great fundraising event to get your work, club or school involved in. Don’t forget to Instagram, Facebook and Tweet your Woolly Hat Day fund photos using the hashtag #OTFwoollyhatday.

To register for Off The Fence Woolly Hat Day 2018, email fundraising@offthefence.org.uk

DARE YOU iDROP? The first public abseil from the British Airways i360 pod will take place on March 17th 2018, in aid of Sussex children’s charity, Rockinghorse.

Thrill-seekers will be fitted with safety harnesses and lowered, either manually or mechanically, from the open pod doors at 450ft. The iDrop challenge will be operated by Belay Ropes Access and is open to the first 30 people to sign up who can raise a minimum £1,000 each in sponsorship.

Executive director Steve Bax said: “The view from the British Airways i360 pod at 450ft is quite breath-taking, and for the very first time we will be opening the doors while the pod is at the top of the tower and allowing members of the public who are brave enough to abseil back down again.

The highly experienced team at Belay Ropes Access will be operating the event and we are all very excited that the participants will be raising funds for local children’s charity Rockinghorse.”

Belay Ropes Access director Iain Tindall said: “The sheer exposure of British Airways i360 is what makes this abseil special because unlike other venues, you are descending in open space rather than against a wall. And the position on the seafront makes it unique. I would challenge anyone not to feel a few nerves when faced with a 450ft drop, so even for experienced people, this will present a fearsome challenge.”

The charity abseil at British Airways i360 will help Rockinghorse to raise funds for a new specialist x-ray machine for premature babies at the Trevor Mann Baby Unit.

For full information about the abseil and to register, please email Hannah Seltzer at Rockinghorse: Hannah.Seltzer@rockinghorse.org.uk

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News

NATIONAL NEWS VIRTUAL INSANITY Facebook is launching an augmented reality video device this year, according to reports.

The device, known only as “Portal”, will be controlled using voice commands and include augmented and virtual reality features along with facial recognition.

The social network is reportedly planning an official announcement at F8, its annual developer conference in May, with plans to ship the device in the latter part of this year.

The foray into the hardware market puts it in direct competition with Amazon and Google, who each have their own voice-controlled speakers.

It is in with a chance of conquering the market as despite their popularity, neither the Google Home nor the Amazon Echo allow users to access social media sites like Facebook or Twitter. Instead, they are typically used to control Spotify or search the web.

Portal will come with a wide-lens camera that can detect faces and associate them with their Facebook accounts, according to a report by US website Cheddar.com, a new online financial news website. If it goes ahead, Portal will be the first product from Facebook’s secretive tech laboratory, Building 8.

Facebook has invested huge sums in virtual reality in recent years and founder Mark Zuckerberg predicts “it will become the next step in online communication”.

WATCHING OVER YOU Britain’s growing CCTV network could be a target for hacking attacks, a security watchdog has warned. Surveillance camera commissioner Tony Porter flagged up the possible risk of intrusion on the public by “individual and state actors”.

He pointed to a major cyber incident in Washington DC in January last year where more than 100 cameras were infected with ransomware.

Mr Porter said: “The risk potential for intrusion on citizens has significantly increased both by lawful operators of surveillance camera systems and those individual or state actors who seek to hack into systems. Cyber security has moved to the top of the security agenda.”

Publishing his annual report for 2016/17, Mr Porter said surveillance cameras are not always recognised as potential hacking targets.

He said: “If your camera is not suitably protected you are potentially opening up a back door for organisations that choose to hack.”

Britain is seen as having one of the most extensive CCTV networks in the world, and the commissioner’s report indicates that it will continue to grow. Research in 2013 estimated the number of cameras in the UK at up to six million.

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❝ Proof that God has a sense of humour - after inventing haute cuisine, he gave it to the French

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SUPERMARKET SWAP The vegan food revolution sweeping the UK has received a further boost as the largest own-brand supermarket range of 100% plant-based meals went on sale in 600 Tesco stores.

Transforming your average veg into crispy carrot pastrami, the Wicked Kitchen range includes 20 vegan-friendly ready meals along with wraps, sandwiches and salads.

The Tesco range has been masterminded by the American chef and self-proclaimed “plant pusher” Derek Sarno, a former global executive chef for Whole Foods Market, who was hired by Tesco last year as its director of plant-based innovation.

For other consumers seeking healthier choices, this year Waitrose is trialling a personal nutritionist service that aims to provide customers with dietary advice tailored specifically to their individual needs. Waitrose is charging £95 for the package, which includes a health questionnaire, private consultation, a personalised diet and lifestyle plan, as well as a starter pack of healthy food and recipes.

Moira Howie, Waitrose’s nutrition manager, said: “We know health is top of the agenda for many people as they embark on new year resolutions.

We’re committed to helping customers make healthy choices to achieve their individual goals.”

BOTTOMS UP MAJESTIC! A crusade by the boss of Majestic Wine against “mediocre” booze has paid off as more shoppers stocked up on premium English sparkling wines and magnums during the festive period.

The company said same-store sales grew 3.2% in the 10 weeks to January 1st while sales at its Naked Wine business, which Majestic bought for £70 million in 2015, increased by 13%.

Chief executive Rowan Gormley said: “The UK needs a wine specialist and we’re the last one standing. We hold our own against mediocre wine, and didn’t chuck discounts around.”

Shoppers swapped champagne for English wine, sherry and magnums, with sales up 62%.

However, the commercial arm, which supplies wines to pubs and restaurants, dragged down the performance as it fell 4.6%. Retail sales were up 1.2%.

Majestic, which is in the middle of a turnaround plan, is on track to meet its £500 million sales target by 2019.

❝ Dinners parties are the work of the devil

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News

NATIONAL NEWS LET’S GET SMARTER Apple has been told to take urgent action to curb children’s smartphone addiction, amid fears that technology could be damaging the younger generation.

The warning from two shareholders comes amid increasing concerns about how gadgets and social media could affect the young children who use them.

Famous technologists including Steve Jobs have been reported to have been concerned about the effects of technology on their own children, limiting the amount of time their kids could use the internet, phones and tablets. Now the activist investors have warned that Apple needs to lead the way in giving parents and their kids more powerful ways of keeping phone use in check.

New York-based Jana Partners and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, or CalSTRS, said last month in open letter to Apple that the company must offer more choices and tools to help children fight addiction to its devices.

“There is a developing consensus around the world including Silicon Valley that the potential long-term consequences of new technologies need to be factored in at the outset, and no company can outsource that responsibility,” the letter said. “Apple can play a defining role in signalling to the industry that paying special attention to the health and development of the next generation is both good business and the right thing to do.”

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Growing old is mandatory growing up is optional

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CALL IT A NIGHT? Crippling business rates bills are threatening the existence of some of London’s most well-known nightlife venues, new research has revealed.

According to real estate company Colliers International, nightclubs in the capital – already hit by soaring rents and inflation – look increasingly vulnerable to a hike in business rates, after they already went up in April last year.

KOKO on Camden High Street saw its rateable value, which refers to the value of a property upon which a tax is calculated, rocket in 2017, meaning that its business rates rose by almost 60%.

The rateable value of Camden club UnderSolo, Dirty Bones in Soho and Leicester Square clubs Café De Paris and Cirque Le Soir also increased sharply.

John Webber, who oversees business rates at Colliers, said that this does not indicate that the clubs won’t survive, but it does demonstrate the pressure the industry is under.

Last month, Kensington Roof Gardens – owned by Sir Richard Branson – said it was closing after struggling to make a profit. The club, which boasts three themed gardens, a running stream and four resident flamingos, was bought by Virgin in 1981 but has decided not to renew its lease agreement.

Mr Webber said: “There has been a lot of comment about how pubs and bars across the country are closing because of onerous business rate rises, but it’s interesting that the high-end London leisure scene is being affected too”.

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News

ON A ROLL LG has developed a 65-inch OLED screen that can be rolled up like a newspaper. In 2016, the firm announced the world’s first 18-inch rollable display at CES in Las Vegas – and now, they’ve more than tripled its size.

The incredible new flexible screen will be showcased alongside a staggering 88-inch 8K OLED display at the tech show this year.

The new LG Display is the world’s first 65-inch rollable OLED display. The design aims to optimise space utilisation, allowing the large screen to be packed away in a more compact form when it’s not in use. This makes for easier storage, while still achieving high resolution.

The key to LG’s radical new display is that it does not require a backlight, giving it the freedom to roll up and be stored away.

The firm is also set to show off its new 88-inch 8K OLED display and Crystal Sound OLED technology, which ‘makes sound emanate directly from the panel.’

EXPORT MARKS THE SPOT UK manufacturing output is expanding at its fastest rate since early 2008 after recording a seventh consecutive month of growth in November.

Renewable energy projects, boats, aeroplanes and cars for export helped make output 3.9% higher in the three months to November than in 2016.

Official figures also show industrial output rose by 0.4% in November.

Construction output in the three months to November fell by 2%, compared with the previous three months. That was the industry’s biggest quarterly fall since August 2012, with the only bright spot for the sector being a 1.2% increase in new housing.

For the month of November, total production was estimated to have increased by 0.4% compared with the previous month, with the biggest contribution coming from energy supply.

This increased by 3.2%, mainly because the temperature was warmer than average in October, but colder than average in November.

CAN’T CUT THE MUSTARD The Colman’s Mustard factory in Norwich is to be shut after 160 years – with some of the work , including the packing of dry sauces moving to Germany. Owner Unilever said the Carrow Works plant will shut by 2019 with 113 jobs at the site affected and 50 people set to be made redundant. The move was blamed on soft drinks firm Britvic, which shares the site’s facilities, deciding to end production there. Colman’s Mustard powder and mint sauce will move to a new plant near Norwich, along with some 25 jobs. Other products will be made at Unilever sites elsewhere in the UK – with 40 jobs going to Burton upon Trent, Staffs.

❝ You can have it all.

You just can’t have it at the same time

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Employment

INVESTING THROUGH DISRUPTION Coutts Investment Outlook 2018

C

outts continues to see value in equities this year with particular conviction in sterling, global healthcare and alternatives. Financial credit, Europe and Japan are also identified as key opportunities for growth by Coutts in its 2018 Investment Outlook – Investing through disruption. Coutts continues to see opportunities for investors but also recognises that the economic landscape is changing.

Coutts oversaw an increase in the assets under management (AUM) in 2017, up to £17.86bn, in addition to strong investment performance, achieving first quartile compared to peers over 1, 3 and 5 years across most of its strategies, according to ARC. Mohammad Syed, Managing Director at Coutts, said “Long-term returns from government bonds in the US and the UK remain vulnerable to rising interest rates and we remain significantly underweight. We

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prefer corporate bonds, particularly financial credit as well as emerging market debt given the US dollar weakness.

“Within equities, outside of the UK, we are focusing on Europe and Japan as well as sectoral themes such as healthcare and energy.”

Strong conviction • Sterling – The pound still looks attractive by long-term standards and remains at the low end of its 40-year valuation range.

Coutts expects it to recover further against major currencies, especially if the UK trade deficit begins to fall which should begin soon, in its view, provided Brexit negotiations are not too prolonged.

• Global Healthcare - The sector remains inexpensive by long-term standards and continues to deliver healthy earnings growth, which investors haven’t

yet appreciated fully. Coutts thinks pharmaceutical and biotech companies should benefit from long-run demographic trends, with older people across the world increasingly prepared to spend heavily to live healthier lives.

• Alternatives – Diverse alternative investment strategies, ranging from trendfollowing to market neutral to global macro, still look attractive and provide ballast within portfolios, helping to offset some of the risk that comes from equities.

Challenges and opportunities for 2018 • Global Growth – Coutts thinks the global manufacturing cycle is peaking about now, which raises the question: what next for the world economy and where to find value for investors. With robust consumer and investment demand, low inflation

Technology and accommodative monetary policy in most countries, it is expecting the looming slowdown to be gradual, with world growth as a whole still firm through 2018. With company earnings in the major markets likely to continue rising and no sign of US recession on the horizon, Coutts continues to have confidence in equities, with a bias towards those regions where it sees the growth cycle persisting for longer, like Europe and Japan.

• Inflation - In its search for inflation-beating returns Coutts favours segments of higheryielding bonds, like financial credit (yielding over 5%) and emerging market debt, and equities, where dividend yields are solid (4.2% for the UK’s FTSE 100) and earnings are growing.

• Japan - The view is that Japan’s prospects are normalising and that the outlook for Japanese equities is positive. In Coutts’ view, corporate balance sheets are healthy and equity valuations look attractive compared to other major markets.

• Equity Valuations - Many traditional measures used to value equities indicate that valuations are on the high side, with some in the US more than double their historical norms. Since high valuations are associated with lower future returns, this underscores the importance of identifying areas of the market that are undervalued by investors, consistent with investment beliefs.

The analysis indicates that these areas can be found – as reflected in its regional themes (e.g. Europe and Japan) and sectoral choices (technology and healthcare).

• Emerging Markets - Coutts sees two factors influencing emerging market performance in 2018: The strength of global economic growth– manufacturing exporters in East Asia and commodity producers like Brazil and South Africa do well when global growth is strong. Also, the direction of US interest rates and the dollar – faster rate rises than currently expected would lead to

Mohammad Syed, Managing Director at Coutts

a rising US dollar, a headwind for emerging market bonds and equities. The analysis suggests that global growth and trade will be steady in the next year, that US interest rates are not likely to rise unexpectedly, and that investors in emerging markets should not be put off by the usual political complexities.

Mohammad Syed continued: “As long-term investors, we see the need to look beyond the current environment to the structural shifts emerging around the world that will influence the global landscape in decades to come and fall firmly within the scope of our investment research. We see changes in global trade, technological innovation and government policies as three key areas that when combined have the potential to fuel significant change through the rise of inequality.

“One trend we see that could have a profound effect on the world is the growing gap in developed countries between the wealthiest and the poorest people. A combination of technological change and globalised trade has lowered the demand for

less skilled workers in the developed countries and squeezed their earnings, particularly in manufacturing. By contrast, more highly skilled – and typically higher paid – occupations have fared better.

“Changes in employment patterns have magnified the effects of these inequalities.

Developed economies have moved away from settled ‘jobs for life’ to working patterns that entail shorter tenures at more employers.

At the same time, defined benefit or ‘final salary’ pension schemes gradually became unaffordable and have been closing down, making workers more responsible for funding and managing their retirement. In our view, understanding these long term trends is essential to the management of wealth across generations. It also helps to inform our investment thinking, giving us a range of ideas to explore.”

For further information, please visit https://www.coutts.com/insightarticles/news/2018/investingthrough-disruption.html

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The Big Story

F

THE LAST MEDIA MOGUL

ew businesspeople provoke a reaction like Rupert Murdoch. He is the brash colossus who has dominated newspapers, TV and films in the UK, USA, Australia and beyond. Prime Ministers and Presidents have quaked at his disapproval and prostrated themselves to earn his favour. He has revolutionised the way we watch TV and destroyed seemingly unbreakable unions. Yet now, he is seemingly determined to see a huge chunk of his sprawling empire be consumed by an even bigger beast, Disney.

Has age finally caught up with the ‘Dirty Digger’? Is he now ready to slide off into the distance to enjoy his final years with his new wife - the still-glamorous Jerry Hall? Or is there life yet in the old campaigner? Is there a master plan in place to secure a family succession plan - and his own legacy? Who would bet against him?

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Sky’s fundamental problem is this. People are happier than ever to pay for TV. They [just] won’t be happy to pay Sky’s prices.

The Big Sell Off

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It would be possible to fill this feature with a list of the companies Murdoch owns or has significant control over.

Effectively (and simplistically) Murdoch has two main business conglomerates: 21st Century Fox which owns his film, TV and broadcasting ventures, and NewsCorp, his publishing empire.

The big headlines have concerned 21st Century Fox, which is being lined up for acquisition by Disney. In December, Disney announced: “The Walt Disney Company is to acquire 21st Century Fox Inc after spinoff of certain businesses for $52.4billion in stock. The purchase is to include 21st Century Fox’s film and television studios, cable entertainment networks and international TV businesses, including Fox’s 39% ownership of Sky across Europe.”

Disney reveals the scale of the Fox enterprises: “21st Century Fox is one of the world’s leading portfolios of cable, broadcast, film, pay TV and satellite assets spanning six continents across the globe. Reaching more than 1.8 billion subscribers in approximately 50 local languages every day.”

One thing conspicuous by its absence is the other 61% of Sky, but Disney states: “Prior to the close of the transaction, it is anticipated that 21st Century Fox will seek to complete its planned acquisition of the 61% of Sky it doesn’t already own. 21st Century Fox remains fully committed to completing the current Sky offer and anticipates that, subject to the necessary regulatory consents, the transaction will close by June 30, 2018.”

The terms reported in a released statement will see Disney issue approximately 515 million new shares to 21st Century Fox shareholders, representing approximately a 25% stake in Disney on a pro forma basis. It also claims that the acquisition is expected to yield at least $2 billion in cost savings from efficiencies realised through the combination of businesses.

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It is anticipated that the Murdoch family will own 5% of Disney as a result of the sale.

The Big Story

Pie in the Sky In a bold declaration of intent from Disney, there is a nagging element of uncertainty. In its own words: “21st Century Fox will seek to complete its planned acquisition of the 61% of Sky…” Whether Fox seeks it or not, the takeover of Sky may well be disallowed by the UK government. On January 23rd, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) provisionally found the deal to be not in the public interest, raising concerns over media plurality. In other words the CMA was concerned that Murdoch would have too much influence over public opinion and the political agenda, with his ownership of Fox, The Times and The Sun. The report was not a big surprise, and Murdoch is well aware that many in government are less than keen to see him assert more influence. He has mooted the idea of closing down Sky News to reduce his information portfolio.

It is a dilemma for Murdoch as the DisneyFox deal takes into account the success of the Fox-Sky deal, yet the likelihood of being allowed to take the other 61% of Sky increases once the Disney-Fox completes, as the buyer will no longer be owned by Murdoch.

However, the CMA’s ruling is only provisional, and a three-week public consultation has to take place before a final recommendation is sent to the Culture Secretary Matt Hancock by May 1st. Fox shareholders didn’t seem unduly concerned and the share price barely flickered. In other words, they are confident it is a done deal.

The $52.4billion question Whether Fox takes control of Sky is yet to be decided, but it is still likely that Disney will acquire 21st Century Fox. Which begs the question - why? Why would you hand over a controlling interest in a company which

creates blockbuster films and mines millions of lucrative pay-TV contracts, in exchange for a measly and ineffectual 5%?

Only Rupert Murdoch knows the answer to this question, but there are several factors which come into play…

The Disruptor Disrupted Murdoch is no fool and it may well be that it’s time to get out of the entertainment business.

Matthew Lynn of The Spectator writes: “Sky, along with the rest of the traditional media assets Fox owns in the US, is a fast diminishing asset. Plenty of industries are being disrupted by the internet, and plenty more will be in the decade ahead. But none is being turned upside down faster than pay television…

“In the last three years, Netflix and Amazon have muscled into its territory with spectacular success. Why pay £20 to £30 a month for Sky when Netflix offers far more exciting programs

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The Big Story

for less than a tenner, while Amazon gives them away with a Prime subscription?

“In sport, the competition is likely to get even fiercer. There is already speculation Amazon or Facebook will join the next round of bidding for Premier League football. Why wouldn’t they? It is precisely the kind of global, must-have product that locks customers into their systems. It is only a matter of time before one of the web giants offers the right price. And until then, their mere presence will drive the price of sports rights even higher.

“Sky’s fundamental problem is this. People are happier than ever to pay for TV. They [just] won’t be happy to pay Sky’s prices.”

If the Sky model looks outmoded, then it should be easy to adapt and evolve, but The Economist argues that Fox was struggling to compete in terms of investment:

Murdoch and sons

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The sale to Disney is an acceptance of mortality and legacy. Rather than an acknowledgement of waning influence, however, it looks more like a deliberate last-act concentration of it.

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“To have any hope of competing, scale is vital. Companies such as Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google (with YouTube) are investing heavily to seize consumers’ attention and money. Disney, which has a market capitalisation of $155bn, has lots of clout

because of its premium film franchises: Star Wars, Marvel and its animated blockbusters.

Last year it had all of the top five films at the global box office. Fox does not measure up: its best entertainment network, FX, is losing viewers, it owns only a few stellar franchises, like X-Men, and its film studio ranks fourth with 12.6% of the American box office this year.”

Added to this is the fact that Murdoch may have been feeling a bit exposed at Fox as Tim Adams at The Observer comments: “The sale acknowledges that the film business is being rapidly transformed by Netflix and Amazon, in ways he does not fully understand. More urgently, perhaps, the seen-it-all boardroom schemer was aware that his position at Fox was suddenly not as secure as it had been.

Alwaleed bin Talal, the Saudi royal billionaire and major investor in the company, has long

The Big Story acted as his guarantor. In November, in the shake-up of the House of Saud, Alwaleed was among those arrested by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.”

The sale would allow Murdoch to focus on making money from his two passions: sport and news. The Economist asserts: “If a sale goes ahead, Mr Murdoch would be left with a rump business worth around $45bn, and one not so easily disrupted by streaming services.

Live news and sports account for more than half of Fox’s advertising revenue. Fox News is the largest cash-generator in the company, with an estimated $2.2bn in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation in the current fiscal year. Analysts question the value of the Fox broadcast network without its studio to make shows, but the plan is probably to become even more sports-focused, which makes sense.”

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He threw the weight of the paper behind the Australia Labor Party, who had a radical programme of public spending and nationalisation that Jeremy Corbyn would have been proud of. However Murdoch’s dalliance with the radical left did not last too long!

The Succession

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Tim Adams quotes The New York Times who called the sale of Fox a “King Lear” moment. It is, says Tim, “An acceptance of mortality and legacy. Rather than an acknowledgement of waning influence, however, it looks more like a deliberate last-act concentration of it.

Murdoch has never been much interested in the film business; he saw no way to get hands-on involved, in the way that he had always done with his news operation.”

Above: The Huff Post reports on the demise of Page 3

The theme of legacy has been picked up by many commentators, as well as the issue of succession. Over the years there has been much speculation about which junior Murdoch would inherit the empire, but with such a prize at stake there was the risk of sibling strife, as seen with the bitter wrangling over the business empire of fellow American media magnate Sumner Redstone. The break-up of the business could prevent such a scenario.

It is widely predicted that after the sale goes through, youngest son (and assumed heir) James will leave Fox, possible taking up a senior role at Disney.

Back in 2005, to universal surprise, Lachlan Murdoch stepped away from the family firm. Anousha Sakoui and Nabila Ahmed from Bloomberg believe that the hopes of Rupert Murdoch rest again on his elder son Lachlan: “Today Lachlan Murdoch is the subject of more speculation in media circles than he ever was before. While his father has groomed him for the top job, Lachlan has never independently run anything as big and complicated as what is being billed as the ‘new Fox’. He now seems all but certain to assume the helm after his brother sees through the sale.

“Even though it will be much smaller, the new Fox will still house a broadcast network, a top sports channel and a cable-news outlet that’s the most watched in America - and in the White House. He’ll be responsible for maintaining Fox News’s influence while smoothing its rougher edges.”

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The Big Story paper’s editorials strongly backed his favoured partner in the Australian coalition government of the time. Later he threw the weight of the paper behind the Australia Labor Party, who had a radical programme of public spending and nationalisation that Jeremy Corbyn would have been proud of. However Murdoch’s dalliance with the radical left did not last too long!

In 1968, he entered the UK market, buying the News of the World and a year later he bought a struggling newspaper called The Sun. He poached the Daily Mirror’s Larry Lamb and let his new editor run riot. Lamb’s mantra was: free stuff, winning, booze, fags, football, gossip, and sex. Within six months the circulation had doubled. Murdoch, apparently, was outraged at Lamb’s suggestion of running pictures of topless models on page 3 in 1970 - until he saw how the sales figures soared.

Lamb told Murdoch “I want a tearaway paper “Lachlan hasn’t made public his views on global warming, the Trump administration or much else in the political realm. He has given money to Australia’s conservative Liberal Party. But he also signed a letter with James criticising Trump’s ban on immigrants from Muslim countries, and he’s led reforms at Fox News to create a more welcoming environment for women.”

NewsCorp, which is not for sale, has a portfolio including The Wall Street Journal, Sunday Times, The Times, The Sun, TalkSport, scores of magazines and a list of Australian newspapers and publications as long as your arm. The newspaper market has become increasingly difficult, but the press still has influence and power, possibly bigger motivators for Murdoch than yet more cash.

Whether it is James or Lachlan, the business will have a more modern feel, with both seemingly uneasy with their father’s oldfashioned authoritarian approach. But it is believed that Rupert will have less conflict with Lachlan than James, who struggles with the way his father runs the business.

Murdoch’s father was a journalist-turnedmagnate; it was the family business. Rupert edited school magazines and at the age of 21, on the death of his father, he took over his father’s company. He immediately went on a spree of acquisitions, taking over regional papers across Australia. In 1964, he launched the country first national newspaper, The Australian.

The Dirty Digger Murdoch is ultimately a newspaper man with ink in his veins and the Disney deal keeps his printing presses firmly under his control.

The launch of The Australian also saw Murdoch develop a taste for politics, and the

with lots of tits in it”. Politically, it remained generally supportive of Labour throughout most of the 1970s.

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Rupert Murdoch never stood for office in the UK, but at the height of his powers, he never needed to.

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If Lamb was Fleet Street’s bad boy, Kelvin McKenzie was Murdoch’s attack dog. Taking over in 1981, McKenzie’s inflammatory style of editing became synonymous with the divisive and confrontational 1980s. Some of his headlines went down in tabloid folklore.

When the Falklands War raged, The Sun was the jingoistic flag-waver, gloating when Argentinian lives were lost at sea with the famous ‘Gotcha’ headline. The paper became the scourge of the left, taunting them with homophobic and right wing splashes. The nadir came when 96 football fans were crushed at Hillsborough in 1989, and the paper led with a headline of ‘The Truth’, falsely claiming Liverpool fans stole from and urinated on the dead. Even Murdoch was appalled by the coverage, and eventually persuaded McKenzie to half-heartedly apologise, but Murdoch clearly wasn’t appalled enough to sack his editor for such a spiteful attack.

Even if McKenzie sometimes went too far for Murdoch’s liking, in general McKenzie had his owner’s approval and appreciation. Sales

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The Big Story Tim Adams writes, “On his telephone call to congratulate Murdoch on the Disney sale, Trump was no doubt keen to affirm that his cheerleading news channel was not going anywhere. Over two decades, Fox News has done the most to make the bigoted and divisive tone of a Trump presidency possible, just as in Britain in the 1980s, it was Kelvin MacKenzie’s thuggish Sun wot won it for the polarising extremes of Thatcherism.”

were surging upwards and The Sun had a forceful role in British politics, actively supporting Margaret Thatcher, a politician much admired

by Murdoch. Labour leaders such as Michael Foot and Neil Kinnock complained about the nasty, personal attacks, but to no avail. Like it or not The Sun had a real influence, and on the 11th April 1992, after John Major won an unlikely election victory for the Conservatives, The Sun lead with the self-congratulatory, “It’s The Sun Wot Won It”.

The Labour party agreed. When an aspiring young politician called Tony Blair took over as the leader of the Labour Party in 1994, he set off on a charm offensive, determined to win the backing of Rupert Murdoch (and, inadvertently, the adulation of his wife Wendi Deng).

His plan worked and in 1997 Labour won the General Election with a landslide. In the same year, The Sun attracted 10 million daily readers.

Rupert Murdoch never stood for office in the UK, but at the height of his powers, he never needed to.

Again it is Murdoch the kingmaker - the master puppeteer. As the influence of newspapers wanes, he still has the power of TV news. It is therefore no surprise to hear that Fox News is in of the few components of 21st Century Fox, which is not being sold to Disney.

Or just other things on his mind…

Why try and take on the young pups at Amazon and Netflix? After a long career creating a media empire unequalled across the globe, maybe he feels he deserves a bit of a rest. Rupert Murdoch is now 86 years old, and is approaching the second anniversary of his marriage to former supermodel Jerry Hall. Perhaps it was just time to sell up, keep the businesses he enjoys and spend time with his younger wife?

Having experienced the addictive power of a zeitgeist-defining newspaper, there was no way that he would ever sell his beloved papers.

Fake News, True Power It would be hard to present a case questioning the impartiality of Murdoch’s Sky News. We are fortunate in this country that our TV news broadcasts from the BBC, ITN, Channel 4 and Sky are about as fair and unbiased as can be reasonably expected. The BBC is completely obsessed with its impartiality, and although the left accuses Laura Kuinsberg of Tory bias and the right will lament the woolly liberalism of the Beeb, this is more an indictment of the accusers than the accused.

Afua Hirsch who joined Sky News as social affairs editor in 2014, told The Guardian that: “The output on the channel – which is as highly regulated and impartial as every other – has about as much to do with Murdoch as the content of The Handmaid’s Tale.” It’s hard to disagree with her.

Perhaps the lack of influence from the proprietor is partly why Fox recently offered to dispose of the channel!

If our TV news is trustworthy, the same cannot be said about certain news broadcasters in the states. And the most infamous of them all is Fox News. When President Trump doesn’t list your station as a purveyor of Fake News, then you know you have a problem.

Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News has been a staunch supporter of Trump from day one. According to the New York Times, the two men speak almost every day.

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Finance

ECONOMIC GROWTH AND THE EFFECT OF BREXIT IN SUSSEX

By Andrew Griggs, Senior Partner at Kreston Reeves.

The first Sussex Economic Forum took place in November and Kreston Reeves was delighted to be one of the sponsors. Senior Partner Andrew Griggs was a panel member for the debate ‘Economic growth and the effect of Brexit’. Here, Andrew shares his views on the business community, the effect of Brexit on the county, and the opportunities for growth.

“W

e are lucky in that Sussex is a vibrant county with a rapidly growing population and a thriving business community in sectors such as construction, technology, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail, tourism and shipping,” Andrew says.

Many large businesses are based in the county including American Express in Brighton, The Body Shop in Littlehampton, Bowers & Wilkins in Worthing, Hastings Direct Insurance in Bexhill, Ricardo Plc in Shoreham-on-Sea, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars at Goodwood, Thales UK in Crawley, and Gatwick Airport, one of the busiest airports in the UK, carrying 46 million passengers to 220 destinations each year.

The effect Brexit will have is largely down to the trading relationships which are in place on the day that the UK leaves the EU, but it is possible for businesses to pre-empt and plan to a certain extent.

“It is important that we promote and send out a strong message to our customers and

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suppliers that we as a region are still open for business, and are ready regardless of what is happening elsewhere,” says Andrew.

As a result of Brexit everything is likely to change, particularly customs arrangements and access to the Single Market.

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It is important to make the distinction between ‘access to’ and ‘membership of’ the Single Market. Many countries have ‘access to’ the EU’s Single Market, either through agreed tariffs at the World Trade Organisation or via a Free Trade Agreement. However, the only countries which have full membership of the Single Market, which entails the liberalised movement of goods, services, people and capital (the ‘Four Freedoms’), secured through common rules interpreted by the European Court of Justice (CJEU) are EU Member States.

Businesses crave certainty, where they can control costs, such as wages and protect profits.

For many, the recent sudden weakening in Sterling is making future planning and investment hard.

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The European Economic Area (EEA) States only enjoy partial membership, because the EEA agreement does not include a customs union. Turkey’s inclusion in a customs union

Finance with the EU does not entail the free movement of services, people or capital. Fundamentally, full membership of the Single Market is predicated upon acceptance of all Four Freedoms.

This principle is in tension with the Government’s commitment to maintaining liberalised trade with the EU, while also curbing the free movement of people and the reach of the Court of Justice of the European Union. Businesses will need help with how to source materials, goods and services in the event of new trade tariffs.

“The manufacturing sector is particularly at risk from the effects of Brexit,” says Andrew.

“There will be a greater need for businesses to start exporting more and to think outside of the EU. Businesses may want to prepare now by adopting online and digital accounting services to make the process easier. It is also important for them to understand international currencies trading and online trading, to reduce risk.”

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As a result of Brexit everything is likely to change, particularly customs arrangements and access to the Single Market.

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Another perhaps unforeseen impact has been an increase in mergers and takeovers by international companies, who are taking advantage of the UK’s lower exchange rates and this is likely to continue.

“Reducing risk is the key objective moving forwards, so businesses need to concentrate on clear practical plans and to look at a variety of scenarios,” says Andrew.

“As a region, the challenge for local and national government is to help the coastal towns. Economic policies need to be joined up in their thinking to extend the benefit to coastal towns. It is important that they don’t continue to be or become areas of deprivation.

There has already been a big slowdown in inward investment which isn’t helping these areas. Economic growth and development of Sussex and in particular cities like Brighton, which is less than one hour from London, is critical to ensure a bright future for local business and its’ inhabitants.”

Andrew adds: “On the upside, we have a digitally reliant economy in the South East.

There will be winners and losers as a result of Brexit, and amongst the winners will be the global market, particularly technology.

Change creates opportunities, particularly those that create wealth. As a region, we need to develop resources to make the most of and succeed in these new opportunities.”

Wider business confidence Business confidence in the wider South East of England remains low as businesses adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach to Brexit, according to surveys conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW).

“We analysed the ICAEW’s Q3 Business Confidence Monitor data for the South East, and the Q4 data for England and Wales, as part of shaping the advice and support we give to our clients across the region,” says Andrew.

The quarterly ICAEW Business Confidence Monitor, a survey of 1,000 chartered accountants in business leadership roles, reports that business confidence in the South East has fallen into negative territory, despite a backdrop of improved sales and profits.

Highlights from the survey include: • Domestic sales and exports are expected to grow by 3.5-4% in the year ahead.

• Sales growth is up 4.8% year-on-year in South East, but slowing in London.

• Input prices, such as raw materials and fuel, are growing significantly faster than last year at 3% this quarter (in the South East) compared to 0.9% in Q3 2016.

• Slowdown in input inflation and moderate wage growth has seen modest profit improvement.

• Regulatory requirements are proving to be increasing challenges for business.

“On the face of it, businesses look to be doing well, with particular gains in work in the manufacturing and transport and storage sectors: turnover, growth, profits and expenditure are all increasing,” says Andrew.

“Yet businesses say that they are less confident today about the future than they were earlier in the year. The successes businesses in the South East are reporting in this survey are likely to be due to the planning and activity of businesses over the past 12-18 months. The fall in confidence is based on hopes and fears for the coming 12 months.”

Businesses crave certainty, where they can control costs, such as wages and protect profits. For many, the recent sudden weakening in Sterling is making future planning and investment hard.

Brexit will inevitably lead to us being a more self-contained nation and there is a time adjustment for this to happen. Businesses for now need to keep calm, carry on and plan, as there is little more that they can do!

Andrew Griggs is Senior Partner at Kreston Reeves, accountants, business and financial advisers, and can be reached at andrew.griggs@krestonreeves.com www.krestonreeves.com 0330 124 1399

Key findings from the Q4 survey show: • Spare capacity and weak productivity has hindered capital investment.

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Finance

PREPARING FOR THE END OF THE TAX YEAR Now is the time to start planning your tax affairs so you can make the most of your money before the end of the tax year on 5th April (or 31st March for companies). Andrew Neuman, Associate Director in the Tax Services Group at MHA Carpenter Box, provides a few ideas and tips to get you started.

1. Pension planning For most taxpayers, the maximum pension contribution is £40,000 each tax year, although this depends on your earnings.

This limit covers both contributions by the individual and their employer.

The unused allowance for a particular tax year may be carried forward for three years and can be added to the relief for the current year, but then lapses if unused.

For higher rate taxpayers the net cost of saving £10,000 in a pension is only £6,000, but beware – this higher rate relief may not last forever.

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You can even sell up completely and move into a rental property and still get the IHT relief

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2. Passing on the family home

New Inheritance Tax (IHT) rules for passing on the family home started on 6th April 2017. This new relief should be taken into consideration when drafting your Will. We often work with solicitors to make sure Wills held by our clients are tax efficient.

From 6th April 2017, an additional nil rate band of £100,000 has been available on death where your residence is left to direct descendants. This is in addition to the normal £325,000 nil rate band and will increase over the next four years to £175,000 in 2020. This additional relief is restricted if your assets exceed £2 million.

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These rules are fairly complicated but we are happy to review your personal circumstances to ensure that you take advantage of all the relief that you are entitled to.

What about downsizing to a smaller property?

The new IHT relief for passing on the family home is protected even when you downsize to a smaller property. For example, if a married couple currently live in a large house worth £500,000 and downsize to a flat worth £250,000, they could give away some of the proceeds during their lifetime and yet still benefit from IHT relief based on the higher valued property. You can even sell up completely and move into a rental property and still get the IHT relief! Always take advice though before committing yourself just in case something has changed.

3. Consider making regular gifts out of surplus income Staying on the subject of IHT planning, why not consider setting up a standing order to family members? Such regular gifts can be outside of the scope of IHT provided they are made out of surplus income and not out of capital. You would need to be sure that you are left with sufficient income after tax and living expenses to maintain your normal lifestyle to take advantage of this opportunity.

Unlike the £3,000 annual IHT allowance, there is no monetary limit for regular gifts out of income, provided the conditions are satisfied – again, take advice before you commit.

Finance

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For a number of years, there has been a generous 100% tax break for businesses that install energy saving technology in their premises.

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4. Tax relief for energy saving technology For a number of years, there has been a generous 100% tax break for businesses that install energy saving technology in their premises. This is in addition to the £200,000 annual investment allowance for plant and machinery.

The technology that qualifies for this 100% tax break includes energy efficient boilers and energy saving lighting systems. This is set out in the government’s energy-saving technology list which is updated each year.

It was announced in the Autumn Budget that new technologies were being added, but also certain items such as Biomass fired warm air heaters would no longer qualify from 1st April 2018.

Where the expenditure has the effect of creating or increasing a loss for Corporation Tax purposes, the company can obtain a repayable first-year tax credit. This credit, based on the amount of the loss attributable to the energy-saving technology spend, reduces to 2/3 of the Corporation Tax rate from 1st April 2018 – so, the relief reduces from 19% to just 12.67% from 1st April 2018.

5. Relief from additional 3% SDLT charge Much of the focus in the Autumn Budget on Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) concerned the abolition of the duty for first-time buyers of property up to the value of £300,000.

There was also welcome news for those involved in property transfers. Usually, a 3% supplementary SDLT charge can apply when an interest in a second property is acquired. However, this charge will now not apply in certain situations. Examples include where a court order on a divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership prevents someone from disposing

of their interest in a main residence, or if one spouse buys property from the other spouse.

6. No indexation of company gains after December 2017 Indexation allowance was introduced in the 1970s to provide relief from paying tax on inflationary gains based on increases in RPI. The relief was abolished in 1998 for individuals and trusts, and replaced with taper relief. However, it was retained for companies. The Autumn Budget announced that indexation for Corporation Tax would cease for disposals from January 2018 onwards, although indexation up to December 2017 would be retained.

Although the change will apply to all chargeable assets owned by companies, it will have a significant impact on property investment companies where indexation allowance acted as a shelter from

inflationary gains – need more advice?

Give us a call.

7. Download our Year End Tax Planning Guide Our national tax team at MHA have worked together to create a handy Year End Tax Planning Guide. Our guide is for both individuals and companies, and summarises key tax and financial planning tips, including more information on the points above. You can download your free copy at www.carpenterbox.com/taxplanning-guide

As always, each individual’s circumstances are different, so a personal review should always be undertaken to ensure that the most suitable strategy is followed.

For further advice on any of these topics, please call Andrew Neuman on 01293 227670 or email him at andrew.neuman@carpenterbox.com

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Legal

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND BREXIT - A VIEW FROM RIGHTS OWNERS

By Robert Ganpatsingh, Commercial Disputes Partner at DMH Stallard

W

hile progress has been made towards the financial settlement required for Brexit, there remains a vast amount of work to do to prepare this country for the split. Figuring out how Intellectual Property (IP) will be treated post Brexit is one of countless areas where urgent and sustained action is needed to ensure that businesses and individuals are not disadvantaged. With IP, it is vital to ensure, at the very least, that rights holders do not lose the protection they currently have.

A proactive approach from IP rights owners is essential in kick-starting a dialogue and applying pressure in the right places. One association of brand owners has adopted this attitude. A paper has been published by MARQUES, about the desperate need for planning and negotiations to get underway for the treatment of IP post Brexit.

MARQUES is an association of over 750 brand-owning businesses from across Europe.

Its members have a collective turnover of €225 billion, which is higher than the GDP of Portugal.

Being a pan-European organisation, its members are equally concerned about seamless IP protection in the UK as they are about IP protection in the remaining 27 EU member states (EU27).

The paper provides a clear reality check and reminder that businesses in the UK and in the EU27 are in many cases one of the same.

Where they are not, they have the same interests in how IP is treated in the UK and EU27 post Brexit.

Negotiations MARQUES expresses heavy concern about the lack of progress in Brexit negotiations, particularly because there has been no progress whatsoever with bilateral talks on the many intricate areas of law that need to

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be addressed for the ongoing treatment of IP rights.

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The paper provides a clear reality check and reminder that businesses in the UK and in the EU27 are in many cases one of the same.

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The clock is ticking, and unless progress gets underway now, it seems unlikely that there will be sufficient time to conclude negotiations and ratification of the legal instruments needed to ensure the proper protection of IP for UK and EU businesses, prior to ‘Brexit Day’ on 29th March 2019.

Three key objectives The paper provides three key objectives which MARQUES suggests must be addressed as quickly as possible. Broadly, these are: 1. Existing IP rights in EU27 and UK will not be lost or weakened following Brexit.

2. Businesses should not have to incur any significant costs to maintain their existing IP protection as a result of Brexit.

3. There should be no, or very little, administrative burden on businesses in retaining their existing IP rights following Brexit.

Other concerns raised MARQUES makes an urgent call for certainty on the above points, encouraging collaboration between the UK and EU IP offices to produce joint working papers to help in establishing common ground.

Their view is that of all the IP rights, EU Trade Marks (EUTM), Registered Community Designs (RCD) and Unregistered Community

Legal Designs (UCD) will require the most attention in any negotiations, mainly because of the harmonised way in which these rights are treated across the existing EU member states. MARQUES members wish for this harmonisation to survive as much as possible.

The paper also raises a number of specific concerns regarding the priority, ongoing validity and enforcement of existing IP rights.

This includes a desire that where rights owners only have an EUTM, RCD or UCD (which of course currently gives them protection in the UK), they should have a new right created in the UK, which provides the same protection they had prior to Brexit. Any such new right should be created automatically and not include the requirement for any opt-in or fee payment. Also, it is proposed that in any litigation which is ongoing at the time of Brexit, the IP rights being fought over should be treated as having the same effect as they did prior to Brexit.

The paper is a clear signal about how much needs to be done if businesses are to have all the protection they need following Brexit. The

points raised should also serve as a reminder that the views of businesses are important and must be included in the debate.

To let us know your views, or if you have any concerns about ensuring

your business is well protected by its IP, please contact Robert Ganpatsingh on 01273 744213 or email Robert.Ganpatsingh@ dmhstallard.com

APPOINTMENT BRINGS ‘IMMENSE EXPERIENCE’

R

eal estate lawyer Sue Lattin has joined ‘Top 100 law firm’ DMH Stallard from the development team at Cripps. Her track record also includes Rawlison Butler and Vertex Law where she was head of residential development.

Acting for developers and landowners, Sue specialises in the acquisition and disposal of land for residential development. Additionally, her work includes freehold commercial developments and related issues such as easements, covenants, overage agreements and infrastructure agreements.

Sue said: “I know DMH Stallard really well having worked for the firm before moving to

Kent just over ten years ago. I am delighted to be working back in Sussex, reacquainting myself with former colleagues and getting to know new ones.

“DMH Stallard’s rapid growth, particularly following the merger with Rawlison Butler, the increased strength in development expertise and the firm’s expansion in Brighton are all very exciting.”

DMH Stallard merged with Rawlison Butler in September reinforcing the leading regional presence of the law firm; the move brought the overall team strength to 350, including over 70 partners, and increased the number of offices in Sussex, Surrey and London to six.

Richard Pollins, Managing Partner at DMH Stallard, said: “It’s great to welcome back a former colleague who possesses such immense experience and understanding of the regional real estate market.

“I’m very proud that we are able to continually attract the best legal talent and I look forward to announcing more high calibre appointments in 2018.”

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Technology

GDPR:

THE FINAL WAKE-UP-CALL TO IMPROVE IT SECURITY? Take a deep breath, there’s no need to panic. There are just three stages to ensure readiness, says Luke Mead, Managing Director of LMS Group.

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alling victim to a cybercrime is bad for business – no surprises there. Between the disruption, the effects on reputation, the loss of sensitive company data and regulatory fines, the costs can run into hundreds of thousands or even millions. In some cases, the company involved never recovers. With the arrival of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in May 2018, however, there’s potential for those costs to rise even further.

With this, many companies fear that an attack might be all it takes to bring them down for good.

In today’s business environment, the threat of a data breach is a daily problem faced by the boardroom. However, until now, the issue of responsibility has been glossed over.

Impending data protection laws, like GDPR, are aiming to tackle the subject of corporate

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responsibility in line with growing threats posed by cyber-attacks and subsequent data breaches.

Back in January last year, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) fined the Horsham based business, Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance PLC (RSA), the sum of £150,000 following theft of a hard drive which contained 59,592 customers’ names, addresses and bank account details including account numbers and sort codes. The device also held limited credit card details of 20,000 customers.

Steve Eckersley, ICO Head of Enforcement said: “When we looked at this case we discovered an organisation that simply didn’t take adequate precautions to protect customer information. There are simple steps companies should take when using this type of equipment

including using encryption, making sure the device is secure, and routine monitoring of equipment. RSA did not do any of this and that’s why we’ve issued this fine.”

The fact of the matter here is simple BitLocker device encryption would have overcome this problem, a feature that’s both native and included for FREE with Windows 10 Pro, and something that all companies should have in place and enforced as part of their IT Security Strategy.

IT Security Strategy, I hear you say…?

You would be both shocked and surprised if you saw the state and lack of IT security measures that many south coast SMEs have in place. In some cases, I would go so far as to say that IT security was non-existent with a complete negligence to the topic by senior

management. You would also be surprised by the number of businesses that think it’ll all be ok and they’re bulletproof because they have basic anti-virus. Well, I am afraid that anti-virus is one of the last layers of protection and if a threat has got that far, arguably it’s too late!

In today’s world of hackers, malware, viruses, ransomware, exploits, phishing and spoofing to name but a few threats, I’m afraid that burying your head in the sand is just not a viable option.

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You would be both shocked and surprised if you saw the state and lack of IT security measures that many south coast SMEs have in place.

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Gone are the days of keeping sensitive data in a locked filing cabinet. We are living in the Digital Era, and sensitive data is now stored on servers, cloud services, PCs, laptops, smartphones, tablets, USB sticks… the list goes on. With this however there are risks - who has ultimate control over company data? It’s no longer Janice the secretary who keeps the key to the filing cabinet that’s for sure.

Gone are the days also of being given a BlackBerry on your first day in a new job. In

most cases, a new employee can walk out on day one with their company email account setup on their smartphone and own personal laptop; they perhaps might have access to a DropBox or OneDrive or SharePoint account on these devices too. That’s all very good and promotes flexible working, however what controls have been put in place for when the smartphone gets stolen in the pub on Friday night or the laptop gets left on the train. Are devices encrypted? Is there Mobile Device Management in place? Is Remote Wipe setup? What are the password complexity requirements? Is Multi-Factor Authentication setup? What’s the company policy in the event of a lost device? Or what if that employee was to work from an unsecure WiFi hotspot? What Network Policies are in place to prevent this? Is sufficient End Point Protection in place? Have monthly vulnerability scans been carried out?

It doesn’t take an expert to work out that in both above scenarios the statement ‘But I’ve got anti-virus’ just doesn’t cut it.

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Technology

In today’s world of hackers, malware, viruses, ransomware, exploits, phishing and spoofing to name but a few threats, I’m afraid that burying your head in the sand is just not a viable option.

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Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to GDPR, and organisations that have fallen behind in their preparations must ramp up their compliance activities or they could take a serious financial hit once the regulations take effect.

For more information and to download our three-stage GDPR IT Security Readiness Checklist, visit: www.lms.group/checklist

It may sound a lot to prepare for by May 2018, when GDPR compliance becomes mandatory, but as I said at the beginning, there’s no need to panic. Working with a trusted security partner can greatly ease your GDPR compliance journey and bring benefits that extend well beyond compliance alone. LMS Group offers a pragmatic and holistic guidance to GDPR data security readiness through its three-stage methodology and through a wide range of services, from early warning systems, minimising risk of data breaches, to delivering actionable security solutions to prevent, detect, rapidly respond and predict cyberattacks on sensitive data in scope of GDPR.

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Company Spotlight

UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH Local plastic pallet supplier goes from strength to strength

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nless you work in logistics, you may not have heard of Goplasticpallets.com before, however it’s a name you should remember. Not only is Goplasticpallets.com the UK’s leading independent supplier of plastic pallets, it’s a great example of a company that avidly invests in their people, which is one of the reasons business continues to go from strength to strength.

Drove in Eastbourne, East Sussex the company has two large warehouses which stock some 12,000 plastic pallets and pallet boxes with 340 different varieties to choose from. Adjoining one of the warehouses is an impressive, modern open-plan office space, which is home to Goplasticpallets.com’s team of eight product experts who have over 100 years of experience within the logistics industry.

Managing Director, Jim Hardisty, said: “The current sales team has benefitted from intensive training, and individual coaching.

Conducting regular performance reviews with our staff allows us to identify any training requirements early, so we’re able to put a plan in place, which might be in-house mentoring and coaching or finding the right training course.

2015 was a particularly fruitful year for Goplasticpallets.com, which marked a period of unprecedented growth when the company doubled its sales team within just six months.

The company went from three staff to six, including the appointment of two field-based sales managers responsible for identifying new business opportunities and developing existing client relationships across multiple industries, predominantly the food and retail sectors.

The last couple of years have seen Goplasticpallets.com pick up some significant orders from major retailers, including the top five UK supermarkets

The last couple of years have seen Goplasticpallets.com pick up some significant orders from major retailers, including the top five UK supermarkets. The company has also fulfilled a number of large orders overseas including exporting plastic pallets to Kenya, distributing its big pallet boxes to both Dubai and Australia and shipping 10,000 pool pallets to Qatar – where Hamad International Airport is using them to safely transport duty free stock from its cargo warehouse to its duty free warehouse facility.

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“We’ve got a great staff retention rate, and I’m positive that it’s because our staff feel loyal and devoted to our company – we invest in them as people.”

After 18 years working in the logistics sector and six years in the pallet industry, Jim co-founded Goplasticpallets.com in 2001 with business partner Chris Adam to facilitate the supply of plastic pallets to businesses in the UK. Seventeen years on, Jim has successfully secured sole distribution agreements with five of Europe’s largest plastic pallet and box manufacturers, putting the company in an enviable position to be able to offer from a very large and competitive range of products, most of which are available from stock, with personalisation if required.

Located in Alder Close, just off Lottbridge

Jim Hardisty

In addition Goplasticpallets.com continues to invest in new equipment – a state-of-theart thermal printing machine was recently installed in response to growing customer demand for branded totes and trays.

As we enter 2018, Goplasticpallets.com is set for yet another period of growth as the company expects to expand its sales team further.

The sales team

Jim said: “We are very positive for the year ahead, in a developing market, with a strong sales focus, we expect another solid year.”

You can find out more about Goplasticpallets.com by visiting their website www.goplasticpallets.com or calling the team on 01323 744 057.

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CEO Fight Club

CEO

THE PRODUCTIVITY CHECKLIST

By Si Conroy, owner of Scarlet Monday

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ne month in from setting all those ambitious goals for 2018, a number of you will already be failing. There are two places to look to for the reason: one, you have set the goals incorrectly and/or two, you haven’t made the time and devoted the attention to achieving them.

The goal equation for maximising performance is scientifically proven: Specific, difficult goal + commitment + self-belief = goal achievement (Locke & Latham, various publications) Most people don’t have a problem in setting challenging goals. Setting easier goals isn’t a problem either by the way, they just don’t maximise performance. Whether you’re really committed to, or believe in your ability to achieve the goal is another matter. In fact, ‘self-efficacy’, the psychology terminology for self belief, is one of the most frequently used concepts in goal setting science.

So, assuming the goal setting is correct, why the failure? Time and attention. If you don’t give something effective time and attention it fails. This is where we get into an interesting area. The business bookshelves are replete with productivity and ‘getting things done’ types of books. Why don’t we just read these and act?

Simple. Because we’re not machines. We’re fleshy, emotional creatures that procrastinate, self-talk our way out of doing things and

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unconsciously allow emotionally-led ‘reasons’ for not acting dominate us.

How do we overcome this? With great difficulty because we’re trying to get that very same emotional creature to be self-aware and intervene. However, becoming aware of the emotional mechanics behind each productivity tip is a start: 1. Eat the ugly frog first - Brian Tracy is the silver-fox pin-up boy of personal development. He’s spot on when he argues we will be super-productive if we do the most difficult/scary task each day first. Most of us have the tendency to do everything else but eat the ugly frog. We

know this, but don’t do it because it feels hard, and we don’t like hard. Recognise this and make it a habit. You can’t open your email or attend a meeting without eating a frog. Piggyback on the existing bad habit.

2. Shallow on-ramps - You can’t drive straight onto a motorway, you have to use the slip road or on-ramp. Same with car trains or ferries. Recognise that part of your procrastination on a big task is because it’s too big a jump from here to there. Work out how to build a shallow on-ramp task which gets you into the main task without fazing you.

CEO Fight Club

3. The time, task and energy three-way batching - Experts will push you to wake earlier to get more done. Sleep science has proven that there are such things as early birds and night owls. A level of sophistication is to recognise that certain types of task are better done when your brain is firing on all its creative cylinders, whilst other tasks can be batched to be done when you’re feeling relatively braindead. Remember that your energy is finite, yet your brain does little to differentiate between writing a robust response email to a whingeing client and working on the next stage of your product strategy. When it’s gone it’s gone (for the day/until your next sleep) so spend it on the tasks that deserve it.

4. 80/20 your time - Reverse Pareto’s logic that 80% of the effect comes from 20% of the causes and squeeze the low value distracting stuff into 20% of your time. Got

an hour suddenly free because a meeting is cancelled? Spend the first 20% (12 minutes!) on an emergency issue scan of your inbox and the remaining 48 minutes on that product strategy.

5. Trick yourself into starting - Just open the blank document, type the heading and the first thoughts that come to your head about that presentation you need to give. You’ll notice a funny thing happen. The lump of procrastination in the middle of your chest will shift slightly, and suddenly you’ll be typing the next set of thoughts. Even if you stop at that point, when you next come back to work on the document you’ll find it a lot easier to get going again.

6. Distractions are for children - Really, you’re a senior business leader and you still have email alerts popping up, messages dinging and multiple windows/ applications open? Drop the achievement

rush of firing off responses and juggling multiple low value tasks, pull on your bigperson clothes and put that brain to work on high value strategy.

7. Satisfice - A frankenword of satisfy and suffice, it’s a cognitive shortcut you can practice to achieve an acceptable outcome, rather than over-engineering or over-delivering. Make time for the important goals by satisficing the unimportant. Why write a paragraph in response to an email if a sentence would suffice? Why attend the whole meeting if you only need to be there for 10 minutes to get/say what you need and then leave everyone else to get on with it?

One of the best ways to get more productive is to get radical with your responses to your emotional fallibilities. You’re not a logical, efficient robot, you’re a fleshy emotional mess masquerading as a leader; face this reality and you make your life a lot easier.

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 also practices what he preaches across a number of businesses in which he has invested. si@scarletmonday.com @siconroy

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Direct Marketing

COMMUNICATION DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LAST 21 YEARS

By Katie Underhill, Mailing Direct

T

wenty years ago, what was happening in the world? In no particular order:

• Tony Blair won a landslide victory in the UK general election

• Céline Dion was topping the charts with ‘My Heart Will Go On’ • Hong Kong was handed over to China • Dolly the sheep was cloned • The first Harry Potter book was published Quite a year, one way and another, and lots to be communicated. How DID we communicate news in those far off days — and

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how did we make contact with our clients and potential customers on a business level?

Not like this…

Well, for a start, there was no Facebook, which didn’t emerge until February 2004.

Today, it’s almost mind-boggling to realise that there are 65 million business pages on Facebook, and a quarter of the world’s population engage with it. It’s a wonderful informal way of interacting with, and building, an audience, and great for encouraging people to visit your website.

We didn’t use Twitter, because it wasn’t created until March 2006. Unbelievably, just 11 years on, Twitter has more than 319 million monthly active users. For your business, it’s an instant way to build connections with a relevant audience, to strengthen your brand, promote new products and services, or simply develop relationships.

We didn’t use image-based Instagram either to drive customer engagement and sales, or impart information in a snappy way to a possible 600 million users. That’s because it wasn’t launched until October 2010. Pinterest

Direct Marketing was launched at the same time, which enables businesses to create a virtual shop front to promote their products online.

There wasn’t even LinkedIn until 2003, which, although its focus is on job opportunities, serves a valuable function for branding, marketing and sales too, with business pages. Neither were there smart phones — we had to wait for 2007 for those — so our electronic communications were very much desk-based.

… But like this.

Direct mail, using the postal service! There wasn’t much choice but to use this method in 1997, but it worked — and it still works today.

Everyone loves to receive mail, especially if it’s personalised and looks good. You might think it’s an older generation preference, but Royal Mail has carried out a survey which shows that 15-34-year-olds are: • 42% more likely to find mail memorable than the UK population as a whole • 27% more likely to welcome it • 71% more likely to trust it • 21% more likely to switch suppliers because of mail Not for nothing does the Royal Mail’s brochure The Private Life of Mail carry the strapline, Mail in the Home, Heart and Head.

The power of Direct Mail must never be underestimated, despite the advancement of all the digital platforms of communication.

Then there was the telephone and face-toface interaction, which of course will never go out of fashion.

Emails started life in 1965, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). They were a way of sharing files and messages for academics.

In 1971, American computer programmer Ray Tomlinson, introduced the @ and in 1976, HM the Queen sent her first email. The process was still largely in the domain of academic institutes until 1988, which heralded the arrival of Microsoft Mail. The first commercial Internet Service Providers hit the scene in the early 1990s. Hotmail launched in 1996 and Yahoo Mail in 1997 — twenty years ago. Smart marketers realised that email communications were the future and began to make the shift into using email to communicate with customers.

a different demographic, or be more suitable for certain products and services.

Things move on with exciting digital developments — but mail through the letterbox will never lose its appeal.

www.mailingexpert.co.uk

And our conclusion is: How lucky we are, in 2018, to have such an abundance of ways to communicate! Each method has its place: each will appeal more to

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Interview

TEAM PLAYERS ONLY! In the second of three interviews with Fletch (Ian Fletcher-Price), the founder and MD of Posturite, he recounts how the ergonomic furniture brand grew from a thriving local business to the UK market leader. Interview by Ian Trevett

Bob Hoad with 2009 Sussex Business Person of the Year Ian Fletcher-Price, Posturite

Part 2. Growing the Business

instalment of The Posturite Story.

In the last issue of PBM Fletch recalled the early days of Posturite from the start of the journey when he was grafting away in his mum’s garden shed, through to creating a profitable business turning over £1million per year.

Taking a company from scratch to profit can largely be attributed to sheer hard work and dedication, but moving the business to the next level is much more about good decision-making and planning, as Fletch reveals in the second

Looking back over the Posturite journey, Fletch can divide the timeline into four distinct sections, the first of which we featured in the last issue: “The first eight-year phase was driving the turnover up to about £1 million, getting the brand name out there, and increasing the product range from single product to a portfolio of ergonomic office workstation accessories. But where next?”

It was a chance encounter which helped provide the impetus to step up to the next level, as Fletch recalls, “I bumped into a friend called Lawrence Smith who was Head of Strategy at PPP in Eastbourne, and he offered to come and do a SWOT analysis. I didn’t have a clue what a SWOT analysis was! The conclusion of the exercise was that we needed to replicate our sales in new regions.

“We hired Colin James in Manchester and split the country up, myself in the south and Colin in the north. Amazingly, in a virgin territory, he built the turnover up to about half a million pounds in a few years. We then knew we had a good enough brand and product portfolio, which gave me the confidence to continue rolling that out.”

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The emphasis on sales recruitment was integral to what Fletch describes as the company’s second phase. “We now have 75 fully employed direct field sales but the first growth spurt came in that second quarter

when we grew to almost 30 salespeople. There were five regions in the country, with little pyramids in each with key account managers and teams of account managers. They’re all still with me which is amazing, many have been with us for 15 years.”

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The other criterion for recruiting staff was they had to be a player of a team sport. If it was an individual sport, like tennis or golf, they failed the interview.

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Anyone who has recruited staff will know how important it is to get the right people, and Fletch had his own specific criteria: “Firstly, could I spend an evening in the pub with them? People buy from people and if the answer to that was ‘yes’ then there was every chance that they were going to be very good with the customers out in the field.

“Then I looked for people who had a sports science degree; people coming straight out of university who hadn’t been corrupted by the stereotypical sales route and the bad habits that can create. I always felt we were more a service-driven business than a sales business.

Interview

We make our margin from product sales but we wrap it up with assessments and after-sales advice.

“None of them ever thought they would go into sales, but actually, they fit into the mould beautifully because they’re passionate. The other criterion was they had to be a player of a team sport. If it was an individual sport like tennis or golf, they failed the interview, no matter what. I looked for footballers, cricketers, rugby players, basketball players – anybody who played in a team sport.

“I would not claim to be the first person to have thought of this, but it is still quite an unusual approach. Out of our 75 field sales, I would say probably 55 to 60 of them have got a sports science degree or similar. We’ve got an amazing sports team! A couple of years ago we won the world corporate 6-a-side football and we beat Google in the final at Anfield. A big London supplier used to run an indoor 6-a-side football competition in London which we used to win hands-down. It almost backfired for us because people dreaded playing us. The supplier stopped doing it because the competition was too one-sided.”

There is, of course, an obvious downside of employing talented sportspeople - how does

the MD make the team?

“I was definitely not in the team,” admits Fletch. “I’m the manager and coach. I’m in the technical area pointing and shouting and screaming. I would never make the team.

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There was one particular chair brand which accounted for about 40-45% of our sales…

Instead of celebrating the success, we were all worrying who’s got who by the short and curlies?

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“Seriously, what is nice is that many of the guys joined in their early 20s and they have grown in the company and most have their own families now.”

After growing the field sales team, Posturite concentrated on growing the product range.

“We were actually a distributor for a lot of people’s products,” says Fletch. “There was one particular chair brand, RH chairs,

which accounted for about 40-45% of our sales. Equally we were about 40-45% of their turnover in the UK and there was the classic scenario instead of celebrating the success, we were all worrying who’s got who by the short and curlies? So we addressed that. We went to Sweden and met with the family owners and we requested a more formal tie-up, a licence arrangement for the UK. “This kind of situation is one of the riskiest times for business. There are lots of things that can go wrong. The supplier may suddenly chose to go direct or they might go bust; both are scenarios that can devastate a business.

We didn’t know that while we were making progress in the discussions, they were in the process of selling out to private equity. I made a pledge to myself then to always be in control of my own destiny.”

“We started working on our own product range. Of our turnover, 75-80% was made up of distributing other people’s products. That was the highest it ever got and was way too high. At what I would see as the halfway point in the business’s development, I thought, “Right, I’ve got the field sales going, I’m going to focus on new products and really address that problem.” And that’s what I did. Product

Fletch on a Posturite Christmas trip

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Interview development is probably still my main passion in the business. The third quarter saw huge emphasis on own brand products, and that paid dividends.

“Today we still work closely with RH and are still their world’s biggest distributor. Our spend within a year is still about £3 million. Now they represent about 15% of our turnover and that’s much healthier. It’s a fantastic product, I love the product. It’s still my favourite chair in the world, I think it’s the most ergonomic chair that anybody has ever made.”

The combination of a rapidly expanding sales team and investment in product development created an exciting period of exponential growth for the business. “We now have over half of the ergonomic market in the UK. There are some regional, smaller competitors; my nearest competitor has probably about £3 million turnover. But even if you combine them all, their total turnover doesn’t match ours.”

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We are more of a service-driven business than a sales business. We make our margin from product sales but we wrap it up with assessments and after-sales advice.

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As impressive as the growth has been, expansion brings its own issues. Suddenly the business becomes unrecognisable from how it was in its formative years. The close-knit team becomes lost in a sprawling organisation. The board can lose touch with the staff, and those that played such a vital role in the company’s development.

Sometimes there can be a nostalgia for the early days. Fletch gives the example of the overseas trips which were once one of the highlights of the company’s year: “For years we did some overseas trips or ‘annual conferences’ round around Christmas time.

The first one was Prague in 2000, the final one we did was in Riga, with about 110 of us going for a long weekend in December, and they were just fantastic occasions. But the logistics became difficult trying to arrange 200 people travelling overseas. We reined it in to make it more manageable, much to my regret. I still enjoy it now but I enjoyed it even more when we were smaller.

“I hate to admit it but I don’t know everybody like I used to. I used to know everybody in the business and I don’t like the fact that I don’t anymore. I wanted to get out of big business when I started it and I’ve

ended up creating quite a big business.”

Sometimes the journey can be more fulfilling than reaching the destination, but Fletch was determined to maintain the excitement of seeking to achieve ambitious goals, and was equally driven to ensure that the people who helped build the company should share in its success.

In the next issue of PBM, Fletch describes the fourth phase of the Posturite story - creating shared ownership and succession plans, and the drive for global expansion. www.posturite.co.uk

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Q&A

DESIGNS ON NEXUS CREATE Have you visited our new website yet? The site (www.platinumpublishing.co.uk) was designed by Nexus Create, and it has taken our digital offering to another level. We asked Creative Director, James Morrison, to tell us more about the company who developed the site.

The Nexus Create team (Steve, James, Milly and Ben) with Beth Nash of Smart Monkey (left)

Who are Nexus Create?

Nexus Create are a Sussex based Creative Agency specialising in design, web and marketing. Founded by three dedicated and passionate creatives, we have over 50 years experience between us helping brands, businesses and individuals achieve their goals.

We believe in close collaboration and in forming strong relationships with our clients.

We pride ourselves in listening carefully and truly understanding a brief before putting pen to paper to start the design process. We strive

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to deliver the very best for our clients whatever the project. To create purpose, develop awareness and ultimately, connect brands to people.

simply replicate the print magazine online but offer a different experience which would fully take advantage of the online platform and engage viewers in a different way.

You recently designed the new Platinum Publishing website. How did you approach this project?

Given the complexity of the Platinum site, we approached the project from a number of angles and made sure we asked lots of questions early on. We needed to consider the site as a subscriber, partner and author. Each of these perspectives needed to be carefully considered and ultimately would help to enhance the overall user experience.

First and foremost we knew the Platinum site needed to be fully responsive in order to allow a viewer to access the content with absolute ease on the move. We didn’t want to

Q&A needs of your business and to deliver a design and UX solution that both achieve results and resonate with your target audience.

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The site now offers a clean and simple user interface which boasts a powerful search function for finding and sharing content, social media feeds, a blogging platform and an archive.

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The site now offers a clean and simple user interface which boasts a powerful search function for finding and sharing content, social media feeds, a blogging platform and an archive. The articles and blogs combine an elegant layout with smart ’context aware’ areas which trigger the relevant media at the correct point in the text.

The site is now fully functioning and we are really pleased with the end result. Websites are never truly ‘completed’ as they are constantly evolving with technology, so there are already plans for further enhancements on the horizon (we need to get our new website live first though).

As with Platinum we are definitely seeing a shift away from templated sites back to bespoke solutions which can offer a far more unique and personal experience. Of course, template sites have their place and can serve a purpose, but if you want your site to deliver more than a superficial, off the shelf experience, and to engage your target audience on a personal level, then there is no substitute for collaborating with an agency you trust.

Your design team will work together with you to truly understand your brand, brief and objective to deliver a tailor-made solution to fit the brief. Their skill is understanding the

What are the latest trends in digital design?

The concept of ‘Responsive Logos’ has been around for a little while now but is certainly gaining momentum. In a modern world where screens come in all shapes and sizes we need logos that can adapt and make best use of the available space. Your logo no longer has to be a one size fits all solution - it can move, evolve scale and engage with the device and even your location like never before.

It’s something that can elevate your brand and has huge potential benefits from a creative and marketing perspective.

www.nexuscreate.co.uk

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We are definitely seeing a shift away from templated sites back to bespoke solutions which can offer a far more unique and personal experience.

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What are the advantages of using professional designers rather than doing it yourself using free web building software?

With the rise in popularity of ‘DIY’ web site builders, it is very easy to be swayed into exploring this route and to remove designers and developers from the equation.

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Interview

HOW TO CREATE THE BEST AWARDS EVENTS Fiona Graves has joined Platinum Event Management as Event Director, with extensive experience in producing some the region’s leading awards ceremonies.

PBM asked Fiona what makes an awards event stand out?

How long have you been working for the events industry - and which awards have you worked on?

I have worked in the events industry for over a decade and my portfolio includes an array of high-profile clientele such as the development of the national Sky Sports Living for Sports Awards, Sussex Business Awards, Brighton and Hove Business Awards and the UK Startup Awards.

You also have a background in events management and PR. What events and clients have you worked with?

Alongside my events experience, I worked for an award-winning agency in Brighton working on a number of notable PR campaigns and product launches spanning travel, beauty, and tech. Clients included Fujifilm, Grand Designs Live, Hotel Du Vin, Lookfantastic.com, Planet Whale and Red7.

Which of these were most memorable?

The Sky Sports Living for Sport Student of the Year Awards.

The Awards celebrated the successful way secondary schools across the UK were using sport to inspire young people.

As my husband is a teacher, I gained a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for individuals who work in education.

Therefore I recommended an award was introduced to recognise teachers who go the extra mile in helping their students – and it happened! What’s more the event was named Best Awards Scheme at the UK Event Awards in 2011!

What makes an awards event stand out?

Credibility, reputation and a rigorous judging process.

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What are the main benefits of winning a business award?

• Exposure for you and your organisation – The opportunity to take advantage of PR and marketing activity around the awards and your involvement.

• Seal of approval - It reassure clients that they have made a good choice in working with a business that has been recognised with a prestigious award.

• Networking - It creates opportunities to build contacts, meet and network with

other award participants, sponsors, press and other influential businesspeople.

• Reward and motivate your team - Entering awards provides an immediate boost to workplace morale, even more so when you involve your team in the entry process.

Many entrants will also find the process of entering is beneficial to a business.

• Recruitment – You attract better quality applicants, and you see an improvement in the attraction and retention of talent.

• Return on investment - Awards influence

Interview buying decisions! Boost Marketing, the largest awards entry consultancy, found that over 80% of businesses and consumers surveyed were influenced by awards.

Is the process of writing an entry an essential method of understanding your own business?

Yes. You need to write a compelling story that brings your business to life whilst also providing hard evidence of your success. Writing a successful award entry can be timeconsuming but once you get the hang of it, future entries will become much quicker to write.

What tips would you give to people entering awards - and what mistakes should you avoid?

• Pick the correct categories • Answer all the questions • Provide robust evaluation • Outline your vision for the future of your business • Stick to the word limit • Avoid jargon and typos • Don't leave writing your entries until the last minute and make sure you submit on time!

With the increase in remote working and use of social media, have events become even more important in connecting people?

Yes - whether it’s increasing awareness or finding new contacts, entering business awards can open doors for any business. You can use the images and share the news on social media, in PR and in news posts and blogs on your website.

You have now joined Platinum Event Management (PEM) as Events Director.

What do you hope to achieve in the new role?

The response since joining has been overwhelmingly positive. The business awards have gone from strength to strength and with Platinum’s connections and understanding of the business community, we’ll be able to offer an unrivalled package for entrants and sponsors like no other. Some might say it’s a match made in heaven!

THE 2018 SCHEDULE Brighton & Hove Business Awards

Lewes District Business Awards

Surrey Business Awards

Sussex Business Awards

LAUNCH

Wednesday 28th February

Tuesday 13th March

Monday 14th May

Monday 2nd July

ENTRY DEADLINE

Wednesday 18th April

Monday 30th April

Wednesday 11th July

Wednesday 12th September

CEREMONY

Thursday 5th July

Thursday 19th July (tbc)

Thursday 4th October (tbc)

Thursday 29th November

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Look out for this year’s all new Brighton and Hove Business Awards (BAHBAs) There are limited sponsorship opportunities available, please contact info@platinumpublishing.co.uk for further information.

GROUP

PLATINUM

THE

COMING 44 SOON!

British Airways i360

FEBRUARY AT 450ft Romance, family time and our best business rates yet!

It’s all happening at British Airways i360 this month.

LOVE IS IN THE AIR With breathtaking views by day, big sky sunsets and a carpet of twinkling lights after dark, a flight on the British Airways i360 pod with the one you love is a moving experience.

Valentine’s Flights Share a magical moment together this Valentine’s Day at 450ft. Price includes a glass of rosé Nyetimber sparkling wine per person from the Sky Bar on board and a box of chocolates per couple.

Tuesday 14th February, flights at 6.30pm, 7pm and 7.30pm Price: £30 per person

Drag me up! Valentine’s Day Drag Queen Flight Enjoy a fun and raucous alternative Valentine’s celebration with a hilarious drag act on the pod from renowned cabaret artist Dave Lynn, during an extended 40-minute pod flight. Includes a glass of award-winning Nyetimber sparkling wine per person.

Tuesday 14th February, 8.30pm Price: £30 per person

“Marry Me” proposal package

KIDS GO FREE AT HALF TERM Baby it’s cold outside, so keep them warm and dry in the British Airways i360 pod while you all enjoy sweeping views of the stunning landscapes below.

Under-16s go FREE during Brighton and Hove half term - February 10th - 18th. Three children per paying adult (includes resident members and concessions). Book your tickets at BritishAirwaysi360.com, our ticket office or by calling 03337 720360.

SAVE UP TO 50% ON EXCLUSIVE POD HIRE RATES

Start your future together looking out across the sea, the South Downs National Park and the beautiful Sussex coastline. The “Marry Me” proposal package includes two flights on the British Airways i360 pod, a bottle of Nyetimber sparkling wine, half a dozen red roses, chocolates and a guide book.

Elevate your event by hosting it in the British Airways i360 pod

Available all year round

Offer prices exclude VAT:

Price: £150 per couple

· Up to 50 people: £1,625

this February, with up to 50% off exclusive hire throughout the month. Includes a 25-minute flight experience, canapés and a glass of Prosecco per person.

· Up to 100 people: £2,125 Alternatively, upgrade to a more private experience by booking the pod for exclusive use. Price on application. events@britishairwaysi360.com

· Up to 150 people: £2,500 Contact our events team at events@britishairwaysi360.com for further information.

BritishAirwaysi360.com/romance

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Sussex Super Growth Awards

SUSSEX SUPER GROWTH AWARDS Introducing four of the finalists from this year’s Sussex Super Growth Awards, a prestigious event celebrating the fastest-growing companies across the county.

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t’s a busy time for the Sussex Super Growth Awards team, a collaboration between asb law, Lloyds Bank and Kreston Reeves, who are currently meeting with the fastest-growing private companies across the county to congratulate them on their success. These companies are vital to the economy – they account for annual revenues

The full list of finalists and their growth rates will be published in a special Platinum Business Magazine feature following the Sussex Super Growth Awards breakfast, taking place at The Amex Stadium on Thursday March 8th. For now, we are pleased to introduce four of this year’s finalists and provide some insight into their businesses.

of more than £2.3 billion, driving rising demand and generating prosperity across the region.

World of Books For over ten years, World of Books has been finding new ways to connect a global community of book lovers with their next favourite read. Founded in 2008 and based in Goring-by-Sea, the socially responsible business has built an extensive supply network of used books for resale and recycling, saving 26,000 tonnes of goods from landfill each year.

World of Books purchases significant volumes of donated books from UK charities – boosting revenues for these good causes and saving them waste disposal costs. This business model has generated over £12m for UK charities in the last five years.

World of Books continues to go from strength to strength, winning investment from the prestigious Bridges Sustainable Growth Fund in 2016. With this support they are now one of the largest sellers of used books in Europe, and continue to be one of the fastest growing companies in the UK. In 2017, World of Books’ commitment to global expansion was recognised with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Outstanding Contribution to International Trade. The core focus of the business is to develop worldofbooks.com and continue to improve the service offered to its customers. www.worldofbooks.com

KEW Electrical Distributors Established in 1996 by Managing Director, Geoff Kerly, KEW Electrical is an independent electrical wholesaler with a network of 24 branches predominantly in the South of England, including its head office in Southwick (West Sussex), plus Belfast covering Northern Ireland. As an award-winning distributor, KEW is led by a board of directors each with over 30 years of electrical wholesale experience.

Each branch has autonomy in what they stock, which allows them to support customers in their local area with the products they need. KEW recognises that branches cannot hold stock for every eventuality and that at times, customers will need items which are not stocked locally. To take full advantage of its entire inventory, KEW has an extensive inter-branch link that gives branches access to additional stock for same day delivery.

The simple philosophy of same day stock availability, handled by experienced, customerfocussed staff has resulted in KEW’s success story as one of the UK’s fastest-growing independent electrical wholesalers. This approach has been acknowledged by the industry with several awards, most recently ‘Best Electrical Wholesaler 6-25 branches’ at the Electrical Wholesaler of the year awards 2017.

www.kewelectrical.co.uk

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Sussex Super Growth Awards Littlewood Fencing Littlewood Fencing was founded in 1996 and ever since then; innovation, quality, safety and the dedication of its staff have been the driving forces behind its growth and success in this market. Starting out as a tiny domestic fencing outfit, being run out of a farmhouse near Hailsham, workload quickly increased along with staff numbers and stock, which necessitated the move to its first proper site in Battle in 1999.

After the move, the company began taking on larger projects involving increasingly complex procedures, time restraints and health and safety requirements, all of which were at the forefront in the fencing industry. And in 2003, Littlewood put all the experience and expertise gained throughout previous years into practice when it was involved in the extensive fencing works on the High Speed 1 rail line. Shortly after this, the company again outgrew its site and relocated to the much larger Beechdown site that it now occupies, on North Trade Road in Battle. The HS1 scheme established Littlewood Fencing as a major UK fencing contractor and developed its reputation as a professional, safety conscious business.

All of this has fuelled further exponential growth and led to Littlewood being involved in many more prestigious projects such as the £6bn London Bridge Renovation project, London Crossrail, Eurotunnel Security Fencing, Gatwick and London City Airport upgrades, all of which required the specialist techniques, robust management and commitment to safety and the environment which the company is known for.

With much more in the pipeline and a commitment to continual training, upgrading systems and always looking at ways to improve its working practices, Littlewood Fencing is looking forward to the future with high expectations.

www.littlewoodfencing.co.uk

Ampito Group The Ampito Group is an IT, telecoms and managed service provider operating in multiple vertical markets such as financial services, higher education, research, central and local government, large enterprise and service provider. The group consists of several brands including Vanix, Appcelerate, RedSpam, RedVeu and RedMobi.

Ampito Group offers technology and related services for network, cyber security, data centre and telecoms, providing reliable and high performing platforms to enable its users to connect employees, customers and software applications. Its customers include Nuffield Health Group, the Atomic Weapons Establishment and some of the world’s largest investment banks.

With over 100 employees across four offices in the UK (HQ in Manor Royal, Crawley) the Ampito Group has grown consistently and steadily since its inception in 2006 and remains privately-owned and operated by the initial start-up team. Exciting new additions in the past two years have included new teams in New York, Paris and East Africa, and the accelerated investment and development of managed service capabilities around software-defined networking and cyber threat protection.

www.ampito.com

SUSSEX SUPER GROWTH AWARDS CRITERIA • Privately-owned business, trading with headquarters in Sussex.

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

• Minimum turnover of £2m in base year.

For further information about the Sussex Super Growth Awards, please contact: neil.gardner@asb-law.com

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Speakers Conference

DELEGATES HELD HOSTAGE BY 4 SPEAKERS The gdb Speakers Conference - Review by Matthew Willetts

T

he recent Gatwick Diamond Business (gdb) Speakers Conference provided attendees with a group of diverse, interesting and thought-provoking guest speakers at South Lodge Hotel, tackling a number of relevant, inspiring and interesting subjects. The team met as a panel to discuss delegates questions, with the conference hosted by BBC reporter, compere John Young.

This was the second year that Gatwick Diamond Business had delivered this type of event, and it was very well received with over 90% stating it had exceeded their expectations with many commenting positively on the

quality of the speakers and the information they imparted.

The Speakers Luise Usiskin started the morning off with a wonderful talk on ‘Unconscious Bias’, challenging us with our own sub conscious preconceptions which we didn’t necessarily know we had, leaving many uncomfortable with themselves. This unconscious bias is often put into us through childhood, by our parents, our environment and education.

To demonstrate the way the media can have an impact, Luise showed a number of BBC Children’s show titles; for every programme

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with a female name there were 2.5 with male names. She explained ‘It is part of human nature to have bias but it needs to be brought into our conscious so we are aware of them’.

There are IAT tests that have been proved pretty accurate in showing us such bias, these can sometimes be disturbing to oneself when we are faced with the results.

It has been found that organisations addressing these issues by implementing good diversity and equality programmes become more profitable.

Tori James is an adventurer and explorer who showed the heart and determination of a lion. She was the first Welsh and youngest

Speakers Conference

Tori James British woman to climb Mount Everest.

Tori underlined the importance and the need to dream and think big, and highlighted the three stages of thinking about challenges and how we face them in one of three ‘zones’: the Comfort Zone, the Stretch Zone and the Panic Zone, each related to how we respond to the challenge we are facing. She believed the ‘fear of failure is stopping us’ reaching extraordinary goals.

The clips and footage of her mountaineering training, preparation in climbing Everest and the final few steps to the summit were heartwarming. Tori warned us that many people will try to put you off achieving your goals, but she finished by stating ‘Success comes in cans, not can’ts’.

James Bellini is a ‘futurologist’ helping businesses and organisations to prepare and plan for the future. Faced with the question ‘What is likely to happen?’, Bellini underlined the point ‘the future is with us now’.

of Stanley Kubrick’s classic black comedy film satire ‘Dr. Strangelove’ (1964) starring Peter Sellers. He also worked secretly for governments on predicting scenarios for the Cold War and Vietnam war.

Bellini described the tools of the futurist as – • Scenarios (How the future might unfold) • Strong trends (Demographic trends, birth rate, ageing) • Weak signals (Keeping one’s ear to the ground, warning what could happen) • Wild cards (Things not known, such 9/11) James further stated that the more you look into the future the more unpredictable it becomes, but kept on the theme of the future is with us today, nothing is new, maintaining that urban farms (with us now) on top of skyscrapers will be a large part of the future, with the growing of plants and crops moving upwards in glass containers rather than sideways. He also showed us a very impressive hospital bed of the future (how Theresa May could do with that now!).

James Bellini

He has worked for the Hudson Institute and quoted Herman Khan (1922 -1983) by stating: ‘If everyone says something is true … go out and take another look’. Khan was a pre-eminent futurist who became known for analysing the likely consequences of nuclear war and recommending ways to improve survivability, making him one of three historical inspirations for the title character

Bellini left us with the thought that the ‘Oil of the 21st Century’ is big data, demonstrated

by the growth of the Amazons and Facebooks.

The final speaker of the morning was Kirk Kinnell, former Head of Hostage Negotiation with Scottish Police. Kirk shared his knowledgeand experience as a hostage negotiator, approaching his audience directly with a number of challenges.

Speaking on the skills and approaches needed when trying to persuade someone in a hostage situation Kirk, who has been deployed to around two hundred hostage and crisis negotiator incidents, said the skills are ‘transferable and is essentially a pitch’.

Much emphasis was put on listening skills, and being able to cut through and understand what each party wants. The whole approach was very similar to the skills needed in direct sales; being able to listen, empathise and persuade.

Look out for the gdb Speakers Conference in early 2019!

For more on gdb, please visit www.gatwickdiamondbusiness.com or call 01293 440088

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Matthew Willetts MA is the Director of Comicus who has over 35 years’ experience in television, film, theatre, and comedy club/cabaret entertainment, working as a performer, screenwriter, producer and agent. He lectured (part-time) at Southampton Solent University in Comedy, Screenwriting, Television, Theatre & Radio. Matthew can sometimes be seen and heard on TV & Radio. He is often quoted in the national press and media publications as well as speaking regularly at festivals, industry conferences and a judge at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Montreux Television Festival. www.comicus.co.uk

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Passionate about your business

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Contact us: Gatwick: 01293 227670 Worthing: 01903 234094 info@carpenterbox.com

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Business Awards

DISCOVER THE BUSINESS OF THE DECADE The Tenth Annual Gatwick Diamond Business Awards Ceremony will be held on March 15th 2018 at the Copthorne Effingham Park Hotel.

T

he Business Awards have become established as the must-attend business networking event in the region, bringing a very high level of networking alongside the celebration of business excellence and outstanding entertainment.

The evening will be presented by TV Legend Brian Conley just before he embarks on his UK Tour: ‘Still the Greatest Entertainer - in his price range’.

Book your table now at the 2018 Awards by calling 01293 813888 The evening attracts the biggest and most influential business people to recognise the winners of the 14 categories, including the Business of the Decade where the winners from the past nine years will go head to head!

The Awards Headline Sponsors are NatWest Bank, Extech, Gatwick Airport and B&CE The Peoples Pension

THE CATEGORIES & SPONSORS ARE: • Business of the Decade – sponsored by NatWest • Business of the Year over £1m turnover – sponsored by NatWest • Business of the Year up to £1m turnover – sponsored by Platinum Publishing Group

• Business Person of the Year – sponsored by KPMG • New Business of the Year – sponsored by Basepoint Business Centres Ltd • Green Business of the Year – sponsored by Crawley Borough Council • International Business of the Year – sponsored by the Gatwick Diamond Initiative

• Manufacturing Business of the Year - sponsored by asb law • The Award for Customer Delight – sponsored by Thakeham Group • The Award for Supply Chain Excellence – sponsored by University of Brighton

• The Award for Developing People for Business – sponsored by Crawley College

• Apprentice of the Year – sponsored by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council • Employer of the Year – sponsored by Search Consultancy • Responsible Business of the Year – sponsored by University of Sussex School of Business, Management and Economics

The event is supported by Avensys Live as Staging Design & AV Technology sponsor.

Storm 12 is the Creative Partner. Exclusive Media Sponsor: Platinum Business Magazine.

The three finalists in each category will be announced on 15th February so follow @gdbizawards on Twitter for the latest news on the Awards.

To book your table, visit www.gatwickdiamondbusinessawards.com or call 01293 813888.

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Entrepreneurs Conference

MAKING CONNECTIONS The Entrepreneurs Conference brought together the very best of business, says organiser, Sonny Cutting of Network Xpress.

W

hat more can you want from an event than great speakers and insightful topics? All were present at Network Xpress’ Entrepreneurs Conference which took place in December at the Sussex Exchange in Hastings.

Guests and speakers alike were excited at the energy in the room and the dynamic nature of the conference, with guest speakers kicking off the day with inspiring and insightful talks on their businesses.

Net XP’s chosen charity, Demelza, who provide care and support for terminally ill babies, children, young people and their families, were there on the day and helped with registration.

After initial networking, the opening keynote talk was delivered by Martin Riley, explaining the ‘Business Jet Engine’ – the simple guide to boost your business. Martin Riley specialises in working with business leaders and owners in order to truly reflect on, develop and grow businesses, which fitted the Entrepreneurs Conference perfectly. His speech inspired the delegates to consider how they could propel their business forward.

Emma Pearce of Pearce Marketing, gave a quick fire digital marketing overview of all things required to make your brand work well in 2018, covering social media, SEO and why businesses needed to keep-up-to-date with changes on Google. Pearce Marketing awarded Sonny Cutting, founder of Net XP, ‘Chief Awesome Officer for December’, for his role in organising the conference, commenting on how ‘well received’ it was by businesses in East and West Sussex.

Chris Beveridge of Town City Cards, told his humbling story of how and why he started his business; how he helped a homeless person find food, and how the brand came to be.

A self-identified ‘social entrepreneur’, Chris inspired the audience with his story of Town City Cards – a scheme that gives members exclusive discounts in Sussex.

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Neil Laughton, a former Royal Marine Commando and Special Forces Officer turned entrepreneur, wrapped up the day talking about different aspects of his business, Laughton and co. Neil’s talk ‘Entrepreneurial Snakes and Ladders’ had people in awe at his stories and exploits of what he has achieved.

An award-winning business advisor, leadership coach, team trainer, speaker and adventurer, Neil gave the perfect speech to finish the conference.

After each engaging talk, questions were encouraged to share wisdom and create unity within the room. With the expo based around entrepreneurs, and talks specifically targeting

problems they may have, the delegates at the event all came away feeling more confident and focused. The entrepreneurs that left the conference at the end of the day had been transformed, with valuable connections, priceless advice and the occasional prize!

The Entrepreneurs Conference is one of a series of new entrepreneurial events that Network Xpress is launching. Ventures like this show the value of such events, to both delegates and speakers, and general community. Brighton will be our host on December 13th 2018.

Find out more at netxp.co.uk

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.

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Travel - Madrid

Shake hands in...

MADRID

The bustling city centre at night

Rose Dykins finds tech talent and decadent surprises in the Spanish capital.

I

t’s good to be back in Madrid. I love how the grandeur of its regal buildings and endless avenues contrasts with the intimacy of the alleyways of its yellow-washed inner districts - where the spindly iron balconies appear too narrow for a pair of feet. I love the vibrancy and chatter of its bars and food markets, as well as the pride and innate solemnity of its oak-walled tapas bars – in one of these, I sip a teacup full of broth laced with Tio Pepe sherry, which warms me from the inside in seconds.

And I love that Madrid is a city full of surprises.

Last year, following a difficult decade, things were starting to look up for Spain.

In July, the nation’s unemployment rate fell to an eight-year low (17.2%), reflecting the country’s broader economic recovery, and the International Monetary Fund increased its GDP growth expectations for Spain to 3.1%. Towards the end of last year, however, the Spanish stock market dipped due to

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❝

Madrid as a city has already proven it can hold its own during adversity, and its people have shown remarkable entrepreneurial spirit during uncertain times

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uncertainty after the political happenings in Barcelona – a snap poll in December recorded a victory for Catalan separatists, testing investors’ optimism for a stable Spain.

However things pan out in Spanish politics, Madrid as a city has already proven it can hold its own during adversity, and its people have shown remarkable entrepreneurial spirit during uncertain times. Before the recession,

Madrid’s interests were rather traditional, with construction, banking and energy the main sectors of industry. A decade later, it seems the need for self sufficiency and to create something from nothing have been conducive to invention. The capital’s strengths have diversified, and an exciting tech scene has blossomed.

Over the past few years, Madrid’s startup scene has garnered significant international attention. Among the pull factors for tech giants and angel investors are Spain’s relatively low wages compared to its tech capital counterparts (London and Berlin), and the smartphone proficiency of the Spanish population (in Europe, Spanish consumers are the most active consumers of mobile wallets, with 25% of them using them regularly), which makes them more open to trying and adopting new mobile-based innovations.

Travel - Madrid In 2015, Google opened an Innovation Campus in the Spanish capital, which has since created more than 2,300 jobs and raised more than €37.5 million in funding. In 2016, Amazon established a tech hub in the city. And in 2017, venture capital investments in Spain reached $4 billion (double the amount from 2016).

Despite new challenges, if Madrid continues apace, with innovation at its heart, it will continue to surprise in 2018.

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Despite new challenges, if Madrid continues apace, with innovation at its heart, it will continue to surprise in 2018

Cibeles Palace in central Madrid

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Mussels from San Antón market

Plaza Mayor

CHECK OUT THESE IMPRESSIVE STARTUPS THAT BEGAN IN THE SPANISH CAPITAL CABIFY – step aside Uber. This taxi-hailing app recently raised $100 million in investment, and is available in Spain, Portugal and certain Latin American countries. Users book a taxi through the Cabify app, and choose which kind of vehicle they would like (be it an electric or executive car) and personalise everything from the music that will be playing to whether the driver should open the door for them - and bottled water is always provided. cabify.com

JOBANDTALENT – a fresh take on the recruitment process, this mobile-centric platform flips the traditional hiring and interviewing processes on their heads. Users can record video presentations of themselves to showcase their skills (like a digital CV), chat with potential employers, sign contracts and manage their pay via the app. Similarly, businesses are presented with a recommended pool of potential employees, and can use the application to manage the payroll, paperwork and interviewing process of their staff.

INFLUENCITY – a data-driven software startup that allows brands to connect with more than four million bloggers, Instagrammers and celebrities around the world, to create influencer marketing campaigns, and select which ones have the most relevant followings. Established in 2014, Influencity now has offices in New York, and clients include MTV, Just Eat, Sony and Uber. influencity.com

DRONE HOPPER – designed to help firefight wildfires, this industrial drone has huge potential. It can transport and atomise up to 300 litres of water, and can be adapted to the agricultural realm for tending to crops and eliminating pests. drone-hopper.com

STAMPERY – an authentication platform that generates legal evidence using blockchain technology. Rather than printing emails, proposals and contracts and relying on third parties to certify them, Stampery digitalises the process, creating “irrefutable and inexpensive” certification. stampery.com

jobandtalent.com

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Travel - Madrid

WHERE TO STAY VILLA MAGNA Set along Paseo de la Castellana – one of the widest avenues in Madrid – this elegant five-star hotel is a fantastic base for exploring the upmarket Salamanca district (within easy access of designer stores). A member of the Leading Hotels of the World, the property will gain a new spa this spring. It’s full of beautiful design features, such as a stain glass window that runs the height of the hotel, and its 150 calm-hued rooms and suites featuring marble-topped furniture, potted lilies and generously sized beds.

A winding staircase from the ground level leads you to the nine meeting spaces. villamagna.es

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HYATT CENTRIC GRAN VIA MADRID Hyatt opened the first Spanish outpost of its brand - geared towards “modern explorers” - in December on buzzy Gran Via, moments from El Retiro Park and Prado Museum. Housed in a 1920s building, its 159 rooms and suites are contemporary and each suite has a terrace.

There’s a 24-hour gym, a rooftop cocktail bar and a ‘music-studio’ lounge where vermouth is served on tap. granviamadrid.centric.hyatt.com

➠ HOTEL CIRCULO GRAN VIA Also located along Gran Via is the third hotel in Madrid from Marriott’s Autograph Collection brand. An adults-only property, the 71 sophisticated rooms and suites have free high speed wifi and a comfortable workspace, and tastefully incorporate the original features of the classical building. The hotel has a champagne bar, an avant-garde restaurant serving seasonal cuisine, and a top-floor cocktail bar with a terrace, plus a smart meeting space. marriott.co.uk

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More destinations than any other UK airport

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Source: OAG schedules 2016

Travel - Madrid

TOP PLACES FOR A MEETING/EVENT ➠

REINA SOFIA MUSEUM

Home to Picasso’s Guernica, Madrid’s esteemed modern art museum is full of inspiring places for events. There are two auditoriums with red velvet seating, an open air space with sculptures by Joan Miró, and the curvy, scarlet-ceilinged Nouvel Proctol room, which can hold 425 people for a drinks reception. museoreinasofia.es

ME MADRID REINA VICTORIA

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Housed in a striking white building with a conical tower overlooking Santa Ana Square, this stylish hotel has a glamorous, arty feel. The star-studded Radio rooftop lounge – which has been named one of the top ten bars in Spain – can be hired exclusively for 200 people, while the 80 sqm Passion Suite (complete with a hot tub) would be perfect for a product launch. melia.com

SANTIAGO BERNABÉU STADIUM

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Host football fans at a dinner overlooking one of the world’s most famous football pitches by hiring one of Real Madrid’s home stadium’s four restaurants. The Presidential box can host 650 people standing, while the pitch itself can hold 4000 people for a banquet. realmadrid.com

SAN ANTON MARKET

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A food market where traditional meets trendy (there’s even free wifi), this artisanal haven in Madrid’s vibrant Chueca district would make the perfect incentive for gourmands. Guests can shop for ingredients on the ground floor, before cooking with them in a second floor workstation. Top off the experience with a cocktail on the terrace of the market’s restaurant. mercadosananton.com

RAMÓN FREIXA MADRID

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The menu of this double Michelin-star restaurant expresses the eponymous chef’s desire for his food to “communicate, provocate and excite, good or bad. It cannot leave you indifferent.”

Each course of this multi-sensory experience gave me actual goosebumps, and the presentation, with a distinct nature theme (brought to life by the likes of tree stumps, eggs and butterfly-patterned crockery) upped the excitement. I’ve never felt such a desire to explore whatever was served in front of me, and to see if things tasted as they appeared.

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mba@ sussex.ac.uk +44 (0)1273 873522

Education

SUSSEX HONOURS The University of Sussex celebrates outstanding achievements at their Winter Graduation.

S

ussex was in celebratory mood last month as hundreds of graduates donned their robes and mortarboards for Winter Graduation.

Graduating students of all ages from their mid 20s to their late 70s, and from across the globe, took part in a joyous two-day celebration at the Brighton Centre as a reward for hours upon hours of hard work.

The ceremony was watched all around the world by proud family members and friends via the university’s live webcast. Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar, who was unfortunately unable to attend the ceremony, was able to cheer on graduates on Twitter. And for some graduates, the two-day celebration began with an early morning bike ride along the seafront.

BBC South East Today profiled honorary graduate and anti-bullying campaigner, Liam Hackett, ahead of the ceremony. The university’s youngest ever honorary graduate took to the stage for his award on his 27th birthday.

Lady Hollick

Liam Hackett

Liam said: “Most people receive these awards towards the end of their careers, but I think it's great for students to see someone nearer their age receive an award as it shows that everyone has opportunities with hard graft.”

Fellow honorary graduate, life-long human rights campaigner and celebrated TV producer, Lady Hollick OBE, also received her honour doctorate at the Winter Graduation and moved the ceremony audience with an inspiring speech.

Wife of the businessman Clive Hollick (Baron Hollick), Lady Hollick OBE began her career at Granada TV and soon progressed to become a producer and director for the hard-hitting documentary series World in Action. From there she became commissioning editor for multi-cultural programming at Channel Four Television, introducing audiences to ground-breaking shows.

Mahmoud

Her passion in the arts has led to her holding directorships for several arts organisations, including English National Opera and chairing the London Region of Arts Council England. She is also a champion of literature with her support of the Hollick Arvon Caribbean Writers Prize (through her family charitable trust), and is a trustee for Reprieve, an organisation that campaigns to end the death penalty around the world and defends victims of torture and extreme abuses of human rights.

Vice-Chancellor Adam Tickell told graduands gathered in the Brighton Centre that he was “honoured, privileged and delighted” to be able to share their special day with them. He said they all retain and represent the magical founding spirit of Sussex and were the embodiment of hope and possibility.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Saul Becker told graduates about his own inspiration to become a world-leading expert on young carers; his own responsibilities as a child caring for his grandmother with Parkinson’s.

He advised graduands to never forget the importance of having fun while also fulfilling their capacity to achieve exceptional things – admitting to his own guilty pleasure of belting out a bit of Dolly Parton at karaoke.

Graduates on bikes

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Education

PREPARING FOR LIFE - AND UNIVERSITY The leap from school to university can be huge, and not just from an academic perspective. The new-found freedoms can be liberating for young people, but not all are prepared for independent living. It can also be difficult for those who are used to a single-sex environment. Caty Jacques, the Pastoral Deputy Head at Hurstpierpoint College explains to Ian Trevett how Hurst prepares students for their next step.

F

or many years, Hurst has had the policy of co-educational boarding for Upper Sixth students, and many independent schools have recently followed Hurst’s example. It prompts the questions: How does co-educational boarding work in practice and what are the advantages?

Caty replies: “When they reach the second year of the Sixth Form all students, whether they are day or boarding, male or female, go into one big house, St. John’s. It is home to 160

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Being a teenager is probably more challenging now than it has ever been

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students and they all have a room with a bed even if they are day students, though we have separate corridors for the boys and girls rooms.

“The idea is to bridge the gap between school and university - as within a year most of them will be at university, where they will probably be in mixed halls - and to create a greater amount of independence.

“We want to afford more independence as they get older but it is still, in essence, a

Education

school. They’re not left to their own devices but there’s less of a feeling that people are breathing down their necks. It’s amazing how much support they offer each other because the second year of A-levels can be quite a stressful year. Most students also take the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) which has certain pressure points when they’re trying to meet deadlines, so the support they give each other is very important.

“They also get a sensible introduction to alcohol, as many young people go a bit mad when they first go to university. They have bar nights at St. John’s, twice a week, when they are allowed up to two drinks. At the start of the year they can’t wait to have two alcoholic drinks, but by the end of the year they’re often quite happy with a Diet Coke and a packet of crisps. Importantly, they’ve had that first, level-headed introduction to alcohol.

“They enjoy the feeling of having some extra space in what is an important year. And

“Students are already used to having co-ed classes and at St John’s they learn to live with

life isn’t single-sex, life is co-ed. We are putting them within a far more realistic environment.

each other in a co-ed environment too. If you head into St. John’s, you will see a lovely large

social area with some students playing table tennis, some playing pool, a few sitting around talking – all sorts of different groups chatting and socialising together. They make new friends and meet students who they may not have really known that well before.

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Hurst has this wonderful ability to engage every single pupil

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HURSTPIER POINT COLLEGE

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Education “St John’s has also created its own traditions. To raise money at Halloween the Upper Sixth organise a haunted house night for the younger students who pay to enter an appropriately themed environment.

The younger children see the Upper Sixth students as grown-ups – and they are. They’re essentially adults, really, by the time they get to that stage, and in the most part they behave like it.”

Another consequence of the unique, almost separate nature of St John’s is that the Upper Sixth get to lead the rest of the school, and in the Lower Sixth, they start preparing for this moment, as Caty explains…

“The Lower Sixth are the top year group in their house and lead their day or boarding house before transitioning to St John’s. They become prefects, house captains and run house events. It’s the year after their GCSEs, they get a taste of responsibility and it’s a good way for them to prove themselves.”

Pastoral Support Caty’s remit is, of course, for the pastoral care of the whole school and for her there is no higher priority than the well-being of children at the school. “If students are not happy, safe and supported they’re not going to do well academically,” she says. “It’s a massive priority for us to make sure that our students have a strong support network.

“Being a teenager is probably more challenging now than it has ever been. With the technology they have access to, students are never out of touch with their peers. It is a very different situation to how it was even five years ago. It creates a huge amount of pressure. Research suggests screen time, whether it’s gaming for boys or social media for girls, is a big cause of all sorts of mental health issues, which is a massive cause for concern.”

Year 11 too. They don’t have access to them overnight because that’s when the real issues arise.

“People of my generation look at young people glued to their phones and think, ‘Oh my gosh, you guys are not being sociable. Why are you just sitting there on your phone?’ But it is part of how they communicate. There’s evidence to suggest that a certain amount of screen time is actually beneficial. It’s when it’s too much that it can become a problem. And I think we do have to educate the students in what is acceptable or not.

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Pupils often put too much pressure on themselves, they seem to have an internal need to prove themselves.

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It seems there is no escape from the pull of phones and tablets, and all the pressures they place on our youngsters. Should they simply be banned from schools?

At the end of the day, we want them to adopt the right habits so that they can move forward successfully and use technology appropriately in the future.

“It’s a subject that is very controversial and creates strong opinions,” replies Caty. “We have some parents who would like them banned in their entirety and other parents who say it’s all about educating students to use them responsibly. Students are allowed phones from Year 9 but we do not expect to see them around the school. They can have them in the house but not in corridors, lessons or the dining room.

As problematic as phones and social media can be, there are plenty of other challenges facing young people. Has the nature of the problems changed over the last few years?

“We’ve always taken phones away overnight for Years 9 and 10, and now it applies to

“At the moment, anxiety is the problem we’re seeing most. There are a number of issues with regards to mental health. When I did my A-levels, students could get Cs and Ds and they could still go to a perfectly good university and do a perfectly good degree.

That’s not the case anymore.

“Students often put too much pressure on

themselves, they seem to have an internal need to prove their worth. We have many sources of support in place, including counsellors. It is definitely something that I have seen change in the last five years.”

How does Hurst tackle the issues students face?

“I oversee all of the houses and the pastoral care support that we offer to the students during their time in the school. Every student has a housemaster or housemistress, and a tutor, plus we have a very proactive Director of Safeguarding. There are Heads of Year as well as Heads of House, so there are many people to offer support.

“The students are here from 8am until 6pm and they are probably busier here than they would be in many other schools. There’s sport, music, drama and dance, on top of the academic lessons, so they are exceptionally busy. There is a combination of keeping students stimulated as well as offering support.”

In discussing school life with Caty, it is apparent that she has tremendous affection for Hurst and the students. How, I asked, does it compare with other schools Caty has taught at?

“Hurst has this wonderful ability to engage every single student which is not always the case at other schools I’ve been at. There are schools where some students are doers and others who lie low and don’t get as involved.

Hurst has the ethos that it doesn’t matter if you’re the best at sport or drama or whatever it is, it’s about taking part and ensuring that everyone is involved.”

www.hppc.co.uk

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CHANGING LIVES THROUGH LEARNING

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Interview

COMBINING FOR GROWTH Some of the county’s best known colleges have joined forces under the banner of The Chichester College Group. Chief Executive Shelagh Legrave explains the reasons for the merger…

What are the main benefits of the merger of the colleges including Chichester College & Crawley College (the former Central Sussex College)?

Chichester College was aware through the Area Review process, a government review of the viability of further education colleges, that Central Sussex College was struggling financially. Chichester had already set a strategy in 2015 to expand the size of its group to enable opportunities for growth in new markets and achieve economies of scale in its management and support service operations.

Furthermore, the management team at the college are passionate about the benefits of outstanding further education and believed that this should be on offer in the North East of West Sussex as well as in Chichester. We were therefore very keen to be involved.

What have been the biggest challenges with the merger?

Staff morale at Central Sussex College was low following four years of challenging financial difficulties. We are therefore investing significant time and resources with staff to change perceptions and some practices.

What can the college group potentially achieve in terms of skills and impact on the community?

Skills are at the heart of the government’s drive to improve productivity. By offering an enhanced and renewed curriculum and

marketing some already outstanding provision at Crawley, the opportunities for students are wide-ranging, from level 1 (pre GCSE) to level 6 (degree level). There is an extensive offer for businesses too with a growing apprentice programme and some bespoke courses.

Crawley College is the local college for its local community and is actively involved in support for charities and events. We are also working closely with other local stakeholders including the council, business membership groups and schools to ensure we are meeting local needs and adding value.

Do Chichester and Crawley Colleges have different specialities?

The core curriculum is the same at Crawley and Chichester but each college has some specialities such as aeronautical engineering at Crawley and furniture making at Chichester.

The Chichester College Group also includes a land-based campus at Brinsbury which offers courses such as agriculture, horticulture, arboriculture, animal care and equine. The Horsham Training Centre continues to run an extensive range of professional and commercial courses.

Has the financial pressures placed on FE Colleges made such mergers inevitable?

The financial pressures placed on further education colleges since 2011 have been immense. Colleges have received no increase in funding over the last seven years and have had cuts to funding rates for over 18 year olds and

adults. It is therefore inevitable that economies of scale have to be achieved to ensure colleges are financially stable for the future.

Does the combined group mean that it is now easier for businesses to get involved with courses?

Chichester, Brinsbury, Crawley and Horsham have offered bespoke courses for some time.

There will, however, be further opportunities for employers to be involved in the design and delivery of courses in the future.

The Chichester Group website lists the colleges as ‘Our Businesses’. Is this a reflection of a more businessorientated organisation?

The Chichester College Group encompasses four campuses and a portfolio of commercial businesses including a chain of childcare nurseries (First Steps), an Examination Board (Anglia) and an English Language School.

We have always been a business-orientated organisation - it is imperative that we operate a financially sound business model to ensure the delivery of high quality education and training for our customers.

Shelagh is the chief executive of the Chichester College Group. She is an OBE (which was awarded in 2015 for services to further education), she serves as a Deputy Lieutenant for West Sussex and sits on a number of boards, including vice chair of Chichester Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

chichester.ac.uk - crawley.ac.uk

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Education

A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS Student chefs at Chichester College get a taste for fine dining at pop-up foodie experience.

H

istoric Sussex Hotels took over the college’s kitchens and restaurants last month to deliver a special pop-up fine dining event at 64 Restaurant & Bar, located on the college’s Chichester campus.

A five-course tasting menu – featuring local ingredients including lobster, pheasant and oysters - was prepared and cooked by students studying hospitality and catering, under the tutelage of four chefs, led by Group Executive Head Chef and Roux Scholar Martin Hadden.

The students started work in the kitchen at 9am and wrapped up service more than 12 hours later, giving them an intense insight into the industry.

College lecturer Paul Rennie came up with the concept of hosting pop-up evenings at the college. Having now held two, it is hoped they will become a regular feature.

He said: “It’s really important for our students to gain as much experience as possible, and these evenings give them an opportunity to work with top chefs and learn from different people.

“They can learn new techniques, and also have the opportunity to work with produce that would not normally be accessible to them

in a college training kitchen.”

Roux Scholar Martin Hadden added: “We are delighted to work with, and encourage young students showing an interest in our industry.

“We thoroughly enjoyed working with them and hope they will go on to a career in our industry, perhaps we have helped the next Roux scholar or Michelin star.”

More than 50 guests, including suppliers and customers, sat down to enjoy the experience. Guests included Shelagh Legrave OBE, Chief Executive of the Chichester College Group, and Pontus Carminger, Joint Managing Director for Historic Sussex Hotels.

Shelagh said: “Once again, our students have really excelled themselves by creating some really outstanding food. They worked incredibly hard, but I know they enjoyed the experience and will have learnt a lot from being in the kitchen with chefs of such high calibre.”

Pontus added: “It is important for local businesses in the hospitality industry to work closely with the colleges in the region, giving the students the opportunity to get a taste of what it is like working in a hotel or restaurant, and to meet and work with chefs and restaurant managers from the industry.

“Working in the hospitality industry, we have a responsibility to show and tell students what a great industry we work in and show our passion for it. The hospitality industry is all about people and since the economic crisis, its contribution to the economy has grown faster than any other sector and is continuing to provide a wealth of career opportunities.”

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69

Motoring

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

by Motoring Editor, Maarten Hoffmann

T

he new Range River Velar is here and as is their wont, Jaguar Land Rover seem able to shoehorn a new model into every tiny gap in their range. But first, why the name?

Funnily enough, the company have had this name for years as it was the code name for the very first Range Rover back in the 1960’s and as they needed to obfuscate it’s true identity, the Velar name was born.

As the word is first-person singular present indicative of the Latin verb velare, which means to hide, it would all seem to make sense.

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Most buttons and switches have gone and you are presented with no less than two screens that are touch sensitive - three if you count the one in the centre dash with heads up display.

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As to how they shoehorn new models in without stealing sales from their own range, l eventually get to see what they are doing. If you don’t want the Evoque, then it is a big jump up to the Range Rover therefore sticking this model in the middle gives an extra step in the range. The Evoque starts at £30,760 and with the RR Sport at £61,315,

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there is quite a jump so popping the Velar in at £44,830, provides that extra step.

So what of the car itself. I have to say l was very impressed. It feels like a full fat Range Rover whilst at the same time feeling quite like a standard car rather than a lumbering beast. It uses a new platform sharing it underpinnings with the F-Pace. Outside, it is smooth and svelte with door handles that disappear and a silhouette that looks streamlined and slippery. Its surface begs to be stroked.

Motoring

TECH STUFF MODEL TESTED: Velar First Edition P380 ENGINE: 3.0-litre supercharged POWER: 380bhp PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 5.3 seconds TOP: 155mph ECONOMY: 30.1mpg combined PRICE FROM: £44,830 AS TESTED: £85,450 The interior is also quite a sight. Most buttons and switches have gone and you are presented with no less than two screens that are touch sensitive - three if you count the one in the centre dash with heads up display. The top screen carries navigation, entertainment and comms with the bottom screen offering climate control, seat controls, off-road functions and a swipe facility that offers a wealth of other options. These can be controlled from the screen or from the knobs on the steering wheel, the display on which changes depending on what you are attempting to do and that confused me for a while as if you look away for a minute, they are changed when you look back but once understood, it is quite intuitive. The system has fast data, serves as wi-fi and has a bunch of apps for travel and commerce. The seats are superb and adjust a million ways, are heated and cooled and will massage you on your way to heaven. All in all, it is very impressive.

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This is not style over substance

but that rare combo of style and substance.

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With my disgust at all things diesel and/or slow, l plumped for the 3.0-litre petrol and was thankful l did as it is quick. I mean properly quick if you pop it into sport, giving you 380bhp and a 0-60 time of 5.3 seconds which for a big and hefty 4x4 ain’t too shabby. I must say it

actually feels quicker than that and l was never bored with the speed available.

It handles beautifully and has superb road manners although, like all tall heavy cars, it is none too pleased with being chucked around corners, although the roll is not as bad as some others in the sector but then pop it into sport and this tightens the damping, lowers the body and shifts more power to the rear.

The off-road modes are all there as you would expect, raising it off the ground, changing powertrain calibration and the traction and diff thresholds. It’s got wade sensing so it’ll ford a flood or possibly drive to France at low tide. When you are in those modes, the head-up display shows axle articulation and inclination angles and diff lock status.

Power trains come with various options with a 2.0-litre diesel and petrol, then two V6’s with the diesels offering 300bhp, and the supercharged petrol offering 380bhp and they are all from the JLR’s Ingenium family.

This is not style over substance but that rare combo of style and substance. It is a bit of a design statement with a mass of glass, smooth lines and very shiny metal but then gets on with the job of being a hugely competent on and off-road car that just about anyone would be proud to have in their drive.

I love the full fat Range Rover and would buy it every day of the week but the new Velar would give me pause for thought and l guess this is JLR’s intention as both are their cars and it is yet another reason not to go to Stuttgart.

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Motoring

INFINITI QX30

by Motoring Editor, Maarten Hoffmann

W

e are awash with cute compact SUV’s, some great and some horrendous monstrosities that should never have been born. I am thinking of the Vauxhall Mokka, or the Mokka Shocker as l call it every time l see one.

Nissan’s premium Infiniti QX30 is not one of those but rather a competent and well put together SUV that ensures you sit high in the traffic, have four-wheel drive offering assurance that you can get anywhere anytime.

This is a derivative of the Q30 hatchback, itself based on the Mercedes A class, but it is jacked up by 30mm and comes with two engine choices, a 211bhp 2.0-litre petrol and a 170bhp 2.2-litre diesel and both come with four-wheel drive and seven-speed due clutch auto box. It drives just like the hatchback, which is a plus, and gives no hint of the 4x4 capabilities of the car. It is not the fastest thing in the world but then it is not designed

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to be fast but rather practice and functional.

It doesn’t like hard corners as the body rolls around like a drunken sailor and if you leave it in Eco mode, it is smooth and fairly responsive.

Pop it into Sport and you get more power and stability but it becomes a little like a frenzied teenager on poppers as it try’s to dash through the gears - quite good fun but not terribly relaxing.

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It does well in the company car tax brackets and is economical enough and achieved five stars on the NCAP crash tests

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One thing that does stand out is how planted it feels on the road, especially the motorway, making it feel like a much bigger and heavier car. I took my hands off the wheel at 70mph on the M23 and it tracked perfectly for as long as l was brave - it could of been a £100,000 off-roader.

Interior space is not great and is beaten by the Audi Q2, Q3 and the Mini Countryman but then it is quieter and rides better than all of them. Front passengers will have no complaint about the space but it’s a slightly different story in the back which is quite cramped and for those over 6ft, you will have your knees up by your ears. I went on a long journey with the kids in the back and they had no complaints but then they are 12 and 14 years old - l would not have wanted to be in the backfor a long journey unless the front passenger was Ronnie Corbett.

Motoring

TECH STUFF Model tested: Infiniti QX30 Engine: 2.2 diesel Power: 170bhp Performance: 0-60mph 8.2 seconds Top: 133.6 mph Economy: 57.6 mpg combined Price from: £30,195 The interior layout is good although the radio is not terribly intuitive but it comes with quite a good array of standard kit, such as satnav, heated seats, parking sensors, climate and cruise and a host of connectivity and safety features. The leather is very good quality and well put together and there is definitely a sweeping design to the dash that nods to the new Mercs.

Visibility is a tad poor with the front pillars raked back causing some blind spots and the narrow rear screen doesn’t help. The parking sensors are a mandatory requirement but you

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Pop it into Sport and you get more power and stability but it becomes a little like a frenzied teenager on poppers as it try’s to dash through the gears

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have to go up to the Premium Tech to get a reversing camera and blind spot warning and you might regret it if you don’t tick that option box.

It does well in the company car tax brackets and is economical enough and achieved five stars on the NCAP crash tests. The best point about it that you will be in quite rare company in the sea of German metal in the car park and that’s no bad thing. Infiniti is relatively new to the UK market and is still establishing itself and if you want something that stands out against the others, this is a decent option.

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Nissan’s premium Infiniti QX30 is not one of those but rather a competent and well put together SUV

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Table Talk

And so to Food The food scene in Brighton and surrounding Sussex goes from strength-to-strength. One of the drivers of that success is the Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival, now in its 15th year. Managing director, Nick Mosley, reveals what’s in store for 2018.

The 2017 festival trade day at Jeremy’s Restaurant.

Photo by Julia Claxton

Brighton Wine Week, 6th-15th April Our first major consumer event of 2018 is the all-new Brighton Wine Week. The growing renown of the Sussex and wider English wine industry is partly behind this event, but we’ll also be working with selected producers from around the world including Austria, France, Italy, Spain and New Zealand.

Wine Week will see a promotional menu of discounted wines at all of our festival partner bars and restaurants, plus a host of wine dinners and tastings. The opening weekend features a two-day self-guided Wine and Tapas Trail around venues in the city where you can sample a glass of vino and a perfectly matched bite to eat.

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The closing event of the week will be the Brighton Wine & Gin Festival, hosted at Hotel du Vin on Sunday 15th April. Winemakers and vintners will be showcasing their product, alongside the chance to take part in some taster educational masterclasses and learn a little more about the science of wine.

Brighton Cocktail Week, 6th15th July After the astounding success of Cocktail Week in 2017, we’re teaming up again with our colleagues at Mixology Group to host an even more spectacular celebration of the city’s bar industry.

We’ll be hosting a two-day cocktail festival event in the Pagalini Ballroom and historic

cellars of the Old Ship, featuring global liquor brands and artisan spirit brands from the south of England. And bars across the city will be offering promotional drinks at just £5 each throughout the week. As we’re a food festival too, we’re also working on some creative and experimental dinners and events including an ice cream dinner and cocktail fusion, featuring top mixologists and street food vendors working together on food and drink combos.

Autumn Harvest, 6th-16th September Celebrating all things Sussex, our Autumn Harvest will be overflowing with the bounty of our county. Across a host of events, enjoy Sussex wines, beers, ciders and spirits, alongside seasonal game, seafood, fruit and

Table Talk Recruitment is notoriously difficult for the hospitality industry, with many young people in Britain not even considering the trade as a career option. This year we’ll be investing in a careers fair for 16-18 year olds to meet colleagues in the industry and to find out the many job paths open to them in both the hospitality industry and also food and drink production.

We also run the long-standing Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Awards with around 20 categories celebrating the best of food and drink in the city. Public nominations open in April and run until September, before the top three finalists in each category go through to our panel of judges for secret shopping and interviews. Our Grand Finals will be hosted again at My Brighton hotel in November 2018.

vegetables. We’re still in the midst of plans for

other food festivals in Europe again, and we’ll

this event but save the date.

see link-ups with Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Lots more…

The festival organisation operates throughout the year, championing Brighton and Sussex’s food and hospitality offering on a regional, national and international platform through event partnerships and marketing.

This year we’re working alongside a number of

We are a not-for-profit community interest company with specific objectives to fulfil.

One of those is joining up the local supply chain so each year we host a day-out for local restaurateurs and chefs to network and tour some local producers and enjoy a Sussex produce lunch.

If you’d like to find out how your business can get involved in the Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival through corporate entertainment, or sponsorship opportunities to connect with consumers or the hospitality industry, then please do get in touch with us.

01273 770044 nick@sharpmediagroup.co.uk www.brightonfoodfestival.com

Isaac Bartlett-Copeland of Isaac At, winner of Food Hero at the 2017 Brighton and Hove food awards. Photo Julia Claxton

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Table Talk

Review

The Bull, Ditchling

by Tom Flint

T

the owners as to where they want to take The Bull. An outside terrace is currently being developed which will add even more dining space in the summer.

Situated on the picturesque high street is The Bull. The pub is one of the oldest buildings in the village, dating back to the early 16th century.

It has been under the ownership of Dominic and Vanessa Worrall since 2003. The pair have nurtured and developed the pub in recent years.

Having been named ‘Great British Pub of the Year’ in 2016, they have now added rooms and a new dining area to create a real destination venue.

The crayfish popcorn with saffron aioli were moreish and great for grazing on. A touch more power in the aioli would not have gone astray but they were a pleasing entrée

aking a moment away from the city is a great way to relax and unwind. Sussex is blessed with countless villages all with their own superb inns and pubs. Ditching is one of the best-known and historic locations and just a stone’s throw from Brighton.

The pub is one that I have visited on several occasions. The large roaring fires and wooden beams are ideal in the colder months. During the summer their large garden with views over the South Downs ensures that this is a year-round venue.

The new dining space had only been open a couple weeks when we visited. This is housed in a new building that adjoins the pub with a brand new bespoke kitchen. The dining area is bright and modern in comparison to the traditional pub. It is very much a signal of intent from

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Upon arrival we were shown to the impressively sized room (we were dining and staying at the pub at the invite of the owners). A large comfortable bed and additional seating area was perfect. An excellent en-suite with large shower completed the room, which had clearly been decorated without scrimping on cost.

Table Talk

Crayfish Popcorn

Skate Rillettes

Beef and Oyster Pie

Before dinner we enjoyed a Bellini made with local English fizz from Ridgeview - who are just a short drive away. The bar is lively even though it is a mid-week evening.

The crayfish popcorn with saffron aioli were moreish and great for grazing on. A touch more power in the aioli would not have gone astray but they were a pleasing entrée.

The supper menu is separated into small and large plates, cookhouse classics and a section of grazing options. I was very pleased to see some local wines represented, choosing a glass of Albourne Bacchus to start.

This is a wonderfully crisp wine with a clean minerality that I always enjoy.

For the mains we went with some big wintery dishes. I chose the confit duck and Toulouse sausage cassoulet (£17) and my partner had the beef and oyster pie with champ, squash and white cabbage (£14).

Both dishes were of the sort you would expect from a pub kitchen. Each generous to the point of being daunting in size. Not that this is a bad thing. We ordered hearty and this is exactly what we got.

I started with the skate rillettes with cucumber, caper crumb and rye toast (£8.50) and my partner had the crayfish popcorn from the nibbles menu (£5.50). We also had some sourdough bread and truffle butter (£4) whilst we waited; the bread was fresh and springy with the deeply flavoured butter giving a real hit of luxury.

❝

The rooms will also appeal to those wishing to stay close to Brighton but wanting to keep the city at arm’s length

❞

My rillettes were plated beautifully. Spots of watercress purée and caperberries provided lots of green colour against the pale fish paté.

The flavour of the dish was a little subtler than I had expected. The texture was good, although would have benefitted from being served at room temperature, but was overall an accomplished starter.

Cassoulet

Chocolate Pavé

My duck was exactly what I had pictured. Rich and warming, it was very classic in its composition and true to its French roots. The comforting beef and oyster pie housed in a perfectly short and crumbly crust. The sides of potato, squash and cabbage may not be exciting; but they were perfect for this plate of food. These dishes might not win any awards for their creativity, but they achieve exactly what they set out to be.

We shared a dessert of chocolate and coffee pave with mocha ice cream (£9). Despite both being very full, we managed to finish this thanks to its silky texture and notes of caramel and coffee that cut through the rich chocolate.

The Bull is a popular country pub that is a mainstay of Sussex drinking and dining. It appears on most people’s lists of country pub options, and deserves the respect and recognition it receives. The new dining area and rooms take things to a whole new level. A private dining area, created from the old kitchen, will also appeal to those looking for something more intimate or private. Ideal for both business and pleasure, I can recommend The Bull as both a pub and dining venue.

The rooms will also appeal to those wishing to stay close to Brighton but wanting to keep the city at arm’s length.

A room at the Bull

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Table Talk

Thinking happier thoughts

By Gerry Higgins at The VineKing

S

o far, 2018 is looking like a tricky year for the wine trade. France, Spain and Italy have all declared incredibly low harvest yields, the worst for many in nearly forty years. A small harvest in either of those countries is not unusual, but all three suffering so badly in the same year is incredibly rare. I think reports of a wine shortage are a little sensationalist, however, those three countries combined, produce more than half the world’s wine, so the predictions of price increases are guaranteed.

So, when it was suggested that I write something about how the wine world is shaping up in 2018, I decided against it. I mean, February is a tough month without adding more gloom. It seems darker, the Christmas credit card bills arrive, and we can often have a few flakes of snow which means the whole country has to shut down. I need some cheerier thoughts to get me through the month. Which is why I thought writing about tasting in the warmer climes of the Languedoc would be ideal.

We do a lot of business in Languedoc-Roussillon.

It is the largest wine region in France and at one point produced 10% of the world’s wine. Things have changed though, and there is now a much greater focus on lower yields and better quality, offering some of the best value wines in the world.

Going to taste there is incredibly useful, the fact that Languedoc has been described as Provence without the tourists helps too. I try to visit in April or May before it gets too hot and I stay at Chateau Haut Gleon.

The Chateau is a 45-minute drive from Carcassonne and 20 minutes from the Mediterranean. And it sits on a hill surrounded by the vines that produce the wine there. So, the cheering thought for February is that in a couple of months I will take a morning flight from London, and by late afternoon I will be sitting at a table drinking a perfect rosé looking at the vines that produced the wine. This is a special thing, and before you think this is just about making you envious, you can do the same thing. The beautiful Haut Gleon rent rooms to the public and there are also a couple of gîtes there as well, so you can have your own special moment to look forward to.

Gleon is owned by Foncalieu who produce a superb range of wines, so there will be a good tasting to look forward to. To the right are some of my picks if you feel like doing a little research before getting on the plane.

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Chateau Haut Gleon Rouge, 2014, £19.99 Made from Grenache, Syrah and Carignan, it is a wonderfully rich intense wine of dark fruits with hints of coffee and spice.

→

Domaine Haut Gleon Rosé. 2016, £18.99 A dry pale rosé with raspberries and floral notes. The length and balance on the palate highlight the quality of this great wine.

→

Le Versant Viognier, 2016, £10.99 The fleshy apricot and peach is balanced by the crisp citrus notes.

→

→ Le Versant Pinot Noir, 2015, £10.99 One of the best value Pinots I have tasted in a long time.

Blackcurrants, wild strawberries and cherries on the nose with a silky smooth palate.

You can find these wines at Vineking stores (or online at vineking.com) and at a variety of venues across Sussex including the Dragon at Colgate, the Cherry Tree in Copthorne, and Food for Friends, Curry Leaf Café, New Club and Pascere restaurant, all in Brighton.

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 TheGrandHotelBrighton

@GrandBrighton

@thegrandbrighton

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Charity News

CHESTNUT TREE HOUSE CELEBRATES 15 YEARS OF CARING FOR LIFE-LIMITED CHILDREN TAKE ON A CHALLENGE Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice will celebrate its 15th birthday this November, and the team have got something bigger than musical chairs in mind.

Make this a year for taking a leap; for crossing the finish line. For doing something you never thought you could. Take a look at these amazing events and take on a challenge; for yourself, for your company, for local families, for living, for the now.

• Run - Brighton Marathon and 10k (April), Littlehampton 10k (September) • Cycle - Hit the Downs MTB (May), RideLondon (July) • Ultra - Race to the King (June), Reebok Ragnar Relay White Cliffs (September) • Adrenaline - Arundel Castle abseil (September), group abseil (October) • Adventure - Henri Coandã Yacht Challenge (May), Operation: MUD (July) • Team Building - The Great Sussex Bath Race (June) • Golf - Old Thorns Golf Day (June), East Sussex National Golf Day (September) • Walk or Trek - South Coast Challenge (August), Peru Inca Trail (November 2019)

First opened in 2003, Chestnut Tree House is the children’s hospice for Sussex and South East Hampshire, caring for children with life-shortening conditions – giving them the chance to do all the sorts of things that kids love doing. It costs Chestnut Tree House over £3.5 million each year to provide all their specialist care services, both at the hospice and in families’ own homes, and with less than 7% funding from central government, the charity relies on the generosity of the local community to help raise the money needed.

OPEN DAYS On Friday 5th and Saturday 6th October, Chestnut Tree House are inviting people from across the region to come and see what a special place the hospice is. Everybody is welcome. There will be tours of the house to see the wonderful care facilities and a chance to explore the gardens, including the wheelchair-accessible Woodland Walk. There will also be the chance to meet the Care Team, who do such an incredible job looking after the children and families.

NEW HONORARY PATRONS FOR 15TH BIRTHDAY In addition to an action-packed birthday events calendar, a group of birthday Patrons has been created to support the work of Chestnut Tree House during 2018, alongside existing Patrons of the charity. The role of the honorary birthday Patrons is to support and advise the charity, each contributing in their own way. They are: • Paralympic Equestrian Champion, Natasha Baker MBE • Author, Julia Donaldson and her husband, Dr Malcolm Donaldson

• International polo player and Captain of the US polo team, Nic Roldan

• Singer, songwriter, Chesney Hawkes

• Footballer and Captain of Brighton & Hove Albion FC, Bruno Saltor

• East Sussex Ambassadors, Jacquie and Barry Hinves

• Singer, pianist and songwriter, Joe Stilgoe

• Model, racing driver and TV presenter, Jodie Kidd

• Raymond Briggs’s much-loved character, The Snowman™

• Artist, Lester Magoogan

• Businessman, Matt Turner

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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CHICHESTER

FIT FOR BUSINESS

by Leanne Levitt, Director of Chichester Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Owner of LLPT

I

have been in the fitness industry for quite some time now and love racing and competing in long distance events. But I also have a passion for business and how fitness relates to business performance. One thing I have learnt from studying for my business degree and other fitness related courses is that to be mentally fit, you also have to be physically fit.

I have always lived my life living and breathing health and fitness, and since running my own personal training business, I ensure that my clients are conveyed this message. My client Peter Wild, a Wealth Manager, has had an ‘increase in new business of 25% year on year’ as well as an increase in fitness and a positive mental approach to business and training. So much so that he travelled to Nepal to build a school! He has managed to achieve his business goals with the time out for his training sessions, his family commitments as well as his own goals.

Physical activity helps protect you from heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, obesity, back pain, osteoporosis, and can improve your mood and help you to better manage stress. It is very easy to be ‘busy’ all the time when it comes to business, but it is important to take care of your health and well-being too as after all, you are your business. Your business does not succeed unless you are at the top of your game both physically and mentally.

Being an Ironman athlete, it is very easy for me to preach about how much exercise everyone should be doing, but it should suit your personality and personal schedule.

Putting time into improving yourself physically is vital because the bottom line is that all you have is your health. All other positive energy will flow over into all other aspects of your life as well as your business.

It takes determination, perseverance, motivation and the desire to succeed and this is what physical training and business is all about. And above all, find something that’s fun!

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

OF COMMERCE AND

12th February - Networking Chamber Monthly Meeting – Bring a guest evening

INDUSTRY FROM JUST

£99

Membership benefits include:

Tuesday 13th February / Thursday 15th February - Workshop 2: General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Wednesday 14th February = The Chichester Business Breakfast in conjunction

• Events and networking

with Chichester College

• Policy and public affairs

Thursday 8th March - Behind the Scenes – Spirit FM

• Workshops and training

Monday 12th March - Networking Chamber Monthly Meeting in association with Chichester BID

• Business advice and services

Wednesday 14th March - The Chichester Business Breakfast in conjunction with

• New business opportunities

Chichester College

Join us now at www.chichestercci.org.uk/join

Wednesday 28th March - Customer Seduction – A Business Knowledge network event in partnership with Coast to Capital Growth Hub and CCCI

For more details visit www.chichestercci.org.uk

CHAMBER NEWS

JOIN CHICHESTER CHAMBER

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ACES

AGE IS JUST A NUMBER

CHAMBER NEWS

Andy Knight, business coach, entrepreneur and ACES member explores the world of white collar boxing in East Sussex.

M

y father was a huge boxing fan having watched Henry Cooper fight Muhammed Ali in June ‘63.

He had ring side seats and watched Cooper knock Ali down with a perfect left hook; only one of four times Ali was ever knocked off his feet. Despite that, my Dad told me: “He never really had a chance did Cooper - Ali was playing with him!”.

us to the training area upstairs to do a little lightweight sparring with some of his ‘lads’.

We saw a few famous faces there and boy those lads could punch, hard.

At the age of 16 my friend’s dad took us to the famous ‘Thomas A Beckett’ pub on the Old Kent Road. He was an ex-fighter and club owner from South London, and took

Roll on 40 years and I was attending a gym in Tunbridge Wells called the ‘Halo Gym’.

I introduced myself to the coach, Tommy Kotrla, well-known in Czechoslovakia for

Battle Chamber of Commerce www.battlechamber.org.uk

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Bexhill Chamber of Commerce 01424 842892 www.bexhillchamber.co.uk

Crowborough Chamber of Commerce www.crowboroughchamber.co.uk

Watching guys fight on TV, I always thought it didn’t look that tough. I mean they don’t exactly run or cycle miles, it’s all pretty much in the same spot isn’t it? I could do that; so I resolved to have a go one day.

Eastbourne UnLtd Chamber of Commerce 01323 641144 www.eastbournechamber.co.uk

East Sussex County Council 01273 481570 www.eastsussex.gov.uk

Federation of Small Businesses 01424 754686 Reg Office: 01323 482018 www.fsb.org.uk/eastsussex

top-level boxing. He was so motivational that I was immediately hooked, and I signed up there and then for my first session.

Tommy had the energy of a runaway train, I was exhausted after ten minutes. I couldn’t understand it; as a businessman I believed in keeping my mind and body fit. I can cycle for 50 miles, I work out, have a personal trainer, but with Tommy I was like a novice who’d had his feet up for the last ten years. This will not do.

Roll on three more months and I’d got the bug. I started working out specifically

Hailsham Chamber of Commerce 01323 310531 www.hailshamchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Hastings Chamber of Commerce 01424 205500 www.hastingschamber.co.uk

Heathfield Chamber of Commerce 01435 865858 www.heathfieldchamber.co.uk

ACES

for boxing and doing HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). Then somebody mentioned white collar boxing and my ears pricked up… ‘What’s that? How do I get involved?’.

I signed up for ‘Ultra White Collar Boxing’.

The event was to be held in Eastbourne, where I’m a Chamber member. The deal is that you attend a training schedule in Eastbourne at the First Generation Martial Arts Gym. Twice a week is preferable at this stage. (Oh dear… it could be tricky getting there with business commitments, but I can always pull out if it gets too much - can’t I?).

At the initiation in September we got the ‘talk’. There were guys and girls from all walks of life, every shape and size. “40% of you will be gone over the next month”, Will Williams the organiser told us. That cannot be me I thought; I have to see this through.

The sparring started… some punch harder than others. And yup, 40% had dropped out.

ACES The official magazine for the Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex

All the participants sit in an area at the back of the hall. There is more tension than I’ve ever experienced. It’s like something out of The Hunger Games. One guy fails the medical, his blood pressure is too high and they send him to Eastbourne District General Hospital straight away. My fight is the last of the evening… 15 bouts before me.

I watch some colleagues go before me. I get fired up and start yelling like a football hooligan at the ringside. What has come over me? The passion is running high. My colleague Andy knocks his opponent down in the second round and gets a win.

Finally, it is my turn. I feel calm but numb at the same time. My daughter inspires me before I go on, “Don’t show me up ok dad?”.

It starts. The punches come in fast from my opponent. (He is 20 years younger than me.) Harder and more menacing than anything I’ve done in training. I can’t hear the crowd, just a drone of sound. I take a few punches and wake up. I shoot a few jabs

out to start. My headgear is doing the job.

Round two is better. He goes down after I get stuck in. The crowd goes wild. But credit to him, he hangs on and we go into the third round. We are both shattered with legs of lead. What happened to all that training?

The final bell goes, it’s over. I feel a 10-ton weight lifted off my shoulders. The decision goes to my opponent by two points, but I gave it 100%. The feeling is one of massive achievement. I am on cloud nine and I can clearly see the addiction to boxing; I immediately think about doing it again.

If you run a business then what better way to prove your drive, focus and determination! Get a group of you to enter and raise the profile of your business through social media. You can also raise huge amounts of money for charity and get into great shape.

It is professionally run by the guys at First Generation Gym and will be the same at your local gym if they are involved with UCWB.

Visit www.ultrawhitecollarboxing.co.uk for more information.

Photos by Ultrapix

ussex

Issue 6. 2017

CHRISTMAS CRISIS?

We are very proud of our new magazines for ACES. The new magazine will be distributed all over East Sussex. Make sure you pick up your copy.

A return to Dickensian poverty?

MALLORCA

A place for business too Develop the

NEXT GENERATION LEADERS DO GOOGLE ADWORDS WORK? EVERYDAY SUPERCARS Jaguar F-Type SVR Audi R8 Spyder Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio GROUP

PLATINUM PUBLISHING

The Institute of Directors 0207 766 8866 www.iod.com

ACES

Lewes Chamber of Commerce 07919 382316 www.leweschamber.org.uk

For more information about advertising and editorial sponsorship, contact info@platinumbusinessmagazine.com or call 07966 244046 and we have discounted members rates. The second issue is out now and in general distribution right around the region

Locate East Sussex 0844 415 9255 www.locateeastsussex.org.uk

Newhaven Chamber of Commerce 0800 107 0709 www.newhavenchamber.co.uk

Peacehaven Chamber of Commerce 01273 586222 www.peacehavenchamber.co.uk

Seaford Chamber of Commerce 0800 881 5331 www.seafordchamber.co.uk

South East Local Enterprise Partnership 01245 431469 www.southeastlep.com

Uckfield Chamber of Commerce 01825 722607 www.uckfieldchamber.co.uk

Wealden District Council 01323 443322 www.wealden.gov.uk

CHAMBER NEWS

After every session, I left the gym glad it was over but on a high. I was the oldest guy in the group but my fitness was better than 75% of them, so what was the problem?

In the blink of an eye, it’s fight day at The Winter Gardens in Eastbourne with over 600 seats sold.

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SUSSEX CHAMBER

MOTIVATE, INSPIRE AND GROW PROFESSIONALLY - TRAINING THAT GROWS YOUR BUSINESS The Sussex Chamber of Commerce is proud to be introducing new training courses from April this year.

by Ana Christie Chief Executive, Sussex Chamber of Commerce

M

ake 2018 a year of dynamic change for your business - invest in training. Training improves competitiveness, morale, profitability, market share, customer satisfaction and company reputation and profile. In these uncertain times, training increases your ability to respond effectively to change.

one of the most difficult things to do. Gain a clear idea about the responsibilities and managerial skills required in order to delegate, motivate and lead authentically.

Accredited courses in international trade

mindfulness techniques to avoid those situations. Similarly, our time management courses will not only help your staff be more productive but also better manage their time to avoid stress in the first place.

The British Chambers of Commerce has nationally accredited ten international trade courses delivered by the Sussex Chamber to form an import and export curriculum, giving exporters the essential skills they require. Our highly respected courses cover all the main principles of international trade dealings for your freight and logistics teams. New courses will cover air cargo security and the carriage of dangerous goods.

Training for the business owner

CHAMBER NEWS

Engaging in a robust PR strategy is a highly cost-effective alternative to advertising, as it not only raises awareness of your product or brand, but it also helps build important relationships.

Our Managing the Media course will make sure you know what to say and when and how to say it, to ensure that you create a positive impression.

Learn how to identify, prioritise and register your Intellectual Property to protect against copycats and create financial value for future growth and capitalisation. Don’t allow competitors to hijack your brand and inventions which you have spent years building.

Negotiation skills, selling skills and great customer service Understanding the science of persuasion is crucial to effective negotiation. Learn how to spot and how to use the gambits of successful bartering and position-taking.

Become more skilled at handling customers over the telephone or face-to-face, and learn new techniques to build long-term customer loyalty.

Improve productivity and staff effectiveness Transitioning from an operational role to a supervisory or team leader role can be

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Workplace stress and bullying is on the rise. Develop the emotional intelligence to handle difficult situations and be trained in

Effective business writing skills can benefit your team when writing proposals, emails and presentations that deliver calls to action and persuade.

With more and more businesses moving to constantly upgraded versions of Excel and Word, it’s time your staff understood how to make the best use of these powerful tools.

HR courses See reductions in staff turnover, absenteeism and in recruitment costs. Manage the life journey of an employee from recruitment to exit more effectively using best employment practice.

The benefits of training will resonate through your organisation. For more details please visit www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk/training or call 01444 259259.

BRIGHTON AND HOVE

WELCOME, CARRIE

In December 2017 we were delighted to welcome our new Events Manager Carrie Smith. After her first few weeks in the role, we caught up with her to see how she’s getting on as the newest member of the Chamber team.

What about this new role most interests you?

I’m looking forward to organising some great events for our members and meeting lots of interesting people! I’m also really excited for the opportunity to try some new things and put some of my own ideas into the events programme for 2018. It’s a varied programme, with a good mix of networking events, training sessions, exciting Behind-the-Scenes events and the Brighton Summit in October. It’s going to be a great year!

Has your background always been in event management?

Interestingly, I fell into the world of events management completely by accident. I studied law at the University of Surrey which was great, but I realised that law wasn’t the career path for me, and I wanted to work in an industry which was a bit more creative and hands-on. I wanted to gain some experience in the charity sector and managed to get a job in the Events Team at Chestnut Tree House – the children’s hospice for Sussex. This was a brilliant experience and paved the way for me eventually landing the role of Events Manager for Brighton Chamber. It’s such a fun and exciting area to be working in.

What’s your impression of Brighton Chamber so far?

Has the Chamber got some exciting events coming up that you’d like to talk about?

Absolutely! We always have great Bite-sized Learning sessions which touch upon various different topics to suit everyone. On 14th February we have a Bite-sized Learning all about building and protecting your brand, geared towards fast growth businesses.

Another good one on 21st February is Construction Voice: What are ‘Developer Contributions’? Are communities getting value for money?

These kinds of topics are useful to people in all sectors, so they’re really worth booking on to.

We’ve also organised a fantastic Pop-up Breakfast with Anthony Prior from Bagelman on 15th February, where we will be hearing a brilliant talk about Anthony’s journey to becoming a zero-waste organisation – definitely not one to be missed!

Interested in finding out more about Brighton Chamber events? Contact Carrie via email on events@ businessinbrighton.org.uk, or via telephone on 01273 719097. Our calendar of events is also on our website at https://www.businessinbrighton.org.uk/events If you are not yet a member of Brighton Chamber you can book onto two of our events before becoming a member. This can be a great way to meet some new people in the first instance and get a feel for what our events are like.

CHAMBER NEWS

From the moment I started working for Brighton Chamber, I could see straight away that it is such a dynamic and vibrant place to work.

It definitely stands out as an inclusive and friendly organisation which is valued hugely in the local community.

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WORTHING & ADUR

THE ROAD TO SUCCESS CELEBRATING THE BETTER BUSINESS SHOW’S LOCAL SUCCESS STORIES. Adam Stafford Managing Director at Fresh Egg

Matt Hunt Founder of the Protein Ball Company

Adam’s career at Fresh Egg started in 2000 when he founded the company with his sister and best friend. The digital revolution was just getting started and Fresh Egg were at the cusp of it.

Matt lived outside the UK for 20 years on various continents, where he found an interesting synergy between culture and international business.

He launched his first business OLOVES, with Hayley Hunt in 2005.

OLOVES, a healthy olive snack

The company’s 17-year history has seen them adapt and evolve to ride the ever-changing digital wave, transforming their clients’ challenges into digital successes along the way.

Inside the central Worthing office you’ll find a collection of passionate, tenacious individuals who work side-by-side with their clients as an extension of their in-house teams.

Fresh Egg is still privately owned and is delighted to be one of the largest agencies of its kind, appearing on the Econsultancy top 100 list and achieving fifth largest agency in the South on the Wirehive 100 league table in 2017. www.freshegg.co.uk

company, paved the way to be the first snacking olive bag in the travel and catering industry, picking up global accolades and selling into 12 countries.

In October 2015, the husband and wife team started production of The Protein Ball Co, the all-round protein snack based in Worthing. The company employs 32 staff and sells across 18 countries with new innovation and formats launching this year. www.theproteinballco.com

PEER MENTORING CHAMBER NEWS

Worthing and Adur Chamber offers highly successful peer-to-peer mentoring group programmes and is planning its next group for both growing businesses and start-ups.

What is Peer Mentoring?

What are the benefits?

• Thinking time to work on (rather than in) the business • The opportunity to explore challenges in a confidential environment • A diverse pool of wisdom and expertise to draw on • A unique blend of challenge and support from peers • Ideas for new products and services

The Peer Mentoring Groups consist of 8-12 business owners from different business areas, who are willing to learn from and support each other by sharing their expertise and varied skill sets in a To find out more, contact us on 01903 203484 or visit confidential environment. All the programmes have at their core the www.worthingandadurchamber.co.uk/peer-mentoring concept of Action Learning - this is ‘learning by doing’, focusing on group members’ real business challenges, and identifying practical actions they can take to solve them, all guided by an experienced facilitator.

February 1st – Better Business Show, 10am-4pm, Assembly Hall Worthing

FORTHCOMING EVENTS February 9th – Chamber Hub FREE Networking

February 23rd – Networking Breakfast – Funding and Finance update March 7th – Chamber Chat Networking March 16th – Chamber Hub FREE Networking March 23rd – Networking Breakfast Planning Update Find more information at www.worthingandadurchamber.co.uk

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EASTBOURNE

A FAST GROWING DIGITAL HOTSPOT

C

hallenging preconceived ideas, Nesta.org has named Eastbourne as one of the top 47 digital and creative clusters in the UK, having identified it as a fast-growing hotspot in 2016.

Evidence of this growth is found in the expanding Eastbourne tech company, Switchplane, which has moved into new headquarters to accommodate its expanding team.

Local web and app developers Switchplane moved into new premises at Highfields in Hampden Park, and celebrated with an office warming party.

Joel said: “We’re hugely grateful for all the support we’ve received from the local community - it was good to welcome clients, suppliers, and guests to celebrate our office move. We’re growing fast, and this is a critical step towards our goal to be a company of 20 or more in the next few years.”

Stephen Lloyd MP added: “It’s an absolute pleasure to see just how much the company has grown over the last decade. In true techstart-up style, Switchplane really did begin in a converted garage! The brothers Joel and Tom have put everything into the company and thoroughly deserve their success. This is Eastbourne entrepreneurship at its best.”

Switchplane like to grow their own talent, so if you are tech-minded and want to be a paid apprentice or would like to consider one of the vacancies above, please visit switchplane.com

CHAMBER NEWS

The event was well attended by local business and community organisations including members of Eastbourne Chamber, Plummer Parsons and Tech Resort. Eastbourne MP Stephen Lloyd was there to meet brothers Joel and Tom Fielder, founders of the company, and to chat with their colleagues and guests.

With larger premises, the company is keen to recruit local talent to help deliver award-winning web and mobile applications, with vacancies available for web and software developers, project managers, and marketing specialists. The company is particularly amenable to college leavers who have been put-off by the cost of going to university and are instead considering taking that first step on the career ladder.

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Anger Management

ANGER MANAGEMENT WHY CANT WE RUN A RAILWAY

(despite the fact we invented it)

by Maarten Hoffmann

The new HS2 locomotive

T

he timing could not have been worse.

At the very moment beleaguered train passengers face the largest fare rises in five years, it was revealed that the bosses of train companies are receiving bumper pay deals worth millions after presiding over services which shame Britain.

For a country that invented rail travel we are making a remarkably good job of trying to finish it off. Figures released recently yesterday show that the number of people buying season tickets plunged by 9.4% between July and September compared with a year earlier. The growth in passenger numbers, which surged after privatisation 20 years ago, has gone into sharp reverse.

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In the five weeks to Christmas a shocking 48% of trains across the country were either delayed or cancelled. There is one particular train service from Brighton to London that has never, in the history of the service, arrived on time.

❝

For a country that invented rail travel we are making a remarkably good job of trying to finish it off

❞

Then we have the unions hell bent on destruction in trying to get their people an extra ten shillings by costing the country over £1 million a day. They want the extra guard on the train and will hold the entire country ransom until they get it. Bring back Thatcher and lets smash the bloody rail unions.

And where is the sense in it being cheaper to fly to New York than travel to Manchester on a Virgin train? Setting extortionate ‘anytime’ fares allows train companies to extract huge penalty fares from passengers who in many cases have caught the wrong train by mistake – perhaps because all trains were running late. Where is all the investment which private rail companies were supposed to

Anger Management be pouring into the network? Today’s trains, at an average age of 21 years, are the oldest since records began.

❝

Normally, private companies which awarded themselves fat pay rises while simultaneously driving their customers away would go bust in no time

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As to Southern Rail, this is a stitch up of grand proportions as this line is actually run by the government through their TGL ‘subsidiary’ hence Failing Grayling is incapable of fixing the strike problems that have cost the South East untold millions, a drop in house prices and new staff discouraged from applying from jobs in the region. The 18 months of misery endured by Southern Railway passengers was only partially ended in November when drivers voted to accept a monstrous pay rise of 28% over five years, which will take their pay, including overtime, to £75,000. Seventy five grand to drive a train!! This was their reward for causing some passengers to lose their own jobs, thanks to industrial action making it impossible for them to get to work on time.

Drivers elsewhere in the country are now

The first ever train - invented in Britain - actually Wales spoiling for their own fat pay rise – hence the threat of strikes on other lines and the next tranche of ticket hikes.

The bosses aren’t exactly setting an example in pay restraint either – with staggering increases on the way. Normally, private companies which awarded themselves fat pay rises while simultaneously driving their customers away would go bust in no time.

But that isn’t how things seem to work on the railways. If passenger numbers go up, they profit. If passenger numbers come in lower than expected, they get bailed out. Notionally, privatisation transferred financial risk to the private sector, yet in practice taxpayers are

now paying more than twice as much subsidy to the railways – £4.8 billion of it in 2015/16 – than they were in the last days of British Rail.

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There is one particular train service from Brighton to London that has never, in the history of the service, arrived on time.

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But why can’t we have genuine competition between rail companies? We have budget airlines because we have competition in the air. On the railways a civil servant decides which company is going to have the exclusive right to run the trains on a particular line for years to come. Why should that right be exclusive? If more than one company were allowed to run trains on any particular line, at least there would be competition which would improve service for long-suffering passengers.

Or, to put it another way, you can just imagine what food shopping would be like if one of the big supermarket chains was granted the exclusive right to sell food in any given city. The food would be lousy and we would be ripped off because the supermarket would know we had no choice.

The UK railways are a standing joke across the world.

That is how it works on the railways. It needs to be put right.

The standard passenger wait

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Institute of Directors

GOOD HABITS

By Dean Orgill, Chair of Sussex IoD and Chairman of Mayo Wynne Baxter www.mayowynnebaxter.co.uk • www.iod.com

G

iven that we are now several weeks into the year, how many of your New Year’s resolutions have you stuck to?

Come to that, how many of them can you still remember? Did you take the chance to promise yourself to start afresh on trying to stick to some of those things that you always meant to do? Or is the whole concept just a bit of post-Christmas “hum-bug” that you have never felt the need to subscribe to?

Many of us do still take the chance to use the chimes of midnight to promise ourselves that the slate is wiped clean, and that from now on either we will tackle those boring bits of admin promptly as and when required, or that we will be stricter with ourselves about making sure that we regularly get home from work at a decent hour and/or take a proper break at lunchtime away from our desks.

Sometimes the goal is a significant oneoff, this year will be the year that I… climb Kilimanjaro, run the marathon, do a skydive and so on (and our charities are very pleased to hear those pledges). I suspect though, that

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far more often, it is the smaller simpler things that people promise themselves and perhaps those closest to them. It is the smaller habits that we feel we can improve on generally to make our lives (or those of our family) that little bit better or ourselves that little bit healthier.

If we do start, how long do we need to be doing something for it to become a habit?

Well, if reading is one of your resolutions that is great because there is a wealth of literature on this. Which means of course that there is no one clear answer. Even opinions on what the variables are seem to be plentiful.

You can also collect advice through self-help books, tapes, podcasts and any other media that you can think of. In all likelihood, for most of the techniques published, there are examples of people who have found them to be a great help and have used them to achieve what they wanted to. But I suspect that there are many more of us who have tried various approaches at different times, and who are still inwardly reproaching

ourselves for making the same resolutions this year as we have for many years past.

For some, making the public commitment on 1st January puts effective “pressure” on us to achieve our goals. But for many it seems to be a false exercise, and almost inevitably doomed to failure well before the clocks spring forward.

Perhaps we just need to look at why we want to deal with whatever we are addressing, what we can do about it, and resolve to make those changes whatever the date. If your admin team can stop chasing you, or your family do start to see more of you, will they really care if you started doing it on New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day or Good Friday?

JUST A THOUGHT Which of your habits is your worst, and why?

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