Platinum Business Magazine - issue 50

PLATINUM BUSINESS MAGAZINE The Largest Circulation Regional Business Publication in the UK.

THE BAHBAS The winners and the photos

MIAMI

The East Coast’s Silicon Valley?

MEET THE BUYERS Calling all suppliers...

ISRAEL’S STRONGMAN Profile of Benjamin Netanyahu

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ISSUE 50. 2018

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FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME AN AWARD WINNING COMPANY

ENTRY DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 6TH 2018 AWARDS CEREMONY THE GRAND BRIGHTON • THURSDAY 29TH NOVEMBER 2018 TICKET PRICE £90 • PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE • WWW.SBAWARDS.ORG.UK

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CATEGORIES ★ COMPANY OF THE YEAR

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★ LARGE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

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★ START-UP OF THE YEAR

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★ BUSINESSPERSON OF THE YEAR

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★ BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY AWARD

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★ INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

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★ SME BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

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★ TOURIST DESTINATION OF THE YEAR

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★ CORPORATE FUNDRAISER OF THE YEAR ★ BUSINESS INNOVATION OF THE YEAR ★ CREATIVE INDUSTRIES AWARD ★ PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AWARD

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Review the categories and determine which are most appropriate for your business.

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21st November 2018 THE ARORA HOTEL, CRAWLEY

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From June 2018, there will be a programme of free Seminars to help you understand how to engage with Public Sector and large businesses that are seeking new suppliers as well as improve your general sales processes.

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Welcome

THE BIG STORY BENJAMIN NETANYAHU The hardline leader of Israel is about to become the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister.

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WHY DO PEOPLE START BUSINESSES? The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor gives some clues.

THE BAHBAS The big winners at the Brighton & Hove Business Awards.

EU WORKERS’ RIGHTS What to do if you employ EU nationals.

SHAKE HANDS IN MIAMI Our Miami MICE feature opens our new travel section.

MEET THE BUYERS Make sure you register for this great selling opportunity.

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Local and National News

36 39 41

Rix & Kay – promotional feature

42 44

The 2018 Lewes District Business Awards

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CEO Fight Club – Communication as an action tool

49 50 54 56 57 59 60 62

Adur & Worthing Business Awards

64 65

Women in Business Awards

67 69 71 72 75 78 79 81 83 85 87 88 89 90 92 93 94 95 96 98

Meet the Buyers

The Big Story – Benjamin Netanyahu NatWest - Why start a business?

DMH Stallard The 2018 BAHBAs Profile of the BAHBAs Company of the Year LMS Group – Enterprise cloud security MHA Carpenter Box Kreston Reeves – A post-Brexit manufacturing landscape EMW – Introducing a new law firm Smith & Ouzman – Keep up with payslip evolution Sherrards Employment Law Solicitors – Brexit and EU workers rights

Shake Hands in Miami Red7 – Private Jets Check-in Travel Insider – Transatlantic Temptations Luxury Travel – Fiji Gatwick Airport – Fabulous at sixty Sussex Innovation Centre – The investment roadmap Gatwick Diamond Business – Redhill Garden Community Quantuma – Success in the City The Mid Sussex Business Expo – Game on Charity News – Chestnut Tree House Chamber Listings Institute of Directors Platinum Sport Active Sussex – Sussex School Games Sports News Football Rugby Event – James Ross Charity Golf Day Motorsports – Le Mans Interview – Katie-george Dunlevy Network my Club Sports Watches When Business Meets Sport – Anya Ledwith When Business Meets Sport – Harry Sherrard Hickstead Food and Drink Festival Trade Day 2018

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

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Issue 50 - 2018

A word from the Editors As the holiday season takes hold we can relax and take a breather. July was quite a month. We hosted our first business awards, the Brighton and Hove Business Awards, and what a night it was.

The awards ceremony was smooth and slick - and then the business community of Brighton & Hove stayed on for a party. The biggest cheer of the night was reserved for our Outstanding Brightonian, Norman Cook.

A few days later it was on to the Lewes District Business Awards, presented with consummate professionalism by comedian Simon Evans.

And we can announce that entries are now open for the Sussex Business Awards. Enter now at www.sbawards.org.uk.

Congratulations to the Platinum Event Management team, notably Maarten, Fiona and Poppie.

Maarten took off soon after for a well-deserved holiday promising faithfully that he would email over his Anger Management column. All we actually received was a picture of him in a deckchair with a glass of wine (presumably his usual Chablis) in his hand. His note read: “Sorry, not feeling very angry at the moment.” He has promised that by next month his blood pressure will have returned to the usual dangerously high levels and he’ll be ready to vent his spleen.

On the subject of holidays, we are pleased to announce our new, expanded travel section. Along with our destination profile for MICE travel (Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), we will be featuring luxury holiday hotspots, travel news and the insider view from our industry mole.

For our Big Story, Ian profiles Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Assuming he is still in the job in September, he will be Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister. Known as a hardliner, he cuts a controversial figure. Many view the Nation-State Bill he has recently pushed through the Israeli parliament as one that casts a lower status to those of Palestinian descent.

Like Brexit, Israel is a subject that divides opinion, with most observers holding deeply entrenched opinions. Ian says he has tried very hard to offer a balanced view, but, just in case, he will be on holiday when this magazine is published!

And finally, a thank you. This issue we were joined by Alex Blundell on a month-long work experience project. Thanks for all the hard work Alex - a career in media beckons.

Ian & Maarten

Platinum Business Magazine August 2018

The Team

Maarten Hoffmann – Director maarten@platinumpublishing.co.uk

07966 244046

Ian Trevett – Director ian@platinumpublishing.co.uk

07989 970804

Lesley Alcock

Fiona Graves

Laurence Elphick

Kate Morton

Rose Dykins

Business Development Director

Events Director

Head of Sport

Copy Editor

Travel Editor

Amanda Harrington

Poppie Sharman

Amanda Menahem

Steve Elford

James Morrison

Head of Design

Events Manager

Food & Drink Editor

Head of Web Development

Head of Web Design

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Local News

Local News

Compiled by Alex Blundell

AMD raises £750k of funding

Big on Little Street

Advanced Material Development (AMD) has raised a total of £750,000 in funding, as the company launches its plan to exploit the commercial potential of applications for graphene and other 2D nanomaterials. The company will contribute £600,000 to fund several distinct research projects conducted by the Materials Physics Group at the University of Sussex.

Entrepreneur Rebecca Woltenholme has obtained a £70,000 funding package from NatWest to purchase the second franchise of the popular Little Street play centres. Founded in 2013 by Shay and Hannah Elbaum, the Little Street franchise allows children to learn and play in scaled-down versions of high streets.

The popular play centre opened its second branch in July and the children of Chichester can now drive around the street in miniature vehicles, shop at the supermarket or meet their friends in the café - all in the safety of the Little Street. The facility will open for four sessions daily, seven days a week, and will also offer exclusive hire for children’s parties.

AMD was founded in 2017 after a board of experienced business professionals partnered with Prof Alan Dalton, a Professor of Experimental Physics and lead researcher in the Materials Physics Group. The business is hosted on campus by Sussex Innovation - the University’s business incubation network - with Prof Dalton acting as its Chief Scientific Advisor.

Graphene has received extensive media attention over the past decade, having been described as a ‘wonder material’ and the ‘future of technology’ by science press. The two-dimensional material is made from a sheet of carbon that is a single atom thick, creating a surface that is strong, flexible and conductive.

AMD is exploring the commercial potential of several areas of research, including the development of ultra-sensitive strain sensors that could be used to monitor minute heart and respiratory fluctuations as well as wider health and fitness applications.

AMD is also producing nano-material inks and emulsions under the brand name nHance.

The Materials Physics Group will be hosting NanoteC18, the 20th annual international nanocarbon conference, at the University from 29th August, with AMD the headline sponsor.

Brighton designer bags win Brighton’s Jennifer Hamley took home a win from the international Independent Handbag Designer Awards held in New York. Having been entered in the ‘Pure and Natural Yoga Bag’ category, she won best in category.

The event drew in hundreds of trend leaders from the fashion community.

“A picture is worth 1,000 words, but it uses up 3,000 times the memory.”

Outstanding local care A local care provider, who offer specialist support to clients across East Grinstead, Haywards Heath Burgess Hill and Crawley is celebrating after having been awarded an Outstanding rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The owners, Sue Hills and Sarah-Louise White, were delighted with the result and are proud to work with individuals who are so devoted to their hundreds of local clients.

Caremark specialises in providing personalised care for their clients in their own homes, putting emphasis on high quality training for care workers and staff. Having received their CQC Registration in 2008, Caremark Mid Sussex and Crawley provides approximately 1,600 hours of care per week.

For more information, visit www.caremark.co.uk/mid-sussex-and-crawley

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Local News

Local News South East Construction Expo 2018 comes to Sussex

200 new electric car charging points in Brighton

Construction Expo South East 2018 will be held in Sussex for the first time on September 13th at the South of England Event Centre in Ardingly.

The trade show, founded ten years ago and previously held in Kent, will showcase the region’s largest range of construction products and services and is a ‘must visit’ for anyone whose business deals in development, property and construction.

New for 2018 will be the ‘Construction Village’, which will accommodate exhibits of any size both inside and out – offering the ultimate in flexibility for exhibitors and demonstrators.

The event offers free Meet the Buyer appointments with the top construction companies in the country, great exhibitor packages, brilliant networking opportunities, high quality CPD approved workshops, plus the latest news on projects and developments across the UK.

Brighton and Hove City Council has won £300,000 towards a charging points project from the government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles. The plans propose that all controlled parking zones should have at least a few charging points each so that electric cars can be charged where people park on the street, which would also be closer to home for many. Charging at public points is currently free, however the cost of providing this free service has gone up over tenfold in the last four years.

An exciting list of speakers and panel discussions will cover every aspect of what is important to the industry right now.

“Money can’t buy friends, but you can get a better class of enemy.”

Midsummer Ball raises £700,000 The Hilton Brighton Metropole held a cheque presentation in July to celebrate the £700,000 raised at ‘A night of Nashville’ charity ball. The chosen beneficiaries were Action Medical Research, Chailey Heritage Foundation, Chestnut Tree House and The Starr Trust.

The celebration recognised the handwork of everyone involved the the ball , which was sponsored

by Skerritts and organised by the hotel and DM Thomas Foundation for Young People, to help young people in Sussex.

Midnight shortlisted Local PR and digital content agency, Midnight Communications, has been shortlisted for four awards at the forthcoming CIPR PRide Awards 2018.

The consultancy has been recognised for its outstanding work across the South of England and Channel Islands region, including two peer-judged awards for its campaign on behalf of group travel specialist Red7 and two on behalf of regional law firm Coffin Mew: Midnight has been shortlisted for: • Best Use of Media Relations (on behalf of Red7) • Travel, Leisure or Tourism Campaign (on behalf of Red7) • Regional Campaign of the Year (on behalf of Coffin Mew) • Corporate and Business Communications Campaign (on behalf of Coffin Mew).

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National News

National News Wonder Women The leading organisation for the advancement of women in business will hold its annual awards ceremony in December to recognise the success of UK based female entrepreneurs. The awards are open to any female business owner, whether they are sole traders or in partnership with others, and aim to showcase their achievements and their inspirational reach in the community. Nominees for this year’s NatWest Everywoman Awards will also have the opportunity to be considered for the Brand of the Future Category - sponsored by The White Company which will be awarded to the female founder of a business that demonstrates great potential for growth.

Bosses Behind Bars

Employers and bosses who gamble with the safety of their staff’s pensions could now face unlimited fines and jail time. The pension regulator is to be given new powers to fine and pursue criminal sanctions against company directors, employers and trustees who harm a pension scheme. The plans will ensure that dodging or abusing pension responsibilities will not be tolerated and will also protect pension pots when companies go under. Employers could potentially face up to three years in prison.

No to Nuclear Britain’s plans to build a new fleet of nuclear power plants to replace the old coal and nuclear reactors, which are set to close in the 2020s, was met with opposition from the National Infrastructure Commission. They stated that moving towards a renewable energy power system is possibly the safest bet in the long run, as well as being the lowest cost outcome for consumers. Around 30% of Britain’s electricity stems from renewables, including wind and solar power, which is up 12% over the last five years. The government has up to one year to respond to the NIA’s request for them to only support one more new nuclear power station before 2025, following Hinkley Point C in Somerset.

Compiled by Alex Blundell

Prices put on Ice

The Institute for Public Policy Research is calling for the Bank of England to freeze property prices for the next five years. According to the IPPR, house prices should be kept at a rate of zero inflation to rebalance the UK economy and prevent another housing crisis - something Theresa May promised when she became prime minister in 2016. House prices increased tenfold between 1980 and 2008 making buying property very difficult for the average person. The move will help wages catch up to the house prices. It is estimated that if standard inflation rose by 2% year-on-year, property values over the five-year freeze would see a 10% reduction.

“Life is like a dogsled team. If you ain’t the lead dog, the scenery never changes.”

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Clients are our business Dedicated to your success DMH Stallard is a full service, award-winning law firm that is passionate about winning and passionate about client care. It’s not by chance that we have one of the highest levels of repeat business in the industry.

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Award winning service from a firm who is there for you every step of the way

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National News

National News Young Go Electric According to a survey conducted by the AA, half of young people want to drive electric cars. The survey assessed the opinions of 10,293 drivers and despite the younger generation wanting to embrace this change, the results also showed the doubts people had over the eco-friendly cars. The findings concluded that 85% of people believed that there aren’t enough charging points to run the cars and 76% of people thought that electric cars were too expensive. The AA revealed that there are in fact 16,000 charging points at 5,800 locations, with 340 points added monthly. With innovation and range improving all the time, electric cars may become more and more appealing to the masses.

“If at first you don’t succeed, failure may be your style.”

Beam me up Scotty The first ever UK spaceport is to be established in Scotland to push their satellite firms to further success.

The spaceport could open up new opportunities for firms specialising in cutting-edge technology - Scotland already accounts for 18% of the UK’s space industry jobs. The plans aim to launch the first vertical rocket and satellite by the early 2020s, followed possibly by space flights, according to the UK Space Agency. They also stated that the spaceflight market is potentially worth £3.8 billion to the UK over the next 10 years and could kick-start a new era for the sector.

Bosses Burnout Research from Direct Line for Business has revealed that almost 1.5 million sole traders have not been able to take any annual leave in the past 12 months, illustrating the strain that small businesses are under. Over a quarter of these small business owners stated that they believed they would lose income if they took too much time off, many counting the cost of their holidays with each day of leave valued at £622.50 of revenue loss. Matt Boatwright, Head of Direct Line for Business, said: “Ultimately, nothing is more important than the health of a business owner, so taking a holiday not only allows them to take some much-needed time off to relax but also prevents burnout and subsequent business issues further down the line.”

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The Strongman of Israel

Profile of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israel

By Ian Trevett

H

as there ever been a more desperate time to be a Palestinian? The dry and dusty Gaza Strip is effectively a prison and much of the West Bank has been claimed by Israeli settlers. In July, the Israeli Parliament passed the nation-state law which some commentators have compared to apartheid. One of the basic principles of the law is that ‘The State of Israel is the national home of the Jewish people, in which it fulfils its natural, cultural, religious and historical right to self-determination.’ It also relegated the Arabic language to ‘special status’. In a country where 20% of the population are Arabs, it is no wonder that they feel this is a confirmation of their belief that are second-class citizens.

So it was no surprise when the world’s leaders erupted with fury, with threats of sanctions and more against the Israeli rulers. Oh, hold on. That didn’t actually happen.

The reason why the plight of Palestinians has never looked so bleak, is that it appears that the rest of the world has lost interest in them. Even the Arab world seems largely disinterested.

For years, it seemed like a genuine two-nation state could be an answer to the interminable turmoil in the region. Such a notion has surely never been further away.

Over the following few pages, I will try to explain why Israel embraced a hardline rightwing politician – a man who is looking for an unprecedented fifth term in power.

Of course, trying to write a balanced article on the Middle East without living in the region is an act of pure insanity - but here goes anyway!

A very short history of Israel The problem with Israel/Palestine is the lands are revered by followers of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. In fact, everything can be traced back through ancient history to Abraham, regarded father of all three religions, the Judaism strand through Abraham’s son Isaac.

Around 1000 B.C. the region was ruled by King David followed by his son Solomon. After 772 B.C. the lands were conquered by Assyrians and over the centuries the lands were repeatedly seized by the strongest armies. For the 400 years up to the First World War the lands were controlled by the Ottoman Empire. Jews scattered across Asia and Europe, frequently facing persecution and bloody pogroms (violent anti-Semitic attacks).

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The Big Story During World War One, as means to garner support in the war effort, the British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour wrote a letter supporting the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine - known as the Balfour Declaration. But the British, in the most cack-handed example of diplomacy, had also promised Arab independence if they agreed to rise up against the Ottomans. Between the wars, wary of inflaming tensions with the Arabs, the British continually restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine.

As WWII reached its end, the horrors of the Holocaust were revealed and there could be no denying a Jewish homeland. The United Nations approved a plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state in 1947, but the Arabs refused to accept the plan. Even so, in May 1948, Israel was officially declared an independent state. The response was almost immediate. Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon invaded the new Israel in what was the first Arab-Israeli War. The 1948 war created 700,000 Palestinians refugees who were forced from their homes, a mass eviction described by Palestinians as the ‘Nakba’ — Arabic for ‘catastrophe’. This year saw the 70th anniversary which was marked by demonstrations and bloodshed on the Gaza Strip.

The second half of the 20th Century saw repeated wars and skirmishes as Israel and its neighbours battled over the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and the Golan Heights. The Israelis proved to be skilled fighters, determined to

finally have a safe refuge beyond persecution.

Today all of the disputed lands are in the hands of Israel. The country no longer looks nervously at its Arab neighbours, fearing invasion attempts. The Arab countries are content to tolerate their Jewish neighbour, because both sides fear and despise a mutual enemy - Iran. And for the Palestinians, the Nakba continues.

“Israelis like their leaders a little corrupt… Israelis like their leaders to have elbows, because they will be the ones fighting for Israel on the world’s stage, and the worst thing you can be in Israel is a freier (sucker).”

Strength through Fear When you have witnessed an attempt to wipe your people from the face of the earth, then you are not in the mood to take prisoners. We found this out to our cost when a Jewish insurgency used ruthless terrorist

methods and guerrilla warfare against British troops straight after WWII, after the British administration refused to allow mass Jewish migration into Palestine.

After centuries of persecution culminating in the Holocaust, the settlers would do anything to protect their new country. In successive wars against their neighbours, there was only going to be one victor. The approach was clear. If you attack us, we’ll attack you back harder.

In the Munich Olympics of 1972, a Palestinian terrorist group, Black September, took eleven Israeli Olympic team members hostage, and savagely beat the athletes before killing them. It was an act of brutality, deliberately staged in the country of the Holocaust, but Israel hit back with force. Airforce raids on Lebanon destroyed suspected PLO targets (Palestinian Liberation Organisation) and Mossad, the Israeli secret service, launched Operation Wrath of God, where every hostage-taker was tracked down and assassinated. An eye for an eye was the message for murderers, but it was perhaps the audacious raids on Lebanon that had the biggest impact. Some of the less radical Arab governments began to tire of their countries being attacked because of the attacks by the Palestinians on Israel. For Israel’s neighbours, it was becoming a case of why bother stirring a hornet’s nest?

When Peace was Close After the wars of 1967 and 1973, there was

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The Big Story an appetite on all sides to find a way to live together in safety, with the first real sense of hope coming in 1978. In 1977, US President Jimmy Carter had persuaded Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to visit Jerusalem and meet Israeli Prime Minister, Menachem Begin.

The following year’s talks in Camp David, near Washington crucially included Egypt’s recognition of the Israeli state. The next breakthrough was in 1994 when Jordan also recognised Israel, but progress was painfully slow.

“For Israel’s neighbours, it was becoming a case of why bother stirring a hornet's nest?”

It was the arrival of Bill Clinton as US President that got things moving. The Oslo Agreement in 1993 saw the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat shake hands with Israeli Premier Yitzhak Rabin, and there was talk of each side recognising “their mutual legitimate and political rights”. The implication was that eventually this would lead to a Palestinian state alongside Israel, and the withdrawal of Israeli settlers from the West Bank.

The negations stalled and seven years later, Clinton brought Arafat to America again, this time to meet the Israeli Prime Minister, now Ehud Barak. Israel offered the Gaza Strip, a large part of the West Bank, plus extra land

from the Negev desert, while keeping major settlement blocks and most of East Jerusalem.

It proposed Islamic guardianship of key sites in the Old City of Jerusalem and contributions to a fund for Palestinian refugees. This wasn’t enough for the Palestinians and talks broke down.

The international community (the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations) pulled together in 2003 to propose a ‘Roadmap’.

It proposed a phased timetable, putting the establishment of security before a final settlement.

Phase One stated that both sides would issue statements supporting the two-state solution, the Palestinians would end violence, act against “all those engaged in terror”,

draw up a constitution, hold elections and the Israelis would stop settlement activities and act with military restraint.

Phase One still looks a million miles away.

Netanyahu’s Journey Benjamin Netanyahu was born in Tel Aviv in 1949 and in 1963 his family moved to the US when his father Benzion, the historian and Zionist activist, was offered an academic post.

Benjamin (known as Bibi) returned to Israel at the age of 18 to do his National Service.

The BBC biography of Netanyahu records that he spent five distinguished years in the army, serving as a captain in an elite commando unit, the Sayeret Matkal. He took part in a raid on Beirut’s airport in 1968 and fought in the 1973 war.

After his military service ended, Mr Netanyahu went back to the US, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

In 1976, Mr Netanyahu’s brother, Jonathan, was killed leading a raid to rescue hostages from a hijacked airliner in Entebbe, Uganda.

His death had a profound impact on the Netanyahu family, and his name became legendary in Israel.

In 1988, Benjamin returned to Israel and won a seat in the Knesset (parliament) standing for the Likud Party, the Israeli equivalent of the Conservatives, with Netanyahu representing the more right wing policies of the party. In 1996, he became Prime Minister.

Netanyahu was a vocal critic of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians, but he was still open to making concessions to the Palestinians. In 1997 Mr Netanyahu signed

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The Big Story a deal handing over 80% of the West Bank city of Hebron to Palestinian Authority control and promised further withdrawals of Jewish settlers from the West Bank.

“The State of Israel was established in 1948 as a socialist nation, built on the wealth-sharing principles of its treasured agrarian collectives, known commonly as kibbutzim.”

However his premiership was relatively short-lived and Likud lost the 1999 election.

He returned as Prime Minister in 2009 (and has remained in power since), the same year as Barack Obama entered The White House. Obama was keen to make an impact on the Palestinian issue, and he revitalised talks between the two parties. In 2009, Netanyahu agreed to a 10-month partial freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank, which the Israeli leader hailed as “the first meaningful step towards peace”. For Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, just like Arafat all those years before, it was not enough. It did not cover East Jerusalem and he wanted a guarantee of

a Palestinian state based on 1967 lines, i.e. the borders in place before the 1967 War where Israel won control of the West Bank from Jordan, Gaza from Egypt and the Golan Heights from Syria.

With another stalemate in place, Netanyahu honoured the 10-month freeze, but once it ended, the settlements in the West bank continued at pace.

If there is one issue that continues to define the bitter divide between Jews and Palestinians, it is the settlements in the West Bank, where Jews build gated communities in the lands that Palestinians believe should be theirs. According to Wikipedia there were

400,000 settlers in the West Bank in 2014, as well as up to 350,000 in the equally disputed East Jerusalem.

Last year, in a speech commemorating the 50th anniversary of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, Netanyahu declared, “We are here to stay, forever. There will be no more uprooting of settlements in the land of Israel.

It has been proven that it does not help peace.

We’ve uprooted settlements. What did we get? We received missiles. It will not happen anymore.”

The land of Kibbutzim and LGBT equality You don’t find many left-wing Labour supporters in the UK declaring their love of Israel. It has been well-documented that Corbyn’s Labour struggles with the fine line of being critical of Israeli policy and not sounding explicitly anti-Semitic.

Israel didn’t always have such a bad name among leftist radicals. Throughout Israel’s short history, but particularly in the 1970s, idealistic young (often non-Jewish) Europeans and Americans travelled in their thousands to volunteer on Kibbutzim. A Kibbutz is a commune, usually rural, where people pitch in with the work and share the spoils of their labours. Effectively the kibbutz was seen as a miniature communist society. It was, for the radical dreamer, an idyllic Marxist holiday, albeit with a dose of Zionism thrown in for good measure.

In fact Israel itself has a strong socialist

19

The Big Story

heritage. US Democratic politician Jonathan Miller makes exactly this point on The Huff Post: “The State of Israel was established in 1948 as a socialist nation, built on the wealthsharing principles of its treasured agrarian collectives, known commonly as kibbutzim.”

He also points out that, “Israel is the only nation in world history to deliver huge numbers of black men, women, and children out of slavery in Africa, into freedom abroad… More than 120,000 Ethiopian Jews have emigrated to Israel in recent decades, most dramatically in two covert military operations, Operation Moses (1984) and Operation Solomon (1991). With their lives endangered due to famine and political unrest, thousands were airlifted to Israel to enable them to begin their lives anew.”

And then there is the issue of gay rights.

Miller writes: “The Palestinian flag at a gay rights rally?

“It’s the iconic ironic image of the New New Left.

“The sentiment’s familiar: a maltreated minority identifying with the victim célèbre of radical academia.

“But the juxtaposition of these two

particular causes would be absurdly hilarious if it weren’t profoundly tragic: The Hamas regime represented by that flag demeans, oppresses, jails, harrasses, assaults, and tortures gays and lesbians.

“Imagine what would happen if you flew a gay rights flag in Gaza City.”

In 13 countries, being gay or bisexual is punishable by death. Just look at how many of these are in the Middle East or North Africa (the neighbours of Israel): Sudan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, UAE, parts of Somalia, parts of Syria and parts of Iraq.

Meanwhile restrictions on ‘propaganda’ interpreted as promoting LGBT communities or identities are in place in Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.

Israel is welcoming to the LGBT community, and, probably as a dig at the Arab world, tells the world about its openness through the unlikely vehicle of the Eurovision Song Contest, won this year by gay icon Netta Barzilai. And who can forget the most famous winner, the Israeli transgender woman, Dana International?

Liberal attitudes, Conservative politics Liberal in some ways, oppressive in others, Israel is a continual contradiction. For a country of Western values and tolerance, why Netanyahu? He’s not just a political hardliner - he has repeatedly faced accusations of corruption, including kick-backs, undeclared gifts and gaining favourable media coverage from a news website in exchange for regulatory changes.

“French President Nicolas Sarkozy told President Obama, “I cannot bear Netanyahu, he’s a liar.”

So why do Israelis vote for him? The Jerusalem Post’s Gil Hoffman supplies seven possible explanations including: “One. Israelis like their leaders a little corrupt… Israelis like their leaders to have elbows, because they will be the ones fighting for Israel on the world’s stage, and the worst thing you can be in Israel is a freier (sucker).

“Two. Netanyahu keeps Israelis safe, and that’s what matters. Netanyahu has persuaded Israelis that he and only he can protect them in the face of the nuclearisation of Iran and other threats. Until someone else comes along who can make Israelis feel nearly as safe and secure as Netanyahu, he will keep winning elections, no matter what he is accused of next. Israelis vote on security, and on that, there is currently no alternative to the prime minister.”

What it boils down to is Israelis feel safe with Netanyahu. All else can be forgiven. All sympathy for the Palestinians was cast aside

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Few can deny that Jerusalem is the obvious capital of Israel, but diplomacy (i.e. fear of offending the Arab World) has prevented the world’s major nations or institutions from endorsing such an idea. Netanyahu found it impossible to disguise his delight. He glowingly compared Trump to Harry Truman, the president who conferred the historic American acceptance of Israel’s independence in 1948.

when Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip.

Until relatively recently, Fatah, set up in the 1950s to liberate ‘Historic Palestine’ was the main voice of the Palestinians and the PLO, led by the familiar figure of Yasser Arafat. For decades it waged an armed struggle from its bases in Jordan and Lebanon. It renounced violence in the 1990s, and still seeks a negotiated solution.

In 2007, Hamas, a hardline party which was originally an off-shoot of the radical Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, won the parliamentary elections in Gaza. Fatah disputed the results, leading to a Palestinian Civil War, and the expulsion of Fatah from the Gaza Strip, although it retains the dominant Palestinian party in the West Bank.

Hamas refuses to accept that Israel has a legitimate right to exist and Israel refuse to have any dealings in return. Israel closed the borders with Gaza, leaving its inhabitants largely in abject poverty.

There is scant sympathy from Israelis who continue to see Hamas as a existential threat to the nation of Israel, and as such Netanyaha’s strong-arm approach plays well with the electorate.

Our enemy’s enemy is our friend.

The other factor in Netanyaha’s success is the relationships he is building with overseas powers, although this is more about the global power struggles than his charisma. At a G20 summit in 2011, French President Nicolas Sarkozy told President Obama, “I cannot bear Netanyahu, he’s a liar.” He was unaware that the conversation was being picked up by journalists.

Obama replied, “You’re fed up with him, but I have to deal with him even more often than you.” Ouch.

Adam Entous in The New Yorker, wrote, “With Obama finally out of the way, Netanyahu could concentrate on getting the Trump team to embrace his grand strategy for transforming the direction of Middle Eastern politics. His overarching ambition was to diminish the Palestinian cause as a focus of world attention and to form a coalition with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to combat Iran, which had long supported Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza and had taken strategic advantage of the American folly in Iraq and the war in Syria.”

But the world is a different place now. An enemy of Obama is a friend of Trump, although in any case, the Trump-Netanyahu links go back a long way. Donald’s father, Fred became firm friends with Netanyahu in the 1980s when he was Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations.

And there is also a strong link with the family of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The Kushners are Orthodox Jews who made their fortune in the real-estate business and hold conservative views on Israel. They have donated large sums of money to Israeli causes and charities, including tens of thousands of dollars to a yeshiva (an Orthodox Jewish school) in the Beit El settlement, in the West Bank.

If Hamas is an irritant that has to be controlled, Iran is the real enemy; the spectre that haunts Israel. But the good news for Israel and Netanyahu is that they are not alone. The divide in the Middle East is not the Arab-Israeli conflict, it is the Sunni-Shia struggle for power.

In Yemen and Syria, proxy wars rage between Iran and the Sunni world, led by Saudi Arabia and the emirates. The Saudis and the United Arab Emirates have never been friends of Israel but they fear the growth of Iran’s influence more than anything else. The unsaid mantra is that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Netanyahu may not have been formally invited for a summit in Riyadh (yet!), but there is undoubtedly an unspoken mutual appreciation.

“If Hamas is an irritant that has to be controlled, Iran is the real enemy; the spectre that haunts Israel. But the good news for Israel and Netanyahu is that they are not alone.”

Israel, a Jewish state surrounded on all sides by Muslim nations has always had bitter enemies. The enemies change - once it was Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and the PLO. Now it is Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. Either way the siege mentality remains. But Israel is looking powerful with Netanyahu in control and the Israelis will overlook his authoritarian approach towards the Palestinians if they feel safe. He has a rock-solid ally in Trump, Hamas is weak and Fatah is no threat. The only genuine threat is Iran but Israel does not stand alone against the Shia threat.

Not one for small gestures, Trump firmly demonstrated his support of Israel in December with the announcement of United States’ recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and a plan to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

It may be good news for the Israelis but there is no longer the need to pay lip-service to a two-nation state. Netanyahu’s nation-state law is a dreadful proposition for Israeli-Arabs.

But the world is looking away. There has never been a more desperate time to be a Palestinian.

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Entrepreneurship

Why start a business?

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor reveals differing motivations for starting a business

By Gordon Merrylees, Head of Entrepreneurship, NatWest Entrepreneurship is an area that clearly defines us at NatWest and we are delighted to be sponsoring this year’s Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). The report’s insight into the motivations and aspirations of the UK’s entrepreneurs is invaluable as we work to create an environment in which their businesses can thrive.

Earlier this year we announced that we were bringing the running of our UK-wide network of 12 Entrepreneur Accelerator hubs in-house.

This is the UK’s largest fully-funded business accelerator network and is capable of supporting 1,000 entrepreneurs simultaneously across the hubs.

As the country’s biggest supporter of small businesses, NatWest understands that helping businesses succeed, not just through traditional lending but with full wraparound care, connectivity and know-how, is crucial for a strong economy.

Global Entrepreneurship Monitor

United Kingdom 2017 Monitoring Report

“Two-thirds of women said they started a business to contribute to society, while just under 40% of men had the same motivation.”

At the heart of our support for entrepreneurs is our comprehensive programme of free mentoring, insight and bespoke coaching, specifically designed to meet the needs of entrepreneurs who want to grow and scale their business.

For the first time this year, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor has measured the different motivations that entrepreneurs have for starting their own business.

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Mark Hart Karen Bonner Jonathan Levie and Laura Heery

Entrepreneurship While making money and working for yourself will always be important, making a difference to society and “creating meaning” are as important, if not more, among a variety of demographics, particularly women, ethnic minorities and entrepreneurs under 30.

Two-thirds of women said they started a business to contribute to society, while just under 40% of men had the same motivation.

By having this insight into the motives of entrepreneurs, we have developed support programmes that are able to address the specific needs of the individual.

Through the NatWest Women in Business programme we now have 500 accredited women in business specialists who are experts in understanding the specific support needs and motivations of female business owners.

With women still much less likely than men to take the leap and start their own business, this type of specialist support is crucial for female entrepreneurs to succeed.

I’m particularly proud that women make up 48% of the entrepreneurs currently in our Entrepreneur Accelerator hubs.

In addition to our Women in Business programme, we have developed specialist programmes for fintechs, scale-ups and highgrowth businesses. We understand that their needs are different from early stage start ups and have designed these programmes accordingly.

All of this support is provided to entrepreneurs fully funded with no strings attached. We don’t take equity, a stake in their businesses or charge any fee and whilst we would love them to, the entrepreneurs don’t even need to bank with us. The aim is to support them to be successful and ultimately drive their growth and that of the economy.

We understand that if these businesses do well the economy benefits and the bank does well. To us, this is truly sustainable banking.

With SMEs and micro businesses making up 99% of the UK’s record number 5.7 million businesses, it is vital that we all work to create an environment where entrepreneurs can start, scale and succeed.

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor is the largest and most comprehensive study on entrepreneurship globally, collecting data on entrepreneurial activity in 54 countries, covering two-thirds of the world’s population.

To download this year’s Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, please visit https://www.rbs.com/ rbs/news/2018/07/global-entrepreneurshipmonitor-2017-uk-report.html

CODE CALLING LED TO STARTUP SUCCESS Equipping the next generation with the tools to succeed in a digital world was the prime motivation for Elizabeth Tweedale in setting up her firm, Cypher.

Originally from Iowa in the US and now resident in London, Elizabeth believes getting all children and young people learning how to code is an essential skill in the 21st century.

Cypher holds fun but intensive coding courses for children aged 4 to 14, often in school holidays to allow youngsters to really get to grips with computer science and prepare them to play leading roles in the future world.

“The English school system is unrivalled for its quality and rigour, however often the busy schedule does not leave time to nurture the creative entrepreneurial spirit that can in fact be fostered through project-based exploration during the holidays,” said Elizabeth, who has two primary school-aged children herself. “I was really inspired to fill in the missing pieces that the schools struggle to provide.”

“A lot of English start-ups seem to talk about themselves with a sense of ‘imposter syndrome’ despite the fact they have brilliant ideas.”

In the past nine months, Cypher has staged over 1,500 ‘camper days’ for budding computer scientists and is gearing up for a busy summer holiday, with sessions running at five venues in London with between 10 and 30 students per day.

Elizabeth is on the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator programme and is based at the scheme’s shared office space in Islington in London. This has brought her into contact with other early-stage entrepreneurs where she’s been able to observe the cultural differences with British start-ups.

“You can definitely see a difference in mindset between English entrepreneurs versus American ones,” she says, “A lot of English start-ups seem to talk about themselves with a sense of ‘imposter syndrome’ despite the fact they have brilliant ideas. Whereas with Americans, their ideas might be much less well thought-through, but they have so much confidence and are so outgoing that they convince themselves and others that they’re going to be a success.”

Elizabeth believes the combination of British know-how with the American ‘can-do attitude’ which is at the heart of Cypher’s approach to ensure children are future-ready.

23

Legal

No Fly Zone?

Commercial Pilot seeks judicial review of CAA age restrictions

L

egal papers have been served by DMH Stallard on the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), issued in the Administrative Court, seeking a judicial review of the CAA’s position in respect of the age related flying restriction for commercial pilots.

DMH Stallard is acting for Wayne Bayley (pictured), a former captain with TUI Airways, with nearly 26,000 hours of flying time. Earlier this year Captain Bayley turned 65. Under EU Aircrew Regulations, this means he is now prohibited from acting as a pilot in commercial air transport.

Captain Bayley was a training captain for over 22 years and spent four years as a fleet manager with TUI Airways, a role in which he was responsible for over 30 aircraft and associated pilots. He has passed all medical and competency examinations during his career at an above average level. In 2013 Captain Bayley flew the first ever Boeing 787 Dreamliner from the UK to Barbados, the birth place of his father.

Non-EU countries including Australia, New Zealand and Canada do not have upper age limit restrictions on pilots; they base a pilot’s competency to fly on medical tests. The

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Aircrew Regulations prevent commercial pilots from flying over the age of 59 unless in the cockpit with another pilot under the age of 60. Additionally, the upper limit of 64, which is the issue in this case, prohibits any flying even when alongside a younger pilot.

“Non-EU countries including Australia, New Zealand and Canada do not have upper age limit restrictions on pilots; they base a pilot’s competency to fly on medical tests.”

Simon Elcock, Partner at DMH Stallard, said: “Captain Bayley accepts that there is clearly a legitimate public interest in safety in evaluating and mitigating the risks of pilot incapacitation in commercial flying. However, he believes this

risk is mitigated by the requirement of having another pilot on the flight deck under the age of 60 and appropriate medical examinations.

Having a blanket ban on commercial pilots flying from their 65th birthday seems arbitrary as it does not take into account the health and fitness of the individual pilot or developments in medical science.”

DMH Stallard, on behalf of Captain Bayley, is seeking permission from the Administrative Court to proceed to a Judicial Review of the CAA and specifically to enforce the requirement that the CAA have due regard, under its statutory public sector equality duty, to the need to advance equality of opportunity to commercial pilots over the age of 64.

Captain Bayley said: “I believe that the age limit of 64 for commercial pilots is out of date. With suitable medical examinations and precautions, it is perfectly safe for pilots over the age of 64 to fly commercially with another pilot under the age of 60. There is also a clear benefit to the public and the airline industry in having very experienced pilots operating in the UK and this would also help to address the current shortage of commercial pilots, especially experienced training captains.”

Legal

Three Cheers for New Partnerships

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MH Stallard is delighted to announce three promotions to partnership from its private client, planning and environment, and corporate practices.

Camilla Bishop, Chloe Karamian and Justine Tocher join over 70 partners based in offices across Sussex, Surrey and London.

Camilla Bishop joined DMH Stallard from Irwin Mitchell at the beginning of 2017. Camilla specialises in inheritance tax planning, trusts, wills and estate administration, with additional specialisms in elderly and vulnerable client work including court of protection.

Camilla Bishop

Having initially trained in house in local government, Chloe Karamian joined DMH Stallard as a planning and highways solicitor. Working within the firm’s planning and environment group, Chloe acts for a number of developers, house builders and individual private investors.

Justine Tocher has been with DMH Stallard for over 15 years. Justine advises private companies on a broad range of corporate finance matters including M&A, private equity and venture capital investments, restructuring, shareholder and joint venture arrangements.

Chloe Karamian

Richard Pollins, Managing Partner of DMH Stallard, said: “These promotions are richly deserved and underline our commitment to the continued growth of the firm in London and the South East, and retaining the very highest calibre individuals in the sector.

“We have made a number of well-deserved promotions and new appointments at partner and associate level over the last 12 months and there is no doubt we will be making further announcements over the coming months as we continue to grow.”

Justine Tocher

To contact DMH Stallard please call 03333 231 580 or visit www.dmhstallard.com

25

BAHBAs

2018 Brighton & Hove Business Awards

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he world-famous DJ and producer, Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim), was awarded the Outstanding Brightonian Award at a glitzy awards ceremony in July. And he stayed on stage to present the founder of the BAHBAs, Caraline Brown, with a well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award.

Now owned and produced by the Platinum Publishing Group (publishers of this magazine), the 2018 Brighton & Hove Business Awards (BAHBAs) received a record-breaking number of entries.

Hosted by comedian Aaron James, the awards at the Hilton Brighton Metropole were attended by 350 of the city’s business leaders, judges and VIPs attended, giving guests the perfect opportunity to network with peers, celebrate with colleagues and find out those all-important results!

It was the networking event of the year.

The stunning gala presentation featured a champagne reception, a superb three-course dinner and some spectacular entertainment! Valerie Murzach performed her gravity defying mirror ball act, followed by the strange yet captivating workings of The Balloon Man and topped off by the finale act, La Voix, who wowed the judges on Britain’s Got Talent in 2014.

Entries were judged by an experienced panel of local and business experts including British Airways i360, NatWest, Churchill Square, DMH Stallard LLP, Green Growth Platform, Heart, Hilton Sharp & Clarke, Platinum Business Magazine, Quantuma LLP, Red7, Rockinghorse, Skerritts Wealth Management, Ten2Two, Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce and the University of Brighton. The judging panel was chaired

by David Sheppard, Chairman of Sussex Chamber of Commerce.

To discuss entry and sponsorship opportunities in 2019, email brighton@platinumpublishing.co.uk.

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BAHBAs

The winners

FOOD & DRINK DESTINATION OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Sussex Chamber of Commerce

GREEN BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Green Growth Platform

BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY Sponsored by Heart

Pascere

Brighton & Hove Energy Services Cooperative

Hilton Brighton Metropole

START-UP OF THE YEAR Sponsored by British Airways i360

BEST INDEPENDENT RETAILER Sponsored by Churchill Square

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AWARD Sponsored by Quantuma

Oliver’s Brighton

Kellie Miller Arts

Cardens Accountants

INNOVATION IN BUSINESS Sponsored by University of Brighton

CORPORATE FUNDRAISER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Rockinghorse

Sponsored by Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce

Ignitho Technologies

Search Seven

Cardens Accountants

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE Sponsored by Red7

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Ten2Two

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Client Privé

The Old Ship

The Student Room Group

Haybury

CHAMBER MEMBER OF THE YEAR

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BAHBAs

SME BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Hilton, Sharp & Clarke

BUSINESSPERSON OF THE YEAR Sponsored by NatWest

COMPANY OF THE YEAR Sponsored by DMH Stallard

Pragmatic

Steve Kerassitis, Haybury

Paxton Access

OUTSTANDING BRIGHTONIAN Sponsored by Skerritts

Norman Cook

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LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDÂ

Caraline Brown

BAHBAs

In good company Brighton technology company, Paxton wins the Company of the Year award at this year’s Brighton and Hove Business Awards.

Proud sponsor of

Rustom Tata (Partner and Chair at DMH Stallard) and Nicola O’Donnell (HR Director at Paxton Access)

B

righton-based global technology company, Paxton, is celebrating being named Company of the Year at this year’s Brighton and Hove Business Awards. The company, who design and manufacture security systems, was also highly commended in the International Business of the Year category.

The Brighton and Hove Business Awards are supported by the city’s leading organisations and are established as a benchmark for excellence in today’s competitive business environment. In selecting ‘Company of the Year’, the experienced panel of judges were looking for, “the company that has truly achieved all-round business excellence in terms of year on year financial performance, strategic direction, employee relations, CSR, innovation and a first-class service and/or product offering.”

The awards ceremony, which took place on

Saturday 14th July, was attended by Nicola O’Donnell, HR Director, and Devin Yuille, Resourcing Business Partner, along with representatives from other local businesses.

Commenting on the win, Adam Stroud, Paxton’s Chief Executive said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been named Company of the Year at the Brighton and Hove Business Awards, and to have been commended for our international presence.

It’s an honour to be recognised amongst the top businesses in Brighton, a place which is known for its diversity and uniqueness, as well as for its overall attitude towards well-being in the workplace.

continue to attract the brightest and the best to join us.”

Employing over 300 people globally, Paxton has its headquarters in the Home Farm Road Business Centre, located just off Lewes Road in Brighton and manufactures all its products locally at its facility in Eastbourne. With over 30 years’ experience in the security industry, Paxton is proud of its Sussex roots, having established in Lewes in 1985.

For further information about the company and the variety of job opportunities available please visit: http://paxton.info/3410

This is a wonderful milestone in Paxton’s journey, we aim to be world-class in all that we do, from our products and services, to our working environment. We’re striving to be the employer of choice in the area and hope that our ranking in the awards will enable us to

29

Technology

Enterprise cloud security This new approach to cloud security will protect your data and provide companies with the control they need says, Paul Rumsey, Project Manager at LMS Group.

O

ver the years companies have perfected the security on their borders to protect on-premise servers and data centres. With next generation firewalls and intrusion detection systems, it all adds up to be an expensive and complex solution to safeguard company data and recourses. With growing threats from the internet, these measures are now a norm when considering any IT infrastructure. The issue that companies are now faced with is their data is no longer only on-premise or in their data centres.

Over the last decade the internet has exploded with the increase of cloud apps.

The advancement in mobile technology and increased internet speeds has provided people with greater connectivity to the data they

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need wherever they are. With cloud storage, CRM, project management and finance cloud apps (just to name a few) it is no surprise that employees are moving to these for their daily work. With employees working from their favourite note taking app to their go to task collaboration solution, it is a trend that companies can’t ignore. The need to access company data outside of the traditional security borders is growing and needs to be embraced. The big concern is how?

Employees could be using the tools that are most convenient to their needs. Potentially this then leads to company data leaving the secure borders, thus losing visibility and control of that data. This is the biggest risk and one that results in companies refusing to move to the cloud. So how do companies overcome

this? Maybe increase security, block all mobile devices, block remote access to data - in some cases, this is true, but in most it can have a detrimental effect to the flexibility and efficiency of the business. Companies need a solution that will provide the control over their data, inside and outside of their secure borders.

Office 365 is now a large part of many companies who embraced the move to cloud services. It provides great resilience to services that would have resulted in huge infrastructure costs and maintenance overheads. Whilst providing these services it also raises the concern of who is accessing the cloud data and what is happening to that data after it leaves Office 365. Enterprise Mobility and Security (EMS) is the security bolt-on to Office 365

Technology

that Microsoft has developed to overcome these concerns. It covers areas such as, who is logging in to Office 365, what devices are accessing Office 365 and what happens when that important data leaves Office 365. The flexibility of the EMS solution can be tailored to the company’s requirements, but ultimately it provides the control and visibility companies need over their cloud data.

“The need to access company data outside of the traditional security borders is growing and needs to be embraced. The big concern is how?”

Condition access is the first form of defence in EMS. Hackers and opportunists have targeted the weakest part of any cloud app, which is the username and password. Malware and phishing emails are popular methods used to retrieve this information. As soon as the hacker has this information they have no trouble accessing data in the cloud service undetected.

Conditional access puts a stop to this using Multi-factor Authentication as well as location and device awareness. It can’t be stressed enough the requirement for Multi-factor

Authentication on all cloud services. This means that if someone was to gain access to your username and password they will also require your mobile phone to successfully login to the cloud service. EMS also provides location awareness, so for example, if the company only expects employees to login from the UK, it can automatically block any attempts to login from outside of the UK. Lastly, logins could only be allowed from company registered devices, this leads on to another vital part of the EMS suit.

Mobile Device and Application Management (MDM & MAM) are the key to having visibility and control over the devices accessing company data. The EMS MDM and MAM solution is called Intune. This provides a set of rules that the device will adhere to before being allowed access to company data. This can range from many requirements including enforced device encryption, up-to-date software, Anti-Virus software and mandatory device passwords. Intune provides not only control over company devices but also any personal devices that employees wish to use to access company data. This feature allows the company to look at the potential of BYOD with the security and visibility of the devices accessing Office 365. If a device doesn’t meet the company’s requirements, or is blocked, then it will no longer be allowed to access company data. So now the company have increased security over who is logging in to Office 365 and what device they are using, what about the data they are taking out of the business and sharing with others?

EMS can automatically tag and encrypt data depending on its content or name. Data loss prevention policies and labels can be used to highlight the sharing of potential sensitive data. Once the data has been encrypted it can only be accessed by the people whom have been given access. For example, if an important project document was shared with a third party they will not be able to read the data as they do not have permission.

“Hackers and opportunists have targeted the weakest part of any cloud app, which is the username and password.”

As well as securing data, EMS can extend its reach to other cloud apps. Single sign-on and discovery services provide the company with visibility and control over third party cloud services. As well as the features mentioned EMS also provides reporting and insights into the security and vulnerability of cloud apps. EMS ultimately gives companies greater understanding and control over the technology landscape of cloud apps and mobility.

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Finance

Going for Global

Turning ambitions into profit This month MHA Carpenter Box looks at expanding your business reach overseas and how AEO status could benefit your business post-Brexit.

International expansion Thanks to ever improving technology, businesses are no longer defined in political or geographic terms – the value of their products or services can be broadcast far and wide, so whichever part of the supply chain your business may be, expanding your market must be a good thing.

Doing business across borders has never been easier, but data suggests that many businesses who could find a place in the global market have not yet done so. With Brexit rushing up, the time to put in the effort is now – so here are some hints around spreading your business’ wings!

“Doing business across borders has never been easier, but data suggests that many businesses who could find a place in the global market have not yet done so.”

If you want to think about expanding your business reach to overseas markets, you need to think about a global strategy and consider the following: • Import and export regulations • Licensing • Joint ventures and partnerships • Double taxation • Legal structures • Export finance

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There is a lot of help out there although sometimes it’s hard to find the sign-posting.

Talk to your bank and consider engaging with organisations such as UK Export Finance (UKEF). Trade associations and Chambers of Commerce can also help.

Be sure your strategy is being driven by people who truly understand the markets you wish to reach; experts in the country in question are the best option, which is why we value MHA’s membership of Baker Tilly International.

Baker Tilly International Through Baker Tilly International, MHA is able to provide clients with accounting, assurance, tax and specialist business advice from across the world, drawing on

internationally recognised industry and service line experts in over 140 countries. Their local knowledge and networks can smooth the way and connect you with likely agents and partners.

Baker Tilly International is among the fastest-growing accountancy networks.

It ranks in the top ten worldwide and was named Network of the Year by the International Accounting Bulletin in 2016. With access to 27,000 professionals in more than 100 territories worldwide, we have the global reach and local expertise to translate your ambitions into new markets.

If you’re thinking of expanding your business overseas, get in touch with MHA Carpenter Box on 01903 234094 to discuss how we can help.

Finance

What are your post-Brexit export/import plans

and should AEO be amongst them?

Dan Hobbs, Tax Client Service Director at MHA Carpenter Box, explains how an Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status could help your business in the post-Brexit environment – whatever that may look like!

W

ith the terms of our exit from the EU still uncertain and with the political situation on a continual knife edge, businesses looking for ways to plan for a smooth transition following March 2019 or the transition period are of course struggling to understand their options.

Sensibly though, any business which brings goods into the UK from the EU, or sends goods into the EU, should start reviewing how they might be affected and look for advice about what custom schemes or supply chain changes might help them.

“One of the options highlighted by the UK Government to help reduce the risk of delays at the postBrexit border is the AEO certification.”

The scheme is available to any company involved in the international supply chain which carries out customs related activities in the EU including manufacturers, exporters and importers.

Although the process is rigorous, the application process can be beneficial, helping companies understand their own supply chains and exposure.

You can apply for AEO status for customs simplification (AEOC), AEO status for security and safety (AEOS) or both.

What are the benefits of AEO status?

The AEO benefits are dependent on the type of authorisation held (either AEOC or AEOS) and include the following: • An industry ‘kite mark’ standard and useful marketing tool • A recognised status across the EU that should make it easier for businesses to apply and use simplifications across the Union • Up to a 70% reduction in a deferment account guarantee • Reduction or waiver of a comprehensive guarantee

What is AEO status?

One of the options highlighted by the UK Government to help reduce the risk of delays at the post-Brexit border is the AEO certification, an ‘internationally recognised quality mark indicating that your role in the international supply chain is secure, and that your customs controls and procedures are efficient and compliant.’

• Fewer physical and document-based controls related to other customs legislation • Swifter application processes when applying for customs simplified procedures such as Customs Freight Simplified Procedures, Inward Processing and Customs Warehousing etc.

• A lower risk score which will be incorporated into customs’ risk management systems

and be used to determine the frequency of customs physical and documentary checks • Consignments selected for examination will receive priority over non-AEO consignments through customs controls • Mutual recognition with countries outside the EU and trading partners that have adopted the World Customs Organisation Safe framework (such as USA, China, Japan, Norway and Andorra)

Brexit implications The AEO scheme may be beneficial for businesses that have a substantial level of B2B sales of goods to customers in Europe.

Currently we don’t know what the UK’s participation in the Customs/VAT Union may look like post-Brexit. Therefore, businesses may see disruption and delays in their international supply chain, particularly in terms of despatches to other EU countries.

AEO certification should be considered by businesses seeking to preserve the speed of their supply chain as a potential proactive tool, to enhance their business continuity and contingency planning as the Brexit negotiations continue.

How we can help For advice on how AEO status could benefit your business or how to achieve certification, please get in touch with Dan Hobbs on 01903 234094. Don’t forget to sign up to our monthly newsletter service at www.carpenterbox.com/newsletter

33

Finance

A post-Brexit manufacturing landscape The voice of business hit headlines in late June and July when Airbus, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and auto-parts manufacturer Unipart offered stark warnings over the impact of a ‘no deal’ Brexit. Businesses crave certainty and that, says Kreston Reeves’ Andrew Griggs, is in short supply.

U

K manufacturing contributes some £6.7 trillion to the global economy and, contrary to widespread belief, the UK is the world’s eighth largest industrial nation.

The EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, reports that the UK manufacturing sector currently accounts for 44% of all UK exports, 70% of business research and development, and employs some 2.26m people.

British manufacturing is broad and includes aerospace, automotive, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, defence, construction, energy, food and drink, plastics, textiles, nuclear and space. In the past 12 months, 52% of all manufacturing exports headed to the EU.

“It goes without saying that the shape of our departure from the EU matters enormously to UK businesses.”

The sector’s relationship with Europe is incredibly tight. Supply chains are inextricably linked, with ‘just-in-time’ and ‘in-sequence’ production methods seeing, for example, car components moving across the English Channel many times before completed vehicles roll off the production line.

Border delays, Honda has said, could

34

increase production times by up to nine days.

To hold the two million components needed every day for its Swindon production lines, Honda has said it would need a 300,000 sq m warehouse, making it the largest building on the planet.

It goes without saying that the shape of our departure from the EU matters enormously to UK businesses. If politicians needed any reminder, they would do well to look at the June data from the IHS Markit UK Manufacturing survey.

Output growth is at a seven-month low, and the cause is being pinned directly to Brexit and the threats of a trade war between the US and China and the US and the EU. The threat of a ‘no deal’ is a threat to UK manufacturing.

Large manufacturers, like BMW and Airbus, are unlikely to immediately pack-up and move operations outside of the UK - manufacturing businesses have invested considerable amounts in our economy and that creates a sticky relationship.

But politicians would be wrong to take too

Finance much comfort from that position. It is the investment into new products that is easy to divert along with future production plans.

Take, for example, the development in hybrid and electric cars. Jaguar Land Rover is developing its first electric car in Austria. Will the company retool its Midlands plant from diesel to electric? With the current oversupply, a global slow down and with the increasing Brexit uncertainties, nobody would be surprised if future manufacturing were within EU member states.

This is, on the face of it, a rather gloomy picture, and becomes perhaps even more so when looking to recent High Street collapses and the yet-felt knock-on effect on manufacturing.

“Large manufacturers, like BMW and Airbus, are unlikely to immediately pack-up and move operations outside of the UK - manufacturing businesses have invested considerable amounts in our economy and that creates a sticky relationship.”

But UK manufacturing needs to be contrasted with manufacturing countries in the EU, where both France and Germany have also shown decreased manufacturing outputs.

The US too is following a similar trend, which may be at the root of President Trump’s recent tariffs.

So, what can manufacturing businesses do?

The shape of the UK’s exit from the EU should become clearer this summer. It may be that the UK remains in the customs union and we continue to enjoy frictionless trade.

Businesses with European suppliers and markets will breathe an enormous sigh of relief.

But, if that agreement is not reached, manufacturers should start, if they have not

already done so, to develop strategies to manage this transition.

Measures to consider will include: • Mapping and auditing supply chains.

Where are your suppliers? Are they themselves prepared for Brexit? And if outside of the EU what impact might that have?

• Know your employees’ nationalities.

The rights of EU nationals living in the UK have been guaranteed, but businesses who employ people that do not have the right to work in the UK can face large fines.

• Prepare for customs checks. Is the software currently used able to address changes to our relationship with the EU? • Understand future tariffs and how they will affect your business.

• VAT. Check and review contracts with suppliers, paying particular attention to VAT treatment.

Manufacturing output is expanding at its fastest rate in 10 years. In addition to the Brexit uncertainties, the industry faces challenges from cyber-attacks, data protection and staff skill shortages. Manufacturing organisations need to ensure they are developing people and optimising processes, in particular through the use of technology, where the government has shown its support in its Industrial Strategy.

At Kreston Reeves, we are working with businesses to scenario plan the many different outcomes and helping businesses to prepare.

If your business needs support and advice, contact Andrew Griggs or a member of the Manufacturing team on 0330 124 1399.

Andrew Griggs is Senior Partner at accountants, business and financial advisers Kreston Reeves. He can be reached by email: andrew.griggs@krestonreeves.com.

Visit www.krestonreeves.com.

• Cash flow buffers. Delays at borders may create cash flow issues for businesses.

Consider building reserves now.

• Delays at Dover? What impact will that have on your business and are there counter measures that could be considered?

• IP rights. The UK government has said that European wide protections will remain after Brexit, but businesses should review and update protections accordingly.

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Promotional Feature

Rix & Kay Re-enforces its position as a regional heavyweight for M&A

R

ix & Kay’s corporate offering continues to grow year on year and it is now recognised as one of the strongest firms in the South-East region, capable of handling substantial and complex deals right across the South East and in London. The wellestablished and successful corporate offering from the firm has been further complemented in recent years by strategic hires including Sara Carpenter and Tim Sadka.

The firm’s Head of Corporate, Sara Carpenter comments: “During the last twelve months the team have once again enjoyed great success in terms of the diversity, complexity and value of the transactions that we have been involved in. As a firm, we recognise the value in the promotion of the successes of our clients and the work that we are involved in, and through this promotion we are proud to showcase the experience and expertise we have available within the team.”

Recent highlights include: • QUATTRO GROUP – A Rix & Kay team, led by Tim Sadka, advised Quattro Group on its acquisition of A B 2000, Scotland’s largest privately owned hirer of operated plant and equipment. With a combined turnover post acquisition in excess of £70 million, and with over 900 items of plant and machinery, Quattro Group is well placed to deliver plant and equipment solutions to the rail sector across the United Kingdom.

Esther Jones, Finance Director, Quattro Group commented: “We are delighted to have had a strong team of professionals on our side to support and deliver what was a complex and consequently protracted process. On the legal side, Tim Sadka led the Rix & Kay team, and as always, ensured a professional and timely service was delivered with a focus on our commercial interests while encouraging a positive atmosphere and focus throughout.”

Sara Carpenter

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Tim Sadka

Promotional Feature • BROADHAM CARE – A Rix & Kay team, led by Sara Carpenter advised Broadham Care, who deliver Epilepsy, Autism and Learning Disability services to clients through eight care homes in the South East to Elysium Healthcare, taking the number of care homes under their management to in excess of 40.

Mike Plant, Managing Director, Broadham Care commented: “I must say a great big thank you to Sara Carpenter for a fantastic piece of work. You have guided and supported us through an amazingly complex process. Your confidence and can do attitude has been incredible.”

A SELECTION OF RIX & KAY’S DEALS FROM THE LAST 12 MONTHS Quattro Group Acquisition of Scotland’s largest privately owned hirer of operated plant and equipment

A B 2000 Group Parker Building Supplies

• SMARTER SHOWS – A Rix & Kay team, led by Sara Carpenter advised Brighton-based Smarter Shows on their sale of The Battery Show to UBM’s Advanced Manufacturing Group, the leading events producer for the global $3 trillion advanced manufacturing industry, with eight annual and three biennial events.

James Reader, Managing Director of Smarter Shows commented: “Thank you so much for all your help and assistance Sara. It is always a pleasure dealing with you and your team. We were delighted with the exceptional service we got from Rix & Kay on this transaction once again and would recommend you to any organisation looking for a law firm who can provide strategic business support.”

Contact Rix & Kay’s Corporate Team by emailing Sara Carpenter saracarpenter@rixandkay.co.uk

Sale of £67 million turnover builders’ merchant

Cairngorm Capital Partners Smarter Shows Sale of The Battery Show

UBM PLC’s Advanced Manufacturing Group Proversity Cross-border loan agreement

Broadham Care Sale of care provider through eight care homes

Elysium Healthcare Audio Lounge Purchase of Jersey based high-end audio distributor

Padood Limited Green Insurance Group Majority share sale of East Sussex based insurance business

Global Risk Partners (GRP) Uckfield Vauxhall Sale of Goldsmith & Allcorn

Eastbourne Motoring Centre Limited Neva Consultants Majority share sale

Fleet Alliance

S O L I C I TO R S

L L P

37

0345 070 6000 www.emwllp.com

A NEW KIND OF LAW FIRM

HAS LANDED IN GATWICK

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A LAW FIRM WITH A REFRESHING APPROACH

Legal

Introducing EMW Ian Morris reports on EMW’s Gatwick launch party

O

n July 5th, we held our opening party for our brand new Gatwick offices located in St. John’s House, Crawley. We were delighted to see so many new and familiar faces join us for this occasion. The opening of this new office is a significant development for us, providing us with a unique geographical position in the legal services market. We now have three offices – one located to the North of London, one located to the South of London and one in central London.

Many businesses to the south of London increasingly feel they have to look to city firms for top quality legal advice. We are keen to demonstrate that this is not the case.

Our ethos is to spend face to face time with businesses in order to provide them with a personalised and tailored service.

Leading our new Gatwick office are Principals Gurpreet Sanghera (Corporate), Frank Bouette (Commercial) and Sarah Naylor (Banking & Finance). Gurpreet has relocated from our Milton Keynes office to head up the Corporate team in Gatwick, and Frank and Sarah have joined us from Top 20 law firm Irwin Mitchell, a huge endorsement of EMW and our strategy.

Gurpreet has been with us since 2005 and will be focusing on building local networks and forging strong business relationships with large corporates, owner-managed SMEs and entrepreneurs.

Frank is a restructuring lawyer, specialising in guiding entrepreneurs through financially

challenging situations for their businesses.

Frank also acts on complex offshore and onshore transactions relating to the dissolution and realisation of assets.

Sarah advises institutional lenders on acquisition finance, property & development finance and general lending. She is also one of the UK’s leading advisers to lenders on mortgage and savings products documentation and related regulatory issues.

They are joined by Senior Associate Ian Sharrock (Banking & Finance) who has specialist expertise in advising both lenders and borrowers on key banking issues including acquisition finance, real estate finance and corporate banking; Senior Solicitor Tariq Sayfoo (Commercial) a specialist IP/IT and

Commercial Lawyer who advises a broad range of high-growth SMEs and entrepreneurs across all sectors on a full range of commercial issues, from start-up to expansion all the way through to M&A and succession planning.

Tariq also has a particular focus on technology, advising many clients in the booming digital tech industry in and around Brighton’s ‘Silicon Beach’; and Paralegal Hannah Morris (Corporate) who works closely with our clients’ in-house legal teams and provides legal assistance to the Gatwick team.

To get in touch with our Gatwick office please call 0345 070 6000 or visit our website at www.emwllp.com

39

Keep up with

PAYROLL EVOLUTION

Epayslipsecure is a secure online web portal with multi-channel options for the generation and delivery of payslip and employment-related information. Epayslipsecure has been developed BY payroll professionals FOR payroll professionals – that’s why it works.

• Integrate seamlessly into existing systems – no need to install new software • Designed to be all-inclusive, offering print and Braille as well as electronic communication • Control payslip costs • Smart features to improve efficiency • GDPR compliant

www.epayslipsecure.com 40

| 0333 121 3100

HOW IT WORKS 1. Data upload.

2. Proof approval and reconciliation.

3. Payslip generation.

4. Digital output to company intranet, smartphone and tablet.

5. Printed payslips as print pressure seal, large print or Braille.

Security

Keep up with payslip evolution Many companies save money on postage and admin time by distributing payslips electronically. But are the current distribution models secure and compliant with GDPR? Not if they are emailed, as Dinah Ouzman, Local Business Development Manager of Eastbourne-based security print company Smith & Ouzman, explains

A

form for this, a form for that,

needs to be excluded by your digital upgrade.

endless filing and hours are spent trying to find that vital piece of paper. Managing payroll and HR procedures has always been a paper-intensive job with all the attendant risks that go with paper records. There has to be a better way.

Of course, it’s not just non-computer literate staff who will benefit from a new digital system; those who work off-site and cannot be handed a paper payslip can receive all the same communication as on-site staff by using this flexible multi-channel solution.

Overcoming infrastructure challenges

Payslips are often the primary reason why companies decide to make the switch but there are many more smart features available that deliver considerable savings on time and resources, including the sharing of employeerelated information such as P60 and P11d forms, holiday and sickness records and health & safety information. Epayslipsecure is so flexible that it can be used to send messages to all staff or selected groups or individuals. This kind of regular, professional communication between employer and employee is vital to creating a happy, productive working environment but is something that can be undervalued by employers.

Smith & Ouzman’s secure multi-channel web portal Epayslipsecure is the straightforward solution to improving employer/employee communications without the need to spend a lot of time and money overhauling current systems. It ticks all the boxes because it has been designed by payroll professionals for payroll professionals and it works with all established payroll software, so there’s no need to scrap what you already have and start again. As a bespoke web portal, you can’t spot Epayslipsecure in operation – like a chameleon, it simply works as an extension of your company’s existing systems, with an identical appearance.

Staff acceptance Epayslips are not new of course, they have been around for years, but introducing them to a workforce that may be reluctant to embrace new technology for such a crucially personal item is not plain sailing.

The ideal solution would be to offer both – a switch to epayslips for those employees that are happy with the idea and the option to stick with paper for those who aren’t. This is what Epayslipsecure is designed to do; it can even produce Braille payslips so no-one

GDPR and Security A secure web portal also deals with the very topical issue of data security. The question ‘can you email payslips under the new GDPR rules?’ is something that has been concerning many businesses in recent months. But even if you can, should you? The answer must surely be no because of the security risk involved. Whilst it is permissible to send this kind of information via email, the potential for a breach in security just isn’t worth the risk.

The new data protection regulations have put companies under pressure to find a secure and compliant form of communication, but to achieve progress it’s important that change is

viewed as an opportunity and not an obstacle.

Putting in place measures to comply with GDPR is an ideal time to look at your working practices – do you need to modernise and evolve? Probably. If you don’t do it now, when will you? We should embrace change, it’s good for us.

www.epayslipsecure.com

41

Lewes District Business Awards

2018 Lewes District Business Awards

T

he winners of the fifth Lewes District Business Awards were announced in July at a glittering ceremony at the Amex Stadium.

Over 300 of the Lewes District business community were in attendance including 38 finalists, with 12 trophies presented by comedian Simon Evans.

The Depot Cinema in Lewes came away with two awards, having won both Tourist Destination of the Year and Businessperson of the Year for Creative Director Carmen Slijpen. It is the first year that a woman has picked up this coveted award.

Other winners included Richard Soan Roofing Services for Best Customer Service, Tiny Box Company was named Best Green Business, Barcombe-based So Sussex took the Business in the Community award, Fundraising Auctions was named Best Employer, Sarah Williams from

42

The Patchwork Cat won the LEAP Entrepreneur of the Year award and Front Room in Seaford was named Small Business of the Year.

The judging panel, chaired by David Sheppard, Chairman of the Sussex Chamber of Commerce, was tasked with choosing the winners.

Well-respected businesspeople from sponsoring companies made up the panel, including representatives from Allied Irish Bank, Cheesmur Building Contractors, Basepoint, Veolia, Whitespace, Platinum Business Magazine, Wave Leisure Trust, RSE Group, Uniglobe Preferred Travel, LEAP and Viva Lewes.

Councillor Andy Smith, Leader of Lewes District Council, commented: “I’m delighted to see the continuing success of this award scheme and honoured to be able to highlight the success of businesses from the district each year.

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE Sponsored by Basepoint

BEST GREEN BUSINESS Sponsored by Veolia

Richard Soan Roofing Services

Tiny Box Company

FOOD & DRINK DESTINATION OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Whitespace

BEST INDEPENDENT RETAILER Sponsored by Platinum Business Magazine

Foodhaven

Alexis Dove Jewellery

Lewes District Business Awards

BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY Sponsored by Wave Leisure Trust

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by RSE Group

So Sussex

Fundraising Auctions

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AWARD Sponsored by Allied Irish Bank

TOURIST DESTINATION OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Uniglobe Preferred Travel

Oakley Property

Depot Cinema

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR Sponsored by LEAP

BUSINESSPERSON OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Viva Lewes

Sarah Williams, The Patchwork Cat

Carmen Slijpen, Depot CinemaÂ

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Allied Irish Bank

COMPANY OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Cheesmur Building Contractors

Front Room

Tomsetts Distribution Ltd

43

Legal

Brexit and EU workers rights EU nationals working in the UK - what employers and employees need to know and to do now, by Harry Sherrard, Principal at Sherrards Employment Law.

B

eing a law abiding type, it’s not something I say often, but my recommendation is that employers should disregard current Government advice about the employment status of EU nationals. It seems that the Government is trying to avoid overloading the system with tens of thousands of EU nationals applying for permanent residence through the course of 2018. So the Home Office website deters applications, and advises a “wait-and-see” policy on Brexit. Our opinion is that this is potentially to the detriment of employers and employees who should act now.

So what is the current position?

Under the Regulations, EU nationals are entitled to permanent residence if they have been resident in the UK as a qualifying worker for a period of five years, and have not spent more than six months out of the UK in any calendar year. This will provide

44

these individuals with settled status. Also, irrespective of what the outcome of the Brexit negotiations are, these individuals will be allowed to remain in the UK post Brexit. In addition, after one year of holding permanent residence, these individuals will be eligible to apply to be naturalised as a British citizen.

So our recommendation is that all eligible EU nationals working in the UK who have not already done so, and who wish to remain in the UK in the longer term, should apply now for permanent residence. So don’t wait for Brexit to result in a situation that is unfavourable to your plans.

What about those EU employees that haven’t been residing in the UK as qualified workers for as long as five years, and wish to remain, post Brexit?

Under the Regulations, an EU national exercising Treaty rights as a worker is

entitled to apply for a five year Residence Permit. EU nationals do not need to apply for such permits in order to work here, as their passports or national identity cards are sufficient to allow them to do so. So, in the absence of a need to apply for a Residence Permit, shorter term residents of the UK who originate from the EU generally do not bother.

This is a mistake. The reason we are advising clients to make an application now is because, post Brexit, EU nationals may not have automatic rights to live and work in the UK. The cost of applying for permanent residence and a Residence Permit is a £65 application fee plus legal costs, which can be for a fixed agreed fee.

We see daily how unpredictable and subject to change the Government’s Brexit strategy is; and this is before the EU has considered its proposals. Our advice is clear: Act now and don’t wait until it is too late!

We are a Brighton based creative agency specialising in design, web and marketing.

Founded by three passionate creatives.

whitespace.studio

Creators of the Platinum Publishing Group website

45

CEO

Communications as an action tool, not an after-thought

By Si Conroy, owner of Scarlet Monday

G

eorge Bernard Shaw said: “The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

In issue 36, I gave my view of the critical CEO communication tools to avoid the illusion of communication: 1. Bang on until your eyes bleed: you cannot communicate too much.

2. Put your blinkers on your team: give them long-term strategic direction, but maintain focus on the short to medium term tactics and operations.

3. Recognise that communication is a motivational tool, and use it as such.

4. Clunky beats confused: it’s all about what you’re saying, not how you’re saying it.

Don’t confuse form with substance.

For this return to the subject of communication, I want to address the slightly murkier area of the real objective of communication.

Communication is to achieve outcomes; whether this is done transparently or not.

The problem is that most communication isn’t like this. Instead of causing an action, it

46

CEO Fight Club just transfers understanding: let’s inform the team of the company’s vision, share the new strategy, discuss progress with the team. Ever wondered why these things feel relatively hollow compared to closing a deal, hiring a brilliant person, launching a new product?

Transferring understanding only tells people things. I know this is the strict definition of communications, but you’re in business. You want to communicate to cause something.

Business is about doing things, not about talking or transferring meaning or knowledge.

“One of the primary communication skills to accelerate outcomes is to understand another person’s point of view and how they see the world.

So, now that’s re-framed, everything starts to fall into place and become a lot easier to manage. Please don’t rush over this point though. It’s one of those things we’ve tended to accept without questioning, but when you ‘get’ it, things really do start to change.

First, we have our test of good communication: it causes a ‘do’. So, when we know what needs to be done – the purpose of the communication – we can work backwards to decide what needs to be said to achieve it. This is critical because if we don’t work in this way we default to communicating as we think. Unfortunately, because we’re often not completely clear on the purpose ourselves, by the time we’ve worked it through as we communicate we’ve lost our audience.

When we’ve worked out the outcome we want to be achieved via the communication and what needs to be said to achieve it, we can focus on maximising the effectiveness of how we get to the outcome. This is where we start to get into the murkier areas of what others would call manipulation.

Start by understanding where your audience is. One of the primary communication skills to accelerate outcomes is to understand another person’s point of view and how they see the world. This then enables us to know where their head is likely to be at the point of your communication, and what they therefore require to act in the way you want them to.

Use the fact that our ability to identify factors that affect our behaviour is exceptionally poor. Put bluntly, we are easy to manipulate without us knowing it. A cognitive bias is a systematic pattern of deviation from rational judgement… [which] may dictate their behaviour in the social world www.en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ cognitive_biases.

We already use similar manipulations in business as accepted norms. For example, case studies are examples of social proof or the bandwagon effect – a way of leading someone’s behaviour by pointing at the behaviour of others. Big businesses like Odeon use the decoy effect in popcorn pricing: you’d never buy the large vs. the small if the medium wasn’t so closely priced.

My purpose in this article (communication) is to get you to use your corrected definition of communications and understanding of the availability of biases as tools to achieve business outcomes faster. Here are a couple to get you thinking (quotes reference the cognitive bias list link above): 1.

Confirmation bias is ‘the tendency to search for, interpret, focus on and remember information in a way that

confirms one’s preconceptions’. Be bold in marketing to hard-to-persuade prospects by exploring their objections in your content. Lead on these to engage them then win them round with your product/service effectiveness arguments.

2.

Anchoring is ‘the tendency to rely too heavily, or “anchor” on one trait or piece of information when making decisions, usually the first piece of information acquired on that subject’. Don’t present progressively radical options where you want the choice to be the second or the third. Start with the radical and see how their feelings change towards the other, now seemingly ‘conservative’ options.

3.

The IKEA effect (no, I didn’t make this one up) is ‘the tendency for people to place a disproportionately high value on objects that they partially assembled themselves, such as furniture from IKEA, regardless of the quality of the end result’. In one of my businesses we saw a dramatic impact on sales values when we started sharing our deal calculator with clients. By getting them to input their own figures to calculate revenues, cost savings and then base the pricing on the value created, they took a level of ownership which reduced their objections.

Now is the time for you to own communication to avoid the illusion George Bernard Shaw warned against. Just don’t be afraid of achieving an outcome without the recipient being aware how well you’ve ‘managed’ the communication.

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 Scarlet Monday (www.ScarletMonday. com) and www.ConstantMentor.com, Si practices what he preaches across a number of businesses in which he has invested. si@scarletmonday.com

@siconroy

47

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Business Awards

Adur & Worthing Business Awards

2018 Award Categories Overall Business of the Year

Lifetime Achievement

Training & Development

Sponsored by Electronic Temperature Instruments Ltd

Sponsored by JSPC Computer Services

Sponsored by MET – Greater Brighton Metropolitan College

Start-Up Business

Manufacturing & Engineering Sponsored by MHA Carpenter Box

Sponsored by Michael Jones & Company

Small Business (up to 9 employees)

Sponsored by Southern Water

Young Achiever Sponsored by Lancing College Preparatory School (Worthing)

Sponsored by Adur & Worthing Business Partnership

Medium Business (10 to 49 employees) Sponsored by Allergy Therapeutics

Customer Service Sponsored by Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce

Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Sponsored by Adur & Worthing Council

Large Business (50+ employees)

Retailer Sponsored by Worthing Town Centre Initiative

Place to Eat and/or Drink Sponsored by Bennett Griffin Solicitors & Notaries

Building & Construction Sponsored by Gardner Scardifield

Innovation

Business in the Community

Sponsored by Kreston Reeves

Sponsored by 5 Rings Group

Green Business

Sponsored by Worthing Pier Southern Pavilion

Business Personality Sponsored by The Martlet Partnership

Sponsors and Business Partners

Overall Business of the Year

Start-up Business

Small Business

Medium Business

Large Business

Business Personality

Lifetime Achievement

Manufacturing & Engineering

Young Achiever

Customer Service

Hospitality, Tourism & Leisure

Innovation

Training & Development

Green Business

Retailer

Place to Eat and/ or Drink

Building & Construction

Business in the Community

Media Partner

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DARREN CRABB WEALTH MANAGEMENT www.darrencrabb.co.uk

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Adur & Worthing Business Awards would like to thank all of their sponsors and business partners.

49

TRAVEL

Shake Hands in

Pablo Picasso once said: “Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.” This is true for the curvy, candy-coloured architecture of Miami’s South Beach – the largest collection of Art Deco buildings in the world. They wouldn’t actually exist if it

50

Mi

weren’t for the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926, which devastated the island of Miami Beach, and caused this beguiling strip to be built from scratch in the style of a snazzy new design movement that was emerging from France at the time.

Last September, carnage returned to Miami. Hurricane Irma battered her way into the history books as one of the most powerful hurricanes on record, devastating the Caribbean, and causing up to $83 billion of damage across Florida. The skyscrapers of downtown Miami and sandy shores of

Miami Beach were pummelled by more than a week of ferocious winds that toppled traffic lights and palm trees alike, while roads were transformed into gushing rivers.

A matter of days after Irma had left town, the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau launched its #MiamiNow initiative. The campaign promoted a series of incredible deals on the city’s hottest hotels, restaurants and attractions. It also urged tourists to view live webcams of Miami’s beaches (seemiamilive.com) see for themselves that the city was fit and safe for a visit.

iami Could the Magic City become the East Coast’s answer to Silicon Valley? Rose Dykins reports

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TRAVEL

The bureau’s swift action reflects how crucial leisure and business tourism is to Miami’s economy.

And at the beginning of this year, visitor numbers had increased by almost 5% compared to early 2017 – cementing the message that Miami had bounced back after Irma.

Aside from tourism, the Magic City is gaining momentum as a startup hub.

Last year, Miami was ranked number one in the US for new startups on the Kauffman Index (which measures the number of new entrepreneurs starting their own businesses). Miami’s party animal image tends to overshadow its innovative side, which creates a challenge for those championing its promising entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Another obstacle has been the lack of available local funding to help fledgling companies go the distance (compared nationally to the likes of Silicon Valley).

However, this has been improving over the past five years thanks to the philanthropic Knight Foundation, which invested $25 million in 200 startups in the region, and helped to foster several startup events and schemes. Some notable new businesses to emerge in recent years include Kairos (kairos.com) – an artificial intelligence company that specialises in facial recognition and Zudy (zudy.com) – the world’s only software company to offer an app development platform that doesn’t require coding.

Miami’s hedonistic streak will always be a strong part of its identity

for a meeting or Miami’s event conditions for entrepreneurs

TOP PLACES

for a meeting or event

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are strong. Plus points include the airport’s excellent flight connectivity, the city’s immigrant-rich population and its thriving financial sector – Brickell district is the third-biggest banking sector in the US, and has even been coined “Wall Street South”

by Forbes. The city’s creative scene also has plenty to offer those seeking to establish themselves amongst a community of global trendsetters in art, fashion and cuisine.

Hosting events and company incentives is something Miami does well. Beyond the beach clubs, there are plenty of culturally enriching experiences for

corporate groups. In downtown Miami, along with the skyscrapers, there is a distinctly Latino vibe. Since the massimmigration from Cuba to Miami in the 1960s due to those fleeing from Fidel Castro’s rule, Cuban culture has become an integral part of Miami’s identity.

Set along Eighth Street (Calle Ocho) is Little Havana, where a Latin way of life prevails – you’ll see people sitting in cafés, playing dominos and arguing about politics, the sound of salsa music in the air. Food tours of Little Havana can be booked through Miami Culinary Tours (miamiculinarytours.com).

Miami’s hotel stock is ample, and consistently glitzy, with plenty of new options still to come this year. One to watch is the multi-million-dollar renovation of the historic Roy France Art Deco hotel opening any day now under Marriott’s Autograph Collection as the Cadillac Hotel and Beach Club. (cadillachotelmiamibeach.com).

Hilton Miami Downtown

Miami Beach Convention Centre

Still fresh from its $35 million renovation, this contemporary hotel overlooking Biscayne Bay has 527 rooms and 4,180 sqm of event space. hilton.com

A short stroll from both the island’s botanical gardens and its striking Holocaust Memorial, this MBCC completes its renovation in September, with a new 5,574 sqm ballroom. miamibeachconvention.com

Finally, plans to create a Virgin Hyperloop between Miami and Orlando have received the backing from regional departments of transportation. If they ever come to fruition, the high-speed pneumatic rail system would allow tourists to fly into Miami and travel to Disney World in less than half an hour. And Miami’s port, which welcomes the most number of cruise passengers in the world, would also benefit by the super-speedy link for transporting both cruise passengers and goods throughout Florida. It’s early days, but an exciting prospect nonetheless.

Miami’s hedonistic streak will always be a strong part of its identity. At the same time, its focused approach to retaining tourism through tough times and cultivating an internationally renowned startup scene proves that it also means serious business.

Another eagerly awaited addition is the Miami Beach Convention Centre, which is due to reopen in September following a $625 million renovation.

What’s more, the design for an 800room hotel, connected to the conven-

tion centre via footbridge, was recently given initial approval, complete with a roof with water absorption components, to make the building more resilient to the effects of hurricanes and climate change.

Hyatt Regency Miami

Intercontinental Miami

This 615-room Brickell district property is directly connected to the multi-purpose James L Knight International Centre, which has riverfront exhibition space and a 444-seat auditorium. hyatt.com

This sleek downtown property is well set-up for conferences, with 35 meeting spaces that can hold up to 3000 guests. It also has a rooftop pool. icmiamihotel.com

Doubletree by Hilton Miami Airport Convention Centre A matter of minutes from Miami International Airport, this practical hotel is adjoined to the local convention centre – with 16,000 sqm of meeting space – as well as a mall. doubletree3.hilton.com/

Museum of Ice Cream For something a little different, this imaginative museum with colourful interactive installations is designed to “inspire human emotion and creativity.” museumoficecream.com

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TRAVEL

Private Jets Business Traveller?

The ONLY Way is Private Jet Any of this sound familiar?

A crowded departure hall at Way-TooEarly O’Clock, a check-in line that seems to stretch for miles, screaming children, arguing couples, a self-check in machine that won’t scan your app and no-one to help you put on that sticky luggage tag.

Ian Lucas, Founder of Red7, on why Private Jet Travel is the way forward for today’s Business Leaders

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You’ve already quite paid enough for the flight despite the website saying it was cheap and easy; you shelled out even more to bag a seat near the front, and paid more still because you need to check in luggage.

It’s two hours before your flight leaves.

The all-important meeting at your destination is a make or break deal.

You brace yourself as you go through security (taking off shoes, belt, watch, remembering to remove your laptop

from its bag and put it correctly in the tray...) And then, only then, after the X-ray machine, scanner and possible pat down can you retreat to a crowded café for a coffee (that’ll be £2.50, please).

There’s no escaping the crowds with a Priority Pass to a Business Lounge because you’re flying budget. You haven’t even started your working day.

Let’s just hope your flight isn’t delayed.

Time is money, as every SME owner knows. And in today’s fast-paced, digitally connected high stress working world, low cost airlines may not offer the easy, stress free, cost-effective answer to business travel any more. Today’s corporate leaders require seamless Business Travel. The answer? Private Jet travel. It’s more cost effective than you think.

Since founding Red7 in 1997, I have flown as often as five times a week. And I’ve seen first hand, since the budget airlines first took off in the late 1990s, how the travel landscape has changed out of sight.

The 9/11 terror attack in 2001 and subsequent horrific attacks in the UK and Europe have (rightly) made airport security checks ever more lengthy and more involved and the numbers of budget airline operators has grown exponentially.

Have your staff got the Travel Bug? Set up a Staff Holiday Club.

Over 30 percent of workers say perks and benefits are at the top of their list when they consider accepting a new job - and competition to keep hold of good staff is tough.

We believe offering great travel experiences is the best perk around. Which is why Red7’s Business Travel Service offers SMEs the ability to set up a staff travel and holiday club.

Staff - whilst they are employed by you - can save towards their holidays and accrue a

5 percent bonus. So, if a staff member sets up a subscription to spend £200 a month, they’ll actually receive £231 to spend.

Red7 offers holidays to suit all budgets from great value to super luxe and our service is the best around. Your staff might even want to book their own Private Jet getaway.

Talk to our Business Travel Experts about how to set up your company’s holiday club on 01273 872222

More operators mean increased competition and ever more narrow operating margins. But for consumers, the ‘easy’, cheap service that the first no-frills airlines promised is a distant memory.

This is why Private Jet travel is the answer for today’s travelling business leaders. And why Red7 - as a leading Business Travel Management Company - has commercial agreements in place with some of the best Private Jet owners and brokers worldwide.

When business travel really matters, you need to be able to control your journey.

Low cost air travel doesn’t offer that. But Private Jet travel, more affordable than ever before, does. Here’s why: 1. You save time. Forget turning up to the airport 2 hours before your flight; with a Private Jet, you arrive 10 minutes before the flight leaves. In the south of England, the most widely used airports by Private Jets are London Luton, Farnborough, Biggin Hill and RAF Northholt. Check-in is carried out ahead of time by a dedicated team. A member of crew will meet you in the terminal, take your luggage and then you literally walk up the steps onto your plane. People are ever more time-poor.

Private Jet travel offers literally hours of savings within a working day.

2. You save money. Private Jet travel is cheaper than ever. One trick is to book a ‘dead leg’ flight - where a plane has to relocate to a destination. Private Jet operators are keen to recoup the fuel costs of these dead leg flights

but there are fantastic savings to be made. I’ve seen a dead leg flight for up to 6 people from London to Paris as little as £1.8k (£300 per person).

A full charter from London to the South of France will cost around £12K but you can get an empty leg flight for 6 people for as little as £6K. You’re most likely to make savings with empty dead leg flights if you’re flexible on dates. The best bargains are to be had the closer to the date of the flight. This often works in the favour of the business traveller, whose plans are arranged or change last minute.

restrictions around where a Private Jet can land (the runway has to be long enough and be of hard standing) but flying Private Jet can usually get you within 20 minutes of where you want to be. And for those really hard-to-get-to meetings, you can always take a helicopter. Some clients might be in Rome for a breakfast meeting, then at the last minute need to be Wroclaw by 5pm. Low cost airlines can’t offer that kind of flexibility. Red7’s Business Pleasure Class Private Jets can.

3. You’ll arrived focused and relaxed: with WiFi, a full in-flight service from your crew and no distractions apart from a really comfy seat, light buffet and a glass of Champagne, flying Private Jet is a seriously luxurious and pleasurable experience. You can give your full attention the important work, meeting, or deal ahead of you.

5. You can join Business Pleasure Class: Private Jet travel enables you to seamlessly transition from working week into a fantastic weekend with friends and family. More and more of Red7’s Business Travel clients choose to extend their corporate trips to enjoy a weekend away at their destination with their spouses, children and friends. Easy, stress free and cost effective. What’s not to like?

4. It offers real flexibility. Forget tiresome, expensive and lengthy transfers, a private charter can fly you almost anywhere. There are physical

For more information on Private Jet travel, contact Red7’s Business Travel Team on business.travel@red7.co.uk or 01273 872222 www.red7.co.uk

check-in Month-to-month changes shaping your travel. Compiled by Rose Dykins

UK eases travel restrictions to Tunisia T

he British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has further lifted travel restrictions to Tunisia, a step towards reviving tourism to the nation. The body no longer advises against “all but essential travel” to the town of Jendouba, and some areas of southern Tunisia, including the towns of Médenine, Tataouine and Douz.

The FCO website reads: “Since the terrorist attack in Sousse in June 2015, which targeted tourists, the UK government has been working closely with the Tunisian authorities to investigate the attack and the wider threat from terrorist groups. The Tunisian government has improved protective security in major cities and tourist resorts.”

Visit gov.uk for up-to-date travel advice from the FCO

Emirates launches virtual reality cabin views

Marriott to ditch plastic straws by 2019

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M

arriott International has vowed to remove disposable plastic straws and coffee stirrers from all 30 of its global brands by 2019. In one year’s time, when the plan is fully implemented, the world’s largest hotel company estimates it will eliminate the use of 1 billion plastic straws and a quarter of a billion stirrers.

Arne Sorenson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International, said: “Removing plastic straws is one of the simplest ways our guests can contribute to plastic reduction when staying with us, something they are increasingly concerned about and are already doing in their own homes. We are committed to operating responsibly and, with over one million guests staying with us every night, we think this is a powerful step forward to reducing our reliance on plastics.”

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Gatwick becomes UK gateway to Chengdu

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he first flight connecting the UK with China’s fourthlargest city has launched. Last month, Air China – a Star Alliance member – began flying between Gatwick and Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, creating the only direct link between Britain and the central Chinese city. The airline will operate three weekly flights on the route.

Guy Stephenson, chief commercial officer of Gatwick Airport, said: “Chengdu is a strategically important destination and a major logistical hub so this new route – the UK’s only direct flight - opens up a range of opportunities to access markets throughout central and western China.

“Our growing long haul network looks set to play an increasingly important role connecting the UK to global markets at this vital stage in the country’s history.”

ubai’s national carrier has debuted a 3D virtual reality service that gives a closer look at the seating onboard its A380 planes. The technology lets you explore the airline’s cabins in 3D, check out the airline’s A380 economy and business class seats and first class suites, and find out more about their features, including what the first class showers look like.

Passengers using the Emirates app or visiting emirates.com via smartphone can use the tech to choose their seats before checking in, navigate from one seat to another and make a booking, all within an 3D environment – the first time an airline has offered this.

TRAVEL INSIDER

Transatlantic

TEMPTATIONS

In our new monthly column, our secret travel mole gives us the latest insider info, breaking news and travel facts that you need to know.

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e are all familiar with names like Uber, Airbnb and Revolut, classic market disruptors of our generation. There has always been disruptors especially in the airline industry, step forward Sir Freddie Laker, a true aviation pioneer of his time who wanted to transport us to the other side of the pond for £99.

You are no doubt aware of Norwegian Airlines who have been very successful in proving the market is buoyant for long haul, low-cost airline travel, however they have yet to prove the business model and currently are still losing money.

You may be slightly less familiar with International Airline Group or IAG for short, based in Barcelona and headed up by Willie Walsh. IAG consists of five major brands namely British Airways, Air Lingus, Iberia, Vueling and their new brand Level - it is this brand that has caught the imagination of the industry.

Because IAG has harmonised the best of four separate airlines, they have built an efficient machine, the likes of which the

aviation industry has not seen before.

The concept of Level was taken to the IAG board for the green light back in February 2017, they announced the new airline on 17th March 2017 and started flying on 1st June that same year to destinations such as New York, Boston and San Francisco. The day tickets went on sale, they sold over 50,000 tickets in the first 24 hours.

Low-cost carriers are disrupting the transatlantic markets.

When a major competitor was told of the level of ticket sales he was reported to say: “If this is true, it’s of biblical proportions.”

Two weeks later, Willie Walsh the CEO of IAG happened to run into said reporter and asked him if this was indeed what his competitor had said, the reporter

smiled and said not quite, what he actually said was “Holy Shit”.

With new routes opening from Paris Orly and Vienna later this year, it is the staggering speed with which this airline has got off the ground that supports the recent prediction by Willie Walsh that Level will be profitable in its first year of operations.

It has been widely reported that IAG have already tabled two bids to buy Norwegian Airlines - Lufthansa are also in the hunt - but just when you think you understand this industry, enter Primera Air who this summer started flying from Stansted airport to Newark, using the brand new version of the Airbuses A321 workhorse known as the A321neo (or new engine option) which will further extend the sweep of low-cost, long haul flights, and looks likely to cause a ripple effect throughout the market.

The new aircraft fitted with a premium economy cabin can carry around 200 passengers transatlantic at a cost of 25% cheaper than the equivalent aircraft, a Boeing 757. There’s more to come next year when the A321neo LR (long range) flies another 690 miles further, given a range fully loaded of around 10 ½ hours with a per seat cost 40% lower than the 757.

Low-cost carriers with the new aircrafts are disrupting the transatlantic market, the big question is can business travel buyers be persuaded to use them?

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LUXURY TRAVEL Our new travel section indulges in places that will fuel your wanderlust.

This month, Rose Dykins discovers how Fiji is setting a new standard for eco-luxury travel

BUCKET

LIST:

Fiji

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T

ravelling to Fiji from the UK is a pilgrimage to paradise.

Spending upwards of 24 hours on a plane is a small price to pay if it means emerging from a stale, crowded cabin to breathe in the pure, tropical air of one of the most beautiful corners on earth.

Comprising 333 islands, the Fijian archipelago is a patchwork of sugarsand beaches, neon-streaked reefs, dense forest and rugged terrain. Off the nation’s west coast, surfers flock to the Mamanuca Islands for world-famous

once-in-a-lifetime holidays.

A 35-minute speedboat ride from Nadi International Airport – or a ten-minute hop in a helicopter if you’re feeling flash – transports you to Six Senses Fiji. Opened in July, this new five-star paradise on Malolo Island (among the Mamanuca Islands) is 100% solar powered. It’s the first hotel of its kind in Fiji to function off Tesla batteries, with LED lighting to minimise energy usage. The resort is also running a reforestation programme to offset the environmental impact of its construction. And its five gourmet

The Fijian archipelago is a patchwork of sugar-sand beaches, neon-streaked reefs, dense forest and rugged terrain breaks, while the volcanic Yasawas Islands offer warm, clear lagoons and beaches that seem too dreamy to be real.

Visitors either fly into Suva (the capital) or Nadi, both of which are on Viti Levu, the nation’s largest island, where the vast majority of its population are based. Visits to Fiji’s indigenous villages throughout Fiji are a firm highlight, and an eye-opener to the islanders’ dependence on the natural world.

Over the past decade, Fijian resorts have been leading the way within the global eco-luxury sector. Eco-consciousness is rising rapidly as a trend amongst luxury travellers – as Forbes declared earlier this year: “Green is the new Black.”

But more importantly, Fiji is one of the most severely affected destinations on earth when it comes to climate change – water levels are rising 6mm year-on-year, causing saltwater floods that destroy farmland, hence the need to create sustainable innovations that continue to attract tourists looking for

restaurants serve locally-inspired cuisine, with ingredients sourced from the hotel’s own vegetable garden, plus farmers, markets and fishermen from the neighbouring community.

The Six Senses Fiji’s Wellness Village includes a branded Six Senses Spa, an alchemy bar (teaching the ancient method of blending healing concoctions) and a treetop yoga pavilion. Tennis, activities for kids, hill treks, surfing, snorkelling and diving are all possible. And each villa has a designated “guest experience maker” who can arrange for guests to go island-hopping, coral planting or to enjoy a cinema under the stars.

Rates in a one bedroom Hideaway Pool Villa start from £700 per night on a bed and breakfast basis.

Visit sixsenses.com

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Gatwick Airport

Fabulous at sixty Gatwick Airport is celebrating 60 years since its official opening by the Queen in 1958, marking a momentous year for one of the UK’s busiest international airports.

Aircraft on standby 1978

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his summer marks a significant milestone for London Gatwick, as the airport celebrates 60 years since it was officially opened in its current form.

Opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 9th June 1958, Gatwick Airport became the first airport in the world to combine air, road and train travel in one close-knit single unit.

The £7.8 million construction project in 1958 transformed Gatwick into a global travel hub.

Taking over two and a half years to complete and marking a new beginning for air travel in UK, it became the first airport in the world to have a direct railway link, allowing passengers to enjoy a seamless journey from the moment their travels started.

Increased passenger demand and the modern age of air travel, with the introduction of aircraft like the Jumbo Boeing 747-400, required three runway extensions in 1964, 1970 and 1973 – the latter enabled non-stop flights from the US West Coast to begin. With an ever-increasing number of passenger planes arriving daily, Gatwick opened its new control tower in 1984, which at the time of completion was the tallest in the UK. In the same year

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the Gatwick Express was launched, further cementing Gatwick’s position as an accessible and leading destination for global travel.

In 1988, the Queen returned to open the £200m North Terminal, which in turn saw the main terminal renamed as the South. Just ten years later, a fourth runway extension was required, with easyJet’s residence at the airport starting the following year in 1999.

“The £7.8 million construction project in 1958 transformed Gatwick into a global travel hub.”

The 2000s began with extensions to both the North and South terminals, totalling £60m.

This was followed by Gatwick building the biggest air passenger bridge in the world, which totals 194m in length.

In 2012, new owners Global Infrastructure

Partners (GIP) announced a £2.5 billion investment programme, further increasing Gatwick’s standing as a world-leading airport.

That year also saw Emirates start its scheduled A380 service at Gatwick – making it one of the very few airports at the time that could accommodate the next generation of passenger airplanes.

Four years later in 2016, Gatwick opened the world’s largest self-service bag drop zone.

Unmatched in size, innovation and ambition, this highlighted Gatwick’s commitment to putting passengers at the heart of its operations by dramatically reducing queues.

Finally came the big move. Last year saw easyJet, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic all swap terminals – in just 72 hours – as part of the biggest operational reshuffle in Gatwick’s history.

Discussing the anniversary, Andy Pule, Head of Terminal Operations at Gatwick, said: “Throughout its history, Gatwick has remained at the forefront of innovation, investing billions over the years to ensure that we are constantly pushing the boundaries and delivering the best possible experience for our passengers.

Gatwick Airport

Check-in department in 1958 “It’s been an unbelievable 60 years at Gatwick and we have had a magnificent impact in making air travel accessible to millions of people.

“Now, as we move into our seventh decade, we look ahead to continuing our success story, with more global connections regularly being added to our thriving route network, and more pioneering solutions being provided to enhance the passenger experience.”

Queen Elizabeth II arriving at Gatwick by long-haul services from airlines including West Jet, Emirates, Tianjin, Cathay Pacific and Virgin Atlantic.

These airlines are attracted to the efficiency of Gatwick’s operations, with the airport handling around 290,000 arrivals and departures each year. In order to handle 950 movements on its busiest days, Gatwick relies on extensive collaboration with its airlines, air traffic control and ground handling agents to deliver the fast turnaround times that airlines and passengers rely on.

“Today, Gatwick serves 230 airports worldwide, including more than 60 long haul destinations in countries as diverse as China, the USA, Argentina, Canada, South Africa, Dubai and Hong Kong.”

Today, Gatwick serves 230 airports worldwide, including more than 60 long haul destinations in countries as diverse as China, the USA, Argentina, Canada, South Africa, Dubai and Hong Kong.

With more than 45 million passengers now passing through the airport each year, Gatwick is now the only airport in the world’s top 20 for passenger growth, that has a single runway. This growth has gone hand in hand with increasing levels of passenger service and satisfaction, driven by innovation and investment.

From more efficient security processes and bag-drop services, to the introduction of exciting new shops and restaurants, Gatwick puts the passenger at the forefront of its investment decisions to deliver a world-class experience.

Gatwick’s control tower in 1958

The airport is served by a network of more than 50 airlines, offering a unique mix of full service carriers, low-cost airlines and charter services. The top three carriers are easyJet, British Airways and Norwegian, complemented

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Sussex Innovation Centre

The investment roadmap Three companies, who have each contributed to a record year of investment at Sussex Innovation, share their experiences and advice.

The Enterprise Therapeutics team, clockwise from left: Martin Gosling (Chief Scientific Officer), Paul Russell (Project Director), Steve Collingwood (Head of Chemistry), John Ford (Chief Executive Officer), Henry Danahay (Head of Biology) and Phil Boyd (Chief Financial Officer)

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t has been supporting the region’s high-growth businesses since 1996, but Sussex Innovation continues to set high standards. The latest data from the business incubation network shows that its members achieved a new record annual total for investment over the past 12 months.

Cumulatively, 18 Sussex Innovation businesses raised £53,226,000, incorporating a range of seed, series A and series B rounds.

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Among the notable funding stories was drug development company Destiny Pharma, which floated on London’s Alternative Investment Market in September, raising £15.3m in the UK’s biggest biotech float of the year.

In this article we look at three other businesses at different stages of their journey, and hear from the management teams involved about the factors that were crucial to their successful fundraising.

Enterprise Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company specialising in therapies for respiratory disease. Founded by three ex-Novartis employees after the multinational closed its research site in Horsham in 2014, the business moved into the Sussex Innovation Centre soon afterwards.

CSO Martin Gosling is a Professor of Molecular Pharmacology within the University of Sussex Drug Discovery Centre, making the Falmer hub

Sussex Innovation Centre “Deutsche Bank have also played an important role for us in making introductions.

They are acting as our investment bank because they see the huge potential of the product and want to be the ones to manage our IPO when we get there! All these relationships have helped to demonstrate the company’s revenue potential and show that we’re serious about delivering against a welldefined growth plan.”

Advanced Material Development are the most recent Sussex Innovation Centre tenants to have raised funding, securing £750,000 of early stage funding towards realising a range of commercial applications for 2D nanomaterials [see news article, p.9] John Lee, CEO of Advanced Material Development (left) and Matthew Large of the Materials Physics Group testing a strain-sensing wearable an obvious choice as base of operations.

The business closed a £29m Series B round in April. With this latest injection of funds, Enterprise Therapeutics expect to begin testing treatments with healthy volunteers next year.

Throughout this process, founding investors Epidarex Capital have been key.

“We’ve been very privileged, in that the investment funds we’ve worked with are very nurturing and have pro-actively helped build the business,” says Prof Gosling. “We leveraged our own network to find Epidarex, who specialise in seeding early stage pharmaceutical concepts. From there, we reached out to Touchstone Innovations, who joined our Series A round.

“We also found our CEO, John Ford, who’s an experienced biotech entrepreneur through our investor network. If you can be introduced through a trusted intermediary, you’re far more likely to get the attention of a seasoned VC who’s bombarded with proposals all day, every day. Between John’s contacts and those of Epidarex and Touchstone, we had plenty of routes to get in front of people.

£2m in March through multiple investors.

The student registration and management platform is an ambitious undertaking that has required infrastructure to be built at significant scale before generating any revenue.

“We’re at the point now where the money is starting to come in, and we’re expecting our valuation to climb rapidly over the next year,” says Ben Holt, INTCAS’ director of planning.

“It’s been a difficult job raising significant investment while pre-revenue, as you’re essentially asking investors to take a leap of faith on your ability to deliver.

“For that reason, credibility was key for us. Our investors needed to have complete confidence in our board, our management team and our technology. One thing in our favour was that we had pre-signed partnership agreements with some big players; a US education portal, a Scottish qualifications authority and an agents’ network that organises higher education events around the world.

“We were prepared to lean on our network,” says CEO John Lee. “Colleagues, friends and family can open doors you might not expect. However, it’s important to be cognisant of who you’re taking money from.

The most important thing for us in this phase of our development was to find investors who could add value to the company, as well as money. If you can leverage your equity with people’s experience, that’s worth its weight in gold.

“Aside from that, our advice is to ensure you get your numbers right from the start, have a clear idea of everything that you’re going to need, and don’t scrimp on legal costs! EIS tax relief has been a great tool for us, and we’ve had good guidance about how to structure the business so that we maximise it. Giving away equity is a balancing act – you shouldn’t fear reducing your stake, if the capital and experience you get in return is worth it.

Ultimately, this round of funding has enabled us to get our first commercial partnerships in place and set us on the path to growth.”

“We were very conscious of how little time you have to make an impression with these VCs. You must keep it short and to the point when sharing a teaser deck; who you are, what you do, where you’re going. Save the more expansive vision for when you meet faceto-face. The other major piece of advice is that the team to execute an innovation is equally – if not more – important than the idea itself.”

INTCAS is a global higher education marketplace that has recently moved operations into their own premises after outgrowing their space in the Sussex Innovation Croydon hub. They are currently between Series A and B rounds, having raised

INTCAS CEO Zakaria Mahmood (front left) and team in their office at Sussex Innovation Croydon

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Women in Business

Women with Vision

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Join us as we celebrate the strength of Sussex business women at this year’s Women in Business Awards.

SPONSORS ON BOARD SO FAR ARE:

PLATINUM PUBLISHING

GROUP

IIf so, enter or nominate NOW! t is inspiring in this centenary year to hear about the formidable work that so many business women of Sussex are achieving. It is however important to acknowledge that Britain does have some of the best equality laws in the world; women are achieving better than men at every level of education; more women than men achieve the best degrees from our best universities and have done for two decades; and there are record numbers of women seeing self-employment as an attractive career option and are choosing to set up their own business.

Carolyn McCall, The Sussex Business Women company and multi award-winning Chief Executive But we still have a long way to go when it comes to those in positions of Excellence Awards 2017 is preparing entrepreneur, business lawyer of ITV and power. While we may have our second female Prime Minister, there are just for a bigger and even more exciting author of the inspirational bestseller seven women chief executives leading FTSE 100 companies, such as Carolyn McCall formerly of EasyJet event thisofyear.

We are already book ‘The Freedom Revolution’, said: and now ITV (pictured). receiving many wonderful email “It’s fantastic to see so many talented Faiza Shafeek of Carrot Events who runs these awards said: “Women can truly do it all. It’s all about entries and the hype on social Sussex business women gaining the will and determination, but most importantly the heart. The amazing business women I know don’t media, and at business recognition they deserve.

Celebrating hide their hearts, they wearnetworking them on their sleeves like a badge of honour.

To them, it’s not a sign of “I am often asked why should events is electric. achievements of successful weakness, but a sign of courage. With every beat, itthe reminds them that there is still a moment, a chance, we enter awards and what business women across the region is a possibility.” are the benefits to me or Remember ladies, that receiving anAwards - Sussex trulyEdition inspirational” The 2018 Business Women Excellence wants as many of you amazing my business. My reply is accolade yourtooutstanding work women as for possible enter the awards, you know you are worth it, or if you don’t enter then why not that winning a business or nominate as many of Sussex’s that you know, soWomen that we can celebrate achievements brings yourenterprising successesbusiness women The Sussex Business achievements.

You or they willpath in turn the light byAwards encouraging next generation of personal award will raise totheir light, and builds a positive forhelp shine Excellence will the take place women with your or their real life success stories. your profile, the profile of other women to follow. Women have on the 24th November at the Hilton Women who empower to participate fully in the economic and business made so much progresswomen in business Brighton Metropole Hotel.world across all your company, enhance your sectors has become essential to build stronger economies, achieve greater goals for development and over the years, and these awards reputation, instil trust to your sustainability, and improve the quality of life for women, lives of their families and communities across have been designed to highlight and customers and attract new Sussex and further afield. recognise their exceptional skills business, which will ultimately celebrate the 100 years since women got the vote, the Business Women Excellence Awards has not and Totalents.

The awards headline only revamped its website but has updated all the categories to reflect women in every role. Don’t miss make you more profitable. sponsor, ACUMEN BUSINESS LAW, is out on the 2018 awards, be one of the 2018 winners. Entries and nominations are now open with a new In short, it will prove you are one of the ‘Top 50 Ground-breaking easy online entry form - please go to www.businesswomenexcellenceawards.co.uk. better than your competitors.” and Innovative Law Firms in the The Business Women Excellence Awards UK and Europe’ (Financial Times).

Faiza Shafeek of Carrot Events , provides its sponsors with a wide variety of organisers of the awards Penina Shepherd, founder of the sponsorship opportunities and superb benefits allowing you to connect with other professionals who also value this opportunity to get involved within the heart of the business community and connect directly with the area’s business leaders. We can work together to customise a sponsorship package that will compliment your company’s objectives across the board and optimise both your investment and return. For more information please contact Faiza Shafeek at fs@carrotevents.co.uk

Supporting Sponsors

Category Sponsors

Media Partners

Headline Sponsor

Sponsors on board so far this year are:

Sponsorship opportunities are still available, please contact Faiza Shafeek on 01323 461298 / 07540 406685 or email fs@carrotevents.co.uk

businesswomenexcellenceawards.co.uk

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Gatwick Diamond Business

The Business perspective Redhill Garden Community is one of the best options for the regional economy says Jeremy Taylor, CEO, Gatwick Diamond Business.

The Gatwick Diamond Economic Area has a GVA of £24bn, accounting for 10% of the South East region and the second highest in the UK after the Thames Valley. With a perworker GVA of £63,500, Gatwick Diamond workers are 16% more productive than the UK economy as a whole. 70% of Gatwick Diamond businesses are in knowledge intensive services business sectors, a vital component of the British economy. Other key sectors include international medical device exports £600m from Manor Royal and defence.

T

he Gatwick Diamond economy has been successful in attracting foreign investment with 18.5% of its workers employed by a foreign owned company.

New business creation is high at 67 businesses per thousand residents, considerably higher than the UK average.

If growth in the area is not to be constrained, it is essential that the Gatwick Diamond maintains an adequate supply of flexible employment space in the right location, together with new infrastructure, healthcare and affordable housing offering a work life balance and high quality of life.

If we are to maintain the adequate supply of skilled staff and, increasingly importantly, retain our higher skilled and younger workers

needed to sustain the Gatwick Diamond, Redhill Garden Community is the best option for the future.

Redhill Garden Community, with its integrated infrastructure, healthcare, schooling, housing and modern flexible employment space - plus its connectivity - offers the ideal location and opportunity for business.

A new link road directly from the M23 would free business, emergency service and commuter traffic from being delayed at peak times, and provide easy access to the UK’s second busiest airport.

Modern, flexible employment space such as that provided by Redhill Garden Community, needs to be brought forward alongside the associated infrastructure critical to modern business if we are to avoid placing pressure on existing, already dated and sub-standard infrastructure.

“Gatwick Diamond workers are 16% more productive than the UK economy as a whole.”

The local area has direct rail links to London that will offer seamless connections to CrossRail 1 and CrossRail 2. The CrossRail projects offer destinations to the Oxford/ Cambridge arc, Heathrow Airport and the Thames Valley all on a modern rail service.

London Victoria also has good connections to London St. Pancras International and Eurostar services to continental Europe, Belgium, France, Holland and Germany.

With the proposed fast Busway delivering travellers to Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal in around 10 minutes, the potential of low cost business travel to markets in the Americas, Asia, the Middle and the Far East will be vital for the Diamond as we look to develop new markets for British goods and service exports post Brexit.

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Gatwick Diamond

Meet the Buyers

F

ollowing the success of the Gatwick Diamond Meet the Buyers event in 2017, plans are well under way for the Meet the Buyers Programme 2018, with the main event taking place on 21st November at the Arora Hotel.

Rosemary French, Executive Director of the Gatwick Diamond Initiative, said; “The 2017 Programme has generated in the region of £700,000 in orders placed or planned from suppliers, with an average spend of around £5,000. Furthermore, one of our buyers has added every one of the suppliers they have met to their tender list, so who knows how much more could be generated?”

The 2018 programme will deliver free workshops for businesses across the region to learn how to grow their business with topics including (but not limited to): • Breaking New Markets in a Post-Brexit Britain • Digital and Social Media Marketing • Effective Sales Processes and Practices • Networking for Real Business Growth • Presentation and Public Speaking Skills • Using Innovation and Sustainability in your Business Rosemary continued: “The free workshops are a key part of any business journey in

engaging with new buyers. Alongside being in the room on the 21st November to meet buyers, suppliers need to develop their skills as well as make sure they follow up with those they have met.”

Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Development, Councillor Peter Smith, said: “After the success of the 2017 Gatwick Diamond Meet the Buyers programme, I would urge all suppliers to sign up to the 2018 programme to benefit from the

range of expertise on offer as well as use the opportunity to network and build your client base.”

Alison Addy, Head of Community Engagement at Gatwick Airport, said, “We’ve been partners with the Gatwick Diamond Meet the Buyers since 2002, and are pleased to see the programme develop from strength to strength. Gatwick is a major economic driver for the Southeast region and we are committed to working with our partners to support a strong local supply chain, whilst also boosting local business opportunities.”

For 2018 there will be an online matching service which will allow buyers to state their needs and suppliers to put forward the products and services they can provide. Buyers will then select appointments with potential suppliers that match their needs.

Further information can be found at www.

GatwickDiamondMeettheBuyers. com or call 01293 813889.

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EST IN 1864 UNVEILING IN 2018 #grandmoments

www.grandbrighton.co.uk

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TheGrandHotelBrighton

@GrandBrighton

@thegrandbrighton

Business Advisory Service

Success in the City Brighton’s leading business advisory firm, Quantuma celebrates the success of this year’s BAHBA winners.

Q

uantuma, the leading business advisory firm, is delighted to have been a sponsor at this year’s Brighton and Hove Business Awards (BAHBAs).

The company, which has had an office at Frederick Place in the centre of Brighton for more than five years, also helped judge the Professional Services category. One of the judges was Sean Bucknall, a partner at Quantuma’s Brighton office, who is an insolvency practitioner and qualified accountant with a degree in Economics and Business.

Mr Bucknall’s specialism is assisting professional practices, with a focus on distressed legal practices, informal debt negotiation and contentious litigation. He has worked for Quantuma in Brighton since 2013, and before that worked at RSM Tenon Recovery, a Brighton company that was purchased by Quantuma in the same year.

Mr Bucknall, a keen Brighton and Hove Albion fan, said: “Quantuma was proud to be a sponsor at these awards, and was excited by the quality of so many entrants.

“It is clear to us that Brighton’s thriving business sector is growing, and we were keen to show our confidence in the town by playing our part at celebrating its best companies.”

Another judge in the Professional Services category was Maxine Reid, also a partner at Quantuma’s Brighton office. Ms Reid is an insolvency practitioner who joined Quantuma in February, having spent the last nine years based in Eastbourne and the previous seven years in Kent, Sussex and London.

Sean Bucknall

Her specialisms are formal and informal business restructures, personal debt advice, asset tracing, litigation and investigation into fraudulent activity.

Ms Reid said: “One of the things that we’ve noticed about the town is the arrival of several businesses that had previously left the area to focus on other locations.

“When companies come back, you know it’s because they’ve missed the area, and the fact that Brighton’s been successful in attracting such relocations says a lot about the town, its services and the focused business community.”

Quantuma works with businesses at key milestones, delivering partner-led solutions to help clients take advantage of opportunities and overcome a range of operational and financial challenges, enabling them to achieve their business objectives and ambitions.

and Weymouth.

Mr Bucknall said: “Both as a local office here in Brighton and as a wider firm, Quantuma is adequately resourced to not only provide advice when a distress situation arises but also to support firms with a variety of services before any such stage arises.”

Ms Reid said: “Everyone at Quantuma is passionate about providing quality advice to help business owners and individuals who find themselves in financial distress, often through no fault of their own. All advice given is confidential and initial consultations are completely free of charge.”

Commenting on the BAHBAs, Mr Bucknall said that Quantuma was always keen to celebrate success, and thoroughly enjoyed watching the winners collect their awards in all categories.

While the company is predominantly a business advisory and restructuring firm, it offers many additional services ranging from corporate finance to forensic investigations.

Ms Reid added: “Quantuma would like to congratulate all winners, including our winner, Cardens Accountants for the Professional Services category award - very well deserved!”

As well as its full-service office in Brighton, Quantuma has a further nine offices in London, Southampton, Marlow, Watford, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Ringwood

For more information about Quantuma, please visit www.quantuma.com

Maxine Reid

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The Mid Sussex Business Expo

Game on Let the games begin at Net Xpress’ Mid Sussex Business Expo.

W

ith Network Xpress’ debut Chichester Business Exhibition being by all accounts a success, we can now drive our time and energy into our third event of the year - our flagship expo taking place at the South of England Showgrounds in Ardingly. The Mid Sussex Business Expo takes place on the 27th of September and is our biggest event of the year, with over 100 stands, three great local speakers and guests from across Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Kent.

For the past two years the business event has been held in Burgess Hill at the Kings Centre but has now outgrown the venue.

Needing more space and more parking, Net XP required something bigger, bolder and yet familiar to our guests.

After searching tirelessly, we bumped into the events’ manager of the South of England Events Centre at a networking event held by the Sussex Chamber of Commerce late last year. The rest, as they say, is history.

But what is Network Xpress, or Net XP as it’s fondly nicknamed? As the creator and events director of the brand, I describe Net XP as a business events company with a gaming twist! Each event has a gaming theme, be it billiards, golf, ten-pin bowling or roulette, with the event sponsor deciding which games are chosen. A number of different game themes are on the horizon for future events, like football, tennis and cricket.

Beyond its buzzword credentials, gamification has earned its place as an effective business principle. It can transform a range of sectors from fitness to military recruitment. Introducing game elements into a non-game setting works by triggering

Dress down, not up for Net XP events, and save your tie for your cousins wedding. emotions such as intrigue, competitiveness and excitement. New ways of applying this simple but effective methodology are continually being found and business networking is just one of the many fields that could benefit.

But what is gamification?

At its most basic, gamification uses game mechanics to reward participants for completing tasks. Take Nike+ for example, the fitness app acts as an addictive grown-up equivalent of a toddler’s sticker chart. Such apps track users running statistics, measure individual progress towards goals, and

encourages them to share their achievements on social media. The net effect is to encourage more running (which ultimately boosts sales of Nike products) and increase brand loyalty.

Net XP utilises elements of gamification to award businesses with prizes for taking quizzes on its games centre on the Net XP website.

The current system is even being redeveloped with an even more interactive programme to be ready for 2019.

Watch this space as it’s GAME ON with Net XP. Visit the site and register your interest at netxp.co.uk

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Charity News

All things great Karen Brailey, Community Team Manager at Chestnut Tree House gives us an update on events at Chestnut Tree House this summer.

I

love summer with Chestnut Tree House. There is always plenty going on and this year promises to be no different. We are usually fully booked at the house during the school holidays, and our community nursing team are always busy visiting families at home and taking children out to enjoy their local communities in the sunshine.

On top of the care we offer all day every day, we put on a range of additional activities for the whole family, including youth groups, siblings days and grandparents events. In June a group of grandparents who all have grandchildren currently being cared for by Chestnut Tree House enjoyed afternoon tea courtesy of the Hydro Hotel in Eastbourne.

Grandparents face unique challenges when it comes to caring for children with life-shortening conditions. As well as providing care for their grandchild, who may have complex needs that means they need round-the-clock care, they are also providing vital support to their own grown-up child. And whilst their peers might be enjoying a wide range of fun days out and activities with their grandchildren, - marking major milestones or making big plans for the future - this isn’t usually the reality for the grandparents of a sick child.

It is for these reasons that the event in June was so valuable.

Grandparents had a chance to come together with others who have

Chestnut Tree House - gardens similar experiences to them, to talk openly about the difficulties they face and to share their children’s and grandchildren’s achievements.

At the House in June, we were treated to a visit from children’s author, Julia Donaldson, and her husband Malcolm, who are Patrons of Chestnut Tree House for 2018. They spent the afternoon with a group of 20 children and family members, providing a unique storytelling experience in our Woodland Walk.

They recreated three family favourites: The Gruffalo, A Squash and a Squeeze, and Superworm, using promenade theatre to involve the children and make the most of the natural woodland setting. Some children and members of our care team even got involved, playing the different characters featured in the stories.

Julia, Malcolm and the children performing Superworm

Our Activities Coordinator also encouraged the children to immerse themselves in Julia’s stories with a themed activity, where they created and named their own monster to show Julia. It was a truly magical afternoon and we are so grateful to Julia and Malcolm for taking the time to visit us and helping these families to make some truly special memories. Everyone loved the experience and really felt like they were involved in something special. Moments are precious to all of us, but even more so when you have a child with a life-shortening condition.

You can find out more about the care offered by Chestnut Tree House, including how to access our care and ways to get involved, at www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk

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Working together to

resource the world Veolia are the UK’s leading recycling and waste management provider.

Our 30-year contract with East Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council delivers an integrated waste management service designed to increase recycling, composting and energy recovery.

We’re dedicated to protecting and enhancing the environment. Be it community-based projects and educational programmes in our visitor centres, or the transformation of our landfill sites into rich areas of biodiversity, we provide waste management services that focus on the importance of environmental protection.

For more information about how Veolia can help turn your waste into a resource, please contact:

01273 511310

www.veolia.co.uk/southdowns You can also follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/veoliauk

Resourcing the world

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SHOW SPONSORS

Chamber Listings

Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce BITE-SIZED LEARNING: HOW TO ACCELERATE YOUR GDPR COMPLIANCE Date: Thursday 9th August Time: 9:30am-11:30am Venue: The 1st Central County Ground, Eaton Road, Hove Price: £44-£54 For many businesses, GDPR has been a huge worry over the last few months but fortunately, it doesn’t have to be difficult. In this Bite-sized Learning session, you’ll discover how to accelerate your compliance with GDPR so you don’t fall foul of enforcement.

Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce & Industry CHAMBER BREAKFAST Date: Tuesday 7th August Time: 7am Venue: The Hydro Hotel, Mount Road, Eastbourne Price: £10 Breakfast meeting with guest speaker David Kerr from Kerr Consulting. There will be a choice of full English or Continental breakfast and an opportunity to network and showcase your business.

THE ‘LUCKY’ BREAKFAST Date: Friday 10th August Time: 7:45am-9.30am Venue: Carluccio’s, 1 Jubilee Street, Brighton Price: £20 Matt Wright’s latest project is Check Your Food Ltd, running two high-end nutrition sites. But has his hugely successful and diverse career all been down to luck? It’s a question he’ll be answering during the breakfast.

AIRBOURNE LUNCH

THE ‘NOT-SO-SCARY’ POP-UP BREAKFAST

CHAMBER BREAKFAST

Date: Wednesday 19th September Time: 9am-11am Venue: The New Club, 133-134 Kings Road, Brighton Price: £20 Andy Croll is a freelance chief technology officer, conference organiser, author, speaker and parent of twins. Andy will be talking about the transitory nature of his career in software, and how that has helped him make good decisions in both life and business.

LATER THIS YEAR BRIGHTON SUMMIT: LOOK UP Date: Friday 12th October Time: 8:30am-6pm Venue: The Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, Brighton Price: £95-£115 Look Up is the theme of the 2018 Brighton Summit. You’ll get fresh perspective, approaches and ways of working that are genuinely new to you, skills and techniques that will help your organisation thrive and the tools and confidence to do things differently. You’ll engage in high-return networking with liked-minded business people. It’s the most productive and beneficial day out of the office all year.

Discount code for Platinum Business Magazine readers: For £10 off your ticket, enter the code Platinum at the checkout.

T: 01273 719097 E: events@businessinbrighton.org.uk W: www.businessinbrighton.org.uk/events

Date: Friday 17th August Time: 12pm-5pm Venue: The View Hotel, Grand Parade, Eastbourne Price: £45 for a three-course carvery One of our most popular annual events - enjoy a drink on arrival, a three-course carvery lunch and amazing air displays, all from the comfort of The View Hotel with access to the roof terrace.

Date: Tuesday 21st August Price: 7am Venue: The Beach Club, Grand Parade Price: £10 A choice of full English or Continental breakfast and an opportunity to network.

BIKE NIGHT ORGANISED BY EDEAL ENTERPRISE AGENCY Date: Wednesday 29th August Time: 6pm Venue: Terminus Road, Eastbourne Bikers from across the region are invited to attend from 6pm as the seafront end of Terminus Road is closed off to normal traffic.

Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy live music and a bite to eat in some of the best restaurants in town. The event is sponsored by Shaw Harley Davidson and Swintons.

EDEAL FIRST FRIDAY BUSINESS NETWORKING Date: Friday 7th September Time: 12.30pm Venue: The Cavendish Hotel, 38 Grand Parade, Eastbourne Price: Free to attend The First Friday Network is a monthly free to attend business networking event. An informal gathering in a welcoming environment where people feel relaxed and are free to present a 60 second elevator pitch.

T: 01323 641144 E: info@eastbournechamber.co.uk W: www.eastbourneunltd.co.uk/events-networking/

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Chamber Listings

Sussex Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Worthing Chamber of Commerce & Industry

GLOBAL GROWTH

CHAMBER HUB

Date: Thursday 16th August Time: 8am-10:30am Venue: Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club, Eastbourne Price: Member £25 I Non-members £35 (prices exclude VAT) Sarah Carroll from Global Growth Ltd will provide digital e-commerce strategies and Clive Bonny from Strategic Management Partners will highlight keys aspects to protecting your intellectual property.

Date: Friday 10th August Time: 12:30pm-2:30pm Venue: Impulse Leisure, Lancing Price: Free Spend your lunchtime enjoying some informal networking with likeminded business people. Chamber Hub is a well-established, popular networking event which attracts a vast selection of local businesses.

CONNECT WITH SUSSEX CHAMBER – NON-MEMBERS ONLY

NETWORKING BREAKFAST

Date: Tuesday 21st August Time: 9am-11am Venue: WWT Arundel, Arundel Price: Free for non-members only Meet one of our Membership Executive Team members and explore the benefits of membership.

BUSINESS NETWORKING LUNCH Date: Thursday 30th August Time: 12pm-2:30pm Venue: University of Chichester (Bognor Regis Campus), Bognor Regis Price: Members £21 I Non-members £30 (prices exclude VAT) Rob Warwick from the University of Chichester and Jono Oswin from Jiminy Consulting will provide updates on Leadership and Management initiatives.

BUSINESS NETWORKING LUNCH Date: Tuesday 4th September Time: 12pm-2:30pm Venue: Holiday Inn, Gatwick Price: Members £28 I Non-members £36 (prices exclude VAT) Anastassia Beliakova, Head of Trade Policy from the British Chambers of Commerce will update the audience on trade discussions with government.

POLICY & EXTERNAL AFFAIRS FORUM Date: Friday 7th September Time: 9am-11am Venue: The White Swan, Chichester Rd, Arundel Price: Free for both members and non-members Nick Herbert CBE MP for Arundel & South Downs and Louise Goldsmith, Leader at West Sussex County Council will both provide an update on the local economy. This is your opportunity to have a voice and raise any issues.

T: 01444 259259 E: info@sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk W: www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

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Date: Friday 28th September Time: 7:30am-9am Price: Members £14 +VAT I Non-members £19 +VAT Includes a full English breakfast, tea, coffee and juice. Come along to a networking breakfast with Tim Hague, Director of property and development of Shoreham Port, who will talk to us about the upcoming developments and projects at Shoreham Port.

NEW STYLE BREAKFAST CHAT Date: Tuesday 18th September Time: 7am-9am Venue: Arundel Restaurant, GB MET, Durrington Join us for the launch of our new monthly networking breakfast. Use this chance to promote your business in a room full of like-minded business people. This event is a new style, informal networking breakfast.

CHAMBER HUB Date: Friday 21st September Time: 12:30pm-2:30pm Venue: Impulse Leisure, Lancing Price: Free Spend your lunchtime enjoying some informal networking with likeminded business people. Chamber Hub is a well-established, popular networking event which attracts a vast selection of local businesses.

CHAMBER QUIZ NIGHT Date: Thursday 4th October Time: 7pm-10:30pm Venue: Care for Veterans, Gifford House, Boundary Road, Worthing Price: £10 per person (includes a jacket potato with either chilli or cheese and beans) Don’t miss out on the Chamber quiz night.

We will be raising funds for Care for Veterans with teams of up to six people. We are also making up a couple of Chamber teams that you are welcome to join.

T: 01903 203484 E: info@worthingandadurchamber.co.uk W: www.worthingandadurchamber.co.uk

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Institute of Directors

Strength in numbers

I

f, as I am sure is the case, you avidly read this magazine from cover to cover each month you will have noted in the last edition my passion for ice hockey. You may even have picked up on my comment about it being the ultimate team sport. Having the best player in the world on your team may well help you when that player is on the ice, but (in my view more so than other sports) that one player will not be able to deliver glory on their own. Around the “star” there will need to be other players whether they are playing one level below, or are there to grind down and tire the opposition or “just” to get in the way of a sold projectile travelling at 80mph plus to keep it out of the net.

In business too there are very few examples of the success being down to the performance of a single individual.

There may be many examples of a business being synonymous with a particular individual - for example Microsoft and Bill Gates, Apple and Steve Jobs, Virgin and Richard Branson.

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By Dean Orgill, Chair of Sussex IoD and Chairman of Mayo Wynne Baxter www.mayowynnebaxter.co.uk www.iod.com

But whilst such successful individuals are generally happy to be associated with the plaudits and the praise, they would no doubt all acknowledge that the ultimate success of the business is not down to them alone. Indeed many successful leaders fully acknowledge that part of their skill is knowing what they are not good at, bringing others into the business with a higher level of skill at a particular task and then getting out of their way.

It can be tempting, especially with either a smaller business, or one that you have built up to significant size through your own efforts and sacrifices, to try to retain control and responsibility for everything – but ultimately will that prove to be the best path, particularly when you look to exit?

If it is tempting not to allow others to help perhaps we need to think that the likelihood is that the building of the business was not as much of a solo effort as we tend to think.

Maybe there was a faithful employee who

has been an assistant loyally supporting us by doing apparently menial but probably essential tasks. There may be a family that also endured a lot of sacrifice and/or pitched in unpaid on countless occasions.

It may be an old cliché that “no man is an island” but does that make it less true? Nor does it have to be the case. There is a lot of talent in our markets, either to be employed or engaged on another basis. Making use of that talent pool may not only alleviate some of the loneliness (and stress) that can come with running a business, but also gives access to skills that may well improve it significantly.

Being open to team work may just take the business up a level.

JUST A THOUGHT What weakness of yours could someone else usefully cover for you?

When BUSINESS meets SPORT

SUCCESS IN TANDEM

INTERVIEW WITH PARALYMPIC GOLD MEDAL CYCLIST KATIE-GEORGE DUNLEVY

INSIDE:

ALBION: SECOND SEASON SYNDROME? ACTIVE SUSSEX HICKSTEAD NEW: MOTORSPORT NETWORK MY CLUB

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COMMUNITY

ACTIVE SUSSEX

Schools go head to head at the Games

H

eld at the fantastic K2 Crawley on Wednesday 27th June, this year’s Sussex School Games saw local children and young people aged 7-16 taking part on the day. More than 1,000 children competed for medals in 11 competitions across a range of sports including athletics, golf, netball, hockey, stoolball, football, hockey, and gymnastics.

84 schools from all over the county took part in the fiercely contested festival of sport.

The event, dubbed a ‘mini-Olympics’, is an exciting and fully inclusive competition for school children in England. The Sussex event is just one of 120 regional School Games events taking place nationwide.

By design, the School Games look to motivate, enthuse and inspire young people in Sussex to take part in competitive sport. However, this year with the Change4Life programme for non-competing children, they also had more than 70 additional children joining in on specialist table tennis and climbing sessions.

With the introduction of this new programme alongside the traditional format, the event was also increasingly focused on building young people’s passion for sport and physical activity and encouraging life-long activity habits.

by Active Sussex Corporate partner Freedom Leisure.

The opening ceremony saw special guest, wheelchair basketball athlete and seven-time Paralympian, Simon Munn MBE welcome participants and deliver a motivational speech.

Simon said: “It’s fantastic to be at the Sussex School Games and to be able to inspire the next generation of athletes. Being a seven-time Paralympian and having played for 26 years at top level, I want to share my experiences with the younger generation who are coming through.

“Competitive sport gives you the opportunity to travel the world, compete for your country and to form life-long friendships. I would encourage the young people of Sussex to get involved in sport, to train hard and to follow their dreams! The next Olympians and Paralympians could be competing at this Games!”

Sadie Mason MBE, Active Sussex Chief Executive went on to say: “2018 has been

another successful year for school sport and this event simply couldn’t happen without the support of our funders, local partners and local organisers. They work tirelessly from September onwards running the level 1 and 2 schools events which feed into today’s grand finale. We would therefore like to say a big thank you to our corporate partner Freedom Leisure and our School Games Organisers for their continued support.

“Through organising the Sussex School Games, Active Sussex are delighted to be able to provide a platform for the next generation of Sussex’s sensational sports stars. We are proud to see so many young people participating in sport and physical activity, developing their passion and realising their potential.”

The Games are organised by a local organising committee made up of Active Sussex, the Sussex School PE and Sport Network (SGOs), National Governing Bodies of Sport, volunteers and head teachers. The event is backed by National Lottery Funding from Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust and is sponsored

The Sussex School Games is our annual event for Sussex schoolchildren.

If your business would like to get involved then please get in touch with Active Sussex CEO Sadie Mason at smason@activesussex.org.

Special guest – Simon Munn MBE

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SPORTS NEWS

SPORTS NEWS ATHLETICS, FOOTBALL AND CYCLING The European Athletics Championships take place this month in Berlin followed by the Para-Athletics eight days later. August also sees the return of the football season with the Premier League kicking off a week after the rest. Following on from last month’s Tour de France, the beginning of next month sees the Tour of Britain. The race starts in Glasgow and will end in London with the stages covering 1308.5km.

Only the final two stages of the event are flat runs with all the rest being hilly stages.

Closer to home, Eastbourne hosts the start of the Women’s Tour of Sussex stage race, which returns for its second year from September 6th-9th.

NEW BRITISH SPORTING RECORD On Friday 15th June, Neil Laughton organised a team to take on the British and World Records for riding the furthest on a Penny Farthing round an open velodrome in one hour. The world record was set in 1886 by a young American racing cyclist at 22.1 miles and the British record in 1891 is 21.2 miles. The day was hot and quite windy so the team “lost” a second or two per 78 laps of the Herne Hill track and just missed out on the World record by 28 seconds but, Mark Beaumont achieved a new British Record of 21.9 miles.

“It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up” Muhammed Ali

CRICKET

TENNIS

On the local scene, the Sussex Sharks Visually Impaired cricket team claimed their place at the British Blind Sport Memorial Cup Final after an impressive eight wicket win away to Lancashire on Saturday 30th June. They will face London Metro in the final on the 1st September at a venue yet to be arranged. The pair last met in the 2010 Cup final at The Ageas Bowl, where Sussex lifted the trophy.

The US Open at Flushing Meadow in New York takes place this month with Rafael Nadal defending the Men’s Singles title. Sloane Stephens won her first Grand Slam title in the Ladies Singles and will be looking to recapture some of that form as she seeks to get over the disappointment of losing in the first round at Wimbledon.

“I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father!”

Greg Norman

NETBALL Commonwealth champions England have moved up to second place in the world netball rankings for the first time. England have overtaken New Zealand but remain behind Australia, the team they beat to win on the Gold Coast. It’s the first time in 10 years that Australia and New Zealand have not been in the top two places.

Talking of tennis, Judy Murray (Andy Murray’s Mum) was in Eastbourne recently speaking on behalf of She Rallies, an initiative that she founded with the Lawn Tennis Association to retain and increase the number of female players and coaches across the UK. Over 40 girls from Eastbourne took part in a range of tennis activities and 60 women from across the South East were trained to become She Rallies Activators – volunteers tasked with running community-based tennis programmes for girls.

FORMULA ONE While Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel continue to battle it out for both the Driver’s Championship and the Constructor’s Championship, the end of August sees round 13 of 21 take place with the Belgian Grand Prix at SpaFrancorchamps, with next month seeing races at Monza, Singapore and Sochi in Russia.

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INTERVIEW

FOOTBALL

Shilton Shorts

Y

ou may remember last month I mentioned (thanks to Extech Ltd) that I had attended the Best of British event held at the Grand Hotel in Brighton raising money for Rockinghorse, with special guest speaker, legendary England Goalkeeper Peter Shilton OBE. I was fortunate enough to be able to make contact with the great man and ask him some quick fire questions about his football career.

Over your whole career, what was the best save you ever made?

The Extech Ltd table with Peter and Steph Shilton

There were two: A save for Nottingham Forest at Coventry City on the day we won the First Division (now Premiership) and in 1973 for England against Scotland from Kenny Dalglish.

What’s your biggest regret from your playing days?

You won two European Cups with Nottingham Forest, but what was the most memorable moment of your career?

On the international stage, it was reaching the World Cup Semi-Final in Italy 1990 with England, and at club level, it was winning the European Club with Nottingham Forest for the second time after beating Hamburg 1-0 in Madrid.

Not winning the FA Cup and not qualifying for the World Cup in 1974 after drawing 0-0 with Poland at Wembley! I could have played in five World Cups!

Who in your opinion is the best goalkeeper in the world today?

Gianluigi Buffon of Italy has been but now it’s not that clear.

Avoiding Second Season Syndrome Brighton & Hove Albion have another season in the Premiership to look forward to but the fear is whether the Seagulls are going to have that ‘second season syndrome’ - where opposing teams will now know the style of play that Brighton adopt and how to counteract it!

Some will suggest this will be a much bigger test awaiting Chris Hughton’s men, but unlike previous seasons at the Amex, the Seagulls moved quickly in the transfer window to land Nigerian central defender, Leon Balogun from German side Mainz 05, striker Florin Andone from Deportivo La Coruna for an undisclosed fee together with goalkeeper Jason Steele from Sunderland.

This followed the release of German defender Uwe Huenemeier and the departures of Conor Goldson to Steven Gerrard’s Rangers and longstanding reserve keeper Nikki Maenpaa.

Albion have also agreed to sign RB Leipzig defender Bernardo Fernandes da Silva Junior for an undisclosed fee. The 23-year-old Brazilian full-back, known simply as Bernardo, becomes the club’s fourth first team signing of the summer and joins on a four-year deal. Additionally, the Player of the Season Pascal Gross has agreed an extended contract, following an impressive first season in England. The 26-year-old German playmaker signed a new deal with the club until June 2022.

With the further arrivals of Yves Bissouma and Percy Tau, and the news that Solly March has signed a new contract, Seagulls fans have every reason to believe that come May 2019, the Seagulls will have justifiably cemented their rightful place in the Premiership for a third season… fingers crossed!

Florin Andone

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VIP Hospitality Packages with Platinum Sports Group

3 - 24 November 2018

Royal Ascot 18 - 22 June 2019

O2 Arena Events Throughout 2018-2019

Cheltenham Festival 12 - 15 March 2019

Platinum Sports Group are a leading provider of corporate and VIP hospitality packages at over 50 major sporting events across the UK and Europe. We work closely as a supplier of official hospitality for many of the major sporting events including all Rugby, Football, Boxing, Horse racing, Tennis, Motorsport and Golf, and also concerts and events at the O2 Arena, London.

We pride ourselves on innovation and customer service are at the heart of what we do. We’re passionate about delivering the ultimate experience, guaranteeing any sporting spectacle or cultural event is one to remember.

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Contact our team today on: sales@platinumsports.uk | 0203 205 7149

www.platinumsports.uk

RUGBY

PULBOROUGH RFC

The Flying Swans Ahead of the new rugby season in September, we focus on women’s rugby and specifically the recent success of one of our county’s sides, Pulborough RFC.

T

he emblem of Pulborough RFC, a small rural rugby club in the heart of West Sussex, is a ‘Flying Swan’ and the clubs Under 18 Girls side certainly lived up to that emblem last season.

Twice during the last three years they have flown high and been crowned National Champions of England, in 2016 and again this year 2018 – in the intervening year they were unlucky to lose out in the semi-final.

This year Pulborough beat the girls from Newark RFC 36-7 in the final played at Ealing Trailfinders RFC in West London. Lots of the girls have come through the girls age groups at the club or joined PRFC from elsewhere to experience the excellent training regime, facilities and the full backing of the Pulborough club, who have embraced girls’ rugby wholeheartedly. The club now has some 95 girls playing at levels from Under 11 through to the Under 13’s (County Champions) and Under 15’s (County Champions) up to the highly successful Under 18 squad plus a newly formed ladies team.

This thriving situation is reaping its rewards. Jessie Breach of Harlequins and England Ladies (who scored six tries in her first full international and five more in her second) has become a figurehead for the younger PRFC girls to aspire to. Indeed, when meeting all four PRFC Girls sides at the Worthing RFC 10’s Tournament, Jessie brought along her Commonwealth Games Bronze Medal and helped give the end of season awards out at the club.

Three other ex-Pulborough girls are also playing for Harlequins RFC and

Pulborough U18 Girls 'CHAMPIONS' Bluebell Nicholls played for Cambridge University in the ladies Varsity match this year. Of the current Under 18 girls two have played for the England U19 development side – Louisa Ward and Lauren Fisher. Flo Robinson has also been asked to join the England U18 girls 7’s squad for two Home Nations 7’s tournaments.

For the fledgling ladies team, we have already seen some ex-U18 girls stepping up to play in the senior women’s side and most notably – a first for PRFC and most clubs, a mother Paula Whittington playing for the Ladies with her twin daughters, Hannah & Calley! All in all, Pulborough RFC girls are a force to reckoned with as we look forward to the 2018/19 season and hopefully continued success on the field.

Anyone wanting to know more about PRFC girls or to sponsor the Club, please contact Keith Woodcock at woodcockipad@gmail.com

Flo Robinson Pulborough’s Scrum Half scoring a try in the final

Platinum Rugby

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EVENT

GOLF

James Ross Charity Golf Day

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ow in its seventh year, this everpopular event raised money for three fabulous charities, namely the RNLI, the Adur Special Needs Project and Teenage Cancer Trust.

James Ross was invited to host proceedings at West Hove Golf Club and with glorious sunshine and not a cloud in the sky, 24 teams took part in the charity day including former Sussex Cricket captain Chris Adams and his daughter (and Sussex Women’s Cricket captain) Georgia Adams, plus former Brighton & Hove footballer, John Templeman.

The event was won by ladies’ team, The Blubelles and all the teams helped contribute to James’ most successful event yet. The evening saw a threecourse meal and an auction, with prizes (courtesy of Fundraising Auctions) including a signed Cristiano Ronaldo shirt, a 5* Florence Spa Break for two and a seven-night stay in a Spanish apartment.

“I’ve got this!” Leigh Karadzas, LK Carpentry

“What notes? I’m a professional!” James Ross on the mic

All together the event raised an impressive £8,140 on the day! Well done to everyone involved including the tireless efforts of Terry Pierce in making sure things went smoothly on the day together with Nick Ford Photography for his support throughout the day and taking some amazing photos.

James would like to thank everyone for their support and wish them a great summer.

Rob Callow, Sam Nichols, Mark Brown and Mark Selling, from Fore Business Golf networking

The winning team ‘Blubelles’ (Susie Barnard, Jane Hopkin, Angie Tarry and Marge Fenwick)

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The best shot out of a bunker?! James Johnson of Picture Book Films and Newhaven Lifeboat Crew shows us how

MOTOR SPORTS

LE MANS

Endurance and efficiency

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he 24 hour Le Mans race is probably one of the most famous and glamorous races in the world. It is also the world’s oldest active sports car race having started in 1923. It is considered one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world and has been called the “Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency”. The event represents one leg of the Triple Crown of Motorsport; other events being the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix.

This race influenced many events with the 24-hour format such as Daytona, Nurburgring, Spa-Francorchamps and Bathurst. The most successful Le Mans driver of all time is Danish driver Tom Kristensen, who won it a total of nine times, seven of them with Audi and his latest win was in 2013.

The Triple Crown is a beast to achieve as it entails winning three of the toughest races in the world. Winning one is quite an achievement but three! This crown has only ever been handed to one man, British racing legend Graham Hill, who won Monaco five times, the Indianapolis 500 in 1966 and Le Mans in 1972.

Fernando Alonso

Now we have another driver attempting to knock Hill off the top spot and that man is Formula One driver, and two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso. He is currently with McLaren but having a pretty bad time of it as the team struggle to build a competitive car and, with the strong suspicion that he is ready to hang up his F1 helmet, the chance to take the Triple Crown is appearing too strong to resist.

become only the second driver to win the Triple Crown, and few people would bet against it as he is generally regarded as one of the finest drivers the sport has ever produced.

In the early days, Le Mans was regarded as one of the most dangerous tracks after a 1955 accident that killed driver Pierre Levegh and more than 80 spectators. In the wake of that disaster, many rules and tracks were changed and spectators were corralled into safer spaces to prevent a repeat of such a disaster.

A weekend at Le Mans is an absolute treat and the next race is June 15th 2019 You can find all the information on their website at www.lemansrace.com/motorsport-events/le-mans-24-hours

He won the Monaco GP in 2006 and then went onto Le Mans, lifting the title with co-drivers Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi in his debut race for Toyota this year. The Indy 500 has eluded him after entering in 2017 and coming in 29th in the field. With his F1 career reaching its end and no top team looking to take him on, his final hurrah would be to

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INTERVIEW

Success in Tandem

Ahead of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Maniago, Italy, Laurence Elphick met up with Katie-george Dunlevy, Ireland’s Paralympic Gold Medal Cyclist.

Even though you represent Ireland, you have strong Sussex links…

I was born and bred in Crawley and I went to Copthorne Convent and then Holy Cross in Ifield until the age of 13. I’m one of six girls and was brought up in Gossops Green where we had lots of fun. It was great growing up, but I do have a few memories of struggling in class.

I especially struggled with ball sports as unbeknown to me, I had a problem with my peripheral vision, so there’d be lots of kids running around while I’d be missing the ball and running into the other children!

Everyone was unaware of the problem, I wore glasses and didn’t know any different. Now I don’t know what normal people can see because it’s what I’m used to.

When did you find out you had problems with your sight?

When I went to the opticians for a routine visit at the age of eleven.

They told mum and dad that they thought I had this eye condition and suggested I visit Moorfields (Eye Hospital). It was confirmed that I had a genetic degenerative eye condition, called Retinitis Pigmentosa. My family were devastated as you can imagine. Basically, people lose their sight in different stages, but my condition is quite slow and stable. But we were told I could lose my sight by the age of thirty!

I have tunnel vision and my peripheral vision has gone completely now.

When I go from outside in bright light to a dark room inside I can’t see a thing; it takes longer than other people for my sight to readjust. I didn’t want to be different, so I refused help and ended up crying a lot.

I remember screaming at my mum insisting I could see, but realistically I couldn’t! I had some sight, so I thought it was normal! It was very traumatic for me because I didn’t understand it.

What happened next?

Two years later, my parents put me in the Royal London Society for the Blind school in Sevenoaks and I hated it at first because I didn’t want to go. It took me a while to settle in, but I ended up loving it because I became involved in all the activities and sports. I stayed for three years

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A proud Katie-george at home in Gossops Green and even went away to compete in National School’s competitions at swimming and athletics. I remember my first competition, I was so nervous I couldn’t do it properly! I gained confidence and started to do well, and I would say that really helped me for the future.

You first represented Great Britain in rowing, how did that come about?

I won a bronze medal in the 400m when I was seventeen at the Blind Sports Associations European Athletics Championships, and when I was at University in my second year I got a call from the GB para-rowing coach. It was the first time they were putting together a crew for the World Championships and I am one of the first athletes of Great Britain’s Para-rowing high performance team. As my first experience at that level, I wanted to perform well. After being inspired by the Olympics in 2004, I took on the challenge and managed to win Gold in Spain in 2004 and Japan in 2005. Between 2005 and 2007 I had multiple

PARA-CYCLING rib fractures, one ending my chance of competing at the 2006 World Championships which I’d been selected for after winning the trials earlier in the year. I fractured my rib for the third time when competing only four weeks before, and for my wellbeing the medical staff decided to take me out of the boat. For the next five years, I continued to train unsupported, with the hopes of getting back into the boat, but unfortunately remained as a sub for five years. This was very tough for me mentally and physically and so I subsequently lost motivation, confidence and ended up completely emotionally drained.

In 2011, you got asked to try out cycling and represent Ireland, rather than GB? In 2010 I heard Ireland were putting together a rowing team and as my dad is from Donegal I was eligible to play for Ireland. So, I went over to Limerick and trained over there every couple of weeks. In 2011 I trialled for the Ireland team for the Olympics but missed out on selection. Then the Irish para-cycling coach asked me for a trial which was in August that year and that’s how I came to represent Ireland.

and we just hit it off. In our first road race, we won two Bronze medals and I knew we had something special. We then had two and a half years to train for the Paralympics in Rio.

You were only a year away from London 2012, so was that on your mind?

How important is the relationship between a ‘pilot’ and a ‘stoker’?

I hadn’t been selected for the Paralympics in Beijing and began to think it wasn’t going to happen, so when the cycling opportunity came along I grabbed it with both hands. It was funny when they told me they wanted me to go to the World Championships in six weeks time, but they hadn’t seen me on a bike yet!

The pilot steers and controls the gears and brakes and is the eyes on the bike. The ‘stoker’ is behind and must trust the pilot and relax. I have to have huge amounts of trust as the pilot has my life in their hands. They have big responsibility, however they have to trust in the stoker as well. It’s a team sport and without the pilot I couldn’t race.

The decisions they make in a race, ie the lines to take, moves to make etc, we ultimately make it together, the result is our result and we work together on and off the bike to achieve it. For us both to get the best out of ourselves we need to be relaxed and trust one another. We both have each other’s backs and don’t want to let the other down.

I learnt to ride a tandem very quickly with my ‘pilot’, Louise Moriarty, who’d never been on a tandem before either. Our first World Championships together was in Denmark and we did well enough to gain a place in the squad. Unfortunately for Louise she got injured and they found another ‘pilot’ in Sandra Fitzgerald who was a policewoman in Ireland. Every time we trained, we improved and got better. London 2012 was mind blowing and exciting, as I was relatively new to cycling and at an early stage of development with tandem racing it meant that London was really an event for me to gain exposure and experience for the future. I obviously wanted to perform at my best but my expectations going into London were not really to medal. The games inspired me and gave me a massive drive to work hard to be more competitive in Rio.

It was when you teamed up with Eve McCrystal in 2014 that things really started for you, how did the partnership happen?

‘Pilots’ have to train all the time, it’s a full-time commitment and not every rider makes a good pilot or can make that commitment. Eve was racing solo and doing well domestically so my coach approached her,

Katie-george and Eve react to winning Gold

What’s been your proudest/most memorable moment?

Winning the time trial Paralympic Gold in Rio. I had a lot of emotions when I crossed that line for the Gold. I was so happy and elated but I was in so much pain as well because we gave everything that our bodies could give. We fell on the floor because we were so exhausted.

We didn’t know we had won straight away and had to wait for what seemed like an age before knowing. Eve was balling her eyes out because she was in so much pain. Our family shouted across that we’d won Gold and I just screamed.

What’s next for you?

The World Championships at the beginning of August in Italy, I’m looking to retain our titles with Eve. After that, getting to Tokyo in 2020 is the aim. It was very hard to get to the top and it will be more difficult I think to stay there, though I believe I can still improve and so does my coach.

What do you do to relax when you’re not on a bike?

Eve McCrystal and Katie-george Dunlevy with their Gold and Silver medals from Rio

Spending time with friends and family, going to the cinema and listening to rock and Indie music. A lot of my time is taken up with resting and recovery or looking at my nutrition and going backwards and forwards to Ireland. One of the things I’m looking at for the future is speaking at events, such as motivational talking and sharing my story about achieving success which I’ve done a few times for businesses since Rio.

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NETWORKING

NETWORK MY CLUB

Another sell out month for Network My Club!

B

oth the Network Albion Business Club and Network My Club at Goodwood events were complete sell outs again in July. Over 120 businesses were in attendance at the Amex Stadium in Brighton for the latest Network Albion Business Club event.

Guest speaker for July’s networking breakfast was world record adventurer, conservationist and storyteller, Holly Budge.

Holly spoke about how she came around to sky diving off Mount Everest at the age of 21, what then led her to decide to summit Everest nine years later, and her ‘How Many Elephants’ project – which is helping raise awareness of elephant poaching. You can read more about this at www.networkalbion.co.uk.

July also saw Network My Club host their second Network My Club at Goodwood event, which took place at the world famous Goodwood Motor Circuit. Over 50 businesses were in attendance to meet new like-minded contacts in the Sussex area, enjoying breakfast, as well as hearing the latest from new members and the Goodwood Estate itself.

Network My Club at Goodwood offers members more than just monthly networking events. Exclusive member benefits include two free tickets to a race day of choice, discounts on hospitality, discounted golf membership and much more. Find all the information regarding the benefits of joining at www.nmcgoodwood.co.uk.

To find out more about Network My Club and see where they’re hosting events near you, please visit www.networkmyclub.co.uk.

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UPCOMING NETWORK MY CLUB EVENTS • Network My Club at Goodwood Thursday 9th August - 8.30am-10.30am Goodwood Motor Circuit • Network Pompey Business Club Thursday 16th August - 8.30am-10.30am Fratton Park, Portsmouth • Network Hampshire Business Club – Match Day Networking Lunch Tuesday 21st August -12.30pm onwards To find more information regarding each event and to book your place, visit www.networkmyclub.co.uk.

FASHION

WATCHES

It’s all about the timing

By James Ross

E

TAG Heuer Professional Golf ‘Tiger Woods’

ver since I was a young lad I’ve always had a massive interest in watches and I am lucky enough to be working in an industry that I am so passionate about.

My final watch is my own personal watch I wear for golf. The TAG Heuer Professional Golf ‘Tiger Woods’ (this is the only thing that’s professional about my golf!).

I wanted to share some amazing watches which hold a special part in sporting history.

Very Rare Yema Rallye ‘Andretti’ Chronograph Circa 1969 Yema Rallye

TAG Heuer Monaco This is the classic TAG Heuer Monaco known as the Steve McQueen. The watch was originally introduced by Heuer in 1969 in honour of the Monaco Grand Prix. McQueen was also known as the King of Cool and made the watch famous in 1971 when he wore it in the film ‘Le Mans’. In the decades after his death, the use of film stills has made the watch synonymous with the legendary actor. Although it was discontinued in the mid-1970s, the Monaco was reissued with a new design in 1998 and was reintroduced again with an entirely new mechanism in 2003 in response to McQueen’s increasing popularity.

The story goes that Tiger was signed up by Tudor watches as a brand ambassador and Tudor then produced the Tudor Tiger which is a lovely chronograph watch. Woods was then approached by TAG who offered him the chance to design his own golf watch. The rest is history and my image displays the design that Tiger came up with.

You will notice the crown of the watch is on the ‘wrong’ side of the case, this is to ensure it doesn’t press into your wrist when playing strokes. The watch case also acts as the clasp, so the rubber strap is continuous making it extremely light and comfortable to wear.

Good job Tiger!

At this period in his career everything Tiger touched turned to gold, so it’s no wonder TAG let him design his own watch.

Above: Mario Andretti with his Yema on his wrist during the 1969 Indy 500, his sole win of the legendary race. (photo: OnTheDash.com) I was so excited when I managed to buy this watch at auction. These watches are becoming ultra-rare and collectable and I’ve seen the value of these rocket in recent years. This particular model is known as the ‘Andretti’ after racing driver Mario Andretti was known to have worn this watch during his racing career.

TAG Heuer Professional Golf

TAG Heuer Monaco

James Ross Jewellers, 29 Station Road, Portslade, East Sussex, BN41 1GB. Telephone 01273 289 036. www.jamesrossjewellers.co.uk

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MOTORBIKES

when BUSINESS meets SPORT

Anya Ledwith

Director of Eshcon, an award-winning environmental management consultancy

“Why I have a passion for motorbikes”

Director of Eschon, Anya Ledwith, loves the challenge of motorbikes

I

have had a bike since I was 24. Working for an environmental charity, I represented motorcyclists and cyclists when the Department of Transport was developing national transport strategy.

People don’t expect me to ride, they assume I’m ‘just the pillion’. I enjoy riding though it can be challenging; bikes are more economical than cars, reduce congestion and pollution. There is good camaraderie too. Riding requires you to be reasonably fit, with strong core muscles, plus you have to be mentally alert, to anticipate risks. It is simply more engaging than driving a (standard) car.

The most challenging thing I’ve done on two wheels was a trip over the Himalayas on a Royal Enfield. Ten days winding through the mountain passes of Kashmir, on roads more like piles of builders’ rubble, negotiating the occasional river, camping in the wilderness.

It was tough, at first I thought I’d taken on too much. I don’t like heights and there’s no protective Armco. But as I got used to the landscape and riding style, my confidence grew.

We tackled the highest motorable road in the world, going over Kardung-La at 5,600m.

The Enfield Bullet has a 500cc single-cylinder engine, with a manual kick start which required a strong leg and a definite knack. This was frustrating as my bike’s carb was faulty, so it kept stalling. But with no complicated electronics, if you break down at the top of a mountain, you can fix the bike with a hammer rather than a laptop!

“A couple; would you believe I still have my first learner bike? A Yamaha TZR 125.”

2. What’s been the longest and most adventurous journey you’ve completed?

“Our Himalayan adventure on Royal Enfields was a mixture of sport, culture, adventure, fear and fun!”

3. Have you ever had a serious accident?

“No, though I fell off many times during the off-road training course, preparing for the Himalayas.”

“MotoGP for me – I’ve followed the career of Valentino Rossi for 20 years, though now I tend to watch to enjoy the skill, strategy and drama of racing as a whole, rather than being a one-rider fan.”

The trip helped me appreciate limited resources (equipment, fuel, oxygen), using things carefully and efficiently. We had to work as a team, have a strategy and trust in others and your own abilities. Important business lessons there.

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1. What bike(s) do you own?

4. Who’s your favourite Superbike rider?

With so little oxygen everything is such hard work; even getting out of the tent in the morning took your breath away. The bikes found it difficult too, especially as the roads got steeper.

At our last pass, Rhotang-La (aka the Pile of Corpses Pass), we got caught up in a landslide and had to wait patiently between two excavators clearing the debris, before squeezing by (over sharp rocks) with a 1000 foot drop mere inches away. Oh, and vultures were circling overhead!

Valentino Rossi

5. Which do you prefer and why? Moto GP, Superbike or Isle of Man TT?

Anya in the Himalayas

“The three classes of MotoGP with different bikes and different challenges. Moto3 has more overtaking than any other racing series, on two or four wheels; even at the last corner, you don’t know who’s going to win.”

MOTORSPORT

when BUSINESS meets SPORT

Harry Sherrard Principal, Sherrards Employment Law Solicitors

“My passion for Motorsport”

Motorsport is a great leveller says Harry Sherrard

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otorsport is much more accessible than popular opinion would have you believe. Entry-level categories are cost-effective and suit a wide range of budgets. Competing in motorsport draws together a number of attributes and skills. It takes quite a bit of organising; technical and sporting regulations need to be read and understood; the car needs to be prepared; the logistics of competing need to be organised; and of course, there is the driving.

A powerful point about motorsport is made by the soldiers’ charity, Race 2 Recovery, that I have been involved with for a number of years.

Most team members have suffered injuries, including amputations, and the team became the first ever disabled team to compete and finish in the Dakar Rally, the world’s toughest motorsport event. In this context, motorsport is a great leveller, because with adaptations, the injured servicemen were able to compete on a level playing field with ablebodied competitors in similar machinery.

Dakar Rally 1. Most memorable experience?

“I have been involved with Goodwood for precisely 30 years, instructing at the circuit and being involved with the campaign to bring racing back after a 40-year absence, so to compete in the Goodwood Revival in 2012 was a dream come true.”

2. Best car?

“In 2017, again working with the Race 2 Recovery team, I competed in the Goodwood Festival of Speed driving an M Sport built R5 rally car, whose performance and handling was mind-blowing.”

3. Best competition?

“The Dakar Rally, which takes place each January in South America, it’s the toughest and best motorsport competition in the world.”

4. Sporting hero?

“Reading a book about Jim Clark when I was at school largely inspired my interest in motorsport.

In April 2018 I attended a commemoration in his home town in Scotland marking the 50th anniversary of his death.”

Jim Clark

5. Off-road or track?

“Off-road”.

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REVIEW

SHOW JUMPING

A Hickstead debut

By Laurence Elphick

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hen you look after a sports section in a magazine, you soon become painfully aware that there are many sports you have yet to experience or spectate. I have to admit I had never seen live show jumping and had never been to Hickstead. So on Sunday June 24th I made my debut visit to The All England Jumping Course at Hickstead in West Sussex. Blessed with brilliant sunshine, I ventured up the A23 on the final day of the Al Shira‘aa Derby weekend to see what all the fuss was about.

It quickly became apparent the Derby is a slick well-oiled machine, gleaned from the experience and knowledge of hosting this annual event for the last 56 years. With reviews saying that 35-40,000 people were expected for this four-day event, I was a little apprehensive ahead of the short journey fearing that there would be horrendous queues of traffic. I couldn’t be further from the truth. From the greeting at the front gate right through to the cleanliness of the facilities, I was impressed with the organisation.

Coupled with plenty of space in which to view proceedings from any angle (not being restricted on where I could sit), from the terrifically enjoyable events themselves through to the vast shopping village, the fun fair area and the plethora of food and drink stalls, there was something for the whole family. And you could even bring your pet dogs along if they were on a lead!

Sunday saw the conclusion of The Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby as Great Britain’s William Funnell joined an illustrious group of four-time winners when he rode the home-bred 10-year-old Billy Buckingham to victory.

Out of thirty plus riders, he was one of just two to go clear in the first round, meaning he had to jump-off for honours against Holly Smith on Quality Old Joker.

William, 52, is the fifth rider to have four wins in the Hickstead Derby, having previously clocked up a hat-trick of victories in 2006, 2008 and

Practice Arena 2009 with Cortaflex Mondriaan. He joined Harvey Smith, John and Michael Whitaker, and Ireland’s Eddie Macken, who have all had four wins in this iconic class.

The Dorking-based rider said: “It’s nice to be in the record books and to do it this year on a home-bred is special. I’d like to congratulate the Bunns on the work they’ve done in the arena, this is the best grass ring in the world with the best footing.”

Holly was bidding to become the first female winner since 2011, and only the sixth in history, but she had to settle for second place following her third place debut in 2017.

Earlier in the day, Nicole Pavitt and Paris 16 won the Beethoven 7 & 8 Year Old Championship, ahead of Ireland’s Peter Moloney.

Once I’d familiarised myself with the surroundings, I began to appreciate why this is a hugely popular event in the show jumping calendar. Not only was there the main International Arena but also a further three other smaller arenas proudly displaying a vast array of exceptionally turned out horses and impeccably attired riders. Watching these professionals showing off their talents became strangely addictive.

Certainly, seeing this live is infinitely more appealing than watching it on TV and I can thoroughly recommend you give this a try. www.hickstead.co.uk.

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Table Talk

Food and Drink Festival Trade Day 2018 The Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival hosted its annual trade day in July on Brighton Palace Pier. Photos by Julia Claxton

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hefs, restaurateurs, hoteliers and bar owners from across the city enjoyed an afternoon of tastings and informal networking at the recently refurbished Horatio’s bar.

Exhibitors included leading Sussex wine producers – Stopham, Bolney, Wiston, Plumpton and Ridgeview – alongside a host

Andrew Kay from Latest Homes with Jess Crocker from Brighton Food Partnership

of other local producers each sampling their produce to existing and potential trade customers.

“The festival’s trade day on our beautiful pier is always a great opportunity to catch up with some of our amazing customers, clients and friends, giving us the chance to exchange ideas and plans”, said Mardi Roberts of Ridgeview Wine Estate in Ditchling. “Days like this cement how the fantastic local food and drink scene is evolving, and also shows the great support we have for each other”.

Aoife Sweeney from La Choza with Ian Curtis from Madame Jennifer Distillery

Chef from 64 Degrees with Erwan Mauro from Murmur

Jeremy Ornellas from Blanch House, Olivia Reid from the Salt Room and Kerry Turner from Blanch House

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The annual trade day is just one of the many activities that the Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival runs across the year.

“Alongside our well-known and much enjoyed consumer event periods such as Brighton Wine Week, Cocktail Week and Autumn Harvest, the festival team also work across the year to support the local hospitality industry”, said Nick Mosley, festival managing director. “We aim to ensure that local restaurants and bars are aware of the quality produce right here on our doorstep in Sussex.

Local food is produced with passion, helps reduce food miles and is also great for creating a sustainable economy”.

Simon Woodhead from Stopham Vineyard and Chris Foss from Plumpton College

Erwan Mauro from Murmur Restaurant, Aoife Sweeney from La Choza and Carla Grassy from 64 Degrees

Henry Butler and Cassie Gould from Butlers Wines with Alex Notman-Watt from Wiston Wine Estate with Tom Flint from Bottle and Jug Dept

Jane Ringe from Poised to Move, Kate Alleston from Market Restaurant and Bar, and David Deaves from La Cave a Fromage

Carla Grassy from 64 Degrees

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