Platinum Business Magazine issue 47

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

BILL GATES Giving it all away

Profile

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY Shake hands in

NEW YORK PLATINUM SPORT Rob Andrew Rugby Legend Motoring

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Local and National News

THE BIG STORY

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BILL GATES

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Is Bill Gates the most generous man in the world?

Carpenter Box – What is your succession plan?/Making tax digital

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Kreston Reeves – Generation Z and the fifth industrial revolution

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Lakeside North Harbour – well-being and worklife balance

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DMH Stallard – IP Services in a post-Brexit world

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LMS – Time to switch?

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Hilton Sharp & Clarke – Keeping it local

41 45 47 48 82

The Starr Trust – Anything is possible

BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE Manor Royal & Crawley and the highly successful BID

TRAVEL Rose Dykins explores the Big Apple and gives us ideas for a two-day itinerary

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PLATINUM SPORT - RUGBY

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MOTORING

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The second part of our exclusive interview with Rob Andrew

The Titanic TTRS

ANGER MANAGEMENT The scourge of anti-Semitism

The Big Story – Bill Gates NatWest accelerates its support for entrepreneurs

CEO Fight Club – The power of simple in business

Expos at the races Ticketmedia – 10 Characteristics of an Entrepreneur

Enter the Lewes Business Awards Chestnut Tree House – here and now Focus on Manor Royal and Crawley Travel – New York

Platinum Sport 91 Local Sports News 92 Football 94 Cricket 97 The Float Spa 98 Rugby 100 The Best World Cup Player 105 Wave Leisure Trust 106 When Business Meets Sport 110 Active Sussex 111 Cycling 112 The View from the Sofa 114 The Business Network – Exhibition Review 115 Motoring – Teutonic Titan 117 Motoring – Incarnation 120 NetXP – Speakers to inspire 121 Chambers Events Listings 124 Anger Management 126 Institute of Directors

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48

At a Glance

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Issue 47 - 2018

A word from the Editors Ok, first the good news - the sunshine is here! Being England, it’ll likely snow in a day or two, but we have learnt to grab it whilst we can.

In these times of worry and concern, with Brexit, a lunatic in the White House and North Korea pretending to denuclearise, Platinum offers stability and the good news of how well our companies are doing in the South East. We really should be proud of ourselves as no matter what occurs around the world, our region still dominates the charts in terms of GDP - keep your head down and carry on seems to be the mantra.

In this packed issue, Laurence brings you the second issue of Platinum Sport with some surprising business folk revealing their sporting passion and he starts a war by naming the best World Cup player ever (mails to Laurence!) and he interviews our leading female cricket player, Georgia Adams. Maarten has been ripping around in an uber quick TTRS and then got really hot under the collar about religion in Anger Management - or as some are calling it, The Grumpy Old Git Column.

Our regional focus looks at Gatwick and Manor Royal with an overview of the area and congratulations to all the team that were successful in running the BID for the next five years. Rose has been in the Big Apple helping you with ideas for your corporate travel and Jeremy Burbidge of TicketMedia runs through the top ten characteristics of an entrepreneur. DMH Stallard look at changes to IP protection once we depart the EU and Kreston Reeves look at the fifth industrial revolution. Ian has been busy profiling Bill Gates and the good he is doing with all that cash.

Enjoy this issue and the sun/snow - delete as applicable.

Maarten & Ian Platinum Business Magazine May 2018

The Team

Maarten Hoffmann – Director maarten@platinumpublishing.co.uk

07966 244046

Ian Trevett – Director ian@platinumpublishing.co.uk

07989 970804

Lesley Alcock

Fiona Graves

Laurence Elphick

Kate Morton

Rose Dykins

Business Development Director

Events Director

Head of Sport

Copy Editor

Travel Editor

Amanda Harrington

Beth Nash

Amanda Menahem

Steve Elford

James Morrison

Head of Design

Digital Manager

Food & Drink Editor

Head of Web Development

Head of Web Design

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News

LOCAL NEWS Winters Paras go Sports Wise Not only were the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games the most successful ever for a British winter Paralympic team, but it also provided a fascinating back story for Professor Nick Webborn from the Sportswise clinic in Eastbourne. Nick was elected president of the British Paralympic Association in 2017 having been involved for over 25 years as a medical officer. He attended the Games as head of the British delegation but was also able to see one of his former patients competing. Nick met local boy James Whitley when he was eight years old helping him to recover from a horrific boating accident. During the period of James’ rehabilitation, it became clear that James was a keen ski racer and so Nick introduced him to the concept of competing in Winter Paralympic sports. The following year he gave it a try and the rest is history. In this year’s Games, James finished tenth in the downhill and slalom.

“It is best to avoid standing directly between a competitive jerk and his goals.”

James Whitley

Travel Direct for Uniglobe Business Travel Direct has announced the acquisition of Uniglobe Preferred Travel to create a combined business with a turnover in excess of £100 million p.a. and bringing Uniglobe Preferred Travel into the Ickenham Travel Group.

The Uniglobe Preferred Travel’s name and membership of Uniglobe are retained, as are all staff based at its offices in Brighton and London. This will complement Business Travel Direct’s offices in Langley, Fareham, Oxford and its specialist Marine Travel division based in London.

Uniglobe Preferred Travel Managing Director, John Burroughes said: “We are delighted to be joining forces with Business Travel Direct. Both our organisations come from similar family owned backgrounds, sharing the same vision and values”.

Julie Oliver, Managing Director of Business Travel Direct, commented: “We have known the team at Uniglobe Preferred Travel for many years and believe that our shared company values, service driven culture and focus on next generation technology will create a strong positive future.”

Boundless bolsters strategic appointments Brighton-based Boundless has made two strategic appointments, Head of Acquisition & Retention and Head of Business Development have been filled by Faye Huggett and Simon Wilson to work alongside a team of over 70 employees.

Boundless, formerly known as the CSMA Club, has a 95-year heritage and helps members to make the most of their spare time by providing unique experiences, things to do and exclusive savings.

Faye Huggett joins as Head of Acquisition and Retention, and will be focussed on growing Boundless membership and maintaining market-leading retention rates. Simon Wilson has joined as Head of Business Development with a remit to draw on Boundless’ 95-year heritage and expertise to launch a white label offer to membership organisations across the UK.

www.boundless.co.uk

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News

Women Mean Business The Burgess Hill Business Parks Association (BHBPA) will shine a spotlight on the diversity of its members this month at its annual Burgess Hill Means Business exhibition.

To mark the centenary of the women’s vote, the exhibition will feature a roster of female guest speakers after opening remarks by Louise Goldsmith, Leader of West Sussex County Council, and newly appointed BHBPA chairman Susan Fleet.

Anya Ledwith, founder of Eshcon, will speak alongside Angela Gill, MD of Bio-Productions, and Rosemary French OBE from Gatwick Diamond Initiative.

Now in its eighth year, Burgess Hill Means Business is a biennial showcase where member organisations come together to network and promote their services, products and projects.

This time around, the schedule will include an open forum with Mid Sussex District Council, where business folk can voice their concerns and receive answers to their questions.

The Burgess Hill Means Business exhibit takes place at The King’s Centre, Burgess Hill on Friday 4th May between 11am and 3pm. Entrance is free on presentation of a business card.

Coast to Capital funds Charleston Heritage Coast to Capital has awarded £400,000 through the Local Growth Fund for The Charleston Trust Centenary Project to preserve Charleston’s heritage, enhance the Trust’s economic and cultural role and expand the site to achieve a sustainable financial future.

Funding will go towards the completion of Charleston’s Centenary Project to restore historic barns to provide an auditorium for talks, workshops, festivals and events, and in addition, a suite of five new galleries and a new retail space.

Jonathan Sharrock, Chief Executive at Coast to Capital said: “Our region boasts outstanding natural beauty and preserving delicate sites of cultural heritage is of great importance to us. We are thrilled to be contributing towards a project that will greatly benefit visitors to the region and we look forward to seeing future developments.”

“The problem with being a leader is that you’re never sure if you’re being followed or chased.”

Rockinghorse Turns to Tinseltown Prepare for a taste of Hollywood at this year’s Rockinghorse Ball. The Sussex based charity will host an evening of glitz and glamour at The Grand Hotel in Brighton on Saturday October 13th.

Rockinghorse is best known as the official fundraising arm of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton. It also supports the neighbouring Trevor Mann Baby Unit and the Special Care Baby Unit in Haywards Heath, as well as several other paediatric services and children’s centres in Sussex. Now in its 51st year, Rockinghorse continues to provide vital fundraising support to centres and services across the county. Having raised £115,000 at its gala ball last year, the charity hopes to once again raise awareness of its vital work in the community and make a real difference to some deserving causes.

Ryan Heal, Chief Executive at Rockinghorse, said: “Our charity ball is a fantastic opportunity for supporters to come together to enjoy a night of fun and fundraising – together we can make a real difference to the lives of sick children and babies in Sussex.

Tickets for The Rockinghorse Ball cost £85 per person, or a table of 10 is £800. To book or for more information, call Rockinghorse on 01273 330044 or email hannah.seltzer@rockinghorse.org.uk

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LOCAL NEWS Hastings Brothers Riding City Campus High Development Shortlisted Two brothers from Hastings, with a lifelong passion for BMX bikes, have received a top industry award for turning a business once based in their bedroom into the largest BMX retailer in the world.

Richard and Marc Moore are the brains behind The Source, and in recognition of their soaring international sales, have been awarded The Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2018 in the international trade category.

While older generations may not be familiar with The Source, it is the number one name on the lips of millions of BMX riders worldwide for bikes, parts and accessories.

In 2016 Richard and Marc converted a derelict Turkish Bath under Hastings seafront into the world’s largest underground skatepark.

Working closely with south east enterprise agency, the Let’s Do Business Group and Locate East Sussex, the brothers created a destination that has become a Mecca for BMX riders.

Richard Moore said: “It is a huge honour to receive this award. It is the most prestigious business award in the country and very gratifying to be recognised by the Queen. It is a great reflection of all of the hard work from our team in growing the business over the past 15 years and we intend to go from strength to strength.”

Three Peaks Climb for Neva Seven members of staff from Neva Consultants head office in Piltdown, East Sussex, are taking on a challenge to climb the three highest peaks of England, Wales and Scotland to support their local charity, Children’s Respite Trust.

Children’s Respite Trust provides support for families throughout the local area to have respite from caring for a child with disabilities 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The team consists of Avril Parlour, Ashley Fish, Isabel Barr, Magenta Kemp, Ollie Callaghan, Sophie Haines and Will Dalton. The challenge begins on Friday June 8th and the team will start their ascent to the UK’s highest summit, Ben Nevis in Scotland. They will then continue to the Lake District to climb England’s highest summit, Scafell Pike. Sunday morning will see the team make an early start climbing towards the highest point in Wales, Mount Snowdon, finishing their climb at 1,085 metres.

Neva’s team would be grateful for any donations to help them reach their target of £4,000 to enable the charity to carry on with the much-needed service they provide.

To donate please visit https://uk.virginmoneygiving. com/Team/NevaThreePeaks

The project that will transform the University of Brighton’s Moulsecoomb campus over the next three years has made the shortlist for the prestigious Times Higher Education Leadership & Management Awards (THELMAs).

The project has been shortlisted in the Outstanding Estates Strategy category which showcases major achievements in estates and facilities management across all of the UK’s Higher Education sector.

The campus development is part of a wider masterplan that includes the adjacent Preston Barracks site. The overall masterplan, conceived through a partnership between developers U+I, Brighton and Hove City Council and the University of Brighton, was recently shortlisted for Planning magazine’s Planning Permission of the Year Award.

Sue McHugh, Director of Campus Development at the University said: “This is fantastic recognition for what has been an outstanding team effort by all concerned. Over the next three years the development of our Moulsecoomb campus and adjoining Preston Barracks will transform the local area bringing significant benefits to the City, local community, students and staff.”

“Leadership has been defined as the ability to hide your panic from others.”

Royal Win for Worthing Innovators The Queen has granted a Queen’s Award for Enterprise within the category of Innovation, to Electronic Temperature Instruments Ltd, the fourth Queen’s Award for the company since gaining its first in 2012.

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the UK’s most prestigious awards for business performance which recognise and reward outstanding achievement by UK companies.

Peter Webb MBE, Managing Director of Electronic Temperature Instruments Ltd said: “I feel immensely proud and honoured to have received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for a fourth time. We have always prioritised investment in research, development and innovation, and the Queen’s Award for Innovation recognises our continued commitment to providing our customers with pioneering temperature measuring solutions using the latest technology.

“By keeping our manufacturing and research and development in the UK, we have been able to support our local economy whilst successfully continuing to grow the business.”

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News

NATIONAL NEWS Pub ditches SM for Print Pub chain JD Wetherspoon has used Twitter to announce that it’s quitting social media from immediate effect, and will instead use its magazine to announce news and updates.

Chairman Tim Martin said that society would be better off if people cut the amount of social media use. The firm said its decision had also been influenced by concerns regarding the “misuse of personal data” and “the addictive nature of social media.”

The chairman said that it had consulted its pub managers before making the move, and “90 to 95% felt using social media was not helping the business.”

The chairman reassured its followers that it would “still be as vocal as ever”, but would use its magazine, as well as its website and the press to update people.

Staying Put

Tricky for Brickies

53% of the millennial generation - those born between 1980 and 1999 - have chosen to stay in one career as many are reluctant to start from scratch, according to a survey by education charity Teach First. The research bucks the stereotype of “footloose” millennials constantly swapping careers, rather than opting for a job for life.

Building firms are having to wait more than a year for bricks, according to new research. Bricks were reported as being the material in shortest supply and with the longest wait time, according to a study of small and medium-sized building companies carried out by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Firms reported a wait time of more than a year for bricks, and up to six months for roof tiles.

Russell Hobby, CEO of Teach First, said: “People talk a lot about millennials moving from one career to the next, constantly looking for more progress and greater responsibilities. Although they are a bit more mobile than previous generations, what they are really searching for is greater meaning in their work.”

The survey of more than 1,000 people found that more than a quarter of millennials said they would find their job more rewarding if they were making a difference to other peoples’ lives. And nearly a third admitted to not being satisfied in their current job roles.

The FMB said the supply shortage was caused by an increase in the price of raw materials required to produce bricks, which has been compounded by the weaker value of sterling, as well as high demand due to a buoyant international market.

Supply issues have also driven up the costs of building materials, with brick prices up by an average of 9%, timber and roof tiles up by 8% and insulation increasing by 16%.

So Not Social “Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy.

Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.”

Maintaining a social life, taking time off for holidays, and dating are among the hardest things about starting your own business, a study has found.

Establishing your business in the marketplace, working weekends and believing in yourself also appeared among the challenges when finally making the decision to ‘go out on your own’. The fear of failing, not having as much disposable income, managing finances and being able to drive the recruitment for their business also proved difficult for many of the 500 entrepreneurs polled.

The study was commissioned by Virgin Money to celebrate the launch of their SME savings account to help young businesses thrive.

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News

Something Fishy German supermarket Aldi now stocks the largest proportion of sustainable seafood products of all UK supermarkets. Just under 80% of Aldi’s seafood range is certified sustainable, in comparison with Marks & Spencer’s 19%, according to the annual Supermarket Sustainable Seafood League table published by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The figures also show that all other supermarkets are selling more sustainable seafood than ever before.

Sainsbury’s came second, stocking more than 200 certified products; Lidl came third with just over 100 products. Some 67% of Waitrose’s range is certified, while Tesco stocks 128 sustainable products covering 48% of its wild fish stock.

Asda introduced the biggest increase in its certified sustainable range from 17 products to 52. In contrast, Iceland and Morrisons are at the bottom of the league with under 5% of their seafood range certified sustainable.

Coffee Culture More people are drinking coffee than ever before, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer, with Vietnam coming in as the second largest.

According to the Fairtrade Foundation, more than 125 million people around the world depend on coffee for their livelihoods, with around 25 million smallholder farms producing 80% of the world’s coffee.

When it comes to coffee consumption, only two nations top more than 10kg per person per year - Finland and Sweden, according to statistics from the International Coffee Organisation. Neither the US nor the UK makes the list of the top 20 coffee consumers, however, according to the International Coffee Organisation, UK customers paid more than any others in 2016 - $16.29 (£11.45) per pound of soluble coffee. This was followed by Malta at $13.33 (£9.37) and Italy at $7.45 (£5.24) per pound of roasted coffee.

A Fresh Start to the Day… or not Health experts have revealed that having a daily shower might not be so good for you.

According to reports, excessive showering is actually doing more damage to the skin and can interfere with the body’s ability to heal itself. According to experts via a report in PJ Media, “Soap and hot water dissolve the lipids in the skin, and scrubbing only hastens the process.” The report added that scrubbing interrupts the body’s natural oil processes and the way that the body functions.

The research focuses on the human microbiome, which is a cluster of tiny microbes which live on the human body and essentially keep it functioning. Showering, scrubbing and lathering-up can all strip this – as well as some pretty necessary oils – from the skin, in turn contributing to skin conditions.

“Accomplishing the impossible just means the boss will add it to your regular duties”

Pill Popping goes Global Procter & Gamble’s $4.2 billion deal for Merck’s vitamin and supplements business is the latest example of a major consumer company stocking up on health-related products.

The U.S.-based maker of Tide detergent and Gillette razors announced the deal last month, giving it brands such as Seven Seas vitamins and expanding its portfolio of healthcare products.

Globally, the vitamin and supplements category has grown between 5% and 7% annually for the past five years, according to Euromonito. The vitamins and supplements sector is attractive due to the emergence of new brands marketing themselves digitally and selling directly online to young consumers, said investment banker William Hood of William Hood & Co. “It’s what the millennials are buying and how they’re buying it,” he said.

Making People Appy The popular quiz show app HQ Trivia is giving away thousands of pounds for free. The game, which came to the UK from the US in early 2018, live-streams 15-minute quiz shows throughout the week to millions of viewers, with a pot of money available to split between winners. People have taken home anything from £1.63 here in the UK to $50,000 (£36,000) in the US. The biggest UK winner so far received £8,000. Answer 12 trivia-based questions correctly by tapping the answers on your phone and (a share of) the money is yours.

The free to use app was created by the co-founders of now-defunct video sharing app Vine, Colin Kroll and Rus Yusupov.

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News

NATIONAL NEWS A Call for Change

Sky goes Green

Britain will review its climate targets to see whether they need to be strengthened to fit with the aims of an international climate accord, Britain’s energy minister has said.

Sky is understood to be close to securing outside investment for its £25 million green venture capital fund, Sky Ocean Ventures, which it set up to help solve plastic pollution in the oceans. The TV giant is holding talks with a number of parties to raise £100 million for the fund in total, which Sky Ocean Ventures group director Frederic Michel said will invest in a broad spectrum of companies, from start-ups to established firms with proven products or concepts on the market that it believes can help cut plastic waste.

“We will be seeking the advice of the UK’s independent advisors, the Committee on Climate Change, on the implications of the Paris Agreement for the UK’s long-term emissions reduction targets,” said Claire Perry, Britain’s minister for energy and clean growth.

Britain has a legally binding target to cut emissions by 80% against 1990 levels by 2050.

Experts have warned this will not be enough to put the country on a path to help limit a rise in global temperatures to ‘well below’ 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, as agreed by more than 190 nations in Paris in 2015.

Britain’s review of its targets will take place after the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issues a report later this year on the potential impact of global warming above 1.5 degrees,

As part of its efforts to reduce plastic waste, Sky aims to have eliminated single-use plastics from its product line up by the end of the year.

Perry said.

“With great power comes a great electricity bill.”

London takes a Tumble The British capital has been overtaken by Monaco, Basel and Paris and is now in sixth place in Europe’s list of most expensive business travel destinations (it was third last year). The capital has also dropped out of the world’s top 10 after being ninth last year, according to a new report by ECA International.

ECA’s Daily Rates report, which is updated annually, reviews the average costs for accommodation, meals, drinks, laundry, transport and daily essentials.

For the fourth year in a row, Geneva tops the Europe list, and comes second in the world. New York City tops this year’s list of the most expensive destinations for a business trip, at £611 a day.

Simon Franklin, daily rates manager at ECA International, says: “Whilst the price of business travel to London has remained relatively static over the past few years, the strong performance of the euro in the past year has seen costs in other cities such as Paris and Monaco overtake the UK capital. The cost of business travel in the UK overall has continued to fall, with every surveyed UK location seeing a drop in the table.”

Techs rise in South East The number of new tech companies being set up in the South East rose by 40% in 2017 according to new analysis by RSM. The data from Companies House also revealed that the South East accounted for the highest number of new tech companies in the UK after London. Nationally, there were 10,016 software development and programming businesses set up in 2017, with year-on-year rises recorded in every region in the UK. Commenting on the figures, Simon MacDonald, RSM partner and technology specialist said: “These figures show very clearly that despite the fears of a post-referendum slowdown, the region’s tech sector is incredibly vibrant and growing at a remarkable rate.

“There are a number of reasons for this. The region’s universities are playing a key role in developing and nurturing exceptional talent. The country - and the London and South East regions in particular - are also continuing to attract the world’s brightest and best.”

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The Big Story

The most generous man in the world?

Profile of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates

By Ian Trevett

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ust over a year ago, research by Oxfam calculated that the eight richest men in the world hold the same amount of wealth as the bottom half of the world’s population, some 3.5 billion people. The wealth of the eight men is ‘biblical’ declared Gawain Kripke, Oxfam’s Director of policy and research. “Left unchecked, growing inequality threatens to pull our societies apart.”

There is no doubt that the rich are getting richer, largely because we now live in an age where technologies and money can be flashed around the world at the blink of an eye.

It’s hard to know what can be done about the inequality. The global giants neatly side-step any punitive tax demands. If labour costs are too high, then products are manufactured in a location with cheaper workers. Countries prostrate themselves to attract an Apple HQ or a new Amazon distribution hub, offering incentives and tax-breaks. Rather than revolt against these over-bearing giants, nations beg the companies to choose them.

Sadly, it sometimes seems that the only hope for fairer distribution is for the super-rich to be benevolent and share their wealth. Begging for charity is not a palatable option in the 21st Century.

But if we do have to resort to philanthropy, then we could do with more people like Bill Gates, who in purely monetary terms is probably the most generous man in the world, with only Warren Buffet able to contest the claim.

Gates has famously stated that, “Money has no utility to me beyond a certain point. Its utility is entirely in building an organisation and getting the resources out to the poorest in the world.”

With his wife Melinda, Bill founded and chairs the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest private charitable foundation, which works to save lives and improve global health, and is working with Rotary International to eliminate polio.

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According to www.wealthx.com, the foundation has given more than $36 billion in grant payments to various philanthropic causes. Recipients include GAVI Alliance, World Health Organisation, The Rotary

The Big Story Foundation, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria, Nasscom Foundation, and UNICEF. Gates has sold or given away so much of his stake in Microsoft that he now owns little over 1% of shares. In 2010 Gates and Warren Buffett created the Giving Pledge, a promise to give at least half of their wealth to charity, and called on other billionaires to join them. More than 170 of the world’s richest people, including Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Bloomberg and George Lucas, have so far signed up.

Gates said the pledge was “about building on a wonderful tradition of philanthropy that will ultimately help the world become a much better place.”

Gates the Good Guy A quick web search uncovers multiple examples of the extensive philanthropy from Bill and his wife Melinda, but with untold billions in the bank it’s not exactly a heavy sacrifice for the pair. But you also uncover something else. Gates is just as generous with his time as his money. This is a man truly driven to change the world, and he is increasingly being regarded as a decent human being who is doing his best.

A simple test of this theory is to delve a bit deeper into web forums and responses to newspaper features, where people are never afraid to vent their spleen, spew conspiracy theories and curse the rich and famous.

Inevitably, I found the angry outbursts of the inequity of modern society, yet what was striking was the volume of personal testaments to his passion to make a difference.

This entry on a Q&A site from Venkatraman Vaitheeswaran was far from untypical: “Bill Gates came on a surprise visit to a brothel area in Pune, India and was lecturing the commercial sex workers there on the importance of protection and HIV awareness.

Local politicians and the Indian media had no idea of his visit until he was on his way back

to Mumbai. That’s humility. No tantrums. No photo-ops.

“As well as giving lots of his money, Bill Gates gives a lot of his time, a commodity of which he has only the same allowance as everybody else.”

All-round good-guy? It would have been hard to imagine a decade ago, when he was regarded as the impatient and controlling boss of one of the world’s most disliked megabrands.

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The Big Story succeeded and they quickly set to work to make their claim come true. They set up a company called Micro-Soft, but before long it became simply Microsoft.

❝

Left unchecked, growing inequality threatens to pull our societies apart.

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The Early Days Gates was born in Seattle on October 28th, 1955 and was known as William Gates III or “Trey”. The family were known for their competitive spirit. One friend was quoted as saying, “It didn’t matter whether it was hearts or pickle ball or swimming to the dock ... there was always a reward for winning and there was always a penalty for losing.”

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Be nice to geeks, one day you will be working for one

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When he was 13, his school used the takings from a jumble sale to buy a Teletype Model 33 ASR terminal and a block of computer time on a General Electric (GE) computer for the school’s students. Gates took an interest in programming the GE system in BASIC, and was excused from math classes to pursue his interest. He wrote his first computer program on this machine, which was a version of noughts and crosses played against the computer. Gates was fascinated by the machine and how it would always execute software code perfectly.

It wasn’t long before the allotted time on the computer was exhausted so Gates and three friends found way to hack into the computers at a local computer company to access free time. They were caught and banned for using the computers at the Computer Center Corporation (CCC) for a whole summer. At the end of the ban, the four students offered to find bugs in CCC’s software in exchange for extra computer time.

They were so successful that another local

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company, Information Sciences Inc. hired the four students to write a payroll programme in COBOL, providing them computer time and royalties. Gates then wrote the school’s computer programme to schedule students in classes. He modified the code to ensure the girls he wanted to be with were in his class.

Gates graduated to Harvard but he remained in touch with Paul Allen, one of his fellow hackers and worked with him at Honeywell during the summer of 1974.

In 1975 a new computer was launched called the MITS Altair 8800 and the pair decided they wanted to write software for this new piece of kit. In order to start their new company, Gates dropped out of Harvard and they contacted the manufacturer, Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) and hoodwinked MITS into believing they were working on a BASIC interpreter for the platform. The pitch

Gates soon learnt the value of his work but also had an early knack of upsetting the computer fraternity. As successful as Microsoft was, it always had its enemies, and was often prone to malicious hacking attacks. Wikipedia notes his early scrapes: “Microsoft’s Altair BASIC was popular with computer hobbyists, but Gates discovered that a pre-market copy had leaked into the community and was being widely copied and distributed. In February 1976, Gates wrote an Open Letter to Hobbyists in the MITS newsletter in which he asserted that more than 90% of the users of Microsoft Altair BASIC had not paid Microsoft for it and by doing so the Altair “hobby market” was in danger of eliminating the incentive for any professional developers to produce, distribute, and maintain high-quality software. This letter was unpopular with many computer hobbyists, but Gates persisted in his belief that software developers should be able to demand payment.”

The Big Story The rise and rise of Microsoft If he was alienating some of the hobbyists, he was also gaining some more welcome attention, and in 1980 Gates and Allen were approached by IBM who were looking for assistance with their new personal computer, the IBM PC. In the end Microsoft delivered a whole operating system, PC DOS, retaining the copyright and in the process making a name for themselves across the globe. The computer press soon caught on to the fact that Gates was the main player, with PC magazine declaring him ‘The man behind the machine’. Microsoft’s ascendancy to a world power was complete in 1985 when it released to the market an exciting new product called Windows. It was, apparently, rather popular.

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Rather than look up to Microsoft, many saw a corporate bully.

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His operating systems and software revolutionised computing and made access to a computer more accessible than anyone could have dreamed. Talking to The Telegraph in 2008, Gates recalled, “When Paul Allen and I started Microsoft over 30 years ago, we had big dreams about software. We had dreams about the impact it could have. We talked about a computer on every desk and in every home. It’s been amazing to see so much of that dream become a reality and touch so many lives. I never imagined what an incredible and important company would spring from those original ideas.”

The value of Microsoft peaked when the share price hit $119.94 in December 1999. With 5,160,024,593 outstanding shares, it had a market capitalisation of $618.9 billion.

Why Microsoft was so unloved An innovator like Gates should have been lauded for his achievements and contribution to society, but for every fan there was a detractor. Rather than look up to Microsoft, many saw a corporate bully.

In 1998 he was summoned to court to answer for Microsoft’s restrictive business practices. In the U.S. antitrust law (competition law is the UK equivalent) case, United States v. Microsoft Corporation, Microsoft was accused of abusing its monopoly on Intel-based personal computers. Central to

the case was whether Microsoft was allowed to bundle its flagship Internet Explorer web browser software with its Microsoft Windows operating system, thus prompting all PC users to access the internet via Microsoft’s web browsing software.

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The eight richest men in the world hold the same amount of wealth as the bottom half of the world’s population, some 3.5 billion people

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Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson found that Microsoft’s dominance of the market constituted a monopoly, and that Microsoft had taken actions to crush threats to that monopoly. The court ordered a breakup of Microsoft into two separate units, one to produce the operating system, and one to produce other software components.

On appeal, the break-up was overruled and the sanctions were watered down significantly, but the reputational damage was done. Microsoft was the corporate behemoth that everyone loved to hate. In contrast, the world loved Apple, the plucky and crucially, cool, underdog.

It was the loss of cool, which really did for Microsoft. In 2012, Vanity Fair noted that since 2000 the company had fallen flat in every area it entered: e-books, music, search, social networking - and the blame was firmly laid at a demoralising management culture. Author

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The Big Story At first Melinda was the driving force of the Foundation, but once Bill departed from his day-to-day role at Microsoft, he threw himself wholeheartedly into the charitable work.

In 2005 Time magazine named Bill Gates and Melinda, along with Bono, as the Persons of the Year citing three people on a global mission to end poverty, disease — and indifference. Bono said at the time, “Lots of people like Bill – and I include myself – are enraged and we sweep ourselves into a fury at the wanton loss of lives. We need a much slower pulse to help us to be rational. Melinda is that pulse.”

Kurt Eichenwald’s interviews with employees revealed that a management system known as “stack ranking” - a programme that forced every unit to declare a certain percentage of employees as top performers, good performers, average, and poor - effectively crippled Microsoft’s ability to innovate. “Every current and former Microsoft employee I interviewed—every one—cited stack ranking as the most destructive process inside of Microsoft, something that drove out untold numbers of employees.”

One developer told Eichenwald: “If you were in a team of ten people, you walked in the first day knowing that, no matter how good everyone was, two people were going to get a great review, seven were going to get mediocre reviews, and one was going to get a terrible review. It leads to employees focusing on competing with each other rather than competing with other companies.”

An anonymous former Microsoft senior marketing manager concluded: “I see Microsoft as technology’s answer to Sears.

In the 40s, 50s, and 60s, Sears had it nailed.

It was top-notch, but now it’s just a barren wasteland. And that’s Microsoft. The company just isn’t cool anymore.”

It took a long time but Microsoft finally shrugged off the criticisms. Today it sits on the side looking on as Apple is accused of overpricing, Amazon is blamed for the death of the High Street and the finger is pointed at the mis-use of personal data on Facebook.

How the geek became cool Maybe Bill’s transformation can be credited to Melinda. The pair met in 1987, four months into her job at Microsoft, when they sat next

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to each other at an Expo trade-fair dinner in New York. “He was funnier than I expected him to be,” she reported.

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Money has no utility to me beyond a certain point. Its utility is entirely in building an organisation and getting the resources out to the poorest in the world

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In a profile of the power couple, The Independent wrote, “Whatever first attracted Ms. French to Bill Gates, he was struck by her forthrightness and independence. It was she who first spurred him into impulses of charity.

After their engagement in 1993, during Melinda’s wedding shower, her mother Mary, suffering from breast cancer, read her an admonitory letter whose gist was, “from those to whom much is given, much is expected”.

Mary died months later, but her advice provoked the William H Gates Foundation.

Run by Bill’s father, its aim was to put laptops in every classroom. Then the couple decided that the most pressing issue in the US was reforming the education system.

“Then, after their wedding in Hawaii (on New Year’s Day 1994) Melinda read in The New York Times about the millions of children in developing countries dying of malaria and TB. She made world poverty their priority concern.”

Melinda is quick to share the praise with her husband, highlighting his open-mindedness and compassion. She wrote “As I’ve thought more deeply about equality for women around the world, I’ve been proud that Bill and I have achieved it in our life together. This is a balance that married couples, and co-workers, all over the world are always trying to strike.”

Bill’s journey from corporate suit to poverty campaigner owes much to the relationship with his wife, but there was another key influence. Gates was struck by the words of the pioneering American philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie.

Carnegie’s statement should be a mantra for everyone who find themselves in a position of having more money than they can possibly spend: “No man can become rich without himself enriching others. The man who dies rich dies disgraced.”

In association with

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

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

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Interview

NATWEST ACCELERATES ITS SUPPORT FOR ENTREPRENEURS Brighton is one of the cities to benefit from the successful and popular Entrepreneurial Spark powered by NatWest. Now the programme has revamped and absorbed into the RBS Group, and rebranded as the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator.

Ian Trevett spoke to NatWest’s Head of Entrepreneurship Gordon Merrylees and its Head of Entrepreneur Development Darren Pirie to find out more about the new look programme.

Entrepreneurial Spark was an undoubted success story. Why the change?

Darren Pirie (DP): You’re right. It was very successful. Every year, we have a meeting with Entrepreneurial Spark (ES) to review how things are working and it has been working very well. But it had reached a stage where we wanted different things. The direction they were looking to take ES was to expand their market and have more of a global reach. From our point of view we wanted to concentrate more on our UK operations.

We came to the mutual decision that we had come as far as we could together and it was time to go our own directions. Both parties have benefited from the partnership and we have learnt a great deal from ES. We decided we could benefit from importing some of the skills and experience from the existing ES teams into our own operation. So over the last month or so we have brought some of the ES staff members into our entrepreneurship teams, which have now doubled in size.

We now have the confidence and reputation in this space to rebrand the scheme under NatWest. We can now really get behind this with promotional campaigns and use this to demonstrate how we can help small businesses.

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Darren Pirle

We are expanding into new regions and we already have plans to grow the project by over 35% in 2018. We are very excited by the opportunities and we are looking forward to reinvigorating our offering to businesses.

So have you bought Entrepreneurial Spark?

DP: No, we have simply gone different ways. We negotiated with them about how we would manage the break and part of the arrangement was that we took on 30 of the specialist coaches who were working day-to-day with the entrepreneurs. We may well work again with them again in the future. It was all very amicable and both parties are very happy. It was simply a case that both parties had different plans and aspirations.

Has Entrepreneurial Spark helped the bank understand small businesses better?

Gordon Merrylees (GM): There has also been a big benefit for the bank itself in terms of how much our existing staff have learnt. We are developing our own people and building a capability for the digital age.

We have learnt from the entrepreneurs and our staff now have a better understanding of small businesses. This gives us an edge in the market.

Interview and are very comfortable about being uncomfortable.

There is a slow down in start-ups but we don’t feel this in the hubs as we always have good applicants. We have helped nearly 4,000 businesses over the past three years. Now that we are bringing this inhouse we can fully utilise our supply chain and our customer base, and help the businesses scale. It has also allowed us to increase our reach and we plan to support over 5,000 entrepreneurs in 2018 alone.

DP: The number of entrepreneurs we work with only scratches the surface of the businesses out there but it does allow us to be selective.

We can determine if the entrepreneurs have the right mind-set for the programme as it is an accelerator, so they have to open to change and ready for a challenge. We only want ambitious entrepreneurs.

We don’t usually look for brand new start-ups, it is more a case of accelerating the growth of small businesses that are ready to expand.

We will be looking at digitising some of the process. For instance we recently developed an app which helps you perfect your pitch. It’s a fantastic little tool which segments and edits your pitch. We will be driving this as an example of how we can help our customers with business development tools.

There is a growing focus on co-working space and incubator hubs, and there are many grants available in this sector. If you are scaling your business there is a lot of help available. If you are a start-up, there are lots of schemes out there to help you. But if you are in that middle ground there is a gap. If you are established, but you have not started to scale, this is where we can come in with a money-can’t-buy experience.

Gordon Merrylees

And owning the programme makes it even easier.

We are very proud that since October 2015, over 7,000 of our staff have volunteered to get involved in our Entrepreneurial Development Academy. In the last few months this has been accredited by the Institute of Entrepreneurship & Enterprise, which gives staff a credit towards an MBA or a Post-Graduate qualification. There have also been advances in the culture of the business.

Is the bank working with any of the entrepreneurs that have been through the hubs?

GM: Last year 62 business ideas were identified through the ES hubs that we could use within the bank itself and we are now piloting four of them, so the ES hubs have actually helped with our own efficiencies and innovation. We had some artificial intelligence innovations and one that helps with the safety of female who are travelling on business. It is a great strike rate.

You are in great position to see how the economy is faring. Are we becoming a nation of small and micro businesses?

GM: If you read a lot of monitors, there are actually less people looking to go out and start businesses, but this hasn’t been evident at the hubs. We generate large numbers of applicants and the people that we work with in the Entrepreneur Accelerators are very adaptable and driven. In an uncertain environment, entrepreneurs just get on with it

We have experience and tentacles in all areas, whether it is education, funding or our extended customer base. For instance, we have connections with major retailers so we may be able to help get an entrepreneur’s new product on the shelves.

If I visit a hub in a few months will I notice any differences?

DP: Well it will certainly look different as it will be branded as NatWest. Before we had four programmes running side-by-side. This will change to one Acceleration Programme and one Pre-Acceleration Programme.

The Acceleration Programme is a six to 18 month programme for entrepreneurs with high growth businesses looking to scale up.

Entrepreneurs receive free office space, free WiFi, free business advice and mentoring, bespoke coaching, and access to the bank’s networks and supply chains.

The Pre-Acceleration Programme is an intensive 12-week programme for up to 50 early stage start ups. The pre-acceleration programme is run simultaneously in each of NatWest’s hub cities. Resident entrepreneurs benefit from an introductory immersion day, online learning materials, webinars, digital ‘nutshells’ and a concluding celebratory awards event.

The key elements to both will be creating a hot-house environment with all of the infrastructure in place to remove barriers and promote peer-to-peer support.

Then there is the coaching element through our Acceleration Managers, who will do the one-to-one mentoring and coaching.

Then there are the various networks we have in the regions and within the bank.

These programmes are phenomenal gifts to businesses and offer powerful opportunities of development and growth.

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Finance

WHAT IS YOUR SUCCESSION PLAN?

By Robert Dowling, Head of Corporate Finance at MHA Carpenter Box.

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ccording to recent research, more than half of UK small businesses are operating without a succession plan.

Recent stats from PWC Global show that family owned businesses around the globe aren’t much more prepared: 43% don’t have a succession plan in place, and only 12% survive to the third generation.

Whatever the size of your business, a succession plan is essential to realising the best value from the hard yards you’ve put in building your business. We have prepared a few tips to help you plan for a low-stress, highvalue transition for when it’s time to sell or transfer ownership of your business.

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Whatever the size of your business, a succession plan is essential to realising the best value from the hard yards you’ve put in building your business.

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Define your objectives

The starting point for any succession is to plan early. Think about your long-term goals, both personally and professionally. Where do you see yourself in five or ten years? What would you like your retirement to look like?

Who are the best people to take over if you have to step away from the business suddenly – and how can you best prepare them for the task?

Once you’ve tackled the big picture questions, your next step is to seek planning advice from professionals. This should involve your accountant, business advisers, lawyers and of course your wealth management

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advisers – pension and income considerations will be a key part of any deliberations. At the same time, you’ll be able to start coaching your successor and training your employees for a smooth transition when you do leave.

Tips for successful succession planning It takes time to create a useful, well thought out succession plan. So start early, and don’t rush the process.

One of the most important elements of succession planning is clear and timely communication. Keep key stakeholders (business partners, employees, and family members) aware of your plans as early as you can.

Set a reasonable timeline for the creation of your succession plan and try your best to stick to it. Review the plan annually along with your business plan, and have contingency plans in place in case any sudden life changes require an unexpected exit, either of you or indeed your successor!

Final tips Although it’s impossible to predict how long it might take for a small business to sell, a good guideline to keep in mind is two to five years. In addition to other professionals you’ll want to consult as you draft your succession plan, you will want to consider the value of the company. And moreover, what you can do to enhance that before the time to sell comes.

Much can be done on this area but it does take time to bed any changes in – it’s certainly not a last minute consideration.

Finally, you will need to consider how much or how little involvement you want in the company in the future, and this can be negotiated during the sale process.

Our Corporate Finance team provides a full range of advisory services for SME clients. For more information on succession planning for your business, please contact Robert Dowling on 01293 227670.

Finance

MAKING TAX DIGITAL VAT – HOW READY ARE YOU?

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aking Tax Digital for Businesses will finally arrive on 1st April 2019.

From that date, all VAT registered businesses with a turnover above the VAT threshold (currently £85,000) will be required to: • Maintain digital records (for VAT purposes only).

• Provide their VAT information to HMRC using third party commercial software.

This includes unincorporated businesses, companies, LLPs and charities.

VAT registered businesses below the threshold can file their VAT information through MTD if they wish. Initially, there will be no change to the filing or payment deadlines, or to the basic information submitted to HMRC. Below, we cover the main points you should be aware of with the upcoming changes.

Software The biggest challenge in the move to a digital system will be the availability of suitable software. The regulations will require any business within the scope for MTD to use ‘functional compatible software’ to meet the new requirements. HMRC have stated they will not provide free software. However, they are working closely with software providers to ensure a wide range of options will be available.

The software you use must be able to: • Keep required records in a digital format.

• Preserve those records in digital form for up to six years.

• Create a VAT return from the digital records.

• Provide HMRC with this data on a voluntary basis.

• Receive information from HMRC about the business’ compliance record via the Application Programme Interface (API) platform.

Digital records There will be no requirement to keep supporting documents, such as invoices and receipts, in a digital format. However, businesses will need to store transactional information digitally, including the time and value of each supply, together with the applicable VAT rate. Retailers within the VAT retail schemes will be able to keep a record based on their daily gross takings rather than recording details of individual transactions.

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The biggest challenge in the move to a digital system will be the availability of suitable software.

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What you should be doing now

finance and tax departments, to ensure that they are aware of the upcoming changes and that systems are being developed to cope with these changes.

Smaller businesses should check with their accounting software provider to establish what offerings they will have and how their package will change to meet the requirement of the ‘functional compatible software’ test.

How we can help At MHA Carpenter Box, we offer a wide range of services and support to help you become MTD compliant. We can help you find a cloud solution, submit quarterly submissions to HMRC or even provide training for your team.

For more information on Making Tax Digital, please contact Stuart Noakes, Head of Tax Services, on 01903 234094 or sign up to our monthly newsletter service at www.carpenterbox.com/newsletter

Larger businesses with their own internal IT teams should be liaising with the head of the

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Finance

GENERATION Z AND THE FIFTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

By Andrew Griggs, Senior Partner at Kreston Reeves.

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n February, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) published its quarterly Business Confidence Monitor. The survey of 1,000 accountants working in businesses across the UK shows a pessimistic picture. Business confidence, whilst improving slightly, remains firmly in negative territory. Put bluntly, businesses crave certainty and that is in short supply. Change and uncertainty are, it seems, the new normal.

The ICAEW’s Business Confidence Monitor also showed a more cautious approach from businesses to long-term investment, and economic data shared at a recent breakfast points to continued suppressed wage growth.

The picture is complex and extends beyond the looming Brexit deadline.

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The rising influence of technology on all aspects of society is influencing our perception of value.

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Organisations are cautious as we are fast entering what has been coined the ‘fifth industrial revolution’; a revolution driven by technology, and one which will be faster, more scalable and adopted by more people than perhaps all previous industrial revolutions.

Everything will be more readily available and will make our lives simpler and faster.

Businesses of all sizes are driving this revolution, but they too will feel its impact.

The rising influence of technology on all aspects of society is influencing our perception of value - it must be cheaper because it can be made faster and in greater numbers using new technology.

However, the ICAEW Business Confidence Monitor also shows input prices rising by some 3% yet with sale prices remaining static. The cost of business is increasing, and these costs cannot be passed on to the customer. The pressures of profits today make long-term investment a bigger challenge.

Finance At a recent London-based robotics event, attendees were asked if their job existed when they were at primary school, 67% said no [2017 Outsource Magazine]. A study by McKinsey in the summer of 2017 showed that 60% of the workforce could be replaced by technology that exists today. Both are sobering statistics.

Generation Z, sometimes called the ‘IGen’, are now replacing millennials as the youngest members of the workforce. Born in the mid1990s they have grown up managing their personal brand on Instagram, SnapChat and other social media platforms. The very latest technology is a natural part of their lives.

They are independent and competitive, happy to work alone and to be judged on their own merits. Honesty and transparency are demanded from their peers, the brands they choose to engage with, and from future employers. Consequently, they relate more easily to an individual brand, are entrepreneurial and more likely to step out of the big corporate environment to explore new workplace experiences. Portfolio careers already commonplace will be normal.

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Generation Z, sometimes called the ‘IGen’, are now replacing millennials as the youngest members of the workforce.

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And unlike the calls of the 2000s for a greater work-life balance - something accountancy firms have worked hard to achieve - Generation Z look to work-life integration where the two are seamlessly blended to suit their own needs.

Employers today are having to manage a workforce with very differing needs - the older baby boomers approaching retirement, Generation X in senior management roles, millennials and now Generation Z. This leaves businesses and their advisers in uncharted territory. Employers of tomorrow will at the very least have to adopt lenient working practices. They will have to accommodate a generation with continued learning, development, the latest technology and challenges to hold on to them.

Customers too are looking for greater value in all they do and buy, and brand loyalty wears thin. With technology changing the way we

live and do business, and with unemployment at its lowest level for many years, organisations are having to think carefully and in many cases, are re-prioritising their investments.

Whilst capital investment may continue to be depressed, businesses are re-deploying their profits. They are nervous of investing in the wrong area. Businesses are showing a higher priority in developing and supporting staff, and experimenting, especially in IT systems and processes, to improve tomorrow.

Brexit is of course a contributing factor to a lack of business confidence, but we mustn’t forget the impact of both the fifth industrial revolution and the demands of a very different workforce.

So what should businesses do to embrace these challenges? The traditional mantra has been to ‘understand your client’. Businesses if they do not already do so need now to ‘understand their staff’. Listen to what your staff at all stages of their career have to say and where possible, act upon it. Understand too the technology that is available today that will affect the way your business works tomorrow. With change being the new normal, businesses will need to continuously experiment and try different ways of doing and running their business. Those that do not, may not last.

Accountancy firms, such as ours, are having to address these very same problems. We are well-placed to take a step back from a clients’ business and provide the independent and impartial insight businesses need. Scenario planning where the impact of future change is played out today does help businesses prepare for tomorrow.

Businesses are not reluctant to invest, but they are taking their time before making long-reaching decisions. They are also investing much more in their workforce and that cannot be a bad thing.

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

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

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

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

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J12 M27 | www.lakesidenorthharbour.com

WELLBEING & WORKLIFE BALANCE THE KEY TO RUNNING A GREAT BUSINESS Great businesses typically owe much of their success to the people they employ. And these employees have traditionally been attracted to a role by the unique combination of career opportunity, salary and the business’ ambition.

But with travel time, wellbeing and work life balance increasingly driving employee decision making, the difference between a candidate choosing your company over another could now be down to far more than the written offer.

The less tangible benefits of location, company culture, ease of access, parking and even the availability of good coffee are all now recognised as important factors when employees come to choose their next role. Critically these aspects are usually evaluated outside of the interview process, as a result of armchair research, word of mouth recommendation or the thought process when employees consider the ‘cost’ of working at Company ‘A’ or Company ‘B’.

Even the best businesses can lack competitive edge when recruiting due to their location, quality of office space or lack of lifestyle ‘wraparound’.

For businesses based in the highly competitive South East region, these

elements are becoming a basic level of expectation, rather than part of the benefits package.

At Lakeside North Harbour, the vibrant and versatile office campus puts staff wellbeing at the heart of occupier’s businesses and offers the opportunity for that all-important work life balance.

Grade A office space is complemented by a children’s nursery, shops, cafes, free shuttle bus, great transport links and over 100 acres of landscaped outdoor space for nature walks and running.

The trim trail around the lake and the £1million gym at The Village Hotel add to the overall package, all of which can be viewed in the 360˚ virtual tour on the Lakeside North Harbour website.

Locating your business in this vibrant community could provide an added dimension to your employee benefits and give you competitive advantage when recruiting and retaining the best people.

So, can you compete when it comes to offering a lifestyle wraparound or work life balance?

If your staff had a choice of free transport or free parking this morning and a selection of coffee options, then that’s a good start.

If they were able to meet their children at nursery for a walk or pop to the shops at lunchtime, even better.

If they were able to run 5km before work, manage a gym session after work and get their hair cut at lunch time, that is excellent.

If all of this was within metres of their desk, in high quality offices set in over 100 acres of landscaped grounds, then you’ve probably already based your business at Lakeside North Harbour.

29 LAKESIDE NORTH HARBOUR – WHERE GREAT BUSINESSES RUN

Legal

IP SERVICES IN A POST-BREXIT WORLD

By Robert Ganpatsingh, Partner at DMH Stallard.

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he UK’s ambitious project of leaving the European Union is causing great uncertainty amongst businesses and the legal sector itself. Not only do lawyers have the challenge of preparing their clients for a (yet unknown) new post-Brexit regulatory framework, they also face potential restrictions to the extent of services they can provide.

Legal professionals currently benefit from the freedom of establishment and the freedom to provide services under the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which allows them to provide their services in any EU member state. This means that UK intellectual property lawyers can represent their clients before the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), claim EU legal professional privilege

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and represent clients before the Court of Justice of the European Union.

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The completion of the phase 1 Brexit negotiations highlighted the complexities of the task, more than providing regulatory clarity.

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The registration of trade marks, designs and patents at the EUIPO is crucial for businesses who want to build and protect their brand

within the entire EU. The EU Trade Marks (EUTM) system enables businesses to benefit from protection in all 28 member states on the basis of a single trade mark registration.

In analogy, a Registered Community Design (RCD) provides businesses with a monopoly right over that design in the EU, and a European Patent is protected in all member states of the European Patent Convention.

The extent to which UK legal professionals can represent clients before the EUIPO postBrexit depends on the UK’s future relationship with the EU and how quickly an agreement is sought.

Art 50(2) TEU gives the UK two years to negotiate “the arrangements for its withdrawal, taking account of the framework

Legal for its future relationship with the Union”. Two years is a very short timeframe to negotiate and finalise the future arrangement of the movement of professionals, provision of services, and the scope of market access between the UK and the EU. The completion of the phase 1 Brexit negotiations highlighted the complexities of the task, more than providing regulatory clarity. Judging from the EU’s draft Withdrawal Agreement published in April, it appears that the current legal framework is likely to be kept throughout the transitional period post-Brexit, and possibly for a further period thereafter until the finer details and long-term arrangements are finalised in separate agreements. This is good news for legal professionals who will likely

continue to be able to provide services in the EU for the time being. However, these measures just buy us time whilst the can is kicked further down the road.

If the government fails to reach an agreement on preferential market access for legal services in the long run, UK lawyers would be restricted in providing legal services within the EU as they would be limited to the rights of foreign lawyers under the WTO rules and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). A Free Trade Agreement similar to the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) would incorporate provisions on legal services, but would not guarantee the same extent of rights as currently enjoyed.

DMH Stallard is prepared for all possible outcomes of the negotiations to ensure that we can continue to offer the same services to meet our clients’ needs. For example, we collaborate with legal professionals who are, and will continue to be, qualified to advise across all EU member states through our global network, Law Europe International.. Just as we are preparing for potential Brexit scenarios in the legal sector, it is also paramount that businesses check that their IP rights are protected in all relevant territories post-Brexit.

To contact Robert Ganpatsingh please email Robert.Ganpatsingh@dmhstallard.com or call 01273 744213.

DMH STALLARD WELCOMES ‘EXEMPLARY APPOINTMENT’ handling complex family disputes, often in high net worth cases.

Richard Pollins, Managing Partner at DMH Stallard, said: “This is yet another exemplary appointment for the firm at one of the most exciting times in our long history.

“Mark’s skill set, experience, and allround qualities mirror the calibre of legal professionals that we are known for, and I’m delighted he is now part of the DMH Stallard team.”

Mark Rennie

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MH Stallard has welcomed one of the most highly regarded family law specialists to the firm. Mark Rennie was formerly the head of the family department at asb law. He advises on all areas of matrimonial law, with particular experience in dealing with cases which involve business ownership. Mark is well known as a highly effective litigator,

Mark said: “I am pleased to join the team at DMH Stallard at such an exciting time for the firm and look forward to assisting the business in its ongoing and ambitious plans for growth generally. Throughout my career I have always sought to ensure my clients are protected and supported through what is for many a very difficult journey. DMH Stallard provides me with the opportunity to ensure that anyone using our services will be treated with the highest standard of excellence, as they deserve.”

PROPERTY SEMINAR Tuesday 22nd May 8:30am - 9:30am Come and join our team of experts at our Gatwick office to look at the hot topics and new developments in the property industry. Tea, coffee and bacon and egg rolls will be served from 8:10am.

This event will be of particular interest to property developers, surveyors, financiers and estate agents.

To register your interest please contact our event’s executive Stephanie Brownings on 01293 605028.

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Technology

TIME TO SWITCH? Your business deserves the best, as we like to say - so why wait?

Graham Bush, Commercial Manager at LMS Group gives us 10 great reasons why you should consider jumping off your fence and into the next evolution of IT support.

I

t can be pretty scary moving to a different IT support partner because some companies make it sound like a dark art. Is it a case of better the devil you know? Perhaps you’ve

high quality. If your IT infrastructure isn’t ticking along nicely, it needs to be fixed - pronto. There are a few pesky barriers associated with technological acquisition

and varied bunch, with strong opinions and infinite wisdom (we like to think so anyway). Hiring a team of experts shouldn’t automatically mean that you

used a support provider for a few years and although they’re not great, the prospect of moving to another company is just too daunting. If the system is sort of up and running then why change? And surely, if you change support companies then there’s a risk that the whole system will collapse? But if you’re putting up with any of the following then maybe it’s time to move.

and transition which puts off many business owners from making a switch.

We always aim to implement the very best technological solutions for your business in a single day or over a weekend, then provide an aftercare service for whenever you need us.

surrender all decisions to a higher power, after all, you know your industry inside out, and your supplier should certainly take this into consideration. One of the first things we do is to sit down with our clients and work out what really matters to them.

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The last thing you need during the working week is for your support crew, who you’re paying, to stroll in and dump a load of jargon that you don’t really need to know.

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1. You find yourself wading through jargon on a daily basis As IT support specialists, we’ve been honing our skills from a tender age. Not to brag, but our collective knowledge would probably fill a sizeable folder. The last thing you need during the working week is for your support crew, who you’re paying, to stroll in and dump a load of jargon that you don’t really need to know. If you’re constantly left in a spin over unclear gibberish, and it’s starting to affect autonomy at work, it may be time to look for a supplier that will shed the stress.

2. You’re constantly frustrated by slow service No business should ever compromise; quick service shouldn’t be traded off for

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3. Slow service which costs the earth Tomorrow’s IT solutions for your needs today shouldn’t leave you stretched for cash at the end of each month. LMS Group specialises in cutting-edge infrastructure and telecom solutions that cater to your needs without compromise, because when the local business community is connected and productive, everyone wins!

4. Your industry needs are being overlooked IT consultants are a notoriously eclectic

5. That nagging feeling of dissatisfaction is all too familiar Ever feel like you always have a set of questions that aren’t ever fully answered, or not in a transparent way anyway?

Maybe you have grand visions for how you want your team to work, but your current supplier simply tweaks around the edges and doesn’t take the time to delve into the innovative stuff that really stirs our creative juices. Your business deserves the best, which means leaving no stone unturned until everyone is satisfied.

Technology it harder for outfits to stand out and cut through the noise. IT infrastructure is at the heart of everything we do, from client communications and data protection, to connecting with remote teams and monitoring productivity. If your IT support supplier is satisfied with mediocre, it’s time to get in touch with specialists that will keep you ahead of the competition.

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If your discussions with a supplier’s voicemail are blossoming into an awkward relationship, it may be time to move on.

6. You feel like you can’t share a tipple We’re not saying that you need to be best buds with your IT support supplier, but your team should be able to feel like they can have an open and honest conversation that is understanding and supportive, no matter what your circumstances. Communication is key in delivering great service, so if your discussions with a supplier’s voicemail are blossoming into an awkward relationship, it may be time to move on.

7. You’ve been a victim of cybercrime one too many times Cybercrime is on the rise, affecting millions of small, medium and large businesses across the country. Common extortion, typically in the form of malware, doesn’t discriminate on industry or number of employees; security breaches simply pinpoint a failure in your IT system.

Defeating cybercrime requires constant updates that utilise cutting-edge protection methods. If you’re questioning your current IT protection, switch now, it’s too big a risk to chance.

9. You’re routinely shackled to an office laptop Whatever your thoughts on ‘globalisation’, there’s no denying that advancements in IT infrastructure, the cloud, telecoms and unified working have opened up gateways for growth, efficiency and productivity. It is now easier than ever to run a business on the move, from anywhere in the world. Anyone can now edit and share documents from any location on any device, for example. There’s a big ol’ world out there; discover more with a fresh team and new lease of life.

10. The competition is edging ahead The digital era has enabled businesses to grow at a faster pace, but it has also made

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At LMS Group, we’re different. You’ll never have to leave a message, we don’t overly complicate everything with techie-jargon, we’re clear and upfront with our fees and we’ll test your backups! Most importantly, we’ll work with you to ensure the transition from your current IT support provider is as smooth as possible with minimal (if any) disruption to your business.

To book a FREE non-obligation IT Infrastructure Assessment worth £1,500 visit www.lms.group/switch.

8. Business continuity is just not what it should be Continuity is the be all and end all of business success. By not acting on safeguards to protect your business, online nasties like viruses, malware, cybercriminals and doomed IT failures will be continuously popping the bubble wrap which keeps IT disasters at bay. Our disaster recovery solutions are carefully designed and tailored to keep your system, revenue and reputation secure should an adverse event happen.

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CEO Fight Club

CEO

THE POWER OF SIMPLE IN BUSINESS

By Si Conroy, owner of Scarlet Monday

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dmit it: you’ve been there. You try and think about another new aspect of your business; whether it’s a product or service extension, a new territory, competitor, change in compliance or a new direct report or team. Your brain feels like you’re wearing sunglasses at night. It’s hard to see, and even harder to do. You start to rock slightly as you try again to work out how to move forward, and then you realise you’re there. You’ve reached your maximum point of overwhelm (MPOO).

Ok, so I made up the term and acronym because of the school yard connotations, but it’s illustrative. Getting so overwhelmed by the apparent complexity of your business is exactly where you shouldn’t be. You are the boss, and you absolutely cannot sink into the morass.

It’s never going to start well when you are exhorted to find your unique sales proposition (USP)…. really? Unique? With massively varying estimates of between 150-250 million businesses in the world at any point in time, you expect to be unique? For me, this immediately sets the bar too high by stressing your brain into trying to be too complex for what’s actually required.

And what’s actually required? Strategy is about serving an unmet need or want. The focus is therefore on the ‘unmet’. If your solution happens to be unique, great. But recognise that increasingly as consumers we crave the simple vs. the complex as our apps,

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digital tools and interfaces become ever-more complex in false competitive feature-creep arms races.

Do your gross profit analysis on each of your products/ services.

Do you find the 80:20 Pareto principle of the vital few (20%) of your products/ services delivering 80% of your gross profit contribution to your overheads? When you look at all the other things your business

does you may get the dawning realisation that you’re being busy fools. Here’s a ‘fun’ but sometimes depressing exercise: take all the costs of delivering your most profitable lines of business and put them on one side.

Now take the rest of your costs, wave your magic wand and imagine that they – and the disproportionately low revenues they drive – disappear. Quickly recalculate your new P&L. Most of the time I do this with clients, I see tears form as the realisation dawns; we often do too many things in response to competitor

CEO Fight Club or existing customer demands, rather than asking whether there is a real, significant unmet need or want in the market.

You must set your business limits. They don’t set themselves.

You are the one who has to lead by example in saying ‘no’. Bloomberg is a good example: worth c.$50bn depending on market conditions, it provides financial market information. Wikipedia lists 13 products/services, but – with the exception of its investment arm – all do the same thing: provide information to enable better investment decisions. Dig even deeper and you find that over 85% of its revenue (and more than that in profit) comes from its financial information terminal business, which was the original product produced to address unmet needs in the market (www.wallstreetandtech.com).

Mike Bloomberg owns 88% of the business and could easily dictate expansion into other areas, but he doesn’t. Everything is about providing information to enable better investment decisions. When he launched the business the market was already crowded with terminals provided by Reuters. His ‘unique’ proposition? Provide a second screen which calculated ratios from the financial information on the first screen because he observed the traders using calculators, pens and paper. Also, recognising the power of these time poor/ cash rich traders to their financial organisation, he targeted them directly rather than going via procurement and threw in some early web services for life concierge/gift delivery services.

I’ve massively oversimplified to make the point (see, I practice what I preach…), but what they do isn’t rocket science. He spotted an unmet need and recognised and exploited a simple reality in the dynamic between traders and their employers.

You must focus on the essential.

As well as stopping your business’ attention deficit disorder, you have to lead from a personal perspective. As well as limiting your bigger projects to reduce the overwhelm, personally focus on the essential few and

eliminate the rest. Whether meetings, external commitments (panels/chairing/charities etc.) or even line reports, if they are not in the vital/ essential category then you are wasting time on the less valuable. Because your time and attention as a leader are your most valuable resources, you have to become a focus Scrooge.

But recognise when simple is dumb.

This article isn’t permission to ignore necessary complexity or sophistication. There are plenty of things in business (and life) that can’t be simplified, and indeed the future of unmet wants (if not needs) is increasingly being mapped by crunching more data and better predictive analytics. So don’t try and be binary about something which requires your

fuzzy and dissonant thinking – the key is to recognise what is required.

I reorientate myself in my businesses, and with my clients, by recognising our primary human settings. I discussed the primary need/ want above. I believe that if you recognise that related to this, most of our behaviour can be categorised as being either ‘from something’ we don’t want or ‘to something’ we do want, you’ve pretty much got our blue print.

Actually, I just lied. I really imagine I’m the hero in an action adventure, taking control of the world-threatening scenario with a set of clear directions. No one really wants the three options or the five possible scenarios; so get all Angelina Jolie or Bruce Willis and lead.

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

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Financial

KEEPING IT LOCAL

Brighton and Hove’s leading chartered accountants, Hilton Sharpe & Clarke, put local businesses at the heart of what they do.

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stablished in 1870 and now the leading firm of independent chartered accountants in Brighton and Hove, Hilton Sharp & Clarke are proud to be sponsors of this year’s Brighton & Hove Business Awards (BAHBAs).

At HSC we provide expert advice across the fields of accountancy and tax, together with specialist advice in various other sectors, and, in true ‘Brighton and Hove spirit’, we strive to be different, but also to make a difference – something our clients value and from which they benefit.

With the vast majority of our clients being based in Brighton and Hove, we know the local economy well, we understand what keeps business owners awake at night and we very much aim to be proactive partners in our clients’ businesses.

A recent BBC article suggested there is a 95% chance that robots will take the jobs of accountants in the future and the government is already encouraging this change through the introduction of the ‘Making Tax Digital’ legislation, requiring that businesses, in the very near future, begin to provide online information on quarterly bases.

At HSC we are embracing this change, and are working with our clients to turn this potential compliance nightmare into a fantastic and positive opportunity for their

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businesses. We are harnessing the latest technology available in order to allow our clients to make business decisions based on real-time relevant information, which will also ensure that they will be ready for the aforementioned government requirements.

In receiving this real-time information to assist with their business management, our clients are finding that a very welcome side effect of this change is often that additional spare time is generated by the automation off their systems and processes – thus adding more leisure time to the equation!

“HSC are very excited to be sponsoring the ‘SME Business Of The Year’ category at this year’s BAHBAs. This category focuses on businesses operating in Brighton and Hove and turning over between £500,000 and £10 million - this being the type of client we deal with on a daily basis, and thus very much fitting with what we know,” says Tom Bowen, Director and chief judge for HSC. “Being part of the local economy ourselves, it felt only natural for us to support these awards and we are very much looking forward to meeting all of the entrants to the ‘SME Business Of The Year’ category.

“Our judging team are really looking forward to visiting all of the entrants and meeting some diverse and unique businesses throughout the city. When judging, we will be looking for businesses to demonstrate how

Director and chief judge for HSC, Tom Bowen they have overcome challenges within their business, how they are planning for the future, their involvement in the local community, investment in staff and corporate social responsibility,” Tom added.

“Brighton and Hove is a leading UK city for cutting-edge businesses, and with the city’s digital and creative economy worth over £1 billion per year and with two leading universities based in the city, how can we be anything but full of excitement for the future of local business!”

Business Expo

EXPOS AT THE RACES

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

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

• Thursday October 11th Brighton Business Expo, Brighton Racecourse Mike says, “There will 70 exhibitors at West Sussex and 110 at Brighton as we will be expanding into the second hall.

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

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

Exhibitors benefit from: • A professional Shell Scheme Stand with company name boards • Basic stand furniture, including a 2ft x 2ft display table • Lunch and refreshments for two exhibitors • Regular support and pre-event updates BBE_Advert_A6_28.2.18.pdf 1 28/02/2018 12:36:36

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

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

• Social media promotion before, during and after the expo

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CM

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Entrepreneurial Checklist

10 CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ENTREPRENEUR Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Jeremy Burbidge, Owner and Managing Director of Ticketmedia, identifies the key characteristics he believes have been critical for success.

1. Passion and Belief Arguably the most important traits of all. Going from an idea to a fully-fledged business takes long hours, numerous battles and a relentless desire to make things happen. That motivation comes from a deep passion and faith in the idea.

2. Hard work Without determination and hard work, dreams are just fantasy. When opportunity strikes, it can’t be taken for granted – it’s important to seize the moment and put in the hours. Even now I can still be found with my sleeves rolled up and working on a printing press when the need arises.

3. Willing to take risks Putting self-doubts to one side and taking the plunge can be challenging for people. Uncertainty is part and parcel of the life of an entrepreneur so it is important to be comfortable with taking risks, often without knowing the full picture.

4. Challenge the Status Quo My overwhelming driver is not to accept the status quo. The number of times I’ve been told something can’t be done just encourages me to prove them wrong. It keeps me moving forward and looking to what’s next for the company.

5. Adaptable and Flexible While challenging the status quo is a good way to break new ground, few businesses can survive without being able to adapt in some way for their customers or their industry. Entrepreneurs can be a stubborn bunch but flexibility is often key to success.

6. Money Management Always keep a tight grip on cashflow.

Beyond that, obviously the aim is to make a profit but how you use those

profits is critical. We reinvest profits back into the company to drive growth, be that from increasing productivity to improving efficiency and profitability.

7. Always Learning Don’t mistake self-belief for thinking you know it all. I recently realised that to grow the company in the way I want, I also needed to invest in myself.

Last year I began a course with the Academy of Chief Executives. Meeting like-minded people has been invaluable, sharing advice, mentoring and providing practical tools I can take back to the business.

8. Seek Support As a company grows, knowing when to let go and seek help is hard for an entrepreneur. Recruiting and retaining a talented senior team is vital to success.

Building a strong community of Brighton business contacts has also been hugely rewarding in unexpected ways.

9. Take Time Out Sometimes it’s easy to get too close to things which can cloud your judgement.

When I need inspiration I have to step away; generally a good ride on a motorbike or a game of squash helps to give my mind the chance to reboot.

Being involved with charities like Rockinghorse can also lend perspective when the pressure’s on.

10. Resilience It is pretty much guaranteed that there will be failures along the way.

Sometimes you have to know when to call it quits and try a different direction.

The resilience to recover quickly from adversity and turn it into something useful is what sets entrepreneurs apart.

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

With a turnover in excess of £5m and employing 25 people, Owner and Managing Director Jeremy Burbidge is one of the city’s most innovative entrepreneurs.

Telephone: 0800 0286778 www.ticketmedia.com

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16 & 17

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Interview

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE In September, the children’s charity The Starr Trust celebrates its tenth anniversary. As well as making a difference to the lives of our young people, it may well permanently transform the Hove coastline with its plans to develop the crumbling King Alfred site. The Trust’s CEO Rob Starr tells how the charity was born out of the affection he held for his late father - a man who believed anything was possible.

Interview by Ian Trevett

“I

t was a visit from my dad’s windowcleaner that inspired me to try and make a difference.”

It was an unlikely spark for a life-changing decision, but The Starr Trust is no ordinary charity.

Rob Starr explains: “The inspiration for the trust was my father. He was the most wonderful man who always made me believe anything was possible. He made me believe there was nothing outside of possibility – a massively powerful thing to have instilled into you as a child.

“When we lost my dad to cancer 12 years ago, when he was still very young, a few things happened which really highlighted dad’s ability to make people feel special. A few months after we’d lost dad, a guy came to my office and I ended up comforting him as he was so upset about dad. As he left, I curiously

asked him, ‘I’m sorry for your loss but who are you?’ He gave me his name and told me he was my dad’s window cleaner.

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I was going through my life trying to do good and be good, as we all hope we do. But how much time did I give to other people?

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“I phoned up my wife and asked whether we had a window cleaner, which we did. I asked her if she knew the window cleaner’s name. She wasn’t sure.

“That was a real turning point for me because it really made me think: ‘Wow, that’s

where me and dad differ.’ I was going through my life trying to do good and be good, as we all hope we do. But how much time did I give to other people? This was my dad’s window cleaner, for God’s sake. It really made me think about the impact you can have on someone’s life by listening to them – nothing more, just listening to them and making them feel important. It doesn’t cost anything to do that but it’s really powerful. Having discovered what was so special about my dad, I didn’t want to lose that.”

The result of that revelation was the setting up of The Starr Trust.

“I didn’t have any money to set up a charity, but I thought I’m not going to wait until I can afford it. Dad taught me that if you wait to do something, you will look back a year later and wish you had started a year before. So along with my brother-in-law Darren, my sister, my wife, some friends and my mother, we started

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Interview Champions

The Starr Trust. We just thought, ‘Let’s set up a charity in dad’s name, raise some money somehow and give the money away to young people in the city to help them be the best they can be’.

“We set up The Starr Trust with no money in the bank, just good intentions and a good idea. We held a barn dance and a quiz night, and we gave the money away.

It was absolutely brilliant. I put some desks and computers in my office and got some volunteers in with the promise that we’d take

them on as staff when we could. In our first year we gave away in the region of £20,000.”

For most people this is where the story may have ended. Rob and his family had raised a substantial sum of money to help local children and done something positive to remember a loved one. But Rob’s personality is such that this wasn’t going to end there. He decided to take on some endurance events to raise more funds, which is not unusual except that from a young age he had suffered terribly from arthritis and Crohn’s Disease.

With these debilitating conditions a marathon was out of the question, so he decided he should swim to France instead! The bravery (or madness) of this decision cannot be overstated.

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It didn’t occur to me that I couldn’t do it. I had no idea how and I had no idea whether the council would give me the land. I always believe that I can and I don’t ever worry about how. I don’t think it’s my job to work out how, I just assume the answer will come.

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Rob recalls his first swim: “The first day was in April 2010 and it was the most shocking experience of my life. It was so cold and scary, but I stuck at it. I was doing seven and eight hours swimming every day, but my Crohn’s Disease meant I kept losing weight; I was under eight stone at one point. It just wasn’t sustainable, so we turned it into a relay, which was equally difficult in different ways. I got a team of swimmers together and we completed it in 2012.

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Interview “Ironically, because of the amount of exercise I was doing, I built up my strength for running - and I completed the Brighton Marathon. We ended up raising over £80,000 for The Starr Trust and it put us on the map.

Proposed King Alfred Centre

“I don’t take any medication anymore.

When I was younger I lived on medication because of my Crohn’s. I threw it all away when I took up sea swimming. Sometimes I’d walk down the beach with a walking stick or crutches and in quite severe pain. Then I come out the sea afterwards and I pick up my stick and walk up the beach – it’s almost biblical.

It’s really weird. There have been studies on cold water swimming and the positive effects it can have.”

As well as improving his health, sea swimming also led to another inspiration: “I would swim past the King Alfred Centre and it got me dreaming. I had this idea that I would knock down the King Alfred and I would put a building on the seafront that would be a hub of creativity.

“Just as my dad had taught me, it didn’t occur to me that I couldn’t do it. I had no idea how and I had no idea whether the council would give me the land. I always believe that I can and I don’t ever worry about how. I don’t think it’s my job to work out how, I just assume the answer will come.

“People who achieve things fail a lot along the way. I’ve made more mistakes than most in business. Being in business 26 years, I make one a week. But you learn from them and I don’t think I’m fazed by them. There’s this term resilience. I think my epitaph will probably be: ‘He was nothing if not resilient’.”

In some ways Rob’s naivety was an advantage. The odds against getting the council to release the land, to raise the huge amount of capital and win a bidding war against experienced developers would have been staggering. How Rob pulled off the coup of winning the bid is a fascinating story in its own right. Now, in partnership with Crest Nicholson, the dream is about to be a reality (one for a future issue of PBM!).

The plans for the new King Alfred are hugely impressive. Rob says, “The council will get a £40-45 million state-of-the-art, fantastic leisure centre. There are going to be about 560 flats with 20% affordable housing, which is what the city needs. Every single one of them is going to have a sea view; not one flat is hidden at the back. Right in the middle is a creative hub, which will include sport, art, theatre, music, education, business and social interaction.

“I wanted to design it from the inside out.

I wanted it to be about what happens there.

The traditional way a developer works is to design a building, put the building up and then look at what happens there. I wanted to do the opposite.

“We will run the hub but it will be separate from The Starr Trust. We will set up a CIC (Corporate Interest Company) - basically a notfor-profit company. We can generate revenue from commercial lets on the rooms. The dream is that the income would pay for the 60-70% of the year when we can offer discounted or free space to local community groups. A true scenario of the commercial supporting the charitable. We want charities to come down and use this space. We’ll make it affordable or free for them to use the space.

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When you hear what these youngsters are going through and what they’re inspired to do, not helping them just doesn’t seem an option.

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“If people want to rent the rooms out and can’t afford them, we’d say: do some volunteering work (not necessarily at the hub) and earn the hours. We’re really trying to bring in change in how charity is viewed in the city, working in a spirit of collaboration: businesses and charities working together instead of fighting against each other. And it’s so exciting!

“Over £65 million is going back into the city.

Developers often get bad press but I’ve got to

say Crest have been fantastic.

“All being well we would hope to be on site at the end of the first quarter of next year.

My partners always say I’m way too optimistic but one of us has to be. One of us has to keep pushing, so that’s my job. The build will take three years, which seems like a lifetime because by the time it’s done it’ll be 10 years of my life. All because I used to swim past the building!”

The King Alfred hub will secure the future of a wonderful charity, of which Rob is understandably proud: “We’ve got a bike ride coming up in July from Bangor to Brighton, 360 miles which I’m going to do despite my arthritis and Crohn’s.

Then we have our Winter Ball in November at the Hilton. We have a fabulous relationship with The Metropole. They’re wonderful.

We’re one of their chosen charities for their Midsummer Ball. They chose us last year, though I had to sing and dance with Robin Cousins, which was interesting.

“We’ve supported over 4,200 children, giving grants up to £5,000 a time. We’ve got youngsters who have become champions.

When you hear what these youngsters are going through and what they’re inspired to do, not helping them just doesn’t seem an option. It’s life-saving and life-changing.

“It’s about young people with the drive to do something but not having the financial ability to do it. Maybe they’re in care and no financial backing. We see our job as raising the money to help them on their journey and also giving them as much support as we can.

Money is one part of it but the support is equally as important.”

starrtrust.com

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Business Awards

THE CLOCK IS TICKING TO ENTER THE LEWES DISTRICT BUSINESS AWARDS Applicants have until Wednesday 9th May to apply

D

ue to overwhelming demand, businesses in the Lewes District now have until Wednesday 9th May to submit their entries to the 2018 Lewes District Business Awards.

The awards are free to enter and organisations of all sizes and from all sectors are invited to submit up to three nominations, with 12 categories to choose from.

Recognising success, innovation and excellence, the best of Lewes District’s entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs or big businesses are encouraged to enter.

Winning or being shortlisted for an award offers a great deal of benefits to businesses, including invaluable PR exposure and a complimentary ticket to the awards ceremony with over 300 attendees on Thursday 19th July 2018 at the AMEX Stadium.

Last year’s winner, Dan Thompson, Chief Executive of Plumpton Racecourse testifies: “Winning a Lewes District Business Award was a fantastic moment for the racecourse.

It recognises the staff’s hard work, promotes the service and options we offer and gets the

Last year’s winners for Best Place to Entertain Clients - Plumpton Racecourse racecourse on the map. It’s something we’d highly recommend doing.”

Sara Hancock, Commercial Director of Bluebell Railway Plc, agrees: "Being a winner at

the 2017 Lewes District Business Awards was the icing on the cake for the Bluebell Railway.

It recognised all the hard work to make the visit of the iconic Flying Scotsman such a success and to secure a significant lottery fund investment to build a new interactive steam exhibition in 2018."

Three new sponsors, RSE Group, Nexus Create and Allied Irish Bank have joined ACES Magazine, Basepoint, Cheesmur Building Contractors, Gemini Print, LEAP, Platinum Business Magazine, Uniglobe, Veolia, Viva Lewes and Wave Leisure Trust.

Supporters include Peacehaven Chamber of Commerce, Seaford Chamber of Commerce, Newhaven Chamber of Commerce and the Lewes Chamber of Commerce.

David Sheppard, Chairman of Sussex Chamber of Commerce, returns as Chair of Judges. David joined the Board of Sussex Enterprise in January 2013 and became Chairman in April 2015.

To view a full list of this year’s categories and to enter visit Last year’s winners for Culture Leisure and Tourism - Bluebell Railway

www.lewesdistrictbusinessawards.co.uk

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Knowing you.

We are proud to be located at the heart of the Manor Royal Business District.

From this prime location our team provides a broad range of accounting, tax and business advisory services to help develop your business and improve its profitability.

In addition to dynamic businesses we also advise not for profit organisations, private individuals and their families, on their tax and financial planning needs.

For further information, or to find out how we could help you, please contact one of our Gatwick office Partners, Allan Pinner, James Peach or Paul Roe, using the details below.

For all your business, tax and wealth needs.

Call: +44 (0)330 124 1399 Email: enquiries@krestonreeves.com Visit: www.krestonreeves.com

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Charity News

HERE AND NOW Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice cares about making every Now count.

C

hildren’s Hospice Week is the UK’s only awareness and fundraising week for the 49,000 children and young people in the UK with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition, their families and the children’s hospice and palliative care services that support them.

As it’s Children’s Hospice Week this month (21st-27th May), we’re highlighting the vital care services provided by Chestnut Tree House – our local children’s hospice, which cares for 300 children and young people with life-shortening conditions across Sussex and South East Hampshire, all of whom are unlikely to reach adulthood.

On a visit to the House, kids can be astronauts for the day in the multi-sensory room, discover creepy crawlies on a woodland walk, or form their very own pop group in the music room. It is a place where parents can just be parents not carers, and where siblings have people to talk to who understand. There is also a Community Nursing Team who visit families at home, taking children out or simply giving tired families and carers the chance to take a well-earned break.

Then, when the time comes, Chestnut Tree House helps families say goodbye, in whatever way feels right for them, either at home or in the hospice itself. They offer ongoing bereavement support for the whole family.

It costs Chestnut Tree House well over £3.5 million every year to provide its specialist care services and less than 7% of that comes from central government.

All care is offered free of charge, so they rely heavily on the generosity of the local community.

What it costs • £6,850 covers one day of all care services provided by Chestnut Tree House - at the hospice and in families’ own homes.

• £651 pays for a child to spend a night at Chestnut Tree House, receive specialist care and enjoy a range of activities.

• £195 enables a member of the Community Team to provide a few hours of specialist nursing care in a child’s home.

• £40 covers the costs of a session with a play therapist or bereavement counsellor.

• £4.75 pays for one minute of all Chestnut Tree House care services.

Caroline McCullough, Clinical Nurse Manager at Chestnut Tree House said: “A lot has changed since Chestnut Tree House opened in 2003, and we could not have helped the 833 children and families we have over the last 15 years without the help and support of the local community.

“For us, our role is very much about children living for the now, and helping families create a lifetime of memories, however long they have together.

“Without people taking on challenges, fundraising, making donations, volunteering or pledging gifts in their wills, we simply wouldn’t be able to continue providing the specialist care that is vital to so many children and young people in Sussex and South East Hampshire.”

Get involved with Chestnut Tree House your business could make a real difference.

• Take part in a fun, fundraising event • Make Chestnut Tree House your Charity of the Year • Set up Payroll Giving for your employees • Join our Corporate Volunteering days

To find out how your business can make a difference and help Chestnut Tree House, visit www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk, email corporate@chestnut-tree-house.org.uk or call 01903 871846 or 01323 725095.

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BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY

VAIL WILLIAMS LLP Business Profile

W

e are a local professional property consultancy with over 30 years’ experience in dealing with business opportunities and developments in Manor Royal. We have an extremely strong working relationship with the Manor Royal Business Group, as well as occupiers and landlords across the District.

Our extensive partnership working with local businesses and stakeholders also allows us to assist and support with Manor Royal BID projects and events. We are also part of the Local Economy Action Group and other bodies that support the economic function of the Business District and the wider town and region.

In recent years we have great success with prime opportunity sites on key gateways, where developments now enhance the frontage of the primary sections of London Road and Gatwick Road, whilst creating a significant amount of new development floorspace.

Recent planning and development successes which has seen major regeneration opportunities delivered within the Business District, have included Elekta, (110,000 sq ft and 900 jobs) Nexus (Parcel One 170,000 sq ft for both training and operations buildings for L3, and Parcel Two at 4 Gatwick Road, a 57,425 sq ft Grade A headquarters office for SECamb), this is over 338,000 sq ft of new floorspace.

We have secured planning for these recent developments, that have cumulatively led to new highly visually distinctive projects along London Road and Gatwick Road, all with a carefully considered design concept. The design of the buildings has evolved to respect the design and form of the adjacent buildings, and their site specific environs, whilst the recent developments have also ensured the minimum achievement of BREEAM ‘Very Good’ throughout, with additional ‘Excellent’ ratings for water and energy credits.

In addition, we are at the forefront of new development opportunities being realised with new office developments securing planning permission at Northwood Park (109,413sqft) and BCL House, Gatwick Road, as well as the mixed B use development at Jersey Farm, County Oak.

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The Gatwick Diamond As a property advisory firm, we also contribute to the Gatwick Diamond and wider economy by facilitating opportunities for business expansion and refurbishment allowing existing firms to be retained. This allows businesses to grow and importantly to remain in the Gatwick Diamond economy rather than relocating out of the region.

Our ‘Business Space’ team has been working alongside landlords to ensure fit-for-purpose floorspace is matched with tenants’ needs, these have included the refurbishment of 28,000 sq ft of office accommodation at Churchill Court (C3) as part of a total 106,000sq ft campus, to provide Grade A

accommodation to an incoming occupier, Diamond Point, 115,000 sq ft, Centron Park Crompton Way (53,000 sq ft development of 2 new units) and Explorer I, Fleming Way 15,000 sq ft grade A refurbishment, as well as the delivery of the Harwoods Jaguar facilities (60,000 sq ft) Vail Williams is committed to delivering high quality new development and complementing and assisting the Manor Royal Business Group and other stakeholders in securing a Manor Royal Business District that is flexible and resilient to future economic challenges and opportunities.

Tel: 01293 612600 Email vwinfo@vailwilliams.com

BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY

MANOR ROYAL From field to economic powerhouse, Steve Sawyer, Manor Royal BID, Executive Director, gives us an insight into Manor Royal, one of the biggest business districts in the south east.

“Where the best companies and people choose to be for the strength of its business community and the quality of its trading and working environment.”

(Manor Royal BID Vision).

Once part of a rich landowners estate, Manor Royal was conceived as part of the Crawley New Town plan and quickly rose to become one of the largest business parks in the UK, and a key driver of the vibrant Gatwick Diamond economy.

Now home to well over 600 businesses, providing jobs for 30,000 people and generating an estimated Gross Value Added (GVA) of £1.7bn, Manor Royal Business District is more a business town than a business park.

Over the years it has changed, grown, and adapted as the economy has changed. Its diversity is one of its greatest strengths that has allowed the area to stand the test of time and flourish. And flourish it has in ways the new town planners of the 1940s could not have predicted.

Manor Royal Gateway

A history of success

The Manor Royal BID was created in June 2013 and is the UK’s largest industrial BID

The designation of Crawley as a New Town in 1947 was the starting point for the rise of Manor Royal. The vision of the New Town Masterplan Architect, Anthony Minoprio was for Manor Royal to be an “industrial area superior to any in the country”. Although it wasn’t actually called Manor Royal then.

A bold statement but the aspiration seems almost modest now compared to what Manor Royal has become. Popular from day one, businesses moved their operations from London into modern, purpose built buildings on attractive sites with room to grow.

The target was to accommodate a talented workforce of 8,500 people. However, by the mid1960s that number had almost doubled and now Manor Royal employs over three times that original estimate.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the excellent range of occupiers that operate here and the huge variety of business operations from the very smallest to the very largest.

Positioned for performance A recent study by Nathaniel Lichfields & Partners, a leading planning and development consultancy, underscored some of the main components of Manor Royal’s success. Location is

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BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY MANOR ROYAL IN NUMBERS • 620 businesses • 30,000 employees • 700 premises • 540 acres • 9m sq ft of floorspace • £1.7bn GVA

A LEADER FOR HOUSEHOLD NAMES AND BLUE CHIP GLOBAL BRANDS • Virgin Atlantic • Thales UK

Manor Royal at night

• Tesco.com • Elekta

critical and being located at the heart of the

landmass, Manor Royal now accounts for 25%

• Varian Medical Systems

Gatwick Diamond, within touching distance of Gatwick Airport, is an obvious advantage.

of all Crawley jobs and contributes a whopping £34m (30%) per annum in rates.

• Deloitte

The size of the place is also a factor, providing over 9m square feet of commercial floorspace split across 700 properties, from large warehouses to small offices and workshops. This is a great asset to Manor Royal and any business located here. It means Manor Royal accommodates a huge variety of different businesses, doing all manner of different things, which creates a great environment for local trade.

When you add in the contribution employees make in income tax and national insurance, Manor Royal provides £207m every year to the public purse, which helps to quantify just why the Business District is so important to Crawley and the wider economy, attracting about 18,000 people every day from outside the town to work here.

Since 2010 the amount of commercial floorspace has grown by 18%, there are 5% more businesses here and the already high productivity output of the area has increased by 5%. While only taking up 6% of the town’s

The study also highlighted the important contribution the recently renewed Business Improvement District (BID) has made. “This important study reinforces the vital role Manor Royal plays,” said Trevor Williams, Thales UK and Chairman of the Manor Royal BID. “It is especially pleasing to see the contribution of

• Kreston Reeves • Amey • CGG • Vent Axia • Metrobus

the Manor Royal BID being highlighted both in terms of what has been achieved to date and the role it can play in its continued success.”

Bang for your BID buck When you move to Manor Royal, businesses are not just moving to a business park of anonymous, unconnected, disparate companies. Since 2013 Manor Royal has been home to the UK’s largest business park Business Improvement District (BID).

Through the BID, Manor Royal businesses are part of an organised, funded community with the power to influence and deliver real and tangible changes to improve the trading and working environment. And because businesses have to vote every five years to keep the BID going, it has real legitimacy in the eyes of the local authorities, and others that the BID works with and seeks to influence.

It’s a Yes!

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During the first five years, we’ve generated in excess of £1m from third parties directly for BID projects, and over £2m has been invested by others to improve the general area.

Added to the £2m generated by businesses themselves, that means through the BID, over £5m of extra investment for Manor Royal that would not have otherwise happened.

BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY These funds have delivered faster broadband, improved security, better roads and pavements, new parks and facilities, new signage, enhanced entranceways, improved standards of maintenance, discounted and free services (including public transport discounts and training), events, and dedicated promotions and communications.

BIDding for the future The Manor Royal journey doesn’t stop there. In March businesses voted overwhelmingly to extend the BID for a further five years. 84% of businesses voted in favour of renewing the Manor Royal BID that will now continue until 2023.

“For me it was an easy decision to vote ‘Yes’ for the BID renewal,” said Keith Pordum, Managing Director of Bon Appetit and ViceChairman of the BID. “I’ve seen the positive difference the BID has made for companies of all sizes located here.”

The terrace at Manor Royal

As a result, a fund of c£2.6m will be generated from the Levy and used to generate additional funds to deliver the projects and services set out in the new Business Plan (201823). And literally no time is being wasted in getting on with the next phase.

Planning approval was granted at the end of March to improve the Gateway 1 entranceway, the busiest entry point to the Business District near the Bank Precinct, and consent to install six digital advertising screens at key locations around the area is anticipated anytime.

In May the ever popular Know Your Neighbour event (16th May) will bring together over 300 colleagues representing about 100 business from across Manor Royal and for the first time, in partnership with Prowse & Co the BIDs marketing and events partner, the BID is organising the Manor Royal Careers EXPO (17th May) to promote the excellent careers and jobs available.

Talking about the Careers EXPO, Zoe Wright, Director of People and Premises, B&CE said: “Through this event, B&CE is pleased to help foster a strong sense of community and raise the profile of the great opportunities we can provide as a local employer.”

The evidence is clear. From a field to economic powerhouse, Manor Royal Business District has emerged as an important destination of choice for many household names and local entrepreneurs and – with the Manor Royal BID renewed for a further five years – the foundations are in place for a prosperous future.

www.manorroyal.org

Steve Sawyer, Katy Bourne - Sussex PCC, Giles York Chief Insp Sussex

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BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY

CAN YOU AFFORD NOT TO INVEST IN STAFF DEVELOPMENT?

‘T

raining isn’t just important. It’s more than a ‘nice to have.’

It is absolutely vital.’ So says Julie Kapsalis, Group Managing Director (Commercial) of the Chichester College Group.

‘Your staff are your biggest investment, so why wouldn’t you equip them with all the tools they need? That’s why I’m proud that employers across West Sussex are working with Crawley College to ensure local people and local businesses are not missing out on high quality training.’

Crawley College firmly believes that investment in your workforce is an investment in your company’s future. Training and development is proven to increase employee engagement, motivation, job satisfaction and productivity.

apprenticeships across a range of industries and at all levels including degree level. The college offers numerous short courses for business and trade, as well as management and professional courses. In addition, the college has secured government funding to offer a suite of distance learning courses across a range of core areas, including administration, customer service, team-leading and healthcare. Designed to be flexible, these courses give staff nationally recognised qualifications and are free to access (conditions apply).

For more information, contact the business development team on 01293 442200.

Apprenticeships are a great way to bring new talent and fresh ideas into your business, and to identify and support your industry’s future leaders, as apprenticeship training is available for current employees as well as new ones. Businesses that pay the levy can use these funds to train up their current employees as well as to recruit new trainees, while smaller enterprises can do the same, taking advantage of government funding, which covers 90% of apprenticeship training costs.

Crawley College has over 50 years’ experience providing training and

ARE YOU ONE OF THE *

92%

OF LEVY-PAYERS WHO HAVEN’T SPENT THEIR LEVY FUNDS?

Did you know?

You can use your levy for current employees or new recruits.

DON’T LET YOUR LEVY FUNDS GO TO WASTE *The apprenticeship levy, one year on, Open University April 2018

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01293 442200 (PRESS 4) EMPLOYERS@CRAWLEY.AC.UK CRAWLEY.AC.UK/EMPLOYERS

BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY

MANOR ROYAL

Quick Facts

ROYAL ROOTS

DID YOU KNOW?

The origin of the name, Manor Royal,

The princess’ next visit, the first after becoming our Queen, came on 9th June 1958 when she officially opened the revamped and extended Gatwick Airport. She then ventured into Crawley where she planted a maple tree marking the official opening of the newly completed Queen’s Square.

combines the name of the farm it sits on (Manor Farm) and the fact it was named (and opened) by HRH Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) on the 25th January 1950. The Manor Royal Industrial Estate was a vital part of the newly designated New Town and soon after its opening, it became a prime location for many global household names.

The royal opening was captured by Pathé News - a producer of newsreels and documentaries from 1910 until 1970 - in a film called ‘The World in Camera: Princess Elizabeth in Crawley (1950)’. In the film the commentator exclaims: “To the youngest of the new towns, Crawley, comes Princess Elizabeth to open the road that will run through the industrial areas. A closely kept secret was the highway’s name – Manor Royal – chosen by the Princess from an old Tithe map of the district.”

THE FUTURE OF CANCER TREATMENT AT THE HEART OF CRAWLEY • Varian Medical Systems is the global leader in radiotherapy, and have been resident on Manor Royal since 1955 (formally TEM). Two out of every three people treated with modern radiotherapy worldwide will be treated on Varian machines. And more than 100,000 treatments a day, or 35 million a year, are carried out using Varian linear accelerators to deliver high energy x-rays and combat tumours.

• Elekta is the leading innovator of state-of-the-art equipment and software used to improve, prolong and save the lives of people with cancer and brain disorders.

Elekta invented the world’s first commercially produced linear accelerator (linac), which delivers radiation in the form of high-energy x-rays to treat cancerous tumours; and houses a radiotherapy centre of excellence on Manor Royal.

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BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY

AVENSYS Business Profile

Please describe what your business does…

Incorporated in 2000, Avensys is one of the leading audio visual companies in the South of England, specialising in highly technical and innovative installations for Live Events and Commercial environments as well as a multi award winning Retail superstore and Smart Home. Markus Wood, Avensys Founder and Managing Director, along with his dedicated team, have been responsible for turning his vision into reality over the past 20 years.

Markus says Avensys success has been a combination of identifying future trends in our industry, developing great relationships and a lot of hard work.

What makes your business special?

It’s simple; We are unique. No one does what we do, the way we do it. Our heritage is Audio Visual – some 20 years’ experience in the industry. We have direct relationships with all the world’s biggest brands, rather than buy through distribution, which means we are not only in a position to negotiate preferential pricing, we can often get access to technical support and exclusive products direct from the manufacturer. We are a family owned business that has made considerable investment in growth and continues to see strong year on year results. This has made us an attractive proposition to current and future employees, and we pride ourselves in our excellent team work, highly skilled and knowledgeable teams, who operate with enthusiasm and a customer focused approach. We’re here for the long game so make it our business to develop long term customer, supplier and employee relationships.

How long have you been in Manor Royal?

We’ve actually been trading here since 2008, with parts of our

business running from a unit in Rutherford Way. We also ran our retail store in Copthorne and the Panasonic Store in the County Mall. When we decided to consolidate all our premises and a head office function, Manor Royal was the natural choice. We wanted to find a commercial property that would be suitable for Retail, including our purpose built Smart Home, Warehousing, our Commercial and Live Events team as well as Head Office functions like Finance, Marketing and HR. We also wanted to find somewhere that provided great transport links for staff, customers and the occasional passing CEO from Korea or Japan arriving at Gatwick Airport! We bought Avensys House in Fleming Way in February 2014 and started the moving process for parts of the business during that year. We did this after considerable building and remodelling work and with limited disruption to our business.

Why is Manor Royal a good place to do business?

Manor Royal is at the very heart of our region in terms of commercial activity. The projects delivered by Manor Royal BID are primarily responsible for improving the district and we are delighted to support the work they do to bring a prosperous and sustainable environment to Manor Royal, so much so that Markus Wood was invited to join the board as BID Member Director in 2015. The infrastructure is continually developed to support our business, from the Zone signage through to the transport links and recent upgrade to pedestrian walk ways. From an internal point of view, well-being of our staff is vital; discounts from local business for employees, access to relevant training and providing managed recreation areas to use during the warmer weather provides great benefits to working in the area.

Commercial, Live Events and Head Office 01293 551585 and Retail Superstore 01293 515050 avensys.co.uk

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BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY

asb law

by Russell Bell, Senior Consultant at asb law LLP Please describe what your business does…

Asb law is an innovative, client-centric, UK law firm which is breaking the mould in legal service delivery. We help businesses to grow, manage risk and drive efficiency.

With 17 partners and over 140 legal and support staff, we deliver commercial legal advice to a broad client base ranging from global companies to mid-size private enterprises, including many businesses based across West Sussex and the Gatwick Diamond. The firm has transformed its operations from a traditional reactive model to one in which its services are specifically designed around the current and future needs of our clients.

What makes your business special?

We’re widely recognised for our focus on innovation and have discarded old pricing models and traditional structures in favour of a transparent and collaborative approach to service delivery. We’ve also extended our reach and deliver best value through the use of strategic alliances and collaborations with other like-minded providers in the legal market.

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How long have you been in Crawley?

Our history in Crawley dates back to the 1970s. We are now based at Origin Two, in large new modern offices at the north end of the High Street. Together with our other offices in Maidstone, Kent, this keeps us highly accessible for businesses across the South East.

Why is Manor Royal & Crawley a good place to do business?

The Sussex region is a growing contributor to the national economy, with sector strengths in construction, manufacturing, technology, aviation and professional services, to name but a few. Manor Royal is the biggest business park in West Sussex and provides a vibrant home for over 500 companies, generating more than 30,000 jobs. With the UK’s second largest international airport also on our doorstep, a close proximity to the nation’s capital and well-established transport links, Crawley remains a great place for businesses to prosper.

Tel: 01293 603637 Email: russell.bell@asb-law.com Web: www.asb-law.com

BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY

CRAWLEY

It’s held its New Town status for over 70 years, is home to one of the UK’s busiest airports, and is one of the region’s major economic drivers - we discover the thriving town of Crawley.

CRAWLEY FACTS

Queens Square

L

ocated halfway between London and Brighton, Crawley is a thriving town at the heart of the Gatwick Diamond – one of the country’s most dynamic economic regions. A vibrant town and the major economic driver for the region, Crawley is home to a huge range of businesses from large multinationals to start-ups and benefits from excellent transport links with Gatwick, the UK’s second largest international airport, on its doorstep.

With regeneration on its agenda, there is huge ambition for Crawley to become a dynamic business hub as well as a diverse retail and leisure destination with a thriving town centre and economy.

Visit Tilgate Park, an award-winning tourist spot with 162 hectares of woodland which includes a lake, golf course, nature centre and an open air gym. Or take a meander through the town on foot or by bike on a 15 mile orbital route known as the Crawley Millennium Greenway.

Crawley Regeneration • The £3.2 million regeneration of Queens Square was completed in 2017 and has transformed the heart of the town centre into a high-quality public space. With new paving in the main square, soft landscaping, new seating, improved lighting and the installation of new street seating, the area is now a destination for retail and relaxation.

• Queensway and The Pavement is a £2.2m project currently underway to improve the paving, lighting and environment of Queensway, as well the opening up of Memorial Gardens to create an attractive space and market location.

• Station Gateway - work is currently underway for a large residential mixed-used development which includes a new train station.

• Heritage Lottery and council funds have enabled the conversion of The Tree, one of the oldest buildings in Crawley, into the town’s new museum (pictured above) • Crawley only covers 2% of the West Sussex land mass yet generates an impressive 25% of the county’s GVA. • Gatwick Airport used to be a racecourse - it was used as such from 1891 until the second world war.

• Crabbet Park is a Grade II listed building in Crawley which was the venue of the famous Crabbet Club, which welcomed royalty, politicians and most of the movers and shakers of early 20th century British society.

THE BEEHIVE ‘THE ORIGINAL AIRPORT TERMINAL’ Built in 1936, The Beehive is the original terminal building at Gatwick Airport and is recognised as having been the world’s first circular passenger terminal, and the UK’s first integrated airport building. It featured telescopic canopies that radiated out from the building to the aircraft, and was the first airport building to give direct undercover access to the aircraft. In 2002, it received an Aeronautical Heritage award to highlight its contribution to the art and science of aeronautics.

In 2008, The Bland Group invested £1.6 million in the refurbishment and restoration of The Beehive - transforming it into modern, efficient and fully equipped serviced offices. Retaining its appearance as a striking art deco landmark, The Beehive now meets the demands of business in the 21st century.

Three Bridges Plans to progress to the next stage of the Three Bridges Improvement Scheme have been approved with an investment of £1.5 million from the council’s capital programme - with additional funding ring-fenced.

The scheme is being led by the council and aims to improve access in and out of the station, whilst transforming the public realm and strengthening sustainable transport connections to other areas around the town.

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Grant Thornton Gatwick Leading business advisors in the South East We help dynamic organisations to unlock their potential for growth, by providing meaningful, forward-thinking advice. We are focused on making a difference to clients, colleagues and the communities in which we live and work.

Proactive teams at our Gatwick office, led by partners Ellen Walsh, John O’Mahony and Jon Maile, use insight, experience and instinct to understand complex financial and business issues and help our clients to find solutions.

Visit grantthornton.co.uk to find out more, or contact: Ellen Walsh Partner T +44 (0)1293 554070 E ellen.walsh@uk.gt.com

Š 2018 Grant Thornton UK. All rights reserved. Grant Thornton UK is a member firm of Grant Thornton International Limited (GTIL). GTIL and the member firms are not a worldwide partnership.

Services are delivered by the member firms. GTIL and its member firms are not agents of, and do not obligate, one another and are not liable for one another’s acts or omissions.

Please see grantthornton.co.uk for further details GRT108466

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BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY

GRANT THORNTON Please describe what your business does Grant Thornton is one of the world’s leading organisations of independent assurance, tax and advisory firms. Our Crawley office works with dynamic organisations across Kent, Sussex and Surrey to unlock their potential for growth by providing meaningful, forward-thinking advice. In addition to providing clients with robust audits and financial reporting, our tax expertise and commercial insight support better financial and business decisions helping us shape and grow our client’s businesses.

What makes your business special?

We’ve chosen to set our reputation alongside a bold purpose – by unlocking the potential for growth in our people, clients and our communities we believe we can help shape a vibrant economy where businesses and people can flourish.

We’ve embedded this purpose through three areas where we believe we can make the most impact, and have the track record, skills and connectivity to achieve it: building trust and integrity in markets, unlocking sustainable growth in dynamic organisations and creating environments where businesses and people flourish.

It’s bold and we know we can’t do it alone.

In fact, we wouldn’t want to. We believe that today’s world is all about connecting across businesses and industries, between public and private. And we have a track record of making

that happen. Working with dynamic growing businesses is in our DNA.

How long have you been in Manor Royal and Crawley?

We have been based in Crawley for over 30 years, with offices in both Manor Royal and Crawley town centre during this time. After 15 years in Manor Royal, we moved back to the Town Centre last year, primarily in search of what is now our fantastic new office, providing space for our clients and associates to meet and network as well as collaborative working space for our teams.

Why is Manor Royal and Crawley a good place to do

business?

Both Manor Royal and Crawley have offered us prime locations to do business. Positioned centrally in our geographical area of business, with good infrastructure including transport, airports, shops and residential areas, it works well for our clients and employees. We are actively involved in the town centre growth and partnership initiatives, as we were with the Manor Royal BID. Crawley ranks in the top third of local authority areas in England, as published this month in Grant Thornton’s updated Vibrant Economy Index, which measures their vibrancy based on six social and economic objectives for sustainable, inclusive growth. The most vibrant places demonstrate a good balance between economic growth, social equality, sustainability and healthy and happy people.

For Crawley, Prosperity ranks in the top 20% nationally, while Community, Trust and Belonging ranks in the top 40%. Crawley is a successful economy and a great place to live and do business.

Find out more here: www. vibranteconomyindex.grantthornton.co.uk.

Or download the new Vibrant Economy app, which brings our Vibrant Economy Index to life.

Search for Vibrant Economy in your device’s App store.

www.grantthornton.co.uk Tel: 01293 554130

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BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY

GREENSTAR CLEANERS Please describe what your business does

window cleaning, grounds maintenance and carpet cleaning.

How long have you been in Manor Royal and Crawley?

Greenstar Cleaners is a commercial cleaning company run by husband and wife Dean Clark and Nicki Hesketh. Our core business is office cleaning and this can be anything from 20 hours a day cleaning a premises to just three hours a week. Alongside this we also offer

What makes your business special?

We’ve been operating in Manor Royal since the day we started doing business, which is over 40 years.

We’ve been helping keep businesses across Sussex clean in a sustainable way for over 40 years and, in that time we’ve learnt what really matters to our clients. What looks good to one company might be different to what looks good to another.

We’ve invested in cleaning management technology, using ipads we can ensure that each site runs efficiently, and nothing is missed. We pay attention to the details, so that we leave each working environment exactly the way it should be.

We feel that cleaning operatives are often undervalued but we know the commitment they have to their jobs and that they are the key to our successful business. We are working with clients to pay them the higher rate Foundation Living Wage and not the government set Living Wage.

Why is Manor Royal and Crawley a good place to do business?

Manor Royal is an excellent place to be situated. There is a diversity of companies, from those that support the airport, to leading medical pioneers, to creative companies, it appears as though every industry has a presence.

www.greenstarcleaners.co.uk Dean Clark: 01293 534643

Recipe for a sparkling office 40 years of sustainable cleaning, mixed with the latest mobile technology and happy cleaners. Call us to try this out.

Greenstar Cleaners Limited info@greenstarcleaners.co.uk www.greenstarcleaners.co.uk 01293 534643

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GATWICK DIAMOND BUSINESS IS 65!

Jeremy Taylor, Chief Executive of Gatwick Diamond Business, reflects on the history of Gatwick Diamond Business and role in the region’s economic prosperity

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atwick Diamond Business is 65 this year. Formed in 1953 as Crawley Industrial Group, we were established to bring together employers on Manor Royal, who had been incentivised to relocate into Crawley and provide jobs for the residents of the New Town. The DNA of many of those businesses can still be found at the core of so many companies in and around the area and the ‘New Towners’ are rightly proud of the industrial heritage of Crawley.

Of course, Gatwick Airport also grew up in that era and I am always proud of the fact that my Dad flew as a pilot from the Beehive as well as from the new Queens Building after that opened in 1958.

Crawley Industrial Group was, as far as I can tell, a fairly insular organisation but once

the surrounding towns started to develop an industrial and general business offering, the organisation became Crawley and District Industries Association. Abbreviated to CADIA, this iteration became very strong. In the early 1990s the first full-time Executive Officer was appointed and set about increasing the reach and scope of the organisation; at one point he decided we should be ‘CADIA, The Industries Association for Surrey & Sussex’ My personal involvement with CADIA started in 1993 as a volunteer following redundancy. In the 1990s we gave a home to a succession of redundant executives and helped them into employment; in my own case I helped myself into a job with CADIA and we ran a number of high profile events to support members and the region’s economy.

History does repeat itself as the issues of the day included a second runway at Gatwick, availability of a skilled workforce, cost of housing and availability of employment land – the names change but the song remains the same!

In 2004 I returned to CADIA from a few years consulting in the Public Sector and found a somewhat diminished organisation. There were just over 150 members and the CEO role had become part-time!

in the region, we adopted the name Gatwick Diamond Business (gdb) and set about building the organisation that 450 businesses now belong to.

With a team of five (soon to be six), a packed programme with just under two events every week and one of the strongest business voices, we a really are a community of Business that supports the economy of the region and the role of the Gatwick Diamond in the wider area.

By bringing together the members and other businesses, we create opportunities for them to grow and I hope, if you aren’t already a member, you soon will be.

With 65 years behind us I can’t help but wonder what the decades to come will bring for us and for the region.

Please feel free to contact us on 01293 440088 or visit www.GatwickDiamondBusiness.com

After a few years of steady growth and increased influence

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HARWOODS or managing a number of specialist emergency vehicles.

What makes your business special?

Harwoods is a family-run business with a customer-first ethos. We have developed a culture of team spirit and the ethos of working as one runs through all the departments.

How long have you been in Manor Royal and Crawley?

Harwoods took over the Gatwick Jaguar Land Rover business in 2010.

Why is Manor Royal and Crawley a good place to do business?

Please describe what your business does…

At Harwoods we supply new Jaguar Land Rover vehicles to the fleet and business sector.

We specialise in procurement channels for both large corporates and SMEs.

We have been recognised as a Specialist Business Centre by Jaguar Land Rover. This means we have proved we have the expertise and experience to understand your needs perfectly, whether you’re selecting a few cars for a growing business, running a large fleet,

We are located in a region that is an economic power house and we are able to benefit from great communication links.

www.harwoods.uk.com 01293 439013

HARWOODS FLEET SERVICES MANOR ROYAL, CRAWLEY, WEST SUSSEX, RH10 9LW 01293 439013

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23118

FOR ALL YOUR FLEET AND BUSINESS DRIVING NEEDS

BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY

BASEPOINT CRAWLEY Please describe what your business does…

Basepoint Business Centres provide high quality, cost-effective, managed and serviced offices, alongside different types of flexible work space designed to suit all companies.

The Crawley centre is set within an attractive, landscaped setting, providing a wide range of business units from small one to two-person offices, through to larger units and suites, as well as drive-up studios and workshops. The centre boasts a broad selection of facilities including a business lounge area, fully serviced meeting rooms, high speed internet services, VOIP telephony systems and free parking.

The managed offices in the centre also benefit from a full-time receptionist, IT support and a range of networking opportunities with other licensees. Virtual offices are also available through this centre.

What makes your business special?

The business support services provided by Basepoint really set us apart. Every centre offers regular, free networking events with knowledgeable guest speakers to raise awareness of a variety of business issues, whilst helping to develop a thriving business community in the Manor Royal area.

In addition, the centre teams work closely with business support organisations such as the local Chamber of Commerce, FSB and Action Coach, to host events that will be beneficial for the business community and provide signposting to qualified business advice, funding streams and more.

We’re also proud to be part of a wider network of business centres and flexible workspaces owned by IWG Plc. With over 3,000 locations in over 100 countries and 1,000 cities across the world, IWG is the global market leader providing cutting-edge, inspirational workspaces that support effective working and collaboration. This gives our licensees and members the ability to operate anywhere in the world, with options for a part-time or full-time monthly subscription. Ideal for a modern, dynamic and mobile workforce.

How long have you been in Manor Royal and Crawley?

The centre was purpose built in 2003.

Why is Manor Royal and Crawley a good place to do business?

The business community in Manor Royal is exceptional. The regular networking events, exhibitions & seminars hosted around the area give incredible opportunities for businesses to meet and work together, as well as creating a real sense of community.

Manor Royal also has great transport links and is ideally situated for commuting to and from London and the South Coast. Gatwick Airport is on the doorstep and Heathrow is within easy commuting distance.

This makes it a great place for businesses to recruit as well as have easy access to their clients.

www.basepoint.co.uk 01293 817717

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DRIVER HIRE GATWICK D

river Hire Gatwick specialises in the supply of staff to the road transport and logistics industry. It’s one of the UK’s longest established and most highly respected franchisors with a network of 102 offices. A franchise business, the Gatwick office has been established for 15 years.

Driver Hire Gatwick provide temporary and permanent drivers and other logistics staff to businesses and organisations. They help when customers need extra staff to deal with holidays, illness or business expansion.

Furthermore they provide Industry compulsory training CPC and are a license checking Beaurau.

The current franchisee is Nic Chaviaris. Nic bought the franchise in 2011, after initially working there as manager since 2007, then running it as a joint venture with Driver Hire.

Since becoming sole owner of the business it has gone from strength to strength, recording 5 record years in a row since 2012.

Driver Hire Gatwick’s focus is on customer service and providing an unrivalled and refreshing approach and experience to their customers. The office employs 5 members of staff, one of which an apprentice. All office staff have come from a non recruitment background, and in fact for all of them this is the first (and final!) step into a career.

We strongly believe in developing our people so much so that are very close to our key worker James becoming a shareholder.

This is a likely scenario for all our team and it is earned through graft, honesty and grit.

To bolster our claims we were ecstatic to have won the Customer Delight Award at the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards for the 2nd year in a row! This follows various recognition including being a finalist in the British Franchise Association Awards for Customer

Delight beating some well known National and International Franchises.

We are humble and work hard. We never stop changing and moulding to meet our customer`s needs and understand the challenges they face. We pride ourselves in not being a supplier but a partner and an advisor on the market place and issues in our field of expertise.

Most of all we are humble and realise that first comes honesty and integrity followed closely by hard work and persistence. We measure ourselves not on what we do well but where we can improve and edge closer to perfection!

www.driverhire.co.uk/gatwick

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MAXWELL GRANT H

Cost Management Consultancy

ow much time do you spend reviewing your procurement costs? How confident are you that when a contract comes up for renewal, you’re achieving best value not only from a cost perspective but also the customer service that you receive.

Maxwell Grant is a cost reduction management consultancy based in Brighton that has been established since 2003 successfully working with businesses, schools and charities saving them money on a wide range of procurement areas to include: • Energy • Telecoms/Mobiles / VoIP/Broadband • Print Management / Photocopiers • Business Rates • Water • Insurance • Life Assurance / Key Man Insurance / Business Protection Insurance • Credit Cards • Websites/Hosting

Unlike the majority of cost reduction management consultancies, Maxwell Grant does not share the cost savings that are realised with the client (excludes water and business rates) as they are paid directly from the supplier as an introductory and/or marketing payment.

Maxwell Grant does not charge any consultancy fees and if they cannot identify any cost savings, there is still no fee to pay.

Their goal is not to replace your staff who currently deal with procurement but to work closely with them using their growing network of specialist partners. They have the time, experience and contacts to research the market and find additional cost savings for the client, giving you more time to do what you do best and that is to grow your business.

After establishing the procurement areas that you would like to be reviewed, they gather all the relevant information and data. After providing you with an analysis, they discuss their

recommendations with you and implement the cost savings with little or no disruption.

Maxwell Grant has been a member of the Gatwick Diamond Business Association for many years and include that organisation as one of their many loyal and satisfied clients.

By 2019, 80% of businesses will be cloud dependent and every cloud based service is underpinned by connectivity. The Government has launched and funded a Gigabit Voucher scheme providing a £3000 contribution to a business accessing/upgrading high end connectivity for up to 1GB. Maxwell Grant have partners who are registered to this scheme and can help you gain access to this funding which will result in giving you faster speeds and therefore, greater efficiencies.

If you’re interested in a no cost, no obligation review of your business costs email mark@maxwellgrant.co.uk or call Mark on 01273 917948. www.maxwellgrant.co.uk

Maxwell Grant can help your business become more profitable by reducing your costs on essential services.

Maximising profits by minimizing costs 01273 917948 www.maxwellgrant.co.uk

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VEGA EUROPE Please describe what your business does‌ At Vega Europe, we focus on making communications easy by ensuring all audio visual and collaboration solutions are integrated within one seamless strategy.

What makes your business special?

Incorporating acoustic treatments and furnishings into Vega’s portfolio ensures we are able to recommend the best possible complete solution for any working environment.

Why acoustics?

Historically acoustics have been over-looked.

However, recently architects have been taking the subject seriously by incorporating acoustic treatments and furnishings for both design and function.

Businesses are also recognising the importance of acoustically treating video

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conference meeting rooms and huddle space areas, ensuring the best user experience is achieved. A survey found that 66% of workplace employees admit to overhearing private conversations!

Poor acoustic quality is linked to stress and reduced concentration, which ultimately leads to lower productivity. The University of California carried out a study and found that it can take up to 27 minutes to regain concentration from noise interruption.

How long have you been in Manor Royal and Crawley?

In early 2013, Vega moved from a central London office to the Manor Royal business district in Gatwick. In the last 18 months, Vega have tripled their office and workshop space, now covering three units.

Why is Manor Royal and Crawley a good place to do business?

Having recently had great success in winning some large corporate refurbishment projects, both locally and across Europe, being on the Manor Royal estate in Crawley positions us well to provide accessible support and service to our clients, whilst scaling the business as we require.

With regional offices across 14 countries, Vega provides a truly global offering, with a local service focus.

www.vega-global.eu

BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY

FRONTIER PITTS Protecting Your World

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rontier Pitts is the award-winning British manufacturer of security gates, automatic barriers, road blockers, rising and static bollards, pedestrian control gates and turnstiles, and the Anti Terra Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) range. From the UK headquarters in Crawley, Frontier Pitts can provide a complete range of services including design, site surveys, manufacture, installation and maintenance.

Since 2004, to fulfil their customers’ requirements to protect their sites from Acts of Terrorism where a vehicle was used as a weapon, Frontier Pitts has been impact tested to the International IWA14, and British PAS68 specifications. Frontier Pitts invest heavily in research and development as part of their concerted efforts alongside the government to combat what is now an ever-present danger facing the national infrastructure.

consultants for aesthetically pleasing, modern appearance welcomed for high profile, modern sites.

Frontier Pitts have also designed and manufactured the only LPS1175 accredited turnstile; the Terra Diamond Turnstile Security Rating 3 & 4 for forcible attack.

Recent development also includes the Anti Intruder LPS1175 Bi-folding and Sliding Platinum Security Gate range.

www.frontierpitts.com

Today we have the complete range of impact tested products on the CPNI’s Catalogue of Impact Tested products. This includes a range of HVM (Hostile Vehicle Mitigation) to mitigate against VAW (Vehicle as a Weapon) attacks.

One of the latest products is the unique HVM PAS 68 Terra Quantum Side Folding Retractable Bollard which has been successfully PAS 68 impact tested stopping a 7.5t vehicle travelling at 30mph. The Terra Quantum Bollard is also the preferred option by architects or security

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MAKING OUR ECONOMY BETTER Ross Sturdy previews the Gatwick Diamond Economic Growth Forum 2018 on June 12th, 2018, at the Arora Hotel Crawley.

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he Gatwick Diamond is one of the key regional economies in the UK. It is growing, and thriving, but we need to keep it that way. Other parts of the UK, and Europe, are always looking to challenge, and with economic threats such as Brexit around, we need to make sure we are pushing for growth as hard as we can.

At the Gatwick Diamond Economic Forum last year, we looked at some Centre for Cities research that revealed our performance in the knowledge economy was slipping behind others. From a position of some strength in the 1990s, we are now growing slower in Knowledge Based business services than the Thames Valley – and indeed slower than the UK average.

The Gatwick Diamond sees considerable potential in digital technology, professional and business services, and in medical technology for growth, which could reverse that unwanted statistic. How can we make sure we will harness the potential, and realise the growth? How can we hold on to our talented young people?

What role will automation play and how can we benefit?

At this year’s event, as well as hearing from Gatwick Airport, our key economic driver, we will also learn from companies in our key growth sectors about what we can do to help these sectors grow more rapidly.

We will also discuss the skills landscape, particularly critical with Brexit looming, and learn how the education sector and business can work together to deliver a talent pool capable of supporting the growth we need.

In a time of talent shortages, productivity will be key to regional success.

The key task at this years Economic Forum will be to discuss how we can make ours better than other regions.

Find out more at www.gdegf.com

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WHO COMES TO THE GATWICK DIAMOND ECONOMIC FORUM? Around 150 delegates from nearly 100 different organisations will be at the Gatwick Diamond Economic Forum for 2017. Join them!

Organisations represented include: 4D Data Centres, Arora Group, Assurity Consulting, Atkins Property, Avensys, Basepoint Centres, Berwick Hill, BHA, Bogle Architects, Brighton & Hove City Council, Business and Management School - University of Sussex, Canon UK & Ireland, Castlebank Properties, Centre for Cities, Coast to Capital LEP, CoTribe, County Mall Shopping Centre, CPI Colour, Crawley Borough Council, Crawley, Horsham, Mid-Sussex FSB, Crickmay Chartered Surveyors, DMH Stallard LLP, East Surrey College, Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, ESHCon Ltd, Fraser Coutts & Partners, Frazer-Nash Consultancy, FTI Consulting, Gatwick Airport, Gatwick Diamond Business, Gatwick Diamond Initiative, Gleeds, Glenbeigh Developments Ltd, Grant Thornton, Green Metrics, Iceni Projects Ltd, Irwin Mitchell LLP, Jeff Alexander Consulting Ltd, K2 Consultancy Group, Knight Frank, Kreston Reeves LLP, Langsand, LoveLocaljobs.com, Manor Royal BID, Mayo Wynne Bxter LLP, Menzies LLP, Mid Sussex District Council, Monochrome Ltd, Morrisons Solicitors, NatWest, Peter Brett Associates LLP, Place Matters, Platinum Publishing Group, Prowse & Co, Red Mason, Red River Software, Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, Richard Place Dobson, Roffey Park, Sofitel Gatwick, STEM Sussex, Stiles Harold WIlliams, Storm12, Surrey Chambers of Commerce, Surrey County Council, Sussex Chamber of Commerce, TMB, University of Chichester, West Sussex County Council, White Label Creative

Take your business to greater heights We are Chartered Accountants, Chartered Tax Advisers, Auditors and Business Consultants with a reputation for innovation and excellence.

At award-winning MHA Carpenter Box, we believe accountants should do more than just report on how your business is doing. They should help you identify opportunities to improve your business as a whole.

This means looking at profit levels and tax efficiency, and supporting you in trying to achieve those ambitions, whatever the size of your business.

Our services include: Audit and advisory • Accountancy and bookkeeping • Business consulting Tax compliance and planning • Wealth management

Get in touch: Gatwick: 01293 227670 • Worthing: 01903 234094 Email: info@carpenterbox.com

www.carpenterbox.com

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GATWICK Gatwick is the world’s busiest single runway airport and offers a worldclass travel experience to all that pass through its doors. We explore the success behind its growth, economy and role as a sustainable airport of choice.

Gatwick from above. Photo J Milstein

Growth Since Gatwick was separated from BAA in 2009, the airport has played a leading role in modernising and growing the UK aviation market, fuelled by the introduction of competition between airports, the rise of low cost carriers, and innovation in aircraft technology.

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

Airlines are attracted to the efficiency of Gatwick’s operations, with the airport handling around 290,000 arrivals and departures each year. With 45 million passengers now passing through the airport every year, Gatwick is now the only single runway airport in the world’s top 20 for passenger growth. This increase in passenger figures demonstrate Gatwick’s importance as a vital piece of UK infrastructure providing global connectivity at a time when the country needs it most.

The growth has gone hand in hand with increasing levels of passenger service and satisfaction, driven by innovation and investment. The airport’s new owners have doubled the annual rate of capital

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expenditure, investing £1.8 billion in new or refurbished facilities since 2009, with plans to invest a further £1 billion by 2021.

From more efficient security processes and state-of-the-art 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.

In preparation for easyJet’s consolidation in the North Terminal, Gatwick completely refurbished the check-in area on Level 10, introducing the world’s largest self-service bag drop area. The enhanced layout and automated bag-drop facilities have reduced average queue times by more than half, and over 90% of passengers now wait less than five minutes at the bag-drop area.

Gatwick’s next-generation security areas in both the North and South Terminals have revolutionised the security experience at the airport, with more than 95% of passengers now passing through security in less than 5 minutes.

The airport has more exciting plans for future growth, maximising the use of its existing facilities whilst continuing to offer the country the prospect of a financeable and deliverable new runway scheme.

Economy Gatwick Airport makes a substantial and vital contribution to the UK economy, with activity in and around the airport generating £5.3 billion value added contribution to GDP and supporting 85,000 jobs. This impact is estimated to rise to around £6.5 billion and 98,000 jobs by 2025, as a result of further traffic growth on the current single runway.

Furthermore, international tourists entering the UK through Gatwick contribute an estimated £6.1 billion to the UK economy, while supporting some 130,600 jobs among Britain’s tourism industries and their supply chains.

Sitting at the heart of the growth corridor between London and Brighton and at the centre of the Gatwick Diamond, Gatwick also provides a catalytic role in the local economy.

In addition to the 30,000 jobs sustained on the airport campus, Gatwick is a key facilitator of job creation in the region and provides a global gateway for thriving business sectors including creative, digital, IT, financial and business services, advanced manufacturing and engineering and health and life sciences.

Gatwick values the strong, productive relationships it has developed with local and regional economic partnerships and business organisations, from South London to the

BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & GATWICK South Coast and across Sussex, Surrey and Kent. The airport is an active member of several economic groups and partnerships, working together to build a strong local supply chain; boost business and to strengthen opportunities for employment and skills development.

Sustainability Gatwick launched its Decade of Change strategy in May 2010 as part of its ambitious plans to transform the airport, and become London’s airport of choice. Decade of Change sets out Gatwick’s commitment to operating and developing in a sustainable way, combining responsible environmental management with strong community programmes, and setting ambitious goals to deliver by 2020.

The airport’s new £3.8m energy from waste plant makes it the first airport in the world able to dispose of Category 1 airline waste on site and convert it – and all other organic waste – into renewable energy to heat airport facilities. Gatwick’s reliance on 100% certified renewable electricity since 2013 is one of the main reasons it achieved certified carbon neutral status last year.

Gatwick has retained the Wildlife Trusts’ Biodiversity Benchmark certification for three straight years, funding a full time ecologist and a ranger to maintain the award-winning approach to stewardship of the woodlands and meadows on the airport estate.

Community We have developed a strong programme of community investment, played an active

Level 20 Security opening role in the regional economy, while addressing the social and environmental issues that matter to local people. To reach a large and diverse range of communities across East and West Sussex, Surrey and Kent, Gatwick has developed a variety of community engagement and investment activities.

There are four key strands to our work - our education programme; supporting community groups and charities; and sponsoring events.

interactive broadcast live from the airport), the Big Bang Fair South East (which Gatwick is the lead sponsor for), Be the Change (an inspirational mentorship programme to help young people bridge the gap between education and employment), as well as the Gatwick Greenspace Partnership (in which over 800 children and 300 teachers made use of Gatwick’s landholdings as a resource for forest school trips).

Our education programme, Inspire – Inform - Invest, provides a structured set of five programmes across all key stages, highlighting the importance and relevance of STEM (science technology engineering and maths) subjects in the world of work. In total Gatwick interacted with 23,750 students last year, including: Learn Live (a monthly

To respond to direct needs in the local community, Gatwick launched the Gatwick Foundation Fund – an annual £300,000 fund delivered in partnership with the Community Foundations for Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

The grants were awarded to causes that provide services focussing on employment, training and skills, families, widening horizons and elderly people. In its first full year, 80 organisations and more than 46,000 people benefitted from the fund grants.

As well as supporting many charities and local groups, we have three key charities which we work to raise funds for over the longer term - one local, one national and one airport based charity. These charities are currently St Catherine’s Hospice, Gatwick TravelCare and the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Trust.

The world’s largest self service check-in area at Gatwick North Terminal

In total last year, Gatwick sponsored 62 events including the airport’s first ever sponsorship of the Community Parade at Brighton Pride, sponsorship of the Brighton Marathon and paying every runner’s entry to the Cancer Research Kids and Teens Mini Mile Races, supporting South & South East In Bloom and sponsoring the Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival.

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PROWSE & CO Prowse founder and MD, Joanne Rogers on how to turn your prospects into customers and your customers into champions, build your personal profile and become known.

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elling to businesses is about selling to the people who run those businesses. We’ve all heard that people prefer to do business with people they know, like and trust, but how do you build that sort of relationship? In our experience, the person who is known, gets a head-start and often the business!

Is it about becoming known for something at which you excel or for something that benefits others? Either way, having a point of view or telling interesting stories is an effective way to stand out from your competitors.

Good writing makes a real difference in business. It projects a professional image and sets you apart from your competitors. If it is meaningful and insightful content, people will share it, publish it, link to it and talk about it.

However, it’s time consuming to consistently create and deliver great content and time is short when you are doing your day job! We understand what this feels like but don’t worry, we can help.

We can create editorial content consistent with who you are as a business professional or an industry expert. We can write content which communicates with your audience in a voice they can understand and relate to, helping you to build relationships and establish yourself as an authority in your industry.

If you run your own business and need a helping hand, our cost effective monthly marketing packages will get things done so you can get back to doing what you’re good at.

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If you are a sales or marketing professional and want to reach more potential customers, our lead generator packages will help you hit your sales & marketing goals.

If you are a corporate executive, professional advisor or an expert in your field, our monthly blog packages could build your personal profile as a thought-leader and spread your influence across your networks.

Let Prowse & Co help you to become known by providing a costeffective editorial service for: • Blogs • Customer case-studies • eNewsletters • Internal magazines and customer newsletters • Press releases and feature articles • Social media packages • Website Updates

Contact Joanne Rogers on 01372 363386 or email joanne@prowse.co.uk • www.prowse.co.uk

Prowse & Co. is the marketing partner for the Manor Royal Business improvement District

BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY

B&CE Please describe what your business does…

for-profit we invest in initiatives that benefit them.

How long have you been in Manor Royal?

B&CE is a not-for-profit organisation that’s put our members at the heart of everything we do.

What makes your business special?

Since B&CE’s relocation from Fulham to Manor Royal in 1963, we have actively supported the local area and business community. Our Director of People & Premises sits on the Board of The Manor Royal BID and we have recently sponsored the ‘Be the Change’ and ‘Young Start up Talent’ for the region, community initiatives which aim to support young people within the local area.

We were founded to deliver a programme of holiday stamps for construction workers, providing a number of financial products to the construction industry. During the 1980’s we launched a lump sum retirement scheme, our first pension scheme.

When automatic enrolment was introduced, we founded The People’s Pension, the second largest master trust (multi-employer pension provider) in the UK, providing a workplace pension to almost four million workers.

Because of our roots in construction, in 1991 we set up our Charitable Trust, which to date, has given out over £3 million, providing financial help for construction workers in need.

We put the needs of our members at the heart of our business, and because we’re not-

Our people. As our business has grown, we have become a major employer in Crawley – a role we take extremely seriously.

We made the Sunday Times Top 100 Notfor-Profit Companies to Work For list for the third year in a row – testament to how much we focus on recognising and rewarding our employees.

At B&CE we strive to make a positive impact on our industry, local community and on the wider society in which we live and work.

We are a proud supporter of local initiatives such as sponsorship of Crawley Town FC, fundraising for St Catherine’s Hospice, helping to refurbish Dorman’s community centre and getting involved in local environmental projects such as People’s Park and The Terrace in Manor Royal.

Why is Manor Royal a good place to do business?

Manor Royal is a major transport and business hub with easy access to Gatwick Airport and major rail and road connections.

This not only helps to conduct business but also gives us access to a talented workforce from the surrounding area and more widely from the South East.

www.bandce.co.uk

Helping people: past, present and future We’ve been looking after workers for 75 years • Building an occupational health scheme – a new approach to improve workers’ health.

• Providing The People’s Pension – our award-winning auto-enrolment solution.

• Giving back through our Charitable Trust – over £3m paid out so far.

Find out how we can help you at www.bandce.co.uk @bandce Registered in England and Wales No. 377361. To help us improve our service, we may record your call. This is the parent company for the B&CE Group of companies. B&CE Holdings Limited is an appointed representative of B & C E Insurance Limited which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority Ref: 177791, and B & C E Financial Services Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Ref: 122787.

AD BACE 0004.0418

B&CE Holdings Limited Manor Royal, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 9QP.

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OSTEOPATHY PILATES GARUDA MASSAGE ACUPUNCTURE FOOT HEALTH

BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY

BRIDGEHAM CLINIC Lesley Alcock profiles the award-winning private healthcare clinic offering Osteopathy, Pilates, Garuda and wellbeing services in the heart of Manor Royal, Crawley.

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revor and Jo Strutt offer a powerful combination of Osteopathy and Pilates, and in 2017 increased their treatment space fivefold moving Bridgeham to the thriving County Oak Retail Park in Manor Royal. Trevor and Jo and their expert team of reception staff and practitioners are passionate about their business, helping people to enjoy movement and to solve the mystery of why their bodies do what they do. They strive to help all people to ‘Be the best they can be’, whether they are a patient, a client, a practitioner or staff member.

The team of practitioners are led by Trevor Strutt, the Institute of Osteopathy’s Principal of the Year 2015 award winner, and Jo Strutt, Pilates and Garuda instructor and ex West End musical theatre dancer/ performer. This inspirational husband and wife team demonstrate a never ending energy and commitment which is felt throughout the clinic.

Trevor and Jo have created an environment where you can share your health experiences and feel completely safe, supported by high quality practitioners who focus on providing a complete wellness package for individuals, families and businesses, integrating health with care.

Whether it’s osteopathy, pilates, massage, acupuncture, nutrition, foot health, or health screening, your healthcare is their top priority.

Their aim is to treat not only the symptoms but to also get to the cause of the problem. They are qualified to diagnose many common aches and pains and will formulate a treatment plan to deal with them.

Bridgeham specialises in making your movement as effortless and pain free as possible, as soon as possible.

They have a fantastic brand new Pilates and Garuda machine studio, a fully mirrored light and spacious movement studio with barre and comfortable treatment rooms all under one roof.

Rehab Pilates, Studio Pilates, Circuit Pilates and Pilates Matwork classes are all on offer. In the machine studio they have a Clinical Reformer, Trapeze Table, Combo Chair, Ladder Barrel, Allegro and two brand-new Garuda machines. The comprehensive class schedule offers early morning, lunchtime and evening classes as well as Saturday morning classes.

Garuda starts where Pilates ends. It has all the benefits of a robust cardiovascular workout, while stretching the mind as well as the body. Using the specially designed Garuda apparatus, mat or other complementary equipment you’ll learn to control your body through precise stretches and actions, placing an emphasis on smooth, seamless movements without any stress on joints. Through routines carefully choreographed, you’ll soon develop greater poise and control, and a leaner, more resilient body.

Finalists for the category of Practice of the Year in 2016 by the Institute of Osteopathy, the practice is going from strength to strength working closely with private health companies such as Aviva, BUPA and AXA PPP Healthcare. Bridgeham is the one stop movement rehabilitation clinic, caring for your body and your wellbeing for life.

WHAT THE CUSTOMERS SAY: I cannot begin to tell you all just how valuable my visits to Bridgeham are. I never fail to leave in a much better place physiologically and psychologically. I have learned so much about my condition and can now make better choices than ever. All the team are sensitive to their client’s situations and employ joined up thinking across disciplines. Could not add enough stars!

Georgie (41) I have been going to Bridgeham for Pilates and massage and am completely hooked! Friendly staff, small classes with real attention to each person and great one to one sessions on equipment. I am feeling so much better for attending and highly recommend Bridgeham.

Jen (46)

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Celebrating 30 Years of innovation SPECIALISING IN THE DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND MANUFACTURE OF GROUND BREAKING MEDICAL INNOVATIONS.

2018

MARKS THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF WELLAND MEDICAL, AN AWARD WINNING BRITISH MANUFACTURING COMPANY BASED IN MANOR ROYAL, CRAWLEY.

Established in 1988, Welland Medical is now one of the leading ostomy brands in the UK and worldwide. Specialising in the design, development and manufacture of innovative stoma care appliances and accessories, for people who have had their bowel or bladder removed due to cancer or disease. Welland Medical takes pride in bringing to market award winning products that enhance the lives of people living with a stoma around the globe.

Working closely with healthcare professionals, patients and care organisations over the years has allowed Welland Medical to become pioneers in innovation, seeing ground breaking solutions introduced to the market. In 1996 and 2003 Welland Medical firmly established themselves as leaders in innovation, launching the world’s first, award winning, flushable colostomy pouch and flange extenders respectively. To date, Welland Medical continues to bring to market revolutionary products, with the introduction of the world’s thinnest, most conformable and discreet flange extender in 2017.

Welland Medical’s forward thinking, commitment to innovation and continuous improvement has seen a huge investment in research and development over many years,

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transforming the company from a workforce of 15, manufacturing products using manual processes to a dedicated team of over 200 employees with the latest technological advancements in design and automated manufacturing at their fingertips.

Awarded Investors in People status in 2002, Welland Medical has gone on to achieve the much sought after Gold and Champion accreditations and has become well-respected in the local community for its commitment to employees.

Welland Medical’s 30-year transition from a small local business to a multi-millionpound company manufacturing products for worldwide distribution has been exciting for all involved. Longest serving employee Helen Gilbert, HR Manager at Welland Medical, has been with the company since the beginning.

Reflecting on the last 30 years Helen commented: “Being involved in Welland’s incredible journey has been a truly inspiring experience and one which I am very proud to have been part of”. Now situated in a purpose built, state of the art research, development and manufacturing facility, Welland Medical is committed to being part of the Manor Royal Business District for years to come.

Visit wellandmedical.com

“ IT’S LIKE HAVING A NEW LIFE.”

Denise, UK

uses Aurum® Xtra flushable pouches.

“WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE BUILT A

SUCCESSFUL AND INNOVATIVE BUSINESS IN MANOR ROYAL WHICH HAS PROVIDED US WITH THE ENVIRONMENT AND SKILLS TO PROSPER INTO A MEDICAL BRAND THAT IS RECOGNISED WORLDWIDE” Chris Primett, Managing Director at Welland Medical

PID 6022

Data held on file.

Aurum® Xtra is branded Aura® Flushable in the UK

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BUSINESS DISTRICT PROFILE

MANOR ROYAL & CRAWLEY

Digital Transformation: An Analogue Approach An Overview Leading thinkers in business have had their say on how managers should approach the digital transformation of their organisation, including the likes of Deloitte, Harvard Business Review, McKinsey and Company, Microsoft and MIT Sloan. They have identified various methods of driving technological change within a firm to ensure that it holds its market position and maximise profits under ever increasing competitive forces. Within these methods, there is a constant factor: an analogue approach often drives digital transformation.

What Impact does going Digital have on the Bottom Line?

Separate studies from McKinsey and Microsoft suggest that digital leaders capture disproportionate profit gains. The most successful of those companies are those that initiate digital disruptions, with fast-digitalfollowers closely behind. In fact, a Harvard study showed that digital leaders in the US outperformed digital laggards over a three-year period for average gross margin, operating margin and profit margin. The most striking part of this study is that there is no difference in relative capital expenditure between the leaders and laggards. It suggests that organisations cannot buy their way to digital leadership. Instead, they must engrain digital within their DNA.

Digital DNA and Mindset An analysis of these models, along with Extech’s experience in digital transformation offers its offline approach to the modern workplace. There are four critical pillars to

building an organisational culture with digital capabilities: an understanding of the value proposition, a culture of continuous change, employee empowerment and leadership commitment (see table below).

An Understanding of the Value Proposition What does your organisation do? It might not be as easy to answer as you may think.

The classic example here is the case of a tool manufacturer. Does it sell drills or holes?

As Geoff Burch once wrote, what happens when a new competitor launches their ‘stick on holes’? Perhaps a more pragmatic (and digital) example of this is the famous case of Blockbuster Vs. Netflix, or perhaps the demise of Kodak. An organisation exists to satisfy a need, and understanding the fundamental principle of the solution is critical for innovation.

A Culture of Continuous Change The markets which firms operate in are changing, and the organisations should continually evolve within it. Firms are experimenting with ways to increase their stamina for change. Leading innovators are now attempting to make their organisational structures ‘alive’ through the removal of hierarchies, self-organising, and distributing power evenly throughout the company.

Employee Empowerment Collaboration and communication at all levels of the organisation is critical. Employees have the freedom to utilise technology, innovate and fail. A bottom-up approach helps boosts productivity and enhances job

Digital First Understanding the Value Proposition

A Culture of Continuous Change

(Extech’s Digital Enablement Model)

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Employee Empowerment

Leadership Commitment

satisfaction. As Peter Drucker famously said, “everyone can be the CEO”.

Leadership Commitment Finally, the leadership must commit to digital transformation. There must be a bias for action and excellent communication. Leaders must desire a digitally-led organisation, and everyone must know about it.

Digital First These four factors revolve around the digital mindset of the firm. Organisations need to think ‘digital first’ and how innovative technology can deliver the firm’s value proposition.

The cultural mindset of the firm drives digital transformation. That is a culture which is always innovating, experimenting and utilising modern tools and technology to challenge industry norms. The technology will change, but it is the analogue approach that will enable sustainable digital innovation.

By Joe Morecroft, Digital Innovation Strategy Lead jmorecroft@extech.co.uk To learn more on how you can digitally transform your organisation, speak to Andrew Hookway and the team at Extech.

Andrew Hookway Email: ahookway@extech.co.uk Phone: 01444 443200 Website: www.extech.co.uk

Providing high quality property advice to occupiers and landlords in the Manor Royal BID and across the Gatwick region.

Our team of property specialists based in our Crawley office are perfectly placed to assist with all your property needs:• Commercial Property Investment • Property Valuation • Property Acquisition and Disposal • Property Development Consultancy • Property Planning Consultancy • Building Consultancy • Lease Advisory • Business Rates Consultancy • LPA Receivership • Property Asset Management • Occupier Advisory • Marine and Leisure For a consistent, committed property service contact us on: +44 (0)1293 612600 or at vwinfo@vailwilliams.com

vailwilliams.com

Allowing relationships to blossom

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Section Text Here

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Serviced Offices

REGUS KINGSGATE A global infrastructure built for businesses

How long have you been in Reigate/Redhill?

Regus has just opened the doors to its second Redhill business centre in response to the increased demand for workspace on flexible terms from local professionals.

The first Redhill centre is located in the heart of Redhill, on Clarendon Road. The new centre occupies three floors of Kingsgate House, at the southern end of Redhill High Street. It houses over 180 workstations and offers a range of flexible working options including co-working space, offices of varying sizes and layouts, virtual office services, meeting rooms and hot desks.

Please describe what your business does…

We have built an unparalleled network of office, co-working and meeting spaces for companies to use in every city in the world.

It’s an infrastructure to support every business opportunity.

Our network of workspaces enables businesses to operate anywhere, without the need for set-up costs or capital investment.

It provides our customers with immediate cost benefits and the opportunity to fully outsource their office portfolio.

It’s a network designed to enhance productivity and connect 2.5 million likeminded professionals: an instant global community, and a place to belong.

What makes your business special?

The benefits of Regus include: • OPERATE ANYWHERE Create a business presence in practically every city in the world with our continuously expanding network of workspaces in cities, airports, service stations, public buildings and railways.

• FULLY OUTSOURCED Partly or fully outsource your office portfolio, with one contract, simple reporting, a dedicated account manager and 24/7 customer service. Office amenities set up and ready to use, with Wi-Fi, receptionist, kitchen and cleaning included.

• ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY Use the app to access the network, find and book space, and manage your account.

Benefit from professional and inspiring work environments, 60 million Wi-Fi spots and thousands of business lounges around the world.

• INSTANT GLOBAL COMMUNITY Access to a global community of 2.5 million like-minded professionals. Promote your business via our community marketplace and monthly networking and knowledgesharing events.

Regus also offers a third location in Reigate London Road, close to the ruins of Reigate Castle and a short distance from Reigate town centre.

Why is Reigate/Redhill a good place to do business?

The area is an excellent location for business due to its large concentration of successful national and international companies as well as to its good communications to the rest of the UK. Richard Morris, UK CEO, Regus, comments: “Redhill is already a popular location with insurers, banks, oil companies and publishers.

Combined with its excellent transport links, this makes the town a great location for Regus.

We expect the new centre to be popular with a wide range of users including those based in Redhill and those visiting for business.”

Website & Phone Number: To find out more, call us on 0800 756 2501, visit regus.co.uk or download our App.

• IMMEDIATE COST BENEFITS Only pay for the space you need. Add or reduce workspace on flexible terms, from an hour to many years with no set-up costs and no capital investment needed.

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Travel - New York

Shake Hands in

NEW YORK Rose Dykins reports on what’s new in the city that never sleeps – with updates on the World Trade Centre site and a burgeoning new business district.

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here’s a timelessness to New York that makes it feel like it’s waiting for you.

Omnipresent yellow taxis, the rumbling pulse of the subway, ferries trawling across the transformative stretch between Battery Park and Staten Island. The sleepless neon blur of Times Square, the understated majesty of the Manhattan Bridge, the gritty promise of Brooklyn. Few cities on earth have such a distinct personality, or such a compelling working culture that sets the bar globally for what perseverance and vision can achieve.

A magnet for aspirational minds, New York is a surefire hit when it comes to hosting corporate events. Who wouldn’t be tempted to attend a gala dinner in the heart of Central Park at the Loeb Boathouse – an elegant venue situated on the world-famous park’s lake (thecentralparkboathouse.com). Or to mingle at a drinks reception along the High Line, Manhattan’s elevated park set along the former New York

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Times Square

Travel - New York Central Railroad – its greenery-filled pathways have hosted everything from film screenings to catwalk shows (thehighline.org). Or to seal a deal beneath the stained-glass dome of The Palm Court at The Plaza – an iconic spot for a breakfast meeting (theplazany.com).

Beyond its old faithfuls, New York has gained, and is gaining, a slew of new

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The city’s ability to reimagine itself and deliver on its grand plans shows that the sky really is the limit when you apply a New York state of mind.

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infrastructure that will benefit both the local

and international business community. These include the World Trade Centre site, where the gleaming 4 World Trade Centre and 1 World Trade Centre towers stand defiantly, welcoming tens of thousands of workers and shoppers each day. And the $4 billion World Trade Centre Transportation Hub, designed

by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, has been opening in stages since 2016. Known as the Oculus, the structure’s exterior design is modelled on the wings of a dove taking flight (though critics have likened it to pair of ribs). Oculus is now the main terminal for the World Trade Centre site, slated to handle double the current number of 50,000 weekly commuters from New Jersey and beyond. The

The High Line glass-paned structure sends light down into its subterranean pathways, which connect to rail and subway lines, and the 1,858 sqm transit hall – a transport landmark to rival Grand Central station with its towering white skylight – can be hired for certain kinds of events.

Just around the corner, the 4,000 sqm Liberty Park also opened to the public in 2016.

Overlooking Ground Zero, the space is home to a 91-metre-long living wall flourishing with creepers and ivy. And nearing completion imminently is 3 World Trade Centre, which will also be filled with office and retail space, and it will be possible to view four US states

from the 76th-floor terrace of the 329-metre skyscraper.

Still in the pipeline for the site are 2 World Trade Centre – another landmark commercial tower – and the Ronald O Perelman Performing Arts Centre, a translucent marble cube-shaped venue that will embrace “creation and memory with respectful individuality”, due for completion in 2020.

Coming in June, Brooklyn’s bohemian neighbourhood of Williamsburg will gain the

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Few cities on earth have such a distinct personality, or such a compelling working culture that sets the bar globally for what perseverance and vision can achieve.

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first iteration of a mammoth new mixed-use development. The Domino Sugar Refinery building is the centrepiece – a 19th-century redbrick factory standing proud along east bank of the East River – and is being repurposed into covetable office space, while doughnut-shaped commercial tower 325 Kent is also on the rise. And the finishing touches are currently being added to its first phase, a 2.4-hectare park that will transform the Brooklyn waterfront area.

Domino Park will have suitably hip attractions for Williamsburgers, such as a Fairylit picnic area at Domino Park. Photo Credit Aether

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Travel - New York dog run, bocce ball courts, a Japanese Pine Garden, a taco restaurant and a fairylit picnic area – plus an elevated walkway propped up by steel columns salvaged from the Raw Sugar Warehouse. In addition, Artifact Walk will run for five blocks, displaying historical objects part of the sugar refining process that have been rescued from the site, including 11-metretall syrup tanks, signage, corkscrews and manufacturing equipment. All in all, Domino Park will add a new dimension to Williamsburg for businesspeople and tourists alike.

Finally, one of New York’s most eagerly anticipated developments for investors is Hudson Yards – the largest private property development in America’s history, and an exciting new business district situated southwest of Manhattan. Set to be completed by 2025, the $25 billion 11-hectare site will be a “city within a city” with eight residential buildings, a retail site with shops and five office skyscrapers – one of which will have an observation tower higher than the Empire State Building. While the prime real estate here will probably only be a viable option for millionaires, there are plans to build a spectacular public viewing gallery in Hudson Yards. Designed by Thomas Heatherwick, “Vessel” will be a honeycomb-like warren of staircases and landings – redolent of an Escher artwork – in a move to create something inclusive and welcoming for all New Yorkers.

The sheer scale of New York’s plans is truly staggering. The city’s ability to reimagine itself and deliver on its grand plans shows that the sky really is the limit when you apply a New York state of mind.

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Both pictures above: The Vessel development Credit Forbes Massie

Travel - New York

SEE NEW YORK THE RIGHT WAY LOCALIKE New York – the brainchild of Manhattanite Andreas Leuzinger – curates unique itineraries, opening doors to exclusive VIP experiences for incentives.

“Our services are great for individual business travellers wishing to explore the city, as well as small medium enterprises and large companies who want a detailed customised itinerary based on the group’s specific purposes and needs,” says Leuzinger.

Here’s a LOCALIKE itinerary designed for Platinum Business readers:

DAY ONE

DAY TWO

Morning Conference

Team-building Activity

Uhuru Design at 74 Franklin (uhurudesign.com) is a unique workspace located in the desirable Tribeca district, that turns office working into an experience. Its centrepiece is a raw and natural wooden table, plus there’s a built-in bar, a working fireplace and catered lunch.

Blurring the lines between fiction and reality, Live in Theater (liveintheater.com) brings stimulating and realistic murder mystery scenarios. Great for team building, the scenarios are fun and interactive, requiring problem-solving skills.

High-end Lunch Afternoon Incentive

Established by Michelin-star chef John Fraser, the food at Nix (nixny.com) is exclusively vegetarian, focusing on seasonal and local produce.

This sleek restaurant is ideal for a light, healthy lunch – so delegates won’t feel too stuffed for a busy afternoon.

At Rooftop Reds (rooftopreds.com), the world’s first commercially viable urban rooftop vineyard, enjoy a locally sourced glass of wine right amidst the vines, where groups can sign up for viticulture classes. During the summer, Rooftop Reds also organises weekly movie nights and yoga.

Networking Dinner

Corporate Board Meeting For a long meeting, this contemporary conference room at Work House NYC (workhousenyc) feels as inviting as it is practical. The space is equipped with all the board meeting essentials: a whiteboard wall, TV with HDMI/Apple TV capability and speakerphone, and natural light pours in from the skylight.

The accentuated breakout space and roof deck provides a change of scenery, encouraging ideas to flow freely.

Event space

Located on the waterfront, Celestine (celestinebk.com) is an Eastern Mediterranean restaurant with stunning views of the East River, Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, and the Manhattan skyline.

The Whitney Museum of American Art (whitney.org) is a unique space for large networking events and evening celebrations surrounded by beautiful artwork. The roof terraces overlook the vibrant Meatpacking District and are perfect for an evening cocktail at sunset.

Visit localike-newyork.com

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When BUSINESS meets SPORT

CRICKET IN THE BLOOD

INTERVIEW WITH SUSSEX CAPTAIN GEORGIA ADAMS

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WELCOME

PLATINUM SPORT

Laurence Elphick Head of Sport

Introduction

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elcome to issue number two of Platinum Sport and judging by your feedback, you have all been generally pleased with what you saw last month. Well, almost all of you were happy! A few of you, including my wife, pointed out that there was a distinct lack of contributions from female sportspeople.

So, I’m delighted that Georgia Adams, Sussex women’s cricket captain is on the front cover, and agreed to be shut away in a room with me, so I could ask her questions about the women’s game as well as how much influence her father, double winning Sussex captain Chris Adams, has on her. She started playing cricket when she was 15 and is still only 24!

With the World Cup coming to our screens next month, I’ll tell you who was the best player to play in the tournament and we have part two of my conversation with Rob Andrew, this time talking rugby.

Last month saw the launch of ‘When Business meets Sport’ with notable members of the business community telling us about their sporting passions and many of you have asked to get involved.

Personally, I love finding out what you all enjoy watching or playing and this month is no exception with another four business men and women telling us what floats their boat and why.

Add in a smattering of forthcoming two wheeled fun at upcoming charity cycling events in Sussex, together with a sprinkle of the latest sport news across our county, plus Active Sussex’s lowdown on the Sussex athletes who took part in last month’s

Commonwealth Games down under and how they performed, and we have a jam-packed issue for you to peruse.

Please keep telling me what you think and if you’ve got a sports news story, please don’t hesitate to contact me and tell me all.

In future issues, I want to feature a local ‘Platinum Team of the Month’ which could be from hockey, gymnastics, volleyball, cricket or tiddlywinks. If you play sport in Sussex or your son or daughter does, let me know about them and their team and why you think they should win. I will feature one winner each month so please email me at laurence@platinumpublishing.co.uk to tell me who and why. I can’t wait to hear from you.

Enjoy your sport and happy reading!

PLATINUM SPORT

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Style & Substance Why Compromise?

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TheGrandHotelBrighton PLATINUM SPORT

@GrandBrighton

@thegrandbrighton

LOCAL SPORTS NEWS

SPORTS NEWS CRICKET Sussex drew their opening County Championship match at Warwickshire in a rain affected game with David Wiese taking four wickets and hitting 106 runs while new captain Ben Brown scored 91 and Ishant Sharma took five wickets on his debut.

This month sees the Royal London One Day Cup action get underway as the Sharks play their first six games of the competition in 12 days.

The Workplace B’Ashes return on Thursday 2nd August 2018 at the 1st Central County Ground in Hove. Teams consist of six players and must be a mix of male & female. The competition will run as Kwik Cricket which will be softball and all equipment will be provided. To enter a team, email Gary.Wallis-Tayler@sussexcricket.co.uk

TENNIS Next month sees the return of tennis to Eastbourne as a host of stars including British Number one Johanna Konta, World number one Caroline Wozniacki and Petra Kvotiva come to town, (with the men still to be confirmed) as The Nature Valley International tennis tournament sets up at Devonshire Park. For more information visit www.lta.org. uk/major-events/

“I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted!”

George Best

ATHLETICS The Brighton Marathon weekend produced an amazing two days of running with almost 18,000 participants supported by over 150,000 spectators. There was a personal best for the men’s winner, returning champion Stuart Hawkes, who finished in an impressive 2:22:32, just ahead of Cardiff runner Dan Nash. In the women’s marathon it was also a win for a delighted returning Champion Helen Davis, 38, of Ipswich Jaffa Running Club, who finished in 2:38:39, a full ten minutes ahead of second place Sarah Webster.

FOOTGOLF Former Albion defender and current Wycombe Wanderers captain, Adam El-Abd recently opened a new footgolf course in Benfield Valley, Hove. To book call 01273 761 001. Other courses throughout Sussex are of course available.

“ Golf and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at them.”

Jimmy Demaret

RUGBY Worthing Raiders have agreed deals on three key players for next season, Matt Walsh, Kiba Richards and Kemp Price, after beating Henley Hawks 55-41 in their final home game of the season. While Eastbourne won their penultimate game of the season 56-12 against Ditchling. A win against Burgess Hill secured second place for East Grinstead ahead of their Cup final against Hastings RFC. Meanwhile Hove overcame Old Reigatian 17-16 in their play-off match to ensure promotion while Brighton Blues signed off their season with a 47-43 win at Tottonians.

SHOW JUMPING The Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby is the first big event at the All England Jumping Course and runs from the 21st-24th June. This is one of the most popular events in the equestrian calendar and around 45,000 spectators are expected to visit the West Sussex showground.

BASKETBALL Worthing Thunder advanced to the National Basketball League Division One playoff final for the first time in five years after a deserved 76-65 win over Loughborough Student Riders where they will have played Hemel Storm by the time you read this. Fingers crossed for Thunder!

PLATINUM SPORT

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FOOTBALL

PLAYERS AWARDS

Roll of Honour Laurence Elphick reports from Albion’s End of Season awards Ceremony

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ith the Premiership title already won by Manchester City with five games to go, the battle for the Champions League spots looks likely to go down to the wire though as I write it is looking like Manchester United in second place, Liverpool third and and Spurs in fourth. Chelsea may miss out, but they have an FA Cup Final to come. After a very disappointing season for Arsenal who look set to miss out on a top four spot for the second season in a row, Manager Arsene Wenger has finally announced his decision to leave

honoured for his contribution both on and off the pitch by winning the Inspiration Award.

The Woman’s Player of the Season was won by ex-Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Danielle Buet.

the Gunners at the end of the season after a 22-year reign in which he won three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, including the Double in both 1998 and 2002.

Lewis Dunk The highlight for me was when Anthony Knockaert stood up and cheered emphatically during the clip of him falling over whilst running to celebrate Izquierdo’s goal away at West Ham, was shown on the big screen! Hillarious!

By the time you read this, Brighton and Hove Albion will hopefully be safely clear of the drop. Talking of the Seagulls I was lucky enough to attend the Players’ Awards Ceremony and what a top night it was with the players and sponsors celebrating the team’s achievements.

With three of his strikes in the nominated five it was no surprise that Goal of the Season went to Jose Izquierdo for his curling wonder strike in to the top corner against West Ham at the Amex, though my personal preference was his goal away at Stoke City, a wonderful display of a team goal showing how to play precise one-twos.

BBC Sussex co commentator Warren Aspinall’s commentary was apt: ‘Am I watching Brighton or Barcelona?’ The Columbian couldn’t stop smiling as he was presented with the award on stage.

Anthony Knockaert

José Izquierdo

German midfielder Pascal Gross deservedly won Player of the Season after polling 36% of the votes with (at the time of writing) six goals and eight assists. Extraordinary, and probably the best value for money player in the Premier League when you consider he was brought for a measly £3.5 million from Ingolstadt back in the summer.

Pascal Gross

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PLATINUM SPORT

Amongst the other awards presented during the evening, Lewis Dunk was voted the Players’ Player of the Year and veteran captain Bruno was

It was also announced that the Albion came top of the league in a poll of how matchday experiences are rated by visiting fans. 42,000 fans from 20 Clubs took part in the survey. I imagine Chelsea and Liverpool fans scored the experience highly after winning 4-0 and 5-1 respectively at the Amex this season! Well done to everyone concerned.

PLATINUM FOOTBALL sponsored by

GAP Solutions, Unit B5 Enterprise Estate, Crowhurst Road, Hollingbury, Brighton, BN1 8AF Tel: 01273 550050 Email: info@gapsolutions.co.uk Web: www.gapsolutions.co.uk

PLATINUM SPORT

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INTERVIEW

Cricket in the blood

Sussex cricketer Georgia Adams comes from a cricketing family, and like her father Chris, she is proud to captain her county. Laurence Elphick met with Georgia to chat T20, the county’s prospects, the state of the women’s game and the art of captaincy.

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PLATINUM SPORT

CRICKET

What’s your view on the how women’s T20 cricket has improved?

I think it’s grown massively, probably three years ago, 120 or 130 total runs won you the game nine times out of ten, but I don’t think you can get away with that now. To feel comfortable as the batting team now, you’d want to get 160/170 which shows just how much its changed - 120 is simply not enough anymore!

This is down to a combination of players getting better, a bigger pool of players to choose from as the game’s grown and better training at the top. I’m incredibly proud of the group of youngsters that we’ve got at Sussex.

The girls work very hard, but we don’t make a living from it, it’s more of a hobby at county level, but we still train like professionals. Plus, the size of the boundaries has also reduced.

“You can fill it with a good crowd and get a great atmosphere but I’m very biased because it’s my favourite ground to play in” Mark Robinson (the England Women’s coach and former Sussex Men’s coach) is keen on shortening the boundaries to bring more sixes into the game and ‘Robbo’ has put a big stamp on fitness and physicality to compete at the highest level as well because there is a level of expectation with fielding now.

Bringing the boundaries in for the women is a brilliant move, because it gives players more confidence to clear the fielders and feel more positive. I was fortunate to be asked up to England camp recently and they’ve been practicing power hitting and learning the technique rather than just giving the ball a good whack!

How much emphasis do you find is placed on the shorter format of the game?

It’s massive… in county cricket we only play the white ball game (limited overs cricket). I don’t think there is enough interest in the longer format yet, which is a shame because I know the England girls love the Ashes and would love to play more Test cricket. It would be great if we could see more in the future.

Has the gap between men’s and women’s cricket shortened?

Women’s cricket out in Australia is huge but in this country the ECB can only give so much to the counties to set things up because there are so many counties. In Oz there’s only eight state teams so they get more money. Women’s cricket is really growing though and T20 is just booming now as people want to watch more of it.

Kids see the batters doing all sorts of strokes and the bowlers bowling balls out of the back of their hand and they want to learn that. I know they’re trying to reinvent four-day cricket with the county system, playing under lights and day/night Test cricket which I think is a great move, so it’ll be interesting to see over the next couple of years whether it works.

When England won the World Cup, it elevated women’s cricket ten-fold and of course the England women are playing South Africa in Sussex this year, a sign then of how well things have progressed at Hove?

It was a bit of an eye opener, but I think we have a brilliant group of young players here.

Sussex always seem to develop brilliant and talented young cricketers. There’s always been two to four Sussex juniors in the England Academy. But the problem we’ve had is that over five or six years we were a very experienced team, especially when I first broke in to the side, with six England players at the time. Gradually each year we lost those players so slowly the experience filtered out.

Losing players like Holly Colvin who was our leading wicket taker and Arran Brindle who I don’t remember ever getting out, meant our younger players were having to take up the reins. I don’t think anyone stood up and

When Rob Andrew (CEO) came in I had a couple of meetings with him as captain and his vision of being at the forefront of women’s cricket at Sussex was what I wanted to hear.

We are so lucky with the facilities that we have here which I don’t think any other women’s county has, so we can’t really ask for any more. I think Hove is a brilliant venue for the England girls to play at because it’s not too big or overwhelming. You can fill it with a good crowd and get a great atmosphere but I’m very biased because it’s my favourite ground to play in

Let’s talk about Sussex - 3rd in the T20s last year, but unfortunately relegated last season after being 3rd in 2015 and 2nd in 2016. How tough will it be to bounce back this season?

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INTERVIEW

CRICKET ness. When you open, you’re in the power play so you’re always looking for boundaries, but at the same time you are facing the best conditions, i.e. the ball is swinging with the best bowlers. Sometimes this has got me into a bit of trouble. Conversely though I have found it easier in County Cricket when I played in the England senior Academy because you don’t have to score runs so quickly and you know that around you you’ve got so much experience. That’s the hardest thing with Sussex, with the limited experience.

I’m only 24 but I put more pressure on myself when I play for Sussex, especially last year which was tough. But everyone felt like this, so the pressure we put on ourselves meant that no one could deliver what they wanted to.

As Captain, what’s the hardest challenge during the match? took that opportunity, including myself. I had an awful season and then there were players in and out while some were doing exams.

However, I think it gives us a great opportunity to rebuild. If we were able to put out our strongest team last year I believe we would have won the Championship! Being relegated will give the girls a chance to improve at the lower level and then make the step up which is important. We’ve got the England players available as well, so we’ve got a great chance of getting promoted. We’ve set our standards high so not getting promoted is NOT an option for us as a team and I’m confident we will.

You broke in to the Sussex team when you were only 15?

I was a very excitable teenager and at the time we had some brilliant players like Caroline Atkins and Rosalee Birch from England as well as Holly Colvin and Laura Marsh. I started batting at number seven and worked my way up the ranks. I remember when I was 16 or 17, I was asked to open the batting and thinking ‘Oh God, really?’ but I’ve always been lucky with those opportunities and I think I’ve been opening for Sussex ever since.

Is there more pressure on the opening pair to get big scores and set the rest of the team up?

Massively! I’ve always been a very attacking batter which is my strength but also my weak-

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I have a lot of battles in my head where I want to go up to the bowler and ask her what field setting does she want and what ball is she going to bowl? I set everything up accordingly, but then the first four balls are bowled completely differently! I must stay calm and make the right decision so that’s quite tough.

I don’t like to be a dictator, I like to trust my players. So, when it comes to decisions, you get a gut instinct. Your brain never stops, even when things are going well. Getting the field right is so important as well especially in T20 as that can be the difference between four or five runs and you must make the right changes at the right time. Some captains pass it over to the bowler to decide, but I like to keep talking to my players all the time. I’m usually very laid back but when I’m out on the field but I’ve seen myself behave completely differently especially when things aren’t going to plan.

Your father is Chris Adams, former double winning Captain of Sussex of course, how much influence does he have on you?

I have to say I normally go to him for advice, he’s very laid back and he’s also my biggest fan. When I used to walk out the door, every time he’d say: “Don’t forget, you hit it hard, along the ground, in the gaps,” and then I used to phone him up and tell him I’d got caught again!

At this point he would say, “What did I say to you?” and then my mum would join in and say: “But Chris, you always used to do that!”

Apparently, he’s worse when he watches me bat, pacing around and all sorts. During my first Super League game against Surrey Stars in 2016, he was sat in the box at Hampshire so when I went to see him at the end of the game after I’d got Player of the Match, I was told my dad was awful! I’m thinking what’s he done, has he had too many beers or something but no, he’d been up and down, pacing, couldn’t watch and asking what’s happening.

Normally he’s such a logical man, very calm and you don’t often see him angry.

I recently heard a rumour that your dad went for the vacant role of Head Coach at Sussex before ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie got it in the Summer, is this true?

I don’t know but I do know he would absolutely love to be back at Sussex. The club had the biggest impact on him. The best years of his career were at Sussex. I know he gets on well with Rob Andrew, but I don’t think they ever talked about him as Head Coach.

When you’re not playing cricket what do you like doing?

I love a good dog walk on the beach with my bulldog Parker, I’m going to set up his own Instagram account, so he’ll have loads of fans!

And I’m also a bit of a coffee snob so I like going to coffee shops, but I do enjoy going to the gym as well. I’m someone who needs to be out and about all the time, unless it’s raining!

Tell me a fun fact about yourself?

I’ve got nine little tattoos dotted over me. I haven’t braved a big one, so I’ve got a heartbeat line on my ribs, a love heart, a wave on my foot and a compass on my ankle. They didn’t hurt as much as I though they would. My biggest one is a rose on my shoulder for my uncle that passed away a year ago.

And I once met Amanda Holden in the Bull in Ditchling when I was 12 but I was so star struck I couldn’t speak to her.

Thanks for your time Georgia and good luck for the season.

HEALTH

SPORTS INJURIES

Float away sports injuries

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lite athletes and sportspeople have been using floatation to speed up recovery times after injuries and improve their performance since the 1980s. Runner Carl Lewis used floating to improve his performance before his gold medal winning runs at the Seoul Olympics and the Dallas Cowboys used it to help its players recover from injuries all throughout the 80s. Footballer Wayne Rooney even has his own floatation tank and he sometimes spends as long as 10 hours a week floating. You don’t have to be an elite sportsperson to speed up your healing time using floatation though as it works in a number of different ways that can benefit everyone.

Freedom from Gravity Whatever type of sports injury you have, floating in a pod of water saturated with Epsom Salts will help your injury to heal more quickly.

It does this by completely removing any pressure on your joints, bones and muscles when you float free from gravity. This allows your body to complete relax improving the blood flow to every part of the body.

Blood brings oxygen and all the other nutrients the tissues need to repair themselves so this improved blood flow encourages rapid healing.

Epsom Salts are Swell

injured. Floating doesn’t just relax the muscles so keeps them moving better, it also focuses the mind which allows sportspeople to maintain a better form and avoid the kind of distractions and carelessness which can lead to injuries.

We see all kinds of sportspeople at The Float Spa from marathon runners and wrestlers to golfers and rugby players who all benefit from less down time due to injury. In addition, people who don’t do sport come to us as improved concentration and reduced stress are also very helpful for improving their performance at work.

Contact us on 01273 933 680 for more information on how floating can encourage healing and improve your performance in whatever you do. www.thefloatspa.co.uk

People often soak swollen limbs and joints in Epsom Salts to help bring the swelling down as the magnesium, which the salts are rich in, has anti-inflammatory properties and salty water helps to reduce edema.

Therefore, floating in a tank full of Epsom Salts is a great way to bring down the swelling in a sports injury.

A Healing State of Mind Tight muscles, tension and stress are all things that impede injury healing as they restrict blood flow and studies have shown people with stress, anxiety and depression are more likely to have delayed healing times for injuries and wounds. Floating regularly helps people to relax, eliminate stress and improve the symptoms of anxiety and depression so literally puts people in the right frame of mind to heal as quickly as possible. Additionally, people who float have been proven to be more likely to stick with good habits and avoid bad habits so people recovering from injuries find it easier to avoid the kind of habits that impede their recovery and easier to stick to habits such as stretching or strengthening exercises that will aid their recovery.

Prevention is Better than Cure Lots of sportspeople float regularly to make it less likely that they’ll get

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INTERVIEW

In Conversation with…

Rob Andrew Rugby Legend You used to be Director of Rugby at the RFU and have written a book that includes how you think rugby is suffering due to injuries, the length of the season and overtraining. How has that changed, if at all?

Rugby has challenges around injuries as do all sports at every level, whether it’s the physicality of the game or concussion. It’s not being alarmist, it’s a fact, but how do you do anything about it? It’s like the scheduling in cricket. It’s alright saying we’ve got a problem, everybody knows we do; that we can’t fit the white ball, red ball and now pink ball game all in, but everybody wants to make money.

Rugby’s the same, nobody wants to give up anything, nobody wants to say they’re going to play half as much rugby and take half as much money to do that. Modern day sport now is a big beast, a big financial juggernaut, in terms of commercial sponsorship, TV and crowds, and the players, whether that’s T20 cricket or rugby, are the ones in demand because they’re driving all this money and they’re getting well rewarded.

So, you’ve got a double-edged sword that is hard to manage. Nobody’s going to say ‘...pay me half as much and I’ll play a bit less!’ so then it creates all these issues that we’re talking about.

What’s happening with England? One minute we’re looking unbeatable under Eddie Jones and then we have a disastrous Six Nations and suddenly lots of questions are

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being asked. Have England only got one way to play and everyone else has worked out how to combat that?

I’m not sure that is the case, it’s a bit like the England Cricket Test team now where lots of little things can happen that mean you

suddenly start losing matches that you were winning a year ago, but clearly, they’ve not played well in this tournament. I’m not in the camp so it’s hard to know what has happened but clearly something has happened that’s not right. Whether that’s selection, tactics, overtraining, injuries or tiredness from the Lions tour?

RUGBY You can make all sorts of excuses but there’s just something there that wasn’t there a year ago. There’s some good players there and in my view, those things can be put right. Yes, it’s a big dip but unless you’re inside the camp it’s difficult to know exactly why. Even with an experienced coach in Eddie, there’s probably bits that he’s struggling to pinpoint, but on the other hand there’s too many good players for it to be a long-term decline. In the games where they’ve not played well they’ve still had chances to win the games.

well - is there anything wrong at Arsenal now? I don’t know anything about football but something’s not right. It’s the manager’s job and the Coach’s job to fix that … is there anything wrong with the England Test team at the moment? I think they’re probably is, but it’s not my job to put my finger on what it is?

How much do you think overtraining is a factor?

Eddie Jones has been quite prickly in press conferences recently and quick to blame the media and then there’s what he said recently about the Welsh and the Irish. Is he struggling?

I suspect there is an issue with that, but I’d only be guessing. You don’t need to be part of the squad to realise whether things are going ok or not. You just have to watch the performance of that team to understand

In the end the coach is the coach because he is responsible for delivering what happens out there. Management and coaching is so complex because its about tactics, selection, the culture and environment, how hard you

what’s happening because if there’s a problem, it normally translates itself on the pitch. It’s the same with football teams as

train and how much you rest? The manager has responsibility, but the players are the ones that run out on the field and it’s the manager who takes on delivery of the performance of those players. It’s his or her responsibility and that’s why it’s very difficult. Top level coaching and management is a very complex skill, that’s why you have so many ups and downs in performance and why people lose their jobs.

Are we a long way behind Southern Hemisphere teams?

No, I don’t think so. Less so now than for a while, Scotland beat Australia last year, Ireland have beaten South Africa recently and they beat New Zealand in Chicago. I think the days of that massive gap which was there 10-15 years ago has gone now, though I still think they have the edge, which is why the four semi finalists in the last World Cup were New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina. I’d be very surprised if it was the same four semi finalists in Japan next year though.

On their day, England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland who are on an upward curve are a match for anyone and the French are the French, one day they can be brilliant and one day they can be rubbish. If you catch them on a good day then you’re in trouble. But New Zealand are still the team to beat.

VAR is used successfully in Rugby and Cricket… but in that England v Wales Six Nations game, it appeared the Welsh

player touched the ball down first, but the try wasn’t given and then Scotland went out of the World Cup in cricket with a player given out when quite clearly the ball was going down the leg side, what’s your opinion on VAR? I think in rugby and cricket they get far more of the decisions correct because of VAR and I think you’re right that was a Wales try, they admitted it so afterwards. I think in the modern age of technology and trying to get as much doubt out of decisions that you can is good for the game, it’s a question of what decisions do you want football to look at.

Goal line technology is clear, its either over the line or it isn’t and there’s others where you maybe have a marginal offside where referees’ assistants do remarkably well to get as many right as they do.

In rugby they talk a lot about the clear and obvious decision or infringement. Take the Thierry Henry handball in football (that knocked the Republic of Ireland out of the World Cup) it would be very easy to look at that and say no goal, play on, that’s simple it takes two seconds. Players and coaches and the fans just want the right decision. Diego Maradona didn’t score against England, it was a clear handball.

Well actually he did, it was voted one of the best World Cup goals, but I know which goal you mean. Thank you for your time Rob It’s a pleasure, thank you.

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WORLD CUP

The Best World Cup Player Laurence Elphick picks his greatest player from the modern era

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his June sees the greatest tournament in sport begin when Russia take on the might of Saudi Arabia in football’s World

Cup. Hardly an auspicious start, but nevertheless a mouthwatering month for those of us that love our football and can’t wait to sit in front of the ‘box’ and salivate over the best players on the planet showcasing their talent in front of millions across the globe.

With Italy failing to qualify, the streets of Rome and Milan will be a lot quieter than usual, but the rest of us can relish the prospect of the famous names in football doing battle to establish who can lift the famous trophy and forever be called a legend. I have given up hope of England ever winning the tournament again with my hopes, dreams and optimism often left shattered in a flood of seemingly endless disappointment and despair.

1974 saw West Germany win the tournament for the first time beating a Holland team 2-1 that contained the incredible talent of Johan Cruyff, Jonny Rep, Robbie Rensenbrink and Johan Neeskens.

Nevertheless, it was Poland’s Grzegorz Lato who had the honour of being top scorer with seven in seven to complement his nation topping the team charts with 16 goals. The stand out player was West Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer who was a rock and seemed not only to win every challenge and header but also had the poise and precision to pick out a pass that no one else could. Cruyff won the Golden Ball for the best player, but to captain the eventual Champions, my choice is Franz Beckenbauer.

So, WHO is the greatest World Cup player then? I’m going to start at 1970 and choose a contender from each of the 12 tournaments that have passed since.

1970 - four years after England won, Brazil were the champions in Mexico when Brazil were well deserved winners having scored more goals than anyone else. The honour of the top spot went to West Germany’s Gerd Mueller with ten goals, three ahead of Brazil’s Jairzinho who scored what has been described as the best goal in the competition. Pele was only fifth highest with four goals and one of three Brazilians in the top ten goal scorers, but because of his goal scoring, this year’s contender is Gerd Meuller.

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1978 was when we first witnessed thousands of ticker tape streamers

FOOTBALL cascading down from the stands whenever the host nation, Argentina played. An incredible sight matched by the team as Argentina went on to win the World Cup beating Holland 3-1 in the final. The goal of the tournament was scored by Scotland’s Archie Gemmill, weaving past Dutch defenders as if they weren’t there as the Scots triumphed 3-2. The leading scorers were Argentina that featured Ossie Ardilles and Ricky Villa, who both went on to have successful spells at Spurs and the top scorer was Argentine striker Mario Kempes, who after scoring twice in the final is my contender this year.

Germany 3-2 in the final, but his touch, vision and astounding brilliance with the ball at his feet was a joy to behold. Much to people’s surprise Maradona was not the leading scorer in the 1986 tournament, that honour fell to Gary Lineker with six, but arguably the best goal ever scored in a World Cup was Maradona’s second against England when he picked the ball up inside his own half and ran the length of the pitch gliding past defenders before rounding Shilton and sliding the ball into the net. Genius! Contender: Diego Maradona.

1990, Italy. Other than Gazza’s tears, the agony of losing to Germany 1982, Spain and I can’t recall there ever being another team other than England being knocked out without losing a game! Back then it was goal difference in the second group stage as England were left to rue consecutive 0-0 draws against West Germany and Spain. The sight of an unmarked Kevin Keegan heading wide against Spain with virtually the last attack still haunts me today, though Northern Ireland showed how it’s done by beating the hosts 1-0 thanks to a Gerry Armstrong winner. Italy were the undisputed Champions this year beating West Germany 3-1 in the final. But I still have difficulty working out how the Italians managed to beat, for me, the best Brazilian team never to win the World Cup; a team that contained Socrates, Falcao, Eder, Junior and Zico. It was largely down to one man, Paolo Rossi who scored a hat-trick that day and finished as top scorer with six including the first goal of the final. Contender: Paolo Rossi

in a penalty shootout in the semi-finals or Nessun Dorma by Pavarotti, this was the tournament where we first heard the name of Italian striker Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci, a quality finisher who led the way in the scoring charts, despite the host nation finishing third. Inevitably the West Germans triumphed having been the best side with the perfect blend of dominance and class and scored the most goals, eventually getting revenge by beating Argentina 1-0 in the final. In Italia ’90 we first realised that Jurgen Klinsman, despite his undoubted talent, was a diver and arguably Lothar Matthaus, the German Captain and the engine room of that brilliant side should be the contender. But for his efforts alone, after Italy had only scored twice in the last 7 games prior to the tournament, and for his manic wide-eyed celebrations, this year’s contender is ‘Toto’ Schillaci.

1994 - USA, the only time its been held in the States. Remember when 1986 - Diego Maradona made his World Cup debut in Spain and despite the ‘Hand of God’ goal that helped knock England out in the quarter finals, 1986 was without doubt Maradona’s year. Not only did he lift the famous trophy as Argentina captain after they beat West

Italy’s Roberto Baggio blazed his penalty kick high over the bar in the final to hand victory to Brazil, but who remembers that Russia’s Oleg Salenko finished as the top marksman, or that Sweden scored the most goals? Neither team qualified for the final and neither did any of the Home Nations, so this year didn’t live long in the memory. But, who

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WORLD CUP was the stand out player? For me there were two candidates; Romario of Brazil and Baggio of Italy. Both scored five goals, but the Brazilian gets the nod because it was one of the all-time individual performances at a World Cup, which helped to end Brazil’s 24-year wait for the title.

That same year Romario also became the first Brazilian to be crowned FIFA World Player of the Year. Contender: Romario

In 1998 the World Cup was held in and won by France and Les Bleus, with Petit, Henry and Zidane who were nothing short of phenomenal that year as they crushed all before them, including much-fancied Brazil 3-0 in the final that included their own superstar, Ronaldo. The latter’s performance in the final was so disappointing, it later emerged he’d been ill the previous night having suffered a convulsion. France ’98 will also be remembered by England fans for that wonder goal by Michael Owen and David Beckham’s red card, both against Argentina as the Three Lions went out on penalties. Croatia’s Davor Suker was the Golden Boot winner, but the stand out player of this tournament for me was Ronaldo for his lightning speed, individual skill and four goals including the opener in his side’s semi-final win over Holland.

Contender: Ronaldo

2002 was held in South Korea and Japan. England went out in the quarter finals 2-1 to eventual winners Brazil after an incredible strike by Ronaldinho from a free kick near the half way line, South Korea beat Italy meaning the Azzurri didn’t qualify for the knock out stages and Brazil beat Germany 2-0 in the final courtesy of a Ronaldo double who ended up also winning the Golden Boot. A fantastic way for him to bounce back from the disappointment of four years earlier. The Golden Ball Award went to German ‘keeper Oliver Kahn for his displays in

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getting Germany to the final but for me, the contender for 2002 should go to Ronaldo again for how he bounced back from the heartache of ’98.

2006 - Germany were the hosts and home striker Miroslav Klose was top scorer as the host nation led the goal scoring charts. BUT Germany didn’t win the famous trophy this year. That honour fell to the best defence as Italy won it for the fourth time, beating France on penalties after a 1-1 draw. French captain Zinedine Zidane won the Player of the tournament (Golden Boot), but sadly his last appearance in the finals will be remembered for his red card in the final after a ‘spectacular’ head butt into the chest of Juventus player Giorgio Chiellini. It’s worth mentioning that playing in his third World Cup Finals, Ronaldo features again after his three goals helped Brazil reach the quarter finals. Incredibly, Marco Materazzi was Italy’s top scorer with only two goals but my stand out player this year is Zidane.

In 2010, the tournament took place in South Africa (who remembers the vuvuzela?) and won by Spain who beat Holland in the final refereed

by Howard Webb. Quite the opposite of the anticipated classic match, the game was settled by a solitary Iniesta goal four minutes from the end of extra time. But the final will likely be remembered more for the twelve yellow cards handed out by the English referee, a record in a Final. The Golden Boot went to Germany’s Thomas Müller while Uruguay’s Diego Forlan who was one of four players to score five goals, three of which were stunning strikes from outside the penalty area which helped his team reach the semifinals. And they did it without Luis Suarez who was banned after biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini. (Now where’ve I heard that before?) My 2010 contender is Diego Forlan.

Finally, 2014 saw the World Cup return to Brazil. Germany won for the fourth time after beating Argentina in the final, but this tournament will be remembered for how Germany annihilated their hosts 7-1 in the semi-final in front of their own fans. Brazil had the weakest line up of any Brazilian side I’d seen at a World Cup and were without their talisman, Neymar for this match, which was Brazil’s heaviest ever defeat. Germany were mightily impressive throughout the whole competition scoring the most goals and having the highest

FOOTBALL pass completion rate of 82%. Thomas Müller covered more ground than anyone else and Manuel Neuer, Germany’s goalkeeper made the most saves so no surprise they won this year. Columbia’s James Rodriguez finished as the top scorer and for his outstanding displays, Lionel Messi won the award for best player of the tournament. For single handedly carrying Brazil to the semis, my contender is Neymar.

In 3rd place, Italy’s Paolo Rossi for scoring a hat-trick against the best Brazil team NEVER to win the World Cup.

In 2nd place, Diego Maradona for probably the best display from one player that I’ve ever seen at a World Cup including arguably the best ever goal. He single handedly took Argentina to World Cup glory and would have won if it wasn’t for his cheating with the ‘Hand of God’ goal against England!

In 1st place, there is only one clear winner for me; with 15 goals, Brazilian superstar Ronaldo has scored the most goals in the World Cup, a feat he accomplished in 19 matches spread over three World Cups, in 1998, 2002 and 2006.

To decide who wins the Platinum Sport BEST player at a World Cup, I looked at this list to see which player had the most impact for his country and whose contribution was the most telling. My top three works out like this:

But who will win the award for 2018 in Russia? Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, Suarez, Hazard or Salah? My money is on someone we haven’t heard of yet!

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‘Inspiring Active Lifestyles’

throughout Sussex

Working to promote and support healthy workplace initiatives

www.waveleisure.co.uk

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Tel: 01323 490011 • Email: info@waveleisure.co.uk

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@waveleisure

@TheWaveLeisure

HEALTH & LEISURE

RIDE THE WAVE Wave Leisure Trust is proactively promoting health across the whole community.

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ave Leisure Trust Limited is a charity and social enterprise, based in East Sussex with a purpose of “inspiring active lifestyles” and vision, “to be at the heart of the improvement of health and wellbeing within the community”.

Duncan Kerr, CEO, Wave Leisure Trust

Formed in 2006, the award-winning trust manages nine leisure facilities and Newhaven Fort, and receives over one million customer visits a year. Wave reinvests all surplus revenue back into the community. This takes the form of facility developments or refurbishments, new activity programmes and outreach initiatives.

As a provider of a range of health and wellbeing initiatives, Wave’s driving ambition is to be recognised as an active partner to Public Health England and Primary Care Services; creating sustainable outcomes for a healthier society.

Wave pays particular attention to driving standards, creating environments where people want to spend time. Their centres are not just places to be active, but also, destinations where service users can benefit from the company of family, friends and likeminded individuals.

They want to increase participation, reduce health inequalities, improve accessibility and social inclusion. This is achieved by establishing a close, positive relationship with customers and supporting them to be active how they want, where they want and when they want.

Wave’s ‘Inspiring Active Lifestyles Programme’ is focused across six principal areas: Active Schools, Active People, Active Families, Active Communities, Active Partners and Active Heritage. Their work covers a range of sectors including; sport and physical activity, education, public health and adult social care.

Roz taking her class at Downs Leisure Centre

Whilst committed to driving standards within centres, they also reach out to communities, so that they can support those in greatest need of their services.

Wave’s activities encompass every age group, from early years to older people. For instance, the Older Persons Activity Calendar includes 24 weekly timetabled sessions at various levels of intensity. These range from gentle exercise programmes such as chair-based exercise and strength and balance classes, to higher intensity activities such as table tennis and senior gym sessions.

Under the GP Referral Scheme and a new initiative called MoveMore, they work closely with GPs in Sussex to support patients into activity through patient specific engagement opportunities.

Wave ensure activities are accessible to the whole community, including those who are on low incomes, though a series of other outreach programmes.

In 2018 they are more ambitious than ever about the impact a leisure trust and social enterprise can have within the Primary Care Service sector. Bringing an activity focused environment with reach-out initiatives to traditional general practice and primary care services, in a ‘connected’ way, to the heart of the community. This approach ensures that GPs and healthcare teams can work, hand in hand, with ‘activity focused’ support staff in a proactive and dynamic way; an approach which is person centred, focused on positive physical, mental and emotional wellbeing through relevant and appropriate activity.

The Wave Outreach Team in Peacehaven

If you want to improve the health of your organisation, Wave would be delighted to help you too. Email info@waveleisure. co.uk for more information.

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KARATE

when BUSINESS meets SPORT

Ana Christie

Chief Executive, Sussex Chamber of Commerce

“Why I love karate...”

Ana Christie has the black belt in her sights

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arate is a very balanced martial art, which has punches, kicks, grabs, good defence and includes mind and spirit strength and development.

I started practising karate 5½ years ago along with my son. It’s a great way to keep physically and mentally fit. There is always something new to learn and improve in your karate techniques. It is surprisingly safe, however there are occasions you will get a bruise or two which happened to me recently during my grading this month, as I ended up with several bruised ribs! You need to be prepared to work hard and experience some pain.

I train twice a week (a total of 3 hours of training) and I have achieved my 2nd Kyu which is my brown belt with a black tip (the equivalent to my first taste of black belt). The coveted black belt is just around the corner, but there is still much to work on and develop over the next year. The karate that I practice, is a fusion between Shotokan and Goju which have very different philosophies and styles but both complement each other.

Karate has a rich heritage and culture and you develop a deep connection and understanding of its history. It requires huge respect and discipline from the minute you enter the dojo, but this also extends to being disciplined outside the dojo.

Karate is a lifetime study and longterm commitment. I have seen many people come and go. Self-motivation is really needed to push you to achieve your goals. My goal has always been to achieve my black belt and I know my son is proud that he practices karate with his mum. Anyone can start at any age as it’s a great form of physical fitness.

I have a huge respect for all martial arts and would love to develop my skills further. Perhaps in Kendo and the martial art of sword-fighting.

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1. What’s the biggest challenge to learning karate?

“Finding the time to commit to the training and having dedication. Also being able to pick yourself up when you do get injured and having the perseverance to continue and improve.”

2. Who would you most like to ‘fight’/have a contest with?

“There are lots of people I would love to fight, but I’ll keep that to myself. I grew up watching Bruce Lee films and was a huge fan, but sadly as he is no longer around, I would have to say Jet Li.” 3. What’s the main benefit to you?

“The main benefit is being able to improve my overall skills, self-defence, speed and agility. It’s physically and mentally challenging. Since starting my journey, I have also seen an increase in my confidence, my flexibility and my overall fitness.”

4. Which person in sport do you most admire and why?

“Shihan Anthony Ryan, who is an expert senior instructor and martial artist in Australia. I had the opportunity to train with him a couple of years ago. He is extremely inspiring and motivational. He has been battling cancer for many years and has the strength and determination required to beat this disease. He has taught me that health and nutrition play a huge part in preventing illness, as well practising karate to develop physical and mental strength.”

SQUASH

when BUSINESS meets SPORT

Duncan Kerr

Chief Executive, Wave Leisure Trust Ltd

“Why I love squash….?”

How Duncan Kerr’s passion for squash has influenced his career

T

he most significant influencing factors that support me as a CEO are my experiences as a squash player and performance coach.

Sport offers moments where you can gain instant gratification, but the real satisfaction comes from knowing that success has been achieved through hard work and determination. There is a simple honesty about that, which has always appealed to me. Not only do those moments stay with you, but the resilience that is often required to achieve them can often re-define your capacity and capability.

There is no doubt that squash is one of the most physically demanding sports.

Simply put, it is brutal. It doesn’t look like it but trust me, it is. I love squash because it is so physical and the tougher I could make it, the more I enjoyed it.

I recall playing in the final of one the open tournaments in Scotland, against a talented ‘shot maker’ on the fringe of the National Team. I knew I would win if I could make the game really physical, so I would deliberately drag out rallies; punishing for me but brutal for him. I knew I had achieved the goal when, during the fourth, he stopped mid rally to call it a day. He was literally out on his feet, exhausted. Thinking about it now, still brings a smile to my face.

Not only is it physically challenging, but also mentally demanding. When I was playing, I read a book by Timothy Gallway called The Inner Game of Tennis. It offers strategies on how to approach negative thinking, something that many of us deal with, either personally or with those around us, and I’m glad I have that knowledge and experience.

1. Best squash player you’ve ever seen?

“Jahangir Khan, a legend. In his day he was simply unbeatable. 555 matches and five years without losing.”

2. Best match you’ve ever played in?

“August 1986, World Championships Quarter Finals, playing for Scotland against Ricky Curtis (Australia) the World Number 13. I had the ability to raise my game when playing better opponents and Ricky definitely fell into that category. I won the match 3-2, 10-9 in the fifth.

3. Have you ever suffered a serious injury?

“At age 14 I was diagnosed with a congenital physical condition which, as I grew older, became more serious. In 1990, during a check-up, my consultant told me that he couldn’t guarantee how long I’d be able to play squash at a high level. I drove home and placed my racket in the wardrobe. I never played competitively again.”

4. Which sportsperson do you most admire and why?

“Jonnie Peacock. At five years of age he contracted meningitis which led to the amputation of one of his legs. We now watch him win Paralympic Gold Medals in athletics but at one point in his life, he must have been flat on his back wondering what life with one leg would entail.”

I believe listening is a fine art. There is so much noise within the industry now, especially with the impact of social media, it can be deafening. Focusing on the relevant and impactful stuff can be quite a challenge. But when I started coaching, I quickly learnt that understanding the person, through effective questions and listening was key. Learning how people learn and adapting my skills to support them was fundamentally critical to their performance. I still utilise those same skills today.

I love squash because it helped shape me to be the person I am today.

Jahangir Khan

PLATINUM SPORT

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BASKETBALL

when BUSINESS meets SPORT

Sadie Mason

MBE

Chief Executive, Active Sussex

“Why I love basketball...”

For Sadie Mason, basketball means travel, friendships and fast-moving fun.

W

ell, what’s not to love? Basketball the second largest sport in terms of participation in the world (208 countries affiliated to FIBA): it’s an exciting, fast-moving game, inclusive (played by all ages, male and female from school age to masters) and its low cost! I first played basketball at school in East London at the age of 11, and being at a school for girls, it was a novelty playing a sport that was predominantly played by boys in other schools in the area.

As part of a school team that won national U14 and U16 championships, I got a taste for success and quickly progressed to junior international level by the age of 15. Five years later at the age of 20 I made my debut at senior England and Great Britain levels.

That was back in 1984 and in 2018, I am still playing masters basketball in Europe at age 53! Basketball opened my eyes up to the world, travelling with teams to play in the USA & Canada, Asia, Scandinavia and extensively in Europe and learning about their cultures and lifestyles.

As a dedicated volunteer, I’ve been fortunate to be able to give back to the local community: running our local ladies team in Eastbourne, managing our GB U18 Women’s National Team, a bit of London 2012 volunteering and also in 2015 starting up a ladies 40+ masters basketball team to encourage women to return to the sport. Lifelong friendships have been made on the field of play and continued beyond.

1. Best game you’ve ever watched?

“One of my favourite games was the Commonwealth Games 2018 Women’s Basketball semi-final, where Team England (ranked 25th in the world) defeated Canada (ranked 5th in the world) to reach the gold-medal game. I enjoy watching this team of inspirational female players, who always give 110%.”

2. Your favourite player of all time?

“However, it’s not all about the girls! My all-time favourite basketball player from back in the day is Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers and part of the original USA Men’s Basketball Dream Team from 1996. Magic was a great all-round player at both ends of the court, a bit of a showman but unselfish and he knew how to bring the best out of all his team mates.”

3. Player to watch for the future?

“Luke Nelson, from Worthing, who graduated from the University of California, Irvine two years ago, and having represented England and Great Britain, he is now playing professional basketball in Europe. A quick, explosive player, and prolific shooter, point guard Luke has many of the leadership qualities shown by Magic Johnson and has a great future at international level. He is also a business graduate. Great to see a local boy done good.”

4. Team you most enjoy watching?

“As a supporter of West Ham United FC, I should say they are the team I most enjoy watching, but it’s been rather painful this season! The basketball team whom I most enjoy watching now is the NBA team Golden State Warriors, with their brilliant point guard Steph Curry.”

All in all, basketball continues to bring so many opportunities and having begun my professional career in retail banking, I’m so fortunate to have been able to combine my business experience with the world of sport over the past 20+ years.

That’s the power of sport, and why I love basketball!

MAGIC JOHNSON

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BASEBALL

when BUSINESS meets SPORT

Jeremy Taylor

CEO of Gatwick Diamond Business

“Why I love Baseball…”

Jeremy Taylor insists that baseball is not just advanced rounders…

I

was born in Guildford, grew up in Jersey and now live in Crawley, so there was obviously only ever going to be one football team for me – Manchester United! But unlike many fans, I have actually seen the mighty Reds play both home & away, including a match in 1969 where a United team (under manager Wilf McGuinness) beat a Jersey eleven by some fantastical score that I can’t remember!

But the sport I really love to watch is Baseball.

Some would say Baseball is just advanced Rounders, but I suspect those people have never been to a real Baseball game (or even a Rounders game for that matter!). The passion and the excitement is outstanding and the atmosphere at any level is an experience to remember.

The game generally lasts for 11 Innings across around three hours unless the game is tied, in which case it is played until the end, sometimes into a 14th or 15th Innings.

The longest Major League game ever recorded was on May 8th, 1984 and went to 25 Innings between the Chicago White Sox vs Milwaukee Brewers. This game holds the record for longest game in terms of time. It took the White Sox eight hours and six minutes to beat the Brewers, 7-6.

The real excitement comes in those games where everything can turn in an Innings.

Your team can be way behind but, get a good batsman, start to load the Bases, get a home run and suddenly, you’ve got four on the Board!

There is technical skill and, occasionally onpitch violence, but it is genuinely a familyfriendly sport that captivates and excites.

These days I only get to see a few games on TV and these are usually on very late at night because of the time difference.

As any fan of any team knows, some seasons are good and others are less so.

Unfortunately, this season, the team I follow, Texas Rangers are woeful, currently sitting bottom of their division with only six wins from 17 games and with only seven teams below them. But there’s hope and I’m sure that across the remaining games they’ll come good. We may not make the World Series, but we’ll do ok.

There’s always the 2019 season to look forward to! Go Rangers!

1. Your favourite team?

“Texas Rangers who play in the Major League at the Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.”

2. Your favourite player?

“Prince Fielder – I even bought the shirt. Despite his size he could hit the ball & sprint, he was a good fielder (as you’d expect!) but sadly his career was cut short by a knee injury. I didn’t feel sorry for too long as his average Baseball earnings were just under $24m pa!”

3. The best game you’ve ever seen?

“It wasn’t the Rangers but a lower league team in Fort Worth called the Fort Worth Cats who had an almighty comeback to win a game & change the 2007 season; I have no recollection of the score or who it was against, but it was a great night in front of 4,000 fans!”

Prince Fielder

PLATINUM SPORT

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ACTIVE SUSSEX

COMMONWEALTH GAMES

Sussex Succeeds on the Gold Coast

T

he Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast finished with great results for the Sussex-linked athletes who competed over the 11 days. In terms of medals, Sussex stars brought home one gold and three bronze medals.

The Medal Race

hosting nation Australia – it is just brilliant to see the legacy of the Olympics living on and the hard work and training that these athletes have put in paying off.

Liam Ansell

First to win gold was Joe Townsend from Eastbourne. Joe is a former Royal Marine Commando who lost both legs in an explosion in Afghanistan in 2008. He got into triathlon when he completed the Ironman UK triathlon in Bolton in July 2011. Since then he has completed at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, where he finished second in the disability category. He also competed for ParalympicsGB in Rio in September 2016 Next up and winning a bronze medal was England Hockey Women. Four players on this team have Sussex links - with Ellie Rayer, Laura Unsworth and Amy Tenant all training at East Grinstead Hockey Club. West Sussex born Maddie Hinch also plays for this side.

“At Active Sussex, we celebrate all levels of sport from grassroots to elite and we recognise that Sussex athletes have a role to play as role models to people across Sussex to get involved in sport and physical activity.”

Sussex’s youngest competitor

David Condon

Finalists Outside of the medals, other Sussex finalists finished well with 15 year old Hannah Martin from Hove finishing 5th in Rhythmic Gymnastics. Also finishing 5th in the Women’s 50m Rifle was Goring-by-Sea’s Katie Gleeson.

Brighton’s own Charlie Grice came extremely close to a medal when he finished in fourth place in the Men’s 1500m race. Finally Horsham’s Jade Lally came 7th in Discus and East Grinstead Hockey Club’s Xenna Hughes who plays for Wales Hockey finished in 9th place.

Hannah Martin from Hove made her Team England debut at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. At 15 years old, she competed as part of Team England’s rhythmic gymnastics team at Coomera Indoor Sports Centre - finishing in 5th place overall.

Hannah, who trains at iStar Academy in West Sussex, is a three-time British all-around medallist. She is coached by Lynne Hutchison, who competed for Team England at Glasgow 2014.

Hannah Martin Reflecting on these achievements, Active Sussex Chief Executive Sadie Mason MBE said: Maddie Hinch Securing another bronze was the England Hockey men’s team with players Liam Ansell, David Condon and Christopher Griffiths all training at East Grinstead Hockey Club.

“It’s fantastic to see Sussex returning with so many great results from the Gold Coast. With England bringing home a total of 136 medals (45 gold, 45 silver, 46 gold) – second only to

Meanwhile Chichester’s own Jessica Breach was part of the Rugby 7s Women’s team who also took home a bronze medal.

Jessica Breach

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Pride of Sussex Seeing such excellent results from so many Sussex-based or Sussex-born athletes really shows how well Sussex is performing on the international stage in terms of calibre of sportspeople, determination and ambition.

We would like to take the opportunity to congratulate each and every one of the competitors on their successes. We look forward to seeing and hearing more from them as we head towards the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

GET INVOLVED

CYCLING

Pedalling

for Charity

You don’t need a good cause to get on a bike but it can help, says Laurence Elphick

A

t one with nature, enjoying the sights and sounds of our glorious countryside, it’s no wonder more and more of us are taking to two wheels, especially when we can keep fit and healthy at the same time as being kind to the environment.

I wish I had more time on my hands to indulge in such pleasures, but I know plenty of you are out racking up the miles! Here are some of the cycling events that are happening in our County.

Many rides that take place in Sussex are for charity and this month sees the Brighton2Brussels Charity Cycle Ride in aid of the Mayor’s Charities and organised by the Brighton & Hove Property Consortium. By the time you read this the keen cyclists will have attempted a new world record by cycling the first mile of their journey in the sky. This year’s ride will have started on May 3rd at the British Airways i360 with the 40 or so riders cycling a mile around the inside of the pod as it glides up to 450ft and back again. The cycle ride will then have headed for Brussels where the riders are due to cycle back to Brighton via Bruges and Lille in France, whilst aiming to raise £50,000 for this year’s five selected charities. For more details go to www.brighton2brussels.co.uk Next month sees the Annual European Cycle Challenge raising money for Albion In the Community (AITC), the charitable arm of Brighton & Hove Albion. Following on from their hugely successful rides to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, this year sees the team depart from the Amer-

ican Express Community stadium on June 7th, heading to catch the Eurostar to Brussels. After a night in Brussels all the riders jump straight into the saddle and begin their 85-mile journey eastwards towards Aachen. After an overnight in Aachen they then cycle a further 55miles towards the destination of Cologne. to book a place, email: fundraising@albioninthecommunity.org.uk or call 01273 878246 A little closer to home, we have the annual London to Brighton bike ride in aid of the British Heart Foundation (BHF) now in its 43rd year.

On June 17th, over 15,000 cyclists of all abilities will get on their bikes to ride the 54-mile course from Clapham Common, through the Sussex countryside down to Brighton’s seafront. The London to Brighton Bike Ride is Europe’s oldest charity cycling event, and this year it’s hoped the event will raise around £3million for the BHF’s vital work. For more information and to sign up, visit www.bhf.org.uk/l2bbr I know I haven’t been able to cover all the events that are happening across Sussex, so if I’ve missed any, let me know and I’ll make sure to mention them next month.

I have completed the Brighton to Paris cycle ride for AITC and a couple of London to Brighton rides including a night time ride as well that left Sloane Square at midnight! And most of us weren’t serious cyclists. All I can say is if you haven’t tried it yet, do - you’ll be quietly smug afterwards! Despite the stiff legs and sore buttocks, it’s amazing fun. Now where did I put the Vaseline again?

PLATINUM SPORT

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THE VIEW FROM THE SOFA

OPINION

Who can we trust?

It sometimes seems that everyone is looking to seek an unfair advantage, says Laurence Elphick

C

heating? Telling a porky pie? Being selective with the truth? Or just plain bullshit? If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ve all done it in some form or another - whether that’s a little fib to your mates when you told them it was the Germans that threw their towels off the sunbeds in to the swimming pool (when it was actually you!). Or telling the kids that the ice cream van sound was the child-catcher coming to take away any children hanging around on the streets, just to avoid buying them an ice cream!

“The cheating headlines all seem to be about men! So maybe the answer is we should watch more women’s sport.”

Despite being brought up at school to believe it was the taking part that counted and not whether you won or came second, as I got older I gradually began to believe that you MUST win at all costs and do whatever it takes to be first. Some of us are born competitive and some of us couldn’t care less but when it comes to professional sportspeople winning is everything. Many are paid insane amounts of money, figures that you and I can only dream of, so what the hell possesses them, in

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PLATINUM SPORT

Mr. Dependable

this age of technology with cameras watching their every move, to cheat and risk losing everything?

Is the pressure of life and the world they live in so harsh that they need to win at all costs?

Do they really need even more cash to afford that floating hotel they can live in once a year, or to buy the latest Bugatti Veyron to add to their already excessive collection of cars where the latest Range Rover Sport has already got its own vejazzle?

With the use of drugs to improve and enhance performance in cycling and athletics (honestly guv, I was taking it for a cold!) and, more recently, ball tampering in cricket, it seems cheating in some form is never far from the headlines. Then there’s football which seems to be on another level when it comes to conning the ref.

I’m waiting for drug testing in tiddlywinks or pea throwing, but have you noticed something recently? The headlines all seem to be about men! So maybe the answer is we should watch more women’s sport. I for one am going to start paying a lot more attention to the England women’s football and cricket teams as well as the hockey and netball. And no, I’m not talking about just watching the beach volleyball!

Personally, I think the epitome of the sportsperson that everyone should look up to is tennis legend, Roger Federer… a winner, a true gent, humble and just plain cool with a huge dose of suave. Pure class in every sense of the word. I just hope he never does anything wrong… or I’ll eat my dog’s tennis ball!

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Networking

The Business Network

EXHIBITION REVIEW BUSINESS EXPOS ACROSS SUSSEX

By Emma Pearce Marketing Consultant – marketing planning, outsourced marketing and social media training www.pearcemarketing.co.uk

T

Emma Pearce reviews the first Business Expo in a series that visits Uckfield, Chichester and Ardingly.

he Net XP team have organised three business exhibitions for SMEs in Sussex.

The first one took place on 1st March 2018 for the East Sussex area in Uckfield, and there are still a few exhibition stand spaces available at the remaining events: • 19th July 2018 - Chichester/Chichester Business Expo at Chichester College • 27th September 2018 - Ardingly/Mid Sussex Business Expo at the South of England Showground Snow did not stop play in Uckfield! Having spent a huge number of hours preparing, the organisers and exhibitors were all rather dismayed to see the worst of the snow forecast for the day of the show. But over 60 exhibitors made it to the East Sussex National Hotel venue and in the end, there was not a single snowflake in Uckfield all day!

The event was not just an expo, there were also keynote speakers from 7.45am up until the show opened at 10am. Sonny Cutting, organiser, said: “We always like to add an extra dimension to our exhibitions. This time we had a roulette theme and there was a casino with some fantastic prizes to be won. This was alongside our resident and highly entertaining compère, Greg Draven.”

Sadly the misleading forecast did lead to fewer visitors than expected, but there was a good lively atmosphere and plenty of interesting exhibitors to have quality networking time with.

Simon Bulteel, R&D Tax Relief specialist from Cooden Tax Consulting, was a sponsor for the event. He said: “Despite the somewhat inclement weather, we were warmed up by tales of daring from adventurer and speaker Mick Dawson. He left us thinking that no matter what situations we find ourselves in in business, if you have good training and solid plans, if there is an emergency, they will kick in and save the day.”

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I asked Simon what he had gained from the day, he said: “whilst there were a number of hardy visitors, it was one of those rare days where exhibitors had time to really network properly with each other. I found a number of interesting prospects that I may not have otherwise met. Greg and Sonny kept everyone motivated throughout the expo and everyone went home happy after a successful day of exhibiting and networking.”

People are often curious about Sonny’s themes for his events. Sonny explained: “We like having a gaming theme. It’s proven that by adding some game elements into a non-game setting, it triggers intrigue, competitiveness and excitement. The perfect mix for networking and B2B exhibitions!”

Find out more at www.netxp.co.uk/ events

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TEUTONIC TITAN

By Maarten Hoffmann, Motoring Editor

P

eople keep banging on about the Audi TT being a hairdresser’s car. What they mean by this of course is that it is aimed at the female market, but they are wrong on quite a few levels. The original TT, launched 20 years ago, was always a cracking car cute, fast, well built and solid. I owned a 3.2 Quattro a few years back and a/ l am not a girl and b/ l am not a hairdresser. It was a corker and l really did not give a frig what people thought.

Just to finally put these insults to bed once and for all, Audi delivered me the TTRS and bloody hell, its quick. Quite how they get this much speed out of a 2.5 litre engine is quite beyond me but l am very pleased that they managed it.

❝

An arousing howl emanates from the dual tail pipes as you are pushed back into the seat causing a grin like a Cheshire cat on acid

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❞

First, there is the unusual five-cylinder engine, with turbo-charging boosting power output to a formidable 396bhp. In both respects, it punches some way above its rivals the Porsche Cayman, Alfa Romeo 4C and Jaguar F-Type, which are also all heavier and, thus, slower than the TT. It’s very special to Audi, their five-cylinder unit, and is not available on other VW group products, so they’ve lavished unusual care upon it and you can’t get a budget-priced version in a Skoda or Seat, which is good to hear.

This is an all-aluminium body and the smooth ride is all the more surprising when you consider that it is much tougher to balance a 5-cylinder engine than a 6 cylinder as odd numbers are much more difficult to ensure smooth running and idle. This car is pure fun.

You can throw it around like a go-kart and thanks to the Quattro, it will stick like glue to any surface and at no point, regardless of speed, did l feel like it could break free - and l mean at no point. To add to this, as the centre of gravity is so low, you get the best of every world and l would love to have this little gem on a track. It is quicker to 60 than the Porsche 911 Carrera 4S!

Inside, David Copperfield would be proud of the trick they have pulled off. Looking pretty small and compact on the outside, inside it is spacious. OK, the rear two passengers will have their knees around their ears but it you have two kids, or two dwarf friends, this is a perfect cruiser. At 4.2 metres, it is always a shock to see the back seats.

❝

Quite how they get this much speed out of a 2.5 litre engine is quite beyond me but l am very pleased that they managed it.

❞

Again, we see that brilliant Virtual Cockpit dash display with the satnav in the dash right in your eye-line with switchable display dependant on which dials you would like to see. The MMI Navigation Plus package gives you efficient fingertip controls, 10GB on-board music storage and Audi Connect with Google maps and Street view. I am not sure what else one really would ever need.

Motoring Now back to that performance. It comes with launch control but even with a standard foot on the go pedal this thing will hit 60 in 3.6 seconds and doesn’t break a sweat doing it. An arousing howl emanates from the dual tail pipes as you are pushed back into the seat causing a grin like a Cheshire cat on acid. And it doesn’t stop there - 100mph will arrive in 8.4 seconds from standstill and that, ladies and gentlemen is faster than the Ferrari F430, Aston Vantage GT8 and the Porsche 911 Turbo. As if that were not enough to whet your whistle, when you have finished on the straight and need to turn a corner, the TTRS will leave most in the dust as it rounds almost any corner on rails with only the faintest whiff of rear slide as you power out of it.

Mated to all this power is a steering system that never worries. The perfect scenario here is to open the throttle on an uneven road with

TECH STUFF Model tested: Audi TTRS TFSI Coupe Engine: 2.5-litre turbo Power: 396bhp Performance: 0-62mph 3.7 seconds Top: 174mph (limited to 155) Economy: 34.4mpg combined Price: £50,615 As tested: £61,750

❝

Inside, David Copperfield would be proud of the trick they have pulled off

❞

camber and some steering angle and see what happens. 95% of the cars you try this will fail miserably but the TTRS does not ever wobble.

It steers straight and true and with pretty stiff suspension, there is little you cannot do. I hit 145mph (on a private road of course) and it was as composed as if at 30mph.

The TTRS is a whole bundle of fun allied with a car your Granny could poodle around town in, and, l would suggest, you all stop insulting this car and offer the respect it deserves.

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Motoring

Incarnation

by Maarten Hoffmann, Motoring Editor

O

n April 21st Brighton Seafront came alive with the sound of high powered engines in the annual Incarnation event. I have never been to this before as not really my thing – hundreds of crap cars with thousands of quid’s worth of spoilers, fat wheels and go-faster stripes. You know the type – a £500 diesel Astra with £3,000 worth of

extras bolted on to make it look and sound fast. It doesn’t – it makes it look even more crap but there were some interesting vehicles there so l thought l would be bring you the top of the crop. And let’s face it, everything is better in 27-degree sunshine…..

A lovely 1972 V8 Triumph Stag

A glorious Dodge Challenger but try parking this is Sussex.

OK, it’s a great bar and DJ station but where does he put his luggage?

This Ferrari 308 is the bottom of the Ferrari pile but pretty nevertheless

This Ford Consul looks better than it did when it left the factory

This Lamborghini Murcielago in powder blue does look rather sexy.

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Motoring

Maybe if the Ford Capri came with this engine as stock, it would have sold more.

Can you imagine this cop car actually catching anyone in the 50’s?

The Ford Poplar is one of the most modified cars ever

A classic old Triumph TR4a

A beautifully restored Dodge truck from the 1940’s in a cracking colour

I don’t even know what this is but l do know it is huge with rear fins that go the wrong way

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Chichester Business Expo

SPEAKERS TO INSPIRE Learn to be more successful in business at the Chichester Expo’s Early Bird speakers conference.

E

xceeding even our own expectations, the Chichester Expo has sold out of exhibitor spaces way ahead of schedule, the ‘Early Bird’ conference has generated a buzz amongst local businesses, and we are anticipating a day of success.

Last month in Platinum Business Magazine, we gave you an overview of the actual event with the important details of when and where it is being hosted. This time round we want to introduce you to our wonderful speakers who’ll be motivating, captivating and inspiring you to be more successful in business.

Alongside the exhibition which takes place between 10am–3pm, our ‘Early Bird’ speakers conference will be held before the expo at 7.45am and will run until 9.45am. The phrase ‘the early bird gets the worm’, has never been more accurate - we’ve found that first thing in the morning, people engage with the speakers much more than later in the day, creating an atmosphere with a desire to learn. If you would like to attend the conference please register on the website as spaces are limited.

The opening keynote Penina Shepherd address will be from Penina Shepherd, Founder and Managing Director of ACUMEN BUSINESS LAW. In her talk, ’Thriving on your Passion’, Penina will share her personal journey of setting up ACUMEN BUSINESS LAW from a complete standstill, at the start of the worst economic climate, on a shoestring budget, with a newborn child and a life-threatening illness. With an abundance of passion for making a difference in the legal industry, her revolutionary vision, innovation and business model success, show the importance of ‘thriving on your passion’.

Our second speaker of the day is Natalie Montagnani of Page Marketing, who will talk about ‘Programming your Marketing Satnav’. Are you feeling overwhelmed by what marketing you think you ‘should’ be doing? Do you feel you lack direction and purpose? Natalie will show you how creating Natalie Montagnani a minimalist marketing strategy, can help you increase your effectiveness, your return on investment, and help you retain your sanity. Don’t miss out on this high energy, interactive talk.

The third and final speaker for the morning is a successful local entrepreneur from Selsey, near Chichester in West Sussex. Kevin Byrne, Founder of Checkatrade. com, is a leading UK entrepreneur and businessman, who built a household brand from scratch with no investment, Kevin Byrne to one with a turnover of over £22m and which employs over 300 people. At the conference, he’ll speak about what he went through to become a successful businessman, the obstacles he faced and how he overcame them.

Once the Q&A has finished, everyone will return to the tradeshow and the expo will begin. Come and be inspired, and ask those questions you’ve been holding out for an expert to answer!

Born in South London, Sonny Cutting was a Brighton local from the age of 16 and has lived in Hurstpierpoint for the past 17 years. Today in the sleepy little village of Hurstpierpoint, he lives with his wife, Andrea and their four-year old twins, Jack and Charlotte. Sonny is the managing director of Sussex Pages, The Business Marketing Network, a local digital marketing company which he set up after leaving BT as a new media specialist after eight years of service. netxp.co.uk

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Chamber Listings

CHAMBER LISTINGS Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce THE BIG DEBATE: ‘FUTURE OF WORK: ARE WE DOING ENOUGH ABOUT FUTURE SKILLS?’ Date: Wednesday 2nd May Time: 5pm-7pm Venue: Brighton Metropolitan College, Pelham Street, Brighton, BN1 4FA Price: Free The nature of work is fast changing. Join us to discuss whether we are doing enough to ensure we have the right skills for the future.

BITE-SIZED LEARNING: HOW TO BE AN SEO NINJA Date: Thursday 10th May Time: 9:30am-11:30am Venue: The 1st Central County Ground, Eaton Road, Hove, BN3 3AN Price: £44-£54 Improve your visibility and sharpen your marketing at our Bite-sized workshop on SEO.

THE ‘BRIGHTON FRINGE’ POP-UP BREAKFAST Date: Friday 11th May Time: 9am-11am Venue: Brighton Spiegeltent, Old Steine Pleasure Gardens, Brighton, BN1 1GY Price: £19 Join us for a networking breakfast with a difference. We’ll be hearing from Fringe Director, Julian Caddy, and enjoying a showcase from Head First Acrobatics.

BITE-SIZED LEARNING: FIVE MOST IMPORTANT LEGAL TIPS TO PROTECT EVERY BUSINESS Date: Thursday 17th May Time: 9:30am-11:30am Venue: NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator, 149 Preston Road, Brighton, BN1 6AF Price: £44-54 Being on the wrong side of the law while in business can be devastating. This session aims to give you essential tips to protect your business.

BITE-SIZED LEARNING: SOCIAL MEDIA MEASURING WHAT MATTERS Date: Tuesday 22nd May Time: 9:30am11:30am Venue: The 1st Central County Ground, Eaton Rd, Hove, BN3 3AN Price: £44-£54 This workshop will teach you about the metrics that actually matter to ensure you are getting the most out of your social media performance.

BITE-SIZED LEARNING: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF SELLING Date: Wednesday 30th May Time: 9:30am-11:30am Venue: NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator, 149 Preston Road, BN1 6AF Price: £44-£54 Boost your confidence in how you sell yourself and your business at our Bite-sized workshop on the art and science of selling.

SPOTLIGHT SUPPER WITH NIKKI GATENBY Date: Wednesday 5th June Time: 6pm-8pm Venue: The Nightingale Room, 29-30 Surrey Street, Brighton, BN1 3PA Price: £25 Nikki Gatenby, MD of Propellernet, takes us through how she has kept a spot in the top ten places to work in the UK and Europe since 2013.

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

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Chamber Listings

Chichester Chamber of Commerce & Industry THE CHICHESTER BUSINESS BREAKFAST IN CONJUNCTION WITH CHICHESTER COLLEGE

“NO MAN’S LAND FORT” WITH HAMPSHIRE CHAMBER

Date: Wednesday 9th May Time: 7.30am-9am Venue: Chichester College Price: Members £12.00 | Non-members £13.50 (includes full English breakfast) This monthly breakfast provides a friendly, relaxed and informative environment for local businesses to network and improve their business profile locally, with guest speaker Colin Hicks, Chichester BID.

Date: Tuesday 22nd May Time: 11.30am-5pm Venue: No Man’s Land Fort, Depart Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth Price: Members £53 | Non-members £63 (includes glass of bubbly on arrival and BBQ) Join us for networking with Hampshire Chamber of Commerce. Test your team-building and skills with games of giant Jenga, boules, kites, off fort fishing, laser battle, and the use of the two on-board games rooms. The day includes a guided tour of the historic fort.

NETWORKING CHAMBER MONTHLY MEETING Date: Monday 14th May Time: 6pm-8.15pm Venue: Great Ballard School Price: Free Join us at our regular networking Chamber monthly meeting which includes a presentation.

“DROP IN FOR DRINKS WEDNESDAY” Date: Wednesday 23rd May Time: From 5pm Venue: Chichester Harbour Hotel Come and join us for an informal ‘after works’ drink at the Chichester Harbour Hotel.

All places for events must be booked via the CCCI website. For more information visit www.chichestercci.org.uk T: 01243 531765 E: office@chichestercci.org.uk W: www.chichestercci.org.uk

Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce & Industry CHAMBER BREAKFAST

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF EDCC

Date: Tuesday 1st May Time: 7am Venue: The Hydro Hotel, Mount Road, Eastbourne, BN20 7HZ Price: £10 Breakfast meeting with Debbie Martin and Wendy Gotham - investing in and influencing the future workforce. Includes a choice of full English or Continental breakfast and the opportunity to network and showcase your business.

Date: Thursday 17th May Time: 6pm-8.30pm Venue: Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club, 3 Harbour Quay, Eastbourne, BN23 5QF Price: Free Please come along and meet our exec committee and hear from our guest speakers.

LAST FRIDAY LUNCH EDEAL FIRST FRIDAY BUSINESS NETWORKING Date: Friday 4th May Time: 12pm Venue: The Cavendish Hotel, 38 Grand Parade, Eastbourne, BN21 4DH Price: Free An informal monthly free-toattend business networking event, in a welcoming environment where people feel relaxed and are free to present a 60 second elevator pitch.

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Date: Friday 25th May Time: 12pm Venue: Crown & Anchor, 15-16 Marine Parade, Eastbourne, BN21 3DX Price: £20 for two courses and a complimentary glass of wine or soft drink.

Popular networking lunches are held regularly at various locations around Eastbourne.

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

Chamber Listings

Sussex Chamber of Commerce & Industry BUSINESS NETWORKING LUNCH – GDPR FROM AN HR PERSPECTIVE Date: Thursday 10th May Time: 12pm-2.30pm Venue: Mid Sussex Golf Club, Ditchling Price: Members £22 I Non-members £30 (prices exclude VAT) The General Data Protection Regulation will impact the handling and processing of HR data. The speaker will explain the changes you will need to make to your data protection procedures.

GROW YOUR CONNECTIONS Date: Wednesday 23rd May Time: 8:30am-10:30am Venue: The Middle House Hotel, Mayfield Price: Members £13 I Non-members £18 (prices exclude VAT) These events are designed to give you a regular opportunity to meet other businesses, share best practice, grow your connections and widen your own network of customers and suppliers.

PUTTING FOR SUCCESS CONNECT WITH SUSSEX CHAMBER: NON-MEMBERS ONLY Date: Tuesday 15th May Time: 9am-11am Venue: Chatsworth Hotel, Worthing Price: Free for non-members Meet one of our membership executive team members and explore the benefits of membership.

BUSINESS NETWORKING BREAKFAST Date: Friday 18th Date: 8am-10:30am Venue: Goodwood Hotel, Chichester Price: Members £17 I Non-members £27 (prices exclude VAT) This is an ideal opportunity to network with new and existing contacts. Our guest speaker will be Chris Woodgate, COO from Goodwood Estate who will talk about the future sustainability of the estate.

Date: Thursday 24th May: 08:30 - 11:30 Venue: Mid Sussex Golf Club, Ditchling Price: Members only event £25 (prices exclude VAT) Come and join us at our next Above Par golf networking event. All handicaps are welcome, beginners through to scratch. Players will be matched according to their ability.

POLICY AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS FORUM Date: Friday 25th May: 09:00 - 11:00 Venue: Peacehaven Golf & Social Club, Newhaven Price: Free What are the key issues facing your business? Raise your concerns with your local MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, and Max Woodford, Assistant Director for City Development and Regeneration, Brighton & Hove City Council.

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

Worthing Chamber of Commerce & Industry ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

NETWORKING BREAKFAST – CYBER SECURITY

Date: Wednesday 2nd Ma Time: 5:30pm: Registration + networking. 6:15pm: Prompt AGM proceedings Venue: Worthing Dome Price: Free Come along and meet our exec committee. Hear about our past years success and plans for the future. Our keynote speakers will be Gillian Fielding Chamber Patron, always a humorous and motivational speaker and Martin Randall from Adur & Worthing Council who will cover the progress of potential developments in our area.

Date: Friday 18th May Time: 7.30am Venue: Burlington Hotel, Worthing Price: Members £14 I Guests £19 Alex Douglas, Barclays Digital Engagement Manager will provide an overview of cyber security and what it means for businesses. Alex will talk about the main cyber and fraud threats facing businesses and how to mitigate and prevent these.

CHAMBER HUB Date: Friday 11th May Time: 12:30pm-2pm Venue: Impulse Leisure, Lancing Price: Free Spend your lunchtime enjoying some informal networking with likeminded business people at our well-established, popular networking event which attracts a vast selection of local businesses.

WEST SUSSEX BUSINESS EXPO Date: Thursday 24th May Venue: Fontwell Park Racecourse Come along and visit our stand at this annual business exhibition.

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

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Anger Management

ANGER MANAGEMENT THE SCOURGE OF ANTISEMITISM

by Maarten Hoffmann

W

hat is it with the Jews? Why, over centuries, have they aroused so much anger and hatred? I utterly fail to understand this.

I have a lot of Jewish friends, a fair few Jewish business partners in my time and not an inconsequential number of Jewish girlfriends and l really do not understand anti-Semitism in anyway, shape or form. I guess this goes hand in hand with the ridiculous fact that over 90% of all wars in human history have been premised on religion – how many millions of people have died in the name of religion?

Religion that is supposed to preach tolerance, kindness and acceptance yet seem to be the reason to massacre millions of people, such as: The Crusades 6 million; French War of Religion 4 million; Muslim Conquest of India 40 million; the Holocaust 6.5 million and so it goes on. Hundreds of millions of people dead as they did not believe in the same God as their persecutors. This is insane.

“What but a supernatural power could have preserved the Jewish people in such a manner as none other nation upon earth hath been preserved”

Thomas Newton But the Jews seem to come in for particular stick century after century. Currently we have the Labour Party ripping itself apart over their disgusting anti-Semitic views, albeit only a

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section of the party but such a strong section that Corbyn does not seem to be capable of muzzling them and that, l am delighted to say, could be the primary reason why they will be wiped out at the ballot box next time around.

“All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains.

What is the secret of his immortality?”

Mark Twain Then we have Israel. It was the British that decided, in 1948, that the Jews should have a homeland after WW2 and in their wisdom, they decided to place them in the worst place possible on the planet – surrounded by Arabs that hate their guts. Could there be a worse place for the State of Israel? This pushed out the Palestinians and caused conflict that continues today and infuriated their

neighbours Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan.

Now we learn that the Syrian war currently raging is, secretly, based on Iran’s perennial hatred for the Jewish State. Iran and Russia support and perpetrate this war with their total support of the murderous Dictator, Bashir Assad. But why? Russia, we know, will support any despot that hates the USA but Iran? Now we see why they are involved. Iran needs forward bases from which to attack Israel and Syria is an ideal location from which to strike.

Israel has just released satellite images showing the build-up of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the region which is proof that Iran is building its own independent infrastructure in Syria for asymmetric warfare against Israel, including drones and hightech tools that are harder to strike than conventional military sites. Amos Yadlin, former head of Israeli Military Intelligence, said: ‘This latest development didn’t suddenly happen. It’s a result of the Iranians resolve to entrench in Syria and destroy Israel and

Anger Management we are determined not to let that happen’.

By the time you read this, Israel will likely have attacked these bases and that will cause further conflagration of the entire area and will further drag the US, and the UK, into the conflict. Thanks to historic US support, the Israelis have 772 F-15 fighter jets and 48 Apache gunships so if this kicks off, it will be tragic and even more innocent people will die in the name of religion.

“What is the Jew? What kind of unique creature is this whom all the rulers of all the nations of the world have disgraced and crushed and expelled and destroyed; persecuted, burned and drowned, and who, despite their anger and their fury, continues to live and to flourish?”

Leo Tolstoy

Last week, two men in Berlin attacked two Jewish boys in the street; In New York, a Jewish man was attacked in the street as he was ultra-Orthodox; Mireille Knoll, an 85-yearold Holocaust survivor was repeatedly stabbed in France and then her lifeless body was set on fire; In the UK, Police recorded 1,382 cases of violet assault against Jews – a 25% increase on the year before and Germany recorded 1,453 assaults of the same nature and so it goes on.

Perhaps the most striking facet about Jew-hatred is its irrationality. There as many reasons for hating Jews as there are people.

Everything that upsets, hurts, or displeases people they often attribute to the Jews. Jews have been blamed for manipulating the media to their needs, usury, blood libels of various forms, well poisoning, dominating the slave trade, disloyalty to their host countries, organ harvesting and spreading AIDS

Clearly, Jew-hatred is irrational and deep.

Yehuda Bauer, Prof. of Holocaust Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, believes that anti-Semitism remains latent until it is triggered, usually during crises. The multiple crises we are seeing around the world are therefore expected to continue to exacerbate the current wave of anti-Semitism.

Since ancient times, the Jews have been dubbed “the chosen people,” that they were chosen to be a “light unto nations.”

However, today Jews are being blamed for doing the exact opposite. In Hebrew, there is a famous truism: “Enters wine, out comes a secret.” Several years ago, actor Mel Gibson was stopped by traffic police on suspicion of DUI. He was hammered. His response to the officer was cursing the Jews and declaring, “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Jew?”

However hard Jews try, they will not be able to avoid doing what they must. They may not know what it is they must do or how to do it, and people may tell them that they do not believe they are the chosen people, but the existence of global, ever-present hatred toward them proves that the Jews have been singled out as the world’s worst wrong doers.

Now, either they realize what is the wrong they are doing and fix it or the world will punish them once more.

“No matter how bad things get, you’ve got to go on living, even if it kills you.”

Sholem Aleichem

Moreover, Jews are often accused of conflicting “crimes.” Communists accused them of creating capitalism; capitalists accused them of inventing communism. Christians accused Jews of killing Jesus, and acclaimed French historian and philosopher, François Voltaire, of inventing Christianity. Jews have been labelled warmongers and cowards, racists and cosmopolitans, spineless and unbending, and the list could go on forever.

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Institute of Directors

ROTTEN APPLES

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

O

ver the past few months we have seen numerous stories about the failings of individuals within large and predominantly trusted organisations. Those have included political parties, broadcasters, charities and, yes even, the IoD. They have each seen adverse headlines focussed around the behaviour and shortcomings of people in highly responsible positions within the organisations.

Vox pop and editorial responses have often been scathing and if the behaviour described did indeed take place, then in many cases, the comments that were made in condemnation were entirely justified.

From the IoD perspective, unwelcome headlines were generated about recent developments at the head of the organisation, in events which could be (and were) described as not the best reflection of how an organisation championing good governance should be dealing with issues.

These matters certainly made me reflect on my own membership. Ultimately, however, I took the view that the Institute, which has been in existence for over a century, was

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more important than any person or group.

Furthermore, the core aim “to promote for the public benefit high levels of skill, knowledge, professional competence and integrity on the part of directors and equivalent office holders of companies and organisations” was still one to be worth supporting and to work to promote.

In that situation I could find that supporting the organisation’s values was much more important than judging anyone’s particular behaviour. However, it is not always so straightforward, or as comfortable, to reconcile yourself to that approach. In some of the other sectors that I mentioned the issues are far starker, and the moral issues facing us far more fundamental and difficult. In the charity sector much of what we read about could only be described as appalling, and could not be justified on any level.

Like many people, I was then faced with a dilemma. In particular I have been a regular supporter of Oxfam for many years, but like everyone else found the behaviour that I read about to be totally abhorrent. Did I want to be in any way associated with that organisation? Would continuing my donations

condone that behaviour?

Ultimately I found myself again working back to the values of the organisation, which, after all, remains greater than any individual or group of individuals. Oxfam states it has three core values of empowerment, accountability and inclusiveness. Its core goals include helping people claim their right to a better life and also saving lives now and in the future. I believed in those ideals when I began donating many years ago, and I cannot say that I find them any less powerful reasons to support now.

So whilst I very much want to see matters “on the ground” dealt with more fairly, greater respect for those being helped, and for wrong-doers to be dealt with appropriately, I have continued - and will continue - my support whilst the fundamental aims and values of the organisation still echo my own.

JUST A THOUGHT What are your own personal core values?

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