Alex Bailey brings Rapid Reculturing to Brighton’s business community
46 MDHUB
Futurehub puts business leaders under the spotlight
54 Cleankill
Cleankill resolves ongoing issues of pensioners being ripped off
LEGAL
26 Mayo Wynne Baxter
The government’s proposed overhaul of NDAs and non-competes
36 DMH Stallard
Directors’ duties: The BHS judgment –two years on
38 DMH Stallard Roadmap to Exit Is the M&A market heating up?
FINANCE
24 Kreston Reeves
Working capital: the hidden factor in business sales
28 James Cowper Kreston
Positioning the South for long-term growth
TRAVEL
56 Discovering Mongolia
Barry Hoffner reports from this extraordinary country
MOTORING
60 The longest range EVs
As technology improves, so the range of EVs increases. Maarten Hoffmann looks at the top ten longest range EVs on the market
The pressures facing Surrey businesses right now are well documented. Less visible is what’s already available to help navigate them.
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics, published in June, gives a clear picture of where UK businesses stand heading into the second half of 2026. Almost twothirds of trading businesses reported at least one challenge affecting their turnover in June. Economic uncertainty is the most-cited issue overall, while for larger businesses, the cost of labour has overtaken everything else. Input prices rose at their fastest rate since February 2023, and more than a quarter of businesses are now considering passing energy cost increases on to their customers.
WHEN DID YOU LAST ASK THE CHAMBERS?
sponse to a difficult environment isn’t only about cutting costs or waiting for conditions to improve. It’s about using every available resource, and that’s where many businesses leave real value on the table.
❛❛ The most immediate support Surrey Chambers offers is access to a trusted, active business community across the county.❜❜
CONNECTIONS FIRST
The most immediate support Surrey Chambers offers is also the hardest to replicate independently: access to a trusted, active business community across the county.
curement challenge you’re facing. The supplier introduction through Source in Surrey that keeps a contract local. The visibility in this magazine, at events, in rooms where decisions are made. Connections of that kind compound over time, and they are easier to access than most businesses realise when they’re already part of the network.
THE SKILLS PICTURE
None of that will surprise anyone running a business in Surrey. But the re -
It’s the breakfast conversation that leads to a referral six months later. The peer who has already dealt with the pro -
Skills England, which is the government’s new national skills agency, published its first Annual Skills Report earlier this month. Demand for workers across priority sectors is projected to grow by around 25% over the next decade, equivalent to 1.8 million additional workers. At the same time, private employer spending on training has fallen by £10.6 billion since 2011. The report is explicit: public investment alone cannot close that gap, and SMEs (99.9% of UK firms, employing 60% of the private sector workforce) are struggling with the complexity and cost of engaging with the skills system at all.
This is the context in which Surrey Chambers operates as the Employer Representative Body for Surrey’s Local Skills Improvement Plan, shaping training provision across Defence, Advanced Manufacturing, Space, Digital & Cyber, Construction, and Health & Social Care. The LSIP is employer-led by design. The intelligence that shapes it comes from businesses like yours.
The Skills England report also flags
AI adoption as a national priority challenge. That connects directly to the support available through our partnership with the British Chamber of Commerce’s AI Academy, a practical programme for business owners who want to understand what AI can do for their operations now, not in theory and the first step in getting on the AI ladder.
THE TRADE PICTURE
There is a persistent assumption that international trade support is for large businesses with dedicated export teams. The data suggests the opposite is where the real need lies.
Only 25% of exporters reported increased orders in early 2026, and the size gap is stark. Just 23% of SMEs reported export growth, compared to 38% of larger firms. The barriers are consistent: customs complexity, documentation requirements, regulatory divergence, and the difficulty of finding reliable in-market intelligence without an established overseas presence.
Surrey Chambers’ international trade support exists precisely for this. Export documentation and certification, support on imports as well as exports, ac -
cess to British Chambers in more than 70 international markets, and the BCC’s Diplomatic Advisory Hub, providing diplomatic expertise and in-market intelligence that most SMEs could not access independently. Whether you’re an established exporter or taking your first steps overseas, the support is there.
YOUR VOICE IN THE ROOMS THAT MATTER
One of the less visible things the Chambers does is to carry the real experiences of Surrey businesses into policy conversations at county, national, and parliamentary levels. The strength of that contribution depends on how well we understand what businesses are actually facing, and that intelligence comes from you.
The Business Voice Panel is our structured mechanism for regularly gathering that input. It feeds directly into BCC policy work that reaches Treasury, the Bank of England, and ministers. The more voices we carry, the stronger the case we can make on your behalf.
If you’re not yet a panellist, signing up takes less than two minutes: members. surrey-chambers.co.uk/hub
AND WHILE YOU’RE HERE...
Platinum Media Group enjoys the largest circulation of any business magazines in the UK, reaching over 720,000 readers across the South East and this includes 468,000 online readers. If you can’t wait for the next issue then jump onto our social media platforms and join the conversation.
Whatever the size of your business, sole trader to large employer, there is something here that is relevant to you right now. The question is whether you’ve found it yet.
Sources: ONS Business Insights and Conditions Survey, Wave 158, June 2026; Skills England Annual Skills Report, June 1st 2026; BCC Trade Confidence Outlook, Q1 2026
Helene Hall
CEO Surrey Chambers of Commerce
Surrey Chambers of Commerce can be reached on 01483 735540, info@surrey-chambers.co.uk, @surreychambers www.surrey-chambers.co.uk
CHAMBERS NEWS
SOUTH EAST GROWTH CONTINUES AS DEMAND SHOWS SIGNS OF STABILISING
The South East economy continued to expand in May, with business activity rising for the seventh time in the past eight months, according to the latest NatWest Growth Tracker.
The region’s Business Activity Index registered 50.8, remaining above the 50.0 threshold that signals growth, although the pace eased slightly from April. Alongside London and the North East, the South East was one of only three UK regions to record an increase in output during the month.
Employment also strengthened, with firms continuing to recruit to support growth and fill vacancies. The South East recorded one of the strongest labour market performances in the UK, sharing the top spot for hiring activity with Northern Ireland.
While new business fell for a third consecutive month, the decline was marginal, suggesting demand is close to stabilising. Businesses also reported strong pipelines of work, investment in marketing and product development, and plans to expand into new export markets, helping to maintain positive sentiment despite optimism falling to its lowest level in just over a year.
Cost pressures remained elevated, driven by higher prices for raw materials, fuel and transportation. However, the rate of inflation eased from April, offering some reassurance to businesses. Firms continued to raise selling prices to protect margins, although the pace of increase also softened.
Catherine van Weenan, NatWest’s Regional Managing Director for London & the South East, said the region remained one of the UK’s strongest performers, with stabilising demand helping to support ongoing job creation. She added that while cost pressures remain high, recent easing suggests the peak may now be behind businesses.
TWO SURREY BUSINESSES HONOURED IN KING’S AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE 2026
Two Surrey companies have been recognised in the King’s Awards for Enterprise 2026, receiving one of the UK’s highest business honours for innovation.
Lingfield-based Anchor Systems (International) and Puttenhamheadquartered MysteryVibe Ltd were both awarded the King’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category. The awards celebrate businesses that drive economic growth and improve lives through outstanding achievement.
Anchor Systems was recognised for its rapidly deployed foundation and cable management system, which eliminates the need for concrete and significantly reduces carbon emissions. MysteryVibe Ltd was honoured for developing ultra-slim,
flexible medical devices designed to alleviate prostate pain and help reduce the risk of prostate cancer. The awards, now marking their 60th anniversary, recognise excellence across innovation, international trade, sustainable development and social mobility. This year, 186 businesses received honours from His Majesty The King, including 52 recognised for innovation.
Surrey’s Lord-Lieutenant, Michael More-Molyneux, will present the awards to the winning businesses during the year. Representatives from each company will also attend a special royal reception.
Blair McDougall, Minister for Small Businesses and Economic Transformation, congratulated the winners, saying the awards highlight “the best of British innovation and talent” and demonstrate the success of thriving businesses across the UK.
The King’s Awards, first established in 1965 and formerly known as the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, have recognised more than 8,000 UK businesses. A new Young Founder category will be introduced in 2027 to recognise entrepreneurs aged 18 to 30 who are actively leading and growing businesses.
CIFAL SURREY’S GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE
Businesses across the world are facing unprecedented technological, environmental and economic change — and for SMEs, the challenge is not simply keeping pace but turning disruption into opportunity. Through international seminars, webinars and practical training initiatives, CIFAL Surrey is helping businesses navigate this evolving landscape by translating research into actionable strategies for growth, resilience and sustainable success.
The findings underline a significant shift in global markets: sustainability is no longer a niche concern, but an increasingly central factor in investment decisions, corporate resilience and long-term competitiveness. For SMEs, understanding these trends is becoming essential not only
for attracting funding, but also for strengthening stakeholder confidence and future-proofing business models.
In May 2026, a seminar titled “Making Innovation Work: Strategies for Introducing and Adopting New Technologies” brought together academics, entrepreneurs and researchers to examine why new technologies succeed or fail in realworld markets. Led by Prof Stelvia Matos, the session focused on the strategic and social factors influencing technology adoption, highlighting how public perception, user understanding and societal readiness determine whether innovations are adopted, delayed or abandoned.
Later that month, CIFAL Newcastle, in collaboration with CIFAL Surrey and
CIFAL Nigeria, launched the global webinar series “The Politics of Power,” exploring how power, resources and sustainability intersect in the global energy transition.
Earlier, in April, Bonnie Buchanan presented findings from a study of more than 13,000 private investors, highlighting the growing influence of private capital in sustainable finance, with investors collectively managing an estimated $42 trillion in assets.
For the wider business community, the message is clear: innovation and sustainability are no longer separate agendas. Businesses that successfully combine technological adoption, strategic resilience and sustainable practice will be best positioned to thrive.
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS UNTAPPED ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF NEURODIVERGENT
ENTREPRENEURS
A new report from Small Business Britain, backed by Lloyds and eBay, has revealed the significant growth potential of neurodivergent entrepreneurs, while highlighting barriers that continue to limit business creation and expansion.
The research found that 61% of neurodivergent respondents had delayed starting or scaling a business because of challenges associated with neurodivergence. More than half (53%) said difficulties fitting into traditional workplaces led them to pursue entrepreneurship, while 76% cited the desire for greater flexibility and working arrangements better suited to their needs.
Despite strong entrepreneurial ambition, access to tailored support remains limited. More than half of respondents reported struggling to find neurodivergent-accessible business support, while
65% said guidance from someone who understands neurodivergent entrepreneurship would have been beneficial.
The report, based on responses from 629 entrepreneurs, found that barriers to entry are preventing founders from reaching their full potential rather than a lack of ambition. It suggests that making business support, finance and networks more accessible could help founders spend less time navigating systems and more time growing their businesses.
Participants also highlighted the strengths associated with neurodivergence, including attention to detail, focus and determination. One entrepreneur described their neurodivergence as “their greatest strength”. The findings build on the government-backed Lilac Review, which highlighted that Disabled
entrepreneurs account for 25% of the UK’s 5.7 million small businesses but generate just 8.6% of business turnover.
The report makes eight recommendations to government, financial services and business support organisations, including creating neurodivergent-aware support as standard, improving access to finance and investing in neurodivergent-led peer communities to help unlock economic growth and entrepreneurial success.
SURREY CHAMBERS EVENT CALENDAR
JULY 2026 ONWARDS...
INDIA TRADE DESK: BUSINESS CLINIC
Wednesday July 1st 09:00–17:00
Surrey Chambers of Commerce, Block E, Dukes Court, Duke Street, Woking, Surrey, GU21 5BH
Book a free one-to-one appointment with Surrey Chambers of Commerce’s India Trade Desk Advisor, Siddharth Mukne, Founder & Managing Director of ERGO Europe Ltd. This in-person business clinic is designed to support UK businesses at any stage of their India market journey, from initial market entry through to expansion and growth. Delegates can receive tailored advice on market entry strategies, competitive benchmarking, customer expansion opportunities, product compliance requirements, business connections, and Indian legislation and tax considerations.
SCGS GOLF COMPETITION AT WEST BYFLEET GOLF CLUB
Wednesday July 8th 12:30–20:00
West Byfleet Golf Club, Sheerwater Road, West Byfleet, Surrey, KT14 6AA
Join the Surrey Chambers Golf Society for a summer Golf Competition at the renowned West Byfleet Golf Club. Established in 1906, this beautiful heathland course is known for its fast fairways, subtle elevation changes, and superbly maintained greens, offering an enjoyable challenge for golfers of all abilities. The event provides an excellent opportunity to enjoy competitive golf, relaxed networking, and the club’s outstanding facilities in picturesque surroundings. Open to golfers of all standards, attendees can register individually or with colleagues, clients, friends, or fellow golfers.
BUYER-SUPPLIER EXCHANGE LOGIN LOUNGE
Tuesday July 7th 09:30–13:30
Login Lounge, 34 Park Street, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 3PL
Connect with procurement professionals, buyers, and fellow Surrey SMEs at this free networking and procurement event. Take part in roundtable discussions, book one-to-one sessions with procurement experts, and explore new supply chain and business growth opportunities. Representatives from the NHS and The Big Word will be attending, with additional organisations to be confirmed. Refreshments will be provided.
PEOPLE’S EMERGENCY BRIEFING SCREENING
Wednesday July 8th 17:30–20:00
Surrey Chambers of Commerce, Block E, Dukes Court, Duke Street, Woking, Surrey, GU21 5BH
Join this free face-to-face screening of the People’s National Emergency Briefing, a powerful 50-minute film featuring Chris Packham, Jennifer Saunders and Deborah Meaden. The event explores the latest evidence on the climate and nature crisis and provides an opportunity for attendees to come together, watch the film, and take part in a discussion about how local communities can respond.
Join Community Matters Partnership for a Corporate Volunteering Day at the historic Brookwood Cemetery. Help maintain the beautiful Grade I listed grounds through clearing, tidying, and conservation activities, while networking with fellow business professionals. Refreshments will be provided, but attendees should bring their own packed lunch.
SURREY CHAMBERS SUMMER PARTY
Wednesday July 29th 17:00–20:00
Hogs Back Brewery Ltd, Manor Farm, The Street, Tongham, Surrey, GU10 1DE
Join Surrey Chambers of Commerce for an informal summer evening of networking at Hogs Back Brewery. Enjoy great food, drinks, and the opportunity to connect with fellow members and local businesses in a relaxed brewery setting. Whether you’re strengthening existing relationships or making new connections, this promises to be a memorable summer networking event.
EXECUTIVE PARTNER ROUNDTABLE DINNER – JULY
Thursday July 23rd 18:00–21:30
Royal Automobile Club, Woodcote Park, Epsom, Surrey, KT18 7EW
Join Surrey Chambers for an exclusive, invitation-only Executive Partner Roundtable Dinner at the prestigious Royal Automobile Club. This intimate event brings together senior leaders for insightful discussion, meaningful networking, and exceptional dining in a trusted peer-level environment. Guest speaker Penny Power OBE will explore the theme, “Signifi cance in the Age of AI: Ensuring That the People Who Matter to You Know They Matter.”
Source in Surrey fuels local business
The Source in Surrey team has successfully completed the first phase of its countywide business support programme, delivering a series of roadshows and networking events designed to help Surrey SMEs grow, collaborate and access new opportunities.
More than 400 businesses have now attended Source in Surrey roadshows and networking events across the county, demonstrating strong demand from SMEs seeking practical support, visibility and new commercial opportunities. The programme continues to generate measurable return on investment for participating businesses through new connections, collaborations, supply chain introductions and increased awareness of local procurement opportunities.
throughout Surrey. The first Buyer–Supplier Exchange event recently took place in Staines, in partnership with the local borough council and business stakeholders. The event marked another important milestone in the Source in Surrey mission to create stronger business connections and make it easier for SMEs to engage with larger buyers and procurement opportunities.
tiative is its newly launched AI-powered platform, released in April to help simplify and accelerate local procurement across Surrey. The intelligent platform has already generated significant interest, with a growing number of businesses joining the early adopters list as the system continues to roll out across the county.
❝ More than 400 businesses have now attended Source in Surrey roadshows and networking events across the county ❞
At the heart of the initiative is a simple but powerful goal: strengthening Surrey’s business community by encouraging organisations to spend locally wherever possible. By keeping procurement and investment within the county, businesses are helping to create a more resilient local economy, supporting jobs, growth and long-term prosperity
The impact of the programme is also being felt by local venues and event partners. Locations, including Guildford Pavilion, have benefited from increased bookings and business footfall through hosting Source in Surrey events, while Brooklands has already secured additional bookings linked to future business networking activity generated by the programme.
THE SOURCE IN SURREY AI TOOL
At the centre of the Source in Surrey ini -
Designed to connect Surrey-based SMEs with opportunities from larger businesses and public sector organisations, the platform uses advanced AI technology to match suppliers with relevant opportunities quickly and efficiently. Businesses begin by creating a short profile outlining their services, capabilities and requirements. Using this information, the platform intelligently recommends relevant business connections, procurement opportunities and support resources tailored to each user’s needs.
Source in Surrey’s vision is to make the buying and supplying process faster, smarter and more accessible in Surrey, while still giving businesses full control over which opportunities they choose to pursue.
International Trade at Surrey Chambers
is committed to providing the highest quality support and services to help your business trade successfully overseas.
Trade documentation
Our team is on hand to issue you documents to ensure your goods reach their final destination, incl
Certificates of Origin, EUR1s and certified invoices
The International Network
Connect with over 75 overseas Chambers across the globe and benefit from B2B connections, local business advice, and potential market opportunities
Events & training
Join our events and training courses to gain the knowledge and practical skills needed to navigate the complexities of international trade
Translation
Get speaking your customer’s language with our leading translation partners, no matter the document type, subject matter or language Foreign exchange
ChamberFX delivered by Moneycorp enables you to manage currency exposure and payment needs quickly and hassle-free.
Did you know?
Members of Surrey Chambers can save up to 50% off our trade documentation costs.
Contact our International Trade team export@surrey-chambers co uk 01483 735540
Stepping forward into Skills for Surrey
After three years of successful collaboration between Surrey and Hampshire Chambers of Commerce, the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) is entering an exciting phase in its delivery. The new Surrey LSIP, 2026 to 2029, is an employer-led plan identifying key skills gaps and actions to support inclusive economic growth. Shaped by research, stakeholder validation and employer insight, the plan centres on six priorities to support employers, create opportunities and strengthen Surrey’s economy.
The LSIP identifies six priority areas that reflect Surrey’s most pressing workforce challenges and opportunities. Manufacturing and engineering remain key sectors for growth but face challenges in entry-level recruitment and a pronounced gender imbalance. Construction and the green economy are another focus, particularly following a 2.2% decline in jobs since 2019.
be critical to ensuring the LSIP delivers lasting impact.
With numerous priorities identified, you may be questioning what happens next. A key part of the LSIP is not simply highlighting problems but generating solutions. For example, within engineering, we will identify female role models who can work with younger women to help amend the gender imbalance. We aim to develop a Supply Chain and Capability Exchange programme to stabilise the construction skills pipeline and align it with future
reduction in skills gaps, an increase in available talent and an improvement in productivity across Surrey’s businesses and sectors. We also hope to see changes in funding and investment that support the development of an upskilled, technologically confident workforce. Through successful collaboration and implementation, we can create a workforce equipped with the skills local businesses need to grow, innovate and thrive.
❛❛ Through successful collaboration and implementation, we can create a workforce equipped with the skills local businesses need to grow, innovate and thrive. ❜❜
Health and social care also remain a priority, with high staff turnover and reliance on international recruitment creating workforce pressures. Alongside these sector-specific priorities, the LSIP will support the adoption of digital technologies, building on Surrey’s position as a leading UK hub for Artificial Intelligence. Improving work-ready employability skills is another objective, with employers placing high value on communication, adaptability and other workplace skills. Underpinning all priorities is employer engagement, which will
demand. For health and social care, we will help deliver ‘Recruit to Retain’ leadership training for managers and pilot a digital diagnostic tool across sectors to help businesses assess capability and receive tailored feedback. Additionally, we have ambitions to create a core skills programme covering communication, problem-solving, digital literacy and workplace behaviours to improve readiness and confidence for work.
This is just a small insight into what the future of the LSIP will look like, with many more actions to come. Through changes in provision, we hope to see a
Employers will play a central role in shaping and delivering these actions, ensuring training provision remains aligned with workforce needs. With strong partnerships and a shared vision, we have an opportunity to build a skills system that works for everyone, supporting businesses, empowering individuals and strengthening Surrey’s economy for years to come.
Employers interested in getting involved with the Surrey LSIP and supporting future college and skills activity across the region, please get in touch with us at: lsip@surrey-chambers.co.uk.
Annual Property Lunch
Join us in Guildford for expert insights into commercial and residential property, sustainability in the built environment, and futureproofing your assets plus a two-course lunch and the chance to connect with industr y peers.
Book your place now to secure your spot.
11AM2PM
Harbour Hotel Guildford, GU1 3DA 17 SEPT
NEW MEMBERS
Help To Grow at Surrey Business School
Surrey Business School was delighted to receive the Small Business Charter accreditation this Spring. This was a vote of confidence in our business engagement with small & medium-sized enterprises, small-business stakeholders such as the Surrey Chamber of Commerce, and entrepreneurship & enterprise education.
In turn, it created an opportunity for Surrey Business School to participate in the government-funded Help to Grow Management (HtGM) programme, an executive education initiative that supports the leadership and growth plans of small businesses.
The government recognises the importance of supporting small businesses’ productivity through education and training, which the HtGM programme delivers. It is structured as a series of webinars and workshops over twelve weeks with a specialised curriculum divided into four parts as follows:
• Strategies for growth and innovation
• Engaging with customers
• Building a sustainable and agile business
• Operations and finance strategies
The participants must be managers in organisations with between 5 and 249 employees that have been operating for more than one year, while companies can have up to two participants. Typically, the participants are the CEO, Managing Director or Finance Director
❝Through the programme, participants develop a better understanding of their role as leaders and why it is crucial to the growth of the business. ❞
of their business, but they can also include other key decision-makers. Social enterprises can participate, but charities cannot.
Through the programme, participants develop a better understanding of their role as leaders and why it is crucial to the growth of the business. You develop knowledge in a peer-learning environment and learn how to lead with confidence.
Participants also develop growth action plans tailored to their individual businesses, which can be implemented. At
the same time, you build the skills to engage your team to deliver change in the coming year.
Surrey Business School is launching its Help to Grow programme in October 2026, which will be a hybrid online/offline programme running until the end of January 2027. You will have a specialised staff member leading the sessions, with opportunities for networking, mentoring and skill development offered in a supportive and stimulating environment.
Government funding covers 90% of the cost, so participants must pay only £750 / person to enrol in the programme.
Surrey Business School is open for business and would like to help your business take the next step to grow.
Please get in touch at sbsbusiness@surrey.ac.uk to find out more
S u r r e y C h a m b e r s
G O L F S O C I E T Y
S C G S 2 0 2 6 F I X T U R E S R e g i s t e r N o w w w w . s u r r e y - c h a m b e r s . c o . u k 0 1 4 8 3 7 3 5 5 4 0
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Z e a l a n d G o l f C l u b y
DISPOSABLE INCOME FALLS AGAIN
UK households saw a drop in disposable incomes in the first three months of the year as price rises and additional wealth taxes eroded average spending power.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said a rise in the consumer prices index measure of inflation in the first quarter and higher Capital Gains Tax receipts reduced real household disposable income by 0.8% from January to the end of March.
It marked the fourth quarter in the last five when disposable incomes have fallen, the ONS said in its latest assessment of the economy.
KING’S TAX ACCOUNTS PUBLISHED
King Charles III has disclosed that he paid tax of £11.7 million in 2023-24 and £12.9 million in 2024-25. The bulk of this tax liability arises from his income from the Duchy of Lancaster, which for 2023-24 was £27.5 million.
Kensington Palace has also disclosed that Prince William paid £7.76 million in tax on the profi ts of the Duchy of Cornwall.
‘ENGLAND ARE HERE, MORE BEER’
England’s group-stage matches in the World Cup have been a boon for UK pubs, which have poured 5.5m more pints of draught beer and cider than usual. The match against Panama on Saturday, June 27th was the biggest trading occasion of the tournament so far, with more than 8m pints served.
Venues are expecting higher sales to continue as England progress to the knockout stage. How far England goes is unknown at the time of writing.
Data from the market researchers the Oxford Partnership and the Dojo payments system, which provides digital payments to more than 110,000 hospitality venues, shows how the UK’s thirst for pints grows during World Cup matches.
This makes him one of the top 100 taxpayers in the country.
The king is not legally liable to pay tax. It makes little sense for the crown to pay money to the crown. Yet by the 1990s, it was becoming increasingly anomalous that one of the wealthiest people in the country did not pay tax.
for the crown to pay money to the
NATIONAL NEWS
TOBACCO GIANT TO SHED JOBS
British American Tobacco (BAT) is to cut nearly a fifth of its global workforce as part of a major cost-cutting drive. The tobacco giant is shedding 5,500 roles and outsourcing 3,500 more. It did not say where the cuts would come, but it said the US was not affected.
BAT had said earlier this year that it was planning savings to make it “more digital and AI-focused”. Traditional
cigarette sales are shrinking as smokers increasingly switch to vapes and nicotine pouches.
BAT is shifting its focus to smoking alternatives such as its Vuse vapes and Velo nicotine pouches to drive growth, but its sales and profit margins have been poor in recent years.
❛❛Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible. ❜❜
Frank Zappa
‘GAZUMPING’ TO COME TO AN END
Home buyers and sellers can expect an end to ‘gazumping’ in a major shake-up aimed at speeding up housing sales. Legally binding sales agreements will be introduced earlier to stop buyers or sellers from walking away at a late stage in the process without a legitimate reason.
In England and Wales, buyers can currently be outbid at a late stage of
the sale, and chains can fall apart months into the process, causing huge frustration for buyers and being expensive.
Previous attempts to improve the system have had limited success, and the planned reforms, first announced in October last year, will be introduced in 2029.
HOUSE SALES SLUGGISH ACROSS THE UK
Three in five homes listed for sale since January remain on the market, according to property portal Zoopla. A lack of demand from buyers, along with high asking prices from sellers, has left homes in some areas unsold. Agreed sales were 7% below last year, it said, but the picture varied across the country.
First-time buyers were most exposed to high mortgage rates, although there are now signs of lower rates. A jump in mortgage rates in April - prompted by financial upheaval caused by the USIsraeli war with Iran - added an average of £125 a month to a typical mortgage at its peak compared with January.
FEARS OF GROCERY INFLATION FAIL TO MATERIALISE
Grocery inflation in the UK has not been as bad as feared, Simon Roberts, Cheif Executive of Sainsbury’s has said, but “pressure in the system” remains as the industry hopes for a swift resolution to the Middle East conflict.
Roberts said it was still early in the year, and there was “still uncertainty about where inflation will go”, but suggested it could come in well below the Food and Drink Federation’s initial prediction of at least 9% by December.
Despite warnings of a likely jump in the pace of price rises, driven by the Strait of Hormuz blockade of energy and fertiliser shipping, food inflation has actually eased in recent months.
TELEGRAPH SOLD
The European media group Axel Springer has completed its £575m takeover of the Telegraph, ending three tumultuous years of uncertainty over the future ownership of the 172-yearold titles. The Germany-headquartered company said it had now received all regulatory approvals in the UK, Ireland and Austria to take full control of Telegraph Media Group.
“Today is a day we have worked towards for a long time, and one we will always remember,” said Mathias Döpfner, its Chief Executive and controlling shareholder. Axel Springer and the Telegraph share strong commitments to freedom, values, a tradition of embracing and pioneering technological change, and an entrepreneurial will to actively shape the future.”
25% OF HOSTELRIES ARE ‘LOSING MONEY’
Nearly a quarter of UK pubs, bars and restaurants are losing money, according to new survey data, as a group of celebrity chefs and business owners stepped up their campaign for a sector-specific VAT cut.
Spearheaded by chef Tom Kerridge, leading figures in the hospitality sector are calling for VAT on the industry to be cut from 20% to 10%. Under the banner “VAT’s the problem”, the campaign was publicly launched on July 1st in the hope of convincing visitors to venues across the country to sign a petition backing the reduction.
The increase in employers’ NI contributions and the national minimum wage, coupled with soaring inflation and energy costs, has piled pressure on a sector operating on threadbare margins.
❛❛Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe. ❜❜ Albert Einstein
BANK OF ENGLAND KEEPS RATES UNCHANGED FOR FOURTH MONTH
Uncertainty about the impact of high energy prices has led the Bank of England to hold interest rates at 3.75%.
It is the fourth meeting in a row that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has left rates unchanged.
Bank governor Andrew Bailey said recent drops in oil prices were “encouraging”, but high energy prices during the war had still left “inflationary pressure in the pipeline”.
The base rate is the primary tool used to control inflation and influences
the cost of borrowing as well as the interest paid to savers. The latest hold comes as the situation in the Middle East continues to be watched closely.
NEW VISION FOR CITY SEAFRONT
Brighton & Hove has announced a vision for its seafront – to create a vibrant, accessible and sustainable seafront that enhances tourism, supports local businesses and celebrates the city’s rich heritage. Stretching for 13 km, the seafront is one of the UK’s most recognisable waterfronts and is central to the city’s identity, supporting everything from tourism and culture to small businesses and everyday leisure.
The city’s new seafront investment prospectus responds to this challenge by treating the seafront as a single connected place and setting a shared direction for public and private investment.
The vision is not a fixed masterplan, says the Council, but a framework that sets priorities to help ensure development reflects the character of the city.
POLIZZI TO SPEAK AT CHICHESTER EVENT
LOCAL NEWS
❛❛ Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative place where no one else has ever been. ❜❜ Alan Alda
MORE WATER SUPPLY ISSUES FOR KENT AND SUSSEX
No, Platinum is not re-running last month’s story. However, homes and businesses in parts of Kent and Sussex have been left without water or experiencing low pressure following two burst water mains. South East Water confirmed that separate bursts have occurred on Lade Wood Hill in Sittingbourne, Kent, and Northlands Avenue in Haywards Heath, West Sussex. The water company said customers in the affected areas may experience low water pressure or no water supply while repair work is carried out. A spokesperson for South East Water said: “We’re really sorry to those of you who are experiencing low water pressure or no water at the moment.”
Television presenter and business turnaround expert Alex Polizzi will be the headline speaker at the University of Chichester at a major new event for the Sussex business community.
Polizzi, best known to millions as The Hotel Inspector, will appear at Back to Business, an event organised by Chichester Chamber of Commerce and hosted by the University of Chichester. The event will take place on Friday, September 11th. Back to Business is being launched as a new annual event for businesses in Chichester and across the wider region. It is aimed at companies of all sizes, from ambitious start-ups to established firms looking to grow, adapt and strengthen their operations.
BDO OFFERS 150 STUDENT PLACES AT GATWICK
Accountancy and business advisory firm BDO is offering 150 places to young people based in the South East this summer as part of an expanded UK-wide Insight Days programme designed to improve access to careers in accountancy. The firm will host three in-person Insight Days in July in BDO’s Gatwick office, giving 150 school, college and university students aged 16 and over the opportunity to gain valuable experience and learn about what a career in professional services could look like. UK-wide, the expanded programme has more than 1,100 student places available and comes at a time of increased focus on youth unemployment and access to work experience.
AIRPORT CHALLENGED DISIMISSED IN HIGH COURT
In a ruling announced on June 23rd, Mr Justice Mould stated that the Gatwick Airport expansion scheme would not “materially impact” the government’s ability to meet net zero targets - a decision London Gatwick called a “victory for common sense”.
The Department for Transport (DfT) and the airport’s owner, Gatwick Airport Limited, had defended the challenge, brought by the Gatwick Conservation Campaign and anti-noise group
Cagne, with lawyers for the site claiming it was “unarguable”. The privately financed project involves moving the current emergency runway 12 metres north to bring it into regular use, as well as other developments, including expanding the terminals.
SIX UNIVERSITIES IN LANDMARK COLLABORATION
The University of Portsmouth, Southampton Solent University, the University of Chichester, Health Sciences University, Arts University Bournemouth and the University of Winchester will create a Shared Virtual Technology Transfer Office (SV-TTO) - a firstof-its-kind collaboration for the Wessex region.
A technology transfer office is the team within a university that helps researchers turn their discoveries into practical outcomes, whether that’s founding a new company,
licensing an invention to an existing business, or striking a deal with an industry partner to develop a product or service.
Until now, each university has operated independently, but the new partnership pools expertise, resources and networks across all six institutions. The University of Portsmouth is leading the initiative, hosting the shared infrastructure and coordinating the programme.
❛❛Free thinkers wil always seem crazy to those who can’t see beyond conventions. Never apologise for evolving beyond other people’s comfort zones.❜❜
Albert Einstein
DESTINATION: PORTSMOUTH
Games entrepreneur Rachel Lowe has provided an opportunity for Portsmouth businesses to be part of a board game celebrating 100 years of Portsmouth’s city status.
Rachel Lowe MBE, creator of the Destination Board Game series, has created a special centenary edition of Destination Portsmouth to celebrate Portsmouth’s 100th anniversary since being granted city status in 1926. The project will support Cash for Kids South Coast, a charity dedicated to helping children living in poverty across our region.
“Portsmouth is where the Destination story began, so creating a centenary edition of the game to celebrate 100 years of Portsmouth’s city status feels like a fullcircle moment,” Rachel commented.
KITCHEN GIANT TO CLOSE 15 STORES
Kitchens firm Magnet is to close 15 stores as part of a major restructuring, including two in Hampshire, one in Kent, one in Surrey and its Brighton branch. The company said it will close the “underperforming” locations as part of a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) restructuring to help secure the group’s finances. The proposed CVA is intended to “address property costs that are no longer sustainable”, the company said.
Magnet Kitchens is one of the UK’s oldest and largest fitted kitchen specialists, operating over 150 showrooms nationwide, offering an end-to-end service, providing consumers and tradespeople with custom kitchen designs, manufacturing, and installation. Magnet said it will transfer any customer orders to the closest alternative store if their local site closes.
CITY PARTIALLY REVERSES PARKING CHARGE HIKE
Brighton & Hove City Council has been forced to react after a huge increase in parking charges along Madeira Drive came into effect in June. Businesses spoke out against the increase in parking charges
along the stretch. The charge had increased by 256% for an hour, from £1.60 to £5.70, which the council said was part of its annual budgetsetting process. Several businesses along the seafront stretch criticised the move amid
fears the changes are “pricing people out of doing things in the city.”
A petition urging the council to review the situation and bring the price back to a lower tariff subsequently forced the council to reduce the price to £2.90 an hour, though still an 81% increase over the original charge.
London Gatwick’s long-haul expansion maintains momentum
Bringing global growth to the South East
London Gatwick’s long-haul network continues to expand at pace, strengthening the airport’s role as a key international gateway for the South East.
In 2025, long-haul passenger numbers reached 6.9m, with particularly strong growth across the Far East and South Asia (+24%), Sub-Saharan Africa (+22%) and the Middle East and Central Asia (+17%) compared with 2024, reflecting sustained demand for long-haul travel and the airport’s continued success in attracting new airlines and expanding existing services.
That momentum has carried strongly into 2026. This summer, London Gatwick will offer passengers more choice than ever before, with 230 destinations from more than 60 airlines.
The airport has welcomed its first-ever direct connection to the Canadian capital, Ottawa, with Air Transat this year, while recent months have also seen significant growth in airline partnerships across Asia.
New carriers such as Air Arabia and Beijing Capital Airlines are strengthening connectivity to key global markets, while other long-haul additions – including the launch of AirAsia X’s Kua -
la Lumpur service later this year – will further expand the airport’s reach into Asia.
Established carriers, such as Singapore Airlines, are also increasing frequencies, reflecting the continued demand for capacity and the strength of London Gatwick’s offer. Connectivity to major Chinese cities has continued to strengthen, with multiple airlines now operating across key routes and capacity increasing over the summer.
Services to Shanghai, for example, have expanded as airlines respond to growing demand, while China Southern has increased its flights to Guangzhou from three services a week to 13. Meanwhile, Air China is introducing a new route to Chengdu from 4 July. Overall, China traffic will have grown by 31% this sum -
Growth that goes further
As London Gatwick moves through 2026, long-haul connectivity continues to strengthen, with growing links to Asia and other key markets supported by new airlines, increased frequencies and a more diverse net-
work. At the same time, initiatives such as the Wilder Carbon partnership show how this growth is being delivered responsibly.
mer compared with last summer.
Direct routes are also being complemented by enhanced connectivity through London Gatwick’s services to major global hubs, including Paris and Frankfurt, delivered by the recent arrivals Air France and Condor, respectively. In practice, this means greater flexibility, stronger connections and a growing choice of destinations for both leisure and business travel.
Taken together, these developments point to a clear direction of travel. London Gatwick’s operation continues to attract new airlines, and this is translating directly into a larger long-haul network – strengthening not only the airport’s position across key global markets, but also that of the South East.
Together, these priorities reflect London Gatwick’s broader approach to growth: one that connects the South East on a global scale while supporting a sustainable future for the communities it serves.
Investing locally to support a journey to net zero
London Gatwick is continuing to invest in innovative approaches to sustainability – with a focus on how its strategy can be delivered in a locally meaningful way.
A recent partnership with Wilder Carbon and local Wildlife Trusts highlights this approach. Through a £1m investment, the airport is supporting two UKbased projects that will transform former agricultural land into species-rich natural habitats in Kent and Somerset.
These sites – at Ironhurst Valley (Kent) and Honeygar Farm (Somerset) – will be restored over the coming years into a mix of grassland, wetland and woodland, designed to support biodiversity, improve soil health and contribute to natural flood management. Between 2030 and 2039, these projects
will remove 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
Importantly, these initiatives are rooted in local impact. The sites will deliver
This reflects a broader intention to ensure sustainability efforts are not only effective, but visible and meaningful at a local level.
long-term environmental benefits for nearby communities, creating healthier ecosystems and supporting nature recovery on publicly accessible land.
The investment forms part of Gatwick Airport Ltd’s wider pathway to net zero, recognising that while greenhouse gas emissions can be significantly reduced through electrifying assets, a small proportion will remain. Nature-based solutions such as these projects are therefore designed to address residual emissions while also delivering wider benefits.
By working with organisations like Wilder Carbon and the Wildlife Trusts, London Gatwick is supporting projects that meet robust environmental standards while contributing to longer-term climate and biodiversity goals.
Refreshed construction frameworks launched to
deliver airport’s capital investment programme
London Gatwick has awarded its refreshed set of Building and Civils Frameworks, appointing 11 suppliers to support the airport’s ambitious capital investment programme. These frameworks - alongside the Design Services
Framework introduced last year - will play a vital role in delivering a wide range of infrastructure projects, enhancing efficiency, sustainability and passenger experience across the airport.
The contracts mark a significant milestone in London Gatwick’s long-term supply chain strategy and will support the delivery of projects such as asset replacement, expansion and capacity, process and efficiency, compliance and regulation, and service quality.
Aligned with London Gatwick’s Decade of Change sustainability strategy, the frameworks also include clear commitments to carbon management, local employment and social impact.
www.gatwickairport.com
By Werda Malik, Corporate Finance Assistant Manager, Kreston Reeves
WORKING CAPITAL: The hidden factor in business sales
A business’s value is not determined by profi t alone. In acquisitions, working capital plays a critical role in ensuring a company can continue operating smoothly after completion. And that means it can materially affect the final purchase price.
Business leaders looking for an exit should seek professional help to understand and assess working capital to prepare for due diligence, avoid valuation disputes, and achieve a cleaner transaction outcome.
UNDERSTANDING WORKING CAPITAL IN BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS
Working capital can directly affect how smoothly a business can operate after a transaction closes and how much the business is truly worth. It can significantly change the effective value of a deal.
A company may appear highly profitable on paper but still require large amounts of cash to sustain operations. This is why buyers insist that a ‘normal’ level of working capital remains in the business at closing.
WHAT IS WORKING CAPITAL?
In acquisition discussions, buyers usually focus on ‘operating working capital’, which excludes cash and debt and concentrates on the operational components of the business. These will typically include accounts receivable (money owed by customers), inventory, minus accounts payable (money owed to suppliers).
Yet normal levels of working capital are equally important.
WHY BUYERS REQUIRE ‘NORMAL’ WORKING CAPITAL
When a buyer acquires a company, they expect it to continue operating normally immediately after closing. That means the business should be delivered with sufficient receivables, inventory, and supplier balances to support ongoing operations.
Problems arise when sellers attempt to extract cash before the sale completes. A seller might:
❛❛ Working capital can directly affect how smoothly a business can operate after a transaction closes and how much the business is truly worth ❜❜
• Accelerate collections from customers
• Delay payments to suppliers
• Reduce inventory levels aggressively
These actions may temporarily increase cash before closing; they can leave the business underfunded afterwards. The buyer would then need to inject additional cash simply to restore normal operations.
Without sufficient working capital:
• employees may not be paid on time,
• inventory may run short,
• suppliers may demand payment,
• operations may slow down,
• additional financing may become necessary.
ally based on the company’s historical average working capital over a defined period. The seller should leave sufficient working capital for the business to operate in the ordinary course after the transaction closes.
HOW WORKING CAPITAL IMPACTS PURCHASE PRICE
Most acquisitions include a mechanism that adjusts the final purchase price depending on the actual working capital delivered at closing:
• If working capital is below the agreed
HOW WE HELP BUYERS AND SELLERS
During the due diligence stage, our experienced corporate finance team carefully reviews:
• Historical working capital trends,
• Seasonal fluctuations,
• Customer payment behaviour,
• Inventory turnover,
• Supplier payment terms,
• Unusual pre-sale changes.
❛❛ Working capital also influences how buyers evaluate a business’s quality. ❜❜
To prevent this, acquisition agreements typically include a working capital target or normalised working capital requirement. This target is usu-
target, the purchase price decreases.
• If working capital is above target, the seller may receive additional payment.
The adjustment ensures that the buyer receives a company that is not underfunded and capable of operating under normal conditions immediately after the transaction.
WHY WORKING CAPITAL AFFECTS BUSINESS VALUE
Working capital also influences how buyers evaluate a business’s quality. A company that requires large amounts of working capital to generate revenue is often viewed as less attractive because growth consumes cash.
By contrast, businesses with efficient working capital management are generally more valuable because they:
• generate stronger free cash flow,
• require less external financing,
• scale more efficiently,
• produce better returns on invested capital.
Buyers often pay premium valuations for businesses that convert profi ts into cash efficiently.
With buyers particularly cautious about signs that the seller has artificially improved cash balances before closing, the due diligence process helps both parties understand what level of working capital is truly necessary to operate the business sustainably.
A profi table business does not always equal a transaction-ready business. Buyers want confidence that a company can continue trading smoothly from day one, without unexpected cash pressures or funding gaps.
Understanding working capital early, and preparing for the scrutiny that comes with due diligence, can help avoid last-minute disputes, protect value and improve deal outcomes.
We work closely with business owners to help them prepare for sale, strengthen their fi nancial position and approach negotiations with confi dence. If you would like bespoke assistance, please contact Werda Malik, Corporate Finance Assistant Manager:
Rohit Walia Employment Law Solicitor Mayo Wynne Baxter
The government’s proposed overhaul of NDAs and non-competes
The government is proposing significant changes to the rules governing confi dentiality clauses and non-compete agreements for employees. Two proposals stand out:
1. Restrictions on the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in cases of workplace harassment and discrimination, and;
2. Limits on non-compete clauses that stop people from joining a competitor after leaving their job.
For employers, these changes could have real, practical consequences.
NON-COMPETE CLAUSES: WHAT’S CHANGING?
A non-compete clause is a term in an employment contract that seeks to prevent someone from working for a competitor or starting a competing business for a period of time after they leave. They are common in senior roles and in industries where employees have access to sensitive commercial information or client relationships.
The government has proposed capping the length of non-compete clauses. At present, these clauses can last
anywhere up to twelve months (and occasionally longer), provided a court considers them reasonable. At its core, the proposed reform reflects a growing concern that overly long non-compete clauses do more harm than good, locking talent in place, suppressing competition, and slowing the pace of innovation.
In addition to limiting the duration of these clauses, the government has
explored other ways to restrict the use of non-compete provisions. The ideas on the table include:
• Different duration periods for small and large employers;
• A full ban on non-compete clauses;
• Allowing non-compete clauses only for higher-paid roles (using a salary threshold);
• A mix of the above — for example, a salary threshold plus a general time cap.
❛❛ At its core, the proposed reform reflects a growing concern that overly long noncompete clauses do more harm than good ❜❜
❛❛ The government’s consultation on this is open until July 8th 2026, and the new rules are expected to come into force in 2027 ❜❜
Other common restrictions, such as non-solicitation clauses (which stop employees from approaching their former clients or colleagues) and confidentiality obligations, do not appear to be affected by these proposals.
For employees, these changes could mean greater freedom to move between roles and industries.
For employers, it will mean thinking more carefully about how to protect their business in other ways, for example by investing in stronger confidentiality clauses, longer notice periods, or garden leave arrangements rather than relying on a lengthy non-compete clause.
NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS –WHAT’S CHANGING?
On April 15th 2026, the government published a consultation on the NDA provisions of the Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA 2025). The government is proposing to reform the law because it believes NDAs should not be used to cover up workplace misconduct.
The consultation seeks views on:
• When an agreement will amount to an ‘excepted agreement’. In other words, what the situations are when NDAs will still be allowed to be used.
• Who a worker can still talk to even after signing an excepted agreement (i.e. the ‘permitted disclosures’), and;
• Whether these protections should be extended beyond workers to cover other vulnerable individuals.
The ERA 2025 will introduce statutory limits on the use of NDAs in cases involving ‘relevant’ harassment or discrimination.
For conduct to be ‘relevant’, it must involve acts (or alleged acts) by the employer or a fellow worker, and the person signing the NDA must be the affected worker or a colleague. The reference to ‘a colleague’ broadens the scope beyond the individual bound by the NDA. In other words, these rules are not limited to situations in which the individual is personally affected; they also cover conduct that affects other workers in the same workplace. This ensures that wrongdoing will not be shielded by an NDA simply because the individual speaking up was not the direct victim.
Crucially, this also captures third-party harassment, such as where a client or customer is the harasser.
The proposed conditions for ‘excepted agreements’
• Independent advice: The worker must receive written advice from an independent adviser (such as a solicitor) explaining the NDA;
• Worker’s informed choice: After receiving that advice, the worker must confi rm in writing that they wish to enter into the NDA;
• Cooling off period: The NDA must allow the worker to withdraw within 14 days without penalty (The ‘cooling off’ period);
• Written and accessible format: the NDA must be in writing and provided in a clear, accessible format.
• Timing of the incident: The NDA can only cover harassment or discrimination that has already happened (or is alleged to have happened), not future behaviour.
The government’s consultation on this is open until July 8th 2026, and the new rules are expected to come into force in 2027.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR EMPLOYERS
The proposals may change depending on consultation, but what seems clear so far is that:
• NDAs will become harder to negotiate, and the process will be more of a burden.
• Cooling-off periods may delay settlements and affect payment timing.
• Excepted agreements may be available, but will offer limited confidentiality.
• Employers may lose the ability to initiate some NDA discussions.
I recommend employers take advice, review contracts, tighten confidentiality and rethink non-competes ahead of the new rules.
Rohit Walia Employment Law Solicitor rwalia@mayowynnebaxter.co.uk
FINANCE
GOVERNMENT INVESTMENT Positioning the South for
By Sam Swansborough Director, James Cowper Kreston
Across the South of England, government-backed investment and research and development (R&D) funding continue to play a key role in shaping the region’s economic future. From life sciences and advanced engineering to digital technology and clean energy, public funding is increasingly being used to accelerate innovation, attract private investment and support businesses as they scale.
For businesses operating in the region, this presents a significant opportunity, but one that requires clarity, preparation, and a strong understanding of how investment decisions are being made.
A REGION BUILT AROUND INNOVATION
The South has long been recognised as a centre of research excellence, supported by world-class universities, science parks and innovation clusters. Government investment is increasingly directed towards regional strengths with a clear link to productivity, skills, and commercialisation.
Public funding extends well beyond headline announcements. It spans R&D grants, innovation competitions, skills programmes and infrastructure investment, all designed to help businesses move ideas from concept to
commercial reality. When used collectively, these interventions can reduce risk and accelerate growth.
CLEAN MARITIME INVESTMENT DRIVING SOUTH COAST INNOVATION
A recent example of government support is the 2025 Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, which delivered a major boost to the South Coast’s green innovation ecosystem.
In July 2025, the Solent maritime sector secured £2.5 million in government grant funding as part of a wider £30 million national investment programme to decarbonise shipping and sea travel. The funding supported 26 projects with a combined value of £17.5 million, involving 27 Solent-based organisations, from established port operators to fast-growing technology businesses.
The projects focused on the development of future fuels and low-carbon technologies, including electric vessels, hydrogen, methanol and ammonia, alongside the use of AI and data-driven optimisation to improve efficiency. Importantly, the programme included the UK’s first future fuels training framework, reinforcing the connection between innovation, skills and economic growth.
❛❛ The South has long been recognised as a centre of research excellence, supported by world-class universities, science parks and innovation clusters ❜❜
❛❛ The strongest outcomes occur businesses plan early by embedding considerations into commercial budgeting, and reporting. ❜❜
This investment underlines the South Coast’s position as a national centre for clean maritime innovation, while demonstrating how targeted government funding can stimulate collaboration, unlock private investment and support commercialisation.
INVESTMENT AND R&D: long-term growth
As Sam Swansborough, Director at James Cowper Kreston, explains, “We see many businesses doing genuinely innovative work without fully recognising its value. Government funding and R&D incentives can be transformational, but only when innovation is clearly defined, well evidenced and aligned to the wider ambitions of the business.”
THE VALUE OF PLANNING EARLY
occur when embedding R&D commercial strategy,
R&D FUNDING IS BECOMING MORE FOCUSED
While government commitment to R&D remains strong, funding and incentives are increasingly scrutinised. There is a clear shift towards projects that demonstrate measurable outcomes, such as scalability, productivity improvements, and wider economic impact.
For businesses, informal or poorly documented innovation activity is not enough. Claims for R&D tax relief and applications for grant funding require clear evidence of technological advancement, supported by robust financial information and a defined commercial strategy.
Those that invest time in formalising their R&D activity by defining objectives, tracking costs, and aligning innovation with sustainable growth plans are far better positioned to access funding and withstand challenge.
CREATING CONFIDENCE FOR PRIVATE INVESTMENT
Government investment also plays an important signalling role. Businesses that can demonstrate successful public funding, structured R&D programmes and strong governance are often more attractive to private investors. Public funding can act as a catalyst by reducing perceived risk and unlocking additional capital.
A common challenge for growing businesses is timing. Funding options are often explored only when investment is urgently needed, at which point choices may be limited.
The strongest outcomes occur when businesses plan early by embedding R&D considerations into commercial strategy, budgeting, and reporting. This enables funding to support growth rather than short-term pressure, while improving operational discipline and resilience.
HOW JAMES COWPER KRESTON CAN HELP
Navigating government investment and R&D incentives is rarely straightforward. It brings together strategy, finance, tax and operational delivery.
At James Cowper Kreston, we work with businesses across the South to identify qualifying R&D activity, access funding and ensure incentives are structured, compliant and sustainable. Whether advising on R&D tax relief or strengthening reporting around innovation, early engagement can unlock real advantage.
Recent clean maritime investment demonstrates how government funding continues to shape the South Coast’s economic future.
The Surrey Business Awards, in association with Surrey Chambers of Commerce, is the largest event of its kind, and the most prestigious in the county.
Delivering these awards is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your business, earn well-deserved recognition and network with key industry leaders
Businesses can sumbit a a maximum of three categories (£25 per entry) and must have an office based in Surrey
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 19TH 2026
Award-winning comedian and TV regular, Cally Beaton brings her sharp wit and infectious energy to your Surrey Business Awards evening
What a great night! Thank you so much for organising everything - our table thoroughly enjoyed the evening and it was fantastic to connect with so many people. ” Surrey County Council
Employment v self-employment CRUNCHING THE GLOBAL
A large global survey of more than 5,000 people exploring attitudes toward self-employment has revealed that Britons prefer traditional employment (working for a boss) to self-employment, more than in many other countries in the study. Interestingly, though, the majority of British people would still prefer to be self-employed (68.7% said so, compared with 31.3% who prefer to work for someone else).
The survey was conducted by Remitly Business, a cross-border payments provider for small businesses, analysing responses from people in 28 countries. It found that globally, nearly three-quarters of people would prefer self-employment over working for someone else. Key findings:
• Although the majority of Brits (68.7%) say they would like to be self-employed, the UK ranks sixth among countries with the highest share of people preferring traditional employment.
• This sentiment is shared by Australia and New Zealand, which rank first and second in preferring this career setup.
• On the other end of the scale, as many as 98% of people living in Kenya prefer being self-employed, more than any other country in the study.
❛❛ The majority of British people – 68.7% – would prefer to be self-employed ❜❜
• The reasons Brits like the sound of self-employment are the greater flexibility it offers to when and where they work (15.8%), followed by more independence and control over how they work (15.5%), and a better work-life balance (14.7%).
• Conversely, the reasons Britons would prefer working for a boss include greater job security and benefi ts such
as pension and sick pay (15.49%), followed by lower financial risk (15.2%), and not wanting the responsibility of running a business (13.1%).
HOW DO BRITONS FEEL ABOUT SELF-EMPLOYMENT?
• None of the people who are currently self-employed regret making this decision. Just over a quarter (26.5%) say it was the best decision they ever made, with half saying it was worth it overall despite the challenges.
• Nearly half (48.8%) say they feel confident or very confident they have the skills and knowledge needed to become their own boss, but interestingly, only 16% say they would actually take the steps to make this a reality.
• Higher earning potential is the number one motivator for Brits to consider self-employment (21.8%). Still, nearly a quarter (23.8%) also said they would need to earn at least double their current income to consider it.
Top 10 countries with a preference for self-employment
self-employment NUMBERS
❛❛ Despite this widespread interest, just a third of respondents say they’re likely to take steps toward self-employment in the next 12 months. ❜❜
• Most Brits (two-thirds) agree that being self-employed is more stressful than working for someone else, and as many as 81% agree that the risks of being self-employed are underestimated.
• A huge number of Brits suggest that hustle culture puts too much pressure on people to always be working or earning more (77.1%), and that social media can make being self-employed seem more appealing than it actually is (80%).
Being your own boss has become one of the defining career aspirations of the modern workplace. May TikTok data showed that the hashtag #beyourownboss has racked up more than 730,000 posts, and nearly half of the world's working population is already self-employed in some form.
THE COUNTRIES THAT MOST WANT TO BE THEIR OWN BOSS AND THE REASONS BEHIND IT
Across the globe, nearly three-quarters of people say they would rather be their own boss than work for someone else. Kenya leads the global rankings of countries that most want to go it alone, with 98.0% saying they would prefer self-employment over traditional employment, followed by South Africa (92.7%) and Morocco (90.7%).
The top reasons for preferring self-employment are independence and control over how you work (cited by 72.7% of respondents), greater flexibility over when
and where you work (68.7%), and a better work-life balance (60.3%). Notably, financial gain ranks only fifth (48.2%), suggesting that for most, the primary draw is agency rather than income.
There is also a strong appetite for international work, with 58.1% expressing interest. Of those, 36.4% would want a mix of local and international clients, 16% would aim to build a business operating across multiple countries, and 5.7% would focus mainly on international clients. In contrast, 36% say they would prioritise their home market exclusively.
FINANCIAL UNCERTAINTY IS THE BIGGEST BARRIER TO MAKING THE LEAP
Despite this widespread interest, just a third (33.3%) of respondents say they’re likely to take steps toward self-employment in the next 12 months. Financial concerns dominate their hesitations: more than half (56.5%) cite not having a stable income as their biggest worry, followed by finding enough work or clients (51.9%) and fear of failure (50.6%).
The financial bar is also high, as more than half of respondents would need to earn at least 1.5x their current salary before seriously considering self-employment, and around a fifth (22.9%) say they would need to at least double their income.
Australians top the global ranking of people happiest to work for someone else.
SOCIAL MEDIA IS SELLING A FANTASY WHEN IT COMES TO SELF-EMPLOYMENT
There is also major scepticism about how self-employment is portrayed online. 84% of respondents agree that social media makes self-employment look more appealing than it actually is, while a similar number say hustle culture places too much pressure on people to be constantly working or earning.
The majority of respondents (78%) believe that most people underestimate the risks of self-employment, and 64% think the current economic climate makes it feel riskier than it used to.
Top 10 countries with a preference for traditional employment
Bailey & French brings Rapid Reculturing to Brighton’s business community
On July 16th, Brighton’s business community will come together for a landmark leadership event hosted by Bailey & French, marking the launch of Rapid Reculturing: Transforming Organisations at Pace and Scale.
Taking place at Waterstones Brighton (Level 3, 71–74 North Street, BN1 1ZA) from 6:30–8:30pm, the evening positions the global consultancy at the forefront of a critical conversation facing organisations today: how to build cultures that can keep pace with rapid change, while still enabling people and performance to thrive.
Co-authored by Alex Bailey, CEO and Founder of Bailey & French, and Kerri O’Neill, an award-winning Chief People Officer, the book brings together decades of senior leadership experience to tackle what many see as a growing culture crisis within organisations.
Set against the backdrop of AI disruption, hybrid working, and shifting workforce expectations, Rapid Reculturing presents a practical, science-based approach to transforming workplace culture—moving beyond traditional models which are no longer fi t for today’s complexity.
A DEFINING MOMENT FOR BAILEY & FRENCH
The launch marks a significant milestone for Bailey & French, a consultancy known globally for helping organisations humanise the workplace and evolve culture at pace.
Founder Alex Bailey brings more than 20 years of experience advising senior leaders and executive teams worldwide. Under her leadership, the business has scaled internationally, supporting organisations across more than 150 countries.
Her impact has been recognised with Company of the Year at the Dynamic Awards, further cementing Bailey & French as a leading voice in culture, leadership, and organisational transformation.
Alongside her global work, Bailey is deeply embedded in the local business and academic community, serving as an Enterprise Ambassador at the University of Brighton, where she actively supports and champions women entrepreneurs and emerging leaders.
AN EVENT FOR TODAY’S LEADERS
Designed as a high-value experience rather than a traditional book launch, the Brighton event will bring together senior leaders, founders, and HR professionals from across the region.
Guests will hear directly from Alex Bailey as she shares insights from the book, exploring why many organisations are struggling with disengagement, burnout, and a loss of shared purpose—and, crucially, what leaders can do differently.
The evening also creates space for meaningful connection, with curated networking among a community of forward-thinking leaders navigating similar challenges.
POWERED BY STRONG LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS
The event reflects a collaborative approach between business, education, and the wider Brighton community.
DMH Stallard is sponsoring the launch, providing attendees with signed copies of the book, while the University of Brighton is supporting the event as part of its ongoing commitment to bridging academic insight with business practice.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
At a time when organisations are under increasing pressure to adapt, the launch of Rapid Reculturing signals a shift in how leaders approach culture transformation.
• July 16th 2026 | 6:30–8:30pm • info@baileyandfrench.com
For Brighton’s business community, this event represents more than a celebration—it is an opportunity to engage with ideas shaping the future of leadership, connect with peers, and be part of a growing movement redefining what great organisations look like.
To purchase a copy you can find it on Amazon and Waterstones in the UK.
By Frank Bouette, Partner, Restructuring & Insolvency, DMH Stallard
DIRECTORS’ DUTIES: The BHS judgment – two years on
In a landmark judgment in June 2024, the High Court decision found two of the directors of the collapsed retail giant BHS each personally liable for £6.5 million of wrongful trading to its liquidators, plus a further £110 million in compensation for misfeasance; the largest ever such award. Their third co-director was subsequently ordered to pay at least £50 million to the liquidators. What can company directors learn two years on from the judgment?
A WIDENING OF DIRECTORS’ LIABILITY
The Court recognised “trading misfeasance” (continuing to trade without considering creditors’ interests when insolvency is probable) as a viable claim against directors even where wrongful trading had not occurred, thus widening the liability window for directors of companies on the brink of insolvency (if not actually insolvent) and increasing the potential quantum.
The Court also confirmed that merely taking professional advice does not shield directors. They must consider, discuss, and follow it, and document
❛❛ BHS’s collapse catalysed broader corporate governance reforms already on the agenda ❜❜
their reasoning. In addition, the Court also refused to cap their liability to their D&O cover, making clear that underinsured directors cannot hide behind inadequate insurance.
REGULATORY AND LEGISLATIVE DEVELOPMENTS
BHS’s collapse catalysed broader corporate governance reforms already on
the agenda and prompted new criminal investigation powers for the Pensions Regulator. The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) is now in force and has expanded the director’s disqualification regime (as well as introducing identity verification).
The Finance Act 2024 now enables
HMRC to pursue disqualification of directors involved in tax avoidance; and additional Insolvency Service funding and ECCTA powers are expected to increase enforcement in 2026. There are also proposals being considered for educational programmes for directors to supplement the disqualification regime.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
For directors, trading misfeasance is a potent new risk following the BHS judgment. Liquidators and administrators can now pursue them for breach of their duties when a company is approaching insolvency but not yet insolvent, allowing them to pursue directors personally for a greater window of losses to creditors. Although follow-on cases remain
❛❛ Commentary has been extensive. The central concern is whether it blurs the line between wrongful trading and breach of the creditor duty ❜❜
limited, the threat is already sharpening directors’ minds and encouraging earlier engagement with insolvency professionals.
Commentary has been extensive. The central concern is whether it blurs the line between wrongful trading and breach of the creditor duty, making it easier for liquidators and administrators to sue directors personally. Some worry this could discourage good-faith rescue attempts. Others counter that it will simply encourage earlier engagement and addressing issues rather than carrying on regardless. The law remains a developing area.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
The key to minimising the risk is to ensure that, while you are a director, the company’s finances are properly managed, and to deal with any pressing matters (where you can). Practical steps you can take are:
• familiarise yourself with your duties as a director and keep them front of mind when running the company. Also know what is in the company’s constitution and comply with it
• maintain accurate, up-to-date financial management information (it is no good if it is not current) and cash flow forecasts. Do not wait until the year-end accounts – it is out of date by then – and do not focus on just net assets – they are no help if you can-
not pay the bills. Review them, and identify and address problems early
• prepare and regularly review and update business plans and forecasts
• hold regular board meetings to review the business plan, the finances, and other matters. Keep minutes of those meetings, and the reasons for decisions made. This will help spot potential problems early on, and enable decisions to be explained when they are questioned years down the line
• take professional advice as and when you need it. The earlier you do so, the more options you are likely to have.
The above is a general guide only. The expert team at DMH Stallard is always happy to assist both boards and individual directors who need more tailored advice.
Frank Bouette is a Partner at DMH Stallard who heads up the Restructuring and Insolvency Team. Frank is recognised as an expert in restructuring and insolvency law and one who provides decisive, practical solutions.
Please get in touch: Tel: +44(0)1293 558554 E: Frank.bouette@dmhstallard.com
Roadmap to exit
Mergers & Acquisitions can be transformative, creating new opportunities, expanding market share and driving strategic growth. Yet not every potential deal reaches the finish line.
Jonathan Grant
Is the M&A market heating up?
Traditionally, a period of international instability and low business growth is not good for investor confidence, resulting in lower prices and deal volumes; but that is not what we are seeing.
that trend is continuing. For DMH Stallard, that means often tech businesses or minerals and mining businesses reversing into listed vehicles on AIM or considering IPOs.
An active ECM sector brings international investors to the UK and is generally a harbinger of increased deal activity across the market.
GROWTH IS HARD TO ACHIEVE
SUCCESSION REMAINS A CHALLENGE
We see more businesses now with owners in their 60s and 70s. With tax pressures mounting and business assets no longer safe from IHT, more owners are revisiting exit options.
VENDOR DILIGENCE
As values increase, more sellers are considering vendor diligence packs so their businesses are ready for market, can transact quickly, and create investor competition.
2025’S IMPROVEMENT CONTINUES
Last financial year, to the end of March 2026, our M&A deal volumes were 20% up on the previous year, with most deals in the £5m to £10m range. Since the turn of the year, we have seen the average deal value increase, with more deals at £20m+ and, increasingly, £40m+. So what is happening?
EQUITY CAPITAL MARKETS (ECM)
The big moves have been in the US, with concern increasing over AI values. Despite this, large listings are pending for Anthropic, SpaceX, and others. London has seen slower growth, but last year began to show signs of movement, and
With organic growth challenged and profitability from core businesses squeezed, corporate businesses with access to capital are looking to invest and grow rather than play it safe. This year, Scandinavian businesses have been the biggest investors in UK companies, and we have seen a noticeable shift.
US IS A LESS RELIABLE PARTNER
We have not seen strong US demand, but plenty of European and Middle East interest. It seems other global regions are looking to secure their positions with strategic acquisitions and the UK remains popular.
WHAT COULD GO WRONG?
Global instability has the potential to slow confidence, but the need for natural resources is not slowing, and the softening of some banking (capital adequacy) restrictions should increase debt availability. For businesses looking to unlock value, it is a good time to test the market, but preparation and a clear strategy are critical.
For further information or an initial discussion with our expert Corporate lawyers about mergers and acquisitions, please contact enquiries@dmhstallard.com
Award winning Restructuring and Insolvency lawyers
Our lawyers have the expertise to provide advice on all aspects of the restructuring and insolvency process, including formulating strategies that engage all stakeholders and enable the implementation of managed solutions. We also deal with business sales, security review, enforcement, maximising asset realisations and resolving disputes. We work with a variety of stakeholders in distressed scenarios – including borrowers, lenders, directors and insolvency practitioners and shareholders.
Frank Bouette Partner
“…very quick, efficient and effective service, getting results when needed. Their advice is practical and easy to understand and tailored to the client’s needs.”
Legal 500 2025
Oliver Jackson Partner
Contact the Team enquiries@dmhstallard.com +44 (0)3333 231580
Michael Lynch Partner
Henry Harris Solicitor
Andy Burnham THE BIG STORY
THE UK’S SEVENTH PRIME MINISTER IN TEN
Andy Burnham will be the latest entrant through the farcical revolving door at No. 10 Downing Street. He returns to Westminster on a wave of increasing polarity within UK politics and society. He has decades of mess to clear up, and just three years to do it in before the electorate has another chance to voice its opinion.
So what can one expect from the new incumbent down from Manchester?
Firstly, will he call a General Election?
Highly unlikely. There is no obligation to do so; it hasn’t happened since the midterm change of Prime Minister 71 years ago, with Anthony Eden calling one upon his mid-term elevation in 1955. That, and Labour isn’t doing well in the polls right now, so if Burnham doesn’t have to call an election, he almost certainly won’t.
Seven Prime Ministers in 10 years is hardly the stuff of ‘stable government’, and even the Italian political commentators, famous for lampooning their own country’s short-term administrations and government instability, are satirising the UK’s current, ongoing mess.
Every incoming Prime Minister likes to believe they are the ones who bring
about a strong and stable government. Remember that line?
But look at what he is facing. Growth is feeble, public debt has reached 95% of GDP, public services are stuttering, and the armed forces are depleted and hollowed out to the point that they couldn’t defend against a Sesame Street brigade led by Liz Truss. The streets are grubby, and the electorate is in a sulphuric mood. The welfare bill now swallows the majority of the income tax raised, illegal immigration is causing riots on the streets, and trust in politicians is at an all-time low. And the UK has the highest borrowing costs of any member of the G7.
So is Burnham the Superman who can fix all of this? A man who failed twice
to get the job, and now the country is down to the dregs of the political barrel, yet he shows little sign of grasping the scale and urgency of the tasks that await him.
On June 29th, Burnham gave a speech in Manchester, his first since Starmer’s resignation, which Steven Swinford, writing in The Times, pointed out was “big on vision and rhetoric but short on detail.”
The only thing that was made clear from Burnham’s speech was that he wishes to devolve power to the UK’s regions to take some of it away from the ‘broken’ culture of Westminster. This is not a new idea. Rishi Sunak moved certain
Burnham
TEN YEARS
functions of nine government departments to Darlington while at No.10, a move considered a success on several levels in many circles.
This would entail a fresh set of civil servants working outside the capital and away from the tragic farce Westminster has become over the past few decades. It would be good to think this new intake wouldn’t be the slavering,
money for more defence by cutting welfare through ‘preventative’ schemes rather than ‘crude cuts’, whatever that means. He plans to invest in infrastructure by finding flexibility within the existing fiscal rules to eke out more borrowing. Rather than focus on making taxes efficient, he has needlessly told voters that he will not increase the biggest revenue-raisers – the same straitjacket that forced Starmer into painful fiscal contortions.
❛❛ Like with any leader - of country or party - a fair amount of their personal beliefs and politics have to be checked at the door. ❜❜
cynical hypocrites we have become tragically used to. We shall see.
Instead of considering a balance of simple tax rises and spending cuts, Burnham is already resorting to people-pleasing. He claims he can find the
His instincts do not appear to lean towards a convincing programme either. One reason is his chameleon-like nature. Britain’s next Prime Minister twists with the wind and panders to people in the room. His view of Europe depends on who is asking.
Nostalgia is a problem, too. At a time of extraordinary technological and geopolitical change, Burnham tells voters that
“Next, please!”
he will turn back the clock on ’40 years of neoliberalism.’ Instead of seizing the moment to prepare Britain for artificial intelligence or to make the most of the country’s world-class services, he proposes taking control of utilities and bringing industrial jobs back to the north. That will soak up government time and money and will fail, further discrediting the state and fuelling populism.
Like with any leader - of country or party - a fair amount of their personal beliefs and politics have to be checked at the door. What he believes and what he can deliver will not be aligned. He’s not a president, so he can’t change laws on a whim.
The Labour Party still has an enormous majority in the House of Commons, so one of his first points of business, once he has appointed a new Cabinet, is to try to unite a broad church of MPs, none of whom will agree with anyone about everything.
Political commentators on the left and right have remarked on Burnham’s ease of connection with the public in comparison with his predecessor. He’s sorely going to need that skill
A lot will come down to whether he is willing to take on his own MPs. Almost by definition, any programme of reform that is worth doing will require measures that the left does not like. After Starmer lost his authority, early in his term, the backbenchers gained a taste for rebellion. Will the biddable Mr Burnham be able to say no?
Whether Burnham’s wishes to push the nationalisation agenda further will be determined by several factors. For a start, the idea of the water companies coming back under public ownership would be extremely popular (82% of respondents to the latest YouGov poll prefer public ownership), but legislation is not currently going through Parliament, nor was it in the manifesto.
Additionally, it will be vital to first ascertain the water companies’ working business model. At present, there is a farcical situation where they all factor into
their business plan the puny fines they get for spreading untreated shit across land and sea.
So who should run them? In reality, that
❛❛ One of his first points of business is to try to unite a broad church of MPs, none of whom will agree with anyone about everything. ❜❜
is a secondary issue. The more important point is the level of accountability, whether that be private or public operators. If a person or group of people run a company well, they should rightly expect the rewards. If not, measures need to be taken.
However, the definition of ‘running a company well’ is not clear. ‘Well’ for whom? Shareholders? The customers?
The executives? Everyone? They don’t operate in a vacuum, and as public utilities, they need greater scrutiny, regardless of who is running them - state or private. For now, it will be ‘as you were’.
Whether other public utilities will be in Burnham’s crosshairs is unclear. His silence on those matters would leave one to believe that, if he does wish to pursue them, it won’t be during the lifetime of the current Parliament - he simply won’t have the mandate or the time.
Burnham has also stated that he would like to reinstate the Birmingham-to-Manchester HS2 link. It will take a huge feasibility study, especially after Rishi Sunak unilaterally cancelled that part of the project and sold much of the land along the intended route. There will be myriad hurdles to cross; political chicanery will need to start again from the outset, with many local and national interest groups to appease. This alone could be the straw that breaks his political back.
HS2 is a project with no party lines; it enjoys cross-party support AND cross-party opposition in Parliament. However, what Burnham does intend is that it will be funded in a similar manner to Crossrail and the Channel Tunnel - with private capital investment.
That said, we are probably years, if not decades, away from knowing if this can be successfully resurrected. The main takeaway from this is his stated desire to link the northern cities of the UK to London - the so-called ‘Northern Powerhouse’ - better than they currently are.
There are many factors which point towards Burnham’s reluctance to be specific at this time
on policy and how much - or little - it will shift. The most obvious factor is that there is no guarantee he will be Prime Minister, though it is probable. It is frustrating for political commentators, given the current lack of clarity in Burnham’s vision, but - somewhat fortuitously - we are approaching the summer recess, when the Westminster machine (or at least the Parliamentary, public-facing part of it) grinds down.
manifesto on which his party won the 2024 election, while actually adhering to that document, something his predecessor was criticised for failing to do.
❛❛ What is unlikely is a complete restart from what went before. Markets don’t like chaos... ❜❜
What is unlikely is a complete restart from what went before. Markets don’t like chaos, and Burnham himself won’t have a mandate to do anything fundamental. If he wants to bring his own policy agenda to the table, he will have to go to the country. Labour is currently enjoying a small ‘Burnham Bounce’, but these things rarely - if ever - last. Therefore, his safest, and probably only, course of action is to continue with the
He could be installed as Prime Minister as early as July 20th, as long as no new challenger makes themselves known before then; this will be highly unlikely. Even the previous would-be challenger, Wes Streeting, has thrown his support behind Burnham (someone wants their old job back, it would seem…)
Additionally, MPs on the government benches will be jostling and preening themselves to get a job, preferably in the Cabinet, or anything away from the backbenches. This will send the political press pack into overdrive. They do love tittle-tattle, and it’s this tedious gossip, possibly more than anything (alright, apart from MPs’ inability to
be straight, dodgy donations, seedy behaviour, personal irresponsibility, lust-filled sordid affairs, ambivalence
How we got here: While garnering respect on the international stage, domestically, Sir Keir Starmer didn’t connect with the people of the UK
Are the water companies in Andy Burnham’s crosshairs? metaphorically and literally
❛❛ Platinum, along with most of the country, sincerely hopes that Andy Burnham surprises us all and gets to grips with all the thorny issues. ❜❜
towards their constituents, and outright bare-faced dishonesty) that drives the public up the wall.
Talk, therefore, of left-turns or resets or policy change or devolution doesn’t really help anyone - supporter or opponent, commentator or activist - as no one knows exactly what’s happening next, and that probably includes Andy Burnham himself.
Platinum, along with most of the country, sincerely hopes that Andy Burnham surprises us all and gets to grips with all the thorny issues. He may possess powerful insights into why Britain has become so sclerotic and unhappy. He may choose ministers and advisers who can build a programme for change, while he becomes salesman-in-chief.
he has a lot of fecal matter to clear up –
His slogan is ‘hope’; perhaps that can make hard truths palatable.
Either way, he will have to be fast. British voters quickly tire of incumbents.
They will tire all the faster of a PM who took power in a putsch. But they set the timetable. Their man is in no position to ask for patience.
If he cannot rise to the task, he will be exposed quickly, and the verdict will be brutal. He has made a career out of blaming Britain’s troubles on the elites of Westminster. Soon, those troubles will be his responsibility alone.
Andy Burnham – in line to be the 59th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Futurehub puts business leaders under the spotlight
By Richard Green, MDHUB
Business leaders need a lot of qualities. The ability to think on your feet comes to mind, as does operating in high-pressure, high-scrutiny situations. Then there's compromise and delegation with other leaders. Most of these situations don't arise when you're pitching boozy cheese ice cream to your friends' bosses.
I was one of three people playing the role of 'dragon' at this year's finale, alongside MDHUB's members Alan Margetts - MDHUB's Leader of the Year - and Pete Burden. Our Futurehub cohort were finishing their course with a
and bloody mary sorbet, each served in a 'naughty' or 'nice' version, with the former coming with additional alcohol or extra toppings. The flavours, against all rational explanation, were enjoyable.
❛❛ Futurehub targets future senior leaders - people identified by their MDs as likely to step into more senior roles within the next 12 months. ❜❜
Futurehub has been running since 2013, developed as an amalgamation of MDHUB's leadership development work that stretches back over 20 years. The programme targets future senior leaders - people identified by their MDs as likely to step into more senior roles within the next 12 months.
challenge to use all of their newfound skills: they had a single day to develop a brand, a product range, an operational plan and financial projections.
They landed on the slightly leftfield concept of a luxury ice cream company built around flavours like blue cheese
The pitch itself was slicker than you'd expect, given the team only had a single day to pull it together. Helena Tehrani of Heritage Parts Centre and Ian Jones of My Food Ideas led proceedings with real confidence; however, what was especially impressive was the camaraderie among individuals who had not met at the start of the course, with very different skill sets drawn from a range of businesses, from landscaping to events to engineering.
Helena reflects: "I have been on many courses that rely heavily on theory and
business spotlight
slide decks, but this one is completely different. The course teaches by 'doing', engaging you in practical activities, meaningful teamwork exercises and discussing 'real time' leadership challenges."
The programme's director, Phil Green, says this is intentional: "The cohort gain in confidence, business understanding and are exposed to other businesses in a way that they simply do not get in their own company."
Futurehub covers the building blocks of business: financial literacy, legal responsibilities, team leadership theory. But it's watching the leaders develop their soft skills which is one of Phil's real delights.
"The core people skills are still - or even more - vital," he says. "The big changes over the years have been technology, automation and AI to smooth the operational side. The human side remains unchanged."
The results from previous cohorts make a quiet but powerful case for Futurehub. Two delegates from the first programme and one from the second were promoted to the board and have since bought out the founders of their businesses. Three from the second cohort hold senior director positions. Two others from the first programme went on to run their own businesses after helping their original employers sell up. "I have no doubt this current cohort will be doing the same thing soon."
was perfectly normal: everyone else in the room felt it too.
Ian Jones of My Food Ideas knows the feeling. "When you run your own business, you usually do so because you are especially good at a particular skill that customers want. The skill of successfully running that business, however, is an entirely different matter. Futurehub has given me a level of confidence in running my company that I had never
❛❛ Futurehub covers the building blocks of business: financial literacy, legal responsibilities, team leadership theory. ❜❜
felt before. Phil has been instrumental in my personal growth throughout the programme, giving me the confidence to navigate running a company in 2026 with real clarity and purpose."
One of the cohort's MDs was there to see the final pitch, and commented that his nominee had grown in stature and confidence tenfold as a result of Futurehub. One of Phil's more memorable anecdotes from last year's programme involves an MD who pulled him aside at the Spring Equinox event to tell him off. A formerly shy delegate now "won't shut up" in senior meetings. "He did say that his contribution was very good though," Phil adds, with a smile.
Mark Wood-Davis of TKS Group, a current participant, notes something more specific: the relief of discovering that the uncertainty he'd felt about his role
MDHUB, as a collective, is built on the idea that leaders are at their best when they’re surrounded by others facing the same challenges. The peer groups that sit at the heart of the main membership - where CEOs and directors meet regularly with others who understand exactly what it's like to carry that weight - are built on years of trust and candour. Futurehub offers this to those earlier in the journey.
Steve King of Cheesmur Building Contractors describes MDHUB as "the best kept secret in Sussex." After an afternoon watching a group of future directors hold their nerve against three unusually stern dragons to make a blue cheese ice cream seem like a reasonable business proposition - it's a secret that deserves wider acclaim.
Futurehub is open to future senior leaders. For more information, visit mdhub.co.uk
By Tondra Thom, Principal Director of Planning DMH Stallard
PLANNING VIABILITY: When planning obligations stall delivery – and how to respond
Affordable housing obligations are the single largest policy cost in most development appraisals and, increasingly, they are the reason otherwise viable schemes stall. Planning viability is the financial test of whether a development can meet its costs whilst providing appropriate returns for the landowner and developer. More often, it is affordable housing delivery that tips the balance.
Across the South East region, a significant proportion of consented schemes are sitting stalled, not because developers lack appetite, but because the numbers no longer work and Registered Providers are increasingly declining affordable units on many schemes, citing grant constraints or insufficient scale. Schemes that were viable at consent stage now show a substantial negative residual land value, and the planning system has no effective mechanism for dealing with viability that collapses after planning permission is granted.
THE COST-VALUE GAP: WHY THE NUMBERS NO LONGER WORK
The central problem is the widening gap between development costs and sales values. Construction costs have risen by approximately 40 per cent since many current planning permissions were granted, whilst house prices have risen by only 13 to 16 per cent. With base rates moving from near zero
to 3.75 per cent, finance costs are rising steeply whilst values barely move. On larger brownfield sites, deficits can approach several million pounds.
Compounding this are regulatory costs that have been introduced or increased since consent was secured. These include the Building Safety Levy, net zero requirements, enhanced accessibility standards and biodiversity net gain. CIL rates have also risen by around 50 per cent through indexation alone.
What follows is a practical framework in two parts: first, for developers with an existing consent where viability has collapsed; and second, for those bringing schemes forward who want to avoid being in that position.
IF YOU ARE ALREADY CONSENTED: ROUTES, EVIDENCE AND PITFALLS
The largest controllable cost element in most stalled schemes is the planning obligation package, where the most meaningful savings can be found. For
❛❛ Across the South East region, a significant proportion of consented schemes are sitting stalled ❜❜
developers with a stalled consent, there are limited but important routes for varying section 106 obligations. A deed of variation is typically the preferred starting point; a section 106A application becomes available after five years; and where a planning condition controls affordable housing, a section 73 application may offer a further route.
Each has different timescales and evidential thresholds, and choosing the wrong one can cost months. A point
often missed: affordable housing can be partly controlled by a planning condition, even where it appears only in a tenure column on a plan within an approved schedule. Recent case law confirms that, in those circumstances, a section 73 application can be used to vary the requirement. It is a route that is frequently overlooked.
Negotiations rarely succeed first time, and developers who fare best tend to have identified a fallback route before discussions begin.
Framing matters: the argument that carries weight with local planning authorities is one about housing delivery, ‘without this modification, no homes will be delivered’, rather than assertions about unacceptable margins.
Pragmatic concessions also help, for example, review mechanisms, alternative tenures such as Discount Market Sales, or commuted sums where on-site delivery is impractical.
A recurring pattern in unsuccessful applications is evidence framed from the developer’s perspective rather than what the site can objectively support.
Following an appeal decision at Chilmington Green (January 2026), discharging obligations on viability grounds alone is extremely difficult. The stronger argument is modification: the obligation still serves a purpose, but a revised version would achieve the same objective in deliverable form.
BRINGING SCHEMES FORWARD: HOW TO AVOID BEING IN THIS POSITION
For developers yet to secure consent, the pattern emerging from successful schemes is consistent: viability is treated as a strategic discipline from the outset, not a last resort. Professional teams, viability consultants and spe-
❛❛ The direction is clear: viability is to be resolved at the plan preparation stage ❜❜
cialist planning lawyers are instructed at scheme design stage rather than after problems emerge, cost evidence is site-specific rather than drawn from generic indices, and early engagement with Registered Providers is documented throughout.
Commuted sums deserve particular scrutiny. Formulaic approaches routinely produce disproportionate figures and, in our experience, a residual land value methodology that compares policy-compliant and open-market schemes can halve the sum demanded.
LOOKING AHEAD: THE NARROWING WINDOW
These practical disciplines matter all the more because the policy landscape is shifting. The 2025 draft NPPF introduces policy DM5, deliberately narrowing the circumstances under which viability can be reopened on individual applications. Assessments must benchmark against plan evidence using standardised assumptions. The direction is clear: viability is to be resolved at the plan preparation stage. If affordable housing targets and CIL rates are set too high, then developers will be locked in with far less room to negotiate.
The implication is profound: participating in local plan examinations, challenging viability evidence, CIL rates, and cumulative policy burdens is now the primary route to securing deliverable requirements.
Whether navigating a stalled consent or bringing a new scheme forward, the message is the same: the window for correcting viability on individual applications is narrowing. Those best placed to weather these changes will be developers who have invested early in robust evidence, engaged at the plan-making stage, and treated viability not as a hurdle to clear but as a framework to navigate with proper professional support.
Hosted in 2026 by comedian, Jo Caulfield
EVENTS
South of England Show attracts bumper crowds
The South of England Show returned to the South of England Showground in Ardingly, West Sussex, from June 5th-7th, attracting tens of thousands of visitors for a three-day celebration of agriculture, equestrian sport, rural life and countryside entertainment.
Now in its 58th year, and despite the weekend’s mixed weather conditions, the much-loved event once again brought together farmers, producers, competitors, exhibitors, families and countryside enthusiasts from across the region.
With more than 200 things to see and do, visitors enjoyed a packed programme of displays, demonstrations and hands-on activities.
Highlights included this year’s headline act, the Squibb Freestyle Stunt Team, who thrilled crowds with their
high-energy motocross stunts, alongside traditional favourites including the livestock competitions, top-level showjumping, rural crafts, falconry, gundog displays, fishing demonstrations and vintage agricultural machinery.
The livestock section proved as popular as ever, with cattle, sheep, pigs and goats on display, as well as the traditional Livestock Parade in the main ring on Sunday. Visitors also had the chance to watch a mock cattle auction and learn more about beef cuts through expert talks.
Equestrian sport remained a major draw across all three days, with showjumping, the inter-hunt relay, scurry driving, qualifying classes for
the London International Horse Show, the Hackney Horse competition and the ever-popular Shetland Pony Grand National.
Away from the arenas, the show offered plenty for families to enjoy. The Discover the Countryside area featured the opportunity to milk Clover, the model cow, as well as demonstrations of wool spinning and weaving, stick-making, and blacksmithing. Children also enjoyed the interactive activity trail, free cookery workshops and the fun and games of the Sheep Show.
Visitors could also step back into the 15th century with medieval reenactments from The Hartley Company,
❛❛ Highlights included this year’s headline act, the Squibb Freestyle Stunt Team, who thrilled crowds with their high-energy motocross stunts ❜❜
while food and drink lovers headed to the Food Hall to sample regional produce, wines, beers and gins. Shoppers explored hundreds of trade stands offering everything from artisan crafts to countryside-inspired goods, accompanied by live music from Casablanca Steps at the show’s Bandstand.
Horticultural displays, plant nurseries, the garden design competition and the Bees & Honey Marquee added further colour to the event, with live bee
demonstrations celebrating local production.
A new addition to the 2026 event was the Living Land Theatre, a two-day programme which brought together farmers, advisors, educators and rural professionals. This gave visitors the opportunity to hear from and network with land-based professionals, speak directly with educators, and take part in discussions and workshops addressing current challenges facing agriculture, including the Sustainable Farming Incentive, skills for the next generation, promoting careers in farming, and diversification.
full of energy, enthusiasm and support across all three days.
“While the show is a much-loved day out, it also plays an important role in helping the Society deliver its wider remit. As a registered charity, we are committed to supporting agricultural education, countryside learning and the future of land-based industries across
England Show such a success, including our exhibitors, competitors, stewards, volunteers, sponsors, visitors and wider show team.”
❛❛ We are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make the 58th South of England Show such a success ❜❜
The Living Land Theatre also featured the South of England Agricultural Society Technical Forum, ‘Smarter Decisions, Stronger Margins’, which examined what it takes to run a high-performing farm business.
Corrie Ince, Show Director for the South of England Agricultural Society, said: “It was fantastic to welcome so many people to this year’s South of England Show and to see the Showground so
the South East, from school visits and hands-on learning initiatives to grants, bursaries, awards and training opportunities.
“Events like the South of England Show give us a valuable opportunity to bring that work to life. They help people of all ages connect with farming, food production, rural skills and the people who are so vital to our countryside communities.
“We are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make the 58th South of
The Society’s next event, the Autumn Show & Horse Trials, takes place at the South of England Showground on Saturday and Sunday September 26th and 27th 2026. The two-day event will feature the 50th anniversary South of England International Horse Trials with elite equestrian competition across dressage, showjumping and cross-country, alongside countryside activities, dog displays and have-a-go attractions, harvest celebrations, farm animals, traditional rural skills, food, drink and shopping.
For more information or to book tickets, visit www.seas.org.uk
By Paul Bates, Managing Director, Cleankill Pest Control
Cleankill solves long-running rat problem after pensioners ripped off
A recent rat investigation by Cleankill Pest Control highlighted the importance of choosing your contractor carefully and identifying the root cause of an infestation, rather than simply treating the symptoms.
Cleankill Surveyor Mark Hobbs was called to a private property where the
homeowner reported hearing rats in an extension void. Rats had also been spotted outside the property, prompting Mark to investigate the drainage system.
The original manhole had been covered during the construction of the extension, but a newer inspection chamber
outside showed evidence of rat activity. A rodding cap was installed, and the issue appeared to have been resolved.
However, a few months later the homeowner contacted Cleankill again after rats were seen in the garden. Although the rodding cap remained in place and there were no obvious signs of activity in the inspection chamber, the customer mentioned that an elderly couple living three doors away had also been experiencing rat problems.
Mark visited the couple, both in their 80s, and quickly discovered the extent of their issue. The couple explained they had been receiving treatment from a large national pest control company for around two months and had already spent more than £2,500, including unnecessary “fumigation work” for flies caused by rats dying under the floor.
❛❛ A recent rat investigation by Cleankill Pest Control highlighted the importance of choosing your contractor carefully ❜❜
PEST CONTROL
❛❛ We focus on solving the problem, not creating ongoing work ❜❜
“As soon as I entered the property, I could smell the dead rats,” said Mark. “I immediately found a rat’s nest behind a kickboard in the kitchen. This had not been removed by the other company and had clearly been there for some time.”
Further investigation revealed that there were rat droppings in the manhole at the rear of the property, which was also evidence of ongoing rat activity within the drainage system.
Mark also discovered open bait trays beneath kitchen kickboards that the rats had taken, resulting in the rats dying and their bodies smelling under the floor. Then the major company had had to spray under the floor (the fumigation) to reduce the flies from the dead rats.
So, the company had created a problem that the customer was then charged a lot of money to treat.
“We focus on solving the problem, not creating ongoing work,” said Mark. “We would always try to prevent rats from
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paul Bates is Managing Director of Cleankill Pest Control, one of the UK’s leading independent commercial pest management specialists. With more than 30 years’ experience in the industry, Paul works closely with facilities managers, local authorities and businesses across
dying in inaccessible areas by using traps where appropriate and securing them properly. The key is to identify how the rats are getting in and stop that access point - for example, the drains.
“The customer bought his own rat valve, which we fi tted free of charge as we were so disgusted with the service they had received from the major company. The valve allows wastewater to flow freely through the drain while preventing rats from entering the property via the drainage system,” Mark added.
The case serves as a reminder that
effective pest control requires thorough investigation, practical proofing measures and a commitment to resolving the root cause of an infestation rather than simply treating its symptoms.
Mark concluded: “There are companies that are looking to make as much money as possible from older people and those that wish to offer a good service. Guess which one gets ongoing work from customers and recommendations?”
In another case, the same company quoted £25,000 for an unnecessary bed bug treatment at a hostel run by a charity. Cleankill charged £1,800 for the work that was actually required.
multiple sectors to deliver compliant, effective and sustainable pest control solutions. Under his leadership, Cleankill has built a reputation for technical expertise, high service standards and long-term customer partnerships.
DISCOVERING MONGOLIA
By Barry Hoffner
The eagle weighed far more than I expected. I remember thinking: What a life this must be — wandering across Mongolia’s endless landscapes with a golden eagle riding beside you.
Perched on horseback high in Mongolia’s far west, I steadied my gloved arm as the golden eagle shifted its immense body weight against me, its talons gripping tightly through the leather. Then it spread its wings — nearly seven feet across — and for a moment the entire windswept valley seemed to stop moving.
Mountains near the borders of Russia and China. In front of us stretched an endless green steppe dotted with white yurts and grazing animals. The eagle hunter beside me wore a heavy fox-fur hat and weathered coat, his face carved
❛❛ The further west we travelled, the more Mongolia felt untouched by modernity ❜❜
by years of mountain winters. It felt less like posing for a photograph and more like stepping briefly into another century.
Behind us rose the snow-dusted Altai
I had come to Mongolia during the final year of my journey to every country in the world, a journey born partly from grief after the loss of my wife several
years earlier. By then, I had already visited places that challenged my comfort zone - Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq - but they turned out to be incredible life experiences on this journey to every country in the world. But Mongolia represented something entirely different. Not conflict or tragedy, but remoteness, vastness, and an older way of life that somehow still endured.
Everyone I knew who had travelled there spoke about Mongolia with near-reverence. “You’ll love it,” they all insisted. Yet I wasn’t entirely convinced. The long distances, unpredictable weather, sparse infrastructure, and famously meat-heavy cuisine didn’t exactly sound like comfort.
Some places can resonate precisely because they remain difficult to define from afar. But from the moment I ar-
MONGOLIA
rived in Ulaanbaatar, I sensed Mongolia operated on its own wavelength.
On my first morning, I wandered through Sükhbaatar Square, the heart of the capital, where crowds had gathered for weekend competitions. Near a massive statue of Genghis Khan, spectators surrounded two pull-up bars.
An older man strained violently as a teenage girl beside him hung effortlessly, seemingly suspended in air. Nearby, boxing matches unfolded outdoors while cheering crowds as I watched a young woman batter her male opponent with startling ferocity. I said to myself, “This is a different place.” Within hours, I realised Mongolia carried a rugged self-confidence unlike anywhere else I had been.
But city life wasn’t why I came to this country. Soon, I boarded a flight west to
the city of Khovd before continuing by battered Soviet-era UAZ vans toward Mongolia’s remote frontier lands. In my vehicle were Karen, the mother of one of my son’s high school friends; her daughter Maddy; and Liz, an endlessly talkative traveller from England. Our guide, Bek, a towering ethnic Kazakh-Mongolian, became our bridge into this immense landscape.
As we drove through a tiny settlement surrounded by mountains, Bek casually pointed out the window.
“This is where I went to boarding school,” he said. Beyond it, civilisation simply seemed to disappear into endless valleys and mountains.
For the next several days, we traversed valleys so enormous they distorted any normal sense of scale. Rivers shimmered through meadows exploding with wildflowers. Horses galloped freely across open plains. White yurts appeared in the distance like scattered seashells against the green earth. Sometimes we would drive hours without passing another vehicle. The further west we travelled, the more Mongolia felt untouched by modernity.
Bek explained how many Kazakh-Mongolian families still migrate seasonally with their animals, setting
up yurts in mountain valleys during summer months much as their ancestors had done for centuries. Sheep, yaks, goats, horses, and camels — Mongolia’s ‘big five’ livestock — remained central to life here.
I found myself imagining what these same valleys must have looked like 800 years earlier when Mongol armies thundered westward across the steppe. Like most people raised on Western history, I had long viewed the Mongols primarily as brutal conquerors. Yet Bek offered a more complicated perspective.
“They connected east and west,” he explained one evening over vodka. “Trade, ideas, religion — they allowed all of it.” It struck me that history often depends on who tells the story.
No historical figure remains more deeply woven into national identity than
Genghis Khan does in Mongolia. His image appears everywhere — in statues, on currency, in vodka bottles, in airport terminals. Yet Mongolians speak of him not simply with pride, but almost with familiarity, as though his legacy still breathes through the culture itself.
One night, after a few extra drinks, I asked Bek what characteristics modern Mongolians had inherited from the era of Genghis Khan. He answered immediately. “Free. Independent. Self-sufficient.” Then he smiled. “And stubborn.” The answer felt perfectly suited to the landscape around us.
On another day, we arrived near the base of Khüiten Peak, Mongolia’s tallest mountain. There, we encountered several eagle hunters, practitioners of an ancient tradition known as berkutchi, in which trained golden eagles hunt foxes and other small animals during the winter months. Though the practice has become increasingly symbolic in modern Mongolia, seeing it firsthand felt deeply authentic rather than staged for tourists. I had to know what that felt like.
❛❛ What struck me most was the seriousness with which Mongolians preserved these traditions. In many countries, cultural heritage can begin to feel curated or performative, maintained primarily for visitors. Here, it remained deeply alive. ❜❜
As I sat atop the horse with the eagle balanced on my arm, I became acutely aware of how travel occasionally produces moments that bypass analysis altogether. You stop comparing, categorising, photographing. You simply feel present. And Mongolia seemed full of such moments.
Near the end of our journey, we attended the famous Naadam Festival outside Khovd, Mongolia’s celebration of wrestling, horse racing, and archery — the “Three Manly Sports” dating back to the Mongol Empire. The atmosphere
felt less like a performance and more like a living continuation of history.
Wrestlers wearing open-chested jackets grappled fiercely on the grass while spectators roared with approval. Female archers in brilliantly coloured robes fired arrows with astonishing precision. Nearby, men played ankle-bone shooting games using sheep bones polished smooth from years of use.
What struck me most was the seriousness with which Mongolians preserved these traditions. In many countries, cultural heritage can begin to feel curated or performative, maintained primarily for visitors. Here, it remained deeply alive.
That evening, our group visited a shaman living outside Khovd. Shamanism in Mongolia predates Buddhism and reaches back thousands of years, blending spirituality, healing, ancestor worship, and reverence for nature. I’ll admit I arrived sceptical. The shaman, a middle-aged woman dressed in blue robes adorned with feathers and beads, invited us into a semicircle outside her yurt as dusk settled over the valley.
After entering a trance-like state through chanting and rhythmic movement, she began speaking individually with members of our group through a translator.
When my turn came, I asked a vague question about my future. She paused before responding. “You have something important very close to you,” the translator relayed. “A new activity. Keep going with it.” At the time, I dismissed the statement as broad enough to apply to anyone.
But the following morning, our translator clarified something she had forgotten to mention the night before: the shaman had specifically referred to my
❛❛ By the time I left, what stayed with me wasn’t simply Mongolia’s beauty — though its landscapes are among the most extraordinary I have ever seen ❜❜
writing project — the book I was working on about my travels. I had never mentioned anything about Belonging to the World to her.
Normally, I would search for rational explanations. Yet sitting there overlooking the vast Mongolian steppe, I found myself less concerned with proving or disproving anything. Mongolia had already taught me that not every meaningful experience fi ts neatly inside modern certainty.
By the time I left, what stayed with me wasn’t simply Mongolia’s beauty — though its landscapes are among the most extraordinary I have ever seen. It was the feeling that the country still possessed an unbroken relationship with its past.
In Mongolia, history is not observed in the confines of a modern museum. It rides horseback across valleys. It hunts with eagles. It wrestles in open fields. It survives in yurts beneath endless skies. And perhaps that is why Mongolia lingers so powerfully in the imagination.
Barry is the author of Belonging to the World and was recently named the 2026 “Most Purposeful Traveler” by NomadMania. He has visited every country in the world (except North Korea, which he will visit soon), including all the highest-risk “Level 4: Do Not Travel” regions. His fi rsthand experiences challenge one-dimensional narratives, revealing the complexity, resilience, and humanity that exist alongside very real danger.
By Maarten Hoffmann, Motoring Editor
Just a decade ago, only one EV – the Tesla Model S – could even break the 200-mile barrier. Now, some of the latest electric cars can allegedly do more than 500 miles before stopping to charge – further than many people will even want to drive in one day.
What’s more, the EV segment is no longer just limited to a select few brands; almost every manufacturer out there sells one, and most do so across multiple body styles, from city cars to executive saloons and large SUVs. And with the efficiency and technology of
Mercedes EQS 450+
EVs only getting better, we’ve now seen the first 500-mile production cars enter the fray – and future EVs will be able to go even further.
For example, the upcoming BMW i3 saloon will officially be able to do up to 562 miles – theoretically enough to get you from Land’s End in Cornwall to Edinburgh without stopping. And the new Mercedes C-Class, which is due to go
BMW iX3 50 xDrive
The longest range
on sale this summer, will initially be offered in C400 4Matic form with a maximum range of 472 miles. When a rearwheel-drive version follows, the range will grow to around 500 miles.
But which other cars come close? In this guide, we’ve ranked the 10 electric cars sold in the UK with the longest official range.
range electric cars
❛❛ The upcoming BMW i3 saloon will officially be able to do up to 562 miles – theoretically enough to get you from Land’s End in Cornwall to Edinburgh without stopping. ❜❜
Audi
A6 E-tron Performance
Published range: 471 miles
List price: £62,590
Tesla Model 3 Long Range RWD
Published range: 466 miles
List price: £44,990
Volkswagen ID7
Published range: 433 miles
List price: £40,490
Mercedes EQE
Published range: 428 miles
List price: £69,365
WOMEN
Alex Bailey
What lifts you?
Laura Hearn
Tell your story before someone else does
Natalie Montagnani
Stop trying to be perfect
Sophia Lorimer
Make your wardrobe your friend
Camille Pierson
No need to be so busy
GIRL
CONTENTS
14 BIG STORY
ALICE MORRISON –‘INDIANA JONES FOR GIRLS’
In the beginning, my journeys feel, at best, ludicrous; at worst, insane.”
– Kira Salak, American writer, adventurer, and journalist
News
4 Upfront: The top international news stories involving women in business
10 In the Right Direction:
Good news stories from around the world
Regulars
6 The Alex Bailey Column
What lifts you?
8 The Laura Hearn Column
Tell your story before someone else does
12 The Natalie Montagnani Column
Why women need to stop trying to be perfect
36 The Camille Pierson Column
‘The busy badge’ and what to actually do instead
42 The Sophia Lorimer Column
Make your wardrobe your friend, not a battleground
Features
18 Spotlight
Focusing on two women who are not getting the recognition they deserve
PLATINUM MEDIA GROUP
20 NEW SERIESHistorical Spotlight
Focusing on two women whose past achievements have been overlooked, forgotten or erased from the history books
22 Cat Paterson
Looking into the reasons why women have such a role to play in AI
24 Patty Azzarello
Why no one cares how hard you work
28 David Freeman
Self defence isn’t about fighting, it’s about confidence
30 Mothers, babies and the system that failed them
Tess de Klerk looks at the recentlypublished damning reports into failed maternity services at Nottingham University Trust hospital
38 Georgina Vass
Questions you should be asking your partner
Further Reading
34 Alex Bailey
The most overlooked culture?
Energy
Wellbeing
26 London Women’s Clinic
Your fertility journey: finding the balance between life and work
40 The wanderer within
A deep dive into the human body’s vagus nerve
Events
33 Her Future Self
Spaces are open for a groundbreaking seminar aimed at giving women more control over their lives
Art
44 The works of Shazia Shazia’s memory in light and shadow
Travel
46 Top tips for solo walking
Holly Robertson suggests ways to get the most out of a walking holiday
Wine & Dine
48 The Woodcote Restaurant, West Sussex
A review of the cottage restaurant in an idyllic setting
Girl Torque
50 Honda ZR-V
MDHUB Managing Director, Fiona Shafer, test drives the latest offering from Honda, something she refers to as a ‘car of two halves’
What’s On
52 A brief snapshot of what’s on in the South East
EDITOR’S NOTE
One of the privileges of editing Dynamic is seeing the unexpected connections between stories that, on the surface, have little in common. As we were putting together this month’s issue, I found myself reflecting on just how rarely fulfilling careers follow the path we imagine they will.
This month’s Big Story star, Alice Morrison, is perhaps the perfect example. After a successful career in journalism and broadcasting, she swapped boardrooms and newsrooms for deserts, mountains and some of the world’s most demanding expeditions. Her story is extraordinary and a reminder that reinvention is always an option, albeit not always the easy option.
Elsewhere in this issue, Patty Azzarello questions the long-held belief that working harder is the key to getting ahead, while Natalie Montagnani challenges the pressure so many women place on themselves to excel at everything. Alex Bailey writes on the importance of rediscovering what energises us, Laura Hearn explores why owning our own story has never mattered more, and our new Historical Spotlight series celebrates women whose contributions deserve far greater recognition.
There is, of course, much more to discover in our diverse magazine, from AI and tech to wellbeing, self defence and an education on the Honda ZR-V.
HEAD OF DESIGN / SUB EDITOR: Alan Wares alan@platinummediagroup.co.uk
CITY GIRL PARTNERS WITH STARLING BANK
Brighton-based City Girl Network has announced a new partnership with Starling Bank, which will become the headline partner of its Business Connections programme. As part of the partnership, the City Girl Network and Starling will deliver a year-round programme of activity, including events, practical digital resources and expert-led content designed to address the unique challenges and needs facing SMEs. This content will cover key topics including business budgeting, VAT, productivity, AI and marketing. Over 100 local business owners are expected to celebrate the launch on July 8th at PLATF9RM. This event features local business owners Carolynn Bain and Alice DewarMills, as well as the CMO of Starling, Michele Rousseau and the Head of SME Expenses, Vicki Bracey.
DRINKING IN SIGHT OF THE PITCH
Women’s Super League and WSL2 clubs can permit supporters to drink alcohol in view of the pitch from next season, after a change to the leagues’ regulations on the back of a successful trial over the past 18 months.
Not all clubs will necessarily take up the opportunity. Clubs will be expected to inform their fans whether they will allow the practice and in which areas of the stadium it will be permitted.
Drinking alcohol in view of the pitch is banned across English men’s football’s top five leagues, in accordance with the Sporting Events Act of 1985. The WSL was not tied to that legislation but opted to follow suit.
CULTURE SECRETARY INTERVENES ON MERGER
Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, may intervene in Paramount Skydance’s takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, which could hold up the $110 billion deal and present one of the first big tests for relations between Andy Burnham and President Trump.
She has written to Paramount Skydance — led by David Ellison, whose father Larry is one of the world’s richest men — and Warner Bros Discovery to inform them she is “minded” to intervene in the transaction on public interest grounds. These include the need for “sufficient”
plurality of views in the news in the UK, as well as media ownership. Grounds for intervention do not currently cover streaming, but Nandy said on-demand services were relevant.
UPFRONT
THE LATEST BULLETINS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMME FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS AXED
The UK government has cancelled a major higher education programme aimed at keeping a million girls in school across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The project, called SHEFE, was scrapped just two years into its rollout due to deep cuts to the UK foreign aid budget.
Sector leaders and cross-party MPs have condemned the decision. They call it a betrayal of global education goals that will ultimately harm the world’s most vulnerable women. However, the Foreign Office defended the decision by explaining that the funds were diverted to prioritise an increase in national defence spending.
FEMALE CEOs PROMINENT IN KING’S HONOURS LIST
Women at the top of British business have been recognised in force in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2026, with a cluster of female financial services chiefs among the most prominent recipients.
Jane Fraser, the first female Chief Executive in Citigroup’s history, and Helen Gordon, Chief Executive of property firm Grainger, both receive DBEs. Diana Brightmore-Armour, who was the first female CEO of private bank C. Hoare & Co since its founding in 1672, received a CBE for services to women and diversity in financial services. Charlotte Tilbury, founder and Chief Creative Officer of cosmetics giant Charlotte Tilbury Beauty, also received a CBE. Cabinet Office figures released alongside the list show 49% of recipients at CBE level and above are women.
Dame Jane Fraser
AUSTRALIA WIN WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP
The Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup has been taking place in England during the second half of June, though it has been somewhat overshadowed by the men’s FIFA World Cup.
12 nations took part, with Australia Women running out as winners for the sixth time in 10 tournaments. Hosts England were
runners-up, for the fourth time, in a final which took place on the hallowed Lord’s Ground in London on July 5th.
In the end, Australia were the comfortable winners by a margin of seven wickets, having passed the below-par 150 total set by England in their innings, with 22 balls to spare.
❛ ❛
Expect the unexpected, and whenever possible, be the unexpected.”
- Lynda Berry, Cartoonist and Writer
CITY LOOKS TO BUILD ON WOMEN’S RUGBY LEGACY
Staying with sport, the city of Brighton & Hove is aiming to build on the legacy of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, after hosting games during the 2025 competition. The local council has held rugby-themed activities, with hundreds of local women and girls now playing the sport each week, stating it wants to build on the legacy created and increase female participation in the sport.
FEMALE ACADEMY BOSSES PAID LESS THAN MALE COUNTERPARTS
Almost 100 academy trust bosses are paid eye-watering salaries exceeding £200,000, prompting calls from governors for an NHS-style executive pay framework.
Schools Week’s annual investigation into chief executive pay –which analysed almost 1,100 trusts – also found that 90% of those above the £200,000 threshold were given rises and that six trust chiefs were paid more than £300,000 in 2025.
Only a quarter of the top earners were women.
Sam Henson (left), the Deputy Chief Executive of the National Governance Association, said the findings reflected a “stubbornly entrenched” gender pay gap at the top and a “widening disparity” between the earnings of CEOs and their workforces.
❛
I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear.”
- Rosa Parks
The city hosted two sold-out World Cup games, including the would-be champions England versus Australia, with crowds also watching on screens erected around the city centre. The authority said more than 2,600 women and girls aged 16 or over engaged in rugby activities throughout the legacy project, with support from more than 20 clubs.
SENIOR WOMAN ENGINEER LEADS AWARDS LIST
A senior engineer helping to drive the decarbonisation of Britain’s rail network has been recognised among the UK’s leading female engineers.
Sarah Foster (right), Technical Engineering Lead at Turntide Technologies in Gateshead, has been named in the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) Top 100 Women in Engineering Awards 2026.
The annual awards celebrate women making an outstanding contribution to engineering across the UK. This year’s theme, Engineering Intelligence, recognises individuals demonstrating exceptional innovation, leadership and problem-solving in tackling complex engineering challenges.
Sarah was recognised for her work developing advanced battery technology that is helping transform the future of sustainable rail transport.
By Alex Bailey
IThe
Alex Bailey Column
COMPANY OF THE YEAR 2022
We are delighted to have and CEO of Bailey & French, She founded leadership team delivering work across large blue chips as well
WHAT LIFTS
’ve just come back from a few days in Nashville. It was a mix of work and time with my daughter, who was there recording music (Beau Bailey – Spotify/ITunes/ Apple Music), but like so many trips that take you out of your usual rhythm, it stayed with me in a way I hadn’t quite expected.
There’s something about that place. Music feels woven into everything. Creativity is visible and alive, not something hidden away or saved for the ‘right moment.’ People seem to express something of themselves more openly, without overthinking it.
You feel it in the streets, in small venues, in passing conversations. There’s a sense of identity that is present, and on show, not something held back. And it took me out of my usual work mindset in a way I hadn’t realised I needed.
I felt re-energised. More awake. More alive. It was as if I was noticing colour, depth and tone in everything around me again — without quite realising that this had dulled slightly in the background of my working life.
It made me think about what actually lifts us, not just outside of work, but within it. That shift made me pause.
Because it brought into focus something I often see in organisations but don’t always stop to reflect on. How much of that aliveness, that awareness, that sense of being fully present, gets left behind when we come back to work.
Not deliberately. Not in a conscious, declared way. But gradually, over time.
Somewhere along the line, many people learn to bring a more contained version of themselves to work. We become more measured, more careful, more focused on output than expression. We adapt to what is needed, what is expected, and what gets results.
In many ways, that serves us. It allows organisations to function, goals to be met, performance to be maintained, but there is often a cost.
When I sit with leadership teams, I see capable, experienced people who are delivering, but who also describe something harder to articulate. Energy that feels inconsistent. Weeks that feel full but not always meaningful. A sense that something important has thinned, even if it hasn’t disappeared entirely.
“There’s
something about Nashville. Music feels woven into everything. Creativity is visible and alive”
have Alex Bailey contributing to Dynamic. She is an organisational psychologist, author, French, and a global expert in humanising leadership, culture, and the world of work. leadership and culture consultancy Bailey & French which has grown organically to a global across 155 countries, in all markets and industries and trusted by the board/execs of as those at the most senior levels of central government.
LIFTS YOU?
And I don’t think this is about individuals losing something. I think it is about the environments we are asking people to operate in.
Work has become faster and more fragmented. Time together is reduced. Days are filled with backto-back calls, constant input, and an ongoing sense that there is more to get through. In that kind of context, it becomes harder for the parts of us that feel most energising — creativity, curiosity, reflection, genuine connection — to find space.
In Nashville, those elements weren’t separate from the work. They were the work. Creativity, identity and expression weren’t something extra; they were central to how people showed up. That contrast stayed with me.
It asks whether there is space to think, rather than simply react. Whether conversations allow for challenge and exploration, not just updates and decisions. Whether people can express ideas without over-filtering, and connect to something beyond immediate tasks.
In other words, it asks us to pay attention to the lived experience of culture, not just how we describe it.
We cannot recreate Nashville in an office, and that isn’t the point. But we can notice what comes alive in us in environments like that, and question why it feels so separate from our working lives.
“We cannot recreate Nashville in an office. But we can notice what comes alive in us in environments like that, and question why it feels so separate from our working lives.”
Because as work accelerates and technology advances, those human elements are not optional. They are where energy comes from. They are where creativity sits. They are what sustain people over time.
Because in many organisations, we have unintentionally designed work in a way that squeezes those elements out. We talk about performance, productivity and engagement, but we spend far less time considering whether people feel connected to themselves in the work they are doing.
There is a question to ask ourselves: when do I feel most like myself in my work — and what actually lifts me in it?
And it isn’t something that will be solved through another initiative or a new set of values. It asks something more fundamental of how we shape the everyday experience of work.
And perhaps one of the most important questions for leaders now is not just how we improve performance, but how we create environments where people feel lifted by their work — not just depleted by it — and don’t feel they have to leave the most vital parts of themselves outside when they come to work
Laura Hearn is a former BBC journalist, now storytelling consultant and founder of Flip It - a podcast and platform helping people and businesses use storytelling as a tool for clarity, connection and change. This month, for Dynamic, Laura looks at the need - and the obligation - for your story-telling to be trusted
“The strongest reputations are almost never built through polished marketing campaigns. They are founded on consistent evidence that words and actions are in alignment”
Tell your story someone else
By Laura Hearn
One of the first things I learned as a journalist was that being first to break a story should never be prioritised over telling the truth. Accuracy before speed is non-negotiable.
In a newsroom where stories break by the minute, and competitors are chasing the same headlines, there is enormous pressure to move quickly. I was trained to check every inch – and check again. To double down on facts, call out untruths - because journalists know more than anyone that trust with your audience is paramount.
Over more than twenty years at the BBC, I spent countless hours checking facts, confirming sources and asking the same question in three different ways, to make sure I understood what was really going on. Journalism is never perfect - we are human, and humans make mistakes. But there was a process. I gathered the facts, did my due diligence on my sources and always explored every angle before a story reached an audience.
Today, that process feels increasingly rare and echoes the findings from the latest Reuters Institute Digital News Report - an annual snapshot of how people consume information and who they trust. The findings were pretty stark, although perhaps not surprising. Increasingly, we are receiving our information from social media, podcasts, creators,
story before else does
influencers and AI-powered tools. Traditional news organisations are fighting for our attention.
For the first time in human history, information is effectively unlimited. As someone who spent much of their career trying to establish what was true, I too admit that no matter how hard we try to present a balanced argument, there is no such thing as unbiased reporting.
But when every major event now arrives in countless interpretations and competing versions of reality, we can build an information environment that reinforces what we already believe. And when conflicting messages feed our appetite for endless consumption, certainty becomes more valuable. This is where the conversation becomes relevant for business.
Think about the recommendations you value most. They’re rarely from strangers, but from people whose judgment you’ve come to trust over time. A friend, colleague or mentor. Their reputation acts as a filter through which you assess new information. The same principle applies to organisations.
“I was trained to check every inch – and check again”
The companies that will thrive in the coming decade are unlikely to be those producing the most content. They’ll be the ones earning the most trust. The ones demonstrating competence, transparency and integrity consistently over time. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in our everyday lives, this will inevitably take precedence.
For years, reputation was often treated as a communications exercise. Something managed through branding, marketing campaigns or public relations activity. Today, reputation is one of the primary ways people decide who and what to trust.
When we don’t have the time or expertise to verify every claim we encounter, we look for signals instead. We ask ourselves whether a person or organisation has been consistent. Whether they do what they say they will do. Whether others speak well of them. Whether their actions match their words. Trust essentially becomes a shortcut for decision-making.
AI can write articles, generate videos and summarise complex reports in seconds. It can produce information at extraordinary speed. But there is a difference between information and trust. AI can generate content, but it cannot generate credibility. This belongs to humans.
Whether you’re a founder, a business owner or a leader, stories are being told about you every single day. Your employees are telling stories. Your customers are telling stories. Former colleagues are telling stories.
Reviews, LinkedIn posts, articles, podcasts, conversations and increasingly AI systems all contribute to the narrative surrounding your organisation.
Whether you like it or not, a story about you exists. It’s whether you’re helping shape it. The strongest reputations are almost never built through polished marketing campaigns. They are founded on consistent evidence that words and actions are in alignment.
When information becomes abundant, trust becomes scarce. And when trust becomes scarce, reputation becomes your biggest asset. The world is big, and with the backdrop of digital and AI platforms, anyone can tell a story about you or your business. I encourage you to ensure you’re telling your own story first.
You can listen to Laura’s podcast, Flip It, wherever you get your podcasts, and you can connect with her at www.flipitglobal.com
UK DRAWS A LINE ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR UNDER-16S
The UK government has announced a social media ban for children under 16, describing it as an effort to restore healthier childhood experiences. The move follows concerns about harmful content and the influence of algorithms on young minds. While supporters believe it offers children more time to develop before entering online environments, critics argue restrictions may be difficult to enforce and fail to address the responsibilities of technology companies themselves.
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
READING ENJOYMENT ON THE RISE
The UK’s National Literacy Trust’s Annual Literacy Survey, which gathered responses from 125,375 children and young people aged eight to 18, found a modest but encouraging increase in reading enjoyment. More than one in three respondents said they enjoyed reading in their spare time, marking the
first rise since 2021. Daily reading also increased, with teenagers showing the biggest gains. However, progress was less evident among children from disadvantaged backgrounds, underlining the need to ensure every young person has access to books and reading experiences that inspire them.
PROGRESS ON DISABILITY RIGHTS, BUT MORE TO DO
More than 90% of countries now have laws protecting the rights of people with disabilities, according to the United Nations. The milestone reflects two decades of international effort following a global agreement to uphold and promote disability rights. Despite the gains, the UN warns that progress remains too slow and that countries are falling behind on development goals relating to inclusion and accessibility. Leaders are calling for renewed efforts to build societies designed for everyone.
❛ ❛
There are many things you can do overnight, but there is no overnight success.”
Tory Burch, fashion designer, businesswoman and philanthropist
COLOMBIA TO END FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
Colombia is poised to ban female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice that still occurs within parts of the Indigenous Embera community. The legislation awaits presidential approval and could mark a significant step in protecting girls and women from severe physical and psychological harm. Enforcement may prove difficult because the practice often takes place in remote areas. The move reflects broader global progress, with the World Health Organisation reporting a sharp decline in FGM rates in countries where the practice persists.
GENE TEST COULD SPARE BREAST CANCER PATIENTS CHEMOTHERAPY
Cancer Patients Chemotherapy
A new gene test may allow millions of breast cancer patients to avoid unnecessary chemotherapy. The test, called Prosigna, assesses the activity of genes linked to cancer growth and estimates the likelihood of the disease returning. An international study
BLOOD TEST OFFERS HOPE FOR EARLIER LUNG CANCER DETECTION
Researchers have identified proteins in the blood that may predict a person’s risk of developing lung cancer years before symptoms appear. Scientists analysed blood samples from more than 48,000 people and identified 14 protein signatures associated with future diagnoses. Rather than coming from a tumour, the proteins appear to reflect early changes in the lungs associated with inflammation. Experts believe the findings could eventually help prevent lung cancer through earlier intervention and targeted monitoring.
found that many patients with low-risk scores achieved excellent outcomes using hormone therapy alone. Researchers say the approach could spare patients the physical and emotional burden of chemotherapy while ensuring treatments remain evidencebased and highly effective.
CLEANER AIR, HEALTHIER LONDON
London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) is being linked to notable health improvements. Research from Imperial College London found reductions in hospital admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, along with a decline in overall admissions in central London. Introduced to tackle air pollution, Ulez charges older, higher-emission vehicles to enter the capital. Researchers say the findings suggest that similar clean-air policies could deliver significant public health benefits in other cities.
EUROPE RECONNECTS ITS RIVERS
Europe removed a record number of dams and river barriers, reconnecting more than 2,300 miles of waterways. Sweden, Finland and Spain led the effort, while other countries
dismantled barriers for the first time. The work is already benefiting biodiversity, reopening migratory routes for fish and improving river habitats. Conservationists report signs of species recovery in several locations. Despite the progress, thousands of obsolete barriers remain, highlighting both the scale of the challenge and the growing momentum for river restoration.
We realise the importance of our voices only when they are silenced.”
and television producer, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
Natalie Montagnani is a Business & Leadership Coach for Women and Founder of Ignite. Drawing on 25 years she helps female founders and leaders strengthen self-leadership, commercial confidence and influence. Through workshops and curated leadership rooms, Natalie is on a mission to advance a new era of female leadership.
It’s time to let go Why women need to stop
By Natalie Montagnani
“What are you – stupid?” The whole class laughed, and I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. I was sitting in a maths lesson at secondary school, and instead of answering my question, my teacher humiliated me in front of the entire class. Needless to say, I never asked him another question again.
As a creative person, I never found numbers came naturally to me, while English was a different story. I loved writing, storytelling and communication, so not surprisingly I pursued a career in marketing.
For years afterwards, however, I carried a quiet belief that I should somehow be better with numbers. That I should find them easier. And I see the exact same thing happening with women in business every day. Not necessarily with maths, but with everything.
Women often carry an exhausting expectation that they should be good at absolutely everything and look fabulous at the same time. A brilliant employee or entrepreneur. The perfect wife or partner, mother, daughter and friend.
All while staying in shape, ageing backwards, keeping up with trends and drinking matcha. The reality? Nobody can do all of that. Yet we’re constantly being sold the fantasy that we should, and a lot of people are getting very rich off the back end.
Despite this impossible standard, so many of us try to keep up, while putting ourselves down.
Recently, a client shared that she had an employee who was excellent at spotting mistakes, identifying gaps and creating processes. Skills my client openly admitted weren’t her natural strengths. I asked her why she was struggling with
“Despite this impossible standard, so many of us try to keep up, while putting ourselves down.”
trying to be perfect
this, and she said. “Well, because I’m the CEO,” she replied. “Surely I should be good at everything?” I had to stop myself from laughing, because in front of me sat an accomplished, successful and driven woman.
Somewhere along the way, so many of us have picked up the belief that leadership means perfection, and we need to put that one out with the bins. Being in charge doesn’t mean having all the answers, and asking for help is not weakness.
If somebody in your team knows more than you do about something, amazing! Congratulate yourself for hiring someone to fulfil that need in the business. Because the best leaders I’ve ever worked with aren’t the people who can do
years of commercial experience, Through her coaching, leadership.
everything; they’re the people who know what they do exceptionally well and have the confidence to let others shine in areas where they don’t.
When I started my fi rst business over 20 years ago, hiring an accountant was non-negotiable. Could I have learned everything myself? Yes, probably. Did I want to spend my time buried in spreadsheets, tax regulations and fi nancial reporting? Absolutely not.
I wanted to focus on strategy, marketing, clients and growth – my areas of strength. So I sought support from the very start. That’s not weakness; it’s leadership.
Perfectionism often disguises itself as high standards, but they’re not the same thing. High standards say, “I want to do this well.” Perfectionism says, “I must do everything well.” One drives growth, the other drives exhaustion. So do yourself a favour and get off that hamster wheel before you burn yourself out.
People don’t trust leaders because they’re perfect; they trust leaders because they’re authentic. Because they’re self-aware.
Because they know their strengths and aren’t threatened by the strengths of others.
Several prominent female founders have built hugely successful businesses by focusing on their strengths and trusting others to fi ll the gaps. Whitney Wolfe Herd didn’t build Bumble by becoming an expert in every aspect of the business. She focused on what she does best, which is brand, marketing and customer experience and relied on technical experts to handle the rest. She’s frequently spoken about the importance of knowing your limitations and hiring people who are smarter than you in your areas of weakness.
“Several
prominent female founders have built hugely successful businesses by focusing on their strengths and trusting others to fi ll the gaps.”
And that’s the lesson for all of us. Success isn’t about becoming good at everything; it’s about becoming brave enough to stop trying. Because the moment we let go of perfectionism is often the moment we create space for excellence. Lean into your strengths and let go of the rest. That’s where the magic happens…
Natalie Montagnani Founder of IGNITE Women in Business
07900 153503
ignitewomeninbusiness.com
Connect with Natalie on LinkedIn or drop her an email to natalie@ignitewomeninbusiness.com
Alice Morrison “INDIANA JONES FOR THE BIG STORY
Morrison FOR GIRLS”
Alice Morrison is an adventurer, a TV presenter and writer. She has accomplished a world-first, becoming the first recorded person to walk north to south across Saudi Arabia – every step.
Here, in her own words, is her remarkable story
“Itravel to the furthest places on earth and walk through its toughest habitats. I have been described as ‘Indiana Jones for girls’ (which I liked!) We live in a time when the world is in crisis in so many ways. I want to bear witness to what is happening to the planet as our climate and our society change, and I want to tell the stories that bring us humans together rather than the ones that drive us apart. Together, we can strive towards solutions and a happier world. What better place to start than with the places and people that are furthest away?
I was born in 1963 in the Edinburgh Infirmary. After moving to London after university, I pursued a career in journalism, which had begun in Dubai at “What’s On in Dubai”. My first job was with Technical Review Middle East (there is nothing I don’t know about concrete decay). From there to Middle East Broadcasting, the original Arabic Satellite News Station, with my first assignment being to produce coverage in the USA.
News Channel, where I went on to become co-Editor of the daytime hours, meaning I was in charge of all BBC News Channel output between 10 am and 8 pm.
I was one of only three female news editors in the corporation at the time. My speciality was managing the complexities of live, breaking stories in the news gallery. One of my abiding memories is causing higher ups to almost have cardiac arrests when I threw live to the George Michael arrest press conference in the USA when the details of his cottaging were revealed – apparently that was not what the British news-watching public wanted to watch at teatime with the kids.
“One of my abiding memories is causing higher ups to almost have cardiac arrests when I threw live to the George Michael arrest press conference”
My next step was to BBC News with jobs on BBC World TV and then BBC Arabic TV. I rose through the ranks at BBC News and was recruited to help launch the BBC
In 2002, I plunged into public service when I was appointed as CEO of Vision+Media, a quango dedicated to growing the creative industries in the Northwest and remained there for nine years. I am proud that I managed – with my Board and my Team – to build the company from a modest start of £830k in annual funding to £10 million, move it into brand-new premises in Salford’s MediaCity, work closely with the BBC Move North team, and deliver 10x value to funders.
However, following government cuts in 2011, we were no longer viable, so I merged the company into Creative UK and cast off my pinstripes for lycra.
I left the rat race for a bike race, and the adventure started here.
I decided to turn the negative experience of my company closing into a positive liberation and to follow my dream of cycling across Africa. I entered the Tour d’Afrique and raced my bike from Cairo to Cape Town: 12,500km through 10 countries in 100 days, with 20 days’ rest. I survived close encounters with charging wild elephants and very nasty toilets.
Atlas Mountains to train. I successfully completed the race and consider it one of the major achievements of my life. It was so difficult for me that I felt overwhelming relief at the finish line, rather than my default of overwhelming joy.
The following year, I became the first Western woman to walk the Draa River in Morocco. 1500km across the desert and the mountains with my three Amazigh guides and five camels. It was real “Indiana Jones for Girls!” stuff. I was exploring rather than just taking on a big physical feat, and I had time to discover the environmental, social and cultural effects of climate and social change. This is one of the oldest settled areas on planet Earth, but now much of it is a barren wasteland.
After that expedition, I decided to keep walking and cross the whole of Morocco by doing two further legs: the Sahara and the Atlas. I walked around 1000 miles with my three Amazigh (Berber) companions and six camels from where we left off the Draa at Oued Chbika to Guerguerat on the Mauritanian Border. We started on November 26th 2019 and finished at the end of February 2020.
“In 2019, I became the first Western woman to walk the Draa River in Morocco.”
Then COVID struck, and I spent lockdown in my home in Imlil in the Atlas Mountains with my adopted Amazigh family, the cow, the chickens and Squeaky the Cat. Lockdown was really tough in Morocco, and I longed for freedom.
Bitten with the adventure bug, I entered the Marathon Des Sables, the toughest footrace on earth, six marathons across the Sahara in six days, carrying all my own food and equipment. To up the challenge, the middle marathon is a double at 80+ kilometres.
In 2015, I did my first ‘world first’ with the Atlas-to-Atlantic Trek. My expedition guide, Rachid Aitelmahjoub, and I became the first people ever to hike from the highest point in North Africa, Mount Toubkal (4167m), to the Atlantic Ocean (Agadir) straight across the Atlas Mountains.
We lived off the land as we went and relied on Amazigh (Berber) hospitality in villages so remote that they had never seen a European before.
BBC Two asked me to film a documentary in 2016 and 2017, “From Morocco to Timbuktu: An Arabian Adventure” It was a dream come true for me. My quest for the “farthest place on earth” was an epic journey along the ancient salt roads, over the snow-covered Atlas Mountains and across the Saharan sands. I mined for gold, risked death in a donkey cart and spent hours up to my thighs in pigeon poo. All in a day’s work.
In November 2018, I took on another big challenge – one that was a bit beyond me in many ways. I ran the Everest Trail Race ultra marathon – 150km around Everest in 6 days, and to make sure I was ready, I moved to Imlil in the
“I left the rat race for a bike race, and the adventure started here.”
At the end of August 2020, thanks to the unflinching efforts of my Expedition Organiser, Jean-Pierre Datcharry, Addi, Brahim, Ali, our six camels and I set off on the last part of our Moroccan trilogy, the Atlas Expedition and walked 1400km from Nador on the Mediterranean to Ouarzazate, where we had started in January 2019. It was an incredible experience to walk during COVID.
every step of the way. It took me 112 days over 2,195km with an amazing backup crew from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan and Ireland. I succeeded on December 15th 2024.
“Travelling: it leaves you speechless then turns you into a storyteller.”
– Ibn Battuta
I then wrote a book about the Draa Expedition, the Sahara Expedition and the Atlas Expedition – Walking with Nomads – runner-up for the Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year 2023.
September 2023 brought catastrophe when an earthquake devastated the Atlas Mountains. I was here and petrified, and then the next day I got on my bike and cycled round the valleys to report what I saw to the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera and as many outlets as wanted to hear the story. My aim was to tell the truths I was seeing and raise as much awareness and funding as possible to help communities here.
The next year, I filmed a new series for BBC News. Arabian Adventures: Secrets of the Nabataeans. In it, I try to learn more about this fascinating civilisation that has remained hidden for so long.
CROSSING SAUDI EXPEDITION
My biggest challenge yet was to mount an expedition to become the first recorded person to walk the length of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (founded in 1932) north to south,
I currently live in Imlil in the Atlas Mountains. My third book, Adventures in Morocco (first published as My 1001 Nights), is the story of my life here in Morocco so far, which is sometimes hard, sometimes hilarious and always interesting.
You can catch up with Alicce’s adventures on her YouTube channel, and on social media. She also does public talks of her stories and adventures.
Email alice@alicemorrison.co.uk
In our exclusive Spotlight feature, we highlight women who are doing good things in their community. They’re not always seen but we think they should be.
SP OTLIGH T
Joanna Haslam
Joanna is the Design Director at Snap Finger Click and Operations Lead at Limit Break, recently recognised at the Dynamic Awards for AI & Tech Excellence.
Throughout my career, I’ve always believed that technology should bring people together, not isolate them. As Design Director at Brighton & Hove -based video game developer Snap Finger Click, my goal is to turn the living room into a shared social space.
I didn’t initially plan to work in games. I actually started out wanting to be a journalist! But joining the industry in 2008 to work on the BAFTA-winning Buzz! quiz franchise changed everything. I fell in love with making games for people who wouldn’t necessarily call themselves ‘gamers’. Back then, women made up just 4% of game developers, though my studio at the time was pleased to have 17%. It could be isolating, but it taught me the unique power of being the underdog. It gives you the space to innovate, take risks, and ultimately surprise people.
in 2017. For years, we were a small indie studio championing this frictionless approach. Now, watching entertainment giants like Amazon and Netfl ix recognise the potential and enter this exact space feels incredibly validating. Using smartphones breaks down barriers, making gaming accessible to millions who previously felt excluded by the complexity of traditional consoles.
“I didn’t initially plan to work in games. I actually started out wanting to be a journalist!”
We founded Snap Finger Click to build multiplayer party games where your phone is your controller, letting you play together seamlessly. We released our fi rst smartphone-controlled game
But if you ask me what I am most proud of, it isn’t a game release—it’s the culture we’ve built. The games industry is notorious for burnout and a lack of diversity. As a woman in tech, I feel it’s important to push for change. Our studio has always operated on a flexible, remote-fi rst model. Working a rigid 9-to-5 isn’t an option for me as a mother, and inflexible hours have driven far too many talented women out of tech. Today, our studio proudly boasts a 54% female workforce.
You don’t need a toxic crunch culture to build world-class tech. I feel a deep responsibility to support the next generation, which is why I also volunteer on the committee for Limit Break, a mentorship programme for underrepresented developers. While the tech industry will keep reinventing itself, I want to ensure the people building that future are as diverse as the people experiencing it.
www.snapfi ngerclick.com
AI & Tech Excellence
Vanessa Lanham-Day
Vanessa Lanham-Day is a Co-Founder and Chair of Greenhub Project for Teens. Green Hub won Small Business of the Year at the Dynamic Awards.
After a lifetime in marketing and business mentoring, starting a charity had not been on Vanessa’s radar. But a combination of COVID, health issues and an absolute need for purpose changed all that.
Following a few years in corporate marketing, Vanessa started her consultancy, Communications Project, in 1988. It turned out to be the start of the 1990s recession, and business was tough. Following advice from a friend to stop looking elsewhere for the magic bullet, Vanessa dug deep and thought about her options.
A chance connection from a friend led to an insurance company asking her to edit and publish a quarterly newsletter for IFAs. In a lightbulb moment, Vanessa decided to specialise in regular comms and began a journey that would lead to her agency employing a dozen folk and working with household names like Colgate, Zeneca and BOC.
In the early 2000s, with the internet taking over where printed comms had led, Vanessa chose to work one-on-one with selected clients, transitioning naturally around 2015 into a business mentor role.
“My mentoring style was very much about helping my clients be super-effective with their time and understand what their barriers and blockages were. I became known as The ButtKicker for a good reason!”
Her work led her to running mastermind groups, alongside her engineer husband Steve. Together they offered a great practical double act, with strong technology skills to back up helping small businesses build powerful marketing machines.
friend – and Client – asked Vanessa if she was interested in becoming a charity trustee for a new idea; a teenage mental health charity that would get young people out in nature. Despite having chosen not to be a parent and having no obvious green-fi ngered skills to add to the mix, Vanessa was intrigued enough to have the conversation.
She realised that, whilst lacking the mental health, teenage and horticultural background that others had, she had all the skills needed to turn ‘Green Hub’ into a reality. She and her friend decided to share the Founder role, both bringing very different skills to the charity.
“It’s like everything that has gone before led me to this. It feels like the most important thing I have done in my life, and I hope it will be my legacy.”
In 2019, Vanessa was diagnosed with a heart condition. Shortly after, COVID struck and face-to-face mentoring and masterminding were no longer options for her, whilst also protecting her health.
With considerable sadness, Vanessa contemplated ‘retirement’. However, in the way serendipity often works, an old
Now, five years on, the charity boasts 80+ volunteers and six employees. It has supported around 300 local families with teens experiencing stress and anxiety. Vanessa’s reputation for ‘getting stuff done’ precedes her and has been an important part of the charity’s success.
As Vanessa puts it, “It’s like everything that has gone before led me to this. It feels like the most important thing I have done in my life, and I hope it will be my legacy.”
www.greenhub.org.uk/teens
Small Business
In our new Historical Spotlight feature, we highlight women whose achievements in the past did not get the
HISTORICAL
Erin Pizzey
British rights activist and novelist known for her advocacy on behalf of both men’s and women’s rights and for her work against domestic violence
November 1971, Chiswick, West London. Erin Pizzey is 32 years old. She is not a lawyer, politician or doctor. She is a someone who talked Hounslow Council into lending her a cold, rundown building on Belmont Road, which was once a community hall, for almost nothing. Her original plan was modest. Somewhere for mothers with young children to simply get out of the house.
Then the door opened, and a woman stood in the entrance. She was covered, head to foot, in bruises, holding two small children. She was shaking. She needed somewhere to hide. So Erin let her in. She didn’t turn her away. She didn’t tell her to call the police, as she had already done so. They told her the same thing they told every woman in the UK at the time: they could not enter a private home over a “domestic dispute.” That was the law back theņ.
When Erin contacted a female civil servant to report what she was seeing, the response was astonishing. The woman said flatly: “There wasn’t a problem of battered wives until you made one.”
Erin put down the phone. Then she went back to her residents and made sure they were fed. Within weeks, 40 mothers and children were sleeping in four tiny rooms. There was no funding, no staff and certainly no legal authority. But that didn’t stop her.
In 1973, Erin hosted the first National Women’s Aid Conference in the UK. Women from across Britain arrived, and they all recognised the same thing at once: what she had built needed to exist everywhere.
In 1974, the council set a maximum of 36 residents. Ignoring this and seeing a greater need than any council bureaucracy could offer, at peak times 150 women and children were living inside those walls — sleeping on floors, on chairs, in hallways. The building smelled of cooking, fear, and something else entirely: relief. She was taken to court for overcrowding. She appealed all the way to the House of Lords. The doors stayed open.
That same year, she wrote a book entitled, ‘Scream Quietly or the Neighbours Will Hear’. It was the first published account of domestic violence in British history. It used real stories from real women inside the shelter. Overnight, a problem that had had no official name was on front pages from London to New York.The movement spread. Refuges opened across the UK. Then Australia, Canada and the US.
MP Jack Ashley stood up in Parliament and said: “It was she who first identified the problem, who first recognised the seriousness of the situation and who first did something practical.”
She received a CBE in 2024 for services to victims of domestic abuse. The charity she founded — Chiswick Women’s Aid, which became Refuge — grew into the largest domestic violence charity in the United Kingdom, with over 460 employees and annual donations of more than £33 million.
The journey all began with one woman, one borrowed building, and an absolute refusal to say no. Forty women and children showed up with nowhere to go, so she made room.
Erin Pizzey CBE b. Qingdao, China, 1939
the recognition they deserved or who were completely overlooked at the time or have simply been forgotten
SPOTLIGHT
Caroline Haslett
A pioneering electrical engineer whose work on safety in the home led to worldrenowned household design, still used 80 years later
Initially starting her working career at Cochran Boiler Company in 1914 as a clerk, a dissatisfied Haslett, who had recently joined the suff ragette movement, soon asked to be transferred to the shop floor to learn the technical aspects of engineering. During World War I, her wish was granted. She undertook a basic apprenticeship and was trained in boiler manufacturing.
In 1919, she responded to an advertisement and left Cochran Boiler Company to become the fi rst secretary of the Women’s Engineering Society and the founding editor of The Woman Engineer magazine, which she worked on until 1932.
In 1920, she helped form an engineering fi rm for women, Atalanta Ltd; in 1924, she co-founded and became the inaugural director of the Electrical Association for Women (EAW), as well as the fi rst editor of the EAW’s journal, The Electrical Age. The EAW was a feminist and educational organisation focused on emancipating women from the drudgery of housework by introducing the use of electricity in working- and middle-class homes.
Caroline Haslett believed that all women should benefit from engineering, not just those who pursue it as a career. As such, she continued to serve as director of the EAW and editor of The Electrical Age. At the time of her retirement from the EAW in 1956, the association had 14,000 members across 160 branches.
During the Second World War, the Institute of Electrical Engineers commissioned a twenty-person committee to determine the requirements for electrical installations in
The UK 3-pin plug, first introduced in 1947, and considered a world-leader in design and safety
post-war Britain. Haslett was the only safety expert and the only woman on the panel.
One of the criteria Haslett and the committee focused on was ensuring safety. In their report, they stated that: “To ensure the safety of young children it is of considerable importance that the contacts of the socket-outlet should be protected by shutters or other like means, or by the inherent design of the outlet.”
They went on to advise that the revised design of plugs and sockets should be flush-fitting, switchless, offer bottom cable entry, have a contact design, be easy to withdraw, include a fuse, and be impossible to insert incorrectly. The committee also detailed terminal requirements and recommended ring circuit systems. Th is led to the publication of the BS 1363 standard in 1947, of which Haslett, as the committee’s safety expert, played a major part.
All of the elements remain in use across Britain today, and the UK three-pin plug is considered a genius of modern design around the world. This means that every individual in Britain continues to be protected by Dame Caroline Haslett’s legacy.
Haslett was awarded an OBE in 1931 for services to women and was made a DBE in 1947, in recognition of her work for the Board of Trade and the Ministry of Labour. She has her name given to a street in Crawley, West Sussex, a primary school in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, and the Women’s Engineering Society has named a lecture series in her honour.
Dame Caroline Haslett OBE b. Worth, Sussex, 1895, d. 1957
By Cat Paterson, Behavioural Intelligence Strategist
Why women have a role
Here’s something most people don’t know about AI: every time you use it, you’re training it. Every question you ask, every answer you refine, every conversation you have, all feed back into the systems that shape what AI understands about the world and how it responds. Which means right now, while women in business are still deciding whether AI is “for them,” the technology is being shaped almost entirely by the people who are already using it.
This isn’t a comfortable message. And there’s a legitimate counter-argument - women don’t have to adopt every technology on someone else’s timeline, there are real ethical
concerns about AI worth taking seriously, and “embrace AI” has become its own kind of pressure. Those objections are fair, but they don’t change the underlying dynamic and its consequences.
THE GAP
Deloitte UK research found that 28% of women use generative AI compared to 43% of men. A meta-analysis drawing on 18 studies covering 143,000 people worldwide found a 25% gap in adoption between men and women.
That usage gap is a missed career opportunity. But more than that, because AI systems learn from the data and
role to play in shaping AI
interactions they receive, the underrepresentation of women’s voices and perspectives produces technology with a significant blind spot. AI hiring tools have been found to disadvantage women, and AI trained on historically biased data doesn’t just reflect those biases, it amplifies them, because each new interaction validates and reinforces the last. This is a feedback loop that compounds over time.
THE BIAS
Ask an AI tool to write almost anything, and you’ll start to notice familiar habits - it urges you to explore, delve and unlock your potential. That repetition reflects the human feedback, preferences and patterns that shape how these systems learn to speak.
time, lose the muscle we stop using. The biggest AI risk for business leaders is outsourcing their judgment and not recognising it until decisions start to feel like they belong to the process rather than to them.
So what’s the answer? It’s not to avoid AI. In fact, used well, AI can amplify human thinking. So, use it to research, synthesise, and draft, but always apply your own judgement before anything goes out. Feed it your expertise, your sector knowledge, and your client insight. Remember, your years of experience are the ingredient that AI cannot generate on its own. And regularly ask yourself, “Am I thinking more clearly with this tool, or less?
“…because AI systems learn from the data and interactions they receive, underrepresentation of women’s voices and perspectives produces
technology with a significant blind spot.”
The point isn’t that one group or one country is “responsible” for how AI sounds. It’s that AI is built through countless human decisions, and those decisions leave a mark. Whoever is most represented in the process helps shape what the system treats as normal, useful and authoritative.
That matters in business. If only some voices feed the machine, the machine will tend to mirror those voices back. The result is not just a bias in content but also in tone, emphasis and perspective.
THE RISK
There is a risk in AI adoption that receives far less attention than bias or data privacy, and it may be the most consequential for business leaders. That risk is losing the habit of thinking for yourself and not noticing it until the habit is already gone.
Research published in 2025 found a significant negative correlation between frequent AI use and critical thinking scores, which researchers call “cognitive offloading,” in which we delegate mental effort to external tools and, over
THE FUTURE
The patterns being set now will determine what AI looks and sounds like for the next decade. I truly believe that women in business have something irreplaceable to offer by bringing different questions, different contexts and different definitions of what a good outcome looks like.
This isn’t about pressure to adopt a technology on someone else’s terms. It’s about ensuring that women’s expertise shapes how AI is used, and how the technology develops into the future.
Sources: Deloitte UK Digital Consumer Trends Survey (2024). Otis, Delecourt, Cranney & Koning, Harvard-Berkeley meta-analysis (2025). Global Evidence on Gender Gaps and Generative AI.
Cat Paterson is a Behavioural Intelligence Strategist, a former government intelligence analyst, and the creator of behavioural intelligence methodologies that help founders, business owners, and senior leaders identify the hidden patterns shaping decisions, performance, and change. Find out more at catpaterson.com
By Patty Azzarello
Career reality: No one cares how hard you work
One of the biggest reasons careers stall is that people are simply too busy to do the things it takes to get promoted. It’s an easy trap to fall into because being busy can make you feel important. “No one can live without me!”
So you end up working long hours to project the image of a highly committed, competitive top performer who comes in early and is the last to leave. You do everything that is asked of you without fail, including fixing problems you didn’t cause and picking up the slack for others.
Women tend to fall victim to this more than men because many of us have been raised to believe that our most valuable role in life is to serve. The more you take care of others, the more “valuable” a woman you are perceived to be.
But, ladies, know this: you don’t get promoted for cleaning the kitchen.
Think about how much time it takes to clean the kitchen—every day, over and over again. It’s work that needs to be done, but nothing ever moves forward because of it. The work simply resets after the next meal.
advancing the business, is “office housework.” This is cleaning the kitchen.
Yes, these things need to get done, but it’s important not to mistake them for the work that gets you promoted. The reward for picking up everyone else’s slack, getting everything done, and making it look nice isn’t a promotion— it’s more work.
In my book, ‘Why Is SHE Still Here?: My Ungraceful Journey from the Playground to the Boardroom’, I tell the story of my career and how I first learned this lesson. At one point, after working myself to death, I asked for a raise. My boss told me, “No. I could fire you and replace you for less.” In that moment, I realised I needed to learn how to equate myself with value, not with the amount of work I could do.
“...ladies, know this: you don’t get promoted for cleaning the kitchen.”
Now think about your work. What tasks do you find yourself doing over and over again? They need to get done, but they don’t move the business forward. Redoing templates, interviewing peers for input on the business plan, or serving as the keeper and distributor of team information are all examples. This type of work, along with other reactive, chaotic, low-value activities that demand your time without
The other problem with trying to distinguish yourself by simply working hard is that it wears you out. Just because you can muscle through a huge amount of work doesn’t mean you should. The most important lesson I learned—and the one that led to promotion after promotion—was to identify the one or two things that would have the greatest impact on the business and make sure those got done, no matter how busy I was, instead of trying to do everything and take care of everybody.
“Focus on adding business value and become known for that.”
Once I finished those priorities, I would choose the next two. I was always asking questions and learning which activities added the most value to the business, and I used that knowledge to prioritise my work. I also made a conscious effort not to wear myself out by taking on too much office housework.
By the way, it’s much easier to say no to office housework when people see you working on something that is critical to the business. When you become associated with projects that others recognise as important, you naturally deflect more low-value work.
Focus on adding business value and become known for that.
No one ever got promoted simply for being a hard worker.
Patty Azzarello became the youngest general manager at Hewlett-Packard at age 33, ran a billion-dollar software division at 35 and became a CEO at 38. From entry-level engineer to head of a company, Patty has navigated sexism, imposter syndrome, introversion and fear, as she learned that embracing her humanity would be her biggest asset as a leader.
Patty Azzarello is the author of Why is SHE Still Here? She is a CEO, Business Advisor, Keynote Speaker. Her latest book Why is SHE Still Here? talks about her own journey as human (and a female) and lessons learned about how to lead other humans, while building her corporate executive career.
Whether you’re just beginning to think about starting a family journey, it’s natural to wonder how to give yourself the very Nick Macklon, Medical Director of the London Women’s Clinic, Business Development Manager, offer their expert advice
YOUR FERTILITY
FINDING BALANCE IN LIFE
PREPARING YOUR BODY
1
Embrace a Mediterranean diet
One of the kindest things you can do for your body is to nourish it well. “There’s good evidence that a Mediterranean diet improves egg and sperm quality,” says Professor Macklon. Think colourful vegetables, fruit, fish, chicken, dairy and eggs — wholesome, enjoyable food that supports your whole body.
2 Don’t overspend on supplements
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the range of fertility supplements on the market but try not to worry. If you’re eating well, you’ll be getting most of what you need. Three are genuinely worth adding: folic acid, omega-3 and vitamin D.
3 Quit smoking — and vaping too
We know that giving up smoking isn’t easy, but it’s one of the best things you can do for your future family. Smoking affects both egg and sperm quality, and while vaping is less harmful, the nicotine still has an impact. Every step towards cutting down is a step in the right direction.
4 Aim for a healthy BMI
Our bodies are wonderfully complex, and weight can play a role in fertility in different ways. Being significantly over or underweight — a BMI below 19 — can sometimes affect ovulation. “Your body wants to feel like it’s ready to invest in somebody else so that it can carry a pregnancy by having all the right nutrients. If not, then your body is not going to be ready to conceive.” Professor Macklon explains. Small, sustainable changes to your lifestyle can make a real difference.
5 Reduce your alcohol intake
Try to be mindful of how much you’re drinking, but don’t feel you have to be perfect. The occasional glass of wine is absolutely fine — and if it helps you unwind and reduces your stress levels, that matters too. “It’s when you’re drinking more than eight or nine units a week that it might have a detrimental effect on your fertility,” says Professor Macklon.
WHEN YOU’RE ACTIVELY TRYING
6 Time it right — but not too precisely
Many people find ovulation kits a helpful and reassuring guide. They measure LH to predict when you’ll ovulate — but there’s a helpful insight worth knowing. “The most fertile day is actually two days before ovulation. When your test turns positive, you’ll ovulate in around 36 hours — and that’s when most pregnancies occur,” says Professor Macklon.
7 Keep intimacy enjoyable
Trying to conceive can sometimes feel like it takes over, and that’s completely understandable. But Professor “There’s good evidence that a Mediterranean diet improves egg and sperm quality,”
family or already on the very best chance. Professor Clinic, and Camilla Ferrari, advice
JOURNEY: LIFE AND WORK
Macklon offers some reassuring advice: “Don’t make it a chore — once on your fertile days is genuinely enough.” Protecting the warmth and connection in your relationship is just as important as anything else.
8 Know when to seek help
Please know that reaching out for support is always the right thing to do. If you’re under 37, the general guidance is to see a specialist after a year of trying; over 37, after six months. But as Professor Macklon says: “If you’re anxious, seek help any time.”
BALANCING FERTILITY AND WORK
HR team,” encourages Camilla. “You may be surprised and reassured by what’s available to you.”
12
Partners need support too
A fertility journey touches everyone involved, and partners deserve support too. “Th is is a shared experience,” says Camilla. “If your partner needs time to attend appointments or simply to be there for you, it’s absolutely worth raising that with their employer too. You shouldn’t have to face any of this alone.”
“For many women, one of the quieter challenges of a fertility journey is managing it alongside work”
For many women, one of the quieter challenges of a fertility journey is managing it alongside work. Research by Fertility Matters at Work found that 69.5% of employees take sick leave during treatment rather than feel able to tell their manager, and 36% have considered leaving their job due to a lack of support. But with the right conversations, things can be so much easier.
9 You don’t have to share everything
You are never obliged to share more than you feel comfortable with, and there is no pressure to explain your full situation. “How much you disclose is entirely your choice,” says Camilla Ferrari. “But even a broad conversation with your manager can open the door to the support you deserve.” If that feels like too big a step, a trusted colleague or HR contact can be a gentle starting point.
10 Ask about flexibility
Fertility appointments don’t always fit neatly into a lunch break, and that’s okay. “There is often far more flexibility available than people realise,” says Camilla. “Adjusted hours or working from home on certain days can take so much pressure off an already demanding time.”
11 Know your leave options
On days when treatment or its side effects make work simply impossible, please be kind to yourself. Standard sick leave applies, but annual leave, special leave or unpaid leave may also be available. “Do have a conversation with your
GET CHECKED: FERTILITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT
A Fertility Health Assessment at LWC includes an AMH (Anti Müllerian Hormone) blood test to check ovarian reserve, a pelvic ultrasound scan, and — for male partners — a semen analysis. Each assessment concludes with a one-to-one consultation with a fertility specialist to discuss your results and any next steps.
londonwomensclinic.com
ABOUT
LONDON WOMEN’S CLINIC
Established in 1985, London Women’s Clinic (LWC) has spent over four decades walking alongside people on their path to parenthood — and has helped more than 40,000 families along the way.
The only UK fertility clinic with a research licence, LWC’s 20 clinics across England and Wales, including their warm and welcoming Brighton clinic, offer every possible pathway to parenthood in a space designed to feel safe, inclusive and full of hope.
London Women’s Clinic 169 Preston Road Brighton, BN1 6AD
By David Freeman
Self-defence isn’t about IT’S ABOUT CONFIDENCE
Let’s start with some good news. Despite what social media and rolling news channels might sometimes have us believe, Britain remains one of the safest countries in the world. The chances of becoming the victim of a violent crime are still relatively low. Yet many women (and indeed men) can probably relate to that feeling of unease.
“In many cases, self-defence starts long before any physical contact occurs.”
Perhaps you’ve walked back to your car after dark with your keys in your hand. Maybe you’ve crossed the road to avoid someone approaching. Perhaps you’ve felt uncomfortable on public transport or walking home alone.
Those feelings should never be trivialised or treated as irrational. While most people will never become victims of violent crime, official figures show that violence against individuals has risen by 40% over the last decade, while sexual offences have increased by 75% and there has been a sharp rise in theft against the individual. It is therefore understandable that many people feel more aware of their personal vulnerability than ever before.
The reality is that most people will never need to physically defend themselves. Statistically, you have just a 1.2% chance of being involved in an unprovoked violent attack. Confidence, however, doesn’t come from hoping nothing bad will happen. Confidence comes from knowing that, if the worst should happen, you have options.
That’s what good self-defence training is really about.It’s not about becoming aggressive. It’s not about becoming a fighter, and it’s certainly not about spending years earning black belts or learning hundreds of martial arts techniques.
At its heart, self-defence is about awareness, confidence and having a simple set of skills that could help you create an opportunity to get away from danger. In many cases,
self-defence starts long before any physical contact occurs. Something as simple as being aware of your surroundings, recognising potentially risky situations, maintaining confident body language and trusting your instincts can significantly reduce the chances of becoming a target in the fi rst place. For instance, know how to get to where you are going before you start out; standing on a street corner, scouring maps or staring at your phone for directions screams ‘target’ to the wrong type of people.
How we carry ourselves also matters.
Walking with purpose, making eye contact and appearing aware of what’s happening around us sends a very
“I have thoroughly enjoyed David’s lessons! And I genuinely feel that I now have a decent chance of defending myself if needed. Plus, I’m fitter, stronger and more confident for it.”
– Jasmin
about fi ghting CONFIDENCE
different message from walking with our heads down, distracted by a phone or trying to make ourselves appear small or insignificant, which actually increases the chance of us becoming a victim of crime. Vulnerability reads as ‘victim’ to a certain section of society; people who are intending to take advantage, physically or otherwise, against another individual know exactly what to look for.
Confidence itself can be a powerful deterrent. Of course, there may be situations where awareness alone isn’t enough. There may come a moment when you need to act. The good news is that many effective self-defence skills can be learned surprisingly quickly.
Drawing on more than 40 years of experience in kickboxing, jujitsu and boxing, I have developed a practical 12week self-defence programme designed specifically to help ordinary people learn straightforward techniques they can apply in real-life situations.
The techniques focus on creating opportunities to escape rather than engaging in prolonged confrontation. Using an attacker’s momentum against them, manipulating aggressive efforts to control you, and targeting vulnerable areas of the body, whilst creating distance between you and an assailant are all taught in a controlled, managed environment in preparation for what could happen in everyday life.
Alongside the physical techniques, participants often discover something unexpected: increased confidence. Many people begin training to learn self-defence. They continue because they enjoy feeling stronger and more empowered.
That confidence often extends far beyond the training environment and into everyday life. The programme is suitable for women and men of all ages and fitness levels, including complete beginners with no previous martial arts experience. Training is available on a one-to-one basis or in small groups of up to six people, ensuring a supportive and personalised learning environment.
Ultimately, self-defence isn’t about expecting the worst. It’s about being prepared for it. It is better to have the tools and not need them than to not have the tools and need them.
Just as we wear seat belts without expecting to crash, or helmets without expecting to come off our bikes, learning self-defence is simply another way of taking responsibility for our personal safety and wellbeing. It doesn’t mean punching someone in the throat just because they have approached you with a genuine question.
If you’d like to feel stronger, more confident and better prepared, I offer both one-to-one coaching and small-group self-defence courses for up to six people, helping keep training accessible while ensuring every participant receives individual attention and support.
David Freeman is an experience personal trainer with a genuine passion for teaching self-defence. To discuss the course, ask any questions, or reserve your place, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Tel: 07977 688213 davidfptraining@gmail.com
MOTHERS, BABIES and the system that failed
By Tess de Klerk
Two reports were released in June, six days apart. Between them, they say something that many British women have been trying to make heard for a long time: when they told someone in a maternity ward that something was wrong, they were too often not believed. I’ve been mulling that over all week because it’s such a basic, human thing to ask forto be heard when you’re afraid for you and your baby.
The fi rst of these was the biggest maternity inquiry the NHS has ever seen, released on June 24th. Donna Ockenden, the senior midwife, led a review of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust which went back to 2012 and covered some 2,500 cases involving families.
changed things by what might have been better care. Some 162 of those deaths, 156 of them babies and six mothers, were deemed to have been potentially avoidable. In this, a fi rst-world country.
Then, on June 30th, we had the national reckoning. Baroness Valerie Amos put forward her Independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation. She drew on evidence from 10,500 public responses, over 9,000 members of staff and 450-odd families. If Ockenden’s work was a mirror to one trust, Amos held one up to the entire system and exposed a pattern.
“The Nottingham fi ndings are stomach-turning and infuriating. Ockenden talks of a ‘toxic culture’ being permitted to run rampant, ‘infected’ by a few people with power.”
The numbers are stark: more than 500 mothers and babies had been harmed or had died when better care might have
WHAT HAPPENED AT NOTTINGHAM
The Nottingham findings are stomach-turning and infuriating. Ockenden talks of a ‘toxic culture’ being permitted to run rampant, ‘infected’ by a few people with power. In that unit, bullying was just part of the way things were, and your job was at risk if you spoke up. Governance was more about shielding reputations than looking after patients. Staff told her team the incident review panel was intimidating and male-dominated, ‘quick to dismiss anyone who wasn’t a doctor’.
The report makes it plain that the trust had been aware of these issues for years. That’s the part that’s hardest to swallow. They were not problems in hiding; they have been in plain sight for a decade or more. And when it came time for the review, almost half the senior directors at the trust would not participate.
Nottinghamshire Police are now running a criminal investigation looking at possible corporate and gross negligence manslaughter. The trust has apologised ‘unreservedly’ and says it accepts the findings in full, but words are cheap, and families have heard apologies before. The trust itself acknowledged that it will ultimately be judged by what it does next, not what it says now.
Donna Ockenden
BABIES failed them
THE NATIONAL PICTURE
Nottingham was a terrible failure but not an isolated one, as Amos found it echoed all over the country. Her report describes a maternity system that’s fragmented, far too complicated, slow to learn and wildly inconsistent in how it responds when a woman raises the alarm. At the centre of it sits the thing women have been saying for years: they aren’t listened to, heard or believed. And Amos is clear that this isn’t just upsetting but a clinical problem that costs lives.
When something went wrong, families hit a wall. They described internal investigation teams ‘marking their own homework’, resulting in reviews that contradicted what had actually happened or played down the failings. Some families were told there was no need to investigate at all, because staff had already decided nothing had gone wrong. There’s a huge imbalance of power, the report says, between an institution and a grieving family, and that imbalance keeps the answers out of reach.
Amos was just as direct about racism. The evidence showed discrimination shaping the care women received and which symptoms were dismissed, with women from minority ethnic backgrounds let down most badly. Staff described facing racism too, sometimes from colleagues, sometimes from the families they were caring for. The report wants racism and inequality treated as a safety issue, named plainly in board papers and inspections, not brushed aside as a matter of manners.
THE ‘NORMAL BIRTH’ CONTROVERSY
The report didn’t mention the row. Dr Bill Kirkup, the 2015 investigator who shone a spotlight on the failings with maternity care in Morecambe Bay, had been an expert adviser for the Amos review. He resigned on June 22nd, just two days ahead of Ockenden’s Nottingham verdict.
“When something went wrong, families hit a wall. They described internal investigation teams ‘marking their own homework’, resulting in reviews that contradicted what had actually happened.”
What they could not agree on was the so-called ‘normal birth ideology’, the kind of hard line on vaginal delivery that insists on natural birth and delays intervention when the mother or the baby needs it. For some time now, Kirkup has made the case that you cannot let such a philosophy trump safety without costing lives, and Ockenden is of the same mind; she put the harm in Nottingham down to this quest for ‘normal birth’.
Then there were the conditions themselves. Midwives and doctors working long shifts without breaks, units shortstaffed, buildings poorly maintained and sometimes unsafe. None of that excuses what happened to families. But it does help explain how a system wears people down until the warning signs start to look like background noise.
And yet Amos came to a different conclusion, saying that her team found no evidence that the ideology is widespread at present. As a man who has been deconstructing these sorts of tragedies for years, he would not have his name attached to it.
Baroness Valerie Amos
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS PROMISED
The big response is the appointment of England’s fi rst Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner, an independent figure answerable to Parliament, tasked with redesigning the service and holding it to account. With it comes £41 million in extra safety funding, a national action plan due in December, new national standards for triage within a year, a perinatal equity and anti-discrimination programme and around 1,000 transitional posts to help newly qualified midwives enter NHS practice.
James Murray, who took over as Health Secretary in June, made his typical politician’s speech, saying, ‘For too long women, babies and families have been failed by a system that didn’t listen,’ calling the review ‘a turning point’. Let’s hope his words have weight. Baroness Amos made the case for getting on with it rather than forever declaring shock and debating. She made it clear that change should start now, instead of disappearing into years of another inquiry that tells us what we already know.
plan “fundamentally dangerous”, saying anyone in that role could not be “meaningfully independent” from the system they are supposed to be overseeing. What the families are after is a proper statutory public inquiry, something with the legal clout to force out evidence and hold people to account. The Birth Trauma Association has been equally clear in calling the review “a huge missed opportunity” and “disappointing for families”.
One might be tempted to dismiss their views as the reaction of people in pain, but they have been down this road before and know the way it plays out. It is old hat. Take Donna Ockenden’s 2022 review of Shrewsbury and Telford, for instance; she put forward 101 recommendations, having identified over 200 deaths of mothers or babies that better care might have prevented.
Or Dr Bill Kirkup’s work at Morecambe Bay, where an eleven-strong tally of babies and one mother were lost. Findings were made, recommendations were given and accepted with due solemnity. Yet the very same shortcomings would surface in some other place as though nothing had been learned.
“The women in these reports by the thousands needed to be heard while there was still time for it to make a difference.”
Ockenden herself noted that the Amos report held few surprises given the years of prior investigations. That is the rub. There is no shortage of evidence of what is amiss in maternity care in this country; you could fi ll shelves with it. The deficiency has always been the will and ability to use that evidence to provide safer care.
IT COMES DOWN TO THIS…
SOME FAMILIES AREN’T REASSURED
There are those who would question whether one appointment is really up to the task. The Maternity Safety Alliance, with its membership of bereaved families, had no such reservations and was more blunt: it branded the commissioner’s
There’s one inarguably effective change from Nottingham that’s being rapidly rolled out. Martha’s Rule is being extended to every maternity and neonatal unit, giving any parent the right to request a swift review by an independent team when they believe a mother or baby is deteriorating and no one is listening.
Strip away the new job titles and the funding figures and the well-crafted apologies, and you get to the heart of it: the right to be believed. To have parents’ fears regarded as information rather than an annoyance. The women in these reports by the thousands needed to be heard while there was still time for it to make a difference.
A commissioner and a public inquiry may be of use, but they won’t amount to much unless the underlying culture shifts. The next woman who voices a concern needs to be taken at her word the fi rst time around. Amos stopped short of saying so, but I’ll add it: that also must mean an end to the pressure on women to have a ‘normal birth’ when what they and their baby actually need is help.
We’ll know it’s working when women no longer have to fight to be heard. Until then, the least the rest of us can do is to refuse to look away.
Dr Bill Kirkup
Nottingham University Hospital
Image: Barry Goodwin
HER SELF FUTURE
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FURTHER READING… THE MOST OVERLOOKED OF CULTURE? ENERGY
Co-authored by organisational psychologist Alex Bailey and transformation leader Kerri O’Neill, Rapid Reculturing approach to intentionally redesigning culture at scale through shared purpose, mindsets, energy, and connection. change models, the book challenges leaders to shape the real-time evolution of workplace experience,
We tend to talk about culture in quite abstract terms: values, behaviours, purpose. But when you walk into a team, you don’t feel a value statement. You feel the energy.
You can sense it immediately. Is there momentum, curiosity, openness? Or is there hesitation, fatigue, and a sense of just going through the motions?
diagnosed through engagement scores or behaviours, when the more immediate signal is energy. When energy drops, everything else follows. Decision-making slows. Collaboration becomes harder. Even the most capable people start to feel less effective.
“That energy is not accidental. It is created and often depleted by how work is structured every day.”
That energy is not accidental. It is created and often depleted by how work is structured every day. What I see across organisations is that culture is often
MAKING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE GREAT: MOVING BEYOND POPULAR BELIEFS
By Jennifer Chatman and Glenn Carroll (Columbia University Press, 2026)
Drawing on decades of research and examples from companies including Apple, Disney, Google, and Netflix, the authors challenge simplistic assumptions about culture. They demonstrate how leaders can deliberately shape cultures that support strategic objectives while remaining adaptable, making a rigorous case for culture as a driver of organisational performance and competitive advantage.
And yet, energy is rarely treated as something leaders are responsible for shaping. Instead, we normalise depletion. Full diaries, back-to-back meetings, and constant context-switching are all accepted as the cost of performing at pace. Over time, this becomes cultural. Not because anyone intended it, but
LEADING BEYOND FEAR: THE FORMULA FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY, ADAPTABILITY, AND GROWTH
By Neil Pretty (John Wiley
& Sons, 2026)
Pretty argues that psychological safety is the foundation of high-performing cultures. The book shows leaders how trust, curiosity, and open communication create environments where innovation and adaptability flourish. It presents culture as a daily practice built through relationships and behaviours rather than a set of corporate values displayed on office walls.
THE GEEK WAY
By
Andrew McAfee (Little, Brown and Company, 2023)
Named among The Economist’s and the Financial Times’s business books of the year, The Geek Way explores the cultures that underpin highly innovative organisations. It argues that openness, experimentation, evidence-based decision-making, and psychological safety are cultural attributes that consistently outperform hierarchy and bureaucracy. The book makes a persuasive case that culture is central to innovation and organisational adaptability in fast-changing industries.
OVERLOOKED DRIVER
Reculturing offers a science-backed, urgent connection. Moving beyond traditional, slow fostering adaptability and performance.
because it is consistently reinforced.
The shift occurs when leaders begin to pay attention to energy as a core condition for performance. That doesn’t mean removing pressure or lowering expectations. It means being more intentional about how energy is created and sustained. Where do people have space to think? Where do they feel momentum? Where are they drained, and why? In my work, energy tends to show up through three signals: vitality, enthusiasm, and resilience. When those are present,
teams don’t just perform; they adapt, collaborate, and move forward with purpose. When they are missing, culture starts to feel like harder work than it should be.
“Culture isn’t just what people believe. It’s what we have the energy to do something about.”
THE RESILIENT CULTURE: HOW COLLECTIVE RESILIENCE LEADS TO BUSINESS SUCCESS
By Liane Stephan and colleagues (Kogan Page, 2024)
The authors contend that resilience is embedded in culture rather than individual personality. Using examples from business and sport, they show how trust, adaptability, and shared purpose enable organisations to navigate uncertainty. The book argues that resilient cultures are better equipped to innovate, collaborate, and sustain high performance during periods of disruption.
The organisations making the biggest shifts are not necessarily the ones investing in more programmes, but the ones noticing these patterns and adjusting the conditions around them.
Because culture isn’t just what people believe. It’s what we have the energy to do something about.
HBR’S 10 MUST READS ON BUILDING A GREAT CULTURE, UPDATED AND EXPANDED
By Harvard Business Review with contributions from Amy C. Edmondson and others (Harvard Business Review Press, 2026)
This updated collection brings together influential thinking on psychological safety, purpose, inclusion, and organisational transformation. Through essays by leading management thinkers, it examines why strong cultures outperform weak ones and provides practical guidance on creating environments where people feel valued, connected, and motivated to perform.
CARELESS PEOPLE: A CAUTIONARY TALE OF POWER, GREED, AND LOST IDEALISM
By Sarah Wynn-Williams (Flatiron Books, 2025)
Part memoir and part corporate critique, this book examines the internal culture of Facebook and the consequences of leadership decisions made within highly influential organisations. Wynn-Williams explores how culture shapes behaviour, ethics, accountability, and power dynamics, offering a compelling case study of why organisational values and leadership norms have consequences far beyond company walls.
The busy badge, and to actually do instead
Camille Pierson is a wellness entrepreneur, founder of Float Spa, and a qualified naturopathic health coach specialising in behaviour change and nervous system regulation. With over a decade of experience in the wellness industry and a background in marketing, Camille brings a unique blend of science, strategy and real-world insight to her work.
Following her own personal health challenges, she has developed a deep understanding of stress, resilience and sustainable wellbeing. Camille is passionate about helping individuals and organisations move from burnout to balance through practical, accessible tools that create lasting change.
By Camille Pierson
In the previous issue, I promised we’d come back to something. That thing people say, usually with a slight air of pride: “I actually work better under pressure.” I hear it constantly. In corporate rooms, from clients, at dinner parties. And I understand it, I really do. There is something seductive about the idea that stress is your secret weapon, that the tighter the deadline, the sharper you become. Busy has become a badge of honour, and stress its uniform. Wearing it signals importance, output, relevance.
But here’s what I need you to consider. That version of you, the one fi ring on all cylinders under pressure, sharp and fast and laser-focused? That is your stress response doing exactly what it was designed to do. A short, purposeful surge of cortisol and adrenaline to get you through a moment. It is clever, it is effective, and it is absolutely not designed to be your permanent operating setting.
When we live in that state continuously, we aren’t thriving. We are simply so adapted to the noise that we’ve forgotten what quiet feels like. That is not high performance. That is a nervous system that has stopped asking for help because it’s given up being heard.
So before we talk about what to do, I want to talk about something simpler. Acknowledgement.
Not analysis. Not a forty-five-minute journalling session. Not identifying as a stressed person or building a whole narrative around how overwhelmed you are. Just a quiet, honest moment of: this is here. Stress loses some of its grip the moment we stop pretending it isn’t present. We don’t need to hide behind it, perform it, or wear it as proof that we’re working hard enough. We just need to see it clearly.
And then we need a few tools that actually work in real life, during a real working day.
THE MICRO RESET
Th is is the foundation of everything I teach. A Micro Reset is not a mindfulness practice; it is not meditation, and it will not require you to close your eyes at your desk and invite your colleagues to judge you. It is a 5- to 10-second intentional pause, designed to interrupt the stress cycle before it compounds. A deliberate breath. A moment of stillness between one task and the next. Done consistently throughout the day, these small interruptions begin to regulate your nervous system in real
what
time, rather than leaving all the recovery work to a weekend that never quite delivers.
BREATHING
Specifically, making the exhale longer than the inhale. A four-count in, six to eight-count out. Th is single shift activates the parasympathetic nervous system, the body’s rest-and-digest response, and begins moving you out of fight-orfl ight. You can do this in a meeting, in a car, at traffic lights. It takes no equipment and no explanation to anyone nearby.
MOVEMENT SNACKS
“Physical movement metabolises stress hormones in the body, which is what they were designed for: physical action”
Not a gym session. A two-minute walk around the office. Ten shoulder rolls. Standing up and sitting down five times. Physical movement metabolises stress hormones in the body, which is what they were designed for: physical action. Even a tiny amount of movement signals to the nervous system that the threat has passed.
COLD WATER
Splashing cold water on your face or wrists activates the dive reflex, a physiological response that rapidly slows your heart rate. It sounds almost laughably simple. It works.
THE MORNING MOMENT
Before you reach for your phone, before the day pulls you under, try this. Th irty seconds. Feet on the floor, one deliberate breath, and one honest question: how am I actually feeling this morning? Not a wellness ritual, not a practice. Just a moment of contact with yourself before the noise begins. That small act of acknowledgement, done daily, begins to change your relationship with stress in ways that nothing else quite replicates.
None of these is revolutionary. That’s precisely the point. We don’t need dramatic interventions. We need small, consistent moments of honesty and regulation woven into the fabric of an ordinary day.
Stress isn’t going anywhere. But you get to decide whether you’re running it, or it’s running you.
Camille x
www.camillepierson.co.uk www.thefloatspa.co.uk
The strongest relationships are built on curiosity, communication and connection. Relationship and sex therapist Georgina Vass shares key questions couples should be asking to deepen understanding, strengthen intimacy and stay aligned as they grow together.
What do you dream of doing, and what’s preventing you from doing it?
People are dynamic, and over time, it’s possible that your partner’s dreams or hopes may have shifted. Asking this question gives you insight into what they want now, invites vulnerability and can transform their hope into actionable goals. Th rough this conversation, you can identify any challenges, manage future expectations, build accountability and promote a united front
What makes you feel loved, and what’s a recent example of when you felt fond of me?
We’ve all heard of the love languages, the idea popularised by Dr Gary Chapman that people have different ways of expressing and receiving love. Th is question invites your partner to consider what that looks like for them, which may or may not align neatly with Dr Chapman’s five core types. Talking about this can help prevent misunderstandings and ensure that both couples feel valued. Using recent examples is a helpful tool for combating vagueness and overgeneralisation in facts.
How could we improve our physical intimacy?
People are often not skilled at communicating their sexual desires. Generally, we are supposed to communicate what we don’t want sexually; however, sharing our sexual desires and what arouses us tends to be harder for people. Th is question allows for a strengths-based approach, reflecting on what is functioning for you two, as well as avoiding a narrow construct of penetrative sex being the only form of physical intimacy.
How would I know that you were fi nding something difficult, and how could I support you with it?
Similarly to love languages, people cope with challenging situations differently. Asking this allows access to your partner’s unique blueprint and may help prevent miscommunication. In some cases, it may even act as an opportunity for them to reflect and become aware of it themselves. Whether it’s advice, empathy, active listening or a hug, inviting this conversation can help you identify the right support for difficult moments and prevent mind-reading.
“People are dynamic, and over time, it’s possible that your partner’s dreams or hopes may have shifted.”
By Georgina Vass, Relationship & Sex Therapist
QUESTIONS BE ASKING
Therapist
QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASKING YOUR PARTNER
What values do you think it’s important for us to share?
Core values are the guiding beliefs that direct our actions, decisions, and priorities and lay the groundwork for how we live our lives. Th is can be a loaded question, and there are helpful free resources online that provide a framework for identifying them, but ultimately, having compatible values will likely persist while attraction, shared interests, or desire may ebb and flow.
What does ‘enough’ money mean to you?
Money is a common source of tension for couples because most people relate to money differently. Interpretations of money-spending behaviours and the meanings people hold about finances vary based on ideas about gender roles, cultural expectations, or personal history. Asking this question can promote mutual understanding and hopefully prevent confl ict.
How do you see our future together?
reassure you about where you stand. Equally, avoiding this topic or question provides useful information.
What advice did you receive about relationships that you hold on to?
Th is is a way to read your partner’s ‘rulebook’ and give you some insight into their subconscious. We often don’t reflect on, or may have difficulty pinpointing, why we form certain scripts or create rules around our relationships. Th is question may also invite playfulness or laughter and open a broader conversation about your partner’s family or loved ones, promoting relational depth and bonding.
“Money is a common source of tension for couples because most people relate to money differently”
What are three things we have in common?
Have you ever heard your partner describe you? In the beginning stages, this may occur more often when you’re meeting each other’s loved ones, but over time, it may occur less frequently or may only identify traits that they find challenging about you. Th is question not only invites them to reflect on how they see you, but also on how they view themselves.
Who is an example of a successful relationship?
Observation is often how we learn to love. Shifting from abstract concepts to identifying a couple can be illuminating.
With the combination of human fluidity and the endless lifestyle options available, asking your partner about their ideas for your future can be a useful way to gauge their commitment, manage expectations, and even Georgina is a relationship and sex therapist with over 15 years of academic and professional experience in sex education and mental health services. She offers a sex-positive approach to individuals and couples.
georginavass.com
THE WANDERER
The vagus nerve has become something of a wellness celebrity. But before you buy the gadget or follow the influencer, here’s what science actually says. By Tess de Klerk
It has been called the body’s superhighway, the physical manifestation of the soul, the master switch for anxiety and the key to unlocking your best self. The vagus nerve - once generally ignored - now has its own merch and more YouTube tutorials than I could ever have imagined any nerve could ever withstand. What is the deal with the vagus nerve?
We’ll start with the name. Vagus is Latin for ‘wandering’, and it is a type of biological pathway. It is the tenth cranial nerve. Or rather, a pair of nerves starting from the medulla oblongata at the base of the brainstem, then travelling down through the neck, chest and abdomen in a long, branching path that touches the heart, lungs, oesophagus, stomach, liver, kidneys and intestines. No other cranial nerve comes close to this range. It is the primary nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system, easier to remember as ‘rest and digest’, the opposite of the adrenaline-fuelled ‘fight or fl ight’ response
What makes the vagus nerve so interesting is the direction of its traffic. Roughly 80% of its fibres are afferentmeaning they carry information upward, from your organs to your brain, not the other way around. Your gut, your heart and your lungs are constantly reporting back to the brain via the vagus nerve.
Th is is why the gut-brain axis is real science, not wellness fluff. It is also the explanation for why emotions can produce physical sensations such as a stomachache from stress, the feeling of blood running cold when hearing bad news, and a tightening of the chest when anxious.
“Clearly, the vagus nerve packs a punch and research in this area is serious and ongoing.”
In medical settings, vagus nerve stimulation has been used for decades. Surgically implanted devices that deliver electrical pulses to the nerve have been approved for drug-resistant epilepsy and treatment-resistant depression. It is also being investigated, and already used in some settings, for stroke rehabilitation and infl ammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Clearly, the vagus nerve packs a punch and research in this area is serious and ongoing. Scientists at
WANDERER WITHIN
Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute have identified the precise circuit through which the vagus nerve monitors infl ammation and signals the brain - work that may one day allow infl ammation itself to be controlled without medication.
So, the science is real. But the rest is not so clear.
Scroll through social media, and you will fi nd the vagus nerve apparently responsible for anxiety, sleep issues, brain fog, digestive problems, low mood and chronic fatigue. And its stimulation as the cure for all of them, it would seem.
Dr Kevin Tracey, a neurosurgeon and one of the world’s leading researchers on vagal function, has been watching this trend with a mixture of interest and concern. The vagus nerve, he has noted, sits in an unusual position: supported by substantial science yet still mysterious enough to invite exaggerated claims.
As for the devices and clips you see online – the science behind them is still catching up, and not all of them are backed by solid research yet. Devices are largely unregulated. But that does not mean they’re complete nonsense. Non-invasive stimulation is a genuinely active area of study, and some at-home versions are pretty much gentler cousins of the medical-grade tools already used in hospitals.
The polyvagal theory, much loved in therapy circles and self-help books, has had some of its fi ner details questioned by neuroscientists this year too, but the broader idea that drives it - that we can consciously shift our nervous system from stressed to settled - still holds up rather well.
In other words, don’t throw out that gadget or roll your eyes at vagus nerve advice; rather, be selective. Conveniently, the things that help most are also easily accessible, and many of them you’re probably already doing. Slow, deep breathing - especially long exhales - has been shown in multiple studies to increase vagal tone and heart rate variability, a measurable indicator of how well the nervous system regulates itself.
Breathing at around five to six breaths per minute appears to be particularly effective. Humming and gargling activate the throat muscles directly innervated by the vagus nerve and have been shown to increase heart rate variability.
“The vagus nerve is rather lovely. It is proof that your body is always listening”
Cold water on the face triggers the mammalian diving reflex, producing an immediate vagal response. Regular aerobic exercise, good sleep, social connection and a diet that supports gut health all keep the whole system humming along nicely.
None of this is a hack, exactly. It is simply good care, dressed up in slightly more interesting language. The vagus nerve is not a switch to simply fl ip, and it will not single-handedly resolve deep anxiety or a difficult diagnosis. But it is a willing and responsive part of you, and the wellness world, for all its overreach, has at least got people paying attention to something worth paying attention to.
The vagus nerve is rather lovely. It is proof that your body is always listening, that calm is something you can invite and influence rather than wait for, and that you have more say over how you feel than it sometimes seems.
“What seems like a small frustration quickly becomes an everyday stress that quietly sits in the background.”
FEMALE
Make your wardrobe
Have you ever changed your outfit three times before leaving the house?
By Sophia Lorimer
Or perhaps you’ve been invited to an event and, after saying yes, instantly felt that sense of dread creep in as you thought, “What on earth am I going to wear?”
You spend hours, sometimes even days, agonising over the perfect outfit, and yet what most people don’t realise is that their wardrobe isn’t just costing them money. It’s costing them time, mental energy, confidence and, in some cases, opportunities.
Your time is one of your greatest assets, and as business owners, professionals and women juggling multiple responsibilities, there never seems to be enough of it. Yet so many of us are spending precious minutes every morning standing in front of a wardrobe full of clothes trying to work out what feels right, what fits and what will help us feel confident enough for whatever the day has in store.
What seems like a small frustration quickly becomes an everyday stress that quietly sits in the background. I’ve seen this time and time again with the women I work with. Women who are incredibly talented, experienced and capable, yet find themselves overwhelmed by getting dressed because their wardrobe no longer reflects who they are today or where they want to go next.
Over time, this creates decision fatigue. The mental load of making yet another choice becomes too much, so they retreat to the same ‘safe’ outfits on repeat, not because they love them, but because making another decision feels exhausting. Instead of walking into a room feeling prepared and present, they shrink into the background rather than taking up the space they deserve.
Then there’s the mental energy that comes with it all. Constantly feeling frustrated by your wardrobe and how you’re showing up can be draining, and over time it leaves
Dynamic Magazine is pleased to welcome Sophia Lorimer as its new columnist for Female Style at Work. A sustainable stylist and founder of Fine-Tuned Wardrobe, Sophia helps people feel confident in what they wear while making more conscious choices. She has spoken at the House of Lords, spoken at Channel 4 and been featured in Forbes Magazine, Good Housekeeping and The Sun. She was also named Sustainability Champion of the Year at The Dynamic Awards.
STYLE AT WORK:
wardrobe your friend, not a battleground
you feeling disconnected from yourself and uncertain about the image you’re projecting to the world.
Now tell me this: how can you walk into a networking event, an important meeting or a room full of opportunity feeling focused and ready to make an impact when you’ve already spent the morning battling with your wardrobe?
And that brings me to missed opportunities. Have you ever turned down an opportunity because you didn’t feel confident enough to attend? Perhaps it was the networking event you decided not to go to, the speaking opportunity you talked yourself out of, or the promotion you never quite put yourself forward for.
The irony is that many women spend more time preparing what they’re going to wear than preparing for the opportunity itself.
“The irony is that many women spend more time preparing what they’re going to wear than preparing for the opportunity itself.”
I’ve yet to meet a woman who has said to me, “I wish I’d spent more time worrying about my outfit and less time focusing on the conversation I was there to have.” This isn’t because clothes make you better at what you do. Most of the women reading this are already highly skilled, experienced and knowledgeable in their field. They don’t need an outfit to make them more capable.
What clothing can do, however, is help close the gap between how capable you are and how confidently you feel able to show up. When you know your subject inside out, confidence tends to come naturally because you’re focused on the client, the presentation or the opportunity in front of you. But when you’re distracted by what you’re wearing, part of your attention remains fixed on yourself. And that’s energy that could be spent sharing your expertise, building relationships and making an impact.
The truth is that most people don’t have a clothes problem. They have a clarity problem.
Most women don’t know exactly how they want to show up in this chapter of their lives, and that’s completely understandable because life isn’t static. We move through different seasons, and each one asks something different of us. The
challenge is that our wardrobes don’t always evolve with us.
You’re no longer the person you used to be, but you’re not quite the person you’re becoming either. You’re standing at a crossroads, and your wardrobe often reflects that uncertainty.
As I shared in my first column, our clothes can be a powerful tool. But for them to work for us, they first need to support the life we’re living now, not the life we were living five years ago.
So let me leave you with a simple exercise.
If your wardrobe was built to support the next chapter of your life and career, what would stay and what would go?
Take a moment to think about these three things:
• Which pieces make you feel confident, capable and ready to be seen?
• Which items are keeping you tied to an older version of yourself?
• What is missing from your wardrobe that would support the next chapter of your life and career?
Creating clarity around these three areas can completely change the way you get dressed each day. Once you have that clarity, getting dressed takes less time, decisions feel lighter, and your wardrobe starts working with you rather than against you.
The most successful women I work with don’t necessarily have the biggest wardrobes. They have wardrobes that work for them and support not only the chapter they are in now, but the one they are moving towards.
Because the goal isn’t to own more clothes. It’s to have the right clothes supporting the life, career and opportunities you want to create.
Your wardrobe shouldn’t be another thing on your to-do list. It should be the tool that helps you get on with everything else.
www.finetunedwardrobe.com
Shazia’s memory in light and shadow
With a unique ability to capture the essence of those she has encountered throughout her life, Shazia paints images from memories and dreams, weaving an ethereal and mesmerising narrative in her latest collection.
PAINTING MEMORIES
Much of Shazia’s inspiration stems from her childhood recollections. Whether reflecting on fond memories or dreams, she paints each figure with distinct qualities to create deeply emotive portraits. Each figure she paints possesses a palpable presence suggesting a deeper story lies beneath the canvas.
With an acute awareness of subtle details in both appearance and personality, Shazia instils the very essence of a person into each of her paintings. The unfaltering gaze of her characters has an almost haunting quality, locking eyes with the viewer and drawing them into their world.
Shazia’s gift for storytelling allows her to paint
children with immense character. She recreates the characters with an ethereal quality that captures the viewer’s imagination. Although Shazia paints people from her personal experiences, she understands that the paintings take on new meaning when shared with the viewer.
“I did start painting them to tell their story, but the piece becomes the story of the person who buys the artwork.”
TIMELESS TECHNIQUE
The signature luminosity of Shazia’s almost dreamlike aesthetic is achieved through the ancient egg tempera technique – a painting method that dates back to the Ancient Egyptians. By mixing egg yolks with powdered pigments and a little water, she creates a medium renowned for its durability, luminosity and beautiful, glowing quality. More durable than oil paint, egg tempera’s transparent nature offers it a radiance akin to watercolour.
Drawing inspiration from Renaissance masters and employing chiaroscuro - the dramatic interplay of light and dark – Shazia ensures that the central figure remains the focal point, their expression infused with mystery and depth. Her work often features her signature vibrant figures set against moody, shadowed backgrounds.
“I definitely think there’s a Renaissance influence in my work, with the dark background like Dutch paintings.”
Shazia’s latest collection is a testament to the enduring power of memory, artistry, and human connection. It is an invitation to step into a world where the past and present merge in a symphony of light and shadow.
www.castlefineart.com
Top tips for solo walking
Holly Robertson has clocked hundreds of miles on foot across the UK and says solo walking is far safer than people think. This year, Holly, who lives in Hertfordshire, set off from Nether Stowey in Somerset to complete the Coleridge Way with her dad, a 51-mile walk through the rolling countryside of the Quantock Hills and Exmoor.
A month later, she was in the Scottish Highlands, tackling the Great Glen Way, a 73-mile route following the geological fault line from Fort William to Inverness, this time with her partner.
Holly says that while completing long walks with someone else can feel very rewarding, walking on her own initially made her quite apprehensive.
“As a woman, there is always that thought in the back of your mind saying, ‘Is this safe?’ she says. “But as long as you take safety precautions, you’re unlikely to run into any issues.”
“I don’t actually encounter lots of people on my solo walks, but those I do meet are very approachable. People come and talk to you, and
the vast majority you meet out there are genuinely friendly,” she adds.
Holly works as a Walking Specialist for walking holiday provider, Celtic Trails and wants to encourage more people to take up solo walking. She has provided her top practical tips for anyone looking to get into walking this summer.
THE INSOLE TEST
Making sure that your boots are comfortable before you set off is one of the most important things to do. Holly advises doing the ‘insole test’ before you walk to make sure your boots are the right size.
“Start by removing the insoles of your walking boots and standing on them. You should aim to have between 1cm and 2cm distance between your big toe and the top of the edge of the insole. If your toe reaches or hangs over the edge of the insole, it’s worth investing in a bigger pair of boots.”
“As a woman, there is always that thought in the back of your mind saying, ‘Is this safe?’”
walking
“If your boots feel too loose or tight from the start, you’re likely to develop blisters or end up with bruised toenails during longer walks. It sounds quite obvious, but it is something people often get wrong,” she says.
PACK SMART
Holly is clear that preparation matters, but that you should avoid over-packing. “Don’t try to pack too much, aim to stick to the essentials. I always bring a fi rst aid kit, enough layers, plenty of water and a portable phone charger. There’s the temptation to carry lots of extra items, but the more weight you carry, the harder the walk becomes, and the less you’ll enjoy it.”
SAVE MAPS OFFLINE
“Holly advises saving an offl ine map of your route to your phone, for when the phone signal isn’t available.”
Holly advises saving an offl ine map of your route to your phone, for when the phone signal isn’t available.
“Walking apps like OS Maps or Komoot are worth downloading offl ine before you set off, as in my experience, phone signal on remote routes tends to be unreliable. Having the map cached locally gives me the confidence that I’m on the right track.”
HAVE AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER
If you’re planning a solo walk, Holly recommends having an accountability partner you can let know when you set off and when you expect to reach your destination.
“I send a quick message to a friend or family member before setting off, saying that I’m doing X route and should be at Y by a certain time. It costs nothing and provides real reassurance if you’re walking alone. You can also share your location on ‘Find My’ on iPhone, but remember your location accuracy will depend on how good your signal is.”
USING WALKING POLES ISN’T CHEATING
For older walkers or those new to longer distances, Holly recommends investing in a pair of walking poles. “Despite what some may say, using walking poles isn’t cheating, and I advise people to invest in a decent pair if you plan to tackle longer routes.”
“I use a pair of Leki walking poles, which are on the pricier side, but you can pick up a pair for as little as £20. They really do make a difference to how you feel by the end of the day, and are really helpful on descents.”
USE THE ‘REST
STEP’ TECHNIQUE
When tackling an uphill stretch on a walk, Holly advises using the ‘rest step’ technique to shift weight from your muscles to your bones, helping reduce leg fatigue on long walks.
“Start by moving your forward foot up to a solid position on the incline. As you plant your forward foot, straighten your rear leg that is still on the ground and lock your knee. Then relax the muscles in your upper body and the leg that isn’t locked. Then repeat the motion with the other leg to continue moving upwards.”
“Th is really helps to shift tension and fatigue from your quads and helps to regulate your heart rate,” she adds.
DON’T WORRY ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK
Holly says to anyone who has been thinking about taking up walking, not to care what other people think. “Try not to compare yourself to other people and ignore the noise you see on social media. It can feel difficult to get started, but starting off with small distances can really help build your confidence. Walking doesn’t have to be extreme to be rewarding.”
“When you stop and look back along the route you have just walked, that feeling is hard to describe,” she adds.
You can fi nd Holly at www.celtictrailswalkingholidays.co.uk
By Charlin Thompson
West Sussex’s sleepy Graffham is the location of chef Matt Gillan’s latest labour of love. And it is lulling, and it is lovely. And I wish I could add laudable, but, to my disappointment, some of the cuisine was simply lacking.
As a big fan of Matt’s cooking, this isn’t said lightly. In fact, my partner and I looked for reasons why much of our food tasted bland and homogenous. Were we perhaps coming down with colds? Was the regular team not in the kitchen? We asked and were told that Matt and his team were in. Perhaps they were the ones coming down with colds.
It’s not that the food was bad. Not at all. The dishes were all beautiful, tiny works of art. Clearly, quality ingredients
“It’s not that the food was bad. It simply wasn’t flavourful enough.”
must have been used since The Woodcote goes to great lengths to support local, sustainable suppliers and ensures freshness throughout its supply line. It simply wasn’t flavourful enough.
The amuse-bouche was an indicative entry to our meal –pretty bites but lacking taste.
“All
Things improved with our starters. The glazed chicken wings with potato rösti, chicken liver parfait and rhubarb hoisin were good, with the tangy rhubarb adding contrast to the profile. My crab tartlet with cucumber and hazelnut served over lobster bisque was the star of the meal – the delicate crab meat was beautifully complemented by the decadent lobster bisque and cheese beignets.
flavour, but this time it was missing the smoky, garlicky taste that we would have wanted.
On to dessert. I sincerely wish this hadn’t been the case, but my pistachio Bakewell tart was unpalatable. The cake base was so dry that I couldn’t stomach it. I ordered the gluten-free version and must trust that the non-glutenfree version would have been a thousand times better. But gluten-free is no excuse, not from a highly rated kitchen. It was surprising too, since the gluten-free bread I had earlier was excellent.
things considered, The Woodcote Restaurant has a lot going for it – an idyllic countryside location, elegant yet breezy indoor and outdoor spaces, lovely staff and a very satisfying wine menu.”
However, we were delighted by the chocolate crémeux with caramelised banana, local elderflower sorbet, and a macadamia nut crunch. Truly delicious.
My South Downs venison main was creatively prepared to include loin, shoulder and kofte served with various forms of red and yellow beetroot. An overwhelming amount of beetroot, but this wasn’t the main issue for me. The problem was that my venison lacked flavour entirely. This may be a sought-after skill – minimising the gamey taste of venison –but this was to such a degree that my dish tasted of beetroot with the texture of meat. The kofte tasted solely of cumin.
The multi-cut Suffolk lamb main was, unfortunately, bland. Again, creatively put together to include a shoulder and a pressed lamb terrine, served with an aubergine caviar-stuffed zucchini. Aubergine caviar is usually full of
All things considered, The Woodcote Restaurant has a lot going for it – an idyllic countryside location, elegant yet breezy indoor and outdoor spaces, lovely staff and a very satisfying wine menu.
But, regrettably, none of that made up for the lack of flavourful punches that day, and we drove away disappointed.
££
Woodcote Lane, Graffham, West Sussex, GU28 0NT 01798 867331
www.thewoodcote.com
Honda ZR-V A CAR OF TWO HALVES
By Fiona Shafer, MD, MDHUB
Iwas mightily relieved when the Honda’s radiant red premium Sports SUV ZR–V Advance 2.0 1-MMD Hybrid e-CVT landed at the start of the May heatwave.
Rather selfishly, I was rather looking forward to the snazzy panoramic roof and great air conditioning that was on offer with the ZR–V, alongside all of its eagerly awaited attributes (of course), as it was proving too hot to drive my own convertible with the roof down during daylight hours despite being wrapped up like Lady Penelope – yet another worrying sign of our changing climate.
driving ), but if you are not in the least bit bothered and just view cars purely as a means to get from A to B, then maybe read no further.
If I had not known that it was a Honda in advance and had arrived with the car insignia all covered, it would have been hard to identify. A great shame, especially as historically, Honda is known for their recognisable and, one could even now say, iconic design with their early Civic.
“If you are looking for a hugely economical and practical car, then this is most definitely worth looking at.”
This is a review of a good but quite contrary car. Don’t get me wrong, I actually liked it, but the overall design and performance seemed rather incongruent with one another, and that appears to be a growing pattern with many mid-range crossover cars coming off today’s production line.
If a recognisable design and brand of car is important to you (as I would suggest it is with most people who really enjoy
However, if you are looking for a hugely economical and practical car (and let’s face it, which of us normal mortals isn’t these days) then this is most definitely worth looking at.
Where it lacks any real sporty feel, it more than compensates with a really quick, smooth, effortless drive on motorways and is nippy and agile around town. The steering is precise, and it feels very safe and predictable, with sharp brakes, which, in a world of way too many distractions, is particularly welcome.
Ironically, maybe the lack of a sporty feel is no bad thing as the Honda is not very forgiving on our tough old roads due to its pretty rigid suspension. If you are considering buying or test-driving one, it might well be worth setting aside
TECH STUFF
Model Tested: ZR-V Advance
Engine: 2.0 litre
Power: 143 bhp
Speed: 0-62 7.9 secs
Top: 107 mph
Economy: 48.7 combined
Price from: £36,280 - £40,595
“With a whopping range of 621 miles, I would suggest that, for many, this Honda may well be a keeper.”
some time to compare it with a Nissan Qashqai e-power, Kia Sportage or Toyota C-HR before parting with your cash, as this will set you back around £39,375 as a starting price.
The only real irritation in the overall driving experience for me was the gear shifting. They are a little confusing at fi rst and took a while to get used to. The gear layout features a push-button shift-by-wire system which replaces traditional mechanical levers with distinct buttons and a toggle. While it frees up the central console space, it does mean you have to look down at the console to ensure you have pressed the right button.
I thought it might just be my menopausal brain at fi rst, just ‘not getting it,’ but it appears not, and this is a common criticism.
Ultimately, it is the technology of this car’s Hybrid System that will set it apart. An SUV that sits between the HR-V and CR-V, the system is built on the acclaimed Honda Civic platform and pairs a 2.0-litre petrol engine with two electric motors to deliver 184PS responsive, electric-like performance and impressive fuel efficiency without the need for plugging in.
With a whopping range of 621 miles with no recharging thanks to its long-range Hybrid engine, I would suggest that, for many, this Honda may well be a keeper.
YAY +
• Economical
• Very comfortable at speed
7.5 /10
• Knobs for climate control rather than a touchscreen
• Very easy to drive
• Bose sound system
• Non slip floor to the 1,322 lt boot space
• Heated seats front and back
• Plenty of USB’s for all of the family throughout
• It has a complete Handbook in the glove compartment
• And a little clearly labelled box with locking wheel nuts in – hurrah !
NAY –
• Rear windows do not go all the way down – some people like this for safety, others won’t
• Space is a bit of a squash in the back for three adults and the headroom is reduced by the panoramic roof
• No 360º camera
• The interior finish on the doors marks quite easily, and I had a devil’s own job getting some sun cream off it after leaning against the door. Don’t tell the Press Office!
BRIGHTON BRIGHTON PRIDE 35TH
ANNIVERSARY
Celebrate the 35th anniversary of the UK’s biggest LGBTQ+ festival with an unforgettable weekend of live music and community celebrations in Preston Park. The legendary Fabuloso main stage features a spectacular, star-studded lineup of global talent, headlined by the sensational singer-songwriter RAYE on Saturday and the iconic global superstar Diana Ross on Sunday.
Preston Park, Brighton August 1st & 2nd brighton-pride.org
LINGFIELD THE ELEMENTAL FESTIVAL – SOUNDS OF IBIZA
Set within the surroundings of Lingfield Park, Elemental Music Festival is a high-energy celebration of dance music, atmosphere and unforgettable live entertainment. Expect a day of DJs, live musicians and performers, spread across multiple stages, alongside a vibrant selection of street food and bars to keep the party flowing. From classic Ibiza anthems to today’s biggest dance tracks, Elemental delivers the ultimate soundtrack for festival-goers who love both throwback favourites and current chart-toppers.
Lingfield Park Racecourse, Lingfield July 11th tickettailor.com/events/elementalmusic/2091263
WHAT’S ON...
A brief snapshot of art and culture in the region
CHICHESTER GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED
PETWORTH PETWORTH FESTIVAL
This respected arts festival presents an impressive programme of classical music, jazz, literary events and performances in venues throughout the historic market town of Petworth. Internationally renowned artists appear alongside emerging talent, creating an elegant and varied programme that has become one of Sussex’s most celebrated summer cultural events.
Venues across Petworth July 16th – August 1st petworthfestival.org.uk
The action-packed weekend showcases iconic drivers and historic vehicles tackling the famous hill climb. F1 team Williams has confirmed attendance, with the restored Williams FW18 car that Damon Hill drove while clinching the1996 World Championship. He will be sharing driving duties with James Vowles,
Luke Browning, and Jamie Chadwick. Spectators can also explore immersive tech zones, witness global car launches, and enjoy brand-new fan zones.
Goodwood Estate, Chichester July 9th-12th goodwood.com/motorsport/ festival-of-speed/
GUILDFORD GUILDFORD CASTLE OPEN AIR THEATRE
Enjoy a classic evening of entertainment under the summer stars within the beautiful ruins of Guildford’s medieval castle. Local theatre companies bring dramatic tales and Shakespearean comedy to life in this unique outdoor setting. Audiences are warmly invited to bring along their own low-backed deck chairs, warm blankets, and a luxury evening picnic.
Kew Gardens has welcomed a once-in-a-generation presentation of artworks by Henry Moore, one of the most influential and internationally recognised artists of the 20th century. Discover towering sculptures and smaller-scale artworks across Kew’s iconic landscapes and botanical collections. The sculptures are purposefully placed to be in dialogue with Kew’s trees and historic landscapes, revealing how sculpture can both respond to, and reshape, the space it inhabits.
Kew Gardens, Richmond
Up until January 21st 2027 kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/henry-moore
Get a duck’s-eye view of Sheffield Park this summer when you take to the water on a paddleboard! Moxie Unleashed are offering fun-filled SUP sessions for complete beginners through to experienced paddlers. SUP is a peaceful yet active way for all the family to enjoy the water whilst following in the footsteps of the Third Earl of Sheffield, who loved nothing better than using the lakes for sport – he even held diving displays for the public to enjoy.
Uckfield, East Sussex July 1st – September 17th nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/ sheffield-park-and-garden/events
CHICHESTER FESTIVAL OF CHICHESTER
This much-loved arts festival fills Chichester with an eclectic programme of theatre, music, literature, exhibitions, talks and guided walks. Performances take place across a variety of venues, from historic churches to community spaces, creating a lively atmosphere throughout the city. The programme combines acclaimed artists and local talent, making it one of West Sussex’s most accessible and engaging summer cultural celebrations.
Venues across Chichester June 13th - July 19th festivalofchichester.co.uk
