Community and collaboration: How Bicester Motion is reshaping the future of business

Home to specialist businesses that operate within complementary industries and housed on a unique site with more than 100,000 visitors per year, enterprises of all types are fast realising the benefits of Bicester Motion.

For the uninitiated, Bicester Motion is a 444acre former Royal Air Force WW2 Bomber Training Station that’s currently undergoing a transformation into a hub for the past, present and future of mobility. Divided into different quarters, the success of the site is in its curated community, an aspect that will continue to develop as Bicester Motion grows with the delivery of its so-called masterplan.

These quarters, the first of which is known as Bicester Heritage, are designed to be enjoyed by visitors and businesses alike, operating as a Centre of Excellence for brands, skills, engineering, experience and products, speaking to an audience of visitors that Bicester Motion expects to top 1,000,000 a year by the end of the decade.

Beginning with Bicester Heritage was a simple decision for the Bicester Motion team– after all, the site is replete with heritage atmosphere, whether it’s the preserved and restored historic buildings on this ex-RAF Technical Site or the 47 specialist businesses that inhabit the world’s largest cluster of historic motoring enterprises. As an entity, Bicester Heritage’s remit is to secure a viable future for the classic automotive industry whilst providing enthusiasts with a one stop shop in which to indulge their motoring passion.

Less than a decade after it opened, Bicester Heritage is now considered to be the home of historic motoring enterprise in the UK, a social and professional hub now home to the likes of the head offices of Singer Vehicle Design, Motorsport UK, The Little Car Company and Morgan Motor Company.

Many have experienced exponential growth as visitors attend quarterly open day events at the campus. And countless partnerships between the site’s tenants have blossomed, as the tightknit community leverages their joint strengths to offer more robust offerings to their customers.

Construction and delivery of

‘The Command Works’ in 2020 – the first significant new-build construction in eighty years at the location, continues to attract pioneering new businesses, both in the classic car industry and modern automotive sector. This shift highlights how futuregazing businesses are realising that the inspiration of the past carries potential for the future, not to mention the opportunities for exchange and collaboration in a location unlike any other in the UK.

Within the next seven years, Bicester Motion will have completed three new quarters at its site, building on the success of Bicester Heritage and shaping Bicester Motion as a must visit destination.

The Experience Quarter is the latest to be awarded a positive planning determination as a strategic development site for heritage tourism uses, leisure, recreation, employment and community uses, by Cherwell District Council in January of this year. The Quarter will house a collection of automotive, aviation and cycling brands, able to deliver an entirely new experience for their customers, allowing them to immerse themselves in a branded environment.

In addition to Experience, Bicester Motion is spearheading the delivery of The Innovation Quarter.

Offering a hub completely dedicated to future-gazing businesses with a focus on training, technology design, development and engineering, within a campus designed to incubate the latest technology from a selection of the world’s most innovative businesses. Set over six new high-spec buildings, opportunities abound for ‘market disruptors’ within E-mobility, such as electric vehicle manufacturers – or those that design and build their key components, platforms, autonomous technology, electric flight pioneers, and more.

Innovation exists for these forward-thinking businesses to grow exponentially, providing a space in which to exchange ideas and push new limits in a market that embraces disruption and change. Certainly, as transport begins to become smarter, with connectivity and options for autonomy now shaping the future of the UK road network and beyond, Innovation will serve as the ideal home for industry leaders looking to both create solutions and shape the talent of the future.

Oxfordshire Business Awards 2022 Back With A Bang

2022 Oxba Winners

Close to 500 business people from across Oxfordshire packed into the John Henry Brookes building to celebrate the triumphant return of the Oxfordshire Business Awards, where winners were revealed in 14 awards categories.

Oxfordshire Business Awards chairman Paul Lowe said: “We congratulate the winners and the finalists and in fact every company which took the time to enter. For 26 years, the Oxfordshire Business Awards have championed businesses and individuals who have made a positive impact in Oxfordshire”.

THE HAYS EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Winner: Abingdon & Witney College

FINALISTS: Gigaclear Hedges Law

THE OXFORDSHIRE LEP NEW BUSINESS AWARD

Winner: Oxford Dynamics

FINALISTS: Quantum Dice Nucleome Therapeutics

THE JACK FM OUTSTANDING VISITOR EXPERIENCE AWARD

WINNER: Oxfordshire Artweeks

FINALISTS:

Wake up to Woodstock

365 Campers

THE SHAW GIBBS YOUNG BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD

WINNER: Mike Hawkins, Hawkins Group

FINALISTS: Jennifer Schivas, 67 Bricks

Paul Hudson-Jones, The Gin To My Tonic

THE CIS TECHNOLOGY EXCELLENCE AWARD

WINNER: CryptoCycle

FINALISTS: Foot Health UK Business Buzz Oxfordshire

THE HARTWELL CHARITY & COMMUNITY AWARD

WINNER: RAW

FINALISTS: The Abingdon Bridge The ICE Centre

THE RWK GOODMAN SMALL BUSINESS AWARD

WINNER: First Sight Media

FINALISTS: ICEOxford HNB Construction Services

THE OXFORD SCIENCE PARK INNOVATION AWARD

WINNER: OMass Therapeutics

FINALISTS: Wirth Research HR Wallingford

THE BUSINESS & INNOVATION MAGAZINE GREEN AWARD

WINNER: Darcica Logistics

FINALISTS: Ecoserv Group Y.O.U Underwear

THE NATWEST LARGE BUSINESS AWARD

WINNER: Owen Mumford

FINALISTS: Polythene UK Planet IT

THE SYNDICUT MARKETING EXCELLENCE AWARD

WINNER: Ridgefield Consulting

FINALISTS:

Urban Element No Flu Communications

THE BICESTER VILLAGE RETAIL AWARD

WINNER: Grape Minds

FINALISTS: Blue Blood Sports

Rumsey’s Handmade Chocolates

THE SHAW GIBBS BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD

WINNER: Frank Bothwell, Thomas Franks

FINALISTS: Neel Tank, Imogen Dental James Woollard, Polythene UK

THE RIDGE AND PARTNERS BUSINESS OF THE YEAR 2022

WINNER: Thomas Franks

Oxfordshire Business Awards 2022

A celebration of Oxfordshire Businesses

Oxfordshire’s business community came together for the 2022 Oxfordshire Business Awards black-tie dinner at Oxford Brookes University. The business community came together to enjoy the return of OXBA.

01

Bristol and Worcester accountancy firm Bishop Fleming has appointed Pippa Clarke as its new chair. Pippa heads up the firm’s technology, innovation and growth sector. Pippa is pictured with Managing Partner Andrew Sandiford and outgoing chair Ian Smith.

02 Buck Rogers joins Uni of Gloucestershire as Professor of Cyber Security

The University of Gloucestershire has appointed Cameron ‘Buck’ Rogers as Professor of Cyber Security. Professor Rogers’ cyber career includes Chief Information Security Officer at the Bank of England and Global Head of Resilience Risk at HSBC.

03 New regional managing partner for BDO in the Midlands

Accountancy and business advisory firm BDO has announced a new regional managing partner for the Midlands. Audit partner Kyla Bellingall will oversee the 450-strong audit, tax and advisory team across the region.

Huboo, one of Europe’s fastest-growing fulfilment technology providers, has appointed Paul Bennett as Chief Marketing Officer to support global roll out plans. Huboo is already in the Netherlands, Spain, Germany as well as the UK.

05 Thomas White Oxford attracts development director from Legal & General

Thomas White Oxford Ltd, the development company of St John’s College, has appointed Victoria Collett as development director to deliver Oxford North, the £700 million global innovation district beng developed in the city. Victoria joins from Legal & General Capital.

06 New Handeslbanken branch manager for Oxford Parkway

After eight years at the helm of Handelsbanken’s Abingdon Branch, David Cook has moved to take up a new role at the Handelsbanken Oxford Parkway Branch, replacing Bob Wood who has retired.

07 From Mears Group to Cosgrove & Drew for Bob

Mechanical engineering specialist Cosgrove & Drew has appointed former Director of Gloucester-based Mears Group PLC as its new chairman, to help drive the company’s growth and expansion plans. Bob Holt (centre) is pictured with Luke Drew and Zac Cosgrove.

08 Cheltenham accountants appoint youngest partner

Randall & Payne have appointed a new partner. At 30 years of age, Ryan Moore is the youngest employee to have made partner in Randall & Payne’s 143-year history. Ryan heads up the Audit and Assurance team.

09

New Exec Chair and CEO for Morgan Motor Cars

The Morgan Motor Company has appointed Steve Morris (below right) as Executive Chairman and Massimo Fumarola (below left) as CEO. Massimo is joining the Malvern company from Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., where he was Chief Project Management Officer.

10 Aerospace, digital and cyber expert takes the chair at HR Wallingford

Oxfordshire scientific research association HR Wallingford has appointed Sally Howes as its new chair. Sally has worked in aerospace, digital, cyber, government and higher education sectors, at the boundaries between technology, research and commercial business.

11 Starr appointment for Shaw & Co

Shaw & Co, the Bristol corporate finance advisory firm, has appointed Rob Starr as Head of Mergers and Acquisitions. Rob joins from Top 20 UK accountancy network UHY Hacker Young, where he was Corporate Finance Director.

12 ThinCats expands with West Midlands appointment

ThinCats, the SME alternative finance provider, has appointed Tom Horton as Director, Regional Business Development for the West Midlands. Tom has more than 20 years’ experience in debt and equity including senior roles at Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group.

We have a number of employees on apprenticeship programmes, spanning multiple areas of study including Recruitment Consultancy, Accountancy, Business Administration, Compliance and Project Management. Our robust onboarding programme for new starters provides a solid foundation upon which everyone can embark on their own career path within the business.

Lucy Dowie - Training & Onboarding Manager at RE Resource Group explains the importance of setting the right impression to those who join your organisation from the start.

Using a combination of classroom training, webinar, eLearning on-demand content and on the job training to ensure that delivery styles are varied and cater for all styles of learning, we make sure our team are given the training they need to be the best at what they do. Specialist external providers are also brought in to upskill our consultants in target areas and to make sure that our business is keeping pace with a challenging labour market.

This appetite for continued learning and development is reflected in the willingness of many of our management team to get involved with training. Members of our compliance team take turns to deliver in-depth monthly compliance courses and ensure we are keeping abreast of everchanging employment legislation and