Significant numbers of small and medium-sized business leaders feel “overwhelmed” by their roles and “like they should know more than they do,” according to new research. The survey by the Small Business Charter of 1,200 senior business people in SMEs across the UK found anxiety about some aspects of the burden of running and growing their companies. A fifth (20%) say they feel overwhelmed by everything that’s required of them, with this rising to over a third (35%) among leaders aged 18 to 24. In the East Midlands, 17% of bosses say they feel overwhelmed. Meanwhile, a quarter (24%) nationally say they feel like they should know more than they do, with those aged 35 to 44 most likely to admit this (27%). The proportion feeling they should know more is 20% among leaders in the East Midlands. Nationally, almost one in five (18%) – 19% in the East Midlands – also say they feel burdened by the responsibility to protect their employees’ jobs. According to the Department for Business & Trade, there are 5.6 million small- and medium-sized businesses in Britain, suggesting there are hundreds of thousands of leaders across the UK feeling overwhelmed and lacking in knowledge and knowhow. Nevertheless, despite their anxieties, most UK business leaders still feel confident in the broad day-to-day running of their business or department (96%). When pressed on what would make them feel even more confident, a third (33%) say access to leadership training and 40% want a larger network of peers to turn to, rising to a half (49%) in the East Midlands. Flora Hamilton, executive director, Small Business Charter, said: “Our survey of business leaders shows that even though they generally feel comfortable on a day-to-day basis, significant numbers have underlying anxieties. “Running a company or department can be a heavy burden and at times many feel overwhelmed and insecure about having the business knowledge they need to do their jobs well and grow their companies. “With its practical SME focus, the Help to Grow: Management Course helps small business leaders and senior managers develop the business knowledge and skills they need to succeed. “Delivered by our network of expert business schools, it provides a fundamental understanding of core business topics from strategy to marketing and employee engagement but also the support of a local peer network that many small business leaders see as crucial to helping them tackle challenges and feel more confident.”

Law firm Flint Bishop has announced the appointment of Lee Osborne as Head of Operations to support the continued growth of its national Debt Services division. Bringing over 25 years of experience in banking and financial services, Osborne joins from CHL Mortgages, where he served as Services Director, managing a £3.2 billion servicing book and overseeing teams across primary servicing, collections, litigation, complaints, and quality assurance. Prior to this, Osborne held the position of Head of Operations at Aldermore Bank PLC, where he spent nine years leading key functions, including mortgage collections and commercial and property development originations. The appointment is intended to support Niall Gilhooley, Head of Debt Services, by expanding the existing leadership team, building on the growth and success of the practice, and to support the planned investment in technology and investment. Gilhooley said: “We are delighted to welcome Lee to the firm. His extensive experience as a senior operations leader will be invaluable as we continue to grow our high-performing Debt Services division. His track record in implementing transformational change and delivering exceptional quality and compliance results aligns perfectly with our strategic goals.” The appointment of Osborne comes as Flint Bishop’s Debt Services division has experienced phenomenal growth over the last 12-18 months, with now over 150 FTEs, having secured or extended third-party debt related partnerships with several UK household name brands across the energy, utilities, telecoms, banking, financial services, and B2B commercial supply chain. “Lee’s appointment signifies further investment in leadership capability and capacity within the department, ensuring that we continue to deliver and strive to be even better for our clients, their customers, and our colleagues,” added Gilhooley. “With our continued focus on strategic growth, investment in service delivery, and continuous improvement, we are well positioned to build on our success as a premier national provider of volume B2B and B2C debt services in the UK.”

Derby-headquartered law firm Flint Bishop has announced the strategic appointment of banking litigation specialist Kate Hicks as Partner & Head of Finance Dispute Resolution at its Leeds office, marking a significant milestone in the firm’s pursuit of becoming a dominant force in the banking litigation and recoveries arena. Hicks joins Flint Bishop from Yorkshire Building Society, where she provided comprehensive legal support across the organisation. Her career also includes senior roles at Walker Morris LLP, Cobbetts Solicitors and DLA Piper, where she gained a national reputation for managing high-stakes litigation in property and banking law. Hicks brings over 20 years of litigation experience, with her specialism in the financial services property lending sector. Her skill set encompasses a wide range of legal matters, including the Consumer Credit Act, challenges to the enforceability of credit agreements, complex regulatory issues, and title rectification to ensure lenders’ security is properly perfected. She also has a strong track record in asset finance, unsecured recoveries, and intricate secured recovery cases, and is highly skilled in handling breach of mandate claims, payment by mistake claims, operational fraud cases, and contract and tort disputes for banks, building societies, and other financial institutions. Qamer Ghafoor, Chief Executive at Flint Bishop, said: “I am delighted to welcome Kate to the firm to lead our Finance Dispute Resolution practice. Her appointment is a major coup for the firm, solidifying our standing as a leading legal partner for banks, building societies, and financial institutions seeking expertise in complex financial disputes. “Kate’s leadership will play a pivotal role in shaping the firm’s future in the banking litigation and financial services offering, helping us to become a dominant force in the UK banking litigation and recoveries arena, setting the stage for accelerated growth and market leadership in the coming years.” The appointment follows Flint Bishop’s recent acquisition of the Banking Litigation and Recoveries division from Walker Morris LLP, as well as the opening of the firm’s new offices in Leeds last month.

Cyber threats have become increasingly sophisticated, targeting individuals and businesses alike. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre highlighted the major threats in its 2023 review. This report underlined the importance of strong defence mechanisms. Regular antivirus scans are a crucial part of these measures. They offer proactive protection against the evolving risks. But what are these threats? What exactly do antivirus scans entail? And what benefits can they offer? Read on to find out more.

Understanding cyber threats

‘Cyber threats’ is a term used to cover a wide range of malicious activities that aim to compromise digital systems, data, and networks. Common examples are malware, ransomware, phishing, and denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. These activities can lead to severe consequences, including data breaches, financial losses, reputational damage, and operational disruptions.

What do antivirus scans do?

Antivirus software uses a file virus scanner to detect malware and other malicious activity. It can employ methods such as signature-based detection, heuristics, or sandboxing to pick up both known and emerging threats. Regular scans ensure that new dangers are identified and neutralized before they can cause harm.

The benefits of antivirus scans

These scans contribute to the security of a computer system in many ways:

• Early detection: Identifying threats quickly can prevent them from causing significant damage in the long term.
• System integrity: Ensuring there have been no unauthorised changes maintains security.
• Compliance: Helping businesses meet regulatory requirements and standards. This can avoid legal and financial penalties.
• Peace of mind: Knowing that your system is often scanned and free of malware can reduce anxiety and stress.

Best practices for protecting your systems

As well as using antivirus software, consider taking the following steps:

• Regular updates: Updates often contain patches and fixes for weaknesses that attackers could exploit.
• Frequent scans: Schedule checks to ensure continuous protection. Automated scans maintain vigilance without manual oversight.
• Data backup: Regularly back up data to an external drive, cloud storage, or both. This ensures you can restore it in the event of a ransomware attack or other data loss incident.
• Educate: Employee training on cybersecurity best practices can create a robust human firewall. This can be critical given that human error is a major factor in many breaches​.
• Use strong passwords: Avoid using the same password for multiple programs. Additionally, changing them after a set period can prevent unauthorised access.

To stay safe online, it’s important to improve your understanding of cyber threats and the risks they pose. By following the steps above, you can keep your systems secure, operational, and resilient.

Local businesses are being urged to support Derby County Community Trust’s free meals programme which is helping feed hundreds of people in need across the city. The community trust provides free hot meals at Harrison’s Hub every week to those experiencing hardship in Derby. The scheme has been going since November 2022 and in 2024 demand has been so high that the community meals are being served up all year round for the first time. The project sees Derby County Football Club chefs prepare hot meals which are sponsored by local businesses, which often send in a team of volunteers to serve them. The trust is providing around 50 hot meals per week with the aim of targeting as many different groups in the city as possible, including Ukrainian refugees, families struggling with mounting bills, or people having problems with drug and alcohol use. Pete Collins, the trust’s fundraising and partnerships manager, said: “There is a group of 30 to 35 more vulnerable members of the local community who will attend the meals each week. The rest will be made up of adults who are accessing other services around the city, and may well be homeless. It’s lovely to see them every week.” Local businesses have been paying to sponsor the meals. One company which has supported several Derby County Community Trust meals is Lubrizol, a science company whose UK Technical Centre is based at Hazelwood, near Duffield. Claire Hollingshurst, who sits on Lubrizol’s charities and communities committee, was one of the company’s volunteers who turned out to serve a meal of chilli con carne and garlic bread. She said: “We all really enjoyed coming out to serve one of these meals once again. It’s always good to interact with the local community and chat to the families who came out to eat at Harrison’s Hub. “Giving back to the community is very important to us at Lubrizol and these hot meals provided by the Derby County Community Trust are a really great initiative we are proud to support.” Pete said: “We’re very grateful to all the businesses which support our community meals initiative. We do encourage them to send volunteers to roll their sleeves up and help serve them. “The need for these meals is ever increasing. Derby is a city within 20 per cent of the most deprived areas of the country. There are lots of people who need these warm spaces and hot food that we can provide. “We’re coming up to winter now and the need is always there. It’s nice that we can provide the support that comes from being connected with the football club and the city council that makes people feel welcome. Lubrizol has worked with us several times on these meals and the ongoing support from a business is vitally important for us, to be able to deliver and serve them. “We have some meal slots coming up that would still benefit from business support so if anyone can help us we’d ask them to be in touch.” Lubrizol also supports the DCCT with a STEM programme, offering science, tech, maths and engineering opportunities to Derby school students. Their support includes sponsoring innovative ‘Sphero’ robots which are helping primary teach computer programming through football-themed activities. As well as covering the cost of the robots, Lubrizol also contributes yearly to five workshops in which schools participate. To support Derby County Community Trust’s meals, please contact Pete Collins on pete.collins@dcct.co.uk