AMC appoints new regional agriculture manager to head its team in Lincolnshire
The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (AMC) has appointed a new regional agricultural manager for East Anglia and Lincolnshire.
Declan Wilson joins the AMC team having previously worked at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking as an agricultural relationship manager. He brings more than a decade of banking experience to the role, along with links to agriculture through his extended family.
Having initially joined Lloyds Bank in 2017 as a relationship manager within the bank’s SME and Mid Corporate Commercial Banking’s specialist agriculture team, Declan has since worked with a diverse range of farming businesses across Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, and East Anglia, helping them to secure funding, structure transactions and advising on liabilities.
In his new role, which is effective immediately, Declan will head a team of agricultural sector experts that provide financial expertise, funding, and guidance to around 1,300 farming businesses.
Declan, who lives in Boston, will also work alongside AMC’s team of 27 independent land agents who carry out the business’s loan application and valuation work, as well as 14 valuers in the region.
Commenting on his appointment, regional agricultural manager for East Anglia and Lincolnshire, Declan Wilson, said: “East Anglia is a key area of focus for AMC and I’m looking forward to working closely with local farming businesses.
“Whether they’re looking at renewable energy technology to reduce their carbon footprint, have ambitions to diversify their existing operations into new markets, or need investment to purchase new land or machinery, we are committed to helping them achieve their ambitions.”
Lee Reeves, AMC’s Managing Director, added: “Declan’s appointment comes at a time when British farming is undergoing a period of considerable change, with the phasing out of the BPS, recent severe weather, as well as the ongoing challenges of the Covid pandemic.
“But against all this, we’re continuing to see a strong appetite from rural businesses who want to diversify and modify their operations to generate new revenue streams. This senior appointment brings additional resource and expertise to AMC’s proposition in the region as we look to support even more local farmers achieve success over the long-term.”
The appointment marks a new era for AMC in the region, with Declan stepping up to lead the East Anglia and Lincolnshire team following the departure of his predecessor Mike Lord.
East Mids healthcare provider acquires seventh care home
Leicestershire-based care home provider, Rotherwood Group, has acquired its seventh care home, which is based in Herefordshire, using a seven-figure funding package from HSBC UK.
The care home will undergo extensive refurbishment to incorporate state-of-the-art surroundings for around 60 older people in the local community. The acquisition will also boost recruitment in the area, creating up to 50 new jobs.
Rotherwood has plans to grow to 10 care homes in the next three years as the company work towards improving the standard of healthcare in care homes across the Midlands region.
John Fennell, CEO of Rotherwood Group, said: “We are pleased to be taking Kington Court into the group. This is our seventh care home and part of our longer-term commitment to broadening our impact enriching the lives of the older generation.
“We have exciting plans to enhance the lives of people living and working at Kington Court and hope that everyone feels settled during the ownership transition. The package from HSBC UK has been invaluable in allowing us to expand our healthcare service in the region and deliver our 10-year growth target.”
Richard Parker, relationship director at HSBC UK, said: “We’re delighted to have been able to support the Rotherwood Group in acquiring this new care home. The business has a clear commitment to excellence in eldercare and supporting local communities through healthcare and job creation. We look forward to working with the Group to support it’s plans to open more homes in the region.”
Recruitment business acquired by expanding group
The MCG Group has acquired recruitment business Jenrick Group, which has offices in Derby, Northamptonshire, and Surrey.
Jenrick Group has built a wide range of expertise over its 55-year history, with specific focus on supplying highly experienced contract, interim and permanent personnel within the technology, engineering and commercial sectors.
The acquisition of Jenrick Group comes as part of The MCG Group’s five-year plan which sees the company continue on a growth trajectory through organic and acquisition expansion. Within the last three months The MCG Group has also acquired RP International, which recruits leadership and highly-skilled technology talent for companies around the globe, and Sixth Sense – an independent training company based in central Scotland.
With nearly 350 employees across MCG Group, it offers recruitment, consultancy and project-based solutions within construction, education, healthcare and technology sectors across the UK and internationally via its 9 global offices.
Colm McGinley, CEO of The MCG Group, said of the acquisition: “It’s been an exciting couple of months at The MCG Group as we’ve acquired some fantastic businesses and welcomed them into our Group. We have some hugely ambitious plans for our Group and with Jenrick on board I’m confident we’ll see further growth and expansion into our new business sectors.”
Simon Murphy, CEO of Jenrick Group, said: “Finding the perfect custodian for the business, someone who had a similar culture to ours and valued the employees as much as we do, was our primary focus. Upon meeting Colm at MCG, we believed we had found that and in meeting the rest of his team, we are equally convinced.
“Whilst it is with sadness that my personal chapter of the Jenrick history is coming to a close, I am excited to see what the next part of the story looks like. I am in no doubt that the company will continue to flourish and those within the business will continue to enjoy a wonderful working environment, which allows them to grow both professionally and personally.”
Online recruitment events launched to support Derby businesses
A series of virtual events to help Derby businesses recruit talent launches this month (January).
Derby City Council’s Economic Growth Team is introducing the monthly online sessions following feedback from employers in a variety of sectors who are struggling to recruit staff.
Derby Jobs Live will give city-based employers an opportunity to showcase their vacancies and promote the benefits of working for their organisations directly to job-seekers. Where required, the team can work alongside a relevant Employment & Skills provider to offer training for the roles.
The events form part of a brokerage service from the Council’s Employment & Skills team that helps connect employers and training providers to people looking for work opportunities and training programmes.
In partnership with the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP), Derby Jobs Live will be marketed to unemployed residents and employment support organisations within the City.
The launch event on January 19 will focus on the multinational infrastructure group Balfour Beatty, which has a has a major site at Raynesway delivering Plant & Fleet Service and Power Transmission and Distribution.
The Council’s brokerage service has already helped the construction giant recruit a number of CCTV operatives and trainee paint sprayers.
During the online session on Eventbrite, residents will find out first-hand what it is like to work for the company, their current live vacancies and how to apply for them and whether they could benefit from training.
Stacey Keates HR Business Partner for Balfour Beatty said: “Working with the Employment and Skills team has enabled us to access candidates within the Derby region for a number of recruitment areas within our Plant & Fleet Services business. We have already attended Careers Fairs,Training into Employment events, advertised via BBC Radio Derby and Derby Jobs Weekly, and have got some exciting events planned in already for early 2022.
“Through our partnership, we have been able to access candidates and offer employment to residents of Derby that we wouldn’t have ordinarily reached. It continues to prove an invaluable partnership and we are grateful to the Employment & Skills team for their continued support.”
Future events will feature a variety of Derby-based employers, including Neos Composite Solutions, who are aiming to create up to 150 jobs and technical apprenticeships in the city.
Cllr Evonne Williams, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Skills at Derby City Council said: “Derby City Council is determined to boost employment and economic recovery, including investing in skills, supporting people into work and backing businesses.
“We know from talking to businesses in certain sectors that recruitment is currently a big issue. Part of our role is to try to understand better the challenges employers are facing and work with them directly to find individuals with the right skills so they can continue to operate successfully.
“The Derby Jobs Live events are one element of the support we can offer, allowing employers to speak directly to residents seeking employment, making it more efficient to recruit talent.”
Register for a free place at Derby Jobs Live with Balfour Beatty
More than 150 new job vacancies at East Midlands Airport
East Midlands Airport (EMA) is recruiting more than 150 customer-facing roles within its security, car parks and passenger services teams as the airport anticipates a strong recovery in 2022.
Last week’s easing of temporary travel restrictions, which were introduced in response to the Omicron variant, has delivered a boost to the travel sector, with consumer confidence rising and bookings surging according to airlines and travel firms.
The airport’s recruitment drive is in anticipation of what is expected to be a busy summer season for passenger travel. Filling vacant security officer roles is the airport’s immediate priority as new starters will need to undergo compliance training, while other vacancies will be advertised in the coming weeks.
The aviation sector was hard-hit by the pandemic. However, a strong and rapid recovery is expected, and East Midlands Airport is forecasting that passenger numbers this year will reach 75-80% of pre-pandemic levels. If achieved, 2022 will be the busiest year for passengers since pre-Covid.
The passenger airlines that serve EMA – Ryanair, JET2, TUI, easyJet, and Aurigny – connect holidaymakers to popular holiday-hotspots across mainland Europe, Eastern Europe and North Africa. The busiest months for passenger travel are April to October during which time two-thirds of annual travellers use the airport.
Customer-facing roles such as those being currently recruited to are critical not only to ensuring safety and compliance but also for making people’s experience of travel a positive one. These roles are ‘front-of-house’ and are ideal for those who enjoy interacting with customers and working as part of a team. The hours offered are also ideal for job seekers looking for a positive work-life balance from a shift pattern.
People interested in finding out more information about what it’s like to work at East Midlands Airport can join a virtual jobs fair on Tuesday 1 February 10am-12pm. Airport colleagues will be joined by representatives of other organisations based across the airport site who are also recruiting. An on-site, in-person jobs fair is planned to take place in February at the airport and EMA’s recruitment team will attend Jobcentre Plus’s virtual jobs fair on 26 January.
Clare James, Managing Director, said: “After two of the most disruptive years in the history of aviation, I am confident that we will turn a corner in 2022. People’s appetite for overseas travel remains undiminished. East Midlands Airport, which is the perfect gateway for holidaymakers who want to be at the poolside, on the beach or ski slopes as quickly as possible with very little hassle, will see a surge in passenger demand this year. We need to ensure that we have the right people in our team to be ready for this so that passengers have a positive start to their trip and that we continue providing a welcoming service for those who enjoy the ease of using our airport.”
What sets EMA apart from many other airports is its cargo operation which has surged during the pandemic in response to consumer and business demand for next-day deliveries and time-critical goods which has helped with EMA’s resilience over the last two years. EMA security staff are key to the smooth running of this side of the business too.
As well as joining a friendly and supportive team, airport employees enjoy many benefits including:
- free on-site parking while on duty
- retail discounts and savings
- 24-hour employee assistance programme
- MAG pension scheme which doubles your contribution
- discounted travel on some bus services
- discounts on MAG products such as Escape Lounges and holiday parking at airports
- career growth opportunities
2022 Business Predictions: Sam Gadsby, Chief Commercial Officer at Clicky Media
It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Sam Gadsby, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Clicky Media.
If the last 18 months have shown us anything, it has to be how resilient business is in our country. With such seismic shifts in societal behaviours, never in recent times have we had to adapt so significantly and at such a pace to such a broad range of challenges.
I believe that 2022 will see a further resurgence of digital-first adoption by businesses in response to the changing, and indeed now established, habits of their customers. As we continue to live more of our lives and spend more of our time online, consumer expectations and demands for a more seamless on and offline experience have never been higher. Benchmarks will only continue to increase.
Businesses who reacted quickly in 2020 are now benefiting from an expedited level of digital maturity and experience that would have otherwise taken many years to develop. This of course means greater competition with consumers having wider choice and buying freedom than ever before – making the continued improvement of digital strategies in businesses all the more important.
Announcements in 2021 from brands such as Facebook backing their ‘metaverse’ as the successor to the mobile internet suggests further evolution is on its way and should be taken seriously. Not only are we seeing new digital-native audiences now becoming a consistently larger percentage of buying customer numbers each year, but increasingly more traditional audiences and older generations are becoming online first consumers.
2021 saw the biggest increase in global advertising spend on record, the UK representing a notable percentage of this, with digital mediums representing the highest investment area. This will undoubtedly continue to grow, most notably investment in video content and promotion alongside more immersive experiences as we crave an escape or getaway both physically and digitally.
Likely later in the year as confidence grows, we’ll see consumers investing heavily in big ticket purchases, particularly again on home improvement and even more so than in 2021 on travel and leisure, as people seek real experiences to counteract the amount of time spent online (which for the average UK adult is in excess of 3.5 hours per day).
In 2022 I envisage that whilst challenges will remain, as will the need for commercial adaptability, we will slowly see positive improvement in issues that have arisen from the combination of the pandemic and Brexit, across the likes of supply chain and pricing which has impeded the potential of many.
I believe we’ll also see a slow down in ‘the great resignation’ as businesses set bolder ESG targets and invest in modernising approaches to remuneration, work life balance and the perks the present day workforce now prioritise.
There will continue to be skills shortages in many areas, so I hope to see a greater investment in schemes and initiatives that support training and development for younger people entering the workforce and for those who want to retrain.
Much like modern consumers, businesses will need to consider the conflict between convenience and conscience as both talent and customers will increasingly make decisions on ethics and the environmental/societal impact. Businesses will need to communicate more openly, with greater transparency and authenticity.
Undoubtedly there will be a rocky road ahead, but I believe most businesses will have fully transitioned from a survive to a thrive mentality by the end of 2022 and for the most part have adapted for the positive.
Bramble Foods secures minority investment from LDC
Mid-market private equity firm LDC has invested in Bramble Foods, a manufacturer and distributor of fine foods, to support its organic and acquisitive growth strategy.
The partnership with LDC will enable the management team to consolidate Bramble’s market-leading position by investing in the company’s product portfolio and in-house manufacturing capabilities to drive further organic growth. LDC will also support acquisition opportunities to accelerate this strategy.
Headquartered in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, Bramble manufactures and supplies more than 2,000 products, ranging from preserves, pickles, chutneys and sauces, to cakes, biscuits, confectionery, hampers and seasonal goods. Products are sourced from established external suppliers and an in-house manufacturing division which produces a range of preserves, chutneys, sauces and cakes.
Founded in 2008, the family-run business has an extensive portfolio of 1,400 customers and supplies to a national base of independent, local retailers, and garden centres, farm shops and holiday parks.
LDC is backing the existing management team, led by founder and CEO Tony Foster, alongside finance director Chris Neville and sales director Ken Osborne. As part of the transaction, co-founder Nigel Foster will retire to pursue other interests. Under their leadership, the business has delivered strong year-on-year growth.
The investment was led by Rob Schofield, partner in LDC’s Midlands team alongside investment director Phil Hinson. A team from Orbis Partners, led by partner Gary Ecob and director Steve Nock, acted as lead advisors to Bramble.
Tony Foster, CEO at Bramble Foods, said: “At the heart of Bramble is an unrivalled range of high-quality foods. Year on year we have increased our food production capabilities and invested in our personalisation service to offer unique bespoke products to our customers. LDC is the leading private equity firm in our region and we know our partnership with the team will help us to continue to grow our business into the future.”
Rob Schofield, partner in LDC’s Midlands team, said: “Tony and his team have unrivalled experience and a real passion for delivering the highest level of service to their customers. It’s why Bramble is already one of the market-leading businesses in the sector. We’re excited to be supporting the team to deliver the next stage of their ambitious growth strategy.”
Beth Mather at Gateley provided legal advice to LDC, with financial diligence provided by Ed Gray at Cooper Parry and commercial diligence provided by Michael Gell at Hullbrook.
Dan Shilvock at Shoosmiths provided legal advice to Bramble.
Acquisitive Ideagen sees revenue and profit rise in first half
Revenue and profit are up at Ideagen, the Nottinghamshire-based supplier of Information Management Software to highly regulated industries, according to unaudited interim results for the six months ended 31 October 2021.
Revenue increased 33% to £38.8m from £29.2m in the same period of the year prior.
Meanwhile pre-tax profit jumped from £1.2m to £5.2m.
Ideagen completed six acquisitions for a combined consideration of £102m, three during the period and three completing post-period end. In aggregate, the acquisitions have added £18.4m of Annual Recurring Revenue.
Ben Dorks, Chief Executive of Ideagen, said: “I am very pleased with Ideagen’s performance in the first half as we continue to see strong demand for our products from existing and new potential customers. This is testament to our people and reflects our simple purpose: making complying with regulation easy, quick and cost effective.
“At our recent Capital Markets Day we set out our plan to capture more of this market opportunity and reach £200m of Annual Recurring Revenues by April 2025 through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions. We have a healthy pipeline of acquisitions to add adjacent capabilities and broaden our geographic reach, supported by our recent fundraising.
“We have a strong record of identifying and integrating acquisitions that fit with our strategy, having completed eight acquisitions since December 2020, and are working hard on a number of near and medium term targets. The second half of the year has begun in line with our expectations, and we remain confident in delivering on our targets for the full year.”
190,000 sq ft warehouse takes a step forward as plans submitted
Rula Developments has submitted a detailed planning application for the development of a new 190,000 sq ft high specification warehouse unit at J.28, M1.
The proposed warehouse unit is situated on the established Fulwood Industrial Estate and will be built to high specification with strong sustainability credentials, targeting BREEAM Excellent and an EPC A rating. The warehouse will benefit from an oversized dual yard provision, 15m eaves and 50m yard depth.
Subject to satisfactory planning consent, the warehouse will be speculatively delivered with a target completion date of Q1, 2023. M1 Agency and Burbage Realty have been appointed as marketing agents.
Mark Hawthorne of Rula Developments said: “Having recently agreed terms for the site, we looked to quickly bring forward a planning application which, subject to a satisfactory determination, will allow us to then go on and speculatively build out the scheme. J.28 is an established and sought after occupier location and we are confident of delivering a successful development bringing forward further job creation in the area.”
James Keeton of joint agents M1 Agency added: “The submission of the planning application is a positive step forward in the delivery of further new build warehouse space at J.28, which currently has a very low vacancy rate. With continued strong levels of take-up and an intention to speculatively build out, we are confident of quickly securing occupier interest.”
Franco Capella of joint agents Burbage Realty finished by saying: “Fulwood 190 is fairly unique in the area in that we are offering new build warehouse space for sale or to let and an occupier the opportunity to not only lease, but buy their own brand new high specification warehouse unit. Combined with the underlying credentials of strong location and labour supply we welcome a positive planning outcome to enable the development to come forward.”
Businesses failing to support employees as 84% aren’t reporting on absences
A staggering 84% of UK businesses do not report on employee absences, despite almost half (44%) looking into retention and a third (30%) reporting on projected overhead charges, a new survey by MHR International, the Nottinghamshire-headquartered HR, payroll, finance, learning expert, finds.
This means a significant majority of organisations are missing out on crucial insights that could directly impact retention rates and overheads, along with other financial and productivity levels, and employee wellbeing.
According to the survey of 250 HR managers and directors in the UK and Ireland, not only are businesses failing to monitor absences, but they are also struggling with the reliability of the people data they do collect. In fact, 37% of HR departments surveyed admit they are facing challenges in accurately reporting on employee data due to not having a single source of truth.
This is down to issues with the data itself, as 44% are struggling with duplicates, whilst 41% say their data is outdated, and 40% are missing information completely resulting in ill-informed business decisions being made. In addition, almost a third (32%) of businesses revealed they have no historical data to make comparisons, which makes it nearly impossible to identify patterns and trends.
“Failure to report on key data, such as employee absence, result in businesses left in the dark about why productivity and profitability are going down, and most importantly why people are leaving and how to prevent it,” said Anton Roe, CEO at MHR. “Integration is key here. Joining up people data across departments will enable more informed decisions that drive a better employee experience, from wellbeing to recruitment.”
Improved integration would also alleviate the time HR departments are spending on collating, analysing, and reporting their people data as the research found that 81% spend up to 59% of their time on these tasks. Along with better integration, businesses desperately need to better educate teams on how to use people data across other departments and not just HR, as one in five respondents reported that their finance teams wouldn’t know how to use people data in their roles.
“Businesses need to understand that their people are at their very core, and investing in HR technology will help address the issue of inaccuracies and missed insights while freeing up time within the business that could be better spent implementing and promoting new initiatives,” added Roe.
