JULY 2023 EAST MIDLANDS LEADING BUSINESS MAGAZINE www..co.uk WWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UK WWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UK £3.50 Industry 4.0 The intersection of success Combining IT and telecomsEast Midlands Business Link Bricks 2023 A celebration of those helping to create the landscape for the next generation EAST MIDLANDS The prestigious East Midlands Bricks Awards are back for 2023! Shining a light on the region’s property and construction industry, this year’s event will take place on Thursday 28th September, at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground. The East Midlands Bricks Awards, organised by East Midlands Business Link Magazine, is an independent awards and publicity programme recognising development projects and people in commercial and public building across the region – from office, industrial and residential schemes, through to community projects such as leisure schemes and schools. Visit www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk for more information. BUSINESS Thursday 28th September 2023 at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground Printing|Copying|Graphic Design LOGOS | BRANDING | BUSINESS STATIONERY FLYERS & POSTERS | BROCHURES | NEWSLETTERS A0 COPYING & SCANNING | OS MAPPING CAD & PLAN PRINTING | PRINT FINISHING High Quality Print & Design in Lincolnshire N 01522 546118 E sales@lincolncopycentre.co.uk www.lincolncopycentre.co.ukwww.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukEast Midlands Business Link 3 EDITORS NOTES It’s a tense moment for the region and the country as a whole after the Bank of England raised interest rates, prompting fears that the country would slide into a recession. GDP at the end of June was at 0.1%, avoiding a recession barely, but many still fear that the country might slip anyway before the end of the year, as it’s predicted there could be another interest rate hike before the end of 2023. There are some who have even suggested that the Conservatives might be intentionally leading the country into a recession (though, obviously, no one would ever admit to that) in order to “reset” the economy and drive inflation down. Inflation has already begun to dip within the eurozone without recessions, but the UK’s inflation has remained high, and there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of action by the Government to counter it, which is what is leading some to suggest they’re banking on a recession to do that for them. Whether or not it happens, it’s worth keeping in mind that there are still opportunities to be had in a recession. We would never advocate that a recession is a “good thing” but difficult trading conditions do breed opportunities, and with the country’s recruitment markets already failing to provide enough skilled labour for all roles, some might argue that businesses going under might ease the pressure. Of course, that will only benefit businesses that are already doing well and have enough of a healthy cash flow to weather the storm. Good reading, as always Michael Fisher Editor@BLMEastMidlands BLMEastMidlands Latest news 6 A round-up of the latest news from our region. Commercial property 16 From works starting to completion being achieved, the East Midlands has witnessed a busy month for industrial and logistics property. Apprenticeships 20 Apprenticeships seem like the solution to the recruitment problem, but are employers seeing them less as investments for the future, and more as temporary workers available on lower pay? Tax 24 James Pinchbeck, partner at Streets Chartered Accountants, helps you gain more value from your year-end. Design and marketing26 Design and marketing, while serving different purposes, often come together to define the success of your business, along with the products or services it provides. Public relations 30 Greg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR, speaks on missed opportunities. Engineering 32 One of the prominent trends driving the engineering and manufacturing industries is the integration of advanced automation and digital technologies. IT and telecommunications 36 Expertly integrating IT and telecoms can elevate internal processes, boost collaboration, and deliver exceptional customer experiences. Cold storage 39 With so many goods produced in the region needing to be transported at specific temperatures, having a fully controlled supply line is crucial. AutoLink 42 We take a look at some of the new motors that will be coming to our roads. Corporate hospitality 46 As business event expenditures increase, organisers need to minimise costs. JULY 2023 EAST MIDLANDS LE £3.50 EADING BUSINESS MAG AZINE g IT and telecoms ESSLINKCOUK .co.ukwww. success The intersection of WW f WEASTMIDL Industry 4.0 Combining ANDSBUSINE Cover photographs courtesy: • stock.adobe.com/ipopba • imfrom • auremar • alonesdj • ipopba Contents July 2023 Out of office50 Good news from across the region. Events52 A timely look at forthcoming business events around the East Midlands. And finally...54 Here’s Frazer’s collection of the weird and wonderful ‘news’ that came his way over the last few weeks.26 Group Editor Steve Fisher s.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk Editor Michael Fisher m.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk Journalist Tess Egginton t.egginton@blmgroup.co.uk Sales Director Angela Cooper a.cooper@blmgroup.co.uk Tel: (01472) 310310 Accounts & Subscriptions Angela Sharman accounts@blmgroup.co.uk Tel: (01472) 310301 Fax: (01472) 310311 Design & Production Gary Jorgensen, Mark Casson studio@blmgroup.co.uk Tel: (01472) 310304 E-Mail: eastmidlands@blmgroup.co.uk Publisher Haychart Ltd, t/a Business Link Magazine Group, Huntingdon House, 278-290 Huntingdon Street, Nottingham NG1 3LY All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, photocopied, recorded or otherwise without express permission of the copyright holder, for which application should be addressed first to the publisher. While every reasonable care is taken, neither the publisher nor its participating agents accept liability for loss or damage to prints, colour transparencies, negatives or other material of whatever nature submitted to this publication. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views of those held by the publisher. East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk GENERAL NEWS New for 2023 Lincoln Print & Copy Centre has continued investing in new equipment and recently bought new booklet making equipment to be able to offer folded and stapled booklets and brochures with many more pages. This has been useful straight away as a customer needed scripts with many pages, as low a cost each as possible and a quick turn around, they were able to offer exactly what the customer needed. Other new equipment meant a supplier to the NHS could have wire bound books to suit their needs. They are also able to produce small A6 booklets, landscape and square brochures. Particularly popular at this time of year are leaflets and posters advertising upcoming events and brochures for commercial companies going to trade shows and end of season performance programmes. Plan and CAD printing for the construction industry remains popular, included waterproof paper and laminated to protect the drawings on site. Some commercial organisations still find NCR (no carbon required) pads useful to ensure there are exact copies of forms and information, variations in size, number of sheets and finishing can be accommodated. Lincoln Print & Copy Centre work with customers to ensure the printing fits their needs and budget, helping their customers stand out from the crowd. PwC Midlands welcomes new team members following People Force acquisition PwC Midlands has welcomed 25 new team members to its Birmingham and Donington Court offices, following PwC UK’s acquisition of People Force. The acquisition makes PwC one of the largest Ceridian implementation partners in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) with a team of over 60 specialists in the UK. Matthew Hammond, PwC UK Midlands regional market leader & Birmingham senior partner, said: “We are thrilled to welcome members of the People Force team to our Birmingham and Donington Court offices. Businesses, in the UK and globally, are investing and moving to the cloud at pace. “Accordingly, People Force’s market-leading technology expertise enables us to provide our clients with even greater human-led, tech-powered innovation solutions to help them drive efficiencies and cost savings, both in their HR processes and across the workforce as a whole. The team will bolster our expertise here in the region and across the UK.” East Midlands business confidence surges Business confidence in the East Midlands rose 35 points during the beginning of June to 52%, the highest level of any UK region or nation, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Companies in the region reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up 36 points at 51%.? When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, up 34 points to 52%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 52%. East Midlands businesses identified their top target areas for growth in the next six months as investing in their team (37%), evolving their offer (22%) and introducing new technology (19%). The Business Barometer, which surveys 1,200 businesses monthly, provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide.? A net balance of 39% of businesses in the region expect to increase staff levels over the next year, up 29 points on last month. Overall, UK business confidence increased by nine points to 37% in June, with all regions reporting a positive confidence reading. Eight out of 10 regions reported a higher confidence reading than in May. Derbyshire timber buildings specialist transitions to Employee Ownership Trust Geldards has advised Derbyshire-based Arctic Cabins on its transition to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). A family-run business established over twenty years ago by owner Gareth Parkinson and his Finnish wife Virpi, Arctic Cabins takes inspiration from the Scandinavian lifestyle which places sturdy wooden shelters, often with a central BBQ, in communities and national parks as refuges to be used by the community. The trend for homeworking since the pandemic, coupled with a gardening boom, has seen the demand for practical home office solutions and additional living space skyrocket, and Arctic Cabins have experienced a huge surge in demand for their wooden cabins as a result. Protecting the hard-won business legacy built up by a dedicated workforce over the decades was a primary consideration for Gareth when planning for his exit from the business. Keen to secure the future of the business, protect staff jobs and retain highly skilled employees, a transition to an Employee Ownership Trust was chosen as the right solution for Arctic Cabins. www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link GENERAL NEWS • Commercial • Events • Headshots • Automotive • Fashion CALL OR EMAIL FOR A QUOTE 07506 998855 STEVE@STEVEEDWARDSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM STEVEEDWARDSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM Creating eye-catching images to help businesses build their brands and engage with clients. E-mobility start-up Ottr joins forces with five brands to create global mobility powerhouse Under the flagship umbrella of ‘Today’, East Midlands firm Ottr and five other brands which are backed by venture capitalist fund EFO Ventures mark a significant milestone in the micro-mobility industry. Ottr, Frog, Leap, Element, MIXTE and White Fox will unite their expertise and resources to deliver a comprehensive end-to-end micro-mobility management service. Reflecting on this groundbreaking merger, David Bothwell, the director and founder of Ottr, expressed his excitement, stating: “We at Ottr are now part of something much bigger than we ever thought possible. The team at Ottr should take stock of their amazing work completed, lessons we have learned together, and all in under two years.” ‘Today’ is driving the Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) revolution forward, with an initial offering of 1,500 vehicles in Nottingham (England), and currently expanding to Lisbon (Portugal) and Dublin. Its commercial fleet consists of 8,000 vehicles made up of e-scooters, e-bikes, e- cargo bikes and e-mopeds. They are available for shared mobility operators, delivery companies, universities and consumer brands wanting white label solutions. © stock.adobe.com/ Monster ZtudioAPPOINTMENTS Change at the top for Fidler & Pepper Lawyers Fidler & Pepper Lawyers, known for handling Conveyancing and Private Client matters, has revealed a change in leadership. CEO Mark Slade steps into the role of chairman and chief technology officer, while Matt Slade, currently head of conveyancing and business development director, takes over as CEO. Mark has been at Fidler & Pepper for nearly 40 years, becoming managing partner in 2002 and then CEO when it switched to become a limited company in 2018. Over the years, he has driven the company forward, often with bespoke technology he developed leading the way. Mark’s new role will see him continuing to focus on his passion for developing technology that benefits the company and its clients. Matt Slade has been at Fidler & Pepper for nearly 31 years, and has been key to its ongoing success, particularly in conveyancing where it has cemented itself in the top 50 conveyancing firms in the country. He said: “I’m looking forward to leading the firm, working with the directors and colleagues. Together, we will take the business forward.” East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk Gateley makes new Nottingham office promotions Legal and professional services group Gateley has announced its latest round of promotions, which includes six people from its Nottingham office. Alexander Parkes – a real estate lawyer, has been promoted to partner, continuing his work within the real estate team, while Helen Webster has been promoted to legal director in the employment team. Natasha Walker from Adamson Jones, Gateley’s dedicated patent and trademark practice, has been promoted to senior associate. Additionally, three of the Nottingham team have been promoted to associate, with Natasha Cole promoted in the employment team, Andrew Dennis in the private client team and Anna Thomas from residential development. Andrew Macmillan, partner and head of Gateley’s Nottingham office, said: “Congratulations to all those who have received a promotion this year. Our clients expect the best level of service from Gateley and those who have received promotions have all continuously demonstrated a desire to go above and beyond to fulfil the needs of the businesses we support.” Ideagen appoints chief customer officer Nottingham-headquartered Ideagen, a technology company providing software solutions to high-compliance and regulated industries, has appointed Michael Dowthwaite as chief customer officer. Michael brings over 23 years’ experience in customer success, sales, and marketing and will be responsible for driving the growth and success by focusing on delivering world-class customer experiences. “I’m thrilled to be joining Ideagen, a company that has a remarkable reputation in providing class-leading software solutions to its customers,” said Michael. “After meeting Ben and the leadership team it was an easy decision to jump on board. The opportunity to lead and scale the Customer Success function and enhance our support and delivery services is extremely exciting. “I look forward to working with the talented team at Ideagen and supporting them to deliver more value to customers and stakeholders.” In this new role, Michael will be responsible for driving customer satisfaction and loyalty globally, working closely with the company’s marketing, sales, and customer success teams to develop strategies that enable the company to provide the best possible customer experience. Ben Dorks, Ideagen CEO, said: “We have always had a strong focus on supporting and championing our customers, who every day make decisions that keep the world around us safe and protected. It was therefore important that our executive team reflected this.” Michael Dowthwaite Matt Slade and Mark Slade L-R: Alexander Parkes - partner, Andrew Macmillan - partner and head of Gateley’s Nottingham office and Helen Webster - legal director Blue Light Card names new CEO Blue Light Card, the discount service for the NHS and Emergency Service community, has appointed Alidad Moghaddam as its new Chief Executive Officer. Blue Light Card was founded by Tom Dalby and Steve Denny in 2008, with a mission to save its members money as a thank you for what they do for others. Tom and Steve will be taking advisory positions within the Leicester business, whilst remaining as board members of Blue Light Card and Trustees of the Blue Light Card Foundation. Alidad, who was previously on the leadership team at Trainline, has a proven track record of driving growth and innovation in the digital space. He brings years of experience in various leadership positions at high-growth consumer focussed technology companies. Speaking on his appointment, Alidad said: “I’m excited to be a part of a company which focuses on giving back to those who tirelessly serve our communities, by helping them save money and manage their cost of living. “I look forward to helping shape the company’s growth strategy, expand its partnerships with leading brands, and enhance its value proposition for its members. “I will also continue to nurture our reputation as a great place to work by fostering a culture of gratitude, respect, and mutual support across colleagues, members and partners.” Tom Dalby, former CEO, said: “Both Steve and I couldn’t be prouder of how far Blue Light Card has come over the last fifteen years. “The staggering savings and experiences that we continue to deliver for our members are true to our original mission and are a testament to the dedication of the talented people we have been working alongside since we started out.” Double senior hire as Flint Bishop eyes further growth Law firm Flint Bishop has further expanded its employment team with two senior appointments. Siobhan Mulrey, based at the firm’s Birmingham office, joins as a partner from national law firm Irwin Mitchell, where she spent close to nine years honing her skills and building a strong reputation in the legal industry. Her previous experience also includes working at Harrison Clark Rickerbys and Higgs LLP. In addition, Mark Fearn, has been appointed as business development manager and will be based at the firm’s Derby headquarters. Fearn joins the company from MHR Global Ltd, a leading SaaS provider across the UK and Ireland, where he successfully led a team of 17 business development representatives with varying specialties. Louise Easthope, Partner and Head of Employment at Flint Bishop, said: “I am thrilled to welcome Siobhan and Mark to Flint Bishop at an exciting period of growth for the firm. “Their experience and knowledge will undoubtedly enrich our team and broaden our capabilities, which will contribute significantly to our success in expanding our client base and achieving our business goals. “These appointments mark a significant milestone in the strategic growth of both the firm’s employment department and the wider Derby and Birmingham offices.” www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link APPOINTMENTS Miller Homes makes divisional managing director promotion Ben Massey has been promoted to divisional managing director for Miller Homes, leading the company’s regional offices in East Midlands, South Midlands, and Yorkshire. Ben joined Miller Homes in 2001 after completing his degree in residential development at Nottingham Trent University. Over the last 22 years, he has progressed through the company, becoming land director for the Midlands regions in 2013, before achieving promotion to the post of regional managing director for Miller’s East Midlands office and its South Midlands office, which opened in Northampton in 2022. As divisional managing director, Ben will oversee the East Midlands and South Midlands regions, as well as taking on responsibility for the Yorkshire regional office, based in Wakefield. Ben Massey said: “I’m very pleased to be taking on this new role at Miller Homes, working with our excellent teams across three unique and distinctive regions. “It’s a real privilege to continue my professional journey with Miller as a divisional managing director, building on the invaluable experience I have gained to date with the company.” Stewart Lynes, Chief Executive Officer at Miller Homes, said: “Since joining the company in 2001, Ben has made an excellent contribution to our work in the East Midlands, and more recently, he has played a key role in setting up a new regional office in South Midlands.” Alidad Moghaddam Siobhan Mulrey and Mark Fearn Ben MasseyNext >