JULY 2024 EAST MIDLANDS LEADING BUSINESS MAGAZINE www..co.uk WWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UK WWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UK £3.50 Left in the dustThe key to successMisjudged valueArmstrong house Armstrong House, Armstrong Street, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire DN31 2QE Tel: (01472) 310301 Email: s.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk Superb Location - - Close to the ports of Grimsby & Immingham - Great motorway links - Close to the town centre Secure off street parking High speed internet availability A range of affordable office sizes 3 3 3 3 Last remaining office suites Prime location in Grimsby Offering a prime position in Grimsby, Armstrong House on Armstrong Street is ideally located. Close to the ports of Grimsby and Immingham, motorway links and the town centre, off-street parking is also available for all staff and visitors, meaning it’s convenient too. Our spacious, welcoming offices are located on the ground floor and are both secure and CCTV-monitored, giving you the ultimate peace of mind. At Armstrong House, when it comes to affordability and with a range of office sizes there are opportunities for all types of business. If you require virtual office services, prices start from just £15 per month. For more information, or to discuss your office requirements call 01472 310301.www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukEast Midlands Business Link 3 EDITORS NOTES It’s been a rough month for anyone wanting to do anything other than watch politics. The election is all the newspapers, news channels and internet can talk about, and it’s been a sleazy and corrupt affair on all accounts. At the time of writing, Labour are winning but nothing has been decided yet, with the big decision to be on whether the Conservatives will be wiped out by Reform or not. Practically every party has a number of stealth taxes hiding behind them – even Reform, who claim to not have, but whose budget adds up so poorly that it might as well be a sci-fi novel. Numerous independent bodies have spoken out to warn that no matter who ends up in power, the country’s finances are likely to be so low that tax rises are inevitable both in the short and the long term, so the wise choice will be for businesses to prepare for less than ideal conditions. Then again, businesses have been dealing with that for the last 14 years so, in a sense, it’s more of the usual. Whatever does happen, one good thing to come from this election will be the shaking up of the status quo. A sudden change in government has traditionally been followed by a small buoy to the economy, as investor confidence in the new party grows (or investor lack-of-confidence in the old party ceases to matter). The suggestion that Labour might re-make the Brexit deal may also be good news to businesses dealing internationally, though it’s sure to be a controversial matter to the voters who feel no one is allowed to change their minds. There’s no denying that Brexit has been awful – and even those who voted for it can typically acknowledge that the handling of Brexit and the deals that have come of it are not as good as they could be. A change there could be a godsend for many businesses in the region. 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 As a hive of construction activity, a number of key milestones have been reached at projects across the East Midlands. Business spotlight 20 It can sometimes be hard to judge the true value of things we take for granted, and nowhere is that truer than when it comes to services provided to a business. Apprenticeships 24 With recruitment and skills crises, apprenticeships are being proposed as the solution. Tax 28 James Pinchbeck, partner at Streets Chartered Accountants, considers a more balanced approach to growth. IT and telecommunications 30 AI is a part of our future whether we like it or not, and while some companies are grasping the opportunities, others are risking their future on a wait and see approach. Public relations 34 Greg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR, explains how there is such thing as bad publicity. Design and marketing 36 Harmony between design and marketing teams can help drive sales and bolster brand recognition. Businesses ignore them at their peril. Engineering 39 The engineering and manufacturing industries in the United Kingdom have been undergoing significant transformations in recent years. In the face of rising energy costs, combined with government pressure across all industries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. AutoLink 42 New and exciting cars coming onto the market in the latter half of this year, some rarer than others. • We put the new 2024 Lamborghini Urus SE through its paces. Corporate hospitality 48 Not many people enjoy going to events and talking to new people, but it’s undeniable that there are some who come away with plenty of business from JULY 2024 EAST MIDLANDS £3.50 LEADING BUSINESS MAAGAZINE The key to su W uccessLeft in the du WWWEASTMI ust IDLANDSBUS Misjudged value INESSLINKCOOUK .co.ukwww. Cover photographs courtesy: • stock.adobe.com/Aleksei • Duncan Andison • Budimir Jevtic • DG PhotoStock • David Contents July 2024 it. Demystifying the process is the first step to benefiting from it. 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.20 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 East Midlands’ top 500 companies see turnover rise 18% to £97bn Turnover of the top 500 companies in the East Midlands has risen by more than 18% year on year to £97bn, a new report reveals. The annual East Midlands Top 500 Companies Index celebrates the contribution which the region’s biggest companies make to the economy – and this year marks a milestone as the EM Top 500 reaches its fifth anniversary. The 2024 index was launched at the East Midlands Chamber annual dinner by Professor David Rae, of De Montfort University Leicester (DMU), who leads the research team which compiles the index, in partnership with colleagues at University of Derby and Nottingham Trent University. It is supported by East Midlands Chamber and Cross Productions. Top of the list for the fifth year running was Boots, which recorded £7,467,000, although this was down from 2023’s £7,803,000. Derbyshire car supermarket Motorpoint entered the Top 10 for the first time after seeing turnover reach a record £1.3bn. EarthSense takes air quality monitoring to Indonesia EarthSense, the Leicester-based air quality expert, has announced a strategic partnership with Ganeca Environmental Services, bringing its bespoke solutions and services to the Indonesian government, local authorities, and industries to visualise and manage air quality issues, aligning with its shared goals to bring solutions to the world’s environmental challenges. Following rapid population growth in Indonesia, accompanied by high levels of industrialisation and urbanisation, and with almost 23 million vehicles in the Jakarta metropolitan area alone, big cities in Indonesia face serious challenges in managing air quality. EarthSense and Ganeca’s partnership will enable both government and commercial organisations to monitor ambient air pollutants in real-time and track and visualise data to implement change where necessary. Greg Lewis, chief sales and marketing officer at EarthSense, said: “We are delighted to have partnered with Ganeca Environmental Services and bring our industry-leading suite of air quality solutions to Indonesia. The partnership will allow us to join our air quality expertise with Ganeca Environmental Services’ tailored approach to environmental challenges to improve air quality in Indonesia.” Museum forms partnership with heating tech giant to build industry skills for the future Derby Museums has formed a new partnership with Vaillant, bringing new investment to develop future engineering skills in the region. Vaillant is the largest employer in Belper with additional sites across Derbyshire and is a manufacturer of heat pumps, boilers and complimenting heating system products. Having invested more than £50m into the region, it is now partnering with Derby Museums on a new suite of educational programmes designed to inspire the apprentices, engineers and makers of the future. This partnership will also see Vaillant as the exclusive sponsor of the Assemble: Derby’s Making Festival which will be hosted on Saturday 26 October. For the next three years, Vaillant will collaborate on special workshops for visitors to get involved and understand low carbon alternatives in heating and new initiatives in education and skills development for the region. The partnership will also see the creation of a ‘Launch into Engineering’ project – where secondary school pupils will be invited to spend time in the Museum of Making’s Workshop, visit the Vaillant manufacturing plant and get a taste of life in the heating industry. © stock.adobe.com/rangizzzD2N2 LEP incorporated into new East Midlands Combined County Authority Work to boost inclusive growth across the region has taken an important step forward following the incorporation of the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) into the new East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA). The move sees around 20 LEP staff joining the EMCCA to support the work to improve the lives of everyone living and working in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire and Derby and Derbyshire, through delivering improvements in transport, housing, skills and adult education and net zero. Local enterprise partnerships were established across the country in 2010 with responsibilities for local economic development in their region. Now, as part of the devolution deal agreed with government that established EMCCA, the LEP’s board agreed that its functions would be incorporated into the EMCCA to deliver a unified approach to tackling the region’s challenges. Mark Rogers, interim Chief Executive of EMCCA, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome LEP staff to the EMCCA. It’s an important step forward in growing organisational capacity and supporting our devolution journey that’s seen powers move from Westminster to the East Midlands where we can make the right decisions for the people we serve.” 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. Positive outlook for East Midlands businesses as new research shows boost in sales and orders Increased sales and orders, a growing confidence in future profitability, and reduced pressure to increase prices are among a series of findings from a new East Midlands survey of over 300 businesses. Six in 10 respondents to East Midlands Chamber’s Quarterly Economic Survey (Q2, 2024) said they anticipated their turnover to improve this year, with half expecting gains in profitability to follow. An increasing number of businesses were planning to boost their investment in new equipment and training and there was a drop in those reporting difficulties with cashflow. East Midlands Chamber director of policy and insight Richard Blackmore said: “It’s fantastic to see so many measures in our Quarterly Economic Survey pointing to growth for East Midlands businesses, with the data suggesting this will continue over the remainder of the year. What everyone in business wants to see is their turnover and profit going up and price pressures falling and that’s exactly the picture being painted by this data.” The D2N2 LEP team with East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward at Derby City Council offices © stock.adobe.com/Sergii Figurnyi The Museum of Making, Derby Richard BlackmoreNew chair appointed to Leicester and Leicestershire Business Board Andy Reed OBE has been appointed to chair a new Business Board tasked with helping to shape economic strategy in Leicester and Leicestershire. The Leicester and Leicestershire Business Board will bring senior public and private sector leaders together to consider matters relating to growth in the city and county. The Business Board is a key part of the new Leicester and Leicestershire Business and Skills Partnership led by Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council. The leader of the County Council and the city mayor have appointed Mr Reed, the former chair of the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), as the Business Board’s first chair. Mr Reed brings substantial relevant experience, and his appointment provides continuity in business and stakeholder advice to the city and county councils. The purpose of the Business Board is to boost skills and growth by building the local business voice into delivery of economic strategy. APPOINTMENTS Infuse Technology appoints head of sales and procurement Simon Hulland joins Derby-based IT services provider Infuse Technology in a new role as head of sales and procurement as the firm continues to strengthen its team and grow its client base of Midlands and UK-based businesses. With 30 years’ experience in IT, Simon started his career at 18 as an IT consultant and engineer at Infuse’s group company PKF Smith Cooper where he worked for over 10 years, before he transitioned into IT sales and procurement. In the past five years, Simon established a complete global procurement and logistics department at a UK IT firm, whilst simultaneously running their UK sales department. Simon will be taking this experience into his new role at Infuse, where he will head up all sales and procurement for their existing and new clients, as well as proactively looking at ways to continually grow their portfolio of services to better serve their clients. East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk Nine promotions made at East Midlands law firm East Midlands-based law firm Rothera Bray has made nine promotions across a range of key practice areas, including the elevation of two professionals to partner and four individuals to senior associate roles across four office locations. Notable among the promotions are Ann Farnill, previously a senior associate solicitor in wills and probate, and Emily Weston, formerly a senior associate solicitor in conveyancing, who have been promoted to partner. Four colleagues have also been promoted to senior associate: transport barrister Olivia Maginn, based at the firm’s Nottingham office, conveyancing associates Julekha Nathani and Kiran Phagura, based at the firm’s Leicester office, and wills and probate associate Eleanor Robinson, based at the firm’s West Bridgford office. Additionally, family law solicitor Charley Kelly, conveyancing solicitor Tina Rana, and wills and probate solicitor Aleksandra Cebula, who is based at Rothera Bray’s Beeston office, have been recognised with promotions to associate positions. Andy Reed OBE Simon Hulland Top row left to right: Ann Farnill, Emily Weston, Olivia Maginn. Middle row left to right: Julekha Nathani, Kiran Phagura, Tina Rana. Bottom row left to right: Aleksandra Cebula, Charley Kelly, Eleanor Robinson Photo courtesy of Beth Walsh PhotographyFreeths continues to expand with corporate director appointment in the East Midlands Law firm Freeths has appointed corporate director Hannah Tessyman to further grow and expand the practice across the East Midlands. She joins from Knights. Experienced in the sector, Hannah has over ten years’ experience with a particular focus on M&A and complex corporate reorganisations. Her clientele ranges from local and regional businesses to large national corporates. In her new role at Freeths, Hannah will work alongside Martin and the national team to drive forward the firm’s corporate presence in the East Midlands. Commenting on the appointment, Martin Smith, said: “We’re delighted to have Hannah on board as we continue to grow. I’ve worked with Hannah for many years and her ability to deliver a quality service for clients is second to none. It’s an exciting time for the Freeths East Midlands corporate team.” Hannah Tessyman added: “It’s a really exciting time to be joining Freeths as the firm continues on an upward growth trajectory. “I was very attracted by how clearly the corporate practice is thriving despite recent and current economic challenges, together with the long-established strength of the firm’s reputation for delivering a quality service to its clients. I am delighted to continue doing that whilst growing our corporate offering in the East Midlands.” Two promotions made at civil and structural engineering firm East Midlands civil and structural engineering firm BSP Consulting has made internal promotions to create two new associate directors. Civil engineer Carol Ell, who has a leadership role in BSP’s Leicester office, has been with the company 20 years. Finance manager James Payne, who is based in the Nottingham office, working across the company, joined BSP from school in August 2001 and has held a variety of roles within the business. BSP MD Carl Hilton said: “Both Carol and James have proven themselves to be very committed to BSP Consulting, with almost 43 years of service between them. They bring an energy and enthusiasm to the company which very much contributes to our success. “I am pleased to announce that they have both earned a well-deserved promotion to associate director and congratulate them on their new appointments.” www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link APPOINTMENTS Forvis Mazars appoints audit partner in the East Midlands Forvis Mazars, a global professional services network, has appointed Mitesh Thakrar as an audit partner in the East Midlands. Following the recent launch of Forvis Mazars, the newest top 10 global professional services network, Mitesh joins the firm at a period of great opportunity in the East Midlands. He will also be joining an expanding local partnership team following the appointments of Andy Hickson, Claire Cowen and Mark Surridge last September. In his new role Mitesh, who has spent his entire career in the East Midlands and specialises in working with privately owned businesses, will be responsible for further strengthening the audit practice and supporting the firm as it continues to grow its client base in the region. Mitesh joins Forvis Mazars following a strong financial reporting period in the East Midlands. This has seen the team expand by 10% over the last year and income rise to in excess of £40m across the region. Mitesh joins the firm from Azets, where he was a partner and regional head of audit (East Midlands). Steve English, office managing partner for Forvis Mazars across the East Midlands, said: “Mitesh brings over a decade’s experience of working in audit and serving clients across the East Midlands. “His insights into the local market will be invaluable as we look to continue to grow our presence and offering in the region. Mitesh’s dedication to his clients and to audit quality mean he will be a fantastic addition to the team and we look forward to welcoming him.” Mitesh Thakrar James Payne and Carol Ell Hannah TessymanNext >