Member News

We were thrilled to be an exhibitor at this year’s Talking Technology, an annual event hosted by Norfolk Chamber focusing on ‘Unlocking Digital Growth’. Each year the event aims to develop the use of digital skills and innovative technologies in business to boost productivity and profitability. This year’s speakers were both national and local specialists on the subjects of Big Data, Cyber Security and Business Growth.

On the subject of Big Data we heard from John Fagan from Axon Vibe and Simon Thompson from BT. John covered the evolving mobile era and the way we socialise and maintain relationships. He also touched on The Internet of Things and Wearable Tech era advancing. Simon spoke about his expertise in leading a team of research scientists developing next generation approaches to Big Data infrastructures, Data Analytics for Big Data sets, Novel Test and Diagnosis and Social Physics.

Next up was the importance of Cyber security. Joe Cooksey worked alongside Barclay’s fraud team and utilised their findings to help customers understand the importance of Cyber Security and to identify the changes they needed to make to improve it. Joe challenged how many of us were actually secure and it was really surprising to see just how many of the audience use one of the top ten passwords and would click on an unknown link!

Paul Maskall was the cybercrime Security Advisor and Coordinator for both Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies. He was in charge of the Prevent, Protect and Prepare agenda of the UK Serious and Organised Crime Strategy. He articulated that his primary objective was to engage with businesses and deliver cyber security advice to both them, the safeguarding community and the public.

The final subject was Business growth. We heard from Venetia Scott-Dalgleish telling the Airbnb story, how it started and how it had grown. Venitia was working particularly to grow and develop the host community outside urban areas in the UK.

Lastly was Tom Haczewski of The User Story. Tom gave a short exploration of UX principles and how they might help businesses see the light, using research and heuristics to develop an unbiased view of their services. Remember, Tom said, “Check yo self (and yo users) before you wreck yo self.”

As if we hadn’t learnt enough, there were further workshops. ‘Getting Seen Online’ by Jonathan White from Traded Network was the first of the day. Jonathon offered his expertise in helping businesses to gain a better online presence.

The second was ‘E-Commerce’ by Alex Tosh from Creative Sponge. Alex identified 10 practical ways to maximise sales online – all the way from engagement and the customer journey through to product promotion.

The third was ‘Website Analytics’ by Darren Lawes from Conversion House. Darren guided listeners through how to find problems on their website that may be slowing down the sales process. He also explained the biggest opportunities for improvement.

Lastly was ‘Building Mobile Apps and the Benefits an App Can Bring to your Business’ by Neil Garner from Thyngs. Neil and his team created the talking tech app that allowed attendees to scan the QR codes at each exhibitor’s stand and reveal a giveaway/prize with a scratchy reveal box. Doesn’t everyone love a scratchy reveal box?

Overall a fabulous day for seeing some old faces, making some new connections and learning more about a number of techy topics. I would also like to say congratulations to Charlotte Hubbard from Norwich Print Solutions for winning our luxury Norfolk hamper! Also well done to Aaron Fickling Director of Laszlo Creative, Neil Garner Director of Thyngs and Barnaby Greenfield, son of Sarah and Chris from Bright Yellow Marking in winning one of our signed Software Development Books. Thank you everybody for taking part.

Thank you to Jill at the Space and all staff at the Norfolk Chamber.

We better start getting ready for 2017!

After a years’ study and an interview with a panel of industry experts, Richard Chatten has been awarded the qualification, bolstering the already highly experienced and qualified team at the Norwich based Support Centre. Richard is the third member of staff at TaxAssist along with Karl Sandall CEO and David Paulson Senior Manager UK & International Franchise Development to gain the qualification.

QFP is the only nationally recognised qualification specific to the franchising industry. It signifies a highly developed level of expertise and experience in franchising and a thorough understanding of its complexities, ethical standards and best practices.

Unlike membership of the British Franchise Association (bfa), the QFP is specific to an individual and not to a company. It’s a recognition of a personal level of commitment, time and continuous professional development by a member of the franchising community.

Karl Sandall CEO of TaxAssist Accountants comments; “Many congratulations to Richard for his hard work and dedication in gaining the QFP qualification. Richard has only been with TaxAssist Accountants for a year, having joined us in 2015 following seven years at a leading international franchise consultancy and publishing company, but in that time his passion and commitment to TaxAssist and franchising has been clear. His work is of an exception level and he has delivered absolutely first class levels of support to our Master Franchisees as they have worked to establish the TaxAssist brand in their territories.

“Richard’s qualification bolsters an already very experienced team at TaxAssist who have been growing the TaxAssist brand internationally and I look forward to working with Richard as we expand further into Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA.”

Business improvement specialist, Jonathan Madden, has been celebrating success as his business reaches its first anniversary.

Joules Resource Management was launched in October last year. Since then, Jonathan has been supporting a whole variety of clients throughout the UK and Ireland. But it’s his work closer to home that has really inspired Jonathan:

“In my role, one thing I do is encourage business owners to stop and take some time to reflect on their business every now and then. This milestone has been a timely opportunity for me to listen to my own advice. It’s my work in Norfolk that’s been the real highlight over the past year.

I’ve worked with some fabulous local businesses who have a willingness to change and benefit from my high performance delivery background. I’ve been able to successfully provide organisation direction, strategic planning and lean implementation, and those businesses I’ve been working with are beginning to reap the rewards.”

Jonathan uses his years of experience and global connections to bring the ‘best in class’ tools and techniques to his clients.

“I’ve been delivering real business improvement and, as significantly for my clients, true value for money. That’s what I set out to do, my value proposition, so my plan is working!”

As part of developing his own business, Jonathan is also proud to be an associate of The People Kit. The People Kit is a collective of professionals who are able to provide expert consultancy in HR, legal, recruitment, occupational health and safety, design, engineering, apprenticeships and, of course, business improvement. Working together they’re able to support various clients through any of their business requirements. Jonathan continues:

“On reflection, I could not have asked for a better start to my new venture. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of my clients. I’d also like to thank my respected supply chain for their professional support throughout this year. I’m really looking forward to helping more clients in 2017 and beyond!”.

By following the TaxAssist Accountants model, seven of its 200 franchisees are each celebrating 10 years of business success.

Between them, the seven franchisees look after 14 shops and offices around the country, which are part of the UK’s largest network of accountants who are experts in helping small business owners and self-employed people with their tax and accounting needs.

Barnsley and Huddersfield-based Nick Brook is just one of the seven marking their first decade with his local small business community and has recently appointed a new member of staff, Kirsty Eastwood, after seeing client numbers soar to over 450.

Nick Brook set up TaxAssist Accountants on Lockwood Road, Huddersfield and, in response to growing demand from existing and new small businesses in neighbouring Barnsley, decided the time was right to expand and open a second office in Barnsley’s Business and Innovation Centre last year.

Nick said: “We’re thrilled to be celebrating our 10th anniversary in Huddersfield and a successful first eight months in Barnsley. Since opening in 2006, we have seen the business go from strength-to-strength as the small business community continues to look for jargon-free tax and accountancy advice.

“At a time when demand for our specialist small business services continues to grow, we’re delighted to have Kirsty join us, and she is already proving to be a great addition to the team.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my 10 years with TaxAssist Accountants.The experience of running my own business has more than met my expectations, and the support from TaxAssist has been first class.I’m really looking forward to the next ten years!”

Sarah Robertson, Group Operations Director of TaxAssist Accountants, added: “Congratulations to all of our franchisees who have reached their decade with us this year. This is a real milestone and something they should be justifiably proud of. We are seeing an increasing number of franchisees renew their franchise agreements with a term of 10 years, which is a positive reflection on the level of support we provide to our network and their optimism for the future.”

The other six franchisees celebrating their 10th anniversary are:

Keith Adams – Bath, Trowbridge and Melksham

Steve Andrew – Oldham

Drazen Coric – Islington and East Finchley

Gary & Cheryl Jacks – Queensferry, Ellesmere Port and Chester

Indira Mandalia – Pinner

Alex Smith – Peverell and Plymouth

October 2016

Peerless plastics & Coatings Update

New plant As part of our on-going commitment to providing the very best product and service possible we have invested heavily in our facility over the last couple of years. At the beginning of September we completed another major investment project on our coating line. This has seen a new purpose built UV system installed, together with a separate new UV curing system for “taller” components. Our new UV system installed on the main coating line will enable us to coat and cure a wider range of products, improve efficiencies and lower energy usage, which is in line with our constant commitment to reduce our carbon footprint. Direct to Media Update -New Coatings We are proud to announce the launch of our new Anti-Microbial Coating. This is a UV cured hard coating which offers our usual abrasion and chemical resistance – with the addition to imperishably halt the development of, and kill over 99% of E-Coli, MRSA, Salmonella, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (Mould) and Campylobacter. There are many applications for this coating in all areas of industry, such as; Healthcare, Veterinary, Dentistry, Food Processing and Aerospace to name a few. With our large format coating capabilities we are able to apply this coating to sheets, moulding, components and surfaces of many sizes.

Practical examples of the application of this coating include:

Door handles and push plates. Toilet partitions Hospital bed headboards Food processing and food preparation areas

Effectively if there is a flat/low graduated plastic substrate surface which would benefit from Anti-Microbial properties we can apply it. As the coating is hard wearing due to its anti-abrasion properties it will not wear away under day to day conditions even in high traffic areas of any facility. Furthermore the coating offers excellent chemical resistance meaning that harsh cleaning chemicals will not damage the surface, which is a great benefit to printed/decorative surfaces.

Norwich-based market research consultancy Insight Track has appointed Chris Murphy as Non-Executive Director in readiness for the next phase of the research agency’s development.

With a successful 10-year trading history since Insight Track was established, the appointment confidently recognises the growing maturity of the business, and the ambition to continue being a leading player in the marketing services sector in the East of England for the next 10-years too.

Chris has a well-proven pedigree within the regional business community, having owned and managed a clutch of successful marketing services agencies. Chris was latterly CEO of Balloon Dog (formerly Fox Murphy), the region’s largest advertising agency, before divesting by an MBO to pursue wider business consultancy ambitions.

Furthermore the appointment re-kindles the dynamic working partnership between Chris Murphy and Will Herschel-Shorland, first formed when Will was Client Services Director for Chris at Fox Murphy, before Will branched-out to set-up Insight Track.

Chris is relishing the opportunity to realise the potential within Insight Track, saying: “Knowing how important customer insight is to guide business decision-making, I have kept an interested eye on Insight Track since its launch. The business has a great team and I’m looking forward to playing my part in taking the business forward”.

Will Herschel-Shorland, Managing Director, is delighted to be re-united with Chris, saying: “Chris’s appointment underlines our ambitions to realise Insight Track’s full potential and our determination to provide best-in-class client service. The experience he brings is self-evident and we are looking forward to harnessing his skills and energy to drive the business forward, with an exciting future in prospect.”

For the fourth consecutive year, TaxAssist Accountants, the UK’s largest network of small business accountants, has been awarded ‘5-star franchisee satisfaction’, based on positive feedback from its network of more than 200 franchisees.

TaxAssist Accountants rated higher than industry standards for all 29 questions, which inform Smith & Henderson’s final Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark (FSB) report.

A leading independent franchise consultancy, Smith & Henderson creates its FSB reports by inviting a franchisor’s existing franchisees to complete an anonymous online survey containing questions about their experience of owning franchise.

Using a consistent methodology, the franchise is assigned an overall FSB score and the highest performing franchisors are recognised in the Best Franchise Awards, sponsored by RBS.

Steven Frost, CEO of Smith & Henderson, said “TaxAssist Accountants was awarded 5-Star Franchisee Satisfaction based on positive feedback from its franchisees.

“They rated it above average across all five key areas that we measure in our industry benchmarking programme, like training and support and relationship with their franchisor. While nothing guarantees a particular franchise is a good fit for you or you will be successful, franchisors like TaxAssist Accountants have recently been awarded 5-Star Franchisee Satisfaction status are a good place to start.”

Sarah Robertson, Group Operations Director at TaxAssist Accountants, said: “As every good franchisor knows, the success of the franchise is totally dependent on the success of its franchisees.

“Feedback from our network is invaluable to highlight what we are doing right and what areas we can enhance. Every year we look forward to digesting each and every comment and with so many positives, the report was a pleasure to read.”

For more information about the Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark please visit www.bestfranchiseawards.co.uk/

October 2016

How do you know what motivates your employees? What motivates the team? And, how motivated are they? More importantly, what can you do to improve motivation and is it worth the effort ie will it impact on the bottom line!

Motivational Maps ® is a mapping tool that helps self-awareness, and can be undertaken at an individual level or aggregated at team level. It can specifically help organisations to understand where they have pockets of demotivated staff and provide practical solutions to address the problem areas. It is particularly effective as a tool to assist in recruitment and as well as helping people to understand their key motivators; it can also assist in career advice and transition. If the employee is in the right role, i.e. one that meets their motivational needs, it correlates directly with improved productivity in the company. It hits the areas that have a meaningful impact and has already been used by thousands globally, including many blue chip companies.

Turning Factor is now licensed to assess and deliver Motivational Maps®. Kathryn Horton, Director, said that it is incredibly rewarding to see such a positive impact on individuals. It also fits well with how we support companies at a strategic level. Motivational Maps ® is a fabulous tool that has already made an impact in the companies that have used it.

Amara, the luxury interior design company based in Rayne, and insurance brokers Pound Gates, based in Ipswich, were crowned the region’s Best Overall Employers at the Best Employers Eastern Region Awards 2016 yesterday (Thursday 6 October). Further awards were also presented to organisations across the region which excel in Customer Focus, Employee Engagement and Innovation.

The Best Employers Eastern Region initiative was founded by professional recruitment specialists Pure and people development and psychometrics expertseras ltd. It aims to celebrate the region’s best employers and supports organisations across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire to create inspiring, innovative and engaging places to work.

The 2016 awards conference took place at Hengrave Hall in Bury St Edmunds and was attended by more than 100 members of the region’s business community. The morning was dedicated to sharing ideas and inspiration on employee engagement and discussing its impact on business performance. The guest speakers at the event were Chantal Misquitta from AstraZeneca, Daemmon Reeve from Treatt plc, Norman Pickavance and James Brown from Grant Thornton, and business transformation consultant Steve Turpie. These five high profile business leaders, all from very different organisations, shared their journeys to creating great places to work. Key themes included authentic leadership, the challenge of maintaining employee engagement in a growing organisation and the benefits of a people-focussed approach.

Lynn Walters, co-founder and director at Pure, said: “All our guest speakers are from local organisations already doing great things around employee engagement. We’re really grateful to them for giving up their time. With many people in the audience being SME owners, the opportunity to hear from a growing business like Treatt, alongside large, established organisations such as AstraZeneca and Grant Thornton, was very thought provoking. Steve Turpie’s insights into his experiences of supporting leaders to take a more authentic approach also really hit home. Our aim is to bring the region’s employers together to share ideas and problem solve challenges. Working together will put our region on the map as a great place to work. Being able to attract and retain talented employees is a key factor in achieving business growth, which will ultimately support the overall growth of our regional economy.”

Lynn Walters, alongside Margaret Burnside, Director of People Development ateras ltd, also led discussions on the latest employee engagement trends and shared the key findings from this year’s Best Employers Eastern Region survey. The results of the employee survey also determined this year’s award winners, with accolades being presented to the organisations with the highest scores, based on their own employee feedback.

This year the award for the region’s Best Overall Large Employer award has been sponsored by East of England law firm Birketts. Jeanette Wheeler, partner and head of employment law, presented the award to Amara, and also presented the award for the region’s Best Overall Small Employer to Pound Gates. This is the second time Ipswich-based Pound Gates has been honoured with a Best Employers Eastern Region award, having previously received the same accolade at the inaugural awards event in 2012.

The full list ofBest Employers Eastern Region 2016 winners:

Large employers (organisations with more than 50 employees)

• The Birketts Best Overall Large Employer Award: Luxury interior design companyAmara,based in Rayne, Essex
• Customer Focus Award:Arthur Rank Hospice Charity (ARHC),based in Cambridge
• Employee Engagement Award: Merchant services providerCashflows,based in Cambridge
• Innovation Award: Sports equipment manufacturersHarrod UK, based in Lowestoft, Suffolk

Small employers (less than 50 employees)

• Best Overall Small Employer Award: Insurance brokersPound Gates, based in Ipswich
• Customer Focus Award: Financial plannersBeckett Investment Management Group, based in Bury St Edmunds
• Employee Engagement Award:Allia, a social ventures charity based in Cambridge
• Innovation Award:LSI Architects, based in Norwich

The Customer Focus award recognises the organisations which have motivated employees to go the extra mile for their customers. The Employee Engagement awards honour the employers which have worked hard to develop high levels of staff morale. The Innovation Award is presented to the businesses which have shown the best ability to innovate and harness the creative talents of their employees.

Margaret Burnside, Director of People Development ateras ltd, said: “The winners of these awards have been selected based on the feedback from their own employees, gathered through the survey. Their staff have effectively voted for their organisation to win by sharing their experiences of what it’s really like to work there. This not only makes these awards more unusual, they also feel extra special and very genuine.”

Lynn Walters added: “A massive congratulations to all of our winners. It’s great to see such a spread of different organisations. It feels very representative of the type of companies we have here in our region. Those taking away awards will be in a stronger position to attract, recruit and retain talent for many years to come. I’d also like to thank everyone who has participated in the initiative overall. Not everyone participating has the intention of winning an award. However, all the organisations involved have the shared aim of improving business performance by developing exceptional employee engagement strategies and creating fantastic workplace cultures.”

The Best Employers Eastern Region initiative has also raised over £3,200 to date by donating a proportion of ticket sales to local charities. This has been shared between; Brightstars, a support group for disabled children and young people in Bury St Edmunds (founded by guest speaker Steve Turpie), West Suffolk cardiac support group Upbeat Heart and St Helena’s Hospice in Colchester.

It is estimated that up to 35% of properties in the UK could be unlettable by 1st April 2018 if action is not taken to improve the property’s energy efficiency rating. The Energy Act 2011 contains a provision for minimum energy standards, andfrom 1st April 2018 it willbe unlawful for a landlord to lease a non-domestic property with an EPC Rating of less than ‘E’.

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is required before a property is marketed for sale or rent in the UK. An EPC gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient).

It is not just those properties that are currently rated F/G that will be impacted by these new regulations. EPCs have a validity of 10 years. A property with an EPC from 2008 may last through threebuilding regulations updates before the owner is legally required to produce another. In which time, the EPC could have dropped by a whole three rating bands. It is possible for a ‘C’ rated building to decline dangerously close to, or below, the ‘E’ threshold by 2018.

As building regulations continue to set more challenging minimum efficiency standards for the building fabric and services, those buildings with inherent problems with the building construction will find it increasingly difficult to achieve compliance. As such, early action is key to keep the costs of compliance low and maintain rental income.

Properties with an EPC Rating of F/G may still be marketed post 2018. However, the prospective tenant and landlord must agree on measures to improve the efficiency of the building prior to the lease being granted. This provides an additional level of risk to landlords, with tenants potentially being able to demand that more expensive works are carried out at the landlord’s expense.

From 2018, only new tenancies and renewals will be affected. However, from 1st April 2023 all existing tenancies will be subject to Minimum Energy Performance Standards, with F&G rated building phased out of British building stock. This could lead to landlords losing tenants, and tenants business operations being heavily disrupted as they look for new premises.

Exemptions to the rule

Buildings that do not require an EPC:

• Places of worship, temporary buildings, building with

With our recent focus on the growth of the Delta-Simons Environment, Health & Safety team, we are pleased to welcome new Senior EHS Consultant, Alex Hammonds. Alex joins Delta-Simons from Ramboll Environ, bringing with him over five years’ experience as an EHS Consultant. He has worked with prestigious clients across a wide range of sectors and specialises in compliance, management systems and training. He will be based in theLondon office.

Alex is experienced in the design and delivery of health and safety management systems, policies and procedures and has conducted hundreds of audits across the UK and internationally. He has also provided an EHS advisory role to clients in the retail and higher education sectors, and has conducted high level Health & Safety reviews for construction, property management and manufacturing firms.

Alex went to the University of Plymouth where he completed a BSc (Hons) Geography degree and an MSc in Global Environmental Change. Following this he completed a a PGCE at the University of Oxford. Alex holds a NEBOSH Diploma in Health and Safety and is a Graduate member of IOSH.

Comfortable and safe work places can increase productivity by 16%, and improve job satisfaction by 24% (source:RiskRight). Delta-Simons are deliveringRiskRightTMEHSsolutions designed byAntea Group, which aims to reduce and proactively manage Environment, Health & Safety risk factors in lower-risk environments i.e. non-manufacturing such as offices, data centres and retail stores. As RiskRight EHS practitioners, we work to understand a business’s culture to ensure the successful implementation of EHS or enhancement of the EHS services in place. This could be from air quality through to employee wellness – providing a rapid response to compliance issues such as the completion of fire risk assessments, to the delivery of a strategic health and safety program to address global risks.

Rosanna Webb, EHS Operations Director, said of Alex’s appointment “We are delighted to have Alex on board; the need for EHS services within lower risk environments is growing rapidly, and as such Alex’s appointment further enables us to support our clients’ specific requirements going forward”.

Related articles:Operations Director joins growing EHS team

East Anglian business Alan Boswell Group has announced that it raised more than £6,000 in one weekend for Big C thanks an ongoing relationship with the Norfolk Province of Freemasons – and its employees’ participation in a wide range of fundraising events.

On Friday 23rd September a cheque for £1,625 was presented to Big C following a fundraising initiative by the Norfolk Province of Freemasons, which saw their members pay to park at Alan Boswell Group’s head office during Norwich City FC home games.

The idea was spearheaded by Robert Price MBE on behalf of the Freemasons, who has been managing the initiative for more than six years.

“The relationship began in 2010, when The Grand Lodge of England granted us the opportunity to raise funds for our chosen charities,” Robert explains. “A chance conversation revealed that Alan was open to using the car park on match days to raise money and it went from there.

“This season our beneficiary is Alan Boswell’s Charity of the Year, Big-C. We’re thrilled to make a donation to a local cause and would like to thank Alan Boswell Group for its generosity.”

Says Big C Director of Income Generation and Communications, Clive Evans: “We’re grateful to Alan Boswell Group and the Freemasons for their support. Working with other organisations is a great way to maximise everyone’s efforts and drive extra interest, ensuring Big C can continue to provide support in the future as well as today.”

Alan Boswell Group Marketing Manager Lee Boswell further comments: “The generous donation from the Freemasons was received at the beginning of a bumper weekend of fundraising activity and we’re delighted to have an ongoing relationship with the organisation.

“Every member of staff at Alan Boswell Group has been challenged to raise £100 for charity this year, and over the course of the weekend our employees raised a further £6,000 by taking part in the Bullards Tour de Norfolk bike ride and huge charity raffle. We’re grateful to our relationships with local organisations – and everyone that’s helped us to maximise our efforts.”

If you would like to donate to Alan Boswell Group’s fundraising efforts visit https://abg.bz/ABGCotY