Accountancy Age has recently published its Financial Power List 2016 with CEO of The TaxAssist Group Karl Sandall being recognised as the 47th most powerful figure in the finance and accountancy world, up three places from 2015.
Karl and TaxAssist find themselves in illustrious company with Lin Homer, Chief Executive of HM Revenue and Customs taking the number one slot and Mark Carney Governor of the Bank of the England 4 places above Karl at number 43.
Accountancy Age is one of the leading resources for finance, business and accountancy news, features, advice and resources for accountants and other UK finance professionals. Every year they produce a ‘Power List’ of the most influential and powerful hitters in the accounting and finance world for the year ahead.
Accountancy Age listed the reason for Karl’s inclusion in the Power List as, “The coming year is likely to be pivotal for Sandall and TaxAssist as the firm embarks on an ambitious international expansion plan, taking in five branches across Australia, before turning its attention to Canada, Scandinavia and the US.”
Karl is listed alongside his Executive Management colleagues Sarah Robertson, Phil Sullivan and Ray Clarke and the TaxAssist franchisees, who make up the UK’s largest network of small business specialist accountants.
In 2014 a ground breaking Franchisee Assisted Management Buyout (FAMBO) took place with a tranche of franchisees breaking new ground in their ownership of the company. Franchisees currently own a 32% stake in the business, with the Directors of the company including Karl owning 53% and 15% by long-standing external business partners.
Karl comments “Whilst it is a mark of distinction for myself and TaxAssist to move up in prominence in the Power List because of our controlled expansion plans, I would like to reiterate that we will in no way be taking our focus off the UK, which continues to be our priority.”
“Myself and my fellow Directors are happy to report that the second half of 2015 saw an acceleration in the TaxAssist UK business performance with double-digit growth in our main KPIs. We finished the year with 58,000 small business clients in the UK and a network fee bank of over £38m, both up 11% on 2014. Combine our network’s successful performance in the UK with the fact that we sold a Master Franchise Licence for Eastern Australia, who now has three territories trading, 2015 proved to be a very successful and interesting year. These are indeed exciting times for TaxAssist.”
Fendercare Marine wins Certificate of Excellence for ship-to-ship (STS) operations
Certificate of Excellence awarded by Dubai Maritime City Authority
Recognition of high safety standards within STS process
Fendercare Marine celebrates 21 years of providing third party STS services
The foremost global provider of ship-to-ship cargo transfer services, Fendercare Marine, part of James Fisher and Sons plc, has been awarded a Certificate of Excellence for STS operations throughout 2015.
This award has been presented by the Dubai Maritime City Authority in recognition of Fendercare Marine’s “excellence in conducting STS operations to the highest safety and professional standards in Dubai waters and the excellent communication updates received from the STS team”.
The Certificate of Excellence is a new award which will be presented annually to an STS provider who is meeting Dubai Government criteria for conducting safe and professional STS operations with high standards.
Elizabeth Skinner, Fendercare Marine Operations Director said, ‘We are delighted to have received this award. We have been providing STS services for 21 years and operating in Dubai for over 10 years. This is a real testament to the safety standards we aspire to continually improve, as well as the strong communication ethos we have embedded in the company.”
Fendercare Marine has provided STS services to the oil and gas shipping industries globally since 1995. Transfers can take place between vessels of any size and a variety of cargoes including crude oil, white and black products, LPG and LNG, as well as dry bulk.
Today these services are provided by Fendercare Marine from a network of over 50 worldwide bases, currently handling in excess of 2,800 transfers a year. Fendercare Marine has an exemplary safety record, without a single environmental incident since they began STS services.
The operation has grown significantly since 1995 as clients have recognised the trading opportunities and logistical benefits of being able to transfer cargoes between vessels at any time and almost anywhere.
“The growth in STS operations carried out worldwide demonstrates Fendercare Marine’s professional performance in carrying out these operations and reflectsthe trust placed in Fendercare Marine by the world’s leading oil majors in protecting their valuable assets.” Skinner added.
We hope you have enjoyed a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year. 2015 was a great year for Norwich Business School at the University of East Anglia and we look forward to developing new and existing relationships with businesses into 2016.
We would like to introduce you to the Graduate Trainee Management Scheme which is now in its third year. The GTMS is a free recruitment service for local organisations within the East of England area and is exclusive to our bright NBS graduates. In addition, many of our students will have had summer internships with major employers, part time jobs, competed for employability prizes or been involved in our various university societies. As you can imagine our graduates can hit the ground running and will be able to make an immediate impact with your business.
We provide a mock assessment centre experience and shortlist the most suitable candidates to participating companies. We work in partnership with our fully resourced careers service and experienced interviewers from within the business school. The final decision is down to you, the client, and if the calibre of the candidates do not meet your requirements, you are under no obligation to recruit. Successful graduate appointments are paid at market rates, circa £20,000 pro rata.
Our free service can save up to £5000 in recruitment and advertising costs and the reason we offer this is simple. We do all the leg work leaving you to do what you do best – run your business.
For further details about GTMS and how to join our mailing list, please see the attached brochure or email us at GTMS@uea.ac.uk.
The New Year is a great time to research the relevant business and industry awards you’d like to put your organisation forward for during 2016, so we’ve put together a timely reminder as to why it’s really worth the time and effort involved.
At Pure, we are a keen advocates of business awards as they celebrate and promote the fantastic employers and places to work in our region. That’s why we sponsor several different business awards each year including the Best Employer category at theCambridge Business Excellence Awardsand Eastern Daily Press Business Awards, as well as running our ownBest Employers Eastern Region awards.
Everyone loves winning an award, but there’s actually significant business benefits from just going through the application process itself, let alone potentially being crowned the winner!
Gain a fresh perspective
Going through the award application process also doubles up as an extremely useful business management exercise. The judging criteria for business awards can be seen as a benchmark of what leading experts in the field believe businesses should be achieving to be celebrated as outstanding examples of success. Taking the time to sit down and really think through the criteria, finding relevant examples for your own application, will not only help you identify what your business has already achieved but also any areas for further improvement.
Carry out competitor analysis
Being involved in key industry and regional business awards can be a great way to continually monitor and update your competitor analysis. Seeing which organisations have entered awards, and how your business has fared against them, is an opportunity to benchmark your business against its competitors. Case studies of winning and shortlisted businesses are also often published during awards, providing easy access to information about what your competitors are up to.
Raise your business profile
Winning or being shortlisted for a business award is an excellent endorsement for your business and helps to distinguish you from your competitors. Promoting an award win will help to strengthen your reputation as a credible business and will raise your profile amongst the businesses’ key stakeholders. Plus the award events themselves are a great opportunity to network and build relationships with other business leaders and to meet potential new customers.
Increase employee engagement
Business awards recognise the hard work of everyone involved in an organisation and winning an accolade is great way to boost employee motivation and staff morale. Make sure that you celebrate the award with all the staff involved, especially if you can’t invite everyone to the award ceremony itself, to enable all employees to share and enjoy the success.
Attract future talent
Winning an accolade really helps to raise your employee brand. This will inevitably help you to attract future talent to your organisation as it will be seen as an attractive place to work, with great career prospects.
TaxAssist Accountants further strengthened with appointment of new Executive Director
The TaxAssist Group is pleased to announce a further strengthening of its Board with the appointment of Ray Clarke FCCA, CTA to its board of Directors with effect from 1 January 2016.
Ray, who has been working at TaxAssist for over a year already as Group Head of Technical, comes from a varied background, having served in the Royal Navy for 5 years before entering the world of tax and accountancy with the Inland Revenue. He then moved over to working in practice, spending 26 years looking after owner manager businesses in the small and medium business sector. Ray joined TaxAssist straight from a specialist London tax practice where he was Senior Corporate and Business Tax Manager.
Ray’s new role will be to take responsibility for all technical aspects of the TaxAssist franchise network, primarily support and training on all aspects of accounts and tax, the visit & audit programmes and being the main contact point for technical partners.
Phil Sullivan, Group Operations Director comments, “We are delighted to welcome Ray to the TaxAssist Accountants Executive Team and Board. His combined experience and knowledge will be invaluable to enable us to continue to deliver the very best quality support to our network of franchisees.”
Ray joins Karl Sandall, Phil Sullivan and Sarah Robertson on the Executive Director team which ensures the smooth operation of the franchise in both the UK and internationally.
With ambitious growth plans and a strong focus on local business, Indigo Swan is set to make a splash in Norfolk this year!
2015 was a fantastic year for us; sales were up 40%, we recruited 4 swans, our MD Emily Groves was named IoD Young Director of the Year (East of England) and we were awarded “Most Trusted Consultancy” and “Best Small Consultancy of the Year” at the National Energy Live Consultancy Awards (TELCAs) in London.
“We believe in a better way of managing energy.” saidChief Plan Hatcher, James Wortley. “Our focus is taking the headache out of managing energy and energy contracts and giving our clients the information they need to make better business decisions. We have been recognised for our innovative and customer focussed approach with a number of awards, the Future50 and our excellent client retention, and we are excited about building upon this in 2016.”
Moving forward, we plan to double our turnover by the end of 2017 and increase the flock to 20 swans. We are currently recruiting for aClient Guideto help our clients reduce their energy headache and have at least 2 more positions coming up this year.
“Attitudes are as important to us as skills when we recruit” saidManaging Director, Emily Groves. “We look for people who fit with our values;Be Trusted,Be Responsible,Be EffortlessandBe Exceptional. Innovation is at the heart of culture, we are always looking for a better way, so it is essential we find new people who push the boundaries and challenge the status quo.”
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About Indigo Swan:
Founded in 2010 by Managing Director Emily Groves, a company whose culture is rooted in strong values, has grown organically thanks to Client referrals and excellent reputation. Their philosophy of doing things ‘A Better Way’ has led to national recognition, awards and a reputation as an industry leader.
The Company’s Norfolk-based Clients include The Forum, YMCA Norfolk, The Broads Authority, The Royal Agricultural Association, Norwich School, Pleasurewood Hills, Norwich Colour Print, Ashton KCJ, Desira Group and Marriott Motor Group.
SMS, a subsidiary of Alderley plc, are excited to announce that they have relocated to larger premises at the prestigious Beacon Park business park in Great Yarmouth at the end of 2015.
SMS have proudly named their new £3 million headquarters, Starling House, after a major contract win which marked the beginning of SMS’s ongoing success in the manufacture of topside equipment, such as hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical control systems for major subsea EPCs and North Sea oil and gas operators.
The new building occupies a prominent 100,000sq/ft. plot allowing SMS the capacity continue servicing the needs of its expanding client portfolio globally as well as the introduction of new product lines.
The larger purpose built facility comprises spacious bespoke offices and meeting rooms and a workshop designed for operational testing complete with modern observation zones for improved safety and a built-in overhead lifting crane.
SMS is an ISO 14001 accredited company and we are committed to reducing the impact we have on the environment and we are proud that the facility has an EPC rating of B.
Dave Howlett, Managing Director of SMS comments. “The new facilities have been purpose built for our needs to allow us to continue to work efficiently and deliver technical excellence to our clients. These new facilities along with the strong and talented people here at SMS will ensure we meet the rising global demand for our products and services.”
SMS’s new address is:
Starling House Lancelot Road Beacon Park Gorleston-on-Sea Norfolk NR31 7BF United Kingdom
With a mind boggling array of tablets available we wanted to take a closer look at the range of tablets out there. Which one could be the best investment for you?
We see tablets everywhere. We’re asked to do surveys on them in the street, we see people catching up on yesterday’s TV on the bus and they’re even popping up in restaurants as a new way to order our food. Just the other day our director took his children to have their feet measured in a well known high street shoe brand, the sales assistant inserted a tablet into the measuring device to take the measurements and keep the kids occupied at the same time.
TechReport.com recently wrote that in the second quarter of 2015, the worldwide tablet market reduced by 7% from the same period in the previous year. From the first quarter of 2015 to the second quarter, the two top tablet makers, Apple and Samsung, saw a reduction in their gross share of the tablet market from 45% to 41%. Is this the beginning of the end for the tablet? Well no, probably not. During this time there was little new hardware. These numbers probably show people hanging onto their old tablets longer, not a decline in the use of tablets.
If you’re a business and thinking of going paperless, tablets are a great investment.
You must first decide whether your business would be best suited to a tablet that runs Android, Windows or iOS (Apple’s operating system). This is a decision that is highly individual to your business needs, but it is worth bearing in mind that Windows tablets are generally more powerful, and can run more like a laptop than either Android or Apple tablets. But for the pleasure of a laptop-like performance you can end up paying laptop prices. Apple have always sat at the higher end of the price scale but the millions of Apple fans across the world would say that you get what you pay for. You can pick up an Android tablet for less than £100 which has led to Google’s Android platform putting up a formidable fight against iPad’s monster market share. Once you’ve decided between the big three, there is a wide range of tablets out there that will suit your needs.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is a great choice for Windows users. This tablet really is a laptop replacement and you can even buy a keyboard cover as an optional extra. If you’d prefer a tablet that can turn into a more traditional laptop, then the Dell XPS 12 could be the way to go. It’s hingeless keyboard dock is included in the price. Alternatively, the HP Pavilion x2 is a tablet that can turn into a netbook, with a removable keyboard.
For iOS users, Apple’s iPad Pro is a great choice for business use. It’s the biggest tablet Apple has made to date, specifically made with business use in mind. Again, you can purchase a keyboard cover and stylus to go with it. The keyboard cover and Apple Pencil stylus make the iPad better for business, especially for creative users. It also debuts Apple’s new split-screen multitasking which is great for business owners trying to tackle their to-do-lists.
If want your business to run on Android tablets, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is a great iPad alternative. This tablet is very similar to Apple’s iPad Air 2 but also includes a microSD card reader, which makes it very easy to expand the capacity of your tablet. The Samsung Multimedia Dock accessory improves at-the-desk productivity and it’s defence-grade mobile data security from Samsung KNOX™ means you can keep corporate data secure.
If your business requires you to be out in the elements then you may well want to invest in one of the water resistant tablets. The Sony Xperia Z4 is a great choice if you’re after a more sleek design, but if you want something a bit more robust then the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active has a rubber shield around it. It’s a great choice for those who have to travel a lot on business – connect the keyboard dock and Sony Xperia Z4 is a versatile tool for writing emails and documents on the go.
But what about if you’re after a tablet to use at home? First consider which operating system you want to run on. It’s worth bearing in mind that whilst Android and Apple tablets are essentially large smartphones, Windows tablets actually have the same power as your laptop and can perform tasks as such. If you want something that does everything your laptop can do, but in tablet form, then Windows tablets are the way to go.
The iPad mini and the Nexus 7 both have relatively small screens (about 7″) but are light and easy to carry around. Perfect if you want to watch TV or films when you’re out and about. If you want a bigger screen then you could go for an iPad or Samsung Galaxy tablet (about 10″), but these are heavier and bigger if you want to put them in your bag to take out with you. The Windows Surface Pro 4 and the iPad Pro both have even bigger screens. You could also try the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact or the Nexus 9 if you want something in-between the two screen sizes (8 or 9″).
Make sure when you’re looking for a tablet that you know what you want to use it for. If you want to watch a lot of films on it, then a widescreen tablet could be better for you, whereas if you intend to use it for web browsing you may want a screen that’s more square in shape – this is called aspect ratio. Also, make sure you get a decent amount of pixel density (screen resolution) – how much you need, again, depends on what you want to do with your tablet. Whether you want to just browse the web (less pixel density is fine) or watch films (the more pixel density, the better).
When you’re purchasing a tablet, make sure you understand what you need it for and what you need it to do. This will be a major factor, whether you’re buying for business or pleasure.
Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister was the main man in British rock band Motorhead, a group he formed after being fired from Hawkwind in 1975. He sadly died on the 28th December 2015, at the age of 70, after a very brief fight with cancer.
Although well known and popular, Motorhead never hit the real big time, in the UK at least. Right up to the point Lemmy died they were still only playing theatres, as opposed to arenas or stadiums. In fact they were regulars at the LCR in Norwich which has a capacity of only about 2000, but as business owners I think there is a lot we can learn from his example.
Motorhead followed the strict pattern of album, tour, album, tour… releasing an album every few years and following it up with a multidate national and international tour. What does this tell us? It tells us that when you have a formula that works, stick to it. You could argue that Motorhead didn’t sustain the growth they probably deserved, but they were doing enough to keep doing what they wanted to do.
Lemmy never gave up. He stuck to his guns and did what he wanted to do, the way he wanted to do it. He was good at it. Even when his lifestyle started to affect his health, he kept going. I’m not suggesting it’s always a good idea to keep going no matter what, but you have to admire Lemmy’s single minded determination. In the end it was cancer that got Lemmy, not his lifestyle.
As Allan Kelly taught me a long time ago, it’s important to fail fast and fail cheap. Lemmy understood this too. In 2011 Motorhead headlined the Bloodstock festival and part way through the show Lemmy cut the set short, played Ace of Spades and left the stage. For whatever reason, the band weren’t playing their best (the official reason was the band had come down with a virus). Lemmy realised this and called an end to it.
I’ve been a heavy metal fan ever since I discovered the Final Countdown by Europe and Poison by Alice Cooper. For me Motorhead were mostly there in the background. I saw them just once in Manchester on the Inferno tour (supported by Sepultura). They’ve got a lot of great songs, but my favorite was always Born to Raise Hell from the Bastards album.
Lemmy famously said “Born to Lose, Live to Win.” As business owners we love to win and it so often feels like we’re going to lose, but if Lemmy is anything to go by, it’s the drive to keep going that’s important.
Following a successful 2015 which saw Delta-Simons Environmental Consultants open four new regional offices in London, Manchester, Leeds and Dublin, we are now pleased to announce the strategic appointment of Richard Lawless as Unit Director within the company.
Richard is a senior consultant with over 18 years’ experience and a specialist in contaminated land, remediation and environmental due diligence. Richard will be responsible for leading the Delta-Simons Geoenvironmental Operations team in Manchester, Leeds and Durham, providing contaminated land, geotechnical and environmental due diligence services and support to a growing client base.
Damian Robinson, Executive Director, says “We are delighted with Richard’s appointment to the expanding team as he brings further skills to the company, affording me the opportunity to focus on growing our Environmental Planning team. He is a real asset and I personally look forward to working with him again, having previously worked together on a variety of projects.”
Permastore is expanding its horizons, creating new jobs in East Anglia and increasing the GDP for the United Kingdom! Permastore has invested £1.5m in an epoxy production line to expand its tank and silo manufacturing facility. This is building upon its existing world leading vitreous enamel production line and the significant investment will benefit local families by increasing employment in Suffolk and the surrounding areas. Honoured guest, Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk, Clare, Countess of Euston, conducted the official opening of the production facility on the 30 November 2015, joined by MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, Dr Dan Poulter, and many of our esteemed Distributors from around the globe.
“Permastore is the largest manufacturing company headquartered in Suffolk and therefore has a key role to play within the region. With the additional capacity that this new epoxy production facility will provide, as well as the addition of the new PERMADOME® Roof and Cover range, orders are forecast to increase by 30% on last year’s figures. This new production facility will also secure additional jobs in Suffolk and supports Permastore’s long-term growth strategy which is firmly on track to continue, in turn contributing to the local economy and creating further jobs in the area” commented Brian Quarendon, Chief Executive Officer of Permastore.
Permastore is at the forefront of the containment industry with continuous research and development and prides itself on its excellent reputation in the municipal, industrial and agricultural market sectors. As a measure of the substantial success of one of its new product ranges, PERMADOME®, Permastore has supplied the world’s widest diameter Glass-Fused-to-Steel External Beam Roof for a potable water project in the Far East, as well as securing orders for some of the largest diameter Geodesic Dome Roofs for a potable water project in the Americas.
The Company has been established since 1959 and Permastore opened its custom built manufacturing facility based in Eye, Suffolk in 1977. It employs over 230 staff, exporting more than 75% of its product globally, and is one of the few manufacturers still based in Suffolk. Permastore operates through a
highly skilled extensive International Distributor Network with over 130 Distributors marketing, selling, installing and maintaining the PERMASTORE® product in over five continents. Permastore can proudly claim to have over 300,000 structures installed in over 110 countries.
Permastore is also extremely proud of its dedicated workforce, many of whom are long serving employees and have made Permastore what it is today.
Permastore is expanding its horizons, creating new jobs in East Anglia and increasing the GDP for the United Kingdom! Permastore has invested £1.5m in an epoxy production line to expand its tank and silo manufacturing facility. This is building upon its existing world leading vitreous enamel production line and the significant investment will benefit local families by increasing employment in Suffolk and the surrounding areas. Honoured guest, Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk, Clare, Countess of Euston, conducted the official opening of the production facility on the 30 November 2015, joined by MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, Dr Dan Poulter, and many of our esteemed Distributors from around the globe.
“Permastore is the largest manufacturing company headquartered in Suffolk and therefore has a key role to play within the region. With the additional capacity that this new epoxy production facility will provide, as well as the addition of the new PERMADOME® Roof and Cover range, orders are forecast to increase by 30% on last year’s figures. This new production facility will also secure additional jobs in Suffolk and supports Permastore’s long-term growth strategy which is firmly on track to continue, in turn contributing to the local economy and creating further jobs in the area” commented Brian Quarendon, Chief Executive Officer of Permastore.
Permastore is at the forefront of the containment industry with continuous research and development and prides itself on its excellent reputation in the municipal, industrial and agricultural market sectors. As a measure of the substantial success of one of its new product ranges, PERMADOME®, Permastore has supplied the world’s widest diameter Glass-Fused-to-Steel External Beam Roof for a potable water project in the Far East, as well as securing orders for some of the largest diameter Geodesic Dome Roofs for a potable water project in the Americas.
The Company has been established since 1959 and Permastore opened its custom built manufacturing facility based in Eye, Suffolk in 1977. It employs over 230 staff, exporting more than 75% of its product globally, and is one of the few manufacturers still based in Suffolk. Permastore operates through a
highly skilled extensive International Distributor Network with over 130 Distributors marketing, selling, installing and maintaining the PERMASTORE® product in over five continents. Permastore can proudly claim to have over 300,000 structures installed in over 110 countries.
Permastore is also extremely proud of its dedicated workforce, many of whom are long serving employees and have made Permastore what it is today.
We hope you have enjoyed a wonderful christmas and are looking forward to the new year. 2015 was a great year for BBA Digital Media and we look forward to developing new and existing relationships into 2016. We are continuing to increase our network of digital screens and audience numbers through out the year, with further installations of screens in exciting new locations. We will also be integrating bluetooth technologies into our screens, enabling us to send your advertising message directly to our audiences mobile phones.
Digital Advertising is the fastest growing advertising medium, with Digital-Out-Of-Home coming under that bracket. Be at the forefront of the new marketing and advertising market, and ensure Digital Signage is part of your 2016 advertising budget. With our domination screen reaching 350,000+ people a week, with limitless video and imagery options, we are confident we offer excellent value for money.
Dynamic & trend LED medium – the fastest growing advertising medium, give your customers the quality they expect
Only Ads: No skip, close, or block of content – unlike other advertising, our ads can’t be skipped over, ensuring views of your ad, viewed your way, always
Our Instant content change – with unrivalled flexibility, our reactive advertising delivers promotions and offers in an instant
Honest 24 hour advertising – reach existing and new customers anytime, out of the home. Our screens roll all day and night, opening your ad up to any and all viewers
Advertising costs from .01p per person per view – exceptionally cost effective, modern advertising
We are currently running some superb New Year promotions, so for more details on the benefits we can offer you and the possibilities Digital-Out-Of Home advertising could offer your business, call or email for a 15 minute meeting.