New Covent Garden Soup Co. recently ran a competition enabling one lucky winner to win a Chili Red MINI One D. The competition received over 35,000 entries from across the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
The lucky winner of the car was Mr Achim Witte from Ipswich, all from his carton of MINI-strone soup. He collected his car from Listers King’s Lynn, where he received lunch before the unveiling of his prize. The prize was handed over by Jeremy Hudson, CEO of Hain Daniels Group, Mark Dawson, Procurement Director for Hain Daniels Group, and Geoff Lister, the Chief Executive of Listers Group.
Receiving the news that they had won the car was the best news they had received in a while, as Mr Witte’s wife, Eliana, has been battling a brain tumour for the past 18 months and is currently recovering after surgery.
We put out calls for TV commercial castingon an almost weekly basis, but we thought a new project that needed the next ‘Anna’ or ‘Elsa’ from Frozen would be a good opportunity to use our Facebook page to source some new junior talent with a passion for all things Disney.
Casting for a Pan-European TV commercial meant we needed a large reach to fill our 60+ audition spots – so we generated an eye-catching poster and asked our lovely Facebook likers to spread the word on a Friday afternoon.Facebook didn’t let us down with our post reaching just under 30,000 people organically! We had 1,300 clicks and over 700 likes, comments and shares and by the Monday morning when our phone lines opened we’d generated more than enough enquiries to fill the audition slots plus reserves.
It was a great way of generating a buzz around a production and reaching out to Frozen fans throughout the UK so we’ll certainly continue to use Facebook for future TV commercial casting… so watch this space!
The Awards, which received over 400 entries internationally, celebrates the best people management practices amongst Investors in People accredited businesses. Winners are announced at a spectacular awards ceremony and dinner at Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress, the Tower of London, on 24th June 2015. Finalists represent the best of the best worldwide.
Swains Plc was shortlisted for its particular achievements in leadership and people development with the Specialist who assessed the company commenting that “giving and receiving constructive feedback; inspirational leadership with an open, honest and trusting style and involving people in all aspects of the planning and operations of the company”
The 15 Awards categories recognise the accredited organisations that have achieved the highest standards. There are a range of Awards categories, focusing on the main elements of what it means to be an Investor in People, from Excellence in Leadership and Management to Excellence in Social Responsibility to Leader of the Year and Best Newcomer. The Awards provide the opportunity to benchmark against high performing organisations globally.
Claire Swain Mason, Commercial Director of Swains Plc commented “It is an absolute privilege to be shortlisted for this award; a clear indication of the dedication and hard work we have all invested in our business. Our assessment recognised that our “‘talent spotting’ is exceptional!” and I couldn’t agree more or thank the staff enough for such an incredible achievement. The party for achieving Investors in People Gold accreditation was enjoyed by all. What a great team to work with and even better to celebrate with.”
Paul Devoy, Head of Investors in People, said: “Once again we have been overwhelmed by the number and calibre of entries received for the Investors in People Awards. It’s fantastic to see so many organisations nominated for outperforming in their sector, demonstrating great people management practice and a commitment to staff development.”
For more information please follow us on Twitter@swainsplc, contact us on 01485 524000 or visit our website www.swainsplc.co.uk
The month of May is National Walking Month. The weather is (hopefully) better, the days are getting longer, and it feels good to be outside with the sun on your back. And there are some real benefits to stretching your legs.
Boost your fitness – any activity that raises your heart rate will help to make you fitter; Improve your mood – the combination of exercise and daylight increases levels of serotonin, the neurotransmitter that helps humans feel happy; Save money – if you can walk to your destination rather than take the car.
But life is already very full, and adding a walk to a busy schedule can be challenging. The key to success is fitting activity around your other commitments and making it fun. Get off the bus a couple of stops early, get out of bed 20 minutes earlier, or plan a weekend walk with friends or family.
At Westfield Health, we want you to stay at your fit and healthy best, so while there’s plenty you can do to take care of yourself, you can rely on our Chamber Primary Health Plan to lend a hand. Visit www.westfieldhealth.com/chamber for more information.
Regional heavyweight law firm Howes Percival has announced it is to move its Norwich office from Colegate – home for over 25 years – to a brand new 15,000sq ft development in the city’s historic Cathedral Close district.
Construction work has just begun on the £3m development on Bedding Lane, just off Palace Street on the site of the former Busseys Ford dealership, and the new Palace Plain development is expected to be completed by the end of quarter one, 2016.
The project includes the construction of a new three story building and the refurbishment of the adjacent Grade II listed 1 – 2 St Martins building, which dates back to the 17th Century. The new St Martin’s House will be exclusively for Howes Percival’s use, on a 15 year lease and will feature a modern open plan layout, with state-of-the-art conference and meeting room spaces. The original features and façade of the historic building will be maintained.
Construction and infrastructure company Morgan Sindall has been appointed by the landlord Bussey & Sabberton Bros. Limited for what will be the largest new office development in the centre of Norwich for over five years.
Andrew Barnes, Howes Percival’s senior partner said; “This is a fantastic new development, right in the historic heart of the city. While Colegate has been our home since we opened the Norwich office in 1989, this will completely transform our day-to-day working environment. It will be a more modern and efficient space, which will enable better team working as well as being more accessible for clients and staff. St Martin’s House gives us exactly what we need to continue providing a first class service for our clients for years to come, plus room for us to continue growing in Norwich.
“We’re a forward looking firm with a proud, independent tradition and I think this office reflects our strong personality perfectly. It combines the best of both worlds with original features and character, alongside contempory design and purpose-built office space. It will be a really prominent building, in an outstanding location.
Andrew Barnes concluded: “This is very exciting time for the firm with two new offices opening this year and significant property upgrades for three other locations.”
The building was designed by Norwich architects Chaplin Farrant. Commercial property specialists Roche Surveyors advised Howes Percival in their search for new offices and the leasing of St Martin’s House, while REAL Consulting acted as client project manager and tenant’s surveyor.
The new office will be the latest in a series of significant property moves for the firm. In February 2015 Howes Percival opened a new Milton Keynes office. The Leicester office moved to new premises in 2013 and the Northampton team will be moving to a modern development in the next 12 months. The firm has also announced plans to open a brand new office in Cambridge in 2015.
Blue Sky Professional Development held their annualStudent Graduation last week at the Assembly House, which coincided with their 2nd birthday.Students, their families, tutors and guests joined Kate Woods and Beth Russell, Directors of Blue Sky, for an celebratory evening of drinks,superb canapes and the presentation ceremony.John Cunningham, Head of Qualifications at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)gave a very informative speech and presented the successful students with their certificates. Katewas pleased to reportthat 41 students had successfully achieved their qualifications across all 3 levels this year, an increase on last year.
Blue Sky Professional Development delivers Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) qualifications in Leadership and Management at levels 3 and 5, and CIPD Qualifications in Human Resources and Learning and Developmentat levels 3. 5 and 7 to students from acrossEast Anglia from their offices in Norwich. Next year’s graduation will see the first ILM level 5 students receive their certificates as wellas CIPD Foundation Awards in HR/L&D Essentials, the latest qualification to be added to Blue Sky’s programmes.
After replying to a request from the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce with regards to allowing the BBC to visit and film companies in the area, we were lucky enough to get the go ahead and arranged for them to visit yesterday morning at 09:00.
The reporters were here in conjunction with the General Election Campaign which begins today and filmed the workshop and spoke with our colleagues on the shop floor and last night saw TVCand some of our staff featured in a special report for the BBC’s News at 10. Reporters were keen to find out what smaller towns were looking for in their politicians as Great Yarmouth is just one of many marginal constituencies whose votes could swing what appears to be an unpredictable election this year.
The report can be seen in full on iPlayer until 18:30 on 31/03/2015 viahttps://bbc.in/1ORUV6n. The segment relating to Great Yarmouth begins at 12:12 and TVC are featured at 14:42.
Screenshots of the report are attached to this article.
Norwich based Kettle Foods, producers of Kettle Chips, is the latest company to sign up for the nook business network scheme, pledging to raise funds for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) nook appeal to help deliver a new purpose-built children’s hospice in the heart of Norfolk.
Kettle Foods has supported the charity’s current Quidenham hospice for over 20 years through fundraising, promotion of the charity’s work and gift and product supply. Most recently they also co-sponsored the nook appeal launch event in November, at the Norfolk Showground, in the presence of EACH Royal Patron HRH The Duchess of Cambridge.
The support from the company continues with Kettle Foods signing-up to the charity’s new corporate scheme for local businesses – the nook business network. This new scheme encourages companies to commit to raising money over the duration of the appeal in return for a numberof benefits and support the charity will provide.
Dominic Lowe, Managing Director of Kettle Foods, said: “As part of our contribution to the local community Kettle Foods has been a long-term supporter of Quidenham and the important work that they do at the hospice. We feel passionate about giving something back and so are really pleased to be involved in raising funds for the much needed services that will be provided by the nook.”
Gary Cook, the nook appeal corporate fundraiser, said: “It’s absolutely fantastic that Kettle Foods has seen fit to continue its long-term support of EACH by pledging to help us make our vision of a new purpose-built children’s hospice in Norfolk, for Norfolk families a reality.
“We really enjoy working with the team at Kettle Foods who are proactive in their support and in all that we do. The generosity, not only from the company but also the individuals within the company with their time, effort and enthusiasm is extremely heart-warming. I know Kettle Foods place a lot of emphasis on its role within the community and their continued support further displays this. We look forweard to working with them going forward.”
Anyone who is interested in finding out more about the appeal or the nook business network, should contact the Norfolk Fundraising Team on 01603 666767 or funding@each.org.uk and for more information about Kettle Foods visit: www.kettlefoods.co.uk
The demands placed on senior financial professionals in both the public and private sectors have never been greater. The role and responsibilities have evolved considerably over the last decade. They have become increasingly complex with FDs having to balance heightened levels of scrutiny and accountability whilst contributing to the strategic direction of an organisation.
In Pure’s work in helping employers recruit senior finance professionals and providing executive career coaching, we have seen first-hand just how much the skillset has changed in the last 10 years. Ahead of our next Future FDs Forum in June, run in partnership with Deloitte, we thought now would be the ideal opportunity to take a look at the skills required by the next generation of FDs.
From change management to commercial acumen, aspiring FDs need to develop a broader set of qualities alongside technical knowledge. Below is a glance at the breadth of leadership skills required by professionals who are aiming for promotion.
1. Influencing key stakeholders
Influencing fellow board members and external stakeholders is a key skill, since FDs are answerable to a wide range of people. They are also expected to answer questions, explain results and forecasts, and identify growth opportunities. Knowing how to influence and challenge people including the CEO, non-executive directors, investors, shareholders, customers, legal partners, trade organisations, auditors and banks requires exceptional skills in relationship building, negotiation and persuasion.
2. Strong leadership
Motivating and inspiring a team is key to employee productivity, loyalty and creativity. A strong leader uses a whole range of skills and qualities to generate excellent results; high levels of energy, determination, focus and vision drives people to perform at their best. Positivity is also a key to unlocking people’s potential – everyone wants to work in a happy team, especially during times of additional pressure.
3. Managing change
Many organisations operate in fast-paced environments, developing in line with shifting customer expectations and rapid economic changes. Ineffective change management can do serious damage to an organisation’s reputation, employee morale and performance. Since FDs are involved in making major business decisions and with change happening more frequently, senior finance professionals need to have proven experience on their CVs.
4. Commercial insight
Whether you work in the private, public or not-for-profit sector, commercial acumen has become absolutely crucial. Understanding how business works, customer behaviour, market trends and the broader industry all influence the strategic decisions made by the FD. Therefore, keeping up to date on commercial developments is a must.
5. Clear communication
Where finance professionals may have solid accountancy expertise, they also need the qualities that help them engage confidentially with people from non-finance backgrounds.They need to bring financial data to life and put it into context, so people understand the implications of the information for them and their teams. Taking the time to hone and develop your communication and presentation skills, will pay dividends in the medium term.
If you are an aspiring FD and you would like an opportunity to develop these skills, come along to our next workshop. In addition to the seminars, delegates also have access to mentors who are all highly experienced CFOs. The next seminar, ‘Making the Change’, takes place in Cambridge on June 4th. Contact Gill Buchanan to find out more: 01223 209888 or gill@prs.uk.com.
Norfolk’s Recycling Revolution continues to go from strength to strength with the latest campaign push focusing on rinsing the recycling before putting it in the bin to be recycled. Norfolk’s residents have really got behind the recycling effort and with the new types of rubbish being accepted at the Costessey plant it means thousands of tonnes of more rubbish canbe recycled.
Two issues remain however and they are around contamination – either food or liquid remaining in carton/bottle/tub or the rubbish being ‘bagged’ up. The ‘Rinse and Recycle’ campaign aims to tackle this issue to ensure as much rubbish as possible can be recycled.It’s supported by a colourfulposter campaign and a new 3 minute video JMS producedfor Norse (see below)to show how the plant works and the importance of cleaning out the rubbish before putting it in the bin.
We’re the Flagship Group – the east of England’s largesthousing association. We are a strong business,providing homes for affordable and market rent,and for sale. And we maintain homesand support the communities they’re part of.
To help deliver our ambitions, we’re looking for people withsuccessful entrepreneurial or commercial backgrounds:
Non-executive directors
Flagship Group Board x 2*
£12,330 pa – under review
RFT Board (our maintenance company) x 1
£6,000 pa
(*x 1 for March 2016)
Board co-optees
Flagship Group Board x 1 or 2
£2,000 pa retainer, plus day rate
To apply, visit: flagship-housing.co.uk/jobs-and-careers
If you ever question whether you are successful as a good employer and that your engagement strategy is working well, Pure can give you guidance to help you identify some of the typical signs.
Since Pure is the proud sponsor of the Employer of the Year category at this week’s Cambridge News Business Excellence Awards, we are using our blog to share some of our expertise in this area.
So drawing from the awards and our own initiative, Best Employer Eastern Region, we have selected some key indicators that can help you get a snapshot of whether you have a positive workplace, and whether staff enjoy working for you. We suggest looking through the below list to see if you recognise these encouraging signs:
1.A positive staff survey
If you already run regular staff surveys and respond to opinion, then you are already doing the right thing. However, it is not just the results that matter – depending on the size of your organisation, if you can achieve a minimum 75% response rate, you have a very reliable indicator that you are taking the right approach to engagement. It is also likely that they believe their views are valued and will be taken on board.
2. Results are improving
Many leading brands put employee engagement at the core of their business strategy since they know it can boost productivity and support customer relationships. For instance, LEGO says its 15% growth in profits is due to “highly engaged” employees. If you are also seeing improving results and a high level of repeat business, your staff are probably happy in their jobs and are giving customers an excellent service as a result.
3. A mutually respectful culture
If your employees seem to genuinely care about each other’s progress and wellbeing, you can be confident that your leadership has influenced this behaviour. A culture of mutual respect and support is essential to a happy workforce, but the challenge is to maintain this, especially during times of change or disruption. Being honest and as open as possible is always the best approach.
4. Staff engage with their managers
Good employers rely on strong relationships between managers and their teams. Research shows that the main reason people either stay with an organisation or leave, is because of their relationship with their line manager. For example, open communication channels between employees and managers help people feel that their opinions are taken seriously, and that they matter. Therefore, spending budget on developing your managers to support these key relationships is one of the best investments you can make.
5. Positive outside opinion
They say word of mouth is the best form of advertising, and an organisation’s reputation spreads quickly among local communities. If people outside your organisation are saying good things about you, then your employees have probably become excellent advocates. Not only is this kind of feedback very rewarding, but it is invaluable in regards to your employer brand when you are recruiting.
6. You are attracting high quality candidates
Staying with the subject of recruitment, if candidates cite your reputation as a good employer as a reason for applying for jobs, you should feel very proud. Your reputation attracts high quality applicants who want to work for a supportive employer; and they are more likely to stay and develop their careers with you.
7. Your staff engage with charity work
A good employer knows that driving business purely to maximise profit does not cut it with its people. As a result, it is becoming increasingly common to mobilise staff to give something back to its communities. Engaging employees in charity fundraising or volunteering is rewarding and empowering. If your teams are happy to organise and engage with the activities, they are probably responding to your leadership’s passion for giving something back.
We hope thatthis quick list provides a steer as to whether you are on course as a good employer, or whether you need to change tack and revamp your engagement methods. Either way, if you need advice, please get in touch with us on: 01223 209888 or nicola.robinson@prs.uk.com.