APRIL 2018EAST MIDLANDS LEADING BUSINESS MAGAZINECORPORATEHOSPITALITYThe right approachSPRINGSTATEMENTLocal business reactionsHEALTHCARE Supporting employeehealthwww.blmgroup.co.ukWWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UKWWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UKTHE RIGHTDIRECTIONTHE RIGHTDIRECTIONSunday 5 August 2018River Trent, Victoria EmbankmentAct now!Form a crew and enter the challenge!Tel 01780 470718www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/nottingham10thAnniversary Year! S 5yaydanunSuinnAht01 2tsusguuAaeYeyrasrev 8102!ra wwwwontAcviRS eftaobnogard.w8710leTeercramrmoFo!wciV,tnerTrev5yaydanunSu on/ku.oc.slavitse1707408tretnednawenabmEairotc2tsusguuA mahgnitto81egnellahchehthtnemkn8102 !e g g www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 3EDITOR’S NOTESApril is here and the start of a new financial year beckons.It’s all hands on deck for business leaders across the EastMidlands, and with last month’s spring statement, there’s alot to take in. That’s why in this issue we’ve sat down withnumerous business leaders to find out their views andreactions on the Chencellors Spring statement, and whatthey believe the future holds for business in the EastMidlands.We also consider the impact of factory automation on themanufacturing sector and why some UK industries are slow to pick up on it, andwe look toward apprenticeships and their value in today’s difficult employmentmarket. Alongside our regular features on commercial property, corporate hospitalityand motoring, this issue is packed full of relevant information and up-to-datebusiness news from the local region. With all that and more there’s no reason tonot be informed of business in the East Midlands.We hope you enjoy this latest issue and don’t forget, our news site is regularlyupdated in real time - so, if you have any news you would like to share drop us aline at newsdesk@blmgroup.co.ukGood reading, as alwaysMichael FisherEditorWelcome...ContentsApril 2018LATEST NEWS 6A round-up of the latest news from our regionAPPOINTMENTS 8East Midlands on the move.FINANCE NEWS 10The latest news from the world of finance around the regionPROPERTY NEWS 12All the latest from the property sector.MANUFACTURING NEWS14News and views from around the regionSPRING STATEMENT 16The Chancellor recently made his spring statement whichimpacted on the UK’s housing challenge, transport, digitalconnectivity, plastic waste and skill building.Readers were asked to react to the statement and here weprovide just a few from East Midlands Businesses Link readers:PUBLIC RELATIONS20Your media reputation, can you handle the truth? By GregSimpson, of Press for Attention PR and Enterprise NationChampion for Nottingham CONFERENCE & HOSPITALITY 22With the warm weather on the horizon, many of us will beturning our thoughts to enjoying drinks on summer terraces withclients - perhaps even a day out to a sporting event, or ahospitality marquee at one of the many county shows.NETWORKING26An interview with Fiona Duncan Founder/Director of RSViPBusiness NetworkHEALTHCARE 28Due to the considerable expense of paying for healthcare foremployees, there is much debate about whether it is worthfunding - so why should or shouldn’t you bother with externalhealthcare?BUSINESS SCENE32Leading East Midlands businesses, including Pattonair, SteveWiseman Associates, JS Parker and Nelsons Solicitors, turned outin force to the Hallmark Mickleover Court Hotel recently insupport of local brain injury charity, Headway Derby. FINANCE 34James Pinchbeck, Marketing Partner Streets CharteredAccountants asks: Is your board fit for purpose?FACTORY AUTOMATION 36Automation is a long term solution to a number of manufacturingproblems, so why aren’t more companies taking advantage?5422CARBON FOOTPRINT40Carbon footprint is something we’ve been hearing about for overa decade now, but are any companies truly taking steps toreduce it – or is it just smoke in our ears?• Roythornes SolicitorsAPPRENTICESHIPS 44The skills gap looming over the country has reached the EastMidlands, presenting employers with the challenge of findingsuitable staff to fill the positions available. OUT OF OFFICE48Sustainability awards, charity dinners and trentbarton busesAUTOLINK50The UK new car market dipped in February, according to figuresreleased by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders(SMMT). 80,805 new cars were registered, a -2.8% dropcompared with February 2017, in what is traditionally one of thequietest months of the year ahead of the March number platechange.• Bentley Bentayga• Maserati Regional RoadshowEVENTS58A timely look at forthcoming business events around the EastMidlandsAND FINALLY...6028Group EditorSteve Fishers.fisher@blmgroup.co.ukEditorMichael Fisherm.fisher@blmgroup.co.ukJournalistsDominic Cuthbertd.cuthbert@blmgroup.co.ukStuart Pearcey s.pearcey@blmgroup.co.ukTess Eggintont.egginton@blmgroup.co.ukSales DirectorAngela Coopera.cooper@blmgroup.co.ukTel: (01472) 310310Accounts & SubscriptionsAngela Sharmanaccounts@blmgroup.co.ukTel: (01472) 310301 Fax: (01472) 310311Design & ProductionGary Jorgensen, Mark Cassonstudio@blmgroup.co.ukTel: (01472) 310304Fax: (01472) 310314E-Mail:eastmidlands@blmgroup.co.ukPublisherHaychart Ltd, t/a Business Link Magazine Group,City Gate East, Toll House Hill, Nottingham, NG1 5FSAll rights reserved. No part of this publicationmay be reproduced, transmitted, photocopied,recorded or otherwise without expresspermission of the copyright holder, for whichapplication should be addressed first to thepublisher. While every reasonable care is taken,neither the publisher nor its participating agentsaccept liability for loss or damage to prints,colour transparencies, negatives or othermaterial of whatever nature submitted to thispublication. The views expressed in thispublication are not necessarily the views of thoseheld by the publisher.@BLMEastMidlandsBLMEastMidlandsAPRIL 2018EAST MIDLANDS LEADING BUSINESS E-MAGCORPORATEHOSPITALITYThe right approachSPRINGSTATEMENTLocal business reactionsHEALTHCARE Supporting employeehealthwww.blmgroup.co.ukWWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UKWWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UKTHE RIGHTDIRECTIONTHE RIGHTDIRECTIONCOVER PHOTOS: • shutterstock.com • Jason Batterham• jeafish Ping•Milos Muller• FabrikaSimfEast Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk6Nottinghamshire’s SHARC EnergySystems contracted to install a lowcarbon district heating systemNottinghamshire-based SHARC Energy Systems welcomed Scotland’s Minister for Business, Innovation andEnergy, Paul Wheelhouse MSP, to Clyde Gateway where it has been contracted to install a low carbon districtheating system.Clyde Gateway was established in 2008 to carry out the regeneration of 840 hectares across the east endof Glasgow and South Lanarkshire.Working in partnership with Glasgow City Council, South Lanarkshire Council, Scottish Enterprise and theScottish Government, Clyde Gateway is driving forward £1.5 billion of private sector investment to establishthis area as a hub of business activity.So far, of the 800,000 square feet of Grade A office and industrial space that Clyde Gateway has alreadydeveloped, more than 85 per cent has been let or sold.SHARC Energy Systems, the European arm of Vancouver-based SHARC International Systems, has been contracted byClyde Gateway to install a low carbon district heating system at the site, using its heat recovery technology that tapsinto the latent heat of the town sewer systems to drive efficient operation of water source heat pumps.Internationalaerospace giantAirbus opens newDerby office at theiHubAirbus, a global leader in the aerospace industry, is expandingits UK footprint with the launch of a new base in Derby.The company, which employs 15,000 people in the UK alone,has taken two facilities totalling 1,500ft 2 at Connect Derby’s iHubinnovation centre, the flagship building on Infinity Park.Airbus contributes significantly to the UK economy, spendingmore than £5 billion every year with UK suppliers. Its UK supplychain comprises of more than 4,000 companies, ranging fromlarge primes such as Rolls-Royce and GKN to hundreds of SMEs.The strategic location of the iHub, close to the worldheadquarters of Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace in Derby, and thefacilities available there will enable Airbus to expand the work ofits Procurement Operations Propulsion (POPR) team.The Derby team will be working with all the current Rolls-Royceengine programmes, including the XWB-84/97 for the A350-900/-1000, T700 for the A330ceo, T900 for the A380 andT7000 for the A330neo.The iHub, which has Enterprise Zone status, provides quality,flexible workspace for businesses looking to develop their role inthe transport engineering and hi-tech sectors.As well as 18 traditional office workspaces, it features 14 groundfloor workshops for businesses seeking a more hybrid workingenvironment.LATEST NEWSNew collaboration forNottingham is UK’s firstfor a BiomedicalResearch CentreThe NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre has become thefirst in the UK to sign an agreement that could lead to the fasterdevelopment of new treatments for some of the most common diseases,including arthritis and asthma.Over the next two years, leading research teams at the NIHRNottingham Biomedical Research Centre will collaborate with theircounterparts in the IMED Biotech Unit at the global biopharmaceuticalcompany, AstraZeneca.Under the agreement, NHS clinicians and University scientists will haveaccess to an extensive range of AstraZeneca’s chemical compounds, aspart of their work on the development of new therapies and treatments.Nottingham is the first NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) toformally establish a collaboration with AstraZeneca’s Open Innovationplatform, providing the opportunity for teams working in six areas ofclinical research to draw on resources, expertise and compoundsdeveloped by AstraZeneca to facilitate studies designed to change theway diseases are diagnosed, managed and treated.Professor Ian Hall, Director of the NIHR Nottingham BRC and Professorof Molecular Medicine in the University of Nottingham’s School ofMedicine, said: “We are delighted to announce this agreement, which isthe first collaboration of its kind between the AstraZeneca platform and aNIHR-funded research centre in the UK.“One of the fundamental differences that biomedical research centressuch as the one in Nottingham can make is in building partnershipsacross health, research and industry to translate innovation into newtreatments for patients.”© shutterstock.com/ Pressmaster Derby Shines with £1bnof investmentopportunities at MIPIMOver £1 billion investment opportunities in Derby andDerbyshire was announced as part of the Midlands UK’s secondjoint attendance at MIPIM, the global real estate show inCannes last week.26,000 real estate, city and political leaders, including 5,400investors, from over 100 countries came together last week atMIPIM, the world’s leading international real estate business,conference and networking event.For the second year Marketing Derby joined forces withinvestment promotion agencies, councils and organisations torepresent Derby and Derbyshire as part of Midlands UK.The Midlands UK Pavilion welcomed more than 4,700visitors, a 57% increase on 2017’s event. More than 50 eventswere hosted by Midlands UK, including panel discussions andshowcase presentations, featuring almost 100 speakers.Visitors to the Pavillion included potential investors, propertyagents, developers and the media from more than 100countries.Team Derby had over 100 meetings including new to city as well as progressing existing contacts towards planning and completion.The refreshed Midlands Engine portfolio highlighted £11 billion of investment £1 billion of which is investments in Derby.Sir John Peace, Chair of the Midlands Engine said: “MIPIM provides the Midlands with a huge opportunity to showcase the region’s most valuableinvestment schemes potentially generating thousands of jobs and significant economic growth. The Midlands delegation engaged with moreinvestors at MIPIM than ever before.”John Forkin, Marketing Derby said: “The investment offer for Derby and Derbyshire has never been stronger with development opportunities for arange of asset classes and end-users and a clear rationale for why businesses choosing to locate here will thrive.“The close collaboration between city and county shows the benefits of public-private partnerships to secure investment, and the team approachat MIPIM has created and developed much interest in Derby, Chesterfield and other parts of the county.”Key announcements at the event included:St James Securities Limited was announced as the preferred bidder for the purchase of the former Debenhams building in the Becketwell area ofDerby city centre which will be transformed into a significant residential and commercial development. St James Securities has a track record ofchanging the dynamics of city centres as destinations and bringing new life to them.Plans to build ca. 50,000 sq ft of extra space at Infinity Park Derby, which could cost in the region of £10m – further recognising Derby’scredentials as the UK Capital for Innovation. It is proposed that the AMRC is initially let space at Connect Derby’s iHub on Infinity Park – a state-of-the-art managed workspace, where they would co-locate with other hi-tech businesses, including new tenant Airbus which has taken two facilitiestotalling 1500 sq ft at the site.7 www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link Science start-ups thrivingin Nottingham Nottingham is a cityof scientific andmedical discovery –Boots, ibuprofen andthe MRI were allcreated in Nottingham.Now, the city iscreating anenvironment that willinspire the nextgeneration of scientificdiscovery.Nottingham is oneof six science cities inthe UK, charged withcreating economicgrowth by creatingbetter and deeper links between business, science, technology andinnovation sectors.By highlighting Nottingham as a city where research and development isencouraged, Nottingham is once again a manufacturing city, boosting boththe local and national economy and creating more jobs as businessesexpand.Nottingham City Council is supporting the work to bring the rightelements together to make Nottingham a great place to research, developor even start up new ideas.Nottingham Science Park, situated between the University of Nottinghamand the new Boots Enterprise Zone, offers a range of office, laboratory andworkshop space for current and prospective tenants. Hosting companiesworking on life sciences, medicines, 3D printing, software development andmore, the park provides space for small start-up companies, smallcompanies looking to expand or bigger companies looking for top qualityoffice space.Later this year, construction starts on a new building for NottinghamScience Park on a patch of land next to the existing No. 1 building. The newspace will include meeting and conferencing facilities, as well as Grade Aoffice space and incubator space, supporting companies looking to expandtheir life science, virtual and augmented reality businesses especially, and willopen in Summer 2019.© Neil Hoyle Photography 8East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukAPPOINTMENTSBuilding productsfirm appoints newHead of Health &SafetyUK building products manufacturer, Forterra, hasannounced the appointment of a new Head of Health& Safety.Paul Humphreys, who is based at the company’sSomercotes facility in Derbyshire, has significantexperience in H&S roles over the past 20 years,including five years working in the industrialmaterials sector.His appointment comes at an important time forthe organisation, which has recently acquired BisonPrecast Concrete, expanding its workforce to 1,800employees across 18 sites, all of which will comeunder Paul’s remit.Paul, who lives in Chesterfield, commented: “I amlooking forward to the opportunity to set thedirection and strategy for H&S culture, with the aimof preventing ill-health and accidents.“Forterra is an expanding business, benefiting fromsignificant history and expertise, which has acommanding position in the building productssector. Heavy manufacturing is an industry I’veenjoyed working in before and I’m very happy to bereturning to the field.”Paul will be working to enforce consistency ofprocess and legal compliance across the business,and maintaining an exceptional health and safetyculture.“I want to ensure health is given equal priority tosafety,” Paul concluded, “and promote, a cultureacross Forterra’s many sites in which all colleagueslook out for each other to ensure we all stay safe atwork.”Sills & Betteridge appointnew property lawyerLaw firm Sills & Betteridge has appointed Bipin Vaghela as an associatesolicitor in their residential conveyancing department.Based in the firm’s central Nottingham office on King Street, Bipin willhelp buyers and sellers of residential property to complete theirtransaction quickly by providing an efficient and cost effectiveconveyancing service. Commenting on his new role, Bipin, who will commute from his homein Syston, said, “I was looking for a new challenge and I found thateveryone at Sills & Betteridge was friendly and approachable and has areal people culture in the firm which really promotes client care, and alsothe well-being of its staff.”Having studied at De Montfort Univeristy in Leicester, Bipin gained aLLB (Hons) Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice. He joins Sills &Betteridge from Jones & Duffin where he was head of the propertydepartment.In his spare time Bipin enjoys cricket and football and is a LeicesterCity season ticket holder.Sills & Betteridge - www.sillslegal.co.uk/ - is one the East Midlandslargest independent law firms with eight offices located acrossLincolnshire and Nottingham. In August 2017, the conveyancing teammigrated to Redbrick Practice Management software which has helped toensure all files are dealt with in a consistently efficient manner, thedelivery of a high level of service to clients and delivered a more effectiveway to manage compliance risk. Left to right: Mark Meredith,Andy Tidmarsh, Simon WoodsEast Mids Airportappoint new MDKaren Smart, currently Director of LandsideOperations at London Stansted Airport, has beenappointed Managing Director of East MidlandsAirport.Karen will take up her role at the UK’s largestpure cargo airport in April 2018 and will lead ateam of over 500 employees. Karen joined MAG in2014 and, during her time with the business, alsoserved as Customer Services & Security Director atLondon Stansted Airport. Prior to joining MAG shespent several years at the service provider Serco andhad a distinguished career in the RAF.Karen takes over from Andy Cliffe who has beenwith MAG for 19 years and MD of East MidlandsAirport for five of those. Andy is leaving the business totake up a new role as CEO of Midland Expressway, thecompany responsible for operating the M6 Toll road.During his time running East Midlands Airport, Andyhas been responsible for increasing passenger numbers,transforming the terminal facilities and overseeing theaward-winning runway redevelopment programme. EastMidlands Airport also now plays a pivotal role in driving theUK’s economy as the country’s largest airport for dedicatedcargo traffic.Derby PR agencystrengthens teamwith two new hiresIlkeston based Poppy PR has stepped its PR service up agear, by hiring both a new social media manager and PRaccount manager.The duo, who both have previous experience incommunications and marketing for the transport sector,joined the team earlier this month.Journalism graduate Bradd Farnsworth (24) andmarketing expert Jordan Hazell (27) will set the cogs inmotion later this month with a fresh outlook and newideas.Since graduating from Bangor University with a degree in multimedia and journalism, Braddhas amassed a wealth of journalistic experience across the magazine, PR and transport sectors.He will draw upon his previous employment at Nottingham Cars as social media andmarketing co-ordinator, where he was responsible for multiple campaigns which improvedrelations with local businesses by engaging with the wider community.Bradd told Business Link: “I am delighted to be joining the Poppy PR team, especially as alocal person. I am looking forward to working with all of our great clients across the industries. Iunderstand the importance of the personal touch when working with local businesses.”New partner forBates & WatsonBates Weston, the Derby based BusinessAdvisors & Chartered Accountants, hasappointed a new partner to support its 2018plans.Stuart Hulland has been with Bates Westonfor 15 years having trained and qualified atthe firm. He has extensive SME experience,and more recently has been the driving forcebehind the firm’s adoption of Xero onlineaccounting software.With client service at its heart, the firm hasset its sights on delivering advice based onreal time information whenever possible, andfor some clients a cloud based service is thebest option.Glyn Evans, Managing Partner at the firmsaid of Stuart’s appointment: “Stuart hasalways delivered the highest standards ofservice to our clients. He has lead the Xeroinitiative, with admirable determination andwe are delighted to be able to recognise hisongoing contribution to the growth of BatesWeston.”New ManagingPartner namedat RSM LeicesterRSM has named its new ManagingPartner in Leicester – Kevin Harris willreplace Ben Lawrance who has led the cityoffice for several years, enabling him tofocus on his role as Regional AuditManaging Partner.Kevin Harris joined RSM last year as anaudit partner from PKF Cooper Parry, andfounded the firm’s Leicester office in 2001.He is currently Vice Chair of theLeicester and Leicestershire EnterprisePartnership and vice president of the EastMidlands Chamber of Commerce, whichrecently announced RSM as a strategicpartner.Kevin said: ‘RSM has a great team herein Leicester and I am very proud to havebeen asked to lead it. Given the currentuncertainty around the economic impactof Brexit, the next few years could bequite challenging for local businesses asthey adapt to the new environment. Iam determined that RSM will support allof our clients throughout this period tobe agile and to take advantage of newopportunities.’RSM’s regional Managing Partner,Mark Taylor, says: “I’m delighted thatKevin has agreed to take on this role.He is a natural leader, an expertbusiness adviser and he is well-known across the region. Hisleadership will, I am sure, beappreciated by all of RSM’s clientsacross the East Midlands.www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 9© Shawn Ryan Jordan Hazell with Bradd Farnsworthoutside the offices of Poppy PRNext >