Large businesses in the Midlands are increasingly exposed to cyberattacks, with fresh data showing a clear link between company size and breach frequency – but experts are warning that smaller firms may be dangerously underestimating the threat. According to the latest Azets Barometer, just 41% of large UK businesses avoided cybersecurity incidents in the past year, compared to 65% of smaller firms. Meanwhile, 13% of companies with revenues over £10 million reported multiple breaches. The biannual survey, conducted by international business advisory group Azets, reveals a growing concentration of cyber risk in specific sectors. In finance, fewer than four in ten firms avoided breaches in the past 12 months. In retail and hospitality – a sector rocked by high-profile incidents – 43% stayed incident-free, with more than a third suffering at least one attack. By contrast, lower-risk sectors like construction (80%) and healthcare (76%) reported significantly fewer breaches. The findings come just weeks after Marks & Spencer disclosed a cyberattack expected to wipe £300 million from this year’s profits, with systems remaining disrupted for over a month. The Co-op, Harrods, and Adidas have also suffered recent attacks, highlighting the real-world impact of digital exposure. Across all UK businesses, 58% reported no cybersecurity incidents, above the European average of 50%. About 26% suffered one breach, and 9% had multiple, compared to 11% EU-wide. By revenue, the data shows a clear trend that as businesses grow and data volumes increase, so too does the frequency and impact of cyber incidents. Paul Kelly, head of cyber and data privacy services at Azets, said: “The findings revealed in the latest Azets Barometer show a worrying trend for ongoing cyber-attacks on the UK’s larger, data-heavy organisations. This underscores the need for continued focus on cyber resilience, especially in higher risk sectors. “Even though the majority of smaller organisations report no incidents, it’s a matter of when cybersecurity incidents occur, not if. Smaller organisations must continue to be vigilant and invest in cyber resilience measures to reduce the risk of incidents occurring.”

As Business Link’s East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025 draws closer, marking 10 years of the event, Marketing Derby is encouraging businesses to enter. John Forkin, managing director at Marketing Derby, said: “This year, in particular, Derby has seen some major regeneration projects come to fruition, including Vaillant Live and Derby Market Hall – and later this year, we will see the opening of the University of Derby’s Cavendish Building, which will be the new home of its Business School. “There is so much great work going on in the built environment and we would really encourage companies to consider applying to these awards.” The East Midlands Bricks Awards, which will take place on Thursday 2nd October at Nottingham’s famous Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, celebrates the successes of the property and construction industry in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and Northamptonshire. With nominations for the prestigious event now open, it is the ideal time to make your submissions, ahead of the deadline – Friday 15th August. Entering a company or project for the awards is a great way to showcase your successes, recognise your team’s efforts, bolster morale, and reach our audience of over 60,000 business readers, while also offering a chance to connect with respected professionals. It’s completely free to enter and making the top three finalists in your category also wins you free tickets to the awards ceremony and networking event, which will welcome Councillor Nadine Peatfield, Leader of Derby City Council and Deputy Mayor of the East Midlands, as keynote speaker.

To make a nomination for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025, please click here, or on the category headings below.

Categories include:

• Contractor of the Year
• Developer of the Year
• Architects of the Year
• Most Active Agent
• Deal of the Year
• Residential Development of the Year
• Sustainable Development of the Year
• Commercial Development of the Year
• Excellence in Design
• Responsible Business of the Year
• Overall Winner

All finalists will have the chance to take home the Overall Winner award, which this year comes with a grand prize of a year of marketing/publicity worth £20,000, with the opportunity to split or gift the marketing to a charity of your choice.

Nominations will close on Friday 15th August.

Supporting imagery, video, documents, or links to these, can be sent to bricks@blmgroup.co.uk. Video nomination pitches are also welcome as an alternative or companion to written entries. New for this year, all entrants will also have the opportunity to be featured on our dedicated nominee showcase on the East Midlands Business Link website, providing space for marketing your achievements. Upon submitting a nomination, we will get in touch for any information, imagery, and video nominees would like to be featured on their showcase page.

The East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025

What: The East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025 When: Thursday 2nd October (4.30pm – 7.30pm) Where: Derek Randall Suite, Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, Nottingham Keynote speaker: Councillor Nadine Peatfield – Leader of Derby City Council, Cabinet Member for City Centre, Regeneration, Strategy and Policy, and Deputy Mayor of the East Midlands Tickets: Available here Dress code: Standard business attire Thanks to our sponsors:                                                                

To be held at:

With a limited number of sponsorship opportunities remaining, please contact Angie Cooper at a.cooper@blmgroup.co.uk to learn more if you are interested in becoming an East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025 sponsor.

EMCOR UK has signed a five-year total facilities management (TFM) contract with Cadent, the UK’s largest gas distribution network, covering 67 sites across the country, including key locations in the East Midlands. The agreement spans 50 staffed sites and involves 190 EMCOR UK employees delivering a broad suite of services, from security and catering to asset maintenance and management.

Awarded after a competitive tender, the contract was secured based on EMCOR UK’s technology-led, data-driven approach and its strong engineering track record. The company’s ability to develop a bespoke strategy tailored to Cadent’s diverse estate was instrumental in the win.

Cadent, which operates over 131,000 kilometres of pipeline and supplies gas to 11 million homes and businesses, including those in the East Midlands, will benefit from an integrated service model aimed at improving operational efficiency, safety, and asset reliability across its network. The deal highlights the increasing emphasis on high-performance estate management across critical infrastructure in the region.

Management consultancy BFY Group has restructured into an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), transferring ownership from its partners to its 45 employees. The Nottingham-based firm, which focuses on transformation and change within the energy and utilities sectors, aims to reinforce its people-first culture and safeguard sustainable growth under the new structure.

The move follows a broader trend among UK consultancies adopting the EOT model, which enables staff to own the business indirectly via a trust. This setup is often used to enhance staff engagement, succession planning, and tax efficiency, while maintaining business continuity and preserving core values.

BFY Group has experienced increasing industry recognition in recent years, including listings in the Financial Times and Consultancy.uk for top-tier consulting services, as well as being featured in the 2024 Sunday Times Fast Track rankings for growth. The transition to employee ownership positions the firm to deepen its client relationships and maintain operational consistency amid sector change.