E-mobility start-up Ottr joins forces with five brands to create global mobility powerhouse
Under the flagship umbrella of ‘Today’, East Midlands firm Ottr and five other brands which are backed by venture capitalist fund EFO Ventures mark a significant milestone in the micro-mobility industry.
Ottr, Frog, Leap, Element, MIXTE and White Fox will unite their expertise and resources to deliver a comprehensive end-to-end micro-mobility management service.
Reflecting on this groundbreaking merger, David Bothwell, the director and founder of Ottr, expressed his excitement, stating: “We at Ottr are now part of something much bigger than we ever thought possible. The team at Ottr should take stock of their amazing work completed, lessons we have learned together, and all in under two years.”
‘Today’ is driving the Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) revolution forward, with an initial offering of 1,500 vehicles in Nottingham (England), and currently expanding to Lisbon (Portugal) and Dublin.
Its commercial fleet consists of 8,000 vehicles made up of e-scooters, e-bikes, e-cargo bikes and e-mopeds. They are available for shared mobility operators, delivery companies, universities and consumer brands wanting white label solutions.
For Ottr, joining forces with ‘Today’ enables it to “leverage cutting-edge products, technology, and profitable business models across hardware and MaaS verticals.” This strategic integration safeguards Ottr from seasonality in shared mobility, allowing it to thrive by diversifying revenue streams and driving sustained profitability.
“Profitability is our focus, and covering the entire value chain allows us to thrive without dependency on a single revenue source,” explained Today’s co-founder, Sean Flood.
Looking ahead, the team is already in discussions about bringing more companies under the ‘Today’ brand.
Jobs created as Leicester manufacturer fast-tracks expansion with Growth Hub support
Creating jobs and improving efficiency was always part of the plan for Micro Weighing Solutions (MWS). And the Leicester-based firm turned ideas into outcomes with help from the LLEP Business Gateway Growth Hub.
Support meant that MWS secured funding for a mezzanine floor at its Birstall base – increasing factory capacity by 2,000 square feet and taking on two new staff and an apprentice.
Established in 1998, MWS offers an end-to-end weighing service – design and manufacture, installation, and ongoing maintenance. It has expanded at speed, with recent growth aided by a grant from the Growth Hub.
In 2020, MWS opened a base in County Durham to help service demand from the north. By 2022, it had doubled its capacity. It now aims to continue its growth and relationship with the Growth Hub.
Managing Director, Andrew Clarke, explained: “Expanding our capacity was always part of our long-term plan, as we knew it would open up growth opportunities for us.
“The Growth Hub team was integral in helping us bid for the funding that has since paid for the work at the factory.
“As a result, we have been able to employ more staff, dedicate an area for repairs, and streamline our production process – making it much more efficient.”
The story behind MWS’s growth is one of several that will be told at a special event on June 23, celebrating the success and progress of firms which have been helped by the Business Gateway Growth Hub.
Andrew added: “Leicester is where it all began for MWS. As a company, we are proud that all of our products are manufactured locally with components that are sourced from UK-based partners.
“This is important, both for sustainability and because it also allows us to ensure our products are high quality through closely managing our supply chain.”
The Business Gateway Growth Hub provides free and impartial support for business growth in Leicester and Leicestershire.
It is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and delivered in partnership with Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership Limited (LLEP).
While current ERDF funding ends this month, other support and signposting from the Business Gateway Growth Hub will remain for local businesses.
“The support we have received from the Growth Hub has helped the business develop and grow,” Andrew added.
FHP complete sale of Hockley investment
FHP, acting on behalf of a private family, have completed the sale of 38/40 George Street/22a Lower Parliament Street at a price in excess of the quoting price with the help of Russell Thompson of Massers.
The 3,900 sq ft property has been in the family for many years and is occupied by DG Cars and a Nail Bar at Ground floor with two floors of offices above, one of which is vacant. The current income is £31,900 pa.
David Hargreaves of FHP, who handled the instruction, confirmed a sales price of £425,000 was achieved against the asking price of £400,000, and that from first inspection to completion took just 14 weeks.
Hargreaves said: “We targeted our marketing at both investors and developers alike as the property provided not only a well-established income stream but also had opportunities to add value through the conversion of the upper floors to student accommodation or apartments together with scope to add one or two more floors, subject of course to securing the appropriate planning consents.”
The vendor said: “We are absolutely delighted with the advice from David and his team at FHP, they did everything they said they would, their deep market knowledge and clever marketing generated a lot of interested parties from day 1 and we achieved a price in excess of our aspirations.
“Furthermore the sale was completed a lot quicker than expected – really excellent work by both FHP and Massers.”
Ground broken at Derby Business School development
Construction is underway for the development of the University of Derby’s new Business School, which will provide a facility for cutting-edge research, learning and teaching, and support businesses in the region and across the globe.
The new Business School, which is being built by Kier on land adjacent to the University’s One Friar Gate Square, is projected to be the study base for more than 6,000 students by 2030, supporting the local economy and adding to the vibrancy of the city centre.
To mark the progress of the project, a ground-breaking ceremony was held at the site on Friday (9 June), with guests including the University’s Chancellor Lord Burlington DL, academic colleagues, and representatives from Kier and Derby City Council.
Professor Kathryn Mitchell CBE DL, vice-chancellor of the University of Derby, said: “This new development is ground-breaking for many reasons. The state-of-the-art facilities will not only enable the University to extend its opportunities to undertake innovative and impactful research, but will also enable staff to deliver experiential learning and teaching through co-location and co-creation with businesses, and will become the front door of the University for the business and wider community.
“At Derby, our ethos is on equipping students with the skills and confidence to become gamechangers in their chosen career. As a leading institution for applied research, we recognise the importance of providing relevant activity to industry and the wider world, leading the way in impact from industry engagement.
“We look forward to seeing the project develop and continuing to work closely with key stakeholders to drive the new site to completion.”
The development, which is proposed to be net zero carbon in construction and operation under the UKGBC’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework, kickstarts the University’s City Masterplan, which aims to develop its footprint in the city and improve connectivity across sites.
The new Business School is planned to include facilities such as an auditorium, a stock market financial trading room, a creativity lab, an extended reality (XR) suite and a range of social collaborative study spaces and quiet contemplative areas.
Lord Burlington DL, chancellor of the University of Derby and chair of the Business School Council, said: “The new Derby Business School will provide a place that inspires and encourages enterprise and innovation, where students and expert academics can collaborate, network with, learn from, and support local business leaders and entrepreneurs.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make a substantial impact on economic development and social mobility in our region. This is one of the reasons why I agreed to chair the Derby Business School Council, which will help shape our strategy to achieve this.”
As part of the development, Kier will work with the University, local businesses and supply chain partners to create new jobs and apprenticeship opportunities, 25 work experience placements and two graduate opportunities.
Martin Williamson, operations director for Kier in the East Midlands, said: “We are delighted to be working with the University of Derby on this innovative business school in the heart of the city. We will use our extensive experience in the higher education sector to deliver a landmark building that fulfils the University’s ambition to connect students with local businesses and their wider community.”
Pro-Align undergoes buyout
Pro-Align, a Midlands-based supplier of wheel servicing equipment to the automotive industry, has undergone a buyout.
Northamptonshire-based Pro-Align was founded in 1990 and has grown to become the exclusive UK distributor for Hunter-branded equipment in the UK, supplying major vehicle manufacturers, dealerships, and national repair chains.
The transaction sees founders, Paul and Kathryn Beaurain, retire after more than 30 years with the business and transitions control to fellow co-founder, Philip Wylie who has extensive automotive industry and investment banking experience.
Philip Wylie said: “Looking ahead, these are incredibly exciting times for all of us at Pro-Align. We will continue to evolve our relationship with Hunter while also developing our structure, expanding our product range and investing in products and services that ensures Pro-Align remains the number one choice for workshops across the UK.”
Shaf Bheda, Mark Tuckwell and Chris Matthews, of Magma Corporate Finance, provided corporate finance and debt advisory services, with supporting tax advice being provided by Magma’s Liam Meade. Matt Thompson at Howes Percival offered legal advice to the sellers, with James Maynard, Sian Davies and Ashley Simpson, of Knights, acting for the buyer.
Funding was provided by HSBC with Daniel Toone, Simon Richards and Paul Armstrong taking the lead. Stephen McElhone, of BHW Solicitors, offered legal advice to the lender.
“We are delighted to have advised on the buyout of Pro-Align,” said Shaf Bheda, head of Corporate Finance. “This is a significant transaction for the company and we are pleased to have been able to support the transition of ownership of the business. We wish the team all the best for what we know will be a very exciting period ahead.”
Geldards appoint leading public sector specialist
Law firm Geldards has appointed Frank McArdle as a consultant to the firm’s Public Sector team.
Frank joins the team having led South Derbyshire District Council as Chief Executive for 24 years, recently retiring in March after over 40 years of service at the local authority.
He previously held the role of Head of Legal & Democratic Services at the same authority as well as the posts of Director of the South Derbyshire Local Strategic Partnership, Member of the Board of the East Midland Freeport and Chair of the Council’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Group.
Commenting on the appointment, chairman David Williams said: “I’m delighted that someone of Frank’s calibre and reputation will be joining our Public Sector team.
“The team have experienced significant success and growth in recent years and Frank’s expertise and insight gained from a 40 year career at South Derbyshire District Council will be invaluable in maintaining that success and reputation as Public Sector specialists.”
Frank McAardle says: “I am looking forward to adding my many years’ experience in local government to the Public Sector team at Geldards.”
Chamber announces finalists for Enterprising Women Awards
Finalists across 10 categories of the East Midlands Chamber’s Enterprising Women Awards have been announced for 2023.
They will go on to take part in a judging panel on 11 July, made up of members of the Enterprising Women team, Chamber board of directors, and category sponsors to get their chance to pitch before winners are decided.
Winners will be announced at Enterprising Women’s flagship gala dinner, which will take place on 6 October at Winstanley House in Leicester.
Longstanding categories are up for grabs, such as Small Business of the Year, Female Employee of the Year, Apprentice of the Year, and the headline award Business Woman of the Year, as well as the refreshed She Who Innovates Award for those working in STEM-related industries.
Categories introduced last year to mark the network’s 25th anniversary will also return to the programme, including the Rising Star Award and Lifetime Achievement Award – which doesn’t have a shortlist and will instead be given as a surprise to an unsuspecting winner.
Enterprising Women co-chair Jean Mountain said: “We’ve received another cohort of outstanding applications from women working across the region, and the shortlist features some truly inspiring achievements and stories.
“It’s fantastic to see women in business across a wide range of sectors and backgrounds recognised through the programme, as well as those across different parts of their career journey – from those just starting out in apprenticeship roles to highly successful business leaders representing everything that is great about our region.”
Fellow co-chair Eileen Perry added: “Shortlisting the finalists has been a massive challenge for our category sponsors from the high calibre of entries, and we’re really looking forward to the judging panel to hear more about their work.
“Women in business across the East Midlands are doing fantastic and inspiring work, and we are delighted to be able to recognise their achievements through the Enterprising Women Awards each year.”
The Shortlists
Apprentice of the Year (Sponsored by Futures Housing Group)
- Alice Lees – Rolls-Royce
- Courtney Brindley – Express Recruitment
- Florence Comasky – EMA Training
- Lucy Coope – trentbarton
- Lucy Hilton – Cosy Direct
- Sophie Shapcott – Smith Partnership
- Cosy Direct
- Guildford Europe
- Rosie May Foundation
- Rotheras Solicitors
- Spenbeck
- Asiya Parekh – Leicester Hospitals Charity
- Brogan Lees-Collier – Forsyth Barnes
- Cherryl Holland – trentbarton
- Emily Brailsford – Rural Action Derbyshire
- Sarah Budgie – Regency Source
- Chloe Heard – MHA MacIntyre Hudson LLP
- Coral Guard – GBS Apprenticeships
- Katie McLoughlin – Soft Touch Arts
- Ruby Birks – Purpose Media
- Scarlett Tinsley – ER Recruitment
- Julie Adams – Auditel
- Julie Clark – Savage Lighting
- Sally Faulkner – Bond Street Distillery
- Sarah Withers – Withers Gin
- Therese Lord – Construct3D
- Flame UK
- Generation Next ambassadors
- PPL PRS collections team
- PPL PRS marketing team
- Rotheras Solicitors
- ChangeXtra – Claire Mann
- Construct3D – Therese Lord, Jacob Lord, Jason Lord
- e-bate – Leanne Bonner-Cook and team
- Purpose Media – Ruby Birks
- RimPro-Tec Wheelbands – Deborah Chester
- Blueprint Interiors
- CMP Legal
- Design Studio Architects
- Katapult
- S&D Roofing
- Becky Valentine and Victoria Green – Spenbeck
- Dawn Brown – Rose Cottage Doggy Daycare
- Emma Allen – Acute Business Advisory
- Jaz Kaur – Fraser Stretton Property Group
- Sandy Prime – S&D Roofing
PwC Midlands welcomes new team members following People Force acquisition
PwC Midlands has welcomed 25 new team members to its Birmingham and Donington Court offices, following PwC UK’s acquisition of People Force.
The acquisition makes PwC one of the largest Ceridian implementation partners in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) with a team of over 60 specialists in the UK. The firm will look to grow its team of specialists, building on its presence in the US and in Mauritius working together to deliver global projects.
The UK based People Force team supports clients through their transformational journey specialising in implementing Dayforce, Ceridian’s flagship cloud human capital management platform that provides human resources, payroll, benefits, workforce management and talent management functionality.
Matthew Hammond, PwC UK Midlands regional market leader & Birmingham senior partner, said: “We are thrilled to welcome members of the People Force team to our Birmingham and Donington Court offices. Businesses, in the UK and globally, are investing and moving to the cloud at pace.
“Accordingly, People Force’s market-leading technology expertise enables us to provide our clients with even greater human-led, tech-powered innovation solutions to help them drive efficiencies and cost savings, both in their HR processes and across the workforce as a whole. The team will bolster our expertise here in the region and across the UK.”
The acquisition of People Force is one the latest investments in the Midlands by PwC, which also saw the recruitment of 160 graduates in the region and the acquisition of Olive Horse in early 2022.
Tim Quan, global vice president, System Integrator Alliances at Ceridian, said: “The completed acquisition of People Force, one of Ceridian’s partners, further strengthens our longstanding relationship with PwC. Together, we look forward to delivering quantifiable value and world-class experiences to our shared customers through our industry-leading Dayforce platform.”
Fundraising achievements permanently recognised in naming of new accommodation for rough sleepers
The fundraising achievements of Nottingham-based music producer DHP Family, local musicians and their audiences are to be permanently recognised in the naming of new accommodation for rough sleepers in the city.
A block of eight purpose-built flats in Forest Fields is to be named Akins House after DHP directors George and Sean Akins. They masterminded the development of Beat the Streets – the annual one-day music festival dedicated to raising funds to support work with local rough sleepers by the charity Framework.
Funds raised from tickets, bar sales and merchandising at each festival have been used in a variety of ways to house and support rough sleepers. The £89,500 raised at the 2023 Festival in January is contributing, for the first time, to the cost of new purpose-built accommodation – helping to meet the overall scheme cost of £1.4m.
The flats will offer a permanent home with personalised support to help each resident live independently. This includes access to drug, alcohol and mental health support and employment guidance.
Framework’s Chief Executive Andrew Redfern said: “The contribution of DHP’s Beat the Streets fundraising in 2023 has been essential in enabling this important building project to go ahead.
“Not only is the sum itself very substantial but it came at a time when the scheme was in doubt had additional funds not been forthcoming.
“The support for our work with rough sleepers and others, which is expressed through Beat the Streets, is remarkable. By naming our new accommodation Akins House we want to recognise the vision of George and Sean.
“It is also a tribute to the commitment and support of all our friends at DHP Family and the hundreds of bands, solo artists, technicians, stewards and administrators who have generously given their time and talent over the past five years.
“Last, but certainly not least, let’s not forget the audiences who have come along to the events – some of them year on year.“The success of Beat the Streets goes beyond the funds raised. It has inspired other partners to join our collective effort, amplifying the scope and effectiveness of responses to homelessness and rough sleeping.”
DHP Family’s Managing Director George Akins said: “Everyone at DHP Family is very pleased to have been able to raise more vital funds for Framework this year. We’re incredibly proud to bring the Nottingham music community together each January for such an important cause, and proud of the support that Beat the Streets has funded.
“It’s brilliant to see the tangible difference the money raised is making to the lives of vulnerable people in our city, particularly with this year’s contribution going towards a permanent home that’s set to help many people over the coming years.”
In the five years since the first Beat the Streets festival in 2018 more than £400,000 has been raised in total. In 2022 Beat the Streets received national recognition by winning the Sarah Nulty Community Impact Award at the UK Festival Awards.
More than 300 individuals have already received support fully or partly funded through Beat the Streets. This has ranged from providing emergency shelter, urgent health assessments and periods in specialist supported housing, through to resettlement plans and permanent homes with personalised support. This integrated approach aims to set people up for success and prevent them from falling back into the cycle of repeat homelessness.
Work is about to start at the Akins House site. The flats are due to be completed early in 2024.
Double senior hire as Flint Bishop eyes further growth
Law firm Flint Bishop has further expanded its employment team with two senior appointments in the space of a week.
Siobhan Mulrey, based at the firm’s Birmingham office, joins as a partner from national law firm Irwin Mitchell, where she spent close to nine years honing her skills and building a strong reputation in the legal industry. Her previous experience also includes working at Harrison Clark Rickerbys and Higgs LLP.
She brings with her a wealth of experience in all aspects of employment law including absence management, grievances, disciplinaries, pay disputes, redundancies, contract and policy drafting, as well as settlement negotiations, and strategic advice on large-scale restructures.
Notably, Mulrey provided significant support and influence in Irwin Mitchell’s national education sector focus, leading on its work for schools and multi-academy trusts.
Other recent work highlights include representing a multi-academy trust in the defence of claims for disability discrimination and constructive unfair dismissal, supporting a multi-national PLC energy business in a complex closure and relocation project, and representing a large construction and property management business in a high-stakes whistleblowing and unfair dismissal case.
In addition, Mark Fearn, has been appointed as business development manager and will be based at the firm’s Derby headquarters.
Fearn joins the company from MHR Global Ltd, a leading SaaS provider across the UK and Ireland, where he successfully led a team of 17 business development representatives with varying specialties. His team was responsible for all new business leads and in 2022, exceeded all lead targets contributing to the achievement of the annual business target of £105m.
He brings with him over 10 years’ experience in sales and new business development and throughout his career has successfully built, led, and developed teams, motivating and coaching them to exceed sales targets and provide an excellent level of service.
In his new role, Fearn will assume line management responsibility of a newly created team of business development executives tasked with generating new business opportunities and qualified appointments with senior decision-makers.
Louise Easthope, Partner and Head of Employment at Flint Bishop, said: “I am thrilled to welcome Siobhan and Mark to Flint Bishop at an exciting period of growth for the firm.
“Their experience and knowledge will undoubtedly enrich our team and broaden our capabilities, which will contribute significantly to our success in expanding our client base and achieving our business goals.
“These appointments mark a significant milestone in the strategic growth of both the firm’s employment department and the wider Derby and Birmingham offices.”
