New jobs set for Nottingham as KAM Project Consultants opens office

Tess Egginton
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New jobs set for Nottingham as KAM Project Consultants opens office

KAM Project Consultants is further expanding as they move into Nottingham.

The new location will allow KAM to expand on its existing portfolio in the East Midlands where they are currently working on several high-profile projects.

The office will be headed by KAM co-founder and director, Mike Wilcock, and closely supported by senior associate, Mat Daley, and associate project manager, Nick Orton. Both colleagues are re-locating from KAM’s Leicester office, with a number of new colleagues joining in the coming months.

Mat Daley said: “The East Midlands industrial market has continued to thrive, with vast amounts of money going into new warehousing thanks to the region’s central position. The opening of the Nottingham office ensures KAM are best placed to support this growing demand and allow us to better serve both new and existing clients.

“With several of the Leicester team joining me on the move, I look forward to working alongside them to embrace new opportunities and strengthen KAM’s position as market leaders.”

Addressing the Nottingham opening, Mike Wilcock said: “We are delighted to be growing our presence and expanding our team of cost managers and project managers in the East Midlands.

“We have had great success over the last eight years delivering logistics, distribution and manufacturing facilities for both developers and customers across the UK and overseas. Opening an office in Nottingham is an exciting next step in KAM’s structured growth plan and we can’t wait to see what the road ahead brings.”

Former Freeths solicitor installed as new High Sheriff of Derbyshire

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Former Freeths solicitor installed as new High Sheriff of Derbyshire

Derbyshire has a new High Sheriff who is promising to raise career aspirations of primary school pupils in the city and county.

Mike Copestake was recently installed during a ceremony at All Saints Church in Turnditch. The former corporate lawyer, who spent 26 years with solicitors Freeths, also wants to help charities that work with young people and support ex-offenders into work following their release from prison.

He said: “When I was vice-chairman of inward investment agency Marketing Derby, we would visit Cannes for the annual MIPIM; a major international property investment show. Most people thought it was a jolly but one of my proudest moments was when the Financial Times voted Derby – little old Derby – as having the best investment strategy in the world, ahead of Hong Kong and New York.

“But while this was an incredible honour, one of the biggest weaknesses in our city and in certain parts of the county is social mobility and a distinct lack of aspiration.

“The Enterprise for Education (E4E) scheme which was launched in 2014 by Derby City Council and of which I was chair until recently, does a brilliant job in helping inspire secondary school pupils with its mock interviews, career talks, and CV writing, led by manager Arshad Iqbal.

“However, through the E4E journey we came to realise that career aspirations start at primary school. The success of the London Challenge – a school improvement programme that went a long way in raising standards in the poorest areas in our capital – highlighted this and, starting with a visit to Cherry Tree Primary School in Chaddesden this month, I intend to visit as many primary schools as possible to hopefully inspire others.”

Mike hopes to visit 100 schools during his year as High Sheriff, where he will tell of a childhood ambition to become a firefighter and introduce youngsters to inspirational people from Derby and Derbyshire; people including Olympic gold medallist Hollie Webb – a former Turnditch Primary School pupil who also worked for HMRC – and ex-Alvaston Moor pupil Clive Lawrence, who grew up in a single-parent household and was awarded an OBE earlier this year for his services to education.

He has plans to become more involved with charities such as Safe and Sound, Enthusiasm and YMCA Derbyshire, who all work with young people, and the police youth engagement team. Mike is encouraging children and young people to enter the High Sheriff’s prestigious National Crimebeat Award for the most innovative and successful crime prevention projects carried out by young people.

Finalists will be invited to attend the National Crimebeat Awards Ceremony in London.

However, another passion for Mike is helping to transform the fortunes of others and following visits to Sudbury Prison in Ashbourne, he was inspired to help bridge the gap between ex-offenders leaving prison and finding employment.

According to the Centre for Mental Health, reoffending costs the economy somewhere in the region of £11 billion – but only 25% of men leave prison into some form of employment and the statistic for women in even lower at just 20%.

Mike, who is also a trustee for the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre, said: “As a corporate lawyer, you get to talk to an awful lot of people. If you ask employers in Derby if they would take in a prisoner, most say yes they would.

“However, that doesn’t seem to be happening, so people leaving the likes of Sudbury and Foston struggle to find employment. I’d like to speak to more employers in the city and county – the likes of Trent Barton, Cosy and David Nieper have already agreed to help – about helping to unlock what it takes to get prisoners out of prison and into the working environment.”

It’s clear that Mike is on a mission to leave a lasting legacy following his year as High Sheriff; a role which has evolved over time and is a far cry from what it was initially intended to be.

Dating back to Saxon times, the role of the High Sheriff is to act as the sovereign’s representative in their county. The High Sheriff would previously wield extensive powers to maintain law and order, often demanding taxes from civilians.

Now, though, those taking up the voluntary role take an active role in making a difference. There are currently 55 High Sheriffs serving across England and Wales, who are also required to attend Royal visits to their county.

Only one week remains until the free Property & Business Investment Lincolnshire Expo – have you registered yet?

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Only one week remains until the free Property & Business Investment Lincolnshire Expo – have you registered yet?
With the Property & Business Investment Lincolnshire Expo just a week away, if you haven’t registered yet for the free event, the time to do so is now. The highly anticipated expo, for which Business Link is a proud partner, will take place on Wednesday 27 April 2022 at The Bentley Hotel, Lincoln, providing everything you require for a great day of networking and business generation. A well targeted event aimed at the Construction, Property, Business, Investment, Finance, Professional Services and related B2B markets, exhibitors include Aspbury Planning Ltd, Belvoir, Business Lincolnshire, BSP Consulting, Delta Simons, the Federation of Small Businesses, J Tomlinson, NatWest, Willmott Dixon, and YMD Boon, to name a few. To see the full list of who is exhibiting click here. Opening at 9am, the expo will also host a workshop from Team Lincolnshire and Business Lincolnshire. Running from 10:15 – 11:45, it will demystify the procurement process and explore the potential which public sector contracts could bring to your business. Team Lincolnshire ambassador Neal Wheatley, director and general manager of RG Carter Lincoln Limited, and Barry Taylor, regional director at Parker Technical Service, will be sharing insightful first-hand experiences on winning a major Lincolnshire County Council contract for the construction of the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone and how supporting the local economy is a core value within the RG Carter Supply Chain Commitment. Sign up to the free workshop here. As the exhibition closes, it will roll directly into an informal, open buffet style network lunch – tickets for the lunch are just £25 plus vat and can be ordered and paid for directly online. Spaces for the lunch are limited, so order as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Tina King, of Business Shows Group, said: “It’s been a long time in the making thanks to the pandemic, but we are finally nearly there, The Property & Business Investment Lincolnshire Expo is gearing up to be one of the best to date!” To attend the event, register for free here. Purchase tickets to the networking lunch here. Meet more potential clients in one amazing cost effective day, than it would take months out on the road.

Gateley makes largest acquisition to date

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Gateley makes largest acquisition to date
In its largest acquisition to date, Gateley, the legal and professional services group, has snapped up Smithers Purslow for a total maximum consideration of £20 million, with an initial consideration of £12.15 million payable on completion – around 56% in shares and 44% in cash. Established in 1978, Smithers Purslow is a multi-disciplinary chartered surveying practice, comprising building and quantity surveyors and civil and structural engineers. Specialising in services to the property insurance claims market, it resolves high value claims for insurers, policy holders and their advisers. The senior management team will continue to lead the business, renamed Gateley Smithers Purslow. Smithers Purslow has delivered compound annual growth in revenue and EBITDA of more than 20 per cent over the last five years. In the year ended 30 September 2021, organic revenue increased by 22.3 per cent to £11.7 million, generating adjusted profit before tax of £2.5 million. Smithers Purslow operates from ten regional offices across the UK and employs 130 staff. Rod Waldie, Gateley Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Smithers Purslow team to the group. This is another dynamic business that further expands the breadth of capability in our already strong Property Platform. “Smithers Purslow’s growth over the last decade has been impressive and it is a highly regarded market leader in the property insurance claims sector, in which we see significant opportunity to develop broader and deeper relationships with insurers and insurance intermediaries. “The existing synergies between Smithers Purslow and Gateley Vinden, across a number of their multi-disciplinary service lines, extend the depth of our expertise and provide additional capacity to maximise on the opportunities presented in this sizeable and growing market and the wider built-environment consultancy space. “This is our largest acquisition to date and is a clear demonstration of our commitment to invest and grow our market-facing Platforms, as well as to continue to strengthen our resilience through diversification.”

Inflationary pressure poses huge risk to Midlands businesses

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Inflationary pressure poses huge risk to Midlands businesses
Inflationary pressure poses a huge risk to Midlands businesses in the coming months, with many unprepared for the highest level of inflation in 30 years. According to accountancy and business advisory firm, BDO LLP, more than half of regional businesses have only planned for a 3-5% level of inflation this year – already well below the current 7% rate, which is the highest it’s been since the 1990s. The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) has suggested that the impact of the war in Ukraine could push inflation to a 40-year high of 8.7% in the final three months of 2022, with The Bank of England also warning that inflation could hit double digits. BDO’s Rethinking the Economy survey has revealed that more than a third of Midlands companies are planning to seek additional finance in order to counteract rising inflation. Andrew Mair, partner at BDO and head of the East Midlands, said: “It’s very clear that rising inflation is having a profound effect on businesses in the region. Businesses have done the right thing, and planned for higher levels of inflation this year. “However, forecasts are well below the current and expected rate of inflation and, as such, businesses need to respond quickly and reassess their business plans for the remainder of 2022, in order to accommodate the record increases – whether that’s through additional financing, raising the price of goods or services, or working alongside lenders and suppliers to agree more beneficial terms. “When you couple rising inflation with significant global uncertainty and soaring costs, regional businesses are facing yet more pressure after two years hampered by the global pandemic. Unsurprisingly, more than a third of businesses admit that they intend to pass on those additional costs to customers.” The Rethinking the Economy survey showed that one of the greatest challenges facing regional businesses over the next six months is the rising cost of living (25%), whether that’s higher business costs, or reduced revenues as a result of customers cutting spending. However, companies in the Midlands are responding positively to the crisis, with 42% of businesses choosing to increase the wages of employees in an effort to tackle the cost of living – the highest rate of any UK region. That level of optimism is also reflected in the amount of time it will take regional businesses to return to pre-pandemic revenues, with 37% stating that they expect earnings to recover within this calendar year. Mair added: “Despite the plethora of challenges facing Midlands businesses, there is still a real desire to grow revenues in the next six months, as well as looking at potential overseas expansion in the next year, although this is clearly tempered by global geopolitical uncertainty. “Agile decision-making will continue to be vital over the coming months, to ensure businesses give themselves the right financial headroom to focus on areas such as cash generation, cost control and managing working capital efficiently.”

Design, engineering and project delivery company expands Derby operations

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Design, engineering and project delivery company expands Derby operations
The Derby office of an established design, engineering and project management company has expanded into 2,500 sq ft offices within the Oberoi Business Hub in Pride Park. Part of Morgan Sindall Group, a UK construction and regeneration group, BakerHicks works in a range of sectors including aviation, defence, life sciences and industry, nuclear, power, public, and rail. As one of 14 offices across Europe, the company’s Derby base originally opened in serviced accommodation at Oberoi Business Hub in St Christopher’s Way in 2017 with a core team focused on providing design, engineering and project delivery to the rail industry. They were then joined by colleagues within the BakerHicks Power sector and have largely taken advantage of the engineering skills-set available in the local area to service their growing portfolio of clients in both sectors. BakerHicks have now moved into a stand-alone office as part of the Oberoi Business Hub to house the 20-strong team with capacity for further growth. Director of Rail James Howles explained: “This is the start of a new era for BakerHicks in Derby with ambitious future plans for business growth. “It made perfect sense to base our team in Derby which is renowned as a rail city and to recruit talent from the strong engineering and manufacturing skills set here which has also boosted our power sector team. “Being part of Oberoi Business Hub has given us the flexibility to extend the accommodation for our growing team and we are delighted with our new office space.” Kavita Oberoi OBE, founder and Managing Director of Oberoi Business Hub, added: “Our aim is to provide businesses with the flexibility and support to grow – whether that is a start-up SME or an international operation looking to expand into the East Midlands. “We continue to invest and expand the Hub accommodation network in Pride Park to ensure we can provide an even wider range of commercial property here in the city’s premium business location. “We are delighted that BakerHicks have remained part of the Oberoi Business Hub community and look forward to our continued business relationship.”

Employers to discover the benefits of employing people with special educational needs and disabilities

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Employers to discover the benefits of employing people with special educational needs and disabilities
The D2N2 Careers Hub is inviting employers in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire to a special event on Friday 13 May, 9.30am-3.30pm at the University of Derby to celebrate people with SEND and learn more about opening up their workplace to inclusive recruitment. Nationally, just 6% of young people with SEND are in secure employment. The D2N2 Careers Hub is encouraging employers to explore the opportunities available in this large potential pool of untapped talent. Let’s Talk SEND will provide talks, workshops and networking with the chance to talk to young people about their experiences, the skills they’ve learned and the benefits it’s brought to the businesses they’ve worked in. The event, which is funded by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and The Careers & Enterprise Company, is free to attend but booking is required. It is suitable for anyone who has either already employed people with SEND or who would like to know more about doing so. Fiona Baker, head of people and skills at D2N2 LEP and a keynote speaker at the event, said: “As part of our People and Skills strategy, D2N2 wants to encourage employers to widen their search for skilled talent to include those who might be excluded from traditional recruiting processes for a variety of reasons “We are confident that anyone who attends Let’s Talk SEND will come away feeling inspired and excited about the opportunities for working with young people with SEND and the wide range of benefits both parties experience from it.”

NEXT swoops for mother and baby brand

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NEXT swoops for mother and baby brand
NEXT, the Leicester-headquartered retailer, has acquired a slice (44%) of JoJo Maman Bebe, the mother and baby brand, alongside investment funds and vehicles managed or advised by Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP (56%). The shares were acquired from existing JoJo shareholders, including the founder Laura Tenison, who, as part of the transaction, will leave the business. Gwynn Milligan, who joined JoJo in 2017 as commercial director, has taken over the role of CEO and the other JoJo directors will be staying in their posts. No immediate redundancies are anticipated. Laura Tenison said: “Growing JoJo from a kitchen table start-up to being the UK’s leading specialist boutique mother and baby brand has been my priority for the past 30 years. I’m exceptionally proud of our achievements, and excited by the opportunities this new partnership will offer to the brand’s future.” Simon Wolfson, NEXT’s Chief Executive, said: “NEXT is delighted at the prospect of its Total Platform supporting JoJo on the next stage of its growth and development. We are excited to see what can be achieved through the combination of JoJo’s exceptional product with NEXT’s infrastructure and Davidson Kempner as our investment partner.” NEXT will make an equity investment of £16.3m funded from its own cash resources. According to NEXT, JoJo will retain its management autonomy and creative independence, benefitting from the collective experience of NEXT and Davidson Kempner to continue growing successfully. The investment is not expected to have any material impact on NEXT’s group profits in the current financial year, but is expected to make a positive contribution thereafter.

Engineers to develop efficient alternative to current carbon capture technology

Steve Fisher
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Engineers to develop efficient alternative to current carbon capture technology
The University of Nottingham is leading an international consortium aiming to accelerate the development of carbon capture and storage. It’s one of several projects that have received a share of £5 million grant funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is recognised to be one of the most effective measures towards the European Union’s commitment to reach climate neutrality by 2050 and mitigate against global warming, staying within 1.5 degrees centigrade of pre-industrial levels during the remainder of the 21st century. The experts are setting out to develop a cheaper alternative to the current process of amine scrubbing – the most mature technology that separates CO2 from natural gas, however the process is expensive, requiring a high level of energy and water consumption, and can cause environmental issues. Professor Colin Snape, study lead, said: “Carbon Capture and Storage is key to achieving the UK’s ambitious target of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It’s therefore extremely important to accelerate the pace of developing alternatives to the current technologies on offer. This study will enable us to extensively investigate an alternative that is showing considerable promise, silica-polyethylenimine (PEI), based on Nottingham’s international reputation for developing solid adsorbents to capture CO2.
He added: “PEI is a polymer that avoids environmental issues associated with the basic liquids, used in amine scrubbing and requires less energy to release the CO2 after capture to enable subsequent pipeline transport and storage.”
What is carbon capture and storage (CCS)? CCS is the technology used to prevent and reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere as an attempt to mitigate global warming. Some of the largest sources of CO2 includes coal and natural gas power plants and industrial processes (such as iron and steel and cement plants). CCS involves three main components: capture, transport and storage. Once CO2 has been captured, i.e. separated from other gases being emitted, it is transported to a final storage location (usually through a pipeline). In the UK, the captured CO2 will be injected into either depleted oil and gas reservoirs or deep saline aquifers. Amine scrubbing is the most mature technology that separates CO2 from natural gas however the process is expensive, requires a high level of energy and it can cause environmental issues. The academics have identified a basic polymer, polyethylenimine (PEI) supported on silica, as a strong potential alternative in both post-combustion capture as well as in direct air capture. CO2, being weakly acidic reacts with PEI and the reaction (capturing the carbon) proceeds extremely fast. Over the two-year project, the academics will seek to demonstrate the efficiency and lower cost of the process. Its entire life cycle will also be analysed in order to provide a direct comparison to the processes already in use. Project ABSALT: Accelerating Basic Solid Adsorbent Looping Technology The university’s Faculty of Engineering is leading the ‘Accelerating Carbon Capture and Storage Technologies 3’ project ABSALT: Accelerating Basic Solid Adsorbent Looping Technology. The project team aims to demonstrate that basic silica-polyethylenimine (PEI) in solids adsorption looping technology (SALT) can achieve low capture costs. The consortium of international partners is made up of: PQ Corporation, UK; BASF, Germany; CEMEX, Switzerland; Ulster University, UK; University of Bologna, Italy; and CPERI-CERTH, Greece. The project partners all play a vital role in the study:
  • PQ Corporation and BASF are global manufacturers of silicas and PEI, respectively and with the University of Nottingham will use their materials expertise to optimise the composition of silica-PEI.
  • The University of Ulster, CERTH and CEMEX have extensive experience in techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA).
  • The involvement of CEMEX enables the team to address in detail the application of SALT to cement plants.
  • The University of Bologna, CERTH and the University of Nottingham have extensive expertise in pyrolysis for recycling the silica and converting the spent PEI to potentially valuable chemicals.

Derby County’s relegation a ‘huge blow’ for city’s businesses, but takeover would offer hope, says East Midlands Chamber

Steve Fisher
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Derby County’s relegation a ‘huge blow’ for city’s businesses, but takeover would offer hope, says East Midlands Chamber
Commenting on the confirmation of Derby County’s relegation from the EFL Championship , East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles said: “Derby County’s relegation marks a very sad day for the people of Derby and the club’s legion of fans across the world, while many businesses in the city will consider it a huge blow for them. “The club is an integral component of the city’s heritage, make-up and economy, with the prosperity of both intrinsically linked. “A successful football team competing at the top of the sport creates a healthy atmosphere across the whole area and this will always have positive economic consequences. “Businesses located in and around the city benefit from the tens of thousands of people who turn up every match to support their club – pubs, cafés, restaurants and shops will be packed before each game, while local transport networks rely on the increased number of passengers to remain viable. “But it’s also much more than that. Derby County is a part of the city and county’s fabric, and it’s now critical that attentions turn towards protecting the future of the club by ensuring the swift and safe completion of a takeover that will achieve this ultimate goal. “While relegation is inevitably a deep disappointment, the communities and businesses who rely on this sporting institution now just want to be freed from the damaging state of limbo they find themselves in, and offered renewed hope there will continue to be a club they can throw their support behind.”
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