Loughborough-headquartered Access Group expands in Romania and Ireland

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Loughborough-headquartered Access Group expands in Romania and Ireland
Business management software provider The Access Group has announced the opening of two new offices in Romania and Ireland as it continues its international growth. Access will welcome hundreds of employees to its latest offices. In Romania, the Group has chosen Timisoara, the European Capital of Culture 2023, to establish its latest Global Operations Centre (GO Centre), allowing the Group to expand its teams there from 375 people today to more than 700 by the end of 2023. In Ireland, the new state-of-the-art offices in Cork will consolidate staff and support growth and maximise opportunity within the Irish market and wider Europe, bringing together employees to work with more than 500 companies across the country. The launch of a new GO Centre in Romania and the new office in Ireland marks the latest phase of the Group’s global expansion, following the company striking a £9.2 billion investment deal from shareholders Hg and TA Associates last year. Access saw significant year-on-year pro forma revenue growth of 43% for its fiscal year to the end of June 2022 and a track record of more than 40% revenue growth in each of the previous four fiscal years. With further expansion into the APAC region planned for later in 2023, the launch of the Access GO Centres will support the transition from a multi-territory business to a scalable global company. Terry Taylor, Access chief operating officer and leading the GO Centre programme, said: “Our ambition is to create a Global ‘backbone’ of Access GO Centres which will provide international management, access to diverse talent and regional infrastructure to execute the Group’s sustainable growth more easily. “The centres will deliver excellence in product engineering, customer support, customer success, sales, marketing and operations and will be the physical representations of our ambition, brand and culture. “At each location, we are creating world-class facilities for our staff and customers. Each new office location has been carefully considered and aligned with local talent pools to make deep connections with local universities and the wider community. “The GO Centres are also designed to support our early careers programme and develop the skills of our young people. They will offer specialist training and a clear progression path for various roles, including technical, support, sales, and people management. “Each centre will have its own executive management team, managing director, recruitment provision and multi-lingual team. Our ambition is to develop an awe-inspiring proposition for our employees which will support their careers and enhance their skillsets through early years programmes, employee success academy programmes and leadership programmes.” Chris Bayne, CEO of The Access Group, said: “Over the next four years, the Access GO Centres will support 40% of our global staffing needs. Having these strategically located offices keeps momentum growing. It gives our teams a workplace they can genuinely be proud of while positioning the business in an excellent place to execute strategic growth and drive acquisitions across multiple regions, languages and time zones. “These state-of-the-art offices inspire our people to strive for excellence every day and are reflective of the innovative solutions and high quality we aim to deliver to our thousands of dedicated customers around the world. “We will also be working alongside The Access Foundation in each of the new sites to support local community projects and offer financial aid to the charities that mean the most to our employees.”

Senior promotions for homegrown talent at V Formation

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Senior promotions for homegrown talent at V Formation

East Midlands marketing and PR agency, V Formation, has promoted two members of its team. Amy Cooper is promoted to account manager: digital marketing and Lucy Wharton to account manager: PR.

Homegrown talent, both Amy and Lucy joined V Formation as interns on the Nottingham Internship Scheme after completing English degrees at the University of Nottingham in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

Amy uses her extensive digital marketing expertise, from Google Ads to SEO, to implement tactical marketing strategies for V Formation’s clients. She is responsible for designing marketing collateral and ensuring brand consistency across all platforms and also delivers digital training to the V Formation team.

As account manager, Amy will continue to manage client accounts and lead creative campaigns for clients, specialising in the life sciences sector.

Amy says: “I am incredibly grateful for the experiences and skills I have gained whilst working at V Formation and am eager to develop them further as account manager. I have enjoyed working with such a varied client base, from life sciences businesses to technology companies, and being able to apply my skills to ensure our clients are at the very top of their game.”

With a strong writing background, Lucy is responsible for delivering specialist, proactive and tactical PR services and support, securing earned media coverage, and writing articles for a wide range of audiences and platforms. In her new role as account manager, she will lead client PR campaigns and manage and support junior members of the PR team.

Lucy says: “I am delighted to be progressing my career at V Formation and working with our growing roster of ambitious clients to communicate their competitive edge. I am particularly looking forward to working with junior members of team to help develop their PR skills and expertise. I would like to thank V’s directors Hilary and Sue for their continual support, and look forward to the challenges and opportunities this new role will bring.”

Speaking about the promotions, V Formation director Sue Carr, says: “It has been fantastic working with Amy and Lucy and supporting their progression from interns to account managers; we couldn’t be prouder of their achievements. They are both extremely talented and hardworking, and bring immense value to both our team and our clients. At V Formation, we are committed to investing in and encouraging the development of our team and look forward to seeing Amy and Lucy flourish in their new roles.”

Free support worth £1,800 for export businesses through LLEP pilot with Santander

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Free support worth £1,800 for export businesses through LLEP pilot with Santander

The LLEP Business Gateway Growth Hub has joined forces with Santander to offer an exclusive package of products to local export businesses.

Exporters in Leicester and Leicestershire will gain free access to Santander Navigator, a digital portal which supports the needs of export businesses, from startups through to seasoned exporters managing complex shipments.

Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) is the first LEP in the UK to offer the access to Santander Navigator.

It will enable local companies to explore opportunities in new markets around the world, find potential export partners, streamline customs processes, and overcome bureaucracy and regulatory challenges.

It also details steps needed to get products to international markets, offers insights and training for employees and new exporters, and sets out various shipping options and discounts.

Access to the portal typically costs £1,800 annually, but the Growth Hub pilot scheme allows businesses to use it for free for 12 months from their sign-up date.

It means dedicated exporting support for local firms operating in sectors including food and drink, manufacturing, retail, life sciences, and tech.

Sonia Baigent, LLEP Board Member and Chair of the LLEP Business Board, said: “Exporting is one of the key challenges facing local businesses, which is why we were keen to join forces with Santander and offer this opportunity.

“It means local businesses will have access to events and training, support with logistics, a directory of providers, and a community of others in similar situations.

“We hope that this will facilitate collaboration needed to help locally-based businesses boost their exporting offer and help them grow into international markets.”

The LLEP’s partnership with Santander means all Leicester and Leicestershire businesses can now apply for Santander Navigator’s Explore and Prepare tiers at no cost.

The Santander Navigator platform allows businesses to:

  • Explore international markets that offer the best growth prospects

  • Learn new skills and discover global opportunities

  • Access the latest country and sector insights

  • Optimise logistics and shipping

  • Learn from others through a community of like-minded people and market experts

  • Access Santander’s network of solution providers.

LLEP-referred businesses will also qualify for the third tier Santander Navigator Grow at a discounted rate. Companies do not need to be Santander customers to qualify for the offer.

The LLEP’s most recent Business Tracker survey showed that more than 50% of respondents involved in exporting were experiencing challenges.

The Santander partnership comes soon after the LLEP agreed a similar offer with Microsoft to help SMEs do more with digital products to improve productivity within their businesses.

Ideagen colleagues raise £5,000 for Türkiye and Syria

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Ideagen colleagues raise £5,000 for Türkiye and Syria
Workers at Ideagen, the Nottingham-headquartered global tech business, have rallied to support the people of Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria, devastated by recent earthquakes. In just a few weeks Ideagen employees in Nottingham and around the world, raised £2,410. The tech company then more than doubled that, bringing the total to £5,000. Claire Knee, Ideagen global community lead, said: “Together, our people and the company wanted to help. We know that thousands of people have lost their lives, hundreds of buildings have been destroyed and survivors are facing awful conditions. They are in desperate need of emergency aid – the scale of the tragedy is unfathomable to most of us.” The £5,000 raised will go direct to the Red Cross and The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) who are coordinating aid efforts for 15 charities, ensuring it gets directly to where it is most needed. Claire continued: “Community is one of Ideagen’s core values, so matching the generosity of our employees was something the business really wanted to do.”

Double promotion at IMA Architects

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Double promotion at IMA Architects
IMA Architects (IMA), an architectural firm based on Lutterworth Road in Blaby, Leicester, has made two promotions. Joe Travers has been promoted to associate director and Jack Mellor has been promoted to associate. Joe and Jack have both been with IMA since 2011 and have amassed considerable experience across a range of UK wide construction projects during this time. Joe has increasingly specialised within the commercial and industrial sectors and has worked on a number of high-profile projects including the Marks and Spencer Distribution Centre in Castle Donnington, the Co-op Distribution centre in Sutton and Ashfield and the Redrow Homes East Midlands Office, also in Castle Donnington. In 2015, he achieved Chartered Membership status with the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists and was promoted to associate in 2017. Working on projects for companies including Clowes Developments, Jessup Partnerships, Vaillant UK, Modus Partnerships, Avant Homes and Venture Properties amongst others, Jack has worked on schemes across the residential, commercial and industrial sectors in the Midlands. He achieved associate status with the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists in 2016. Commenting on the promotions Anthony Day, IMA Managing Director, said: “Both Jack and Joe have demonstrated continued excellence across our client projects in the 12 years they have been with IMA. They have both more than earned their promotions. “They have built excellent working relationships with our clients which leads to the successful delivery of schemes, and this has led to the continued growth of our business over recent years.” Joe Travers said: “It is an exciting time for IMA and I am looking forward to working with Jack and us both playing an important role in the future development of the company.” Jack Mellor said: “I am delighted to have been promoted and that both Joe and I have the continued support of the IMA directors who have all been instrumental in our career development over the past 12 years. I am looking forward to getting started in my new role.”

£1m fine for concrete firm after “one in a million” son died at work

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£1m fine for concrete firm after “one in a million” son died at work
A concrete manufacturer has been fined £1m after a 24-year-old man died at a site in Nottingham. Stewart Ramsay, from Mansfield, was working for Creagh Concrete Products Ltd (CCP) at its Thurgarton Lane site in Hoveringham when he suffered fatal head injuries on 15 March 2017. Mr Ramsay, known as ‘Stew’, was trying to fix a problem that happened as he and colleagues were using a metal grab to unload Spantherm, a concrete building product, from some trailers. The metal grab shouldn’t have been in use. Mr Ramsay’s head became trapped in the jaws of the grab after a rope connected to the locking lever snapped. Even though the rope was tied in a double-knot, the locking mechanism released the jaws of the grab as Mr Ramsay pulled on it, causing fatal injuries. Stew’s mother Carol Hansford described him as a “one in a million son.” “I know a lot of people say that, but he really was out of this world,” she said. “He was an amazing brother, grandson, uncle and nephew. “The hundreds of friends that came to the crematorium showed how well liked and appreciated he was – it was unbelievable. He was just loving, caring, thoughtful and very funny.” CCP were sentenced at Nottinghamshire Crown Court on 5 April, after they admitted failing to ensure its employees carried out lifting operations safely and without training and information being in place. “He was such a hardworking person,” Carol added. “Not only did he work at Creagh, he was also working as a doorman on weekends. I’ll never forgot that day as long as I live. I got a knock at the door as his friends had come to tell me – I collapsed. “It still doesn’t seem real – it’s like you’re watching a film and not at the end. All he did was go to work. Things like this shouldn’t happen – it destroys families forever. Nobody should have to go through what we have done these past six years.” An investigation by the Health and Safety executive (HSE) showed that CCP did not have a safe system of work for the use of the grab and had not carried out a risk assessment to identify risks for its use. Both the grab and a fork lift truck being used at the time were in poor condition. Neither should have been in service at the time of the incident. CCP had failed to ensure that these pieces of work equipment had been maintained in an efficient state, efficient working order or in good repair. Creagh Concrete Products Limited of Hoveringham Nottinghamshire pleaded guilty of breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in that it failed to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all its employees. The company was fined £1,000,000 and ordered to pay costs of £47,521.08. Speaking after the hearing HSE Inspector Mr Amandip Dhanda said: ”This tragic incident led to the avoidable death of a young man. “Stewart’s death could easily have been prevented if his employer had acted to identify and manage the risks involved, and to put a safe system of work in place. “The work equipment being used at the time of the incident should not have been in use, and the employer would have known this had they effectively followed their own health and safety systems.”

Appointment of new contractor sees work restart on 106 new council homes in Nottingham

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Appointment of new contractor sees work restart on 106 new council homes in Nottingham
Work to build 106 new council homes in Top Valley is set to resume with the appointment of a new contractor. The original contractor appointed to build the homes on the site of the former Eastglade School ceased to trade last September, and since then, Nottingham City Council has been working to get works restarted. Lovell Partnership will be completing works on a phased basis that will see the first homes let to local people in housing need during the summer months, and then the remainder of the 106 homes completed and occupied as soon as possible. The 106 new homes include 23 one bed flats, 63 two bed houses and 20 three bed homes – plus open space for the whole community to enjoy. Alison Brown, director of Property Services at Nottingham City Council, said: “It’s important that these works are restarting to create more affordable homes for local people on the council house waiting list. “These homes are well-designed and energy efficient – places where people will be proud to live. I look forward to seeing the transformation from an unused site into new homes for local people and families.” Lovells are also working on the council’s Beckhampton site in Bestwood Park, which is seeing 131 council homes – two and three bedroom houses, bungalows and flats – being built on land that was a playing field for the former Padstow School off Beckhampton Road.

Leicestershire-based welfare cabin provider secures funding for environmentally friendly units

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Leicestershire-based welfare cabin provider secures funding for environmentally friendly units
Leicestershire-based welfare cabin provider Reactive Hire has added new environmentally friendly units to its fleet thanks to asset financing from Paragon Bank. The Loughborough firm, which specialises in hiring welfare equipment to the construction sector, acquired the new DeepGreen units after securing £572,000 funding – provided by Paragon’s SME Lending division and arranged via Boss Asset Finance. The 12ft self-contained Boss units are powered solely by solar panels and are generator free with the energy harvested being stored in large lithium-ion batteries. This is the first mobile welfare cabin in the market in which all electrical operations are powered through the entire year by solar power, meaning no generator is required even as a back-up. Commenting on Paragon’s support John McClure, Reactive Hire’s Managing Director, said: “Although we never compromise on function and performance, Reactive Hire has always gone that bit further to invest more in features and innovations we know will reduce our fleet’s impact on the environment. Paragon and Boss Asset Finance were the ideal partners to help us further achieve this goal.” Commenting on the funding arranged for Reactive Hire Todd Auger, Business Development Manager in Paragon’s Construction team, said: “With new, environmentally-friendly units coming onto the market there has never been a better time for businesses to invest in adding green assets to their operations.“For businesses to make the transition to green technology it is essential that they are able to access the funding necessary to do so – and Paragon is committed to supporting businesses in acquiring assets that will be beneficial for both them and our environment in the years ahead.” Commenting on Boss Asset Finance’s role in the process Trevor Jacobs, Business Development Director, said: “We are pleased to be able to assist both Reactive Hire Ltd and Boss Cabins Ltd in putting this deal together for these new units and support Reactive in their endeavours to reduce the impact on the environment. In addition we are pleased to announce a partnership with Boss Cabins to help fund their DeepGreen units at a reduced broker commission of only 1%, 75% lower than the market average.”

Lincs firm secures £30m to drive smart home technology growth

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Lincs firm secures £30m to drive smart home technology growth
Lincolnshire technology manufacturer, myenergi, has secured a £30m funding package from HSBC UK to support the development and production of innovative smart home energy products. The funding will be used to expand the company’s operations, enhance its production capabilities, and invest in research and development to create new and innovative products that meet the evolving needs of consumers, including electric vehicle chargers and batteries for storing energy. Lee Sutton, myenergi co-founder and Chief Executive, said: “The new financing facility from HSBC UK will enable us to further accelerate our growth and innovation in smart home technology. “Over the last four years, HSBC has supported the business with various financial solutions to facilitate our ever-increasing growth. The introduction of the new funding facility will enable us to accelerate our business development strategy and support us in the next chapter of our amazing journey.” Frances Howell, MD, Head of Corporate Midlands at HSBC UK, added: “myenergi is a great example of a British business that is leading the way in developing smart home technology, helping people make the transition to renewable energy in their homes. This deal will allow the development of new green technologies, optimising renewable energy usage to create eco smart homes while putting British manufacturing back on the world stage.” Founded in 2016 by Lee Sutton and Jordan Brompton, myenergi has grown to almost 450 employees, and annual sales last year broke the £50m barrier. Myenergi’s headquarters in Stallingborough is currently undergoing a major transformation, with a new 65,000 sq ft production facility under construction to expand capacity to meet demand.

East Midlands environmental firm appointed on national project to survey UK peatlands

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East Midlands environmental firm appointed on national project to survey UK peatlands
Nottingham-based ecology, land management and arboriculture consultancy EMEC has been appointed on a nationwide project to survey UK peatlands as part of The England Peat Map Project (EPM). EMEC has been sub-contracted by FERA Science Ltd to deliver the majority of field surveys, which will comprise over 2400 vegetation and 900 soil field surveys across England. EMEC will also lead a network of other wildlife trust consultancies who will be co-operating together in order to meet the national scope of the project. The England Peat Map project is part of the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment Programme (NCEA), a science innovation and transformation programme funded by Defra which spans across land and water environments. The EPM project commenced in April 2021 and will run until 2024 with the intention of providing new evidence to support a range of uses including restoring peatlands and reporting on peatland carbon emissions. Experts believe that mapping England’s peat will contribute towards the Government achieving its net zero target by 2050. Funding for the £3m project has come from the Nature for Climate fund. Ed Tripp, consultancy director at EMEC, said: “Healthy peatland has a cooling effect on the climate as peat captures carbon from the atmosphere and stores it underground. Knowing where the peat is, and its condition will help conservationists identify areas for future restoration and protection. Working with a wide range of partners and stakeholders to restore peatland will be a considerable step towards reaching 2050 targets.” He added: “The project should also help to set a framework for gathering and recording data. Current information is patchy and not recorded in a standard format which makes it difficult to understand peat volume and its capacity to store carbon. The project will deliver new baseline mapping that is cost effective and exploit the opportunities offered by advances in technology and data.” The comprehensive mapping of England’s peat resources will underpin a range of activities that will help to improve how we estimate greenhouses gases, where to target restoration activities and understand their effectiveness, as well as apply and share learning and data with other partners.
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