Monthly Archives: June 2020

News

Boldon James And INFODAS Partner to Deliver an End-to-End Solution for Email Messages and Unstructured Data

Boldon James Ltd, a leading technology company providing integration with powerful data security and governance ecosystems to enable customers to effectively classify data, enforce controls and manage data distribution, today announced it has partnered with Germany’s leading cross domain solutions company INFODAS to provide NATO nations, military and defence organisations with the ability to email securely across different security domains.

The two organisations have been working together to develop a trusted labelling solution required for NATO’s stringent standards to ensure a highly secure approach. With military and defence organisations challenged with sending emails across multiple security domains, Boldon James and INFODAS have integrated their respective products to deliver a common work environment.

Boldon James SAFEmail Military Messaging enforces communication protocols and delivers leading edge ‘defence ready’ secure messaging to NATO and other defence forces. For the past 20 years, Boldon James has been leading the way with Military Messaging Handling Systems (MMHS) using Microsoft Exchange as the core messaging service. SAFEmail enables the safe handling and control of a wide range of sensitive data from unclassified data to the high levels of restricted Government Classifications across a variety of messaging environments.

INFODAS SDoT Security Gateway delivers bi-directional data exchange and filtering of structured and unstructured data objects. Designed and manufactured in Germany SDoT products are accredited to meet the highest security requirements of the German Federal Office of Information Security (BSI), EU and NATO. For the past decade it has been used in the toughest mission critical environments around the world. As a cross domain solution, the SDoT information exchange gateway or data guard solves complex data exchange and protection challenges of government, defence and critical infrastructure clients while ensuring logical separation of security domains.

Both companies have been working on supporting specific NATO standards for several years and have strong heritage working with the military, homeland security, intelligence, and civil agencies. This has involved supporting the full evolution of relevant NATO STANAGs (Standard NATO Agreements) from early draft revisions through to the latest versions agreed by member nations.

Alan Borland, SAFEmail Product Manager at Boldon James said: “With NATO labelling and data protection approaches evolving to address new threats and opportunities, Boldon James continues to innovate to meet these demands. By closely aligning our military messaging and data classification solutions with INFODAS cross domain solutions this enables us to offer an end to end solution that supports the emerging NATO standards. Boldon James provides the data classification element and INFODAS provides the information exchange gateway (IEG).”

 Dr Alexander Schellong, VP Global Business at INFODAS comments: “Clients for some time have asked us for an integrated end-to-end solution of these highly complementary products and we delivered. This new partnership enables a broad range of multidomain data sharing scenarios. Our solution solves a key challenge in domestic and international military and government digitization projects to protect sensitive data while sharing any data that could be shared to fulfill their mission. Together with Boldon James we will ensure that our joint solutions are applicable for both NATO organisations and commercial environments, not just today but well into the future.”

 The two organisations are at the Coalition Warrior Interoperability Exercise (CWIX) 2020 (8th to 25th June, 2020) which demonstrates the resilience of NATO and partner nations as they continue to innovate in order to improve interoperability. During CWIX, Boldon James and INFODAS will be working with NATO to showcase proof of concepts to deliver the trusted labelling required for the new NATO STANAG 4774/4778. The new STANAG 4774 Confidentiality Label includes the traditional classification and caveats seen in email labelling and critically now includes additional metadata, such as the creator of the label, the creation time, the expiry time and much more.  The Metadata Binding Standard (STANAG 4778) is the companion document to the Confidentiality Labelling Standard, and provides a consistent method for binding the Confidentiality Label to the information throughout its lifecycle, and between the sharing parties.

Case Studies, Case Studies and Partnerships, Law

Morrish Solicitors commits to Advanced for digital-first practice and case management

Advanced has signed a new deal with Morrish Solicitors LLP which will see the Yorkshire-based law firm implement Tikit Partner for Windows (P4W) to handle its practice and case management as well as Tikit Connect for its Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and marketing activities.

P4W, already used by over 600 legal firms across the UK, is the flagship system of Tikit, the global legal, accounting and professional services software business acquired by Advanced in March this year. Morrish Solicitors is the first customer to select P4W since Tikit’s takeover, reinforcing Advanced’s commitment to the ongoing support and development of the solution.

As an easy-to-use and configurable application, P4W will help the firm improve the client experience for trade unions, their members and private individuals. They will be able to instantly view, download and update their case details in a customised and secure portal. In addition, all communications will be managed in one single, reliable and up-to-date system. Through P4W’s integrated contact management and e-marketing solution Tikit Connect, Morrish Solicitors will be able to easily maintain contact details and deliver accurately targeted digital marketing campaigns.

“As a customer focused business, we wanted a solution that could deliver innovative functionality for our customers, P4W offers just that,” comments Jaime Lockwood, IT Manager at Morrish Solicitors. “It enables us to send documents to our clients quickly and for them to see updates instantly. This is much more efficient than our teams relying on clients to receive physical documents sent in the post on time. It’s this move to a paper light way of working that will mean the information we share with our clients will be accurate, which will not only enable everyone to work from one version of the truth, but also enable us to be more transparent too.”

P4W will also provide a more flexible working environment for its staff who will be able to use the integrated system from anywhere and at any time. Around 60 partners, legal advisors and trainees, and administrative staff will be able to scan and upload post and other documents into the system as well as work with customers virtually as opposed to physical meetings. These capabilities are incredibly valuable, especially given the current pandemic requires Morrish Solicitors to service clients remotely. In fact, it’s galvanised many clients into taking a digital-first approach when working and communicating with the law firm.

Jaime explains: “The impact of COVID-19 on the workplace highlights what we already knew we wanted from a practice and case management solution which is flexibility. P4W will best enable us to service our clients whether we are working in the office or from home. We will have a system that is much slicker in helping us to communicate with them and also our staff, who are really excited about using the system. The team at Advanced will be delivering remote training on P4W which will help ensure our users are taking full advantage of all of the functionalities.

“What we have also found since choosing to use P4W is the incredible community amongst fellow law firm users and their willingness to endorse the solution. As an organisation upgrading to a new practice and case management product after 11 years, it’s reassuring to know we have support from both Advanced and its existing legal customer base.”

Doug Hargrove, Managing Director – Legal – Advanced, concludes: “P4W is an innovative and sophisticated technology application in the legal market. It offers Morrish Solicitors a solution that meets its current and future needs – helping it transform digitally while remaining within the Advanced family. As a long-standing customer of one of our legacy products, Morrish Solicitors is the first firm that has been able to profit from this strong upgrade path to a modern and customisable legal solution without the risk of moving to a new supplier. We look forward to supporting Morrish Solicitors on its ambitious business journey to becoming a digital-first law firm.”

News

Limewedge launches – new affordable cocktail delivery service

This week sees the launch of Limewedge, a new nationwide cocktail delivery service operating out of Bristol. Founded during lockdown, the business offers one-off cocktail boxes for four or six drinks, or three, six- and 12-month subscriptions for six drinks with just the right ingredients in each sustainable, fully recyclable box. Cocktails start from just £4.67 each depending on subscription length.

Behind Limewedge is founder Chris Mead (aka Chief Lime, below) who discovered his love of cocktail-making as a bartender in Bristol and Leicester. A qualified accountant and most recently working as a finance manager, he left his position before lockdown and, faced with a tough job market, decided to change direction and pursue his lifelong passion for creating and sharing craft cocktails.

“I’ve always loved making someone’s day by introducing them to a new cocktail or flavour combination. Lockdown has meant we’ve taken that experience into our own houses and shared drinks with friends and family over Skype. Experimenting is brilliant, but buying big bottles of spirits is expensive and is also a gamble. Limewedge is designed to be an affordable way to try new combinations without having to invest in big bottles of spirits that gather dust. I want each box to be an event, not just a beverage.” Comments Mead.

Limewedge cocktail box starting themes include Boozy Brunch, Desert Island Drinks, Dinner Party and Red Light, with cocktails including the Grand Mimosa, Pina Colada and P*star Martini. Prices range from £27.98 including shipping for a one-off, four cocktail box, to £27.99 per box for a 12-month subscription with six cocktails in each box. All packaging is eco-friendly and recipe cards are emailed, avoiding wasteful pre-printing. Everything is included apart from store cupboard essentials, such as milk or sugar.

As an ex-stand-up comedian, Mead has ensured a tongue-in-cheek tone runs throughout the business, including the website and recipe cards. No stranger to facing a crowd, Mead also shares his passion and shows tips and tricks for cocktail making – including how you can use Tuppaware as a shaker, whether you shake or stir a Martini and how to flame a lemon rind – over Instagram on lime.wedge .

“With many workers still at home and people embracing virtual socialising; we’re also offering bespoke cocktail boxes for all virtual events, such as company virtual summer parties, birthdays, Hen and Stag parties and good old-fashioned catch-ups. There’s a lot of scope and I’m so excited to share some of my favourite recipes with even more people, and I hope they’ll share their reactions with me.”

All boxes can be ordered through the website – lime-wedge.co.uk – and one-off boxes will arrive within three to five days.

Coronavirus, COVID-19, Employment Law, HR News, Law, News

Top lawyers warn of issues businesses may face as workplaces reopen

Leading law firm Aaron & Partners has outlined the potential new challenges HR professionals, business owners and managers may face as employees across the UK start to return to the workplace following the lockdown period.

A team of lawyers from the firm have warned that the risks of contracting the virus coupled with the government guidance regarding mitigating them, mean that workplace policies and practices will need careful consideration and will likely require changes before workplaces can reopen.

Claire Brook, an Employment Law Partner at Aaron & Partners said: “The impacts of COVID-19 have been significant and businesses have had to make considerable changes to the way they operate. For HR professionals and managers, this has meant making business critical decisions whilst managing a range of unfamiliar people issues presented by the pandemic.

“As the government begins to ease its lockdown measures, employers will no doubt be planning for some form of return to the workplace in the near future, with some sectors already allowed to return as long as it is safe to do so. However, it’s clear that the workplace will be very different from the pre lockdown situation and employers need to consider the government guidance regarding the changes they need to make.”

Layla Barke-Jones, a Senior Associate in the Dispute Resolution team at Aaron & Partners, added: “Health and Safety will be one of the greatest concerns for employees returning to work. Carrying out a risk assessment is a statutory requirement for employers and businesses need to carefully plan and implement measures to ensure their workplace is safe for employees to return to.

“To offer some help and guidance and avoid potential disputes, we’ve produced a list of five likely issues that could arise as people return to their place of work to help HR professionals, business owners and managers navigate this period.”

1. Mental Health

The CIPD reported that mental health related absence is the most common cause of long-term sickness absence in UK workplaces and we expect that this will increase as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Some employees may have experienced bereavement, financial pressure, reduced motivation, increased anxiety, feelings of isolation, depression or even post-traumatic stress.

Employers have a duty to consider the welfare of employees and this includes mental health and wellbeing, therefore they should consider how they can support employees experiencing poor mental health whilst they are working remotely, and once they return to the workplace. Regular communication with employees will be vital as individuals will have had different experiences during this time.

2. Health and safety issues

Health and wellbeing of employees and visitors is paramount and extends beyond the workplace doors and into the lives of everyone they come into contact with – it’s not a tick box exercise but a crucial step in being able to beat the disease and get back up and running.

Each workplace will have its own unique set of challenges and will need to think carefully about the risk of spreading coronavirus and carry out a thorough risk assessment, a helpful aid could be to think of three categories – people, surfaces and space and the risks of spreading coronavirus attached to each. The government has published industry specific guidance, found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19.

The key is to communicate the measures that are put in place, monitor compliance and review. Given how quickly things are changing it will be essential to do this regularly (perhaps daily at first) and in line with the changes in government advice.

3. Increase in Flexible Working Requests

Whilst there is no right to flexible working (it is simply a right to request), employers should consider the appropriate response to requests and proactively consider the health and safety requirements.

It’s important to take a fair and consistent approach towards flexible working requests to avoid any potential claim for unfairness, grievances and/or potential discrimination claims under the Equality Act 2010.

4. Differing experiences of furloughed and non-furloughed employees

Careful consideration should be given to return to work relations as each individual will have had a very different experience during lockdown depending on their personal circumstances. This will also include the different work experiences between non-furloughed and furloughed employees.

HR teams have the opportunity to shape a supportive culture and environment to reduce the risk of tensions and/or any escalation or inappropriate outbursts at work.

5. Bereavement issues

Many employees will have suffered bereavement during this period and beyond the existing framework on bereavement leave and pay, those affected may have been faced with the trauma of saying goodbye to their loved one remotely (or may not have even had that chance at all).

Employers should consider the potential long-term support they can offer, and any adjustments, such as a phased return to work, additional mental health support or flexible working hours that may be appropriate for an employee who has suffered bereavement in this way.

For further advice, please visit https://www.aaronandpartners.com/

Education, News

Trinity Business School ranked 23th in Europe in Financial Times Global MSc in Finance rankings

Trinity Business School has been ranked 23th in Europe in the 2020 Global Masters in Finance rankings produced by the Financial Times.

The rankings provide another boost to Dublin as a centre for international finance with Trinity’s Masters in Finance becoming a European leader.

The business school also secured 1st place in Ireland for its MSc in Finance.

Professor Andrew Burke, Chair of Business Studies and Dean at Trinity Business School, says:
“Our MSc is now amongst the top 5 finance masters in the UK and Ireland combined. This is timely as Dublin’s International Financial Services Centre continues to expand, most recently due to the Brexit-induced relocation of many finance service activities from London to Dublin, and so it is important that financial services firms in Dublin have a local pool of graduates to hire from one of the very best masters in finance. I am especially proud of our expert and dedicated team of faculty and professional staff who continue to drive innovation and improvements in this programme on a yearly basis. They full deserve this latest accolade to add to the recent Eduniversal ranking placing this MSc as the number 1 corporate finance masters programme in Europe”.

Aleksandar Šević, Director of the MSc in Finance Programme says:

“The Trinity Business School MSc in Finance programme is offered in the heart of Dublin, close to the IFSC, and provides students will knowledge and skills necessary to excel in the global financial industry. The team of permanent and adjunct TBS staff members has delivered lectures in the MSc in Finance programme from the very beginning with excellence and dedication to the highest academic and professional standards. Internationally diverse and gender-balanced student cohorts have had an opportunity to attend core-required modules modelled in accordance with the latest requirements forwarded by stakeholders in the financial industry, by the affiliate programme partner, Chartered Financial Analyst Institute, and by the programme partner, Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association. An important option for our students is to choose elective modules that are closely aligned with future career goals.”

To learn more visit: https://www.tcd.ie/business/

COVID-19, Economy & Jobs News, News

APSCo: May professional jobs data shows first rise in three months

Despite recent dismal news on fears of unemployment figures climbing in the UK, new data reveals that permanent vacancies added during the last week of May were up by 23% compared with the first week, while new contract vacancies increased by 37%. That’s according to the latest monthly Recruitment Trends Snapshot report from The Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo).

The data, provided by growth analytics platform, cube19, shows the first rise of permanent and contractor roles for three months suggesting that organisations are beginning to gear up for further easing of lockdown restrictions. While many commentators are suggesting that the end of the furlough scheme will lead to mass unemployment, this data paints a potentially slightly more positive picture, with some vacancies in professional sectors beginning to rise.

Increase in job interviews during May

The data, also reveals that in the last week of May, interviews were up 30% compared with the first week- a sign that virtual interviews are becoming the order of the day as organisations begin to plan for unlocking the lockdown and looking at their talent pipelines.

Monthly tracking shows Covid-19’s impact on the hiring market

Year on year, permanent vacancies are down by two thirds and by 14% month on month while contract roles are down 59% year on year and 17% month on month. These month on month and year on year figures show the enormous impact that the crisis is having on the hiring market and are not unsurprising given the numbers of employees currently on furlough which, according to the most recent Government statistics, is currently sitting at 8.7bn – a quarter of the workforce.

Ann Swain, CEO of APSCo comments:

“While the overall month on month and year on year figures obviously reveal the depth of this crisis, the more granular data does suggest the beginnings of a reversal of a continuing downward trend. With lockdown restrictions gradually easing and organisations beginning to plan for a return to work, we hope to see this slow steady rise continuing through the summer.”

Joe McGuire, Global Sales Director at cube19 comments:

“The gradual easing of lockdown restrictions has brought a sense that we are moving towards the recovery phase of the crisis. Although the key metrics are significantly down year on year, they do appear to have flattened and we began to see some steady but sustained upward trends by the end of May, for example vacancies and interviews which are up noticeably when comparing the last week of the month with the first. We’re still in uncharted territory but with more industries preparing to re-open there are positive signs for the recruitment industry.”

News

Nation’s bells fall silent for the first time since WWII

For the first time since WWII, bells across the UK have largely fallen silent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With lockdown restrictions in place, it is the first time in 75 years that bell ringers have been unable to visit churches and cathedrals to do what they do best.

During the crisis, the Loughborough Bellfoundry Trust (LBT), which owns the last remaining specialist bellfoundry is looking to highlight the impact of bells on our daily lives and what they mean to us as a country.

Throughout history, bells have played a significant role in our lives by providing a soundtrack to many of the UK’s key historic moments and personal milestones. Day to day, many of us – religious or not – delight in the sound of chiming bells from our local bell towers, whether it be during weekly bell ringing practices, or the call to attend weekend church services.

With the world coming to a halt during the global pandemic, busy roads have become much quieter and bustling town centres eerily dormant. The chimes we usually hear marking the time of day have also largely stopped. The only bells that may still be heard are those which are still being sounded from buildings which have installed electrically wound clock mechanisms.

As the lockdown continues, the majority of clocks that are still hand wound have also been silenced with volunteer clock winders being denied access to wind the clocks.

The sound of church bells ringing is deeply embedded in British culture and the hearts and minds of its people, and bells have different meanings and purposes across the world. But no matter where you are – they are always there to inform us of something, to mark a beginning or an end.

Bells are also a sound of hope, freedom and peace and the only other time bells were silenced in British history was during WWII when it was agreed bells would only ring as a sign of invasion. However, the bells were then rung to announce the end of the war and to declare peace.

Andrew Wilby, trustee of the Loughborough Bellfoundry Trust, said: “This is such a monumental moment in history for many reasons, but also because this is the first time since WWII that bell ringing has been interrupted due to social restrictions.

“People have often sought peace in the sound of bells and in these unprecedented times, we are looking for symbols of normality. Once things begin to return to some semblance of normality, we urge people to appreciate bells and remember their historic significance and the fact that they are ringing for us.

“Bells are so very important globally and we must protect, respect and appreciate how much they mean to us in the UK and across the world. Myself and the team at the trust very much look forward to when we hear bells ringing once again.”

Situated in the heart of Loughborough, the Loughborough Bellfoundry, also known as the John Taylor Bellfoundry, is the last major bellfoundry in the UK, and more than 25,000 bells have been cast there since the present bellfoundry buildings were built in 1859.

The trust was set up to protect the future of bell making on the site, to ensure the last remaining bellfoundry in Britain will not be lost. The Loughborough Bellfoundry creates bells for thousands of buildings all around the world. Its bells can be heard around the UK and across the world, including Malta, Australia, the United States, South Africa and Singapore.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund recently awarded the Loughborough Bellfoundry Trust funds to work up a full application for the investment needed to repair and restore the Grade II* listed buildings. Whilst the business is in good fettle, the Victorian bellfoundry buildings are not, and without urgent repair works and a sustainable plan for the future, the bellfoundry could be lost forever.

To avoid the considerable loss of traditional craftsmanship and seismic impact on historic buildings around the world, the team behind the restoration project is seeking £1 million from members of the public and any organisation wishing to help secure the Bellfoundry’s future for generations to come. If you would like to donate to help protect Britain’s last major bellfoundry, please visit: www.loughboroughbellfoundry.org.

FInance, News

How Covid-19 has affected Cheque Payments for Businesses.

Martin Ruda, Managing Director, TALL Group of Companies, considers how customer payments are changing amid the pandemic crisis

The COVID-19 crisis has made life very different for many people, organisations and regions alike. The simplest of tasks have become protracted and complex as we all get used to operating in lockdown. Even as measures are being lifted, business processes continue under pressure as organisations struggle to come to terms with the new ’normal’.
Imagine creating a cheque payment run for loyal suppliers and service providers working through this period. With staff working from home, furloughed or even made redundant, just writing a few cheques can become a major task. Having infilled the cheque, it needs the signatures of authorised personnel who could be off site, working from home or simply unavailable resulting in delays and possibly missed payments incurring unnecessary additional costs.

Now imagine a secure service where you simply send the required cheque details; payee, date, and amount to be paid, and a cheque is securely printed and distributed on your behalf. A cheque that can be personalised to maintain brand identity, be pre-signed and even mailed to your payee! Just think about the time saved, the processes simplified and additional overheads avoided.

As a ‘key industry supplier’, the TALL Group of Companies has been working throughout the lockdown period supplying vital banking documents to organisations, large and small. During that time, TALL recognised the pain that some of its clients were experiencing through feedback and regular communication regarding payments. Martin Ruda, Group Managing Director said, “As we speak to more businesses, we see that our evolving Payments as a Service (PaaS) propositions can help in these unprecedented times to relieve pressure on stretched organisations.”

“For example, our recently launched Send-A-Cheque™ service takes away the stress of making regular or ad hoc payments. From just a few (as few as one) to hundreds of cheques, TALL acts as that ‘extra-pair-of-hands’ by securely creating and distributing cheques on customers behalf with a very simple, easy-to-set-up service open to all bona-fide bank customers.”

The successful launch of Send-A-Cheque™ enables TALL to offer this service, not only in the UK but also worldwide, in countries where cheques can be sent for local clearing. TALL already prints cheques for many overseas banks in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and is experienced in meeting local standards and regulations for these. TALL is also able to produce cheques for other countries such as Canada, USA, Singapore and Japan to name a few.

“Our security print expertise gained over nearly thirty years supplying secure documents, means that wherever we can assist customers to overcome current COVID-19 pressures, we will do so, whether at home or abroad, relying on the ‘good old dependable cheque’ when the name and address of the payee is all that is known of the recipient!”

News, Property, Wales News

Housebuilders to provide £5.7 million investment as part of Churchdown development

A new housing development in Churchdown is set to bring financial contributions totalling more than £5.7 million to improve infrastructure and facilities in the area.
Pirton Fields, a joint development by Bellway and Ashberry Homes, will provide 465 new homes off Cheltenham Road East, including 163 affordable homes available for local people through shared ownership or rent.

As part of the planning agreement for the development, the housebuilders are investing nearly £5 million in local education facilities – £2.7 million towards primary education, £1.7 million to provide additional secondary school facilities at Chosen Hill School in Churchdown and more than £500,000 towards pre-school places in the area.

More than £760,000 is also being invested in improving local roads, including improvements at Elmbridge Court roundabout.

Daniel Shone, Sales Manager for Bellway Wales, said: “Every home we build is part of a community and it’s a key part of our role within that community to make investments which help improve local people’s lives.

“The millions of pounds we’re investing in the Churchdown area will make a difference for new and existing residents, now and in the future.

“And of course, we’re also providing much-needed new homes, meeting the demand for a varied mix of housing to cater for those at different stages of the property ladder.”

Carly Maidment, Sales Manager for Ashberry Homes Wales, said: “As well as delivering millions of pounds of funding for local education and road improvements, Pirton Fields will also provide large areas of public open space, including three play areas, for residents to enjoy.

“We are looking forward to releasing the first homes for sale later this year and helping local people find a home which suits their needs.”
Pirton Fields will comprise a range of one and two-bedroom apartments, two-bedroom bungalows and two, three and four-bedroom houses.
Bellway at Pirton Fields will consist of 368 homes, including 131 affordable properties, while Ashberry at Pirton Fields will comprise 97 homes, of which 32 will be affordable.

For more information on the new homes coming soon at Pirton Fields, or to sign up to receive the latest updates about the development, visit bellway.co.uk and www.ashberryhomes.co.uk.

COVID-19, News

‘Better Together’ digital platform highlighting company responses to COVID-19 launched by LSE IDEAS

A digital information platform has been launched to showcase and promote the efforts of businesses who are tackling COVID-19 by LSE IDEAS, the London School of Economics’ foreign policy think tank.

The UN Business and Human Security Initiative at LSE IDEAS has designed the “Better Together” platform as a resource to inform and inspire people in the public, private and civil sectors to work together to address the complex challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, that require collective action at local level.

It provides access to evidence, good practices and lessons on how companies are teaming up with other actors in communities to tackle the crisis, with a particular focus on experiences in fragile societies.

The platform was launched with organisations such as Business and Human Rights (BHR), UNDP in Colombia, the PeaceStartup Foundation, the Institute of Economics and Peace, and Bureau van Dorp, experts in responsible business in fragile and conflict-affected areas.
Within the platform, visitors are able to find examples of corporate partnerships and collaborations between business, government and civil society to address community needs, as well as comments and insights from the practical experiences of senior managers, local operatives and advisors. It also provides links to publications and research to inform business, policy and humanitarian initiatives.

Dr Mary Martin, Director of the UN Business and Human Security Initiative at LSE IDEAS, says:

“In the weeks and months ahead, business will be crucial to building resilience and addressing the consequences of this crisis. This is why it’s so important to have a platform like this, which not only celebrates private sector efforts to tackle COVID-19 so far, but can inspire further corporate participation in community recovery efforts.”

“Collective action at local level and learning across borders will ultimately be the key resources that rebuild societies hit by the wide-ranging and profound implications of this pandemic. Through the Better Together platform, we want to build a picture of that collective action…we want to make these actions visible and make them count.”

To learn more, visit: http://www.lse.ac.uk/ideas/projects/united-nations-at-lse/better-together

Image Credit: Evening Standard