Monthly Archives: November 2020

News

Maxine Laceby recognised as a rising star in The LDC Top 50 Awards 2020

Maxine Laceby, Founder and CEO of award-winning brand Absolute Collagen, has been recognised as a rising star in the LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leader Awards 2020.

Supported by The Telegraph, The LDC Top 50 identifies and celebrates the exceptional business leaders of medium-sized companies from across the UK.

With over 350 nominations this year, judges say it has never been more difficult to choose just 50 and were particularly impressed by the extraordinary growth Absolute Collagen has achieved in the fast-expanding beauty market.

Maxine Laceby founded Absolute Collagen in 2017 and within 12 months, turned her kitchen table product into an award-winning supplement. She stumbled upon the benefits of collagen at home and after extensive time and research, became an expert in the world of ingestible supplements and collagen – and Absolute Collagen was born.

Absolute Collagen’s Marine Collagen Supplement contains the highest dose of collagen on the market, in the smallest sachet, at the lowest possible price. Now heading for a £100m turnover in just 5 years, Absolute Collagen is fast on its way to becoming a global brand.

Maxine Laceby says, “I am delighted to have been recognised as a rising star in the LDC Top 50! When I started my business aged 50, no one believed in me. Now 3 years on, Absolute Collagen is an award-winning brand at £10m revenue, with the long-term goal to grow the business internationally. This award isn’t just celebrating me, but my loyal army of Absoluters and the whole Absolute Collagen team too. Everything I do is with thousands of women alongside me. I do it for them.”

 

News

Coronavirus Pandemic Forces Office Rethink

David Laws, Partner at Matthews & Goodman, considers what employers should consider before deciding to return to the office.

Covid-19 is a game-changer.

Restauranteurs are now converting from ‘dine-in’ only businesses, to include ‘take away’ as an offer.

Those who prefer to work from home (WFH) because it beats the commute, saves money and makes them feel safer are prolonging their return to the workplace.

Companies must now accommodate their WFH employees and COVID-proof their workplaces, making physical distancing a necessity. More importantly, going virtual – with WFH employees demanding the abandonment of commuting five-days a week – challenges the logic and financial viability of being locked into an office lease. It is clear that how we use space and how much we are willing to pay for it is changing. So what are the options?

The first question is obviously ‘do you really need as much space as you thought you did?’. The second is ‘is your current office an optimum choice, or would another better suit your financial, current/anticipated working practices, brand and talent recruitment/retention goals?’. The third is ‘what do you think will be the shape of your business going forward and how will this impact your workplace requirements?’. Finally, ‘what flexibility does your lease and landlord afford you?’.

These questions strike at the very heart of the financial and strategic imperatives of your business and it’s important that you make the right decisions. Below are six issues that might help inform your decision making.

1. Define your brief/requirements and evaluate what you want versus what you need
– What is the purpose of your workplace? Does it still perform the function originally intended for it?
– Does it meet your employees’ expectations?
– Establish what your rationale for moving is
– What are your current and future requirements?
– Location – what is the optimum choice bearing in mind cost limitations, employees’ needs, proximity to client/partner/supplier/staff?

Future-proofing your move is critical. The move will prove an expensive mistake if your property strategy is not aligned to your business plan and commercial strategy.

If you intend to contract or expand the business, work with a property expert who will advise you on how to optimise your choices – i.e. how do you maximise the space in terms of the best combination of desks, break-out and collaboration zones for informal brainstorms and discussions, meeting rooms for more formal meetings, as well as staff welfare and socialising areas?

2. Realistic time allocation for the move

If there is one truism in office relocation, it’s that things always take longer than you think. Consider the following, as they all take time to implement. You might need:
– To commission a comms survey
– A third-party wayleave agreement to be signed
– Fit-out plans that require a License of Alteration
– Lease documents that will require reviewing by a solicitor and a surveyor
– To organise and implement the right comms/IT infrastructure – this is critical to your business continuity

For most organisations, the ‘move’ is masterminded by a non-property professional who is also juggling their core business activity.

3. Calculate the cost of moving accurately
Beyond removal and fit-out costs, most people budget for solicitor’s’ fees, tenancy agreement deposits, potential new furniture purchases and costs associated with updating stationery, signage, vehicles, website, etc. However, do not forget costs that are not immediately obvious, such as:

– Dilapidations – repairs required at the end of a tenancy/lease to restore the premises to its original condition
– Commissioning a pre-acquisition survey, which will help make informed decisions based on data concerning the fabric of your intended office, potential liabilities related to mechanical and electrical systems
– Contractual obligations, including break clauses, rent reviews and dilapidation agreements, as well as end-of-lease costs outlined in your current lease
– The cost of any potential downtime
– Installation of new communication and security systems (if necessary)

4. Engage with all stakeholders

Moving workplace is critical to the organisation’s future; therefore, its most valuable assets (its talent) should be engaged with the process as early as possible. Their buy-in is critical in terms of retention, as well as ensuring that the ‘business-of-your-business’ continues seamlessly, even when everyone is elbow deep in packing cases. What are their expectations? Requirements for additional amenities that the landlord might be offering such as public Wi-Fi, health and well-being areas, community engagement programs?

Pre-COVID, all property decisions were driven by cost. Post-COVID, all property decisions will be driven by the employee. With the drive to retain the talent and attract the best, the voice of the employee has never been louder in expressing their expectations for the environments in which they prefer to work. The views and opinions of the HR & IT departments should be valued with equal importance to that of the finance directors.

5. Beware the cheapest option

There’s an old saying ‘buy cheap, buy twice’. A cost-first approach, which fails to fully accommodate brand, commercial and HR imperatives, is likely to prove an expensive error – very quickly.

6. Are you the expert?

Your workplace is probably your second most expensive outgoing; therefore, unless you are a property specialist, you really should appoint a qualified surveyor to help you through the process – after all, everyone needs someone to blame when it goes wrong!

They will advise and often act on your behalf when dealing with issues such as:
– Negotiating the optimum terms for your new workplace
– Reviewing lease terms and ensuring you minimize your exposure in the short and long-term
– Calculating fair dilapidation terms to minimise your exit costs
– Helping you define your true occupational requirements and how best to use the space

Communication between client and advisor is critical. Advisors must listen to what their clients say and ensure they really understand what their clients’ requirements are and will be. However, clients should also heed the advice they are given and question things they might not understand or agree with. Transparency and honesty are critical to avoiding mistakes.

Perhaps a good place to start is to ascertain whether you should move or stay where you are. To help you, we have created an online tool that you might find as a useful starting
point. It will help you define your potential requirements and help determine if a move is your best option. It is not a substitute for a discussion with a qualified and informed surveyor with deep local mark knowledge, but it is a useful start.

News, Property

Work progressing well on new homes in Malvern

The first residents have moved into their new homes at a housing development in Malvern, where a new community is beginning to take shape.

Bellway South Midlands is building 110 homes at The Rosehips, off Lower Howsell Road, with 15 of the properties now completed and the first seven homes occupied.

The development includes two, three and four-bedroom houses and two and three-bedroom bungalows for private sale, alongside a mix of affordable houses and apartments for local people.

Bellway is also providing more than five acres of public open space, including two ponds and a children’s play area, as part of the plans.

Building work began at The Rosehips in August last year, with work expected to be completed in 2022.

Head of Sales for Bellway South Midlands, Elaine Brown, said: “Work is progressing well at The Rosehips and it is great to see the first residents moving in here.
“There has already been a real mix of buyers at the site from young first-time buyers through to those in their 80s, with some residents relocating either to be closer to family or to retire. There is a home for everyone here.

“The homes at The Rosehips are helping to meet the growing demand for new housing in Worcestershire – providing modern living within the desirable surroundings of the Malvern Hills.

“The development is also attracting visitors for its convenient transport links, as it benefits from quick access to the M5 and Malvern Link railway station, which has direct trains to Worcester, Birmingham, Oxford and London Paddington.”

There are two showhomes available to explore at The Rosehips – the three-bedroom Tailor and four-bedroom Elm designs – for visitors who book a viewing appointment in advance.
Elaine said: “Visiting the showhomes is one of the best ways for people to visualise living at The Rosehips, so I would encourage those who are looking for a new home in the area to get in touch with our sales team for more information.”

The Rosehips will be made up of homes from Bellway’s Artisan collection, which is a brand-new range of house types named after traditional craft vocations.

There’s currently a choice of three and four-bedroom houses and a three-bedroom bungalow available to reserve at The Rosehips, with prices starting from £269,500.
For more information, call 01684 882376 or visit bellway.co.uk.

Finance and Banking, News

Pioneering investment platform launches: The Big Exchange

The Big Exchange is the UK’s first actively-managed social, environmental and impact investment platform. Co-founded by The Big Issue and a coalition of 23 industry partners including AML Group, Aberdeen Standard, Alliance Bernstein, FNZ and Deloitte – it’s a big step towards a more inclusive financial system.

The Big Exchange gives people an opportunity to make a positive social and environmental difference with their money, without sacrificing financial returns. The unique business model brings together a powerful mix of fund managers, global impact investing and finance experts, corporates, and social enterprises who recognise the need to drive change.

Nigel Kershaw OBE, Chair of The Big Exchange and of The Big Issue Group, commented: “We created The Big Exchange to transform the financial system and give the opportunity for everybody with savings to invest in funds that give them a financial return as well as making a positive impact on the world around them. Through the tragic COVID-19 crisis we are seeing more and more people wanting to make their money count for more both for today and for future generations.”

Jill Jackson, Managing Director of The Big Exchange, added: “We’re launching The Big Exchange so people can do better with their savings. Encouraging everyone to do better for themselves, at the same time as doing better for society and the planet. For the first time, regular UK investors will have access to active investments, managed by leading fund managers, and see them independently awarded medals for the extent of positive impact they are creating on people and the planet.”

Ian Henderson, CEO, AML Group and Co-Founder, The Big Exchange said: “I was proud to join forces with our co-founders, partners, and supporters and be part of a movement creating meaningful social impact – starting with the UK’s first actively managed social, environmental and impact investing platform.”

To learn more, visit: www.bigexchange.com

 

Appointments, News

Trident Worldwide Welcomes Vice President of Sales

Trident Worldwide, the flexible warehousing and logistics platform, is delighted to announce the appointment of Richard Tucker as Vice President of Sales.

Bringing over 20 years wealth, experience and knowledge working in the 3rd party logistics, supply chain, retail, e-commerce, end-to-end SaaS technology and final mile strategy customer facing solutions, Richard has been instrumental in high growth new product go-to market strategies , having worked with some of the biggest brands in the fast paced industry.

Richard joins the business to continue to successfully deliver new business channels, growing revenue from an existing customer base and developing prodigious partnership channels. Due to rapid business growth he will also be managing and developing the new sales and account management team.

Of his new appointment Richard commented: “Trident was founded on the basis of being the cutting-edge warehousing and logistics platform that’s transforming the way thousands of businesses send, store and sell, I am really looking forward to taking the business into 2021 and beyond.”

As the effects of Coronavirus highlight the importance of a streamlined supply chain more than ever, Trident software allows businesses the flexibility to manage their logistics and fulfilment with no restrictions, at a time when businesses most need to focus on growth.

Arjun Thaker, CEO at Trident Worldwide added: “We’re thrilled to welcome Richard to the team. This year has seen logistics demand increase rapidly and we are delighted to have been able to continue to develop our highly-regarded team throughout this time. Richard brings a wealth of knowledge and experience and it’s appointments such as this which will prove vital in ensuring Trident Worldwide continues to be at the forefront of warehousing and logistics services.”

News

Managed services provider selects SolarWinds MSP for remote monitoring and support

A&O IT Group, a provider of global IT managed services for over 20 years, has selected SolarWinds® N-central® for remote management and support of its customers’ IT estates. N-central will allow A&O IT Group to ensure customers’ endpoints are fully patched, protected by advanced security and backup, and benefit from remote support when needed.

A&O IT Group’s heritage in IT has seen participation in mergers and acquisitions in recent years, most recently acquiring cybersecurity specialists, Corsaire (now part of A&O IT Group). This activity meant that A&O IT Group, used to fixing IT problems for others, had to turn its attention to the challenge of a sprawling IT estate— where the team faced outdated legacy technology and lacked full visibility. Their solution was to adopt N-central to help consolidate the IT estate and ensure everything was visible, patched, and working as intended.

N-central also allowed A&O IT Group to modernise and consolidate its backup offering as some parts of the IT estate were still relying on tape. A&O IT Group can now backup as often as needed and ensure business continuity.

As a result of this internal shift, A&O IT Group has also selected N-central for its managed services provision, offering customers remote management, support, and backup through the platform. Thanks to N-central, A&O IT Group’s customers are quickly onboarded, and endpoints are patched and managed remotely. Backup is simple, routine tasks are automated, and all endpoints are protected with advanced security.

Throughout the pandemic, N-central has allowed A&O IT Group to seamlessly monitor its IT estate as if users were in the office. The secure remote control, patch, and antivirus management and reporting capabilities have been crucial in enabling the team to keep on top of the basic security vulnerabilities caused by unmanaged home environments.
“Our experience with the aftermath of a series of acquisitions and changes in corporate structure was a real eye-opener, giving us deep insight into our customers’ needs. We needed the tools to modernise and to provide our customers with those same solutions,” said Leigh Johnson, head of technology, A&O IT Group. “SolarWinds N-central has given us complete control and visibility over our own IT estate and has allowed us to support our customers through one platform. The biggest difference has been the peace of mind that N-central has brought, taking a seemingly impossible IT nightmare and bringing it under control—I can now sleep at night!”

“When it comes to delivering fast, reliable IT support, it’s important to have the right platform that prioritizes your time and helps you exceed customer expectations, so you can successfully grow together and become true partners,” said John Pagliuca, president, SolarWinds MSP. “N-central’s ability to monitor and manage thousands of devices means that A&O IT Group can grow and scale their business while managing complex IT environments, have clearer visibility into their networks, and can offer customers the confidence that their business is under control and secure.”

To learn more, visit: https://www.solarwindsmsp.com/

News

Fivetran Named Google Premier Partner, Demonstrates Enterprise Customer Momentum with Google Cloud’s BigQuery

Fivetran, the leading provider of automated data integration, today announced that Google has named Fivetran as a Premier Partner, the highest achievable status reserved for Google Cloud partners. Google Cloud Premier Partners demonstrate top levels of technology collaboration, domain expertise, and business impact with Google Cloud.

As evidence of the growing partnership between Fivetran and Google, the overall volume of data ingested into Google Cloud’s BigQuery has more than doubled over the past 12 months following the official partnership and integration of Fivetran with Google Cloud’s Data Transfer Service (DTS) for BigQuery.

Google Cloud customers can utilise DTS to easily deploy Fivetran connectors for more than 150 data sources, including Salesforce, Marketo, Adwords, NetSuite, Postgres, Aurora and Oracle, all of which are available on the Google Cloud Marketplace. After a five-minute setup, Fivetran automatically ingests and centralises data from the selected SaaS applications into a ready-to-analyse schema in the BigQuery data warehouse. Fivetran data pipelines are fully managed and highly available with zero maintenance, so customers can focus on analytics rather than data engineering.

“Organisations are increasingly looking to the cloud for data storage and analytics, and we are delighted to partner with Fivetran to make it incredibly easy for customers to bring their data into BigQuery,” said Sudhir Hasbe, director of product management for smart analytics at Google Cloud. “This increase in data volume is indicative of the benefits that customers are seeing from BigQuery, including advanced and predictive insights, high levels of security, accelerated time-to-value, and much more.”

Using Fivetran automated data connectors, BigQuery users can see faster time-to-value by reducing the setup and maintenance overhead typically incurred when centralising disparate data sources. In contrast to traditional extract-transform-load (ETL) pipelines, which add an extra tier for pre-processing, Fivetran’s extract-load-transform (ELT) architecture ingests data directly into BigQuery for analysis. When source schemas and APIs change or update, Fivetran connectors automatically adjust to accommodate the changes.

“As one of the first external partners of Google Cloud DTS for BigQuery, Fivetran is thrilled with the success of our connectors on the Google Cloud Marketplace and honoured to have earned Premier Partner status,” said Logan Welley, vice president of alliances for Fivetran. “What’s even more exciting is the overall growth of our Google Cloud partnership as evidenced by the huge data volumes we are loading into BigQuery every day. We are humbled to see how aligned Google Cloud is with one of our core beliefs — that cloud-first, fully managed data services should not only be powerful and scalable, but also as easy and reliable as electricity.”

Once data is replicated from siloed sources into BigQuery, Google Cloud customers can use any of the analytics and data science tools from other BigQuery partners, including Looker and Tableau, as well as Google Cloud products, such as Data Studio, BigQueryML and Cloud AutoML.

BigQuery customers can use Fivetran connectors free of charge during a 14-day trial period. To get started, navigate to the Google Cloud Marketplace Fivetran page to see a list of data sources, select a source, and click enrol. Then follow the on-screen instructions, which only take a few minutes. Organisations that are not yet BigQuery customers can start a Fivetran trial and spin up a managed BigQuery instance from the Fivetran website (at no cost to the customer during the duration of the trial).

Here’s what customers are saying about Fivetran and BigQuery:

“By using Fivetran technology, Salesforce data in Google BigQuery, and the clinical and genomics data in the Compass data warehouse, we now have the ability to deliver the most valuable data to researchers to help support grants and advance personalised medicine more efficiently, saving approximately 40 hours of work per quarter.”
– Joyce Mui, Program Manager, University of Colorado School of Medicine

“I’d say I’ve got my Mondays back. With Fivetran and BigQuery, things like segmenting data are now instant. One year ago, creating these reports was pretty much all I would work on, but now I can just let it run, while I look at more efficient ways to add value. A whole new level of analytics is suddenly possible. It’s a very exciting time.”
– Ed Mancey, Head of Business Intelligence, Brandwatch

For more information, visit fivetran.com.

News, Work from Home

1 In 4 Workers Miss Nothing At All About The Office

As working from home prevails in 2020, a survey has revealed that more than one in four (28 percent) workers say that they miss NOTHING AT ALL about the office.

Of the 1,000 participants polled by webuyanycar.com, the most common thing workers reported missing about the office was the social aspect of being in the same space with colleagues, as 54 percent say they miss socialising at work.

Almost one in three (29 percent) said that face to face meetings was something they craved, whist 27 percent said they miss the support of their colleagues.

Despite these longings, nearly three quarters of the workers polled (74 percent) said that they didn’t at all miss the time spent on the commute.

Richard Evans, head of technical services at webuyanycar.com, said: ‘’Whilst we might miss certain aspects of office life, this study suggests that many people may be enjoying having some extra time in their lives, as they save time by not commuting.

‘’At webuyanycar.com, we understand the value of having extra time to dedicate to the things and people we love. That is why we strive to offer motorists a quick and hassle-free solution to selling their car.’’

Richard added: ‘’We know that there will be many motorists looking to sell their car now that their working habits have changed, whether that be to upgrade their car, as they plan to drive into work over using public transport, or because working from home means that they no longer need their car at all.

‘’We’re big advocates of doing things safely at webuyanycar.com. We offer our customers a safe and simple service, where motorists can avoid the potential risks of a private sale by selling directly to us, at one of more than 325 local branches.’’

A quarter of respondents (24 percent) reported missing time out of the house, as they continue to work from home.

When it comes to getting out of the house and into the office, one in ten (10 percent) admitted that they yearned for the break from their partner.

More than one in ten (12 percent) say that they miss their office desk and 13 percent reported missing sitting in a chair that was good for their back.

One in five (19 percent) crave more defined hours of work, when working from home.

For further information and to get an online quote, visit https://www.webuyanycar.com/

Appointments, Marketing, PR and SEO, News

Studio BLUP, part of the LAB Group of agencies, promotes Laura Lane to Chief Marketing Officer as part of its ongoing growth plans

Studio BLUP, part of the LAB Group of agencies, has promoted Laura Lane to Chief Marketing Officer as part of its ongoing growth plans.

Laura has spent just over a year and a half freelancing at the agency to help manage client projects for the likes of Nerf and Reebok whilst also running her own personalised gift and visual storytelling business My Icon Story (myiconstory.com) where she has created product ranges for global brands including Mr Men, Lovehearts, Transport for London and the Natural History Museum.

Prior to this Laura worked for Wavemaker (previously MEC) for over six years, moving her way up from graduate to Creative Lead, where she worked for clients including Netflix, EE, Paramount Pictures, Peroni, Evian, Nivea, B&Q, Comparethemarket, Johnson & Johnson, Ferrero and TfL. In 2016 Laura was named one of Campaign’s 30 under 30 Rising Stars. She has also won a number of creative awards including a Young Cannes Lion and a D&AD Pencil & Webby Award for her work on Public Health England.

In her new position, Laura will be responsible for overseeing the marketing strategy across the agency, whether it’s the corporate brand positioning or building communities, creating unique content and initiatives to ‘stop the scroll’ and will focus on formalising and launching Studio BLUP’s in house talent network. She will also continue to develop the BLUP brand, managing agency events, product launches and collaborations.

She will work directly alongside BLUP’s Chief Creative Officer, Dines, and Chief Operating Officer, Alex Evans, as part of the leadership team.

Laura’s promotion comes three months after Studio BLUP joined the LAB Group whose portfolio now includes digital agencies VERJ, Riverr and Reflect Digital.

Dines, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder at Studio BLUP, said: “We’re really excited to have Laura on board.

“She adds great energy, creativity and strategic thinking, encouraging us to explore areas we have yet to develop.

“With her previous agency experience and running her own business, Laura’s new role as Chief Marketing Officer is the perfect opportunity to introduce a creative and strategic marketing plan for Studio BLUP – to elevate the agency to the next level.

“With the LAB Group merger, we want to represent Studio BLUP as a top agency in Europe.

“This new CMO role really signifies a change in our direction and professional approach. The time is now, the time is right.

“Due to COVID, the industry has been affected but we want to keep progressing.

“Laura can identify different angles for our marketing strategy that will position BLUP as leaders in the industry, including new areas of the business such as the BLUP50 Talent”

Laura Lane, new Chief Marketing Officer at Studio BLUP, said: “This promotion could not have come at a more exciting time and I know I’ll be able to make the greatest impact to Studio BLUP as a growing agency.

“Although I am not a founder, I hand on heart see BLUP as my own business so being promoted to Chief Marketing Officer only reinforces the ambitious journey BLUP are on and I’m thrilled to be shaping the agency’s direction.

“To me, BLUP isn’t work. It’s a collaborative mission to disrupt and shape the future of the creative industries by providing meaningful opportunities to the young creative talent we support.

“I’ve found my new work family.”

 

Creative News, Health, News

Create Health – Bristol-based Healthcare agency – joins The Network One

Strategic and creative healthcare agency, Create Health, whose creative work includes global and national campaigns for big healthcare brands such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, ConvaTec, BD and HOYA, today joins The Network One, the world’s largest independent advertising and marketing agency network.

The Network One provides independent agency owners and senior directors with the opportunity to stay ahead, network, share and learn through member workshops, global conferences and specialist publications.

Ed Hudson, Managing Director at Create Health, comments, “Joining The Network One is an opportunity for Create Health to deepen our reach internationally, mirror our global client base. We look forward to collaborating with an exciting network of creative independent agencies; so we can learn from them and collaborate with them.”

Create Health joins over 1,200 agencies in 109 countries within the network and aims to seize the opportunity to partner with independent agencies from across the globe, joining a community that is passionate about in furthering the cause of creative marketing.