Monthly Archives: June 2021

Business & Property News, Business News, News, Wales News

Employee ownership structure adopted at Paramount Interiors

Paramount Interiors has announced the successful completion of an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) scheme, which will see its staff own a majority shareholding of the business. The deal was structured and advised on by the GS Verde Group.

The deal marks a major milestone for Paramount Interiors after exceptional growth over the past 12 months, which has included the multi-million-pound redevelopment of Fusion Point One in central Cardiff and winning Workplace Design of the Year for Grade II listed building, Hodge House.

The substantial growth across South Wales and the South West has been incredible for the commercial interiors specialist and for entrepreneur Richard Jones, having only completed the purchase of Paramount Interiors in 2018 in a management buy-out.

Richard was appointed as Managing Director of the business in 2017, and since completing the MBO, Paramount Interiors has seen a significant year on year increase to being on target for a £30m turnover in 2021, with a string of high-profile contract wins, an acquisition and several senior appointments.

Richard Jones said:

“Paramount Interiors have many long-standing staff members, and the people here are at the heart of all that we do. I am absolutely delighted with the opportunity to reward our talented team with a stake in the business for the outstanding contribution and commitment they have shown over the many years, particularly through the most challenging of times.”

“Despite the onslaught of the gruelling pandemic on offices nationwide, there is still plenty of movement in the design and build market, as our record-breaking year shows. Our focus for the future is to keep setting the standard in transforming working environments into places where people want to be.”

As per the requirements for an EOT scheme, Paramount Interiors staff will become majority shareholders, collectively owning 51% of the business. The benefits of an EOT include the creation of a more employee-centric business structure which will empower staff and in turn benefit the business as a whole.

The company has also appointed a separate trust board to ensure the EOT acts in the best interests of employees and will be joined by an external EOT expert.

Helen Bartlett, Design Director of Paramount Interiors and EOT Board member, commented:

“These are truly exciting times for Paramount Interiors. Richard’s decision to sell his majority shareholding reflects not only how much he values our staff but also the respect they have for him in terms of how committed they all are.”

“And whilst the past year during the pandemic has undoubtedly been challenging for all, everyone continues to go above and beyond to ensure our clients have the experience and more that they deserve. The EOT therefore gives staff further recognition that you get out what you put in.”

The deal was led by the GS Verde Group, with Craig Blackmore, Managing Director of Verde Corporate Finance being the lead advisor, and Matthew Sutton, Director of Greenaway Scott, providing legal advice. Craig Blackmore said:

“What Richard and his team have achieved in this short space of time has been absolutely incredible. The business has always had a strong team ethic, and an EOT was the perfect opportunity to reward the team. Paramount Interiors are a pleasure to work with and we were delighted to assist them in this deal.”

Matthew Sutton added:

“We are delighted to have worked with Paramount Interiors on this deal and to witness the business go from strength to strength. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for them.”

After a strong start to the year, having won contracts worth £15m in the first 3 months of 2021, including the £5M phase two refurbishment works at Hodge House in Cardiff, Paramount Interiors continues to grow rapidly across South Wales and the South West.

For more information on Employee Ownership Trusts, a free guide can be found here.

Benefits, News

Aon helps Invesco harmonise employee benefits across 16 EMEA countries with self-service and multi-language technology

Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions, has announced that it has worked with Invesco, the global investment management firm, to harmonise benefits for 1,800 Invesco employees in 16 European, Middle East and African (EMEA) countries using a single technology platform. Aon’s technology enabled the programme, which not only follows each country’s specific regulations, but also allows employees to see and transact with a single Invesco-branded website. Invesco can save time and understand costs through clear reporting, driving better insights for the business and employees.

Tony Ark, Head of Benefits, EMEA at Invesco, explained:

“It was very important to ensure that our new portal was aligned to Invesco’s benefits philosophy and purpose. These aim to help employees and their eligible family members get more out of life. We want to encourage employees to be actively involved in their ongoing health, wellbeing and retirement plans, so our new portal enables employees to achieve this through a simple, intuitive and personalised online tool, which hosts all benefits in one place.

“The portal essentially plays a dual role, with an online library of information unique to each country’s benefits, plus a transactional capability allowing employees to make benefit selections as often as necessary. This happens securely in a few clicks, and also provides an immediate confirmation to the employee with details of when it will be processed through payroll.”

The implementation began in May 2019 and the programme timeline was assessed on complexity and headcount. Aon and Invesco collaboratively worked with each country’s benefit providers and managed regulatory complexities. Now, all employees across the region have access to a secure Invesco Benefits Portal, offering resources for viewing, changing and accessing their individual benefits plan information. It is accessible from any internet-ready device at any time.

This project was a cultural shift, as not only had Invesco historically used a paper-based system with fewer efficiencies, it had a less user-friendly experience for employees. Now, employees are encouraged to take action to support their own needs supported with relevant prompts and reminders, which is more in line with Invesco’s inclusive culture. Invesco employees also have access to a dedicated help desk, managed by Aon, which operates in seven languages. The portal is Invesco branded, which was essential to help employees gain trust in the system.

For Invesco’s business, an efficient online audit trail removes delays and issues which tend to be problematic with a paper-based system. Prior to the benefits portal, Invesco managed the processes with nearly 30 spreadsheets, which meant reporting, managing or acting on change was slow and cumbersome.

Alistair Fox, Client Director, Online Benefits at Aon, said:

“In some countries, benefits and technology don’t go hand in hand. A multitude of pension schemes, medical processes or legislative rules can create enormous complexities when harmonising benefits for a single employer, yet on top of this some suppliers didn’t use online technology before. We’ve worked together to bring all participating vendors online, supporting their adoption of new methods. As much as the system has been a great success for engaging employees, the functionality of the process has improved dramatically too. We collate all employee benefit decisions to report to Invesco’s payroll and HR as well as benefits vendors. Everything is tracked and monitored for informing strategic improvements and reporting through governance meetings.”

Tony Ark added:

“By using the new benefits platform, we’ve already seen major advances in efficiency and accuracy. Across EMEA, employee engagement levels have significantly increased with over 90% of employees in each country engaging with the platform on a regular basis.

“As a business, we now have access to extensive operational dashboards for each country providing critical management information to help us understand exactly what’s working or not in each country. This also provides annual spend data to help drive our benefits strategy, so we can measure which benefits are popular or under-utilised and determine where to make strategic decisions that will better support both employees and the business.”

 

Food & Drink, News

Princes announced as headline sponsor of BlasCymru/TasteWales 2021

Princes Limited, one of the largest names in the UK food and drink industry, has been unveiled as the key sponsor for the upcoming international trade event BlasCymru/TasteWales 2021.

Held at the International Convention Centre (ICC Wales), The Celtic Manor Resort, Newport (27-28 October 2021), the event will welcome food buyers and industry professionals under one roof to meet with leading Welsh food and drink businesses.

New figures have highlighted further the crucial role the event plays in bringing buyers and businesses together with 2019 event generating almost £20m in confirmed sales for Welsh food and drink producers.

Commenting on the announcement Andy Hargraves Group Director for Soft Drinks Princes said:

“Princes is delighted to be lending its support to BlasCymru/TasteWales 2021 following its past successes. In many ways, the timing fits in perfectly with our ongoing commitment to manufacturing in Wales, as we reach the completion of the Group’s largest ever capital investment into soft drinks at our site in Cardiff.

Welsh Government Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths said:

“With the coronavirus situation continuing to improve here in Wales, we are very hopeful and looking forward to welcoming suppliers, buyers and food industry professionals to the International Convention Centre at the Celtic Manor Resort later this year for BlasCymru/TasteWales 2021.

“The event presents an excellent opportunity to showcase the very best of Wales and it is fantastic that more than 200 new products will be launched over the two days which is great news as the industry continues its recovery from the impact of Covid19.

“Sustainability will, of course, be central at the event as we build on our strategic vision to become a world leader in the area.”

With over 200 new products to be launched at BlasCymru/TasteWales in a broad range of categories, the event has been designed to maximise value for buyers by helping them through:

  • providing a large scale product showcase;
  • sourcing Welsh food and drink – from branded to private label;
  • meeting a wide range of suppliers;
  • time efficient introductory meeting format.

For further information and to register your interest in BlasCymru/TasteWales 2021 visit www.tastewales.com/

Accounts and Accountancy, Finance and Banking, News, Tax

‘Seismic’ tax policy reforms announced by G7 face aftershocks, says ACCA

New tax policies announced at the weekend in the G7 communiqué will face hurdles as the proposals are yet to be agreed by the G20 and other jurisdictions, says ACCA today, asserting that the three foundations for a sound tax system are simplicity, certainty and stability.

Lloyd Powell, Head of ACCA Cymru Wales, said: “Committing to a global minimum tax of at least 15% on a country by country basis is a challenge, predicated on the agreement of other jurisdictions’ governments. To be truly effective it will need to go beyond the G7, and even the G20, to the OECD’s Inclusive Framework of 139 countries, requiring compromise as governments surrender legal sovereignty in return for an effective, practical framework.

“And the move for multinationals to pay tax in the countries where they do business – and not just were they are headquartered – will create new legal and accounting challenges for banks, businesses and tax authorities.”

ACCA says the main challenges are about achieving true parity and fairness. Lloyd Powell explains: “This is indeed a seismic announcement, but it’s more a foreshock than the main event. Corporate taxes contribute only a small proportion of total revenues, and these measures capture only a tiny fraction of even that. The real heavy lifting is done by consumption and personal income taxes, and that is where reforms could make a real difference to the sorts of societies we live in.

“Overall, tax ‘mitigation’ is the symptom, not the cause. We’ve broken the link between business and the society it serves, and somehow need to rebuild that. Building a tax system which supports and encourages a circular economy would help – and profits taxes are a very small part of that. However, this is a move to be welcomed, bringing fairness and transparency to a system that has long been seen solely as a matter for national governments. We have long called for a halt to the race to the bottom for setting corporate taxes.”

In 2019, ACCA with CA ANZ and IFAC published a report called G20 public trust in tax: Surveying public trust in G20 tax systems. This showed that most people surveyed for this report were supportive of cooperation on international tax policy to create a more coherent international tax system (69%).

Lloyd Powell adds: “We know from our research that transparency is a top issue for G20 citizens when considering tax systems. Across the G20, respondents to our global research wanted more clarity on how and from whom their governments are collecting taxes, and how their tax money is spent. Corruption in the tax system is a top concern in multiple countries, and that has remained the case in survey data for the 2021 Report, which will be published in September of this year.”

Lloyd Powell concludes: “Competition on tax policy among countries, whether to take a greater share of revenues or attract multinational business, has been the reality of the international tax environment for many years. What the G7 has announced aims to change this reality – what’s essential is that we all have trust in tax systems and this remains to be seen.”

News

Nottingham-based telecoms provider Esendex celebrates 20 years championing excellence

The hunt is on for talented tech and IT professionals to join telecommunications provider Esendex, as the company celebrates its 20th anniversary.

The Nottingham-based business has grown from a team of five to more than 260 people worldwide, having spread its wings overseas to Spain, France, Australia and Germany since its founding in 2001. In June, it will expand its services into Italy.

Despite the pandemic, the firm has continued to hire for a number of senior positions, including a new head of technology transformation, chief marketing officer, chief technology officer and marketing manager.

Esendex estimates that it will hire another 30 people over the next year, with positions currently available for the following: Product Owners, Infrastructure Manager, Senior Developers and Site Reliability Engineers.

Richard Hanscott, CEO of Esendex, said:

“Over the last 20 years, Esendex has really helped to shape what it means to provide excellent customer communications. On a quest for a high-quality business SMS service, an early discovery was that first-class communication does not rely on a single channel, and use cases stretch way beyond marketing.

“Today, we work with more than 45,000 companies across the globe, and with the number of people using mobile messaging apps projected to grow to three billion by 2022, there is a huge potential for Esendex to continue to innovate and stay ahead of the curve.

“The next few years will be very exciting and we look forward to expanding our team to ensure our continued success.”

Last year, the company celebrated winning The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2020. Its mobile collections solution was the basis for its entry which consists of an automated workflow powered by the Esendex Decision Engine to collect small value debt from both businesses and individuals in a manner that is sensitive to the debtor and makes it easy for them to ‘cure’ their own account.

It also reported a record turnout for its flagship event, Esendex Live!, which aims to help businesses to get better results from their communication strategy. It was held virtually in March this year, with a 50% increase in attendees. The recorded video content has also been viewed more than 350 times.

Esendex is owned by global telecommunications company Commify, which is on track to achieve a turnover of €105 million this year, raising to €114 million by 2022. Commify’s portfolio comprises a wide range of business messaging brands including SMSpubli, SMS Envoi, Skebby and Text Anywhere.

News

AML create ‘Return to work’ campaign for Derwent London

AML Group has created a distinctive new campaign for Derwent London, the capital’s leading specialist office property investor. ‘Return to work’ has been designed to communicate the organisation’s ongoing commitment to providing a safe environment for their tenants so that workers can feel confident as they negotiate a return to the workplace.

The campaign is being rolled out across Derwent London’s portfolio of 5.4 million square feet and uses striking architectural photography of some of their most iconic buildings as a backdrop to intriguing headlines and pithy copy that clearly and concisely outline the measures Derwent have put in place to facilitate safe environments.

Enhanced around-the-clock cleaning of common areas; air conditioning circulating fresh air, upgraded filters and clear social distancing guidelines are just a few of the measures in place that the campaign addresses.

The 12 executions feature a number of iconic Derwent London buildings including: White Chapel Building; the award-winning Brunel Building in Paddington and the iconic Tea Building – a notable and much-loved Shoreditch landmark.

“Working on this campaign was a unique experience for us as a business” explains Ian Henderson, CEO, AML Group “as Derwent London is both client and landlord! We know first-hand the concerns our people have in returning to a shared workspace and also the extraordinary measures Derwent have put in place to keep us safe. Our challenge with this campaign was to find a creative hook with enough flex to enable us to communicate a broad array of messaging. The answer, it turned out, was in the very fabric of the buildings we work in.”

The campaign, that includes posters, signage and social, is being rolled out across all Derwent London commercial properties.

Please visit: https://aml-group.com/

News

Giving your motivation a reboot

Whether it’s the travel industry dealing with the changing traffic lights, or other continuing pandemic restrictions to adapt around, businesses of all sizes continue to face a variety of challenges. It is understandable if you feel that accessing your internal motivation is a little harder than it used to be.  Perhaps it is time for reboot.

 

It’s important to remember that much of what we feel is actually a decision we make.

Ancient wisdom indicated as much. Early ideas—going back to Greek and Roman philosophy—have been confirmed by modern research. A great deal of the science around positive psychology and happiness, for example, has roots in ancient philosophy.

 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which is largely drawn from the teaching of Socrates, considers the origin of mental disorder, including a lack of motivation or absence of mojo, to lie not in brain chemistry but in our irrational beliefs. Roman Stoic philosopher Epictetus said, “Men are not disturbed by things, but by their opinions about them.”

 

I’ve written three Meee in a Minute books on ‘micro-moments’ for life, work and family. Micro-moments offer us a quick, practical way to change our opinions about things and, as a result, change how we feel, the outcome and even our life.

 

  1. ABC

One of the founders of CBT, Albert Ellis created his ABC model which can be a useful guide to regaining control over thoughts and feelings so we can better access our best self.

 

A is for activating event.

B is our beliefs that interpret that event and construct meaning.

C is the consequence – especially the emotional consequence.

 

The next time something happens, or you feel stressed by some news from a client or a change in trading, or some other situation, take a moment to notice what you’ve made it mean. If you struggle to meet demand, does that mean that your business is inefficient, or does it mean that it is time to expand? What we make something mean is not the only meaning on offer.

 

 

  1. 1% boost

 

When we are in a slump or finding it hard to get motivated, the tendency is to pursue an all-or-nothing approach. This strategy is the worst thing we can do. Instead, start small and aim to be a little better tomorrow than you are today.

 

Take a moment to consider one thing you would like to change and focus on improving that by 1% every day. This approach is much more viable and is much more likely to produce the desired effect.

 

 

  1. Decide to be happy

 

In Michael Singer’s book The Untethered Soul, he asks a really great question: Do you want to be happy? Yes or No? If it’s Yes, then what do you need to change to be happy?

 

We all know people who seem to be most content when they are miserable, but misery and motivation are not great colleagues. Boost your motivation by deciding to be happy and do what you need to do to make space for happiness.

 

 

  1. Flip it

 

Take a moment to turn your lack of motivation on its head. Instead of wondering what’s happened or why you suddenly feel so flat and unenthusiastic, go in the other direction. Make a list of the things that DO NOT motivate you.

 

Sometimes it helps to focus on what we know we don’t want and won’t do as a way to gain clarity about how to regain our motivation.

 

 

  1. Gratitude Ritual

 

A powerful trick is the gratitude ritual. Start and end your day with three things that you are grateful for. Is there a customer who is particularly lovely to deal with? Is your team a great blend of experienced old hands and fresh thinking youth? Is there software or some other tool that makes your working day shorter than it used to be? Try to come up with different things rather than the same few each time. And don’t just list them. Really connect to each gratitude as an emotion. Remember, it’s not happy people who are grateful, but grateful people who are happy.

 

Making these little changes to your thinking can make a huge difference. It’s those tiny little changes that add up to the changes we want to see and allow us greater and more consistent access to our motivation in business and elsewhere. As businesses continue to contend with the complexities that the global pandemic continues to throw at us we need to keep our motivation strong.

 

By Sid Madge, Meee

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sid Madge is founder of Meee (My Education Employment Enterprise) which draws on the best creativity and thinking from the worlds of branding, psychology, neuroscience, education and sociology, to help people achieve extraordinary lives.

To date, Meee has transformed the lives of over 20,000 people, from leaders of PLC’s and SME’s to parents, teachers, students, carers, the unemployed and prison inmates.

Sid Madge is also author of the ‘Meee in Minute’ series of books which each offer 60 ways to change your life, work-, or family-life in 60 seconds.

 

Web: www.meee.global

Web: www.meeebooks.com

Twitter twitter.com/Meee_HQ
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MeeeHQ/
Instagram www.instagram.com/meeehq
YouTube https://youtu.be/fISupZWZMQc
TEDx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR3Cyjs62c8

News

Local entrepreneurial mum who transformed her life through therapy launches fund-raising book to show others what’s possible.

A local entrepreneur who just 4 years ago was a single mum on maternity leave from working as a social worker at Newport City Council, wondering how to create a business that could give her flexibility around her new baby, is celebrating a fabulous achievement today, having become a bestselling author for the 3rd time, but this time being at the helm of the process showcasing 16 other incredible women, and also fundraising for NAPAC – National Association for People Abused in Childhood, a charity that supports survivors of childhood abuse.

Natasha Bray, 34, from Bridgend who Studied Masters in Social Work at Cardiff University and BSc Psychology with Criminology at Uni. Glamorgan has created the collaboration book “When Women Heal” as part of her work with other female entrepreneurs who are looking to move forward from trauma, tragedy feeling stuck or self-sabotage and is delighted to announce that the book went bestseller within hours of its release, flying straight in at Number 1 on the Amazon bestseller charts in over 10 categories including No 1 in Inspiration and Spirituality, knocking Jay Shetty off the top spot and No 1 in Entrepreneurship overtaking global inspirational speaker Simon Senek and also The E-Myth’s Michael Gerber and No.1 in Starting a Small Business category along with Business Coaching and Mentoring Skills; International Business and Finance; Home Based Business as well as No. 1 bestseller in business biographies to name just a few!

 Providing a cathartic and empowering release of many emotions the book is a huge achievement for all involved including women from across the UK, and across the globe, and she hopes to raise significant funds for NAPAC, a charity close to her heart, who she reached out to in 2018 and who supported her through the latter part of her healing around childhood abuse. The charity were so overrun with calls to their helpline Natasha could not get an answer, but the resources for survivors on their website really helped her. She has supported the charity, which is a small, not very well known charity that often misses out on funding, in other ways through her business but felt donating all the profits from the book to them was a fitting tribute. Natasha also has plans to fund NAPAC to run Wales’ first in-person support group for survivors, something she approached them about pre Covid, but is currently on hold due to the pandemic.

‘When Women Heal’ is an anthology of the magical ripple effect of success when women heal and lead themselves and is a direct result of Natasha’s teachings. Natasha, a psychology expert and the founder of the School of Healing Mastery and an Award Winning Success Mastery Coach & Transformational Pioneer in the business success industry has spent tens of thousands of pounds on her own recovery process and thousands of hours on development of her own healing methods as a result. She helps high achievers and rising leaders heal childhood wounds and rapidly unlock their “Ultimate Uplevel” through her signature healing method HeartHealing® and her uniquely developed 5 level healing approach, Success Imprinting®.

This year she has become a 7 figure business owner and bought her dream home during Covid and has just announced her pregnancy with her partner, after many years of unhappiness in previous relationships  – she is the happiest and wholest she has ever felt, and she believes this has led to her channelling her success to also create unprecedented breakthroughs in those she supports. Natasha is creating a global ripple effect through the power of healing and ‘When Women Heal” is a real illustration of this.

She said: ”This year after doing more and more work on my own healing, and unlocking new levels of my own success I have created the life of my dreams, and it is no co-incidence I have also helped more clients than ever create theirs. From being trapped by trauma to finding the confidence to grow businesses and create financial independence I’ve seen women on their knees go on to build 6 and multi-6 figure businesses provide a better life and future for themselves and their children and create lives they love they feel in control of.”

Natasha has drawn on her personal experience of healing from chronic childhood trauma and abuse to design her own healing methods which are now being shared across the world and helping other women become successful and balanced financially, emotionally and spiritually. Her approach is ‘trauma and attachment informed’ and includes an innovative combination of hypnotherapy, inner child healing and spiritual techniques.

With over 15 years’ experience in transformational work, working with thousands of entrepreneurs across 52 countries worldwide, her work has helped women break through to higher levels of love, money and success in as little as one session. She has been featured in local and national papers and recognised as one of the top 35 entrepreneurs in her country. Natasha was also highly commended at the Woman of the Future Awards earlier this year.

Natasha brings together 16 inspiring women leaders from across the globe to share their own real and raw journeys through trauma and healing. The book is a rollercoaster read of emotions as we hear honest accounts of childhood abuse, domestic violence, early widowhood and near-death experiences.

Natasha said, “We have been working on this book for over 6 months as part of wider work with all these amazing women who are really ready to move forward in their lives. They have all been supported by a wide range of therapeutic work that we have undertaken together and everyone has come together, bonding through these shared life experiences – it’s been an empowering project for everyone involved -me included. There is a real sense of power in all of these women’s stories and it’s been an honour to celebrate them in this book”.

The fact that Emma Elizabeth Godfrey found the strength to share her story, only 1 year after being thrown into widowhood after the sudden death of her husband in 2020, leaving her and her daughter to find a way through and rebuild their lives, shows the power of Natasha’s approach to healing and the strength of her clients. Emma is now a highly successful Certified Advanced Hypnotherapist, Trauma Freedom Coach and Resilience Expert and training in Natasha’s HeartHealing method.

Intuitive Niche and Message Clarity Expert Shamoni Gilani is another perfect example of the impact Natasha’s work is having. Shamoni suffered childhood sexual abuse as a teenager which left her for years with underlying depression and unresolved emotions. After struggling with illness which left her bed ridden for over two years, she started to work with Natasha and within months she saw her physical health improve and a dramatic increase in her business, leading to monthly turnover of over £25K.
Each woman’s story is very different but there are so many parts of their journey that we can all relate to and as Natasha points out “The fact is, we all have things to heal from, whether we believe we have been through ‘trauma’ or not. We all have emotional wounds that haven’t had the metaphorical stitches they need to fully heal and learning ways to move on from these is truly life changing”.

She added: “These incredible women leave you with a strong message of hope, inspiration and optimism as they share their stories of great success after adversity and I hope this will show others what is possible -because when women heal, we change the world.”.

Natasha’s book is available on Amazon Kindle as well as in paperback via Amazon.

As part of the online launch of her book, Natasha is hosting a global summit where all 16 women will be sharing their journeys and celebrating their stories of success.

She is also hosting a live fundraising event on the 26th June in London where all ticket sales will also go to NAPAC.

Kim Bond, Fundraising Manager, NAPAC  said “We truly value Natasha’s ongoing support for NAPAC and this extraordinary collaboration she has driven through over such a challenging year. It’s the generosity and confidence of supporters like her that enables us to continue our work supporting adult survivors of childhood abuse in their recovery.”

“Our support service hears from hundreds of people every week, and we’re hugely grateful to our donors who help us to continue listening, learning and investing in survivors.

“When women heal, we change the world. Fact.”

 

News

University of Southampton’s latest startup talent to be unveiled at the Future Worlds Demo Day

Eight of the University of Southampton’s most promising startups will unveil technologies to make the world smarter, safer and more sustainable at the Future Worlds Demo Day this month (10th June).

The highly innovative and ambitious startups include an audio mixing and processing platform that brings an immersive audience experience to live audiences, award-winning chemistry research that closes the carbon loop in industrial chemicals, a student-led ‘data passport’ that gives users control over their personal data, and specialist health-tech to improve chronic disease management.

The group of the University’s most impressive talent has been working closely together through the Future Worlds Founders Cohort, an intensive programme accelerating startups from February until June.

Talented students and researchers from across the University won support from the startup accelerator, helping them to rapidly develop toward launch. In this Virtual Demo Day on 10th June, they will pitch to a network of high impact, early stage investors ready to help launch their ideas into a global market.

Ben Clark, Director of Future Worlds at the University at Southampton, said: “The founders pitching at Demo Day are addressing some of the biggest challenges and most exciting opportunities in the world. I’ve no doubt investors will be impressed by their bold visions, dedication and rapid progress, and be enticed by the world-changing potential they will discover.”

The Future Worlds Founders Cohort supports the next generation of Britain’s university talent and is free of charge for the founders.

The eight startups that have made it through the demanding stages of the Founders Cohort, selected from over 30 startups that applied to reach Demo Day, include:

  • ViridiCO2 – A hybrid catalyst platform that efficiently and sustainably converts carbon dioxide into tailored chemical products. The novel CO2-mitigation solution can be used to more effectively produce tens of millions of tonnes of chemical products that find ubiquitous use in mattresses, clothing and building installations, while reducing CO2 emissions. Founded by Chemistry researchers Dr. Daniel Stewart and Professor Robert Raja, ViridiCO2 has been recognised by the Royal Society of Chemistry as a winner of its prestigious 2020 Emerging Technologies Competition.
  • CareIQ – A chronic disease management platform that makes care for chronic health conditions faster, cheaper and more transparent for patients and GPs. The new health analytics platform helps uncover clinical optimisations and tracks patient progress over long periods using existing patient data. It was created by Computer Science graduate Janu Shan and senior GP Dr. Pratheep Suntharamoorthy.
  • Stardust – A platform that enables direct, easy and secure data handling between people and companies. Created by Mathematics undergraduate Andrius Matsenas and Computer Science undergraduate Til Jordan, the venture  gives users a better online experience while providing companies with an opportunity to access richer data and reduce data management costs. It’s aim is to give people more control over their data and privacy, helping them access richer data more securely.
  • Aquark Technologies – A breakthrough system to capture, manipulate and exploit the quantum characteristic of atoms. Founded by physicist Dr Andrei Dragomir, it promises to unlock a new generation of devices that will radically multiply our ability to sense, measure and compute on a mass-market scale.
  • ArchAI – AI software that helps large infrastructure construction companies avoid costly delays by sweeping for sites of historical interest that are hidden from the human eye, scanning thousands of satellite images for tiny hints of ancient features buried beneath the ground. It was developed by Computer Science postgraduate researcher, Iris Kramer.
  • Fourier Audio – An audio mixing and processing platform that brings an immersive audio experience to live audiences for the first time by reinventing the tools used by sound designers on live productions. Created by acoustical engineering postgraduate researcher, Henry Harrod, alongside multi-Olivier award-winning sound designer, Gareth Owen and lighting designer and software engineer, Peter Bridgman.
  • Sentient Sports – An algorithmic platform based on cutting-edge AI research that optimises the decision-making and scouting process for buying and selling football players. Founded by AI postgraduate researcher Ryan Beal, alongside Professor Gopal Ramchum and former Southampton PhD student, Tim Matthews, deployments through a leader in football analytics are providing revolutionary insights to major football teams across Europe.
  • OhmSpace – A highly innovative satellite propulsion system, characterised by extreme efficiency and production scalability, addresses an acute need in the rapidly growing small satellites market. Created by Research Fellow Dr. Federico Romei together with PhD candidates Matthew Robinson and Christopher Ogunlesi, the team is launching the next generation of satellite propulsion.

 

 

News

Employer branding & job advertising specialists join forces with Moneypenny to share insights on how to retain and attract talent

The need for a strong employee value proposition (EVP) that helps potential applicants understand what it is that a company stands for has never been more important.  That was one of several key messages shared at job advertising company JVP Group’s interactive HR Virtual Forum held recently. The forum focused on “The Road to EVP and Employer Branding Success” and shared a number of essential tips to help employers take steps to effectively market their own brand to potential candidates.

The event was hosted by JVP Group’s Managing Director Cath Harrison alongside EVP and employer branding specialist Neil Harrison, and shared insights about the “why”s and “how”s of successfully identifying and communicating an EVP and employer brand. The forum, which marked the launch of JVP Group’s new employer branding consultancy service, also featured special guest speaker Ceri Henfrey, Chief Operating Officer at Moneypenny.

The forum highlighted a number of key points that employers need to keep in mind when it comes to recruitment. Potential employees want to understand what a company stands for. And with the tumultuous time that has unfolded during the pandemic, companies must evaluate their EVP to ensure it truly represents them and will attract the right talent in today’s climate. Candidates want to understand a company’s values and overall purpose, as well as how they could potentially play their part within that framework. But, as Neil stressed during the event, those values must authentically represent day to day life within the company.

One excellent example of a business that has genuinely brought its values to life is Moneypenny. The north Wales headquartered company is a 24/7 provider of support for outsourced calls, live chat and digital communications for thousands of companies globally. With much of the company’s culture interwoven around a physical office presence, the lockdown did pose challenges. But COO Ceri Henfrey explained the benefits they quickly realised thanks to factors such as the pre-pandemic early adoption of Workplace by Facebook to support employee communication. Staying true to the ethos of the company in terms of the importance of employee happiness and wellbeing, coupled with the belief in keeping things straightforward and supportive has enabled Moneypenny to continue to enjoy a very strong internal and external employer brand even when many of the activities they had previously done were put on hold.

Ceri also highlighted the strong sense of shared values and purpose within Moneypenny, and the power they have had in helping everyone navigate their way effectively through the pandemic. She comments, “Creating a strong culture and safe and nurturing environment has always been a number one priority at Moneypenny and it is something we value extremely highly. We believe that happy and empowered employees equate to happy clients. If you trust and treat your people fairly, they will become your most vocal brand ambassadors.

“For example, when the pandemic hit we already had a whole library of wellbeing, health and communication tools at our disposal and we already used Workplace by Facebook. But we still had to adjust them to the situation, making them virtual but still connected. We set up a special counselling and advice line, mindfulness classes, home schooling tips, Calm Apps and much more. We sent out small things like cookies and vouchers to teams to share a virtual treat lunch, and turkeys, hams and nut roasts for all employees for Christmas. And we made sure we provided very regular updates and live videos from the management team, sharing our business plans but also our own take on things as well – proving that we were human too. ”

JVP Group’s Founder and MD Cath Harrison adds, “Moneypenny has been recognised for over a decade as one of the best companies to work for in the UK. So we were delighted when they agreed to join us to talk about their approach to employer branding.

“Ceri’s talk really highlighted the fact that employees and potential employees alike value being part of an authentic company that genuinely cares about its employees. Candidates are drawn to employers who are able to articulate what they stand for and how their roles can fulfil the need that we all have for a sense of purpose and engagement.

“That’s why we’re keen to help employers bring their point of employment differentiation to life. It’s even more vital than ever that they are doing so effectively in this new landscape, and reassessing and responding to the changing needs that potential employees now have.  But it can feel like a huge undertaking – and that’s why we’re offering our new Employer Branding Consultancy service. We will analyse, define and help to articulate the specific experience employers provide, while guiding them on initiatives designed to enhance employee engagement, retention and talent attraction. We’re perfectly placed to do so, with a service that’s underpinned by over 30 years’ experience of helping employers identify and communicate their EVP and employer brand.

“And it’s a wise investment – a Gartner study revealed that employers who deliver on their EVP can improve employee retention by as much as 69%. And LinkedIn report that 83% of employers believe their EVP has a considerable influence on their ability to attract and hire the best talent out there.”

JVP Group has built up a strong reputation for providing employers with cost-effective support to attract their own talent through employer branded job advertising, technology, and support solutions. To find out more about how the company helps employers identify and communicate their EVP and employer brand to improve both employee retention and talent attraction, please visit their Employer Branding Consultancy webpage.