Monthly Archives: October 2021

Business & Property News, Commercial Property, Midlands News, News

First phase of Ni. Park ready for occupiers

The first phase of development at Ni.PARK, Telford & Wrekin Council’s newest business park, which is a £4 million scheme to create a world-leading agri-tech research and innovation hub has now been completed by developer Morris Property.

Ni.PARK in Newport, Shropshire, is a key element in the Newport Innovation and Enterprise Package, backed jointly by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership and Telford & Wrekin Council.

The council sees the project as part of its commitment to attract inward investment to the borough, delivered through its Growth Fund, which looks to ensure the right properties are delivered in the right location.

The first phase of development comprises 24 individual units ranging from 66sqm – 351sqm (710 FT2- 2778 FT2) which are designed to suit a range of occupiers including start-ups, small businesses and larger occupiers in the agri-tech and enterprise sector.

The Shrewsbury-based construction team formally handed over the first phase of Ni.PARK, to Telford & Wrekin Council on Friday 22nd October – completing the build over 42 weeks, on time and to budget.

Morris Property’s Construction Manager Steve Flavell said: “This was an important project for Telford & Wrekin Council and the community and was a prestigious tender to have won.

“As well as creating a high quality development, Ni.PARK has enviable green credentials, with electric vehicle charging points and PV solar panels, together with sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) and ecological enhancements.”

Councillor David Wright, Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy, Housing, Transport and Infrastructure, said: “Ni.PARK will have a significant, positive impact on local people and the local economy.

“The development of this new hub will put Newport at the heart of the UK’s latest agricultural technology and attract a variety of agri-tech related businesses and employers to the site.

“It’s really exciting to see the first phase of the programme completed and is a development which has taken an outstanding, environmentally friendly approach.

“Innovative projects like this are instrumental in attracting new investment to the borough.

“Ni.PARK will create a variety of employment opportunities for local people – bringing together agricultural and technical companies and industry experts to drive growth and support innovation.”

When completed the Ni.PARK will offer companies a range of units for agri-tech and enterprise occupiers suitable for R&D, light industry, general industrial and storage, with planning use classes B1, B2 and B8.

Mandy Thorn MBE, chair of the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The importance of Ni.PARK to our region is immense which is why we have supported it with £7.36m of Local Growth Fund investment as part of the wider Newport Innovation and Enterprise package.

“This is further evidence of the LEP working with its partners to create a dynamic and innovative business environment which will create real growth, jobs and opportunity.”

Lucy Blasdale, Development Director for Homes England, said: “Homes England is delighted to see the first phase of units complete at Ni.PARK, providing opportunities for new and growing business within the Borough of Telford & Wrekin plus existing companies looking to locate in the Borough.

“This is another great example of how public sector partners are working together in the interests of maximising economic growth, job retention and job creation in Telford and Wrekin.”

News

Steve Herbert: What does today’s Budget mean for Employee Benefits?

Our popular columnist Steve Herbert, Head of Benefits Strategy, Howden Employee Benefits & Wellbeing, considers how today’s budget will impact on UK employers and  in particular how it will impact on Employee Benefits

It’s unlikely that there has ever been a Chancellor of the Exchequer with a higher public profile than Rishi Sunak.  Since his unexpected appointment to office in February 2020, Sunak has become something of a fixture on our TV screens as the nation and its government grappled with the uncharted dual challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the UKs departure from the European Union.

During this period Sunak has delivered three formal reviews of the nation’s financial position, with the last such event being the Budget statement in March this year.  That announcement aimed to meet some of the pandemic costs through a series of taxation threshold freezes.

Yet the scale of the government’s pandemic spending and the challenges still ahead are significant, and it was therefore always likely that the income generated from the March ’21 Budget would require further taxation augmentation.

And in September the government announced a new tax to be known as The Health and Social Care Levy (which starts life as an increase to National Insurance from April 2022).  Although not announced in a traditional Budget setting, the increase to National Insurance is one of the biggest single tax generating measures of modern times.  Indeed Sky News outlined in this video (from September) that the national tax burden is now near record levels in the UK.

The October 2021 Budget

Against this background the Chancellor today took to the dispatch box to deliver his second Budget of 2021.

For the full Budget documents please click here.

So what, if anything, does this Budget announcement mean for HR and employer-sponsored employee benefits provision?  Here are the main issues:

National Minimum Wage/ National Living Wage

Heavily trailed in the run up to the Budget, the Chancellor announced significant – above inflation – increases to the National Minimum Wage/ National Living Wage levels from April 2022.

The new rates are as follows:

  • Apprentice Rate:  Increases from £4.30 per hour to £4.81 per hour
  • National Minimum Wage for those under 18:  Increases from £4.62 per hour to £4.81 per hour
  • National Minimum Wage for those aged 18–20:  Increases from £6.56 per hour to £6.83 per hour
  • National Minimum Wage for those aged 21–22:  Increases from £8.36 per hour to £9.18 per hour
  • National Living Wage for those aged 23+:  Increases from £8.91 per hour to £9.50 per hour

Obviously these new rates will increase the cost of any employee benefits related directly to salary levels.

Employers should also be aware that any employee salary sacrifice arrangement (or combination of separate Salary Sacrifice arrangements) must not reduce an employee’s salary below the above minimum rates.

Howden Employee Benefits & Wellbeing would therefore urge employers to ensure that this rule is adhered to following the increases in April 2022.

Public Sector Pay

The Chancellor also announced an end to the Public Sector Pay freeze.

It is not yet clear whether the pay rises to be given to Public Sector employees in 2022 will result in a real-terms increase, and this will be decided early in 2022.

It should however be noted that these increases will drive up the cost of any employee benefits directly linked to salary levels.

Pensions

The Chancellor announced plans to develop a solution to the widely reported ‘net pay anomaly’, which currently sees some low earners lose out on tax relief if they pay pension contributions through a ‘Net Pay’ arrangement, whereas those who pay through a ‘relief at source’ arrangement benefit from tax relief.  The system reportedly costs low earners up to £150m a year, The new system is planned to take effect from 2025/26.  Draft proposals will be published in 2022, to be followed by a new Finance bill.

Training and upskilling

In his Conservative Party Conference speech earlier this year the Prime Minister set out his plans to make the United Kingdom a “high skill, high wage” economy, and that mantra has been repeated often over the last six weeks.

So it is no surprise that the Chancellor announced an additional £3.8bn in skills spending.  This includes plans around the new vocational qualifications known as T-levels, as well as another £550m for investment in adult skills and education.  And the Kickstart scheme (please see our post from earlier this year) looks set to continue too.

It is hoped that all the above will improve the supply of qualified and/or experienced candidates for the UK employment market.

Universal Credit taper

Yet this Budget may well be remembered for Sunak’s final announcement, a significant reduction in the taper applied to Universal Credit (UC) payments.

It has long been recognised that a pay rise given to an employee (such as that suggested by the Minimum Living Wage increase next year) will also result in a significant reduction in UC payments.  And millions of low-paid employees and households also receive Universal Credit payments.

The Chancellor has recognised this paradox, and announced an 8% reduction in the taper from 63p for every £1 earned, to 55p for every £1 earned.  This will go a long way towards offsetting the end of the temporary UC £20 per week payment this month, and indeed some of the other financial pressures of the moment (please see this post).

Employers should however be aware that this will only help the lowest paid employees, with most middle earners still facing the other significant inflation concerns of the moment.  And many workers may still need some practical support in the form of company-sponsored Financial Education and guidance.

Overall the October 2021 Budget appears to leave company-sponsored employee benefits provision largely unchanged.  This will be welcomed by employers, but does suggest that further changes in 2022 remain possible.

We will of course comment further on all the above as more detail becomes available in the days and weeks ahead.

About the author

Steve is Head of Benefits Strategy, Howden Employee Benefits & Wellbeing, and is an award-winning thought leader on Pensions, Employee Benefits, and Human Resources issues. A regular contributor to Employer News, he is occasionally accused of making Employee Benefits interesting!

News, Pensions

Budget brings welcome changes for pensions, says Pensions Expert

A Budget intended to help drive economic growth as we recover from Coronavirus also brought some welcome changes for the pensions world, says a Quantum Advisory expert.

Pension tax top-ups for low earners

The Government will develop a solution to the ‘net pay anomaly’ where some low earners can miss out on tax relief if they pay pension contributions through a ‘Net Pay’ arrangement.  From 2025/26 a system will be put in place that provides top-ups to affected individuals to broadly give the same outcome as if they paid contributions through a ‘Relief at Source’ arrangement.

The system will apply to pension contributions made from 2024/25 onwards.  The Government calculates the average benefit for affected individuals to be £53 per year.

Simon Hubbard, a Senior Consultant and Actuary at Quantum Advisory, said: “Industry commentators have been asking the Government for years now to resolve the unfair tax treatment of pension contributions by low-paid workers.  This change will be welcomed by many, though it’s disappointing that it will not apply until April 2024. However, the bigger question of increasing the auto enrolment minimum contribution amounts has been avoided for a further year.”

Changes to the charge cap on defined contribution (DC) pensions

The Government will consult on how the 0.75% pa cap on DC pension scheme charges can be adapted to allow for well-designed investment performance fees.  The cap currently prevents the default investment strategy from using funds with a performance-related fee because it could exceed the cap if performance is strong.

Data & Analytics, News, Tech Thought Leadership

Ashley Kramer: Analytics in the age of application overload

The rise in remote work due to Covid-19 has also increased the number of business applications that business workers must use every day. Identify-management company Okta reports that the average customer in 2020 used 88 apps, with many customers reaching almost 200 apps. Gartner expects our reliance on workspace collaboration apps to increase in the coming years, becoming “virtual water coolers” for a distributed workforce.

Interestingly in the UK, reports show Apps by British publishers have an average of 172.47k downloads. Overall they get more downloads than the average of all apps which is 194.81k.

In such a world with so many apps vying for our attention, it’s critical that business workers focus on their workflows without distractions. This includes having to deviate to dedicated analytics apps or dozens of stand-alone dashboards just to answer a data-related question. Instead, people need answers to their questions in the apps they’re already using. Like in the consumer world, analytics should be like a spice, infusing insights into business users’ current workflows.

Imagine a CRM that shows a sales rep which customers to reach out to or which leads require follow-up. Even better, what if the CRM automatically notified a rep that they’re behind or ahead of their revenue targets? Both experiences lead to smarter business decisions and are made possible by analytics without the sales rep even knowing it.

When we view analytics this way, there are limitless other potential examples. Participants in Slack or Microsoft Teams can pull up relevant charts in the channels themselves without ever moving the discussion away from the chat. Executives can seamlessly insert insights and charts directly into presentations at the click of a button — no analyst needed. Developers can infuse custom applications with KPIs, usage analytics and other automatic recommendations.

In this type of world, business workers are in and out of their apps and barely aware that they’re using analytics at all. They’re simply getting the answers they need, making smarter decisions and moving on to the next task.

Simple insights, actionable decisions

The challenge is we continue to focus on technology to make analytics faster, more visual and accessible anywhere from any device, but we ignore that the everyday business professional isn’t interested in stand-alone analytics and dashboards. We can move dashboards to the cloud, we can animate charts and we can make it simple for anybody to query a database. The truth is that to the business user, most of that still sounds like a distraction.

What business users want are insights that will help them make smarter decisions. They would rather have answers where and when they think of a question, without having to leave their workflow and open yet another application. Analytics is the technology that can make that possible, but we must remind ourselves that analytics itself isn’t the point. Like the best technology, analytics is at its best when it becomes invisible.

Invisible Analytics: Consumer apps leading the way?

Today, very few of the most innovative consumer companies actually discuss data and analytics. This doesn’t mean analytics isn’t important; rather, these companies instead choose to show off the experiences that analytics can enable.

Music streaming services, for example, don’t advertise dashboards with our listening habits; they simply give us personalised insights and recommendations based on our listening history. They also do this automatically where and when we want the insights — in the app, and often the moment when we open it.

We can also look at mapping applications, which despite using data and AI, don’t ask us to sign in to a portal and study charts to optimise our travel times. Instead, they take our location, desired travel distance, and current and historical traffic patterns to alert us to leave so we make it to our destination on time.

Our fitness trackers do something similar; they use algorithms to alert us when we’re behind our average movement for the day while also suggesting activities to meet our fitness goals.

In short, consumer companies help everybody make smarter decisions and live healthier lives, and they do this without ever once mentioning terms like analytics, dashboards or self-service. The insights are simply there when we need them, where we need them, in the apps we’re already using.

Accessible data, invisible analytics

Building this dream world of analytics will require that we actually rethink our own focus on analytics. Like consumer companies, we need to remind ourselves that analytics itself is not the point. The goal is to help everybody in our businesses be smarter.

Technology is important, of course, and is how we will reach that goal. Recent advancements in AI mean we can scan and get insights from the largest of data warehouses in seconds. Data visualisation has made data more understandable. Moving to the cloud has enabled us to access data from anywhere in the world.

And today, we believe extensible frameworks means we can embed analytics into any app, infusing them with digestible insights and finally putting data into the hands of business users where they are now. “Let’s look at the data” will become a phrase of the past. The data will already be where business workers want it, when they want it, without them asking for it. They will have their insights, they will make the decisions they need and then they will move on.

Analytics will become invisible, and the everyday worker will become smarter without even knowing it.

About the Author

Ashley Kramer is the Chief Product & Marketing Officer for Sisense. She leads the company’s product and marketing organisations, setting product and go-to-market strategy and vision to drive the value of Sisense’s analytics platform.

 

Company Bio:

Sisense goes beyond traditional business intelligence by providing organizations with the ability to infuse analytics everywhere, embedded in both customer and employee applications and workflows. Sisense customers are breaking through the barriers of analytics adoption by going beyond the dashboard with Sisense Fusion – the highly customizable, AI-driven analytics cloud platform, that infuses intelligence at the right place and the right time, every time. More than 2,000 global companies rely on Sisense to innovate, disrupt markets and drive meaningful change in the world. Ranked as the No. 1 Business Intelligence company in terms of customer success, Sisense has also been named one of the Forbes’ Cloud 100, The World’s Best Cloud Companies, five years in a row. Visit us at www.sisense.com

News

NOT Zero by 2050 – UK’s ‘Creative’ Carbon Accounting Processes slammed as ‘farcical’ and ‘madness’ by leading researchers

Government targets to make the UK carbon neutral by 2050 could be worthless if current carbon accounting systems aren’t radically reformed, warns a leading academic.

New research reveals that the UK’s system for measuring carbon is failing to deliver an accurate picture of pollution and climate impact, risking bogus net-zero claims, missed opportunities and false positives when it comes to identifying truly effective ways of decarbonising the country.

Under the current international carbon accounting standards used to calculate carbon neutrality, emissions from supply chains, after-sale product use and waste aren’t included for businesses and nature-based solutions are often ignored altogether. As a result:

  • Supermarkets selling food from UK farms risk having HIGHER reported carbon emissions than those that import all their products from abroad.
  • Schemes that encourage staff to walk and cycle to work may ADD to a UK business’ reported carbon emissions.
  • An initiative to save peat bogs that will absorb and lock in carbon for millennia is deemed LESS carbon efficient than low-energy light bulbs.
  • Projects to recycle and reuse won’t register as carbon-saving AT ALL.

Greta Thunberg Criticises UK’s ‘Creative’ Carbon accounting

The UK’s commitments to net zero have already come under criticism from environment campaigner Greta Thunberg, who told the Youth4Climate Summit in Milan:

“Of course, the climate crisis .. more or less it started in the UK since that’s where the industrial revolution started, we started to burn coal there, so of course the UK has an enormous historical responsibility when it comes to historic emissions since the climate crisis is a cumulative crisis.”

Ms Thunberg told delegates that the UK, like many other countries, engages in what she called “creative carbon accounting”, where emissions from exported fossil fuels or international shipping and aviation are not currently counted.

Professor Ian Thomson: Some of UK’s Carbon Accounting Systems are Farcical

Professor Ian Thomson, who co-led the research and is an international expert on environmental accounting and expert reviewer for the next IPCC report, is Director of the Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Responsible Business at the University of Birmingham and says:

“Some of the carbon accounting systems and evaluation processes in the UK are farcical and inadequate, lagging well behind net zero thinking and creating a structural barrier to implementing effective solutions. Without robust, reliable and trusted carbon accounting evidence, it’s likely that the UK’s net-zero carbon transition will be inhibited by poorly-informed decisions based on inappropriate evidence.”

The research project is currently working on a programme of suggested reforms to carbon accounting protocols that are essential to ensuring any outcome from United Nations’ COP26 climate talks, taking place in Glasgow in November, are effectively implemented. He is also working with the Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research (CSEAR) on a global survey of accountants to discover how carbon literate they are and evaluate how much climate accounting is being taught worldwide. Ian is also the lead of the Green Economy which is a strand of the Forum for Global Challenges, organised by the University of Birmingham in May 2022.

His new book, Urgent Business: Five Myths Business Needs to Overcome to Save Itself and the Planet, will be published by Bristol University Press in February 2022.

Care, Midlands News, News, Training & Apprenticeships

Training provider responds to care staffing crisis with comprehensive recruitment, retention, and training pathway programme

With staff shortages in the care sector commanding news headlines on a daily basis, Staffordshire-based Acacia Training has responded with the launch of a new Professional Care Pathway programme – the most comprehensive the sector has ever seen.

Structured as a flexible six-year package, the training programme provides learners with the opportunity to progress to a Level 5 qualification and those wishing to, can also complete a teaching qualification in the final year.  Significantly, it is open equally to those new to the sector, those already following a career within it, and those considering a return to health and social care.  For employers, the pathway commences at the recruitment stage making it the most comprehensive and advanced programme of its kind in the care sector.

Created in direct response to the needs of care employers, Acacia’s Professional Care Pathway has been developed to transform how care workers are perceived, through the raising of standards and provision of professional qualifications to degree level and beyond.

Lisa Davies, speaking on behalf of Acacia Training, comments: “The pandemic shone a spotlight on the vital role of those working in care like never before.  However, recruitment and retention combine to pose the sector with its biggest challenge of all.  Official figures from Skills for Care suggest that whilst recruitment initially improved in the six months after the start of the pandemic, it has since worsened and there are now in excess of 100,000 positions which remain vacant.

“Employers in the care sector are under immense daily pressure to deliver their core services to those who rely on them.  Yet they’re also battling to keep their existing staff empowered and invested in their careers, whilst also attracting new talent.  They’re certainly superheroes but they simply can’t do it all.  Our Professional Care Pathway addresses this.”

Starting at the point of recruitment, the Professional Care Pathway allows employers to hand their vacancies over to Acacia’s dedicated recruitment service to manage all aspects of advertising the vacancies, vetting applications and recommending a shortlist for interview.  Acacia Training then manages pre-employability training for successful candidates before they commence on their professional career training.

Home Instead, which provides care at home services nationwide, is Acacia’s first partner in the roll out of the Professional Care Pathway and was pivotal in its creation.  Michelle Blunt, General Manager for Home Instead across North Staffordshire, comments: “For too long, care work has been seen as a low wage job, attracting people who don’t aspire to a career.  This isn’t how it should be.  We want to drive up standards, give care workers a newfound professional status and, of course, provide those we deliver care services to with the most qualified workforce.

“By partnering with Acacia, we identified how their expertise in recruitment, pre-employability training and unrivalled experience of specialist training could provide us with the most advanced recruitment and retention programme in the care sector.  I can’t wait to see how this ground-breaking approach empowers our current and future workers, providing them with a sense of pride and genuine career progression.”

The Professional Care Pathway not only offers flexibility to the learners who follow it but is also entirely flexible to meet the needs of the sector.  Lisa Davies concludes:

“When Home Instead approached us to support on its recruitment and training needs, it quickly became apparent that the challenges it faces are far from unique.

“Whilst the focus is often on recruitment and retention, the detail behind these factors is far more complex and countless reports highlight the myriad of challenges the sector faces that also include engagement, motivation, promotion and how those in care are rewarded.

“Simply, Acacia can relieve the pressure for care providers across all these areas.  Starting with our bespoke recruitment and onboarding offer, through our in-house careers guidance service that maps individualised career progression journeys, our impactful employee engagement strategies and, of course, our rich heritage in all areas of care sector training, we can provide the most comprehensive and professionally focused recruitment, training and retention programme to meet the individual needs of every care provider in this country.”

The rollout of the Professional Care Pathway with Home Instead starts this month (October 2021) with Acacia looking to onboard multiple care providers by the end of the year.

To find out more about Acacia’s Professional Care Pathway programme, contact the team on 01782 646 346 / www.acaciatraining.co.uk

Fashion, News

The Lone Wolf of Saville Row, Adam James, Marks His 3-Year Anniversary

This month marks three years of Adam James Bespoke and although it sounds a cliché, it really has been quite the journey for business partners Adam (James) and Martin Hurworth.

Adam James was founded to make British Saville Row tailoring more accessible and affordable to every type of professional, demographic and fashion focused individual.

A clear business objective was set from the very beginning, which was to expose Saville Row stereotypes and to give customers an opportunity to experience bespoke tailoring at ease and with confidence. Which ironically was the same sentiments of Adam’s business partner Martin Hurworth, who spent years trying to find a tailor he could have every confidence in, prior to meeting Adam

The partnership between Adam and Martin is incredibly special and together they have built Adam James Bespoke to be what it is today – one of the most exciting and honest British tailoring providers to come from this century – the proclaimed Lone Wolf Of Saville Row as hailed by the London Economic.

So as another business landmark is celebrated, Adam and Martin have looked back on their achievements and open up about the future of tailoring, and most importantly, divulge in to future plans of Adam James Bespoke.

Adam said: “It feels overwhelming even thinking about the last year and how bleak things were looking at the start of it, not just for us but for so many due to the pandemic. That being said, over the course of the last 4-5 months there’s been a transition that has been really exciting for Adam James. I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved, and to hit our third year of business after all that we’ve faced is a really strong and humbling position to be in.”

When the peak of Covid-19 hit and the nation were told to stay home, Adam James Bespoke was in the middle of building huge momentum. Meeting with new clients was a weekly, sometimes daily occurrence, he was receiving interest from a global clientele and his existing customers were wanting to come back for more. Refusing to let this motion stop, Adam remembered the challenges he faced in the early days of business and the reason why he does the job that he loves – everything has always been and will continue to be for his clients.

Adam reflects, “When I think back to my first ever client, it was a week after I set-up and the hottest day of the year, the combination of the heat and my first fitting really did make me hot under the collar (forgive the pun), but once I got to work I’ve never looked back. My approach hasn’t changed from that first day, I still have the same personal touch, it’s who I am, and hopefully one of the things my customers take away from our meetings.”

Aware of the importance of preparing for the future, Adam reflects on what’s to come in the next 12-months: “The future of Adam James is looking bright, we’ve extended the team, collaborated with new suppliers, I’m working on a womenswear collection and building my vegan and sustainable range.”

“Recently somebody said to me that ‘in life you should have three people with you on your professional journey – a loyal accountant, a trusting solicitor and a good tailor’ and it’s stuck with me. I want to work with clients who we can go through life with together, there’s scope for my clients to meet one another for business and I want to work with young aspiring business leaders who are looking to progress their wardrobe as much as their career.”

“As a brand we’re now working with the right people and people are wanting to work with us. My business partner Martin has always encouraged me to try new things, and that confidence he has shown in me is how I am with my customers. I’m looking forward to the future and thank all of our clients and suppliers who continue to support us on this journey.”

The other poignant individual in the Adam James Bespoke machine, is Adam’s business partner and mentor, Martin Hurworth.

Martin knew from the very first meeting with Adam that he had something special, so in true form to his nature, Martin has encouraged and transformed Adam’s mindset ‘to give Adam the confidence to be Adam’.

Martin said; “I met Adam a few years ago when I needed a suit, he was working at a popular retailer in central London and was booked for my fitting. At the time I was MD in a business that was rapidly growing and I wanted to reward myself with a suit that would fit my larger thighs and small waist – not as easy as it sounds.”

“Adam was an intriguing character, I found him fascinating, but most of all he was incredibly talented. We had very little in common, yet in true Adam style we forged a friendship and at my next appointment he had remembered all there was about me, everything that was discussed at our first meet, and offered the most incredible customer service that made me feel special. The total opposite to the previous bespoke suit I had made in the far East. That process felt incredibly impersonal and detached to say the least.”

Martin, who is a scale-up leader & business mentor, knows the importance of self-belief, determination and the process of bringing someone or something to triumph. He said, “Adam moved to a new employer and I followed him to create me another suit, however, it was obvious that Adam had outgrown the roles he was in and mentioned how he was looking to set-up on his own. After a couple of conversations I realised he was wrestling with both business and the client aspect, and it became apparent that a partnership was the perfect and most organic thing for us to do.

Being at the time, Adam’s target audience, and having experience of bespoke tailoring, we formatted a strategy that allowed me to guide Adam through the business elements, as well as encourage him to shine at what he does best.”

With the modern marketplace being customer driven, and most industries feeling saturated in choices, Adam and Martin set clear objectives to stop the need to fight for customers’ business. After all, it’s not only product and price that companies must compete on, but excellent customer service too.

Martin said, “From the very beginning of our partnership the emphasis has been on our customers, exploring what’s special about Adam and the brand. Time being the key word as it took time to get ourselves in a good place, but we never adjusted our mindset and the results over the last year, even under the most unique circumstances, have come out on top.”

Looking in to the future Adam James Bespoke want to keep their relationships with current clients, whilst building and growing their network and the education around British tailoring. Adam James Bespoke don’t want to, and never will, lose the personal approach, ‘it’s very special’ said Martin.

Martin continued, “Adam and I have designed the business to guide customers through their wardrobe. It is an organic and warm partnership and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us. Thank you to everybody who is with us on this journey.”

Climate, Food & Drink, News, South East

Health food retailer targets 150,000-tree environmental pledge

One of the UK’s biggest independent online health food specialist retailers has launched a project that could see 150,000 trees planted in Africa over the next 12 months.

Healthy Supplies has unveiled a scheme that will see a tree planted for every order placed on its website. Any orders in excess of £50 will see five trees planted and orders over £100 will see the company commit to planting ten trees. The scheme will also offer all customers the option to clear ocean-bound plastic in highly polluted rivers, stopping the rubbish from reaching the sea.

The scheme will also accurately track every tree or ocean clearing operation Healthy Supplies commits to through an opt-in app that offers full transparency on the company’s eco-efforts.

The company is one of the UK’s largest independent online health superstores, stocking a vast range of more than 6,000 products including food and drink, supplements, home and beauty, pet food, books and stationery.

Director and co-owner at Healthy Supplies, Tina Manahai said: “This scheme has been long in the planning and part of our mission to be more than just a superstore. Not only do we want to help make our customer’s eco-friendly journeys easier with exciting new products, but we also want to ensure that we do business in a way that is good for the environment.

“We’ve invested with our project partners to help develop technology that allows customers to see every step of the tree planting process, from propagation to the actual planting. They can see in real time when their pledge to clear ocean-bound plastic is happening.”

Healthy Supplies has partnered with Verdn, a green-tech specialist, who work with the Eden Reforestation Project and Empower AS. Verdn will help transparently track all tree-planting and ocean-clearing exercises.

The West Sussex-based company says this is one of many societal and environmentally positive measures being implemented. “All businesses have a responsibility to protect the environment and we take our duty incredibly seriously. We want to use our platform to raise awareness of current issues and show our customers how we as a business operate in an eco-friendly way. We also aim to encourage our customers to become more sustainable – whether that’s by introducing new products or developing recipes for plant-based meals.

“We’re invested in learning about what more we can do as a business to help the environment and our community. Our customers expect it, and we expect it of ourselves.”

Healthy Supplies says it is also now on a rollout plan to switch to fully recyclable packaging on all its own-branded Sussex Wholefoods by Spring 2022.

Cybersecurity, News

What to expect from industrial cybersecurity: visibility, manageability, and a unified platform

Kirill Naboyshchikov, Business Development Manager, Kaspersky Industrial CyberSecurity

Cybersecurity for industrial control systems (ICS) is experiencing strong growth. According to various estimates, by 2025-26, the sector will be worth between $22.5 billion and $22.8 billion, with an estimated CAGR of 5.81% to 7.2%. Thanks to researches, investigations of increasing attacks on industrial facilities, and growing interest from corporate and government sectors, the industry has already amassed a solid store of knowledge and protection offerings.

Now is the time to look at how cybersecurity for ICS will develop further and what challenges it will face in the future. Organizations can use this knowledge to shape or adjust their safety strategies today.

 

Layered cake of operational technology protection

But first, we need to look at the current state of play. Industrial infrastructure protection is a complex task, as it means using a variety of tools for each level – from field devices and operation management to boundaries of ICS and corporate IT. These are technologies for various industrial controllers, networks, computer protection, and the overall security management for enterprises or even a holding.

The primary cybersecurity task for any industrial organization and facility, such as factories or substations, is to timely detect and eliminate threats in endpoints and in the network to safeguard the perimeter. The sooner a malicious object or activity is found, the less negative impact the attack will have.

If the industrial site has complex automation and control systems, it is important to protect it from accidental failures or deliberate attacks. Some examples of how these systems are: substation or power plant automation, discrete or continuous process automation, distributed or centralized control systems, field, supervisory or telecontrol systems. That is, to use dedicated tools to track minor anomalies in performance indicators, for example, an indicator of pressure inside an oil refinery tank or power plant, to act before a breakdown occurs.

Organizing timely updates and vulnerability fixes in the industrial firmware is crucial to decrease the risk of cyberattack. The fewer vulnerabilities in the equipment, the less potential doors attackers have to compromise the network. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to detect and patch them by simply checking an update from the vendor’s website. There should be a process of obtaining information from a reliable source about vulnerabilities, which provides the most complete information about the affected device and its configuration. This helps make an informed decision whether to patch or use an optional mitigation measure if the patch is not available or justified.

Last but not least, organizations need dedicated threat detection and response capabilities against advanced threats. Ideally, the ICS security system must collect and analyze all security events across the entire network so that an internal security operation center or external expert service can identify signs of targeted attacks. This will help the company stop them in time and investigate the causes. This should work against APTs to prevent them lurking undetected inside the network, as it was for the Lazarus attack, targeting the defense industry with a custom backdoor that Kaspersky researchers highlighted in 2020. The backdoor moved laterally through infected networks gathering sensitive information.

 

And this is where the difficulties begin

The OT systems become more complex with all the variety of devices, remote connections and geographically distributed facilities, the same happens with protection. Different tools, including those listed above but not limited to them, work for different needs, some require integration, and each has its own control panel. As a result, managing protection for the entire system becomes the most challenging task for enterprises. Our global survey confirmed, that two thirds of industrial organizations consider the lack of visibility in the infrastructure and consistent security management as the harshest obstacles against advanced threats (67% and 68% respectively).

Configuring each tool separately and managing everything manually can be hard work, ineffective and may ultimately reduce the level of protection. Different solutions do not share threat intelligence, and there is no visibility within the entire OT system.

 

Bringing security to a common denominator

Addressing this issue means having all parts of security converged at a single point – an ecosystem  that should offer customers access to all possible solutions and services and adapt to the tasks of small, medium, and large enterprises. It should offer a single platform for managing all security tasks, including those from third-party services. Thus, all teams involved in OT security issues will be able to access the necessary data and processes.

An important feature of the platform should be monitoring and processing security events from different sources, be it an anti-malware agent at endpoints, EDR, threat intelligence, SIEM, or any other tool, and correlate them with events in the IT network. Data from different sources, analysis, and search for correlations with the help of a SOAR-like system (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) will make it possible to detect complex targeted attacks more effectively.

A similar task has a solution in cybersecurity for corporate IT already. To ensure that business data and continuity are safe, enterprises want to improve the speed and effectiveness of threat detection and investigation. The approach of XDR – Extended Detection and Response – combining threat detection, investigation and response across all infrastructure elements is already gaining momentum in corporate IT security. The same method can be adapted for OT security needs.

Such an ecosystem initiative will bring OT security up to a more mature level. According to Kaspersky’s vision, this will be the next step of the OT security evolution. This means that organizations will be able to protect their assets in a more systematic way, better understand what is happening in their networks, and build a secure foundation for subsequent digitalization. The platform will make it possible to create or strengthen centers for monitoring and ensure industrial safety within large enterprises. It can be used at the level of regions or even countries and unions, to empower state and international CERT organizations, as well as managed service providers.

 

Cybersecurity, Logistics, News, Supply Chain

2022 Predictions: Supply Chain Cyber Attacks to Increase and Ransom Demands by Hackers to Break Records

With 1 out 61 organizations impacted by ransomware each week, Check Point Research (CPR) issues its 2022 Cyber Security Predictions, stating that supply chain cyberattacks will become more common and proliferate next year.

  • Expect ransom demanded by hackers to break records next year. In May 2021, US insurance giant paid $40 million in ransom to hackers.
  • Mobile malware attacks will increase, as mobile wallets and mobile payment platforms are used more frequently
  • Cryptocurrency is anticipated to become a focal point for cyber attacks

Today, Check Point Software released its cyber security predictions for 2022, detailing the key challenges that organizations will face over the next year.

 

Why Supply Chain Attacks?

CPR believes that supply chain attacks will become more common and governments will begin to establish regulations to address these attacks and protect networks. They will also look into collaborating with the private sectors as well as other countries to identify and target more threat groups operating on a global and regional scale.

Supply chain attackers take advantage of a lack of monitoring within an organization’s environment. They can be used to perform any type of cyber-attack, such as data breaches and malware infections. The well-known SolarWinds supply chain attack stands out in 2021 due to its scale and influence, but other sophisticated supply chain attacks have occurred such as Codecov in April, and most recently, Kaseya.  Kaseya provides software for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and the REvil ransomware gang exploited the company to infect over 1,000 customers with ransomware.  The group demanded a ransom of $70 million to provide decryption keys for all affected customers.

Going into 2022 we will see an increase in data breaches that will be larger scale. These breaches will also have the potential to cost organizations and governments more to recover. In May 2021, US insurance giant paid $40 million in ransom to hackers. This was a record, and we can expect ransom demanded by attackers to increase in 2022.

 

Full List of Predictions

  • Misinformation campaigns will return and advent of fake news 2.0. In 2022, cyber groups will continue to leverage these types of fake news campaigns to execute various phishing attacks and scams.
  • Cyber-cold war to intensify. Improved infrastructure and technological capabilities will enable terrorists groups and political activists to further their agendas and carry out more sophisticated, widespread attacks. Cyber-attacks will increasingly be used as proxy conflicts to destabilize activities globally.
  • Supply chain cyber-attacks continue to grow, and governments will address the challenge. Supply chain attackers take advantage of a lack of monitoring within an organization’s environment.
  • Data breaches will be larger scale and costlier. We can expect ransom demanded by attackers to increase in 2022. Going into 2022 we will see an increase in data breaches that will be larger scale. These breaches will also have the potential to cost organizations and governments more to recover.
  • Mobile malware attacks are to increase. As mobile wallets and mobile payment platforms are used more frequently, cybercriminals will evolve and adapt their techniques to exploit the growing reliance on mobile devices.
  • Cryptocurrency to become a focal point for cyberattacks globally. As reports of stolen crypto wallets triggered by free airdropped NFTs become more frequent, Check Point Research (CPR) investigated OpenSea and proved it was possible to steal crypto wallets of users by leveraging critical security. In 2022, we can expect to see an increase in cryptocurrency related attacks.
  • Attackers to leverage vulnerabilities in microservices to launch large scale attacks. With microservices becoming the leading method for application development, and microservices architecture being embraced by Cloud Service Providers (CSPs), attackers are using vulnerabilities found in microservices, to launch their attacks. We can also expect to see large-scale attacks targeting CSPs.
  • Attackers to weaponize deepfake technologies. Threat actors will use deepfake social engineering attacks to gain permissions and access sensitive data.
  • Penetration tools continue to grow. Hackers will increasingly use penetration tools to customize attacks in real time and to live and work within victim networks.

 

Maya Horowitz, VP Research at Check Point Software at Check Point Software, comments:

“In 2021, cyber criminals adapted their attack strategy to exploit vaccination mandates, elections and the shift to hybrid working, to target organizations’ supply chains and networks to achieve maximum disruption. The sophistication and scale of cyber-attacks will continue to break records and we can expect a huge increase in the number of ransomware and mobile attacks. Looking ahead, organizations should remain aware of the risks and ensure that they have the appropriate solutions in place to prevent, without disrupting the normal business flow, the majority of attacks including the most advanced ones. To stay ahead of threats, organizations must be proactive and leave no part of their attack surface unprotected or unmonitored, or they risk becoming the next victim of sophisticated, targeted attacks.”