Monthly Archives: March 2022

Midlands News, News

Here to help – Finance options available to drive business growth, says champion

Businesses across the Marches have been challenged to kickstart a new era of growth across the region by taking advantage of the huge range of finance now available.

Paul Kalinauckas says there is a wider range of funding and finance options on offer to businesses looking to grow than ever before.

Paul – the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership’s access to finance champion – said the vast range of funding opportunities could help transform any business which was serious about expanding.

He was speaking as the Marches LEP and the Marches Growth Hub – its business support service – launched a new access to finance campaign aimed at helping businesses tap in to some of the funding on offer.

It will culminate with a special event being organised by the LEP, growth hub and Midlands Engine Investment Fund later in the year bringing together some of the region’s leading finance experts.

“The finance landscape has changed enormously in recent years and there is a wealth of options for businesses which want to invest in their growth, with millions of pounds of funding available,” said Paul.

Opportunities included grants through programmes funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the LEP’s own Marches Investment Fund, small business loans, debt finance, proof of concept and equity finance from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) as well as a range of options through commercial and not-for-profit lenders.

“If you are serious about growth then you will almost certainly need finance to support it  – and the Marches Growth Hub is the perfect place to start your search.

“The hub was established to be the gateway to every fund available in the region and be here to help all businesses. It can offer truly impartial, expert advice, signpost you to the right options and help with all the business support needed to turn your ambitions into reality.”

Examples of businesses which have successfully expanded after accessing finance include:

  • Visicon: The automation and robotics business has relocated to Hereford’s Shell Store as part of a growth strategy which includes supporting the county’s food & drink sector. The company, which was founded by control system specialist Peter Jelf, secured a Revive and Thrive grant from Herefordshire Council, which is specifically for businesses looking to move to commercial premises in the region.
  • ly: The Hereford-based company which works with the likes of Amazon and eBay secured a £200,000 investment from venture capital firm Midven, using equity finance from MEIF. The business, which was initially established in 2015, specialises in providing ePos and stock control for UK retailers and used the funding to expand its sales and customer services team alongside its business development function.
  • Cardboard Bedding: Cardboard Bedding relocated to Prees in north Shropshire after securing £180,000 from MEIF through The FSE Group, Debt Finance Fund and backed by the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS). The funding also helped the company to install two additional production lines to meet demand for its equine and animal bedding products, as well as supporting job creation within the business.
  • Caradoc Charcoal: The Leebotwood company which was formed in 2019 by directors Charlotte Smith and Kevin Fryer, is now selling a by-product of the charcoal manufacturing process called biochar as a soil improver and animal feed after securing £10,000 from the Small Equipment Grant Scheme. The funding was used to support the purchase of a special sifting machine to grade the biochar into usable sizes. It also helped the business to buy a bagging and weighing machine to upgrade its existing system.
  • Golden Bear: The world-famous Telford company invested around £150,000 in new facilities and personnel to enhance its digital offer after receiving nearly £70,000 through the Marches Building Investment Grant (MBIG) for the new facilities at its head office in Hortonwood. The company has used the funding to create a new photographic studio and take on new staff to drive a growth in online sales.
  • Earth Rover: The pioneering Newport-based start-up which develops cutting-edge technologies to help farmers improve crop yields has raised £250,000 from the MEIF Proof of Concept & Early Stage Fund, which is managed by Mercia. The funding will allow Earth Rover to launch its first product, a ‘crop scouting’ system which predicts the size and timing of harvests

Paul added: “These case studies are just a sample of the success we have had helping business access some of this finance in the past, but we know we can achieve still greater success now.

“We want to see more companies across the Marches taking advantage of MEIF, for example, which has already invested more than £150million in driving growth across the Midlands, and has a strong track record of success in this field.

“The Marches Growth Hub can make a huge difference to your company’s growth ambitions and the time to start investigating the help which is at hand is most definitely now.”

For more details of the range of finance options available visit https://www.marchesgrowthhub.co.uk/funding/

Business Advice

Seven Points to Consider When Choosing an Answering Service

Although they have been around for several decades, answering services have seen considerable growth over recent years, as more businesses see the benefits of outsourcing certain parts of their customer service to cope with fluctuating demand and staffing challenges.

Choosing the right provider is critical. When done correctly, it can streamline processes and increase productivity, however choose poorly and you risk reputational and brand damage and even lost customers. Here is a simple guide to choosing the right answering service for your organisation’s needs.

 

1. Value Versus Price

 How can you strike a balance between “getting what you pay for” and high-quality service without breaking the bank? There are risk factors to consider when choosing the lowest price point such as; the potential for background noise, rigidly scripted responses that often prove unhelpful and tedious onboarding processes. Some market leaders offer a high-quality service, but you pay a premium to get it.  In the middle are a number of telephone answering companies like Verbatim, for example, which provides the highly-trained call operators and seamless onboarding processes you’d expect from the market leaders but at very competitive prices.

 

2. Trial and Error

So you have chosen a service provider but are unsure and would not like to commit without a probationary period-and you are correct not to without a trial. Trials are mutually beneficial to the customer and provider as they enable the provider to gauge statistics such as call volume while allowing the customer to experience the chosen supplier’s service to commit to the same. Trials are also a quality signal of products and services as they demonstrate capability not driven by pre-service economic motivation, so look into trials before you commit.

 

3. Additional Services & Customisation

Bespoke customer service is a hallmark of success and your answering service should cater to the specific needs of a variety of callers and needs. Consider the following; non-rigid scripts, frequently asked questions answers, fast problem solving where possible, and VIP client identification all of these signal a high-quality service and one that would reflect well on your organisation. Additional services vary by both company and package and can be adapted to your needs-Verbatim offers lead qualifying, diary-keeping, and appointment scheduling to free up your time to attend to more important matters. Both of these can be taken into account when making your decision to benefit both parties and increase customer satisfaction.

 

4. Longevity

Consider your answering service, your receptionists, or hosts-first impressions matter. Dealing with difficult customers, impatient callers or a host of differently challenging situations with ease and efficiency is a key to your success-this plays back into trialling an organisation and making sure that your front of the house is capable and suitable to your customer’s needs both in the short and long term with the growth potential.

 

5. Suitability & Fit

Industry register is important when dealing with clients-does your answering service take the time to get to know the industry well enough to represent it? Many answering services focus on the bare bones of customer satisfaction and organisational alignment-when choosing your service one must ensure alignment across several factors including priorities, values, and industry knowledge this will ensure a good fit and a high conversion rate of callers to customers.

 

6. Backup Systems

In the event of an emergency-what is your providers’ plan? Will you be left high and dry with hundreds of callers on the other end of your line, or does your service have contingency plans for a variety of scenarios? All of these questions need to be answered by a service before you choose to commit to them. For both parties to maintain their reputations and smooth operational capacities, do not move forward without confirmation of the same.

 

7. Customer Service Quality

Last, and most obvious but certainly not least is the quality of the service provided. Does the answering service employ individuals with excellent communication, interpersonal, and other soft skills? Do they provide the additional training that could aid their call attendants to address unexpected situations or difficult encounters-remember their service will serve as a reflection of your organisation so settle for nothing less than the very best, this once again can be seen through a trial period as mentioned before.

Takeaways for choosing your answering service include; treating the suggestions above as a checklist and running through them with the companies that you are considering for the same, trialling is important as it allows you to check if the service is a good fit and ensure that you are comfortable with the service representing you.

 

Food & Drink, News, North Wales

With Mother’s Day Round the Corner, Aber Falls Offers some gift suggestions for Mum’s Favourite Tipple

Sunday 27 March is Mother’s Day, where Mum’s get to be pampered and enjoy a treat – and for staff at North Wales latest attraction, Aber Falls Distillery Visitor Centre, it’s going to be a busy day, with bookings for the Visitor Centre (which includes a tour of the distillery) filling fast.  The on-site Bistro, which serves a delicious range of Welsh meals and snacks is also expected to be busy – guests hoping to visit that weekend are highly recommended to book their tour in advance.
However, if North Wales is a little too far for a day out, you can also treat Mum to her favourite tipples at home, with the distillery store offering a delicious range of Welsh Gins, Whisky and Liqueurs, as well as classy merchandise, from branded glassware for the perfect serve to Aber Falls branded clothing – all also made exclusively in Wales.   Here’s the distilling team’s suggestions for that special drink on Mother’s Day:

The perfect tipple for the mum who loves whisky: Aber Falls Single Malt Welsh Whisky

Aber Falls’ latest whisky release, the Aber Falls Single Malt Welsh Whisky, will be an attractive choice to spoil your mum on the 27th March.

Aged for three years with an ABV of 40%, this whisky is made using 100% Welsh malted barley and rock-filtered water taken from the Aber Falls Waterfall. The Single Malt gives an aroma of sweet fruits with a hint of clove and delivers a rich and full-bodied palate, with sweet sherry notes, dark chocolate and espresso.

The liquid has a long and lingering finish of dried fruit and subtle spice.

RRP: £26, available in Asda stores from the 19th March, and available to buy now from Tesco stores across Wales. Also available to purchase from the Aberfalls.co.uk online store

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Cocktail Suggestion: Classic Old Fashioned with a Welsh twist 

Ingredients:

50ml Aber Falls Single Malt Welsh Whisky

20ml smoked black tea syrup

2 pipette coffee bitters

Orange twist & coffee bean to garnish

Ice

Method: Put the tea syrup, coffee bitters, and whisky in a small tumbler with ice and stir. Mix until the coffee bitters dissolve

Fill your glass with ice and stir in the liquid. Add a splash of soda water if you like and mix. Garnish with the orange twist and coffee bitters

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The Perfect Tipple for the Mum who loves flavour: Aber Falls Orange Marmalade Gin

The award-winning Aber Falls Orange Marmalade Gin will make a great gift for a mum who loves citrus.

This popular gin has an ABV of 41.3% and gives a delicate balance of sweet and bitter orange flavours. Expect a citrus hit with a warming aftertaste, guaranteed to tickle your tastebuds!

RRP: £24, from Tesco stores in Wales and North West England. Also available to purchase from the Aberfalls.co.uk online store

 

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Cocktail Suggestion:  Aber Falls ‘Cucumber & Dill Sour’ cocktail:

Ingredients:

50ml Aber Falls Orange Marmalade Gin

2 cucumber slices

2 sprigs of dill

20ml lemon juice

20ml syrup

15ml egg white

Method:

In a cocktail shaker, add the lemon juice, syrup, and egg white and muddle together

Add the gin to the cocktail shaker and shake again to combine

Strain the liquid and pour over a cup of filled ice

Give a stir and garnish with dill and cucumber slices

 

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The Perfect Tipple for the Mum with a sweet tooth: Aber Falls Salted Toffee Liqueur

The Salted Toffee Liqueur is an excellent pairing for mums with a sweet tooth that prefer something rich and intense to enjoy this Mother’s Day.

Created in collaboration with our friends Halen Môn in Anglesey, Aber Falls has developed a liqueur that pays tribute to the history of sea salt production in North Wales. Sourced directly from the Menai Strait, the clean, intense notes of Anglesey Sea Salt combine with rich toffee flavour for the perfect combination of salty and sweet.

This liquid has an ABV of 20.3% and a smooth and velvety palate with hints of burnt sugar. The liqueur leaves behind a lasting sugary finish, the ultimate beverage for the spring season.

RRP: £20, from the Aberfalls.co.uk online store (other stockists are available)

 

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Cocktail Suggestion:  Aber Falls ‘Salted Toffee and Pear Fizz’ cocktail:

Ingredients:

20ml Aber Falls Salted Toffee Liqueur

10ml Campari

10mlo pear syrup

75ml Prosecco

Method:

Add the salted toffee liqueur, Campari and pear syrup into a glass and stir until mixed

Top up with prosecco, and voila!

Whatever your Mum drinks this Mother’s Day, we hope it’s perfect!

Camping News

Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show announces record breaking 2022 event

101,606 visitors attended this year’s Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham, a triumphant return with a huge wave of new buyers visiting from across the UK eager to explore everything from tents to campervans, trailer tents to motorhomes, caravans to luxury lodges.

Many exhibitors including Coachman, Knaus, Bailey, Auto-Sleepers and Rapido reported the show as being the best on record for sales of leisure vehicles. Visitors were delighted with the return to live events, relishing the opportunity to get inside and compare the layouts, fittings and finishes of hundreds of models side by side.

As well as five halls full of caravans, motorhomes, campervans, holiday caravans, luxury lodges, tents, trailer tents, accessories and destinations, the introduction of the Inspiration Theatre saw a great spectrum of speakers from all kinds of outdoor interests drawing huge crowds. The biggest of the weekend was for Matt Baker, who talked about adventures with his caravan Cathy and his new show ‘Travels with Mum and Dad’. Julia Bradbury, Lizzie Daly MBE, Martin Dorey, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Andrew Cotton also took visitors through their travel adventures and thrills in the outdoors. Ex- Eastenders’ star and motorhome fan Adam Woodyat was joined by surprise guest Shane Richie and pop star turned farmer, JB Gill was spotted roaming the halls.

Families flocked to the free activities on offer which included a 10m high climbing wall, a custom built paddleboarding and kayaking pool, (filled with a whopping 316,000 litres of water) and the Great British Seaside with its own sandy beach, helter-skelter and crabbing pier. Newbies also took advantage of the free Motorhome Manoeuvring courses and Caravan Towing Tuition, offered by the Caravan and Motorhome Club and the Camping and Caravanning Club – with sessions quickly booking out each day.

 

Karen Dodd, Interim Marketing Director at NCC Events said,

“It’s been a difficult couple of years, but we are delighted to be back delivering our most successful event yet. This is the biggest audience the show has ever seen, with 86% of ticket buyers being new to the Show. This reflects a huge influx of new people to the industry, with a new appreciation for getting out into the great outdoors. Our exhibitors have seen thousands of new customers walking the halls across the six days. We’d like to thank them for their continued support and are looking forward to building on this interest to produce an even bigger and better Motorhome & Caravan Show at the NEC in October.”

Tickets are on sale now for next show from the NCC, the Motorhome and Caravan Show, which takes place at the NEC from 18th-23rd October.

 

Ben Parker, Sales Director at Coachman Caravans said,

“Our new Coachman motorhomes have proved to be very well received, and we’ve sold 25 over the course of the week. We sold 46 caravans on our first day vs 21 in 2020 on day one. It’s been busy, but absolutely brilliant!”

 

Ian Rawlings, Sales Director at Bailey of Bristol said,

“This show has exceeded expectations. Our retailers have continued to enjoy high levels of sales throughout the week and it’s great to be back with customers, both new and returning. We’re delighted with the numbers of people visiting the event. See you in October!”

 

David Williams, Sales and Marketing Director at Auto Sleepers said,

“This week has exceeded our expectations across the board. Our primary concern was the customer experience, and the show has delivered a great result with the spread of the footfall throughout the week. We’re seeing lots of new customers to the market, as well as lots of returning customers. It represents a leap forward with customers confident to get in and explore the vehicles, which is great news.”

 

Norbert Waldhäusl, Export Manager for Rapido, Itineo and Dreamer said,

“It was great to be part of this year’s Caravan Camping & Motorhome Show – it felt like we were back to “pre-pandemic” times, with strong visitor frequentation each day and even bigger interest in leisure vehicles than in the years before. We had great results with the products of our three brands RAPIDO, ITINEO and DREAMER, and achieved a historic record level of sales.”

 

Mike Lake, UK Agent, Knaus Tabbert AG said,

“The best ever result for Knaus Tabbert AG at any Birmingham Show in either February or October.  A big thank you to our retailers, the stand team, the organisers and of course our customers the new members of the Knaus Tabbert family.”

 

Grenville Chamberlain OBE, Chairman of the Caravan Club said,

“It’s been an excellent show. A wide range of interests are represented, with lots of new entrants to caravanning and motorhoming. This show has surpassed 2020 and we’ve really liked to have the crowds spread evenly across the six days. It’s allowed us to spend more quality time with people visiting and the show. The buzz at the event is reflective of the growth in our industry more widely.”

 

Keith Holland, Business Development Director at Willerby said,

“It’s been really nice to be back together as an industry. We’re proud to be supporting the NCC team, as well as our partners and resellers this week. We’ve launched two new products which have been excellently received. We’ve had lots of positive leads from both old and new faces.”

 

Hayden Yates – Sales Director, North Wales Resorts said,

“This has been a brilliant show for us. We’re showing a side elevation lodge with a 42ft wide living space on the Tingdene stand. We already have follow-up appointments booked back in Wales – we’re full next week. We’re probably coming away with 100 leads for people looking to buy a lodge which has been monumental.”

 

Malcolm Bell, Chief Executive of Visit Cornwall said,

“It’s been a great show, with lots of families coming to see us. There have been a lot of people who are new to the motorhome industry which has brought new people to us. Everyday has been a busy day which is great, and we’ll definitely be coming back.”

 

Michelle Jewell, Marketing Manager of The Camping and Caravanning Club said;

“It’s great to be back. We were really pleased with the visitor numbers at the show, which is reflected in our strong performance, and each day felt like a Saturday. We exceeded our targets and our new-member recruitment was up by 15% in comparison to 2020.

The stand had a positive vibe and we had a really warm response to our speakers including Club President Julia Bradbury, and also to YouTubers The Roaming Radfords who joined us throughout the show.”

 

Mergers & Acquisitions, News

Crossword Cybersecurity Plc acquires threat intelligence company, Threat Status Limited

14 March 2022 – London, UK – Crossword Cybersecurity Plc (AIM:CCS, “Crossword”, the “Company” or the “Group”), the technology commercialisation company focused on cyber security and risk, is pleased to announce its acquisition of the whole of the share capital of Threat Status Limited (“Threat Status”), the threat intelligence company and provider of Trillion™, the cloud based software as a service (SaaS) platform for enterprise-level credential breach intelligence has now completed. Additionally, Threat Status’s more recently released product, Arc, protects the users of customer-facing applications from the threat of Account Takeovers. The acquisition of Threat Status takes the Company’s portfolio to five cyber security offerings, alongside its cyber security consulting and managed services offerings. The transaction was first mentioned on 21 December 2021 in an RNS announcement.

Threat Status’s platform enables businesses and managed service providers to monitor data that has been stolen and shared on the dark web and criminal forums which could harm the security of their business or that of their customers. Threat Status has developed its subscription-based, enterprise-class services to be turnkey, highly scalable, very secure and ready to go. The platform is quick for onboarding new clients, with no complex integrations needed, allowing rapid delivery of customer value.

Crossword Cybersecurity has agreed to pay a total consideration of £1.529m for Threat Status. This price represents an annual recurring revenue multiple of 5.25. The payments are structured as follows;

  • An initial cash payment of £500,210;
  • On the first anniversary of the transaction, a cash payment of £281,758 and £171,942 in Company stock;
  • On the second anniversary of the transaction, a cash payment of £125,000 and £450,000 in Company stock; and
  • All shares will be issued at a price based on the average mid-market price for the three months prior to the date of issue.

Threat Status was founded in 2017 by Jon Inns, who is the CEO of the business. He was joined by Ian Nice, CTO, and was supported by a third-party fund. Jon, Ian and their team of developers and apprentices will join Crossword to drive the continued commercialisation and development of Threat Status products. For the 12 months ended 31 March 2021, Threat Status made a loss of £54,864 and had net assets of £75,586 at that date. Threat Status is reaching breakeven, with 90% recurring revenue. Cross sell opportunities are being explored with the acquisition, alongside operating synergies.

Tom Ilube, CEO of Crossword Cybersecurity plc, commented: “Crossword is pleased to incorporate Trillion and Arc into its product suite, completing our aim of having five products in the market by the end of 2022 and adding over twenty new recurring revenue clients. We welcome Jon, Ian and their team to Crossword and are excited about the opportunities Threat Status brings to Crossword and our clients, as we continue in our mission to reduce the cyber risks for our clients by providing a portfolio of innovative products and services. This is our third acquisition in less than a year and shows the extent of our ambition to provide a portfolio of subscription-based, enterprise-class products and services.”

 

Jon Inns, CEO of Threat Status Limited, commented: “Threat Status has developed one of the strongest and most advanced credential leak monitoring services in the market and we’re looking forward to leveraging the opportunities and synergies this acquisition by Crossword represents. With Crossword’s experienced sales team and growing client base, and our proven and trusted technology, we expect market penetration to accelerate, increasing revenue and client protection.”

HR

5 tips for encouraging employee retention when your company is soaring

The UK has recently seen the emergence of what HR Solutions has dubbed a ‘candidates’ market’, with the COVID-19 pandemic and recent changes in immigration rules having made it more difficult for UK businesses to recruit overseas talent.

So, even if your UK business is currently growing, you need to be careful to look after your existing employees, lest this growth potentially come under threat. Here are just a few steps you could take…

Make sure money doesn’t have to be an issue for your employees

That way, other employers can’t easily tempt them away just by waving a larger pay packet in front of their face. After all, even just financially, there’s a lot more to a job position than just the salary.

So, if you can’t quite afford to hike that salary, you could resort to alternative means of keeping your workers financially comfortable – like updating the overall compensation package available to them and offering one-time bonuses for hitting particular targets.

Provide growth opportunities

According to survey data from Harvard Business Review, 68% of workers worldwide would be interested in retraining and learning new skills. If many of your own workers think likewise, you don’t want them to have to leave your company just to pursue this course of action.

One good idea would be to regularly hold retention interviews with your employees, where you ask them what would make them opt to stay. If any of them are considering a major change in career direction, you could consider how they might be able to make that change where they already are.

Help your employees to look after their families

For example, if some of your employees have small children, you could give these workers more paid time off or let them work flexible hours. That way, these employees will be able to adjust their work schedules so that they can be with their little ones at especially convenient times.

Through taking out a company life insurance policy, you could even make sure that an employee’s family will receive extra financial support if the employee in question dies.

Prioritise keeping workers connected with each other

You might not have realised the degree to which social connection fuels productivity. However, the pandemic has likely left many of us more socially adrift than ever before.

Hence, you should ideally investigate creative ways for your employees to build fruitful relationships with each other – and, indeed, with you. If any of your workers are still home-based, you could ask them if they are interested in coming back to the traditional office.

However, leave flexible working an option for your employee base

Yes, the pandemic is much less of a worry than it once was – but many of your employees might have grown so accustomed to home-based working over the last two years that they aren’t too keen on relinquishing it now.

Recently, jobs offering hybrid working and flexible hours have increased in number, Sky News reports. So, should you really stick to a pre-pandemic model of working?

 

Midlands News, News

British innovators fully charged for move to sodium-ion batteries

The first order for a ground-breaking new battery type has been placed between two British companies.

Midlands-based renewable energy and battery specialist AceOn has placed an initial order for 1,000 next generation sodium-ion cells with battery pioneer AMTE Power.

The companies have teamed up to deliver one of the world’s first solar-powered energy storage units to bring electricity to remote sub-Saharan African communities.

The innovative AceOnPES (portable energy storage) power unit will run on sodium-ion battery cells produced by AMTE.

The AceOnPES can bring clean, affordable and sustainable power to some of the poorest and most remote regions in the future. It can be used for primary or back up power generation and is ideal for areas where the electricity infrastructure is not reliable, or it is insufficient to meet local needs, such as parts of Africa, India and Australia.

Last year AMTE announced that it had entered into partnership with Sheffield-based Faradion to develop its Ultra Safe product, which uses Faradion’s patented sodium-ion technology.

The wide availability of sodium compared to the metals required in more conventional lithium-ion cells creates the opportunity for wider and cheaper battery manufacture – helping to meet demand for greater production rates required for energy storage systems that will support a transition to renewable power.

Ultra Safe is under development at AMTE’s existing facility at Thurso, Scotland, while AMTE simultaneously progresses plans for its new UK Gigafactory.

Mark Thompson, managing director of Telford-based AceOn, says the new battery chemistry can make global electrification more sustainable.

“The battery industry is reliant on rare earth minerals like lithium and cobalt, which are finite in supply. Sodium is abundant and greener to extract, so we are working together with AMTE to be their first customer to successfully commercialise sodium-ion.

“We’ve been championing sodium-based technology for years as a sustainable alternative to lithium-ion, and thanks to our partnership with AMTE, we can finally use it in our products starting with the AceOnPES and later making it part of our standard battery ranges for OEMs. These batteries are the future.”

New battery technologies are the focus of the Faraday Battery Challenge, where Mark Thompson sits on the advisory board.

Kevin Brundish, CEO at AMTE Power, said: “Our work with AceOn represents a further step in our commercialisation of differentiated cells that will power the energy transition. Sodium-ion has huge potential for application in energy storage where there is a need to dramatically scale-up production of safe, stable battery technology alongside the growth of renewables.

“The UK has long been a pioneer in new battery technology and partnerships like ours underpin the opportunity for the UK to be the driving force in the development of sodium-ion.”

Creative News, News, Recruitment News

Creative agency helps cyber recruitment firm to smash £1 million turnover after just two years

CYBER security recruitment firm Intaso broke the £1 million turnover barrier in just its second year of trading thanks to an explosive growth in the industry and the support of a creative agency.

Managing director Ryan Surry left a lucrative recruiting role in London to set up Intaso in Swindon, which helps clients find high quality information and cyber security experts and sales staff, so he could spend more time with his wife and two small children. He says a key part of its ability to keep pace with the rapid growth of the sector is the website and digital marketing provided for it by Wiltshire creative agency Milk & Tweed.

“The cyber security industry is on an absolute rocket ship and every business needs it,” he said. “It is the fastest growing technology market and it’s growing three times faster than early IT. Every single thing that connects to the Internet needs securing now and in five years’ time, every single business is going to need a security function.”

Intaso, which has offices at Lydiard Fields in Swindon and also in London, relies on the image presented by its website to help it stand out in an increasingly competitive market. Mr Surry said: “When 100 per cent of people in my industry spend 90 per cent of their time on a computer it’s essential to have a good online presence.”

“We wanted a site that looks polished and feels like we’ve been around for a long time, but also relates a little bit of our personality and some of the softer skills that we try and embed into everything. We work with some multi-national companies but also start-ups so we want to look credible but also young and dynamic and I think we’ve achieved that.”

When he left his job in London and used his contacts and knowledge of the cyber recruitment sector to launch the company in January 2020, things started well but within weeks the country was locked down as the pandemic hit. “Recruiters were furloughing staff but we decided to go on the offensive and brought in more staff while talking to the companies in my network about their plans,” he said.

“When things started up again we were in pole position to start bringing in business and we haven’t looked back.”

Intaso, which now has ten staff, is set to quadruple that in the coming year. With more and more companies expanding their cyber security departments, Mr Surry said the potential seems limitless.

Mr Surry, who lives in Chippenham, said: “The threats from hackers keep changing every day, and they find new ways to breach things. The growth in the industry will never slow down because there are always new threats.”

To meet the ever-expanding demand for new recruits he is mentoring on schemes to bring in people from other industries and helping his clients spread their nets wider in their search for staff. “The beauty of the cyberspace is there’s almost a home for everyone,” he said.

Milk & Tweed has helped Intaso’s clients by building a salary calculator on its website that benchmarks job requirements by factoring in responsibilities, location and experience to come up with a salary band required.

The agency’s creative director Jake Jeffries said: “Ryan wanted the site to look like a young, modern company but obviously with some sophistication. We also wanted to make sure Intaso and Ryan are seen as thought leaders. That was the idea behind the salary calculator because no one else has done that. And no one else is doing cybersecurity recruitment quite like Intaso either.”

Mr Surry added: “The website and the Search Engine Optimisation have evolved as the company has evolved. We’ve got a really good website that represents us brilliantly and we are performing well on Google, so we have a lot to thank Milk & Tweed for. When you grow as quickly as we have done you need to work with the right people to help you maintain your growth and I believe we have done that with Milk & Tweed.”

Find out more about Milk & Tweed at milkandtweed.com and Intaso at intaso.co.uk.

News

All roads lead to the EE British Academy Film Awards as Addison Lee electric cars announced as official car supplier

The presenters announcing the winners at this year’s EE BAFTA Film Awards will be travelling to and from the event sustainably and stylishly with the announcement that Addison Lee’s electric fleet is the official car supplier for the awards.

Select talent giving out the prestigious BAFTA Awards on the night will be transported to the show at the Royal Albert Hall and the dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Addison Lee’s new Volkswagen ID.4 electric vehicles. Using the cars at the awards will reduce CO2 emissions by 200kg on the night.*

Addison Lee – London’s largest managed private hire and black taxi business with over 6,500 vehicles – announced last year that it would have a completely electric passenger car fleet by 2023 and began rolling out the ID.4s into its fleet in November 2021. It already has 825 zero-emission capable black taxis as part of its ComCab black taxi business and provides ground transport services to 80% of the FTSE 100.

“We’re very proud to be part of this momentous event and help get TV and film’s finest to the EE BAFTA Film Awards sustainably and safely,” said Liam Griffin, Addison Lee’s CEO. “As London’s quality car and taxi provider, our pledge to go fully electric by 2023 is our commitment to a cleaner London and supporting the Mayor’s goal of a net-zero city by 2030.”

“BAFTA is doing everything it can to ensure its awards are as sustainable as possible, from food and transport to branding and materials. This year we are working with Addison Lee as an official car supplier, which is offering a fleet of fully electric cars to help minimise our impact on the environment,” said Louise Robertson, Director of Partnership and Fundraising, BAFTA.

In September 2021, Addison Lee announced an investment in £160m worth of electric Volkswagen ID.4 vehicles as it pledged to move to a fully electric passenger car fleet by 2023.

 

News, South East England News

Family Business of the Year win for Caribbean Blinds

Sudbury based Caribbean Blinds has added another trophy to its awards cabinet after winning in the Family Business of the Year category at the East of England FSB Awards 2022.

The Caribbean Blinds team picked up their award at the East of England final, a live event on Friday 4th March at Newmarket Racecourse. They have now secured a spot at the prestigious UK final. This will be held on 19 May 2022 in Glasgow at the Raddison Blu Hotel.

Here, winners from each category will go head-to-head and the overall winner will be chosen. There is also the chance to be crowned the UK Small Business of the Year where entrants will be judged by a panel of leading business experts with a wealth of experience in their industry.

The FSB awards celebrate the achievements and contributions of small businesses and the self-employed across the UK.  As a non-profit organisation and the UK’s leading business campaigner, the FSB supports the wider small business community. Members benefit from market-leading services and support to help them run their business, including local networking events, legal advice, insurance protection and more.

Managing Director, Stuart Dantzic commented: ‘Award wins never get boring but for me, this win is special. Growing and developing the family business is something my brother Brad and I are so proud of and of course my parents Ray and Angie, now watching from the side-lines, are enjoying the continued success of the business they founded back in 1987. Me, Brad and the entire team feel like we’re doing them proud!

We know the judges were looking for an organisation that can demonstrate how the family nature and values have contributed to its success across the business and this is something we have worked so hard to achieve and maintain. Fingers crossed for the national finals in May.”

Specialists in the manufacture and supply of outdoor shading systems including stylish patio awnings, external blinds and its award-winning louvred roof canopy branded the Outdoor Living Pod™, Caribbean Blinds remains family-run after brothers Stuart and Brad Dantzic took the reins from their parents following a structured buy-out in January 2017.

Since this time, the entrepreneurial duo has implemented a strategic development plan that has driven growth by 35% year-on-year and has an ambitious strategy to quadruple the size of the company over the next 5 years and is currently on track to do so.

Stuart was recently selected for the prestigious Suffolk 100 list for 2022, while

Caribbean Blinds achieved a double award shortlisting at the Growing Business Awards 2021 and for the second year running, won at the national Real Homes Awards in The Great Outdoors category with their hugely popular Cuba Awning product being crowned ‘The Best of the Best’ against stiff competition.