Monthly Archives: November 2023

Finance and Banking, News

Equity Release Supermarket Launch New B2B Proposition

Equity Release Partners is a unique service available to all Advisers.

Equity Release Supermarket (ERS), the UK’s No.1 independent equity release advisory service, have today announced the launch of Equity Release Partners – a new B2B platform, providing access to their innovative and unique equity release technology.

Equity Release Partners (ERP) is the smartER equity release referral service. Advisers – be that Wealth Advisers, Financial Advisers, or Mortgage Advisers – can now gain access to a range of ‘plug and play’ tools, whilst being remunerated for their introductions.

These tools include smartER, calculators, comparison tables and informative solutions – all of which can be branded in accordance with the Adviser’s business. Product information is real-time, regardless of the website the tools are plugged into, therefore customer results are always accurate.

 

Mark Gregory, Co-Founder & CEO at Equity Release Supermarket commented: “During a period of tough market conditions, driving efficiencies has been our main priority. With volatility peaking within H1 of this year, the need for digital capabilities has never been so important, which is why we’ve worked hard to bring these digital solutions to our business, and now to a broader market through our B2B platform, supporting both Advisers and their clients.

“We are delighted to invite Advisers to utilise these tools for their benefit, as well as the benefit of their customers.”

 

ERP provides access to a suite of tools, including smartER.  Advisers can integrate smartER into their website, enabling their customers to achieve personalised equity release results and a fulfilling customer experience. Entry to this technology also empowers customers to take control, giving them freedom to research the whole of market and find the right deal for them, in their own time.

 

Advisers can also gain access to a suite of maximum loan and analysis calculators, enabling clients to learn more about equity release, whilst creating profitable introductions for Advisers. Driven by real time lender data, the calculators cater for any prospective customer wishing to conduct their own research. A choice of 12 calculators can be plugged into an Adviser’s website.

 

Mark said: “Our suite of products form part of the one-system approach to our technology, completely aligned to Consumer Duty, going beyond the required guidance to form an industry-leading client and adviser journey.”

 

Advisers receive payment for each introduction they refer, as well as a percentage commission – aligned to the consumer duty principles around fair value and pricing.

 

Mark added: “We want to help businesses to grow and thrive, through the use of our technologies.

“To us, the most important aspect of a partnership is the people. We will work with our partners to ensure they have a direct relationship with an ERS Account Manager and Adviser. Adviser’s clients will also have a direct Account Handler, to ensure the best possible customer experience is being delivered.”

 

ERS provide entirely independent and whole of market advice, with no attached lender.  This independence allows for impartial advice on products from the whole of the equity release market.

HR, HR News, News, Wellbeing at Work, Wellbeing News

BISHOP & SEWELL PARTNERS WITH THRIVE MENTAL WELLBEING FOR COMPANYWIDE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

Internationally reaching London-based law firm, Bishop & Sewell have partnered with the UK’s leading workplace mental wellbeing solution, Thrive Mental Wellbeing, to provide mental health and wellbeing support to its growing team.

It has been widely reported that the legal sector is a high-pressure environment in which to work, so it is not surprising that 69% of legal professionals admitted to suffering from poor mental health in the year 2020/21, as part of the latest study by LawCare[i]. The sector is particularly vulnerable to burnout also, due to the workload and pressures associated with the demanding roles, therefore it becomes more vital that support is provided to employees.

Understanding the pressures of the sector, as part of its workplace cultural development, Bishop & Sewell sought a solution to aid and deliver a companywide mental wellbeing support programme for its colleagues.

Louise Moyles, HR & Office Manager at Bishop & Sewell comments: “Whilst we understand the importance of mental wellbeing support for our colleagues, our challenge was to find a solution that would offer the best outcomes for those suffering from poor mental wellbeing within the business. The legal profession is particularly impacted by wellbeing issues, so to mitigate the effects within our organisation and for our colleagues, we sought a partner that would offer confidential support for our entire team. We were delighted that not only did Thrive Mental Wellbeing offer all those things, but it also has a strong and proven track record of assisting businesses in various sectors across the globe, offering a proactive reach-out to our colleagues and ongoing therapy based on the individual’s needs making them the perfect partner for us.”

Thrive Mental Wellbeing provide a raft of support services via an intuitive mobile application, accessible for all Bishop & Sewell employees. Solutions include Cognitive Behavioural Therapies and meditation sessions, to goal-based activities and signposting links. The user-friendly, simplistic app also provides specialist screening tools which provide proactive interventions from qualified therapists within ten minutes of screening, leading to unlimited therapy sessions for the user as required. All of this is offered anonymously and confidentially for the user.

Andres Fonseca, CEO of Thrive Mental Wellbeing commented on the partnership: “It is great to see such a prominent law firm take important steps to improve the mental wellbeing of its colleagues, especially considering the issues faced by the sector. Bishop & Sewell really understand the importance of a supportive workplace culture, and we are delighted to partner with them and offer their team ongoing support via the app and therapy sessions. I can’t wait to see this relationship evolve.”

Thrive Mental Wellbeing partners with businesses worldwide. The services are clinically led and evidence-based to ensure the best possible outcomes for employees.

 

[i] https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/contact-or-visit-us/press-office/press-releases/time-for-a-mental-health-culture-change-in-the-legal-profession

 

 

 

News, Property, Property Rentals

Leading Property Association Shares Five Steps to Solving Britain’s Rental Crisis

SOLVING the country’s rental crisis needs to be the “number one priority” for the Government when it comes to tackling housing next year, a leading property association has said.

The National Association of Property Buyers say millions of people are now being priced out of affording to rent a home across the UK.

And they fear the problem is going to get much worse in 2024 unless “urgent intervention” is taken to address the supply crisis across the sector.

 

Jonathan Rolande, spokesman for NAPB said: “We are already experiencing a crisis in the rental sector, but this is only going to get worse in 2024.

“Prices for properties, often of a very low standard, are soaring in all parts of the UK – driven by a shortage in supply.

“We urgently need to see measures to address this because millions of people can’t even dream of renting a home – let alone buying one.”

 

Setting out the five steps the NAPB think are needed in this area, Mr Rolande said:

 

1. Encourage landlords to insulate.

Rental property includes some of the UK’s worst insulated, energy-inefficient homes. This is because many are old, over commercial or have not been upgraded in line with more modern standards. Less altruistic landlords see little reason in upgrading boilers, insulation and windows but doing so would of course make the home more comfortable for the tenant and save them £1000+ every year. There are also environmental benefits. Allowing landlords to reclaim enhanced tax relief for these works would encourage more widespread installation and give tenants more disposable income.

2. Build.

If it makes business sense for private landlords to buy and rent a property, surely it can be done by councils too. Those who build thousands more council houses and flats will have recouped the investment within a decade or so whilst providing secure homes built to good modern standards.

3. Plan for population growth.

In the year 2021 to 2022, the population of England and Wales grew by 578,000*. This increased number of people would occupy every one of the 150,000 homes built in the same period meaning we (at best) tread water on housing.

4. Improve Clarity for Landlords.

Landlords make property decisions based on long-term plans. 5 to 10 years is typical and yet, when it comes to legislation, there are constant changes either happening or being discussed and quietly dropped. Tenant fee bans, Section 21 ban, EPC changes, a Housing Ombudsman, safety regulations, rent control, tax changes – whatever you think of them, all sow seeds of doubt in the minds of many existing and prospective landlords. If the government want a Private Rental Sector they need to give it clear guidance and direction. Often legislation is adapted to easily, but the fear of it has reduced the number of available homes.

5. Change tax laws to reward landlords who grant longer lets with moderate built-in rent increases.

Many tenants complain of a feeling of insecurity. Allowing landlords to keep more of their rent income would encourage longer, more secure lets.

 

 

 

Cybersecurity, News, Tech Thought Leadership

Double blow – Ransomware group denounces victims to American authorities

Written by Mark Molyneux, CTO for EMEA at Cohesity

The ransomware group AlphV says it has filed a complaint with the American Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) because its victim, MeridianLink, did not report their successful attack that resulted in data loss. The pressure on companies is growing to structure their measures in the event of successful attacks.

On November 15th, the hacker group AlphV added the company MeridianLink to its own list of victims. The attack probably took place on November 7th. The group confirmed to the news portal Databreaches that it had reported the company to the American Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Accordingly, AlphV wrote to the SEC: “We would like to draw your attention to a concerning issue regarding MeridianLink’s compliance with the recently adopted rules for disclosing cybersecurity incidents.” MeridianLink says it is investigating the cyber incident and possible consequences.

With this step, the ransomware group AlphV has broken new ground, highlighting the far-reaching consequences that companies can now expect if they are hacked.

This is effectively a quad-bubble ransomware attack: encrypt the data; exfiltrate and publish; harass the data subjects, and finally report to the regulator.

It is understandable that companies will want to initially downplay a successful break-in in order not to unsettle customers and the public, and to allow further time to investigate the incident in peace. However, with cybercriminals’ new manoeuvre, companies have less and less time to get their position in order, and further to this they will need to be more open than they may want to be, as the threat actors will not tone down their reporting. It is essential to modernise the processes and procedures in the event of an emergency in order to be able to react quickly.

Companies already have a very short time to investigate the cyber incident, assess the data that has been compromised, and provide an accurate report to the regulator. With threat actors now showing the will to report the breach themselves, together with evidence of the actual data encrypted or exfiltrated, companies will find themselves under increasing pressure to index, classify and secure data such that they can themselves provide accurate reporting, but more importantly, so they know what has been lost and how to quickly replace that from their vault system.

Synergies for enhanced cyber resiliency

Organisations should consolidate their disparate application data silos onto a single centralised data management platform that is based on a scalable hyper converged file system. In this case the data stored will be automatically analysed by the deduplication and compression functions to achieve the highest reduction rates across the organisation.

To protect stored data, such platforms take the Zero Trust model even further by implementing strict access rules and multi-factor authentication, encrypting the data automatically, both during transport and at rest, to further enhance security against cyber threats like ransomware. And it generates immutable backup snapshots that cannot be changed by any external application or unauthorised user.

These backup snapshots are analysed by AI-driven algorithms to identify indications of possible anomalies. These can be passed on to security automation tools from vendors such as Cisco or Palo Alto Networks, in order to examine the potential incident in more detail.

Finally, modern data management platforms also provide more insights from data analysis thanks to integrated classification. Organisations can better understand their compliance risks by getting visibility into their dark data, which according to Gartner affects between 55% and 80% of the data a company stores. They can decide with confidence whether to keep certain records or delete them with no risk.

All of these synergy effects found in a modern data platform enhance cyber resilience, reduce the operating and storage costs and help organisations to manage the growing volumes of their data in the long term.

The incident proves once again: Rather than the illusion of total cyber security, the focus must shift to operational cyber resiliency where organisations can effectively respond to and withstand attacks. While preventative measures are important, they’re table stakes, not the winning hand, when an organisation is fighting cyber-compromises. There is a very strong case for taking a modern approach to backup and recovery of data with a “‘identify / protect / detect / respond / recover’ setup”.

 

Employee Engagement, HR, News, Tech, Technology

The Importance of HR-IT Collaboration in Enhancing Employee Experience and Retention

Written by Denis Dorval, Vice President International EMEA & APAC, at JumpCloud 

 

Customer experience has long been crucial for companies. It is common for a business’ investments to be anchored around maximising customer satisfaction, in increasingly innovative ways. When customer experience is king, the time and effort devoted to optimising customer satisfaction is a no-brainer. However, the main question is why some organisations are slow to do the same for the satisfaction and experience of their employees. 

  

According to PwC’s June 2023 report, one in four (26%) employees are considering changing jobs in the next 12 months, up from 19% last year. The great resignation, it seems, looks set to continue. 

 

Small to medium-sized (SME) staffing challenges and the great resignation 

 

There are many reasons why employees might quit. The same PwC research reveals that 44% of those employees that are most likely to look for alternative employment, feel overworked, with 38% struggling to pay the bills.  

 

Businesses are struggling too, with half of UK SMEs (47%) concerned about attracting and retaining talent in the next 12 months. The industry’s efforts to narrow the technology skills gap can appear, on the face of it, an unattainable goal. 

 

Central to improving job satisfaction for existing employees, and in attracting top talent, is improving their overall experience. In the age of hybrid and remote working, SMEs must create a seamless working environment, regardless of where they are based and how they work, removing friction wherever possible. They must always feel like they are ‘in the office’, regardless of geographical location. 

 

Strong HR and IT synergy crucial  

 

Work-life balance, corporate culture, team morale, and career development opportunities are some of the main factors influencing the overall employee experience within a company. However, employee experience is also profoundly influenced by human resources and IT departments. 

 

The synergy between these departments, also known as support functions, are at the heart of user lifecycle management for every employee, from the initial interview, hiring, and onboarding process, to performance, and efficiency within the company. HR and IT departments working closely is the foremost step in creating a positive employee experience, whilst reducing obstacles to productivity, through the use of tools and access management systems. 

 

Misalignment between these departments, however, can cause issues with security, productivity, compliance, and user management.  

 

Identity transformation key to a seamless and secure employee experience 

 

With the urgent shift to remote working behind us, companies – particularly SMEs – therefore need a robust IT infrastructure to accommodate the work-from-anywhere approach. Indeed, most workers now indicate they want more flexibility regarding their working hours or where they work. And SMEs are taking notice; JumpCloud’s most recent SME IT Trends research indicates that 84% of respondents agree that employee experience is an important factor in making IT purchasing decisions. 

 

In a world of hybrid working, employers need better communication, more cohesive processes, and integrated interdepartmental tools, to stay on top of employee wellbeing and experience. To achieve this, SMEs must modernise their infrastructure to simplify workflows and visibility.  

 

The most straightforward way to do this is through IT consolidation, which is achieved by identifying one platform that will become the core of the IT stack, integrating it with existing systems, and removing irrelevant legacy tools.  

 

To unify all processes, harmonise interdepartmental interconnections, and create a collaborative experience, a new user-centric approach is required for SMEs: identity transformation. 

 

Support functions vital in to transparent and secure workflows 

 

Identity transformation puts identity at the heart of IT management. Unique and specific to each individual, each person’s identity acts as an authority. Through a unified platform, each employee’s identity connects their device to the wider technology stack and guarantees transparent and secure access to physical and digital resources. 

 

This approach enables employees to use tools, software, and applications that they are granted access to, on any operating system, at any time, and in complete security. With identity transformation, IT teams, in collaboration with HR, assign access to all necessary tools without logging on repeatedly. 

 

Fewer authentication steps, automatic updates, security, and freedom: identity transformation makes things run more smoothly for support departments and the end-user, who gains peace of mind and unimpeded productivity. 

 

Both HR and IT are vital to the philosophy of identity transformation becoming a success. Together, both departments must assess their processes regarding individual employees and embrace identity transformation as the key to a successful employee experience and a guaranteed quality of life at work. 

Awards, News

Matthew Hayes wins Midlands Global Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 award – Great British Entrepreneur Awards

“Being a good entrepreneur always starts with a good idea and endless determination.

But ultimately, I put my success down to having a top-quality team behind me. Every successful business thrives due to having a hard-working and gifted team.”

MATTHEW Hayes, managing director of business growth consultant Champions (UK) plc, is celebrating being named as the Midlands Global Entrepreneur of the Year at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

Mr Hayes’ win is a recognition for his work leading Champions (UK) plc into becoming a major business growth partner based in the Midlands.

The business was started by Matthew and his father John Hayes 20 years ago, and specialises in being a strategy-led growth and implementation partner for businesses.

Matthew received his gong on November 20 at a ceremony in London which was attended by 1,500 exceptional entrepreneurs. Out of over 5000 hopeful applicants, a handful of the leading minds in UK business were selected as winners.

Judges recognised Matt for his work in boosting the growth of businesses in a wide range of industries from around the world.

Commenting on the win, Matthew said: “Winning any award is a satisfying moment of recognition and flattery. However, winning Entrepreneur of the Year is particularly special for me. Previous winner Steven Bartlett dubbed it as ‘the Grammys of entrepreneurship, and I completely agree.”

Discussing what he thinks it takes to be a high-level entrepreneur, Hayes explained: “Being a good entrepreneur always starts with a good idea and endless determination.

“But ultimately, I put my success down to having a top-quality team behind me. Every successful business thrives due to having a hard-working and gifted team.

“This award is for my team who have made me so proud over the last 20 years. I can’t thank them enough.”

 

Explaining how he measures his success via his clients’ success, Hayes added: “The real award for me will always be seeing the success of our clients. We’ve been business and growth partners to some incredible businesses over the last 20 years.

“Whether it be through increasing sales and revenue growth, helping them execute a successful investment round or exit, assisting them in growing and running their team, enabling technology innovation within their business or the range of other ways we boost our business partners’ success; the ultimate reward is seeing our clients thrive and grow.”

Animals, News, Pets, Porthcawl

Volunteer widow is raising the guide dog named in her late husband’s memory.

A widow who lost her husband after years spent battling a blood cancer diagnosis is now raising a Guide Dogs puppy named in memory of him.

Sandra Corben is raising a puppy called Corby, after her husband Neil’s last name. The puppy, who has already left a “pawprint on [her] heart”, was named through the Guide Dogs’ ‘Sponsor a Puppy’ scheme after Sandra’s late mother-in-law left a legacy gift to name a dog in his memory.

The 66-year-old from Porthcawl, Wales, applied to Guide Dogs just one month after the loss of her husband in June 2013.

It has been 10 years since her soulmate Neil passed but “it just seems like yesterday for me,” Sandra says. “It hasn’t got better for me; you just learn how to cope with it.

“I truly believe, if it had not been for Guide Dogs, that I probably would have gone on to develop PTSD, which the doctors thought I might develop, or died of a broken heart like my dad seriously thought might happen.

“My story would have been very different to what it is now. I now have happiness in my life, albeit a different type of happiness from my time with Neil, that I never thought I would have again, and this is all down to Guide Dogs.”

 

Sandra and Neil were inseparable. The couple married when Sandra was 20 and Neil was 21. The couple, who tied the knot in 1977, had their own printing business together, and spent every moment by each other’s side right up until Neil died.

Sandra says: “We just kept going all the time. Before Neil was ever ill, we always used to say, ‘I want to go before you’ because the other one didn’t want to be left.

“Towards the end when he was ill, he was in the University of Wales Hospital for three months. I visited every single day, except for a couple of days when I went down with a cold and had to stay away.

“I always say with great love, comes great sorrow and when he died, for a long time, I felt as though I was living in a bubble and life had stood still for me.”

Sandra and Neil with Dog Bran

To help overcome her grief, Sandra signed up to volunteer for Guide Dogs – something the couple had always wanted to do together.

Sandra and Neil previously owned a Golden Retriever, Bran. “When Bran died, it was very difficult, because it was another bit of my life that was gone,” Sandra says. After Bran passed in January 2014, Sandra met her first Guide Dogs puppy, Berry, in March, who she described as a “diva retriever – exactly what I needed” as a distraction.

 

Guide dog puppies stay with volunteer raisers for up to a year while following daily training routine during the week and attending Guide Dog puppy classes every few weeks. Volunteers also socialise their puppies to increase their confidence by introducing them to a variety of environments.

Since applying for Guide Dogs, Sandra has raised seven dogs so far, all of whom she loves “equally”. During her time raising puppies, Sandra experienced the loss of her father James. He passed away on December 31 2017 at 81, followed by her mother Margaret on June 2 2021 at 83.

Then in September 2021, her mother-in-law passed away at the age of 96. It was a traumatising time for Sandra, yet she knew that she had to keep busy.

Jean, who was a “great animal lover,” left a £5,000 legacy gift in her will to sponsor a Guide Dog puppy to be named in memory of her son Neil. Corby was named through the scheme and the money would go towards covering the first year of the puppy’s life.

“We decided that because Golden Retrievers were our breed [as a couple], that it would be a male Golden Retriever,” says Sandra. “The two of us thought about what the name would be, something suitable for a puppy. Neil’s nickname to friends and family was ‘Corby’”.

On September 21 2023, Sandra had an emotional meeting with the “gorgeous” Corby. Corby, who is “active” and playful, loves to nibble Sandra and the furniture of the house that she has fully refurbished to accommodate him and future puppies to come. His two nicknames are “chunky monkey” and “demolition man”. Sandra has even noticed similarities between him and Neil, describing them both as “cheeky”.

While all her Guide Dogs are special, Sandra said looking after Corby is “extra special because it is a memory of Neil” and feels the fact it has come in the 10th year marks a milestone.

“Hopefully Corby will go on to change someone’s life, or he could even turn out to be a stud dog, and then that legacy would keep going.

“Whatever happens, Corby will go on to be a life-changer in whatever way, and I hope that I can continue working with Guide Dogs for many years to come.”

She adds: “I feel now that I am starting a new journey myself. During the last 10 years I have lost five of my loved ones, which includes the last of mine and Neil’s pet dogs. I am really looking forward to the adventures with guide dog puppy Corby.

“I don’t want people to be grateful to me for puppy raising, I am just so glad that I have this in my life and it’s truly kept me going. I get more out of it than I give because I know how it has saved me.

“And now, with Corby, when people chat to me about Guide Dogs, I can tell them how Corby got his name and, not only promote puppy raising as I always do but, perhaps it will encourage more people to also leave a legacy in their wills.”

  • To find out more about volunteering opportunities for Guide Dogs, call 0345 143 0191 or visit the website: guidedogs.org.uk/volunteer

 

Animals, News, Remote Working

Return to office contributes to more than one million dogs being rehomed in the UK

Rising costs and reduced remote work leading to increased dog rehoming in the UK

  • There are an estimated 12 million pet dogs in the UK according to Statista.
  • 1 in 5 surveyed have either rehomed or considered rehoming their dog in the past year.
  • 22% of owners who rehomed their dogs say this is due to the reduction in opportunities to work from home, with 25% saying it is due to financial reasons.
  • Reports indicate a spend of £1,500 annually on dog day care alone.
  • Only 17% of UK workplaces currently allow pets.
  • Nearly twice as many men gave up their dog last year than women.

A recent survey of 2,000 UK adults has revealed a concerning trend among dog owners, with 10% having rehomed their dogs within the last year and another 11% having considered it. The survey, conducted by Novuna Business Cash Flow, shines a light on the impact of changing work environments and the increased cost of living on pet ownership.

22% of dogs being rehomed due to less opportunity to work from home this year

The shift back to traditional office settings has had unforeseen consequences for the nation’s canine companions. Approximately 22% of owners who rehomed their dogs attribute their decision to the reduction in opportunities to work from home. This change in work dynamics has left many owners unable to provide adequate care for their pets during work hours, leading to tough decisions being made.

Financial pressures are at the forefront of these rehoming decisions. A quarter of those surveyed cited the increased cost of living as the pivotal factor. With reports indicating that dog owners can spend up to £1,500 annually on day care alone, as referenced by The Money Pages, the financial burden of pet ownership is becoming too heavy for some.

Men almost twice as likely to rehome their dogs than women

Interestingly, the survey found a gender disparity in rehoming rates. Out of all the dog owners surveyed, 13% of men have rehomed their dogs in the past year compared to just 7% of women. This suggests that the pressures leading to rehoming may be felt differently across demographics.

Only 17% of UK workplaces currently allow pets

Despite these challenges, only 17% of UK workplaces currently allow pets, potentially offering a solution for some. The question now arises: Should businesses adapt to the changing financial landscape and the needs of their employees by allowing pets in the workplace or offering more flexible remote work options?

John Atkinson, Head of Commercial Business at Novuna Business Cash Flow, says, “The data we’ve collected is a stark indicator of the stress that pet owners are facing in today’s economic climate. Are businesses doing enough to help their employees by offering flexible work arrangements, pet-friendly policies, even allowing pets in the workplace. This could be key to keeping families and their pets together.”

Positive shift in dog adoption amidst rising rehoming rates

Despite the challenges outlined, there is a silver lining in the UK’s canine welfare landscape. The Dogs Trust has reported encouraging data indicating a significant increase in dog adoptions, paralleling the rise in rehoming rates.

Adoption numbers on the rise, according to The Dogs Trust

  • +11% increase in dogs being adopted this year, a statistic that highlights the public’s growing preference for adoption over purchasing puppies.
  • A comparison of figures reveals a hopeful trend: from 7,775 dogs rehomed in 2021 to 9,067 in 2022 – a 16.62% increase.
  • The trend is expected to continue, with projections for 2023 estimating around 10,070 dog adoptions, an 11.06% increase from 2022.

This data presents an optimistic counter-narrative, showcasing the public’s increasing willingness to offer homes to dogs in need, thereby maintaining a balance in dog welfare amidst challenging times.

About the Research:

  • Total dogs in the UK: https://www.statista.com/statistics/515379/dogs-population-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
  • Field Dates: 31st October – 3rd November 2023
  • Sample: 2000 UK adults
  • Weighting: Weighted to be nationally representative
  • Dog adoption figures were provided by the Dogs Trust on 15/11/2023 when asked “Please provide a year on year comparison on how many dogs have actually been rehomed (2021, 2022, 2023)?”

 

About Novuna

Novuna is a trading style of Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC, a leading financial services company, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). We have over 2,200 employees, £7.6bn of net earning assets and nearly 1.3 million customers across five business divisions; Novuna Consumer Finance, Novuna Vehicle Solutions, Novuna Business Finance, Novuna Business Cash Flow and our European division specialising in Vendor Finance. For over 40 years, formerly as Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC, we have worked with consumers and small to medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as corporate multinationals in the UK and mainland Europe, enabling millions of consumers and businesses to achieve their ambitions.

From 1 April 2021 we became a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi HC Capital Inc., strengthening our relationship with one of the world’s largest and most diversified financial groups with over £60bn of assets.

 

Novuna Business Cash Flow

Novuna Business Cash Flow provides cashflow finance solutions to SMEs across a wide range of sectors in the UK, allowing businesses to release cash from unpaid invoices within 24 hours.

With remote digital on-boarding through FLi, its unique platform, and flexible approach to contracts, Novuna Business Cash Flow was awarded the Best Factoring and Invoice Discounting Provider at the 2023 Business Moneyfacts Awards.

Novuna Business Finance and Novuna Business Cash Flow are both trading styles of Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC, part of Mitsubishi HC Capital Inc., one of the world’s largest and most diversified financial groups, with over £60bn of assets.

Business & Property News, News, Scotland

6 Big developments in Scottish business and investment you need to know about

Scottish innovation is alive and well, with a new generation of entrepreneurs creating products with the potential to meet some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Innovation was the theme at this year’s Scottish International Week 2023 – a common thread weaving together Scottish leaders worldwide. Throughout this week-long event, leaders gathered to celebrate, innovate and unite under a collective vision – empowering Scottish businesses for the future.

The online and in-person conference, which was the biggest since its 2017 launch, included 20 events on the main agenda, with dozens of others taking place on the fringes. Among the four major focus areas discussed during the week were: Talent, Digital, Games, and IoT. These themes produced numerous big takeaways which, according to Scottish Business Network chairman Russell Dalgleish, demonstrate how much potential there is in both Scotland and its diaspora.

“I’ve long believed that Scotland’s diaspora, particularly those who are active in the business sector, is one of its biggest strengths,” he said. “This year’s Scottish International Week demonstrated how big of an advantage it is, particularly when it comes to encouraging investment and partnerships with domestic entrepreneurs and enterprises.”

If Scotland is to make the most of the advantage that its diaspora offers, Dalgleish says, it must take heed of the lessons from six of the event’s biggest takeaways.

 

1. Growing, global ambitions

According to Dalgleish, one of the biggest takeaways from the week was how determined Scottish entrepreneurs are to make a mark not just on their home cities and country but on the entire globe.

“During the week, there was clear evidence of a growing desire by Scottish founders to address global rather than local challenges,” says Dalgleish. “This global first mindset was strongest amongst early-stage companies.”

If those entrepreneurs are to meet their global ambitions, then international networks will be vital. Here, the Scottish diaspora will be critical.

 

2. GovTech increases in importance

One area where conference attendees identified significant opportunities is in the GovTech sector. While it’s difficult to pin down an exact definition of GovTech, from an entrepreneurial perspective, it’s probably best to think of it as technology companies providing innovation through products and services to the government, to improve public sector service delivery.

According to Dalgleish, that’s hardly surprising given how invested Scotland’s been in the sector for some time.

“GovTech was a prominent subject discussed during the week and Scotland’s global leadership position was acknowledged,” he said.

In particular, he pointed to the success of the government’s ongoing CivTech programme. Dalgleish also noted that the recent launch of a dedicated Govtech cluster is attracting global interest.

 

3. Scotland’s culture of collaboration a cause for celebration

In popular culture and much of the public imagination, innovation is the result of brilliant individuals putting in long hours of lonely hard work. In truth, however, innovation is really about collaboration. And, according to Dalgleish, the embrace of collaboration during Scottish International Week should be a cause for celebration.

“In talks covering culture, politics, business and education much was said about how the unique Scottish culture of collaboration across sectors makes Scotland a welcoming environment for international companies looking for a European base,” he said.

 

4. Could Scotland become an AI powerhouse?

Given how rapidly artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and Midjourney have made their way into the public’s consciousness, it should hardly be surprising that it was the dominant technology theme of the week.

Here too Dalgleish believes that Scotland’s heritage in the sector could serve the country well.

“Edinburgh’s long history in machine learning and AI in particular (Edinburgh University’s School of Informatics this year celebrated 60 years of research and development in the sector) positions the country well for the future,” he says.

 

5. Insight and support from the global diaspora

Another big insight to come from the week was how invested the Scottish business diaspora is in ensuring that Scottish businesses are successful.

“The global Scottish diaspora contributed content and insight to the week,” says Dalgleish. “That’s important because it acts as a support network for Scottish companies with international ambition. During the week, introductions were made from Scotland to the world which we will now watch flourish over the coming months.”

 

6. Diversity is an imperative     

One of the most impactful parts of this year’s Scottish International Week was the Black Talent Conference. Held at Heart of Midlothian Football Ground, the conference shed light on the need to provide more support to ethnic minority groups to ensure their talents were best utilised.

In the aftermath of the conference, Dalgleish announced plans for a programme to help address this issue through improving candidate/employer engagement.

 

A solid foundation for growth

“As a longtime advocate for Scottish business as a global force, Scottish International Week provided much cause for optimism,” said Dalgleish. “It’s clear that Scottish innovators and entrepreneurs, both domestic and abroad, are hungry to make their mark on the world.”

“It’s only by building on Scotland’s long history of innovation and penchant for collaboration that this vision will become a reality,” he concluded. “But if we can build on the advances made during Scottish International Week then that reality may be closer than ever.”

Events, HR, Neurodiversity, News

Lexxic Hosts New Webinar on Neuro-inclusive HR Practices

Lexxic, the leading neurodiversity consultancy in empowering neurodiversity in the workplace, are proud to be hosting a brand-new webinar, focused on the importance of neuro-inclusive HR practices.

“Neurodiversity for HR Professionals: How To Empower & Support Your Neurodivergent Employees” will be taking place on Friday, 1st December 2023, from 12 – 1:30pm (GMT).

In this session, attendees will receive practical advice on how to embed neuro-inclusion within their people management practices and learn why empowering neurodivergent talent can help unlock unique workplace skills and strengths that can create a competitive business advantage.

Neurodivergent employees make up around 15% of the workforce, and often possess many of the skills most important for the future economy: creativity, decision making, problem solving, adaptability and analysis.

Neuro-inclusive HR practices, including recruitment, talent management and employee support, are essential to unlocking these skills and empowering neurodivergent talent to thrive, which can create a competitive advantage for your organisation.

 

The Lexxic team will explain what neurodiversity is all about and provide practical advice on how you can embed neuro-inclusion within your people management practices.

Host Helen Musgrove, Director of Psychological Consulting at Lexxic, will also be discussing:

  • What we mean by neurodiversity and what neurodifferences are
  • How having a neurodifference might impact someone at work
  • What type of assessments can be used to identify neurodivergent traits, and to understand the adjustments that may benefit an individual at work
  • What we mean by neuro-inclusive talent management, and why it is important to focus on strengths

There will also be time set aside towards the end of the session to answer questions from the audience.

To find out more, and to register to attend, please visit the event registration page.