Monthly Archives: December 2023

News

New jobs and organic expansion as farm estate ends year on a high

ORGANIC growth at a leading farm estate is not limited to its award-winning products.

Rhug Estate, based near Corwen in North Wales, is experiencing significant expansion in all aspects of its operations.

Home and overseas sales have remained buoyant this year and over past weeks several new faces have joined the Rhug family.

Among the recent recruits are Cutting Plant Manager Paulo Santos, and Richard Harris, who will be taking on the role of Procurement and Logistics Manager for the entire Rhug Estate group, including the renowned Wild Beauty range.

Additionally, Emily Johnson has been appointed Head of Sales and Marketing, and Merial Owen to the Accounts department.

Despite difficult trading conditions the sprawling 12,500-acre estate has continued to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lord Newborough, owner of Rhug Estate and a finalist in the Unretirement Entrepreneur of the Year category at The Great British Entrepreneur Awards, predicts continued success in 2024.

“We are thrilled to welcome Paulo, Richard, Emily, and Merial to our expanding team,” he said.

“The growth we have experienced in all areas of our business this year has necessitated to strengthen the team.

“Our national and international presence, particularly with the Wild Beauty collection, has created a demand for more resources and expertise.”

Lord Newborough added: “As one of the significant employers in this region of North Wales, we take pride in our contribution to the local economy.

“Our farm estate attracts thousands of visitors and supports various producers and small businesses in our supply chain.

“These key appointments will enable us to further our vision for 2024, elevating our standards of quality and commitment to delivering the finest products, events, and produce to our customers.”

For more news and information including upcoming events and vacancies with the team at Rhug Organic Farm Estate, visit the website www.rhug.co.uk and follow them on social media at @rhugestate.

For more information on Wild Beauty, visit www.rhugwildbeauty.com or follow them on social media @rhugwildbeauty.

AI, Data, Data & Analytics, News

Looking to 2024: Data, AI and security will be top priorities for businesses

Written by Nathan Vega, Vice President of Product Marketing and Strategy at Protegrity

 The technology landscape has evolved significantly over the last year with the introduction of technologies such as ChatGPT and other generative AI tools taking the market by storm, while raising concerns about data security and more.  As we move forward into 2024, we anticipate that the impact these new technologies have made this year means they will continue to pave the way forward, with AI remaining a hot topic in the industry, while data security concerns rise around it.

 

Transparency

While data is considered the new oil, customers are going to expect more transparency from companies in terms of what they are doing with the data. Similar to Heinz Ketchup, which became a leading brand when it introduced a transparent bottle that allowed customers to truly see what was inside it, customers are going to expect a level of transparency from businesses when it comes to data.

Currently, companies are being forced to share details of what they are doing with customer data, and we expect to see more privacy regulations coming into effect to protect citizen data further. At the same time, we anticipate that companies will start to explore options for international data hubs that have been designed to meet stringent privacy laws to keep customer data safe.

 

Fragmented AI

There has been an impressive uptake in AI by businesses over the past year and, thanks to the likes of ChatGPT, many consumers today are using it as well. We expect to see the adoption of AI continue to grow in the year ahead. However, AI is currently quite fragmented and complicated, and we expect to see this changing in a similar way to cloud computing, starting out fragmented and simplifying over time.

A big issue for AI is the skills shortage. While the overall technology industry is facing a skills shortage, there is a major shortage of AI experts and talent in the industry. There will not be a quick fix, and this will hamper development in the AI space. At the same time, businesses are likely to experience the trough of disillusionment with AI and GenAI as companies grapple with the technology without realising its full potential.

 

Analysing and protecting data

Businesses are realising the value of analysing data, which has been made easier to extract with the help of AI. As such, companies will continue to invest in this technology and those that haven’t will be playing catch up. However, AI presents a challenge, in that privacy could be easily compromised as anyone with access to GenAI could extract the data too.

As such, companies will need to consider how they protect data from being accessed and used by unauthorised individuals, while at the same time giving those who need the data the required access. Companies are coming to realise the value of protecting data with solutions such as tokenisation, which keeps information segmented while giving access to the specific data that business units or individuals need to perform their jobs. In doing this, they are able to protect the most valuable data and minimise the risk of unauthorised users accessing data they shouldn’t.

With data breaches only set to rise in 2024 and beyond, this is of the utmost importance.

 

Disinformation and the impact of AI

While businesses are adopting AI with caution, attackers are adopting and using these technologies much faster and collaborating together to weaponise AI. This is where we are likely to see the biggest development taking place. As such, 2024 is likely to bring about breaches led by GenAI techniques either in the form of phishing emails, videos, doctored videos and images or even all of these combined.

At the same time, a clever use of data manipulation could damage data models, allowing for inaccurate predictions that could have a massive impact on a business or government entity. This data poisoning, which involves tampering with Machine Learning (ML) training techniques to produce undesirable outcomes, is going to be a growing concern for organisations that have a lot of data, as the more data you have the more likely it is that there could be bad data contained within it. This is another reason why companies will be turning to data protection tools to aid in data security.

 

Data, data everywhere

The pandemic might be behind us, but it changed the way we work forever. The gig economy has grown significantly, and this is likely to have some implications for business going forward, as skilled workers sell their time and access company data wherever they are, which will continue to impact the way in which we work.

Already innovation in hybrid work environments and being able to access whatever data and tools you need from wherever you are, has great appeal for many workers and they are unlikely to want to work for an organisation that does not at least offer a hybrid option. From a data perspective, this accentuates the need for it to be protected and for companies to implement solutions that meet regulation requirements across various territories to remain compliant, keeping commitments to secure customer and employee data and ensuring you have happy employees.

In addition to meeting customer expectations for data security and privacy or risk the chance of losing them, more and more companies will be investing in meeting compliance standards, while others will be fined for non-compliance to regulation standards such as PCI and DORA.

Data is going to either make or break businesses in 2024. As technologies continue to evolve, people will demand their data is secure and, as threat actors become more relentless, organisations will have to continue to go beyond the regulations and checkboxes to keep data secure. They will need to bring data security to the boardroom table, making it a key topic for discussion that focuses on data use and the protection of it for the best interest of their customers, employees and their business.

Christmas, interior design, News, Retail & E-commerce

North West’s biggest advent calendar lights up the region’s skyline

Arighi Bianchi unveils 110ft high advent calendar as part of store’s Christmas festivities

Homewares retailer Arighi Bianchi is once again sprinkling some festive magic over the North West after unveiling what is believed to be the region’s biggest advent calendar at 110ft high. The advent calendar has quickly become one of the area’s must-see festive decorations!

Arighi Bianchi’s iconic Silk Road store in Macclesfield has been transformed into a 110ft high and 45ft wide advent calendar that lights up the skyline throughout December The famous arched shaped windows on the landmark building have been brought to life for the festive period, bringing Christmas cheer to one of the town’s busiest routes.

The Advent by Day

Sarah Bianchi, Arighi Bianchi’s Managing Director, said: “We absolutely love getting into the festive spirit at Arighi Bianchi. Christmas is such a special time for our family-run-business, and we love to share that magic and goodwill with our customers too.

“Of course it wouldn’t be Christmas without our now famous window display, and we have once again pulled out all of the stops to surprise and delight shoppers and passers-by. Our advent calendar has really captured the hearts of people in the town and it is fantastic that is has become so integral to creating some Christmas magic in the local area.”

 

Also taking place at the store in December:

 

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA

Expanding on its popular visit from Santa last year, Arighi Bianchi will be hosting a Breakfast with Santa event, giving local children the chance to meet Father Christmas and his mischievous elf.

The fun-filled morning will take place on Sunday 10th December from 9:30am inside Caffè AB (on the second floor of the Arighi Bianchi store). Included is breakfast, a meet and greet with Santa, Christmas gift goody bag and festive fun and games. Tickets are £14.95 per child and can be pre-booked here.

 

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS ONLINE GIVEAWAY

Arighi Bianchi will also be giving away £3,000 worth of prizes in December with an online advent draw. Prizes include Le Creuset cookware, throws and a selection of accessories for the home. To enter keep an eye on Arighi’s social media channels (@arighibianchi), go online at www.arighibianchi.co.uk or visit the store.

 

Sarah continued: “Our breakfast with Santa event is set to be hugely popular and we are honoured to welcome such a special guest into the store. For anyone who misses out on a ticket, he will be walking around the store during the afternoon so there will be ample opportunity to say hello and let him know why you deserve to be on the ‘good list’.

“Within our store, and online, we have gifts galore and some beautiful home accessories to help make a house a home this Christmas. We look forward to welcoming visitors throughout the festive period.”

News, Tech, Technology

Colt highlights ten enterprise tech industry trends and forecasts for 2024

AI for value creation, Edge computing and ‘greening’ of networks expected to top enterprise tech leaders’ agendas over next 12 months

Colt Technology Services, the digital infrastructure company, today shared key enterprise technology trends and forecasts for 2024. Based on proprietary research and industry intelligence, Colt expects practical applications of AI; network ‘greening’ and edge computing to top global enterprise tech leaders’ agendas over the next 12 months.

Mirko Voltolini, VP – Innovation, Colt Technology Services said, “AI will spread its wings in 2024: creating deeper value across the organisation; driving Edge and transforming business operations. We expect to see digital sovereignty talked about more widely as organisations stay on top of local regulatory requirements and look for deeper levels of security to protect their data against risk.” He continued, “2024 will bring us exciting new digital services, platforms and applications, supported by smart technologies and flexible digital infrastructure; and it will see us accelerate the march towards sustainable, responsible network infrastructure”.

1: AI for value creation

Businesses will explore the wider application of AI for value creation over the next 12 months, according to research Colt carried out for its Digital Infrastructure Report. Almost one in two (46%) plan to use AI to improve the Customer Experience; the same percentage (46%) for staff training; 45% to drive Sales, and the same for Risk Management; and 44% for Marketing, for Operations and to boost their digital infrastructure. PWC’s Global Digital Trust Insights study found almost seven in ten (69%) plan to use AI for cyber defence. Colt anticipates that the use of enterprise-sensitive datasets for AI models training will drive the adoption of dedicated, private enterprise AI deployments.

2: Application-driven edge: the rise of the smart, data driven Enterprise

Vast amounts of data are already processed at the edge, with use cases generally across industrial, medical and commercial sectors as it integrates with cloud and reduces latency. In 2024, Colt expects to see growth in the number of Edge-located applications. This growth will be exponential, accelerated by the adoption of AI in combination with smart technologies such as IoT and immersive Extended Reality (XR).

3: Network as a Service

Network as a Service, consumption-based infrastructure, On Demand connectivity – whatever your preferred nomenclature, the ability to use digital infrastructure as and when you need it is the perfect fit for 2024 and beyond, saving costs, reducing unnecessary energy emissions and supporting businesses’ need to flex with ever-changing market dynamics. Colt’s research found that one in five (20%) say it’s absolutely essential to their business, and almost 9 in 10 (89%) of survey respondents who have aspects of intelligent digital infrastructure are already using – or plan to use – On Demand connectivity.

4: Growth in SD WAN and SASE

SD WAN and SASE will continue to generate growth into 2024 and beyond. Global SD WAN connected sites are expected to reach around 7.5 million by the end of 2028 (roughly double site numbers in 2023), according to the Global SD WAN and SASE forecast from Matt Small and Catherine Hammond at Analysys Mason. The same report anticipates SASE will account for 17% of combined SD WAN and cloud security spending, generating US$21 billion by 2028 (up from USD$4.5 billion in 2023).

5: Private Wireless Networking

With enterprises aiming to develop a closer integration between their IT stack and their Operational Technologies (OT) environment, Colt anticipates that indoor network communication requirements will become more demanding in terms of throughput, latency and quality of service at application level. The adoption of AI and smart technologies such as IoT and immersive XR will drive the deployment of private wireless 5G networking solution in enterprise business and operational facilities.

6: Infrastructure Sovereignty

With the current geopolitical challenges; stringent data regulatory compliance requirements; the increase in security threats; and the expected future needs for enterprise to manage large amount of private sensitive data, driven by the adoption of AI technology, Colt anticipates that the need for a sovereign infrastructure capability will emerge. This will apply to both data at rest and in motion, driving cloud infrastructure as well as network sovereignty requirements.

7: Security – particularly Zero Trust

Security remains the highest priority for more than one in two (53%) of the IT leaders Colt spoke to in its study of 1100 across 12 countries. PWC’s study found the number of businesses experiencing a data breach costing them more than US$1m increased by a third, year over year, rising from 27% in 2022 to 36% in 2023. As businesses look to reduce their attack surfaces, more are looking to zero trust, and Colt expects this to continue over the next 12 months.

8: ‘Greening’ networks

2024 will see the tech enterprise held accountable for its targets around ESG, driven partly by new rules from the European Parliament to crack down on ‘greenwashing’. With carbon emissions from the ICT industry expected to exceed emissions generated by the travel industry, telcos have a responsibility to build powerful, next-generation digital networks with minimal environmental impact through reducing scope 3 emissions to using sustainable energy resources, refurbished hardware components and incorporating end-of-life processes which promote circular economy principles.

Colt expects to see regulatory consultation and reform across different markets to boost the circular economy in 2024: the legislation on waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) was adopted in 2002 and its last major update was over 11 years ago, in 2012. The tech industry must address this at the buying stage, with more information about the repairability, recyclability and embedded component emissions of the equipment purchased.

9: A rise in M&A activity in the telecoms industry

After a slowdown influenced by the uncertain geopolitical landscape in 2023, M&A activity is expected to pick up in 2024 fuelled by rapid growth in AI, continued cloud migration and the evolution of organisations’ digital transformation programmes. Tech firms must scale to support customers’ diverse requirements, and expanding their portfolios with new capabilities will help them compete and grow.

10: The CEO as Chief Culture Officer

As tech looks for new ways to solve the talent shortage in 2024, culture will move up the agenda to a critical success factor and differentiator. Businesses will look to the CEO as Chief Culture Officer: The CEO must be invested in role modelling culture and businesses will look to the CEO as Chief Culture Officer.

About Colt Technology Services 

Colt Technology Services (Colt) is a global digital infrastructure company which creates extraordinary connections to help businesses succeed. Powered by amazing people and like-minded partners, Colt is driven by its purpose: to put the power of the digital universe in the hands of its customers, wherever, whenever and however they choose.

Since 1992, Colt has set itself apart through its deep commitment to its customers, growing from its heritage in the City of London to a global business spanning 38 countries, with over 6,000 employees and more than 80 offices around the world. Colt’s customers benefit from expansive digital infrastructure connecting 32,000 buildings across 230 cities, more than 50 Metropolitan Area Networks and 230 Points of Presence across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and North America’s largest business hubs.

Privately owned, Colt is one of the most financially sound companies in the sector. Obsessed with delivering industry-leading customer experience, Colt is guided by its dedication to customer innovation, by its values and its responsibility to its customers, partners, people and the planet.

News

£300k secured to deliver vital jobs and training academies in North Wales

CONWY Employment Hub secured up to £300,000 to deliver vital jobs and education training academies across the county for the next 12 months.

The Pathways to Employment project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is administered and managed on a regional basis.

Together they will be targeting industries with a labour shortage locally, including Energy and Environment, Construction, Advanced Manufacturing, Creative and Digital, Tourism and Hospitality, Health, and Food and Farming.

Conwy Employment Hub’s grant was for £292,510 and in past weeks training has begun, led by key organisations in each sector.

Among those to enrol on a course was Haydn Foulkes, who attended sessions with Go North Wales in Colwyn Bay, at the Quay Hotel in Deganwy and the Hilton Hotel, Dolgarrog, led by North Wales Tourism CEO Jim Jones.

Haydn has since gone on to secure a role in the hospitality arena.

“We learned a lot about tourism and hospitality in North Wales through this friendly programme, which also provided us with a training pack and exercises to hone our thoughts, ideas, and goals about this as a future career,” he said.

“I found it very useful, not only did I learn a great deal about tourism and hospitality but also about my approach to work.

“Since then, I have obtained new employment, and whilst it’s not as a tour guide – which I had set my sights upon during the course – it is still in the hospitality field, in catering.

“I thoroughly enjoy it and had I not been on the course I might not have considered going into this as a job.”

Jim added: “We are delighted to be working in collaboration with the Conwy Employment Hub at the Go North Wales Tourism and Hospitality Academy.

“Partnering with them has proven to be invaluable as they refer us clients who have been thoroughly vetted and possess a genuine enthusiasm for getting involved in our industry.

“This has benefited us greatly, as we can now seamlessly guide these individuals through training towards job opportunities that align with their aspirations.

“Together, we are fostering a strong connection between potential employees and employers, making the process of finding suitable positions more efficient and rewarding.”

Libby Duo, Strategic Manager for Conwy Employment Hub, said the funding will enable them to support even more people into work and education over the coming year.

“In addition to providing job specific training, all courses will focus on increasing confidence, resilience, wellbeing, team building and employability skills,” said Libby.

“They will also include the completion of CVs/application forms, interview skills, sector specific accredited qualifications and basic IT skills, with an introduction to each sector by an employer or industry expert.

“Attendees will generally be people that are work-ready or close to being work-ready, including those in seasonal roles or on zero-hour contracts who will benefit from more secure employment, and efforts are being made to include people from disadvantaged or challenging backgrounds.

“We want to open-up these unique opportunities to as many people as possible, and that includes employers in Conwy so desperate for committed, skilled workers.

“In turn that will have a knock-on effect for communities and the local economy, which is our top priority.”

Visit Conwy Employment Hub – More information – Conwy County Borough Council for more on Conwy Employment Hub and information on the training academies.

Alternatively, call 01492 575578, email ceh@conwy.gov.uk or you can self-refer via the website at https://bit.ly/Conwy-form.

Agri Tech, Agriculture, Recruitment, Recruitment News

Recruiting for specialist roles in agritech

Written by Matt Johnson, agritech recruitment specialist, Jonathan Lee Recruitment

Like many industries where improving sustainability is concerned, agriculture is undergoing a huge transformation. Technology and innovation are revolutionising the agricultural landscape like never before, developing new ways to feed an increasing population while tackling the impacts of climate change.

The sector is growing rapidly, supported by millions of pounds in investment from the Government, including grant opportunities which are driving innovation and growth on an unprecedented scale.

It has led to the creation of a range of exciting new career paths outside of the more traditional agricultural roles which have dominated the industry for many years.

Agritech relies on more specialist and technical expertise across areas such as AI and automation, precision farming, smart irrigation, design, software and data science.

As is often the case with a new and fast-growing industry though, the challenge is finding appropriately skilled staff in the numbers needed. There are not enough new graduates or trainees coming through the education system to fill all the roles, and it can be difficult to know where to target recruitment campaigns when jobs are particularly specialist or nuanced.

This is where partnering with specialist agritech recruiters can make all the difference. When an industry is relatively new, or roles are niche, recruitment has to be a lot more strategic if it is to succeed in finding the right people and attracting them to your business.

As experts in the engineering, manufacturing and technical sectors for over four decades, agritech was a natural progression for us. We opened a new office in Telford’s Agri-EPI Centre so we could be closer to the flourishing agritech enterprises who need our help in solving their recruitment challenges.

Our specialist technical expertise is enabling us to support agritech businesses in finding new hires across automation and controls, electrification and fuel cell development, electronics and embedded, research and development, design, software, data science and more.

Maximising your chances of recruitment success

Adopting a more strategic approach to recruitment can help maximise your chances of success, especially when demand is high but skilled workers are in short supply.

Tailored recruitment strategies

Attracting top talent starts with taking the time to understand your company ethos, mission and values and building this into your recruitment strategy. It means effectively communicating your business as a good place to work and taking the time to identify, plan and prepare for your recruitment needs.

Researching the market

Before you start recruiting, it’s important to research your sector and identify where the skills you need might be found. This could be another industry where skills are similar and transferrable, or a particular location, where certain technologies are clustered – we all know, for example, that Shropshire is a real hub for agritech innovation.

Going beyond skills and qualifications

Recruiting based on desired values and behaviours, rather than specific qualifications, and being prepared to add any training needed, can help you find candidates who share your passion. Recruiting on competencies opens up the potential to attract a much wider variety of candidates with the right attributes.

Standing out from the competition

Maximising your chances of success also means ensuring you are positioning your business as a welcoming and attractive place to work. This will involve researching salaries available in similar roles and also understanding other benefits people look for in a new career, such as flexible working, location, wellbeing, inclusive environment, pension and maternity benefits.

Adopting flexible solutions

It might be that the best solution lies in temporary recruitment, whether that’s short-term contracts, or even hiring freelance consultants for specific phases of the project. This can make it easier to access the specialised expertise you need without the expectation of having to make any long-term commitments, particularly when you’re recruiting for a grant-funded project.

Unlocking your talent pool

As a recruitment business partner, we use a variety of methods, including our decades of experience and network of contacts across technical, engineering and manufacturing sectors, to find suitable candidates. We will actively engage with your potential new hires using targeted measures such as reaching out to our own database, referrals, targeted advertising, professional networking sites and appropriate social media platforms.

To find out more about how Jonathan Lee Recruitment can support agritech businesses, visit www.jonlee.co.uk, or contact agritech recruitment specialist, Matt Johnson, on 01952 987033, or email matt.johnson@jonlee.co.uk.

 

Business, Digital Transformation

Enhancing Customer Experience with Advanced Digital Solutions

Revolutionizing Customer Interactions

Nowadays, customer satisfaction is very important for every business. All kinds of companies are using new digital methods to improve how they talk and respond to customers’ inquiries to fulfil their requests trying to provide the best experience. They aim to give smooth experiences to each of the customers and leave a lasting impression for everyone.

The Digital Transformation of Customer Experience

Enhancing customer experience with digital tools is more than just tech. It’s about reshaping the entire customer journey from first contact to after-sales care, every step is a chance to impress and connect with customers.

Why Digital Solutions are Key

  • Personalization at Scale: Digital tools enable businesses to offer highly personalized experiences to a vast audience, something that was unimaginable in the pre-digital era.
  • Consistency Across Channels: Ensuring a uniform experience across all platforms, whether it’s social media, your website, or in-store, is crucial, and digital solutions help maintain this consistency.
  • Real-time Engagement: Customers today expect quick responses. Thanks to digital tools and their real-time interaction capabilities, customer satisfaction is drastically improving

Tailoring Digital Solutions to Your Business

The first step in enhancing customer support with digital solutions is understanding your customer base. Ask yourself what are their preferences, pain points, and behaviours. Using analytics and data mining tools can make it easier to understand the foundation of your digital strategy. 

Choosing the Right Tools

From AI chatbots to mobile apps, the range of digital tools available is vast and the key is to choose solutions that align with your business goals and customer needs. Overall, It’s not about having the latest technology; it’s about having the right technology.

Incorporating Efficient Business Processes

In addition to digital tools for customers, improving how the business operates internally is very important too. For example, using automation of financial reporting can make things run smoother and faster and this lets businesses use more time and effort to make customer experiences better.

The Impact on Customer Loyalty

A positive experience is a cornerstone in building customer loyalty because by leveraging digital solutions, businesses can not only meet but exceed customer expectations, fostering a strong, loyal customer base.

Overcoming Challenges with Innovation

Adopting digital solutions does come with its set of challenges – integration with existing systems, data security concerns, and ensuring user-friendliness. Although, the key lies in selecting the right tools and partners to navigate these challenges effectively.

Staying Ahead of Consumer Trends

Consumer behaviours and preferences are constantly evolving as digital solutions provide the agility and flexibility to adapt quickly to these changes, ensuring that businesses stay relevant and competitive.

Real-world Success Stories

Look at a retail chain’s story where they improved how they serve customers with digital help. Smart AI-based systems are set to give personalized shopping tips. By applying these tips the customers got suggestions of what they liked, which led to the store selling more and customers leaving happier.

Impact on Small Businesses

Digital solutions are not just for large corporations. In recent years small businesses have seen big growth by applying tools like CRM systems, chatbots, and social media analytics to their daily operations. Thanks to these tools small businesses can now understand and cater to their customers better, levelling the playing field with larger competitors.

Building a Future-Proof Customer Experience

The digital landscape is always evolving, and so should your approach to customer support. Regularly reviewing and updating your digital strategy ensures that your business stays ahead in providing a top-notch customer experience.

Training and Development

Implementing digital solutions is not just a technical challenge but also a human one. Consider investing in training your staff to effectively use these tools since it is crucial in realizing their full potential.

Conclusion

Enhancing customer experience through digital solutions is not just a trend; it’s a necessity in the modern business world because it’s about understanding and adapting to customer needs, leveraging technology to provide exceptional service, and building lasting relationships. As we advance, the businesses that succeed will be those that recognise the power of digital solutions in creating a customer experience that is not just satisfactory but delightful. ​

Business

Double Appointment to Duckhams Oils Global Team

Duckhams, the original British motor oil since 1899, is pleased to announce two new appointments to its global team.

Chris Clarkson has been appointed Global Technical and Procurement Officer, based in the Bolton, UK office. Chris joins from Moove Europe, where he was the Technical & Procurement Manager, leading the Technical, Procurement and Chemical Regulatory Compliance teams. Taking ownership of EU sourcing strategies, Chris developed partnerships with strategic technical suppliers to achieve efficient, sustainable outcomes.

Rajat Moitra has taken up the role of Global Chief Marketing Officer, based out of the Dubai office. Rajat has over twenty-four years of experience in marketing, sales and strategy across multiple categories, including lubricants, tyres and consumer durables. Most recently, he was Head of Regional Sales and Global Marketing for GP Petroleums Ltd., a major lubricant industry player.

Firoz Patel, Duckhams Managing Director (MESA), said, “Chris has over 13 years of experience in the lubricant industry with a focus on technology, supply and operations. He brings with him valuable skills in strategic sourcing, formulations, chemical regulations, improving processes and developing teams. Rajat has worked for market-leading and challenger brands, including Castrol, Petronas, Repsol, Philips, Fevicol, and Ceat tyres. He has significant expertise in business scale-ups, building brand saliency, sales operations, route-to-market, and managing large teams.

We are delighted to welcome Chris and Rajat to the Duckhams family as we approach our 125-year milestone in 2024. Continuously investing in People and Brand assets is essential for any growing company. As a global business, we seek to hire diverse industry talent to drive our business forward. Both bring extensive lubricant experience to our team, and I look forward to working with them.”

Founded by Alexander Duckham, a natural innovator, successful businessman, and pioneer of modern movement, Duckhams has been making engines move since 1899. In 1922, Duckhams developed a revolutionary new process oil to control the build up of carbon deposits in engines and in 1933, Duckhams launched the first synchromesh gearbox oil. In 1951, Duckhams was responsible for the introduction of Europe’s first multigrade oil. This iconic green motor oil would transform lubricant technology forever.

With a motorsports legacy spanning over fifty years, Duckhams has sponsored winners in motorcycle racing, Formula 1, Formula 3, Formula Ford and the Porsche Carrera Cup. Duckhams-sponsored Jackie Ickx won the F1 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch in 1974, and in 1975, James Hunt won the Dutch Grand Prix in a Surtees. In 1981, Ari Vatanen became the World Rally Champion. Duckhams’ involvement with the Porsche Carrera GB Cup began in 2021 with a first victory by Duckhams driver Dan Cammish, followed by Adam Smalley’s victory in 2023. Duckhams are also OR BRIC Superbike 2023 champions in Thailand, solidifying their motorsports legacy.

Duckhams delivers high-performance engine oils formulated to keep engines of all ages moving. Their passenger and commercial vehicle lubricants are available in twenty-sever countries across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Apprenticeships, Awards, Education News, News from Wales

Educ8 Training wins ‘People-Led Growth’ award at Wales’ Fast 50

Educ8 Training Group has won special recognition for ‘People-Led Growth’ at Wales’ 25th anniversary Fast Growth 50 Awards event in Cardiff.

This news follows on from the company being placed 5th in the ‘Best Large Company to Work For in the UK’ awards, where Educ8 proudly celebrated yet another milestone – retaining its place in the top 5 for the 3rd consecutive year.

Celebrating 25 years and welcoming over 1,100 guests to the Utilita Arena in Cardiff, Wales’ Fast Growth 50 event marks the largest ever assembly of Welsh business talent, recognising the incredible achievements of the fastest growing businesses in Wales.

Since starting in 1999, Wales’ Fast Growth 50 have given a platform to businesses to gain recognition for their achievements and contributes significantly to the Welsh economy. As of this year, the Fast Growth 50 Index expanded its reach nationally, unveiling an extensive list highlighting the 50 fastest growing businesses across seven nations and regions of the UK.

Educ8 Training Group marked its inaugural invitation to the event this year, sharing the stage with AerFin, ALS People, CP Hire GB, FlyForm, Freshwater, Pro Steel Engineering Limited, Smart Solutions Group and Yolk Recruitment Ltd. Winners are chosen based on their turnover growth over a two-year period, recognising their ability to scale rapidly and sustainably. Sponsored by the Cardiff Capital Region, the ‘People-Led Growth’ award showcases Educ8’s people-led approach to phenomenal growth.

Grant Santos, Chief Executive at Educ8 said: “We are so proud to have won the special recognition for ‘People-Led Growth’ award. This is a superb achievement and recognises the substantial growth that we’ve have had over the last couple of years.

The award encapsulates who we are as a business. Our growth and success has, and will continue to be a result of the fantastic people who make Educ8 such a great place to work.”

This year Educ8 Training Group has gone from strength to strength and remains at the forefront of innovation in the sector. From launching their brand-new Energy and Carbon Management apprenticeship to help support the Welsh Government’s target of becoming a net zero nation by 2050, to pioneering Virtual Reality (VR) in hair salons across South Wales. Educ8 is dedicated to offering innovative programmes that empower individuals to excel in their role.

Jude Holloway, Managing Director at Educ8, added: “2023 has been a monumental year for us as a group and this award is a testament to our people and our values. This award recognises and celebrates all the hard work and dedication of our staff across the Educ8 Group.

Dylan Jones Evans, Founder of Fast Growth 50, said: “After 25 years of the Wales Fast Growth 50, the performance of Educ8 demonstrates that entrepreneurial businesses are still driving prosperity and growth across the nation whilst generating wealth and jobs in their local communities. Most important of all, their success stories will hopefully inspire others to follow a similar journey.

With fifty Welsh firms generating nearly £600 million of additional turnover and creating over 2,000 new jobs between 2020 and 2022, this year’s list demonstrates yet again how innovation, enterprise and sheer hard work can make a real difference in all sectors from construction to financial services to technology.”

If you’re interested in starting your journey with Educ8 Training Group, please visit www.educ8training.co.uk to discover the variety of qualifications and apprenticeships they have to offer.

Charity & CSR, Creative News, Marketing, News, PR and SEO, Tech

Disability charity can help families more easily thanks to creative agency’s website design

DISABILITY charity Designability has been helped to improve its support for disabled people by creative agency Milk & Tweed.

The Wiltshire agency, which specialises in website, brand and logo design and digital marketing, has designed a new website for the Bath charity that, says Digital Communications Manager Fiona Cromwell, will make life easier for parents and carers looking for information.

The charity, which was founded in 1968 and is based at Bath Royal United Hospital, develops products to give disabled people more independence.

Its most successful product is the Wizzybug, a colourful powered wheelchair aimed at children under five. The charity has more than 300 Wizzybugs on free loan to families and over the last 11 years more than 1,400 children all over the UK have benefitted.

Of late Designability has focused more sharply on family mobility and is also developing a pushchair that can be used with a manual wheelchair and design guidance for accessible EV chargers, as well as being part of a national working group on improving access to transport for disabled people.

Mrs Cromwell said the charity needed a new website to make it easier to communicate what it does, both for service users and would-be donors.

“We don’t have any regional teams around the country and yet we are trying to reach people all over the UK, so for us, our digital presence is something we rely on,” she said. “It is completely invaluable to us to have to have an effective website.

“Our old website didn’t reflect where we have got to as a charity, as we have this new focus on family mobility. We just wanted something brighter and more contemporary, but the user journey was the biggest priority.”

She said the new site, with its more modern, uncluttered, feel has had a positive response. “We had a small group of user testers, which was a mix of  Wizzybug parents, volunteers and supporters and all of them had really positive things to say,” she said. “They felt it was very easy to use and said it looks really modern and looks exactly how we feel it should look.

“It felt like from the get-go, it fulfilled those basic things we wanted to get out of it.”

The new site will soon have a Wizzybug Zone for parents who have one on loan. “It will be incredibly useful to families,” said Mrs Cromwell. “They’ll be able to log in  and see confirmation of when their provisional end of loan date is. They can access tutorial videos and a directory of other organisations that might be able to support them. It’s going to have a wealth of information.”

She said the excellent working relationship with Milk & Tweed’s team has contributed to the success of the redesign project. “I found them really personable people, really warm and approachable,” she said. “If there were certain things I had queries about, they were always very responsive and I felt like they really understood the charity and what our objectives were.”

The charity was recently the subject of a BBC fundraising appeal. “We had a website traffic surge as a result of that, which obviously was fantastic,” said Mrs Cromwell. “It was very important to us that we got the website live in time for that, because we wanted people to have a really great experience when they looked us up, as they obviously did.”

Jamie Lawton, Head of Design at Milk & Tweed, said: “It was an absolute pleasure working with Fiona and the Designability team to create a more modern and streamlined website with clearer user journeys. It was important that the website helped to better showcase the incredible work that the charity does, and tell some of the happy stories of individuals and families using their innovative products.

“We love to work with charities, especially when they’re based locally, and as we complete the Wizzybug Members Zone and look to create a smoother online application process, there are still lots of exciting developments to come.”

See the charity’s new website at designability.org.uk and find out more about Milk & Tweed’s services at milkandtweed.com.