Monthly Archives: April 2024

Global Trade, International News, News

Global Trade Activity Shows Green Shoots of Recovery, Led by Strong Growth in China and the US

LONDON – 17th April, 2024 – New data from Tradeshift’s Q1 Index of Global Trade Health paints an encouraging picture for global trade, with robust growth observed in China and the US, alongside indications of a rebound in global demand for manufactured goods.

Total transaction volumes across the Tradeshift network, used by over a million businesses worldwide, improved by one point compared to the previous quarter, landing three points below the anticipated range in Q1. While this marks the ninth consecutive quarter of growth below expectations, it also signifies the third consecutive quarter of upward momentum after a prolonged period of sluggish activity.

“We’re seeing successive quarters of strong order volume growth for the first time in two years,” said James Stirk, CEO, Tradeshift. “Demand levels seem to be recovering, but there’s still a fair way to go before we start to see a normalisation. Recovery is likely to remain fragile over the short-to-medium term, with factors such as the Red Sea crisis and wider geopolitical uncertainty clouding the picture.”

Key regional and sector-based indicators from the report include:

  • China turnaround: Trade activity in China rose at the most significant rate in Q1. Transaction volumes grew at two points above the expected level, the highest in more than two and a half years.
  • US moves up a gear: The US also continued gaining momentum in Q1, with total trade activity tracking one point above the baseline. Order volumes surged to an impressive seven points above the expected level, following growth of a similar level in the previous quarter.
  • Manufacturing recovery: Tradeshift sees growth coming in part from an uptick in demand across the manufacturing sector where trade activity tipped back into the expected range for the first time in a year.
  • Eurozone edges higher: Activity levels across the Eurozone improved to three points below the baseline in Q1 having sunk as low as nine points below that level just six months earlier. New orders grew at six points above anticipated levels.
  • UK orders disappoint: UK trade activity improved to four points below the expected level in Q1, but order volumes were sluggish, tracking five points below expectations.

While a sustained recovery in orders is suggestive of more favourable trading conditions, liquidity challenges persist for suppliers, posing a potential challenge as supply chains look to ramp up activity. Although invoice payment times have decreased since their peak in Q3 2022, suppliers still face a 6% longer wait compared to the pre-pandemic era.

“Cash flow is akin to fuel in supply chains and a lot of suppliers will be running on empty after two hard years,” added Stirk. “The longer suppliers have to wait to turn invoices into cash, the greater the likelihood that an influx of new orders starts to outpace the availability of working capital to fulfil demand.”

A new joint venture between Tradeshift and HSBC, due to launch later this year, will focus on helping businesses accelerate access to working capital through a range of embedded financial services, including data-driven invoice financing.

 

News

Confluent announces Accelerate with Confluent, a revamped and services-led partner programme for system integrators

Reimagined partner program will better enable SIs to drive growth and profitability, while helping customers realise their full potential with data streaming

 MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – April 16, 2024 – Confluent, Inc. (NASDAQ:CFLT), the data streaming pioneer, today announced Accelerate with Confluent: a program for systems integrators (SIs) that prioritises excellence in Confluent Professional Services to empower partners to deliver comprehensive data streaming solutions.

With Confluent, customers can accelerate their real-time data streaming journey across any industry and use case, helping teams be more efficient and focus more on productivity. However, Confluent SI partners don’t always have the resources they need to bring data streaming to their applications and end users without direct support from Confluent. Business and technology leads at these companies encounter a wide range of challenges with building and bringing to market new data streaming capabilities that offer their customers the best experience for working with real-time data.

To help more organisations harness the power of data streaming, Accelerate with Confluent redefines the dynamics of Confluent’s partnership model. Accelerate with Confluent is designed to meet the ever-increasing requirements of customers by building, expanding, and innovating through the support of SIs. Partners will be able to choose from multiple avenues for Partner engagement with Professional Services. These paths include:

  • Co-Delivery – Enables customers to harness the collective expertise of both Confluent and certified partners. By integrating specific and complementary skills, this collaborative approach ensures the delivery of holistic solutions.
  • Strategic Staffing – Further enhances the customer experience by incorporating subject matter experts from Confluent partners into ongoing engagements. This not only expands the delivery team, but also has the potential to significantly increase sprint velocity, driving accelerated project timelines.
  • Crafting Long-Term Data Strategies – Partner Led – Understanding a customer’s overall data tech stack is crucial for devising long-term data strategies. Confluent partners don’t just provide a service. They help businesses establish a robust framework for data streaming maturity, ensuring sustained success in the ever-evolving data landscape.

To address this ongoing challenge, Accelerate with Confluent includes new capabilities to drive higher efficiency with Confluent’s SI ecosystem.

“Creating a real-time central nervous system has become an imperative for every organisation in order to compete and offer differentiated experiences,” said Paul Mac Farland, SVP of Partner and Innovation Ecosystem, Confluent. “Accelerate with Confluent reimagines our SI partner program, enabling our mutual customers to get to their business outcomes faster. Now, partners can more easily expedite repeatability, profitability, go-to-market efforts, and new service offerings, meeting customer demands.”

By leveraging Confluent’s industry-leading data streaming platform alongside Confluent partner solutions, companies can develop modern, real-time generative AI applications. With Confluent’s Data Streaming for AI initiative and several partnerships with technology providers, public cloud partners and services partners, scaling next-generation AI applications with a shared source of real-time operational and analytical data has never been easier.

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Confluent Partner Testimonials

  • “Confluent’s partner program is leading to substantial growth as we grow EY’s Data in Motion Practice,” said Doyle Leabch, North America Head of Integration, EY. ”The partner program’s new offerings, focusing on advanced training and increased access to sales and executive resources, are poised to elevate our joint go-to-market strategies. Aligned with our commitment to a robust Data in Motion practice, these innovations promise cutting-edge service offerings, reinforcing our differentiation in the market.”
  • “SVA is a proud partner of Confluent,” said Stefanos Katsios, Division Manager Big Data & Analytics, System Vertrieb Alexander GmbH. “Through a lens of shared visions, our partnership has become the driving force behind an accelerated journey toward new horizons. Partnering with Confluent enables us to present a distinctive value proposition in the market. This collaboration not only positions us to secure new business but also leverages the strong alignment between Confluent’s products with our own, enhancing our competitive edge.”
  • “Accelerate with Confluent empowers success and amplifies growth through partnership: where our professional services capabilities can truly enhance customer experience and ROI while delivering transformational results,” said Siriwat Vongjaukorn, CEO, MFEC Public Company Limited. “With Confluent’s partner first approach, we are ready to scale our Confluent practice and joint go-to-market engagement with a differentiated value proposition of  industry specific use cases and  relentless innovation for maximum customer impact. We believe our partnership with Confluent is poised for rapid growth and this program is well timed to ensure we are both successful in driving customer adoption.”

Written materials:

  • For more information on Accelerate with Confluent and Confluent Partners, click here.
  • Read this blog post for more information about Accelerate with Confluent
  • Read the blog for details on Confluent’s placement in The Forrester Wave™: Streaming Data Platforms, Q4 2023.

 

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About Confluent

Confluent is the data streaming platform that is pioneering a fundamentally new category of data infrastructure that sets data in motion. Confluent’s cloud-native offering is the foundational platform for data in motion – designed to be the intelligent connective tissue enabling real-time data, from multiple sources, to constantly stream across the organisation. With Confluent, organisations can meet the new business imperative of delivering rich, digital front-end customer experiences and transitioning to sophisticated, real-time, software-driven backend operations. To learn more, please visit www.confluent.io.

Confluent and associated marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Confluent, Inc.

 

News, Tech, Technology

Intellian Technologies and Marlink Celebrate 15 Years of Collaboration in Satellite Communications

Pyeongtaek, Korea. – 16 April 2024 – Intellian Technologies, a leading global provider of multi-constellation, satellite user terminals and communications solutions, celebrates 15 years of successful partnership with Marlink, the smart network and digital solutions company.

Since the initial engagement in 2009, Intellian and Marlink have consistently delivered cutting-edge network solutions, driven by a shared commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction. Intellian Technologies’ extensive product portfolio, featuring multi-orbit, multi-band systems, perfectly complements Marlink’s pioneering role in the satellite communications industry, globally providing fully managed end-to-end smart hybrid network and digital solutions across maritime, land, and military sectors.

The recent signing of a five-year contract renewal, with the option for an additional five years, highlights the strength and resilience of the partnership. This agreement reaffirms Intellian and Marlink’s joint commitment to delivering unparalleled value and flexibility to customers, while also fostering collaborative product development initiatives for hybrid connectivity across LEO, MEO and GEO networks.

With an extensive range of satellite communication solutions across both parabolic and flat panel designs, the product line range offered to customers also includes satellite TV antennas and from Q4 2024, GMDSS safety solutions.

As they celebrate 15 years of collaboration, Intellian Technologies and Marlink remain dedicated to providing best-in-class satellite communication solutions across maritime, land, and military applications.

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About Intellian Technologies, Inc. Intellian is driven by a passion for innovation and an agile responsiveness to customer needs. As the crucial link between satellite networks and millions of people on Earth, Intellian’s leading technology and antennas empower global connectivity across oceans and continents, organizations and communities. Strategic thinking, an obsession with quality and a proven ability to deliver enables Intellian to invent for the future, creating mutual success for partners and customers as the world’s connectivity needs evolve. For more information, follow @intellian and visit intelliantech.com. Intellian Technologies Inc. is listed on the Korean Stock Exchange, KOSDAQ (189300:KS)

About Marlink

For companies operating in the world’s most challenging environments – from merchant vessels to offshore and onshore energy operations, from humanitarian organisations to cruise ships and superyachts – Marlink creates and delivers possibilities, anywhere.

Marlink is a managed service provider and global leader in remote ICT solutions with annual revenues surpassing $800 million and 1,500 employees operating in more than 30 countries.

Wherever our customers are in the world, we deliver them possibilities to work smarter and to operate more effectively, more safely, more sustainably – without the limitations of technology.

With our possibility platform, we enable a comprehensive suite of end-to-end managed solutions (Connectivity, Network, Cybersecurity, Cloud & IT, IoT & Apps), supported by professional services, unmatched global operations and delivery capabilities and local support teams.

As a global company with a local focus we help make tomorrow’s possibilities today’s realities.

For further information please visit www.marlink.com.

News

Impact Environmental Group Hosts Transatlantic Training Event

Leading European waste and recycling solutions business IEG EMEA, a division of the global Impact Environmental Group with operations situated strategically across the US and the UK, is celebrating the success of its first US / UK training symposium, designed to share best practice and key insights amongst the rapidly growing firm.

The three-day event held at the head office of one of IEG’s trading brands, Capital Compactors and Balers in Barnsley, brought together senior personnel from across the group, including Joe Stodola, IEG’s Chief Operating Officer and Liz Roth Group Marketing Director who travelled across from Illinois, United States to attend the landmark occasion.

Across the three days, participants engaged in interactive workshops and seminar sessions. David Williams, Managing Director of IEG EMEA, who was also in attendance, comments: “The event afforded us an invaluable opportunity to not only share key learning, but also to agree and formulate a strategy for the integration of our sales and commercial functions, which will allow the group to further bolster its position as an international leader in the in the provision of waste and recycling products and service solutions.”

IEG vastly strengthened its position in the UK in 2023, with two further UK acquisitions cementing the group as a global waste industry category leader. UK Container Maintenance (UKCM) and Capital Compactors and Balers (CCL) joined Container Components Europe (manufacturer of Duraflex lids), and Egbert H Taylor to sit within the IEG EMEA’s portfolio of aligned industry-leading brands.

Founded in 1999, IEG as the parent organisation, headquartered in Elgin, Illinois has rapidly grown into a global environmental products and services business, providing a comprehensive suite of new and replacement products for waste containers, collection and compaction equipment, and waste transportation equipment,

Finance and Banking, Finance News, News, North of England

Innovative approach from Minerva is providing solutions

A North Staffordshire financial planning company has invested in top class technology to enhance the client experience.

Founder of Minerva Financial Solutions Nicola Conway decided to introduce document management platform DocPortal in February this year, to help with the storing of important documents and information and to allow for a more efficient service. DocPortal stores personal and business documents, while clients can also access the app, allowing Nicola and her team to communicate and share information directly.

Nicola Conway, Founder of Minerva Financial Solutions, says: “In a world where we spend a lot of time storing information electronically, and accessing it digitally, it is important to be able to keep important documents in one place. We wanted to help clients to be able to access what they needed with ease and that’s why we introduced DocPortal into the business.

Nicola adds: “The app really can help to store someone’s important life documentation in one place. Our finances, life policies and even legal papers are really important and need to be stored in a way that can be accessed by family members on the occasion of a death, which can be a very difficult time for relatives to be dealing with such issues. However, as you can appoint digital executors within the app, these documents can be accessed more easily and help minimise the added stress of those challenging circumstances.”

Minerva Financial Solutions have now shared the DocPortal app with more than 300 clients. As well as arranging financial documents, users are able to upload personal information such as photographs and favourite trips if they wish, along with other day-to-day documents.

“Our experience is that it’s like having a filing cabinet in your pocket – but without the large amount of paper,” adds Nicola.

“Information can be uploaded instantly to the app and people can go back and look over things themselves in their own time. We’ve found it very useful and many of our clients have been keen to use it.”

Minerva Financial Solutions is an Appointed Representative of St James Wealth Management and is based in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Book Releases, News

Cashing Out: A business owner’s guide to selling to private equity

Entrepreneurs live and breathe their business, setting the course and steering the ship towards growth and success, but in the midst of managing day-to-day operations entrepreneurs can neglect the bigger strategic picture, including options for exiting. For some, planning their exit can feel at odds with their current commitment to the success of their business, however investment options such as private equity (PE) have the power to unlock a new growth phase for business owners and their organisation. 

Despite this potential, many entrepreneurs continue to find the PE world a daunting one. A trillion-dollar industry posing a variety of different options, understanding suitability, establishing a realistic valuation and navigating due diligence processes are unique challenges for founders. Alexis Sikorsky is determined to reduce the fears of entrepreneurs and increase the accessibility of PE exits. His new book Cashing Out is an easily-digestible, expert blueprint for scaling, team-building and attracting the investment to mastermind a profitable exit, demystifying a seemingly complex world for entrepreneurs wanting to supercharge their growth. 

An entrepreneur since the age of 15, Alexis has distilled decades of on-the-ground, hands-on business expertise into a practical resource to navigate the world of PE as a founder. In fact, he has personally executed the process effectively, selling his company for an impressive nine-figure sum. He now guides other founders to do the same using many of the techniques in the book, firstly helping them to understand themselves, their business and their leadership style before embarking on his APEX methodology: Assessing your company, Planning your growth, Executing your plan and eXiting in the most profitable way. Practical throughout, Alexis has incorporated lessons from his own successes, challenges and mistakes alongside insights from fellow industry experts making the book the perfect guide for business owners navigating the PE process. 

Cashing Out covers practically preparing and undertaking a PE exit, including understanding goals and vision, building teams, preparing accurate valuations, choosing the right funding options and how the exit process unfolds, as well as the mindset challenges entrepreneurs encounter throughout the exit process. Entrepreneurs can sometimes be resistant to the idea of exiting or giving away some control, especially when they have often had primary responsibility for setting the business’ course. Reassuringly, Alexis highlights how PE exits can bring alternative perspectives that push the business to new heights. He also discusses the importance of due diligence on both sides. PE firms will be questioning the business’ suitability and simultaneously business owners should be actively listening to the experiences of others who have followed the process with a particular firm to understand if it is right for them. 

Alexis keenly dispels misconceptions that prevail about PE. Many entrepreneurs fear the process, worrying PE firms do not have the business’ or its people’s interests at heart. Counteracting this, Alexis covers how PE firms support founders through the process, as well as how they could do this more effectively. Similarly, many stories prevail in the media of entrepreneurs dramatically inflating their company valuations. Alexis zeroes in on the importance of realistic valuations and how companies can calculate and evaluate their current standing. 

At the heart of demystifying the PE process is empowering entrepreneurs with transparent knowledge. Whilst PE might not be the right fit for every business, considering and preparing for the process as early as possible in the business journey is essential to being able to secure a high return. Cashing Out is the ideal read for any business owner who is considering a PE exit, is ready to look beyond their reality and wants to understand how they can set themselves and their business up for the most profitable exit possible. 

News, Tech, Tech Events

The legal technology landscape in 2024 and AI

Legal Software Suppliers Association members discussion with LSSA CEO Kevin Horlock

2023 saw generative AI take the world by storm, with individual law firms and the legal sector as a whole working to harness and capitalise on the capabilities that AI offers. What is next on the horizon as the sector considers the opportunities and challenges created by innovation?

In the first of a series of legal technology prediction articles LSSA CEO Kevin Horlock and expert LSSA members discuss the impact of AI.

Kevin asks,

“What is the impact of ChatGPT and other AI tools on the legal technology industry? How will this develop in 2024? “

John Flanagan, Head of Product at LEAP replies,

“Those of us of a certain vintage will remember many great sci-fi movies from the 1980s where computers with artificial intelligence have taken over the world and are at war with humans. From the outside AI can seem a risk, but not harnessing its potential is foolish. Where we are with AI is where we were with Cloud 15 years ago – if we as software businesses don’t use it, we will be left behind by those that do.”

John mentions that there are some who suggest that AI is no more than a manifestation of the Infinite Monkey Theorem, in that if you put enough computer processing power behind a question, it will eventually come out with the correct answer. He thinks that this is a misunderstanding of generative AI, which uses highly sophisticated algorithms and machine learning to analyse data to identify patterns and structures to produce coherent and meaningful output.

John adds, “In the legal sector, we will see the introduction of a co-pilot for the work you are undertaking. This co-pilot will digest huge quantities of data for the area of law, look at specific circumstances, reference case law and analyse other data to help you achieve the best outcome for your client.”

Chelsea Goldsby, Operations Director of Osprey Approach thinks that AI tools will inevitably impact the legal sector in the coming years – like most other sectors – enabling teams to produce work and service clients quicker, easier, more accurately and with ensured compliance.

Chelsea comments,

“AI isn’t just about tools like ChatGPT: it can be embedded into existing tools to enable them to work smarter. For SME law firms, it’s about a shift in mindset to be open to change and innovation. A cultural shift is needed to enable firms to take advantage of the AI opportunities as they come, encouraging experimentation, testing theories, and trial and error.

Utilising existing workflow automations, client-facing tools, or document production features – within your case management software for example – is a good start to using tech to your advantage. “

Oliver Tromp, UK Vice President of Action Step, expects that, in 2024, we will see an increase in existing legal technology suppliers leveraging large language models (LLMs) in the obvious areas: document automation, legal research, contract review, chatbots, etc. However, he also expects to see LLMs used in more complex ways such as compliance monitoring and predictive analytics. He thinks that law firms are a wealth of historical information, and the most innovative legal technology suppliers will help lawyers to leverage their own data to improve client service, efficiency and consistency.

Oliver says, “I also expect to see an increase in machine learning, specifically around time recording. Many legal professionals record time every day, and I expect to see time recording solutions become more intelligent and reliable at suggesting time entries based on the work that the lawyer has actually done. It’s also important to mention here that the adoption of this technology will also have a direct impact on security measures law firms take to protect their client and company data.”

Kevin Horlock, CEO LSSA summarises,

“Technological developments in software dedicated to the legal profession are taking great strides, as we see above.  As with all developments, they come with a health warning: protect your data at all costs.  What law firms need is software which meets their needs, both today and for the foreseeable future: in both cases, AI is proving a vital consideration.

We know that selecting the right package can put great pressure on hard-pressed practice-management staff and partners alike: yet that has to be the most important consideration for all law firms.  Get it right and the practice thrives, expands and works together: get it wrong and the practice stutters, loses clients and becomes fractious internally.  Because of all the technological developments we have seen recently, especially in AI, making a firm, initial specification of new or replacement software will continue to be the most important trend in the landscape of legal technology.”

This article is part of a wider discussion between the LSSA and its members about AI, cyberattacks and future trends and challenges in the legal technology sector.

For the full discussion article please visit: https://www.lssa.co.uk/the-legal-technology-landscape-in-2024-ai-cyberattacks-and-other-future-trends-and-challenges/

AI, HR, HR News, HR Tech, News

Industry first GenAI digital assistant helps HR get immediate answers to people related questions

  • Called “One of the most spectacular examples of Generative AI in HR” by Josh Bersin, Vee gives users instant, self-serve, secure and trustworthy workforce insights. 
  • Following a successful preview program with 80+ customers, Vee is now generally available. 
  • Enabled by Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, Vee provides integration with Microsoft Teams, allowing users to get answers to complex questions in the flow of work related to workforce, performance and processes.
  • Visier partner, Paycor, introduced the power of Vee’s generative AI insights to its customers

 

VANCOUVER, BC | APRIL 16, 2023 – Visier, a globally recognized leader in people analytics and workforce solutions for people-powered business, today announced its generative AI based assistant Vee is now available to all customers and prospects. Vee instantly answers workforce specific questions for HR leaders, managers and executives–securely and accurately–helping to democratize people insights to all levels of an organization. Vee is also the foundation for Visier’s Embedded generative AI offering, which dramatically accelerates generative AI product roadmaps for peopletech SaaS vendors and solution providers.

 

A Breakthrough Generative AI Solution for People Insights

Visier’s rapid advancement in generative AI is anchored in a domain-specific data model, a community dataset built on 25 million anonymized employee records, more than 2,000 business metrics, and 250 million benchmarks from over 50,000 customers; as well as a robust security architecture the company has developed and perfected over the last decade. This gives Visier an unmatched advantage in delivering highly accurate and secure generative AI solutions for unlocking and scaling people insights.

 

“Generative AI is expected to cause profound disruptive change to virtually every enterprise function, but perhaps most notably in HR and how leaders manage people,” said Ryan Wong, co-founder and CEO, Visier. “People impact is business impact and Vee will help people leaders drive better productivity, employee impact, and overall corporate performance by making better decisions about people and the work they do. ”

 

Vee enters general availability following a successful six-month public preview, which invited 80+ Visier customer organizations to actively use and provide feedback on the product. The rapid evolution in capability and quality was evident through dozens of iterative releases and a continuous enhancement of LLM understanding, resulting in the highly performant and capable solution built on dedicated and scalable Microsoft Azure OpenAI compute.

 

“Vee is one of the most spectacular examples of generative AI in HR today,” said Josh Bersin, globally recognized HR industry analyst. “Every problem we need to solve in HR is interconnected. HR professionals need to connect data to diagnose people and business problems, and tools like Vee make this amazingly easy.”

Among the customers participating in the preview was Ascension, one of the largest healthcare companies in North America.

 

“Vee serves as a bridge between questioning and understanding, cultivating user engagement and enhancing data comprehension by providing simplified access to critical information without requiring expertise in emerging technologies,” said Ellen Gentile, HR analytics manager at Ascension. “Its streamlined query framework ensures data privacy and security while harnessing the full potential of generative AI, utilizing metadata instead of organizational data.”

 

According to another Visier customer participating in the public preview program was Sunstate Equipment, a leader in tools and equipment rentals for construction and industry:

“Vee is the future. It’s a technology that we absolutely need,” said Sameet Raut, vice president, HRIS, Sunstate Equipment. “It’s a game changer for the less tech-savvy to access people insights, like frontline managers who can ask a simple question in Microsoft Teams about their turnover and get an immediate answer instead of coming to the people analytics team.”

 

Visier Looks to Microsoft to Deliver Generative AI Innovations

At the core of Vee are Visier’s robust data and security models, but it also benefits from integrating Microsoft Azure Service. Visier’s collaboration with Microsoft also includes a Vee integration with Microsoft Teams which allows anyone to ask and answer Vee questions within Teams, in the flow of their daily work.

“The integration of artificial intelligence into human resources is reshaping the landscape of workforce management,” said Ross Kennedy, vice president digital natives at Microsoft. “Vee represents an option in the use of GenAI and Microsoft solutions for HR professionals who need fast and accurate insights to make the best decisions for their people and businesses.”

 

Paycor Enables Customers with Visier-Powered Generative AI Solution

Paycor, one of the most notable leaders in SaaS solutions for HCM, is a longtime Visier partner that leverages several of Visier’s people analytics capabilities. In addition to the 80+ enterprise level customers who participated in the AI analytics digital assistant preview, Visier’s partnership with Paycor brought generative AI capabilities to its customers, making the power of Vee accessible to all.

“We are determined to level the playing field, bringing enterprise level people analytics data to organizations of all sizes, modernizing every aspect of people management,” said Ryan Bergstrom, chief product and technology officer, Paycor. “In our partnership with Visier, we share a steadfast commitment to innovation and ensuring our customers are on the cutting edge of technology that will help them grow their businesses.”

Vee is available immediately to all Visier customers and partners. For more information about Vee, visit https://www.visier.com/vee. For more information on how to become an Embedded partner to accelerate your generative AI product roadmap, visit https://www.visier.com/embedded/generative-ai/.

 

About Visier

Visier is the recognized global leader in people analytics, providing on-demand answers to people-powered businesses. At the core of Visier’s innovations is a simple premise: People impact is business impact and that’s why Visier provides the tools and insights organizations need to drive productivity, performance, and business outcomes through their people.Founded in 2010 by the pioneers of business intelligence, Visier has over 50,000 customers in 75 countries—including enterprises like BASF, Panasonic, Experian, Amgen, eBay, Ford Motor Company, and more. Visier is headquartered in Vancouver, BC with offices and team members worldwide.

Appointments, Business, Employment, Energy, Job Opportunities, Jobs

250 new jobs created at Consumer Energy Solutions

SWANSEA-BASED energy efficiency firm Consumer Energy Solutions (CES) has recruited 250 new staff so far this year as it experiences growing demand for its products and services.

The recruitment drive follows the opening of two new offices in Swansea’s SA1 waterfront area at the end of 2023 as the company addresses those growing demands.

The fast-growing company now has a workforce of more than 700 people, supporting customers in energy-proofing their homes to reduce their carbon footprint, and ultimately, their energy bills.

The new hires span across various departments, including administration, customer service, finance, people services, heating, insulation, renewables and electrics.

Lewis John, Managing Director, Consumer Energy Solutions, said: “At CES, we are deeply committed to fostering economic growth and prosperity in the regions where we operate.

“Our investment in expanding our workforce underscores our belief in the potential of local talent and our commitment to providing meaningful employment opportunities.

“By nurturing a skilled and diverse team, of which we have massive ambitions to grow even further, we not only strengthen our ability to deliver exceptional service to our customers but also contribute to the vitality of the communities we serve.

“We firmly believe that by investing in people, we can drive positive change and make a lasting impact on both the environment and the economy.”

Established in 2016, Consumer Energy Solutions (CES) delivers money-saving energy efficiency improvements to homes across South Wales and the South West.

 

Current Consumer Energy Solutions career opportunities can be found here: https://careers.consumerenergysolutions.co.uk/

For more information, visit: https://www.consumerenergysolutions.co.uk/ 

 

HR News, L & D, L&D, News, Training, Training News

Steve Herbert launches new Consultancy and Training Service.

HR & Employee Benefits industry veteran launches six new support offerings for employers.

Our regular Employer News columnist since 2018 – and one of the UK’s best-known commentators on pensions, employee benefits, wellbeing, and HR issues – has established his own training and consultancy business to support HR experts, C-suite professionals, and business-to-business (B2B) sales teams,  empowering them with the skills they need to reach and engage large and small audiences.

Steve Herbert is widely known to thousands of UK Human Resources (HR) and Finance professionals for his long-running, and hugely successful series of “fun and informative” in-person and virtual events, which he has run for the past 20 years, as well as writing his popular column where he frequently discusses HR, economic and benefits issues.

Topics Steve has spoken and written about in recent years include pensions, employee wellbeing, HR, the economic and political outlook, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the future of work and the workplace, and he now hopes to share his skills in a series of affordable L&D workshops to increase confidence and build skills for employees and business owners alike.

Topics include:

  • Presentation Skills training
  • “Webinars that Work” support
  • Creating engaging articles & content
  • Research and Development (R&D) work
  • Building and refining industry award entries
  • Keynote Speaker on a range of business issues

Commenting on these services Herbert said;

“After nearly 40 years in the industry, it was time for me to share some of the skills I have learned and give back to the HR and Business Community.   I am confident that these soft skills are much needed in modern workplaces, and will pay dividends for any individual or organisation seeking to make themselves heard or reach new business audiences at scale.

I will of course continue to act as a high-profile and objective commentator and influencer around Human Resources (HR), wellbeing, and employee benefit issues, and my monthly blog posts for the excellent “Employer News” website will also continue.”

Steve Herbert’s new website (including a list of all his current support services and many client testimonials) can be found here:  www.steve-herbert.co.uk.