Monthly Archives: May 2024

News, North of England

Pioneering entrepreneur launches The Clever Carbon Company to help protect the planet

A pioneering entrepreneur has launched a series of ventures aimed at helping protect the planet by improving the sustainable practices of businesses and individuals.

David Oates, 45, has established The Clever Carbon Company, based in Worsley, Greater Manchester, with a mission to bring about change by rethinking the way that products are designed, made, used and decommissioned at their end of life.

He already runs a consultancy business called Mouthful, focused on advising the hospitality sector on strategy and growth opportunities. He is also a sessional lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University.

Previously, he had a varied career including roles as a manager in the strategy team at professional services giant KPMG and later as head of strategy at LateRooms.

He has a master’s degree in materials science from the University of Sheffield, an MBA from Leeds University Business School, and is a fellow of the Strategic Planning Society.

David has received support for The Clever Carbon Company from the GC Business Growth Hub, and funding from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and British Business Bank.

He has also been collaborating with the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford on research and development projects linked to aspects such as materials science, rapid prototyping, innovation and digital enablement.

Through a blend of product and service design and using innovative technologies, The Clever Carbon Company explores and identifies solutions in industries such as consumer products and clothing, which are currently the largest contributors to landfill.

The first priority area for The Clever Carbon Company is tackling the impact of single-use materials in the personal care industry.

This has led to NeuTrail, a novel refillable dispenser for personal care products such as shampoo or handwash. Using circular design, it is made from a single, recycled material, which makes the product easier to recycle repeatedly, and it has a simple, gravity-fed design. which makes it easier to use, even for people with mobility issues.

NeuTrail is being manufactured with short UK-based supply chains via 3D-print technology, meaning each dispenser can be personalised. The range has already gained listings in a number of catalogues offering sustainable consumer products.

David’s second priority area is clothing and textiles. The Clever Carbon Company is developing solutions for high-demand, non-discretionary clothing, such as uniforms and workwear, through a venture named Cottonopoly.

Partnering with UK manufacturers, Cottonopoly supplies cotton or polycotton garments, initially school cardigans and sweaters.

Parents pay a deposit on each garment, which is then refunded when the item is returned after use. Returns then have an extended life as either pre-loved clothing or by being recycled into products of similar quality.

Cottonopoly has been conducting a trial of the takeback scheme at St Mark’s Church of England Primary School in Worsley and plans to roll out in other parts of the UK later this year.

Father-of-two David said: “We’re providing affordable, sustainable clothing and are incentivising parents to return items they no longer need so they can be renewed, re-used or recycled.

“Having young children, I am fully aware how many garments families can get through, and how they eventually end up being discarded.

“Every year, millions of school garments end up in landfill sites or are incinerated, both of which are very bad for the environment and are quite avoidable.

“Cottonopoly puts an end to single-life clothing, offering high quality and affordable products that can be easily and efficiently repurposed or recycled with negligible waste. Our mission is to reduce the impact of clothing on the planet, as well as on household purse strings.

“We’re collaborating with local mills, reducing the need for transportation. Anything can be sourced cheaply overseas, but the traditional UK textile heartlands are the perfect place to establish short, UK-based supply chains, which will be an essential part of tackling demanding environmental targets.

“Manchester and the surrounding area have deservedly been considered a hub of innovation ever since the Spinning Jenny and Spinning Mule effectively triggered the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th Century. At Cottonopoly we are continuing this tradition with a 21st century twist that puts consumers at its heart.”

David is looking to expand Cottonopoly to include other school uniform overgarments such as trousers and shirts, as well as workwear and potentially leisurewear. Customers will be able to buy items online via the company’s website or its app.

He is also separately selling the technology incorporated into NeuTrail and Cottonopoly under the brand name Scan&.

“NeuTrail and Cottonopoly are both underpinned by the same traceable takeback technology which keeps track of every product we make, including what it’s made from, who uses it and when it’s time to ultimately repair, re-use or recycle it,” he said.

“We use circular-design and traceable takeback technology to provide products that last longer and don’t end up being discarded, thereby inspiring people to become more conscious consumers.

“Our technology tracks all our products through their entire lifecycle, which makes returning them effortless. Users are better able to keep track of what they buy and are directly rewarded for returning the items at their end of life.

“If society is to meet challenging climate targets in the years to come, this circular way of thinking about products will need to become more commonplace, which is where The Clever Carbon Company comes in.

“Currently the sustainability landscape is confusing to both businesses and members of the public. The Clever Carbon Company is all about making sustainable practice more accessible and practical.”

News

Young engineers dig generous donation from manufacturing giant

STUDENTS dig a generous donation that will help train future generations of engineers in North Wales

Wrexham-based JCB Transmissions presented staff and learners at Coleg Cambria with parts and equipment, including motors, gearboxes, transmissions, and axles from excavators, loaders, and diggers.

Carl Roberts, Cambria’s Director for Curriculum – Engineering at the college’s Bersham Road site, thanked the company for the machinery, which will be used to train cohorts on the Motor Vehicle and Engineering programmes.

“We are very grateful for this kind donation, the equipment will be invaluable in allowing our learners to be hands-on and work closely with a range of high-quality machinery,” he said.

“The company even brought us a complete JCB engine, which is fantastic and provides us with an alternative to studying more traditional car and motorcycle engines.”

Carl added: “JCB has long been a supporter of Coleg Cambria, like us they want to promote and help produce more skilled apprentices and engineers for the sector.

“A contribution such as this will play a huge role in us achieving that.”

One of the UK’s largest manufacturers, JCB Group employs more than 8,000 people at its factories in Staffordshire, Derby, and on Wrexham Industrial Estate.

JCB Transmissions Operations Director Craig Weeks was pleased to be able to help lay the foundations for learners and apprentices at Cambria.

He said: “JCB Transmissions supports local schools and colleges in a variety of ways, and we are delighted to assist Coleg Cambria by donating equipment which will help with the training of the next generation of engineers and motor vehicle technicians.

“Among the items donated were gear boxes, axles and electrical motors which can now be stripped down and rebuilt to help students get a broader understanding of mechanics and electrical engineering.”

Visit www.cambria.ac.uk for more on the wide range of courses available at Coleg Cambria.

For more news and information from JCB Group, visit the website: www.jcb.com.

News

Holiday park scales new heights following investment and creation of caravan ‘community’

A SEASIDE holiday retreat is going from strength to strength thanks to a unique ‘family feel’ which led to a wave of new customers post-Covid.

Darwin Escapes’ New Pines Holiday Home Park, on the outskirts of Dyserth and Rhyl, is unlike any other in the region.

Employing 40 staff and with more than 300 caravans and lodges on site – all of them owned, rather than rented – there is a sense of community which has led to the creation of sports clubs, a dining society, social organisations and more.

There is even a walking group with up to 180 members, two of whom recently completed a trek to the base camp at Mount Everest, where they proudly displayed a New Pines flag!

Following a revamp which included sports and leisure facilities, a heated swimming pool, bar and lounge, a dog walking area, and a bustling entertainment complex, the park is busier than ever before.

Sales Manager James Jones said there is a togetherness and warmth that appeals to prospective owners, a welcoming, safe environment which attracts families from Wales, Merseyside, Cheshire, the Midlands and beyond.

“There is a real community feel to New Pines, which stems from the ownership model we have here,” said James, from Mold, who celebrates a decade with Talacre-based Darwin Escapes in 2025.

“There are so many clubs and groups which make people feel special, there is an exclusivity because every caravan and lodge is owned – it’s their little piece of Wales, and they love that.”

He added: “We did see an upturn in sales following the pandemic – our try before you buy offer has been well-received – and upgrades in stock, and as we approach our busiest time of the year the future is looking bright.

“We make life as easy as possible, it’s very simple to buy, we are flexible and there is something for any budget, because inclusivity is paramount to us.”

With offers including free site fees, free energy bills and 50% off site fees next year, interest is building into the summer, with caravan prices beginning at £19,999.

But James says those are peripheral factors, a bonus for their demographic.

“While there has been investment in the buildings and facilities over the years, and in bringing the very best live acts to the park, the real draw has been the atmosphere and camaraderie,” he said.

“People use New Pines differently, there are couples who have been here for a long time, whose children have grown up together, and generations of families who return because of the memories they have.”

James added: “Because of our unique location, nestled between the beach and countryside, we have beautiful views while being a stone’s throw away from vibrant towns and cities.

“This has all played its part in the success of New Pines, and long may that continue.”

For more information on New Pines Holiday Home Park, visit the website Static caravans for sale in Rhyl | New Pines | Darwin Escapes and follow @darwinescapes on social media.

Appointments, News, Pensions

Four new recruits boost Vidett’s UK-wide team of pension experts and professional trustees

Vidett, a UK leading professional trustee and pension governance firm, has appointed four new people – including Mike Birch who is now in post following the announcement in February he was joining Vidett as client director from The Pensions Regulator (TPR).

Mike Birch

Mike acts as a professional trustee with a primary focus on defined benefit (DB) schemes with employers experiencing distress or undergoing corporate transactions.

Mike spent almost eight years at TPR establishing and leading the Supervision Directorate and was involved in many of TPR’s high profile scheme engagements. He has deep experience of negotiating mutually beneficial solutions to complex situations, particularly those related to corporate distress or mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

 

Bobby Dillon

Other new recruits include Bobby Dillon, who joins as manager in Reading from Barnett Waddingham where he worked for over 10 years implementing DB pension schemes, as well as facilitating and monitoring client governance initiatives.

During his pension career, spanning 25 years Bobby has also worked in a variety of pension administration roles at Quantum Advisory LLP, Hymans Robertson and HBOS (formerly Equitable Life) and brings a great deal of knowledge and expertise to Vidett.

 

Cat Lowe

Cat Lowe joins as senior business development executive in Birmingham with a remit to support the business development team and ensure client’s get maximum value.  Cat has 14 years’ experience working in marketing and business development, joining from law firm, Shoosmiths LLP where she worked for nine years, most recently as new business manager. She has also worked for Capita Hartshead and Gately plc.

 

Julia Palmer

Julia Palmer joins in Birmingham as a manager, bringing 25 years of pensions experience to the team. She joins from Hymans Robertson where she worked for 10 years, first as a project consultant, and latterly as an audit specialist where she project managed and coordinated external audits, mainly AAF and PASA; plus ran internal self-audits.

Julia has also worked in third party administration teams dealing with cradle to grave administration at Arthur Anderson, SBJ Benefit Consultants, HSBC and Hewitt Associates, as well as in a governance role as an associate consultant providing scheme secretarial support whilst at Hewitt Associates (now AON).

 

Commenting on the appointments, Wayne Phelan, Co-Chief Executive at Vidett, stated: “Vidett attracts top talent from across the industry, which is tantamount to our unique culture and vision for the future. Mike is a well-known expert and has built a deep understanding of the issues facing defined benefit (DB) schemes of all sizes, along with master trusts, collective defined contribution (CDC) and superfunds that will be of immense value to our clients.

“Bobby, Cat and Julia also bring a great deal of knowledge to the firm. In his previous role Bobby looked after a number of demanding DB pension schemes and acted as principal contact with The Pensions Regulator, whilst co-ordinating Scheme Returns completions companywide, providing training and support where necessary.

 “Cat will be using her business development skills to support the team in understanding our clients, their goals and how we can best help them, and Julia will be using her attention to detail, organisational skills and pride in her work to ensure clients get the very best service from us. We’re excited for our next phase of growth and look forward to the contributions that Mike, Bobby, Cat and Julia will make to our success.”

 

Vidett is a privately owned business, independent from any other provider of services to corporate pension and employee benefit schemes. With an unrivalled knowledge bank to support client needs, Vidett currently looks after over 475 clients with total assets in excess of £142bn and over 2.5 million scheme members.

 

Career Development, Careers, Education, News

Graduate Coach to help thousands of UK graduates secure their dream jobs through cut price online course

To help thousands of graduates searching for jobs this summer, Graduate Coach, a UK leading graduate coaching company, has significantly dropped the price of its ‘Turn Your Degree into a Career’ course from £249 to £24.95.

The three-week online course will provide graduates with the skills, knowledge and insights to secure their first graduate job in an increasingly tough and competitive job market.

Graduate Coach highlights that approximately 2 million graduates are seeking jobs, while there are only around 17,500 new graduate roles are available each month. This is a sharp decline from the 25,000 jobs per month five years ago. Additionally, many graduates are ‘underemployed,’ working in unskilled jobs that are completely unrelated to their degrees.

 

Chris Davies, founder and CEO of Graduate Coach says, “The reality of the job market for graduates is stark. There is currently a job famine. The market is not only saturated with new grads, but they are competing with graduates from last year who are working their way out of underemployment into graduate jobs. Unfortunately, this means around 193 graduates are fighting for each graduate role advertised.

He adds, “We are seeing talented graduates face endless rejections and often silence from employers. We want to change this and have significantly reduced the price of our online course to help many more graduates and equip them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to secure their first graduate role.”

 

The course will help graduates understand which career path best suits them, their own skill set and how to prepare for interviews. They will also learn how to prepare a first class CV, write a cover letter that will stand out to employers, and to optimise their job hunt to find the best jobs, then master the interview and land a job.

Graduate Coach has helped thousands of students to secure their dream graduate job:

‘Graduate Coach was excellent in helping me streamline my CV and making sure that I was representing myself correctly and allowed me to discover talents and value that I would not have discovered on my own.’ – Alex, UK graduate.

Sign up to Graduate Coach’s Turn Your Degree into a Career course now, to gain key employability skills and stand out against your competitors in the graduate job market.

Contact: Chris Davies, gethelp@graduatecoach.co.uk, +44 (0)2070149547

—

Editor’s Note

Graduate Coach is a UK-based graduate career coaching firm founded by Chris Davies. Since it was set up in 2010, Graduate Coach has helped over 5,000 UK and international graduates secure positions at leading UK companies including Amazon, Google, J.P. Morgan, amongst others. With a focus on practical guidance and skill development, its services include one-to-one career coaching, immersive workshops, and personalised online resources. Additionally, Graduate Coach provides tailored internship opportunities and support services to further enhance graduates’ career prospects.

For more information, please visit https://graduatecoach.co.uk/

or their link tree https://linktr.ee/graduatecoachuk

 

Health & Care

‘Sicknote Culture’: Why It’s up to Employers to Change the Status Quo 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s recent speech on Britain’s sick note culture highlights how something’s ‘gone wrong’ since Covid, an expert has warned.

An estimated 850,000 more people are currently economically inactive according to reports.

But Nathan Shearman, director of therapy and training at Red Umbrella and a qualified psychotherapist and counsellor, said it is a multi-faceted and complex issue to tackle.

He says: “We have known for a while that the number of people who are economically inactive has been going up. And the language around it is interesting – economically inactive suggests that you’re not contributing to the country’s economy, which misses the fact that these people in a lot of cases genuinely want to work, but simply cannot.

“Access to services is vital. That’s where the government has a big responsibility in terms of providing the services needed. And that’s where a big part of this issue lies. For those who are off work with their mental health, the lead time to get mental health support is huge.

“In most major cities, you’re looking at a six-month lead time for counselling and therapy through your GP. That’s potentially six months you’re going to be signed off before you can even get any help or support to start to get better.

“We know that there have been a lot of budget cuts over the years and that mental health services are significantly underfunded as a result.

“This means that employers can now no longer rely on the NHS to help provide the solutions if and when employees need support to get over mental ill health.

“Employers must step up to fill some of those gaps and have plans in place to help both prevent and support.

“There are steps that workplaces should be taking to improve people’s wellbeing and reduce the number of individuals that are being signed off sick.”

Outlining what some of those steps are he continued: “Education is really important from a preventative point of view, too, because if somebody comes forward and their line manager, for instance, just doesn’t know how to respond, this could be particularly detrimental.

“Knowing how to respond and having a basic understanding of mental health is key, as there is there’s a lot of misinformation out there, as well as often, an old-school mentality surrounding mental health issues.

“That’s where mental health training becomes vital, such as Mental Health First Aid training for line managers to teach them how to support their teams.

“That’s also really crucial when people return to work after experiencing mental health issues. There’s often an expectation that someone is just going to come back and resume working as normal, but that’s not expected with physical health issues.

“Having managers trained up to support individuals within their team effectively when they come back means that they’re less likely to need to be signed off again.

“Something invaluable that comes from mental health training is knowing how to make adjustments for people who may be struggling. Sometimes it’s as simple as saying ‘if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed, just know that you can talk to me, and I’ll help you any way I can’ or just letting them know they can take a break whenever they need to.

“That means that employees are less likely to get to a point where they are feeling overwhelmed because they know they have options. It’s also about offering additional support such as employee assistance programmes or counselling and therapy services.

Food and Drink

Britain’s first air fryer ready meal range – and it will only set you back £1.99 and just over 500 calories

MJ’s Diner, a food brand hailing from Birkenhead, is launching its first-to-market range of 14 frozen ready meals specifically developed for the air fryer.

  • 14-strong frozen product range with five new products arriving this week
  • Everything you need for the perfect ‘fakeaway’ in one pack
  • Frozen ready meals cook in under 20 minutes
  • Developed for the air fryer but can be cooked in a conventional oven
  • All meals contain under 915 calories
  • Priced from £1.99 to £2.49

The range includes an array of ‘fakeaways’ such as Salt and Pepper Chicken, Katsu Chicken Curry, Kebab, and chip-shop favourites such as Steak Pie and Sausages, Chips and Gravy. All products are priced between £1.99 and £2.49 per pack, have fewer calories than ‘ordering in’ – every meal in the range comes in at under 915kcals with the lowest just 531kcals – and all meal items come in one easy pack.

The range – a British first for the company owned by Noel Davis, 50, who lives in Formby – cooks in less than 20 minutes, with some meals ready to eat in just 15. It’s already available in Farmfoods, Noel’s own Oops Food Clearance in St Helens, and over 300 independent retailers nationwide, as well as being about to hit the shelves in Poundland.

Noel, who has over 30 years of experience in food manufacturing and distribution across several different businesses, saw a market gap. The ingenious idea was sparked over a meal with his three children: Dara,18, Aoife,17 and Rory,15.

“Over 12.5m households are using air fryers and after a discussion with my family in which they were championing air fryers and how many times a week they use them – I just suddenly thought we have the perfect products, the development and distribution network,  and the contacts to launch this and with much success,” said Noel.

“We’ve ensured that we have selected some top British ‘fakeaway’ favourites in the range and included everything you need, so the gravy comes in its own sachet, as does the salt and pepper seasoning for you to sprinkle over after just 15 minutes cooking time. The range is a no-brainer. It’s cheaper, quicker, healthier, and far higher quality than ordering in – every time.

“This is already a record-breaking range for us, and it only launched last week! Rates of sale are up to 500% greater than the leading brands, which is seven or eight times more than the best-selling products such as Bisto, which have been on the market for many years.”

Due to the instant success, Noel has already recruited 50 staff members in his Birkenhead facility to cope with the demand.

The 14 products in the frozen range, are:

  • Chicken Nuggets and Fries (Made with 100% Breast)
  • Fish Fillet and Straight Cut Chips
  • Mixed Starter: 2 Potato Skins, 6 Garlic Mushrooms & 4 Hot & Spicy wings
  • All Day Breakfast – 2 Sausage, 2 Hash Browns, 3 Gammon Grill / Steak, 2 Black Pudding
  • Katsu Chicken & Crinkle Cut Chips – 100% Breast Fillet
  • Sweet & Sour Chicken & Crinkle Cut Chips (100% Breast Fillet)
  • Shortcrust Steak Pie and Steak Cut Chips
  • Southern Fried Popcorn Chicken and crispy fries
  • Hot & Spicy Chicken Wings and Crinkle Cut Chips
  • Breaded Fish Fingers with Chips
  • 2 Beef Grillsteaks with Chips
  • Crispy Chicken Goujons and Crinkle Cut Chips (100% Breast Fillet)
  • Salt & Pepper Chicken Chunks and Crinkle Cut Chips
  • Beef Meatballs with Chips & Gravy

Noel continued: “This product range hasn’t been designed to be a healthy meal for the family. It’s here to help those who are time-poor and want something that won’t blow their calorie count but is a quick, tasty, and cheap option for an evening meal or breakfast.

“Air fryers are now a kitchen staple. They’ve proven they are not a gimmick or a fad. They are here to stay and are helping us Brits enjoy those treat meals more regularly because nothing is deep fried – so you still get that desired crunch and crispiness, just without the oil and fat.”

Noel and his team have developed a British first – with no other brand yet creating a ready meal designed for the air fryer. “Most ready meals are, of course, what we call in the industry ‘wet’, which means sauce-based,” continues Noel.

“Ours will not disappoint, won’t stick to the side, and are a step away from a sauce-based meal. We’ve reinvented the takeaway meal – and you know what, I have to say, it tastes much nicer!”

Noel is already in talks with the likes of Home Bargains, Morrisons, and Sainsbury’s to supply the air fryer-ready meals. New options are also on the way, including Chips with Chip Shop Curry Sauce, Kebab Meat and Chips with Sriracha Sauce (hot and spicy chilli sauce), Salt & Pepper Pork Ribs and Crinkle Cut Chips, Pork Sausage in Gravy and Chips, and Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings and Crinkle Cut Chips.

Noel and his team are ready to produce 350,000 meals per week and feel the new range is perfect for students, busy individuals, and families on the go. He also suggests splitting a packet for an easy kids’ meal for two.

News

New distribution deal set to provide export boost for Goodfellow

A surge in demand for specialist metals and materials to support global R&D projects has seen Goodfellow hit a new export milestone.

The majority of the company’s current revenue is now sent overseas to 60 different countries and it is planning for a further 50% boost in the Iberian market after signing a new distribution agreement with MicroPlanet.

The deal will strengthen its presence in a key territory that is currently home to a significant amount of research and high value manufacturing that requires some of the 170,000 different metals and materials distributed from its Ermine Business Park facility.

Both firms share several synergies and values, including world class customer service, speed of response, quality products and the importance of investing in technical knowledge and support.

The agreement comes at an exciting time for Goodfellow, who has also just rebranded for the first time in over 45 years and launched a new client-centric website (www.goodfellow.com).

“Export has been at the core of our offering for decades and, as such, we invest heavily in ensuring we have a strong ‘local’ presence on the ground in key markets,” explained Simon Kenney, Chief Executive Officer of Goodfellow.

“This is achieved by great distributors like MicroPlanet in Iberia and through other agreements we have in place with Goodfellow GmbH, SARL and Corp in the USA. Understanding different markets and their customer requirements is critical to our expansion, with international sales increasing each year.”

He went on to add: “Our ongoing investment in stockholding, our expert team of technical scientists and bespoke processing services continue to be a valuable resource for R&D departments and scientific specialists looking to push the boundaries of innovation that achieve cutting-edge applications all over the world.

“These include new opportunities in fusion energy, battery technology, space exploration and a new cancer treatment.”

Goodfellow, which employs more than 100 people at its site in Huntindgon, has also pressed the button on new branding to reflect the modern-day image of the business.

Inspiration for the new design was taken from the baseline of the firm’s products at a nano, microscopic and macroscopic level, with the shapes corresponding to rods, tubes, balls and beads.

These spheres are collated together to form the brand icon that sits above the new Goodfellow strapline of ‘Advanced Materials, Innovation Delivered’.

This marketing milestone for the business comes at the same time as the new website launch, an extensive project that has taken nine-months to complete and has involved pretty much every member of the team.

The concept is to create an immersive site that showcases the ethos of the company, acts as a unique technical guide for R&D and scientific experts and, importantly, makes it easy for existing and new customers to navigate the 170,000 different products it can supply.

Claire Hartley, Chief Marketing Officer, continued: “Linking the website with a dynamic visual identity, which has the potential to bring other brands in underneath it, was extremely important for us as we look to grow further across the world and deliver a best-in-class user experience.

“It’s an integral part of the marketing mix and a new way for us to continuously improve the way we engage with our growing client base.”

She concluded: “There will be lots of new content, new project launches and improved frequency of customer communications to educate and add value. This will be in person, at events, webinars and through our new podcast series.”

HR News, HR Software, News

How Ciphr amplifies performance through the V2MoM framework

Join Ciphr’s HR leaders, Claire Williams and Karen Lough, for an insightful webinar about how Ciphr has transformed its performance management process using the V2MoM framework (11am on 21 May).

A unified employee base all pulling in the same direction, where everyone knows what they need to do and can operate at the top of their game, is the holy grail for any organisation.

HR software provider Ciphr has spent the past six months reframing its company goals and cascading them throughout the organisation in the form of meaningful performance objectives for all. They’ve introduced the V2MoM management framework to cultivate a high-performance environment where everyone has total clarity on their goals and objectives.

Find out how they did it, and the results so far at 11am on Tuesday 21 May. Spoiler: educating and engaging employees is key.

Claire Williams
Claire Williams is chief people and operations officer at Ciphr and a fellow of the CIPD – the UK’s professional body for HR. She leads on Ciphr’s people and culture, as well as company-wide strategic initiatives and operations. She has been with Ciphr for six years and has nearly 20 years of experience in the HR profession.

Williams says: “Building and implementing V2MOMs at Ciphr has been a labour of love. I can’t wait to share with the wider HR community the highs and lows of this strategic project, and how we have driven a shift in our collective purpose and high-performance culture.”

Karen Lough
Karen Lough is head of people experience (learning and development, culture and engagement) at Ciphr. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in learning and development and leading key transformation projects, including capability and behavioural frameworks, leadership development and performance management.

Lough says: “I’m really looking forward to sharing how we have used V2MOMs to accelerate the adoption of our Ciphr Amplifying Performance framework. We’re well on the way to a state where every one of our employees works with complete transparency of what they need to do and how that impacts the success of our business.”

To register for Ciphr’s webinar, please visit: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H08SdMj0.

All Ciphr webinars are free to attend. Links to video recordings of the seminars are made available afterwards and emailed to all registrants.

Previous webinars are available to watch on-demand at https://www.ciphr.com/webinars.

Ciphr is the go-to HR software and solutions partner for medium and large organisations in the UK. Its integrated HR, payroll, learning and recruitment software, services and content provide invaluable insights to HR teams to inform their people strategy and grow and develop their organisations. Based in Reading, Ciphr is on a mission to amplify the voice and value of HR through intelligent people data solutions that help HR be heard – in the boardroom and across the business.

For more information, please visit https://www.ciphr.com.

News

New Data Reveals The Top Destinations For Digital Nomads  ✈️

  •  Dubai leads with excellent infrastructure and a one-year Virtual Work Residency Visa, offering over 23,000 Wi-Fi hotspots and 230mbps average broadband speed. 
  • Lisbon ranks second with 7,000+ hotspots, 98mbps average broadband speed, and its sunny climate, food scene, and affordability. 
  • Madrid ranks third for its affordability, robust infrastructure, and vibrant startup ecosystem, offering a balanced work-exploration experience. 

There are already 35 million digital nomads worldwide, and the trend is being driven by technology, growing demand for flexible workspaces, and the increasing adoption of hybrid work. 

With this in mind the team at Instant Offices have ranked 61 locations based on affordability, weather, broadband speed, and other factors to reveal the best places to be a digital nomad in 2024. 

Dubai Leads as prime destination for digital nomads with over 23,000 Wi-Fi hotspots 

Outranking every other city analysed, Dubai stands out as the number one destination for digital nomads. This UAE city has a strong reputation as an international business hub with excellent infrastructure. The UAE also offers a special one-year Virtual Work Residency Visa. 

You’ll have no worries about connectivity while working in sunny Dubai – there are over 23,000 wi-fi hotspots throughout the city, with an average broadband speed of 230mbps. Dubai also has a climate that attracts digital nomads from around the world, getting an annual average of 3,500 hours of sunshine. This makes it an excellent place to work from the beach! 

With over 7,000 wi-fi hotspots and an average broadband speed of 98mbps Lisbon ranks as the second most popular place for digital nomads 

Lisbon is the second most popular place for digital nomads to work One of the sunniest places in Europe, the Portuguese coastal capital is a food-lovers haven, with local markets and freshly caught seafood available on virtually every corner.  

With more than 7,000 wi-fi hotspots and an average broadband speed of 98mbps, the city is ideal for enjoying the sun and surfing while still working productively. A cappuccino in Lisbon will cost you just £1,66, and an Airbnb will cost you £115 a night. 

Madrid provides a dynamic and convenient base for remote workers, ranking as the third most popular option. 

Madrid ranks as the third most popular city for digital nomads and for good reason. Its blend of affordability, robust infrastructure, burgeoning startup ecosystem, central European location, and reputation for safety make it a prime destination for remote workers seeking a dynamic and convenient base. 

 From its lively cultural scene to its plethora of coworking spaces and excellent connectivity, Madrid offers digital nomads a well-rounded experience that balances work and exploration seamlessly. 

More About Instant Offices: Instant Offices is the world’s largest office advisory service dedicated to finding the ideal flexible workspace for our clients – wherever their business is going.  We cover the global serviced office market, and our talented people are market specialists, enabling them to offer free, impartial advice to help find your dream workspace and negotiate the best deal for your business.