Category Archives: Cardiff

Business, Cardiff, Events

Adapting to change: CEO of The Royal Mint addresses Cardiff Business Club

Cardiff Business Club marked the last event of its 2023/24 season with insights on change, diversification and authenticity as Anne Jessopp CBE, CEO and Deputy Master of the Mint at The Royal Mint, addressed the Club.

At the event sponsored by Hugh James, Jessopp discussed the recent redevelopment that the Mint has undergone since her appointment in 2018, and following the 35% decline in coin usage through the pandemic.

Highlighting the change in society and industry by asking attendees to raise their hands if they had used coins today, this week, or this month, she went on to say that they have been redefining what it means to be a Mint, building a portfolio of businesses with a £1.9 billion revenue annually.

Before delving into the Mint’s change, she discussed her personal change, from a career in HR to becoming CEO of The Royal Mint. Anne Jessopp stated: “The Royal Mint was like a teenager deciding what to do when it grew up.” To diversify its offering, they had to understand what made the organisation unique, understand the core values held by employees and customers, and understand the capabilities they have, along with those they don’t.

By implementing these steps, The Royal Mint has diversified in absolute marketplaces through product innovation, such as precious metals investments and collectables, and grown into new markets entirely. Jessopp discussed their partnership with Canadian clean tech company Excir, to scale up patented chemistry to extract gold from electronic waste, and their new jewellery line, where their recovered gold is already being used.

She closed by highlighting the importance of job retention through their period of diversification and change, as the organisation will decommission its Overseas Currency business later this year. All 230 employees have been offered new roles in their new industries, be it in the jewellery making section, collectable coin creation, or electronic waste recycling. She stated that people are the most important part of a business, discussing those open to change and those who push against it, but highlighted the importance of them all when it comes to a period of redevelopment.

Anne rounded off by highlighting their overarching goal – to remain authentic to who they are throughout the transformation.

Cardiff Business Club will return for its new season in the autumn.

Cardiff, Construction, Construction News

Dudley’s Aluminium secures another project in the heart of Cardiff

Dudley’s Aluminium, a leading Welsh fabricator, has secured another key project in Cardiff’s city centre, working on the multistorey car park in Central Quay.

Working with Goldbeck Construction, for Rightacres Property and Network Rail, Dudley’s will be installing curtain walling and doors on the build of the car park in the centre of Cardiff, as part of the Central Quay project which also features residential, office, leisure and retail opportunities.

This is not the first time the Welsh fabricator has taken on a city centre project. Dudley’s has played an instrumental role in the regeneration of the city centre with its work on many of the buildings in Central Square including Buildings One and Two, the BBC, HMRC and The Interchange all at Central Square.

Steve Muir, Commercial Director at Dudley’s Aluminium, said: “We are honoured to be working on such an empowering project for Cardiff’s city centre. The Central Quay project is set to create an incredible number of opportunities, and we are delighted to be able to offer our services to the car park aspect of the build.

“With one of our most recent projects being the Fairwater education campus in Cardiff, we are passionate about projects that will bring positive benefits and impacts to the Cardiff community.”

Since 1993, Dudley’s Aluminium has offered clients full in-house design and production facilities, completing many successful and prestigious projects within the education, health, commercial, retail, residential and defence sectors throughout the UK and Channel Islands.

Dudley’s reputation for quality has been recognised with several industry-related accreditations. The company is CHAS accredited, Constructionline registered and BM Trada certified to manufacture enhanced security products to align with PAS24:2016 and BS 4873.

Business, Cardiff, Cardiff News, Transport, Transport Tech

Veezu returns to Whitchurch Heath Cricket Club as club sponsor

VEEZU, south Wales’ leading private hire platform, is returning as the club sponsor for Whitchurch Heath Cricket Club’s upcoming season.

 

Whitchurch Heath has four Senior league sides and a thriving youth section that runs teams at ages under 9, 11, 13 and 15. They are dedicated to playing competitive cricket in a welcoming, inclusive and social atmosphere in the north Cardiff suburb.

 

This marks Veezu’s third year of sponsoring the club through its ‘Funded by Veezu’ programme, an initiative in which organisations, charities and sports teams can apply for funding and grants, set up to improve the communities in which Veezu operates.

 

The sponsorship will go on to fund day-to-day expenses such as ground maintenance and equipment.

 

Peter Bryon, Whitchurch Heath Chair, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Veezu once again and are very grateful for their ongoing support and commitment to WHCC. This sponsorship is invaluable to us as we can invest in the club’s grounds and facilities to improve the overall experience for our members.”

 

Sally Krouma, Hyperlocal Marketing Manager at Veezu, said: “We are very excited to be continuing this partnership and supporting Whitchurch Heath in their upcoming season. Funded by Veezu is all about reaching out to our local communities and supporting them in any way we can. It’s wonderful to see another great organisation benefit from the programme, and we look forward to seeing this partnership develop even further.”

Business, Cardiff, Cardiff News, Estate Agent News

Thomas H Wood renews partnership with Radyr Lawn Tennis Club for second year

PROMINENT Cardiff estate agent Thomas H Wood has been announced as the lead partner of Radyr Lawn Tennis Club for the 2024/25 season.

 

This marks the second year that the family run sales and letting agent, with a showroom on Station Road in Radyr, will support its local club financially as well as providing prizes for fundraising events throughout the year.

 

Radyr Lawn Tennis Club was established in 1914 and aims to provide the local community with top-class tennis and social facilities which promotes and encourages participation in tennis for everyone.

 

The site is made up of 10 courts which includes a mix of Tiger Turf, artificial clay and hard tennis courts, along with two Pickleball courts. The Club has 500 members of all abilities including 11 doubles teams that compete in a host of Tennis Wales South Wales Leagues and 200 juniors who play in various matches and tournaments as well as non-competitive games.

 

Thomas H Wood was established in 1970 by Thomas Wood and is now managed by sons John and Paul. The company specialises in sales and letting in north Cardiff, including commercial and residential property, and also has a branch in Whitchurch.

 

Cliff Gardner, Radyr Lawn Tennis Club Chairman, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Thomas H Wood for continuing their support for us, especially being a local business themselves. Our mission is to create an energetic, progressive and sustainable tennis club to provide opportunities all year round, and without the generosity of our sponsors this would not be possible.”

 

Paul Wood, Director at Thomas H Wood, said: “Being a local business, supporting our local communities is of incredible importance to us, and so we are delighted to be returning to Radyr Lawn Tennis Club and continuing to support the work they do. After an already fantastic first year of our partnership, the club is set to enjoy another successful year, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store.”

Business, Cardiff, Sport, Transport

Veezu kicks off local football sponsorship

VEEZU, south Wales’ leading private hire operator, supported the Radyr Rangers Football Club at their Football Festival on 8 June.

As part of the Funded by Veezu programme, set up to improve the communities in which Veezu operates by offering funding and grant opportunities, Veezu was a silver sponsor at the event, making a £500 donation.

The Radyr Rangers Football Club provides community football to Radyr, Morganstown and the surrounding area, and successfully provides football training for over 400 children and young people engaged in fun and healthy activities, aiming to provide a safe and fun environment for all.

Through this sponsorship, Veezu welcomes the Radyr Rangers to their community of local sponsorships, with its latest donation in south Wales being to Cash For Kids’ Holiday Hunger appeal.

Wyn Williams at Radyr Rangers FC said: “We are incredibly grateful to Veezu for their support and generosity in enabling our Football Festival to be such a success. It was a joy to see our community come together, with teams from all ages getting stuck in to a fun-filled day of football.”

Sally Krouma, Hyperlocal Marketing Manager at Veezu, said: “The Radyr Rangers held a fantastic event and it was wonderful to see the development of such a welcoming community for young people, and how important organisations like these are. We strive to support as many local community groups as possible in south Wales, and look forward to what the Radyr Rangers go on to do next.”

Art, Business, Cardiff, Diversity & Inclusion, Events, Food and Drink, Hospitality

Live art and LGBTQ+ portraits for Pride at The Red Dragon Centre

CARDIFF Bay’s leading entertainment venue, The Red Dragon Centre, has teamed up with Welsh artist Nathan Wyburn to mark Pride month with a unique art installation and charity auction.

Nathan is a proud spokesperson for LGBTQ+ equality and often uses his art to reflect this. Specialising in creating pieces out of non-traditional mediums, Nathan was a semi-finalist on Britain’s Got Talent in 2011, and has also appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show, This Morning and Good Morning America.

The showcase will be displayed from 31 May – 30 June, and will feature influential figures such as Cara Delevingne, Kit Connor and Elliott Page. Joining the lineup will be The Red Dragon Centre’s resident Capital Drive presenters, Josh and Kally, whose portraits will be made up of photographs sent in by listeners to celebrate 25 years of Pride in Wales.

The Welsh artist will also be appearing at the Centre for pop-up live art shows where he will create some iconic LGBTQ+ celebrities at the Centre, with ten portraits of his existing artwork being displayed in the Centre’s showcase.

An online auction will take place at the close of the showcase for Nathan’s portraits of George Michael made out of WHAM bars, and Ncuti Gatwa in a Doctor Who collage. The winning bids will be donated to Pride Cymru.

Nathan said: “I am delighted to be teaming up with The Red Dragon Centre’s Pride celebrations, and getting the chance to showcase some of most beloved LGBTQ+ figures out there. Co-in siding with the 25th anniversary of Pride in Wales makes this all the more special, and shows how important it is to continue to celebrate Pride month, and strive towards promoting LGBTQ+ equality in Wales, and beyond.”

Emma Constantinou, Marketing Manager at The Red Dragon Centre, said: “Pride is a wonderful and important month, and we feel very fortunate to be able to host our own celebrations at The Red Dragon Centre for another year. We are very grateful to Nathan for his support and generosity of offering his work to the auction, we hope visitors enjoy spotting their favourite figures at the showcase inside the Centre.

“This month is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the LGBT+ community with our showcase, and two lucky bidders can walk away with a unique portrait from Nathan, knowing that all money raised will be going straight to charity.”

The Red Dragon Centre is home to a multitude of interactive, lifestyle and food and drink venues including Odeon Cinema, the home of Wales’ only IMAX screen, and the Hollywood Bowl which have been key Centre attractions since the beginning.

The Centre hosts a range of additional brands that make up an intrinsic part of the entertainment and dining experience, including Grosvenor Casino, Five Guys, Spice Route, Volcano, EasyThali and Zaika.

The Centre is also the site of the Capital FM South Wales studio, which was formerly Red Dragon FM, as well as Heart FM. Today, you’ll find the likes of Josh and Kally broadcasting their Capital Drive Show live from there every weekday.

Accountancy, Accountancy & Accounts, Accounts and Accountancy, Business News, Cardiff, Leadership

Kilsby Williams announces major Partner promotions

Tax and accountancy specialist Kilsby Williams has announced a major enhancement of its leadership team, doubling its partner group to 11 with six new internal promotions to partner.

Lucy Creese, Stuart Evans, Dafydd Ford, Rob Meredith and Kaye Morris have been promoted from within the firm’s fast growing Tax, Growth and Transactions departments, while Huw Sheppard from the Audit, Accountancy and Payroll teams completes the leadership group.

Simon Tee, managing partner at Kilsby Williams, said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for our business and we are proud that we are able to expand our leadership team with six outstanding internal promotions. We have been growing at a fantastic rate over the last few years and the capabilities and ideas our new partners bring will ensure we can continue to do so in the future.”

The announcement coincides with an exciting new brand identity and website.

The brand refresh has seen the firm retain the respected Kilsby Williams name and diamond logo, supported by a fresh colour palette and updated design across its new website with improved functionality, and at its Newport headquarters.

The website’s significant functionality overhaul now offers existing and prospective clients a seamless experience, showcasing the firm’s tax and accountancy expertise, case studies and thought leadership in a more user-friendly way. The new site allows the firm to better interact with its client base of entrepreneurs, local fast growth businesses, and national and international groups.

Simon Tee added: “With the continued use of the Kilsby Williams name, there is a classic feel to the new branding, representing the firm’s determination to stay true to its history and culture. These have been the bedrock of the firm’s success and made us a recognisable, trusted partner to our varied client portfolio for over 30 years.

“Whilst retaining our heritage, we have also developed a modern, forward-thinking new look that fully embraces the firm’s current evolution and growth as the largest independent firm in the region and improves our clients’ experience.”

Established in 1991, Kilsby Williams works with clients locally in south Wales, extending across the UK and globally. Their clients range from sole traders to international quoted groups.

Cardiff, Construction, Construction News

Dudley’s Aluminium secures pioneering education campus project

WELSH fabricator Dudley’s Aluminium has secured a new project for a joint education campus in Fairwater.

Dudley’s is working in collaboration with ISG Construction Ltd on the multimillion-pound project which will facilitate the construction of three new build schools for Cantonian High School, Riverbank School and Woodlands High School, all situated on a single site.

The development will be Net Zero Carbon in line with Welsh Government standards and will set the standard for future Cardiff school projects. Each of the three schools will be highly energy efficient buildings powered by renewable energy sources.

The fabricator will install Metal Technology System doors, windows and capped curtain walling on the build.

Neil Jones, Contracts Director at Dudley’s Aluminium, said: “We are delighted to be taking on such an important project that will have such a positive impact on the local community, and to be working with ISG once again. The development of these schools will provide incredible benefits for its pupils, creating a positive environment for children to learn, develop and achieve their potential, and it is an honour to be involved.”

Since 1993, Dudley’s Aluminium has offered clients full in-house design and production facilities, completing many successful and prestigious projects within the education, health, commercial, retail, residential and defence sectors throughout the UK and Channel Islands.

Dudley’s reputation for quality has been recognised with several industry-related accreditations. The company is CHAS accredited, Constructionline registered and BM Trada certified to manufacture enhanced security products to align with PAS24:2016 and BS 4873.

Business, Cardiff, Events, Law

His Honour Nicholas Cooke KC calls for criminal justice system ‘health check’ in Cardiff Business Club address

His Honour Nicholas Cooke KC, formerly Recorder of Cardiff and a Judge who sat in the Old Bailey and the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) addressed Cardiff Business Club at a dinner event sponsored by Knight Frank, on 20 May at the Parkgate Hotel.

The topic of his lecture was how the current criminal justice system needs a comprehensive health check. He opened with stating how this field of law has changed since he began studying in 1973, becoming more micromanaged and less subjectively determined by judges.

His Honour discussed miscarriages of justice and how they have always happened, the emperor’s clothes mentality surrounding them and how legislation has responded effectively to them, albeit following some pushing. He referenced the post office scandal in depth, describing it as the worst miscarriage of justice in Europe, and read an excerpt from his letter in The Guardian on the topic.

He also used the post office scandal to talk about trends and how they affect, or rather don’t affect, Crown Court judges. It has been said that Crown Court judges act independently and don’t need to take note of trend, but he disagreed and stated that if a judge becomes aware of a trend, he or she should note and respond to it. If the judges involved in the post office scandal had acted in response to trends, perhaps the miscarriage of justice wouldn’t have been so large.

His Honour then discussed a need for a more locally focussed criminal justice system and how one has the potential to reduce crime in specific areas, such as gang violence in London. With a local criminal justice system that reflects local needs, the whole system should work better. He questioned whether the British criminal justice system is the fairest in the world as many still believe but retains the hope we can make it so.

Delving into many of his past cases, cases that haunt him, His Honour then discussed how the current criminal justice system fails to deal with fatal violence against women. He called upon a need to change the starting points for setting minimum terms in murder, by referencing the weapon used, before speaking of Kirsty Treloar and Rebecca Sessacar’s cases, showing photos of the two women to emphasise how they were real people to be remembered. The cases involved “a catalogue of appalling failures” with previous warning signs ignored and other shocking errors.

His Honour used these strong stories to emphasise the need for a review of the entire criminal justice system, before delving into some questions posed by the room.

The next Cardiff Business Club lunch event will see speaker Anne Jessopp CBE, CEO of the Royal Mint, address the club on 27 June at the Hilton Hotel.

Accountancy, Accountancy & Accounts, Business, Business Advice, Cardiff, South Wales

Two thirds of UK finance professionals optimistic about AI in accountancy

  • 66% of UK finance professionals believe that AI will allow them to add more value in their roles
  • 42% are concerned about the potential impact of AI on their roles in the future – but this is lower than the global average of 51%
  • 71% of finance professionals are keen for more training on AI to better understand it and integrate it into work

 

Recent research conducted by ACCA, the leading global accountancy body, takes a look at the current state of the UK workplace for finance professionals. Analysing key areas such as remuneration, staff retention, employee wellbeing, AI and diversity and inclusion, the study highlights the state of affairs for the finance profession across the UK.

 

AI has been dominating the conversation for UK finance professionals, but the response has been positive on the whole. Two thirds of survey respondents reported feeling positive about AI, seeing it as a tool to add more value to their roles and reduce data-heavy tasks. The fact that almost three quarters (71%) are keen for more training on how to best use AI demonstrates that the UK’s finance professionals want to understand and utilise AI effectively. Using AI to reduce time-intensive but low value work tasks means more time is freed up for high value work.

 

The pace of change in technology at work was a concern for one fifth (22%) of respondents, who felt overwhelmed by the rapid rate at which technology was advancing and changing.  However, the global average for this was 37%, indicating that UK finance professionals feel more prepared and resilient in the face of change than their global peers.

 

Concerns raised by respondents around AI included job displacement, qualifications taking longer, and the risks of AI such as privacy, security and ethical use of data, as well as potential issues of over-reliance on AI.

 

Alongside AI, ACCA’s survey revealed that finance and accounting employees in the UK are still very much embracing a hybrid work model, with 64% reporting this was their working pattern, almost a third higher than the global average of 41%. Only 21% of those surveyed are working full-time in the office in the UK – globally, that figure jumps to 52%. In the UK, Wales has the highest percentage of workers full-time in the office, at 38%. Only 52% of Wales’ finance professionals work in a hybrid pattern, the lowest of the UK nations surveyed.

 

However, there is a trade-off between productivity and team collaboration highlighted by the survey, with 68% saying working remotely improves their productivity, and 49% saying it makes team collaboration harder. Respondents did cite benefits of being in the office (in addition to improved collaboration) including workplace cultural reinforcement and adoption, particularly for new hires, organic learning and networking opportunities.

 

Joe Fitzsimons, senior manager, Policy & Insights, ACCA UK, and author of the report said: “The responses from UK finance professionals in this survey around AI reflects a growing conversation about how technology will change the future of work. It is positive to see that two third of respondents are optimistic about the role of AI and even more are keen to understand it more through training and upskilling. While UK finance professionals are more optimistic than their global peers, there is still a long way to go in full rollout of AI in organisations, and ACCA will continue to provide insight, research and support for a smooth transition.”

Lloyd Powell, head of ACCA Cymru/Wales, added: “Wales offers a diverse range of opportunities for those working in accountancy roles.

“We know from the many employers that we work with across Wales that attracting and retaining accounting and finance talent is a key focus, and that offering training, professional development and other employee benefits is something they are implementing in a competitive job market. The higher than UK average percentage of workers in the office full-time in Wales is interesting, and we’ll continue to monitor this from an employee and employer perspective.”

Read the full report here.