Category Archives: Industry News

Acquisitions & Partnerships, Business, Business News, Europe, European News, Industry News, Industry Press Releases, IT Services, News from England, Security, UK

Fast-Growing Distributor Nuvias Group Joins the Global Technology Distribution Council

The innovative European company serves more than 7,000 partners with leading-edge solutions enabling security, agility and manageability in Hybrid IT and unified communications.

Woking, UK — February 1st 2022 — The world’s leading consortium of technology distributors – the Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC) – announced today the addition of the Nuvias Group to its membership, furthering its mission to drive channel success and strengthen the value of technology distribution.

Founded in 2015 by Rigby Private Equity, the Nuvias Group is now a $750M company with offices across Europe. The company’s highly skilled and experienced teams – in addition to its well-established relationships with world-class vendors – position the IT distributor to make a unique impact in 2022 and beyond.

“Nuvias Group is a model for what successful technology distribution will look like today and into the future,” said GTDC CEO Frank Vitagliano. “Their ability to flex and adapt to the changing needs of the channel will also help our organization to better meet the evolving requirements of today’s technology vendors, resellers and solution providers— as the world continues to shapeshift around us every day.”

The Nuvias Group’s focus areas include unified communications, cybersecurity and intelligent networks, with specialised solutions offered via an ecosystem of more than 40 highly skilled vendor partners in 16 European countries.

“We’re dedicated to providing ever-greater value to the IT channel our vendors and customers,” said CEO Simon England, who brings an extensive background in value added distribution, with previous leadership positions at Westcon Group, Azlan and Tech Data. “Joining forces with the GTDC only helps us to further that mission.”

The Nuvias Group has continued its organic and acquisitive growth over the past year, posting double-digit growth and acquiring highly specialized distributors to strengthen its presence and service in the UK, Benelux and the DACH region.

Industry News

What’s Next for Microgaming in 2022

Change is inevitable, and Microgaming is at the peak of its most significant changes yet for this decade. The company’s CEO will be stepping down at the end of 2021. For 17 years, John Coleman has spearheaded Microgaming’s executive roles. The man who started as a chief financial officer was later promoted to head the company, 14 years after diligently serving in that position.

Over the years, Coleman has helped the company attain its current status among iGaming giants thanks to his outstanding leadership. The status of the iGaming giant as we know it is courtesy of the outstepping CEO. Its high-end games, attractive graphics, and exciting gameplays are a big part of the reason why online gamblers turn to casinos that offer Microgaming games.

How it All Began

Coleman introduced the era of 3D slots to the company, with The Great Galaxy Grab, Stunt Pilot, The Lucky Eggsplorer, and Mayan Princess being some of the first releases under his leadership. During his tenure as CEO, the team increased in number, and creative, groundbreaking ideas sprung from his members. Consequently, they crafted top-notch games like the recently launched Hyper Star slot, which is among the best RTP slots the company has produced. The game boasts a return to player rate of 96.05%, which is not too far from the highest, which stands at 96.95%.

The Replacement

Taking the mantle from him is his long-time friend and colleague, Andrew Clucas. Having served in the organization for the same duration as his predecessor, Andrew is already familiar with the company’s needs and will provide a smooth transition when he takes over.

Ahead of his induction as CEO, the company has announced expected release dates of their most recent productions, and we expect to see new sets in online casinos as early as January 2022. We hope to see new changes under his guidance at the beginning of the year. Gamblers are keen to see the direction that online gaming will take, especially virtual reality slots.

As a way of enforcing fair gambling and responsible online gaming, Microgaming has partnered with gambling organizations to extend their support to this cause throughout 2021. And while we hope that they take up the same spirit into the New Year, we wait to see what the incoming leader has in store for the company and what new additions the internet gaming fraternity will gain from his authority

Even More Change

Earlier this year, the marketing team also experienced a little rattling. The old markets director stepped down to pave the way for fresh blood in the shape of Julie Allison. Her strategic mission is to provide a new direction to the company’s marketing strategy. Bold moves to further expand the iGaming giant’s grip in the internet gaming realm are her priority.

And while her focus is on attracting new markets, she’s also looking into sustaining existing ones to ensure Microgaming stays at the top of the internet gaming’s ladder. With 10 years of working experience at the gaming company and 7 as an e-commerce marketer, Allison is set to bring in new strategies to skyrocket the organization to even greater heights.

While We Wait

Even as we anticipate the upcoming changes to the company’s strategies, the outgoing team has a few releases that will keep you entertained as you wait for the incoming team to take up their new roles. Cat clans, Amazing Link Riches, Arctic Enchantress, Plenty of Presents, Links of Ra, Book of Mrs. Claus, and Empire Shields are some of the new Microgaming slots you will enjoy this December.

While most of these games are original Microgaming productions, others are a collaboration between the corporation and other credible studios worldwide.

HR News, Industry News, News

New Survey: 70% of HRDs and Chief People Officers from the UK’s largest organisations are considering moving roles

  • A survey of senior HR Directors (majority from FTSE 250 companies or organisations with over 1000 employees) reveals the impact of the pandemic
  • Nearly one in four feels burnt out; just over a third feels resilient
  • Nearly 90% see burnout in their teams; three-fifths expect turnover in their teams in the next six to nine months

New research of senior HRDs in major UK organisations has revealed that 70% are considering moving from their current positions. The study from LACE Partners, an HR consultancy that supports major employers with HR transformation, technology advisory, change and adoption, also found that nearly a quarter of senior HR professionals (23.2%) feel burnt out, with just 36.2% feeling resilient.

Sixty-nine of the most senior HR people in the UK responded to the survey with three quarters working in organisations with more than 1000 employees (76.8%). The largest number of respondents (39.1%) came from firms with over 10,001 employees.

The top factors motivating the senior HRD or Chief People Officers to consider leaving their roles were long-held plans to move on once reaching this stage (21.7%), stress from working in their current organisations during the pandemic (13%) wanting to take a break (10.1%) as well as enacting plans that were previously deferred due to the pandemic (10.1%). On top of this, nearly a quarter (23.2%) said they feel less emotionally attached to their organisations since the beginning of the pandemic.

Cathy Acratopulo, Managing Director and Co-Founder at LACE Partners, said:

“From the survey sent to our senior HR contacts in major organisations, we can see that the pandemic has created significant levels of stress and burnout. Yet there is concern for their teams too. Nearly 90% (88.4%) of the respondents said some or most of their teams are showing signs of burnout. On top of this, three-fifths (59.4%) expected to see movement or turnover in their teams in the next six to nine months.

“The impact of both HR burnout and churn could be highly unsettling for some of the UK’s biggest businesses, although some may see it as a time to reset people strategies and outcomes. How much of the forthcoming churn will be led by individuals – or by the executive team – is yet to play out when strong performance in a time of significant turmoil will have been expected.

“Whilst every member of the workforce is feeling the impact of the pandemic, HR teams have also had the pressure of ‘owning’ the way the business responds, so we would encourage leaders to listen to and recognise the particular pressures their HR teams may be experiencing.”

Food & Drink, Industry News, News

Food delivery software specialist VROMO drives further growth with new website and senior hires

VROMO, a fast-growing software provider dedicated to restaurant food delivery, has launched a new website and announced the appointment of senior-level staff as it continues its ambitious growth plans in the UK, the US and Australia.

The company – whose impressive client and partner list already includes Burger King, Square and Olo – offers optimised delivery specifically for the food industry via its ground-breaking technology.

Following a surge in demand since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dublin-headquartered business is gearing up for further expansion with a more customer-centric website design and digital functionality supported by a new Driver app.

Along with the appointment of Rashmita Khimji as Director of Finance and Gordon Walsh as Chief Operating Officer, this month VROMO also welcomed Lily Mulcahy and Federica Tedesco, who join the Customer Success team. Plans are also underway to expand the engineering team, as demand for new integrations shows no signs of slowing.

The launch of the new website and app and the expansion of the team mark the start of an exciting time in the company’s growth trajectory. According to Chief Executive Officer Alan Hickey:

“VROMO has experienced unprecedented demand in recent months from restaurant chains that are doubling down on delivery. Typically, our clients want our help in reducing their delivery costs, but they also want to take ownership of the delivery experience. Our software allows them to do just that by owning the brand messaging and delivery experience through branded order tracking for their customers.

“In addition to restaurant brands, VROMO is seeing an increase in demand from delivery companies such as OLO, which are using the software to help their clients to reduce delivery times and ultimately improve the efficiency of their self-delivery operations.

“The events of 2020 have seen a seismic shift for the food industry, and most players in this space have pivoted to delivery as a lifeline. However, the growth of this channel is only set to continue, even with restrictions eased. This means that restaurant brands that intend to maintain and grow their customer bases need to figure out how to manage a delivery solution that doesn’t hurt the bottom line.

“We have a deep understanding of the challenges faced by our clients when it comes to efficient food delivery. As the world’s only SaaS (Software as a Solution) solution dedicated to restaurant food delivery, everything we build is done to improve the delivery operations of our clients. With that, we don’t let ourselves get distracted by other delivery verticals.”

Alan Hickey added: “Following the acquisition of Australian tech company Spatula.io in 2018 and equity financing in 2019, VROMO has been building partnerships with some of the world’s leading brands in food and delivery – and the launch of the new website and app and the new people we’re recruiting mark a step-up in the pace of growth.

“2021 is going to be a busy year for VROMO as we help more restaurant brands to strip out many of the traditional inefficiencies associated with food delivery and ensure the customer enjoys an exceptional experience.”

For more information, visit https://vromo.io

HR News, Industry News, Tech Thought Leadership, Thought Leadership

Oliver Obitavo: Identity Verification – Predictions for 2021

By Oliver Obitayo, Chief Sales Officer at IDnow

After possibly the most turbulent ever year for business, many organisations have faced unprecedented trading conditions all over the globe, IDnow’s CSO, Oliver Obitayo, discusses what he expects 2021 to bring to the identity verification market and the industries it supports.

Moving onboarding process from compliance to competitive advantage

For many years, the onboarding process, including Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements, has been viewed as an unavoidable necessity in order to remain compliant. Unfortunately, many firms underestimate the importance of this process and view it in too narrow a context. For example, comparing identity verification providers based purely on price rather than thinking more broadly about the process and the overall experience it offers potential customers is a missed opportunity in terms of added value.

Consumers expect a frictionless onboarding process and this can be the difference between converting a prospect or not. Businesses are increasingly realising the power beyond the process, with many seeking verification providers that understand the customer as well as the KYC regulatory landscape.

As such, I expect many to switch onto the concept that onboarding can actually offer a competitive advantage, where customers are put at the heart of the onboarding process and where KYC becomes a much broader business topic, even in the boardroom.

 

Rise of consumerisation

Consumers have come to expect a seamless online experience, even more so this year since the pandemic drove the entire world to their smartphone or laptop and this consumerisation megatrend has now hit onboarding processes and KYC.

Most end users expect all processes they encounter to be available in an App, instantly granting them access to the service or product they demand. To remain relevant, firms must fulfil this expectation and with that, comes a need for hardcore technology that will deliver compliance and security.

I expect this consumerisation to continue to grow as more and more customers switch their lives and interactions with businesses online.

 

Embedding and improving existing technologies

Covid-19 has significantly accelerated global digitalisation – experts suggest by as much as five to eight years. Many industries and businesses have had to quickly adapt and pivot in order to retain their share of the market, placing huge pressure on firms to implement technology in order to deliver this digital, remote experience.

Thankfully, technology innovation has been the main driver of the identity verification market for many years, enabling the sector to meet the significant rise in demand with speed and efficiency. In our recent Security Report, we reported significantly higher demand for our products and services as restrictions around Covid-19 continue to push digitisation. There was a strong increase of 250% in fraud attempts this year, with new developments in identity fraud heavily impacting the global cybercrime figures.

Our order intakes rose by 358% year-on-year, while transactions via IDnow AudoIdent grew tenfold, with an increase of 1,000% in the number of transactions recorded between January and June 2020.

For 2021 then, I expect to see a focus on embedding and improving some key technologies that make the identity verification market as secure as it is. Priorities will be enhancing the use of Artificial Intelligence and sophisticated technology in order to drive automation and detection of dynamic security features in ID documents. In addition, Machine Learning, biometric face recognition, 3D modelling, wallet and reusability and integrated electronic signatures (eIDAS standard) processes will be improved.

I also predict the development of a global identity verification platform that caters to the different KYC client needs within multi-geographical, multi-regulatory frameworks in order to maximise conversion, fraud prevention and user experience in a compliant way. Ideally, this would be delivered by a single provider.

 

Evolving regulatory landscape

With the rise of cybercrime and identity theft, more and more countries are updating their regulatory frameworks more frequently, and often making them much stricter. The rules surrounding Anti-Money Laundering are also expanding to cover more industries. This evolving regulatory landscape will become increasingly complex, not least when the UK leaves the European Union on 31st December 2020.

As such, I expect firms to become much more reliant on their identity verification providers to offer the highest level of regulatory compliance, regardless of their geography or sector.

 

Market proliferation

As already discussed, Covid-19 has really driven growth in demand for online services and as a result, firms are increasingly seeking secure and compliant identity verification partners.

I see this demand only increasing in 2021 with more multi-jurisdictional regulations, dramatic uptake of remote business models and contactless processes, all of which drive the need for onboarding and KYC processes backed up with secure identity verification from established providers with pan-European operations.

 

Emerging markets and passing geographical boundaries

We are predicting a substantial increase in the need for online identity verification across many new geographies and industries next year as manual processes are replaced by automated alternatives. Opening bank accounts from home in a compliant, secure and convenient way via an App or web; signing contracts in a legally binding manner or renting cars within a couple of minutes have already become the norm for many.

Industries such as travel or hospitality will introduce automated, digital ways to onboard and engage with their passengers/guests; eHealth and using a true electronic patient record will become the norm; the financial industry will continue to further optimise their frontends, but also better integrate backend processes seamlessly. Meanwhile, governments and insurance firms will need to become more digitally available, as they face an urgent need to verify and know their customers.

 

With all these various trends and developments, the market for identity verification providers serving only one or two verification methodologies and regulatory environments is closing. Sectors and organisations the world over will increasingly seek a one-stop shop for best and seamless identify verification for the new normal. Which is why we are transforming into a global identity verification platform provider, which continues to add a broader range of products and services to its offering.

 

Acquisitions & Partnerships, Cybersecurity, Industry News

Gemserv and Trilliant Partner to Ensure Cyber Security and the Protection of Customer Data

Gemserv Ltd, an expert provider of professional services, helping clients develop, embed and secure complex digital solutions and Trilliant, a global provider of smart communications solutions in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), smart energy and smart city space, today announce a partnership to provide enhanced security assurance for Trilliant Head End Software deployments.

With products and service platforms now becoming fully connected, Gemserv has stepped in as a leader in the preparation of security assurance processes and procedures to ensure the robustness of all connection points, be they device components, additional enterprise interfaces or third-party systems.

“We are delighted to be working with Trilliant to ensure that customers, wherever they are, can reap the benefits of smart grid technology in a secure and integrated way” says Alex Goody, Gemserv Chief Executive.  “From enabling net zero to become a reality, to improving patient care in their own homes and improving the customer experience for all, Gemserv and Trilliant are delivering a smart future”.

As customer connected smart devices become increasingly available, the expectation is for interoperability between systems and devices that provide, for example, better control of energy usage, remote healthcare provision and property monitoring. Ensuring the compatibility of such systems with proven security credentials is becoming a key business driver, although implementation can be complex.

This partnership combines Gemserv’s expertise in IoT, smart metering and cyber security with Trilliant’s globally proven communications solution. Together, the organizations will provide a turnkey solution that reduces the pain points of IoT system implementation and is backed by the extensive experience of two of the leading industry experts in the fields of IoT, smart grid, and smart metering.

“The Trilliant Head End Software is designed to seamlessly connect power grids, distribution networks, smart meters, smart city, and smart home connected devices, often expanding from the initial platform provider to new service providers,” said Andy White, Chairman and CEO for Trilliant. “We put security and data privacy at the heart of our solution and have developed an ethos throughout our business of putting security first. Trilliant welcomes the partnership with Gemserv to provide enhanced security assurance to our customers.”

The agreed partnership between Trilliant and Gemserv covers strategy, planning, system implementation, security assurance for design, build and testing phases, as well as continued implementation throughout the long-term deployment and horizontal expansion into new business sectors.

Industry News, News, Tech

New WSO2 Identity Server Release Helps Speed the Delivery of Customer IAM-Powered Applications

WSO2 Identity Server increases ease of use with new UI, SDKs and group role assignments; enhances security via new default symmetric key encryption for sensitive data and cross-origin resource sharing

Recent constraints due to the coronavirus have accelerated consumers’ move toward digital channels for their banking, retail purchases, and a host of other services. As a result, enterprises are shifting their digital initiatives into overdrive to meet customer demand for online interactions that are both inviting and secure. WSO2 introduces new features that help these organisations deliver secure, customer-facing applications to market faster with the latest release of WSO2 Identity Server for developer-focused customer identity and access management (CIAM).

WSO2 Identity Server has earned recognition in CIAM research by some of the world’s leading analyst firms. Most recently, WSO2 was identified as an overall leader, technology leader, and innovation leader in the KuppingerCole Analysts’ CIAM Platforms Leadership Compass 2020 report published on 20th November 2020. WSO2 also was named by Forrester Research, Inc. as a Strong Performer in The Forrester Wave™: Customer Identity and Access Management, Q4 2020 report published on 8th October 2020.

The open source WSO2 Identity Server is a uniquely extensible, API-driven, cloud-native IAM product designed for developers that build CIAM solutions. It incorporates the functionality to federate, authenticate and manage identities; bridge across heterogeneous identity protocols; and secure access to web and mobile applications along with API-based endpoints. Already, businesses and government organisations worldwide are using WSO2 Identity Server for their CIAM deployments, with WSO2’s largest customer managing more than 100 million user identities, alone.

New CIAM Features Enhance Productivity and Security

Available today, the new WSO2 Identity Server version helps developers and administrators to become productive faster with the new console (portal). The console offers an easy-to-follow, React-based user interface (UI) with pre-configured settings, templates to create applications, and wizards with easy-to-follow instructions.

The newest release also features new software development kits (SDKs) for Java, .NET, and Android, which significantly simplifies the process of integrating applications written in these popular languages and frameworks with WSO2 Identity Server.

Other features and enhancements available with the latest release of WSO2 Identity Server are:

  • Enhanced role assignments go beyond individuals and include entire groups, making it fast and convenient for administrators to assign roles to a set of users at one time.
  • Symmetric key encryption for sensitive data—an industry-standard practice, particularly for cloud applications—is now the default mechanism in WSO2 Identity Server, making it easy to change keystores in the future.
  • Easier set up of cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) helps secure applications that require access to other resources. Now, both UI and API support for CORS configurations is provided per tenant, and developers can add allowed origins to their own applications as they are creating their apps.

“As more customers simply go online for their day-to-day tasks, it is becoming increasingly important for enterprises and government agencies to bring trust and relevance to their interactions via CIAM,” said Geethika Cooray, WSO2 vice president and head of identity and access management at WSO2. “Our newest release of WSO2 Identity Server makes it easier than ever for developers to quickly deliver applications that provide a seamless and secure experience to their customers.”

 

 

Availability and Support

WSO2 Identity Server 5.11 is available today as an open source product released under the Apache License 2.0. WSO2 Identity Server is backed by WSO2 Subscription, which features access to WSO2 Update for continuous delivery of bug fixes, security updates, and performance enhancements, along with WSO2 Support for 24×7 support. Unified pricing means customers can simply buy a WSO2 Subscription and choose the hosting model—cloud, on-premises or hybrid—based on their preferences. For information on WSO2 Subscription and other service and support offerings, visit https://wso2.com.

About WSO2

Founded in 2005, WSO2 enables the composable enterprise. Our open source, API-first, and decentralised approach helps developers and architects to be more productive and rapidly build digital products to meet demand. Customers choose us for our broad, integrated platform, approach to open source, and digital transformation methodology. The company’s hybrid platform for developing, reusing, running, and managing integrations prevents lock-in through open source software that runs on-premises or in the cloud. With offices in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Sri Lanka, the UK, and the US, WSO2 employs over 600 engineers, consultants, and professionals worldwide. Today, hundreds of leading brands and thousands of global projects execute over 6 trillion transactions annually using WSO2 integration technologies. Visit https://wso2.com to learn more.

Automotive Tech, Industry News, Security, Tech

Streamax Technology secures Multi Million Pound Video Telematics

Streamax Technology, the global leader of connected hardware for mobile surveillance on commercial vehicles, has secured a multi-million-pound order from video telematics specialist VisionTrack. Streamax will supply VisionTrack 27,000 connected 4G vehicle cameras and mobile DVRs, representing its single largest European order to date.

“VisionTrack is a leading provider of cloud-based video telematics, so we are delighted to be working with them to develop advanced vehicle technology solutions,” explains Pascal Yang at Streamax Technology. “This partnership began in 2017 and both companies have seen extremely rapid growth. With a mutual customer-focussed approach and technology-driven spirit we are helping to lower fleet risk, boost operational efficiency and ultimately save lives.”

VisionTrack’s device-agnostic, multi-award-winning IoT platform, Autonomise.ai, connects directly with Streamax’s range of products without the need of a third-party API or middleware software. This integration is unique within the marketplace, ensuring the highest quality connectivity and compliance in-line with VisionTrack’s strict data security policies and processes. As part of the partnership, Streamax will provide VisionTrack with a customised solution, which includes many jointly developed and unique hardware and firmware features. These customisations ensure the solution meets the precise needs of vehicle operations in the UK and mainland Europe.

Richard Lane, Commercial Director of VisionTrack commented: “This latest deal is an important part of our growth strategy, which is targeting 100,000 connected video telematics devices in 2021. Our Autonomise platform processes in excess of 700,000 event videos per month supporting many of Europe’s leading fleets, insurers and telematics service providers. This close working partnership with Streamax means we can deliver superior and innovative solutions, underpinned by our industry-leading IoT platform, to maintain our position at the forefront of the video telematics sector.”

Diversity, Industry News

First national survey of black jewellers reveals 51% experience racism – and incidents are only rarely reported

A first-of-its-kind national survey of UK black jewellers reports that 51% of respondents said they had experienced racism in the jewellery industry.

The Survey of Black Jewellers was carried out by Private 2 Public Ltd on behalf of Kassandra Lauren Gordon, a black jeweller, supported by the Goldsmiths’ Company and the Goldsmiths’ Centre. It follows Kassandra’s open letter to the jewellery industry in June about the lack of diversity and inclusion for black people in the industry. The survey looked at the experiences of racism black people said they faced in the jewellery industry, as well as the skills, barriers and opportunities black jewellers needed to grow their businesses and improve their practice. 94 black jewellers responded to the survey, conducted between 25 August and 8 September.

 

Experiences of racism happen across the jewellery industry, but are rarely reported

The survey indicated that experiences of racism were most likely to take place at selling events or exhibitions (39%), in education and training (39%), or in interactions with suppliers (services, equipment or materials) (35%).

Yet racism was rarely reported (74% never reported it), regardless of the stage respondents were  in their careers, because they didn’t know how to report racism, or who to report it to (38%), and were either concerned about the consequences of reporting (33%) or if they’d be believed (33%).

 

Racism impacted on the mental health of over a third of respondents

Impact on mental health (39%) was cited as having the most marked effect on those respondents who said they had experienced racism, along with stalling career development (13%) or hiding their identity (11%).

One respondent said that racism in the jewellery industry amounted to “…lots and lots of small incidents – microaggressions. In the short term they don’t seem that damaging but in the long term, when you put it all together, it is… It’s death by a thousand cuts”

Kassandra Lauren Gordon comments, “The results of the survey are validation, were it needed – and I’m sad to say it is – of the collective experiences many black jewellers, me included, have had in the industry, from microaggressions to direct racism. Some people may find it shocking, particularly the pervasiveness of it in the industry, from the workshop to the lecture hall. Those that have experienced racism won’t be shocked at all. The focus now should be on how the jewellery industry is going to create a culture of inclusion for black people and become proactively anti-racist both in day-to-day life and longer term.”

 

Lack of funds, business experience, and role models the most common business barriers

The survey also looked at skills, barriers and opportunities for emerging and established Black jewellers, to understand what support was needed to develop and grow the practice and business of black jewellers; and encourage more black people into the industry.

The survey indicated that the three most common barriers today were lack of funds (77%), lack of business experience (51%) and lack of role models (44%). While these results were comparable to other surveys of the jewellery community, ‘lack of role models’ was not typically offered as a response option, further emphasising the need for visible black role models in the industry.

 

Many black jewellers are learning the craft outside the mainstream

The skills gaps respondents most wanted to address were business skills (80%), making/ manufacturing skills (69%) and product development (56%). And the opportunities for support that were rated most highly were: money to fund new pieces/ the business (80%); to make contacts in the industry (72%); to showcase work through exhibitions and events (70%); and more press and promotion (70%).

Those surveyed were less likely to come into the industry through mainstream education – higher education (33%) and further education (20%) – and more likely to enter the industry through short courses and private tuition (49%) or to enter through alternative routes (23%) such as being self-taught.

They were also less likely to seek out support from mainstream FE or HE education providers (44%) or industry bodies and trade associations (46%) compared to other more self-directed sources, such as reaching out to other skilled craftspeople (76%) or the internet/ social media (65%). This might, in part, be due to relatively low levels of awareness and a fragmented take-up of membership to those organisations – 58% of respondents were not affiliated to an industry/ business group.

 

The jewellery industry needs improve visibility and representation of black people

Overall, survey respondents said that the jewellery industry needed to be more inclusive, and to improve the visibility and representation of black people. This ranged from more media coverage for black jewellers (37%); to more diversity in exhibitions and showcases (30%) and the need for the industry to be more inclusive/equal in general (21%).

One respondent said, “I think that the industry can shine more light, promote and just uplift more black jewellers as mentors, role models, teachers and stuff like that, to show young black jewellers, like myself, that we do actually exist, and we can get to a high level in the jewellery industry.”

Commenting on the findings, Richard Fox, Prime Warden (Chairman-equivalent) of the Goldsmiths’ Company, which supported the research, said, “There is no place for racism, or any other form of discrimination, in our trade. This research highlights a disconnect between the industry and the black jewellery community. While the industry has a lot to offer, from training and development to showcases that celebrate the work of jewellers, we need to ask ourselves if enough is being done to improve the accessibility of those opportunities for budding and established black jewellers.”

He added, “All of us in the industry need to look closely at how we can we reach and engage with black jewellers better and more effectively and encourage more young black people into jewellery and silversmithing – we are potentially missing out on a whole generation of talented designers and craftspeople. This will require sustained commitment and substantive change. It will involve an industry-wide collaboration and effort, most importantly with black jewellers themselves.”

Kassandra hopes that the survey will prompt the industry into more visible and tangible action. She concludes, “For far too long black jewellers have been all but invisible in the jewellery industry, developing their practice and their business on the fringes. Before June, I knew of one or two other black jewellers and had come across no black tutors or industry leaders.

“Several months on, black-led networks, such as the Black Jewellers Network and The List, have evolved in response to Black Lives Matter and the failings of the jewellery industry to address challenges of inclusion. But this does not absolve the industry of its responsibility to be proactive and to act: to be open and transparent about the steps it is (or isn’t) taking to be more inclusive of black people. It will take time to develop trust – trust is fragile – and for change to happen. But happen it must.”

Three considerations for the UK jewellery industry

Based on the findings of the survey, three key areas have been identified for the jewellery industry to consider with regard to how it can improve access, training, and support for all black jewellers:

 

  1. It takes more than a policy or procedure to tackle racism: How can the industry ensure that not only are effective systems and processes in place for both the reporting of and acting upon racism; but that these are communicated effectively across the Industry, from suppliers to educators and small businesses?  How can it enable black jewellers, and in particular aspiring black jewellers, to build confidence and trust in the industry in which they work or wish to work?

 

  1. The industry needs to look at how it engages black jewellers and aspiring black jewellers: Black jewellers are more likely to approach other skilled craftspeople or go to a search engine for support or training than they are to go to trade bodies and associations or FE and HE providers. How can the industry reach and engage with black jewellers effectively, and ensure that provision (be that education, training, events, competitions, memberships, and so on) is appealing, relevant and accessible to them?

 

  1. Black jewellers have been largely invisible in the jewellery industry: Respondents want the industry to be more inclusive and to improve the visibility and representation of black people, from promoting black jewellers and celebrating their work to using black models in campaigns. How can the industry improve the visibility and representation of black people (not only black jewellers)?

 

Kassandra has also undertaken and authored a social research study – Challenges

faced by black jewellers working and studying in the UK jewellery industry. It identifies and documents the challenges facing black jewellers in the UK. 11 black jewellers were interviewed. The study revealed six themes: experience of racism in the jewellery industry, education and training, the press, social capital, supply chain, and resilience. Recommendations are offered to redress the problems that featured in the research.

To find our more go to: https://bit.ly/SurveyBlackJewellers  #SurveyBlackJewellers

Industry News, Software News

Signavio Launches CEX Edition and Training Academy to Accelerate Journey to Customer Excellence

Signavio, a leading provider of business transformation solutions, today announced the launch of Signavio Business Transformation Suite CEX Edition. Signavio’s new Customer Excellence Edition will empower organizations to turn customer obsession into operational reality, and the newly-launched Signavio Academy will provide their teams with the skills to drive this internal transformation.

Signavio’s CEX Edition leverages analytics and other next-gen techniques to identify critical customer interactions and the interdependencies between customer sentiment, moments of truth and underlying process operations. Its innovations include Signavio Journey Modeler, new software that enables organizations to understand and visualize the customer experience in a step by step journey, as well as new Process Intelligence tools that leverage data to unlock operational excellence.

Signavio Journey Modeler merges customer experience with process mining insights to discover which operational root causes are driving customer satisfaction or frustration. It allows organizations to connect journeys with processes, metrics, systems and roles and understand, improve and transform them. It also identifies process gaps that currently exist and drives the changes needed to delight customers at scale.

The new Process Intelligence capabilities include four analytics tools designed to support the individual needs of specific user groups throughout the analysis-to-insights lifecycle:

  • A new Process Oriented Analytics Language, SiGNAL, that allows an effective and scalable creation of process insights with dedicated process functions as easy as SQL
  • A cloud-based in-memory analytics engine – SiGNAL Mining Engine – that can analyze millions of business transactions in real-time
  • A Metrics Library that empowers business users without deep technical knowledge or expertise to leverage the computational power of SiGNAL
  • ETL Pipelines to simplify online and manual data acquisition with a unique process-mining oriented data model creation

Gero Decker, CEO of Signavio comments: “In the vast majority of organizations there is a major disconnect between their customer journeys and the underlying operational processes that support them.  This has led to the emergence of a new Customer Excellence category that demands a combination of innovative technology, such as our new CEX Edition, as well as specialized skills that our Signavio Academy will build.”

The Signavio Academy will accelerate the growth of the Customer Excellence category by upskilling thousands of process managers. The curriculum will focus on building the skills, techniques and approaches that are essential to success in a profession that is becoming more data-driven and customer-experience focused.

Decker continues: “Business leaders are starting to realize that redesigning processes is a highly effective way of driving change at scale. However, the true value is only unlocked through a combination of inside-out and outside-in thinking. The next generation of process experts will fuse data science with design thinking. It’s an exciting evolution that we hope to accelerate through the launch of our Academy.”

 

Additional Resources:

For more on Business Transformation Suite CEX edition:

https://www.signavio.com/customer-excellence/