Category Archives: London

Construction News, Health, Healthcare, London, London News

Amethyst Radiotherapy achieves high-rise Gamma Knife source loader crane installation feat at Queen Square Centre, Central London

Amethyst Radiotherapy a leader in cutting-edge cancer treatment, specifically Stereotactic Radiosurgery, is proud to announce the successful upgrade of its Gamma Knife machine at its prestigious Queen Square centre in central London.

Specialised cranage equipment was used, lifting over 15 tonnes of equipment between the two high-rise buildings located in Central London. The Source Loader weighed approximately nine tonnes, with the radiation vault at roughly five tonnes – a variety of other equipment also required specialist transportation.

The Gamma Knife source loader is a sophisticated device used to precisely position radioactive sources, specifically cobalt-60, within the Gamma Knife machine.

This technology is critical for targeting and treating brain tumours with high doses of radiation, whilst minimising exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. The precision of the source loader is vital for the effectiveness and safety of Gamma Knife radiotherapy, offering non-invasive treatment options for patients with various neurological conditions and metastatic brain tumours.

Issues were faced – including an unrelated protest march which prevented the access and delivery of equipment, vehicles not following the temporary parking restrictions and more.

The complicated installation process underscores the intricate logistics undertaken by the Amethyst team to ensure a safe and efficient installation, reducing disruption to the surrounding area, whilst continuing to strive to deliver world class treatment.

Following the successful installation, the equipment will soon be resuming treatment of NHS and private patients.

 

Daniel Lumley, Director of Clinical Operations, Amethyst UK commented:

“The logistical challenges of transporting and installing the source loader and radiation vault were formidable, particularly given the dense urban environment of central London.”

”The use of a crane was essential for positioning these heavy and sensitive components with precision. Our team’s expertise in navigating these complexities was critical to the successful upgrade of our facilities – I’d like to thank all involved, from within Amethyst and the outside contractors who contributed to the project’s success.”

Mr Neil Kitchen, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Medical Director for the Queen Square Gamma Knife Unit commented:

“The reloading of our state of the art gamma knife treatment platform with brand new cobalt radiation sources will halve treatment times for our patients making their therapy less onerous and allowing us to treat many more patients efficiently thus reducing waiting times. As Clinical Director, on behalf of the clinical team, I would like to thank Amethyst UK and UCLH for completing this complicated task.”

 

London, News, Tech, Technology

Intellian launches new Iridium Certus C200M and C200L terminals for reliable connectivity across land and sea

Intellian Technologies, Inc., the leading global technology and solutions provider for satellite communications, today launches the C200M and C200L terminals for use on Iridium Certus® 200, the award-winning, multi-service platform. These global L-band solutions provide robust connectivity for land and maritime markets.   

The Iridium Certus 200 service has pole to pole coverage, and offers Iridium’s unique capabilities in small, cost-effective terminals. It keeps you connected when and where it is needed most. The Iridium Connected® solutions designed for this service class are ideal for remote communications and fleet management, business continuity, and connected ship applications. Whether you are responding to an emergency, providing humanitarian aid after disasters, or need to stay connected with loved ones while at sea, Iridium Certus 200 keeps you connected when and where it is needed most.  

Both the C200M and C200L have been successfully certified by Iridium® for use on their Iridium Certus 200 service and are now available to order through Intellian’s global network of distribution partners, each specializing in their respective markets, giving customers a huge choice of partners per region.  

These new products will provide customers with data speeds of up to 176 kbps (up and down) and support multiple concurrent high-quality voice calls. The C200M is Intellian’s smallest terminal, designed for commercial ships, fishing vessels and leisure craft, as well as unmanned surface vessels (USVs). Applications including safety, bridge and connected ship IoT features like engine monitoring and remote diagnostics, as well as situational awareness relating to issues such as environmental regulations, all become more efficient with connectivity. It enjoys many of the benefits of the C700 and as such enters the market trusted globally for its reliability and performance. The terminal can be configured as a standalone device or as a companion to VSAT and flat panels.  

The C200L, has been designed for fixed land use cases, where traditional connectivity solutions are unavailable or unreliable. When a disaster happens, cellular infrastructure can be wiped out or networks can fail – leaving companies vulnerable. With the C200L and Iridium’s business continuity solutions, banks, hospitals, public safety organizations, and businesses can safely coordinate between locations and get updates on changing conditions in real time.  

The C200L is also the perfect solution for out of band management (OOBM) for Ku-band or Ka-band land-based terminals, including flat panels, fixed parabolics and gateways. Due to its inherent resilience, the L-band presents customers access for remote diagnostics. This becomes particularly advantageous when terminals are deployed in distant or isolated locations. 

The C200M and C200L provide an all-in-one service which encompasses a WAN mediator, Wi-Fi antenna, built-in soft PABX and firewall. They include dedicated interference blocking elements, making the terminal inherently resilient to interference from terrestrial cellular equipment. Weighing only 3.5kg (7.7lb) the C200 is an exceptionally small and lightweight terminal that can be easily installed and has a simple set-up configuration. Once the C200 is installed, the built-in, user-friendly AptusLX software enhances the commissioning and setup experience.  

Eric Sung, CEO, Intellian Technologies, said, “As we celebrate our 20th year in business, Intellian remains dedicated as ever to pioneering products that combine innovation and reliability. Our commitment to excellence is evident in every aspect of our work. Developed by our team in London, home to our L-band Center of Excellence, in collaboration with our dedicated R&D team in Pyeongtaek, the launch of the C200M and C200L Iridium Certus terminals exemplifies this dedication.  The addition of these solutions not only expands our range of stand-alone L-band terminals but also as VSAT companions, enhancing our overall market offering. They are our most compact terminal to date and offer resiliency, enhancing connectivity, safety, and productivity across diverse applications. At Intellian, our ongoing focus on product innovation ensures we deliver exceptional results for our valued partners and customers.” 

Bryan Hartin, Executive Vice President, Iridium, concluded, “We’re excited to see the launch of Intellian’s C200M and C200L, key additions to our Iridium Certus 200 service. This collaboration underscores the strength of Iridium and Intellian, delivering reliable, global connectivity in a compact, lightweight, and energy-efficient design. The C200M is designed to meet diverse maritime needs, from vessel monitoring to IoT applications, with the C200L supporting land fixed markets including business continuity. This launch further strengthens our commitment to advancing global communications, building upon the success of the C700, by providing customers with new innovative terminals for use with Iridium Certus.” 

Education, London, News

Hult International Business School Breaks GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for Class Diversity

Hult International Business School has broken the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the “Most Nationalities in a Business Lesson.” Over 90 members of the Hult community came together at Hult’s Holborn campus in London on March 13, 2024, smashing the minimum of 50 nationalities in one business class to set the record.

The 60 nationalities represented include Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea Bissau, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Students were thrilled to take part:
“I feel like this was very representative of what’s normal at Hult. In my class alone, we’re represented by at least thirty different nations—and we only have a total of 60 people in our cohort,”—Tomaz Nicolai Diaz, US, Master’s in International Business.

“When someone asks me about a fun fact, I can now say I was part of a world record attempt! I don’t think everyone has that honor. It’s definitely going on my CV,”—Melanie Buritica, UK, Master’s in International Business.

The record-breaking event took place in a class taught by Hult Professor Chris Kinsville-Heyne, titled The Crisis for Leaders, which focused on crisis management, mitigation, and response. All attendees, which included undergraduate and postgraduate representatives, were required to stay for the entire 45-minute class to meet the requirements of Guinness World Records.

“I was thrilled to see this wide array of learners in the classroom, as it reflects just what makes Hult special—it’s diversity of cultures and thought,” said Professor Kinsville-Heyne. “Discussing details in the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Risk Report, I challenged students to think beyond limitations and envision ambitious solutions to current global challenges; to dream big and make meaningful contributions as a collective.”

Hult touts a diverse student body, with 95% of students studying at a campus outside of their home country. The current global class of Hult students includes more than 150 nationalities, with 144 languages spoken and 13% of students with dual nationalities.

“The diversity in our classroom opens up a lot of really challenging conversations and helps us navigate how we talk about certain issues, how to find a middle ground or decrease the polarization growing in the world, as mentioned in Professor Kinsville-Heyne’s class,” Diaz added. “Whenever you’re surrounded by so many different perspectives, you’re forced to come closer and not focus so much on differences, but similarities.”

An independent witness and time tracker were present to ensure rules of record were adhered to. Students were required to show passports to prove their nationality. The event was also ratified by an adjudicator from Guinness World Records.

About Hult International Business School
Hult is a business school for those “made to do” and strives to create a better future for all by inspiring and challenging its community to make an impact that matters. Degree programs include undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate, with a global campus network spanning three continents. Hult is recognized by top international accrediting bodies including the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of MBAs (AMBA), and The European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS). Learn more by visiting www.hult.edu.

Appointments, Business News, Economy & Jobs News, FInance, Jobs, London, News from Wales

Quantum Advisory promotes Darren Wateridge to Principal Consultant in London

Quantum Advisory, the leading independent financial services consultancy, today announced the promotion of Darren Wateridge FIA to the role of principal consultant. Darren, who is based in the firm’s London office, took up the role on 1 January 2024.

Rhidian Williams, partner, said: “Our people are at the centre of our success as a business and we invest in the highest calibre of staff. Their continued support and development is part of our ethos so promoting talent from within is key.

“Throughout his career at Quantum, Darren’s talent, commitment and client management expertise has been apparent. We are confident he will continue to excel in his new position and play a pivotal role in the continued growth of the company.”

Darren Wateridge added: “The market landscape is the most dynamic and competitive it has ever been, and we welcome that challenge. We have some really exciting plans and initiatives coming up this year to further support our clients.

“It has been a privilege to be part of the evolution of Quantum over the last 10 years and I am very much looking forward to now being integral to the strategic leadership going forward.”

 

Darren joined the firm in 2013 as a senior consultant and actuary and has over 25 years’ experience in the pensions industry.

Darren is currently Scheme Actuary to a number of pension scheme clients and advises trustees and companies on the wide range of issues affecting pension schemes including scheme funding, company accounting, scheme benefit change exercises and de-risking strategies.

Darren is also a member of the Association of Consulting Actuaries.

This is the latest in a string of promotions for the firm, most recently with Simon Hubbard to principal consultant in Cardiff.

For more information on Quantum Advisory, visit www.quantumadvisory.co.uk

HR, London, News

HR shared services at a crossroads: embrace automation and build core resilience

Research released today from leading HR consultancy LACE Partners has found that whilst operational efficiency has always been the premise of HR shared services (HRSS), driving employee experience is now equally part of its DNA. Technology is keeping HR leaders awake at night, with nearly half of the respondents saying their top challenge is that current HR systems and digital enablers are not fit for purpose.

Other key findings include:

  • The trend to become a specialist provider continues and the function is increasingly becoming an innovation centre – two of the top three areas for future service expansion sit under ‘innovation’: improving experience (49%) and HR systems (21%)
  • HRSS is taking an increased formal responsibility for people experience across the HR function, placing greater emphasis on addressing the line manager experience
  • The data suggests a steady rise in HR services becoming part of a Global Business Services (GBS) model – 12% of survey respondents in 2020 were part of GBS, increasing to 32% in 2024
  • Most (71%) still do not have defined career pathways for their HRSS team members – this has not changed since at least 2020
  • Taking baby steps with generative artificial intelligence (AI), with returns largely in line with expectations – 29% currently use AI, with just over a third piloting it.

 

The ‘HR Shared Services Trends 2024’ report was conducted at the end of 2023 and involved 34 global HR shared services leaders across multiple industries. It is the third in LACE’s bi-annual surveys dedicated specifically to the HR shared services marketplace, which started in 2020.

The report explores where organisations are focusing their efforts to optimise service delivery and experience, along with the priorities for 2024 across service offering, ways of working, talent and digital enablers. It highlights challenge questions that HRSS leaders should consider as they seek to continuously improve ways of working and enable their teams to be the best they can be. For example:

  • What is your value proposition for HR shared services and how well are you explaining this to your business and wider HR stakeholders?
  • If you have many countries with small employee populations (or a ‘long tail’), are there opportunities to leverage scale and enhancements through a wider Global Business Services model?
  • Have you put experience in the ‘too difficult to measure’ bucket and if not, do you have a clear and tangible way of measuring experience to enable action?
  • Do you have a clear workforce plan that maps out the skills you need in two to three years’ time? How will AI change your approach to the talent and skills you might need?
  • Have you truly fixed the basics of your HR shared services operating model (process, data, governance, tools, etc)? If not, what’s stopping you?

Speaking on the challenges that HRSS teams think they will face in 2024 and beyond, co-author Emma Leonis-Hughes, Client Executive Director, LACE Partners, said:

“HR shared services is an innovation centre for service excellence and experience. It’s encouraging to see that HR shared services leaders no longer feel they are having to justify their existence and are creating a ‘pull’ for services from the wider HR team and the business.

Generative AI presents a huge opportunity, particularly for HR shared services. Whilst adoption is in its infancy, HR leadership teams cannot afford not to be thinking about their plan, as the pace of digital innovation is only going to accelerate.

The challenge for HR shared services leaders will be striking the balance between embracing innovation in key areas whilst ensuring they build resilience for the future across data, process and (perhaps most critically) skills.” 

 

On what HR shared services need to do to think differently, fellow co-author Dawn Goodall, Director, said “now is the time to act on the digital agenda for HRSS, it is encouraging to see an increased focus and investment in Generative AI by HR leaders, which will be critical in moving the dial forward to support improved efficiency, continuous improvement and evolving the employee experience”.

About LACE:

LACE Partners is a fundamentally different HR consultancy because our people are not your run of the mill consultants – we have some of the best minds in HR transformation, employee experience, digital transformation, payroll, change, talent and people analytics supporting HR teams every step of the way through your project requirements. Our core values:

  • Passion – We are energised by working with people who share our passions and values for solving HR, people and change challenges.
  • Innovation – We take pride in the work we deliver for all stakeholders and want to succeed in the right way and with the right approach to our work.
  • Care – We believe in being at the forefront of future thinking and ideas, including technology that empowers people, supported by research and partnerships with like-minded companies.

Our capability is drawn from world-class consultancies and people who have held senior leadership positions at major corporates.

UK headquartered and London based, LACE undertakes global projects for organisations with 5,000 or more employees.

For more information about LACE visit the website at www.lacepartners.co.uk

Bristol, E-Commerce, Kent, London, News, Retail, Warwickshire

Bodyshop announces store closures and jobs cuts, some from today

The Body Shop has announced today that half it’s UK stores would close, with the first seven closures happening today.

It will also be cutting staff by up to 40% at it’s London-based head office.

The seven stores announced as closing today include:

• Surrey Quays (London)

• Oxford Street Bond Street (London)

• Canary Wharf (London)

• Cheapside (London)

• Nuneaton (Warwickshire)

• Ashford Town Centre (Kent)

• Bristol Queens Road (Bristol)

Administrators said that the brand’s current portfolio is no longer viable after “years of unprofitability” and administrators reassured customers that more than half of the remaining 198 outlets will remain open.

The brand’s global franchise partners are reported unaffected.

Business Advice, London, News

Calling New Business Volunteers to support students in West London through Young Enterprise’s Company Programme!

Young Enterprise, a leading national charity empowering young entrepreneurs, is recruiting Business Volunteers willing to mentor student companies from West London schools through its prestigious Company Programme.

Company Programme allows students aged 15 to 19 to establish their own companies, take on Director roles, and use their creativity in designing, marketing, and selling their own products or services. Registered as a branch of Young Enterprise and insured for public sales, these student-run companies can sell shares to raise capital and are equipped with a business current account.

The students will gain valuable experience by selling their products and services at markets across London. Any profits generated by the student companies are entirely theirs to keep!

Throughout the spring, these companies compete at Borough and Area levels, with the potential to progress to the London, UK, and European finals during the summer.

 

Company Programme runs throughout the academic year, typically involving weekly meetings (term-time only) amounting to 12-18 meetings over the course of the year. Young Enterprise assigns all student companies a ‘Business Volunteer’ prepared to guide the students through running their business – and this is where you come in!

Young Enterprise will provide full training and an enhanced DBS background check, before matching you to a school/student company whose geography and weekly meetings suit your needs.

 

Your role would be to:

 

Work with a group of students

  • Help them to develop and run a successful company, treading the line between leading the students through the experience and enabling them to run things for themselves.
  • Early on you will need to take a positive lead – then step back to being a mentor and facilitator.

 

Be a motivator

  • Encourage students throughout the process.
  • On occasion (often after the first couple of months) students may lack morale and motivation. You will need to help lift their heads and keep moving on.

 

Advise and raise awareness of skills

  • Act as a consultant (guide, help and suggest) – try not to direct or lecture them – remember the principle of “Learning by Doing”.
  • Clearly any specialism within business is a welcome bonus; colleagues/friends can also be roped in for one-offs on subjects you feel they could offer insight into.
  • That said, business expertise is not essential: our volunteers come from all backgrounds.
  • Awareness of core employability skills is important – e.g., initiative, teamwork, resilience – to provide a framework and wider context for the students’ progress and development.

 

Represent YE within the Company and school

  • Maintain contact with the YE contact educator to arrange dates of meetings.
  • Encourage completion of student pre- and post-evaluation.
  • Encourage engagement with wider YE-provided activities (trade fairs; competitions).
  • Ensure compliance with programme rules and regulations.

 

As a ‘full-time’ Business Volunteer, you would need to commit one hour at the school every week (term-time only). By becoming a Business Volunteer, you will make a real difference to the lives of young people, and you will learn new things and develop new skills in yourself too!

 

For more information: Company Programme – Young Enterprise & Young Money (young-enterprise.org.uk)  

 

To register your interest in Business Volunteer roles in West London, please apply here:

 

Logistics Tech, London, News

Urgent Services Uses Inseego Video Telematics Solution To Achieve Safety And Delivery Benefits

Urgent Services, a London-based provider of same-day delivery and courier services, is using a connected multi-camera system from Inseego to improve road safety, reduce operational costs and better protect its reputation. The video telematics solution – fitted on a fleet of new vans that handle critical deliveries across London and Nationwide – has provided added visibility and support to both drivers and office-based managers.

The connected multi-camera system incorporates forward, rear, side and load cameras for a 360-view of the vehicle and cargo space, as well as and in-cab monitor that allows the driver to view all blind spots. This useful driving aid provides a view of nearby vulnerable road users (VRUs) and greater understanding of surroundings during low-speed manoeuvrers. Video is displayed based on specific actions, so the rear camera is shown on screen during when reversing, while the use of the indicators triggers live footage from the appropriate side camera to support any left-and right-hand turns.

Meanwhile, the video telematics solution has been used to determine the exact circumstances of a vehicle collision, helping Urgent Services to defend liability and challenge any 50/50 claims by having access to irrefutable video evidence and supporting data. There have been three incidents where third parties have knocked off a wing mirror when driving past a Urgent Services vehicle, which has been captured by the side camera and allowed the company to prove exactly what has happened.

There have also been multiple occasions where Urgent Services has used historical video to resolve customer disputes, with the multi-camera system configured to continue recording after the ignition has been switched to validate proof of delivery. Where recipients have claimed non-delivery, the company has used footage from the customer location showing the driver unloading and delivering the package. In addition, the load-facing camera has proven useful for monitoring how drivers are handling and securing cargo, especially when items are of high value or fragile.

In April 2021, Urgent Services undertook a journey to Ukraine to deliver a shipment of humanitarian aid. The multi-camera system was used to track the location and progress of the vehicle through cloud-based software, while live video from the cameras provided added peace of mind and confirmed driver welfare.

Derwent Jaconelli, Managing Director at Urgent Services Limited commented: “We have an excellent standing in the marketplace and the Inseego multi-camera system is helping to maintain this positive reputation and ensure we are operating safely and responsibly. There were some initial concerns amongst our drivers, but within a matter of weeks, we were able to use video footage to thwart several dishonest claims for non delivery claims, so this was quickly overcome.”

Steve Thomas, Managing Director of Inseego UK Ltd said: “We are seeing a growing number of fleet operators turn to video telematics as an effective way of safeguarding drivers, keeping other road users safe and protecting their business. Our comprehensive range of connected dashcams and multi-camera systems means we can create tailored solutions that meet the precise needs of our customers.”

AI, AV tech, Finance and Banking, Investment, London, London News, Tech, Technology

AI video generation startup Immersive Fox secures €3.3m seed to advance ‘AI twin’ technology

Funding will support R&D and product advancement of AI solution that unlocks personalised video production at scale

London-based Immersive Fox – a tech startup specialising in AI-generated videos for sales and corporate communication – has closed a €3.3million [£2.8million] seed funding round to help advance proprietary AI technology that allows clients to create unlimited video content using their face and voice.

Defying investor trends – which have seen top venture capitalists favour fintech of late – the funding comes from a trio of prominent VC firms, including Redseed VC, Monte Carlo Capital, and Altair.

While total VC investment into UK businesses has slumped, B2B technology enablement is becoming a key driver of investment, not only in finance but across every sector.

Immersive Fox, which currently has a host of customers on a waitlist across the fields of sales enablement, customer communications, learning & development and corporate communications, offers a superior alternative to traditional video content production – an often painful, time-intensive and expensive process for sales and marketing professionals (on average video production takes 3+ weeks and $2000-$5000/min).

As social media marketing rises, some have wondered “is email marketing dead?” However, in the battle for attention, video wins – viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it on video, compared to 10% when reading it in a text. Despite this, few have the resources to produce it at scale. Immersive Fox’s solution allows its clients to create personalised videos on mass, in 1 minute to generate a 1 minute of sales videos on average – shaving 7 minutes off closest competitors. This saves time and money, enabling businesses to enhance customer experiences, streamline operations, and unlock new possibilities for growth.

Funding has been allocated to developing the company’s cutting-edge technologies further – with product and R&D plans including a video analytics tool, embeddable video player, UI animations and captions, and full body movement synthesis from text.

Boosting sales and attracting new talent is also on the agenda following the raise, with Immersive Fox aiming to increase its team twofold by the end of this year, to penetrate new markets and strengthen customer relationships.

Eugene Belov, managing partner at Redseed VC – one of the largest investors in Immersive Fox’s latest round – comments: “Artificial Intelligence came to the foreground of the investor community during 2022. With the rise of generative AI and LLMs, the tremendous disruptive potential of this technology became apparent to the broader population. However, the true value of any new technology lies in the extent to which it solves and simplifies existing problems and challenges. While we were very impressed with Immersive Fox’s tech stack and brilliant team, what really solidified the investment case for us was the company’s razor-sharp focus on the sales & marketing use case, which to this day saw very little innovation and disruption throughout the years. We are strong believers in the tremendous value Immersive Fox and its technology can generate for sales teams across multiple verticals by constantly tailoring their product to their customer’s needs.”

Alisa Patotskaya, CEO and Founder of Immersive Fox, adds: “This significant investment is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, who work together diligently to bring a wealth of experience and professionalism to the table. Both my team and investors are all excited to see how this innovation shapes the industry.”

Key features of the Immersive Fox technology include:-

  • quick onboarding of customers  – one week
  • personal avatars or ‘digital twins’ are created at speed and off the back of only two 4-minute videos
  • high-resolution personalised video content is generated in 1 minute compared to market competitors at 8 minutes
  • using a cloned voice, videos are auto-translatable into 50+ languages
  • the company has integrated with HubSpot and other systems, empowering their CRM, and allowing video to become central to HubSpot’s sales process.

Privacy and security are also paramount concerns for the company, who have taken proactive measures to prevent the theft of personalised avatars, clearly defining ownership in contracts, while all data is securely stored on its servers, ensuring confidentiality and peace of mind.

Appointments, Birmingham, Finance and Banking, London, News, Pensions

Vidett strengthens teams in London, Manchester and Birmingham with four key appointments

Vidett, the leading professional trustee and pension governance firm in the UK, is pleased to announce the expansion of its teams in London, Manchester and Birmingham through the appointment of four highly skilled and experienced professionals. This strategic growth follows the successful merger earlier this year between 20-20 Trustees and Punter Southall Governance Services, establishing Vidett as a leading player in the industry.

 

Karen Wells

Karen Wells joins Vidett as a new Client Director in London and brings over 30 years of invaluable experience in both defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) pension schemes. Previously, Karen was a Pensions Manager at BMW Pension Services Ltd and also worked as a Principal at Mercer for 15 years, where she provided expert advice to companies and trustees, particularly in the areas of governance and pension scheme management.

Caroline Eastwood

In Manchester, Caroline Eastwood joins as Client Director. Caroline was a Senior Pensions Manager at Nationwide Building Society, and before that Skipton Building Society, where she supported both trustees and sponsors in outsourcing the administration of their £8bn DB scheme. Before moving in-house, she was a member of the Mercer Governance Trustee Services team. She was recognised at the 2019 Women in Pensions Awards, where she was named Pensions Manager of the Year.

Claire Broadhurst

Claire Broadhurst joins as a Senior Trustee Consultant in Birmingham. Claire joins from Taylor Wimpey where she was Pensions Specialist, carrying out the pension scheme governance and secretarial responsibilities for the £2bn+ scheme. She has also worked as the Pensions Lead for LGSS, where she led the team responsible for employer administrative duties, ensuring their statutory responsibilities were met. Before that, she worked in the investment communications team at National Employment Savings Trust (NEST).

Rich Ingham

Rich Ingham joins as a Senior Trustee Consultant in London from Mercer where he was a Pension Consultant. Gaining experience in secretarial, governance and consulting matters, he became scheme secretary of JLT’s in-house pension scheme and assisted the scheme merger following Mercer’s acquisition. Throughout his career, Rich has helped trustees and sponsoring employers to achieve various objectives, such as implementing new DC strategies, negotiate parent company support packages, develop new governance policies and manage schemes through to buy in/out and wind up.

 

Naomi L’Estrange, Co-Chief Executive at Vidett, stated, “We are delighted to welcome Karen, Caroline, Rich, and Claire to Vidett and boost our existing teams in London, Manchester and Birmingham. Vidett was formed in February, so this is an exciting time to join and help us drive growth, strategy and business. All our new recruits bring exceptional industry expertise and extensive knowledge from working on prominent pension schemes and our clients will find this invaluable. We wish them every success as they embark on their new roles.”

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.