Category Archives: Wales

Leaders and legends lunch to connect charity with business community

City Hospice has announced that its inaugural Chair’s Lunch will take place on 18 October at the Parkgate Hotel in Cardiff.

Established in 1984, the charity is marking its 40th anniversary this year.

The exclusive ‘Leaders & Legends’ event, organised by the charity’s Chair Michael Baker and sponsored by Brewin Dolphin, will provide the south Wales business community with an opportunity to engage and celebrate with the charity in its 40th anniversary year and hear unique leadership insights from two of Wales’ most influential sporting figures.

Interviewed by Deborah Thomas, special guests Nigel Walker OBE and Sam Warburton OBE will share their experiences and thoughts on leadership on and off the rugby field.

The event will support City Hospice, the only provider of community specialist palliative care for patients in Cardiff with terminal or life limiting illnesses. The charity provides care and a range of services including welfare advice and complementary therapies for patients, as well as bereavement support and counselling for the families of its patients.

Michael Baker, Chair of City Hospice, said: “As the Chair of the board of trustees, I wanted to showcase and share the incredible work of City Hospice with the local business community in this special anniversary year.

“With my experience in consultancy focusing on management and leadership, the event just had to be with leaders and legends! It is the perfect opportunity to highlight the charity’s fantastic work. I am extremely grateful to Deborah, Nigel and Sam for being a part of our first Chair’s Lunch and hope guests gain inspiration from their leadership journeys.”

Deborah Thomas said: “Having been personally touched by City Hospice’s care and compassion, the Chair’s Lunch provides me with a chance to give back in a very special way. I am excited to interview Nigel and Sam and learn more about their perspectives on leadership.”

Nigel Walker OBE, WRU Executive Director of Rugby and City Hospice Ambassador, said: “I am thrilled to be a part of this exclusive business event in the charity’s ruby anniversary year. As well as hearing from Sam and I on leadership, I hope that businesses grasp this opportunity to engage with and learn more about the brilliant care and services City Hospice provides.”

For further information including booking details, visit https://www.cityhospice.org.uk/get-involved/upcoming-events/chairmans-lunch-leaders-legends/

Finalrentals reveals rapid growth on its UK anniversary

  • Dubbed the Uber of car rentals, Finalrentals is an online platform that connects customers with local car rental companies across the world. 
  • Born in Pakistan, Founder and Chief Executive Ammar Akhtar moved to Wales in August 2022, and Finalrentals has overseen a growth in annual revenues of 500 per cent in those two years. 
  • Finalrentals has won several tech awards and secured major investment in the last two years.
  • The Cardiff-based fintech company leverages innovative proprietary technology to connect hundreds of thousands of customers with local car rental businesses worldwide, enabling them to seamlessly search for and hire cars through its platform. 

 

Cardiff/London, 20th August 2024Finalrentals, a global car rentals industry disrupter, is celebrating the substantial growth it has achieved since Founder and Chief Executive Ammar Akhtar arrived in the UK two years ago, on August 20th, 2022.

Founded in Dubai in 2019, the business has taken off since Akhtar landed in the UK with an Innovator Visa as part of the UK Government’s Global Entrepreneur Programme. Within a month, Finalrentals secured a pre-seed funding round in September 2022, and raised an undisclosed six-figure investment from four business angels led by lead investor Eamon Tuhami and venture capital company Fuel Ventures. Now, Finalrentals is close to completing a pre-series A round.

In just two years Finalrentals has grown its annual revenue by 500 per cent and is targeting a gross revenue of £10m in the next fiscal year, fueled by its growth into new territories. The Finalrentals platform is available for users in 34 countries, including Costa Rica, Greece, Mexico, Portugal, Saint Lucia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America. New countries are being added nearly every week, and the addition of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Montenegro over the last three months has increased revenues by 68% month over month.

 

Akhtar said: “It was only two years ago that myself and my family moved to Wales, and it’s been a wonderful experience. I think our story is one of positivity. I landed here on an Innovator Visa and knew nothing about hiring people and raising funds in the UK. It shows if you get your tech right, your business model right, and your revenue model right, the UK is a place where businesses get backed and can really grow.”

 

The fastest-growing fintech in Wales, Finalrentals won The Aled Miles International Impact Award at the Wales Technology Awards 2024, an award that recognises the best global tech business in Wales. It also won Fintech Startup of the Year at the Fintech Wales Awards 2023.

 

Akhtar said: “Wales has really embraced us as a company. The whole business ecosystem believes in us as a tech company that can drive innovation, create jobs, and bring in revenue for Wales and the UK.”

 

The car rental market continues to grow. It was worth US$99.74bn in 20231, and is forecast to grow to US$124.10bn in 20291. It is projected that 75% of the total revenue generated in the car rentals market will be through online sales by 20291.

 

Akhtar said: “For too long, the big car rental companies have had a monopoly on the market, and local rental businesses have been pushed to the margins. We set out to disrupt that, and we are known as the Uber for car rentals because we have a really smart product that democratises the market, gives customers far greater choice, and makes hiring a car a far simpler process.

“It also provides local car rental companies with much-needed online visibility and connects them with a huge global market for the first time, helping these businesses to reinvent themselves.”

About Finalrentals

Finalrentals is taking car rentals into the future. By leveraging innovative proprietary technology, Finalrentals connects thousands of customers with hundreds of local car rental businesses worldwide, enabling them to seamlessly search for and hire cars through its platform.

Founded by Ammar Akhtar in 2019, Finalrentals is a UK-based fintech company with headquarters in the UK. Its platform gives customers greater choice than traditional vehicle hire companies and provides independent car rental businesses with more online visibility, ensuring that local communities benefit directly from every booking. Choose a destination. Compare affordable prices. Get booked. Visit www.finalrentals.com for more information.

 

Sources:

1 Statista, July 2024: https://www.statista.com/outlook/mmo/shared-mobility/car-rentals/worldwide#revenue

 

 

Swansea graduate awarded Quantum Advisory Prize for mathematics excellence

The Quantum Advisory Prize for 2024 has been awarded to a Swansea University graduate, recognising their contribution to mathematics.

 

Hal Peckett, from Exeter, graduated from Swansea University this year with a first class honours degree in Applied Mathematics. Hal was chosen as the recipient of the prize for his dissertation titled ‘The Tragedy of the Commons: Dynamical Systems of Competing Fisheries and Game Theory’.

 

The Quantum Advisory Prize is an annual award presented by corporate pension and employee benefit experts Quantum Advisory that celebrates mathematics students who have transcended throughout their degree. The award recognises the quality and ambition of their work and, as well as acknowledgement of their effort, recipients benefit from a financial grant to support them as they initiate their career.

 

In applied mathematics, researchers can apply mathematical methods and specialised subject knowledge to a range of different scientific, economic and industrial fields. In his winning dissertation, Hal applied two mathematical approaches, dynamical systems and game theory, to the field of biology to analyse access and competition surrounding finite resources in fishery settings.

 

Hal said: “I am incredibly grateful to receive this prize for my final year dissertation. I put a lot of hard work into it, and it was a very challenging undertaking. I thank Quantum Advisory for this award and must also thank my supervisor Dr Noemi Picco for her guidance throughout my project.

 

“I am going to further specialise in mathematical biology, the area of mathematics on which my dissertation was based, by continuing onto a master’s degree in Biomathematics at Exeter University. It is an area of maths that I had never heard about before coming to Swansea, and it is a topic I am excited to pursue further and develop a career out of. The prize money is a massive help for the transition into my master’s and will help support me while I take on this new challenge.”

 

Dr Noemi Picco, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics at Swansea University, said: “Hal has done a fantastic job developing an excellent piece of work centred around the problem of sharing common finite resources: the ‘tragedy of the commons’. Hal was inquisitive and motivated into exploring how this seemingly simple scenario could be described and analysed mathematically. The end result was an outstanding dissertation which brings together two distinct mathematical approaches: game theory and dynamical systems.

 

“Hal has successfully navigated his first experience of independent research work, growing in confidence and critical thinking while overcoming obstacles along the way. It has been a pleasure to witness his journey through this project, and the potential for a future as a brilliant researcher.”

 

Stuart Price, Partner and Actuary at Quantum Advisory, said: “We are proud to support Swansea University graduates as they begin their careers in mathematics and the calibre and talent of their students always greatly impresses us year on year.

 

“Hal’s project and his approach really stood out this year and we are delighted to award him the Quantum Advisory Prize for his outstanding dissertation. We are delighted to hear that he is progressing his interests in this field further and wish him the very best for his master’s degree.”

 

Quantum Advisory provides pension and employee benefits services to employers, scheme trustees and members and has offices in Cardiff, Amersham, Birmingham and London. For more information about Quantum Advisory, please visit https://quantumadvisory.co.uk.

UK Government must invest in hydropower, industry tells Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

  • British Hydropower Association and Scottish Renewables leading calls for a ‘cap and floor’ mechanism to accelerate investment and demonstrate a “step-change” in decision-making 
  • UK has a pipeline of more than 9GW including several ‘shovel ready’ projects, but inaction has been costing consumers

 

The British Hydropower Association and Scottish Renewables have written a joint letter to Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ian Murray, the Secretary of State for Scotland, and Jo Stevens, the Secretary of State for Wales, urging the UK Government to support the deployment of long-duration electricity storage (LDES), including pumped storage hydro (PSH).

In the letter, which is co-signed by all major developers of PSH in the UK, the trade bodies called on the UK Government to urgently introduce a ‘cap and floor mechanism’ for LDES to enable the delivery of the PSH pipeline which currently stands at more than 9GW of capacity, including several shovel ready projects.

Ian Murray & Kate Gilmartin at the BHA’s recent event

The ‘cap and floor’ is designed to unlock investment by striking a balance between commercial incentives and appropriate risk mitigation for project developers. The ‘floor’ provides a minimum revenue certainty for investors, with a regulated limit, or a ‘cap’ on revenues to avoid excessive returns to developers.

With the delivery of a LDES ‘cap and floor’ mechanism, PSH can play a key role in supporting the UK Government’s net-zero targets and helping secure Britain’s clean energy future.

PSH is essential for storing energy from variable renewable sources like wind and solar, ensuring power availability when demand is highest.

 

To enable the delivery of the LDES ‘cap and floor’ mechanism, the industry is urging the UK Government to:

  • Publish its response to the 2024 LDES consultation by August, confirming the decision to develop a cap and floor mechanism.
  • Commit to establishing a policy framework by the end of 2024, with a consultation on the scheme’s detailed design in early autumn.
  • Commit to opening the first application window for LDES technologies in early 2025 at the latest.
Ian Murray addressing the BHA’s recent event in his first official ministerial engagement

Ian Murray MP recently attended a high-profile BHA event in his first official engagement since being appointed to the UK cabinet where he indicated that the UK Government understood the importance of ‘cap and floor’ and said it “was key” to securing investment in new projects.

 

Kate Gilmartin, CEO of the British Hydropower Association, said:

“With economic growth and renewable energy at the centre of the new government’s agenda, there is an opportunity to demonstrate a step-change in decision-making after years of delay and uncertainty.

“By prioritising the urgent delivery of a cap and floor mechanism, we can send positive signals to international investors and trigger large-scale capital projects and job creation.”

Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said:

“The UK Government has set a bold and ambitious target of achieving clean power by 2030. To deliver on this target, it is essential that Long Duration Electricity Storage is deployed at pace alongside renewable generation.

“As a well-established technology with a multi-gigawatt pipeline and several ‘shovel ready’ projects, Pumped Storage Hydro is a key technology to smoothly integrate the increase in generation we require, help reduce system costs and deliver huge economic benefits across the country.

“However, despite the extensive benefits of these projects being clear, the lack of policy support has meant that no new Pumped Storage Hydro capacity has been built in the UK for over forty years. By urgently delivering a cap and floor mechanism for Long Duration Electricity Storage, the UK Government therefore has an opportunity to put an end to years of delay and uncertainty and unlock the investment required for these projects to play their crucial role in enabling Britain to become a clean energy superpower.”

Cruachan Dam

The Scottish Renewables report, ‘The Economic Impact of Pumped Storage Hydro’, indicates that six PSH projects under development could deliver £5.8 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) and create nearly 15,000 jobs by 2035.

Additionally, a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero analysis estimates system savings of up to £24 billion from deploying up to 20GW of long-duration electricity storage.

 

The BHA and Scottish Renewables represent developers with a combined pipeline of more than 9GW of new PSH projects, offering over 190GWh of storage capacity. Many of these projects are described as “shovel ready,” awaiting only the implementation of an appropriate cap and floor mechanism to enable deployment.

 

More exporting support needed for businesses in Wales

Businesses in Wales who trade globally faced challenges in Q2 of 2024, according to Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid’s latest Quarterly Economic Survey.

46% of businesses in Wales reported in the survey that their export sales had decreased over the last three months, with 38% stating that their sales had remained constant during this period. Over half (54%) shared that export orders and advanced bookings had also decreased in Q2.

This contrasted with the performance of Welsh businesses who traded domestically. 48% of the firms who took part in the survey trade goods and services in the UK only. Three quarters of these businesses saw sales increase or remain at a constant level over the last quarter and 29% saw domestic orders and bookings increase.

To overcome these challenges, businesses in Wales highlighted access to new markets and new international markets as opportunities to help their business recover.

Paul Butterworth, CEO of Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid, said: “Wales has so much to offer to the world but, as our latest survey shows, more exporting support is needed. It is imperative that businesses who wish to trade internationally receive the correct support and guidance to connect, trade and thrive on the global stage, whether that is from specialist teams within our Chamber network or through government programmes.”

The Quarterly Economic Survey for Q2 also revealed optimism. Half of those surveyed predict that profitability will improve over the next 12 months, and 59% expect turnover to improve.

There were also small rises in the number of businesses in Wales who increased their investment plans for training, equipment, plant and machinery over Q2.

Paul Butterworth added: “It is heartening to see the positivity of the Welsh business community, particularly the gradual shift in confidence that has allowed some businesses to make plans to invest in their resources, people and skills.

“With inflation now at its lowest level in years, and interest rates hopefully soon to follow suit, we hope that the incoming government will foster an environment of economic stability that puts Welsh business on a trajectory to a higher-growth future.”

Welsh business success celebrated at awards

The winners of the Wales Business Awards 2024 were announced by Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid last night (16 May) at a ceremony at the Vale Hotel & Resort in Hensol.

Businesses and organisations from across Wales came together to celebrate business success, innovation and best practice at the ceremony which was saw broadcaster Andrea Byrne return as host.

11 winners were crowned across 11 categories, with one of the lucky winners also receiving the Wales Business of the Year award which was presented by headline sponsor Jardine Norton.

St Athan firm Metrology Engineering Services scooped the top prize in addition to winning Innovative Business of the Year.

A leading service provider in reverse engineering, 3D laser scanning, damage assessment and quality inspection, the firm was recognised for its use of cutting-edge technology to advance the field of repair engineering to meet the evolving needs of the aerospace industry.

Steve Beasley, CEO of Metrology Engineering Services, said: “We are delighted to have won two awards including the overall prize: Wales Business of the Year. We’d like to thank Welsh Government and Aerospace Wales for helping us get started in this dynamic industry. Over the last year we have secured contracts all over the world and expanded our team to 20 highly specialised engineers who share our innovative vision.  I’d like to dedicate these awards to our brilliant team.”

Other winners on the night included Arian Care, Dulas Ltd, Dylan’s Restaurants, Genesis Biosciences, Ogi, Peter Jones ILG, Route Media, Watkins & Gunn Limited, Welsh Refugee Council and Dorian Payne of Castell Group, who took home the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Paul Butterworth, CEO of Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid, said: “The Wales Business Awards showcased the best of Welsh business, recognising firms who play a fundamental role in driving the economy forward, implementing innovative initiatives and supporting their teams.

“We’d like to offer our congratulations to our worthy winners, as well as those who were shortlisted.”

Budding businesspeople bloom at Bootcamp

37 aspiring young business people from all corners of Wales have come together to hone their business ideas, expand their networks and develop their self-confidence at an immersive residential bootcamp.

Hosted at The Summit Centre, Treharris, this year’s Big Ideas Wales residential ‘Bootcamp to Business’ event marked the eleventh annual event since it first launched in 2013.

Targeted at individuals aged 18-25 with an entrepreneurial spark, Bootcamp to Business aims to strengthen the support framework available for aspiring startups by inviting leaders to collectively develop the skills needed within the first year of trading, from branding and social media to sustainability and pitching.

This year’s Bootcamp to Business weekend began with a speed networking event led by Big Ideas Wales Role Model, Jamie McAnsh. Jamie shared the story of See No Bounds, a networking business thriving on genuine connections, and offered tips on relationship building in business.

Participants then had the opportunity to reflect on what type of entrepreneur they want to be in a self-promotion class with wellbeing and self-development entrepreneur, Ryan Davies, before learning how to attract positive, successful partnerships in a DiSC personality profiling masterclass with key speaker, Emma Melrose.

Role Model and founder of digital marketing initiative Yellow Hat, Destiny Kirk, was on hand to help attendees perfect their business pitches. During her pitch masterclass, Destiny guided them through every step of a pitch from introduction to audience analysis, unique selling points and social values.

Masterclasses concluded with a sustainability session with Big Ideas Wales Role Model Tyra Oseng-Rees. During the hour session, Tyra introduced attendees to the importance of launching sustainably, simple eco-conscious business implementations, and the different accreditations attendees can work towards.

A highlight of the event was a talk on mental wellbeing, led by Andrew Jenkins. Andrew became a mental health advocate after bravely sharing his own journey on the hit BBC show, The Traitors, where he got to the finals. Andrew shared invaluable advice about maintaining a positive mindset and the importance of mental wellbeing during his session on Saturday.

Andrew said: “I’ve met a lot of celebrities over the past year, but I was more nervous speaking to these hugely gifted business leaders. They’re the future of business here in Wales, and their devotion and ambition is inspiring. I feel really grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of this weekend, to have witnessed their entrepreneurial drive and be able to offer some words of encouragement. I want them all to just go out there and build their empires. They can do it.”

Andrew spent two days at the event, offering more words of encouragement to the business-minded attendees ahead of their pitches on Sunday morning, and opened the awards ceremony later that day.

The event came to a close on Sunday with the presentation of six awards. Ashima Anand received the Green Award for the most innovative plans and processes around promoting sustainability, while Sarah Rowlands was honoured with the Community Champion Award for her business idea aimed at helping others.

India Lloyd-Evans, received the Bootcamper’s Choice Award after attendees voted her as the most likely bootcamper to learn from. Chloe Henderson was also awarded the Mentors Award which, voted by event hosts George and Glenda, was based purely on her personal growth and improvement over the weekend.

April Garcia, founder of The Galactic Healing Hub, was also among the winners of the weekend, earning the Best Pitch Award for her compelling pitch earlier that day.

Discussing her involvement in this year’s Big Ideas Wales Business to Bootcamp event, April said: “This weekend has been incredible. It pushed me to challenge myself and refine my business idea alongside inspiring peers. I even offered readings for feedback to enhance my business further. I speak on behalf of all my peers when I say that this event has been unbelievable. We’ve all taken key messages and skills from this experience that will strengthen our businesses further.”

 

Fellow attendee and founder of ST Welding, Sion Thomas, said: “I was very pleased to be invited to this event, and was blown away when I heard it was fully funded. There’s a really strong sense of community here and the atmosphere is like nothing I’ve experienced before. Everyone is here to support one another and make their business the best it can be. I’m very proud to be a part of this event and wider network of Welsh businesspeople.”

 

Following the thriving weekend, attendees will now be paired with Business Advisors who, available via email and over the phone, can guide the launch and further development of their business dreams.

Big Ideas Wales is part of the Business Wales service to encourage youth entrepreneurship in Wales. Funded by Welsh Government, it helps young people aged between 5 and 25 to develop business ideas and entrepreneurial talent.

For more information on the help available to young businesspeople and their start-ups from Big Ideas Wales, visit www.gov.wales/bigideas

 

ICC Wales secures the Royal College of General Practitioners Annual Conference and Exhibition for 2025

ICC Wales will welcome more than 1,900 delegates, 320 exhibitors and 90 speakers when the venue hosts the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Annual Conference and Exhibition in October 2025.

The RCGP is the professional body for GPs in the UK and its mission is to encourage, foster and maintain the highest possible standards of patient care in general practice in the UK. The Annual Conference is a highlight in the calendar for healthcare professionals who can update their knowledge by accessing the latest learning to support their continuing professional development and practice skills.

It is the first time that this high-profile, two-day meeting has been held in Wales, and RCGP will have exclusive use of ICC Wales enabling them to have full flexibility when developing the programme, extensive branding opportunities and the ability to create a dedicated community environment for delegates to collaborate and network with their peers.

 

Ben Clacy, Executive Director, Membership Development & Education, RCGP said “The RCGP are delighted to be running our prestigious conference at the ICC Wales in 2025. We are excited to be running our event at such a fantastic venue where we are sure our members will have a really worthwhile and enjoyable time.”

 

Dr Rowena Christmas, RCGP Cymru Wales Chair said, “There has long been a desire to bring the RCGP Conference to Wales and I am so excited it is going to happen in 2025. The superb facilities at the ICC in Newport will be an ideal setting for the important debates and discussions our members will be having as we all seek to work towards a sustainable general practice for our patients.”

 

Danielle Bounds, Sales Director, ICC Wales, commented: “We are thrilled that the Royal College of General Practitioners has selected ICC Wales as the venue for its Annual Conference and Exhibition in 2025, particularly as we will be hosting the Royal College of Nursing Congress in June this year. It will be the first time that these prestigious Colleges will have held their annual events in Wales, and we are looking forward to building upon these partnerships to ensure that these events will be the first of many.”

 

The RCGP joins the increasing portfolio of medical associations that have selected ICC Wales for their conferences; others include the British Renal Society’s UK Kidney Week, British Society of Interventional Radiology, and British Oncology Pharmacy Association who staged their conferences in 2023. For 2024, ICC Wales is looking forward to welcoming the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgery of Great Britain and Ireland, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, and the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, events which combined will generate £9.25m of economic impact for the Cardiff Capital Region.

Seminar sets out pensions landscape for 2024

Finance, HR and pension professionals came together on leap day (29 February) to hear exclusive industry insights at Quantum Advisory’s latest breakfast seminar at the Celtic Manor Twenty Ten Clubhouse.

Speakers including Dan Redwood, Chris Heirene and Leah Summers from Quantum Advisory, the leading independent financial services consultancy, discussed investment, the progress of the Pensions Dashboard and upcoming changes in the world of pensions and employee benefits.

Dan Redwood, senior investment consultant and actuary, opened the event with an overview of how investment markets, gilt yields, and UK and global economies have been performing. With a technical recession in the UK in Q4 and economic stagnation since 2022, Dan revealed the impact of high inflation and the Bank of England’s base rate on defined benefit pension schemes.

Dan said: “The era of ultra-low interest rates is over. This has a significant impact on gilt yields, which have experienced volatility in recent quarters, and pension schemes; both of which require stability.

“Inflation is falling and interest rate cuts are expected this year, although not to previous ultra-low levels, so the environment is improving from a macroeconomic perspective and a soft landing is likely. However, there are a number of external factors that could still throw us off course such as geopolitical tensions around the world and disruption to supply chains.”

Chris Heirene, partner and head of technology, updated attendees on the progress of the long awaited Pensions Dashboard.

The Pensions Dashboard, delivered as a website and app, will allow individuals to check their pensions information online in one place. It aims to help savers understand their current financial standing and support better planning for retirement. Originally the dashboard availability point, the moment at which dashboards will be publicly accessible, was planned for April 2024 but has since been delayed.

Chris said: “With a revised timeline now in place, we will all be waiting a little longer for the Pensions Dashboard. While we don’t have a specific date for the dashboard availability point just yet, we anticipate this to be between May 2025 and July 2026. What we do know is that the Pensions Dashboard will be up and running by October 2026 as this has been legislated.”

Leah Summers, consultant, concluded the breakfast seminar by highlighting a number of key upcoming changes including the General Code of Practice, the abolition of the Lifetime Allowance and the allowances replacing it, and assumption changes in defined contribution pension scheme benefit statements.

Leah said: “These three changes are coming into effect very soon. The measures are being introduced to simplify the code, tax allowances and statements for trustees, schemes and members respectively.”

Stuart Price, partner and actuary at the firm, said: “It was brilliant to see so many delegates, including new and familiar faces, spend the extra day in February with us at our pensions and investment breakfast seminar. A diverse range of subjects were covered throughout the morning, providing delegates with a thorough understanding of the current pensions and economic landscape and the changes coming down the track.”

For further information and to keep up to date with Quantum’s latest events, visit https://quantumadvisory.co.uk/.

ACCA celebrates St David’s Day with a focus on building on heritage for a sustainable future

National Day marked with business leaders hearing about sustainability and transformation

 

ACCA Cymru/Wales marked St David’s Day by bringing together the business community in Wales to celebrate the contribution commerce makes to the community and celebrate Wales’ national day.

 

Anne Jessopp, CEO of Llantrisant-based The Royal Mint told the 170-strong audience at a breakfast in Cardiff how a business founded in AD 886 is working hard to make sure it is around for another 1,100 years, transforming the business around its rich heritage.

 

While facing challenges – not least the continuing decline in coin usage – Jessopp set out for the audience of business professionals how The Royal Mint could harness its rich history to ensure it has a dynamic future. It is becoming a leader in reclaiming precious metals from electronic waste such as laptops and mobile phones.

 

With an annual revenue of £1.9 billion and customers in 120 countries, and an unrivalled expertise in precious metals, Jessopp talked about how she set about reinventing and transforming The Royal Mint.

 

The Royal Mint is committed to becoming a leader in sustainable precious metals. Later this year it will open a multi-million pound plant to recover gold from UK electronic waste. The pioneering facility will use patented chemistry to recover gold and other metals from circuit boards, generating hundreds of kilograms of precious metals per annum for The Royal Mint.

 

Jessopp said: “One of the ways we understand our purpose is the value we place on British crafts.  Our new business ventures not only contribute to our overall business success but also provide opportunities. We are moving our people into more sustainable skilled roles as well as nurturing new and diverse talent.”

 

Picking up on Anne Jessopp’s themes, ACCA Global Council member Helen Morgan spoke about the role that accountants play in supporting businesses and organisations of all sizes and in all sectors in challenging times.

 

As well as reflecting on key business issues the event heard about the unique work of the Sir Gareth Edwards cancer charity. The charity supports young people aged 15-35 who live in Wales, are receiving treatment for cancer and who are struggling financially.

 

Lloyd Powell, head of ACCA Cymru/Wales, said: “It was a pleasure to hear from Anne Jessopp as she leads such an important Welsh-based organisation. Anne’s message about a clear vision, international trade, sustainability, skills and business transformation resonates with ACCA and all our members in Wales.

 

“We were delighted we worked on this event with our longstanding partners Menzies and University of South Wales. It was great to see so many guests. It is so important for the business community to come together to ensure we continue to work towards a prosperous future for Wales.”