Tag Archives: Growth

Appointments, Business, South Wales

Howden announces five insurance appointments in south Wales

Howden has welcomed five insurance experts to its growing team.

 

Chris Knowles, Stuart Daviss and Geraint Jones join the team as account handlers, and Simon Peasley and Andrew Davies join as account executives.

 

Stuart and Geraint join Howden’s Cardiff office and Chris joins the Swansea office as account handlers, leaving their previous roles at Thomas Carroll and Towergate. In their new roles they will be working closely with Howden’s account executives to secure the best terms and cover for clients in a variety of sectors, as well as developing new business.

 

On his appointment, Chris said: “I am delighted to have joined Howden’s south Wales office. It is a fantastic opportunity to join an experienced and knowledgeable team in a brand-new location for Howden. I look forward to helping Howden achieve our ambitious targets and grow in south Wales.”

 

On his appointment, Stuart commented: “My first six months at Howden have been a whirlwind in the best way. I am thrilled to have joined such a skilled and experienced team, and I’m excited to continue to utilise my experience and Howden’s resources to deliver exceptional service to clients. I chose to move to Howden to join a progressive broker that is already paving the way with its growth, and of course working with Gary Stevens and the whole team is a joy.”

 

On his appointment, Geraint said: “The opportunity to join Howden at an impressive period of growth and to work with an exceptional team of professionals is very exciting. I am looking forward to forging relationships with insurers and new clients alike, with the goal of making Howden the number one broker in the south Wales region.”

 

Simon Peasley and Andrew Davies join Howden’s Swansea office as account executives, with previous experience at Towergate. In their new roles, they will be growing the Howden presence within Wales and leveraging Howden’s client-centric culture to build stronger relationships and explore new initiatives.

 

On his appointment, Simon said: “I see Howden as the perfect fit for the next step in my career. The opportunity to join a professional business with a fantastic reputation that is growing from strength to strength is invaluable. I hope to further grow the Howden brand within Wales and add further value to the business with my experience in the sector and win business from our rival brokers.”

 

On his appointment, Andrew said: “Howden has built a strong reputation for fostering a supportive and collaborative culture, and this is what drew me to the organisation. This combination of a strong internal culture, a dynamic market position, and a focus on specialised knowledge is something I find incredibly appealing. My main goal is to make a tangible impact and contribute to the team’s continued success as quickly as possible.”

 

Gary Stevens, Regional Managing Director at Howden, said: “We are delighted to have welcomed such a strong cohort of recruits to our south Wales offices. Chris, Stuart, Geraint, Simon and Andrew all represent the high standards we hold for ourselves and our staff in delivering excellent insurance services to clients, and they are exceptional assets to our growing team.

 

“Strengthening our presence in south Wales has been a driving force for us over the last year, and I am incredibly proud of the community we have created.”

Acquisitions & Partnerships, Business, Tech

ADECS-Maple enters into a strategic partnership with Bulb Tech

Two communications companies have entered into strategic partnership as they eye UK-wide growth.

ADECS-Maple, an IT support specialist based in Coventry, has formed a strategic partnership with Bulb Tech Group, a voice communications specialist based in South Wales, aimed at accelerating growth and delivering more comprehensive, integrated solutions that better serve the evolving needs of their customers.

The partnership gives Bulb Tech access to expertise in IT support and cloud computing. ADECS-Maple gains access to specialist voice communications services and Bulb Tech’s wider infrastructure and global client reach.

Garath Williams, chief executive of Bulb Tech, will join the board of ADECS-Maple to help foster a close working relationship between both businesses in addition to helping specifically drive ADECS’s sales strategy. He will work closely with Amrik Bhabra, the chief executive and founder of ADECS-Maple, who will remain closely involved in the business whilst taking on an additional objective to build new strategic alliances with distributors and customers.

ADECS-Maple was founded in 1992 in the University of Warwick Science Park initially specialised in selling IBM hardware and Microsoft and Sage software to clients in the Midlands. The company later acquired Maple, which gave it a foothold in web-design. Amrik’s leadership positioned ADECS-Maple into the comprehensive IT Managed Services specialist it is today.

Bulb Tech has enjoyed rapid growth in the past 12 months, since CEO Williams joined as a co-founder, bringing his 30+ years plus of industry expertise to establish close product partnerships to serve Bulb’s customers.

The strategic partnership will focus on delivering five pillars of product and customer excellence: cloud computing, cyber security, connectivity (phones and internet), collaboration (virtual meeting spaces and solutions) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions.

Williams said: “This really is a fantastic opportunity for both businesses. We have complementary offerings, and the nature of the partnership will foster a truly close working relationship that will benefit both sets of customers. We already had an excellent working relationship with Amrik, and this builds on what we believe will be very exciting journey.”

Amrik Bhabra added: “I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved as a company over more than 30 years. We have some incredibly loyal clients and an amazing set of employees. But it is the right time to consider the future. For our customers, this is business as usual, enhanced. The partnership with Bulb Tech will allow us to move to another level in terms of our customer offerings and services level, benefiting all our stakeholders long term.”

Awards

Premier Forest Products win big at the C2S Awards 2025

Leading timber supplier, Premier Forest Products, has won the Growth Award at the Circle2Success (C2S) Awards 2025.

The award recognises a business that has demonstrated substantial growth through revenue growth, headcount or service and product development.

The business, headquartered in Newport, has continued to strengthen over the past year despite a challenging year for the industry. In doing so, the firm has invested heavily in acquisitions and internal growth, increasing their team from 320 to 400 across 19 sites UK-wide. Recent acquisitions have included Bitus UK from Swedish company Bergs Timber in November, followed by Stairway Joinery Ltd, a specialist in the design and manufacture of bespoke staircases for residential and commercial buildings. They also secured a 51% stake in Fforest Timber Engineering.

Premier Forest were presented with the award at the ceremony on 26 June, held at Cheltenham Racecourse. The 3rd year of the annual awards celebrated excellence in business across the South West, South Wales and the Midlands with over 360 people present at the awards evening.

Terry Edgell, Co-Founder and CEO at Premier Forest Products, said: “We’re so pleased to be recognised in the prestigious C2S Awards 2025, especially in such a category. We have spent a lot of time in recent years and months focusing on how we can expand and grow while continuously bettering our services and keep our team at the forefront. It is an incredible honour to be recognised, and this evening has been a wonderful celebration of outstanding organisations.”

Suzanne Hall-Gibbins, Co-Founder & Director at Circle2Success, said: “A big congratulations to Premier Forest Products for their Growth Award win. Their growth over the past year has been incredible, especially with their additional focus on working with the local communities in the locations they operate in. They should be very proud.”

Premier Forest Products is a vertically integrated timber operation engaged in the importation, processing, machining, engineering and wholesale distribution of timber and timber products from multiple sites in the UK.

Business, Business News, Newport, Wales

Premier Forest Products marks year of internal growth amongst tough timber times

Leading UK timber supplier, Premier Forest Products, is celebrating a strong financial year, despite challenging market factors.

Having experienced rapid growth in the immediate aftermath of the Covid pandemic, the timber sector has faced a tougher period recently, which has had an impact on profits industry-wide. To counteract this, Premier Forest has invested heavily in acquisitions and internal growth, increasing their team to over 400 across 19 sites UK-wide.

CEO and Co-Founder Terry Edgell, said: “The past two years have brought many challenges to our top line growth as we have seen continued depreciation of product value, but core volume has increased, thanks to aggressive and targeted growth in market share by our sales teams. In a tumultuous time for the timber industry, the value of group turnover has remained static, propped up by our acquisitive policies and underlying volume growth, which must be celebrated.

“Acquisitions have always been at the heart of our growth plan, whether in response to customer demand or to scale the business’s reach. This year we’ve successfully expanded our product range and geographical presence, with new sites in Essex and London serving a host of new customers.”

Premier Forest acquired Bitus UK from Swedish company Bergs Timber in November, followed by Stairway Joinery Ltd, a specialist in the design and manufacture of bespoke staircases for residential and commercial buildings. They also secured a 51% stake in Fforest Timber Engineering.

In the last 12 months, Premier Forest has invested heavily in machinery capabilities, investing over £1million in equipment across the business, specifically at the Duchy Timber, Premier Forest Haverfordwest and Decorpanel Newport branches.

They have also focused on product launches, with the Premier Platinum range of fencing timber, specifically targeted at the agricultural sector, released in September, and a new range of acoustic fence panels launched in July.

Most recently, Premier Forest has introduced the world’s first fire-retardant and water-resistant plywood, DryGuard FR in February 2025. The one-of-a-kind product was exclusively created in response to customer demand.

Terry said: “Innovation is key to future-proofing the business. We’ve taken advantage of the tough market conditions of the last year and have invested in ourselves, enabling us to be well placed to deal with upturn in demand.

“We are anticipating a period of rapid turnover growth as a result of our recent acquisitions, alongside a period of product inflation in timber that will drive organic value; this will either arise on the back of demand generated by the anticipated house build policy, or from a further curtailment of production across the world as we have already seen in the last 12 months. Our investment over the last year will have placed us in a great position to deal with the upturn and ensure we retain our position as a market leader across the UK.”

Premier Forest Products is a vertically integrated timber operation engaged in the importation, processing, machining, engineering and wholesale distribution of timber and timber products from its multiple sites in the UK.

Appointments, Business

Genesis Biosciences celebrates growth as team expands

Genesis Biosciences continues to lead the way in sustainable cleaning as it strengthens its laboratory and research and development teams.

Genesis’ lab team, led by Laboratory Manager Dr Kate Ledwoch, has doubled in size, expanding its wealth of expertise in developing products to positively impact cleaning across multiple industries and the environment.

Genesis Biosciences has additionally grown its research and development team, curating a diverse, skilled team of scientists. The company’s focus on hiring highly qualified scientists and researchers marks a core differentiator from its competitors and allows them to conduct their innovative work in house, from research and development to the production of its performance-driven eco-benign® products and solutions.

Among the new appointments is Cardiff University Biological Science masters graduate Sophie Akers. Sophie specialises in bioinformatics, genomics and molecular ecology, and utilises her experience in these fields as a Research and Development Scientist at Genesis Biosciences.

Sophie said: “I am delighted to have joined Genesis Biosciences’ research and development team at such an exciting time for the company’s growth. Our work is incredibly important in not only supporting effective cleaning and wastewater treatment in several industries, but ensuring that this can be achieved in a sustainable way. It is great to be able to collaborate with the other experts in our lab and R&D teams and offer my own input into the development of our products.”

Dr Emma Saunders, General Manager at Genesis Biosciences, said: “Sophie is a tremendous addition to our R&D team, and offers a wealth of expertise in bioinformatics and genomics. We strive to recruit the top scientists and professionals to our team, and our strong growth is a testament to the hard work of our current and new team members.

“With our ever-growing team, we will continue to produce innovative and safe eco-benign® antimicrobial and microbial technologies that can be distributed globally.”

FInance, Finance and Banking, News from Wales

Swansea Building Society delivers record results

Swansea Building Society has achieved the highest growth in total assets and saving balances in its history, supported by record profits.

The Society achieved double digit growth in its total assets, mortgages, savings and capital for the fourth year running, despite the difficult economic environment.

For the year to December 31, 2024, total assets and savings both grew by 14%, while mortgages grew by 11%. Total assets increased by £86.7m to £693.7 million and savings balances increased by £81.8 million to £647.3 million, while mortgage balances grew by £52.3million to £530.1 million, driven by gross mortgage completions of £111.0 million.

The Society’s growth was supported by record profits before tax of £6.3 million, beating the previous record of £6.2 million achieved in 2023. This increased the Society’s capital reserves by 12% to £44.5 million. This is vitally important, as it provides greater reserves to support members achieve their financial goals.

The Society remains one of the few financial institutions in the UK that receives no wholesale funding or support from the Bank of England in the form of cheap funding. Its balance sheet is funded entirely by customer savings balances and its own capital reserves built up from retained profits over many years.

Alun Williams, Chief Executive of Swansea Building Society, said:

“The Society has continued to meet the needs of both savers and borrowers, while delivering another record set of results. Our record asset growth supported by record profitability has further strengthened our foundations for future sustainable growth in order that we can help more members to buy their own home or reach their financial savings goals. This has been achieved while investing in the Society to ensure it remains sustainable, scalable and relevant in the future.

“I am delighted with the dedication and care shown by my colleagues to deliver the level of service our existing and new members deserve, while through our charity and volunteering work, we have supported those people in our communities who need help the most.

“The Bank base interest rate remained at a 16-year high, at 5.25% for the majority of the year, before reducing to 4.75% as at the end of December. We are mindful that many of our customers have never experienced such a high interest rate environment and were considerate of the impact that these rates could have on both new and existing borrowers.

“The economic conditions have meant that the Society’s flexible lending policy has been in high demand, and the Society exceeded its gross lending targets for the year. At the same time, our mortgage book has shown great resilience to the high interest rate environment and other cost of living pressures with our arrears statistics remaining excellent during the year. As we head into a forecast downward interest rate curve, I hope to see these pressures subside further for our mortgage borrowers.

“One of the Society’s key aims is to help savers to reach their financial goals and to deliver sustainable returns over their long relationship with us. In December 2023, we increased our savings interest rates by 0.25% without any corresponding increase in mortgage interest rates. While this decreased our net interest margin ratio for 2024, we felt it was the right thing to do for our members and has helped to deliver record growth in savings in the year.

“The Society has a very strong internal culture that reflects our purpose of serving our customers. Our people play a vital role in the continued success of the Society and our members and professional contacts benefit from dealing with loyal, motivated, and well trained staff. Our staff have once again shown the right skills, behaviours and values that have been key to the Society’s success. Every single colleague at the Society has worked hard to provide members with our usual high standard of service, and the Society’s customer satisfaction score of 98% suggests that we have continued to be successful in doing so.

“A key element of the Society’s purpose is to be socially responsible and to make a positive difference to the local community. As a member-owned business, community is close to our hearts and we offer support not only through the products and services we provide, but also by donating our time, skills, and resources. After a three-year successful and highly rewarding partnership with Maggie’s Cancer charity, we have chosen Prostate Cymru as our Charity of the year in 2025 as we look to support the vital care the charity provides in our communities.

“In 2024 we enhanced our Environmental, Social and Governance Strategy to see how we can contribute to the Wales We Want report which was a culmination of a year-long conversation with Welsh people. The Wales we Want Report asked people to discuss the Wales that they want to leave behind for their children and grandchildren, considering the challenges, aspirations and ways to solve long-term problems to create a Wales that they want by 2050. As a Mutual that has existed for 101 years and wants to continue for another 100 years, this resonated significantly with the Society.

“The Society’s future has never been brighter. In 2024 we signed a multi-proposition contract with our IT service provider as we continue our digital transformation and embrace change by investing in our people and technology. Our members will therefore continue to see improvements in the way the Society delivers its products and services in the coming years.

“We remain fully committed to our branch network, and our objective of ‘opening and not closing branches’. We will continue to support mortgage niches which the wider mortgage market lacks the resources or knowledge to do so.

“I would like to thank all my colleagues for their contribution to a record performance in 2024, and I look forward to delivering on our plans in 2025 as we continue to look after the needs of our members and communities.”

The Society will hold its annual general meeting at the Swansea.Com stadium on Thursday 24th April 2025. Members can vote ahead of that meeting or attend the meeting in person and the Society will donate a pound to Prostate Cymru for every vote received.

Accountancy & Accounts, News

HURST unveils ambitious plans to double in size

Independent accounting and business advisory firm HURST has unveiled plans to double in size amid rapid expansion across the practice.

In the 12 months to March 31 2024, HURST increased fee income by 13.5 per cent from £7.9m to £9m, and is on track to exceed £11m in its latest financial year.

HURST is aiming to become a £20m-turnover practice in 2028, fuelled by a growing national client base, extensive recruitment and new service lines to support its ambitions, alongside a multimillion-pound investment in technology.

The firm moved its headquarters last spring to a flagship development in Stockport to accommodate its growing team, which includes an increasing number of recruits from larger firms across the UK.

Its relocation to 3 Stockport Exchange, where it occupies 11,000sq ft, has paved the way for the firm to expand from 120 staff to around 170 over the next few years.

HURST focuses on advising entrepreneurial owner-managed businesses across all sectors. Clients include S.J.M Concerts, Kinaxia Logistics, M&I Materials, Beechfield Brands, Duerr’s, Oliver Valves, Lancashire County Cricket Club, Krones UK, Creamline Dairies, Scapa Group and Hyde Group

During the current financial year, HURST has launched a private client tax service headed by partner Karen Chadwick to enhance its offering to business owners, entrepreneurs and high net worth individuals. It has also recently launched a dedicated corporate tax compliance service headed by Ellen Feetum.

Other highlights of the financial year to date include:

  • Recognition from Great Place to Work as one of the UK’s best workplaces in consulting and professional services, reaffirming HURST’s commitment to fostering a positive culture;
  • The launch of HURST Corporate Finance as a standalone brand with a dedicated website. HURST Corporate Finance has its strongest-ever deals pipeline;
  • Significant client wins, including Metalor Technologies, beauty brand REFY, the Rugby Football League and Green Part Specialists, reflecting HURST’s growing reputation as a trusted adviser to mid-market businesses across the UK;
  • Investing to make greater use of AI-driven digital platforms to enhance data management, improve resource planning and deliver greater efficiency to clients.

Outlining HURST’s ambitious plans, managing partner Tim Potter said the firm has a strong platform to build on to achieve its goals.

“We have good, solid foundations from which to propel our growth in a measured way,” he said.

“This involves continuing to focus on providing a genuinely caring and friendly service and excellent value to our growing client base, ensuring they have a pleasant experience with us by obtaining sound commercial advice to help them achieve their goals, together with the technical abilities of our team.

“At the same time, the essence of our firm is a great culture. Looking after our people really well so they are inspired and motivated to achieve success for our clients is key to our ethos.

“This combination is helping us to win more business nationally, although our focus remains on the north west.

“In the north west alone, we act for businesses with a combined turnover of £10bn as we continue to expand our client base. The region has a thriving business community and is a vibrant area of entrepreneurship and innovation.

“There is plenty of scope for further expansion for HURST both in the north west and beyond.”

Tim added: “Over the past 12 months we have invested in the business on a significant scale, with our new offices, key appointments, new service lines and by embedding new technologies within the firm, including AI-driven digital platforms.

“This programme will continue to enable us to further enhance our service offering. We have also stepped up our leadership training provision with a global provider to nurture the next generation of senior leaders, and will be launching a bespoke proposition to help clients integrate and develop their AI offering within their businesses, and adding further service lines.

“The practice remains buoyant and confident for the future. With our continued investment in talent, technology and service innovation, we are well-placed to deliver sustainable growth and create exciting opportunities for our people and clients alike.”

Cleaning & Facilities Management, News

DuraClean secures landmark UK-wide contract with WGC

Fast-growing cleaning products company DuraClean has secured a three-year nationwide contract with cleaning and maintenance business WGC, which services hundreds of hotels, office locations and educational facilities across the UK.

The deal follows a successful trial and will see DuraClean supply WGC with cleaning consumables, equipment such as vacuum cleaners and floor polishing machines, bespoke staff uniforms and eco-friendly cleaning chemicals.

WGC services more than 300 hotels across the UK for a client base which spans brands such as Ibis, Novotel, Moxy, IHG, Radisson, Hilton and The Resident, as well as luxury locations in London including The Connaught, Claridge’s and The BoTree.

The company carries out the cleaning of hotel rooms and public areas, marble and windows as well as kitchen deep cleans and stone floor restorations, and operates a facilities management division offering repairs and maintenance.

Headquartered in London, WGC has 6,000 staff and annual revenues in excess of £100m.

Yasin Shariff, managing director of Birmingham-based DuraClean, said: “This is a landmark contract for DuraClean. It solidifies our position as a trusted supplier to the outsourced housekeeping sector, and demonstrates our ability to secure and manage large-scale, long-term agreements with precision, reliability and tailored, end-to-end solutions.

“The award of this contract follows a successful trial period with WGC, during which we showcased our capability to meet the client’s needs with tailored products and services.

“By combining our innovative technology platform, bespoke product offerings and dependable service, we’re committed to helping WGC drive operational excellence and deliver outstanding results. We’re proud to collaborate with WGC and look forward to contributing to its continued success.”

DuraClean supplies a comprehensive range of cleaning and hygiene products, including essential janitorial supplies such as microfibre cloths, dusters, sponges, mops and buckets, advanced robotic cleaning solutions and bespoke embroidered staff uniforms.

As a one-stop shop for outsourced housekeeping and contract cleaning businesses, it supports over 600 UK hotels as well as schools, commercial properties and industrial sites. Its wholesale division supplies retailers and facilities management companies. The company’s offering is underpinned by a technology platform which streamlines ordering and supply chain management.

DuraClean, which began trading in 2023, is trading ahead of expectations, with turnover for the current financial year projected to reach £1.8m. It is moving to new 10,000sq ft headquarters at Birmingham’s Rovex Business Park to support its expansion.

Yasin and co-founder Imran Khandhia are aiming to increase annual revenues to £5m within three years, fuelled by an expanded product range and growing customer base.

“The move to our new premises will enable us to scale our operations, meet demand from existing and new clients and secure further partnerships with industry leaders,” said Yasin.

“At the same time, we are investing to scale and enhance our technology platform to further improve the customer experience.”

Martin Birch, chief executive of WGC, said: “We chose DuraClean for its ability to provide a comprehensive, one-stop shop service and its seamless ordering system via a bespoke technology platform, ensuring ease of use and efficiency.

“Other factors were its consistent and reliable delivery, strong sustainability credentials and its ability to provide tailored reporting, ongoing support and demonstrations.

“We had a need for a more integrated, tech-driven supply chain partner as we grow the business. We now benefit from a dedicated account management team for tailored support, monthly reporting and analysis to drive efficiency, regular equipment demonstrations and bespoke uniforms that align with our brand identity.

“Collaborating with DuraClean marks a significant step forward for WGC. The company’s extensive product offering, spanning cleaning consumables, chemicals, uniforms and equipment, combined with its ability to tailor solutions to our specific needs, sets the company apart.

“This three-year agreement is a reflection of our shared values in operational efficiency and sustainability, and I’m confident it will bring immense value to our clients and our team.”

John Raponi, operations director at WGC, said DuraClean’s performance during the trial period exceeded expectations.

He added: “Its ability to align with our operational needs, deliver on time and provide a robust range of products made the integration seamless. DuraClean’s technology platform has simplified the ordering process for our team, and I’m looking forward to building on this partnership to enhance efficiency and service delivery across our sites.”

Appointments, Insurance

Howden makes key addition to Welsh corporate team

HOWDEN, the global insurance group, has appointed Daniel Abbott as Corporate Director to its South Wales corporate team.

 

Daniel joins the team following his role as Sales & Development Director at Watkin Davies, which was acquired by Howden in 2021. This marks another strong addition to Howden’s South Wales base as it continues to attract new talent through its unique employee ownership model and strengthen its potential for client support.

 

After being in his previous role for six years, Daniel will bring a wealth of experience to support the growth and development of Howden’s South Wales corporate division, which currently includes Annabelle Cervera, Tony Barber and Stephen Yandle as Account Executive, Account Director and Regional Corporate and Commercial Sales Director respectively.

 

As Corporate Director, Daniel will have a key focus on providing risk management solutions and effective risk transfer programmes for large, complex and multinational clients across industries such as marine, energy, construction and waste management.

 

Speaking on his appointment, Daniel said: “I was thrilled for the opportunity to join Howden’s corporate team in South Wales at what is such an exciting period of growth. In my role I aim to work closely with our clients and partners to formulate strategic plans that enhance opportunities, while effectively promoting Howden’s comprehensive range of solutions and capabilities.

 

“Howden is a group of exceptionally talented insurance experts who have the freedom to deliver for clients and the support to do what they do best. I’m honoured to join an exceptional team of seasoned professionals under the insightful leadership of Gary Stevens, and I look forward to contributing to Howden’s continued growth and expansion throughout South Wales and beyond.”

 

Gary Stevens, Regional Managing Director at Howden, added: “Daniel is an exceptional addition to our corporate team in South Wales and I have no doubt that he will make a strong impact on our growth and development, and catalyse the strategies involved to always provide the highest quality services. With his experience, he holds the key skills needed to create strategic solutions that not only benefit our clients fully but keep the true values and ethos of Howden at heart.”