Tag Archives: Leeds

Business, Events

Cardiff Capital Region at UKREiiF 2024

Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) is attending UKREiiF in Leeds from 21 to 23 May to showcase £15 billion of investment opportunities and spotlight the Region as one of 12 Investment Zones selected by UK and Welsh Government last year.

UKREiiF, the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum, is a three-day conference that aims to connect people, places and businesses including the key players and decision makers within the public sector, built environment, investment and real estate markets to drive significant sustainable investment.

This year Cardiff Capital Region will be attending as one of the two sponsors of exhibitor Western Gateway, the pan-regional partnership for South Wales and Western England. The other sponsor attending is Bristol and Bath. CCR will use Western Gateway’s pavilion as a base for meetings and networking.

Attending the event for CCR is Anthony Hunt, Leader of Torfaen County Borough Council and Chair of CCR’s Committee and he said: “UKREiiF is an excellent opportunity for us to sell our Region’s competitive strengths, ambitious investment and development opportunities to key decision makers, future investors and partners. This annual event is now firmly on the calendar for investment opportunities within the UK and complements our international activities at expos such as MIPIM.”

CCR Chief Executive Kellie Beirne is speaking at several events during UKREiiF and is very positive about CCR’s participation: “Our proposition is strong and compelling with unique offers such as Aberthaw Power Station attracting more interest, I’m confident that our economic potential will continue to grow.”

Find out more about UKREiiF: https://www.ukreiif.com/

News

Leeds Marketing Agency and North Yorkshire Council partnership adds up

Leeds-based marketing firm The Marketing Optimist has partnered with City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council on a marketing project to promote MultiplyNYorks – a new, free adult numeracy project for York and North Yorkshire residents.

The full-service digital marketing agency is supporting the council with marketing strategy, social media marketing, SEO, website design and copy on the programme.

Multiply was created to help people over 19 years of age who don’t have a maths GCSE at grade C (or equivalent). It’s a national programme which offers courses and activities in the local community that help people manage their money better, improve their confidence, and open up better employment opportunities.

Employers and businesses can also access these adult numeracy courses to upskill their workforce or request bespoke training sessions to meet employee needs.

The MultiplyNYorks project will run until 2025 and is led by a dedicated central team created as a partnership between the Adult Learning Service of North Yorkshire Council, City of York Council’s York Learning, and a consortium led by Better Connect.

The overall project has been given £2.6 million from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to improve the numeracy skills of working-age people in the UK.

Lois Calvert, Multiply Development Manager for North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council, said, “We are delighted to be working with The Marketing Optimist on this programme. The collaborative work has allowed us to reach individuals who would not usually engage in learning activities. The dedicated website has allowed us to showcase the fantastic work that is happening across York and North Yorkshire.”

Working on the client’s brief, The Marketing Optimist has delivered a new website for MultiplyNYorks – focusing on accessibility, design and usability. The team will also work on an in-depth SEO strategy and ongoing optimisation, writing compelling web copy and delivering a social media strategy to raise awareness of the Multiply programme.

Richard Michie, CEO of The Marketing Optimist, explains, “This project is one of our biggest to date, and we are thrilled to be chosen as the marketing partner for such an important initiative. This project requires a thorough, collaborative approach to deliver an extensive multi-channel marketing strategy, as there are over 20 delivery partners across York and North Yorkshire.”

The Marketing Optimist is a full-service digital marketing consultancy based in Leeds and founded in 2016. The agency works with a range of local, national and international clients. 

With a team of experts specialising in digital marketing, social media, SEO, copywriting,  website design, video marketing, marketing strategy and PR, the business offers a strategic and agile approach to help clients achieve meaningful results from their marketing activities.

Creative News, News, North of England

TrunkBBI opens Leeds office and sets ambitious targets

TrunkBBI, an award winning creative and activation agency, is going from strength to strength as it opens their third office on Greek Street in Leeds city centre.

The agency, which reported a turnover of more than £5m last year, is headquartered in Manchester with clients including Greene King, GE, Halewood Artisanal Spirits, Halfords, Hollister, and American Golf.

The agency chose to open an office in Leeds as the city has become a haven for the digital marketing sector and is keen to attract even more of the UK’s talent.  With ambitions to grow their turnover to £8.1m within the next 18 months, TrunkBBI will be looking to recruit more creative and digital talent as well as onboard new clients in the B2B and B2C sectors.

 

Adam Britton, MD of TrunkBBI commented on the opening of the Leeds office. He said, “We are excited about our expansion into Leeds, and our office has already been buzzing as some of our staff live closer to Leeds and are balancing their time between working from home and in our new office. Our hybrid model of working allows our staff the flexibility to work from any of our 3 locations.”

Adam continued, “With our expansive portfolio of B2B and B2C clients and our desire to host more collaborative meetings, having multiple locations makes it convenient for our clients to choose which office suits them best.”

 

Katherine Shoesmith, Account Director, commented on the opening of the new office. She said, “Having worked in Leeds throughout my career I know first-hand how strong the talent pool is here, so I’m really excited to be helping TrunkBBI set up this office, alongside our Group Account Directors, Andy Warner & Paul Wainwright. Following our recent rebrand we’re bringing a unique proposition to an already competitive market that I think clients are really going to be interested in.”

 

TrunkBBI is an agency that does everything under one roof, and offers clients a full range of services in-house, spanning film, animation, and creative technology, to strategy and insight, organic and paid social, influencer activation, SEO, paid search, PR, copywriting, and user experience.

For more information and employment opportunities, visit www.trunkbbi.com

 

 Photo Caption: L-R: Paul Wainwright, Andy Warner, Lauren Kirkland, Adam Britton, Phil Cardwell, Katherine Shoesmith, Paul Munro

 

Awards, Franchises, News

Yorkshire businesswoman secures finalist place in national franchising awards

Fiona Ibbetson of Get Ahead Leeds, York & Harrogate is celebrating being shortlisted in the Encouraging Women into Franchising (EWIF) Awards 2022.

Fiona fought off fierce competition to be one of just four finalists in the Woman Franchisee of the Year category. The Encouraging Women into Franchising (EWIF) awards celebrate the achievements of women across the franchising industry. The Woman Franchisee of the Year award recognises the most successful woman franchisee in 2021.

According to organisers, this year saw a record number of entries, and the standard was the highest in the twelve years of the EWIF Awards. Winners of each of the ten categories will be announced at the in-person EWiF Awards Ceremony on Thursday 30th June 2022, at RBS Building, 280 Bishopsgate, London.

Commenting on her shortlisting, Fiona said: “2021 was a massive year for my business. In June 2021, I took a giant leap towards achieving my vision by completing the purchase of the additional franchise of York and Harrogate. This allowed me to unlock significant growth by taking on new clients and new virtual assistants. I also became an award-winning business, winning the first-ever Great British Franchisee Awards 2021.

As a result, I smashed my financial targets, and I expect to deliver even higher numbers this year. With passion, drive and commitment, I overcame the challenges of COVID19 in 2020 and delivered exceptional results in 2021, creating a bigger, stronger, award-winning business. I am immensely proud of everything I have achieved.”

Rebecca Newenham, founder of Get Ahead said: “I am blown away by what Fiona has accomplished since starting her business just four years ago. To be shortlisted in this category, fighting off competition from other, well-established franchisees that have been in operation for many years, is fantastic. It has been a pleasure to support her on her journey so far. I know she will continue to go from strength to strength as she grows her specialist outsourcing team further and enables even more businesses to get ahead.”

Get Ahead provides virtual marketing and business support services enabling businesses of all sizes and from all sectors to get ahead. Their growing network of regional directors in Berkshire & North Hants, East Midlands, Leeds, Oxford, Suffolk & Essex, Surrey, and Wirral & Cheshire West, York and Harrogate and Australia is expanding both nationally and internationally.

Cybersecurity, Job Opportunities, Jobs, News, North of England

Cyber security company, Pentest People, seeks new talent following consecutive year of rapid growth

Additional clients and expansion of services sees 35% increase in headcount and search for new talent

Cybersecurity consultancy, Pentest People, is planning further expansion following its second consecutive year of rapid business growth, which saw revenues increasing by 65% and headcount increased by 35% over the past twelve months.

Organisations commission Pentest People’s cybersecurity experts to test their websites, applications and IT systems for any weaknesses that could allow cybercriminals to steal information, damage IT systems, or hold data to ransom. The company employs a number of CHECK team leaders, who have penetration testing qualifications and experience approved by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

The company, led by technical director, Gavin Watson, and sales director, Anthony Harvey, attributes its rapid growth to its continuous development of new threat assessment, consultancy, and remediation services, in response to increasing cybersecurity risks that affect organisations of all sizes.

“Over the past twelve months Pentest People has continued to grow its client base and expand its range of services, including the addition of cyber incident response, remote-working security assessments, dark web monitoring and zero-day exploit scanning, allowing us to detect, prevent, and remediate the most common cyber risks,” reports Gavin Watson.

Co-founder, Andrew Mason commented, “To support this expansion, we have increased our headcount by 35%, moved into a larger office at the Coach Works in Leeds, opened a second office close to GCHQ at Hub8 Cheltenham and launched an apprentice and graduate recruitment and training programme. We’ve hired thirteen women to join our team in the past year and we’re actively recruiting more female consultants.”

Pentest People now offers a broader range of on-site and online services to clients including:

  • Penetration Testing as a Service provided via the company’s Secure Portal
  • Ransomware defence assessment
  • Remote-working security assessment
  • Zero-day exploit response to alert clients to fresh vulnerabilities
  • Dark web monitoring to proactively search for evidence of stolen data
  • Social engineering assessment to identify where staff education is required
  • Phishing email assessment
  • Firewall ruleset reviews
  • VPN configuration assessment
  • Load testing to identify where third-party service and servers are impacting website user experience
  • Red Team assessment to proactively test organisations’ abilities to withstand targeted cyber attacks

Commenting on the company’s new service development, Gavin Watson, technical director, Pentest People added, “Our initial mission was to provide remote and on-site assessments to uncover vulnerabilities in systems, processes and employee practices that expose companies to cyber attacks. As Pentest People’s team has expanded, we’ve added rapid response services to help clients to fix critical issues resulting from newly discovered vulnerabilities and zero-day exploits. Within hours of any new exploits becoming public knowledge, our cyber security experts scan clients’ systems and provide remediation advice if they are found to be vulnerable.”

The company’s successes have not gone unnoticed and it was recently listed among the Leeds Tech Climbers of inspiring technology companies that are innovating to meet demand and are set for growth and it has been shortlisted for the Prolific North Tech Company of the Year award. Pentest People has also been invited to attend the UK Government’s CYBERUK 2022 event taking place at the International Conference Centre, in Newport, Wales, on 10th – 11th May.

About Pentest People:

Pentest People is a cybersecurity consultancy that provides Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) to organisations in the public and private sectors. This innovative approach to security testing combines the benefits of a consultant-led penetration test, bolstered by continuous vulnerability testing delivered via its SecurePortal®, which provides a living threat monitoring system throughout the contract, rather than a vulnerability assessment taken at a single point in time.

Established by the cybersecurity experts who founded RandomStorm, which was acquired by Accumuli Security in 2014, itself acquired by NCC in 2015, Pentest People operates a growing team of talented consultants, to help leading organisations to manage cyber threats and minimise disruption.

Pentest People is a CREST- accredited company and a CHECK Service Provider for its Penetration Testing services and has attained NCSC Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus, as well as earning a place on the G-Cloud 12 framework. Pentest People is also certificated to ISO:9001 and ISO:27001.

For more information, please visit https://www.pentestpeople.com

 

Construction, News, Training

Applications Now Open for New Construction T Level

A new Construction T Level qualification is now open for applications at the UK’s only specialist further education construction college.

Leeds College of Building is one of a select number of education providers across England chosen to deliver a T Level programme in Design, Surveying & Planning for Construction from September 2022. At the heart of the course, a 45-day industry placement opens opportunities for the brightest talent entering the market.

T Levels are a new, two-year qualification for 16- to 19-year-olds. Designed with employers, each T Level is equivalent to three A levels and has been developed to meet industry needs and prepare students for work.

To gain approved provider status, the College applied to the Department for Education demonstrating a positive commitment from local employers and detailing the specialist equipment and expertise offered. This application was backed by the College’s Good Ofsted rating in 2019.

Leeds College of Building is one of only a handful of providers in Yorkshire to offer the Design, Surveying & Planning for Construction T Level, and the only specialist further education construction college to offer this in the UK. The T Level will use industry-standard equipment at both its North Street and South Bank Campuses, delivered by expert staff from the construction industry.

According to the Department for Education, T Levels give students the skills to progress and help rebuild the economy following the Coronavirus pandemic. Typical employment on completion might include technician roles in architecture, building services, civil engineering, surveying or town planning.

Nikki Davis, Vice Principal at Leeds College of Building, said:

“Leeds College of Building is the UK’s only general Further Education college specialising in Construction and the Built Environment. As such, we are perfectly placed to work with our established network of regional and national employers to enhance T Level opportunities for students.

“T Level students at Leeds College of Building will have access to state-of-the-art facilities and specialist teaching expertise. Students also benefit from established progression opportunities within higher and degree-level apprenticeships at the College and employment opportunities through our construction partners.

“Leeds College of Building is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. This new qualification will help us to better serve the region’s young people and workforce, opening up even more opportunities into high paying, skilled jobs.”

Caddick Construction Limited is one of the employers offering Leeds College of Building T Level students work placements. Debbie Watson, Social Value Manager (Yorkshire) at Caddick Construction Ltd., said:

“The new T Levels are a great alternative to entry-level qualifications as they help students gain valuable ‘on the job’ experience whilst undertaking their qualification, which will give them a great advantage going forward in their career.  It will also help employers gain an early insight into the latest talent pool, helping with recruitment and social value benefits.  It also helps us to develop the knowledge, attitude, and skills of the students entering the built environment.

“Whilst working with us, students will spend time in each department at both our offices and on our sites to understand the workings of the main contractor.  Students will also spend time with our consultants, such as the Architect, to understand how projects get to site, as well as spending time with subcontractors on our projects learning more about life on site.”

Time is split between 80% classroom learning and 20% industry placement lasting approximately seven weeks. All students will develop a general understanding of construction, including accurate and appropriate measurements, construction methods and building regulations, digital engineering techniques, design principles and processes, mathematical problem solving, and sustainability and environmental impact.

In addition to the core content, students at Leeds College of Building will specialise in surveying and design for construction and the built environment. They will also study laser scanning – a land surveying method that can accurately measure and collect data from buildings and landscapes.

For more course information and entry requirements, visit www.lcb.ac.uk or email admissions@lcb.ac.uk.

Alternatively, if you are a business owner who could support students through T Level work placements, please email epearson@lcb.ac.uk and find out more about the business benefits and financial incentives available.

 

News

Award-winning Leeds agency delivers distinctive design for Leach

Trio Media has launched a new website for print and display design solutions business, Leach.

Leach is a market-leading print house that counts All Saints, Marks & Spencer, and Peloton as its customers. The Huddersfield-headquartered business develops bespoke, large-format display products for global customers, including graphics, lightboxes, and acoustic solutions for multiple sectors – including retail and events.

Following on from a rebrand, Leach needed a website to champion their new brand design and drive customer enquiries and conversions. Trio Media transformed the look and feel of the website, building in a new user journey with emphasis on calls to action to encourage customer enquiries.

Daniel Deakin, Head of Sales & Marketing at Leach said: “From the first meeting, the team at Trio Media understood our needs and consulted with us on how to get our website delivering a return for us. They were very supportive along the way even when we changed our minds, and we’re really happy with the result. We’ve had great feedback so far on the website, and we’re looking forward to continuing our great working relationship with the team at Trio.”

Claire Daniels, CEO of Trio Media added: “Encouraging leads and conversions through the website was a really important factor for Leach, so we’ve worked hard to develop a website with this in mind. We’re pleased that this project has led to a longer-term relationship with Leach, as we’ve now started working with them on their email marketing, PPC and SEO.

Trio Media is a fully integrated digital marketing agency based in Leeds and providing website design, SEO, PPC, social media, branding, and creative and lead generation services.  They work with clients across the UK to drive business growth through digital marketing and web design, with clients including Lily Comms, Omniya Clinic and eSales Hub.

Their talent for developing websites recently led to the agency winning Web Design Service of the Year at the Yorkshire Prestige Awards 2021. Assessment criteria for the awards included service offering, marketing, branding, social media presence, employee satisfaction and service excellence based on Trustpilot and Google reviews.

The agency has received multiple awards in recent years, with Claire named CEO of the Year in 2020 and Most Influential CEO of the Year in Leeds in 2021.  She also co-hosts two marketing podcasts – The North Star Podcast and Bobble Pod.

News, North of England

Leeds Agency Snap Up First Class Graduates in Latest Hiring Spree

Four-day week agency Punch Creative bolsters their Creative, Content and Client Services teams with five new hires including three recent graduates.

Punch Creative has recently offered extended paid internships to two Leeds based graduates. Emily Grote joins the Content Team as a Marketing Intern and Megan Lent joins the Creative Team as a Junior Design Intern. Both Emily and Megan completed a four-week work experience placement at Punch, which allowed them to showcase their talent and earn themselves six-month paid internships at the agency.

Phoebe Holden, a recent Leeds University graduate, joins the Content Team as a Marketing Executive. After completing a university placement year at Oxfam, Phoebe brings a wealth of experience, passion for B2C content marketing and a flair for generating organic engagement across social media. Skills that will add value to Punch’s large client base in the hospitality industry.

Phoebe and Emily achieved first-class degrees from their prospective universities this summer, and Megan won the Wood Pencil D&AD Award in 2021 for a brief tackling the taboos of Menopause.

Jack Eustace, a long time client of Punch joins the Client Services team as an Account Manager. Jack’s experience of working both agency and client-side means he has a unique perspective on managing client relationships and projects. Jack brings a level of understanding to the client services team that will support the growth of existing accounts as well as the onboarding of new long-term partnerships.

Last but far from least, Jade Tregilgas, joined the agency as Digital Strategist, a brand new role, signalling an increased focus on data and digital insight. Jade’s wealth of experience in the hospitality industry makes her a great hire for the agency and its clients in this sector.

Commercial Director, Louise Wright, says, “We’re delighted to be welcoming so many new members to the team and we feel privileged to be in a position to be offering experience and opportunities for graduates. Building a strong talent pipeline is one of our core business objectives and I strongly believe it is our cultural initiatives such as the four-day week, our focus on wellbeing and our staff profit share scheme that enables us to attract and recruit the top talent, regardless of how far into their career they are.”

Franchises, News, North of England

Get Ahead franchisee for Leeds, York & Harrogate wins at first-ever Great British Franchisee Awards

Get Ahead is delighted that Fiona Ibbetson has been crowned a winner in the first-ever Great British Franchisee Awards 2021.

Organised by whichfranchise.com, the Great British Franchisee Awards focus on the people who have made UK franchising a success. They recognise the outstanding performance of franchisees, regardless of the size of their business or the sector they work in.

Judged by a prestigious panel of industry experts, all the winners, ranging from Business Doctors in Fife down to Merry Maids in Kingston Upon Thames, demonstrated what it takes to be Great British Franchisees. Alongside Fiona Ibbetson of Get Ahead Leeds, York & Harrogate, other notable winners in the north west included Sharon Allen, Grimsby – GoCruise, Jonathan Hargreaves-Townson – North West, Rainbow International and Talk Direct Leeds – West, South & North Yorkshire, North East of England, O2.

The judging panel consisted of Suki Dehal – Lloyds Bank, Head of Franchising, Aman Nirwal – BDO, Senior Key Account Manager Franchising, Euan Fraser – AMO Consulting, and Derrick Simpson, Companion of the British Franchise Association. Aman Nirwal commented:

“I thoroughly enjoyed reviewing all the applications and it has been so refreshing to see how all sizes of businesses from various sectors have coped and adapted their business in response to not only Covid-19 but looking at sustainable growth and business resilience for many years to come. It was great to see so many applications and from a cross section of franchisees,”

Talking about her win, Fiona Ibbetson said, “I am thrilled to have won this award which recognises excellence in franchisees. I started on my franchise journey in 2017, after leaving a senior corporate role. I looked at different options and met Get Ahead at an exhibition I attended as part of my research. I loved the energy and passion that founder Rebecca Newenham has for the business. I have never looked back after starting Get Ahead Leeds in January 2018 and launching Get Ahead York & Harrogate in 2021.”

Rebecca Newenham added: “I am very proud of everything Fiona has achieved over the past 3 years and delighted that her hard work has been recognised in these prestigious awards. It has been a pleasure to support her on her journey so far. I am excited to see her specialist outsourcing team grow and enable even more businesses to access the virtual support they need to get ahead.”

 

News

Pure-EV move to Wharfebank Mills after successful year

Pure-EV, installers of electric vehicle charging points, recently moved offices to Wharfebank Mills, Otley, after their most successful year to date. The office move will allow them to further expand their business and make way for new staff.

2020 brought many challenges to businesses across the region, including those in the electric vehicle (EV) sector. Pure-EV engineers work in homes to install domestic charging stations, as well as in office buildings so had to adapt to new safety regulations in a hugely different economic climate. Despite the challenges, they experienced their most successful year yet.

Their engineers across West Yorkshire and the UK installed over 1500 charging points in homes and businesses, a record-breaking number for the company. Thanks to this success, they hired five new office staff members and six new engineers so as to install even more charging stations in 2021.

“We’re delighted to move into Wharfebank Mills where we have the space to continue recruiting and expanding our business in 2021,” Dominic Barrow, Managing Director at Pure-EV, said.

The move is particularly significant for the company directors. “My grandparents worked in the North England Mills so it’s exciting to now be operating from one of the recycled mill buildings.”

Pure-EV expects that with their new staff, and the recent news regarding the banning of fossil-fuel car sales, their 2020 success will only continue into this new year.