2EPB-E01-S3

WOMEN ON BOARD

How becoming a charity trusteehelps break career barriers – p2

FAST REACTIONS

SMEs need to act now to makemost of Hinkley Point C – p8&9

GROWTH SURGE

How electricals firm went fromhome base to £9m turnover – p5

BUSINESSES BACKWOOLLY THINKINGHow Bristol companies are making the most ofhigh-profile charity trail at home and in the capital

SHAUN IN THE CITY

102014DEC

– See page 4

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2 We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 3We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

A FIRM that sells vital equip-ment for the booming con-struction industry hasinvested £1 million in a new16,000 sq m Bristol branch.

Finning UK has set up the branch,complete with workshop facilities, inPor tbury’s industrial estate.

The investment marks a vote ofconfidence in the recovery of theconstruction market in the SouthWe s t .

The new premises reflect thestrong customer demand for Cater-pillar products alongside Finning’srepair and maintenance services.

The firm sees the move as a sig-nificant long-term local investmentin a permanent location within theBristol area, expanding its nationalnetwork to 26 branches and 1,800staf f.

South West service operationsmanager Mark Brealey said: “Bristolis really well placed to service thebooming South West constructionequipment market.

“It has a great transport networkand is ideal for supporting new andexisting customers.

“We are predicting significantgrowth opportunities for our cus-tomers and believe this will providea great platform to enhance our cus-tomers’ experience, in terms of boththe selling and servicing of Cater-pillar equipment in the area.

“The prospect for growth is alsovery exciting and we expect to seefuture job opportunities across theboard, from engineering apprentice-ships, to sales and office supportstaf f.

� KatherineSparkes, whoruns corporatesocialre s p o n s i b i l i t yconsultancyFlamingo,based inWestbury Park

C o n st r u c t i o nWomen in Business

Charity works Trustee role canbuild confidence and open doors

I n s u ra n ce

Broker’s profits rise by 40 per cent

SETsquared firms netbillions for economy� HIGH-tech start-ups incubated bySETsquared will have contributed anestimated £11 billion in GVA (GrossValue Added) to the UK economy by2025.

New research indicates thatcompanies that have benefited fromincubation by SETsquared, theenterprise partnership of theuniversities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter,Southampton and Surrey, havealready contributed some £3.8billion in GVA over the last 12 yearsand are likely to contribute a further£7.3 billion in the decade to come.

The study, commissioned fromWarwick Economics &Development, is based on the 1,041companies that have alreadybenefited from SETsquared servicesin their formative years andexcludes any further economicimpact from companies thatSETsquared is set to incubate in thef u t u re .

Nick Sturge, director at the BristolSETsquared Centre in the EngineShed, said: “This economic impactstudy shows the profound effectthat companies incubated bySETsquared have had on there g i o n ’s economy.

“We ’re looking towards the futurenow and are dedicated to providingthe opportunities and resources tocontinue the growth for the next 10years. We have marked the firstanniversary of the opening of ournew home, Engine Shed, whichitself has generated significantgrowth locally.”

The study also showed firmsincubated by SETsquared havecreated 9,000 jobs since 2002 andthat this number is estimated toincrease to 14,200 by 2025.

Downing Street datefor small businesses� THE founder of an IT companywas among 100 small businessmenand women to visit Downing Streetto mark Small Business Saturday.

Bill Quinn owner of FlexableIT, aPortishead-based cloud IT companyfocusing on customer relationshipmanagement for small businesses,attended the event hosted by theChancellor George Osborne.

Bill said the event and campaign,which encouraged people to usesmall businesses, had been positivefor companies such as his.

He added: “Small businesses arecritical to our economy. Theyaccount for 99.3 per cent of allprivate sector businesses in the UK,47.8 per cent of private sectoremployment and 33.2 per cent ofprivate sector turnover.”

High growth

SMEs

New base Construction supplierforecasts growth as branch opens

AN insurance broker which employs330 people in the Bristol area hasincreased its post-tax profits by 40 percent.

Jelf, which is based in ChippingSodbury and also has an office inClifton, reported profits of £6.5 mil-lion after tax, up from £4.6 million in2013.

Revenues were also up, by 8.4 percent from £76.2 million to £82.6 mil-lion.

Group chief executive Alex Alwaysaid the strong results came as thefirm celebrated a big milestone.

He said: “I am particularly pleasedthat the group has delivered such astrong set of trading results in a yearthat it celebrates its 25th anniversary

as a business and its 10th year onAIM.”

In June, Jelf bought rival The In-surance Partnership and has sincebeen making savings which hashelped raise earnings before tax inthe insurance division by 69 per centto £9.4 million, from £5.6 million.

The firm’s employee benefits,healthcare and financial planningbusinesses also performed well, withearnings of £4.8 million, £1.3 millionand £400,000 respectively.

Founded by Bristolian Chris Jelf in1989 from a small office in Soundwelland employing just a handful of staff,the company has grown rapidly overthe last quarter of a century and isnow the third largest UK independ-

ent broker with 33 offices.Reflecting on the 25 years, Chris

said: “Jelf has worked hard to setstandards that our competition findhard to outdo. We have built anaward-winning business founded onthe ethos of placing the client at itsheart and providing the very bestcare and personal service – a corevalue that still remains true today.”

Looking ahead, Alex added: “Wecontinue to operate in what is anextremely competitive market. Trad-ing since October 1, 2014 is in linewith expectations and we look for-ward to another year of profitableg rowth.”

The firm will pay a dividend of 2pper share next month.

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Advertising RobertRodgersonCall07828 941469Email ro b e r t . ro d g e r s o n@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising JaneChapman

Call 01179 343025Email jane.chapman

@b-nm.co.uk

“We have big plans for the branchand the new workshops will ensurewe are able to deliver an enhancedrepair and maintenance service tocustomers throughout the region.”

The construction industry is cer-tainly growing fast, with huge hous-ing projects around the Bristol area,many around the city’s northernfringe in Filton, Emersons Greenand Cribbs Causeway.

The city is also well located on thecross section of the M5, allowingaccess to markets north, east, southand west.

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Re c r u i t m e n t

Giving employers access to short-term skillsBUSINESSWOMAN Claire Ladkinhas launched a new service aimed atproviding businesses with access tothe growing pool of skilled and ex-perienced self-employed workers inthe city.

With self-employment at an alltime high – 4.6 million people acrossthe UK now work for themselves –Claire spotted a gap in the market tolaunch a service which would matchhighly skilled individuals whowanted to work on an ad hoc basiswith businesses wishing to tap in tothis growing workforce for short-term projects.

She created Ad Hoc Projects re-cognising that while employers wantaccess to skilled short-term re-source, they often don’t have thetime to properly manage the peopleor project.

The Clifton-based firm aims tomanage the process for them, fromhelping them to work out what theyneed through to finding the can-didate and overseeing delivery.

C l a i re ’s inspiration was her owndesire to find flexible employmentthat worked around her busy life.

After years in the advertising in-dustry and a career break, she be-

came self-employed taking on avariety of different roles from prop-erty development projects to freel-ance commissions and even a placeon the board of trustees at BristolZ o o.

She thought that there were otherbusinesses that would benefit notonly from access to professional ex-perienced contractors but also froma service that would manage theseadditional projects.

She said: “We hear a huge amountabout these new ways of working,the increase in levels of self-employ-ment, the rise of the age of ‘no re-t i re m e n t ’ and the desire for a betterwork life balance.

“However, it occurred to me hav-ing been on both sides of the fence, as

self-employed worker and an em-ployer, there was no obvious way ofseeking out this type of employment,nor a way for employers to find thesepeople, many of whom are highlyqualified and capable individuals.

“By launching Ad Hoc Projects wecan offer businesses access to an asyet untapped resource of skilled andexperienced workers who canprovide support as and when re-quired without the commitment offull employment.

“The fact that we also project man-age the whole process also meansthat businesses are free to continueto focus on their day to day activitiesconfident that their additional work-loads are being managed.”

The type of projects could rangefrom managing office moves or em-bedding of new systems to conduct-ing research projects and overseeingnew business development and cov-ering long-term sickness or mater-nity absences.

Claire, who is 52 today, believes theservice could also help smaller busi-nesses which need to access specificskills to help develop but do not wishto add to their permanent work-fo rc e.

� Finning UK & Ireland’s managing director Neil Dickinson opens the new Bristol branch; below, the workshop

� Alex Alway and Chris Jelf Hillside Court

“ By launching Ad Hocprojects we can offerbusinesses access to anas yet untappedresource of skilled andexperienced workerswho can provide supportas and when requiredwithout the commitmentof full employment.”

in association with

THE CATEGORIES

Woman of the Year: A woman who hasmade a significant personal contributionto the success of the establishedcompany they run or in which they areemployed.Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Awoman who has made a significantcontribution to the company they run, inwhich they are employed or theorganisation they have been promotedor fast tracked within.Mentor of the Year: The woman whohas demonstrated the skills of being amentor to male or female employees,who has gone the extra mile insupporting a colleague or business andhas made a difference to their life orbusiness.Contribution to the Community,sponsored by The Mall CribbsCauseway: The woman who candemonstrate the difference she hasmade to their community and/or Bristoland Bath over the last year (from Jan 12014 to Jan 1 2015).Women in the Workplace Award,sponsored by PPC: A company whichhas demonstrated a flexibility andadaptability to the employment ofwomen.New Business of the Year, sponsoredby Your Street Gift Cards: Open to allbusinesses that have started tradingsince January 2013 and principaltrading base is in Bristol or Bath witheither woman/women owners or afemale head of the company.Business of the Year: This award willgo to the profitable business that eitherhas a female owner/s or a highpercentage of females on the seniormanagement team.Award for Innovation: A business thathas introduced a new product, process,invention, idea, or design that has madea significant contribution to thebusiness and has a female owner/s or ahigh percentage of females on thesenior management team.Marketing Campaign of the Year: Anorganisation that has communicatedeffectively with its target audience(internal or external) over the past year,either as part of an ongoing programmeor a one-off campaign.Female Apprentice of the Year: Afemale apprentice who can show theimpact she has had on the organisationshe works for, as well evidence ofpersonal development and progression.Outstanding Contribution toBusiness in Bristol and Bath,sponsored by UWE: Thebusinesswoman who, in the opinion ofthe judges, has made a considerable,profitable and lasting contribution tobusiness in Bristol and Bath. Thiscategory is not open for submissionsbut handpicked by the judges.

BECOMING a charity trust-ee can help women tobreak through the glassceiling. And with an es-timated 700 trustee vacan-

cies on Bristol charity boards,t h e re ’s a world of opportunity outt h e re.

The organisation Getting OnBoard is encouraging businesswo-men in Bristol to volunteer as trust-ees as they climb the careerl a d d e r.

The opportunity can be awin-win, as it allows them to givesomething back, as well as gainskills and grow their confidence.

A Getting On Board study of 250women who have become trustees

found 74 per cent believed it hadimproved their confidence and 38per cent said they had new lead-ership aspirations as a result.

One woman who can vouch forthat is Katherine Sparkes, whoruns corporate social responsibil-ity consultancy Flamingo, based inWestbury Park.

Katherine, 34, also set up a char-ity called the Flamingo Foundationand is chair of the Rainbow Centrein Knowle, which helps childrenwho have lost parents.

She said: “Trusteeships are abrilliant way you can contributeskills you already have while learn-ing the skills you don’t have.

“It’s a great way to fill the skillsgap. I always volunteered forhuman resources committees be-cause, working for myself, I hadnever even been given an appraisallet alone done one.

“As a trustee you are never onyour own, you are always part of ateam so learn from others – so longas you are prepared to contributethe skills you do already have.”

Katherine said women shouldn’thold back, as there are 1,400 char-ities in Bristol and on averageevery other one has a trustee va-c a n cy.

“Some people think you have tobe terribly wise or terribly old, orwait for a magical tap on thes h o u l d e r, ” she said. “T hat’s not thecase. If there is a charity you arepassionate about, give them aring.”

Another way women can boosttheir careers is through awards,such as the Bristol Post and BathChronicle Women in BusinessAwards which are now open fore n t r i e s. .

Katherine said: “Awards canmake a huge difference to confid-ence and business. Recognition isalways lovely and awards can alsobe a great way to grow your busi-ness network.”

The Bristol Post and Bath Chron-icle Women in Business Awardstake place on March 19 at the Bris-tol City Centre Marriott.

Entries must be submitted byJanuary 16 and will then be judgedby an expert panel who will draw upa shortlist of finalists.

� To enter, sponsor a category orbook tickets for the night, visitw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t . c o . u k / w i b a . Ifyou’re talking about the awards onsocial medial, use #wiba.Find out more about trustreeshipsat w w w. g e t t i n g o n b o a r d . o r g .

The sponsors

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

E01-

S3

2 We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 3We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

A FIRM that sells vital equip-ment for the booming con-struction industry hasinvested £1 million in a new16,000 sq m Bristol branch.

Finning UK has set up the branch,complete with workshop facilities, inPor tbury’s industrial estate.

The investment marks a vote ofconfidence in the recovery of theconstruction market in the SouthWe s t .

The new premises reflect thestrong customer demand for Cater-pillar products alongside Finning’srepair and maintenance services.

The firm sees the move as a sig-nificant long-term local investmentin a permanent location within theBristol area, expanding its nationalnetwork to 26 branches and 1,800staf f.

South West service operationsmanager Mark Brealey said: “Bristolis really well placed to service thebooming South West constructionequipment market.

“It has a great transport networkand is ideal for supporting new andexisting customers.

“We are predicting significantgrowth opportunities for our cus-tomers and believe this will providea great platform to enhance our cus-tomers’ experience, in terms of boththe selling and servicing of Cater-pillar equipment in the area.

“The prospect for growth is alsovery exciting and we expect to seefuture job opportunities across theboard, from engineering apprentice-ships, to sales and office supportstaf f.

� KatherineSparkes, whoruns corporatesocialre s p o n s i b i l i t yconsultancyFlamingo,based inWestbury Park

C o n st r u c t i o nWomen in Business

Charity works Trustee role canbuild confidence and open doors

I n s u ra n ce

Broker’s profits rise by 40 per cent

SETsquared firms netbillions for economy� HIGH-tech start-ups incubated bySETsquared will have contributed anestimated £11 billion in GVA (GrossValue Added) to the UK economy by2025.

New research indicates thatcompanies that have benefited fromincubation by SETsquared, theenterprise partnership of theuniversities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter,Southampton and Surrey, havealready contributed some £3.8billion in GVA over the last 12 yearsand are likely to contribute a further£7.3 billion in the decade to come.

The study, commissioned fromWarwick Economics &Development, is based on the 1,041companies that have alreadybenefited from SETsquared servicesin their formative years andexcludes any further economicimpact from companies thatSETsquared is set to incubate in thef u t u re .

Nick Sturge, director at the BristolSETsquared Centre in the EngineShed, said: “This economic impactstudy shows the profound effectthat companies incubated bySETsquared have had on there g i o n ’s economy.

“We ’re looking towards the futurenow and are dedicated to providingthe opportunities and resources tocontinue the growth for the next 10years. We have marked the firstanniversary of the opening of ournew home, Engine Shed, whichitself has generated significantgrowth locally.”

The study also showed firmsincubated by SETsquared havecreated 9,000 jobs since 2002 andthat this number is estimated toincrease to 14,200 by 2025.

Downing Street datefor small businesses� THE founder of an IT companywas among 100 small businessmenand women to visit Downing Streetto mark Small Business Saturday.

Bill Quinn owner of FlexableIT, aPortishead-based cloud IT companyfocusing on customer relationshipmanagement for small businesses,attended the event hosted by theChancellor George Osborne.

Bill said the event and campaign,which encouraged people to usesmall businesses, had been positivefor companies such as his.

He added: “Small businesses arecritical to our economy. Theyaccount for 99.3 per cent of allprivate sector businesses in the UK,47.8 per cent of private sectoremployment and 33.2 per cent ofprivate sector turnover.”

High growth

SMEs

New base Construction supplierforecasts growth as branch opens

AN insurance broker which employs330 people in the Bristol area hasincreased its post-tax profits by 40 percent.

Jelf, which is based in ChippingSodbury and also has an office inClifton, reported profits of £6.5 mil-lion after tax, up from £4.6 million in2013.

Revenues were also up, by 8.4 percent from £76.2 million to £82.6 mil-lion.

Group chief executive Alex Alwaysaid the strong results came as thefirm celebrated a big milestone.

He said: “I am particularly pleasedthat the group has delivered such astrong set of trading results in a yearthat it celebrates its 25th anniversary

as a business and its 10th year onAIM.”

In June, Jelf bought rival The In-surance Partnership and has sincebeen making savings which hashelped raise earnings before tax inthe insurance division by 69 per centto £9.4 million, from £5.6 million.

The firm’s employee benefits,healthcare and financial planningbusinesses also performed well, withearnings of £4.8 million, £1.3 millionand £400,000 respectively.

Founded by Bristolian Chris Jelf in1989 from a small office in Soundwelland employing just a handful of staff,the company has grown rapidly overthe last quarter of a century and isnow the third largest UK independ-

ent broker with 33 offices.Reflecting on the 25 years, Chris

said: “Jelf has worked hard to setstandards that our competition findhard to outdo. We have built anaward-winning business founded onthe ethos of placing the client at itsheart and providing the very bestcare and personal service – a corevalue that still remains true today.”

Looking ahead, Alex added: “Wecontinue to operate in what is anextremely competitive market. Trad-ing since October 1, 2014 is in linewith expectations and we look for-ward to another year of profitableg rowth.”

The firm will pay a dividend of 2pper share next month.

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Advertising RobertRodgersonCall07828 941469Email ro b e r t . ro d g e r s o n@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising JaneChapman

Call 01179 343025Email jane.chapman

@b-nm.co.uk

“We have big plans for the branchand the new workshops will ensurewe are able to deliver an enhancedrepair and maintenance service tocustomers throughout the region.”

The construction industry is cer-tainly growing fast, with huge hous-ing projects around the Bristol area,many around the city’s northernfringe in Filton, Emersons Greenand Cribbs Causeway.

The city is also well located on thecross section of the M5, allowingaccess to markets north, east, southand west.

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Re c r u i t m e n t

Giving employers access to short-term skillsBUSINESSWOMAN Claire Ladkinhas launched a new service aimed atproviding businesses with access tothe growing pool of skilled and ex-perienced self-employed workers inthe city.

With self-employment at an alltime high – 4.6 million people acrossthe UK now work for themselves –Claire spotted a gap in the market tolaunch a service which would matchhighly skilled individuals whowanted to work on an ad hoc basiswith businesses wishing to tap in tothis growing workforce for short-term projects.

She created Ad Hoc Projects re-cognising that while employers wantaccess to skilled short-term re-source, they often don’t have thetime to properly manage the peopleor project.

The Clifton-based firm aims tomanage the process for them, fromhelping them to work out what theyneed through to finding the can-didate and overseeing delivery.

C l a i re ’s inspiration was her owndesire to find flexible employmentthat worked around her busy life.

After years in the advertising in-dustry and a career break, she be-

came self-employed taking on avariety of different roles from prop-erty development projects to freel-ance commissions and even a placeon the board of trustees at BristolZ o o.

She thought that there were otherbusinesses that would benefit notonly from access to professional ex-perienced contractors but also froma service that would manage theseadditional projects.

She said: “We hear a huge amountabout these new ways of working,the increase in levels of self-employ-ment, the rise of the age of ‘no re-t i re m e n t ’ and the desire for a betterwork life balance.

“However, it occurred to me hav-ing been on both sides of the fence, as

self-employed worker and an em-ployer, there was no obvious way ofseeking out this type of employment,nor a way for employers to find thesepeople, many of whom are highlyqualified and capable individuals.

“By launching Ad Hoc Projects wecan offer businesses access to an asyet untapped resource of skilled andexperienced workers who canprovide support as and when re-quired without the commitment offull employment.

“The fact that we also project man-age the whole process also meansthat businesses are free to continueto focus on their day to day activitiesconfident that their additional work-loads are being managed.”

The type of projects could rangefrom managing office moves or em-bedding of new systems to conduct-ing research projects and overseeingnew business development and cov-ering long-term sickness or mater-nity absences.

Claire, who is 52 today, believes theservice could also help smaller busi-nesses which need to access specificskills to help develop but do not wishto add to their permanent work-fo rc e.

� Finning UK & Ireland’s managing director Neil Dickinson opens the new Bristol branch; below, the workshop

� Alex Alway and Chris Jelf Hillside Court

“ By launching Ad Hocprojects we can offerbusinesses access to anas yet untappedresource of skilled andexperienced workerswho can provide supportas and when requiredwithout the commitmentof full employment.”

in association with

THE CATEGORIES

Woman of the Year: A woman who hasmade a significant personal contributionto the success of the establishedcompany they run or in which they areemployed.Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Awoman who has made a significantcontribution to the company they run, inwhich they are employed or theorganisation they have been promotedor fast tracked within.Mentor of the Year: The woman whohas demonstrated the skills of being amentor to male or female employees,who has gone the extra mile insupporting a colleague or business andhas made a difference to their life orbusiness.Contribution to the Community,sponsored by The Mall CribbsCauseway: The woman who candemonstrate the difference she hasmade to their community and/or Bristoland Bath over the last year (from Jan 12014 to Jan 1 2015).Women in the Workplace Award,sponsored by PPC: A company whichhas demonstrated a flexibility andadaptability to the employment ofwomen.New Business of the Year, sponsoredby Your Street Gift Cards: Open to allbusinesses that have started tradingsince January 2013 and principaltrading base is in Bristol or Bath witheither woman/women owners or afemale head of the company.Business of the Year: This award willgo to the profitable business that eitherhas a female owner/s or a highpercentage of females on the seniormanagement team.Award for Innovation: A business thathas introduced a new product, process,invention, idea, or design that has madea significant contribution to thebusiness and has a female owner/s or ahigh percentage of females on thesenior management team.Marketing Campaign of the Year: Anorganisation that has communicatedeffectively with its target audience(internal or external) over the past year,either as part of an ongoing programmeor a one-off campaign.Female Apprentice of the Year: Afemale apprentice who can show theimpact she has had on the organisationshe works for, as well evidence ofpersonal development and progression.Outstanding Contribution toBusiness in Bristol and Bath,sponsored by UWE: Thebusinesswoman who, in the opinion ofthe judges, has made a considerable,profitable and lasting contribution tobusiness in Bristol and Bath. Thiscategory is not open for submissionsbut handpicked by the judges.

BECOMING a charity trust-ee can help women tobreak through the glassceiling. And with an es-timated 700 trustee vacan-

cies on Bristol charity boards,t h e re ’s a world of opportunity outt h e re.

The organisation Getting OnBoard is encouraging businesswo-men in Bristol to volunteer as trust-ees as they climb the careerl a d d e r.

The opportunity can be awin-win, as it allows them to givesomething back, as well as gainskills and grow their confidence.

A Getting On Board study of 250women who have become trustees

found 74 per cent believed it hadimproved their confidence and 38per cent said they had new lead-ership aspirations as a result.

One woman who can vouch forthat is Katherine Sparkes, whoruns corporate social responsibil-ity consultancy Flamingo, based inWestbury Park.

Katherine, 34, also set up a char-ity called the Flamingo Foundationand is chair of the Rainbow Centrein Knowle, which helps childrenwho have lost parents.

She said: “Trusteeships are abrilliant way you can contributeskills you already have while learn-ing the skills you don’t have.

“It’s a great way to fill the skillsgap. I always volunteered forhuman resources committees be-cause, working for myself, I hadnever even been given an appraisallet alone done one.

“As a trustee you are never onyour own, you are always part of ateam so learn from others – so longas you are prepared to contributethe skills you do already have.”

Katherine said women shouldn’thold back, as there are 1,400 char-ities in Bristol and on averageevery other one has a trustee va-c a n cy.

“Some people think you have tobe terribly wise or terribly old, orwait for a magical tap on thes h o u l d e r, ” she said. “T hat’s not thecase. If there is a charity you arepassionate about, give them aring.”

Another way women can boosttheir careers is through awards,such as the Bristol Post and BathChronicle Women in BusinessAwards which are now open fore n t r i e s. .

Katherine said: “Awards canmake a huge difference to confid-ence and business. Recognition isalways lovely and awards can alsobe a great way to grow your busi-ness network.”

The Bristol Post and Bath Chron-icle Women in Business Awardstake place on March 19 at the Bris-tol City Centre Marriott.

Entries must be submitted byJanuary 16 and will then be judgedby an expert panel who will draw upa shortlist of finalists.

� To enter, sponsor a category orbook tickets for the night, visitw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t . c o . u k / w i b a . Ifyou’re talking about the awards onsocial medial, use #wiba.Find out more about trustreeshipsat w w w. g e t t i n g o n b o a r d . o r g .

The sponsors

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

E01-

S3

4 We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 5We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

We ’re countingon sheep! Firmsflock to sponsorour n-ewe trail

Bright spark Son running currentaffairs as electrical firm expands

Sensor firm driving forwardproject for driverless cars

The Galleries lifted assix new stores open

Confidence high in city asgeneral election looms

Shaun in the City

Te c h n o l o g y

S u r vey

Ret a i lFamily business

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

A BRISTOL firm is at the heart of a project tointroduce driverless cars to the city.

Funding for the trial was announced in lastwe e k ’s Autumn Statement from ChancellorGeorge Osborne with Bristol CityCouncil, Engineering firm Atkins,South Gloucestershire Council,Williams F1 and the two Bristoluniversities involved in the con-sortium, which has been calledVe n t u re r.

Small business Fusion is alsopart of the team. The firm, basedat the Engine Shed, developedtechnology to warn bus driverswhen cyclists were approaching intheir blind spot.

Similar sensor technology and advancedprocessing systems will play a key part in thecar trials over the next 18-36 months.

Fusion chief executive Jim Hutchinson,p i c t u re d , said: “We are thrilled that Bristolhas been selected by Innovate UK to become a

test city for driverless cars, and we are de-lighted to be the ones providing the situ-ational awareness and collision avoidancetechnology for it.

“Fusion Processing’s advancedsensor and processing systems will

enable world leading vehicle cap-ability, and ensure that Bristol,and the UK as a whole, remainsat the forefront of this trans-formational technology.

“Thanks to the funding theVenturer consortium will re-

ceive, our vision will soon be-come a reality on the streets of our

home city, which makes us ex-tremely proud.

“It’s a great result for Bristol, and a hugestep forward for the future of autonomousve h i cl e s. ”

The firm’s CycleEye technology is cur-rently undergoing trials with First Bus andTransport for London.

NEIL Way was about 10 or 11years old when his electri-cian dad Jeff formed a newbusiness after buying asmall firm with just two

e m p l oye e s.Now as the business celebrates its

25th anniversary, it employs morethan 100 people from its Knowle basewith a turnover approaching £9 mil-lion.

Neil remembers meetings aroundthe kitchen table in the family homein Whitchurch as Jeff and wife Jeanslowly grew the business.

Now 35, after a career in the RAF,he runs Jeff Way Electrical Services,having joined in 207 and taken over asmanaging director two years ago.

Jeff, 62, and Jean, 61, remain asdirectors and Neil’s older brotherChris, 37, has recently joined as fin-ance director.

“It’s brilliant to have Mum and Dadaround with all their experience,”said Neil. “Dad’s very relaxed now. Henow comes, asks how everything’sgoing and then goes off to play golf.”

The business has grown from aturnover of £1.7 million when Neiljoined to £9 million this year.

A large part of its work is fitting outnew-build homes.

“Western Power runs a mains cableto the house and then we doeverything from there on,” Neil said.“The TV point, security, wiring,every cable in the home is laid byu s. ”

The firm has worked on majorhousing schemes such as WappingWharf in the city centre, for TaylorWimpey in Emersons Green and sev-eral projects for Crest Nicholson, in-cluding its sites in Portishead.

The next big project for the builderis Electricity House, the former

SWEB HQ in the Centre.The other key strand of the busi-

ness is a social housing contract forBristol City Council, carrying out theelectrical work on kitchen and bath-

room refurbishments.The work helped sustain the com-

pany during the recession, and nowthat house building is again on therise things are looking good for con-tinued expansion.

At the heart of the company’sgrowth is its investment in skills. Thefirm has trained 50 apprentices, withmany still on board.

“We now have former apprenticestraining new apprentices,” said Neil.“We look to have these people for 25years not just two-year apprentice-ships so we train them to be thebest.”

� Neil Way, managing director of Jeff Way Electricals, with the firm’s apprentices

� SIX new shops will be open intime for Christmas at city centreshopping centre The Galleries,creating around 100 jobs.

Peacocks, the fashion brand,returns to Bristol taking 9,000 sq ftin the centre of the ground floor ofthe centre in Broadmead, whilstBargain Buys, owned byPoundworld, moves into thenearby 16,000 sq ft anchor store.

F. Hinds, one of the UK’s biggestindependent national jewellers,has launched its 112th UK storeon the ground floor. Culture andfashion store Pulp, which has retailgiant Sports Direct as its principalshareholder, has just opened onthe top floor.

Ladies fashion store West Coastwill be located next to Peacockswhile fancy dress shop PartyMagic opened recently.

Centre manager Colin Land said:“These are exciting times for TheGalleries and we are delighted towelcome the six new top-notchretailers to the centre. We areparticularly pleased that they willall be trading in time for Christmasthereby adding to the existingvariety of shops and food outlets.”

� BRISTOL businesses are heading intoelection year with confidence higher thanever, according to the yearly businessconfidence report from Regus, the globalworkplace provider.

Based on the views of 150 businessowners and senior managers in the city, theninth edition of the Regus BusinessConfidence Index (BCI) – which is heavily

based on actual performance over the last12 months – reveals a two point rise from120 points to 122. The results paint apicture of positivity and growth as Bristolgears up for the 2015 election. The reportreveals 63 per cent of the city’s businessessaw an increase in revenues in the pastyear, and 56 per cent saw profits rise.

New ways of working are helpingbusinesses to grow. Over a fifth of Bristolbusinesses (22 per cent) increased theirflexible working options for staff over thepast 12 months.

“Dad’s very relaxednow. He now comes,asks how everything’sgoing and then goes offto play golf.”

After the cracking success of Gromit Unleashed,businesses are queuing up to sponsor next year’sShaun in the City. The Bristol trail featuring paintedsculptures of Aardman favourite Shaun the Sheep isfully booked and now local firms are sponsoring theLondon event too. The Bristol Post found out why

to many hearts and to further ourpurpose in ‘Building a Better Work-ing World’.”

T LTTLT is another law firm to grow out ofBristol but with big ambitions na-tionally. The firm was a sponsor of theGromit Unleashed trail in Bristol andthis time is backing the new trail inLondon, perhaps with an eye on thefir m’s desire to be seen as a nationalp l aye r.

Managing partner David Pestersaid: “Shaun in the City will be afantastic art trail, celebrating andreinforcing on an international scaleBristol’s reputation as a hub for cre-ative businesses and talent.

“We are delighted to be involvedand help raise money for children inhospitals across the UK.”

� There are a few sponsorshipplaces remaining for the Londontrail. Bristol companies interestedshould contact Helen Haskell to findout more at helen@s h a u n i n t h e c i t y. o r g . u k .

� From left, Susie Hewson, of Natracare, Jamie Cameron, of Burges Salmon, Andrew O'Donnell, of EY, Gary Webb,from Yankee Candle, and Ilke Barr, TLT, with one of the Shaun the sheep models in The Galleries shopping centre

Burges SalmonLaw firm Burges Salmon is based inBristol but has a strong London pres-ence too, so doubling up made sense.

Managing partner Peter Morrissaid: “This is another fantasticchance for us to work with anaward-winning charity and also theinternationally-renowned globalShaun the Sheep brand on the world’sfirst Shaun in the City trail.

“Becoming a sponsor for both Lon-don and Bristol trails is an oppor-tunity we simply couldn’t resist.”

“We can’t wait to see how our staffwill get behind the trails, knowingthe efforts they made to support Gro-mit Unleashed. We are delighted tocontinue our support for Bristol Chil-d re n’s Hospital and to extend it tohospitals across the UK.”

N a t ra c a re“You can’t help but get excited aboutShaun in the City,” according to Jes-sica Gitsham of organic feminine hy-giene product manufacturerNatracare. “It brings a smile to every-one’s face.”

The firm is sponsoring sculpturesin Bristol and London. As a businessthat reaches customers globally, notjust locally, it made sense to get in-volved in the London trail too.

The Bradley Stoke-based companywas involved in Gromit Unleashedand felt it so worthwhile, they wantedto take part this time too.

Bosses believe it is good for brandawareness and adding London justincreases that.

Jessica added: “The trails unite funand adventure whilst celebrating art,landscapes and history. The best

thing of all is that you are raisingmoney for an incredibly worthycause. As a brand why wouldn’t wewant to be involved?”

Yankee CandleAs a global brand, Yankee Candle isselling and distributing its scentedcandles around the world from itsAvonmouth base. The business isproud of its local links so the spon-sorship is a good fit.

Melanie Stack, President of YankeeCandle, Europe, Middle East andAfrica, said: “We have supported Wal-lace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal for thelast three years and to date haveraised over £20,000 for the charity.

“Having seen the success of GromitUnleashed last year we are delightedto be involved again and can’t wait tosee who will be designing both ourLondon and Bristol giant Shauns c u l p t u re s.

“As we are based in Bristol, it isimportant for us to support localcharities and help raise as muchmoney and awareness as possible fora hospital close to our hearts.”

EYAccountants and business advisersEY is another firm with a big Bristolpresence in both cities.

The firm sees the sponsorship as away for a big company to engage inthe community locally.

Andrew O’Donnell, EY’s real estateleader – UK & Ireland, said: “Shaun inthe City is a hugely exciting event andone EY is proud to support.

“Through our sponsorship we havea great opportunity for our people tobe involved in the arts, a cause close � Shaun the Sheep models will be on show around Bristol

� Nick Park, creator of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, with some of the sculptures in London � Artist Laura Cramer works on one of the sheep models

Part of the Local World group

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4 We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 5We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

We ’re countingon sheep! Firmsflock to sponsorour n-ewe trail

Bright spark Son running currentaffairs as electrical firm expands

Sensor firm driving forwardproject for driverless cars

The Galleries lifted assix new stores open

Confidence high in city asgeneral election looms

Shaun in the City

Te c h n o l o g y

S u r vey

Ret a i lFamily business

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

A BRISTOL firm is at the heart of a project tointroduce driverless cars to the city.

Funding for the trial was announced in lastwe e k ’s Autumn Statement from ChancellorGeorge Osborne with Bristol CityCouncil, Engineering firm Atkins,South Gloucestershire Council,Williams F1 and the two Bristoluniversities involved in the con-sortium, which has been calledVe n t u re r.

Small business Fusion is alsopart of the team. The firm, basedat the Engine Shed, developedtechnology to warn bus driverswhen cyclists were approaching intheir blind spot.

Similar sensor technology and advancedprocessing systems will play a key part in thecar trials over the next 18-36 months.

Fusion chief executive Jim Hutchinson,p i c t u re d , said: “We are thrilled that Bristolhas been selected by Innovate UK to become a

test city for driverless cars, and we are de-lighted to be the ones providing the situ-ational awareness and collision avoidancetechnology for it.

“Fusion Processing’s advancedsensor and processing systems will

enable world leading vehicle cap-ability, and ensure that Bristol,and the UK as a whole, remainsat the forefront of this trans-formational technology.

“Thanks to the funding theVenturer consortium will re-

ceive, our vision will soon be-come a reality on the streets of our

home city, which makes us ex-tremely proud.

“It’s a great result for Bristol, and a hugestep forward for the future of autonomousve h i cl e s. ”

The firm’s CycleEye technology is cur-rently undergoing trials with First Bus andTransport for London.

NEIL Way was about 10 or 11years old when his electri-cian dad Jeff formed a newbusiness after buying asmall firm with just two

e m p l oye e s.Now as the business celebrates its

25th anniversary, it employs morethan 100 people from its Knowle basewith a turnover approaching £9 mil-lion.

Neil remembers meetings aroundthe kitchen table in the family homein Whitchurch as Jeff and wife Jeanslowly grew the business.

Now 35, after a career in the RAF,he runs Jeff Way Electrical Services,having joined in 207 and taken over asmanaging director two years ago.

Jeff, 62, and Jean, 61, remain asdirectors and Neil’s older brotherChris, 37, has recently joined as fin-ance director.

“It’s brilliant to have Mum and Dadaround with all their experience,”said Neil. “Dad’s very relaxed now. Henow comes, asks how everything’sgoing and then goes off to play golf.”

The business has grown from aturnover of £1.7 million when Neiljoined to £9 million this year.

A large part of its work is fitting outnew-build homes.

“Western Power runs a mains cableto the house and then we doeverything from there on,” Neil said.“The TV point, security, wiring,every cable in the home is laid byu s. ”

The firm has worked on majorhousing schemes such as WappingWharf in the city centre, for TaylorWimpey in Emersons Green and sev-eral projects for Crest Nicholson, in-cluding its sites in Portishead.

The next big project for the builderis Electricity House, the former

SWEB HQ in the Centre.The other key strand of the busi-

ness is a social housing contract forBristol City Council, carrying out theelectrical work on kitchen and bath-

room refurbishments.The work helped sustain the com-

pany during the recession, and nowthat house building is again on therise things are looking good for con-tinued expansion.

At the heart of the company’sgrowth is its investment in skills. Thefirm has trained 50 apprentices, withmany still on board.

“We now have former apprenticestraining new apprentices,” said Neil.“We look to have these people for 25years not just two-year apprentice-ships so we train them to be thebest.”

� Neil Way, managing director of Jeff Way Electricals, with the firm’s apprentices

� SIX new shops will be open intime for Christmas at city centreshopping centre The Galleries,creating around 100 jobs.

Peacocks, the fashion brand,returns to Bristol taking 9,000 sq ftin the centre of the ground floor ofthe centre in Broadmead, whilstBargain Buys, owned byPoundworld, moves into thenearby 16,000 sq ft anchor store.

F. Hinds, one of the UK’s biggestindependent national jewellers,has launched its 112th UK storeon the ground floor. Culture andfashion store Pulp, which has retailgiant Sports Direct as its principalshareholder, has just opened onthe top floor.

Ladies fashion store West Coastwill be located next to Peacockswhile fancy dress shop PartyMagic opened recently.

Centre manager Colin Land said:“These are exciting times for TheGalleries and we are delighted towelcome the six new top-notchretailers to the centre. We areparticularly pleased that they willall be trading in time for Christmasthereby adding to the existingvariety of shops and food outlets.”

� BRISTOL businesses are heading intoelection year with confidence higher thanever, according to the yearly businessconfidence report from Regus, the globalworkplace provider.

Based on the views of 150 businessowners and senior managers in the city, theninth edition of the Regus BusinessConfidence Index (BCI) – which is heavily

based on actual performance over the last12 months – reveals a two point rise from120 points to 122. The results paint apicture of positivity and growth as Bristolgears up for the 2015 election. The reportreveals 63 per cent of the city’s businessessaw an increase in revenues in the pastyear, and 56 per cent saw profits rise.

New ways of working are helpingbusinesses to grow. Over a fifth of Bristolbusinesses (22 per cent) increased theirflexible working options for staff over thepast 12 months.

“Dad’s very relaxednow. He now comes,asks how everything’sgoing and then goes offto play golf.”

After the cracking success of Gromit Unleashed,businesses are queuing up to sponsor next year’sShaun in the City. The Bristol trail featuring paintedsculptures of Aardman favourite Shaun the Sheep isfully booked and now local firms are sponsoring theLondon event too. The Bristol Post found out why

to many hearts and to further ourpurpose in ‘Building a Better Work-ing World’.”

T LTTLT is another law firm to grow out ofBristol but with big ambitions na-tionally. The firm was a sponsor of theGromit Unleashed trail in Bristol andthis time is backing the new trail inLondon, perhaps with an eye on thefir m’s desire to be seen as a nationalp l aye r.

Managing partner David Pestersaid: “Shaun in the City will be afantastic art trail, celebrating andreinforcing on an international scaleBristol’s reputation as a hub for cre-ative businesses and talent.

“We are delighted to be involvedand help raise money for children inhospitals across the UK.”

� There are a few sponsorshipplaces remaining for the Londontrail. Bristol companies interestedshould contact Helen Haskell to findout more at helen@s h a u n i n t h e c i t y. o r g . u k .

� From left, Susie Hewson, of Natracare, Jamie Cameron, of Burges Salmon, Andrew O'Donnell, of EY, Gary Webb,from Yankee Candle, and Ilke Barr, TLT, with one of the Shaun the sheep models in The Galleries shopping centre

Burges SalmonLaw firm Burges Salmon is based inBristol but has a strong London pres-ence too, so doubling up made sense.

Managing partner Peter Morrissaid: “This is another fantasticchance for us to work with anaward-winning charity and also theinternationally-renowned globalShaun the Sheep brand on the world’sfirst Shaun in the City trail.

“Becoming a sponsor for both Lon-don and Bristol trails is an oppor-tunity we simply couldn’t resist.”

“We can’t wait to see how our staffwill get behind the trails, knowingthe efforts they made to support Gro-mit Unleashed. We are delighted tocontinue our support for Bristol Chil-d re n’s Hospital and to extend it tohospitals across the UK.”

N a t ra c a re“You can’t help but get excited aboutShaun in the City,” according to Jes-sica Gitsham of organic feminine hy-giene product manufacturerNatracare. “It brings a smile to every-one’s face.”

The firm is sponsoring sculpturesin Bristol and London. As a businessthat reaches customers globally, notjust locally, it made sense to get in-volved in the London trail too.

The Bradley Stoke-based companywas involved in Gromit Unleashedand felt it so worthwhile, they wantedto take part this time too.

Bosses believe it is good for brandawareness and adding London justincreases that.

Jessica added: “The trails unite funand adventure whilst celebrating art,landscapes and history. The best

thing of all is that you are raisingmoney for an incredibly worthycause. As a brand why wouldn’t wewant to be involved?”

Yankee CandleAs a global brand, Yankee Candle isselling and distributing its scentedcandles around the world from itsAvonmouth base. The business isproud of its local links so the spon-sorship is a good fit.

Melanie Stack, President of YankeeCandle, Europe, Middle East andAfrica, said: “We have supported Wal-lace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal for thelast three years and to date haveraised over £20,000 for the charity.

“Having seen the success of GromitUnleashed last year we are delightedto be involved again and can’t wait tosee who will be designing both ourLondon and Bristol giant Shauns c u l p t u re s.

“As we are based in Bristol, it isimportant for us to support localcharities and help raise as muchmoney and awareness as possible fora hospital close to our hearts.”

EYAccountants and business advisersEY is another firm with a big Bristolpresence in both cities.

The firm sees the sponsorship as away for a big company to engage inthe community locally.

Andrew O’Donnell, EY’s real estateleader – UK & Ireland, said: “Shaun inthe City is a hugely exciting event andone EY is proud to support.

“Through our sponsorship we havea great opportunity for our people tobe involved in the arts, a cause close � Shaun the Sheep models will be on show around Bristol

� Nick Park, creator of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, with some of the sculptures in London � Artist Laura Cramer works on one of the sheep models

Part of the Local World group

Whether your conference is on a small or large scaleour expert knowledge will give you a professionaland stress free event by providing you with theright presentation equipment, lighting and sound.

Audience Response

Presentation Production

Video Presentation

Staging your Conferencedoesn’t have to cost a fortune...

Call us on: 01684 575832Email us at: enquiries@aneventservices.co.ukVisit us at : www.aneventservices.co.uk

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6 We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 7We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

The Big Interview

CYCLING CHIEFTURNS WHEELSOF CHANGE

Name: Chris CurlingAge: 64Place of birth: Billericay, EssexSchool: Brentwood School,Brentwood, EssexFirst job: Delivering post in theChristmas school holidays!Hero or inspiration: I’m not a celebrityfollower, but I have some unsungworld-class heroes and inspirationsamong my close family and friends.

Vital statistics

“ Immersion in theturbulence of universitylife in the early 1970s,and subsequentextensive world travel,gave me a set of valuesbased around a healthycontempt for authorityand concern to improvethe human conditionwhich have driven mylife ever since.

AN entrepreneur has started a branding busi-ness with the help of a £9,000 start-up loan.

Brand agent Matthew Spurr, who is 28 andlives in St Anne’s, Bristol, has teamed up withPlymouth-based web designer Daniel Kempe tostart Infinite Visions.

With two government-backed Start Up loansfrom SWIG Finance of £4,500 each, the pair haveworked from home offices until now but havetaken offices in Whitefriars in the city centre.

With a portfolio which includes internationalclients, the company is looking to expand itsfootprint in the South West, offering its ex-pertise in creating memorable and effectivecorporate identities.

The pair met when Mr Spurr’s previousbranding business required high-level websitedesign work.

Mr Spurr said: “We worked together for aboutthree years and Dan has always done excellentwork – it’s reflected in his rank as a top seller onPeoplePerHour for branding.

“A company’s brand is so much more than justa logo. It encompasses everything from thecolours used, the message delivered, the feelinga user gets when they interact with your com-pany, the language used in written commu-nication, the style of font and even the kind ofmaterial your business cards are made from.

“Dan and I are both passionate about en-trepreneurism and helping other businessessucceed, with the first step often being a clearand dynamic brand. We both share a hunger forbusiness success and we have always workedvery well together.”

Mr Spurr has developed a wide skill-set inbusiness, having launched a public relationscompany called PokerFacePR Ltd soon afterleaving university.

He said: “All the work I did on the businesswas completely self-taught and I learned a lotabout business on the hoof, and very quickly.

“Following that, I have honed my businessskills across different sectors, including severaljobs working for other companies on projectsaround the world.

“Now I’m settled on making this venture asuccess and I’m excited about the prospects forInfinite Visions.”

Mark Thayre, fund manager at SWIG, wasimpressed with the commitment and drive ofthe two entrepreneurs.

He said: “Matthew and Daniel are clearlyambitious and have the skills and experience tomake the business succeed.

“We were pleased to be able to support themwith this venture and wish them every successin the future.”

We’re both passionate aboutcreating dynamic branding

My downtimePerfect weekend: A 3-way divisionbetween family time, out round thecountry lanes and tracks on my bikewith my wife, and solitary time in myvegetable gardenFavourite book, film, TV show:Book: Eastern Approaches by FitzroyMaclean: what a varied, adventurousand purposeful life he led! Film:Notting Hill (below) is by a countrymile the most enjoyable film evermade!What are your hobbies (if any)?Apart from cycling and veggiegardening I enjoy skiing in the winterand mountaineering in the summer.

It’s hard to think of anorganisation more establish-ment than the city’s MerchantVenturers. But as new master,Chris Curling is bringing astreak of disrespect forauthority to the organisation,as the Bristol Post discovers

WHEN he became chief executiveat law firm Osborne Clarke, aphoto of Chris Curling on hisbike appeared on the businesspages of the national press.

In the 1990s, this informal image of Chrispedalling down Queen Charlotte Street inBristol with his beard, swept back hair andbig smile wasn’t what you expected of acorporate finance lawyer taking charge of acommercial law firm.

In the 15 years that followed, with Chris atthe helm as chief executive or executivechairman, Osborne Clarke was transformedfrom a provincial firm into a fast-growingnational and international law firm withoffices across Europe and in Silicon Valleyand a distinctive, entrepreneurial profile.

The photo wasn’t just a publicity stunt. ForChris it was an important statement of whohe was. “Immersion in the turbulence ofuniversity life in the early 1970s and sub-sequent extensive world travel gave me a setof values based around a healthy contemptfor authority and concern to improve thehuman condition which have driven my lifeever since.”

Chris’s engagement in the environmentalagenda is an example of this.

On his arrival in Bristol with his wife inthe mid 1970s, one of his first activities was toengage with the cycling community.

In 1977 he was involved in the formation ofSustrans. “I invented the name,” he saysgrinning. Today Chris is chairman of thisleading national charity with annualturnover which has approached £80 million,650 employees, and its National Cycle Net-work used by over three million people everyye a r.

More recently he has been chairman of theBristol-based international biodiversity con-servation charity Wildscreen and of the Ex-ternal Advisory Board of Bristol University’senvironmental research centre, the CabotI n s t i t u t e.

The coincidence of Chris’s year as Masterwith Bristol as the European Green Capital ofEurope is a happy one. The society is provid-ing some financial support to the GreenCapital programme and has offered the Mer-ch a n t s ’ Hall as a venue for some GreenCapital events.

Chris has a range of business and char-itable interests. He is chairman of a listedemployee benefits business and is a non-ex-ecutive director of Bristol Water, where hehas worked to promote the environmentalagenda into the mainstream strategy of thec o m p a ny.

He is also involved with a technologystart-up business in London.

He was one of the first trustees of QuartetCommunity Foundation, where he is now a

Vice President. He recently served for sixyears on the governing body of the Universityof Bristol.

Chris has been a Merchant Venturer for 10years. But his indirect connection with theMerchant Venturers goes back further. Os-borne Clarke provided the Society’s legaladviser, the clerk, for 220 years, from the 18thcentury until recently.

Chris was surprised to be invited to jointhe society. He did not think that he fitted theMerchant Venturers’ mould, but he foundthat the external perception of the Societywas quite different from the reality.

“The society is an exceptionally diversegroup of some 75 men and women from manydifferent backgrounds, who have been prom-inent in business or community life acrossthe West Country and who have ambition towork to make a real difference for the benefitof the community.”

“Ten years ago there was a mismatchbetween what the organisation was achiev-ing and the way it was perceived by the localcommunity. Much has been improved sincethen, but there is still more to be done.”

Chris aims to address this issue of thecommunity’s perception of the Merchants asa core objective in his year as Master. “Wewill promote the work of the Society acrossthe West Country by continuing to engagepeople more widely in our activities – both byinviting them to work with us and by in-forming them about what we do.”

Chris’s main contribution to the society’s

improvement of education standards inGreater Bristol, the Society is in the processof a step change in the growing network ofschools for which it has responsibility. It iscreating The Venturers’ Trust to be the focusof the society’s activity in education and to bea beacon of educational excellence.

In its work in care of the elderly, thedevelopment of a new dementia wing atKatherine House beside the Downs should becompleted in 2015 and work will continue onthe expansion of the Society’s almshouseprovision and the planning of additional careat the Cote site.

The society’s engagement with the localsocial business community is growing. Thesociety is in discussion with others to createa Community Interest Company to be a fund-ing source for social businesses, based on theprinciple of sustainable local impact. In ad-dition the Merchant Venturers are providingmentoring support to some social busi-n e s s e s.

In its work as a custodian of the Downs, thesociety is working with Avon Wildlife Trustin its plan to breathe new life into the Gorgeby opening up public access and improvingthe stewardship of this important wildlifeh ab i t at .

A further priority for 2015 is to find andappoint a successor to Richard Morris, thesociety’s treasurer and de facto chief ex-ecutive, who will retire in November 2015after 12 years’ outstanding service to thes o c i e t y.

“This programme reflects a dynamic, pro-gressive organisation with a passion andenergy to deliver significant benefit widelyacross the Greater Bristol community,” s ay sC h r i s.

work to date has been in education. As chair-man of the governors of Merchants’ A c a d e myhe has witnessed first-hand the importanceof ensuring that students are particularlywell prepared for the workplace when theyleave school.

“The pre-condition for this must be theachievement of high standards of numeracy,literacy and IT skills,” he says.

“But just as importantly employers wantyoung people who have the attitudes, char-acters and behaviours needed for success inlife and work.

“The UK business community widely re-gards these aspects as significantly wantingin school and university leavers.”

Reflecting this, his second priority for hisyear as Master is to: “Establish and launch apowerful and effective programme for ourMerchant schools which will ensure thatpupils are best prepared for the workplace.”

The society has an ambitious agenda for2015. In its role as a key contributor to the

You wake up at: 6.50am: everymor ning!Breakfast: Grapefruit and muesliStart work at: 8.15amTypical working day There is no suchthing as a typical working day! My liferevolves around juggling a series ofbusiness interests – an employeebenefits business of which I amchairman, Bristol Water where I am anon-executive director, a technologystartup in London, some consultancywork – with my voluntary sectorinterests: chairmanship of the cyclingand walking charity Sustrans, untilrecently chairmanship of thegovernors of Merchants’ A c a d e m y,now Master of the Society ofMerchant Venturers. Boredom is aconcept unknown to me!Home time: I stop work mostevenings at 9.59pm precisely so that Ican watch the news at TenDo you take work home/attendevening functions? Yes: masses ofboth.

My working day

Start up

� From left, Dan Kempe and Matthew Spur ofInfinite Visions

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6 We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 7We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

The Big Interview

CYCLING CHIEFTURNS WHEELSOF CHANGE

Name: Chris CurlingAge: 64Place of birth: Billericay, EssexSchool: Brentwood School,Brentwood, EssexFirst job: Delivering post in theChristmas school holidays!Hero or inspiration: I’m not a celebrityfollower, but I have some unsungworld-class heroes and inspirationsamong my close family and friends.

Vital statistics

“ Immersion in theturbulence of universitylife in the early 1970s,and subsequentextensive world travel,gave me a set of valuesbased around a healthycontempt for authorityand concern to improvethe human conditionwhich have driven mylife ever since.

AN entrepreneur has started a branding busi-ness with the help of a £9,000 start-up loan.

Brand agent Matthew Spurr, who is 28 andlives in St Anne’s, Bristol, has teamed up withPlymouth-based web designer Daniel Kempe tostart Infinite Visions.

With two government-backed Start Up loansfrom SWIG Finance of £4,500 each, the pair haveworked from home offices until now but havetaken offices in Whitefriars in the city centre.

With a portfolio which includes internationalclients, the company is looking to expand itsfootprint in the South West, offering its ex-pertise in creating memorable and effectivecorporate identities.

The pair met when Mr Spurr’s previousbranding business required high-level websitedesign work.

Mr Spurr said: “We worked together for aboutthree years and Dan has always done excellentwork – it’s reflected in his rank as a top seller onPeoplePerHour for branding.

“A company’s brand is so much more than justa logo. It encompasses everything from thecolours used, the message delivered, the feelinga user gets when they interact with your com-pany, the language used in written commu-nication, the style of font and even the kind ofmaterial your business cards are made from.

“Dan and I are both passionate about en-trepreneurism and helping other businessessucceed, with the first step often being a clearand dynamic brand. We both share a hunger forbusiness success and we have always workedvery well together.”

Mr Spurr has developed a wide skill-set inbusiness, having launched a public relationscompany called PokerFacePR Ltd soon afterleaving university.

He said: “All the work I did on the businesswas completely self-taught and I learned a lotabout business on the hoof, and very quickly.

“Following that, I have honed my businessskills across different sectors, including severaljobs working for other companies on projectsaround the world.

“Now I’m settled on making this venture asuccess and I’m excited about the prospects forInfinite Visions.”

Mark Thayre, fund manager at SWIG, wasimpressed with the commitment and drive ofthe two entrepreneurs.

He said: “Matthew and Daniel are clearlyambitious and have the skills and experience tomake the business succeed.

“We were pleased to be able to support themwith this venture and wish them every successin the future.”

We’re both passionate aboutcreating dynamic branding

My downtimePerfect weekend: A 3-way divisionbetween family time, out round thecountry lanes and tracks on my bikewith my wife, and solitary time in myvegetable gardenFavourite book, film, TV show:Book: Eastern Approaches by FitzroyMaclean: what a varied, adventurousand purposeful life he led! Film:Notting Hill (below) is by a countrymile the most enjoyable film evermade!What are your hobbies (if any)?Apart from cycling and veggiegardening I enjoy skiing in the winterand mountaineering in the summer.

It’s hard to think of anorganisation more establish-ment than the city’s MerchantVenturers. But as new master,Chris Curling is bringing astreak of disrespect forauthority to the organisation,as the Bristol Post discovers

WHEN he became chief executiveat law firm Osborne Clarke, aphoto of Chris Curling on hisbike appeared on the businesspages of the national press.

In the 1990s, this informal image of Chrispedalling down Queen Charlotte Street inBristol with his beard, swept back hair andbig smile wasn’t what you expected of acorporate finance lawyer taking charge of acommercial law firm.

In the 15 years that followed, with Chris atthe helm as chief executive or executivechairman, Osborne Clarke was transformedfrom a provincial firm into a fast-growingnational and international law firm withoffices across Europe and in Silicon Valleyand a distinctive, entrepreneurial profile.

The photo wasn’t just a publicity stunt. ForChris it was an important statement of whohe was. “Immersion in the turbulence ofuniversity life in the early 1970s and sub-sequent extensive world travel gave me a setof values based around a healthy contemptfor authority and concern to improve thehuman condition which have driven my lifeever since.”

Chris’s engagement in the environmentalagenda is an example of this.

On his arrival in Bristol with his wife inthe mid 1970s, one of his first activities was toengage with the cycling community.

In 1977 he was involved in the formation ofSustrans. “I invented the name,” he saysgrinning. Today Chris is chairman of thisleading national charity with annualturnover which has approached £80 million,650 employees, and its National Cycle Net-work used by over three million people everyye a r.

More recently he has been chairman of theBristol-based international biodiversity con-servation charity Wildscreen and of the Ex-ternal Advisory Board of Bristol University’senvironmental research centre, the CabotI n s t i t u t e.

The coincidence of Chris’s year as Masterwith Bristol as the European Green Capital ofEurope is a happy one. The society is provid-ing some financial support to the GreenCapital programme and has offered the Mer-ch a n t s ’ Hall as a venue for some GreenCapital events.

Chris has a range of business and char-itable interests. He is chairman of a listedemployee benefits business and is a non-ex-ecutive director of Bristol Water, where hehas worked to promote the environmentalagenda into the mainstream strategy of thec o m p a ny.

He is also involved with a technologystart-up business in London.

He was one of the first trustees of QuartetCommunity Foundation, where he is now a

Vice President. He recently served for sixyears on the governing body of the Universityof Bristol.

Chris has been a Merchant Venturer for 10years. But his indirect connection with theMerchant Venturers goes back further. Os-borne Clarke provided the Society’s legaladviser, the clerk, for 220 years, from the 18thcentury until recently.

Chris was surprised to be invited to jointhe society. He did not think that he fitted theMerchant Venturers’ mould, but he foundthat the external perception of the Societywas quite different from the reality.

“The society is an exceptionally diversegroup of some 75 men and women from manydifferent backgrounds, who have been prom-inent in business or community life acrossthe West Country and who have ambition towork to make a real difference for the benefitof the community.”

“Ten years ago there was a mismatchbetween what the organisation was achiev-ing and the way it was perceived by the localcommunity. Much has been improved sincethen, but there is still more to be done.”

Chris aims to address this issue of thecommunity’s perception of the Merchants asa core objective in his year as Master. “Wewill promote the work of the Society acrossthe West Country by continuing to engagepeople more widely in our activities – both byinviting them to work with us and by in-forming them about what we do.”

Chris’s main contribution to the society’s

improvement of education standards inGreater Bristol, the Society is in the processof a step change in the growing network ofschools for which it has responsibility. It iscreating The Venturers’ Trust to be the focusof the society’s activity in education and to bea beacon of educational excellence.

In its work in care of the elderly, thedevelopment of a new dementia wing atKatherine House beside the Downs should becompleted in 2015 and work will continue onthe expansion of the Society’s almshouseprovision and the planning of additional careat the Cote site.

The society’s engagement with the localsocial business community is growing. Thesociety is in discussion with others to createa Community Interest Company to be a fund-ing source for social businesses, based on theprinciple of sustainable local impact. In ad-dition the Merchant Venturers are providingmentoring support to some social busi-n e s s e s.

In its work as a custodian of the Downs, thesociety is working with Avon Wildlife Trustin its plan to breathe new life into the Gorgeby opening up public access and improvingthe stewardship of this important wildlifeh ab i t at .

A further priority for 2015 is to find andappoint a successor to Richard Morris, thesociety’s treasurer and de facto chief ex-ecutive, who will retire in November 2015after 12 years’ outstanding service to thes o c i e t y.

“This programme reflects a dynamic, pro-gressive organisation with a passion andenergy to deliver significant benefit widelyacross the Greater Bristol community,” s ay sC h r i s.

work to date has been in education. As chair-man of the governors of Merchants’ A c a d e myhe has witnessed first-hand the importanceof ensuring that students are particularlywell prepared for the workplace when theyleave school.

“The pre-condition for this must be theachievement of high standards of numeracy,literacy and IT skills,” he says.

“But just as importantly employers wantyoung people who have the attitudes, char-acters and behaviours needed for success inlife and work.

“The UK business community widely re-gards these aspects as significantly wantingin school and university leavers.”

Reflecting this, his second priority for hisyear as Master is to: “Establish and launch apowerful and effective programme for ourMerchant schools which will ensure thatpupils are best prepared for the workplace.”

The society has an ambitious agenda for2015. In its role as a key contributor to the

You wake up at: 6.50am: everymor ning!Breakfast: Grapefruit and muesliStart work at: 8.15amTypical working day There is no suchthing as a typical working day! My liferevolves around juggling a series ofbusiness interests – an employeebenefits business of which I amchairman, Bristol Water where I am anon-executive director, a technologystartup in London, some consultancywork – with my voluntary sectorinterests: chairmanship of the cyclingand walking charity Sustrans, untilrecently chairmanship of thegovernors of Merchants’ A c a d e m y,now Master of the Society ofMerchant Venturers. Boredom is aconcept unknown to me!Home time: I stop work mostevenings at 9.59pm precisely so that Ican watch the news at TenDo you take work home/attendevening functions? Yes: masses ofboth.

My working day

Start up

� From left, Dan Kempe and Matthew Spur ofInfinite Visions

BusinessGuide

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REACHING THEREGION’S BUSINESS

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8 We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 9We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

IT takes a long time to build anuclear reactor. Ten years orthereabouts. And it seems tohave taken that long to get to thepoint where we can reasonably

confident it will even happen atHinkley Point in Somerset.

There are still some doubts. EDF isyet to finally commit and financialchallenges at one of its partners,Areva, have raised questions.

But in all likelihood theproject will be confirmedearly in the new year. ForBristol businesses, thatopens a raft of oppor-t u n i t i e s.

James Durie, right,executive director ofBristol Chamber ofCommerce & Initiative atBusiness West, said: “Wi t hHinkley now moving forwardwe are working hand in glove withSomerset Chamber and EDF, themain contractors, to make sure allbusinesses in Bristol and the West ofEngland area including our 18,000members are aware of the oppor-tunities that Hinkley brings.

“At the moment so-called workpackages are being put togetherwhich identify supply chain require-ments. We are then identifying Bris-tol companies in relevant sectors whofit the bill and will be communicatingwith them both directly as well asthrough the media such as the BristolPo s t .

“Working with our local en-terprise partnerships wewill ensure any develop-ment needs, includingskills shortages, areproperly addressed.There are already manybusinesses across arange of business sec-tors talking to us such asfor example some of thelocal transport companies toensure they are best positioned tobid for and win business from thismajor infrastructure project.”

The scale of the project is a chal-lenge to get your head around. Butthe opportunities are not limited tobig companies.

There are more obvious openingsfor some of Bristol’s smaller ad-vanced engineering firms.

To that end, the Manufacturing Ad-visory Service has joined forces withthe Nuclear Advanced Manufactur-ing Research Centre to roll out the Fit

companies within it are sure to play abig part. A further 65 regional busi-nesses have already benefited fromwork valued at £34 million.

The opportunities stretch far bey-ond the nuclear industry.

Andrew Smith, relationship direct-or at Lloyds Bank Commercial Bank-ing, says Hinkley Point C will createmany supply chain opportunities forlocal and regional businesses.

“A supply chain consists of manyparties, which are involved directlyor indirectly in the developments atH i n k l e y, ” he said. “Supply chains do

not only include manufacturers andconstruction works, but alsothose who can provide avariety of services fromtransport, to storage, tore t a i l . ”

Business people needto be planning now. Notleast because any ex-pansion required toscale-up for work islikely to involve cost.Which means fully explor-ing the funding options avail-able, be it bank loans and overdrafts

or alternative routes from invoicefinancing to pension-led fund-

ing.Andrew said: “Whether

Bristol firms are lookingat Hinkley Point C’s sup-ply chain opportunitiesor investing in their ownbusiness growth, it’s im-portant they explore all

the funding opportunitiesand support available to

them.”Thousands of workers will be

on site at any one time, which is an

THE figures surrounding the con-struction of Hinkley Point C arecompelling. Predicted to be thelargest construction site in Europeand estimated to cost over £16 bil-

lion, the project will create 25,000 employ-ment opportunities in the region which willbe sustained for almost a decade.

The economic benefits in the communitywill be significant, particularly for busi-nesses. As part of the process, EDF Energy,the company behind the facility, has placeda strong emphasis on creating a local supplychain, partnering with the Somerset Cham-ber of Commerce to offer firms the op-portunity to become part of the process andfulfil major contracts.

1,500 businesses of all sizes, representinga wide range of professions and services,have already registered their interest withthe chamber, but irrespective of their rolethere are challenges they all may face.

Financially, firms will need to ensure thatthey have access to adequate funding andworking capital to take full advantage of theopportunity Hinkley Point C represents.Many will be required to expand and up-scale their resources including their work-force, equipment and vehicles.

For others, it will be a matter of accessingfinance quickly to ensure they meet dead-lines and targets. The ability to cover thesecosts will be vital but even now there areexisting financial concerns among busi-nesses in the South West.

The latest Close Brothers Business Ba-rometer revealed that a quarter of firms inthe region believe restricted cash flow istheir biggest barrier to business growth,while a further 38 per cent cite an ability toinvest in staff or equipment. They find thereis often a difficult balance between man-aging a healthy cash flow and facilitatingexpansion.

Instead businesses require a source offunding that will allow them to maintaintheir working capital as they grow. Onesolution is invoice finance, a form of fund-ing that allows businesses to access the cashtied up in their unpaid invoices.

Firms send the outstanding invoice to afinance provider such as Close Brothersand in return they receive an advance per-centage of the money within 24 hours.

The remaining balance is then releasedupon customer payment, minus an agreedservice fee. Invoice finance uses cash that isowed to create a flexible line of finance thatthe company can then reinvest in theirexpansion and strategic objectives, whetherit’s recruitment or the purchase of newmachinery and property.

It could add enhanced stability to the cashflow of your business, but crucially, it isbespoke. Invoice finance is tailored to yourneeds, regardless of your company size, anddesigned to grow as your business grows.

It can allow you to unlock further po-tential in your company and as the regionprepares for Hinkley Point C, there maynever be a more important time to reinvestand generate some power of your own.

Invoice finance can unlockpotential in your company

Focus on start-ups | Sponsored by THEME SPONSOR’S NAME HERE.

It’s not every day a £25-billion project is built on yourdoorstep. But if Bristol companies want to take advantage ofthe planned new nuclear reactor just down the M5, they can’thang around, as Gavin Thompson found out

Offices well-placedto meet demandCase study

Business growth: Hinkley Point C

NUCLEAR REACTION CALLS TO SEIZE WEALTH OF OPPORTUNITIES

David Coombes

“ It’s like having a smallarmy. You’ve got to feed

them, house them andget them in and out.

For Nuclear (F4N) programme, help-ing manufacturers understand thenature of the opportunities openingup and preparing them to take ad-vantage of them.

John Ruddleston, Fit For NuclearAssessor in the South West, said:“There is great potential for ad-vanced manufacturing SMEs in theSouth West to build business in the

civil nuclear sector. Following ap-proval for Hinkley Point, we

can expect these opportun-ities to increase in newbuild, as well as in de-commissioning and ex-isting stationm a i n t e n a n c e. ”

The obvious follow-onis the proposal for a new

reactor to replace the onebeing decommissioned in

Oldbury, South Gloucester-shire, which is still a few years

further away from happening andtherefore stretches the potential localinterest in the sector.

John, below, added: “Wo rk i n gside-by side with the Nuclear AMRCand the Hinkley Supply Chain Team,managed by the Somerset Chamberof Commerce, we are helping morecompanies access support throughF4N, which enables companies tomeasure their capabilities against in-dustry standards and helps thembridge gaps to meet requirements.

“The first new nuclear plant islikely to come online in the 2020s,

but orders for the bulk of plantand services are expected to

start developing fromnext year. Companiesshould also look to po-sition themselves tosupply into the decom-missioning market,

which is a very currentopportunity. It could also

help SMEs compete whenthe new build contracts are

released. Now is the time for man-ufacturers to act.”

The supply chain programme hasbeen set up to favour local companies,which in this case means Somerset –including North Somerset.

There are 1,575 Somerset busi-nesses already registered on the sup-ply chain portal. More than 93 localbusinesses have so far benefited fromwork totalling £19 million in value.

When there isn’t a Somerset sup-plier, the net is cast wider and as thenearest major city Bristol and the

Robin GoddardRegional Director,Close Brothers Invoice Financew w w. c l o s e i n v o i c e . c o . u k0808 231 4641

Expert eye

opportunity in itself.David Coombes, left, manager of

Logistics Job Shop and chairman ofthe distribution sector group at theWest of England Local EnterprisePartnership, said: “It’s like having asmall army.

“Yo u ’ve got to feed them, housethem and get them in and out.

“There are going to be opportun-ities for businesses to play a part inthat transportation operation, in-cluding SMEs.”

The numbers involved also meanbusinesses in other sectors need to be

thinking about how to hang ontotheir workers. “If someone can earnfive times more retraining as a con-crete sprayer at Hinkley, whywo u l d n’t they,” said David.

“Companies need to be thinkingnow about how they will retain staffand not just react in six months’ timewhen things have really got underway on the site.”

It may seem like a new nuclearreactor at Hinkley Point is a longtime a way.

But the time for business to act onthe opportunities it presents, is now.

� A NEW office developmentexpected to capitalise ondemand from the HinkleyPoint nuclear plant has beengranted approval by the locala u t h o r i t y.

Enterprise House is aproposed a new headquartersoffice building fit toaccommodate more 250people on the WestonGateway site in the Junction21 enterprise area.

The park has alreadyattracted KnightstoneHousing, who moved to a newheadquarters building at theend of 2013, and Green Kingwho opened A Hungry Horsepublic house earlier this year.

The site is close to the M5and next to Worle Parkwaymainline station and thebuilding should be ready bylate 2015.

Gemma Day, of developerDowlas, said: “Following theannouncement of the

go-ahead for the new £24.5billion nuclear power station atHinkley Point, we anticipatestrong demand fromcompanies associated withthe project due to theconvenience of the location inrespect of the motorway andthe rest of the country, anddue to the quality of thedevelopment.”

Peter Barrett, associatedirector of office agency atcommercial propertyconsultants Lambert SmithHampton (LSH), said: “OnceEnterprise House is largely let,the plan is to roll out additionalphases in short order.”

Natalie Bennett, fromHartnell Taylor Cook LLP, said.“The development at HinkleyPoint will give the economy ofWeston Super Mare a majorboost and it is important ourclients are able to provide highquality business premisessuch as Enterprise House tosatisfy this demand over thenext two years.”

� Above and below, artist’s impressions of the planned offices

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8 We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 9We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

IT takes a long time to build anuclear reactor. Ten years orthereabouts. And it seems tohave taken that long to get to thepoint where we can reasonably

confident it will even happen atHinkley Point in Somerset.

There are still some doubts. EDF isyet to finally commit and financialchallenges at one of its partners,Areva, have raised questions.

But in all likelihood theproject will be confirmedearly in the new year. ForBristol businesses, thatopens a raft of oppor-t u n i t i e s.

James Durie, right,executive director ofBristol Chamber ofCommerce & Initiative atBusiness West, said: “Wi t hHinkley now moving forwardwe are working hand in glove withSomerset Chamber and EDF, themain contractors, to make sure allbusinesses in Bristol and the West ofEngland area including our 18,000members are aware of the oppor-tunities that Hinkley brings.

“At the moment so-called workpackages are being put togetherwhich identify supply chain require-ments. We are then identifying Bris-tol companies in relevant sectors whofit the bill and will be communicatingwith them both directly as well asthrough the media such as the BristolPo s t .

“Working with our local en-terprise partnerships wewill ensure any develop-ment needs, includingskills shortages, areproperly addressed.There are already manybusinesses across arange of business sec-tors talking to us such asfor example some of thelocal transport companies toensure they are best positioned tobid for and win business from thismajor infrastructure project.”

The scale of the project is a chal-lenge to get your head around. Butthe opportunities are not limited tobig companies.

There are more obvious openingsfor some of Bristol’s smaller ad-vanced engineering firms.

To that end, the Manufacturing Ad-visory Service has joined forces withthe Nuclear Advanced Manufactur-ing Research Centre to roll out the Fit

companies within it are sure to play abig part. A further 65 regional busi-nesses have already benefited fromwork valued at £34 million.

The opportunities stretch far bey-ond the nuclear industry.

Andrew Smith, relationship direct-or at Lloyds Bank Commercial Bank-ing, says Hinkley Point C will createmany supply chain opportunities forlocal and regional businesses.

“A supply chain consists of manyparties, which are involved directlyor indirectly in the developments atH i n k l e y, ” he said. “Supply chains do

not only include manufacturers andconstruction works, but alsothose who can provide avariety of services fromtransport, to storage, tore t a i l . ”

Business people needto be planning now. Notleast because any ex-pansion required toscale-up for work islikely to involve cost.Which means fully explor-ing the funding options avail-able, be it bank loans and overdrafts

or alternative routes from invoicefinancing to pension-led fund-

ing.Andrew said: “Whether

Bristol firms are lookingat Hinkley Point C’s sup-ply chain opportunitiesor investing in their ownbusiness growth, it’s im-portant they explore all

the funding opportunitiesand support available to

them.”Thousands of workers will be

on site at any one time, which is an

THE figures surrounding the con-struction of Hinkley Point C arecompelling. Predicted to be thelargest construction site in Europeand estimated to cost over £16 bil-

lion, the project will create 25,000 employ-ment opportunities in the region which willbe sustained for almost a decade.

The economic benefits in the communitywill be significant, particularly for busi-nesses. As part of the process, EDF Energy,the company behind the facility, has placeda strong emphasis on creating a local supplychain, partnering with the Somerset Cham-ber of Commerce to offer firms the op-portunity to become part of the process andfulfil major contracts.

1,500 businesses of all sizes, representinga wide range of professions and services,have already registered their interest withthe chamber, but irrespective of their rolethere are challenges they all may face.

Financially, firms will need to ensure thatthey have access to adequate funding andworking capital to take full advantage of theopportunity Hinkley Point C represents.Many will be required to expand and up-scale their resources including their work-force, equipment and vehicles.

For others, it will be a matter of accessingfinance quickly to ensure they meet dead-lines and targets. The ability to cover thesecosts will be vital but even now there areexisting financial concerns among busi-nesses in the South West.

The latest Close Brothers Business Ba-rometer revealed that a quarter of firms inthe region believe restricted cash flow istheir biggest barrier to business growth,while a further 38 per cent cite an ability toinvest in staff or equipment. They find thereis often a difficult balance between man-aging a healthy cash flow and facilitatingexpansion.

Instead businesses require a source offunding that will allow them to maintaintheir working capital as they grow. Onesolution is invoice finance, a form of fund-ing that allows businesses to access the cashtied up in their unpaid invoices.

Firms send the outstanding invoice to afinance provider such as Close Brothersand in return they receive an advance per-centage of the money within 24 hours.

The remaining balance is then releasedupon customer payment, minus an agreedservice fee. Invoice finance uses cash that isowed to create a flexible line of finance thatthe company can then reinvest in theirexpansion and strategic objectives, whetherit’s recruitment or the purchase of newmachinery and property.

It could add enhanced stability to the cashflow of your business, but crucially, it isbespoke. Invoice finance is tailored to yourneeds, regardless of your company size, anddesigned to grow as your business grows.

It can allow you to unlock further po-tential in your company and as the regionprepares for Hinkley Point C, there maynever be a more important time to reinvestand generate some power of your own.

Invoice finance can unlockpotential in your company

Focus on start-ups | Sponsored by THEME SPONSOR’S NAME HERE.

It’s not every day a £25-billion project is built on yourdoorstep. But if Bristol companies want to take advantage ofthe planned new nuclear reactor just down the M5, they can’thang around, as Gavin Thompson found out

Offices well-placedto meet demandCase study

Business growth: Hinkley Point C

NUCLEAR REACTION CALLS TO SEIZE WEALTH OF OPPORTUNITIES

David Coombes

“ It’s like having a smallarmy. You’ve got to feed

them, house them andget them in and out.

For Nuclear (F4N) programme, help-ing manufacturers understand thenature of the opportunities openingup and preparing them to take ad-vantage of them.

John Ruddleston, Fit For NuclearAssessor in the South West, said:“There is great potential for ad-vanced manufacturing SMEs in theSouth West to build business in the

civil nuclear sector. Following ap-proval for Hinkley Point, we

can expect these opportun-ities to increase in newbuild, as well as in de-commissioning and ex-isting stationm a i n t e n a n c e. ”

The obvious follow-onis the proposal for a new

reactor to replace the onebeing decommissioned in

Oldbury, South Gloucester-shire, which is still a few years

further away from happening andtherefore stretches the potential localinterest in the sector.

John, below, added: “Wo rk i n gside-by side with the Nuclear AMRCand the Hinkley Supply Chain Team,managed by the Somerset Chamberof Commerce, we are helping morecompanies access support throughF4N, which enables companies tomeasure their capabilities against in-dustry standards and helps thembridge gaps to meet requirements.

“The first new nuclear plant islikely to come online in the 2020s,

but orders for the bulk of plantand services are expected to

start developing fromnext year. Companiesshould also look to po-sition themselves tosupply into the decom-missioning market,

which is a very currentopportunity. It could also

help SMEs compete whenthe new build contracts are

released. Now is the time for man-ufacturers to act.”

The supply chain programme hasbeen set up to favour local companies,which in this case means Somerset –including North Somerset.

There are 1,575 Somerset busi-nesses already registered on the sup-ply chain portal. More than 93 localbusinesses have so far benefited fromwork totalling £19 million in value.

When there isn’t a Somerset sup-plier, the net is cast wider and as thenearest major city Bristol and the

Robin GoddardRegional Director,Close Brothers Invoice Financew w w. c l o s e i n v o i c e . c o . u k0808 231 4641

Expert eye

opportunity in itself.David Coombes, left, manager of

Logistics Job Shop and chairman ofthe distribution sector group at theWest of England Local EnterprisePartnership, said: “It’s like having asmall army.

“Yo u ’ve got to feed them, housethem and get them in and out.

“There are going to be opportun-ities for businesses to play a part inthat transportation operation, in-cluding SMEs.”

The numbers involved also meanbusinesses in other sectors need to be

thinking about how to hang ontotheir workers. “If someone can earnfive times more retraining as a con-crete sprayer at Hinkley, whywo u l d n’t they,” said David.

“Companies need to be thinkingnow about how they will retain staffand not just react in six months’ timewhen things have really got underway on the site.”

It may seem like a new nuclearreactor at Hinkley Point is a longtime a way.

But the time for business to act onthe opportunities it presents, is now.

� A NEW office developmentexpected to capitalise ondemand from the HinkleyPoint nuclear plant has beengranted approval by the locala u t h o r i t y.

Enterprise House is aproposed a new headquartersoffice building fit toaccommodate more 250people on the WestonGateway site in the Junction21 enterprise area.

The park has alreadyattracted KnightstoneHousing, who moved to a newheadquarters building at theend of 2013, and Green Kingwho opened A Hungry Horsepublic house earlier this year.

The site is close to the M5and next to Worle Parkwaymainline station and thebuilding should be ready bylate 2015.

Gemma Day, of developerDowlas, said: “Following theannouncement of the

go-ahead for the new £24.5billion nuclear power station atHinkley Point, we anticipatestrong demand fromcompanies associated withthe project due to theconvenience of the location inrespect of the motorway andthe rest of the country, anddue to the quality of thedevelopment.”

Peter Barrett, associatedirector of office agency atcommercial propertyconsultants Lambert SmithHampton (LSH), said: “OnceEnterprise House is largely let,the plan is to roll out additionalphases in short order.”

Natalie Bennett, fromHartnell Taylor Cook LLP, said.“The development at HinkleyPoint will give the economy ofWeston Super Mare a majorboost and it is important ourclients are able to provide highquality business premisessuch as Enterprise House tosatisfy this demand over thenext two years.”

� Above and below, artist’s impressions of the planned offices

EPB-

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10 11We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.uk

Business diary

Email your business events togavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk.Events are sometimescancelled without us beingnotified so please check withorganisers before travelling.

IoD Wednesday @6 ChristmasSpecial: Join the IoD BristolCommittee for drinks at the lastWednesday @ 6 of the yeartonight. Hosted at Smith &Williamson, Portwall Place.

The FSB Business Breakfast:Network with fellow SMEbusinesses in a friendly, informalway on Tuesday, December 16.The room at Bristol Golf Club,Almondsbury, is arranged soeveryone sits on a table of 10with a dedicated host. Eachguest then has two minutes topromote their business beforemoving onto a second table.Book via eventbrite.

Bristol Connected: The BristolPost Business networking eventis to be held from noon to 2pmon Tuesday, December 16 at 10Templeback. Informal networkingwith guest speakers. Register viaeventbrite.

Business West ChamberNetworking Breakfast: Meetlike-minded business people.Arrive at Bordeaux Quay onJanuary 8 from 7.30am for8.10am breakfast. Event finishedby 9.30am. Book viabusinesswest.co.uk/events.

LEP Digital – driving resultsthrough social media: Simplysigning up to Twitter, Facebookand LinkedIn is not enough, youneed to align your social mediaactivity with your businessstrategy to drive results.9.30am-3.30pm on January 22,at the BAWA Centre, Filton.

Bristol PA Network: Aprofessional forum where youcan find inspiration, developyour skills and meet fellow PAs.Each meeting includes elementsof learning and development,inspirational speakers andnetworking. January 25, 6pm atHotel du Vin. Book viaeventbrite.

Western Daily Press BusinessGuide launch: A breakfast eventto mark the annual must-readWestern Daily Press guide. Savethe date, January 29. Venue andtime to be confirmed.

Start-up Drinks Bristol: UWEEnterprise hosts drinks andinformal networking evening atthe Engine Shed on Tuesday,February 17 for all thoseinterested in start-ups. Book viaeventbrite.

Bristol Post and BathChronicle Women In BusinessAwards 2015: The winners willbe revealed at a gala awardsdinner at the Bristol City CentreMarriott on March 19. To booktickets for the night, visitwww.bristolpost.co.uk/ wiba. Ifyou’re talking about the awardson social medial, use #wiba.

Business Showcase SouthWe s t : Two-day showcase ofbusiness across the region withexhibition stands and speakersincluding Gerald Ratner, formerApprentice winner Stella Englishand Levi Roots. Thursday andFriday, May 14-15 at Colton Hall.Email info@showcase2015.com.

Awards for those who have met eco challenge

In pictures West of England Carbon Challenge awards

BUSINESSES that have madebig contributions to sustain-ability in 2014 have been cel-ebrated. The annual West ofEngland Carbon Challenge

awards took place at the offices ofEuropean Green Capital sponsorBurges Salmon.

At-Bristol was crowned All RoundCarbon Champions in recognition ofits continuous commitment to redu-cing its carbon footprint over severalye a r s.

Berwick Lodge, Bath and NorthEast Somerset Council, Alec French

Architects, Burges Salmon itself,Stride Treglown, Pukka Herbs andBodywise also received awards.

Forum for the Future launched theawards in 2009 and handed the batonto Low Carbon South West in 2012.

Over the last five years the chal-lenge has provided local businesseswith an opportunity to show theircontribution to the creation of a sus-tainable future for the region.

Low Carbon South West took theopportunity to announce the GoGreen initiative, first revealed inthese pages last month.

Network director Amy Robinsonsaid: “Each and every challenge par-ticipant deserves recognition fortheir achievements. This year’sWECC awards were the last, but asBristol’s business community pre-pares for the city’s year as EuropeanGreen Capital 2015, Low CarbonSouth West is joining forces withBusiness West to present Go Green.

“Go Green is a more accessible andambitious way for businesses andorganisations to become more sus-tainable and it is open to businessesof all sizes in all sectors.

“We want to help businesses learnfrom each other’s experiences, en-abling them to cut their carbon im-pact, save money and improve thee nv i ro n m e n t .

“Bristol is a world-leading hub forsustainable technology design and,as tonight’s winners have shown,businesses of all shapes and sizes arebenefiting from being in this innov-ative and imaginative place.

“The more businesses that GoGreen in 2015, the better it is forBristol’s economy and environ-ment.”

� From left, Jenny Foster, Bristol and South West Fairtrade Co-ordinator,presenting Elsa Hadley and Alex Nasmyth of Burges Salmon with the BestCompany (over 250 employees) award

� From Left, Zoe Sear, Director of Marketing and Communications Bristol2015 Ltd, presenting Chris Dunford and Lucy Pope of At-Bristol ScienceCentre with the All-Round Carbon Champion award

� From left, Chris Dunford (At-Bristol), Lucy Pope (At-Bristol), Zac Nicholson (Alec French Architects), Rob Delius (Stride Treglown), Susie Hewson(Natracare), Steve Lowe (Natracare), Hayley Williams (Stride Treglown), Alex Nasmyth (Burges Salmon), Elsa Hadley (Burges Salmon), Anne Barr (PukkaHerbs), Magdalena Arikan (Berwick Lodge), Sarah Arikan (Berwick Lodge), Micaela Basford (Bath & North East Somerset Council) and Cllr David Martin (Bathand North East Somerset Council)

GALLERIESGALORE

FOR MORE PICTURESCheck out our

website at

bristolpost.co.uk/business

Here, SteveWilson,Director ofCorporateBanking inBristol,explainswhyworking closelywith customers is so important toRBSnowandas thebankprogresses in its journey tobecomeWilliams&Glyn.SteveWilson, Director of

Corporate Banking in Bristol, says:“Current economic conditionspresentmany opportunities, aswellas obstacles, for SMEs but, bymaking the right bankingpartnership, businesses can achievetheir goals and take advantage of awide range of expertise.“We are delighted towork in

partnershipwith Films at 59whichis an exciting and innovative localbusinesswith a clear growthstrategy.Webelieve the strength ofour relationship has been formedby us all sitting down together togain a clear understanding of theirbusiness ambitions andhowwe

canhelp support their success.“Byworking closelywith our

customers in thiswaywe can sharetheir vision and add value byoffering our experience andcontacts fromacross the region.Wehave a powerful network oflocal contactswhich can offerguidance on a vast array of

business subjects, aswell asintroducing a business to newworking relationships.“We are focused onmaking

banking simple andstraightforward, enablingcustomers to concentrate onwhatthey dobest - running their ownbusinesses.This ethoswill remainaswe embark on our journey tobecomeWilliams&Glyn, keepingcustomers at the heartof everything.“We know the economy can only

keepgrowing if we keep investingin the future andourmessage isclear - wewant to support businessgrowth across the diverse andrich business communitiesof Bristol.”●RBS England andWales is to bethe futureWilliams&Glyn, a newbank for both personal andbusiness customerswith aparticular strength insupporting SMEs.

We focus onmakingbanking simple,

enablingcustomers toconcentrate onwhat they dobest - running

their own businesses

MAKINGCONNECTIONSRBS is committed to supporting,mentoring andengaging in continual dialoguewith its SMEcustomers,whatever the stageof their business.

Special feature

Films at 59 is an equipment hire andpost-production company based inBristol. They have 135 employeesand provide services to over 1000

programme-makers globally. In their 25year history, they have serviced theproduction of 50,000 hours of content forTV, film and the internet.

Consumers are searching for more andmore content on ever-diversesources – televisions, tablets, phones,large screens in cinemas andeven images projected onto buildings.Because of this, Films at 59are ever-ready to adapt to ensure theycan provide the latest technology andskills to creative programme makers.

Managing director Gina Fucci says:“This means we will have to continue ourinvestment in our client relationships andpartnerships; our people and theirtraining; in new equipment; in new sales

areas and in new ways of working.”Gina Fucci says that RBS is the

company’s ‘bank of choice’ and a bankthey want to stay with. She says: “Wewant to make sure we can support futureinvestment and purchases that willdevelop and grow our business for ourclients. Having the right physical spaces,the right virtual spaces via highspeednetworks and the right tools that helpsupport producer creativity are essentialto our future success.

“The trick to our success will bebalancing new developments and lowerbudgets. Moving forward, it is essentialto have a strong banking relationshipthat will enable us to invest inproductions that are streaming on theinternet and that will enable us to adaptand grow the business in response tovarious technological and philosophicalchanges that cannot even be predicted.”

Gina Fucci expands on this need to beever-ready, saying: “Every day we areasking questions like ‘what is the nextYouTube, Netflix or Hula whichwill drive producers to make moreshows?’We have to be ready to servicenew markets created by new ways ofconsuming media.”

But that’s not all – producers, Ginasays, tell stories that need to beshowcased and it’s Films at 59’s role tosupport these producers.

“To remain competitive, we have to besteps ahead in offering sound technicaladvice and services which are creativeand cost effective.”

She continued: “We have to providetools that capture good quality video/sound files, move data quickly andefficiently, allow us to creativelymanipulate sound and images, transcodedigital formats to be used on many

platforms - all at an affordable price.”Now, as Films at 59 looks to the future,

Gina Fucci reiterates the importance of astrong banking relationship.

She says: “When people talk about‘growth’, it’s about getting the most fromthe tools that we already own, as well asacquiring new equipment, people andbusinesses.

“With a strong bankingrelationship, where information flow isfrequent and reliable, we are able toconsider every opportunity that comesour way. In a business world that is ever-changing and is reliant on us being‘many steps’ ahead, our relationshipwith RBS will help support our ever-changing business plans in orderfor us to be able to deliver to ourcustomers, who are the future forour success.”www.filmsat59.com

WHO TO CALLON YOURDOORSTEPDirector of CorporateBankingSteveWilson07919 210737steve.j.wilson@rbs.co.uk

RBS Mentorrbsmentor.co.ukRichard James07748 887 939

Lombard(Asset Finance)lombard.co.ukPhil Ollerenshaw07876 390 916

Private BankingDominic Chadwick07789 481 378

Business BankingGavinWintrell,Business Manager07920 502 685

RBS Invoice Financerbsif.co.ukIan Hussey,Relationship Manager0117 9544378or 07766 206 003

External RBS contactsBristol Chamberof Commercebusinesswest.co.uk/bristol01275 373 373

Gregg LatchamsLimited7 Queen Square, BristolBS1 4JE01179 069 407

ASTRONGBANKINGRELATIONSHIPIS IMPORTANTGina Fucci is Managing Director of Films at 59based in Bristol. Here she explains why RBS istheir bank of choice...

ACUSTOMER’S STORY

Connect tobusiness insight andopportunitieswith RBS.Findoutmore atwww.rbsbusinessconnections.co.uk

EPB-

E01-

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10 11We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.uk

Business diary

Email your business events togavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk.Events are sometimescancelled without us beingnotified so please check withorganisers before travelling.

IoD Wednesday @6 ChristmasSpecial: Join the IoD BristolCommittee for drinks at the lastWednesday @ 6 of the yeartonight. Hosted at Smith &Williamson, Portwall Place.

The FSB Business Breakfast:Network with fellow SMEbusinesses in a friendly, informalway on Tuesday, December 16.The room at Bristol Golf Club,Almondsbury, is arranged soeveryone sits on a table of 10with a dedicated host. Eachguest then has two minutes topromote their business beforemoving onto a second table.Book via eventbrite.

Bristol Connected: The BristolPost Business networking eventis to be held from noon to 2pmon Tuesday, December 16 at 10Templeback. Informal networkingwith guest speakers. Register viaeventbrite.

Business West ChamberNetworking Breakfast: Meetlike-minded business people.Arrive at Bordeaux Quay onJanuary 8 from 7.30am for8.10am breakfast. Event finishedby 9.30am. Book viabusinesswest.co.uk/events.

LEP Digital – driving resultsthrough social media: Simplysigning up to Twitter, Facebookand LinkedIn is not enough, youneed to align your social mediaactivity with your businessstrategy to drive results.9.30am-3.30pm on January 22,at the BAWA Centre, Filton.

Bristol PA Network: Aprofessional forum where youcan find inspiration, developyour skills and meet fellow PAs.Each meeting includes elementsof learning and development,inspirational speakers andnetworking. January 25, 6pm atHotel du Vin. Book viaeventbrite.

Western Daily Press BusinessGuide launch: A breakfast eventto mark the annual must-readWestern Daily Press guide. Savethe date, January 29. Venue andtime to be confirmed.

Start-up Drinks Bristol: UWEEnterprise hosts drinks andinformal networking evening atthe Engine Shed on Tuesday,February 17 for all thoseinterested in start-ups. Book viaeventbrite.

Bristol Post and BathChronicle Women In BusinessAwards 2015: The winners willbe revealed at a gala awardsdinner at the Bristol City CentreMarriott on March 19. To booktickets for the night, visitwww.bristolpost.co.uk/ wiba. Ifyou’re talking about the awardson social medial, use #wiba.

Business Showcase SouthWe s t : Two-day showcase ofbusiness across the region withexhibition stands and speakersincluding Gerald Ratner, formerApprentice winner Stella Englishand Levi Roots. Thursday andFriday, May 14-15 at Colton Hall.Email info@showcase2015.com.

Awards for those who have met eco challenge

In pictures West of England Carbon Challenge awards

BUSINESSES that have madebig contributions to sustain-ability in 2014 have been cel-ebrated. The annual West ofEngland Carbon Challenge

awards took place at the offices ofEuropean Green Capital sponsorBurges Salmon.

At-Bristol was crowned All RoundCarbon Champions in recognition ofits continuous commitment to redu-cing its carbon footprint over severalye a r s.

Berwick Lodge, Bath and NorthEast Somerset Council, Alec French

Architects, Burges Salmon itself,Stride Treglown, Pukka Herbs andBodywise also received awards.

Forum for the Future launched theawards in 2009 and handed the batonto Low Carbon South West in 2012.

Over the last five years the chal-lenge has provided local businesseswith an opportunity to show theircontribution to the creation of a sus-tainable future for the region.

Low Carbon South West took theopportunity to announce the GoGreen initiative, first revealed inthese pages last month.

Network director Amy Robinsonsaid: “Each and every challenge par-ticipant deserves recognition fortheir achievements. This year’sWECC awards were the last, but asBristol’s business community pre-pares for the city’s year as EuropeanGreen Capital 2015, Low CarbonSouth West is joining forces withBusiness West to present Go Green.

“Go Green is a more accessible andambitious way for businesses andorganisations to become more sus-tainable and it is open to businessesof all sizes in all sectors.

“We want to help businesses learnfrom each other’s experiences, en-abling them to cut their carbon im-pact, save money and improve thee nv i ro n m e n t .

“Bristol is a world-leading hub forsustainable technology design and,as tonight’s winners have shown,businesses of all shapes and sizes arebenefiting from being in this innov-ative and imaginative place.

“The more businesses that GoGreen in 2015, the better it is forBristol’s economy and environ-ment.”

� From left, Jenny Foster, Bristol and South West Fairtrade Co-ordinator,presenting Elsa Hadley and Alex Nasmyth of Burges Salmon with the BestCompany (over 250 employees) award

� From Left, Zoe Sear, Director of Marketing and Communications Bristol2015 Ltd, presenting Chris Dunford and Lucy Pope of At-Bristol ScienceCentre with the All-Round Carbon Champion award

� From left, Chris Dunford (At-Bristol), Lucy Pope (At-Bristol), Zac Nicholson (Alec French Architects), Rob Delius (Stride Treglown), Susie Hewson(Natracare), Steve Lowe (Natracare), Hayley Williams (Stride Treglown), Alex Nasmyth (Burges Salmon), Elsa Hadley (Burges Salmon), Anne Barr (PukkaHerbs), Magdalena Arikan (Berwick Lodge), Sarah Arikan (Berwick Lodge), Micaela Basford (Bath & North East Somerset Council) and Cllr David Martin (Bathand North East Somerset Council)

GALLERIESGALORE

FOR MORE PICTURESCheck out our

website at

bristolpost.co.uk/business

Here, SteveWilson,Director ofCorporateBanking inBristol,explainswhyworking closelywith customers is so important toRBSnowandas thebankprogresses in its journey tobecomeWilliams&Glyn.SteveWilson, Director of

Corporate Banking in Bristol, says:“Current economic conditionspresentmany opportunities, aswellas obstacles, for SMEs but, bymaking the right bankingpartnership, businesses can achievetheir goals and take advantage of awide range of expertise.“We are delighted towork in

partnershipwith Films at 59whichis an exciting and innovative localbusinesswith a clear growthstrategy.Webelieve the strength ofour relationship has been formedby us all sitting down together togain a clear understanding of theirbusiness ambitions andhowwe

canhelp support their success.“Byworking closelywith our

customers in thiswaywe can sharetheir vision and add value byoffering our experience andcontacts fromacross the region.Wehave a powerful network oflocal contactswhich can offerguidance on a vast array of

business subjects, aswell asintroducing a business to newworking relationships.“We are focused onmaking

banking simple andstraightforward, enablingcustomers to concentrate onwhatthey dobest - running their ownbusinesses.This ethoswill remainaswe embark on our journey tobecomeWilliams&Glyn, keepingcustomers at the heartof everything.“We know the economy can only

keepgrowing if we keep investingin the future andourmessage isclear - wewant to support businessgrowth across the diverse andrich business communitiesof Bristol.”●RBS England andWales is to bethe futureWilliams&Glyn, a newbank for both personal andbusiness customerswith aparticular strength insupporting SMEs.

We focus onmakingbanking simple,

enablingcustomers toconcentrate onwhat they dobest - running

their own businesses

MAKINGCONNECTIONSRBS is committed to supporting,mentoring andengaging in continual dialoguewith its SMEcustomers,whatever the stageof their business.

Special feature

Films at 59 is an equipment hire andpost-production company based inBristol. They have 135 employeesand provide services to over 1000

programme-makers globally. In their 25year history, they have serviced theproduction of 50,000 hours of content forTV, film and the internet.

Consumers are searching for more andmore content on ever-diversesources – televisions, tablets, phones,large screens in cinemas andeven images projected onto buildings.Because of this, Films at 59are ever-ready to adapt to ensure theycan provide the latest technology andskills to creative programme makers.

Managing director Gina Fucci says:“This means we will have to continue ourinvestment in our client relationships andpartnerships; our people and theirtraining; in new equipment; in new sales

areas and in new ways of working.”Gina Fucci says that RBS is the

company’s ‘bank of choice’ and a bankthey want to stay with. She says: “Wewant to make sure we can support futureinvestment and purchases that willdevelop and grow our business for ourclients. Having the right physical spaces,the right virtual spaces via highspeednetworks and the right tools that helpsupport producer creativity are essentialto our future success.

“The trick to our success will bebalancing new developments and lowerbudgets. Moving forward, it is essentialto have a strong banking relationshipthat will enable us to invest inproductions that are streaming on theinternet and that will enable us to adaptand grow the business in response tovarious technological and philosophicalchanges that cannot even be predicted.”

Gina Fucci expands on this need to beever-ready, saying: “Every day we areasking questions like ‘what is the nextYouTube, Netflix or Hula whichwill drive producers to make moreshows?’We have to be ready to servicenew markets created by new ways ofconsuming media.”

But that’s not all – producers, Ginasays, tell stories that need to beshowcased and it’s Films at 59’s role tosupport these producers.

“To remain competitive, we have to besteps ahead in offering sound technicaladvice and services which are creativeand cost effective.”

She continued: “We have to providetools that capture good quality video/sound files, move data quickly andefficiently, allow us to creativelymanipulate sound and images, transcodedigital formats to be used on many

platforms - all at an affordable price.”Now, as Films at 59 looks to the future,

Gina Fucci reiterates the importance of astrong banking relationship.

She says: “When people talk about‘growth’, it’s about getting the most fromthe tools that we already own, as well asacquiring new equipment, people andbusinesses.

“With a strong bankingrelationship, where information flow isfrequent and reliable, we are able toconsider every opportunity that comesour way. In a business world that is ever-changing and is reliant on us being‘many steps’ ahead, our relationshipwith RBS will help support our ever-changing business plans in orderfor us to be able to deliver to ourcustomers, who are the future forour success.”www.filmsat59.com

WHO TO CALLON YOURDOORSTEPDirector of CorporateBankingSteveWilson07919 210737steve.j.wilson@rbs.co.uk

RBS Mentorrbsmentor.co.ukRichard James07748 887 939

Lombard(Asset Finance)lombard.co.ukPhil Ollerenshaw07876 390 916

Private BankingDominic Chadwick07789 481 378

Business BankingGavinWintrell,Business Manager07920 502 685

RBS Invoice Financerbsif.co.ukIan Hussey,Relationship Manager0117 9544378or 07766 206 003

External RBS contactsBristol Chamberof Commercebusinesswest.co.uk/bristol01275 373 373

Gregg LatchamsLimited7 Queen Square, BristolBS1 4JE01179 069 407

ASTRONGBANKINGRELATIONSHIPIS IMPORTANTGina Fucci is Managing Director of Films at 59based in Bristol. Here she explains why RBS istheir bank of choice...

ACUSTOMER’S STORY

Connect tobusiness insight andopportunitieswith RBS.Findoutmore atwww.rbsbusinessconnections.co.uk

EPB-

E01-

S3

12 We d n e s d a y, December 10, 2014w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

The back pageS u ccess� When OC Robotics was chosen tofeature in the Business is Greatfestive calendar, the Bristol firm hadthe perfect candidate to open thed o o r.

The firm, based in Filton, buildssnake arm robots used to tackletricky and dangerous tasks in arange of industries includingdefence and nuclear, so thecalendar door was a doddle incomparison.

The calendar features 24 diverseand innovative small businessesfrom across the country.

Adam Mallion, pictur ed, from OCRobotics, said: “The team is veryproud of the business we have allbuilt. We are excited to celebrate oursuccesses by being part of theBusiness is Great advent calendar.Here we join 23 other businessesacross the country highlighting theorganisations and people doinggreat things for small businesses,and the government support thathas made some of it possible.”

All businesses involved in thecalendar have received governmentsupport or used its services, fromhelp with exporting to new marketsand tax relief for innovation, to hiringapprentices to grow their teams.They are backing the adventcalendar to let other businessesknow about the advice and supportavailable to them.

� The latest trade statistics releasedby HM Revenue & Customs revealthat in the 12 months to September2014, annual exports from the SouthWest increased by £116 million to£13.7 billion. The total annual valueof exports from the region in theyear ending September 2014 roseby 0.9 per cent.

The South West witnessed anincrease (0.7 per cent) in the numberof exporting businesses in the lastquarter, with 3,820 active exporters.

Machinery, transport equipmentand manufactured goods are the keyexport commodities for the SouthWest. Germany, France and the USArepresent the top markets.

� Warmley brewer Bath Ales hasbeen shortlisted in The PublicanMorning Advertiser Awardsrecognising quality and innovation inthe pub trade.

Bath Ales is a finalist in the BestFood Offer (2 – 50 sites) as well asBest Operations Team (10-50 sites)categories. In last year’s awards,Bath Ales won the coveted nationalaward for Best Managed PubCompany (2-50 sites).

Managing director Robin Coulingsaid: “To be in with a real chance towin such highly-regarded awards forthe pub industry is such a greatachievement for us and reflects howhard the team work.”

P l a ces� The next big office developmentin the Temple Quarter Enterprise

Zone has secured planningpermission.

The £40 million 3 Glass Wharf hasbeen given the go-ahead,subject to sorting outSection 106 agreements– the money which goesback the public purseto support localimprovements to roadsand other amenities.

Salmon HarvesterProperties, a jointventure between SalmonDevelopments and NFUMutual, has secured approvaljust as it nears the end of building 2Glasswharf next door. ThreeGlasswharf will include 109,255sq ft (10,150 sq m) of officeswith retail and leisure onthe ground floor, plusbasement car parking.

Rorie Henderson,development directorat Salmon HarvesterProperties, said: “Thisis fantastic news andwe are delighted withhow well the planningcommittee received ourapplication, particularly thedesign and scope of the building.

“Discussions are now under wayto finalise the infrastructure andpublic realm under a 106agreement and weanticipate a start on sitein the second half ofnext year, withcompletion scheduledfor the first quarter of2017.”

� Is it air hockey tablesin reception, break outigloos or just a nice view?A Bristol business wants tofind out what makes a happyworkplace and is launching acompetition to find the happiest

Review iswelcome,but we’ll bewatching

THERE were reasons to becheerful from George Os-bor ne’s Autumn Statementlast week. Stamp duty re-forms make sense for most of

us, unless you, like my chiropractor,were among the unlucky number whohad completed the day before!

An extra £45 million to support com-panies to get exporting is very wel-come. And those considering trainingyoung people will be encouraged bythe exemption from national insur-ance contributions for apprenticesunder 25.

But the big news for many was onbusiness rates. The Chancellor an-nounced a full review into the system,something we had been calling for in

these business pages for somem o n t h s.

It is clear to us that the current sys-tem is broken. And the pressure forchange has been growing. We’vealready seen moves to devolve controlof how rates are spent to a local level,one of three aims of our #RealRates-Reform campaign.

Now the Chancellor has committedto this serious review, which we hopewill address the other points – the linkto property which deters businessgrowth and the need for a simpler sys-tem.

The review will report back for the2016 Budget, which is some way offand means any reforms won’t take ef-fect until 2017. That’s too long to leavea system broken, but it’s better to get itright and only change it once. It willalso be fiscally neutral. Not ideal butwe all accept the Government doesn’thave money to give away right now.

The announcement of the review isa victory of sorts for the Po s t and oth-ers who have been calling for this ac-tion. But this is politics. There’s ageneral election next year and theshape of the new government will af-fect the shape of whatever finallycomes out of the review. All govern-ments have a tendency to push dif-ficult decisions further into the futurefor someone else to deal with.

Well done, Mr Osborne for listening.But we’ll be watching to make surethis is re a l rates reform.

� Burges Salmon is continuing the expansion of its pensions team

Opinion

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

office in the South West.Workplace and interior design

consultancy Wylde IA holding thecontest to mark its coming of

age as the business turns18.

It launched thecompetition with aparty at Bristol’s AveryWine Vaults.

Director MaxineBennett says: “The

economy is on the up,companies are employing

once again and attention isturning to working

environments and how best to usethe space they have to inspire

employees. We want to uncoverthe most innovative

workplaces and look athow these amazingspaces encourageproductivity andthinking.”

Entrants can tweetpictures of their desksand work spaces

@WyldeLife using thehashtag

# w y l d e h a p p y o ff i c e .

Pe o p l e� Burges Salmon is continuing the

expansion of its pensions teamwith four new appointments.

Crispin Freeman,Charlotte Osmond, AmyDavies and Stacey Yonhave joined thepractice

Crispin joins as asenior associate from

Wragge LawrenceGraham & Co. Charlotte

trained at Linklaters andjoins as a newly qualified

solicitor. Amy and Stacey havequalified into the team havingcompleted their training contracts

with Burges Salmon.Their arrival follows the

appointments earlier this year of EveWallace (senior associate) and ZoeDhenin (solicitor).

Head of pensions Richard Knightsaid: “We are delighted to havegrown the team so substantially thisyear. Our 40 pensions lawyers nowact for over 700 pensions clientsand our new recruits will help uscontinue to provide a top qualityservice and to grow further.”

� Law firm DAC Beachcroft hasboosted its intellectual property andtechnology team by recruitingAndrew Allan-Jones as a partnertogether with IP associate KateLoxton.

The pair joins from BondDickinson where Andrew was apartner having previously been headof IP at legacy firm, Bond Pearce.

Bristol partner John Williams said:“We are delighted to welcomelawyers of Andrew and Kate’sexpertise and calibre to the firm.They are an excellent addition to ourexisting capability advising clientsacross our key sectors on brand andmedia work.”

� Ashfords LLPwelcomesNicholasLy k k eDahn,right, to itsreal estateteam.

He joinsthe lawfirm’s Bristoloffice havingpreviously been atBrookStreet des Roches andLinklaters specialising in commercialreal estate and property finance.

Partner and head of real estateTimHeal said: “Nicholas’ experience willadd valued depth and strength toour team and we look forward tocontinuing to provide excellentservice to our clients.”

� An apprentice from the City ofBristol College has impressed thebosses at one of the city’s leadingfour-star hotels so much, she’s nowbeen fast-tracked to become afull-time member of staff.

Leonie Jacks, is currently studyingBusiness and Administration Level 2at City of Bristol College whilegaining hands on experience atDoubleTree by Hilton, Bristol onRedcliffe Way.

Having only started in January, themanagement now want Leonie tobecome a permanent team member.

Leonie said: “When I started outon my apprenticeship I never reallythought that it would lead to afull-time job so soon. I’m absolutelythrilled and can’t wait.”

� Property consultancy Alder Kinghas made two further appointmentsto its Bristol office to strengthen itsresidential development andplanning teams.

Ben St Quintin has joined as asenior surveyor in the residentialdevelopment team after five yearswith JLL in Bristol.

Ben is the current vice-Presidentof the Bristol Junior Chamber andwill assume the role of President inApril 2015.

Rose Fox has joined Alder King’splanning team as a graduate plannerafter two years with Crest Nicholsonin Bristol.

She brings valuable experience inthe management and coordinationof residential planning applications.

Your digest of the week in business

� The Wylde IA party at Bristol’s Avery Wine Vaults; below, from top, Ben StQuintin, Leonie Jacks and Rose Fox