business 13 may 2015

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STAR TECH

City firms showing off theirwares at VentureFest – p2&3

FAB LAB

Couple’s analytics servicesbusiness booming – page 5

CELEBRATING SUCCESS

We reveal the Post BusinessAwards finalists – pages 8&9

GIVING CREDITWHERE IT’S DUEMeet the technology guru at the Bristol-basedglobal leader in mobile payments – pages 6&7

BIG INTERVIEW

132015MAY

A greener Bristol is a greater west.#GreaterWest

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2 Wednesday, May 13, 2015www.bristolpost.co.uk

FROM the world’s biggest aero-plane manufacturer to a newbusiness that sells spare ca-pacity in your computer toanimators, the best tech Bris-

tol has to offer will be on show nextmonth.The line-up for VentureFest an-

nounced today backs up Bristol’sclaim to be the UK’s biggest tech huboutside of London.Headline speakers will be Scott

Wilcox, director of technology forSouth by Southwest, a huge festivalwhich takes place in Texas each year,and local success Col Needham.Col is the founder of IMDb (In-

ternet Movie Database), the go-towebsite for information about filmsand film stars.He said: “Bristol & Bath has an

outstanding and innovative start-upculture which is one of the reasonsthe IMDb UK office is located inBristol.“I’m looking forward to learning

more about other exciting companiesin the region and sharing my ownexperiences over the last 25 years.”Airbus is one of the sponsors of the

show, which is returning after ayear’s break.Katherine Bennett, vice president

public affairs at Airbus, said: “In-novation, technology and entrepren-eurship are at the heart of ourbusiness so being a part of somethingthat celebrates both entrepreneursand innovators is really important tous.”Other bignames exhibiting include

Renishaw and GKN Aerospace,But the real stars of the show are

the smaller tech firms.Ben Trewhella, managing director

of Opposable Games and founder ofSouthWestVR, which is exhibiting,said: “We are at the beginning of ahugely exciting time in technology;virtual reality and augmented realitygames, experiences and applicationsare about to explode like the web,social and mobile before them.“It’s incredibly exciting that so

many developers and engineers arecoming together to network andshowcase at VentureFest Bristol &Bath.”Venturer, the collaborative project

to test driverless cars in Bristol, will

be there too.Dr JohnMcCarthy of Atkins, one of

the businesses involved in the pro-ject, said: “Bristol already has a fant-astic reputation as a test-bed for newtechnologies sowe are delighted to beable to explore and trial the feas-ibility of driverless cars here.“My presentation, which is part of

the High Tech Panel Session chairedby Innovate UK, will look at howchanges in people’s behaviours andnew technology could shape our fu-ture cities and the way we approachtransport in years to come.”One of the most exciting areas will

be the start-up village. This year theline up this year includes:● Habu, an innovative space man-

agement and room booking plat-form.● Fundsurfer which helps projectsand companies find finance, offer avariety of funding options alongsiderewards and donation-based crowd-funding its own platform.● 500 More are digital health con-sultants developing mobile apps forhealth andwellbeing. They created ofWalking Safari, an app designed toencourage people to walk more.● Jamp Technology is developing aportable electronics device for mu-sical instruments which uses digitaleffects such to modify sound.● Zoetrope is an Internet of Thingsconsulting and prototyping com-pany.

Planning Tech

Alder King keyin overcomingsticky wicket● THE decision to approve newfloodlights for GloucestershireCounty Cricket Club is beinghailed as a win for a firm ofplanning consultants.

Alder King helped the clubsecure unanimous approval fromBristol City Council for permanentfloodlights at the County Groundin face of opposition from someresidents in the Bishopston area.

The firm worked with the club,the England and Wales CricketBoard, lighting specialists and thelocal community to address theobjections raised.

The application processincluded minor changes followingconsultation with the communityin relation to floodlight design andstart times of domestic games.

Alder King’s head of planningSimon Fitton said: “We aredelighted that the club has beensuccessful in its application tosecure floodlights at the BristolCounty Ground.

“Allowing the floodlights to goahead has helped secure thefuture of international cricket inBristol for the foreseeable futureand, critically, ensures that Bristolwill be able to host World CupCricket in 2019.”

Club chief executive Will Brown,pictured, had previously warnedfailure to get the floodlights couldcost the club international fixturesand could ultimately force it toleave Bristol.

Following the decision, he said:“We are delighted that thecommittee has come to thisdecision as it finally allows us torealise our ambitions to continuestaging international cricket inBristol.

“The club will now worktowards installing the lights aheadof the start of the 2016 seasonand looks forward to hosting fourCricket World Cup matches inBristol 2019.”

Finance

Curtis Banks lists on stock exchange

STAR TECH BRISTOL’S BEST

A BRISTOL pensions provider haslisted on the stock exchange, in themost high profile local float since therecession.Curtis Banks, based at Temple

Quay, listed on the AIM index run bythe London Stock Exchange on Fri-day at an initial price of 190p pershare. Yesterday that had risen to206.5p.Managing director Rupert Banks

said: “The initial public offering hasbeen a great success, both in terms ofrecognising the achievements of thebusiness in such a short space of timeand in terms of providing capital for

the next stage of our growth curve.“We have a pretty senior group of

new institutional investors andequally a group of loyal employeeswho now share in the ownership ofthe business.“We feel that it is a Bristol success

story and one that has really only juststarted its journey.”The company has raised £7.5 mil-

lion from the placing of 3.9 millionnewordinary shareswhich itwill useto fundmore acquisitions to grow thebusiness.It has already grown from a stand-

ing start five years ago to become the

third largest dedicated full SIPP pro-vider in the UK.The shares sold represent 25 per

cent of the company ownership.Curtis Banks administers self-in-

vested pension products (SIPPs) atthe higher end of the market, aimedat thosewith pension pots around the£500,000 or above mark.It employs more than 100 people in

its Bristol HQ and the same againspread across offices in Dundee andMarket Harborough.Chairman Chris Banks was given

the honour of opening the stock ex-change on the first day of shares

Assistant Editor (Business)[email protected]

Dr John McCarthy

“Bristol already has afantastic reputation as atest-bed for newtechnologies so we aredelighted to be able toexplore and trial thefeasibility of driverlesscars here.

trading in the company.Rupert added: “The directors

would like to thank all of those who

have made this possible. We have avery talented staff and a supportivegroup of local advisers.”

● Rupert Banks opens the London Stock Exchange

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3Wednesday, May 13, 2015 www.bristolpost.co.uk

ADP joins tenants atwaterside offices● ANOTHER firm has moved intowaterside office developmentTempleback.ADP, a global human capital

management solutions provider, hasbecome the fourth new tenant in thepast six months.The firm plans to expand its

research and development armwithin the building and is taking8,000 sq ft on the first floor of thebuilding on a five-year lease.Phil White, head of property at

ADP, said: “The new facilities willallow us to further grow thebusiness and attract the highestcalibre of staff in the area.”It follows lettings to Mott

MacDonald, Momentum Financialand Colliers CRE at the buildingwhich is asset managed by CubeReal Estate on behalf of its owner,Benson Elliot. The office is beingmarketed by DTZ and Alder King.The office is also home to NFU

Mutual.

Bristolian Sajid madeBusiness Secretary● A BRISTOLIAN has been giventhe business brief in the new ToryCabinet following last week’sGeneral Election.Sajid Javid replaces Vince Cable

as Secretary of State for Businessand although he is the MP forBromsgrove, he is Bristol raised andhis mum still lives in the city.His family lived in Stapleton Road

and Sajid went toDownend Schoolthen FiltonCollege.Sajid,

pictured, isa knownEurosceptic,which mayconcernsome bigbusinesses,but his views oncutting red tape willplease most.Shortly after his appointment he

told the Today programme that hebelieved passionately in freeenterprise.“What we do know is that

sometimes when governmentcreates new rules and regulationsthey make things worse not better,”he said. “We are clearly on the sideof business and as a governmentwe can help make a betterenvironment for business becauseit’s those businesses by and largethat create jobs.”He said his priority would be

supporting job creation.

Property

Government

SHOW TALENT AT FESTIVAL

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Advertising RobertRodgersonCall07584 003229Email [email protected]

Advertising JaneChapman

Call 01179 343025Email jane.chapman

@b-nm.co.uk

Insurance

Upbeat Jelf set to expand after positive resultsINSURANCE firm Jelf hopes tomove to bigger premises inBristol asit continues to grow.The AIM-listed firm has posted an

11 per cent rise in revenues in itsannual results, from £39.3 million to£43.7 million.Group chief executive Alex Alway

told the Post: “We are in a verystrong place.“We are seeing across the board

things in the general economy aregoing well and that is translatinginto better results for us.”He said the firm employed 340

people around Bristol, 115 in White-

ladies Road in Clifton and 225 in itsChipping Sodbury HQ.“We are looking to expand our

business and take up newpremises,”said Alex, pictured.He said the firm would keep its

Chipping Sodbury base but hoped tofind new Bristol premises, addingthat the move didn’t relate to res-idents’ parking, which has been in-troduced in Clifton recently and hasspurred some businesses to moveaway.Alex said the firm’s growth was

down to customer service.“We as a business having been

working hard as we have grown toensure we stay focussed on ourclients’ needs,” he said.“It’s a cliche I know but

it has delivered good res-ults.”While acquisitions

have played a key partin the firm’s growth,Alex points to 4.5 percent organic growth toback up his customer-fo-cussed approach.Profits before tax and other

deductions in the insurance busi-ness rose from £4.4 million to £5.3

million, an 18 per cent lift.While the employee benefitsarm saw earnings rise 27 percent from£1.4 million to£1.7 million.Outside of Bristol thefirm employs another70 people in the SouthWest and more in 37offices across the UK.The business, which

was founded in 1989 byBristolian Chris Jelf, ad-

vises clients on insurance,employee benefits, health insur-ance and financial planning.

● Agilics makes build-your-ownrobot kits developed for educationand was the star of a recent roboticstrade mission to Silicon Valley.● Blispa creates beacon driven ex-periences for museums, events andfestivals.●FuruFuru is amobile-first fashionand social networking app whichallows you to search for clothingfrom your favourite brands or trend-ing styles and connects you withstores and brands based on tastes,location and social circles.● YellowDog releases the spare pro-cessing power from people’s com-puters, giving computer usersmoney for nothing. This is thenoffered to animation studios giving

them their own personal supercom-puter to improve how they renderanimations.● VRgo makes a new kind of motioncontroller for virtual reality, calledVRgo. It is a self righting stool thattilts and turns in 360 degrees. Thismotion is picked up with an em-bedded sensor that sends the datawirelessly to the PC. so lean forwardon the chair and you move forwardin the virtual space.● Sourceabl online advertising plat-form connecting women runningsmall businesses to B2B providers.● TimeTag.tv helps people find con-tent in video by automatically tag-ging the content and providingsearch tools as well as coding, se-

curity and content delivery servicesto allow companies to manage theirvideo channels.One aimof the event is to help such

companies find investors.Tom Fox, manager in KPMG’s

technology team in Bristol, said:“We have an enormously successfuland innovative tech sector in theSouth West but at the moment thesignificant talent present in the re-gion isn’t matched by the availab-ility of financial investment forstart-ups.“VentureFest has a pivotal role to

play in linking our region’s entre-preneurs with potential investors,giving them the opportunity toshowcase what they can do and se-

cure backing.“It also connects our region’s

largest and smallest businesses. Bigcorporates are looking for new waysto keep up with the changing busi-ness environment and creating al-liances with start-ups can help themto do that. By linking with our re-gion’s youngest companies, estab-lished blue chips can access a newentrepreneurial edge and benefitfrom the talent andvision these busi-nesses have.”Business West will be on hand

promoting its support services.Managing director Phil Smith

said: “In conjunction with InnovateUK, we’ve organised a jam-packedbusiness support programme whichwill provide an overview of the fant-astic cross-sector support availableto companies in the region.“From a range of 20-minute

drop-in sessions onbusiness supportto Landscape Talks focusing on fourkey sectors, we hope these will act asa useful resource for companiesbased here in Bristol and Bath aswell as those looking to start ormovetheir operation to the region.”The return of the event has in part

come about due to Bristol 2015, theorganisation behind the EuropeanGreen Capital programme of events,with a green tech tinge this time.Andrew Garrard, chairman of

Bristol 2015, said: “As a world centrefor innovationwe’re really excited tohave the opportunity to bring to-gether Bristol and Bath’s leadingbusinesses, entrepreneurs andthought leaders and showcase theircutting-edge thinking and approachto investors from across the region,country and from around the world.“In Bristol’s year as European

Green Capital, VentureFest will alsoshowcase the best green technologyinnovations from Europe and high-light the environmental contribu-tion made by the West of England.”Matthew Cross, head of inward

investment at Invest Bristol & Bath,summed up: “VentureFest will bringtogether industries ranging fromhigh-tech to creative and digitalmedia, robotics and aerospace,working collaboratively to drive in-novation. This is why many majorglobal players are increasingly set-ting up operations in the Bristol andBath region.”

● VentureFest takes place at theEngine Shed and Passenger Shedin Bristol on Tuesday, June 9

● Venturer, the collaborative project to test driverless cars in Bristol, willbe at the ventureFest; below, a previous event at the Engine Shed

● Visitors will beable to experience

virtual reality atVentureFest

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FOUR former directors ofmagazine publishing businessFuture have set up their ownbusiness together. JayneCaple, Rob Abbott, Steve Hul-

bert and Sean Atkins have launched a‘boutique’ content marketing agencyin Bristol.

Vivid aims to offer clients bespokemarketing strategies and sees itssmall size as an advantage, meaningit can be quick on its feet and com-bine that with the experience of itsteam.

“We no longer believe in the tra-ditional agency model,” said man-aging director Jayne. “Big agenciesare big bureaucracies, rigid in theface of an ever-evolving media land-scape

“We believe traditional time-tested

methods can get in the way of moderncustomer engagement, so we decidedto find a better way.”

Through custom magazines, mo-bile marketing, video production,tablet and online publications, web-sites and email, Vivid aims to takesbrand ideas from the strategy andconcept stage to launch and thenevaluation quickly and effectively.

And its approach to looks to bepaying off, with Vivid already win-ning four clients – most recentlyprovide content and the design con-tract for London based home im-provement experts Opun.co.uk.

Commercial director Steve said:“Our boutique content marketing ap-proach brought a level of passion andhelped us establish a real connectionwith the Opun.co.uk senior team.

“The genuinely bespoke thinkingthat was applied to Opun’s marketingbrief demonstrated just how indi-vidual each client need is. Welistened – really listened – and for-mulated a unique strategy which the

board clearly appreciated.”The team have decades of exper-

ience between them, and workingtogether in their previous roles havedelivered content solutions for aroster of international blue chipbrands including Sony, Tesco, O2,Virgin, Fender Guitars and Auto-trader, as well as membership or-ganisations including the PFA,Musicians’ Union, and GMB union.

Career achievements include pro-ducing branded content that has beenrecognised at the International Con-tent Marketing and DMA awards, aswell as the Digital Impact Awards.

Content director Sean said: “We’reincredibly excited to be able to offerclients the kind of personal serviceand world class content expertisetheir brands deserve.

“Applying agile thinking tostrategy, creation, delivery and res-ults is the difference between goodand brilliant content. Vivid are goingback to the roots of brilliant contentmarketing.”

Tailor-made Team find abetter marketing method

Rolls-Royce to cutanother 1,300 jobs● ENGINE maker Rolls-Royce hasalready cut 1,300 jobs and willpress on with its plan to doublethat figure despite an improvingorder book.Many of those cuts are

understood to have come inBristol, where the firm employs3,500 people at its Patchwayplant, and Derby.The firm has kept tight-lipped

about where cuts would be madesince its initial announcement lastNovember.At the time trade unions warned

it was in danger ofjeopardisingthe skillsbase in acoresector.However

the firmrespondedwith thelaunch of anadvancedmanufacturingfacility in Bristol whichwill be at the forefront ofdeveloping carbon fibrecomposite fan blades.While the 120 jobs created are

dwarfed by the cuts, it showedthe firm is serious about its futurein the city.However in the short term it

continues to be in for a bumpyride. Despite announcing itsbiggest ever order - 50 Trent 900engines to power Emirates’ AirbusA380 super jumbos - currencyfluctuations look set to cost themanufacturer.Its interim management

statement said that comparedwith 2014, average rates forsterling have weakened againstthe US dollar but strengthenedagainst the euro and theNorwegian kroner. If rates stayaround this level it will wipe £350million off its projected earnings.The statement confirmed the

company is pushing ahead withits cuts in the aerospace divisionand warned it was also “drivingfurther cost reductionprogrammes” in its land and seadivision too, which suppliesengines for naval vessels.Trade union Unite recently

warned of industrial action if thefirm refused to rule outcompulsory redundancies.A new chief executive, Warren

East, takes over the company inJuly following the departure ofretiring John Rishton.

Aerospace

Hotel ranked amongbest venues to work● THE Aztec Hotel and Spa atAztec West Business Park hasbeen voted in the top 10 of bestplaces to work in hospitality 2015.The 128-bed four star hotel, part

of the Shire Group, employs 180staff, many of whom have 20years’ service.It was given the accolade by

The Caterer industry publicationwhich praised its engaged, happyand productive workforce.General manager Chris Hill said:

“This is a great award for the hotelto receive. We have a very stableand experienced team at theAztec Hotel and Spa and thisaward is a great testament to ourhotel principles, quality, integrityand care.”

TWO friends with more than 30 years’experience as accountants betweenthem have taken the big step oflaunching their own firm.

Danny Stevens, 30, and Alyson Dav-ies, 39, pictured, have opened PureProfessionals in Alma Road, Clifton.

The pair, who have worked for vari-ous firms in the city, left their pre-vious jobs to set up their ownpractice.

Danny says the firm has a clearvision.

“From previous experience, we feltbusinesses weren’t getting the sup-port and service they always de-

served from some of the largeraccountancy firms, so we havelaunched to try to plug this gap,” hesaid.

“Pure Professionals is committedto adding value, rather than treatingbusinesses as cash cows.

“For us, the days of billing by thehour and the accountant being a ne-cessary evil are over.

“Accountants that don’t adapt toadvances in technology and the fu-ture economy will get punished,which is why we are determined to bepart of shaping the future of pro-fessional services.”

Service the top priorityas pair ‘plug the gap’

The firm has landed several clientsalready. And Alyson says it has am-bitious plans going forward.

“We want to open new offices, cre-ate new jobs and work alongside busi-nesses to help them grow,” she said.

“Everybody says they’re different,but we really believe we are and feelour young and disruptive approachwill be good for business owners inthis fantastic and thriving city.”

The firm offers a wide range ofaccountancy services, including sup-port services, compliance servicesand taxation.

The pair have defined themselvesas general accountancy practitionersand aim to work across a wide rangeof sectors.

The company will encouragepeople to use online accounting pack-ages, but can guide clients throughthe process of converting to an onlinesystem to give them a more stream-lined approach to accountancy.

Marketing

Hospitality

Finance


● From left, SteveHulbert, Sean Atkins,Jayne Caple andRob Abbott

● TRAINING firm Learndirect hastaken three office floors atMonarch House meaning theproperty in Bristol’s QueenCharlotte Street is now full.The 1960s office building close

to Queen Square and the FloatingHarbour, has been refurbished toincorporate air conditioning.Learndirect has acquired the

floors, totalling 8,530 sq ft, on a10-year lease at £12 per sq ft.Richard Pearce landlords TCN

UK said: “Across our assets inBristol we have seen improvedoccupier sentiment. This lettingfurther confirms the demand forgood quality space”.Natalie Bennett of letting agents

Hartnell Taylor Cook LLP, said:“Monarch House provides goodquality second hand officeaccommodation but over the pastfive years this sort of space hasproved very difficult to let due tothe quantity of similar spaceavailable in the market.“However, following the easing

of planning regulations in the pastcouple of years, a number of highprofile office buildings in the citycentre have been removed fromthe market and are beingconverted to residential uses and,when combined with thestrengthening economy, themarket for similar office suites isnow much tighter and weanticipate vacancy rates to falldramatically with pressureincreasing on rents to rise.”

Learndirect takes onthree office floors

Property

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Boom time Asbestos-check firmbuys its base as order book grows

BUSINESS is booming for acompany founded by a hus-band and wife that assessesbuildings for asbestos. PJLLaboratories, based inWhit-

church, Bristol, offers asbestos ana-lytical services to customersincluding private individuals, busi-nesses, other asbestos handling com-panies, building contractors,self-employed construction workersand anyone who is buying a buildingthat would need an asbestos report.Since May 2004, every non-domest-

ic property has been required by lawto hold an active asbestos manage-ment plan.The firm has now bought its

premises and invested £150,000 in thebusiness with help from Barclays,to meet the demands of its currentorder book and future growthstrategy.Established in 2005 by husband and

wife team, Phillip and Eileen Love,PJL Laboratories has since built up aUK-wide customer base and has ex-perienced an increase in turnovereach year, despite the recent chal-lenging economic climate.The move secures the company’s

existing 3,500 sq ft laboratory andoffice space, located at HawkfieldBusiness Park,Whitchurch, and is animportant step in future-proofing thebusiness.Philip said: “This is a great op-

portunity andwith the support of ourbank and a sound business plan thepurchase has resulted in a significantrental reduction, allowing us to con-tinue to invest in the business nowand in the foreseeable future.“This is good news for the business

and for our staff, many of whom havebeen with us for several years.”The premises cover two floors, of-

fering additional space for future ex-pansion aswell as free parking for thefirm’s 15 employees.Sally Tullett, Barclays business

banking manager, Bristol, said:“Successes like PJL Laboratories arewhy it is so important to continuesupporting start-up businesses as, intime, they can grow and play an

POLITICAL problems in Iraq hitsales atBristol firm Imperial Tobaccoin the first six months of its tradingyear.A statement from the cigarette-

maker, which has headquarters inWinterstoke Road, said underlyingtobacco volumes were down five percent, “held back by Iraq, where thedeteriorating political and securitysituation has significantly impactedindustry volumes”.Excluding Iraq, underlying

volumes were down three per cent.Despite the drop in volumes, net

revenues were flat at £2.9 billion.Profits from the sixmonths were £959million, down two per cent from £978million in the same period the pre-

vious year. The firm has benefitedfrom improving its stock control,withfewer cigarettes sitting idle with dis-tributors.To keep shareholders happy, it in-

creased the interim dividend by 10per cent to 42.8 pence per share.Chief executive Alison Cooper said

the firmwas delivering in its targetedgrowth brands and markets, whichinclude Italy, Greece, Scandinavia,Saudi Arabia, Japan, Taiwan andKazakhstan, although politics againmeant Russia proved more of a chal-lenge.“This has been a good start to the

year,” she said. “The progress we'remaking with our strategic agenda isimproving the consistency and qual-

ity of our performance, with ourgrowth brands delivering 12 per centunderlying volume growth and fur-ther gains from our specialistbrands.“We continued to build momentum

in our growth markets and generatedpositive results from returns mar-kets.“Cash conversion was up, our debt

reduced significantly and we de-livered another dividend increase of10 per cent.“We are building on these suc-

cesses in the second half and lookforward to completing the US dealand realising the benefits of our en-hanced brand equity and scale in thisimportant market.”

Imperial’s sales hit by Iraq troubles

HSBC’s triples fundon offer to SMEs● HSBC has created a £150million fund to support small andmedium sized businesses inBristol and Bath.

The fund is treble last year’s potof £50 million, showing thegeneral uplift in confidence.

The bank is also waiving orrefunding arrangement andsecurity fees on business loans ofbetween £1,000 and £300,000until the end of July.

James Elwes, area director ofbusiness banking in Bristol andBath, said: “SMEs in Bristol andBath are ambitious and we areopen for business and ready tohelp them invest to grow.

“Too often I hear customers saythey weren’t aware just howclosely HSBC works with SMEsand start-ups in Bristol and Bath.We want to change thatperception and reaffirm ourcommitment to businesses of allsizes.”

Ian Stuart, head of HSBC’s UKCommercial Bank, added: “We’rehugely proud of our uniqueinternational network, but it’s vitalthat businesses across thecountry, from start-ups and soletraders upwards, know that HSBCis there to support them.”

integral role in contributing to aprosperous economy.“By really understanding the busi-

ness, we have been able to supportPJL Laboratories financially andprofessionally since it was founded adecade ago. No matter where a busi-ness is on its journey our wide rangeof support is designed to help.”PJL is accredited by UKAS, the

body recognised by the HSE and theGovernment to assess using inter-nationally recognised standards.Due to the nature of the work, thefirm is checked by the HSE everyyear.

Remote working onincrease, finds study● MORE people are using remoteworking tools in their job, a newsurvey has found.

In Bristol 78 per cent of thosequestioned have used at least onetool enabling remote working inthe previous month, according to asurvey of over 4,000 seniorbusiness people across the UK byworkplace provider Regus.

The research found thetraditional problem of accessingfiles is being solved by securedocument sharing services.

Dropbox is the most commonlyused online file-sharing service,used by 58 per cent, followed byGoogle Drive (39 per cent) andGoogle Hangouts (17 per cent).

Another challenge remoteworkers face is being overlookedwhen they are not in the office.

However, Instant Messagingtools and VoIP are helping remoteemployees show they areavailable, connected andimmediately responsive.

Banking

Tobacco

Survey

Analytical services


● Lab analystAlice Smithtestingsamples atPJL; left,Eileen Love ofPJLLaboratories,outside theirBarclays-funded newlaboratory andoffice atHawkfieldBusiness Park,Whitchurch.

Looking ahead, Imperial share-holders recently approved the acquis-ition of a number of assets in theUSA from Reynolds American, in-cluding the Blu e-cigarette brand,which were being sold as part of a

merger between Lorillard and Reyn-olds.It will increase Imperial’s market

share fromaround three to 10 per centin theUS and the firmhopes to secureregulatory approval this year.

● ImperialTobaccochiefexecutiveAlisonCoopersays thecompanyhas had anumber ofsuccessesin the firsthalf of theyear

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The Big Interview

IT’S the noise that tells JeremyGumbley where he is in themorning. The chief technologyofficer at Creditcall splits histime between homes in Bristol

and New York.“New York has that permanent

background noise,” says Jeremy.“Whenever I come back here afterbeing inNewYork I can’t sleep for thefirst few nights, not because of jet lagbut because there’s no backgroundnoise.“I live in Southville and lying there

you’re thinking there’s somethingmissing. The only thing is the oc-casional ambulance on CoronationRoad and the wood pigeons.“Then after I go back to New York I

can’t sleep because there’s this con-stant din and background noise.”Despite the noise, or lack of,

Jeremy loves travel. Everything fromthe mechanics – “you see an A380taking off and the size of it it’s a

marvel it can even fly” – to the lan-guage – he’s a fluent Italian speaker.One of his biggest disappointments

is the direct flights between his twohomes were scrapped.“It’s a real pity Continental decided

to stop its direct flight to New York,”he says. “It was so convenient forbusinesses here in Bristol. That prob-ably brought a lot of economic benefittot he region. But we are where weare. When I first moved to Bristol youcould fly to Ibiza and Aberdeen, nowyou can get anywhere in the world.”His love of travel might partly ex-

plain why Creditcall exports to 27countries. Last year it received theQueen’s Award for InternationalTrade.But it’s the company’s crystal ball

gazing that explains why it’s been sosuccessful executing it.“If there is one thing Creditcall has

been very good it it’s figuring outwhat’s going to happen in the future,”says Jeremy.“We looked the United States and

thought the next logical stepwould befor it make the jump to smart card,chip card technology.“With the precedent being set in the

UK in 2005, we thought the US wouldmigrate at some point.“Part of it is about seeing the mov-

MAKING THE WORLD GO ROUND A LITTLEThe way we pay keepsgetting easier GavinThompson meetsJeremy Gumbley, chieftechnology officer at theBristol firm which ismaking that a reality

says Jeremy. “It is growing very rap-idly now and that will be furtherenhanced by the ability to use yourphone in lieu of a card. Creditcall is atthe epicentre of what goes on in thatspace because it is the next logical

Name: Jeremy GumbleyAge: 44Title: Chief technology officer atCreditcallBorn: BirminghamEducation: I went to school andgot to 16 and thougt what I’mgoing to do is go into the wideworld and start work.First job: McDonald’s flippingburgers. It taught me an awfullot about hard work andresponsibility.

Vital statistics

place for payments to evolve.”Jeremy explains how the firm got

involve in this area.“When you take a phone apart and

look at the component parts and youtake a payment device apart and lookat the component parts, they are verysimilar,” he says.“So we got thinking – and I re-

member the brain-storming sessionvery clearly – when and how is thisplatform going to evolve into a pay-ment platform?“We brought out a product back in

2010 and we continue to be ahead ofthe game and are one of the worldleaders because we had the appetitefor some risk.“Contactless will be the dominant

way of paying for things, whether byphone or card or other form factorssuch as wearable technology. That’s

across from Wapping Wharf (and yesif you park there it is Creditcall tech-nology in use).“It was a risk,” admits Jeremy.

“Every business will face that de-cision whether to keep trying to growat home or look elsewhere.“We took a cautious approach and

didn’t open lots of office and employlots of people but it has paid of hugelyfor us.“The US opened the door to Canada

and Australia because once you canfigure out how to make it work in theUS you can do it elsewhere. Now wenever assumeworking in a new coun-try will be easy but we are notfrightened either.”Having seen themove to smart card

technology coming, what’s next?“Contactless has been a really slow

burner but is going to be really big,”

ing parts and another is creating thefuture. I think it was Steve Jobs whosaid that people don’t necessarilyknowyetwhat theywant to buy. Someof our products fit that too.“We have been an incredible in-

novator in the payment space. What’samazing is we are a comparativelysmall company based in Bristol.“When you pay something, enter

your pin or insert your card there’s afair chance that the technology thatyou can’t see powering that is Cred-itcall. The chances are if you’ve paidfor car parking in theUKorUSyou’veused Creditcall.“We facilitate in the background. In

the early days if you stayed in a hotelwith a phonewith a card swipe on thesite, that was ours.”The US was the first export market

for the firm, based in theHarbourside

Jeremy Gumbley, Creditcall

“Contactless has beena really slow burner butis going to be really big...It is growing very rapidlyand that will be furtherenhanced by the abilityto use your phone

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LITTLE BIT FASTERMy working day

Working day: My day willconsist of checking withthose teams, creating newthings looking at how wejoin the dots andcommercialise products.I’m an early starter and alate finisher. I like coming inbefore it gets busy but I’mreally interested when I seepeople working late thatthey are invested in whatthey are doing. Sosometimes I think I’ll leaveat 6pm, then I see a bunchof people working onsomething exciting andthink ‘maybe I’ll spendsome time with them’ andthen it will be 8pm.

BRISTOL proved itself to be one of easyJet’sbest performing airports as the firm releasedbumper half-year results.Senior executives at the carrier took the

chance to reaffirm their commitment to Bristolwhile also commenting on the debate overdevolution of air passenger duty.The tax is being devolved to Scotland and

Bristol Airport bosses fear if the same happensin Wales it will give Cardiff Airport an unfairadvantage by allowing it to cut prices for fly-ers.However easyJet’s UK director Sophie Dek-

kers said she hoped such talk would result inlower tariffs across the board.“You can’t cut tax in Cardiff and not

do the same over the Severn Bridgein Bristol,” she told the Post.The company reported a profit

of £7 million, boosted by the loweroil price as well as a rise in pas-senger numbers.Across the UK, the number of

passengers rose 3.6 per cent butBristol far exceeded that with eightper cent growth year-on-year.“Bristol is performing really well for

us,” said Sophie. “We have added an extraaircraft this year, taking the number based inBristol to 12.“We are launching seven new routes from

Bristol this year which is unusual for anyairport to have so many.”Two of those routes are being launched

today.The airline, which carried 3.6 million pas-

sengers in and out of Bristol, has transformedits image in recent years and is attractingmany

more business travellers.Commercial director Ali Gayward said the

companywould continue to aim for that marketby improving its service, for example adding asecond bag for easyJet+ card holders.She said the next phase would be to roll out

digital improvements to airports includingBristol.“We are making digital enhancements,” said

Ali. “Wehave just launchedourMobileHost appat Edinburgh and Gatwick airports wherethrough push notifications we can take youthrough the airport.”It means instead of being glued to screens,

alerts about gate numbers, boardingtimes and distance to the gate will besent direct to passengers’ phones.Ali said the firm was workingwith airports including Bristol toroll it out.Meanwhile, the airline has been

working with Airbus to re-modelits A320 planes to add an extra sixseats for future deliveries, takingcapacity to 186.Ali said: “We could have made it an

extra eight seats but we wanted to keep theseats the same size for optimum comfort.”Staff at Airbus, which employs 4,000 people in

Filton, Bristol, redesigned the cabin to find thispreviously un-used space for the additionalseats.Total revenue for the six months to March

rose from £1.7 billion to £1.77 billion, withprofits up to £7 million from a £53 million lossover the same period in 2014. However it expectsthe second half figures to be affected by Frenchair strikes last month.

Bristol Airport flying high foreasyJet as airline profits soar

just an evolution of the mobile pay-ment space.”Creditcall employs 72 people at its

Bristol office but hopes to hire 20 to 30more this year as it expands. Eventhen, it is still small in global terms,something Jeremy believes has avalue.“We are small and fleet of foot and

have a lot of smart people,” he says.“When you have that combination weare difficult to out manoeuvre.”People are the key to success as far

as Jeremy’s concerned. He is full ofpraise for the talent pool in the Bris-tol area and the two universities,Bristol andUWE,which help producethem.But once they get to Creditcall, he

thinks the work keeps them motiv-ated.“People know they are working to-

My downtimeDowntime: My work andhome life are intertwined.I’m very interested inlanguages and othercultures, I speak Italian andlived there for some time. Ienjoy horse riding and lovetravel. I love planes andairports.

Aviation

wards a tangible goal,” he says. “Youare doing something people willuse.”Sometimes in business there is

chasm between the people who makethe products and those who want tomake profit from them. Not so atCreditcall.“I always had a flair for technology

and commercialising technology,”says Jeremy, who was an early pi-oneer in the anti virus industry.“We are a cutting edge technology

company but we always keep an eyeon making money because we areproviding people with jobs. I like tosay to people who join that you canhave a job for a long as you want it.“Technology for technology’s sake

is fantastic, you can spend your ca-reer in research doing that. But forme the ultimate validation of yourthoughts and hard work is whethersomebody was prepared to exchangemoney with you for it.“I want to see my technology being

used in the furthest corners of theworld.“I go to San Francisco and I can see

so many instances of Creditcall’stechnology there. How cool is that?Eight thousand miles from here andyou can see our logo on parkingmeters in Silicon Valley. For me, thatis the ultimate accolade.”

● ChieftechnologyofficerJeremyGumbleyfromCreditcallPhotographer:BarbaraEvripidou

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IT’S a mighty impressive short-list that shows the strength ofBristol’s business community...Here we reveal the finalists forthe 2015 Bristol Post Business

Awards in association with UWEBristol.

The number of entries was well upthis year, perhaps reflecting growingconfidence among business ownersand managers.

But the quality of field has beenstaggering and making this shortlistis no mean feat.

There are some very successfulfirms that didn’t make it this far,which is testament to the quality andtalent among businesses in Bristol.

It was certainly a tough task for thejudges, who had a very thick judgingpack to get through and we’re grate-ful to the time and effort they all putin to drawing up this list.

The winners will be announced atthe gala dinner held once again atThe Passenger Shed, Brunel’s OldStation, in Temple Meads on June25.

With the calibre of finalists, it willbe a cracking night, although theevening is not just about them - it’shighlight of the Bristol business cal-endar and tickets are on sale now forany business that wants to be there.

But enough with the preamble -here are your finalists...

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUROF THE YEAR

Sponsored by Renishaw

● Craig Stevens, Workout BristolLtd/ Superhuman Events Ltd, NorthStreet

● Amy McCormack, ETMRecycling, Ashton Vale

● Emma Sherry, Chorus Solutions,Portishead

● Edward Hodges, Joining ForcesTraining, Easton

RETAILER OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by Broadmead BID

● Angelberry, Southmead

● Nailsea Electrical, GloucesterRoad, Bishopston

CUSTOMER SERVICEAWARD

Sponsored by Destination Bristol

● DoubleTree by Hilton, CadburyHouse, Congresbury

● CR Windows, Kingswood

● DoubleTree by Hilton, Bristol CityCentre

FAMILY BUSINESS OFTHE YEAR

Sponsored by BOM Group

● John Sheppard Butchers, AshleyTrading Estate

● Jeff Way Electrical Services,Knowle

● Yate Supplies, Yate

| ’

Bristol Post Business Awards

FINALISTS WHO WILL BY VYING FOR

LARGE BUSINESS OFTHE YEAR

Sponsored by Smith &Williamson

● Hargreaves Lansdown,Harbourside: Perhaps Bristol’sbest know success story ofrecent years, the firm wasstarted by Peter Hargreavesand Steve Lansdown and grewto become a FTSE 100 listedcompany employing more than900 people. In recent years thefounders have stepped backbut the firm continues to thrivewith profits reaching £209million in the year to June2014.

● Computershare, SouthBristol: This financial servicesfirm employs 1,400 people atits UK headquarters, providingservices such as shareregistry, childcare vouchersand tenant deposit protectionschemes. It has invested £130million growing throughacquiring businesses and hasrevenues of more than £200million. It has launched severalnew services recently as wellas improving its headquarters,which is now a listed building.

● People Source Consulting,Bath Street, city centre: Arecruitment business foundedby Jason Baker which set outto not just succeed for itsclients but also be the bestplace to work in Bristol. Itstarted with a £5,000 Prince’sTrust grant and 13 years on isheading for a turnover of £28million. The firm recentlymoved into new offices, withroom to grown... and for a fewarcade games and snookertable.

INNOVATOR OF THEYEAR

Sponsored by Aon

● Fhoss Technology,Weston-super-Mare

● Mubaloo, Clifton

● Ovo Energy, Temple Quay

EXPORT AWARD

Sponsored by Mazars

● British Corner Shop, Iron Acton

● Boomeco, Avonmouth

● Vistair Systems, Almondsbury

MARKETING CAMPAIGN

OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by Jeff Way ElectricalServices

● MixRadio, Wine Street, city centre

● Broadmead BID, Broadmead

● CR Windows, Kingswood

BEST CREATIVE ORTECHNOLOGICALBUSINESS AWARD

Sponsored by Next GenerationData (NGD)

● Mubaloo, Clifton

● Vistair, Almondsbury

● Creditcall, Harbourside

LEISURE AND TOURISMBUSINESS OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by QBE

● Smoke & Mirrors, Denmark Street

● Rainbow Cafe, Clifton

● Everyone Active, various Bristolleisure centres

START UP BUSINESS OFTHE YEAR

Sponsored by Jordans

● Steak of the Art, Harbourside

● Cubik Innovation, Bristol andBath Science Park, Emersons Green

● ForrestBrown, Clifton

ENVIRONMENTALBUSINESS AWARD

Sponsored by Nuffield Health

● ETM Recycling, Ashton Vale

● Computershare, South Bristol

● Ashfords law firm, city centre

● Solarsense, Backwell

CONTRIBUTION TO THECOMMUNITY

● Energise - Everyone Active,Easton

Sponsored by First Great Western

● MD Building Services, Bedminster

● Ashfords law firm

Lifetime achievement awardsponsored by UWE Bristol, will beannounced on the night

● Peter Hargreaves whose firm’s profits hit £209m in the year to June 2014

● Julian Foster, a boss at financial services firm Computershare

● PeopleSource MD Tim Allen and chairman Jason Baker


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TODAY the Bristol Post and its sister titlesacross the region are launching a newbusiness website.South West Business will be the place for

breaking and in-depth business coverage inthe Bristol area.But as well as local business news chan-

nels, it will focus on key sectors such asaerospace and professional services, mean-ing readers can keep on top of their in-dustry locally and across the region.The site is powered by the business teams

from Local World’s newspapers and web-sites in the region, including the BristolPost, Bath Chronicle, Gloucestershire Echoand Gloucester Citizen.South West Business has been running

for several years but the new site - whichwill be found at the same addresswww.southwestbusiness.co.uk from this af-ternoon – is a more modern platform, builtto be just as good on mobile, tablet ordesktop.As well as news and analysis available to

all, the site has a range of new features formembers including:● A self-serve business calendar where youcan upload your own events or see what’sgoing on;●A Your News channel where you can postarticles to share your success stories;●Aproperty searchwhereyou can findnewcommercial premises and post propertiesfor sale or rent;● A directory of members to help you buildcontacts;● And a SME SOS channel where businessowners can find advice articles and amonthly podcast helping youhandle thornyissues.● Access to a daily 7am Business Bite

briefing.Bristol Post assistant ed-

itor (business) GavinThompson said: “We be-lieve this is somethingbusiness owners, man-agers, professionalsand entrepreneurshave been cryingout for.“Through

South West-Business wewill deliv-er the bestbusinessnews ser-vice in theregion if notthe country.“But we know

businesses want more than just news sowe’ve introduced a two-tier membershipstructure to help them stay ahead of com-petition and give their business superpowers.”The Smarter Web Company, a small busi-

ness based at Aztec West in Bristol, hasdesigned the new site.Managing director Andrew Webley said:

“We were thrilled when South West Busi-ness asked us to revamp thewebsite that wecreated several years ago.“It’s great for us to see a large website

with content from a number of differentparties being managed through our sys-tem.”The new-look Southwestbusiness.co.uk

will be officially launched at UWE Bristolon May 21. Email [email protected] if you would like to attend.

THE TOP PRIZES ON OUR BIG NIGHT

Newwebsite brings youlatest business news

South West Business

In association with

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by Lloyds BankCommercial Banking

● Angelberry, Southmead: A frozenyoghurt franchise business startedby friends James Taylor and RyanPasco at the Imperial Retail Park...in winter. It has grown to haveoutlets not just in Bristol but theMiddle East and South Africaamong others and has signed dealsfor major expansion in these exportmarkets.

● ETM Recycling, Ashton Vale: Afamily-run business offering wastemanagement, recycling and skiphire. It recycles 90 per cent of allthe waste at its recently reopenedcentre. The firm was founded in2010 and has become a key playerin the market in Bristol and Bath,with a particular SME focus.

● Sovereign Fire and Security,Avonmouth: A security consultantand alarm installer which grew froma home-based business to owning

its own purpose-built premises.Another family-run firm, it wasfounded in 1991 and now has aturnover over £3.5 million

● Chorus, Portishead: Thebusiness has grown from atwo-man consultancy to a team of50 specialising in IT support, cloudcomputing, web development andother creative services. The firmpartners with industry leaders suchas Microsoft and the team is stillgrowing with expansion on thehorizon and hopes to grow turnoverclose to £4 million this year.

● TR Scaffolding, Brislington: Asmall engineering business whichhas found success providing aniche service for specialistscaffolding since being taken overby new owners in 2012. Working onhigher risk projects has rewardedthe firm with higher marginsallowing it to reinvest in itsworkforce. It now plans to expandto other parts of the country.

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In pictures Bristol to Paris charity bike ride

Magnifique Cyclists reach Paris onbig ride to raise cash for hospitals

Business diary

Email your business events [email protected] are sometimescancelled without us beingnotified so please check withorganisers before travelling.

Business Showcase SouthWest: Inspirational speakers,exhibition stands and networkingopportunities. Free event atColston Hall tomorrow andFriday. www.showcase2015.com.

Networking with Bordeauxtrade delegation: Bristol JuniorChamber and the City Councilhost a 40-person delegationfrom Bordeaux from May 16 to19. This networking event isopen to all but ideal for thosewith an interest in environmentaltechnology, web development,digital media, online gaming andAV production. Monday May 18,6-7pm, at Hamilton House, 80Stokes Croft, BS1 3QY. EmailBJC president Ben St Quintin [email protected] toconfirm your attendance.

Hinkley Clinic: North Somersetbusinesses interested inopportunities around the HinkleyPoint C power plant can sign upfor clinics at The Hive on May 19and 26. Contact sambodman@hinkleysupply chain.co.uk.

Bristol and BathApprenticeship Awards: Anevening to celebrating the bestapprentices in the region,organised by the Bristol Postand Bath Chronicle inassociation with SouthGloucestershire and StroudCollege. May 20 at Bristol CityCentre Marriott. Tickets atwww.bristolpost.co.uk/apprenticeship.

South West Business Launch:Hear about the excitingre-launch of our business newsand information platform,SouthWestBusiness.co.uk. Takesplace at UWE Frenchay Campusfrom 6pm on Thursday, May 21.Email [email protected] to register.

Business Pulse: Showcase ofthe BDO Bristol Post BusinessPulse survey results, plus thechance to ask the mayor aboutissues raised from the surveys atBDO LLP’s Bristol office on,Wednesday, May 27, at12.30pm. Sign up and submit aquestion at www.surveymonkey.com/s/XHFFP9H.

Venturefest: Showcase forinnovation comes to the EngineShed and Passenger Shed atTemple Meads. June 9. More atventurefestbristolandbath.com

Charity mergers seminar:Experts talk about legal issuesaround charity mergers,including Sue Davie, fromMeningitis. 10am-1pm, June 18,at Foot Anstey, 100 VictoriaStreet, Bristol. Call 0800 4080050 or email [email protected] to book.

Investing in the Future: EdenProject co-founder Sir Tim Smitis keynote speaker at thisRathbone GreenbankInvestments event, which alsofeatures short talks from localfigures involved in creating amore sustainable future. Part ofBig Green Week. Venue isAt-Bristol, June 18. Book atwww.biggreenweek.com.

TIRED but elated, a group ofBristol’s business leadersand professionals pedalledtheir way to Paris to help acharity appeal reach a major

milestone for one of the city’s hos-pitals.Around 70 cyclists, including rep-

resentatives from AWW, Specsavers,Weaver Demolition Services, CliftonEstate Agents, Ardent Communica-tions and Bristol Media, made theirown Grand Depart from the CliftonSuspension Bridge and made the ar-duous cycle to another landmark –the Eiffel Tower.Lorna Clark, head of corporate

partnerships at the Above and Bey-ond charity, which supports the Uni-versity Hospitals Trust, said:“There’s been such a sense of ex-citement in terms of everybody get-ting on the road and taking on thishuge 270-mile challenge for our hos-pitals.“I’m delighted that so many local

companies took part. Businesses ofall sizes – from small, independentowner-operated to much larger com-panies – have come on board. Thecommitment to fundraising andtraining for this event by our cyclistshas been remarkable.“The challenge team’s arrival into

Paris was a really special day forBristol and for the charity, given ourGolden Gift Appeal is now at the £5million mark, and our cyclists areleading the countdown to raise thatfinal £1 million – helping to trans-form our city’s hospitals for patientsin our city and region for generationsto come.”The appeal aims to raise £6 million

to better equip the trust’s hospitals,which include BRI, the Children’sHospital and St Michael’s.

A GROUP of women who want tomake Bristol a better place havelaunched the Bristol Chapter of Urb-anistas UK.The venture has a collaborative

spirit so there are fittingly threeco-founders of the new chapter: HelenFarmer of VoiceByVolume Market-ing, Shankari Raj Edgar of NudgeGroup and Lily Bernheimer of SpaceWorks Consulting.They want to use their experience

and passion to help people start newprojects or to amplify good stuff going

on already.Helen describes herself as a cata-

lyst and connector, setting up orgrowing partnerships and com-munities locally and internationally,working for women, business andsocial impact.Shankari is a cutting edge architect

and designer working with com-munities to reinvigorate or createpeople-centred design of places,spaces and buildings such as the Cre-ative Common and the Engine Shedre-design.

● Walid Kuyami and Noel Hirons of Renishaw celebrate with community fundraisers and sisters Sophie and GeorginaMoule; Sue Atkinson of Ardent Communications punches the air on the charity team’s triumphant entrance to Parisafter their epic challenge for our hospitals; below left, Andrea George and Charlotte Meads of Nuffield Health

Women-led group seeks to bringnew passion to business projects

In pictures Launch of Bristol Chapter of Urbanistas UK

Lily is a London Urbanista whorecently moved to Bristol, bringing abig picture research perspective tohelp understand and act on humanfactors in the cities we live in.The ethos of the women-led group

is to be creative, disruptive and col-laborative. It aims to provide a sup-portive environment where womencan bring ideas and challenges andget support to help them to act.

Helen said: “Some people may beput off by ‘women-led’ but not every-one, some people can see that thiskind of group can provide a dedicatedspace for women to bring their idea,project or challenge and get helpwithany obstacles to help them ‘do’ it.”The group has a long list of po-

tential areas to tackle from looking athow Bristol can be more joined up toachieving greater business diversity.

● Lily Bernheimer of Space WorksConsulting● Liane Hartley

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In pictures ICAEW’s West of England annual dinner

We need to involve schools in our profession, says presidentTHE president of the ICAEW, whichrepresents chartered accountants,has urged the profession in the SouthWest to work with schools and com-munities to plug a major skills gap inthe sector and support future eco-nomic growth.

Speaking at the ICAEW’s West ofEngland annual dinner in Bristol,Arthur Bailey said: “We are cam-paigning for work experience to bemandatory in schools and encour-aging our members to provide workplace experience for disadvantagedyoung people.

He added: “Exposure to workinglife can make all the difference toyoung people.

“It’s not just our profession thatbenefits but the 1.5 million busi-nesses we advise.”

Arthur highlighted the success of anumber of initiatives that the ICAEWwas already involved in, includingthe BASE competition for schoolswhich runs across the region and isdesigned to help pupils understandthe importance of business strategyand teamwork, as well as Access Ac-countancy, a scheme which is open-ing up the profession to those fromless privileged backgrounds.

He also reported that 135 account-ancy companies in the region hadsigned up for its business advisoryservice, volunteering to supportstart-ups and growing businesses.

The dinner was sponsored by lead-ing law firm Thrings and LloydsBank.

Clive Hetherington, area directorin the South West at Lloyds BankCommercial Banking, said: “We un-derstand the importance of givingyoung people access to experiencedbusiness professionals who can helpequip them with the important skillsthey need when entering the work-place.”

Simon Holdsworth, managing part-ner of Thrings, said: “It is vital thatthe professional services communityharnesses its collective experienceand knowledge and shares it with

schools and colleges across the re-gion. By collaborating in this way,pupils will have the best possibleopportunity to realise their commer-cial ambitions and, in turn, help pro-tect and accelerate future economicgrowth.”

Former Conservative MP and gov-

Is this the rightmoment to listyour business?

In pictures Public equity markets

DIRECTORS from 35 businessesacross the South West gathered toexamine the state of the public equitymarkets and whether now was theright time to list their business.

The event was a joint venturebetween Moon Consulting, WH Ire-land, the Quoted Companies Alliance(QCA) and Osborne Clarke, held atthe UK law firm’s Bristol Office.

Speakers were Tim Ward of theQCA and Jasper Berry of stock-brokers WH Ireland. They gave acandid assessment on the advantagesand disadvantages of public equityfinance.

A Q&A panel discussion followed,where a variety of directors frombusinesses of all sizes and sectorsdebated the topic.

Simon Quinn, senior search con-sultant at Moon Consulting said:“This series of events has provedextremely popular with clients and Iwant to thank everyone involved inmaking it such a success.

“We want to guide directorsthrough the many finance optionsavailable so they can find what worksfor their business.”

Tim Ward, chief executive of QCA,added: “Events like this are very im-portant to spread the word about howpublic equity finance is vital for agrowing economy.”

Jasper Berry, head of institutional

sales at stockbroker WH Ireland,said: “Public equity finance offersbusinesses of all sizes the opportun-ity to attract capital and grow.

“This event showed how businessowners can build a relationship with

brokers to understand what investorswant and deliver value that benefitsall parties.”

Mark Wesker, corporate financepartner at Osborne Clarke, said: “Thesuccess of this event demonstrates

ernment minister Ann Widdecombewas the keynote speaker at the eventand gave her insights into what thepolitical parties will need to do tosecure the business vote at the Gen-eral Election.

She said: “Top of the businessagenda is reducing red tape, easing

taxes and making the education sys-tem more efficient so that youngpeople are readier for employment.”

Ed Corrigan bowed out as pres-ident of ICAEW West of England afterhis 12 months in office.

He will be replaced by Rick Sturge,whose career has included working

in director-level strategic and busi-ness development roles for theChartered Institute of ManagementAccountants, Accenture and PwC.

He is currently EMEA vice pres-ident of sales and marketing at busi-ness process management specialistsFirstsource.

● Left, NickJones, KatieHaynes, JamesPitts, JenniferSmith and WillMallott – all GrantThornton; right,Martin White –Linden Homes,Rose Bancroft –Michael Page,Nick Stavri –Page Executiveand MartynCutter – RWEnPower

● From left Ed Corrigan, President of ICAEW West of England; Paul Harvey, South WestBusiness Development Director, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking; Ann Widdecombe; SimonHoldsworth, Managing Partner of Thrings; and Arthur Bailey, President of the ICAEW

● Clare Beazley – PleaseTech Ltd and Kit Beazley –Triodos Bank

the increasing interest of businessesin becoming listed companies.

“This reflects the attractiveness ofthe equity markets to growing busi-nesses and the strength of the eco-nomy in the South West.”

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General Election

Election outcomemeans interesting times ahead

THE results are in and, ratherthan weeks of negotiations,we know where we stand –with a Conservative majorityGovernment and David

Cameron as Prime Minister for an-other five years.What does that mean for busi-

nesses in the Greater Bristol area? Insome ways, it means certainty. Re-forms brought in by the coalition,such as new pension freedoms andways to make banks refer businessloan refusals to alternative lenders,will stay.The promised review of business

rates, which we called for with our#realratesreform campaign, shouldgo ahead, too, although I fear a Torymajority Government might be lessradical with this. Time will tell.Infrastructure projects that had re-

ceivedGovernment backing in recentBudgets and Autumn Statements,such as the new motorway junctionon the M49, should also go ahead.This will open up land at the north-ern end of the Severnside/Avon-

mouth site for development and willappeal to distribution and industrialuses where the time it takes to get tothe motorway network is crucial.Further afield, the improvements tothe A303 route into the South Westshould gain, too, although this couldstill crash if costs spiral.Whether currently unfunded ideas,

such as a new motorway junction forEmersons Green on the M4, will hap-pen is less clear, but it is certainly thesort of project that fits into the Con-servatives’ ‘long-term economicplan’.Big business will be pleased that it

won’t face Labour’s proposed corpor-ation tax rise and employers who usezero-hours contracts will be relievedthat the Tories won’t demonise themin the way Labour would.The future of devolution remains

uncertain. In order to get more localcontrol over issues like tax, spendingand transport, the local authoritieswill need to come together in a moreorganised way.It’s hard to see Greater Bristol

matching the joined-up approach thathas paid off for Greater Manchester.Our West of England Local Enter-prise Partnership is in flux, too, withchairman Colin Skellett steppingdown and a call for new business

Opinion

representatives to come forward.We have lost some key figures from

Westminster, too. Nationally, theformer Business Secretary VinceCable has gone and Shadow Chan-cellor Ed Balls.Closer to home, Steve Webb was a

victim of the Lib Dem collapse, hav-ing held the Thornbury and Yate seatfor the party since 1997. In the pastfive years, he has proved himself acapable and creative Pensions Min-ister at the vanguard of the mostradical reforms of the last Govern-ment. He’s a rare thing – a politicianmotivated by policy and detail, notego.The Apocalypse Lib Dem leads to a

curious position. We have a majorityGovernment, but arguably a less

stable one, and that’s generally badfor business. Despite cries that onlymajority governments can be strong,the coalition stood firm for five years.It meant Mr Cameron didn’t have tomove too far towards the Euroscep-tics on his right. With a slender ma-jority, now he will. Remember JohnMajor’s trials and tribulations afterhis shock 1992 win?That could mean tighter rules on

immigration. Which is bad news ifyou work in construction, leisure,tourism and a host of other indus-tries. We have a shortage of broad-band engineers in this country, forexample. Who will install yoursuper-fast broadband if we close ourborders? Businesses, and indeed ouruniversities, need talented mi-grants.And, of course, we will have an

in-out EU referendum, which willmean at least two years of uncer-tainty that might hold back some ofthe inward investment Britain, andincreasingly Bristol, has been at-tracting.Sowhile the Conservativemajority

provides continuity on tax, infra-structure spending and more, itdoesn’t give us certainty. For busi-ness, there are interesting timesahead.


In numbers

Business currentaccounts

Petrol prices

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

State Bankof India

Corporation tax

Main rate

Unleaded

Diesel

Superunleaded

LPG

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.49%£10,000 deposit

1.75%£10,000 deposit

State Bankof India

Inflation (CPI)

Weekly earnings

Base interest rate

Ave mortgage rate

Source:

Cambridge&Counties

Inflation (RPI)

The promised review ofbusiness rates, which wecalled for with ourcampaign, should goahead, too, although Ifear a Tory majorityGovernment might beless radical with this.

“

BUSINESS leaders are urgingthe new Conservative Gov-ernment to look furtherahead at the challenges fa-cing business and Bristol.

Phil Smith, managing director ofBusiness West which representsfirms through the region’s chambersof commerce, welcomed the result forbringing stability.“Firms across the South West are

breathing a sigh of relief as the pro-spect of a second successive hungParliament disappears,” he said. “Amajority government means thatbusinesses can continue with theirinvestment and growth plans, it isnowup to the government to continueto make the changes necessary tosupport economic growth.“The Conservatives must use their

clear mandate to take the importantdecisions to help British businessesinvest and grow.“In return, business stands ready

to work with the new government todeliver prosperity, jobs and sustainedeconomic growth.”But Phil admitted there were some

big questions ahead, chiefly the EUreferendum. He said: “Our regioncontains several high profile busi-nesses for whom an EU exit wouldpose a serious risk, and with that thehealth of key business sectors and

supply chains. It is vital that a ref-erendum is conducted in a way thatdoes not exacerbate uncertainty andjeopardise our region’s investment,jobs and growth.”Jeremy Richards, head of the

Bristol office of propertyconsultancy JLL, calledfor a longer term focuson infrastructure andhouse building.“The real challenge

for the next govern-ment is to focus on me-dium-termmeasures toimprove productivity,which has lagged behindcountries such as the US,Germany and France, despiteour remarkable rates of job creation,”he said.“This will need to include further

investment in infrastructure andskills. But the real job that beginstoday is to set out a clear plan to boostnew home supply. A stronger house-building sector is the only way tosolve theUK’s housing crisis, while

also adding construction jobs.“Continuity of housingpolicy will strengthen thechances that the UK willmake strides to solve thehousing crisis. This elec-tion result is a win forstruggling renters, aspir-ant first- time buyers andeven the bank of mum anddad.”Adam Tavener, chairman of

Clifton Asset Management, and thecatalyst for the Alternative BusinessFunding (ABF) platform, said smallbusinesses must be the priority.

He said: “The coalition govern-ment went to great lengths to ensurethat the SME part of the private sec-tor, above all others, received thestructural and legislative support itneeded to thrive, most urgently in thearea of access to finance.”In particular, he praised the Small

Business, Enterprise and Employ-ment Bill which included the mech-anism by which major banks have torefer SMEs they have declined forfunding to suitable alternativelenders.Adam said: “Although possibly not

as headline grabbing as some aspectsof government policy this Act, andthe bank referrals part of it, arehugely important to the long-termhealth of the economy.“It’s now important that the new

Conservative government continuesto prioritise the SME access to fin-ance issue and see the bank referralspart of the Act into the shape it needsto be to start delivering real results assoon as practically possible.”Tim Lincoln, head of practice at

Grant Thornton in Bristol, said:“This election result provides the sta-bility of a single party governmentand avoids lengthy coalition nego-tiations, which will help to calmmar-kets and reassure business.“It will provide some continuity of

policies, albeit a shift away from theLib Dem centre. But it also createsgreater long term instability – onEurope and in terms of the consti-tution of the UK and relationshipwith Scotland.”

Bristol bosses welcome result andlook forward to period of stability


● Firms inthe SouthWest havewelcomedDavidCameron’selectionvictory andhope forcontinuedinvestment;below, PhilSmith

business 13 may 2015

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