Business 25 March 2015

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ON A ROLLS

Engine maker invests in future ofBristol plant – see page 9

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

How employers can benefit fromflexible pension reforms – p10&11

CRISIS, WHAT CRISIS?

Hiring the right people couldease health service woes – p12

WOMAN OFTHE YEARBe inspired by the amazing winners fromour awards – Full coverage see pages 1-8

WOMEN IN BUSINESS

252015MAR

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2 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 25, 2015 3We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 25, 2015 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

Outstanding Contribution to Business in Bristol and Bath Award

Contribution to the Community Award

‘The lesson for me is thatbusinesses can do well bydoing good.. it’s win-win’

CORPORATE social respons-ibility consultancy Flamingowon the Contribution tothe Community Award,sponsored by the Mall,

Cribbs Causeway.Based in Westbury Park, Bristol,

Flamingo enables businesses thatotherwise would not have the staffingor resources to get involved and beactive corporate citizens.

For example, a suit amnesty sawthousands of suits donated to home-less jobseekers, along with interviewa dv i c e.

Founder Katherine Sparkes, whoalso runs a charity and a ballet schoolfor children with disabilities, wasdelighted.

“It’s brilliant to have recognitionfrom your home town, the city whereI live and work,” she said. “I’m reallyexcited to be among such great com-pany, the opportunity to meet peoplesuch as Peaches Golding, [who wonthe Outstanding Contribution toBusiness award] is really incredible.

“The lesson for me is that busi-nesses can do well by doing good, it’ssomething I’ve always encouragedpeople to do. It’s a win-win. We allhave a responsibility to help thosearound us and in turn by doing so itcan help businesses too.

“Companies are awakening to thebenefits of corporate social respons-ibility now more than ever. But also Ithink it’s about individuals looking attheir own social responsibility andlooking around us to think what canwe do to make the world that little bitb e t t e r. ”

She said this area was particularlystrong when it comes to social re-sponsibility. “Bristol is leading thew ay, ” said Katherine. “T here’s areally good sense of community inBristol.”

As to the future, Katherine hopesthe award will help Flamingo con-tinue to flourish.

She said: “My business has beengoing for 12 years the charity a coupleof years and Flamingo Chicks acouple of years. We’re rolling outFlamingo Chicks ballet nationally atEaster so it’s exciting times.”

FINALISTS

� Bristol City Community TrustStrives to make a difference to thelives of communities in Bristolthrough football, working withdisadvantaged young people toprovide sporting and educationalopportunities. The trust works withover 50,000 people every year.

� Morgan-BrinkhurstConsultancy, BathLoraine Morgan-Brinkhurst foundedthis events company in 2004 afterher year as mayor of Bath. Thebusiness has organised a number ofcharity events, including afundraising reception for the BritishSkeleton team ahead of the WinterOlympics.

‘This is for the staff –they are so dedicated’

‘Delight to be among such inspiring people’

ASSET finance firm 1pm wascrowned Business of the Year at the2015 Bristol and Bath Women in Busi-ness Awards.

The company, which is the onlymember of the Stock Exchange’s AIMindex with women as both financedirector and chief executive, beattough competition to take the title.

Helen Walker, finance director atthe Bath-based firm, which was also afinalist at last year’s event, said shewas absolutely amazed to collect theaw a rd .

She said: “I don’t know who thejudges are but thumbs up to them.This is for the staff. They are sodedicated and they work really hard –they make 1pm what it is.”

In addition to the senior women,the company is made up of a 60 percent female team.

Founded in 2000, 1pm floated on theAIM in 2006. The firm provides fin-ance to the UK’s small and mediumsized businesses.

Since the all-female executive teamtook over in 2010 it has gone from a£400,000 loss to £1.3 million profit andits share price rose 351 per cent in thelast 12 months.

It has made a monthly profit for thepast 52 months and revenues last yearrose 36 per cent and profits before tax

were up 74 per cent from £775,000 to£1.3 million.

FINALISTS

� Cod Steaks, St Philip’sSusannah Lipscombe set up CodSteaks 35 years ago. It creates inthree dimensional designs andmodels for a wide range of UK andinternational clients, such ascreated sets for the Wallace andGromit films and the stunning shipmodel in The Pirates! feature film.

� Geometry PR, BathA small independent, publicrelations company, owned andmanaged by Linda Donaldson. It isgrowing quickly, and was appointedby more than 10 new retainedclients last year.

� The HR Dept. WinterbourneDownProvides SME businesses andorganisations in Bristol, Bath andNorth Somerset with locally-based,personal and practical HR adviceand support, whether taking on theirfirst member of staff to managingseveral hundred employees.Employs 13 people in Bristol andhas a national franchise business.

‘It is wonderful to be recognised’

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)[email protected]


Ro u n d - u p

Eveningdevoted toexceptionalwomen

The Bristol MBAFind out moreOpen Evening 25 March, Watershed, Bristol City Centrewww.uwe.ac.uk/bristolmba

in association with

THE winners of the InnovationAward had no need to brush up ontheir business skills.

The award, sponsored by Spire theGlen Hospital Bristol, was won byMarmalade House, based in Cliftonand Bath.

From starting in her kitchen with apaintbrush, owner Vanessa Sayce hasgrown the business to a studio andtwo shops in just 18 months.

It is the exclusive Bath and Bristolstockist for Annie Sloan paints andproduct, the shop also buys in be-spoke furniture to blend with its col-our palette and runs courses on

painting furniture, upholstery andm o re.

Vanessa said she did not expect towin.

“There are so many amazingwomen here tonight, who have alldone fantastic things,” she said.

“It is wonderful to be recognised insuch a competitive field.”

FINALISTS

� Paradise Hotel, BristolA creative event productioncompany, producing events withexceptional artistic vision, providing

Business of the Year

spectacular experiences for clientsand their guests. Examples includethe Colston Hall New Year’s Eveswing party and a secret pop-upChristmas bash for local firm e3which included a decoy venue.

� Helen Walker, finance director at 1pm, is presented with her award byAmanda Beard, newspaper sales director for Bristol News and Media

� Maria Crayton, head of marketing at The Mall at Cribbs Causewaypresents the Contribution to the Community award to Katherine Sparkes ofFlamingo

in association with

� Threesixty Services, RedlandEstablished in 2008 by SamanthaMant and Eden Warren as plumbingand heating engineering company,the firm secured exclusivedistribution rights for Ecosoft, anenvironmentally friendly way totackle limescale which damagesheating and plumbing in hard waterareas such as Bristol.

� Clever Dog Lead, RedlandDog walking friends SusieWorthington and Amy Newton foundit a problem to secure their poochwhen they stopped for coffee. Sothey designed and now manufacturea lead with a clip and cuff to attachit to posts, table legs and so on, anew product that no one else made.

� Vanessa Sayce, Marmalade Housereceives her award from KateHoffmann, Hospital Matron at Spirethe Glen Hospital Bristol

Innovation Award

IT was a night of celebration andinspiration. More than 270 peoplegathered for the second Bristol andBath Women in Business Awards toshare in the success of an incrediblegroup of finalists.

Bristol and Bath News & Mediamanaging director Sarah Pullen toldthe audience: “Tonight is about re-cognising the women in business inour two cities.

“It’s a whole evening devoted totelling stories about exceptionalwomen, many of whom have suc-ceeded in the most difficult circum-s t a n c e s.

“We are proud that everyone in theroom is setting an example to the nextgeneration. Every woman here issending a message to their daughtersand granddaughters and the messageyou are sending is that anything ispossible if you have the right attitudeand work ethic.

“Until women are on an equal foot-ing, every opportunity should betaken to show the women comingafter us just what can be achieved.

“We should take every opportunityto inspire women, to show them whatis possible, to tell their stories and

celebrate their success.”Sarah added that the celebration

was only possible with the support ofthe sponsors, and in particular head-line sponsor the University of theWest of England.

UWE Bristol deputy vice chancel-lor also addressed the audience at theBristol City Centre Marriott, prais-ing the inspirational finalists and ex-

plained the work the university doesto produce talented, entrepreneurialgraduates ready to take on the world,some of whom where in attendance.

She also highlighted the achieve-ments of UWE graduate Vashti Seth,who set up charity Deki in 2008 whichprovides small business micro loansto entrepreneurs in the developingwo rl d .

The charity recently launchedBristol Businesses Against Poverty, acampaign to get local firms to helpfight poverty in Africa which hasalready won support from Ocean Es-tate Agents and cafe chain Friska.

Bristol Post editor Mike Nortonclosed the night. He said: “I am over-whelmed by the enormous energy,talent and innovation of our finalists

and winners.“I am proud to be here tonight. And

our newspapers are proud to supportwomen in business across these twogreat cities.”

The evening also raised £472 forcharity Women’s Aid which workstowards ending domestic abuse andprovides lifesaving support to womenand children survivors.

� The winners at the Bristol Post and Bath Chronicle Women in Business Awards 2015 Pictures: Michael Lloyd

FOR Peaches Golding, winningthe Outstanding Contributionto Business in Bristol andBath Award was a total sur-p r i s e.

Unlike the all the other winners,she did not even know she had beenconsidered for the prestigious prize,which is sponsored by the Universityof the West of England.

It was such a surprise that, just foronce, she was lost for words.

“I’m speechless,” she said afterbeing presented with her award byUWE deputy vice chancellor Profess-or Jane Harrington.

“It’s not often that I’m speechless. Icame tonight relaxed wanting towatch all these fantastic women whohave received awards and I’m de-lighted I was able to do that butnobody told me I’d get to walk awaywith this award.

“I’m just delighted to be here and be

able to see so many inspiringp e o p l e. ”

Peaches is no stranger to recog-nition, having been appointed anOBE in 2009.

She is the principal consultant atexecutive recruitment specialistMoon Consulting, based in NorthSomerset, and a non-executive dir-

ector of the Avon and Wiltshire Men-tal Health Partnership.

This non-executive role is one ofseveral she has held which has helpedmake Peaches such a well knownfigure in the local business com-m u n i t y.

She is a trustee of the ss GreatBritain and chair of the ITV WestCountry Viewer Advisory Panel.

She was director at Business in theCommunity, taking of a range of dif-ferent roles over a number of years.

Peaches become the first black fe-male High Sheriff of the County andCity of Bristol in 2010.

Going further back, Peaches foun-ded her own marketing and com-munications business in 1992 whichshe ran successfully until 2010.

� Peaches Goldingpresented with her award byUWE deputy vice chancellorProfessor Jane Harrington

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Outstanding Contribution to Business in Bristol and Bath Award

Contribution to the Community Award

‘The lesson for me is thatbusinesses can do well bydoing good.. it’s win-win’

CORPORATE social respons-ibility consultancy Flamingowon the Contribution tothe Community Award,sponsored by the Mall,

Cribbs Causeway.Based in Westbury Park, Bristol,

Flamingo enables businesses thatotherwise would not have the staffingor resources to get involved and beactive corporate citizens.

For example, a suit amnesty sawthousands of suits donated to home-less jobseekers, along with interviewa dv i c e.

Founder Katherine Sparkes, whoalso runs a charity and a ballet schoolfor children with disabilities, wasdelighted.

“It’s brilliant to have recognitionfrom your home town, the city whereI live and work,” she said. “I’m reallyexcited to be among such great com-pany, the opportunity to meet peoplesuch as Peaches Golding, [who wonthe Outstanding Contribution toBusiness award] is really incredible.

“The lesson for me is that busi-nesses can do well by doing good, it’ssomething I’ve always encouragedpeople to do. It’s a win-win. We allhave a responsibility to help thosearound us and in turn by doing so itcan help businesses too.

“Companies are awakening to thebenefits of corporate social respons-ibility now more than ever. But also Ithink it’s about individuals looking attheir own social responsibility andlooking around us to think what canwe do to make the world that little bitb e t t e r. ”

She said this area was particularlystrong when it comes to social re-sponsibility. “Bristol is leading thew ay, ” said Katherine. “T here’s areally good sense of community inBristol.”

As to the future, Katherine hopesthe award will help Flamingo con-tinue to flourish.

She said: “My business has beengoing for 12 years the charity a coupleof years and Flamingo Chicks acouple of years. We’re rolling outFlamingo Chicks ballet nationally atEaster so it’s exciting times.”

FINALISTS

� Bristol City Community TrustStrives to make a difference to thelives of communities in Bristolthrough football, working withdisadvantaged young people toprovide sporting and educationalopportunities. The trust works withover 50,000 people every year.

� Morgan-BrinkhurstConsultancy, BathLoraine Morgan-Brinkhurst foundedthis events company in 2004 afterher year as mayor of Bath. Thebusiness has organised a number ofcharity events, including afundraising reception for the BritishSkeleton team ahead of the WinterOlympics.

‘This is for the staff –they are so dedicated’

‘Delight to be among such inspiring people’

ASSET finance firm 1pm wascrowned Business of the Year at the2015 Bristol and Bath Women in Busi-ness Awards.

The company, which is the onlymember of the Stock Exchange’s AIMindex with women as both financedirector and chief executive, beattough competition to take the title.

Helen Walker, finance director atthe Bath-based firm, which was also afinalist at last year’s event, said shewas absolutely amazed to collect theaw a rd .

She said: “I don’t know who thejudges are but thumbs up to them.This is for the staff. They are sodedicated and they work really hard –they make 1pm what it is.”

In addition to the senior women,the company is made up of a 60 percent female team.

Founded in 2000, 1pm floated on theAIM in 2006. The firm provides fin-ance to the UK’s small and mediumsized businesses.

Since the all-female executive teamtook over in 2010 it has gone from a£400,000 loss to £1.3 million profit andits share price rose 351 per cent in thelast 12 months.

It has made a monthly profit for thepast 52 months and revenues last yearrose 36 per cent and profits before tax

were up 74 per cent from £775,000 to£1.3 million.

FINALISTS

� Cod Steaks, St Philip’sSusannah Lipscombe set up CodSteaks 35 years ago. It creates inthree dimensional designs andmodels for a wide range of UK andinternational clients, such ascreated sets for the Wallace andGromit films and the stunning shipmodel in The Pirates! feature film.

� Geometry PR, BathA small independent, publicrelations company, owned andmanaged by Linda Donaldson. It isgrowing quickly, and was appointedby more than 10 new retainedclients last year.

� The HR Dept. WinterbourneDownProvides SME businesses andorganisations in Bristol, Bath andNorth Somerset with locally-based,personal and practical HR adviceand support, whether taking on theirfirst member of staff to managingseveral hundred employees.Employs 13 people in Bristol andhas a national franchise business.

‘It is wonderful to be recognised’



Ro u n d - u p

Eveningdevoted toexceptionalwomen

The Bristol MBAFind out moreOpen Evening 25 March, Watershed, Bristol City Centrewww.uwe.ac.uk/bristolmba

in association with

THE winners of the InnovationAward had no need to brush up ontheir business skills.

The award, sponsored by Spire theGlen Hospital Bristol, was won byMarmalade House, based in Cliftonand Bath.

From starting in her kitchen with apaintbrush, owner Vanessa Sayce hasgrown the business to a studio andtwo shops in just 18 months.

It is the exclusive Bath and Bristolstockist for Annie Sloan paints andproduct, the shop also buys in be-spoke furniture to blend with its col-our palette and runs courses on

painting furniture, upholstery andm o re.

Vanessa said she did not expect towin.

“There are so many amazingwomen here tonight, who have alldone fantastic things,” she said.

“It is wonderful to be recognised insuch a competitive field.”

FINALISTS

� Paradise Hotel, BristolA creative event productioncompany, producing events withexceptional artistic vision, providing

Business of the Year

spectacular experiences for clientsand their guests. Examples includethe Colston Hall New Year’s Eveswing party and a secret pop-upChristmas bash for local firm e3which included a decoy venue.

� Helen Walker, finance director at 1pm, is presented with her award byAmanda Beard, newspaper sales director for Bristol News and Media

� Maria Crayton, head of marketing at The Mall at Cribbs Causewaypresents the Contribution to the Community award to Katherine Sparkes ofFlamingo

in association with

� Threesixty Services, RedlandEstablished in 2008 by SamanthaMant and Eden Warren as plumbingand heating engineering company,the firm secured exclusivedistribution rights for Ecosoft, anenvironmentally friendly way totackle limescale which damagesheating and plumbing in hard waterareas such as Bristol.

� Clever Dog Lead, RedlandDog walking friends SusieWorthington and Amy Newton foundit a problem to secure their poochwhen they stopped for coffee. Sothey designed and now manufacturea lead with a clip and cuff to attachit to posts, table legs and so on, anew product that no one else made.

� Vanessa Sayce, Marmalade Housereceives her award from KateHoffmann, Hospital Matron at Spirethe Glen Hospital Bristol

Innovation Award

IT was a night of celebration andinspiration. More than 270 peoplegathered for the second Bristol andBath Women in Business Awards toshare in the success of an incrediblegroup of finalists.

Bristol and Bath News & Mediamanaging director Sarah Pullen toldthe audience: “Tonight is about re-cognising the women in business inour two cities.

“It’s a whole evening devoted totelling stories about exceptionalwomen, many of whom have suc-ceeded in the most difficult circum-s t a n c e s.

“We are proud that everyone in theroom is setting an example to the nextgeneration. Every woman here issending a message to their daughtersand granddaughters and the messageyou are sending is that anything ispossible if you have the right attitudeand work ethic.

“Until women are on an equal foot-ing, every opportunity should betaken to show the women comingafter us just what can be achieved.

“We should take every opportunityto inspire women, to show them whatis possible, to tell their stories and

celebrate their success.”Sarah added that the celebration

was only possible with the support ofthe sponsors, and in particular head-line sponsor the University of theWest of England.

UWE Bristol deputy vice chancel-lor also addressed the audience at theBristol City Centre Marriott, prais-ing the inspirational finalists and ex-

plained the work the university doesto produce talented, entrepreneurialgraduates ready to take on the world,some of whom where in attendance.

She also highlighted the achieve-ments of UWE graduate Vashti Seth,who set up charity Deki in 2008 whichprovides small business micro loansto entrepreneurs in the developingwo rl d .

The charity recently launchedBristol Businesses Against Poverty, acampaign to get local firms to helpfight poverty in Africa which hasalready won support from Ocean Es-tate Agents and cafe chain Friska.

Bristol Post editor Mike Nortonclosed the night. He said: “I am over-whelmed by the enormous energy,talent and innovation of our finalists

and winners.“I am proud to be here tonight. And

our newspapers are proud to supportwomen in business across these twogreat cities.”

The evening also raised £472 forcharity Women’s Aid which workstowards ending domestic abuse andprovides lifesaving support to womenand children survivors.

� The winners at the Bristol Post and Bath Chronicle Women in Business Awards 2015 Pictures: Michael Lloyd

FOR Peaches Golding, winningthe Outstanding Contributionto Business in Bristol andBath Award was a total sur-p r i s e.

Unlike the all the other winners,she did not even know she had beenconsidered for the prestigious prize,which is sponsored by the Universityof the West of England.

It was such a surprise that, just foronce, she was lost for words.

“I’m speechless,” she said afterbeing presented with her award byUWE deputy vice chancellor Profess-or Jane Harrington.

“It’s not often that I’m speechless. Icame tonight relaxed wanting towatch all these fantastic women whohave received awards and I’m de-lighted I was able to do that butnobody told me I’d get to walk awaywith this award.

“I’m just delighted to be here and be

able to see so many inspiringp e o p l e. ”

Peaches is no stranger to recog-nition, having been appointed anOBE in 2009.

She is the principal consultant atexecutive recruitment specialistMoon Consulting, based in NorthSomerset, and a non-executive dir-

ector of the Avon and Wiltshire Men-tal Health Partnership.

This non-executive role is one ofseveral she has held which has helpedmake Peaches such a well knownfigure in the local business com-m u n i t y.

She is a trustee of the ss GreatBritain and chair of the ITV WestCountry Viewer Advisory Panel.

She was director at Business in theCommunity, taking of a range of dif-ferent roles over a number of years.

Peaches become the first black fe-male High Sheriff of the County andCity of Bristol in 2010.

Going further back, Peaches foun-ded her own marketing and com-munications business in 1992 whichshe ran successfully until 2010.

� Peaches Goldingpresented with her award byUWE deputy vice chancellorProfessor Jane Harrington

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‘I just do my job, but if that canencourage others it’s a bonus’

‘I’ve been inspiredby my customersover past 25 years’

ANNETTE Gabbedey has overcomeenormous prejudice to achieveamazing things in her career in busi-ness. Born without any fingers butwith a passion for jewellery design

and opal gemstones, Annette has become arespected jeweller.

After undertaking a degree in jewellerydesign and manufacture, hercareer began amongst thebullion dealers of London’sHatton Garden and is nowbased around a showroom inSt Catherine’s Hill, the fash-ionable vintage and artisanstreet in Frome.

Her shop in the Somersettown is marking its 10th an-niversary this year, althoughAnnette has been in businessfor 25 years.

But she isn’t getting com-placent. Over the last year, her shop floor andworkshop has undergone an extensivere - f i t .

Having previously hired young graduatedesigners, Annette is now back running thebusiness full time and winning new clientswith her stunning creations.

And the return to her roots is paying off as

Annette was crowned Woman of the Year,sponsored by PPC, at the Bristol and BathWomen in Business Awards.

“I want to thank the person who nominatedme – an ex Saturday girl,” she said. “T heaward comes from being inspired by all mycustomers over the last 25 years – they keepme excited and inspired.”

FINALISTS

� Ellen Green, Blue Badge Company,Montpelier, BristolEllen became managing director of The

Blue Badge Company in 2013and has taken it from aback-bedroom start-up to abusiness whose blue badgewallets are stocked in Bootsand the Post Office. The aimwas to sell bright, attractivewallets for disability parkingbadges instead of thetradition dull ones with a bigdisabled sign on the front.

� Alison Howell, Foot Trails,Box

Alison founded the business in 2002 afterspotting a niche in the travel market forauthentic and indulgent walkingexperiences. It crafts tailor-madeself-guided and guided walking toursaround the West Country from customersvisiting from as far as the United States andAustralia.

‘It’s down to my youngbut very talented team’

Female Apprentice of the Year

New Business of the Year

Woman of the Year



Iain Johnston is the BusinessDevelopment Manager forConstruction & Green Technologyindustries at City of Bristol College

Q What is happening in theConstruction and Green Technologyindustries in 2015?A In my role I work very closely withemployers across the region andgrowth in the Construction industryappears to be on the up. In fact youonly need to drive through the centreof Bristol to see the number of buildingprojects going on to see that we areentering anexciting periodof time for theindustry. We arealso now inGreen CapitalYear and City ofBristol College have been veryenthusiastic about getting involved.We are working in partnership with anumber of organisations to offer lowcarbon and sustainability courses andtraining for the construction industry.We have also established a GreenBusiness Forum which constructionemployers use to inform us of theirneeds and requirements and helps usto ensure we are providing up-to-datetraining for the Low Carbon sector. Ournext Forum Meeting is on March 19 atour Ashley Down Centre. The collegewill support Bristol wherever it can toensure that Green Capital Year is ahuge success.

Q What training is on offer forBusinesses in the South West?A The biggest challenge employersseem to be facing within the industryis labour shortages and this had led toan increase in businesses recruitingApprentices. We offer a diverse rangeof apprenticeships across all of themain construction trades and haveintroduced a new multi-tradeapprenticeship called MaintenanceOperations which is proving to be verypopular with those companies whooffer a multiple trade delivery serviceincluding landscapers, generalbuilders and even schools! Traditionaltrade skills apprenticeships likeelectrical, plumbing, plastering,brickwork and carpentry are alwayspopular and the mainstay of ourservice provision.

Q What is the main request youreceive from employers?A I spend much of my time visitingboth large and small businesses andproviding them with solutions for theirtraining or recruitment requirements. Inreturn employers keep me up to datewith new developments andinformation like skills gaps within theindustry. Most of the employers I visitare interested in recruiting apprenticeswho have a good attitude to workingand a genuine passion for their work.To help with this we offer a freevacancy matching service at thecollege. Our dedicated employmentteam will work with all applicants andrecommend the most suitablecandidates to the employer. Theemployers then interview thecandidates and find the right personfor their team. The best aspect of myjob is knowing that I have helped tomake a difference to a young person’slife by finding them a good employerwho is going to help them achievetheir future career aspirations.

� If you would like more informationon recruiting apprentices or trainingopportunities for your existingemployees contact the EmployerAdvice team at City of Bristol Collegeon 0117 312 5020 or [email protected]

Iain JohnstonCity of Bristol College

COLLEGE PROFILE

in association with

A TALENTED youngwoman is driving her ca-reer forward as an appren-tice at bus operator FirstWest of England.

Tina Haden-Williams, from Yat-ton in North Somerset, was namedFemale Apprentice of the Year atthe Bristol and Bath Women inBusiness Awards.

And the award, sponsored byCrest Nicholson, is not her onlyrecent achievement.

Twenty-five year old Tina re-cently won the title of AdvancedApprentice of the Year in the Pas-senger Transport category at thePeople 1st Apprenticeship Awardshanded out in the House of Com-m o n s.

Tina said: “I’m thrilled to havebeen named the Female Apprenticeof the Year at the Women in Busi-ness Awards.

“I just do my job, but if by doingthat to the best of my ability I canencourage others, and particularlyother women, then that’s a bonus.

“It was a great evening out over-all, and taking home a trophy at the

end of it was the icing on thec a ke. ”

First West of England managingdirector James Freeman is full ofpraise for the apprentice.

“Tina is a real asset to our team,and we’re thrilled that all her hardwork has been recognised liket h i s, ” he said.

“She thoroughly deserves all thepraise and accolades that she’sbeen given. She is one of a numberof apprentices we employ, all ofwhom show great promise for thefuture. Success at awards like theseunderlines the excellent work

going on around our business with-in both the engineering and train-ing departments.”

Tina works as an apprenticemechanic at the firm’s depot inLawrence Hill, Bristol, helping tokeep the fleet of buses on the road.

FINALISTS

� Bryony Marshall, AKAHairdressing, BishopstonAt 24, Bryony wanted to re-trainas a hair stylist. She focused onfinishing her training as quickly aspossible and did so in 18 months.

She keeps up with the latesttrends and has helped in severalfashion shows and his nowbuilding her own client base.

� Leonie Jack, Double byHilton, Bristol City CentreLeonie so impressed her bossesat the four star hotel where sheworked while studying Businessand Administration Level 2 at Cityof Bristol College that they tookher on full time. She is focused oncustomer service and was thehotel’s Christmas coordinator lasty e a r.

� Female Apprentice of theYear Tina Haden-Williamsreceives her award from DebbieAplin, managing directorregeneration at Crest Nicholson

FOR Sophie Hibbert, winning theNew Business prize at the Bristoland Bath Women in BusinessAwards is proof that young work-forces can be just as successful asolder ones.

At just 27, Sophie is managingdirector of Bath-based design con-sultancy Hibbert Harwood.

“We ’ve had two awards in twoweeks and it’s testament to myyoung but very talented team whodo so much beyond their years,”she said.

The firm, which is less than twoyears old, has just eight membersof staff with an average age of 23.

In the last two years they havesuccessfully branded andre-branded more than 20 busi-nesses, from start-ups tolong-standing, established com-panies, working with clients in-cluding Boux Avenue, Henri Lloydand Bath University.

The firm has increased itsturnover from £35,000 to £150,000and grown the team from one to

eight, adding skills in web devel-opment and cutting edge anima-tion. It recently moved to biggerp re m i s e s to continue to grow.

The award was sponsored byYourStreet Gift Cards, who alsoprovided gift cards for the winnersof all categories, and was keen tosupport this particular award, hav-ing won it just 12 months ago.

FINALISTS

� Meals for Squeals Cookery

School , Coalpit HeathMum-of-twins Jackie Novelsenjoyed cooking for her childrenwhile weaning them onto solidfood so she set up a cookeryschool teaching parents to makehealthy, home-made food for theirbabies and toddlers.

� Fox Davidson, Harbourside,BristolFox Davidson is a mortgage andprotection brokerage, whichprovides advice and arranges

mortgages for the people ofBristol. It was started was startedbecause Sarah Fox Clinch andbusiness partner Wesley Davidsonwanted to inject a bit of characterand personality into the world offinance

� Bath Yoga StudioBath’s only Hot Yoga Studio witha friendly teaching team offering arange of Yoga styles and classeswhich has grown quickly from twoto 12 teachers.

� Anne-Louise Perez and Imogen McIntosh of YourStreet Gift Cardspresent Sophie Hibbert, centre, of Hibbert Hardwood with her award

in association with

� PPC managing director Bernie Glancy presents Annette Gabbedey with the covetedWoman of the Year prize

� Annette in her workshop; below, some of her fabulous jewellery

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‘I just do my job, but if that canencourage others it’s a bonus’

‘I’ve been inspiredby my customersover past 25 years’

ANNETTE Gabbedey has overcomeenormous prejudice to achieveamazing things in her career in busi-ness. Born without any fingers butwith a passion for jewellery design

and opal gemstones, Annette has become arespected jeweller.

After undertaking a degree in jewellerydesign and manufacture, hercareer began amongst thebullion dealers of London’sHatton Garden and is nowbased around a showroom inSt Catherine’s Hill, the fash-ionable vintage and artisanstreet in Frome.

Her shop in the Somersettown is marking its 10th an-niversary this year, althoughAnnette has been in businessfor 25 years.

But she isn’t getting com-placent. Over the last year, her shop floor andworkshop has undergone an extensivere - f i t .

Having previously hired young graduatedesigners, Annette is now back running thebusiness full time and winning new clientswith her stunning creations.

And the return to her roots is paying off as

Annette was crowned Woman of the Year,sponsored by PPC, at the Bristol and BathWomen in Business Awards.

“I want to thank the person who nominatedme – an ex Saturday girl,” she said. “T heaward comes from being inspired by all mycustomers over the last 25 years – they keepme excited and inspired.”

FINALISTS

� Ellen Green, Blue Badge Company,Montpelier, BristolEllen became managing director of The

Blue Badge Company in 2013and has taken it from aback-bedroom start-up to abusiness whose blue badgewallets are stocked in Bootsand the Post Office. The aimwas to sell bright, attractivewallets for disability parkingbadges instead of thetradition dull ones with a bigdisabled sign on the front.

� Alison Howell, Foot Trails,Box

Alison founded the business in 2002 afterspotting a niche in the travel market forauthentic and indulgent walkingexperiences. It crafts tailor-madeself-guided and guided walking toursaround the West Country from customersvisiting from as far as the United States andAustralia.

‘It’s down to my youngbut very talented team’

Female Apprentice of the Year

New Business of the Year

Woman of the Year



Iain Johnston is the BusinessDevelopment Manager forConstruction & Green Technologyindustries at City of Bristol College

Q What is happening in theConstruction and Green Technologyindustries in 2015?A In my role I work very closely withemployers across the region andgrowth in the Construction industryappears to be on the up. In fact youonly need to drive through the centreof Bristol to see the number of buildingprojects going on to see that we areentering anexciting periodof time for theindustry. We arealso now inGreen CapitalYear and City ofBristol College have been veryenthusiastic about getting involved.We are working in partnership with anumber of organisations to offer lowcarbon and sustainability courses andtraining for the construction industry.We have also established a GreenBusiness Forum which constructionemployers use to inform us of theirneeds and requirements and helps usto ensure we are providing up-to-datetraining for the Low Carbon sector. Ournext Forum Meeting is on March 19 atour Ashley Down Centre. The collegewill support Bristol wherever it can toensure that Green Capital Year is ahuge success.

Q What training is on offer forBusinesses in the South West?A The biggest challenge employersseem to be facing within the industryis labour shortages and this had led toan increase in businesses recruitingApprentices. We offer a diverse rangeof apprenticeships across all of themain construction trades and haveintroduced a new multi-tradeapprenticeship called MaintenanceOperations which is proving to be verypopular with those companies whooffer a multiple trade delivery serviceincluding landscapers, generalbuilders and even schools! Traditionaltrade skills apprenticeships likeelectrical, plumbing, plastering,brickwork and carpentry are alwayspopular and the mainstay of ourservice provision.

Q What is the main request youreceive from employers?A I spend much of my time visitingboth large and small businesses andproviding them with solutions for theirtraining or recruitment requirements. Inreturn employers keep me up to datewith new developments andinformation like skills gaps within theindustry. Most of the employers I visitare interested in recruiting apprenticeswho have a good attitude to workingand a genuine passion for their work.To help with this we offer a freevacancy matching service at thecollege. Our dedicated employmentteam will work with all applicants andrecommend the most suitablecandidates to the employer. Theemployers then interview thecandidates and find the right personfor their team. The best aspect of myjob is knowing that I have helped tomake a difference to a young person’slife by finding them a good employerwho is going to help them achievetheir future career aspirations.

� If you would like more informationon recruiting apprentices or trainingopportunities for your existingemployees contact the EmployerAdvice team at City of Bristol Collegeon 0117 312 5020 or [email protected]

Iain JohnstonCity of Bristol College

COLLEGE PROFILE

in association with

A TALENTED youngwoman is driving her ca-reer forward as an appren-tice at bus operator FirstWest of England.

Tina Haden-Williams, from Yat-ton in North Somerset, was namedFemale Apprentice of the Year atthe Bristol and Bath Women inBusiness Awards.

And the award, sponsored byCrest Nicholson, is not her onlyrecent achievement.

Twenty-five year old Tina re-cently won the title of AdvancedApprentice of the Year in the Pas-senger Transport category at thePeople 1st Apprenticeship Awardshanded out in the House of Com-m o n s.

Tina said: “I’m thrilled to havebeen named the Female Apprenticeof the Year at the Women in Busi-ness Awards.

“I just do my job, but if by doingthat to the best of my ability I canencourage others, and particularlyother women, then that’s a bonus.

“It was a great evening out over-all, and taking home a trophy at the

end of it was the icing on thec a ke. ”

First West of England managingdirector James Freeman is full ofpraise for the apprentice.

“Tina is a real asset to our team,and we’re thrilled that all her hardwork has been recognised liket h i s, ” he said.

“She thoroughly deserves all thepraise and accolades that she’sbeen given. She is one of a numberof apprentices we employ, all ofwhom show great promise for thefuture. Success at awards like theseunderlines the excellent work

going on around our business with-in both the engineering and train-ing departments.”

Tina works as an apprenticemechanic at the firm’s depot inLawrence Hill, Bristol, helping tokeep the fleet of buses on the road.

FINALISTS

� Bryony Marshall, AKAHairdressing, BishopstonAt 24, Bryony wanted to re-trainas a hair stylist. She focused onfinishing her training as quickly aspossible and did so in 18 months.

She keeps up with the latesttrends and has helped in severalfashion shows and his nowbuilding her own client base.

� Leonie Jack, Double byHilton, Bristol City CentreLeonie so impressed her bossesat the four star hotel where sheworked while studying Businessand Administration Level 2 at Cityof Bristol College that they tookher on full time. She is focused oncustomer service and was thehotel’s Christmas coordinator lasty e a r.

� Female Apprentice of theYear Tina Haden-Williamsreceives her award from DebbieAplin, managing directorregeneration at Crest Nicholson

FOR Sophie Hibbert, winning theNew Business prize at the Bristoland Bath Women in BusinessAwards is proof that young work-forces can be just as successful asolder ones.

At just 27, Sophie is managingdirector of Bath-based design con-sultancy Hibbert Harwood.

“We ’ve had two awards in twoweeks and it’s testament to myyoung but very talented team whodo so much beyond their years,”she said.

The firm, which is less than twoyears old, has just eight membersof staff with an average age of 23.

In the last two years they havesuccessfully branded andre-branded more than 20 busi-nesses, from start-ups tolong-standing, established com-panies, working with clients in-cluding Boux Avenue, Henri Lloydand Bath University.

The firm has increased itsturnover from £35,000 to £150,000and grown the team from one to

eight, adding skills in web devel-opment and cutting edge anima-tion. It recently moved to biggerp re m i s e s to continue to grow.

The award was sponsored byYourStreet Gift Cards, who alsoprovided gift cards for the winnersof all categories, and was keen tosupport this particular award, hav-ing won it just 12 months ago.

FINALISTS

� Meals for Squeals Cookery

School , Coalpit HeathMum-of-twins Jackie Novelsenjoyed cooking for her childrenwhile weaning them onto solidfood so she set up a cookeryschool teaching parents to makehealthy, home-made food for theirbabies and toddlers.

� Fox Davidson, Harbourside,BristolFox Davidson is a mortgage andprotection brokerage, whichprovides advice and arranges

mortgages for the people ofBristol. It was started was startedbecause Sarah Fox Clinch andbusiness partner Wesley Davidsonwanted to inject a bit of characterand personality into the world offinance

� Bath Yoga StudioBath’s only Hot Yoga Studio witha friendly teaching team offering arange of Yoga styles and classeswhich has grown quickly from twoto 12 teachers.

� Anne-Louise Perez and Imogen McIntosh of YourStreet Gift Cardspresent Sophie Hibbert, centre, of Hibbert Hardwood with her award

in association with

� PPC managing director Bernie Glancy presents Annette Gabbedey with the covetedWoman of the Year prize

� Annette in her workshop; below, some of her fabulous jewellery

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EPB-E01-S3

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YOU will probably be famil-iar with the most commonforms of business struc-tures – sole traders, part-nerships, limited liability

partnerships, and limited compan-ies. You may also be aware that dif-ferent structures suit differentpur poses.

However, it may surprise you tolearn that the way a business isstructured is often the fundamentaldifference between the success andfailure of an enterprise.

As so often, this can be the result ofthe impact of tax on a business. Thedifferent types of business structurecan be split into two main camps.

Firstly, those where the ownersare taxed on the surpluses whetheror not they are distributed – thisapplies to sole traders, partnerships

and limited liability partnerships.Many owners have felt the in-

justice of leaving half the profits inthe business to fund future growth(or in the interests of simpleprudence) yet being taxed on thewhole amount.

The second camp comprises thosebusinesses which are taxed as anentity distinct from their owners,who decide how much they draw outand therefore how much personaltax they pay.

The most common businesses inthis camp are good old limited com-panies, but there are definite com-mercial and tax advantages to amutual structure, for example ac o - o p e r at ive.

Although little known, these arecertainly worth exploring.

It is not just short-term tax con-siderations which are important.

The structure of a business affectsits robustness and longevity andhow and when it can be handeddown to future generations or sold toa third party. It also affects itsgrowth potential and ability to raise

f i n a n c e.It may be that reading this you feel

concerned that you may currentlybe in the wrong structure. Don’tworry – the structure can bechanged (the earlier the better) andthere may in fact be significantone-off tax benefits arising from therestructuring process.

It is also a mistake to think thatyou have to run the whole businessthrough the same entity.

It is fairly common to run a com-mercially risky trade through a dif-ferent company to that which holdsthe valuable assets, but there aremany more strategies to employ.

For instance, have you thought ofkeeping the intellectual property ofthe business outside the main trad-ing company and taking royaltiesinstead of salary, thereby saving na-

tional insurance, and protecting itfrom business failure?

Have you thought of forming aco-operative to supply the labour tothe business, thereby boosting theproductivity and take home pay ofyour team? The list is endless.

Having the wrong structure can bea glass ceiling that inhibits growth,increases tax and increases com-mercial risk.

The good news is that you don’thave to leave things as they are, withyou at the back of the queue and HMGovernment at the front.

If you attend to the structure ofyour business and put your familyfirst, you stand a good chance ofmaking it to the point where eco-nomies of scale and a larger busi-ness propel your family fortunesinto an altogether different league.

Andrew FisherExecutive directorAlanbrookes Ltd01934 863386Andr [email protected] w w. a l a n -brookes.co.uk

Know how

How a business is structured can make all the difference

Women in the Workplace Award

‘I’m shocked. I really was notexpecting it. It’s crazy... brilliant’

in association with

Mentor of the Year

West of England Local Enterprise Partnership

Business board reps resign to make way for new team

THE entire business representativeon the West of England Local Enter-prise Partnership board is to resign.

It was an open secret that chairmanColin Skellett planned to stand downthis year. The high-profile role ofchairman is a demanding one andColin has increasingly taken centrestage in the public eye since formerchief executive Paul Wilson was re-placed by Barbara Davies.

But now the five business repres-entatives and four business advisershave said they will resign in a bid toattract new blood to the organisa-tion.

However it may not be a total cleansweep as some of the resigning mem-bers are expected to put themselvesforward again.

The local enterprise partner-ship was created as a bridgebetween local councilsand the business worldand is a conduit for gov-ernment funding to en-courage job creation,regeneration andg rowth.

Despite only having asmall staff, the partner-ship has become increas-ingly prominent as politicalparties on all sides look to push thedevolution agenda.

The board, which oversees it, ismade up of the leaders of the four localauthorities in its patch – Bristol,

South Gloucestershire, North Somer-set and Bath and North East Som-erset, Professor Steve West from theUniversity of the West of England and

f ivebusiness represent-

atives. They are:David Sprox-ton, c e n t re ,c o - fo u n d e rand execut-ive chair-man at

A a rd m a n ;Professor Joe

McGeehan, MD ofthe Toshiba Telecommu-

nications Lab and chairman of InvestBristol and Bath; Katherine Bennett,left, vice president and head of polit-ical affairs at Airbus; Robert Sinclair,right, chief executive of Bristol Air-

port; and chairman Colin SkellettOBE, executive chairman of WessexWater. Business advisers KalpnaWoolf, Malachy McReynolds, James

Durie and Nick Wilton willalso step down.

Colin said:“The West ofEnglandhas a flour-ishing eco-n o myworth £25

billion a yearand we are the

only region in thecountry that contributes

to the Treasury, giving back around£10 billion every year.

“After four successful years, theboard have decided that the generalelection and a new government in

May provides an ideal opportunity toreview and refresh the business rep-resentation on the LEP board.”

A business nominations committeewith representatives from the

CBI, IoD, FSB and BusinessWest will choose the new

business members aftersubmissions of interest.The chair will be chosenin conjunction with thefour local authorityl e a d e r s.

� To apply, contactMalachy McReynolds,

The West of England LocalEnterprise Partnership Busi-

ness Nominations Committee, c/oPhil Smith, managing director, Busi-ness West, Leigh Court BusinessCentre, Bristol, BS8 3RA or emailp h i l . s m i t h @ bu s i n e s sw e s t . c o. u k


Marketing Campaign of the Year

HE AT H E R ’S Pet Care Ser-vices won the Women in theWorkplace Award for com-panies which go the extramile to encourage and sup-

port the needs of women at work suchas flexible working.

Owner Heather Thomas said: “I’mcompletely shocked, I really was notexpecting it. It’s crazy, it’s brilliant.

“It gives you the determination anddrive to keep going, employing morepeople and getting those women outthere to go to work, with children.

“I’ve got two young children soother people can do it too. We’ve got 12members of staff and we hope to keepg rowing.”

The business, founded in 2006, of-fers a professional dog sitting servicearound Bristol and Bath from a basein Fishponds and gives its employeesthe chance to work flexible hours,including taking school holidays off.This approach that saw it take theWomen in the Workplace category.

Many of the firm’s employees arewomen, often with childcare com-mitments or who are semi-retiredand do the work because the hourssuit them. The company offers

grooming, dog day care services in-cluding walks, home boarding –where dogs stay at the carer’s homenot in kennels – and even a weddingservice so your pet can join you forpart of your big day.

FINALISTS

� RebalanceResource, BristolA new type of recruitment agencydedicated to sourcing flexibleworking opportunities to meet thegrowing skills gap. It focuses on theproblem/challenge the employerwants solved rather than the needfor someone to be at a desk from9-5.

� The Detective ProjectRuns events for adults and childrenin crime scene investigation. It aimsto spark an interest in science andgive participants the opportunity toexperience hands on challenges incrime scene investigation. Havingworked as a police detective for 14years, founder Jenny Williams waskeen to make the workingenvironment as family friendly aspossible.

A CAMPAIGN which turned un-wanted jewellery into vital funds fora cancer charity won the marketingprize at the Bristol and Bath Womenin Business Awards.

Fabulous jewellery store launcheda jewellery amnesty encouragingwomen to hand over their no longerused pieces, which were then madeinto new pieces by students at theCity of Bath College and sold in aid ofthe Breast Cancer Campaign.

It clinched the Marketing Cam-paign of the Year prize for Fabulousstore, based in the Southgate Shop-ping Centre in Bath.

Store owner Jo Stroud said: “T hiswas a not-for-profit campaign that welaunched, not for any marketing gain,but to raise money for charity.

“We are delighted that such a cam-paign has been recognised.”

She added that attending theawards night at the Bristol CityCentre Marriott had been a greate x p e r i e n c e.

“The awards have been fantastic. Isupport anything that supports andcelebrates women in business.

“I set my business up ten years agoand I know how important it is to besurrounded by people who supportyo u . ”

The retailer sells contemporary de-signer jewellery, from fashion jew-

ellery through to fine, stocking a mixof leading brands and up-and-comingdesigners such as Alex & Ani,Thomas Sabo, Vivienne Westwood,Nikki Lissoni and Pandora.

FINALISTS

� Dunleavy Vineyards, Wrington,North SomersetVineyard producing English rose andsparkling wine from pinot noirgrapes grown near Bristol. It hasbeen communicating its messagethrough social media, appearing onRadio 4, organising a localproducers market and winninga w a rd s .

� Business West, Abbots Leigh,North SomersetA business support and leadershiporganisation which works with morethan 18,000 companies across theSouth West, many through itsChamber of Commerce network.Business West’s #GetExportingcampaign aims to inspirebusinesses to sell abroad and hasgained extensive coverage throughpartnerships with local media.

For the launch it branded ashipping container and filled it withlocal produce, gaining local andnational coverage.

BLUE Badge Company has an-nounced it has won a majorcontract just days after man-aging director Ellen Greentook the Young Entrepreneur

prize at the Bristol and Bath Women InBusiness Awards.

The company, based in Montpelier,Bristol, has been com-missioned to supply5,000 blue badge walletsby Fish Insurance, oneof the UK’s biggest dis-ability insurance spe-c i a l i s t s.

The deal, which car-ries a retail value of£90,000, is to support apromotion beinglaunched by Fish whichwill see it give away thewallets to anyone takingout a new disabled carinsurance policy.

It is the second biggestsingle order won by Blue Badge Com-pany, beaten only by a landmark con-tract Ellen secured with Boots in 2013,shortly after taking the helm of thebu s i n e s s.

Commenting on the deal, Ellen said:“It’s a fantastic opportunity for us be-cause it not only gets our products outthere and in people’s hands but sees us

joining forces with a very reputablebrand. Fish’s brand, core values andpolicies are very much aligned withours. It’s a great fit.”

John Garrard, Fish Insurance’s man-aging director, added: “Blue BadgeCompany ticks all the boxes for us. It’s afantastic product produced in the UK,in Bristol, by a diverse workforce,around 40 per cent of which themselveshave a disability.

“Ellen and her team have been reallygreat to work with and as a result wehave a superb and exclusively designed

wallet with which toprovide another incent-ive to take out our spe-cialist car insurance.”

Ellen has grown thebusiness from a backbedroom to occupyingthree workshop units inMontpelier. It now sellsin 2,000 Boots stores, 500post offices and its ownwebsite. Its range of fab-ric and leather permitholders is now augmen-ted by wheat bags, read-ing glasses withfashionable cases and

similarly stylish Radar key fobs.The new deal is an example of why

Ellen won the Young EntrepreneurAward, sponsored by EY.

Talking about the award, she said:“I’ve a lot to thank Bristol for – it’s thegreatest city in the world and if I wasn’there there’s no way I’d have achievedthese things… so big up to Bristol.”

Ellen was also a finalist in theWoman of the Year category but ad-mitted she was “n e r vo u s ” about herchances. “I was really chuffed to win,”she said. “It’s wonderful, especially tobe around such inspiring women.”

The talented young businesswomanbelieves the award will give the firm areal boost.

“We ’ve got a really big few yearsahead of us and I feel that getting thisrecognition was a big hurdle,” she said.“It means a massive amount, it reallydoes. Being Young Entrepreneur justfeels fantastic.”

FINALISTS

� Holly Burrage, The TriathlonShop, Harbourside, BristolHolly launched start-up business TheTriathlon Shop with husband Jon. Itnow employs 10 people havingmoved to new, bigger premises lastyear. Holly is driven, coming from achallenging background where evenheating the house was out of reach.

She brought focus to the store teamand revitalised its website, resulting ina 200 per cent sales value increase.

� Sophie Hibbert, HibbertHarwood, BathSophie founded Hibbert Harwood, athriving design consultancy based inBath specialising in brandcommunication online and offline. Inthe last two years, they havesuccessfully branded and rebrandedmore than 20 businesses. She has ateam of eight and the business isgrowing at 50 per cent a year.

� Samantha Payne, Open Bionics,Frenchay, BristolAfter working as freelance journalistand marketing professional, Sammyjoined start-up Open Bionics full time.She has driven the company, whichmakes robot hands for amputees, togain worldwide recognition includinghelping it take second place in Intel’sMake It Wearable competition,winning $250,000 investment.

‘We ’ve a big few years ahead and this was a big hurdle’

EMMA Collins, of Gallery CreativeBusiness Consultancy, was still insomething of daze after being namedMentor of the Year.

The whole thing has been somethingof a surprise for modest Emma.

“It’s a bit surreal,” said Emma, pic-t u re d , who is based at Spike Island. “Mywonderful clients Design & Co hadsecretly entered me so I had this in-credible email a few Saturday morn-ings ago to say I had been entered and Ihad had no idea.

“A few weeks after that I had another

lovely email saying I was a finalistwhich was another lovely surprise.

“And then they texted me to say theyhad bought me my ticket to come so Icame tonight and was surrounded byall these awesome women and thinking‘yes, come on the girls’, but to win was a

bit surreal.“I sat listening all the other awards

after me still trying to process howdeeply moved I was by the wholething.

“I am passionate about being sup-portive of as many people as I can be. Itgives me incredible pleasure to helpanyone get further on in what they aredoing. When somebody takes the timeout completely independently to dosomething for me, that’s a very beau-tiful thing. Moved is the word.”

Emma won the award, sponsored by

Mentor Media Training, in part for herwork as a creative consultant, lead-ership coach, trainer and facilitatorworking in the design industry.

She led the West of England Designforum for three years and has been aboard member of the South WestDesign Forum for nearly 10, helpingand supporting creative companies.

The nomination submitted by herclient Design & Co said: “Emma is avery special person, providing inspir-ation and support to creatives likeourselves. Her work as chair of the Westof England Design Forum from 2011-14and as a member of the South WestDesign Forum (for almost 10 years)

have helped put the Creative Industriesin Bristol and Bath on the map – high-lighting the wealth of talent in theSouth West and the value of design.”

FINALIST

� Jackie Matthews, Libra Learning,BristolJackie visits schools across Bristol,Bath and South Gloucestershiredelivering independent financialknowledge to students of all ages,including running activities such asrestaurant competitions whereyoungsters take on marketing, financecatering and management roles.

Young Entrepreneur of the Year

‘This campaign was not for anymarketing gain but for charity’

� The Fabulous team received their marketing campaign award from BathChronicle editor Lynne Fernquest, centre

� HeatherThomas ofHeather’s PetServices is givenher award byBristol Posteditor Mike

‘I was sat trying to process how deeply moved I was’


� Yo u n gEntrepreneur ofthe Year EllenGreen receivesher award fromEY tax partnerKaren Kirkwood

EPB-E01-S3

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YOU will probably be famil-iar with the most commonforms of business struc-tures – sole traders, part-nerships, limited liability

partnerships, and limited compan-ies. You may also be aware that dif-ferent structures suit differentpur poses.

However, it may surprise you tolearn that the way a business isstructured is often the fundamentaldifference between the success andfailure of an enterprise.

As so often, this can be the result ofthe impact of tax on a business. Thedifferent types of business structurecan be split into two main camps.

Firstly, those where the ownersare taxed on the surpluses whetheror not they are distributed – thisapplies to sole traders, partnerships

and limited liability partnerships.Many owners have felt the in-

justice of leaving half the profits inthe business to fund future growth(or in the interests of simpleprudence) yet being taxed on thewhole amount.

The second camp comprises thosebusinesses which are taxed as anentity distinct from their owners,who decide how much they draw outand therefore how much personaltax they pay.

The most common businesses inthis camp are good old limited com-panies, but there are definite com-mercial and tax advantages to amutual structure, for example ac o - o p e r at ive.

Although little known, these arecertainly worth exploring.

It is not just short-term tax con-siderations which are important.

The structure of a business affectsits robustness and longevity andhow and when it can be handeddown to future generations or sold toa third party. It also affects itsgrowth potential and ability to raise

f i n a n c e.It may be that reading this you feel

concerned that you may currentlybe in the wrong structure. Don’tworry – the structure can bechanged (the earlier the better) andthere may in fact be significantone-off tax benefits arising from therestructuring process.

It is also a mistake to think thatyou have to run the whole businessthrough the same entity.

It is fairly common to run a com-mercially risky trade through a dif-ferent company to that which holdsthe valuable assets, but there aremany more strategies to employ.

For instance, have you thought ofkeeping the intellectual property ofthe business outside the main trad-ing company and taking royaltiesinstead of salary, thereby saving na-

tional insurance, and protecting itfrom business failure?

Have you thought of forming aco-operative to supply the labour tothe business, thereby boosting theproductivity and take home pay ofyour team? The list is endless.

Having the wrong structure can bea glass ceiling that inhibits growth,increases tax and increases com-mercial risk.

The good news is that you don’thave to leave things as they are, withyou at the back of the queue and HMGovernment at the front.

If you attend to the structure ofyour business and put your familyfirst, you stand a good chance ofmaking it to the point where eco-nomies of scale and a larger busi-ness propel your family fortunesinto an altogether different league.

Andrew FisherExecutive directorAlanbrookes Ltd01934 863386Andr [email protected] w w. a l a n -brookes.co.uk

Know how

How a business is structured can make all the difference

Women in the Workplace Award

‘I’m shocked. I really was notexpecting it. It’s crazy... brilliant’

in association with

Mentor of the Year

West of England Local Enterprise Partnership

Business board reps resign to make way for new team

THE entire business representativeon the West of England Local Enter-prise Partnership board is to resign.

It was an open secret that chairmanColin Skellett planned to stand downthis year. The high-profile role ofchairman is a demanding one andColin has increasingly taken centrestage in the public eye since formerchief executive Paul Wilson was re-placed by Barbara Davies.

But now the five business repres-entatives and four business advisershave said they will resign in a bid toattract new blood to the organisa-tion.

However it may not be a total cleansweep as some of the resigning mem-bers are expected to put themselvesforward again.

The local enterprise partner-ship was created as a bridgebetween local councilsand the business worldand is a conduit for gov-ernment funding to en-courage job creation,regeneration andg rowth.

Despite only having asmall staff, the partner-ship has become increas-ingly prominent as politicalparties on all sides look to push thedevolution agenda.

The board, which oversees it, ismade up of the leaders of the four localauthorities in its patch – Bristol,

South Gloucestershire, North Somer-set and Bath and North East Som-erset, Professor Steve West from theUniversity of the West of England and

f ivebusiness represent-

atives. They are:David Sprox-ton, c e n t re ,c o - fo u n d e rand execut-ive chair-man at

A a rd m a n ;Professor Joe

McGeehan, MD ofthe Toshiba Telecommu-

nications Lab and chairman of InvestBristol and Bath; Katherine Bennett,left, vice president and head of polit-ical affairs at Airbus; Robert Sinclair,right, chief executive of Bristol Air-

port; and chairman Colin SkellettOBE, executive chairman of WessexWater. Business advisers KalpnaWoolf, Malachy McReynolds, James

Durie and Nick Wilton willalso step down.

Colin said:“The West ofEnglandhas a flour-ishing eco-n o myworth £25

billion a yearand we are the

only region in thecountry that contributes

to the Treasury, giving back around£10 billion every year.

“After four successful years, theboard have decided that the generalelection and a new government in

May provides an ideal opportunity toreview and refresh the business rep-resentation on the LEP board.”

A business nominations committeewith representatives from the

CBI, IoD, FSB and BusinessWest will choose the new

business members aftersubmissions of interest.The chair will be chosenin conjunction with thefour local authorityl e a d e r s.

� To apply, contactMalachy McReynolds,

The West of England LocalEnterprise Partnership Busi-

ness Nominations Committee, c/oPhil Smith, managing director, Busi-ness West, Leigh Court BusinessCentre, Bristol, BS8 3RA or emailp h i l . s m i t h @ bu s i n e s sw e s t . c o. u k


Marketing Campaign of the Year

HE AT H E R ’S Pet Care Ser-vices won the Women in theWorkplace Award for com-panies which go the extramile to encourage and sup-

port the needs of women at work suchas flexible working.

Owner Heather Thomas said: “I’mcompletely shocked, I really was notexpecting it. It’s crazy, it’s brilliant.

“It gives you the determination anddrive to keep going, employing morepeople and getting those women outthere to go to work, with children.

“I’ve got two young children soother people can do it too. We’ve got 12members of staff and we hope to keepg rowing.”

The business, founded in 2006, of-fers a professional dog sitting servicearound Bristol and Bath from a basein Fishponds and gives its employeesthe chance to work flexible hours,including taking school holidays off.This approach that saw it take theWomen in the Workplace category.

Many of the firm’s employees arewomen, often with childcare com-mitments or who are semi-retiredand do the work because the hourssuit them. The company offers

grooming, dog day care services in-cluding walks, home boarding –where dogs stay at the carer’s homenot in kennels – and even a weddingservice so your pet can join you forpart of your big day.

FINALISTS

� RebalanceResource, BristolA new type of recruitment agencydedicated to sourcing flexibleworking opportunities to meet thegrowing skills gap. It focuses on theproblem/challenge the employerwants solved rather than the needfor someone to be at a desk from9-5.

� The Detective ProjectRuns events for adults and childrenin crime scene investigation. It aimsto spark an interest in science andgive participants the opportunity toexperience hands on challenges incrime scene investigation. Havingworked as a police detective for 14years, founder Jenny Williams waskeen to make the workingenvironment as family friendly aspossible.

A CAMPAIGN which turned un-wanted jewellery into vital funds fora cancer charity won the marketingprize at the Bristol and Bath Womenin Business Awards.

Fabulous jewellery store launcheda jewellery amnesty encouragingwomen to hand over their no longerused pieces, which were then madeinto new pieces by students at theCity of Bath College and sold in aid ofthe Breast Cancer Campaign.

It clinched the Marketing Cam-paign of the Year prize for Fabulousstore, based in the Southgate Shop-ping Centre in Bath.

Store owner Jo Stroud said: “T hiswas a not-for-profit campaign that welaunched, not for any marketing gain,but to raise money for charity.

“We are delighted that such a cam-paign has been recognised.”

She added that attending theawards night at the Bristol CityCentre Marriott had been a greate x p e r i e n c e.

“The awards have been fantastic. Isupport anything that supports andcelebrates women in business.

“I set my business up ten years agoand I know how important it is to besurrounded by people who supportyo u . ”

The retailer sells contemporary de-signer jewellery, from fashion jew-

ellery through to fine, stocking a mixof leading brands and up-and-comingdesigners such as Alex & Ani,Thomas Sabo, Vivienne Westwood,Nikki Lissoni and Pandora.

FINALISTS

� Dunleavy Vineyards, Wrington,North SomersetVineyard producing English rose andsparkling wine from pinot noirgrapes grown near Bristol. It hasbeen communicating its messagethrough social media, appearing onRadio 4, organising a localproducers market and winninga w a rd s .

� Business West, Abbots Leigh,North SomersetA business support and leadershiporganisation which works with morethan 18,000 companies across theSouth West, many through itsChamber of Commerce network.Business West’s #GetExportingcampaign aims to inspirebusinesses to sell abroad and hasgained extensive coverage throughpartnerships with local media.

For the launch it branded ashipping container and filled it withlocal produce, gaining local andnational coverage.

BLUE Badge Company has an-nounced it has won a majorcontract just days after man-aging director Ellen Greentook the Young Entrepreneur

prize at the Bristol and Bath Women InBusiness Awards.

The company, based in Montpelier,Bristol, has been com-missioned to supply5,000 blue badge walletsby Fish Insurance, oneof the UK’s biggest dis-ability insurance spe-c i a l i s t s.

The deal, which car-ries a retail value of£90,000, is to support apromotion beinglaunched by Fish whichwill see it give away thewallets to anyone takingout a new disabled carinsurance policy.

It is the second biggestsingle order won by Blue Badge Com-pany, beaten only by a landmark con-tract Ellen secured with Boots in 2013,shortly after taking the helm of thebu s i n e s s.

Commenting on the deal, Ellen said:“It’s a fantastic opportunity for us be-cause it not only gets our products outthere and in people’s hands but sees us

joining forces with a very reputablebrand. Fish’s brand, core values andpolicies are very much aligned withours. It’s a great fit.”

John Garrard, Fish Insurance’s man-aging director, added: “Blue BadgeCompany ticks all the boxes for us. It’s afantastic product produced in the UK,in Bristol, by a diverse workforce,around 40 per cent of which themselveshave a disability.

“Ellen and her team have been reallygreat to work with and as a result wehave a superb and exclusively designed

wallet with which toprovide another incent-ive to take out our spe-cialist car insurance.”

Ellen has grown thebusiness from a backbedroom to occupyingthree workshop units inMontpelier. It now sellsin 2,000 Boots stores, 500post offices and its ownwebsite. Its range of fab-ric and leather permitholders is now augmen-ted by wheat bags, read-ing glasses withfashionable cases and

similarly stylish Radar key fobs.The new deal is an example of why

Ellen won the Young EntrepreneurAward, sponsored by EY.

Talking about the award, she said:“I’ve a lot to thank Bristol for – it’s thegreatest city in the world and if I wasn’there there’s no way I’d have achievedthese things… so big up to Bristol.”

Ellen was also a finalist in theWoman of the Year category but ad-mitted she was “n e r vo u s ” about herchances. “I was really chuffed to win,”she said. “It’s wonderful, especially tobe around such inspiring women.”

The talented young businesswomanbelieves the award will give the firm areal boost.

“We ’ve got a really big few yearsahead of us and I feel that getting thisrecognition was a big hurdle,” she said.“It means a massive amount, it reallydoes. Being Young Entrepreneur justfeels fantastic.”

FINALISTS

� Holly Burrage, The TriathlonShop, Harbourside, BristolHolly launched start-up business TheTriathlon Shop with husband Jon. Itnow employs 10 people havingmoved to new, bigger premises lastyear. Holly is driven, coming from achallenging background where evenheating the house was out of reach.

She brought focus to the store teamand revitalised its website, resulting ina 200 per cent sales value increase.

� Sophie Hibbert, HibbertHarwood, BathSophie founded Hibbert Harwood, athriving design consultancy based inBath specialising in brandcommunication online and offline. Inthe last two years, they havesuccessfully branded and rebrandedmore than 20 businesses. She has ateam of eight and the business isgrowing at 50 per cent a year.

� Samantha Payne, Open Bionics,Frenchay, BristolAfter working as freelance journalistand marketing professional, Sammyjoined start-up Open Bionics full time.She has driven the company, whichmakes robot hands for amputees, togain worldwide recognition includinghelping it take second place in Intel’sMake It Wearable competition,winning $250,000 investment.

‘We ’ve a big few years ahead and this was a big hurdle’

EMMA Collins, of Gallery CreativeBusiness Consultancy, was still insomething of daze after being namedMentor of the Year.

The whole thing has been somethingof a surprise for modest Emma.

“It’s a bit surreal,” said Emma, pic-t u re d , who is based at Spike Island. “Mywonderful clients Design & Co hadsecretly entered me so I had this in-credible email a few Saturday morn-ings ago to say I had been entered and Ihad had no idea.

“A few weeks after that I had another

lovely email saying I was a finalistwhich was another lovely surprise.

“And then they texted me to say theyhad bought me my ticket to come so Icame tonight and was surrounded byall these awesome women and thinking‘yes, come on the girls’, but to win was a

bit surreal.“I sat listening all the other awards

after me still trying to process howdeeply moved I was by the wholething.

“I am passionate about being sup-portive of as many people as I can be. Itgives me incredible pleasure to helpanyone get further on in what they aredoing. When somebody takes the timeout completely independently to dosomething for me, that’s a very beau-tiful thing. Moved is the word.”

Emma won the award, sponsored by

Mentor Media Training, in part for herwork as a creative consultant, lead-ership coach, trainer and facilitatorworking in the design industry.

She led the West of England Designforum for three years and has been aboard member of the South WestDesign Forum for nearly 10, helpingand supporting creative companies.

The nomination submitted by herclient Design & Co said: “Emma is avery special person, providing inspir-ation and support to creatives likeourselves. Her work as chair of the Westof England Design Forum from 2011-14and as a member of the South WestDesign Forum (for almost 10 years)

have helped put the Creative Industriesin Bristol and Bath on the map – high-lighting the wealth of talent in theSouth West and the value of design.”

FINALIST

� Jackie Matthews, Libra Learning,BristolJackie visits schools across Bristol,Bath and South Gloucestershiredelivering independent financialknowledge to students of all ages,including running activities such asrestaurant competitions whereyoungsters take on marketing, financecatering and management roles.

Young Entrepreneur of the Year

‘This campaign was not for anymarketing gain but for charity’

� The Fabulous team received their marketing campaign award from BathChronicle editor Lynne Fernquest, centre

� HeatherThomas ofHeather’s PetServices is givenher award byBristol Posteditor Mike

‘I was sat trying to process how deeply moved I was’


� Yo u n gEntrepreneur ofthe Year EllenGreen receivesher award fromEY tax partnerKaren Kirkwood

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Business diary

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

Unlocking Innovation:Networking event for those inlow carbon technology sector atthe Bristol & Bath Science Parkfrom 4.30pm, today, featuringtalk by Pete Stirling of StirlingDynamics. Register at eventbrite.

Agents of Growth Summit:Guest speakers including Nextfounder George Davies, AlexReilley of Loungers, and TimWestwell of Pukka Herbs willaddress a breakfast event formid-sized businesses atTortworth Court from 8amtomorrow. Email [email protected] for details.

Bristol Social Enterprise City -the Next Stage: Event looking athow the social enterprise sectoris growing and what the futureholds. 1.30-5pm Friday at theWatershed, Bristol. [email protected].

The Future of Construction inthe South West: MoonConsulting hosts free businessbreakfast to discuss the future ofthe construction industry in theSouth West, including skillsprovision, sustainability andlong-term resilience, at theSouth Bristol Skills Academy,Hengrove, 7.30am on Tuesday,March 31.

Helping tech firms protecttheir intellectual property:Natwest and Microsoft host freeworkshop run with asset financespecialists Lombard and IPexperts Inngot. Takes place onApril 16 at the Engine Shed. Firstslot 9am-noon then 1-4pm.Book via Eventbrite.

Digital Challenge Final andAw a rd s : Finalists from the hackweekend in February willcompete for a £50,000 cashprize to develop a softwareapplication or game addressingone of five environmentalchallenges, energy, transport,food, resources and nature.Colston Hall, April 20.w w w. b r i s t o l 2 0 1 5 . c o . u k

Finance and business briefing:The Bristol office of accountancyand investment managementgroup, Smith & Williamson, ishosting a briefing to help SMEsget to grips with the latestchanges to accountingpractices, tax, regulations andcompany complianceprocedures at the firm’s officesin Portwall Lane on April 21,8.30-11am. Email rebecca.walford@smith. williamson.co.uk.

20 Ways to Grow YourBusiness: Seminar on how tostructure a business forsustainable and profitablegrowth. Ashton Court Mansion,BS41 9JN, 7.45am on April 22.Contact Mazars.

The Lord Mayor’s CharityDinner: Drinks receptionfollowed by three-course dinner,live entertainment and auction, inaid of Lord Mayor of Bristol’sChildren Appeal, April 30 at theBristol Marriott Royal Hotel.Book through Eventbrite. [email protected] forsponsorship opportunities.

ROLLS-Royce is opening acomposite technology site atits plant just outside Bristol.The engineering giant’smove will secure or create

120 jobs but more importantly couldbe vital to the future of the Patchwaysite by putting it at the forefront of thelatest technology.

The centre will build on researchand expertise from the nearby Na-tional Composites Centre in Emer-sons Green to develop new fan bladesand cases made from lightweightcomposite materials to be used inRolls-Royce engines.

The long-term hope among theworkforce is that once the site hasdeveloped expertise in this area, itcould ultimately house the manu-facturing of such parts in future.

The investment by Rolls-Royce iswelcome news following the an-nouncement of significant jobs cutsglobally at the end of last year. Up to2,600 jobs are being cut and hundredsof staff have already left through vol-untary redundancy.

The new centre will help to betterbalance the workload at the Bristolplant, which is heavily biased to-wards defence. The defence markethas had a tough time in recent yearsdue to global government austeritywhile the civil aviation market hasboomed.

The new centre, which should berunning by the end of 2017 and befully operational in 2019, will focus oncivil work.

Paul Craig, p i c t u re d , president cus-tomer services – defence atRolls-Royce, told Business: “We arecreating a centre of excellencedeveloping this leading-edgetechnology. This is a newline of work which willhopefully grow.”

He said the workforceat Patchway hadproved it was flexibleand could adapt, whichhelped win this work.

Some of the work willbe transferred from the Isleof Wight, with up to 40 staffmoving to Bristol. Another 80 newroles will be created at the centre.

Paul said he hoped the site wouldeventually turn this pre-production

work into manufacturing, althoughRolls-Royce has not yet made a de-cision on that.

“T hat’s our hope and that’s theopportunity for this site,”

said Paul.“We ’ve got the first part

with this pre-productionc e n t re. ”

He pointed to the com-p a ny ’s strong relation-ship with Airbus, which

designs its wings inFilton, as part of the reas-

on for choosing Bristol.The decision adds further

weight to the city’s growing status asthe leading place for composite re-search. As well as the NCC, aerospacefirm GKN makes composite parts of

MORE than £10 million has beenhanded out to 222 companies acrossthe Bristol area as part of a campaignto support jobs and growth.

The West of England Growth Fundhas made the grants, helping to cre-ate more than 800 jobs. Much of themoney was handed out after the Bris-tol Post’s Going for Growth campaignlast year encouraging businesses toapply for match-funded grants.

Colin Skellett, p i c t u re d , chairman

of the West of England Local En-terprise Partnership, which man-aged the fund, said: “I am delightedthat the growth fund has enabled somany businesses in the West of Eng-land to realise their expansion plansand create new jobs. These compan-ies are the driving force of the UKeconomy and help deliver economicgrowth for the region. It is encour-aging that so many have capitalisedon this great opportunity.”

Companies benefiting include CEnterprise Ltd, based in North Som-erset, which received £185,000 to fundresearch into a desktop fabricationrobot and is working on a 3D print-e r.

And Combined Brewers in SouthGloucestershire, formed last yearfrom the merger of two existing com-panies, plan to move into largerpremises with increased capacityafter their pay-out of £30,000.

WOMEN in business have been be-nefiting from a free training pro-g ramme.

Run by management consultancyBlue Orchid as part of the city coun-cil’s Bristol Enterprise Support Ser-vice, the course aims to give womenthe keys to success, covering finance,branding and presentation skills.

Course trainers and panellists arebrand and marketing specialist Har-riet Kingaby, finance expert ClairBanning, round-the-world yachtswo-man Vicky Ellis, personal develop-ment leader Yvonne Bignall, coachPippa Adamson and The Plumbher’sDebbie Stanley Jones.

Programme facilitator Rosalind J.

Turner, who runs Netwalking SouthWest, said: “These sessions are de-signed to provide business womenwith the keys to success from un-derstanding brand and finance to im-proving their presentation and pitchskills. The course also provides anopportunity for building supportivenetworks as the women develop andgrow their businesses.

“I am passionate about co-creatinga world that fully supports and en-courages women to explore their fullpotential.”

The course is linked to the newFilwood Green Business Park and hasa particular aim to encourage busi-ness in south Bristol, though is not

exclusive to entrepreneurs from thata re a .

Gary Chatwin, area anager forBlue Orchid, said: “Women representa significant and growing percentageof business people in Bristol, howeverthey remain under-represented.

“It is vital that women have accessto best practice, and the knowledgeand skills they need to develop asuccessful business.”

The service also offers freeone-to-one support, drop-in advicesessions, networking activities and ascheme to help businesses meet en-vironmental accreditation throughthe ‘Green Accord’, open to men andwo m e n .

� A BRISTOL constructioncompany is celebrating one millionworking hours without a reportableaccident on its sites in the region.

Midas Construction, which has itsHQ in the city, have achieved themilestone across its Wales and Westdivision.

Group health and safety directorBrian Smith said: “This is a fantasticbenchmark to achieve in theconstruction industry, and we arevery proud that our Wales andWessex division has worked for overone million hours without a singlelost-time injury or reportableaccident.

“This includes no major injuries,broken bones or seven-day injuries,such as sprains, requiring time offwork.

“It is a notable achievement, anda direct result of the ongoing hardwork and determination of theMidas Construction team to instilessential health and safety practiceson site as a matter of course forstaff and sub-contractors, ensuringa safe working environment andthorough training is provided, andan ongoing commitment toemployee accountability.”

The company is currently buildingthe £11.6 million Filwood GreenBusiness Park in South Bristol.

Last year it was awarded by theRoyal Society for the Prevention ofAccidents Presidents’ Award, givento firms which achieve theo rg a n i s a t i o n ’s gold benchmark for10 years.

Giving women the keys to success

� A BRISTOL company whichspecialises in remote paymenttechnology used in car parks andother places is moving into thefast-growing contactless paymentmarket.

The firm. based in the city centre,has been chosen by Dutchcontactless payment terminalprovider Payter to power its new P6series of unattended terminals.

C re d i t c a l l ’s software acts as agateway between an unattendedpayment machine, such as aparking meter, and card companiessuch as Mastercard and Visa.

Contactless payments, wherepeople don’t need to enter a PIN, isa fast growing market with thenumber of contactless cardtransactions in Europe up 174percent year over year in the lastquarter of 2014.

A i r bu s ’ latest plane the A350.The new hub will be developed

within an existing building alongsideRo l l s - Royc e ’s new facility for car-bon-fibre electrical harness rafts,currently being constructed on theBristol site.

New hub Rolls-Royce secures jobswith centre focusing on civil work

C o n st r u c t i o nOne million hourswithout an accident

Firm wins contractwithout contacts

Te c h

� Trainers and business women taking part in the course

J o bs

£10million in grants shared out to 222 companies


COMPOSITES

� The new Rolls-Roycecomposite knowledge hub willdevelop the next generation offan blades and fan cases for thecompany’s civilian aeroplanes.

Composite materials are madefrom at least two different typesof materials which, whencombined, create a new materialthat offers different physicalproperties and particularadvantages not available fromthe materials on their own.

Engines use titanium bladesand cases. New ones madefrom lightweight but strongcomposite materials, but withtitanium leading and trailingedges, will be designed andbuilt. They are a key feature ofthe firm’s Advance enginedesign, unveiled last year, whichwill offer at least 20 per cent lessfuel burn and CO2 emissionsthan the first generation of theTrent aero-engine.

The blades and associatedcomposite engine casings willform part of the new CTi fansystem that could reduce weightby up to 1,500lb per aircraft, theequivalent of seven morepassengers and their luggage.

� Rolls-Royce is developing new fan blades and cases made fromcomposite materials at its plant in Patchway, Bristol

in association with

In pictures Women in Business Awards

GALLERIESGALORE

FOR MORE PICTURESCheck out our

website at

bristolpost.co.uk/business

� Guests arrive at the Bristol Post and Bath Chronicle Women in Business Awards 2015 Pictures: Michael Lloyd

� The Business West team, including Nicola Pullin and Mary Martin, front� Jennine Way, Tom Alexander, Laura Baggaley, and Paul Cooper, all fromErnst and Young

� The team from PPC

Ae ros pa ce

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Business diary

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

Unlocking Innovation:Networking event for those inlow carbon technology sector atthe Bristol & Bath Science Parkfrom 4.30pm, today, featuringtalk by Pete Stirling of StirlingDynamics. Register at eventbrite.

Agents of Growth Summit:Guest speakers including Nextfounder George Davies, AlexReilley of Loungers, and TimWestwell of Pukka Herbs willaddress a breakfast event formid-sized businesses atTortworth Court from 8amtomorrow. Email [email protected] for details.

Bristol Social Enterprise City -the Next Stage: Event looking athow the social enterprise sectoris growing and what the futureholds. 1.30-5pm Friday at theWatershed, Bristol. [email protected].

The Future of Construction inthe South West: MoonConsulting hosts free businessbreakfast to discuss the future ofthe construction industry in theSouth West, including skillsprovision, sustainability andlong-term resilience, at theSouth Bristol Skills Academy,Hengrove, 7.30am on Tuesday,March 31.

Helping tech firms protecttheir intellectual property:Natwest and Microsoft host freeworkshop run with asset financespecialists Lombard and IPexperts Inngot. Takes place onApril 16 at the Engine Shed. Firstslot 9am-noon then 1-4pm.Book via Eventbrite.

Digital Challenge Final andAw a rd s : Finalists from the hackweekend in February willcompete for a £50,000 cashprize to develop a softwareapplication or game addressingone of five environmentalchallenges, energy, transport,food, resources and nature.Colston Hall, April 20.w w w. b r i s t o l 2 0 1 5 . c o . u k

Finance and business briefing:The Bristol office of accountancyand investment managementgroup, Smith & Williamson, ishosting a briefing to help SMEsget to grips with the latestchanges to accountingpractices, tax, regulations andcompany complianceprocedures at the firm’s officesin Portwall Lane on April 21,8.30-11am. Email rebecca.walford@smith. williamson.co.uk.

20 Ways to Grow YourBusiness: Seminar on how tostructure a business forsustainable and profitablegrowth. Ashton Court Mansion,BS41 9JN, 7.45am on April 22.Contact Mazars.

The Lord Mayor’s CharityDinner: Drinks receptionfollowed by three-course dinner,live entertainment and auction, inaid of Lord Mayor of Bristol’sChildren Appeal, April 30 at theBristol Marriott Royal Hotel.Book through Eventbrite. [email protected] forsponsorship opportunities.

ROLLS-Royce is opening acomposite technology site atits plant just outside Bristol.The engineering giant’smove will secure or create

120 jobs but more importantly couldbe vital to the future of the Patchwaysite by putting it at the forefront of thelatest technology.

The centre will build on researchand expertise from the nearby Na-tional Composites Centre in Emer-sons Green to develop new fan bladesand cases made from lightweightcomposite materials to be used inRolls-Royce engines.

The long-term hope among theworkforce is that once the site hasdeveloped expertise in this area, itcould ultimately house the manu-facturing of such parts in future.

The investment by Rolls-Royce iswelcome news following the an-nouncement of significant jobs cutsglobally at the end of last year. Up to2,600 jobs are being cut and hundredsof staff have already left through vol-untary redundancy.

The new centre will help to betterbalance the workload at the Bristolplant, which is heavily biased to-wards defence. The defence markethas had a tough time in recent yearsdue to global government austeritywhile the civil aviation market hasboomed.

The new centre, which should berunning by the end of 2017 and befully operational in 2019, will focus oncivil work.

Paul Craig, p i c t u re d , president cus-tomer services – defence atRolls-Royce, told Business: “We arecreating a centre of excellencedeveloping this leading-edgetechnology. This is a newline of work which willhopefully grow.”

He said the workforceat Patchway hadproved it was flexibleand could adapt, whichhelped win this work.

Some of the work willbe transferred from the Isleof Wight, with up to 40 staffmoving to Bristol. Another 80 newroles will be created at the centre.

Paul said he hoped the site wouldeventually turn this pre-production

work into manufacturing, althoughRolls-Royce has not yet made a de-cision on that.

“T hat’s our hope and that’s theopportunity for this site,”

said Paul.“We ’ve got the first part

with this pre-productionc e n t re. ”

He pointed to the com-p a ny ’s strong relation-ship with Airbus, which

designs its wings inFilton, as part of the reas-

on for choosing Bristol.The decision adds further

weight to the city’s growing status asthe leading place for composite re-search. As well as the NCC, aerospacefirm GKN makes composite parts of

MORE than £10 million has beenhanded out to 222 companies acrossthe Bristol area as part of a campaignto support jobs and growth.

The West of England Growth Fundhas made the grants, helping to cre-ate more than 800 jobs. Much of themoney was handed out after the Bris-tol Post’s Going for Growth campaignlast year encouraging businesses toapply for match-funded grants.

Colin Skellett, p i c t u re d , chairman

of the West of England Local En-terprise Partnership, which man-aged the fund, said: “I am delightedthat the growth fund has enabled somany businesses in the West of Eng-land to realise their expansion plansand create new jobs. These compan-ies are the driving force of the UKeconomy and help deliver economicgrowth for the region. It is encour-aging that so many have capitalisedon this great opportunity.”

Companies benefiting include CEnterprise Ltd, based in North Som-erset, which received £185,000 to fundresearch into a desktop fabricationrobot and is working on a 3D print-e r.

And Combined Brewers in SouthGloucestershire, formed last yearfrom the merger of two existing com-panies, plan to move into largerpremises with increased capacityafter their pay-out of £30,000.

WOMEN in business have been be-nefiting from a free training pro-g ramme.

Run by management consultancyBlue Orchid as part of the city coun-cil’s Bristol Enterprise Support Ser-vice, the course aims to give womenthe keys to success, covering finance,branding and presentation skills.

Course trainers and panellists arebrand and marketing specialist Har-riet Kingaby, finance expert ClairBanning, round-the-world yachtswo-man Vicky Ellis, personal develop-ment leader Yvonne Bignall, coachPippa Adamson and The Plumbher’sDebbie Stanley Jones.

Programme facilitator Rosalind J.

Turner, who runs Netwalking SouthWest, said: “These sessions are de-signed to provide business womenwith the keys to success from un-derstanding brand and finance to im-proving their presentation and pitchskills. The course also provides anopportunity for building supportivenetworks as the women develop andgrow their businesses.

“I am passionate about co-creatinga world that fully supports and en-courages women to explore their fullpotential.”

The course is linked to the newFilwood Green Business Park and hasa particular aim to encourage busi-ness in south Bristol, though is not

exclusive to entrepreneurs from thata re a .

Gary Chatwin, area anager forBlue Orchid, said: “Women representa significant and growing percentageof business people in Bristol, howeverthey remain under-represented.

“It is vital that women have accessto best practice, and the knowledgeand skills they need to develop asuccessful business.”

The service also offers freeone-to-one support, drop-in advicesessions, networking activities and ascheme to help businesses meet en-vironmental accreditation throughthe ‘Green Accord’, open to men andwo m e n .

� A BRISTOL constructioncompany is celebrating one millionworking hours without a reportableaccident on its sites in the region.

Midas Construction, which has itsHQ in the city, have achieved themilestone across its Wales and Westdivision.

Group health and safety directorBrian Smith said: “This is a fantasticbenchmark to achieve in theconstruction industry, and we arevery proud that our Wales andWessex division has worked for overone million hours without a singlelost-time injury or reportableaccident.

“This includes no major injuries,broken bones or seven-day injuries,such as sprains, requiring time offwork.

“It is a notable achievement, anda direct result of the ongoing hardwork and determination of theMidas Construction team to instilessential health and safety practiceson site as a matter of course forstaff and sub-contractors, ensuringa safe working environment andthorough training is provided, andan ongoing commitment toemployee accountability.”

The company is currently buildingthe £11.6 million Filwood GreenBusiness Park in South Bristol.

Last year it was awarded by theRoyal Society for the Prevention ofAccidents Presidents’ Award, givento firms which achieve theo rg a n i s a t i o n ’s gold benchmark for10 years.

Giving women the keys to success

� A BRISTOL company whichspecialises in remote paymenttechnology used in car parks andother places is moving into thefast-growing contactless paymentmarket.

The firm. based in the city centre,has been chosen by Dutchcontactless payment terminalprovider Payter to power its new P6series of unattended terminals.

C re d i t c a l l ’s software acts as agateway between an unattendedpayment machine, such as aparking meter, and card companiessuch as Mastercard and Visa.

Contactless payments, wherepeople don’t need to enter a PIN, isa fast growing market with thenumber of contactless cardtransactions in Europe up 174percent year over year in the lastquarter of 2014.

A i r bu s ’ latest plane the A350.The new hub will be developed

within an existing building alongsideRo l l s - Royc e ’s new facility for car-bon-fibre electrical harness rafts,currently being constructed on theBristol site.

New hub Rolls-Royce secures jobswith centre focusing on civil work

C o n st r u c t i o nOne million hourswithout an accident

Firm wins contractwithout contacts

Te c h

� Trainers and business women taking part in the course

J o bs

£10million in grants shared out to 222 companies


COMPOSITES

� The new Rolls-Roycecomposite knowledge hub willdevelop the next generation offan blades and fan cases for thecompany’s civilian aeroplanes.

Composite materials are madefrom at least two different typesof materials which, whencombined, create a new materialthat offers different physicalproperties and particularadvantages not available fromthe materials on their own.

Engines use titanium bladesand cases. New ones madefrom lightweight but strongcomposite materials, but withtitanium leading and trailingedges, will be designed andbuilt. They are a key feature ofthe firm’s Advance enginedesign, unveiled last year, whichwill offer at least 20 per cent lessfuel burn and CO2 emissionsthan the first generation of theTrent aero-engine.

The blades and associatedcomposite engine casings willform part of the new CTi fansystem that could reduce weightby up to 1,500lb per aircraft, theequivalent of seven morepassengers and their luggage.

� Rolls-Royce is developing new fan blades and cases made fromcomposite materials at its plant in Patchway, Bristol

in association with

In pictures Women in Business Awards

GALLERIESGALORE

FOR MORE PICTURESCheck out our

website at

bristolpost.co.uk/business

� Guests arrive at the Bristol Post and Bath Chronicle Women in Business Awards 2015 Pictures: Michael Lloyd

� The Business West team, including Nicola Pullin and Mary Martin, front� Jennine Way, Tom Alexander, Laura Baggaley, and Paul Cooper, all fromErnst and Young

� The team from PPC

Ae ros pa ce

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As individuals are about toenjoy new freedoms overhow they use their privatepensions, Gavin Thompsonlooks at what these changesand others mean for the em-ployers offering workplaceschemes

WHILE your employeesare weighing up wheth-er to blow their pensionpot on a Lamborghini(they wish!), invest in

the magical buy-to-let market, stickwith a boring old annuity orsomething else, few people are think-ing about what it all means for you,the employer.

But you should be. The changes inthe pensions market will affect em-ployer pension schemes, presentingboth challenges and big opportun-i t i e s.

Allister Weir, below right, tax part-ner at accountants and business ad-visers Grant Thornton in Bristolsaid: “The pensions landscape is

changing and a number of measureshave been introduced to make savingfor retirement more attractive andmeaningful. More choice though, canoften lead to more confusion.

“With the introduction of free guid-ance alongside the new pension flex-ibilities, it may be wrong to assumethere is no longer a role for employersin helping their people understandtheir retirement saving options. Infact, the guidance may alert indi-viduals to the fact that they needmore in-depth knowledge.

“If you want to support your em-ployees and show you care abouttheir financial wellbeing you willneed to consider how you commu-nicate the new landscape in a waythat will engage them. This can alsopresent an opportunity to highlightthe investment you are making inthem as a valued employee.

“As staff engage more, they mayseek reassurance that their scheme isa quality workplace pension. For thatreason, it might be worth considering

establishing a governance commit-tee. This could include management,external business advisors and alsoemployees themselves, to ensure theinterests of all members are beingmet.”

Chris Mapp, who heads the Bristoloffice of pensions consultants PunterSouthall, puts it more strongly.

“A lot of employers will want tooffer guidance and support becausethere is now more possibility of mak-ing horribly wrong decisions,” hesaid. “The statutory guidance guar-antee is fine, but it’s at the point ofretirement whereas we feel guidanceand help is needed well before that.People are going to need to knowwhat they should be investing in be-fore they retire and that will depend

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

on what they expect to do in re-t i re m e n t . ”

Punter Southall has been offering aretirement counselling servicefor some time now and it isthis sort of scheme thatmore companies arelikely to look to as theiremployees becomemore engaged withtheir pensions and lookto get involved earlier.

The web-based ser-vice helps people workout what income theymight have in retirement, andmeasure that against the moneythey need for the lifestyle they want.They can then use this to informtheir decisions about how they invest

their money and the level of con-tributions they put in.

The new flexibilities in how peopleuse their pensions make that kind

of proactive approach moreimportant, and it’s

something employersneed to consider, saysC h r i s.

“Employers withdefined contributionschemes will need to

make sure that they arefit for purpose,” he said.

“They will have to makesure the default funds adapt.”

Chris explains that mostschemes have a default option whichassumes people will want to take a 25per cent cash lump sum and use the

Employer pensions

WHAT MORE PENSIONS FLEXIBILITY WILL MEAN FOR EMPLOYERS’ ROLE

rest of their money to buy an annuityat the point of retirement. Becauset h at ’s what most people did.

Now with new-found freedoms,more people are likely to take dif-ferent approaches, and that’s a prob-lem because most default funds aregeared towards that traditional out-c o m e.

Chris said: “For many years,defined contribution schemes have adefault strategy which in the 10 yearsleading up to retirement would movemoney into bonds and low-risk op-tions with a view to buying annuity.

“They would gradually move out ofequity and end up by time someoneretires with 25 per cent cash and therest in gilts and bonds. They aretailored for a set outcome but now

will have to be a lot more flexible.“You need to understand the de-

cisions your employees will need tomake. They might want to retire at adifferent age to what they currentlyexpect to, or at least take some of theirbenefits earlier. You should be think-ing about what support you shouldg ive. ”

There are other considerations forcompanies and their pensionschemes too. Employers have to de-cide whether their scheme will offerthe new flexibilities through thescheme, which might not be the bestuse of their limited budget, or riskmore people transferring to othersthat do.

While the new flexibilities relatedto defined contribution schemes, they

will affect defined benefits – or finalsalary schemes – too. While theseschemes are generally regarded byemployees as more attractive, somepeople will jump ship lured by thegreater freedoms offered to people in

other schemes.“The expectation is that a reas-

onable number of people will want totransfer out to take advantage offl e x i b i l i t i e s, ” said Chris.“Some people will be welladvised to do so. If youare in very poor healthand single so don’t needthe spouse’s pension, itcould be the right thingto do. Other people mayjust need the money topay off the mortgage.

“T here’s a feeling that upto 10 per cent of people willtransfer, although no one reallyknows. If it happens in any mag-nitude it will change defined benefitschemes. It could make them easier to

Allister Weir

“ It may be wrong toassume there is no longera role for employers inhelping their peopleunderstand theirretirement saving options.

manage and scale them down or itcould disrupt their investmentstrategy. The worst case is they end

up with all the people left whoare going to live the

long est.”Trustees of such

schemes have to ensurethat members takingtheir money out havetaken advice beforedoing so. They don’t

have to follow the advice,but they have to get it.Whatever sort of pension

scheme you offer, the biggestchange of the new flexibility may bethat people are more engaged withtheir pension. And that’s wherepro-active employers could see the

real gain.“T here’s an opportunity to sell

what you are providing in terms of apension throughout their career andhave a whole of life approach wherepeople are engage with their pen-sion,” said Chris. “It’s more likeworkplace saving now and that maybe a lot easier sell.

“It makes a good pension a moreattractive selling point. If employersare spending quite a lot of money onpensions, which most are, then youmight as well try to get as much valuefrom that as you can through em-ployee motivation and engagementand you might as well try to do that inthe whole time they are working foryou, not just in the lead up to re-t i re m e n t . ”

In association with

Chris Mapp, right

“A lot of employers willwant to offer guidanceand support becausethere is now morepossibility of makinghorribly wrong decisions.

DEFINED BENEFITVERSUS DEFINEDCONTRIBUTION

� A defined benefit pensionscheme – sometimes called a finalsalary pension scheme – is onethat promises to pay out anincome based on how much youearn when you retire. The amountyou get at retirement isguaranteed, and it will be paiddirectly to you so you don’t have apension pot.

Defined contribution pensionschemes, also called moneypurchase schemes, see you buildup a pot of money that you use toprovide an income in retirement.The income you might getdepends on factors including theamount you pay in and the fund’sinvestment performance.

FLEXIDAY

� On April 6 this year, a host ofnew rules to make pensionsflexible come into force. Some arecalling it Flexiday.

Before Flexiday, people indefined contribution pensionschemes had to buy an annuity – afinancial product that pays a fixedincome for life, however long thatmay be. They could take up to 25per cent in cash, but the rest wenton the annuity.

After April 6, they will have moreoptions. They can still buy anannuity, but they could take thewhole lot in cash and spend it orinvest it as they choose, althoughonly the first 25 per cent is tax freeso it pays to think it through. Theycan also leave the money where itis and draw down cash at various

stages. There’s no single solutionthat suits everyone.

In this year’s Budget, theChancellor announced theflexibilities would be extended topeople who had already boughtannuities, who can now sell themand use the money for somethingelse.

The market is still catching upwith the new rules, however, sothe right choice for some might be

to wait and see what develops.

AUTO-ENROLMENT

� Among the raft of pensionchanges currently under way isauto-enrolment of workplacepensions. This means allcompanies have to provide aworkplace pension scheme andautomatically enrol employees,

who can then choose to opt out. Itapplies to any employee agedbetween 22 and the state pensionage who works in the UK andearns more than £10,000 a year.

All businesses have to complybut will be informed by thePensions Regulator of theirstaging date.

It is best it act quickly when youare notified as it make takemonths to organise.

Progressive and pragmatic help foremployers with their pension arrangements


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As individuals are about toenjoy new freedoms overhow they use their privatepensions, Gavin Thompsonlooks at what these changesand others mean for the em-ployers offering workplaceschemes

WHILE your employeesare weighing up wheth-er to blow their pensionpot on a Lamborghini(they wish!), invest in

the magical buy-to-let market, stickwith a boring old annuity orsomething else, few people are think-ing about what it all means for you,the employer.

But you should be. The changes inthe pensions market will affect em-ployer pension schemes, presentingboth challenges and big opportun-i t i e s.

Allister Weir, below right, tax part-ner at accountants and business ad-visers Grant Thornton in Bristolsaid: “The pensions landscape is

changing and a number of measureshave been introduced to make savingfor retirement more attractive andmeaningful. More choice though, canoften lead to more confusion.

“With the introduction of free guid-ance alongside the new pension flex-ibilities, it may be wrong to assumethere is no longer a role for employersin helping their people understandtheir retirement saving options. Infact, the guidance may alert indi-viduals to the fact that they needmore in-depth knowledge.

“If you want to support your em-ployees and show you care abouttheir financial wellbeing you willneed to consider how you commu-nicate the new landscape in a waythat will engage them. This can alsopresent an opportunity to highlightthe investment you are making inthem as a valued employee.

“As staff engage more, they mayseek reassurance that their scheme isa quality workplace pension. For thatreason, it might be worth considering

establishing a governance commit-tee. This could include management,external business advisors and alsoemployees themselves, to ensure theinterests of all members are beingmet.”

Chris Mapp, who heads the Bristoloffice of pensions consultants PunterSouthall, puts it more strongly.

“A lot of employers will want tooffer guidance and support becausethere is now more possibility of mak-ing horribly wrong decisions,” hesaid. “The statutory guidance guar-antee is fine, but it’s at the point ofretirement whereas we feel guidanceand help is needed well before that.People are going to need to knowwhat they should be investing in be-fore they retire and that will depend

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

on what they expect to do in re-t i re m e n t . ”

Punter Southall has been offering aretirement counselling servicefor some time now and it isthis sort of scheme thatmore companies arelikely to look to as theiremployees becomemore engaged withtheir pensions and lookto get involved earlier.

The web-based ser-vice helps people workout what income theymight have in retirement, andmeasure that against the moneythey need for the lifestyle they want.They can then use this to informtheir decisions about how they invest

their money and the level of con-tributions they put in.

The new flexibilities in how peopleuse their pensions make that kind

of proactive approach moreimportant, and it’s

something employersneed to consider, saysC h r i s.

“Employers withdefined contributionschemes will need to

make sure that they arefit for purpose,” he said.

“They will have to makesure the default funds adapt.”

Chris explains that mostschemes have a default option whichassumes people will want to take a 25per cent cash lump sum and use the

Employer pensions

WHAT MORE PENSIONS FLEXIBILITY WILL MEAN FOR EMPLOYERS’ ROLE

rest of their money to buy an annuityat the point of retirement. Becauset h at ’s what most people did.

Now with new-found freedoms,more people are likely to take dif-ferent approaches, and that’s a prob-lem because most default funds aregeared towards that traditional out-c o m e.

Chris said: “For many years,defined contribution schemes have adefault strategy which in the 10 yearsleading up to retirement would movemoney into bonds and low-risk op-tions with a view to buying annuity.

“They would gradually move out ofequity and end up by time someoneretires with 25 per cent cash and therest in gilts and bonds. They aretailored for a set outcome but now

will have to be a lot more flexible.“You need to understand the de-

cisions your employees will need tomake. They might want to retire at adifferent age to what they currentlyexpect to, or at least take some of theirbenefits earlier. You should be think-ing about what support you shouldg ive. ”

There are other considerations forcompanies and their pensionschemes too. Employers have to de-cide whether their scheme will offerthe new flexibilities through thescheme, which might not be the bestuse of their limited budget, or riskmore people transferring to othersthat do.

While the new flexibilities relatedto defined contribution schemes, they

will affect defined benefits – or finalsalary schemes – too. While theseschemes are generally regarded byemployees as more attractive, somepeople will jump ship lured by thegreater freedoms offered to people in

other schemes.“The expectation is that a reas-

onable number of people will want totransfer out to take advantage offl e x i b i l i t i e s, ” said Chris.“Some people will be welladvised to do so. If youare in very poor healthand single so don’t needthe spouse’s pension, itcould be the right thingto do. Other people mayjust need the money topay off the mortgage.

“T here’s a feeling that upto 10 per cent of people willtransfer, although no one reallyknows. If it happens in any mag-nitude it will change defined benefitschemes. It could make them easier to

Allister Weir

“ It may be wrong toassume there is no longera role for employers inhelping their peopleunderstand theirretirement saving options.

manage and scale them down or itcould disrupt their investmentstrategy. The worst case is they end

up with all the people left whoare going to live the

long est.”Trustees of such

schemes have to ensurethat members takingtheir money out havetaken advice beforedoing so. They don’t

have to follow the advice,but they have to get it.Whatever sort of pension

scheme you offer, the biggestchange of the new flexibility may bethat people are more engaged withtheir pension. And that’s wherepro-active employers could see the

real gain.“T here’s an opportunity to sell

what you are providing in terms of apension throughout their career andhave a whole of life approach wherepeople are engage with their pen-sion,” said Chris. “It’s more likeworkplace saving now and that maybe a lot easier sell.

“It makes a good pension a moreattractive selling point. If employersare spending quite a lot of money onpensions, which most are, then youmight as well try to get as much valuefrom that as you can through em-ployee motivation and engagementand you might as well try to do that inthe whole time they are working foryou, not just in the lead up to re-t i re m e n t . ”

In association with

Chris Mapp, right

“A lot of employers willwant to offer guidanceand support becausethere is now morepossibility of makinghorribly wrong decisions.

DEFINED BENEFITVERSUS DEFINEDCONTRIBUTION

� A defined benefit pensionscheme – sometimes called a finalsalary pension scheme – is onethat promises to pay out anincome based on how much youearn when you retire. The amountyou get at retirement isguaranteed, and it will be paiddirectly to you so you don’t have apension pot.

Defined contribution pensionschemes, also called moneypurchase schemes, see you buildup a pot of money that you use toprovide an income in retirement.The income you might getdepends on factors including theamount you pay in and the fund’sinvestment performance.

FLEXIDAY

� On April 6 this year, a host ofnew rules to make pensionsflexible come into force. Some arecalling it Flexiday.

Before Flexiday, people indefined contribution pensionschemes had to buy an annuity – afinancial product that pays a fixedincome for life, however long thatmay be. They could take up to 25per cent in cash, but the rest wenton the annuity.

After April 6, they will have moreoptions. They can still buy anannuity, but they could take thewhole lot in cash and spend it orinvest it as they choose, althoughonly the first 25 per cent is tax freeso it pays to think it through. Theycan also leave the money where itis and draw down cash at various

stages. There’s no single solutionthat suits everyone.

In this year’s Budget, theChancellor announced theflexibilities would be extended topeople who had already boughtannuities, who can now sell themand use the money for somethingelse.

The market is still catching upwith the new rules, however, sothe right choice for some might be

to wait and see what develops.

AUTO-ENROLMENT

� Among the raft of pensionchanges currently under way isauto-enrolment of workplacepensions. This means allcompanies have to provide aworkplace pension scheme andautomatically enrol employees,

who can then choose to opt out. Itapplies to any employee agedbetween 22 and the state pensionage who works in the UK andearns more than £10,000 a year.

All businesses have to complybut will be informed by thePensions Regulator of theirstaging date.

It is best it act quickly when youare notified as it make takemonths to organise.



EPB-

E01-

S3

12 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 25, 2015w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

The back pageS u ccess� A small Bristol company took partin one of the biggest TV events ofthe year – the launch of season fourof Game of Thrones.

Giggle Group, based at thePaintworks, provides titlesequences, visual effects andgraphics for big names in thetelevision industry.

It has been highlighted in theGover nment’s Business is Greatcampaign following researchshowing the creative industriesaccount for 1.7 million jobs.

Giggle Group managing directorJonathan Bridgen said talented staffwere behind the company’ssuccess.

“Our people are the heart of ourbusiness, and developing a talentedworkforce is essential for us tocontinue to grow and play a key rolein the success of the British creativeindustries,” he said.

“We are delighted to be part of theBusiness is Great campaign tocelebrate this.

“Our business is one that is drivenby creativity and innovation, and soit is important that we take on theright staff. We are constantlydeveloping new and existing talent.We currently have a trainee that isfunded through Creative Skillset,and are looking into implementingan undergraduate summerplacement programme.”

� Clifton Asset Management hasbeen honoured at an industry awardceremony for the launch of thealter nativebusinessfunding.co.ukportal.

The finance company was highlycommended in the Innovation in theSME Finance Sector at the BusinessMoneyfacts Awards.

Clifton, which employs 100 peopleat its Ham Green offices, had a verysuccessful month after being namedas one of the UK’s top disruptiveSMEs in The Everline Future 50Awards, and also reaching the finalsof the Credit Today Awards,shortlisted for the Best AlternativeFunding Provider Award.

Chairman Adam Tavener wasinstrumental in the launch of theABF portal in March 2014. Itsignposts SMEs to the mostappropriate source of non-bankfunding. With more than 14,000visits so far, and 8,000 clicksthrough to a funder, an estimated2,500 SMEs have successfullyfound funding through the portalsince launch.

Adam said: “The portal has reallygathered momentum since launch –finding funding solutions for around

2,500 businesses in just twelvemonths. This is testament to thespeed and simplicity with whichbusiness owners can get anindication of the funding optionsopen to them.”

� Hub Network Services (HNS) haswon a deal to house the networkand data centre infrastructure forMulticom Products, a Bristol-basedcompany providing softwaresolutions to the global traveli n d u s t r y.

The contract was awarded toHNS, also Bristol-based, becauseMulticom needed more reliability,resiliency and cost efficiency. Aspart of the deal Multicom hasrelocated its mission criticalcomputer racks, servers and datastorage systems to nearby NGDEurope, a high security tier 3+ megadata centre.

Chief executiveJohn Howell said:“To ensure a continuous service forall users accessing their systems,the migration had to be smooth andseamless to the travel professionalswho rely on our mission criticalsoftware. HNS responded quicklyand provided all the servicesnecessary to facilitate the migrationin the short timescale we required.”

P l a ces� Global management, engineeringand development consultancy MottMacDonald is to become the latesttenant at 10 Templeback in the cityc e n t re .

Urgent action needed to stem exodus of top staff from NHS

ANOTHER winter, another“crisis” in the NHS. Over thepast few months we’ve heardmuch in the media abouthow our overstretched and

under-resourced health service ap-pears to be at breaking point.

In the case of A&E in particular, thepressures of ever-increasing demandand lack of resources, set against thebackdrop of our ageing population,have painted a seemingly hopelesspicture where a number of hospitalshave declared “major incidents” andthe entire system seems to be falling

apart. Acute staff shortages are alsoin the headlines, especially amongdoctors and paramedics, with manytrusts forced to look overseas to fillva c a n c i e s.

As someone whose day job involvesrecruiting senior professionals for avariety of positions in the NHS – andwho has a clinical background across

� Dominic Jermey and Martin Thatcher

Opinion

acute and community NHS organ-isations – I’m the last person to down-play any of the challenges facing ourhealth service.

Nonetheless there is no denyingthat the problems faced by the NHSover the winter of 2014-15 haven’tbeen radically different from anyother over the past decade. One keydifference, is that this is a winterrunning up to a general election inwhich the NHS will take centre stagein the national debate. Politiciansfrom all sides have not been slow toscore points and to make political

capital from the NHS’s travails.This is not to say that urgent action

does need to be taken to stem theexodus from the NHS of skilled spe-cialists such as therapists and physi-os, many of whom are leaving eitherto work for local authorities or theprivate sector. Indeed, there is a muchwider and longer term task of makingthe NHS a more appealing place inwhich to work – going into schools toencourage more young people to con-sider a career in healthcare.

This is not a popular message in atime of austerity, but as a healthcare

Mike WillmothHead of healthcareAlexander Daniels

The deal comes just a week afterMomentum Financial Ltd movedinto the building, which is assetmanaged by Cube Real Estate onbehalf of its owner, Benson Elliot.

Mott MacDonald hopes to moveits 100-strong team from its PrinceStreet address in June 2015.

The consultancy is taking 10,000sq ft on the ground floor of thebuilding on a 10-year lease. There isjust 41,000 sq ft left at the building,with another two units under offer.

Mark Shields, office manager atthe firm, said: “Our new premiseswill give us the opportunity tostrengthen and expand our serviceoffering while improving operationsefficiency, allowing our staff to workmore closely and with our clients.”

� Grade two listed 17th centuryManor House in St Michael’s Hill hasbeen sold to become student flats.

Acting on behalf of BristolCharities, property consultants AlderKing sold the property to UrbanC re a t i o n .

The disposal is part of Bristol

Charities’ estates strategy to investin more modern, purpose-builtalmshouse accommodation in thec i t y.

Urban Creation acquired theDutch Restoration-style building foran undisclosed sum said to be wellabove the £800,000 guide price.

The Manor House was built in1691 as a family residence and waslast refurbished in 1980 to providenine flats for elderly residents.

Located within the St Michael’sHill and Christmas Steps

Conservation Area and next to theUniversity of Bristol’s main campus,the 5,600 sq ft house includes acommunal terrace, garden andoff-street parking.

Ben St Quintin, senior surveyor atAlder King, said: “Demand fromdevelopers and investors forwell-located student housingopportunities in Bristol continuesunabated.

“An additional 4,000under-graduates are due tostart at the University ofBristol over the next fiveyears; thereforedemand for studentaccommodation isonly going to gets t ro n g e r. ”

Anne Anketell, chiefexecutive of BristolCharities, said: “We ’redelighted the sale of ManorHouse, a beautiful old propertythat had served us well in the past,will find a new lease of life andsupport our recent investment innewer purpose-built facilitiesfor our residents in Bristol.

“The charity is in theprocess of acquiring anew almshouse site insouth Bristol and isalso seeking furthersites in the south andeast of the city, suitablefor providing new extracare facilities.”

Eve n ts� Saxophonist James Morton ispulling together a world-classline-up for The Lord Mayor’s Charity

Your digest of the week in business

Gala Dinner.One of the UK’s most exciting

saxophonists, James is also theMayoral Ambassador of Music forBristol. He has worked withKasabian, Pendulum, legends AndySheppard and Pee Wee Ellis, andThe Herbaliser. He is joined on April30 by vocalist Celestine, as part ofthe band.

The charity event, which issupported by Bristol Post, takesplace at the Bristol Marriott RoyalHotel, and raises money for thecity’s most disadvantaged children.The gala dinner, in aid of The LordMayor of Bristol’s Children Appeal,is targeted at the city’s leadingbusiness people and the SouthWe s t ’s ‘movers and shakers’.

Volunteer events committeemember Jamie Breese usedpersonal contacts to secure thebooking and describes it as an“incredible coup”.

He said: “These musicians areworld-class, they are brilliant, andthey will help make the event asuccess. They are performing twiceduring the evening, inspiring guestswith their world-class playing andproviding a jazz, funk and soul partyset.”

And finally..� The boss of the UK Trade andInvestment paid a visit to North

Somerset cider makerThatchers.

Dominic Jermey wasmaking his first visit tothe region as chiefexecutive of the bodywhich provides exportadvice and support tobusinesses.

Managing directorMartin Thatcher showed

him the Sandford-basedfirm’s investment plans.

Thatchers Cider is a fourthgeneration cider maker, currentlyproducing 50 million litres of cider ayear. UKTI provided assistance to

Thatchers in the developmentand implementation of its

global export strategyback in 2012,consequentlyappointing distributorsin Scandinavia, Spainand Russia, as well as adeveloping major

partnership with CoopersBrewery in Australia.

Thatchers has also recentlylaunched in the USA.

Martin said: “We have made agreat start in our export, but weknow the opportunities areenormous.”

recruiter I firmly believe that theNHS’s top priority should be to takeon the right people – experiencedpeople who actually have a track re-cord of delivery, as opposed to thecheapest option, which has too oftenbeen the case. This must be in the bestinterests both of the health serviceand of the nation.

I can testify to the fact that thereare plenty of high calibre healthcareprofessionals on the market and thata more “e x p e n s ive ” person with realcredentials is more likely to be able tohelp bring down A&E waiting times.

Documents

Business 25 March 2015