London
Lancashire
Cheshire
13.9 C
Manchester
Friday, August 1, 2025
Home Blog Page 1006

KPMG launches new Digital Degree Programme with places in Manchester

Sam Whitear
-
0
KPMG has announced the launch of a new digital degree apprenticeship, KPMG360o Digital, with inaugural places available at its Manchester office.
The four-year programme combines on-the-job work experience with the opportunity to gain a BSc degree from BPP University in Digital and Technology Solutions, whilst earning a salary.  Tuition fees are fully funded by KPMG and successful candidates will work towards a permanent role at the end of the programme.
The scheme will initially offer ten places in Manchester, as well as 13 in London and four in Leeds, and will allow apprentices to embark on a number of placements within technology teams across the firm including technology solutions, cyber security and forensic technology.
Running alongside KPMG’s existing apprenticeship and graduate schemes, the programme will complement the firm’s recruitment strategy by broadening the breadth of entry level programmes to support the increasing focus on tech in client work.
Applicants will be offered the opportunity to master new technologies such as cloud, data analytics and artificial intelligence side by side with experts who will support them in their career progression.
The professional services firm is recruiting now for individuals to join this and other apprenticeship programmes in September 2018, in Manchester and other UK offices. Further information can be found at www.kpmgcareers.co.uk/apprenticeships
Martin Tyley, head of consulting for KPMG in the North, said: “Increasing emphasis on new technology has been seen across businesses globally.  This means that individuals and businesses alike must adapt and evolve constantly to be able to provide the best services to clients.
“For those joining the KPMG 360 Digital Degree Apprenticeship, the programme allows trainees to not only gain a degree, but also to acquire valuable on the job experience. In addition we provide learning and development opportunities which are essential for both personal and professional growth.
“Technological change provides an opportunity to enhance the services we offer, but this cannot be done unless the skills of our workforce match the investment we are making in new technology. The  introduction of this new programme highlights the value we place on technical specialists who are just as good with cutting-edge technology as they are with facts and figures.”

Leading interior designer Naomi Cleaver partners with Moda to create next generation of rental living

Sam Whitear
-
0

National lifestyle brand, Moda, has today announced a partnership with celebrity interior designer, Naomi Cleaver, as it launches a new era of living for renters.

Launching a number of five star rental apartments throughout the UK, leading property brand Moda, will be collaborating with Naomi on the interior designs for its flagship site, Angel Gardens in Manchester.

Boasting 466 high-end rental apartments in a 35 storey tower, Angel Gardens is based in the Manchester’s newest £800m district, NOMA. Offering the first of its kind for city centre living, the new 520,000 square foot neighbourhood includes a host of onsite amenities promoting a new way to live, work and play. Outdoor private dining, residents cinema, health & wellbeing space, games rooms and an executive car club are just a few of the facilities on offer when the innovative development opens in early 2019.

As a specialist in communal living, Naomi has a passion for including material and cultural influences at the heart of her designs. Her impressive career includes TV appearances with Channel 4’s Grand Designs, best-selling author of ‘The Joy of Home’ and regularly writing for national publications such as The Daily Telegraph. Paving the way to providing innovative homes for its residents, carefully considered designs will combine the convenience associated with hotel living alongside homely and personalised touches.

Naomi comments: “Designing homes has something to do with buildings and everything to do with people. Our homes are the first thing we see when we open our eyes in the morning and the last thing we see at night. Moda’s ambition to reimagine the way we can live together, to live better, makes this an incredibly exciting project – unlike anything that has gone before.”

 

Textured and tactile details will be central to the irresistable designs. Simple touches, such as effective but decadent lighting, will compliment the overall appearance of the fully-formed inclusive community, while the innovative combination of industrial materials and the high-touch softness of cotton will offer an atmostpheric reference to the history of the site, enabling residents to add their own simple touches to create their very personal sense of home.

Naomi adds: “Angel Gardens is a building of scale so I’m looking forward to applying the opportunities therein to create an intimate and rich experience of home – a “home plus” that makes the most of shared resources and spaces. Communal homes should offer delicious and joyfully variety that suits different and changing needs, moods and seasons.”

“Angel Gardens is a site dense with inspiration – built on the location of Richard Arkwright’s Shudehill Mill – Manchester’s first mill to be powered by steam. The interior will take inspiration from this history, from the majestic scale and orchestra of industry to the spider-web delicacy of cotton.”

The partnership is just one of the latest initiatives from Moda to enhance city centre living experience for its residents. Earlier this year Moda announced a UK first collaboration with UBER to encourage reductions in car ownership among residents and a lower environmental impact on city centres. In addition, a residents app called ‘MyModa’ will enable residents to connect with each other and the amenities each development has to offer in an innovative way.

Commenting on the partnership, Moda Director, Oscar Brooks, said: “Naomi presented a brilliant vision for how she felt Angel Gardens should look, live and breathe as a functioning environment. It completely aligned with the Moda objectives to provide the very best, long-term rental properties that will create a way of living never seen before, yet taking inspiration from each city’s story and history.

“Each Moda development will showcase how to combine contemporary city living with a homely environment, whilst incorporating all the benefits that modern day technology has to offer.”

Previews of the design are expected to be released in late 2018, with official opening scheduled for January 2019.

Hodder + Partners name new Associate

Sam Whitear
-
0

Hodder + Partners has appointed Angela Pownall as Associate of the architectural practice.

Angela joined Hodder + Partners – which offers services across all sectors including interior design, masterplanning and urban design – in 2014.

During her time at the Manchester-based practice Angela has focused on the delivery of 10-storey commercial office building 3 St Paul’s Place, a contained city centre site in Sheffield for developer CTP Limited and is now leading a student accommodation project in Oxford.

Stephen and Claire Hodder welcomed Angela’s appointment.

Stephen Hodder MBE, Chairman of Hodder + Partners, said: “We are pleased to announce Angela’s appointment as Associate of Hodder and Partners.

“Angela is a tremendously talented architect who continues to drive forward many of the important projects we continue to work on.

“It’s just reward that she now has the title of Associate as the practice moves into 2018, a year which will see us start to deliver some very significant projects.”

Angela, who graduated from The University of Sheffield in 2004, joined Hodder + Partners in 2014 with over seven years post qualification experience.

Prior to that she held senior positions with the Manchester office of Austin-Smith:Lord and Birmingham-based Weedon Architects, where she worked on an £11 million  heritage lottery funded conversion in Leeds, a £50m mixed use development in Manchester, a £7m residential development in Castlefield, Manchester and the £42m refurbishment of Liverpool Central Library.

Commenting on her appointment, which comes a little over a month since the launch of new book ‘Contexts: The Work of Hodder + Partners’, Angela said: “I’m delighted to now be Associate of Hodder and Partners.

“I want to contribute and sustain the significant reputation that the practice has established over the last 25 years.

“I’m also sure 2018 will be another good year for Hodder and Partners.”

Busy year ahead for Kids Insights as company gears up for global expansion with help from Business Growth Hub

Sam Whitear
-
0

A rapidly growing Manchester-based market intelligence and consumer research company has just launched its innovative online data portal which enables brands to access real-time insights into the world of kids, tweens and teens. Thanks to help from Business Growth Hub, six new jobs have been created since the business was established earlier this year, with it forecasting turnover of £500,000 in 2018.

Kids Insights, which was founded in March by entrepreneur Nick Richardson, secured a six-figure investment from an angel investor at the Hub’s recent Venturefest event. Organised by Business Growth Hub, part of The Growth Company, Venturefest is North West’s annual showcase of business innovation and investment opportunities.

Nick was encouraged to enter Venturefest’s Innovation Showcase’s ‘Best Start-Up’ competition by the Business Growth Hub’s financial advice team, giving him the opportunity to pitch his dynamic trend-spotting and consumer behaviour company to a team of investors and business experts.

Since launching Kids Insights, the service has attracted some of the UK’s biggest brands, including DC Thomson, Finsbury Foods, Guinness World Records, Penguin Random House and Turner.

These and other firms now subscribe to the Kids Insights online portal and receive quarterly insight reports into young people’s attitudes and sentiments. This helps them to understand the often fickle and rapidly changing views of both children and teenagers in a highly-fractured, peer-to-peer driven marketplace.

Nick explained to the Venturefest panel how Kids Insights, with offices in Manchester, New York and Lagos, had set out to change the way in which global market research is conducted; allowing clients to make informed decisions and develop marketing strategies built on quality insight, niche market segmentation and real-time ‘granular’ data.

Nick also impressed the Venturefest judges with the progress of his Bee Industrious market research and insights agency which provides leading brands and companies such as Brookson, Quintessential Brands, International Trade Council and the National Food & Skills Academy with bespoke market intelligence and insights.

Despite not winning the Innovation Showcase Best Start-Up category, Venturefest judge Adam Kara was so impressed by Nick’s pitch that he approached him to discuss a possible funding opportunity.

As a result, the business secured a substantial six figure investment from Adam which will help to both scale the business in the UK and accelerate their plans to expand the business internationally next year.

Adam said: “As an angel investor I look for start-ups with innovative products, great teams and strong leadership. Kids Insights ticks all the boxes. Nick and the team have come up with an incredible product which has the potential to scale fast and completely disrupt the market insights sector.

“Like most start-ups, Kids Insights just needs some funding to kick start their journey and personally, I’m delighted to be on board with such an exciting business and to be supporting the ever growing tech start-up scene in Manchester.”

Nick and his management team have also enrolled on a series of Business Growth Hub innovation masterclasses linked to commercialising ideas and creating breakthrough products.

“It’s been a phenomenal 12 months for us,” explains Nick. “The Hub has been with us every step of the way and, quite simply, without them we would not be in such great shape to take the business forward so rapidly, and with such confidence.”

“Since working with the Hub we have grown to a highly talented team of six, raised six figures of investment, launched our highly successful Kids Insights service and have the foundations in place for a phenomenal 2018.”

Paul Halliday from Business Growth Hub said:  “Nick and his team are also now benefitting from our innovation programme, which links dynamic scale-ups with Greater Manchester’s universities, and our fully-funded masterclasses, which help innovative and ambitious firms to unlock the commercial potential of new ideas.

“I genuinely feel Kids Insights and Bee Industrious are going to be a real ‘one to watch’ company as the global demand for immediate, accurate and insightful market intelligence among adults, young people and children is only set to grow in the future.”

New Head of Digital for Visualsoft

Sam Whitear
-
0

Gavin Lowther has been promoted to head of digital at leading ecommerce and digital agency Visualsoft.

In his new role, Gavin will oversee and evolve Visualsoft’s digital marketing offering, by taking ownership of the company’s digital services, including SEO, PPC, affiliate marketing, email marketing, social media, conversion rate optimisation and strategy. As part of the senior leadership team, Gavin’s main objective will be to drive performance across all marketing channels and to ensure Visualsoft remains continuously innovative.

Gavin is a long-serving employee at Visualsoft, where his career has spanned the last eight years. Originally joining the company as an online marketing accounts manager, he has risen through the ranks, going on to lead the conversion rate optimisation team before taking up his new role as head of digital.

Based in Manchester and Teesside, Visualsoft has a growing team of over 200 staff who specialise in the design, build, support and marketing of online stores for retailers across the UK.

Gavin said: “I have been lucky enough to be part of Visualsoft’s growth, undertaking a number of exciting projects such as the development of a conversion rate optimisation and analytics system, which has gone from strength to strength. I’m looking forward to settling into my new role and helping to further develop the business’s digital strategy”.

Dean Benson, CEO of Visualsoft, said: “Gavin is already an integral member of the Visualsoft team, with a fantastic record of achievement. He has vast experience across both multiple marketing channels and in general retail, so has a clear understanding of client requirements and processes. This enables us to see a clear picture on both sides of the relationship, which is invaluable to our business. We have no doubt that this appointment signifies an exciting step forward for the future of the organisation.”

Award winning MicroBioSensor announces plans following £1.4m investment

Sam Whitear
-
0

A University of Manchester spin-out behind a medical device designed to detect life threatening infections will kick off its first clinical trial following a £1.4 million investment boost.

Through its ‘iPad mini sized device’ MicroBioSensor aims to help people with kidney failure undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

Based at The University of Manchester’s Innovation Centre, UMIC, MicroBioSensor recently secured £1.4m worth of equity finance from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF) and Catapult Ventures.

MicroBioSensor CEO Dr Gordon Barker said: “2018 is going to be a very important year for our 11-strong team as we look to successfully run our first clinical trial which will last through to the second quarter of 2019.

“Essentially, this is all about detecting potentially life-threatening infections early, to improve treatment outcomes.”

Dr Barker said that of the 50,000 to 60,000 people in the UK on renal replacement therapy, less than 10 per cent are on peritoneal dialysis.

“One of the reasons for that is people are worried about infection in the peritoneal cavity around their gut, as it will kill you if it’s left untreated,” he said. “Our device plugs into the equipment that dialysis patients use every day and detects emerging infections in this space, which potentially means keeping people on peritoneal dialysis for longer which is a good thing.

“If the clinical trial goes well we’ll be able to start selling the medical device for use in hospitals and clinics, which also saves the NHS money.

“The idea is that eventually it will be used at home by patients, as our technology is so simple that a non-specialist can use it with confidence.

“You are essentially looking at a window on the device for a colour change. If it’s a pale green everything is ok, if it goes to a dark purple colour, you know you have a problem. The idea is to flag that problem at a pre-symptomatic stage.

“You then go straight to the doctor rather than waiting to fall ill,” added Dr Barker.

MicroBioSensor has so far also been funded through transitional funding and grants including £125,000 from UMIP, £100,000 from Spark Impact and £983,000 from innovate UK.

Manchester Airport ends 2017 with awards win

Sam Whitear
-
0

 As well as record passenger numbers, 2017 saw Manchester Airport bag all four of the key travel trade best UK airport awards. These include Travel Weekly, Travel Bulletin, Travel Trade Gazette and Selling Travel.

The first gong was collected in January at Travel Weekly’s Globe Awards at Grosvenor House in London. It was the third year running the global gateway in the North bagged the accolade. The airport is now in the running for a fourth win next month at the 2018 ceremony.

Next up was the Travel Bulletin Star Awards held at the Langham Hotel, again in London. Manchester fought off competition from other UK airports including Birmingham, Liverpool and London Heathrow.

A hattrick was confirmed in September when at the Lyceum Theatre, the UK’s third largest airport won at the Travel Trade Gazette Awards, which was hosted by funny man Rob Brydon.

The quadruple was achieved earlier this month when Manchester was crowned best UK airport at the Selling Travel Agents Choice Awards.

Patrick Alexander, Manchester Airport’s Head of Marketing, said: “To win one best UK airport award is a great achievement, but to receive four is incredibly humbling.

“I would like to thank everyone who voted for us, be they our 27.7m annual passengers, travel agents or the industry.

“As the UK’s global gateway in the North, Manchester Airport is going through exciting times as we grow and spend £1bn transforming terminal two, so to have that recognised makes all of us feel incredibly proud.”

Manchester Airport is a global gateway and the largest airport outside London with more than 210 destinations served by 70 airlines. This year has seen the airport add direct services to San Francisco, Boston and Muscat. Next year will also see Seattle launch, in the UK these destinations can only be found at Manchester Airport outside of London.

The first gong was collected in January at Travel Weekly’s Globe Awards at Grosvenor House in London. It was the third year running the global gateway in the North bagged the accolade. The airport is now in the running for a fourth win next month at the 2018 ceremony.

Next up was the Travel Bulletin Star Awards held at the Langham Hotel, again in London. Manchester fought off competition from other UK airports including Birmingham, Liverpool and London Heathrow.

A hattrick was confirmed in September when at the Lyceum Theatre, the UK’s third largest airport won at the Travel Trade Gazette Awards, which was hosted by funny man Rob Brydon.

The quadruple was achieved earlier this month when Manchester was crowned best UK airport at the Selling Travel Agents Choice Awards.

Patrick Alexander, Manchester Airport’s Head of Marketing, said: “To win one best UK airport award is a great achievement, but to receive four is incredibly humbling.

“I would like to thank everyone who voted for us, be they our 27.7m annual passengers, travel agents or the industry.

“As the UK’s global gateway in the North, Manchester Airport is going through exciting times as we grow and spend £1bn transforming terminal two, so to have that recognised makes all of us feel incredibly proud.”

Manchester Airport is a global gateway and the largest airport outside London with more than 210 destinations served by 70 airlines. This year has seen the airport add direct services to San Francisco, Boston and Muscat. Next year will also see Seattle launch, in the UK these destinations can only be found at Manchester Airport outside of London.

Manchester Airport braced for festive getaway

Sam Whitear
-
0

Manchester Airport is set to welcome nearly 900,000 passengers over the next two weeks as it gears up for the busy festive period.

The UK’s third largest airport is expecting Friday 22 December and Friday 29 December to be the busiest days, as people jet off for Christmas and then New Year.

The airport is also providing advice to passengers to ensure they have a smooth journey through the airport.

With the chilly temperatures, thick winter coats along with hats, scarves and gloves are essential. However, passengers are being asked to remove them once inside the terminal before the security check point – to help speed up security queues and reduce waiting times.

Manchester Airport’s calculations show that on average, an unprepared passenger who has to then unzip zips, undo buttons, take off hats, gloves and untie a scarf at the metal detector, rather than in the queue, add more than a minute per person to the security processing time. This doesn’t sound much but multiply it by thousands of passengers and it soon adds up.

The airport is also asking passengers to take careful consideration about what they put in their hand-luggage before they get to the airport to avoid Christmas presents being confiscated. Many popular stocking fillers actually breach security regulations, typically because they contain liquids, and passengers may be asked to leave items behind if they are not compliant.

Items confiscated are often Christmas presents intended for family and friends. Manchester Airport is urging passengers to carefully consider what they are packing and into which bag – or face having to throw them away.

Most confiscated items include perfume, aftershave, make-up and bottles of champagne, which are prohibited under the liquid restrictions rule.

More unusual items that are not allowed in hand luggage include cranberry sauce, brandy butter and snow globes; all of which must be checked into the hold. This is because the usual rules apply about not having liquids in your hand luggage more than 100ml each, and in a clear re-sealable bag.

Christmas crackers are also an area of confusion. For the vast majority of airlines, they are strictly prohibited from hand baggage, although some do allow one box per passenger to be carried in hand baggage. The decision is down to your individual airline, so please check with them before you fly.

Tricia Williams, Chief Operating Officer for Manchester Airport, said: “Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for the airport and always one of the most special, with people jetting in and out to see loved ones. To ensure everyone has as smooth a journey as possible we’ve created some handy tips for passengers and I urge everyone to be mindful of what they can and cannot carry through security.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all customers who have travelled through Manchester this year and all colleagues for their hard work throughout 2017.”

Gift-wrapped presents also cause issues; because if a bag requires a full search, security officers have to unwrap the present to inspect what is concealed beneath the festive wrapping paper.

Jingle bell! Selfies with Santa help raise £8,000 for homeless charity

Sam Whitear
-
0

Selfies with Santa Claus in his grotto at AJ Bell’s Salford Quays headquarters helped staff raise £8,000 for the Booth Centre, a Manchester charity which provides support and activities for homeless people.

Employees at AJ Bell, which provides online pension, investment and stockbroking services to customers across the UK, raised money by buying mince pies, cakes and raffle tickets as well paying for selfies.

The donation took the total raised at Christmas time by the company for the Booth Centre over the past three years to £17,000.

Amy Hinks, development manager at the Booth Centre, said: “I’d like to thank AJ Bell for their valuable support. We are overwhelmed. We’re a relatively small charity, so to receive the support of AJ Bell for the third year running is amazing and will help us to do even more work within our community.”

AJ Bell’s Charlie Musson said: “The Booth Centre is a small local charity that provides invaluable help with an ever-growing issue in the community and we are delighted to support it.

“We encourage our staff to give something back through charity activities and voluntary work.

“During this year they have also raised money for other organisations including Alzheimer’s Society and Daisy’s Dream, which supports bereaved children.

“They have also volunteered at a lunch club at Trinity House in Rusholme, Manchester, which works to reduce social isolation and loneliness in the over-50s.”

Bus fares made simpiler for Greater Manchester passenges

Sam Whitear
-
0

Stagecoach Manchester has confirmed that it will be revising ticket prices from 2nd January 2018 and will also be make bus fares simpler for single fare passengers.

Single fare ticket prices have now been banded into just six categories; £1.50, £2, £2.50, £3, £3.50 and £4.  Whilst some single fares will rise some popular journeys will stay at the same price and some passengers will see the price of their single fare reduce as a result.

Fares will also rise in price on 2nd January including the Manchester 7 day megarider which will change to £15.00, although it will be available for £14.50 via the Stagecoach Bus App.

The Manchester 28-day megarider and megariderXtra tickets will move to £58, continuing to offer good value for money for regular travellers with the tickets providing the equivalent of daily travel across the region for under £2.08 a day which remainssignificantly cheaper than travelling by car.

Speaking about the fare changes, Elisabeth Tasker, MD of Stagecoach Manchester said: “We work hard to keep fares as low as possible for our customers however, due to a general rise in costs we have had to readdress our fare structure.

“Stagecoach Manchester is continuing to use the money from fares to reinvest in greener buses, smart ticketing and other improvements to services. Last year Stagecoach reinvested £9m into its fleet and over the last 10 years over £122m has been invested. .”

1...1,0051,0061,007...1,037Page 1,006 of 1,037
About us

Business Manchester is the leading Manchester Business magazine covering all the important Business stories in the Manchester area.

Company

Terms and Conditions

Subscribe to our newsletter
Business Manchester will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing.

© 2024 BusinessManchester.co.uk | All Rights Reserved.