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NHS Appoints Social Republic For Landmark Foundation Trust Launch

Sam Whitear
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Social Republic has been appointed to celebrate the launch of the new Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust.

To celebrate the milestone, Social Republic will be working with NCA communications teams to help create and plan social media content over the next 12 months.

The project will include the promotion of videography, with the former filmed exclusively at NCA sites across Greater Manchester.

Combining Salford, Oldham, Bury and Rochdale borough, their 20,000-strong NCA family have already worked together for the last 5 years, saving lives and improving lives across our extensive and diverse communities.

Andrew Lynn, NCA Director of Communication & External Affairs commented:

“We’re delighted to be officially celebrating the formal launch and unite as the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust.

Working with Social Republic has enabled us to reach some of our external partners and key workers across our social media platforms as part of us coming together to celebrate this important milestone for our organisation.”

CEO of Social Republic, Rob Illidge added:

“As an agency dedicated to non-profit organisations, we are honoured to assist Northern Care Alliance in creating unique content and videography.

Words can’t describe how passionate we are to help charities get the recognition and engagement they deserve and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.”

Social Republic has established itself as a leading agency for non-profit organisations, working with the British Red Cross, Melanoma UK and Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation

Mason Advisory wins Best New Consultancy at the Management Consultancies Association Awards

Sam Whitear
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Salford’s Mason Advisory enjoyed a successful evening at the Management Consultancies Association Awards (MCA) scooping the award for Best New Consultancy and being highly commended in the strategy category for its work with a global engineering firm.

The Best New Consultancy award acknowledges the business’ client focus, delivery excellence, commitment to their people, and operational high standards. In the Strategy category, the company demonstrated a major contribution to its client’s strategic plans and approach, by improving delivery of technology, driving better value and supporting the company’s business objectives and strategic goals.

The MCA revealed that competition was tougher than ever as entries were up by 72% this year compared to 2020 – a record number of entrants.

Steve Watmough, Mason Advisory CEO, says: “We’re delighted with both these prestigious accolades, it’s a testament to the outstanding work we have delivered and the high calibre of consultants in our team, who are really driving our business forward and producing quality results and solutions for our clients.

“It’s a real privilege for us to be recognised alongside heavyweight industry players and we know we faced tough competition.”

The MCA Awards have been an important industry event in the UK consulting calendar for 24 years and demonstrate the true value of consulting to both the public and private sector. They are the benchmark for quality within the sector, attracting the very best submissions and celebrating high quality results.

Commenting on the 2021 edition, Tamzen Isacsson, Chief Executive of the MCA, said, “So many of the entries tell of the ingenuity, commitment and skill of our consultants which makes us a world leading industry. And so many show how the consultancy sector responded to the Covid-19 pandemic. The ability to deliver more services remotely released talent around the country and saw those talents being used not just in this country but around the globe. The faith clients have shown in the consulting sector in the most difficult of times has been vital.”

On presenting the Best New Consultancy Award, Tamzen congratulated the team for building trusted relationships with clients and for its focus on wellbeing, which is important now more than ever.

With offices at MediaCityUK, Salford, and London, Mason Advisory enables organisations to deliver value through Digital and Technology transformation, solving complex business challenges through the intelligent use of IT resources including IT strategy and transformation, sourcing, architecture, cybersecurity, and IT delivery. It operates in sectors such as finance and banking, health, insurance, emergency services, education, retail, government, not for profit, and transport.

L GFT appoints Client Business Development Director to spearhead business development in newly formed Manchester Innovation Hub

Sam Whitear
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Working throughout the pandemic proved that digital customer experiences are crucial to the success and growth of regional firms. Cloud native technology is a key driver for innovation in all industries. Yet, businesses are struggling to accelerate cloud migration and data projects due to lack of providers with relevant skills.

Digital transformation specialist, GFT, is expanding its talent pool to provide businesses in the North with support from a growing team of certified specialists in the world’s market leading cloud services, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Microsoft Azure.
As part of its development plans for the company’s recently opened Innovation Hub in Manchester, GFT will add at least 100 highly skilled cloud, data, delivery and development specialists by mid-2022 with an aspiration of growing the team to 300 across the North by 2024.

Newly appointed Client Business Development Director, Matthew Walker is tasked with accelerating the company’s development plans for the region. He will focus on bringing specialists into GFT’s retail banking team to further enhance the company’s strong expertise in the banking industry. The expert division will support the flourishing northern fintech space on cutting-edge technology solutions, as well as meeting the requirements of Banks and Building Societies with established technology centres in the region.

Speaking on his vision for the growing team, Matthew comments: “It’s no secret that people with specialist skills are hard to find, especially during the current market. GFT’s aggressive growth strategy is driven by the knowledge that we’re only as good as the people we put in front of our customers. We’re proud to maintain such high standards. Finding the right people with a similar ethos will be key to developing Manchester as a hub for innovation and a reliable source of technology expertise and exceptional customer support for our clients.”
Based in Manchester, Matthew brings over 20 years’ global experience from various customer-facing technology sales and delivery roles operating in a wide range of countries including a 10-year stint living in Dubai and serving the Middle East and Africa. He joins GFT after 14 years with IBM where he was latterly a Global Account Manager working with blue-chip clients in the financial sector such as HSBC Bank.

Matthew believes Manchester offers a fruitful source of technology and business talent. He cites factors such as the city’s world-renowned Universities and college network (all of which have close relationships with industry) and its growing reputation as a magnet for technology professionals, especially the young, looking for a vibrant yet affordable place to live.

He continues “Access to a wide range of talented, well-educated and highly-skilled people is one of the factors that convinced GFT to establish our first Innovation Hub in Manchester. After several months of active recruitment, we haven’t been disappointed. We’ve recruited a diverse group of people with very different levels of experience, from recent graduates to technology and industry specialists with well-established careers.”

Matthew concludes: “I see the development of the Manchester Innovation Hub into a nationally recognised centre of excellence as a win-win for our people and our clients. We – GFT’s people – get to work with the best technologies, tools and people whilst our clients have access to the expert support they need to ensure successful delivery of the complex cloud migration & data projects that enable digital transformation.”

Teledata and Sudlows win New Design/Build Data Centre Project of the Year at Prestigious DCS Awards

Sam Whitear
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Manchester cloud hosting and data centre operator, Teledata, has won New Design/Build Data Centre Project of the Year at the prestigious DCS (Data Centre Solutions) awards in a collaborative entry with Manchester-based infrastructure specialist, Sudlows. Teledata was also runner up in the Excellence in Data Centre Services category.

The award, which was celebrated at an event in London on 28th October, recognised the project that Teledata and Sudlows undertook to design and build a new, highly efficient data centre at Teledata’s headquarters in Wythenshawe – the third data hall at the firm’s environmentally intelligent server hosting facility.

Working collaboratively, Teledata and Sudlows carried out meticulous space planning, taking into consideration the unique floor plate and structural obstructions that had to be overcome to accommodate the containment for the server racks. Teledata’s iconic 1970s building meant that the project had its challenges during the design, and construction stages. Height restrictions within the data hall meant that careful consideration and planning were required to ensure there were no clashes between electrical and mechanical equipment, and that sufficient space was available for installation of data cabling between the proposed racks.

The build resulted in one of the most advanced and environmentally efficient data centres in the UK, a space which Teledata filled immediately with one of its newest clients – a leading global tech giant.

Matt Edgley, director for Teledata commented; “We are honoured to be recognised by the DCS for the second year running. Sudlows were instrumental in the development of our new data centre, and the results speak volumes regarding the brilliant collaborative relationship we have with their team. We would like to thank Sudlows for all of their great work on this project, and I would also like to thank the team at Teledata, who work tirelessly together to help make our business an ongoing success.”

Andy Hirst, managing director for Sudlows added; “It was a pleasure working with Teledata on this project. Our teams worked well together, ensuring the project timescales were achieved and the build was completed to a very high standard. This demonstrates that when clients work closely with design and build specialists, it helps make the project a success.”

Created 10 years ago, the DCS Awards are firmly established as the premier annual celebration of the data centre industry, recognising the achievements of vendors, their business partners, their staff and their customers.

Founded in 2004 Teledata is a Tier 3 data centre facility offering premium colocation, cloud hosting and data centre services to businesses across the UK. The firm’s solutions are designed to enable organisations to protect their applications, data and online presence from the damaging effects of downtime, and to make the most effective and efficient use of technology with secure and scalable hosting platforms tailored to business critical needs. The building has some of the most sophisticated security of any data centre in Europe, with an on-site police-linked, NSI Gold Approved, BS5979 certified control room and alarm receiving centre making Teledata unique in the UK.

In 2020, Teledata received a DCS award for the £1.5 Million project the firm carried out to improve its energy efficiencies – a project which generated a 551 tonne annual carbon saving.

Sudlows is a technical services specialist and data centre provider based in Manchester, which audits, designs, builds, tests and maintains data centres around the world. With three core divisions; Critical Infrastructures, Enterprise Services and Facilities Management, Sudlows provides world class consultancy and infrastructure project delivery across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

What your business needs to consider when hiring from overseas

Sam Whitear
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After the pandemic, many businesses found themselves working remotely from across the globe. Organisations can search for new employees from anywhere globally, instead of just in the local area. Technology and remote working strategies have transformed the business world in recent years. You can find the perfect candidate for a role who can bring new ideas and prospects to your company.

However, hiring from overseas also comes with a lot of challenges. You need to prepare for these new challenges and adapt your business accordingly.

One significant consideration when hiring employees from overseas is understanding the regulatory requirements of their home countries. For instance, if you’re hiring someone to work in Canada, you’ll need to explore a labour market impact assessment in Canada(Évaluation de l’impact sur le marché du travail au Canada)  to ensure compliance with local employment laws.

Here are a few things to consider when hiring from overseas.

Language barriers

If you hire someone from another country, they may speak a different language to you. It can be difficult to work and collaborate with someone when you do not speak the same language. One of you may speak a little of the other’s language – but there will still be a large barrier in communication. You need to consider this when hiring people and think of a solution.

Language also refers to the way in which we work and how we approach the workplace. You may speak the same language as your new hire but still, have a break in communication. You need a team that works together and communicates effectively.

Cultural differences

You should expect to find cultural differences between employees from different countries. When interviewing candidates, try to learn a little about their culture and how they will work with the team. Different cultures will diversify your business and help your team to grow. However, it can also be a huge learning curve for everyone involved. Your team will need to learn about different cultural factors and how to communicate effectively with everyone.

Home-work environment

You need to make sure your new hires are comfortable working remotely. Working with a company from a different company can be stressful – especially if they need to work in your time zone. They may find it lonely to work at different times of day with no face-to-face colleagues. In the interview process, you should make sure remote work is suitable and efficient for them.

How will they get to know the team?

Team relationships are an integral part of an organisation. They encourage trust, collaboration and communication. You should have constant communication with overseas employees over Teams, Slack and Zoom. It’s important to also get them involved in social events, like virtual Zoom quiz nights.

Could you offer relocation?

If the remote setup isn’t working, you could relocate the employee. Relocation needs to work for the employee and the company. You could ask the employee about the possibility of relocation and have an honest discussion. You will need information and immigration advice from experts when hiring from different countries and when relocation the company’s HQ is on the cards.

Expanding your team and taking advantage of remote working could mean great things for your company, especially when ruling out location opens so many opportunities. If you’re hiring overseas, be sure to keep the lines of communication open with your overseas employees.

Recovery Loan Scheme Extension: What do we know?

Sam Whitear
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As the recent Autumn Statement & Spending Reviewhas been announced, with it comes the extension of the Recovery Loan Scheme. But what exactly does this mean? What can be borrowed? And what is theoverall reaction to this news?

In this article, we explore all there is to know on this year’s Recovery Loan Scheme Extension.

What is the Recovery Loan Scheme?

The Recovery Loan Scheme is a government-backed plan that is currently available to businesses of any size to give them access to loans and other kinds of financial aid to help reverse the damages that the pandemic has brought upon many industries.

How Much Can Be Borrowed?

A total of up to £10 million is available per business. The amount offered, and the terms on which they are decided, are at the discretion of participating lenders.

According to the GOV website businesses are entitled to the following:

– Term loans or overdrafts of between £25,001 and £10 million per business
– Invoice or asset finance of between £1,000 and £10 million per business

No personal guarantees will be taken on facilities up to £250,000, and a borrower’s principal household cannot be taken as security. The government guarantees 80% of the finance to the lender – however, it’s important to remember that as the borrower, you are always 100% liable for the debt.

What Does the Extension Entail?

To the relief of many business owners, the announcement revealed that the scheme will be given a 6 month extension, until the 30th June 2022. This comes as a huge relief after previous plans to end the scheme in December 2021 sent many business owners into a state of panic. As the last remaining form of COVID financial support, recovery loans are expected to be an essential lifeline for many UKbusinesses.

What Are Experts Saying?

Ravi Anand, managing director of ThinCats, welcomed the extension but warned that he thinks it will only benefit smaller businesses.
“Whilst the extension of RLS until 30 June 2022 is positive, reducing the maximum loan to £2m means it is only relevant to the smaller end of the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) market,” said Anand.

We also caught up with Chirag Shah, chief executive of Nucleus Commercial who told us, “The extension also arrives at a time when we expect significant changes across the lending industry. We’re likely to see the number of lenders reduce significantly, given that many have struggled to compete. However, this will create a more level playing field and those lenders which do survive will be more refined, have better access to capital, and will be able to help businesses achieve their goals.”

Can Businesses Make a Professional Negligence Claim?

Sam Whitear
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When it comes to seeking professional advice, businesses place every ounce of their trust into the capable hands of their solicitors. But what happens if they break this trust? 
 
In this article, we discuss what situations constitute professional negligence and exactly how you can make a professional medical negligence claim on behalf of your business if required. 
 
What is professional negligence? 

Simply put, professional negligence is when an industry professional fails to carry out their duties properly or to the expected standard required, leading to ongoing problems for those who were relying on their help in the first place. 
 
What could count as a claim? 

There are a number of reasonably common scenarios that could crop up that would make you liable to make a professional negligence claim. These are a few examples: 
 
– Badly drafted contracts or leases 
– Tax advice that leaves a company with a hefty bill to pay 
– Incorrect survey reports on properties 
– Poor advice from a trusted accountancy firm  
– Insurance policies that didn’t cover what was requested 
 
How to find out if you should make a claim 

The best way to figure out if you are entitled to make a claim against your solicitor, is by seeking legal advice from an expert who specialises in professional negligence. We understand that you may feel sceptical towards solicitors right now if your trust has recently been broken by an industry professional who has let you down, but remember that these legal experts have years upon years of experience in this exact field – professional negligence. Try to keep in mind that they have dealt with a hundred different cases similar to yours and, most importantly, they are here to help you get the justice you deserve.  

 
Setting Realistic Expectations  

In the instance that you find you do have a case to make a professional negligence claim against your previous solicitor, it’s important that you properly prepare yourself for what’s to come. You must ensure that you set realistic expectations as to how long it may take to resolve. The process could be long depending on how reluctant the defendant becomes to come to a conclusion. Try to stay as patient as possible throughout this time – the last thing you want after already suffering an ordeal, is to put yourself through further stress. Remember, you can contact your professional negligence legal time at any time, if you need further updates.  

A HELPING HAND FOR HOSPITALITY Elevate offers free Carbon Literacy training to hospitality sector to reinforce COP26

Sam Whitear
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Despite recent efforts to improve, the hospitality industry continues its struggle to find a more sustainable future. Due to high levels of water, energy and consumable goods usage, less than half of consumers believe the North West’s hospitality industry is actually reducing carbon emissions or reaching a more sustainable solution, research from Electricity North West reveals. To accelerate change and help the industry lower its environmental impact, business development consultancy start-up, Elevate, today announces a FREE Carbon Literacy training workshop for up to 20 hospitality businesses on Tuesday 9th November 2021, during the much-anticipated COP26.
The training will provide businesses with the tools and knowledge needed to achieve net-zero and stay on track with Greater Manchester’s ambitious target of becoming carbon neutral by 2038, 12 years ahead of the rest of the UK.

Having provided training to over 30 businesses to date, the Carbon Literacy course will be hosted by Elevate Co-Founder and Director Ilona Alcock to help the industry curve public perception and shine a light on the low-carbon initiatives businesses can adopt to create positive change.

As the economy returns to pre-pandemic levels, now presents the perfect time for many business owners to reflect and implement positive changes to ensure a more sustainable future. However, research from UKHospitality found that smaller hospitality business owners feel unable to invest resources in sustainability measures. Keen to demonstrate its commitment to driving sustainable change in the region, Elevate’s free training will aim to ensure businesses of all sizes have equal opportunities and understanding when it comes to investing in a greener future.

The course will cover a range of topics to help those in attendance upskill in Carbon Literacy such as:

• What climate change is and how we know it’s real
• The current and projected impacts of climate change
• What needs to be done locally, nationally and internationally
• Climate justice
• How hospitality venues and organisations can reduce their environmental impact
• The links between carbon reduction and the economy

Hoping to inspire real change across the industry in the North, Ilona said:

“With COP26 approaching, we know the conference will cover a lot of ground, but not necessarily lead to enough results. COP26 may be a common term within some industries, but for many it’s not – we want to involve the wider community in the North, ensuring they understand the point and ambitions of an event like this, allowing them to contribute towards the end goal of achieving net zero across the UK.

This will only happen if we all try to make a positive change, which requires significant investment and upskilling across sectors. We know that the hospitality industry needs a lot of work, but could be one of the sectors that has the biggest impact – so we believe offering the free Carbon Literacy training will really support businesses, showing them how making small changes can lead to big results.”

Already working with some hospitality businesses in the North West, Elevate’s session with Manchester’s Common & Co, saw the business make a number of immediate sustainable changes.

Charlotte Heyes, Co-Founder, Common & Co, said: “The carbon literacy training came at the right time. Our impact on the planet was an issue which was very much on our minds, but it can be quite overwhelming knowing where to start. The training really helped to focus and give us some achievable first, practical steps to take. The journey towards being a more responsible, low carbon business is exactly that, a journey. The training helps you to establish where you are and how to plot your route forward. It’s a fantastic opportunity and valuable kick up the posterior to make those first steps.”

Places on Elevate’s free Carbon Literacy training for the hospitality sector will be first come, first served and take place at Cornerstone in Manchester on the 9th November.

Clough & Willis reports robust growth in demand for services and announces recruitment drive

Sam Whitear
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Bolton and Bury-based law firm Clough & Willis has reported strong growth across its key departments over the past six months when compared to the same period last year.

On analysis of the firm’s half year performance when compared to the two pre-pandemic financial years, Clough and Willis’ overall net profitability has increased by 67% and 138% respectively and by 59% when compared to 2020.

As a result, the business is aiming to expand its fee earning team by 10% by the end of this financial year. The new appointments will be within the residential and commercial property teams and the private client department.

Lee Marston, managing partner at Clough & Willis, said: “COVID has affected almost every business and we too suffered a drop in demand as the ‘new normal’ set in last year. However, 2021 has proven to be strong for us as these results clearly demonstrate. The stamp duty holiday played a significant part in the surge in demand for our residential conveyancing services and even though that has now come to an end the team is still incredibly busy and things aren’t showing signs of slowing down. There is clearly a continuing confidence in what appears to be a robust market. The private client department also remains very active as a people continue to want to get their affairs in order because of COVID. As a result, we have recently recruited a new person to our fee earning staff.

Lee added: “One of the most encouraging trends has been the uplift in work for our commercial property and the corporate teams. This time last year, businesses were scared to invest but there is a renewed sense of optimism that is making them plan for the future.

He concluded: “Despite the challenges that COVID has thrown up, I am immensely proud of how the whole firm has pulled together. Our team has gone above and beyond of what is expected of them with everyone doing everything they can to add value and help weather the storm. All of this has ensured a platform for growth as we continue to invest in technology and our young talent so our clients can continue to receive the high level of personal service we strive for.”

IN4 Talent launches to disrupt the technology recruitment market

Sam Whitear
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A technology recruitment specialist starts as it means to go on by working with employers to inform a tailored technology talent provision, which includes a comprehensive diversity and inclusivity support service.

IN4 Talent, the joint venture between technology talent development leaders IN4 Group and technology recruitment experts Langham Recruitment, is working with leading technology employers in the region such as Siemens, Cisco, Missguided and Codurance, to inform its talent solution provision.

The roundtable discussion was held on the stunning seventh floor of HOST Social at HOST, the Home of Skills & Technology in MediaCity, and it explored current recruitment demands from employers and the changing landscape of future technology talent in the region.

The digital skills gap was a key topic of discussion as a majority found it difficult to find the right skills and technical knowledge at the right time and retain it. Developing new talent while also trying to upskill current employees to close the skills gaps within their talent pools has also been hugely challenging.

It was found that the technology recruitment industry also seems to be recycling the same talent as employers have found that there is a scarcity of mid to senior-level talent available.

The employers also highlighted the importance of diversity and inclusivity as part of the recruitment process and understanding how to reach those from disadvantaged, or underrepresented backgrounds, to ensure they have access to job opportunities.

While it was recognised that diversity is still a huge issue for the tech sector in general, it has been particularly difficult to attract women and support them into leadership roles. Overall, it was felt that supporting young people from an early age and encouraging them to engage with the sector would be of huge value towards future-proofing technology talent.

A recent Women in Technology report found that women make up only 19 per cent of the tech sector’s workforce. In a bid to readdress this balance, IN4 Talent supports companies to change their culture by offering diversity and inclusivity experts who can provide practical support to recruit and retain diverse talent.

Mo Isap, CEO of IN4 Group, said: “IN4 Talent is unique as it is linked to HOST’s Skills City, a powerhouse of digital skills bootcamps, with the ability to unlock new talent from communities that are underrepresented in technology, therefore, moving away from a zero-sum game to create a new and diverse talent pipeline.

“IN4 Talent has been created to disrupt the technology recruitment market and provide tangible solutions for employer challenges in the tech sector. We also operate a try before you buy model so employers can make better recruitment decisions by placing commercial projects into the Skills City bootcamps. This talent on-demand approach offers flexibility for employers and by providing entry-level tech talent all the way up to C level, means they can be further upskilled to meet the exact needs of the employer.”

Andy Almond, Managing Director of IN4 Talent, has worked in technology recruitment for over 20 years and has seen a huge transformation in the labour market due to Covid-19. He said: “It’s completely reimagining the whole talent marketplace. By looking at skills, what you need from a mid to senior-level, changing that mindset and thinking about what the talent within your organisation is going to look like in five years – we’re going to win that war today by changing our behaviour now.”

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