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Keeping Greater Manchester working – new service launched to tackle labour market challenges in GM as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19)

Sam Whitear
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A new initiative to help businesses respond to the unprecedented shift in the jobs market as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) has been launched by the Growth Company in partnership with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and delivery Partners.

Employ GM is a service, across the city-region, for all businesses*, the self-employed and individuals to help match job opportunities, especially temporary, as new and replacement needs arise as result of COVID-19 impacts on business activity.   

It will connect employers who have urgent temporary (and permanent) vacancies with individuals across Greater Manchester who are available to start work straight away.  It will provide practical support with the recruitment process including promotion of jobs to a large network of available candidates, quick and efficient recruitment, and running a weekly payroll for businesses not used to utilising a temporary workforce. 

Employ GM will also support individuals who have been made redundant due to Covid-19, as well as self-employed people who have seen a significant drop in work, by helping them look for new job opportunities as well as providing them with careers advice and training.

Employ GM will also support furloughed employees and those unsure about their next steps with careers information and advice to help them make decisions on work, learning, and training.

Finally, further support for businesses seeking to deal with today’s extraordinary challenges is available through GC Business Growth Hub.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “We’re in no doubt about the challenges that many businesses throughout our city-region are facing, which is why we’ve been working hard from the outset with The Growth Company and other partners to put in place all the support we can.

“All of the actions that we take now are going to determine how we move forward after this, which is why we’re helping businesses, sole traders and self-employed business owners to plan ahead and even second workers to where they’re needed most. Greater Manchester always comes together in challenging times, and this has been no exception.”

Mark Hughes, Chief Executive of The Growth Company said: “Along with our Partners, the Growth Company is here for business and individuals who need support during these uncertain times. I am confident that the launch of Employ GM will help us to quickly bridge skills gaps across the city-region, as well as take some of the pressure off organisations by helping them to adapt and be resilient to change.”

For more information and to get help from Employ GM visit www.employgm.org/.

Businesses looking for support can also visit the Coronavirus microsite at www.businessgrowthhub.com/Coronavirus or get in touch for more advice and support by emailing [email protected] or call us on 0161 359 3050. Opening hours have been extended to Monday to Friday 8am – 8pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am – 1pm to support businesses.

K7 MEDIA BOLSTERS TEAM WITH NEW HIRE

Sam Whitear
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Global media consultancy K7 Media has expanded its team with the appointment of Trang Nguyen as Asia Pacific Researcher. 

She joins the business full time following the completion of a 12-month internship alongside studying for a master’s degree from Manchester University. Prior to moving to the UK, Nguyen spent almost 10 years living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. 

K7 Media sponsored Nguyen’s visa application, allowing her to stay in the UK and continue working at the end of her studies. Her new role sees her provide research and expert insight across territories, including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Hong Kong. 

Commenting on the new permanent role, Nguyen said: “I’m delighted K7 Media were willing to sponsor my visa application and provide me with the opportunity to continue working in the UK. 

“I feel extremely lucky to have secured a permanent role that allows me to utilise my language skills and knowledge of the Asian TV landscape.”

The appointment follows a period of sustained investment in K7 Media’s Asia Pacific offering. Earlier this year, the business appointed its first Asia Pacific Consultant, responsible for growing the business’s client base in the territory.

K7 Media’s Asia Pacific Manager, Michelle Lin, added: “It is fantastic having Trang join the team full time. She brings with her extensive regional knowledge and language skills. There is so much innovation within Asia Pacific territories, it is great to have the opportunity to bolster our team with another native speaker.”  

Offering bespoke research and media consulting services to broadcasters, streaming platforms, distributors and production companies; K7 Media continues to expand its current range of client services, while maintaining the delivery of highly sought-after media reports. 

The Growth Company calls for Greater Manchester SME businesses to join second cohort of popular Global Scale-up Programme

Sam Whitear
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The Growth Company is looking for ambitious businesses in Greater Manchester who are ready to take the leap to global success to join the second cohort of its highly successful Global Scale-up Programme.

Launched in July last year, the Global Scale-up Programme enables SME businesses across the city region to expand into international markets with the support of KPMG, DWF, Santander, Manchester Airport and The Department for International Trade.

There was great demand for the programme the first time around, with more than 200 applications for just 30 places. The closing date for this second cohort is Sunday 15 March 2020, inviting applications from ambitious Greater Manchester SMEs showing 20% year-on-year growth that want to expand further via internationalisation.

The first of its kind outside London, the programme gives the city region’s SMEs access to a global market entry network alongside a combination of tailored coaching, international growth sprints and regular bootcamps. Split into four phases, it refines and identifies target markets for each business, ensuring that business leaders are fully prepared for an international visit to their identified growth market, with support ranging from strategy development to pitch practice.

Successful applicants will have access to unique peer-to-peer opportunities and the GC Business Growth Hub networks and will join the programme’s global scale-up community for Greater Manchester.

Anna Carson-Parker, Global Scale-up Programme Project Manager, The Growth Company, said: “As the success of the first Global Scale-up cohort continues, I’m looking forward to growing the network which is opening exciting doors for businesses.

“We want SME businesses to be filled with confidence about entering and expanding in both the UK and overseas, leaving behind the challenging and uncertain economic times we have been experiencing and be ambitious to new opportunities available in the knowledge that Greater Manchester is behind them. Spaces are filling up quickly, so any SMEs looking to expand globally should sign up and take advantage of this programme.”

The Growth Company has brought together a range of world-class partners with global networks to provide SME business leaders with the support they need to scale up.

Lisa Stavropoulos, partner at global law firm DWF, said: “Our contribution to the first cohort of Global Scale-up has helped some of the most ambitious businesses in the area take that next step into new markets. I’m excited about the potential opportunities that our international network of experts will be able to open up for the next group of fast growth businesses in the programme.”

Feedback from the first cohort has been overwhelmingly positive, with comments from participants highlighting that the sprint sessions were: “highly interactive, creative, expertly facilitated” and that they “exceeded expectations in that it ended up being so personalised and focused on OUR issues –  not just generalisations and buzz words.”

Sean Brown, founder and CEO of ecommerce platform Mercarto, said: “We are a hugely ambitious company, with big plans to increase our global market presence over the next year, targeting the UAE, USA, Europe, Australia, Africa and India as well as growing our Manchester-based team by 50%.

“The Global Scale-up Programme has been an important source of real value for us over the last six months. The help we received from all of the organisations involved has helped us grow in key areas, from international growth to building internal structures and processes that will ensure our stability as we scale up.”

Applications for the second cohort are open until Sunday 15 March 2020. For more information on how to apply, visit: https://www.businessgrowthhub.com/globalscaleup

 

Google and Growth Hub team up to help Greater Manchester businesses ‘Go Global’ with digital tools

Sam Whitear
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Entrepreneurs, SME business owners and decision-makers based in Greater Manchester are invited to gain a competitive edge by signing up for a free half-day workshop with a team of leading experts on digital growth and international trade.   

‘Going Global – Digital Tools for International Growth’ will bring together heavyweight speakers to Manchester city centre on March 9th, including Department for International Trade ecommerce specialist Tom Dixon, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and the Growth Company’s Richard Jeffery. 

The one-off event at The Studio is aimed at those looking to adopt new digital technologies and online tools to bolster their international trade efforts and entry into new B2B overseas markets.  

At the centre of ‘Going Global’ is a Google Digital Garage training workshop, ‘Scale Your Brand and Advertise Across Borders’. The Google Digital Garage is one of Google’s flagship investment programmes in the UK, providing free digital skills training to people and businesses. Since launching in 2015, the Digital Garage has visited over 500 UK locations and trained over 400,000 people.

Richard Jeffery, Director of Business Growth at the Growth Company, said; “Businesses looking to grow and reach new international markets – no matter what their core sector – have a tremendous amount of online tools and useful data sources available to them. While this is a nice problem to have, these ever-increasing digital options risk overwhelming business owners and ironically shifting focus away from the problems they were designed to solve.   

“What promised to be an exciting, interactive and thought-provoking new workshop will address such challenges by helping business owners take a smarter approach towards their digital toolkits in the context of international growth. Bringing together this range of experts to look at the issues around digital, specifically through a Greater Manchester looking glass, will inform and empower business owners to make the right choices for reaching more customers, increasing turnover and improving ROI.” 

Ronan Harris, Google UK & Ireland Managing Director, said: “Having the right digital skills can have a transformative impact on business growth and job creation. Our hope is that by providing dedicated, tailored training through the Digital Garage we can help bring new growth to high streets, here in Greater Manchester and across the country.”

Following the Google Training workshop, there will be an interactive debate, ‘Digital Successes (and Failures) in Overseas Markets’, featuring inspirational panellists including Sean Brown, founder and CEO of Mercarto, one of 33 companies selected for the first cohort of the Global Scale-Up Programme, which had over 200 applications from Greater Manchester companies. Among the other panellists who will share their experiences and best practice on reaching new overseas markets are: Mike Blake-Crawford, Strategy Director at Social Chain; Liz Scott, Head of Entrepreneur Engagement for Tech Nation; and Helen Tonks, co-founder and Director at Hydraulics Online. 

Tom Dixon, Ecommerce Specialist at the Department for International Trade, will speak on ‘How E-Commerce Can Grow Your Business’ and International Trade Advisors from the Growth Company will be available to advise business owners on the next steps for their global growth strategies, including opportunities for funded support and grants available from the Department for International Trade.  

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham will also deliver a speech about the future of international trade for the region.

To register for ‘Going Global – Digital Tools for International Growth’ go to www.businessgrowthhub.com/events. This is a fringe event as part of the inaugural Digital City Festival taking place in Manchester from 9-13 March – five days of events showcasing the best in digital.

Successful Curry Club for business people to launch in Manchester

Sam Whitear
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The Guide Security Curry Club was founded in Lancashire two years ago, by Bipin Patel. Since then, the Curry Club has grown from strength to strength and it now attracts a diverse mixture of up to 60 business people, who fundamentally believe in taking time out to enjoy a good curry, in the company of others, who share a similar desire to assist each other.

Meeting on a bi-monthly basis, the Curry Club aims to demonstrate that networking can be enjoyable and can result in increased business opportunities.

That’s why the launch event will be at the fantastic Vermilion restaurant in Manchester at 12noon on Monday 9 March 2020, where examples from their leading Asian cuisine will be available for members to share and enjoy.

Commented Bipin: “We now aim to duplicate the success and format of our Guide Security Curry Club in Lancashire, since it’s simply about engaging with the right people, over some great food and talking to representatives from some successful businesses, to share possible synergies and opportunities going forward.

“The Curry Club will also continue to give something back to our local communities. Hence, we will maintain our practice of supporting a local charity, with £5 from every £25 entry fee, being donated to a charity nominated on the day.”

Anyone who is interested in attending, should email [email protected] for booking information.

Unity Trust Bank strengthens national expansion with new Regional Director

Sam Whitear
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Unity Trust Bank has appointed a new Regional Director for the North, John Copping, to support its national expansion strategy.

John has a wealth of experience in the financial services sector with over 30 years at RBS where he was Regional Head of Corporate Transactions, overseeing a team of relationship managers across the north of England and Scotland.

With a broad network of contacts and a strong profile in the northern region, John will be responsible for driving customer acquisition and managing a team of relationship managers. Working alongside the bank’s senior management, he will be integral to providing tailored financial solutions for clients against a challenging UK financial backdrop of increased competition and regulatory changes. His appointment follows the launch of Unity Trust Bank’s North West Hub in Manchester, which opened in September 2019.

Unity Trust Bank has provided commercial services to businesses for over 35 years. An independent bank, it supports organisations that are socially responsible and share its philosophy of contributing positively to economic, community and social change.

Commenting on his appointment, John said:

“Understanding the needs of businesses and supporting their growth is hugely satisfying, and to be able to combine this with Unity Trust Bank’s ethos of delivering social value and making a difference to local communities makes this role even more rewarding.

“We have a unique offer at Unity Trust Bank that holds considerable appeal to a broad range of organisations. There is a real opportunity for us to expand our customer base and extend our products and services to both new and existing customers, and I’m looking forward to building on the bank’s growth to date, both geographically and across sectors.”

CEO of Unity Trust Bank, Margaret Willis, added:

“John’s appointment strengthens our national footprint, and his wealth of experience in leading commercial banking teams to support businesses with both their transactional banking and lending requirements will be a great asset.

“As Unity Trust Bank continues to grow, we are committed to delivering an exceptional, personal service to businesses supporting them to deliver real value to local communities across the UK.”

New research shines a spotlight on diversity and inclusion ‘confusion’

Sam Whitear
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Businesses in Greater Manchester are confused about the impact of diversity and inclusion on their bottom line and competitiveness, at a time when the race for equality is gaining momentum across the region.

New research from pro-manchester, which has been produced in association with national audit, tax, advisory and risk firm firm Crowe UK and Connections Recruitment, found a city in need of support to fully grasp the importance of this agenda.

“Businesses need help in tackling this and some general guidelines on how to do it,” said Sam Booth, chief executive at pro-manchester. “We want to tackle this in our businesses, and I think it’s down to education, and helping companies know where to start.

“Equality, diversity and inclusion has almost been overlooked for so long but is really coming to the fore. As a female leader, I want to champion the cause, raise some awareness and look at some real practical things that can help businesses to move forward in this area.”

The importance of equality, diversity and inclusion in Greater Manchester workplaces report and research will be launched at a lunchtime event on Tuesday 25th February 2020.

While most people in the survey believed their workplace had taken action to address inequality or a lack of diversity, a significant 44 per cent of people were unsure if it had or reported that no action had been taken.
But even for those workplaces that had begun to address this agenda, 45 per cent said their workplace hasn’t changed or are unsure if it had become more diverse.
The same proportion of people reported being unsure if measures to improve diversity have had an impact on productivity and performance.
“I’m the first female chief executive of pro-manchester and working in a very male dominated environment from the outset, I think it’s important to look at how we can equalise that balance,” added Booth.
“It’s not just on the gender side, it’s about getting people to push themselves forward and remove judgment. From a business and productivity perspective, it’s important that we look at these issues and what is stopping businesses from addressing them.”
Matt Fox-Rees, formerly at Connections Recruitment, added: “Having worked within the professional services arena for nearly 20 years, my awareness of the unconscious bias that exists in so many businesses, has become far greater.
“Diversity and inclusion is now one of the most important factors for people when considering their employer, and although progress is being made, there is still much to do.”
Speakers at the event will include Ian Hopkins, chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, Erica Ingham, chief financial officer at MediaCom North and Mark Fletcher, chief executive at Manchester Pride.

For more information click here.
https://www.pro-manchester.co.uk/event/the-importance-of-equality-diversity-and-inclusion-in-greater-manchester-workplaces/

UHY Hacker Young partner wins British Muslim Award 2020

Sam Whitear
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A CORPORATE FINANCE Partner from UHY Hacker Young in Manchester has won a prestigious national award.

Adnan Sajid picked up the award for Achievements in Accounting and Finance at the British Muslim Awards 2020. He beat off competition from nine other finalists including candidates from KPMG, PWC, BDO and Deloitte UK.

Three hundred British Muslims were shortlisted as finalists for the 8th British Muslim Awards 2020.
The awards recognise, celebrate and promote the success, achievements and contributions of Britain’s Muslim individuals, groups and businesses, highlighting the significant role they play in contributing to a better Great Britain.

Adnan Sajid, corporate finance partner at UHY Hacker Young in Manchester, said:

“It’s a privilege to have won a British Muslim Award, especially against such tough competition. To be shortlisted alongside professionals from the UK’s top firms is a real honour. The awards evening brought together a host of inspiring individuals and it was a fantastic event to be part of.”

Adnan joined UHY Hacker Young’s Manchester office in August 2018 as a corporate finance partner. He specialises in M&A lead advisory work helping entrepreneurs, corporates and private equity investors in a number of sectors, with a particular focus on property, hospitality and leisure.

Sale’s One Brand Magic appointed by world’s number one major appliance manufacturer

Sam Whitear
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Dane Road-based integrated communications agency, One Brand Magic, has secured a PR retainer to represent Haier, the number one brand globally in major appliances in 2019*.

Headquartered in Qingdao, China, Haier was ranked the #1 major appliance brand in December 2019 by Euromonitor International, a leading global provider of business intelligence.

Haier has held the top spot since 2009 and has appointed One to raise its profile amongst trade and consumer audiences.

Established in 1984, Haier has become the leading white goods manufacturer in the world with more than 10 per cent market share. The Haier Group comprises Candy, Casarte, Fisher & Paykel, GE Appliances and Hoover.

A trailblazer in smart appliances thanks to a revolutionary IoT ecosystem, Haier specialises in the cooling and laundry categories and appointed One Brand Magic on the back of its strong credentials within the home interest sector.

Graeme Wood, CEO at One Brand Magic, said: “We have a wealth of knowledge, experience and connections in the kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms industry and are thrilled to add Haier’s name to our growing client roster.

“Haier is a very serious player in the world of kitchen appliances and our PR team will be looking to raise its profile in the UK.

“Haier appliances are famed for their premium positioning, innovative features and style and we’re chomping at the bit to spread the word about them to retailers and consumers across the UK.”

UHY Hacker Young employee named Apprentice of the year at the Made in Manchester Awards 2020

Sam Whitear
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Aspiring accountant Max Whiteley has been announced as Apprentice of the Year in the 2020 Made in Manchester awards.

Max works on the cloud accounting team at UK Top 20 Accountancy UHY Hacker Young Manchester LLP and has built a portfolio of clients, as well as technical expertise across UHY’s core sector specialisms; automotive, academy schools, property and sports sector.

The awards, which celebrate the best of Manchester’s young business talent aged up to 35, took place on 6 February 2020 and focusses on excellence in innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, training and development and leadership.

The winners were selected by a panel of judges drawn from leading businesses and professional services firms within the region. The judges were impressed by Max’s commitment, passion for his profession and the outstanding feedback from clients.

Mark Robertson, managing partner at UHY Hacker Young Manchester said;

“Through his outstanding dedication and commitment to his role within UHY Manchester, Max has proved to be the embodiment of the values and aspirations our firm stands for.

“He has shown the utmost passion, commitment and dedication to his role 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Max has mastered the art of social media, through which he has been able to generate a number of successful business leads and increase UHY’s brand awareness.

“We value the fact that he has consistently excelled in all areas of his work and development and we look forward to being an integral part of his future progression and success within our organisation.”

Max joined UHY Hacker Young’s Manchester office in February 2018.

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