Accountants and business advisors Beever and Struthers now represent more than 170 charitable organisations nationwide after achieving a 10 per cent increase in client numbers during the past year.

Winning diverse and influential new clients and successfully retendering for existing work throughout 2018 and in the first quarter of 2019 allowed the firm with offices in Manchester, Blackburn and London to secure a double-digit rise in fees from charities and not-for-profit organisations.

A specialist and multi-disciplined team led by six partners across the three locations made the gains by continuing to focus on building strong relationships with trustees, executives and operational teams.

New clients won by Beever and Struthers in 2018 and early 2019 include The Big Life Group, National Society of Epilepsy, Groundwork Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside, Rapport Housing and Care, Viaduct Care, ALSG (Advanced Life Support Group) and Trafford Carers Trust.

Phil Alty, finance director of The Big Life Group, said: “Big Life is a complex group and we felt that Beever and Struthers offered an all-round professional service in terms of disciplines that Big Life Group required. We also felt that Beever and Struthers was able to give the personal level of client service that larger accountancy firms have difficulty in putting into practice.”

Core services for charities provided by the firm include external and internal audit, independent examination of accounts, accounts preparation and financial reporting, business assurance, risk management, payroll, charity taxation and VAT and grant compliance.

Charitable organisations also benefit from ‘added value’ services such as governance and risk management reviews, IT audit and data mining, business planning and cashflow forecasting, HR support, anti-fraud consultancy, due diligence, advice on viability and restructuring, insolvency and data analytics and benchmarking.

This wide range of specialist skills available to clients of Beever and Struthers cover care and welfare, sport and leisure, culture and arts, social housing, health and well-being, social enterprise, charitable foundations and education and training.

Sue Hutchinson, partner and head of the firm’s charity sector, said: “Thanks to outstanding teamwork and investment in the sector across various departments at Beever and Struthers, we are able to provide excellent services, technical expertise, locally-based unrivalled experience and easily accessible staff for clients from our three offices.”

“Our achievements throughout 2018 and the first quarter of 2019 are hard won and well deserved and with further investment in our team and services we look forward to replicating our success throughout the rest of this year and beyond.”

Pioneering American venture capitalist Nitin Rai has been announced as keynote speaker as Venturefest returns to Manchester for its sixth year.

The region’s biggest annual innovation expo and conference, Venturefest North West takes place at Manchester Central on Wednesday 20 November, with registrations now open. Organisers GC Business Growth Hub are promising an exceptional mix of inspirational speakers, interactive workshops and networking opportunities.

Nitin Rai is the founder and managing director of Elevate Capital, based in Portland, Oregon. Elevate prides itself on its inclusivity, investing more than $6m in 25 start-ups founded or led by diverse and underrepresented entrepreneurs in the Pacific Northwest of the United States since 2016. Nearly 60% of Elevate’s investments are in female-led companies, and 40% in start-ups founded or led by entrepreneurs from African and Latin-American backgrounds.

Nitin also serves as the chair of The IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE) Global Board of Trustees, leading the mission to help its 60 plus global chapters ensure entrepreneurs become successful. Additionally, under his leadership, TiE Oregon Angels has invested $15m in 50 seed stage start-ups with 10 liquidity events. He also chairs the TiE Global Angel network, which consists of over 200 TiE Angels globally.

Nitin said: “Manchester and the North West has an incredible global reputation for fighting for equality, promoting tolerance and supporting minorities, which is why I’m thrilled to be taking part in Venturefest. The region is also already buzzing with entrepreneurs from all kinds of social backgrounds.

“As we have found through our work in the USA, having such a richly diverse, multi-cultural and inclusive pool of people to draw upon leads to a dynamic, innovative and disruptive start-up scene, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what the North West has to offer at the event in November.”

Hosting the event for second time will be business commentator and successful entrepreneur Professor Vikas Shah MBE.  Having started a web design business while at Stockport Grammar School aged 14, Professor Shah is now CEO of Swiscot Group, a diversified international trading business. He is also co-founder of feature film studio 53 Degrees North and a venture investor in a number of businesses. An honorary professor at University of Manchester, he was awarded an MBE for Services to Business and the Economy in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List.

Professor Shah said: “Venturefest celebrates building business and, whether you’re starting out, scaling or a well-established business, this is an event where you will find a mix of the practical, inspirational and useful – from great speakers, to service providers, products and the people you need to grow.

“This event also showcases the very best of business in the North West and, importantly, brings together many of the region’s most successful entrepreneurs to connect with each other.”

More than 1,100 delegates attended last year’s Venturefest North West, as GC Business Growth Hub joined forces with regional partners Cheshire & Warrington Growth Hub, Cumbria Growth Hub, Liverpool City Region’s Local Growth Hub, and Boost, Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub.

GC Business Growth Hub director of business growth Richard Jeffery said: “One of the great things about Venturefest is that it brings together entrepreneurs, growing businesses, investors and innovation specialists from across the region, providing the perfect opportunity for inspiration and ideas generation.

“We’re very proud of the North West’s tradition of innovative and independent thinking, and I’m really looking forward to seeing new business innovations being spotlighted.”

To register your free place at Venturefest North West 2019 go to venturefestnorthwest.com.

Businesses looking to access specialist support can visit www.businessgrowthhub.com for more information about the organisation’s extensive range of services. This event is part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the GM Business Growth Hub project, designed to help ambitious SME businesses achieve growth and increase employment in Greater Manchester.

Technology specialists Apadmi to take Charles Stanley’s tech to the next level, after being appointed the firm’s mobile partner.

Established in 1792, Charles Stanley is a wealth management company that has never stood still. It has tasked Manchester-based Apadmi with enhancing its mobile offering to clients, and take its technology solution forward.

Apadmi will design, build and deliver a new mobile app strategy, taking on its current apps (Charles Stanley Direct and Charles Stanley My Accounts), enhancing their performance and features, before bringing new functionality to their customer bases. Users will be able to view and manage their trading portfolios, access financial advice services and more, through intuitive, helpful and fast mobile solutions that suit today’s investor.

Marcus Hadfield, Chief Strategy Officer for Apadmi, said: “Charles Stanley have innovated for over 200 years. That’s why they’re so highly regarded, still. Their continued investment in mobile technology will deliver an even better experience for their clients – but this is just the beginning.

“The enhanced apps will provide rich data on the kinds of services their customers value the most when on-the-go, and this will inform future developments. We can’t wait to get started on this project, and we’re looking forward to the beginning of great partnership.”

Magnus Wheatley, Managing Director of Charles Stanley Direct, added: “We always strive to lead the way, our last App with fingerprint and face-id log-ins was incredibly popular.  I am very excited to work with Apadmi to take all the Charles Stanley apps to the next level and make it even easier for our clients to access and manage their investments from wherever they are.”

The first FinTech North conference of 2019 is returning to Manchester next week, following last year’s sell out event. One of a series of events held across the North, FinTech North Manchester 2019 will take place on Wednesday 17 April at University of Manchester’s Whitworth Hall.

The conference will bring together policy and decision makers across the public and private sector, alongside some of the most established businesses, financial services and tech firms both regionally and nationally. Topics to be tackled on the day include the national and regional economy, the future of payments, how the lending market has been revolutionised, and the impact of open banking.

Delegates and speakers from across the UK will join their counterparts from Greater Manchester and the Northern Powerhouse, as well as a large cohort of international attendees. This includes a 25 strong delegation of guests from ICBC, the largest bank in China, in collaboration with the AMBS Executive Education Centre. Over 300 delegates are expected for a day of speeches, panel sessions, networking, and showcases.

The event will focus on the skills, resources, innovation and economic strength of the FinTech community in the North, as well as exploring opportunities for further growth and sharing expertise with counterparts across the UK and internationally.

The day will be chaired by Chris Sier, FinTech Envoy at HM Treasury. Keynote speakers include Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, and Henri Murison, Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership. Charlotte Croswell, CEO of Innovate Finance, will be discussing London and global FinTech trends.

Europe’s biggest FinTech organisation, OakNorth, valued at over a billion euros and with offices in Manchester, will be showcasing the latest innovations in the field, alongside a range of Manchester’s fastest growing startups including Arro Money, Mojo Mortgages, and AccessPay.

Now in its fourth year, FinTech North was established in 2016 as a non-profit project by Whitecap Consulting and White Label Crowdfunding. It aims to reinforce the UK’s Northern Powerhouse region as a centre of excellence for FinTech.

Julian Wells, Director of FinTech North, commented: “Last year was our first ever Manchester conference, and it was an incredible success. The region really pulled together to support the local FinTech scene, and seats were sold out. We heard interesting discussions on the challenges and opportunities for Manchester FinTechs, saw demonstrations of the latest technologies, and new relationships and partnerships were formed to help further the growth of FinTech in the area.

“This year, we have decided to hold an even bigger conference in Manchester, so more local organisations can take advantage of the opportunities to network, collaborate with some of the most influential and exciting FinTechs, benefit from national and international expertise, and even influence policy. The response so far has been really encouraging, with speakers and sign-ups in the North, but also across the UK and even internationally.”

Davis Blank Furniss, the Manchester & Glossop based law firm, has promoted property lawyer Jennifer Smith to partner and Lewis Thompson, private client solicitor, to associate solicitor.

Jennifer joined the firm in 2013 and handles all aspects of commercial and residential property, including commercial property sales and acquisitions, advising on business tenancies for landlords and tenants, and sales, purchases and re-mortgages of residential properties.

Lewis Thompson was appointed in March 2017 and works in the firm’s Glossop office. He specialises in all areas of private client work including Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Trusts, Court of Protection matters and Probate.Also, Charlotte Tyrer has been admitted as a solicitor in the Family and Private Client Departments following the successful completion of her training contract.

Kate Oldfield, managing partner, said: “Both these promotions are incredibly well deserved. Jennifer and Lewis have worked extremely hard and have shown tremendous commitment and energy to our clients and are central to the firm’s future. We are also delighted that Charlotte is continuing her career at Davis Blank Furniss and I have no doubt that she will be an outstanding addition to the team.”

Jennifer added: “Being promoted to partner is a real milestone in my career, but my focus will continue to be on adding value to my team, the wider business and our clients.”

Pixel Kicks, the Manchester based full-service digital agency, has been appointed by Composite Wood Company to handle all aspects of its digital marketing activities.

Headquartered in Oldham, Composite Wood Company is one of the UK’s largest stockists and suppliers of wood polymer composite (WPC) products. WPC is a durable and long-lasting timber replacement. The firm has distributors and installers across Britain for its comprehensive range of decking, fencing, garden rooms, balustrades and railings.

Pixel Kicks’ initial brief includes SEO, PPC, social media management as well as video and content creation. All will be centered around the core messages of composite wood being the next generation in home improvement products and their environmentally friendly credentials. Over the coming months a new website will also be commissioned.

Chris Buckley, MD of Pixel Kicks, said: “The home improvement sector is a growing market so winning this project is fantastic news for the agency. Composite Wood Company is a dynamic business with a great story to tell so our focus will now be on driving visibility and enquiries from both its consumer and trade audiences.”

David McNicholas, MD of Composite Wood Company, added: “We have been keeping an eye on Pixel Kicks over the past few months and we’ve been impressed with the projects they’ve delivered for their clients. Their ability to mix creativity and commercial acumen really stood out and we are now looking forward to seeing their ideas come to fruition.”