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Code Nation and the AMRC host Lego® event to help the North’s business community understand the importance of coding

Sam Whitear
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The event will centre around nurturing the development of tech workers, helping businesses in the region combat a potential digital skills shortage; on the night, using LEGO® as a fun, demonstrative tool, speakers will discuss the attributes of a great coder, and their passion for creativity, collaboration and critical thinking.

At the focus of the event is a talk from former LEGO® Education Head of UK Sales David Gregory – now Head of Innovation at JTRS, an organisation which works alongside LEGO® Education promoting digital transformation; “This event will be interactive, fun and insightful,” he explained.

“I’ll be helping delegates understand more about a tried and tested learning approach that uses LEGO® and electronics to ignite the creative and enquiring mindset common amongst most coders; it’s a tactic synonymous with the work that Code Nation are doing to promote tech skills in the Manchester region.”

Whilst with LEGO® Education, David supported over 50 organisations across the UK to create inspirational learning spaces incorporating LEGO® Education resources in the form of LEGO® Education Innovation Studios. David is also a certified LEGO Education Academy Trainer and a qualified Neuro-Linguistic-Programming practitioner and will bring his experiences into his talk on 6 September.

In his time at LEGO® Education and JTRS, David has helped implement the LEGO® Education based learning approach in hundreds of UK schools, colleges and universities helping students with their problem solving and critical thinking; schools are given schemes of work to help deliver the National Curriculum.

Andy Lord, founder and CEO of Code Nation added: “There is so much synergy between Code Nation and the work that David has done; we collectively want to fly the flag for more digitally skilled people, and critical thinkers who can help future proof the UK economy.

“There’s no underestimating the significance of digital, given that pretty much every industry’s transitioned to operating in the tech sphere and we need as many people as possible to train up and get involved. Events like these are perfect for spreading the word and I look forward to welcoming all of our guests on the night.”

Ben Morgan, who heads the AMRC’s Integrated Manufacturing Group concluded: “If the North is to lead the fourth industrial revolution it needs a new wave of talented digital engineers to make it happen. Using LEGO® as a fun yet challenging medium to stimulate, engage and inspire the next generation of software engineers, is a brilliant way to develop a more creative and digitally savvy workforce. We’ve been building things with LEGO® for decades: why not use it to build a better, digital future?”

Frenkel Topping launches new training academy to deepen its talent pool

Sam Whitear
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Salford-based, Frenkel Topping is bolstering its growth plans with the launch of a new training academy to attract future talent to the business.

The specialist wealth management company’s headcount is now at 62 and comes after Frenkel Topping became a £7.3 million turnover outfit at the end of its fiscal year in 2017.

Frenkel Topping is now looking to deepen its talent pool and nurture home grown talent through the establishment of the Frenkel Topping Training Academy, following the success of its Graduate Programme launched at the end of last year.

The Salford-based company specialises in protecting the financial assets of vulnerable people, including claimants and their families who have been awarded large compensation payments through personal injury or clinical negligence.

Richard Fraser, Chief Executive Officer of Frenkel Topping, said: “Last year was a momentous year for Frenkel Topping and our long list of clients. We manage our clients with empathy, sympathy and confidence in the investment decisions and support provided, which we know is reflected in the fact that 95% of our clients stay with us for their lifetimes.

“However, over the years we have found it a challenge to find and retain talent. Anyone can be a financial advisor, but we need people with a special blend of skills to work with us and our clients, some of the most vulnerable people in society.

“We are looking for consultants who have both the technical ability and the inter-personal skills to deal with vulnerable clients, and this is no easy task.

“To overcome this challenge, we have launched our own training academy after our newly established graduate programme proved extremely popular, so now we can develop our own future superstars within the business.”

Up to five places are available on the training academy based at the company’s headquarters in Salford Quays.

This is the first year the rapidly expanding business, which is the leading sector specialist for vulnerable people compromised by injury, is running the two-year training programme.

Frenkel Topping also provide expert witness support for the legal profession specialising in personal injury and medical negligence cases.

The company also has a reputation for innovation, integrity and trust, and has its own charitable foundation to support the victims of clinical negligence and personal injury.

Richard added: “We have a few places that are available this year. We are looking for smart and diligent people who thrive under pressure and have huge ambitions for the future, with empathy, sympathy and confidence’’.

“We also recruit talent for all of the right reasons and will help the right candidates grow within the company, making them feel welcome when they arrive for their first day.

“As a Graduate Associate you’ll undertake a two-year intensive training programme learning from industry specialists, you will also undertake the Chartered Insurance Institute exams, receive a competitive salary and at the end achieve a Level 4 Diploma in Financial Planning.”

The Academy has been developed to allow graduates to enter the niche personal injury and clinical negligence sector and become independent financial advisers working with societies most vulnerable people.

Zen Internet accelerates mission to shake up UK internet market with two high-level appointments

Sam Whitear
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Zen Internet today announces two senior appointments as it accelerates its mission to challenge the UK broadband and mid-market IT managed services markets.

The move will see company founder – and one of greater Manchester’s most well respected business leaders – Richard Tang move from being CEO into the role of Chairman of the board.

Paul Stobart, seasoned tech leader and former northern European head of FTSE 100 Sage Group, will move in the opposite direction from being Chair of the Zen Board into the CEO role – after working alongside Richard for the past year.

The changes reflect both Zen’s success to date – with 2018 turnover forecast to exceed £71m and staff numbers to approach 500 – as well as its ambition to improve the quality of the nation’s internet services through best-in-class customer service.

Zen, which provides both consumer broadband and commercial connectivity, network, voice, and cloud hosting services is in many ways the market’s best kept secret. It has retained its place at the top of the Which? Rankings since 2015 and is listed on the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For.

Richard Tang said: “At Zen, we believe in doing things differently. It was crucial for me that anyone replacing me as CEO was absolutely aligned with our people-first approach.

“Paul Stobart brings all of that and more: He is an excellent communicator, a visionary, and an inspirational leader of people who brings a wealth of strategic experience in running transformative technology businesses.”

Richard added: “I’m also incredibly excited about my own new role – where I’ll have time to actively champion Zen’s mission to raise standards in the UK’s internet market.

“Importantly, we believe these changes will make Zen more successful, whilst staying totally true to our most fundamental long-term objectives: Happy Staff, Happy Customers, Happy Suppliers.”

Paul Stobart joins on the back of experience as CEO at both listed plc and private-equity owned businesses, and brings expertise in a range of different sectors, including technology, finance, and healthcare.

Paul Stobart said: “I believe Zen is not just one of the UK’s most exciting businesses – but is also one of its most rewarding places to work too – which is why I couldn’t be happier about this new challenge.

“I’m coming on board at a critical stage of development – and we have big plans to shake up the market and drastically improve the standards UK consumers and businesses can expect from their internet supplier.

“Further – I believe this change suits the skill sets and ambitions of both Richard and myself. I will bring my experience of running large, high-growth businesses, while Richard will be able to develop his role as a powerful and proactive voice for Zen in the UK and beyond.”

Crème Creative moves into new 2,700 sq ft offices and studio space following Boohoo founder investment

Sam Whitear
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Manchester-based fashion and footwear creative content agency, Crème Creative, has moved into 2,700 sq ft of studio and office space at Concept Green, Eccles, using its £100,00 investment from Boohoo founder Jalal Kamani.

Kamani invested £100,000 in Crème Creative for a 50% share of the agency and it has been used to take out a five-year lease on a former, industrial cotton mill in Eccles as well as the refurb of the building into office space and a photography studio.

When not in use by Crème Creative, the studio, which has been called Foam Manchester, will be hired out to other photographers, agencies and brands.

Crème Creative, launched in January 2016 by wives Emma and Katie Nattrass-Daniels, has a 10-strong team and a roster of high profile clients including Foot Asylum, New Balance, Lacoste, Mallet Footwear, isawitfirst.com and Koi Footwear.

The former cotton mill is the perfect space for the agency to grow and with its double apex offers lots of diffused natural light, original brickwork and exposed beams.

Crème Creative’s Foam Studio has already been very busy; the agency has shot for a new footwear client Oli x Oliver, for the new Mallet Footwear look-book and New Balance ‘back-to-school’ content.   The studio has also been hired out and booked for the filming of a music video.

Managing Director, Katie Nattrass-Daniels said: “This move will give us the capacity to start working for more high street brands; our ambition is to have names like Top Shop, ASOS, Adidas and Nike in our portfolio.

“We took full control of the design and decoration so it’s just as we want it; it’s a sustainable space, including our waste management and energy, which is recycled and renewable.

“We’ve added plenty of desks for when we grow and as hot desks for local creatives, but the large studio space is the biggest bonus, as we no longer have to hire external spaces and it means we can be even more reactive when clients send us last minute products to shoot.  Everything about it feels right and we’re really excited about what the future holds.”

Startup moves into FastForward incubator with entrepreneur’s help

Sam Whitear
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Retail disruptor firm BizzleIt is set to move into the FastForward incubator space, having been gifted a lease there by entrepreneur Lawrence Jones MBE.

BizzleIt, led by Manchester businessmen Jordan Ryan Madeley and Michael Lawes, creates online platforms for businesses to share offers, products and services with consumer groups. Clients include SPAR, for whom they produced the SPAR GO app and loyalty platform.

Jordan said: “We’ve seen some great successes this year with the likes of SPAR, some new big-name brands coming on board and an ever-increasing sales pipeline. With that in mind, we’ve looked at office spaces but, while we invest heavily in our product, we simply couldn’t afford them at this stage.

“While many spaces in Manchester are described as incubator spaces, in fact they still have landlords charging significant rents. On top of that, we’ve seen spaces where the atmosphere isn’t what a growing tech firm needs – they just tell you what you can’t do all the time or they chase you out of the door at 7pm.”

Meeting for a mentoring session with UKFast CEO Lawrence Jones MBE, the BizzleIt team were offered a free one-year lease in the FastForward space.

Jordan added: “We had our hearts set on Tech Manchester, when it officially opens, because we’ve been hearing about it and watching the space and the community develop. We knew it was going to be the space for us but it was always going to be some time before we could afford even its low rates, so this is offer from Lawrence is just amazing for us.”

The pair had previously been operating from home or even at a local Wetherspoon pub, making the most of the chain’s £1 coffees. But as they look to grow their team, the FastForward tenancy includes use of all the necessary facilities, including a phone-answering service, high-speed connectivity and all on-campus amenities including recording studios and a health-food café.

Lawrence Jones MBE said: “I’ve known the guys behind BizzleIt for some time and whole-heartedly support the entrepreneurialism and innovation that they’re driving. So, as we celebrated Tech Manchester’s one-year anniversary, I wanted to give back to the community.

“Offering the BizzleIt team a space, away from the pub they spending their days in, shows that they’re a serious proposition that’s ready for their next stage of growth. I am incredibly proud to give them this opportunity and watch them flourish.”

Director of Tech Manchester, Patricia Keating, said: “It’s been a remarkable first year for Tech Manchester, we’ve signed up more than 100 mentors and now have our first three companies moving into the FastForward space, before we’ve even officially launched!

“I am looking forward to getting to know the BizzleIt team and for Tech Manchester to support what is no doubt going to be an incredible journey from here.”

Malcolm Hollis welcomes graduate in Manchester

Sam Whitear
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Independent commercial building consultancy firm Malcolm Hollis is pleased to welcome Elliot Haworth to its Manchester office. Haworth joins the team as part of the firm’s successful graduate recruitment program.

Elliot Haworth completed a degree in Management at Lancaster University and carried out an internship at IBM before deciding to change careers. He is currently completing his Masters at Sheffield Hallam University and joined the Manchester office on 29 May 2018.

Malcolm Hollis will welcome 27 graduates from 15 different locations across the UK and Ireland in the summer and autumn of 2018 and the spring of 2019. Graduates will join the firm as Building Surveyors, Engineers, Measured Surveyors, and Environmental Specialists.

David McBride, Partner at Malcolm Hollis, remarked: “It is exciting and rewarding to help graduates begin their careers in the property industry. Our successful graduate program has been in place for nearly 20 years and we pride ourselves in our ability to identify and develop young talent. Many congratulations to Elliot Haworth, we look forward to seeing your career flourish at Malcolm Hollis.”

Red Box Vape launches flagship store and training centre in Manchester

Sam Whitear
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Britain’s newest retail vape brand is set to open a flagship store and training centre in Manchester, furthering its plans to become a household name in vaping across the UK.

Red Box Vape will launch its second flagship store in Shudehill, in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. The first store opened in Nottingham last month.

The premises of the Manchester store will double as the company’s UK training centre. Here, managers, staff and franchisees are placed on an intensive two-week programme to ensure they carry through Red Box Vape’s strict policy of customer service excellence.

The family run business began after the owners, CEO Stuart Anderson and his son James (19), of Nottingham, became intrigued by the number of tobacco smokers they still encountered despite the growing popularity of e-cigarettes and vaping.

Stuart said: “The launch of our second flagship store in Manchester’s Norther Quarter represents months of intense work and research – and we’re delighted to see our expectations become a reality.

“As the Red Box UK training centre, we are determined that this store represents our values to the letter.”

The Anderson family has had first-hand experience of cancer and felt that vaping offered a great alternative to smokers who were struggling to quit. They wondered why so many hadn’t switched.

After further research, they discovered that many vape stores appeared dark and intimidating, appealed more to a younger audience – and the customer service levels were not always good.

So, Stuart brought his daughter, Lauren Anderson (22), on board and the three of them set about creating a brand that would demystify vaping, appear clean and welcoming, and would guarantee a “very British” standard of customer service.

This Britishness was reinforced by the use of a British icon – the red telephone box – within its branding and a commitment to selling only e-liquids that were manufactured to strict standards in the UK. Red Box also decided to formulate and manufacture its own e-liquids under the Red Liquids brand.

With Manchester and Nottingham operating as the company’s flagship outlets, several further retail locations are now being secured around the UK.

Some Red Box Vape stores will be run directly by the company’s parent company, Red Box Liquids Ltd, based in Nottingham, while others will operate as franchises, enabling the company to expand more quickly.

In turn, each new store will create a minimum of four full and part-time jobs, and additional head office staff will be recruited in managerial, administrative and distribution roles as the company expands.

Stuart said: “We’ve created a business that we think is pretty special, and we have ambitious plans to expand our network to every part of the UK.”

He said that with an estimated seven million adults still smoking in the UK, Red Box believed there was a huge, untapped market out there.

The Manchester launch comes only days after a report by MPs on the Governments Science and Technology Committee backed the wider promotion and acceptance of vaping as a key weapon against smoking. One safe, effective vape that can be purchased is the OXVA Xlim C kit.

Stuart added: “Our initial research highlighted that many long-term smokers were uncomfortable about going into vape shops. Some told us that they were put off by the ‘tattoo parlour’ image.

“We wanted to change all that and create a brand that professional people and women would find welcoming and non-judgemental. Judging by how popular our Nottingham store is after just a few weeks’ trading, I believe Red Box may have finally plugged that gap.”

https://vapeonlinestore.co.uk/collections/kits/products/oxva-xlim-c-vape-kit

Scanlans grows revenues to £4.4m

Sam Whitear
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Manchester-based Property management and surveying group Scanlans has posted a 16 per cent rise in annual revenues.

Turnover in the year to March 31 increased to £4.4m from £3.8m, with growth across all of Scanlans’ operations.

Its property management division saw a 10 per cent rise in revenues, fuelled by a host of new instructions for apartment block schemes in Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham, and growth for the Scanlans Facilities Management operation.

Key appointments in Scanlans’ building surveying and rating teams helped drive a six per cent rise in income for the firm’s surveying arm.

The latest figure includes the turnover of Manchester-based property sales, lettings and management agency Pad Residential, which became part of the Scanlans group of companies in early 2017.

Scanlans chairman Ian Stanistreet said: “We are pleased with our performance in our latest financial year and we are well-placed to see further growth this year.

“There has been a marked increase in the number of developments being managed by Scanlans Property Management and, with new schemes under way, we are confident of achieving further expansion this year.

“Key recruits in Manchester and Birmingham have enabled us to offer our surveying, valuation and rating services to a wider client base with great success.

“We have also recently expanded our Leeds office and look forward to this investment bearing fruit over the coming months as we step up our focus on the Yorkshire market.”

He added: “The partnership with Pad Residential is helping us to develop our comprehensive management service for build-to-rent blocks.

“With most new developments falling into this category or being private rented schemes, working with Pad is helping us to build our strength in these markets.”

Scanlans is a national practice with seven partners and 64 staff across its offices in Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and London.

Its core business is residential block management across the north west and the Midlands. The Scanlans Facilities Management operation, which was established in 2016 provides cleaning, caretaking services at blocks across the north, now at more than 45 sites comprising around 2,350 apartments.

Scanlans’ surveying consultancy focuses on commercial and residential property valuations, building surveying, LPA receiverships, expert witness advice, rating and leasehold enfranchisement.

Oxford Road hotel development “The Lume” officially opens this September

Sam Whitear
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The Lume, a new 19-storey hotel development boasting a Crowne Plaza® and Staybridge Suites®, both hotel brands of IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) will officially open this September in Manchester.

Owned by M&L Hospitality and managed by Cycas Hospitality, the 328-room newly built dual-branded hotel is located in the bustling Oxford Road area, within walking distance of the city centre. Bookings are now open via the Crowne Plaza and Staybridge Suites websites.

Crowne Plaza Manchester – Oxford Road, which occupies the lower 12-storeys, features 212 guest rooms, a 120-seat restaurant, bar, fully equipped 24-hour gym, club lounge and seven state-of-the-art meeting rooms catering for over 200 delegates.

The extended-stay brand Staybridge Suites, which is making its Manchester debut, is located on the upper seven floors. Offering a stylish and social environment along with all the comforts of home, Staybridge Suites – Oxford Road will have a mix of 116 modern studio and one-bedroom suites featuring fully-equipped kitchens and exceptional views of the city.

Staybridge Suites guests also have access to a terrace on the 18th floor with panoramic views of Manchester, access to the 24-hour gym, laundry facilities and complimentary hot and cold buffet breakfast in the “Hub” kitchen. The brand also hosts ‘The Social’ three evenings a week, an informal opportunity for guests to mingle and get to know their on-site team over complimentary drinks and nibbles.

The Lume hotel development is ideally located within the Oxford Road Corridor which boasts a workforce of 60,000 people and is home to The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.

Close to the city centre and with easy access to transport links, as well as Manchester’s major tourism attractions and commercial hubs, the dual-branded complex will provide an ideal base for all visitors to Manchester including short and long-stay business clients, leisure visitors, entrepreneurs, academics and those visiting the universities nearby.

The dual-branded hotel development forms part of the University of Manchester’s Campus Masterplan, which includes the wider redevelopment of Alliance Manchester Business School. It also adjoins its new two-storey Executive Education Centre, which will provide a new home for the business school’s corporate leadership and management programmes.

The hotel’s General Manager, Andrew Fletcher, said: “With the opening date just weeks away, we’re really excited about how combining two hotels under one roof will give business as well as leisure travellers a new way to experience Manchester.”

“As the way people travel evolves, we wanted to give guests the more flexible accommodation options we know they’re looking for, whether they’re staying for a few nights or a few weeks. The Lume will, for the first-time, offer travellers to the north of England the choice of two different hotel styles in one central location. We’re therefore looking forward to combining personalised home-from-home touches with an on-site restaurant, buzzing bar and extensive meeting facilities in a way that visitors to Manchester haven’t had before.”

Owners M&L Hospitality have worked closely with architects and interior designers to ensure The Lume will be ‘one of a kind’ in Manchester city centre. The contemporary architecture, with floor to ceiling glazing, allows natural light throughout the hotel.

The name ‘The Lume’ was chosen to celebrate the light-filled ‘illuminated’ hotel and as a nod to the textile ‘loom’ – an innovation that helped shape Manchester’s past. It also pays tribute to The University of Manchester’s illustrious ‘alumni’ including Alan Turing, Sir Howard Bernstein and Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington, after whom the meeting rooms are named.

IoD seeks new Manchester chair

Sam Whitear
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A vacancy has arisen for a prominent Manchester business person to undertake one of the city’s highest ranking, extra-curricular roles.

The Institute of Directors North West, which is headquartered in the city centre, is looking to Manchester’s business community to find the perfect candidate to become its new branch Chair. With its incumbent, Paul Battye’s tenure drawing to a close in November, the organisation is asking candidates with senior leadership experience to come forward and express interest in the opportunity.

The IoD is encouraging applications from individuals who will be a strong advocate for IoD North West and who can continue to build and grow an active committee in Manchester. Working alongside the regional team to support a growing membership base of business leaders, the candidate will be passionate about helping Manchester to thrive, connecting people from across sectors, and helping members to be the very best leaders they can be.

Speaking about his role to date and the opportunities that it has brought, Battye said: “As Chair of the IoD’s Manchester branch, I have thoroughly enjoyed promoting the organisation within the regional business community, and representing Manchester business across the North West and nationally within the IoD.

“As well as working with my colleagues on the Manchester committee to enhance the member experience through high quality, regular events, my tenure has provided me with the invaluable opportunity to connect with policy and decision makers, to ensure that as an organisation, we can offer the right support to our members.”

The IoD’s regional director Claire Ebrey, added: “We thank Paul for his contribution to the Manchester branch over the past three years. As a pioneering organisation, we are excited to be offering this unique opportunity to a new Chair and finding someone dynamic and inspirational who can fly the flag for Manchester’s business issues in the future.”

For more information about the role and to apply, please visit https://www.iod.com/events-community/regions/north-west/news/details/Could-you-be-our-next-IoD-Manchester-Chair

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