Example Marketing and Web Design has been working with local businesses for almost five years, but the time has come to expand. New employees meant a new office, and newly converted office space at The Old Eagle in the centre of Dereham fits the bill perfectly. Emma Raines, owner at Example, explains:
“We’ve been flat out for several years now, so it was time to take a big step. To this point, the business has just been me and my husband, Gavin, working from a home office. We’re now a team of four with a great office. We’re really excited to have such a fantastic space to welcome clients in to.”
The past few months have been very busy for the company, as they’ve also achieved coveted Google Partner status, marking them out as true experts in their field. They’re now looking forward to working with more Dereham businesses to help them with their marketing, printing and web design. Emma continues:
“We love working locally. It’s much easier to get a feel for a business if you can meet face to face. Really understanding our clients is a vital part of making sure they get the results they want when they ask for our help, so we’re looking forward to getting to know more of the businesses in Dereham, as well as more widely across Norfolk.”
Norfolk’s world-class data centre has partnered with disaster recovery specialists to launch an easily accessible data backup service for businesses of all sizes.
The stand-alone service provides a simple way for any organisation to create a fully encrypted backup of their data. Should their IT be subject to an attack or failure, their data can be quickly recovered and restored. With a 6,000% increase in ransomware attacks since 2015, the new service is expected to prove highly popular.
“This is an important development for MIGSOLV” says David Manning, MIGSOLV’s Managing Director. “As well as housing physical servers and IT, we can now provide a simple way for every organisation to take advantage of our facilities and protection.”
The new cloud-based service utilises hardware housed in MIGSOLV’s data centre and managed by Blocz IO. A 256-bit encrypted copy of an organisation’s data is taken from their existing IT and, in the event of a cyber or physical attack, it can be quickly recovered and thus restore the organisation to business-as-usual.
“This is a great way for smaller businesses to feel safe and secure.” adds David. “They have the reassurance of a full disaster recovery backup, with peace-of-mind they know exactly where and how their data is being protected.”
As well as businesses looking for an easy way to backup their data, the service is expected to appeal to organisations with an existing backup looking for an additional line of defence. Best-practice guidelines now recommend organisations hold three copies of all sensitive or critical data, stored in different locations. In particular, it will help companies address new GDPR legislation by providing evidence of UK data sovereignty and protection.
19th June 2018 – Four Norfolk directors scooped highly commended prizes at The Institute of Director’s annual East of England Director of the Year Awards, held on Friday 15th June at The Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket. The awards celebrate the exemplary leaders who are doing great work across the East of England, rewarding individuals who display professionalism, diligence and creativity to inspire employees.
The Norfolk directors recognised were: • Ian Watson, Chief Executive Officer of Start-Rite (Norwich), won Highly Commended Innovation Director of the Year • Sarah West, Managing Director of Full Mix Marketing (Norwich), won New Director of the Year • Chris Cliffe, Director of CJC Procurement Limited (Norwich) won Highly Commended New Director of the Year • Andrew Brammer, Managing Director of PSS (Norfolk) won Global Director of the Year. Ian, Sarah, Chris and Andrew were presented with their awards by Stephen Martin (IoD Director General) and David Sales (Chairman, IoD East of England). Stephen Martin, this year’s guest of honour, is an authoritative voice of UK business in the media and engages with senior figures from across government, politics and Whitehall, to represent business interests. He commented: “Today has been a fantastic event celebrating the best in British business here in the East of England and it was amazing to see so many inspirational stories of directors and the great impact they have not just in their own company but in the communities in which they are operating. It was a very successful event with many worthy winners and I wish them all continued success in their businesses.”
David Sales, regional IoD Chairman for East of England and host of the awards commented: “Every year these awards get more competitive, meaning the judging process is ever more challenging and exciting! The East of England is home to many of the UK’s most innovative, vibrant and successful organisations – led by some of our best directors. This year’s winners are exceptional role models for our fabulous region.” Simone Robinson, Head of Regional Relationships, IoD East of England commented on the winners: “All of the winners are singularly tenacious, driven, innovative and successful, and all of them share the desire to promote good governance, deliver strong and collaborative leadership, a consideration for corporate social responsibility, and a recognition of the role the team plays in the businesses achievements.”
About IoD Awards – Stephen Martin, Director General, Institute of Directors Our awards seek to shine a light on directors who have enhanced and driven their businesses forward. The contenders come from different organisations but all share similarities in leadership, expertise and personal dedication. During this critical period of political change, we will need to see ingenuity and tenacity displayed by professional leaders. The vibrancy and diversity of the businesses here gives me cause to be hopeful of the strength of British industries. Over the coming years the IoD will continue to provide the necessary support and guidance to members, while seeking to put the business perspective to government as Brexit negotiations take place.
Abate Pest Management has recently secured a service agreement with Montagu Evans LLP to manage proactive pest control at their St Crispins House site in Norwich.
Montagu Evans LLP is a partnership of chartered surveyors and property consultants involved in the UK’s largest commercial, residential and mixed-use property development projects.
Abate Pest Management will manage St Crispins House for the prevention of pests by carrying out 8 routine visits per year. The service will also cover any ad-hoc call outs to treat other pests such as wasps or ants if required.
Jon Blake, Managing Director of Abate Pest Management said: “we are delighted to implement a full-service pest programme at St Crispins House on behalf of Montagu Evans LLP. We work with many property companies located throughout the United Kingdom for routine pest management and special project work including bird control and woodworm treatment. We look forward to developing a long-lasting relationship with the firm.”
Abate Pest Management is based near Wymondham and services commercial and domestic clients throughout the Eastern region for rodents, insects, birds, woodworm and specialist cleans. Abate offers commercial businesses free site surveys with recommendations and costs.
One of Larking Gowen’s core values, ‘Passion for our people’, is the driving force behind the Larking Gowen Leadership Development Programme, which saw participants graduate on Wednesday 20 June. The 18-month programme was designed by Partner and head of the Training Committee, Steven Rudd, working with an external coach, to move selected employees on to the next stages of their careers. He believes this people-centred approach has a direct impact on the business, in improving client service as well as recruitment and retention, where there is strong competition for the best candidates. “Our business thrives with well-trained, motivated and driven teams,” says Steven Rudd. “‘Passion for our people’ makes sure we achieve this in a balanced way. We focus on all aspects of wellbeing, and that includes identifying and growing the potential of our employees. I’d like to congratulate our thirteen participants for rising to the challenge of implementing new ways of thinking, and for their dedication. We look forward to seeing their careers develop with us.”
Ashley Smith, who started the course whilst a Manager and was appointed to Partner at the firm earlier this year, says the scheme has helped develop his confidence. “I see myself as a leader for the first time,” he says. “The knowledge I’ve gained supports my new role as partner and the strategic thinking I need, helping to shape the future of the firm. It’s easy to concentrate on technical training because that’s what we deliver on a day-to-day basis, but the chance to focus on personal and career development is a distinct advantage, which sets Larking Gowen apart.”
“Over the past 18 months we’ve gained the insight we need to become the leaders of the future. Through self-study, working with the external coach and an internal mentor, we were challenged to analyse our social interactions, to identify our strengths and areas to work on,” he explains.
“Most of us at Larking Gowen trained as accountants,” adds Steven Rudd. “This programme addresses the additional skills needed to run the business. It’s helped participants see opportunities, and to think differently to gain a competitive edge and make the firm a better place.”
Jon Woolston, Managing Partner, is delighted by the results he has seen. “The world, business and people expectations are changing faster now than ever. We need a management team that are not afraid to look forward and are able to help their clients and teams with the necessary skills to make sure our service continues to be relevant. The added confidence and knowledge this programme has delivered, sets the participants apart.”
Finance Shop have invested in a new website from Bigfork. Our brief was to design a new website that was inline with their new branding and appealed to high worth investors.
This year is proving to be an exceptional time for Right Angle Corporate who have been delivering fun and engaging team building events not only across the UK but in exciting locations including Crete, Frankfurt, Vienna, Barcelona, Lisbon, Croatia and Amsterdam. The company has expanded again after a brilliant year in 2017 with an exciting promotion and a warm welcome to new members joining the team. Tess Ashwin has been promoted to Sales Manager and her skills and background will stand her in great stead for this new, challenging and exciting role. Whilst keeping her own high profile FTSE 100 clients, she will also manage the sales team and support staff. Director Kate Gaskin said “we are so happy that Tess is now managing the team, her drive and enthusiasm, coupled with her analytical ability is bringing new dimensions to our ever growing sales team”. Tess is introducing innovative KPI’s, team rewards and incentives whilst enhancing the training and encouragement to the team. Joining the team as Marketing and Events Assistant is Molly Hindle, a graduate in Event Management from Sheffield Hallam University. Molly has been very busy working at events across the UK and is excited to be part of the team at Right Angle and to utilise and develop her skills in marketing. Right Angle have also had the pleasure of welcoming Anaïs Vernageau from Vendee in France for a three month internship. Anaïs has been supporting the sales team throughout this busy period and said “I have had a great experience with Right Angle. Being given responsibility, learning to communicate and work in a team have been highlights of my internship”.
Four Norfolk directors scooped highly commended prizes at The Institute of Director’s annual East of England Director of the Year Awards, held on Friday 15th June at The Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket.
The awards celebrate the exemplary leaders who are doing great work across the East of England, rewarding individuals who display professionalism, diligence and creativity to inspire employees.
The Norfolk directors recognised were:
Ian Watson, Chief Executive Officer of Start-Rite (Norwich), won Highly Commended Innovation Director of the Year
Sarah West, Managing Director of Full Mix Marketing (Norwich), won New Director of the Year
Chris Cliffe, Director of CJC Procurement Limited (Norwich) won Highly Commended New Director of the Year
Andrew Brammer, Managing Director of PSS (Norfolk) won Global Director of the Year.
Ian, Sarah, Chris and Andrew were presented with their awards by Stephen Martin (IoD Director General) and David Sales (Chairman, IoD East of England).
Stephen Martin, this year’s guest of honour, is an authoritative voice of UK business in the media and engages with senior figures from across government, politics and Whitehall, to represent business interests. He commented: “Today has been a fantastic event celebrating the best in British business here in the East of England and it was amazing to see so many inspirational stories of directors and the great impact they have not just in their own company but in the communities in which they are operating. It was a very successful event with many worthy winners and I wish them all continued success in their businesses.”
David Sales, regional IoD Chairman for East of England and host of the awards commented: “Every year these awards get more competitive, meaning the judging process is ever more challenging and exciting! The East of England is home to many of the UK’s most innovative, vibrant and successful organisations – led by some of our best directors. This year’s winners are exceptional role models for our fabulous region.”
Simone Robinson, Head of Regional Relationships, IoD East of England commented on the winners: “All of the winners are singularly tenacious, driven, innovative and successful, and all of them share the desire to promote good governance, deliver strong and collaborative leadership, a consideration for corporate social responsibility, and a recognition of the role the team plays in the businesses achievements.”
Senior Training & Communications Manager at TaxAssist Accountants, Jo Nockels, has been chosen as one of the UK’s rising talents in the Accountancy Age 35 Under 35 ranking 2018.
Jo’s career has progressed from leaving high school to become an apprentice, to heading TaxAssist’s Training Academy as well as sharing her expertise in accounting and tax-related topics for national newspapers and radio stations.
Having gained her practice qualifications and experience at Larking Gowen in Holt, Jo joined TaxAssist Accountants’ Norwich Support Centre in 2010, initially to provide communications and PR support for its nationwide network of franchisees, which involves writing guides and articles for their clients.
Chartered Certified Accountant Jo, 34, said: “I thoroughly enjoy this aspect of my role, both in terms of researching and the creativity it allows, and because our guidance can make a real difference to the lives of small business owners. I regularly write for publications and websites, speak at national business events and I’ve done some live radio interviews, most recently on Badass Women’s Hour on talkRADIO.”
Her career diversified in 2013, after she won unbiased.co.uk’s Media Award for Professional Adviser of the Year and was given the challenge of managing TaxAssist Accountants Training Academy.
By identifying and delivering courses to meet the training needs of TaxAssist’s franchisees and staff, Jo has seen delegate numbers double.
“Because of the buying power of a nationwide network, I’ve been able to introduce the use of professional training providers,” explained Jo. “I work closely with them to tailor the content they deliver to ensure it’s really focused on our target market and the issues our network encounter every day. I’ve also refined the Academy’s systems, which has improved our data and we’re running vastly more webinars, which has been essential given that we’re training more than 1,300 people a year through the Academy. In 2016, we became an AAT-accredited training provider, which was a huge achievement for an employer.”
In 2014 Jo was promoted to Senior Manager and in 2016 was selected for the TaxAssist Accountants management development programme.
“I was really thrilled to have been included on the Accountancy Age 35 Under 35, not only as it provides an insight into the wealth of developing talent in the UK accountancy industry but also as it reflects how truly passionate I am about my job.
“My dad always said to me that if you enjoy your work, you’ll never work again and most days, I’m fortunate to say that’s how I feel. I have variety, I can be artistic and because I have such a diverse role, I get involved in lots of project work and I’m allowed the freedom to innovate and influence the direction of such a renowned organisation as TaxAssist Accountants.”
Potential franchisees can meet with Jo on Discovery Days; events which we regularly hold at our Support Centre in Norwich for those interested in finding out more about joining the TaxAssist Accountants network. To book your place, please call 0800 0188297.
The full Accountancy Age 35 under 35 can be seen at https://www.accountancyage.com/2018/05/30/35-under-35-2018-35-31-revealed/.
Eliott Betts and Lili Huang, celebrated their first anniversary of their TaxAssist Accountants office on 70 Northgate Street, Bury St Edmunds, on Thursday, 14th June, with a party for the local business community.
Eliott and Lili set up TaxAssist Accountants in Bury St Edmunds in May 2017 and they have enjoyed steady growth in their first year of business.
“We have enjoyed a very successful first year and the response we have received from the local business community has been fantastic,” said Eliott. “With demand for our services continuing to grow, our shop is in a great location with high visibility making it convenient and accessible for small business owners in and around Bury St Edmunds.”
Lili added: “The opening event gave us an excellent opportunity to thank our clients, as well as meet other local businesses and our neighbours so they can see what TaxAssist Accountants can do for them, while enjoying a glass of fizz and bite to eat. St Edmundsbury Deputy Mayor, Councillor Patrick Chung, attended the opening ceremony and I’m pleased to say that everyone had a great time.”
The countdown has begun to one of the county’s most anticipated annual events; the Norfolk Show Ball which takes place on June 22nd and is this year hosted by Norfolk cancer charity, Big C. The event will raise vital funds towards a new Big C Support and Information centre which will be located in central Norwich and provide support those in our community affected by cancer. The new facility will complement the charity’s three existing Big C centres at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Great Yarmouth, King’s Lynn and the Gorleston hub at the Louise Hamilton centre. On the evening of the ball, the Norfolk Showground will be transformed into a nightspot of the glamourous and decadent 1920s jazz age, as the Big C team transports guests back to the opulent ‘Roaring Twenties’ for an evening to remember. Norfolk businesses have demonstrated their generosity in supporting the event. Norfolk financial planners, Loveday & Partners are headline sponsors for the ball, with medical device manufacturer, Bespak, on-board as gold sponsors. Grateful thanks also go to Interprint, Sonkai, EDP, TCT Security Services, Hoseasons, Solar Signs and Graphics, Heat Norfolk, Richardsons Kubota, Softley Events, Production Bureau and to the many Norfolk businesses and individuals that have donated prizes and items to support the evening.
Mark Loveday, Director said, “We are absolutely thrilled to partner local cancer charity Big C which provides an invaluable service to those affected by cancer across the region. Very few families in our community are untouched by this dreadful disease and we are delighted to support Big C in all they do to provide families with support and care at vital times.”
Dr Chris Bushby, Chief Executive at Big C says, “We never cease to be amazed by the generosity of our local corporate supporters and we are extremely grateful to Loveday & Partners, Bespak and our other sponsors for joining forces with us to help stage this year’s Norfolk Show Ball and the many other local businesses that are supporting the event. Because of them, we’ll be able to raise even more funds for a cause that sadly many of us can closely relate to. Big C is a local charity and every penny we raise benefits those in our community affected by cancer. It promises to be a great night.”
To learn more about the work Big C does to improve the lives of those affected by cancer in Norfolk and Waveney, please visit www.big-c.co.uk
Recent research by leading independent insurance broker and financial planner Alan Boswell Group has found that fewer than 30% of over-50s in the UK understand key Inheritance Tax terminology.
The findings showed that only 27% of respondents were able to correctly identify that ‘nil-rate band’ referred to the threshold at which an estate became liable to inheritance tax and that this threshold is set at £325,000.
This is in addition to only 44% being aware that the current rate of IHT was 40%.
The data comes following a survey into public awareness of IHT, which was launched when the Government announced record IHT receipts of £5.2bn in the year to May 2017.
The Norwich-based company has growing concerns because increasing property prices are pushing many more estates over the £325,000 threshold (a figure that has been frozen since 2010, although UK house prices have increased by 33% on average in that time) incurring tax at a rate of 40% on sums that exceed the threshold.
Says John Whitehead, Managing Director at Alan Boswell Financial Planning: “Inheritance Tax is affecting more people than ever before, and it is concerning to find that the majority of over-50s, who will be most affected by the trend, are unaware of the key facts. As a result, they are likely to pass on less to their heirs than they were expecting.”
In addition, the research also found that only 30% were aware of Business Relief (also known as Business Property Relief), whereby an individual can invest in qualifying businesses and pass the shares on tax-free if they have been held for more than two years at the time of death. Of the respondents that had heard of it, only 31% were correct in stating that the IHT benefits only apply after two years.
John continues: “There is a real need for financial education, not just about the basics, but how families can pass on their estates in a tax-efficient way. Without an understanding of the terminology, it’s difficult to know how it affects you and your family. Although it’s a subject that may be difficult to discuss, there are professionals available to help you to understand your risks and how to minimise their impact.”
Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may be subject to change in future.
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About the research
Alan Boswell Group anonymously surveyed 450 clients aged over 50, across both its personal insurance and financial planning databases in order to ascertain awareness of estate planning. The group’s clients are based across the UK.
Average house prices based on data from HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland, Land and Property Services Northern Ireland and Office for National Statistics. House prices in March 2010 were £167,878, while average house prices in March 2018 were £224,000.
About Alan Boswell Group
Alan Boswell Group is a leading independent insurance broker and one of East Anglia’s largest independent financial planners. The company was established by CEO Alan Boswell in Norfolk in 1982 and has grown in size and financial strength ever since.
With 10 offices and more than 300 members of staff, Alan Boswell Group is ideally placed to ensure businesses and individuals receive expert advice whenever they need it.
As well as arranging both personal and commercial insurance, the group has an ever-evolving portfolio of added-value services, including underwriting, delegated claims handling, loss assessment, risk management, specialist equipment inspection and health and safety consultation.
Its financial planning teams can also provide ongoing advice and support on a range of employee benefits for businesses – while personal finance experts can give guidance on your savings and investments, retirement plans or market updates.