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Mason Advisory ranks in UK Best Workplace in Tech™ report 2022

Awards

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28/09/2022

Mason Advisory ranks in UK Best Workplace in Tech™ report 2022

The 2022 UK’s Best Workplaces™ in Tech list is announced today by Great Place to Work® UK and Mason Advisory has secured 26th place in the medium business category, among 67 ranked organisations.

This is the third time the independent digital and technology transformation consultancy has been listed in the report, and the second time it has secured a ranking in the medium category, following company expansion and team growth. Altogether, 140 companies have secured a place in the report.

Great Place to Work® UK administered their research-backed Trust Index© employee survey and analysed the responses of UK-based tech employees to determine their Best Workplaces™. The prestigious list is driven by the annual employee engagement survey – the largest survey of workplace cultures and people practices, and the unique methodology behind the rankings is regarded as the gold standard of employer awards.

Mason Advisory is proud of having established a great company culture, and continues to nurture this to attract, retain, and develop the best in tech talent. The team has increased the scale of the organisation and embedded operational excellence in everything they do to sustain credibility as a leading technology consultancy and great employer.

Steve Watmough, Mason Advisory CEO, says: “It’s a real honour for us to be recognised once again as a great workplace in technology, as we are an organisation that promotes trust, pride, high performance, creativity and ambition. This is a real landmark achievement for us and a morale-booster for our whole team and we continue to be committed to ensuring all our employees feel valued and supported every day.

“We are proud of our working practices and how we have managed to develop such a great culture – and of course, we are proud of every single member of our team. This accolade is testament to their dedication and commitment to our business, and to the high calibre of tech talent in our organisation and we thank all our employees for their commitment, enthusiasm and sheer hard work.”

As Benedict Gautrey, Managing Director of Great Place to Work® UK, explains:

“Now in its fifth year, our 2022 list showcases the largest collection of Best Workplaces^TM in Tech that the UK has ever recognised. These results are based on what employees working in the technology industry have anonymously reported to us about their workplace experience. In a fast and ever-evolving industry, these organisations are at the forefront of ensuring employees have the right environment to thrive, they are focused on providing positive work experiences, they value diversity, differences and better ways of doing things and, importantly, are investing in effective leadership to ensure continuous growth.”

Click here to see the full report.

Earlier this year, Mason Advisory was listed in the UK’s Leading Management Consultants 2022 report published by the Financial Times, and ranked in the UK’s Best Workplaces™ for Women report.

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

To find out more about Mason Advisory, visit https://www.masonadvisory.com.

Leasing Options Announces Significant Partnership with Footballing Giants

Partnerships

Sam Allcock

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28/09/2022

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Leasing Options Announces Significant Partnership with Footballing Giants

Leasing Options is proud to announce that it has partnered with footballing giants -Bolton Wanderers Football Club.

This latest investment is part of a string of recent partnerships and acquisitions announced by Leasing Options and is part of the companies’ exciting long-term plans to grow their market share and profile in the UK.

The partnership, which sees the UK’s leading car leasing company join the likes of Macron and Service My Car as partners of the EFL League One club, includes exclusive naming rights of Bolton FC’s Fan Zone, situated outside the West Stand near the Nat Lofthouse Statue.

The Leasing Options’ Fan Zone is a place for Wanderers’ supporters to get together both pre and post-match in a friendly, relaxed environment to grab a bite of locally-sourced food and to enjoy a drink in the new bar, which has been named in memory of Wanderers’ legendary commentator Dave Higson.

With a capacity of 1,000, the outdoor space opens three hours prior to kick off (from 12pm – 3pm) and one hour after the final whistle on Saturdays (5pm – 6pm). For mid-week games, the Fan Zone opens from 5pm and close at 7.45pm (kick-off time).

Mike Thompson, Chief Operating Officer at Leasing Options, said: “To sponsor the mighty Bolton Wanderers is not only a childhood dream for me but for many of the Leasing Options’ family.

“We have a huge number of avid Bolton fans within our team and have always been looking for the right opportunity to get involved with the legendary club.

“Bolton Wanderers ethos is the epitome of everything we stand for. As a local club, it prides itself on its Northern roots and its commitment into supporting local talent and grassroots sport. Leasing Options has been a partner and supporter of Bolton-based Moss Bank Junior Football Club and has been established within the North-West for over 32 years.”

As part of this partnership, Leasing Options has its presence widely across every element of the club including, inside and outside stadium signage, branding running along the LED boards surrounding the perimeter of the pitch and features within the match day programme.

Supporters will also see Leasing Options feature across Bolton FC’s social media channels, as well hosting different events at selected games in the Fan Zone with fun activities for the family. Plans also include plenty of fun with the first team squad in a number of activations that Bolton’s faithful following will enjoy and appreciate.

Bolton Wanderes’ fans will also be able to access special deals to lease a vehicle from Leasing Options.

Neil Hart, Chief Executive Officer of Bolton Wanderers, said: “We’re delighted that Leasing Options is partnering with us here at Bolton Wanderers. It’s a testament to Mike and the owners’ vision and how they want to grow their organisation and we know we can help them achieve that.

“Our heritage and pride in being a local club is very important to us and is reflected in everything we do, including working with likeminded, local, companies. Leasing Options is certainly a company that prides itself on its Northern roots and evidently invests its local community and next generation – making it the perfect partners for us.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming the team to The University of Bolton stadium and creating special memories with all our loyal fans.”

Leading Fashion Brands Appoint Manchester-Based Marketing Agency to Drive Digital Growth

Partnerships

Sam Allcock

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28/09/2022

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Leading Fashion Brands Appoint Manchester-Based Marketing Agency to Drive Digital Growth

Lavish Alice and Femme Luxe have recently appointed award-winning digital agency Embryo to handle their paid marketing campaigns in order to boost digital growth.

Both fashion brands were looking for more support with their paid strategies, whilst Lavish Alice are also looking to join up their paid and organic SEO strategies to achieve their goals.

The fashion retailers chose to work with the Manchester-based digital marketing agencydue to their expertise, success and proven track record for securing results for clients across a range of industries.

Lee Bloor, Director at Lavish Alice commented:

“We were looking for an agency partner to help revise our paid advertising and share new ideas to help drive our growth further. We chose to work with Embryo due to their expertise and knowledge in paid social and PPC. The campaigns are in the early stages, however, we’ve already been impressed with the team’s suggestions and level of service, and look forward to seeing the results.”

The new clients have joined Embryo at a very exciting stage, with the business experiencing staggering growth, with a YOY increase in headcount of 170%.

Having earlier this year appointed key industry leaders, including Andrew Holland as the new Head of Organic, the thriving agency is regularly recruiting to add to their headcount of 54.

Paul Cunningham, Sales Director at Embryo, commented:

“These last few months have been fantastic for growing the business and creating partnerships with lots of new clients. We look forward to delivering outstanding campaigns for the clients and creating even more partnerships moving forward.”

ALMOST 200 MANCHESTER FLOOR MANUFACTURERS STAGE THREE WEEK STRIKE

Legal

Sam Allcock

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28/09/2022

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ALMOST 200 MANCHESTER FLOOR MANUFACTURERS STAGE THREE WEEK STRIKE

Almost 200 workers at a Manchester floor company are staging three weeks’ solid strike action,

Staff at Polyflor Ltd, in Manchester, will down tools until 14 October.

Pickets will be staged from 8 to 10am and 4 to 6pm, Monday to Thursday, outside the factory on Radcliffe New Road, M45

Workers voted to strike over a pay dispute. Shortly after they received a message from the company saying ‘process shifts for process workers continue to be suspended…please do not turn up for your shift(s) from 6am on Monday 5th September.’

The company is a leading manufacturer of vinyl floor coverings.

Stephen Boden, GMB Regional Organiser, said:

“These dedicated workers are suffering from the worst cost of living crisis in a generation, rising interest rates and a crumbling economy.

“They need help from the company, and instead their getting vindictive attacks.

“Polyflor has money – it dished out £24 million to shareholders.

“The workers who prop up the company need a proper pay rise too.”

Kuits welcomes seven new trainees

Appointments

Sam Allcock

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28/09/2022

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Manchester commercial law firm, Kuits solicitors, has welcomed seven trainee solicitors to the firm.

Dominic Hopkins, Tom Griffin, Abby Mercer, Billy Liggins, Stan Stephens, Jasmine Harland and Christopher Lane have started their training contracts and will undertake four six-month seats, during which they will work across various specialisms. As well as experience of the firm’s core business lines, the trainees will work with Kuits’ support areas in order that they receive an in-depth understanding of the firm.

Stan, Christopher and Billy have already been working at Kuits as paralegals before successfully applying for a training contract. The aim of the training programme is to develop an outstanding talent pipeline of future Kuits’ solicitors.

Steve Eccleston, Managing Partner at Kuits, commented; “It is always a pleasure to welcome new trainees to the team at Kuits and the fact that three of them have already been working here as paralegals is testament to our continued investment in our teams. Each one of them demonstrated our core values which are fundamental in building strong relationships with clients and colleagues. We’re delighted to support each one of them as they take the next step in building their legal careers.”

Kuits employs 200 people in its office in Manchester acting for some of the most successful businesses and individuals in the North West.

Image: L-R: Dominic Harland, Tom Griffin, Jasmine Harland, Billy Liggins, Abby Mercer, Christopher Lane and Stan Stephens.

Greater Manchester’s People’s Choice Drinks Awards strengthens support for retailers and brands

Awards

Sam Allcock

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28/09/2022

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Greater Manchester’s People’s Choice Drinks Awards strengthens support for retailers and brands

UK supermarkets, retailers and drinks brands who enter the People’s Choice Drinks Awards will be given even more support for their winning products this year, with a bolstered package of support designed to directly drive sales for their wines and spirits.

The Manchester-based People’s Choice Drinks Awards – the only annual competition that uses enthusiastic consumers as well as industry experts to judge the entries – is open for wine and spirit submissions now.

The platform urges wine brands, spirit brands and UK retailers to get involved to benefit from the extended package that award winners receive – which, this year – includes a new online Drinks Finder for consumers.

All medal winners and finalists will be uploaded onto the Drinks Finder as part of the 2022/23 package. Using popular drinking moments, such as wines to go with Christmas Dinner, the unique Drinks Finder provides consumers with a tool that takes the hard work out of searching for great wines and spirits for various occasions. The Finder also includes a direct hyperlink to the retailer’s website, meaning that consumers can buy directly or add their selections to their online shopping baskets in a few clicks.

The Drinks Finder is being supported by a national consumer PR campaign in 2022 that will see the platform communicated to consumers throughout the festive trading period. Coupled with a digital and social media campaign to drive traffic to The Finder, the campaign aims to establish the service as a go to for consumers who need impartial help buying drinks.

Janet Harrison, co-founder of the People’s Choice Drinks Awards, said: “We’ve invested this year to establish The Drinks Finder with consumers. By ensuring the site is a destination throughout a key trading period, we’ll be supporting sales for brands and retailers and further building our unique Awards proposition. We have always placed consumers at the heart of the process alongside experts, because ultimately, they’re the ones who vote with their spend. In addition to The Drinks Finder, winners receive artwork for their bottles and judges’ comments for point of sale and marketing purposes – all valuable tools for attracting sales and consumer awareness of their brand.

“There are many opportunities for the off-trade wine aisle to shine this Christmas; after two years of stay-at-home festive seasons with limited access to family and friends, we expect get togethers to be extra special this year for consumers. However, with one eye firmly on the purse strings, any support they can access to ensure their drinks selections prove good choices for Christmas food matches and celebrations are always welcome.

“For entrants, the PCDA offers incredible value for money for entrants. With a branded Podcast and YouTube channel, exclusive content can be created for those involved in the competitions. The Drinks Finder is designed as a direct sales tool for consumers in order to help the brands and retailers even further.”

Submissions for entries are open now for wines and spirits, with an online entry deadline of 17^th October 2022. The ceremonies will take place in Manchester in Feb (Spirits) and March (Wine) 2023 at Manchester’s Stoller Hall.

City of Champions Charity Gala Dinner Returns to Celebrate Manchester’s Influential Figures

Hospitality

Sam Allcock

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28/09/2022

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The City of Champions Charity Gala Dinner returns this year where Manchester’s most inspirational sports stars and businesspeople will be recognised and celebrated at the Lowry Hotel, Salford, on 31^st October.

Organised by Olympian and Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist, Diane Modahl MBE, The Diane Modahl Sports Foundation (DMSF), Manchester City Council, and hosted with GM Mayor Andy Burnham, the annual gala dinner will see Manchester’s shining stars acknowledged for their monumental contributions to sport, education and business.

The dinner will be a unique opportunity to support disadvantaged young people across Greater Manchester as the DMSF continues to provide access to mentoring, skill development, qualifications, and countless opportunities.

Recognised for their ability to give back to the next generation of champions, the inductees for 2022 include British Paralympic athlete, Dame Sarah Storey OBE; co-founder of Parklife and The Warehouse Project and night-time advisor to GM Mayor, Andy Burnham, Sacha Lord, and peace promoter and counter terrorism campaigner, Figen Murray OBE, who tragically lost her son, Martyn Hett, in the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack.

Previous inductees have included British Athlete Dame Kelly Holmes DBE, Olympian Sir Chris Hoy MBE, and ex-footballer, broadcaster and serial entrepreneur Gary Neville.

Gary said: “To be included into the City of Champions Hall of Fame is really a great honour. I didn’t receive many individual honours during my sporting career, but I was part of a fantastic team.”

“There are so many people in this city doing great things. To think that I am now sitting alongside them on the same level and going into the Hall of Fame is something that I’m really proud of.”

This year’s event will be held at The Lowry Hotel with entertainment from The Manchester Survivors’ Choir made up from people who were injured in the arena attack. Awards will be presented by GM Mayor Andy Burnham and DMSF founder Diane Modahl MBE.

Diane Modahl MBE, CEO and co-Founder of the Diane Modahl Sports Foundation, said: “It is a real privilege for the Diane Modahl Sports Foundation to once again host the City of Champions event in this great city. The inductees honoured this year are inspirational to people of all ages, not because of their name or title, it’s their dedication and commitment to make a positive difference to people’s lives and provide tangible opportunities for people and communities to be their very best”.

Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester Mayor, said: “This city is full of inspirational people doing incredible work that is truly worthy of recognition. I’d like to personally congratulate Dame Sarah Storey DBE, Sacha Lord and Figen Murray OBE for their commitment and dedication to Manchester and its communities, making them worthy recipients of City of Champions awards.”

For more information visit www.dmsf.org.uk. Tickets for the event are £225 or a table of 10 can be purchased from £2,000. These can be booked by emailing johanna@dmsf.co.uk.

Image: Sacha Lord

Demand sees Macmillan Davies boost North West HR Recruitment Team

Appointments

Sam Allcock

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28/09/2022

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Demand sees Macmillan Davies boost North West HR Recruitment Team

Macmillan Davies has expanded its Manchester-based team with the appointment of Senior Recruitment Consultant, Amy Mottershead.

Amy, who has over six years’ experience within both contingency and interim recruitment, began her career recruiting regional business support and accounting professionals within the real estate sector before moving to specialise in HR appointments.

At Macmillan Davies, Amy says she will focus on bringing in the next generation of HR professionals to businesses across the North West, as she explains: “This is a significant and exciting period of opportunity in the North West market. With so many businesses looking to invest in talent for the future and attract aspiring leaders within their people functions, this seemed like a natural move to make.

She adds: “I was highly impressed by Macmillan Davies’ company values and culture, strong position in the marketplace and commitment to identifying and supporting HR professionals. Without doubt, the firm is ideally placed to support clients in finding HR talent for this phase of growth in the region.”

Focus on future HR talent

Responding to a surge in demand, Amy will bolster the firm’s FuturExec team, who work with leading organisations to provide exceptional HR professionals largely at the early stages of their careers. The rise in hiring opportunities mirrors the trends shown in the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking; Confidence in the UK economy was at its highest in the North West. With local businesses identifying top growth opportunities for the next six months as investing in their teams (55%), diversifying into new markets (30%) and evolving their offering (29%).

Natural fit

Nick Allwood, Director and Head of Macmillan Davies Manchester office comments: “I am delighted to welcome Amy Mottershead to our growing FuturExec team. We’ve seen a sustained increase in demand at all levels in the HR market and Amy’s personality, style and experience made her a natural fit for our business and for the FuturExec team. Bringing Amy on board has been a real demonstration of how attracting talent is more of a long-term strategy than a short-term fix. After being in contact on and off for around 4 years, despite never working together, the stars finally aligned and Amy is now on board and a real complement to the existing North West team.”

Macmillan Davies

As the UK’s longest established HR recruitment consultancy, Macmillan Davies specialises in recruiting the top HR talent across the private, public and third sectors – both in the UK and globally. The firm has seen double-digit growth and a surge in demand for its services over the last 18 months. Darren Hayman, Managing Director at the firm believes this is partly down to a buoyant market but also down to the firm’s business development strategy: “At Macmillan Davies we pride ourselves on creating long-term relationships with our clients and candidates. Our team of experts offer an outstanding level of service, finding the right fit for both client and candidate. The team manage people’s careers effectively by offering crucial advice and information around what’s going on in the HR marketplace.”

Anger at GMCA over pension hypocrisy (Fossil Free Greater Manchester)

Sam Allcock

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28/09/2022

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Anger at GMCA over pension hypocrisy (Fossil Free Greater Manchester)

Pensioners, Unison members and other GM residents are raising the alarm outside the GMCA’s monthly meeting. They want the ten GM Council Leaders and GM Mayor Andy Burnham to call on the GM pension fund (GMPF) to take its money out of fossil fuel investments. Brandishing placards and banners, the protesters demand that public money stops funding global heating.

“Every GM Council has a carbon net zero target of 2038 at the latest but the GM pension fund still holds £1bn investments in fossil fuels. We are all painfully aware of the energy crisis and the devastation caused by climate breakdown but the pension fund is backing Shell, BP and other criminals” said Maggie Walker, a Manchester pensioner.

“Every GM Council Leader must call on Tameside Council, who manage the fund, to stop giving public money to the greedy oil and gas giants. The Council Leaders and the Mayor have huge political influence and should be working to bring an end to the Fund’s shameful investments.”

The GM pension fund has the highest investments in fossil fuel companies of any UK local government pension fund. Elsewhere 150+ pension funds including New York, NEST and the Dutch Government Pension Fund ABP have committed to fossil fuel divestment. [1]

Joan Bennett said “As a GMPF pensioner, I’m dismayed that GMPF has actually increased fossil fuel investments, including in coal-mining companies in recent years. Our Council Leaders should call on GMPF to take responsibility for their role in the climate crisis.” [2]

Local group Fossil Free Greater Manchester said, “While people continue to demand climate action, the GM pension fund continues to ignore the climate crisis. Climate justice is not just the responsibility of global leaders — our local Council Leaders need to act fast to move our money out of fossil fuels and into renewables and other sustainable investments.”

How real is the ‘Great Return’ to the office?

Thought Leaders

Sam Allcock

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28/09/2022

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How real is the ‘Great Return’ to the office?

Trends data shows searches for furniture for home working are still significantly up since the pandemic, potentially indicating that a Great Return to the office as a result of the cost-of-living crisis may not be guaranteed.

Rising bills have pundits and business leaders alike anticipating an end to hybrid working, particularly as we enter the winter months. On top of quiet spaces for focused working and easy collaboration, offices also offer opportunities to socialise which may become a higher priority as the nights grow longer.

But data, collated by Banner, suggests that employees may not be on the same page. Searches for “home office furniture” and “desk for home” at the end of Q3 2022 remain around 100% higher than before the pandemic, when home working became the norm.

Not only are employees still looking to furnish their home offices, despite rising energy costs, they’re also more interested in comfort and health in their work environment too, with searches for ergonomic chairs and standing desks being around 200% and 150% higher respectively post-COVID.

Jason Thomas from Banner, says, “The data shows that interest in ergonomic furniture and furniture for the home office is still up in comparison to before the pandemic. This could be interpreted as a sign that speculation around a Great Return to the office is perhaps more wishful thinking. At the very least, workers are expecting some form of hybrid working to continue despite the cost-of-living crisis.

“The lesson for businesses that were hoping to see more employees in the office as a silver-lining to rising costs, is that they will still need to provide a workspace that’s just as, or more, inviting and comfortable than the one their staff have at home.

“The things people love about the office are the atmosphere, the ability to socialise, the purpose-built areas for concentration, collaboration and ideation, and it’s also much more likely that their workstations will be fit for purpose. A smart workplace supplies partner can help you optimise your office in all of these areas to help make the office more of a destination as home working becomes more expensive.”

For a full breakdown of the trends data, click here.

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