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Manchester Businesswomen In Top Awards

Awards

Sam Whitear

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15/07/2019

NINE of Manchester’s top female entrepreneurs have been named as finalists for the biggest awards for businesswomen outside London.

The 9 have been chosen from almost 1,000 entrants from across the North West. They are all hoping to win the 2019 Enterprise Vision Awards (EVAS2019) – which have been created in association with women’s business networking organisation Pink Link Ladies Networking.

The finalists have been chosen from almost 1,000 entrants from Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Merseyside, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria for the prestigious annual regional awards. Out of the 16 categories, the finalists are competing for New Business, Young Entrepreneur, Financial Services, Professional Services, Internet, Retail, Inspirational Woman and Business Woman of the Year.

The overall finalists include TV’s The Real Housewives of Cheshire star Tanya Bardsley who runs her own jewellery, gifts and home accessories business in Wilmslow. The Manchester finalists include Emma McClelland of Kintsugi Clothing make on trend apparel accessible for the disabled, Dominique Morton of MANCUB, a fashion brand supplying matching outfits for fathers and sons. Patricia Keating of Tech Manchester who is creating a place for the tech community to engage whilst raising the profile of Manchester as a world-class tech hub.

Wellbeing and mindset coach Jen Jowles is also a finalist, She launched The Goodness Guide following the sudden death of her fiancé a year ago.

The awards will be presented at a glitzy black tie event on Friday, September 27 at The Winter Gardens in Blackpool when the region’s top businesswomen come together.

Women from Lancashire, Liverpool, Merseyside, Cumbria and Cheshire of all business types and sizes are represented at the awards including TV’s The Real Housewives of Cheshire star Tanya Bardsley, who runs her own jewellery, gifts and home accessories business. The list of finalists is wide and diverse, showcasing the crème de la crème of the region’s female entrepreneurs.

Coral Horn, of Pink Link Ladies Networking, who founded the EVAS nine years ago, commented: “A record number of nominations were received this year, reinforcing what we have been shouting about for almost a decade – that the North West is a hotbed of highly talented women!”

She added: “The combination of resilience, determination, hard work and a touch of magic has made it particularly difficult for the judges to whittle down the applications to the EVAS2019 finalists. Congratulations, ladies, you are already winners in our eyes!”

Heather Watson, Enterprise Manager for headline sponsor NatWest, said: “We are passionate about supporting female entrepreneurship and recognising the important economic contribution that they make in the North West. The EVAS provide an essential platform to showcase their exceptional achievements and help to inspire other women to follow their dreams.”

An additional award, the Outstanding Achievement Award, will be presented by NatWest to one of this year’s finalists in recognition for her exceptional achievements.

ONE OF MANCHESTER’S MOST ICONIC OFFICE SPACES GOES ELECTRIC

Energy

Sam Whitear

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12/07/2019

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ONE OF MANCHESTER’S MOST ICONIC OFFICE SPACES GOES ELECTRIC

With the ever-increasing popularity of electric vehicles, award winning office scheme Soapworks has taken the next steps to ensure the site is future-ready.

Working with Elmtronics, an independent supplier and installer of electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment, the Eve 7kW fast chargepoints will allow tenants and visitors to charge their fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, whilst using on-site amenities.

The EV chargepoints, connected to the Hubsta network, allow six vehicles to charge simultaneously and can be accessed via a fob or mobile app.

Jennifer Bamber from INNOV8 Property Solutions, which manages Soapworks, said: “We are constantly striving to offer the best facilities at Soapworks. We actively engage with all of our customers to ensure they have as much assistance as possible, enabling them to offer their workforce sustainable ways to travel.

“Soapworks hosts around 2500 people each day, so sustainable travel is essential for our customers. The addition of chargepoints has been incredibly well received on-site and we look forward to welcoming more electric vehicles.

“When researching chargepoints, we looked at a lot of different operators but we really struggled to find advice and a suitable solution as a multi-tenant scheme. Elmtronics couldn’t have been more helpful and offered the best solution to help us manage the chargepoints. The installation, and customer journey, couldn’t have been better.”

Soapworks allows organisations to promote and encourage a healthy business environment and the site’s location enables an active lifestyle, with cycle routes, pedestrian links and the waterfront, an integral part of the development.

Simon Tate, head of sales at Elmtronics, said: “We are delighted to work with Soapworks, providing them with the right education and support to overcome the challenges they were faced, with planning their electric vehicle charging infrastructure. We will continue to support Soapworks to achieve a sustainable future for travel in and around Manchester”.

Launched in January 2019, the intelligent Hubsta network connects to over 55,000 chargepoints worldwide.

The network has enabled over 50,000 charging logs with a saving of 50 tonnes of CO2. This saving alone could be equivalent to an average car being driven for 80.94 days non-stop.

4D experience lifts Havas Lynx Group to double Communiqué Award success

Sam Whitear

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12/07/2019

0

4D experience lifts Havas Lynx Group to double Communiqué Award success

A ‘4D’ experiential lift that challenged dermatologists to change the way they treat atopic dermatitis has been recognised at one of the healthcare sector’s leading awards ceremonies.

Havas Lynx Group’s ‘See Below’ campaign secured the ‘Innovation in Healthcare Communications’ and ‘Excellence in Communication through Creative Execution’ titles at the Communiqué Awards held in London last week, impressing judges with the way it used a lift experience to create ‘a true behaviour change’ for the launch of a breakthrough product by Sanofi Genzyme and Regeneron.

Creatives at the Manchester agency joined forces with stakeholders from the atopic dermatitis world to create a six-minute, high-impact 4D journey that took dermatologists under the surface of the skin, up through a pool to visualise the patient’s burden before launching them into space.

The lift was the centrepiece of the booth, styled as a wood panelled Manhattan apartment elevator, with seven 98” screens, sound design, scene triggered temperature and aroma changes and a bellhop who ushered delegates in.

Phil Howells, Creative Director at Havas Lynx Group, commented: “We launched ‘See Below’ at the EADV 2018 Congress in Paris and had the dual challenge of promoting a new approach to treating atopic dermatitis in a very competitive space.

“That is where the 4D lift concept was born and the results were fantastic, with 1500 healthcare professionals taking a ride, 5000+ visits to the campaign website during the three days, with website visits further increasing by 72% after the congress.”

He continued: “It was one of those briefs when the client’s requirements met our aspirations – to deliver an impactful, beautiful and powerful campaign that truly changed perceptions. Everyone was really proud of the work we delivered and we’re over the moon to have been acknowledged by Communiqué.”

Held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, Communiqué celebrate the best achievements in healthcare communications, recognising programmes, initiatives, individuals and teams that have made a real difference to patients, stakeholders and influencers, with a changing panel of over 100 industry experts completing the rigorous judging process.

PARKVIA EYES SOUTH AMERICAN EXPANSION AS IT BREAKS INTO 43RD MARKET

International

Sam Whitear

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12/07/2019

0

PARKVIA EYES SOUTH AMERICAN EXPANSION AS IT BREAKS INTO 43RD MARKET

Manchester-based airport parking leader, ParkVia, has continued its impressive international growth rate with the activation of its 43rd market – Argentina.

Bolstering its geographical presence, ParkVia has added three new locations across the world’s largest Spanish-speaking nation, enabling it to initiate further expansion across South America alongside existing markets, Brazil and Peru.

The announcement will enable the reservation provider to offer its 3.5 million registered users the option of pre-booking their parking online at two of Argentina’s key airports situated in the capital of Buenos Aires – further strengthening its airport parking portfolio.

Drivers arriving at the country’s largest international airport – Ezeiza Airport and neighbouring Aeroparque Jorge Newberry will now be able to streamline their travel itineraries with the convenience of pre-booked parking, which in turn will enable operators to manage demand more efficiently, as well as benefit from additional booking streams.

To further diversify its offering for its new market of customers, ParkVia has also added Puerto de Buenos Aires to its growing directory of port parking, providing travellers setting sail on a cruise or ferry transfer to Uruguay, the option to reserve parking port-side.

Gary Pyatt, Sales Director at ParkVia, said:

“Expansion across the Americas has been a keen focus for the team this year, which is why we’re delighted to welcome Argentina on board as our 43rd market.

“Responding to the needs of our customers and travel partners has always been key to our geographical development strategy and we expect to further expand our network in the months ahead. Latin American air travel is expected to double in the next two decades according to Airbus GMF and ParkVia is well placed to benefit from this exciting growth.”

In addition to its popular comparison site, ParkVia’s new operators will also benefit from additional exposure through its collective global airline partnerships, which include British Airways and Ryanair.

Staff at Stockport-based Booth Ainsworth thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Didsbury Business Games

CSR

Sam Whitear

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12/07/2019

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Staff at Stockport-based Booth Ainsworth thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Didsbury Business Games

Staff at a North West accountancy firm have proven they are good sports after raising money for a hospital charity.

2019 Didsbury Business Games champion Booth Ainsworth, which is part of the Baldwins Group, has raised over £1,695 for The Christie following a series of fundraising events.

Nine businesses from across Didsbury participated in the third annual Didsbury Business Games and helped to raise over £7,000 for The Christie, one of the largest hospital charities in the UK, contributing to the total of £30,000 over three years.

Staff at Stockport-based Booth Ainsworth, who have supported the games since they started three years ago and have raised over £5,841 for The Christie, won the event for the second year in a row.

The Didsbury Business Games, which are organised by volunteers from the Waterside Hotel and Leisure Club, were established with the aim of getting people active and encouraging them to enjoy a healthy work/life balance while helping to raise vital funds for a local charity.

During the games, the teams competed in seven fun events, which included tenpin bowling and a sports day, before finishing with a quiz.

The Christie charity provides enhanced services over and above what the NHS funds and focuses on developing four key areas – care and treatment, research, education and extra patient services – as part of The Christie NHS, which is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating more than 44,000 patients a year.

The funds raised this year will help with the proposed redevelopment of The Christie’s Paterson Building, which was damaged by fire in 2017, as a state-of-the-art research centre, in partnership with the University of Manchester and Cancer Research UK.

Team Supervisor Anita Holmes, who was the Booth Ainsworth team leader for the event, said: “We were once again extremely proud to participate in the Didsbury Business Games and to raise money for such a great cause.

“Thank you to our fantastic team for all their fundraising efforts, which included cake sales and dress down days; as we met all fundraising challenges set by the games, we were awarded bonus points, helping us to win the trophy once again.”

Danielle Carney, corporate fundraising manager at The Christie charity said: “We are really grateful to Booth Ainsworth and all the businesses that have taken part in the Didsbury Business Games this year. They have helped to raise a fantastic amount of money toward a great cause – huge thanks to everyone who has been involved!”

SPINNING GATE SHOPPING CENTRE ANNOUNCE DUAL SERVICES PARTNER

Blog

Sam Whitear

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12/07/2019

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SPINNING GATE SHOPPING CENTRE ANNOUNCE DUAL SERVICES PARTNER

The Spinning Gate Shopping Centre in Leigh have announced the appointment of new dual services provider: The ExcluSec Group, based in the North West.

The Exclusec Group were awarded the dual services provision for a 3 year term at Spinning Gate Shopping Centre following their successful 12 month security contract at the centre in 2018.

Spinning Gate Shopping Centre hosts 40 retail units within 110,000sq ft of retail space in Leigh Town Centre. The centre has good transport connectivity, with close links to the M6 motorway. Spinning Gate sits between the flat surface on site car park (operated by Wigan Council) and the towns Bus Station, which has direct links into Manchester City Centre. The centre also runs in parallel to the towns high street Bradshawgate and operates 7 days a week.

The centre is privately owned by Atmore Group Ltd who appoint Legat Owen as managing agents for the scheme. Spinning Gate provides a variety of national stores interspersed with independant shops.

North West based, The ExcluSec Group provide the centre with 10,000 security hours and 8,400 cleaning hours annually, ensuring the centre remains clean, safe and secure for its 4 million shoppers it attracts each year.
The centres SIA licensed security officers continue their employ with The ExcluSec Group and are continuing their training and development programmes. The on site security team have achieved great successes over the past 12 months, minimising retail crime, enhancing customer service delivery, increasing retail liaison and assisting with first aid incidents in centre.

The centres cleaning team have transferred to The ExcluSec Group under TUPE and will also complete comprehensive training and development programmes including a company induction, refresher training and customer service training. The centre cleaning team have launched the centres new cleaning uniform, dual branded with The ExcluSec Group and Spinning Gate. The cleaning team provide a cleaning service front of house, ensuring the daily cleaning of 1,377 sq meters of mall ceramic floor tiles using a Tennant T3 scrubber dryer cleaning machine. The team include a back of house provision, cleaning and maintaining the service yard and centres service corridors. In addition, the back of house team also provide a waste management service, collecting and processing waste from centre stores. Last year the team collected and processed over 107,000kg of waste all of which was diverted from landfill.

Karen Cox, Centre Manager of the Spinning Gate Shopping Centre said:
“The ExcluSec Group demonstrated its commitment to excellence whilst working with us at Spinning Gate during 2018. We are excited to extend this partnership even further and we are sure this latest dual services contract will benefit our retail partners and shoppers too. It is imperative that we support and strengthen the community spirit by providing a safe, secure and clean shopping environment and The ExcluSec Group along with their on site teams can provide this as well as providing a friendly face and assistance when required.
The ExcluSec Group are in the top 2% of all SIA approved contractors in the UK and are NSI Guarding Gold accredited. The ExcluSec Group are a member of BIFM, are safe contractor approved and accreditations include ISO 9001 and IIP Gold which they have proudly retained over the past few years. Spinning Gate Shopping Centre are excited to be working in partnership with The ExcluSec Group, an experienced service partner. It was imperative that we appointed a company that is proficient in delivering core competencies of security, cleaning and customer service to enhance our shopper experience.”

The ExcluSec Group is a privately owned provider of soft service solutions, founded in 2010 providing a portfolio of security, cleaning and facilities management services across the UK. ExcluSec provide a bespoke solution to exceed client requirements and business needs.

James Bancroft, MD of The ExcluSec Group commented:
“We are delighted to secure another contract with Spinning Gate Shopping Centre and are looking forward to continuing our successes and partnership work with the centre management team. The ExcluSec Group have gained previous experience in both the retail and shopping centre industries and are eager to continue sharing our expertise and best practises along with our flexible, efficient and transparent solutions with Spinning Gate. The acquisition of the dual services contract Spinning Gate is a great addition to The ExcluSec Group’s portfolio which continues to enjoy sustained success and growth.”

UKFast pens one-year extension with Sale Sharks

Blog

Sam Whitear

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11/07/2019

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UKFast pens one-year extension with Sale Sharks

Premiership Rugby side Sale Sharks has announced a one-year extension to the deal it has in place with principal sponsor UKFast.

The Manchester-based cloud hosting firm re-signed with Sale back in 2016 in a deal worth an undisclosed seven-figure sum – the largest sponsorship deal in the club’s history.

That agreement brought the two brands back together following a five-year hiatus, and now fresh terms have been signed that will see the UKFast logo remain on Sale’s home and away shirts for a fourth consecutive season.

Mark Cueto, Commercial Director at Sale Sharks, said: “It’s fantastic to have renewed our partnership with UKFast for another season.

“The company is an outstanding, nationally recognised brand that has grown with us over the years and been a huge part of our success on and off the pitch.

“It’s a one-year extension that takes our current agreement to four years as we look ahead to what promises to be a really exciting season of rugby.

“I can’t stress how much we value the support of partners like UKFast that are really helping us compete for top honours in the Premiership and in the European competitions too.

“Shirt sponsorship offers some amazing opportunities for brand visibility, but our partnerships go way beyond that – from our Business Club to engagement with our fan base, we’re constantly working to activate sponsorships for all of our key partners.”

UKFast originally sponsored Sale from 2000 to 2010, with CEO Lawrence Jones – a huge Sale Sharks fan – helping to boost the club’s online and digital capabilities to attract a wider supporter base.

He said: “We’re really pleased to be continuing our partnership with Sale Sharks.

“We’ve been on a fantastic journey with the club over the years and with so much promise on the field towards the end of last season, it was an easy decision to put pen to paper on another year.

“Since the new owners took over, you can feel the difference. It was always a fantastic club, but now there’s a little bit of extra magic in the air and I am convinced you will see it emanate of the pitch this season.

“There’s no better place to celebrate the successes of a long week with your clients than watching quality premiership rugby. We’ve built some incredible relationships with our clients over the years and with the recent signings, this season is set to be a truly exciting one”.

Bridge’s Batty joins board of Biba

Appointments

Sam Whitear

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11/07/2019

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John Batty of Manchester’s Bridge Insurance has been appointed chair
of Biba’s regional chairs’ advisory board and will represent members
from across BIBA’s regions in the UK.

John, the Director of Technical Services at Bridge Insurance, will
also join the trade body’s main board. He comments: “It is a privilege
to join Biba’s board on behalf of regional brokers. I will ensure that
they have a strong voice on the issues and trends that are raised
through Biba’s regional committees.”

Biba (British Insurance Brokers’ Association) is the UK’s leading
general insurance intermediary body, looking after the interests of
insurance brokers, intermediaries and their customers by campaigning
on all aspects of insurance to ensure the industry is united and
working for brokers and customers alike.

Biba chief executive Steve White added: “I am pleased that John will
take up this important role and represent brokers at the highest
levels.”

Bridge Insurance is based on Charlotte Street, central Manchester. The
leading independent corporate insurance broker is celebrating fifty
years in business in 2020 and recently moved its London team into new
larger premises.

Manchester-based Code Nation reaches major milestone

Digital

Sam Whitear

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11/07/2019

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Manchester-based Code Nation reaches major milestone

Code Nation has reached a major milestone this month as the pioneering digital education provider has now trained 300 coders and cyber security experts across its campuses – a rate of one new coder every other day.

The school operates out of Spring Gardens in Manchester – where it has capacity for 80 students – as well as a second school in Chester and imminent plans to expand into the South of the country; it leads the way in closing the digital skills gap and raising employment rates.

Andy Lord, the Manchester-based founder of Code Nation, was working in the recruitment industry when he noticed disconnection between the digital skills that employers were increasingly requiring, and the lack of skills potential candidates had.

Recognising the need to close this digital skills shortage and remove the gender gap in STEM, he set up Code Nation to help people from all walks of life not only learn this highly desired knowledge but importantly connect them with amazing companies to make the most of career opportunities.

Speaking of the milestone Andy said: “Reaching 300 coders is a huge milestone for Code Nation as a startup company that was only founded in 2017, not least because it proves the demand for people to learn these new skills, but it also shows what can be achieved when the right resources and training is available.”

As well as offering courses in coding, cyber security and iOS development, Code Nation works with a network of pledgers – businesses who help course graduates find jobs. These pledgers include BBC, Manchester Digital, AO.com and Code.

Andy continued: “It is a known fact that ‘UK PLC’ will soon see the consequences of the digital skills gap and that is why we are working hard with both individuals and businesses to make sure that as many people as possible, are trained and in place.

“Most organisations recognise that a smooth transition to digital is no longer optional, but an essential part of strategic growth. Our ambition has always been to provide the most up to date education for individuals who may not have otherwise thought of IT as a career, teaching areas such as cyber security, data analysis and AI, and then match people with businesses who have the very real demand for such skills.

“This milestone is big news – with over 90% of graduates placed in roles, they are now playing a huge role in the future proofing of both our local and UK-wide economy.”

WCCTV Named in London Stock Exchange’s ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ 2019 report

Awards

Sam Whitear

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10/07/2019

0

WCCTV Named in London Stock Exchange’s ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ 2019 report

A leading surveillance systems manufacturer based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, has been identified as one of London Stock Exchange Group’s ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ 2019.

Wireless CCTV Ltd (WCCTV), which specialises in providing redeployable CCTV, electronic site security systems, body worn cameras and time lapse video services, has been included in the list following several years of growth – driven by unique product innovation and international expansion.

Published annually, the report celebrates the UK’s fastest-growing and most dynamic small and medium businesses (SMEs), with companies representing over 40 sectors and spanning every region of the country.

To be selected for the list, businesses had to demonstrate not only positive revenue growth over the last three years but also outperform their sector peers.

WCCTV’s inclusion in the list follows a period of significant growth in which the Company has recorded increases in both revenue and profit in each of the last 3 financial years, was listed in Greater Manchester’s 50 Fastest Growing Companies for 2019 and named as an ‘Emerging Star’ at the Megabuyte Forum Awards in 2018.

Launched in 2001, WCCTV has grown to become the UK’s leading manufacturer and supplier of mobile video surveillance solutions, supplying products and services to a diverse client base which includes major construction firms, local and national government agencies, critical national infrastructure providers and major retailers. The Company has offices in Rochdale, Hemel Hempstead and Dallas, boasting 81 employees and a revenue of £12.5m.

The Company’s mobile surveillance systems transmit live and recorded images over wireless networks including 3G/4G and Wi-Fi. In 2016, WCCTV launched the UK’s first one-box live transmission body worn video camera.

On the recent accolade, David Gilbertson, CEO of Wireless CCTV stated:

“Our inclusion in this list is a huge achievement for the Company and a source of great pride, but I strongly believe it is a well-deserved reflection on the hard work of our loyal and committed workforce.

It follows several years of increased turnover and profit, which has been driven by our commitment to delivering innovative customer-focused products, backed by best-in-class support services.”

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