2023 Business Predictions: Jane Whitham, PR director, Altitude
It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Jane Whitham, PR director at Sheffield-based Altitude PR.
Some things won’t change in 2023. We’ll still live in an increasingly complex world filled with uncertainty and it’s highly likely that information overload, in both our personal and professional lives, will continue.
But the good news is that by thinking and acting differently, we can stand out and cut through the noise.
One of the ways to understand and then change perceptions towards your brand, product or business is by using data.
Data insight is going to be huge in 2023 and this starts with businesses making use of the untapped data and insight they’ve got at their fingertips.
Data gives companies the opportunity to better understand their stakeholders and tailor their communications accordingly. In the PR industry, like any industry, knowing your audience, developing relationships, and building trust is everything.
One of the challenges we’re all likely to face in the next decade will centre on whether we trust what we read and see. As more and more digital content is produced by Artificial Intelligence (AI), how will we accurately distinguish between what is authentic and fake?
Trust will become more important than ever as societal change continues. That means investing in data, understanding perceptions, and communicating carefully will be paramount. Only with insight and good communication can we build familiarity, confidence and trust.
Investment secured for first phase of Todmorden Town Deal projects
In the first phase of government approvals, five of the key projects proposed in Todmorden’s Town Investment Plan have received the go ahead for investment from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
The news means that the first set of ambitious projects to be announced can move forward to deliver the vision set out by the Todmorden Town Deal Board in the Town Investment Plan, which aims to develop the local economy and realise the potential of Todmorden as a unique and attractive 21st Century market town.
The programme spans opportunities for enterprise development, health and wellbeing, learning, arts and culture and for improving the town’s park and green spaces.
Todmorden’s Town Deal programme brings together a diverse mix of community, private sector and local authority led projects, working in partnership to maximise the value of investment into the town with collaboration and innovation at the heart of the programme.
In an update from Government, the five projects representing a total investment value of £10m to be announced so far are:
Centre Vale Park, Todmorden Town Council, £1.9m Town Deal Funding
Brand new facilities for sports and leisure will be developed and much loved features of the town’s primary green space, including the conservatory and bandstand, will be restored for contemporary use. Todmorden Town Council is working with a range of community groups operating in the park, and also seeking additional match funding to proceed with strands of the project. They are also partnering with Calder Valley Community Land Trust, to improve Fielden Hall which will benefit from energy efficiency improvements and provide some energy efficient affordable rented accommodation in two houses.
The Hippodrome Theatre, Todmorden Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society (TAODS), £1.9m Town Deal Funding
This highly successful community owned theatre will extend into the single storey unit next to the existing theatre to provide improved workshop, performance and rehearsal spaces. This will make the building more accessible, enable the creation of additional opportunities for professional development for volunteers, and increase the number of annual visitors to the town.
Public Places in Todmorden, Calderdale Council, £3.5m Town Deal Funding
This will see the enhancement of shared spaces to prioritise people, and the creation of a more welcoming, attractive, flexible civic space and public square, boosting trade to local retail, markets and businesses, and providing a space capable of hosting Todmorden’s programme of events, festivals and specialist markets.
Tod College, Learning and Community Hub, £1.7m Town Deal Funding
This community owned and run building offering workshop, conference, meeting and learning facilities to the local community, will benefit from significant improvements to its spaces and facilities and see a much needed programme of energy efficiency measures carried out to secure a sustainable future for the building.
Todmorden Town Hall, Calderdale Council, £1m Town Deal Funding
The Grade I listed Todmorden Town Hall will be transformed through a programme of specific alterations to make the building more accessible, flexible, user friendly and sustainable. Taken as a whole the improvements will re-energise local pride in the Hall, ensuring it’s fit for modern day use and securing its future for the next generation.
Pam Warhurst, chair, Todmorden Town Deal Board, said: “It is wonderful news for Todmorden that five key projects have the final go ahead for a remarkable level of investment. After years of consultation, the contributions and ambitions of Todmorden communities are now seeing some results.
“Our programme will help to secure a prosperous local economy for the future and a town centre to be even more proud of. I’d like to thank all of our Town Deal Partners for their incredible hard work and congratulate them on achieving this success.
“We await the outcome of the final three projects that complete the wider programme, and I have every confidence we will hear more good news in due course.”
Cllr Sarah Courtney, Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for towns, engagement and public health, said: “It’s fantastic news that five of the eight Todmorden Town Deal business cases have been approved for funding, with the remaining three currently being reviewed by the Government.
“This is a proud step forward for Todmorden’s regeneration. We can now get to work on making the aspirations a reality, thanks to the sheer determination and passion of everyone involved across the community.
“The exciting plans, which are based on Todmorden’s existing charm, distinctiveness and success, go hand in hand with our priority to develop strong and thriving towns.”
The funding announcement follows three years of planning and development by Todmorden Town Deal Board, made up of private, community and local authority partners. The approved projects will now move forward to undertake further detailed planning, including public consultation, environmental and planning permission processes as required. Completion of the Town Deal programme is expected by the end of 2025.
The government is currently reviewing the three further Todmorden Town Deal projects: The Enterprise Centre, Riverside Centre and Active Todmorden.
New bill aims to give more powers to tackle theft and resale of farm equipment
Shipping delays and the effects of Covid and Brexit are contributing to a rise in demand for both new and second-hand farm machinery. As waiting lists grow and market values soar, thieves are seeing quads and ATVs as expensive, easily portable, hot ticket items with a ready resale market in this country and abroad.
The NFU has been working closely with the Home Office on the new Bill, along with NFU Mutual, and other key stakeholders, as well as facilitating meetings between insurers, police leaders, security companies and manufacturers to identify solutions.
The Bill has now passed its second reading in the House of Commons; this was the first time MPs had the opportunity to debate the detail behind the Bill. The committee stage follows next – this is the chance for any amendments or changes to the Bill to be debated.
The NFU will continue to monitor the Bill as it progresses through parliament and hopes the that the government will support the passage of this Bill.
However, we would like to see the scope of the Bill widened in secondary legislation to include other agricultural equipment, with the theft of GPS systems, tractors and trailers reportedly costing NFU Mutual £9.1 million in 2021.
xDesign commits to permanent Leeds office and new council partnership
Leeds City Council leader, James Lewis, has hailed digital development partner, xDesign, as one of the city’s “digital success stories.”
Having welcomed the Edinburgh-founded tech company to Leeds over a year ago, the company has not only invested in a permanent office in the city, but created as many as 100 new tech jobs too.
Talking at an event yesterday (Wednesday 7 December) to launch the new office, Councillor James Lewis, said: “In 2021 we welcomed xDesign to the city of Leeds. Back then the company had a four-person, temporary office near Leeds train station. Fast forward to today and I’m delighted to be supporting the company in launching its new permanent office here in the city’s historic financial quarter.
“In just over a year, we’ve seen xDesign taking an active role in our local digital scene – opening a permanent office; sponsoring the Leeds Digital Festival and Leeds Digital Careers Festival as well as supporting the local economy by creating up to 100 high-skill roles in tech.
“It’s been fantastic to see the company go from strength to strength while emphasising the need to also nurture the community it works within. We can’t wait to see what this local digital success story does in the next 12 months.”
As part of his visit to the company’s new office space, Councillor Lewis launched a new partnership with xDesign which will see the two organisations collaborate on a digital campaign that will provide young people in Leeds with more opportunities to explore tech careers.
Talking about the new partnership, Matt Ward, xDesign’s head of Leeds, said: “Back in October, we released research that found that although 59% of young people in Leeds are considering a career in tech, two-thirds of them think that tech companies could be doing much more to engage and nurture their digital aspirations.
“In order to take action on the data – rather than just offer commentary on a perennial challenge the tech industry faces – we’re going to be running a programme of activities in the new year that will better engage local youngsters in thinking about tech careers.
“These activities will also provide private sector companies in Leeds with a platform to better connect with young people and help them highlight the opportunities their company can offer.
“As a company, we already have a number of initiatives in place to support young people into the sector – for example, we recently launched our own bespoke graduate programme, and offer young people paid internships.
“We want to use our expertise in Leeds, contributing to the city and wider region, building on our research findings in order to unleash the potential of Leeds’ digital future.”
Martyn Long, head of employment and skills at Leeds City Council, added: “Our partnership with xDesign holds some really exciting potential for the Leeds tech community. By coupling our local knowledge with xDesign’s expertise and experience in the tech sector, we can really offer young people a package of support that will fuel their imagination.
“Our aim is to get more young people thinking about a future career in technology, whilst helping to connect them to companies like xDesign that are actively investing in the future of Leeds’ tech community.”
Lincolnshire online retailer selling outdoor accessories enters administration
Northcore, an outdoor accessories and lifestyle online retailer based in Lincolnshire, has entered administration.
Graham Bushby, Nick Edwards and Matthew Haw of RSM UK Restructuring Advisory LLP were appointed as Joint Administrators of Louth-based Northcore Limited, as well as Shade Limited, on 30 November 2022.
Shade Limited, trading as Shade Station, is an online retailer of sunglasses, glasses and watches.
The businesses were taken over by Internet Fusion Group (IFG) last year.
The Joint Administrators say they are currently reviewing the financial position of both companies to ascertain the prospect of continuing to trade the businesses, and the viability to sell them as a going concern.
Leeds insurance broker makes first acquisition
The Romero Group is celebrating another consecutive year of growth and expansion despite challenging market environments, alongside its first acquisition.
The Leeds-headquartered insurance broker has achieved turnover growth of almost 24%, reaching £19.7m to the financial year ending May 2022. This translated into even stronger growth for the Group EBITDA of 38% to over £8.1m.
The firm says this has been achieved through maximising efficiencies, investing in staff and focussing on high value new business growth, with over £12m of new business GWP written. This takes the group GWP to over £110m.
This growth sees the group make its first acquisition of Sentient Group Limited – HR, Employment Law and Health & Safety Specialists – a strategic move expanding the Romero Group’s ability to offer in-house services to clients, expanding its holistic service proposition.
The complementary offering will help further accelerate the Romero Group’s growth through cross-selling the Sentient offering as well as opening up new markets.
Romero Group Managing Director, Simon Mabb, said: “It’s a really exciting time for us to welcome Sentient into the Romero Group. We continue to see clients value the breadth of services we’re able to provide them in-house, and the alignment between our businesses made this acquisition an easy decision to make.
“This natural fit will help us supercharge our growth and continue delivering exceptional service to our clients with the talented Sentient team. Despite there being challenges in the market, this feels like a really exciting time for our business and our teams.”
Sentient director, Fiona McQuillan, said: “As Sentient approaches its 20th anniversary, this felt like the perfect time to join forces with Romero Group and benefit from their diligent drive for organic growth.
“We have ambitious plans to refresh our brand to help us showcase the fantastic work our team can do to support the wider Romero Group and contribute to the expansion of this great organisation.”
Keepmoat appoints new land and partnerships director to support business growth
Matt Barker has been appointed as Keepmoat’s newest land and partnerships director and will be using his 24-year industry expertise to oversee land opportunities to regenerate communities in the Yorkshire East and East Midlands regions.
To align with Keepmoat’s plans for regional growth, Matt, who was previously land and planning director at Persimmon Homes, Linden Homes and Redrow Homes, has been appointed to support the existing land teams in the housebuilder’s East Midlands and Yorkshire East regions.
Based in Lincoln, Matt will be looking to fill gaps within the business’s development portfolio, and secure land opportunities to align with the homebuilder’s growth plans. His main focus will be to expand Keepmoat’s operations into the Lincolnshire area, covering towns such as Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Stamford, Grantham, and others, with a view to delivering much needed, energy-efficient homes that are fit for the future.
When asked about his ambitions for the region, Matt Barker said: “The East of the country, most specifically Lincolnshire and the East Riding, are areas of great potential for housebuilding, with some booming industries adding to the appeal, such as large-scale agriculture, engineering, and manufacturing.
“The region is also fantastically placed with towns such as York, Grantham, Newark and Retford having convenient rail and motorway connections, and there are some exciting developments proposed in North and North East Lincolnshire, which is also driving housing growth in the area.
“I am keen to continue Keepmoat’s previous success of providing regenerated sites and thriving communities through our relationships with landowners, local authorities, land agents, and partners such as Homes England.
“Key to my role will be identifying and securing opportunities in the eastern corridor to push Keepmoat’s operational boundaries into Lincolnshire and strengthen its presence in East Yorkshire.”
Keepmoat is one of the UK’s leading partnership homebuilders and a leading brownfield builder. To align with the housebuilder’s aims, Matt will be leading on the negotiation and application for new land to regenerate into new communities. Together with local authorities and housing associations, he will continue to work towards the delivery of affordable, high-quality housing, as well as homes available for first-time buyers.
scarlettabbott partners with LDC for next stage of growth journey
scarlettabbott, the York-based employee engagement and internal communications consultancy, has chosen to partner with mid-market private equity firm LDC to support the next stage of its growth journey.
Co-founded by Jonathan Abbott and Rachel Thornton in 2006, scarlettabbott is an award-winning management consultancy that specialises in employee engagement, change management, behavioural science and internal communications. It helps clients to better engage with their people in order to enhance performance, drive sustainable growth and positively influence workplace culture.
With offices in York and London, the 50-strong team supports businesses across every sector of the economy. Its clients include blue-chip organisations, many of which operate internationally, such as Sony Interactive Entertainment, Booking.com, EY and Chivas Brothers. scarlettabbott has grown rapidly in recent years with a compound annual growth rate of more than 20% for the last four years.
LDC is backing the existing management team, led by CEO Jeremy Petty, to support the team’s growth strategy. As part of the transaction, Jonathan and Rachel move into non-executive director roles and will continue to work with Jeremy and the management team to grow the business.
With LDC’s support, Jeremy and the team will further invest in scarlettabbott’s products, services and people to enhance the service it provides to clients and increase its support for organisations in the UK and overseas. The partnership will support the team’s goal of doubling headcount within the next five years.
The investment was led by investment director Lee Donaldson and investment managers Naomi McDiarmid and Emma Borrie. Industry heavyweight Euan Jarvie, former UK & Ireland CEO of the multinational media and digital marketing communications company Dentsu International will join the board as non-executive chairman.
Jeremy Petty, CEO of scarlettabbott, said: “This is a hugely exciting time for scarlettabbott. We have seen significant growth in recent years through our focus on creating a better world of work for our colleagues, our clients and the industry as a whole.
“The partnership with LDC represents a great opportunity to bring in not only significant investment to our business, but also vast experience and expertise, especially with Euan Jarvie joining the team as our new non-executive chairman.
“This puts us in a unique position to continue to expand our team and deepen the partnerships we have with our global clients further in the coming years by offering a wider range of services in the employee engagement and people consultancy space.”
Lee Donaldson, investment director at LDC in the North East and Scotland, added: “The world of work continues to evolve, and an ever-increasing number of businesses are adopting more flexible working patterns to support their people. This, coupled with the importance of recruiting and retaining the best talent, means employee engagement is high on the boardroom agenda across all sectors.
“As a business grounded in insight, expertise and client service, scarlettabbott is well placed to meet growing demand. Our partnership will help Jeremy and his team to accelerate their momentum and we’re looking forward to supporting them as they continue to create opportunities for their people and their clients.”
scarlettabbott was advised by Cavu Corporate Finance, Newcastle-based mid-market corporate advisory boutique, and legal advisers were Womble Bond Dickinson.
LDC was advised by UNW (Corporate Finance), Weightmans (Legal), KPMG (Financial and Tax) and Plural Strategy (Commercial DD).
Yorkshire company fined after worker contracts blood infection
A Yorkshire company has been fined after an employee became seriously ill when he contracted a blood infection while working at a lake contaminated with sewage.
He was working for Adler and Allan Ltd, a supplier of environmental risk services, during a clean-up operation at a lake near Churchbridge, Cannock, Staffordshire, in June 2019.
Dead fish had to be cleaned out of the lake after it was contaminated with sewage when a nearby pipe burst.
The employee worked at the lake for two weeks before contracting Leptospirosis (Weil’s Disease) and became seriously ill.
The infection led to the man having a rash across his whole body meaning he had to limit contact with his family. His kidney and liver also had to be monitored. He was given antibiotics and did not make a full recovery for around four months.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found there was a serious risk of ill health to employees at the site as there were inadequate hygiene provisions in place to suitably guard against bacteriological and pathogen infection.
During around the first two weeks of the job, there were no on-site toilets or welfare units available to the company’s employees. This led to workers using a local supermarket to wash and go to the toilet.
There was also a lack of supervision at the site, with the company also failing to conduct a suitable risk assessment and implement an appropriate system of work.
Adler and Allan Limited of Station Parade, Harrogate, Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety Act 1974 and Regulation 20(1) of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. The company were fined £126,100 and ordered to pay costs of £43,494 at Cannock Magistrates’ Court on 29 November 2022.
HSE inspector Lyn Mizen said: “This serious ill health matter could have been avoided if the clearly foreseeable risks and dangers had been appropriately controlled and managed, right from the outset.
“Portable welfare units can be easily sourced and are clearly needed for heavily contaminated work situations such as this.
“HSE will not hesitate to hold duty holders to account if they fall short of appropriate welfare standards.”
Shadow Chancellor praises “inspirational” Sunny Bank Mills
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves has hailed the “inspirational” Sunny Bank Mills complex in Farsley and praised the mill’s role in nurturing and encouraging small businesses to flourish.
The Leeds West MP visited the award-winning Sunny Bank to highlight the success of small businesses in the Leeds and Bradford area and to hear their stories at first hand.
During the past ten years the mill has been transformed into a modern office and mixed-use complex for the 21st century, creating 400 sustainable new jobs with almost 100 companies.
Ms Reeves met three small businesses at the mill during her visit, namely the Emma White Jewellery Studio, HR Breathing Space and Adept Consulting Engineers.
Ms Reeves said: “It’s been so inspirational meeting small business owners. The range of small businesses here is fantastic and I’ve only managed to speak to a few. I have been especially impressed by the way in which the owners of Sunny Bank adapt their buildings to enable their tenants to grow.
“Small business owners working with like-minded people will find synergies and inspiration here, which is beautiful. This is an old mill which has brought people together and been the catalyst for more small businesses opening on the rest of Farsley Town Street. It is inspirational what has been achieved so far.”
William Gaunt, co-owner of Sunny Bank with his cousin John, said: “It was great to see Rachel supporting some of the many small businesses we have here at Sunny Bank Mills. They are really struggling at the moment. She was keen to listen to what business owners had to say. Small businesses need all the help they can get in these days of high inflation and uncertainty.”
John Gaunt added: “We are proud of what we have achieved here at Sunny Bank Mills and it was wonderful to share some of the success stories with Rachel Reeves. In particular, it was important to show Rachel how we have nurtured some of our tenants from the start and enabled them to expand and flourish.
“All three of the companies that Rachel visited started off in smaller premises here and moved into bigger ones as they became more successful. This gives us tremendous satisfaction.”
Sunny Bank Mills is home to a variety of small businesses, as well as being a leading creative space for art, culture and business in the West Leeds area.
The first of the three small businesses that Rachel Reeves met was HR Breathing Space, who provide outsourced HR support for small to medium sized businesses that don’t have their own HR team.
She talked to the founder of the company Suzie Bogle, with Suzie highlighting the benefits of working in Sunny Bank Mills. Suzie said: “It’s beautiful. Everything is made so easy for us here. We currently have 14 staff and provide help to 70 businesses.”
She also told her how the team at Sunny Bank had helped to build an internal wall within her premises to make the space more suitable for her needs.
Ms Reeves then met Emma White in her jewellery studio, where she was holding her popular jewellery-making class. Here the Leeds West MP chatted with some of the jewellery students as well as getting a tour of the studio where Emma displays and sells her own artisan jewellery. Ms White explained how delighted she was to be based in the heart of such a wonderful community.
Ms Reeves concluded her visit at Adept Consulting Engineers, which is a consultancy firm that finds solutions to construction issues. Adept started off in a small studio space in the Festoon Rooms at Sunny Bank and now occupy a whole 4,000 sq ft floor in the 1912 Mill, with over 40 employees, including a number of apprentices.
Director Paul Gill told Rachel Reeves that the firm was very happy to be based at the mill and were grateful for the help and support provided by the Gaunts which has enabled Adept to expand within Sunny Bank, rather than relocating.
