M+A’s Managing Partner Jeremy Robson is be joined by GDPR expert Alex Saunders, Solicitor at Leathes Prior Solicitors. Together they respond to questions relating to GDPR. Jeremy and Alex debunk the myths surrounding GDPR legislation.
Holkham Studios will be the venue for the next Coffee Means Business networking event on Tuesday 15th May, organised by GENIX, the business support specialists. Leanne Castle of GENIX said, “We’re pleased to have been invited to host Coffee Means Business at Holkham Studios during May. As well as the opportunity to network over coffee in a lovely environment there will be a tour of international jewellery business, Monica Vinader Ltd, along with the opportunity to view the award winning serviced offices available at Holkham.” “We always receive very positive comments on the friendliness and easy format of the mornings as they’re the ideal place to make new business connections.” James Bracey, General Manager – Land and Property at Holkham, commented, “Making new contacts and gaining recommendations are an important part of building a business and networking is a great way of achieving this. I’m looking forward to showing delegates our purpose built, serviced office spaces, with fantastic broadband too.” North Norfolk District Council commissioned GENIX in 2016 to organise and host Coffee Means Business in the North Norfolk area. They could see a need for a regular networking opportunity for businesses which didn’t involve expensive membership fees. For more details regarding Coffee Means Business go to www.genix.org.uk or call 0800 096 3013.
NORWICH, Tuesday 5th February 2013 – NORWICH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT COMES FIRST IN THOMSON SURVEY
Norwich International Airport is delighted to have been voted one of the best in the UK by Thomson passengers who completed the Thomson Customer Service Questionnaire during 2012. The questionnaire covers the helpfulness of the Check-in staff, service received at the Customer Services Desk and the overall UK departure airport experience. Norwich International achieved equal first place out of seventeen airports served by Thomson across the UK. Gary Blake, Customer Services Manager commented “Our aim is to be the airport of choice for friendliness and great customer service and these results indicate that we are achieving our goals. Our customer services team work extremely hard to maintain high levels of service and I am delighted that this has been recognised by our Thomson passengers and very much hope that our objective, to ensure our passenger’s journey through our airport is a pleasurable experience is enjoyed by all.” 2013 is forecast to be a busy summer for Norwich International Airport with Thomson holiday flight capacity up 113% year on year with additions such as Tenerife, Tunisia and Turkey. -End-
Norwich International Airport’s popular travel show returns to the airport terminal building on Saturday 19th January from 9am to 3pm with free entry and free parking for all visitors in the short stay car park.
The event, now in its fourth year, is a great way to start planning for your 2013 holiday and offers local holidaymakers the perfect opportunity to meet and talk with tour operators and airlines flying from Norwich International and to pick up brochures including Fly Norwich 2013 which is being launched at the event.
Over 30 tour operator, airline and business stands including local hotels, and flying schools will be on hand throughout the day to chat, offer first-hand destination and product advice on their Norwich departures.
There are also great opportunities to save money with exclusive offers and fantastic booking incentives available on the day including 5% off and free Norwich airport parking for all holidays booked.
Plus, the chance to win fabulous prizes in the Grand Draw being held at 2.30pm with the main prize a fabulous holiday for 2 to Lake Garda, other prizes in the draw include; short break to Isle of Man, return flights to Aberdeen, holiday vouchers, flying lessons and much more.
Additional free to enter competitions will be taking place throughout the day with many more great prizes to be won.
A must visit event for all your travel needs from Norwich International!
For further details please call 01603 428700
A new report published by leading East Anglian recruitment agency Cooper Lomaz has found that the skills shortage in the region has worsened in the last 12 months, with companies struggling to hire sufficient highly skilled workers.
The Salary Survey and Recruitment Trends 2018 reveals that business growth is being hindered by a lack of skilled staff. The survey, which questioned 2,740 employees, found that 4 in 10 (41%) felt that their teams were understaffed, an increase of 8% from 2017.
With the UK economy expected to grow by as much as 2.2% in 2018 and unemployment at its lowest level (4.3%) for over 40 years, the demand for highly skilled candidates is higher than ever to support this growth.
This is the 10th year this report has been published and, whilst uncertainty has reigned across much of the UK due to the fast-changing political and economic landscapes, it found that the job market in East Anglia remains strong, with half of businesses expecting to grow in 2018.
With increased numbers of companies looking to grow, and fewer employees saying they will change jobs in the next 12 months (down a huge 15% from last year), employers are going to have to do much more to attract and retain the best talent.
The skills shortage is forcing employers to not only pay even more for the best talent, it’s making them look at their entire non-financial offering and hiring process, to ensure they can retain and attract the very best people.
Simon Brown, Managing Director of Cooper Lomaz, said: “Looking at this year’s report, it’s interesting to see salaries rising for most employees last year and the majority expecting a further rise this year. This trend certainly bucks some of the national statistics we see from across the UK about wages being flat.
“Our report also revealed that employees no longer class salary as their primary determinant when evaluating job satisfaction. Instead, competence of their manager, personal recognition of achievements and an interesting and varied role all rank as important, if not more important, than salary.”
The report highlighted that there is a growing trend for flexible working, whether this is in relation to employees’ work/life balance or having the ability to work remotely. This will continue through 2018 as employees see flexibility as a staple of the workplace, and as businesses improve their infrastructure to support this.
Since 2010 Renee Mackay has built up a client base of over 1,200 small and medium-sized businesses with a fee bank of £800,000 and 15 employees.
Business is booming for Edinburgh-based accountancy firm TaxAssist Accountants headed up by serial entrepreneur Renee Mackay. Rapid growth meant she had to move to larger premises in Corstorphine in 2013 – three times the size of her original office.
Renee recently opened another Edinburgh office in a joint venture with business partner Alan Johnston in Goldenacre in 2016, which follows the opening of her other joint venture office with business partner Janet Mclean in Dunfermline in 2015.
Alan said: “Renee is a real powerhouse networker. I was previously in franchising, owning three Domino’s Pizza branches for 14 years with a combined turnover of £3m, but I was looking for a change of direction. As soon as I spoke to Renee about TaxAssist Accountants, I knew it was the opportunity I was looking for.”
“You meet a huge variety of different clients and it is very satisfying being able to support them not only with accounts and tax, but also help grow their businesses. We focus very much on providing excellent customer service and our friendly approach. We are a jargon-free zone and explain tax and accounts in a way which makes sense to our clients. Any accountant can do the mechanics of doing your accounts, but it is the customer service which adds the real value.”
He added: “Within 18 months we have built up our client base of 160 and I have just taken on another accountant to handle the workload. Being part of the franchise is fantastic as we can tap into resources such as IT and accounting systems which are often beyond the reach of small accountancy firms.”
Renee is no stranger to the franchising world, having run a highly successful franchisee training company for 10 years.
“I could see the huge potential in the TaxAssist Accountants franchise, so it really was a no brainer,” explained Renee. “They have introduced a completely new approach to accountancy services which is miles away from the traditional image of the accountant. We are friendly, approachable and professional.”
TaxAssist Accountants has been a full member of the British Franchise Association (bfa) since 2003. Alan said: “Being members of the bfa has huge benefits. It tells clients that our business follows strict ethical franchising standards and that our business has achieved significant milestones at an operational level.”
If you would like to follow in Renee, Janet and Alan’s footsteps, call 0800 0188297 to find out more about franchising and the fantastic opportunity it offers to start your own business.
April 2018
More than 520 franchisees, partners and staff helped make this year’s TaxAssist Accountants’ Conference on Saturday, 21st April its most successful to date.
Hosted at Celtic Manor, near Newport in Wales, the day started with a busy exhibition, at which franchisees were able to browse the 62 exhibitor stands and meet service providers and staff from TaxAssist’s Support Centre.
After lunch, TaxAssist’s Directors presented their vision for the organisation’s future direction, focusing on a new software suite, as well as the importance of advisory services and client experience.
Sarah Robertson, Group Operations Director, used the conference to deliver an overview of the new recommended software suite for the network.
“Having spent the past year heading up a research group, we now feel confident we have the very best in technology available for our network to use,” she said. “This will give our franchisees and their staff multiple benefits in terms of time and financial efficiencies and we are pleased our buying power has enabled us to pass on significant cost savings.”
Steve Checkley, Product Director of TaxCalc, one of the new recommended software suppliers, was invited on stage to explain how the changes and challenges that HM Revenue & Customs’ Making Tax Digital project will affect the network, and the importance of using the right software to keep abreast of these developments. His informative presentation highlighted the fact that accountants will be in demand more than ever, due to this industry evolution.
James Mattam, Group Business Development Director, discussed the competitive edge afforded to the network by the national marketing initiatives including the new TV advertising campaign, unrivalled social media presence, a switcher campaign and a fee bank purchase scheme.
Daren Moore, Group Commercial Director, was pleased to meet and address the network for the first time and focused on why accountants should be introducing advisory services as the earliest opportunity.
“The future of our industry is to embrace the developments in software and technology, but not lose sight of the fact that accountants offer the vital link between this and advising clients on how best to use and interpret the information. If a client can understand where they are now, they will be better informed about where they are heading in the future,” he said.
A black tie gala evening rounded off the conference, and included entertainment provided by Gareth Malone’s The Naked Choir winners ‘Sons of Pitches’ followed by ‘Diversity’ the 2009 winners of Britain’s Got Talent.
April 2018
The multi award winning franchisor TaxAssist Accountants has appointed TaxCalc as its new software partner.
TaxCalc will provide TaxAssist’s 200+ franchised accountancy firms with a wide portfolio of products, including final accounts production, tax, practice management and company secretarial packages, running on its CloudConnect platform. Following an extensive pilot, a phased six-month migration of network members is now underway.
TaxCalc is a family-run business and the largest independently-owned software provider in its sector, with a 20% share of the tax and accounting market. The company has over 8,000 accountancy practices, plus more than 40,000 individual taxpayers, limited companies and partnerships as customers. Recently TaxCalc won three major Software Excellence awards for Best Tax Production, Best Accounts Production and Best Practice Suite.
TaxCalc CEO Tracy Ebdon-Poole said, “We’re absolutely delighted to partner with TaxAssist Accountants on one of the most exciting projects in our thirteen year history. Over the past months, we’ve worked closely with TaxAssist’s Head Office and a number of practices to trial our software. The experience has been incredibly productive and given us a chance to really understand one another. Commercially there’s a real product fit, but I’m also happy to say that on another level, we just seem to click, sharing similar values, an entrepreneurial spirit and an unswerving customer focus. I’d like to thank both sides for the commitment that’s resulted in this announcement. Now the hard work really starts!
With 208 full-service accountancy franchises, TaxAssist Accountants is the UK’s champion for small businesses. Group Operations Director, Sarah Robertson said “We are delighted with the new partnership with TaxCalc for compliance software for our network. With the increasing challenges facing the accounting industry, we needed to ensure that the key software our franchisees use provides the efficiencies of modern software by streamlining processes and reducing duplication. It was also key for us that all software should be easy to use and the provider should be quick to adapt to changes in the industry. I’m pleased to say that TaxCalc passed this challenge with ease. The team at TaxCalc have been an absolute pleasure to work with, and their whole approach has been refreshingly collaborative. We look forward to a very productive partnership going forward.”
April 2018
Leathes Prior Solicitors is delighted to announce the promotion of two key members of staff. Tej Thakkar and Sabina Haag have both been promoted to Associate level. Tej joined Leathes Prior in 2011 as a paralegal, and started his training contract with us in 2012. He qualified as a Solicitor in 2014, working ever since in our specialist Regulatory & Defence Team (which sits as part of our Litigation & Dispute Resolution Team) supporting Partner Tim Cary. Sabina joined Leathes Prior as a trainee solicitor in 2011, qualifying as a Solicitor in 2013. She also sits as part of our Litigation and Dispute Resolution Team, working closely alongside Partner Darren Bowen, specialising in Wills and probate disputes, as well as commercial property disputes. Leathes Prior is particularly proud to see another two of our trainees retained and progressed through the firm, bringing the total to 11 of our current Associates and Partners that started off their careers as trainees with the firm. Partner and Head of the firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Team Mike Barlow said: “I am delighted to congratulate Tej and Sabina on their well-deserved promotions. Their contribution to the growth of the team since joining the firm has been invaluable and their expertise and professionalism is a credit to them and greatly appreciated by the firm’s clients. I am sure that they will both have long and successful careers with the firm.”
Spire Solicitors LLP are pleased to announce the promotion of Susan Ward and Ejike Ndaji, to Partner.
Susan joined the firm in 2016 and has been instrumental in forming the foundations of the New Build team. Susan holds 35 years of legal expertise and specialises in all areas of property related matters, including residential sales and purchases, re-mortgages, land acquisitions, new build conveyancing, Help to Buy Schemes and mortgage security work.
Susan commented: “Spire Solicitors LLP is a dynamic and thriving practice and I’m pleased to be welcomed as Partner to continue the growth of the business from its initial foundations”.
Ejike trained with Overburys (Spire Solicitors LLP forerunner) and qualified as a Solicitor in 2013. Ejike is based in the Wymondham Office and specialises in all areas of Private Client law including Will drafting, Administration of Estates, Powers of Attorney, Court of Protection work and Estate Planning. Ejike is also head of the firm’s Charities and Social Enterprise team and is a member of the Charity Law Association which is at the forefront of the developments in charity law and practice.
Ejike commented: “Having seen Spire Solicitors LLP grow from its formation in 2013 and having been involved in one of the founding firms, it is truly a fantastic honour to be recognised with the recent promotion to Partner. I look forward to many more years working with my colleagues to continue the growth of the firm, as well as continuing our exceptional level of service to clients”.
Commenting on the promotions, Lisa Edwards, Member & HR Director commented: “The Members and I would like to congratulate Susan and Ejike. The appointment to Partner is testament to their dedication, loyalty and hard work and we wish them every success in their new roles.”
Spire Solicitors LLP now employs over 160 members of staff and has been increasing its recruitment portfolio over the last few months. Since 2018, Spire has welcomed Howard Bailey, Sally Yaxley, Katharine Chatters, Nisha Jandu & Melissa Richards as new staff to firm, as well as promoted Rebecca Johnstone & Emma Trick to Associate and Craig Ward to Senior Associate.
Omar Park Homes, the UK’s leading manufacturer of park homes, appointed Bigfork and Naked Marketing to improve their website. The companies worked together to produce a brand new website with an appealing, response driven design. Navigation has been improved so visitors to the website can easily find home details, images and floorplans and order brochures. The new website has a comprehensive and easy to use content management system allowing the Omar team to update their website inhouse.
The next stage is to increase relevant traffic to the website through an online marketing campaign including email marketing, search engine optimisation and Google Adwords.
Bigfork Ltd
Tel:01603 513080
KLM UK Engineering visited Catton Grove STEM Club earlier this week and presented the team with ‘Supported By KLM UK Engineering’ racing overalls and goodie bags to go with their already amazing go kart. The team are taking the go kart apart and learning to build it from scratch while improving aerodynamics, the steering column and engine performance. KLM UK Engineering will be offering engineering knowledge to assist the children develop their STEM skills during this project – regular updates will follow with their progress.