business 29 april 2015

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www.bristolpost.co.uk

TAKING AIM

Growing pensions firm preparesfor market flotation – page 3

COOL FOR CATS

Bristol firm’s purr-fect app foryour Apple Watch – page 5

ELECTION FOCUS

What the rival parties areoffering Bristol business – p8&9

HIDDEN BENEFITSMeet one of the leading figures behind the financialbusiness that touches the lives of many Bristolians –not just the 1,400 it employs: pages 6&7

BIG INTERVIEW

292015APR

A greener Bristol is a greater west.#GreaterWest

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2 Wednesday, April 29, 2015www.bristolpost.co.uk

● Mike Adams CEO HiETA technologies, left, and Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking relationship manager Will Kite

Pulse survey

Chance to quizcity mayor onbusiness topics● BUSINESS leaders will get thechance to quiz Bristol MayorGeorge Ferguson next month onissues highlighted in the BusinessPulse survey.The Bristol Post and the Bristol

office of accountants andbusiness advisers BDO areshowcasing results from the firsttwo Business Pulse surveys, ajoint initiative launched last yearbetween the two organisations.The Business Pulse is different

from other surveys. Rather thanlooking at whether businesses aregrowing, hiring staff and buildingorder books, it identifies theopportunities available as well asthe challenges they face and theobstacles to theirgrowth.George

Ferguson,pictured,will respondtoquestionssubmittedby attendeeson the surveytopics coveredto date - DoingBusiness in Bristol, Access toFinance, Export, Sustainabilityand Apprenticeships.Limited spaces are still available

for business leaders to attend theevent.To register your interest by visit

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ XHFFP9H.When registering interest, there

is an option to submit a questionfor the Mayor for consideration.Attendees will also be invited to

take part in the next survey, whichcovers Employee Engagementand Recruitment, Technology andInnovation and Outsourcing.

Manufacturing

Warm welcome Bank loan enablesheating parts creator to expand

AMANUFACTURERwhich 3Dprints heat managementcomponents is increasing itsworkforce by a third and in-vesting in new technology.

HiETA Technologies was foundedby Mike Adams and Drummond His-lop in 2011 to make high-performanceheat exchangers and other light-weight engine components.The company has since built on its

founders’ experience of managing en-gineering companies to grow dramat-ically, and is expected to achieve aturnover of £1.8 million by the end of

2015. Based at Bristol and Bath Sci-ence Park, the firm has now investedin new technology and personnel toexpand its design capabilities,providing it with the increased ca-pacity needed to meet a sustainedincrease in customer orders.The company also works closely

with Exeter, Bristol and Bath Uni-versities, providing employment andinternship opportunities for studentsand graduates interested in workingin the sector.Mike Adams, director at HiETA,

said: “Over the past four years ourbusiness has grown significantly asthe benefits of 3D printing becamemore well-known.“We now work for a range of

high-profile clients and are looking tostart exporting our products and ser-

vices abroad in the near future.“As well as creating and producing

heat exchangers and complex light-weight components, we also offer abespoke design service where wework with companies to see if ad-ditive technology can increase theefficiency of their products.“Being based at Bristol and Bath

Science Park is also a huge benefit.When we started the company, thesite provided us with a permanentbase with easy access to professionaladvice. Now we’re an establishedfirm, the park gives us the oppor-tunity to grow our business as part ofa well-known science community.”The investment is possible thanks

to a five-figure loan fromLloydsBankCommercial Banking through theFunding for Lending Scheme.

Mike said the bank had been an“essential part” of the expansion pro-cess. “Having a specialist relation-ship manager who fully understandsthe complex issues manufacturingfirms face is invaluable, and theywere always on hand to provide guid-ance and support,” he said.Will Kite, manufacturing relation-

ship manager for the bank, said hehad been impressed by HiETA’shigh-profile client base and track re-cord of success in a developing tech-nology.He added: “We’re dedicated to sup-

porting businesses like HiETA, andhave pledged to lend an additional £4billion tomanufacturing firms by theend of 2017,making it easier for firmsacross the UK to access the fundingneeded to prosper.”

Manufacturing

Screen protector firm seals deal with WHSmithSCREEN protection business Tuff-screen has just signed a deal withWHSmith to protect more than 1,200in-store tablets.Tuffscreen creates purpose-de-

signed industrial strength screenprotectors, which are both impactand scratch proof.The product is custom-made for

each device and case, so in its latestdeal WHSmith was able to specify adesign precisely to the case that theyhad invested in.The retail giant introduced HP

Elitepad tablets across all of its highstreet stores during 2014.The aim was to make staff more

efficient and able to work on themove, freeing up managers and stafffrom fixed PC terminals and improv-ing service through the ability tospend more time on the sales floor.

As with any big investment in kit,especially those involving portableelectronic devices in a busy envir-onment,WHSmithhad concerns overthe potential for damage and the as-sociated costs, not to mention theimpact of device down-time and lostproductivity.But they struggled to find a good

solution until they met Tuffscreen.WHSmith operations director

Steve Wood said: “We have beenvery impressed with the in-novative product andunique performance ofTuffscreen screen pro-tectors.“Their ability to de-

liver a bespoke item ontime and on budget forsuch an important pro-ject, made them an ob-vious choice.“The solution is very cost

effective, massively reducing dam-age rates for a fraction of the cost ofrepair or replacement.“The investment in Tuffscreen has

been very worthwhile, we were evenso impressed with the product we’veused them on our company mobile

phones as well.”Tuffscreen director Tristan Fowlersaid: “It was absolutely fantastic

to be asked to provide ourproduct toWHSmith and tosupport them in the newdeployment of tabletcomputers into theirstore environment.“Our product is a

provenway of helping toeliminate damage to thescreens of all electronicdevices in all walks of busi-

ness and industry, and we areextremely proud to have been se-

lected in this instance.”Tristan, 33, a former Bristol Gram-

mar School pupil, founded the busi-ness based in Southmead Road in2011 and secured investment fundingto grow in 2013.

Event brings buyersand sellers together● BOOSTING Bristol’s smallbusinesses, shortening supplychains, saving money andimproving corporate socialresponsibility are some of theaims of an upcoming Meet theBuyer event.Buyers can find it time

consuming to sort through themyriad of local suppliers to findout which one might be able tooffer them a better deal.In the same way, smaller

businesses, often with innovativeproducts and services, can find itdifficult to make effectiveapproaches to larger buyers.The event, organised by Bristol

City Council, the Federation ofSmall Businesses and BristolPound, aims to help buyers findout what products and servicesare available locally.Buyers will be able to pre-select

sellers they would like to meet onthe day.Mayor George Ferguson said:

“The city’s businesses are vitallyimportant in helping to ensureBristol’s continued prosperity, aswell as contributing to our identityas a breeding ground forinnovation and enterprise.”Meet the Buyer takes place on

Thursday, June 18 at Regus,Temple Quay, Bristol.To register interest in being a

buyer, email [email protected] by tomorrow.

Networking

Assistant Editor (Business)[email protected]

● A protector; right, Tristan Fowler

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3Wednesday, April 29, 2015 www.bristolpost.co.uk

Caterers bag hat-trickof contract wins● A HAT-TRICK of contract wins hassecured a healthy future for afamily-owned catering business.McBaile Exclusive Catering and

Events has won three contracts inaddition to the status of preferredcaterer with swanky venueHuntsham Court.As a result, the firm is now looking

for more staff.Directors have spent the last few

months tendering for long-termbusiness, with the six-figurecontracts just being awarded.Agreements have been reached

with Kingscote Barn in Tetbury,Lower Mill Estate in Gloucestershireand Walton Castle in Somerset.Lower Mill Estate is an

award-winning community ofsustainable holiday homes, based inthe Cotswolds. McBaile has beenengaged to offer private dining todiscerning guests, as well as to runthe on-site restaurant, Ballihoo,which opens in July this year.Caroline Coxon, McBaile business

development director, added;“Months of work has gone intosecuring these relationships. We areover the moon that we have wonsuch prestigious contracts from thisdiverse range of clients. It has beena team effort and we are lookingforward to dishing up our menus topeople who will be visiting thesevenues.”McBaile, based in Yate, employs

more than 30 office, catering andservice staff.

Superjumbomarks10 years of flying● TEN years ago this week the firstA380 double-decker superjumbotook to the skies. It is the biggestattraction for passengers sinceConcorde.At a list price of $428 million

(£282m) it has taken a little longer totake off financially, but manufacturerAirbus, which employs 4,000 peopleat Filton, says it will break even thisyear.Airbus chief operation officer,

customers, John Leahy, said: “Thereare 13 airlines flying the A380. Wehave sold over 300 aircraft andabout half have been delivered.“Every four minutes an A380 is

landing or taking off somewhere inthe world.”

Food

Aviation

Youmust make themost of your business exit

ONEday, bywhatevermeans,you will exit your business.Preferably you will still bealive and in control whenthis happens.

The most common strategies are:● Trade sale● Private equity● Management or employee buyout● Transfer or sale to the next gen-eration● Voluntary liquidation.Trade sales can include customers,

direct competitors, or organisationswithin your industry wishing to ex-pand their product or service range.No one is going to pay you for your

business if you make it cheaper andeasier for them to poach your em-ployees, steal your customers, or copyyour ideas.Creating great value means that

you need to ensure your business is

an investment, not a lifestyle option.Profiling would-be buyers and ad-

apting yourself accordingly will cer-tainly make a difference as towhether you manage to sell yourbusiness; it may also be a key driverin increasing the value of your busi-ness many times over.

There are ways to manage a stagedtransition and payment terms, buthistory is littered with examples ofpeople falling out after the deal. Getsome rock-solid advice as to how toprotect your interests (especiallyyour intellectual property rights)during any earn-out period and al-ways have a plan B.Only some businesses will be large

enough to attract private equity, but ifyou are in this fortunate position, thebuyers will usually be looking for abusiness that has a defendable mar-ket position, with sustainable earn-ings, and is scalable,with identifiablegrowth opportunities.Management and employee buy-

outs have been around a long time;but using the co-operative structureto facilitate employee buyouts is amore unusual and exciting route.Co-ops offer financial and operation-

al advantages, are statistically moreresilient to economic uncertainty,and operate in an exceptionally be-nign tax environment.In addition to entrepreneurs’ relief

on capital gains and business prop-erty relief on the transfer of a qual-ifying enterprise, co-ops can also beused to hand down a business to thenext generation within an overall‘family office’-type structure.Finally, you can follow the route of

18 per cent of privately owned busi-nesses and simply close the doors andcash in what’s left, but get adviceabout how to take advantage of therules surrounding capital distribu-tions. You don’t want to be taxed onthe resultant cash as if it were in-come.Now for a warning – your business

may be worth less than you orrose-tinted spectacle-wearing busi-

ness brokers think.None of the above exits will give

you optimum value if the businessis wholly dependent on you – it needsto be systemised so that your suc-cessors can run it every bit as well asyou.Read Michael Gerber’s E-Myth and

all will be clear. Running your busi-ness is one thing, but designing anenterprise which is an attractive in-vestment is where the real wealth isgenerated.Whenever you get a chance, work

on, not in, your business, makingsure that you and your advisers, es-pecially thosewith experience of run-ning their own businesses, focus onmaking relentless incremental im-provements, thereby increasing thecapital value of your enterprise.The effect on value can be tracked

on a regular and scientific basis ifyour accountant has the requisitevaluation software.You only get to exit your business

once – make the most of it, if only foryour family’s sake.

Executive directorAlanbrookes Ltd01934 [email protected]

Know how

Finance

Aiming high Ambitious pensionsprovider prepares for flotation


A FAST growing Bristol busi-nesshas announcedplans tofloat on the Alternative In-vestment Market (AIM),which is run by the London

Stock Exchange.Pensions firm Curtis Banks was

formed in 2009 and has grown sinceboth through winning more custom-ers and buying other pension booksfrom rivals.It is now the third largest ded-

icated provider of self-invested per-sonal pension plans (SIPPs) in theUK.The business expects to raise £7.5

million through the issue of newequity in the indexwhichwould giveit a market value of approximately£85 million.

“The market for SIPPs is growingrapidly and we anticipate that therewill be increasing opportunities todevelop new products and services,as well as further acquisition op-portunities as regulatory changescome into force next year.”The firm, based in Temple Quay,

has bought five client books fromrivals and plans to continue thisgrowth strategy.It sees the recent changes in the

pensions market, giving people free-dom to choose how they spend theirpension pot, as a great opportunitythat will see the 1.2 million SIPPs in

the UK grow significantly.The company’smainmarket is the

higher end where people have pen-sion pots of £500,000 or above.Along with greater freedom the

new regulations provide, those cus-tomers want greater service and thefirm believes it is well positioned tocapitalise on demand for “high qual-ity” SIPP administration servicesfrom customers.It also thinks it will be able to

acquire more businesses and be aconsolidator as the market starts tosettle.With more than 26,000 existing

SIPP clients, bosses believe theyhave a strong platform to grow fur-ther and broaden its product offer-ing.Curtis Banks, which employs

more than 200 peoplewithmore thanhalf based at its Bristol head office,recently entered the Large Businessof the Year category in the BristolPost Business Awards.It will be up against another big

player in the SIPPs market, Har-greaves Lansdown.Trading in the Curtis Banks

shares onAIM is expected to start onThursday, May 7.

That’s a big slice of capital for acompany with an expected turnoverof around £10 million this year.And it is likely to use it to fund

further expansion through acquis-itions.Managing director Rupert Curtis

said: “Curtis Banks is an ambitiouscompany.“We have been successful in build-

ing the business to one of the biggestoperators in the full SIPP market,however we believe that CurtisBanks has significant further po-tential.“We can strengthen our growth

plans by raising further capital andadmitting our shares to AIM.

“The market for SIPPsis growing rapidly andwe anticipate that therewill be increasingopportunities to developnew products andservices.

● Rupert Curtis, managing director of pensions firm Curtis Banks

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Politicians must wake up to benefits of cycling investment

IN the constant noise surround-ing the build up to the generalelection and amid angry debateson the economy, the NHS, socialcare and benefits it is easy for

cycling to be overlooked.Despite this the various transport

representatives for the three majorparties engaged in a lively debate inMarch to discuss their standpoint oncycling and the role it has to play inthe future of transport in theUK.During the aptly named Big Cyc-

ling Debate Conservatives, Labourand the Lib Dems put forward theirpolicies on cycling in the UK and thecommitments of their party.And yet, of the big three, only the

Lib Dems committed to the £10 perhead spend needed to kick start masscycling in the UK and barely any ofthe parties gave cycling more than acursory mention in their manifes-tos.And maybe in their eyes cycling

isn’t a big enough issue to even thinkabout, but at a time when all areas ofsociety are struggling under the con-tinuous cuts, when the NHS is strug-gling to copewith increasing demand

Opinion

and shrinking funds, when climatechange is reaching an irreversiblepoint and when the UK is subject tolegal action fromEurope for failing tomeet emission targets in 16 of its 43air pollution zones cycling could havea greater impact than any of themimagine.At present only 2 per cent of all

trips in the UK are done by bicycleand yet British cycling has estimatedthat just increasing the levels of cyc-ling in theUK to 10 per cent of all tripscould save the NHS alone as much as£250 million per year by reducing theannual burden of heart disease andtype 2 diabetes.And increasing cycling to this level

shouldn’t be too difficult.

In fact Cycling England, as part ofits cycling cities campaign, increasedcycling across six cities by 3.4 percent over the space of three yearswith an investment of just £8.70 perhead per year and they found that forevery £1 invested in cycling therewasa £2.59 return on investment in de-creased mortality alone.On top of this transport accounts

for roughly 23 per cent of energyrelated CO2 emissions. As little as athreefold increase in cycling inEurope could reduce annualEuropean CO2 emissions by as muchas 38.8 million Tons.Not only would this help countries

to meet their commitments to re-ducing CO2 and preventing irrevers-

ible climate change but it would alsoimprove the air quality in the townsand cities of Europe.Given that air pollution was a con-

tributing factor in 28,000 deaths in theUK as recently as 2010 this benefitseveryone.Cycling can address many of the

major issues facing society todaywith a comparatively small invest-ment that not only pays for itself buteven saves huge amounts of moneyfor the tax payer and improves ourhealth, our happiness and the citiesthat we live in.It’s time for politicians to wake up

to the benefits that cycling can offerand to commit to real andmeaningfulchange.

FAST-GROWING planning,design and economics con-sultancy Nathaniel Lichfield&Partners (NLP) has opened anew office in Bristol.

Planning director Andy Cockett,who has worked in the planning pro-fession for 18 years, will head up thenew office at One Temple Quay sup-ported by associate director SophieWhite. Both already have experienceof working in Bristol and the SouthWest.James Fennell, managing director

of NLP, said: “The SouthWest is set to

be a major growth area over the com-ing years, and we are in the businessof helping to deliver that growth forhousebuilders and commercial cli-ents.”NLP has been involved in major

schemes across the area includingthe redevelopment of Ashton GateStadium, the regeneration of CarlyonBay and is working on proposals toexpand Bristol Harbourside andCribbs Causeway.NLP is also working for a range of

housebuilders and has secured nu-merous planning permissions in re-cent years across a range of complexsites.Andy said: “We have been, and are

currently, involved in major devel-opment projects and expect to see lotsof activity in the housing, infrastruc-

ture, education, retail and commer-cial sectors across Bristol and theSouthWest in the comingmonths andyears.“These are exciting times for the

region, and for NLP, and we can seethe potential for significant growthparticularly in the housing sectorwith major challenges to accommod-ate the region’s future developmentneeds including green belt reviews.“NLP is renowned for its innov-

ation, quality and expertise – com-mon ingredients for what makes theSouth West region a success.“Whilst we have been able to de-

liver a high quality service in theSouthWest from our Cardiff office forover 10 years, the time is now right toexpandandgrowapermanent base inBristol.

Construction

Planning consultancy eyes majorgrowth as Bristol office opened

“This will allow us to establish agreater presence across the whole ofthe region, develop our importantexisting key client relationships andprovide a more in-depth propositionfor clients.”Andy added: “We have a first rate

research and economics team andlook forward to informing the debateacross the area for both the publicand private sectors.”NLP, which is headquartered in

London, and has eight offices acrossthe UK, has seen turnover rise from£13m to over £16m in two years.In January this year it opened a

new Thames Valley office in Readingand established its first Scottish pres-ence earlier this month. The officialopening of this Edinburgh office is inMay.


● BRISTOL could reap thebenefits of London’s boomingproperty market while investmentin the region grows strongly.Philip Morton, pictured, the

head of office agency anddevelopment at the Bristol officeof CBRE, believes cities such asBristol could feel the benefits asLondon prices drive out occupiersand investors.He said: “Bristol is ideally

placed to benefit from thebooming property market incentral London. Prices have shotup in the capital in the last 18months and many of the majoremployers are starting to votewith their feet and are activelyseeking cheaper alternatives.“Bristol is already one of the

most popular citiesin the countryfrom a lifestyleperspective,hassuccessfuluniversitiesand itscloseproximity toLondon andHeathrowAirport makes it agreat prospect for companieslooking to relocate for a cheaperalternative to the capital.”Meanwhile South West

commercial property investmenttransactions almost doubled toclose to £500 million during thefirst quarter of 2015 compared tothe same period in 2014,according to Colliers Internationalestimates.Colliers cited UK institutional

investment as a key contributorwith half of all transactions (£250million), but property companiesweighed in significantly (£133million) suggesting developmentand re-development has playedan important role.The South West it is likely to top

last year’s £2 billion transactionvolume and possibly approach the£2.5 billion peak reached in 2005.Colliers director of research and

forecasting, Dr Walter Boettcher,said: “The ‘Severn’ Powerhouse,like the Northern Powerhouse,may be set to come into its ownas institutions and other investorsbegin to look for development andinfrastructure investmentopportunities outside London andthe South East.”

We can benefitfrom capital’smarket boom

Property

CEO of Velopost andDirector of Legal Affairsand Company SecretaryCFH Docmail Ltd

● Andy Cockettwill head up the

new office at OneTemple Quaysupported by

associate directorSophie White

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Apple Watch Cats preferWhiskr, by city developer

A BRISTOL developer has cre-ated one of the first apps forthe AppleWatch... which letsyou share pictures of cats.App-maker Calvium wanted

to be at the front of the pack when itcomes to the latest must have device,which went on sale to customers whohad pre-ordered last week.The Whiskr app lets people upload

pictures of cats and share them.It was designed for fun but really

it’s about the Harbourside-basedteam getting to grips with the newdevice and showcasing what can bedone.Aimed at cat lovers and developers,

it shows can the watch can use loc-ation by allowing people to find catpictures taken near them.Whether it’s a cute kitten, your own

precious pet or amystery stray on thewalk to work, people can upload aphoto to Flickr with the hashtag #catand it will automatically show up ona map of the local area in the Whiskrapp.

The watch will also display a list ofthe closest 100 cat photos to the wear-er’s location.Pressing an item on the list brings

up the photo or a long tap loads up thecontext menu where users can findmore information about the picture,such as who owns it, or see its loc-ation on a map.Calvium creative director Jo Reid

said: “Not only is Whiskr a great appto illustrate the potential of locationas a feature on the Apple Watch, it’s agenuinely fun app that everybody canget on board with.”The app was accepted into the

Apple App Store in the first round ofthose created for the Watch globally.Calviumhas entered theCreative&

Technological Business and SmallBusiness categories in the BristolPost's Business Awards, in associ-ation with UWE.

AN entrepreneur who won a nationalpitching competition says his ideahas started to find its rhythm sincethe success.Carl Thomas won the People’s

Choice prize in last year’s Pitch ToRich competition run by VirginMedia Business.His idea for a pair of smart head-

phones that connect to music plat-forms such as Spotify via the mobilenetwork won support.Carl said: “It was a very valuable

mechanism to go through, eventhough we weren’t as faralong with our business assome other people.”Since then Carl, from

Stoke Gifford, Bristol,has been building hisbusiness, Audiowings,which now has a team ofsix people.They have been devel-

oping and building proto-types and testing the concept

with focus groups.“It’s given us a lot moreunderstanding how peopleuse the headphones,” hesaid.The contest raised his

profile through mediacoverage and meantmore people signed upto the product website,providing information tohelp the team develop it.And he made contacts at

Contest has givenmy idea headstart, says Carl

Business rate savings‘could still be made’● THE deadline for servingbusiness rating appeals againstthe 2010 ratings has now passed,but all may not be lost, accordingto one expert.The Government previously

announced that any firmsappealing after April 1 this yearwould not be able to back-datetheir appeal to when the valuationswere carried out in 2010.Andrew Flower, pictured, senior

surveyor in DTZ’snational ratingteam, basedin Bristol,said: “TheGovernmentwouldbasicallyadmit onthe onehand that youhad beenovercharged, butwould be keeping five years’ worthof your refund, leaving just twoyears’ benefit up until March 31,2017.“This deadline has now passed,

so any owners and occupiers whohave not already lodged appealslook likely to miss out on themajority of any savings that maybe achieved.“This does not, of course, mean

that appeals should not now beserved – if the rateable value isexcessive, it is important for abusiness to address this in orderto reduce their costs as much aspossible.“There could still be savings

made for the next two years.“In some instances, even though

the deadline for serving appealshas passed, it may still be possiblefor surveyors to obtain savingsgoing back to April 1, 2010. All istherefore not lost, and ratepayerscan still reduce their ongoingoccupational costs and plan forthe future.”

NGD invests £8m inlatest data expansion● THE owners of Europe’s largestdata centre have invested £8million in five new data halls afterwinning several big contracts.NGD’s giant data centre

campus, between Bristol andNewport, was opened five yearsago and so far the company hasinvested £25 million in creatingthe 750,000 sq ft world-classfacility.The latest expansion has taken

about 100 contractors on site tobuild and fit out the newself-contained halls.The additional capacity will

allow a further 500 computerserver racks to be accommodatedfor helping store and process thebillions of bytes of data generatedby accelerating global demand forcloud, web, big data and otherdata intensive activities.

Pitch to Rich competition

Technology

FinanceTechnology


Technology will keepcentre users on track● A LEISURE centre operator hasintroduced technology at its eightsites to help encourage people tobecome healthier.Circadian Trust, the not-for-profit

organisation based in BradleyStoke, has introduced technologythat will allow all members andvisitors to track their activity usingtheir existing fitness key, whetherit’s in the gym, swimming or takinga group class.They can then upload the

information to the Technogymmywellness cloud.Not only can they record activity

completed within the centre walls,the free mywellness app formembers can also collate activityundertaken outside the centres –for example, walking, running orplaying teamsports – aswell asdiet andnutritionaldata.Trust

head ofhealthandfitness,Dave Smele,said: “Thereare loads of apps out there thatpeople are using to keep track oftheir healthy lifestyles, but they arehaving to check numerousplatforms to keep track of whatthey are doing.“The mywellness app that we

have introduced allows people tostore all this information in oneplace, making it even easier torecord progress andachievements.“The app integrates with other

fitness, diet and nutrition apps,meaning the mywellness cloud canbe the home for all the personaldata one person might need.Although the technology isstate-of-the-art, it’s also reallyeasy to use – in fact, when peopleuse the gym equipment at any ofour Active Centres, their activityinformation, including distancescovered, weights lifted andcalories burned, will automaticallybe uploaded to the cloud ready forthem to access.”

Health

The Bristol MBAFind out moreTaster session 29 April, UWE, Frenchay Campus, Bristolwww.uwe.ac.uk/bristolmba

EE through the competition whichhas helped around regulation andcompliance issues on mobile net-works.This year’s Pitch to Rich compet-

ition offers winners prizes includingmarketing support, mentoring andcash.Hopefuls can register their interest

online at www.pitchtorich.co.uk.Finalists will pitch to Virgin

founder Sir Richard Branson and ateam of judges at the end of June.

● One of the first apps for the Apple Watch has been created by a Bristol firm – it lets you share pictures of cats

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The Big Interview

IF you rent in Bristol, there’s agood chance that Julian Foster’scompany is looking after some ofyour money. If you own shares,use childcare vouchers or

bought a bike through an employerscheme you probably did it throughthem.You’ve probably never heard of

Computershare.But the business touches the lives

of many Bristolians, not just the 1,400who work from the company’s officesin South Bristol.Julian Foster, managing director of

the company’s business services arm,

GOING THE EXTRA MILE TO KEEP WORKERSIf you’re thinking of aprogressive employerwith flexible working,coffee shop and gym inan office praised for itsarchitecture with bikesheds and beehives inthe grounds, you mightexpect some funky fastgrowing tech firm. JulianFoster tells GavinThompson how afinancial administrationcompany in SouthBristol might justchange your mind.

in our office in South Bristol,” saysJulian. “164 people cycle to workevery day. We have invested £67,000 ina new covered bike shed, and BristolCity Council’s Local SustainableTransport Fund provided an addi-tional £20,000.”The company also provides a bus

service, used by 11 per cent of em-ployees to get to work, and a suc-cessful car share scheme used by onein ten staff has been running for 15years.The business is proud of its place in

South Bristol, although would behappy to seemore investment in localinfrastructure.“There has been talk of a link road

to better connect to major road net-work which would reduce impact onpeople living here,” Julian says.“That would be a good thing. We are

My working dayWork pattern: I don’t have a set pattern because I work in multiplebusinesses so I could be in London for the day or in Bristol orsomewhere else for a meeting. I don’t go to an office 9-5, my role takesmy anywhere in the country I need to be. It’s nice for a sense of variety.One of joys of looking after businesses like vouchers is we deliver ourservices to businesses around the country.

Name: Julian FosterTitle: Managing director ofComputershare BusinessServices, which includes depositprotection scheme, employeebenefits, childcare vouchersEducation: A failed student. Igot to the end of my A levelsand wasn’t thinkingacademically, I didn’t enjoy it. Auniversity education is afantastic thing but it wasn’t rightfor me at the time. I was happyto work hard in a job I juststruggled to have the samecommitment to my studies.First job: Started as Saturdayboy at Next when George Davishad just taken over thebusiness. I wanted to startearning so joined themanagement programme andwent on to run branches.Career: Later joined Halifax andbecome commercial director ofshare plan business which waslater acquired byComputershare.

Vital statistics

in South Bristol so would like in-vestment here. It’s not for me to tellpoliticians what to do but clearly wewould advocate more support to re-duce congestion in the area. We as abusiness have to play our part too,though.”The firm’s officewas recently listed

byEnglishHeritage as a fine exampleof post-war architecture. The office,known as The Pavilions, wasformerly home to the Central Elec-tricity Generating Board and was

ferent environments but ultimatelyour approach is to invest in delivery.“We invest about 10 per cent of

revenues in technology, that’s beenthe strategy for many years. We havecomplex but robust engines drivingthese products that we deliver.“Nationally confidence is up but

productivity is lower as many com-panies avoided redundancies but in-stead didn’t invest in other areas ofthe business. We believe in investingin our business. We have created jobsthroughout the recession across thebusiness, now employ 1,400 peoplehere, up from 1,000.”Being in the employee benefits

business, Computershare is keen toset an example. One scheme it isparticularly proud of is its cycle towork programme.“We have a big cycling community

parent, we are the largest childcarevoucher provider in the UK and issue£300million of vouchers each year for16,000 employers.“The origins of our business is

share registry, we’ve been doing thatfor nearly 40 years. If you own sharesin a company we might look aftertheir registry.“We are the largest provider of

employee share schemes in the UK.“We might hold your shares or sav-

ings.”The figures speak for themselves.

In Bristol Computershare protectsdeposits for 32,128 properties,through 362 letting agents and 6,416private landlords. In addition, 220businesses in the Bristol area use itschildcare voucher scheme.“But a lot of what we deliver will be

in your company’s brand not ours,”says Julian.That carries a weight of respons-

ibility and requires a great deal oftrust from customers.“It does,” agrees Julian. “We are

responsible for the brands of our cus-tomers because we do things intheir name and we are aware of thatwhich is why have to invest in ourservice.“We are in a competitive envir-

onment in all of our businesses.“We have different tactics in dif-

Julian Foster

“Nationally confidence isup but productivity islower as manycompanies avoidedredundancies but insteaddidn’t invest in otherareas of the business.We believe in investing inour business. We havecreated jobs throughoutthe recession and nowemploy 1,400 people, upfrom 1,000.”

admits they are not the best knownbig local employer.“We’re a financial administrative

and business services provider, itdoesn’t trip off the tongue,” he says.“We run a number of businesses. If

you are renting a property then yourlandlord has to protect your deposit.It’s likely they’ll use a custodialscheme, we run the only such schemein England andWales so we may wellprotect your deposit. We look afterone million deposits.“Likewise if you are a working

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WORKERS HAPPY

ON A daily basis, my team has the privilege ofexperiencing the achievements of small busi-nesses in Bristol and the drive of owner-man-agers determined to succeed.Whether it be increasing turnover, taking on

new staff, expanding premisesor exporting to new markets,companies in our area are com-mitted to pushing limits andseizing growth opportunities.The Bristol Post Business

Awards provide firms in the citywith the chance to showcasetheir triumphs and Lloyds BankCommercial Banking will con-tinue its strong associationwiththe awards by supporting the Small Business ofthe Year category, celebrating the successes ofsmall firms across the city.The past 12 months have seen an incredible

amount of progress, from the innovators at theBristol and Bath Science Park creating newtechnologies, to the sheer number of independ-ent restaurants and retailers starting up in thecity centre, Clifton and beyond.Advances have also been made on the jobs

front, with employment in the South West

rising at the fastest rate since January 2014 – aclear indicator that companies are embracingexpansion opportunities.But in order to sustain growth in our region,

it’s important that firmshave access to the rightsupport – both in terms of finance and guid-ance.For expanding businesses, quick access to

finance is essential in order to seize growthopportunities as soon as they arise. We haveincreased the amount our senior managers can

lend to customers without cent-ral approval to £1 million inorder to make the lending pro-cess more efficient.As part of our SME Charter

we have also pledged to growlending to small businesses by£1billion by the end of 2017.Speaking to companies

around the city, it’s obvious thatmany rely on external business

advisors who can act as sounding boards forideas or help to deal with issues. As part of thenational mentoring scheme, Lloyds can offerbusinesses the chance to partner with a mem-ber of the bank who can offer guidance andshare their experiences.Given such a positive environment for the

Bristol business community, the awards look setto be the best yet. We wish everyone nominatedthe best of luck and look forward to celebratingwith them on June 25.

Firms’ chance to showcase their triumphs

MOREthan 100 entrieswill be competing for theprizes at this year’s Bristol Post BusinessAwards.The awards, held in association with UWE

Bristol, saw entries upmore than 20 per cent onlast year to 109.And this year there are a

number of heavyweights in-cluding FTSE 100 listed Har-greaves Lansdown,Computershare (see left) andBristol’s fastest growing com-pany Ovo Energy among thenominees.Bristol Post assistant editor

Gavin Thompson said: “I’m de-lighted to see so many greatBristol businesses putting themselves forwardfor the awards this year.“It’s fantastic to see some of the big, high-pro-

file employers entering and the Large Businesscategory looks like a strong one this year.“I’m equally thrilled that the most popular

category is the Young Entrepreneur as thisreflects the dynamic nature of both Bristol’s

business community and the readership of thispublication.”The judges will be reviewing the entries over

the coming weeks before the finalists are an-nounced later in May.In the meantime tickets for the night are now

available for sale.The black tie dinner is not

just for the finalists but is thehighlight of the city’s businesscalendar and is a great net-working opportunity as well asa good way to reward yourteam.The event at the Passenger

Shed, Temple Meads, on June25 will be compered by ITV

West Country presenter Ian Axton, a rising starin the broadcast news world and staple of thelocal regional news evening bulletin.Gavin added: “The Bristol Post Business

Awardswill be a fantastic evening, I hopewe seeyou there.”To buy tickets, go to www.bristol-

post.co.uk/businessawards.

Tough job ahead for judgeswith more than 100 entries

built in themid 1970s to echo the styleof architect Frank Lloyd Wright, aleading light in the Arts and Craftsmovement from the turn of the cen-tury.Computershare owns the building

and has looked after it, seeing thelisting as something to be proud ofrather than a planning restriction tobegrudge.“We’ve invested a lot inmaking this

a great place to work and in reducingthe carbon footprint,” says Julian.“We’ve worked hard and invested a

lot of money to give our people a goodplace to work but we don’t just stop atthe building. We’ve got allotmentsand beehives making use of the spacearoundit.”There’s also a gym, Starbucks and

regular visits from traders.A green grocer was selling a range

of fruit and veg in the foyer on the dayof this interview.This environment is not just al-

truistic, the business wants motiv-ated and happy workers who will inturn preach its virtues to others.Recruitment is becoming competitivein Bristol right now.“We look to work with schools and

colleges locally and we advertisewhere we can. We do the things youwould expect to recruit,” says Julian.

My downtime

Downtime: Family. My wife and little boy. Weboth work full time so weekend time is Gabrieltime. He loves animals so we go and see asmany animals as we can. He’s curious androbust so indoors don’t suit him. His nursery isa forest school nursery so forat least a couple of hoursa day he’s outside in allweathers, climbingtrees or whatever. Ithink that’s fantastic.It means he sleepswell on a Friday nightthen we can enjoyfamily time at theweekends. I enjoycooking for the family.I’ll have a go at anything.If we go out to a nicerestaurant I’ll think I’ll have ago at that.Hero: Valentino Rossi. I’m passionate aboutmotorbike racing and my wife and I sharethose passions (her father was a professionalracer).TV: I don’t get huge amount of time but I enjoytheatre and cinema. If I do watch TV probablya crime/thriller. We’re watching The Followingat the moment but we’re a season behind.

But fundamentallywe have to demon-strate to people thatwe are good placeto work and have a competitive pack-age of pension, employee benefits andflexible working. If you are a workingmum and you think ‘how am I goingto get to South Bristol to work there’,wehave a free bus service to bring ourstaff here.We canmake your hours fitaround your childcare needs.“Not only is it an interesting job

where you will be challenged, it’s afriendly company. I was surprisedthat a company which when I joinedhad 15,000 employees globally couldstill have a family feel but it does.”They offer prospects. The CEO be-

lieves 95 per cent of vacancies shouldbe filled internally, for example.“One of our operations directors

started as a 16 year old and our groupCEO started working for a businesswe later acquired when he was 16,”says Julian. “We do give people op-portunities. We acquire businessesquite regularly which creates oppor-tunities too.”You might not have heard of Com-

putershare before today, but its 1,400Bristol employees are there in thebackground, cheerily performingtasks that might be supporting younext time you rent a property,buy shares or use childcare vouch-ers.

● JulianFoster ofComputershare,which employsmore than1,000 peoplein Bristol. Thefirm’s offices,the Pavilions,have beenlisted byEnglishHeritage as afine exampleof post-wararchitecturePic: Jon KentBRJK20150402A-012

Bristol Post Business Awards

Sponsor profile

Area director SME BankingLloyds Bank Commercial Banking

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YOU might have noticed thatsince the election campaignthe leaders of every partyhave taken any opportunityto make a policy announce-

ment at a factory, offices, techstart-up or anywhere that is con-sidered a business area.This perhaps gives you an under-

standing of just how important thesupport of the business community isto the political community in an elec-tion campaign.The Conservative Party campaign

has one overarchingkeymessage andit is very simple, the UK economy isgrowing. Since the start of Cameron’spremiership in 2010 the UK has wit-nessed economic growth and unem-ployment has fallen.A Conservative government has

promised to cut corporation tax byone per cent, scrap national insur-ance for the first ten employees ofstart-up for two years and scrap thetax altogether for anyone under theage of 21.Using their newbuzzword “help to”

the Conservatives would also intro-duce a “help to grow” scheme whichwill provide £1bn to firms that arelooking to expand, invest and take onnew employees.There is most certainly support for

the Conservative Party from withinthe business community and theywere buoyed by a letter to the DailyTelegraph from 100 business leadersstating that Labour threatened Bri-tain’s recovery and the ConservativeParty are the only party to be trustedwith Britain’s economy.It is one of the first times that the

business community has come out infull force to back a single party.Labour responded to this with an

open letter from “working people”who condemned the last five yearsand felt that the recovery had onlybeen felt by the few and not the manyin society – this has been an integralpart of Miliband’s messaging sincetaking office in 2010.These two letters signify the dir-

ection the two major parties havetaken during this election campaignand the two likely horizons for busi-ness post-May 7.ALabour governmentwould see an

increase in the level of corporationtax but keep it at the most com-petitive rate out of anyG7 economies.It ismost likely that this would see anincrease of 4-6 per cent in the level oftax paid by big businesses.Miliband has pledged that the

money raised will be used to cut andfreeze taxes for small businesses.Bristol, like much of the UK, isn’t

in a twohorse race and it is important

that they work for is run.It is clear that improving employee

rights is high on their agenda as theywould increase theminimumwage to£10 per hour by 2020 and ban black-listing by businesses that refuse toemploy trade union members.Business and growth has often

been a thorn in the side of the GreenParty, with critics arguing that theylack any concise business policies.UKIP faces a similar battle with its

stance on Europe concerning the ma-

| ’

As the general electionlooms, James Lancaster fromstrategic communicationsconsultancy JBP,which specialisesin parliamentaryaffairs, assesseshow the parties’policies playwith business

General Election focusWhat the rival parties are offeringto win businesses’ votes in Bristol

“The future of Britain’s’relationship with Europeis a major concern tobusiness.

to look at the remaining parties whocould play a key role in shaping thenext UK Government.The Liberal Democrats have

stressed that more work needs to bedone to improve equal pay in busi-ness and that without them therewillbe a callous Conservative economicagenda and an ill thought out onefrom Labour.It is apparent that there is accept-

ance amongst the ranks within theLib Dems that coalition-style Gov-ernments arehere to stay and that theproposals set out in their manifestowill be bargaining chips for any fu-ture administration that they arepart of.Lib Dems have also promised to

introduce a Regulation Policy Com-mittee to work at removing the levelof regulation within the sector.We also need to welcome the new

kids on the block because this elec-tion is going to have two other partiescompeting who could have a seriousimpact on some of the results inEngland.These are the Green Party and

UKIP, who might not make any sig-nificant gains in Westminster butcould split the vote in constituenciesand make substantial gains at localcouncil level.The Green Party sit to the left of

Labour and have called for radicalreforms to the business sector.They are calling for a greater rep-

resentation on the boards of all busi-nesses, so that employees can have agreater say in how the organisation

The Green Party wants toheal the planet and anunstable, unsustainableeconomy and create a moreequal society. It pledges to:

● Invest in an £85 billionpublic programme ofrenewable electricitygeneration, flood defencesand building insulation

● Raise the minimum wageto £10 an hour by 2020 andmake the highest wage inany organisation no morethan 10 times the lowest

● Bring rail back into publicownership

● Abandon GDP and thepursuit of growth as ameasure of success

● Use taxation andregulation to ensure thatproducts and packaging aredesigned with a view towhat happens to them whenthey stop being useful

● Require all new homes tobe built to the “Passivhausstandard” for energy andsupport communal heatingsystems where possible

● Provide £4.5 billion overthe Parliament to supportresearch and developmentinto less energy-intensiveindustrial processes

● Ban fracking, invest £35billion in renewable energyand give Green InvestmentBank full borrowing powers

● Phase out nuclear powerstations within 10 years

● Stop new building onflood plains

● Scrap Help to Buy,remove buy-to-let taxincentives and break up bigbuilder “cartels” but reduceVAT on housing renovationto five per cent

● Introducing five-year fixedtenancy agreements andcontrol private rents

● Phase in 35-hour workingweek

● Cut employers’ NI to eightper cent to help small firmsincrease wages.

● Raise corporation tax forlarge firms to 30 per cent.

people or more must give their staffon zero-hour contracts a full orpart-time secure contract after oneyear.The election is now a week away

and it is clear that the ConservativeParty is the party with the mostsupport from the business com-munity.However, Labour’s messaging sur-

rounding the NHS, welfare, changingbusiness culture and improving em-ployee rights appears to be breakingthrough.Miliband now looks the most likely

to head to Downing Street, in sometype of coalition, and the Conser-vatives are still waiting for that killerblow.Two of the novice parties in this

election, UKIP and Greens, appear tonot have this level of support and areyet to mature into parties that busi-nesses can trust.The future of Britain’s’ relation-

ship with Europe is a major concernto business. Labour and the LiberalDemocrats are united in their com-mitment not to offer a referendumand both back Britain’s continuedmembership.Whilst Cameron’s commitment to

have a referendumby 2017 is seen as away of opening the democratic de-bate, where he will likely championthe case to remain in the EU and, Isuspect, 100 business leaders will besending a new letter demanding thatBritain stays in Europe. Farage andEurope, I think enough has beensaid.

jority of the business community.There have been some question

marks about the level of economicdepth of both the Green Party andUKIP’s plans for business.UKIP, especially, have been seen to

be laying out populist policy plansthat are more in alignment with theleft than their centre-right ideolo-gical base.These include plans to “enforce the

minimumwage” and their announce-ment that they would introduce alegally binding code of conduct stip-ulating that businesses with 50

● Labourleader EdMilibandspeaks at theNationalCompositesCentre inEmersonsGreen; below,Conservativeleader DavidCameronduring a visitto Bristol andBath SciencePark

Some key

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INCREASING tax relief oninvestment should be thenext government’s top pri-ority in terms of helpingSMEs, according to a new

survey.Research carried out by Bris-

tol-based recruitment firm Al-exander Daniels foundoverwhelming support for theUK’s continued membership ofthe EU – with none of the surveyrespondents supporting outrightwithdrawal.Despite that view on Europe,

the survey, which had more than100 businesses respond, suggeststhe business “vote” is firmly be-hind the Conservatives ahead ofthe General Election.When asked which single

measure would they most like tosee introduced by the next gov-ernment after May 7, a thirdhighlighted increased tax reliefon investment, closely followedby reform of the UK’s complextax system and improvements toroad, rail and air infrastruc-ture.With a referendum on the UK’s

Call for nextgovernmentto increasetax relief

SMEs

The Lib Dems say we need astrong economy to create jobsand opportunities for all. Theywant an economy that is “strong,green and fair”. They pledge to:

● Double innovation spend in oureconomy, making the UK a worldleader in advancedmanufacturing, clean technologyand digital industries

● Grow a competitive bankingsector, support alternative financeproviders and improve access tofinance for businesses

● Expand the Green InvestmentBank and set a legally bindingdecarbonisation target to greenour electricity

● Expansion of advancedapprenticeships backed by newsector-led national colleges

● Support Regional Growth Fund

● Devolve more economicdecision making to local areas,transferring power over transport,housing, infrastructure fundingand skills training

● Create one-stop shop for SMEsto access government support

● Open up public procurement toSMEs and voluntary sector

● Implement rules to separateretail and investment banking

● Expand the British BusinessBank to get more equity capital togrowing firms and more long-termcapital for medium-sizedbusinesses

● Continue Banking Levy andintroduce a supplementarycorporation tax charge on bankingsector for a limited time

● Make SMEs the priority for anybusiness tax cuts

● Long-term aim to replacebusiness rates with a land valuetax and ensure this is consideredin current business rates review

● Increase the proportion of taxrevenue raised by green taxes

● 10-year rolling infrastructurecapital investment plans

● Encourage free trade as fullmember of reformed EU and keepthe UK open to migrant workerswho play vital role in business

● Expand Shared Parental Leavewith a ‘use it or lose it’ month forfathers, and introduce a right topaid leave for carers

● Require companies with morethan 250 employees to publishdetails of the different pay levelsof men and women.

● Build 300,000 homes a year.

continuing membership of theEU potentially in the offing, thesurvey asked business ownersfor their views.It showed unanimous support

for the UK continuing to remainpart of the EU, but with 69 percent supporting a re-negotiationof our terms of membership.Meanwhile some 82 per cent of

firms said that their businesswould back the Conservatives,with nine per cent favouring La-bour.Nick Pearce, director at Al-

exander Daniels, said: “The res-ults of our survey areunequivocal –membership of theEU is vital to the UK’s prosperityand there is no appetite amongbusinesses for withdrawal.“When it comes to the election,

most SMEs in our survey take adispassionate view and agreewithChristine Lagarde, the headof the IMF, that the economicmedicine administered over thepast five years has worked, andthat the Conservatives are thesafest pair of hands when itcomes to managing the recov-ery.”

● Nick Pearce

Labour’s plan is to build firmereconomic foundations forcreating wealth, rewardinghard work and competing inthe world. It pledges to:

● Cut then freeze businessrates for small businessproperties, paid for byreversing the recent one percent cut in corporation tax.Small businesses will comefirst for tax cuts

● Establish a BritishInvestment Bank and supporta regional banking network toboost lending to SMEs

● Raise the minimum wage tomore than £8 an hour byOctober 2019

● Those working regular hoursfor 12 weeks on a zero hourscontract will be entitled to aregular contract

● Guarantee every schoolleaver who gets the grade anapprenticeship. Every largefirm getting a majorgovernment contract will berequired to offerapprenticeships

● Employers get more controlover apprenticeship funding

● Freeze energy bills until2017 and create a new energywatchdog

● More public control overpublic transport. Freeze railprices next year and give cityregions more control over busfares and routes

● Not increase VAT or NationalInsurance

● Ensure at least 200,000 newhomes a year are built by2020, with first priority for localfirst time buyers

● Double paternity leave fromtwo to four weeks andincrease paternity pay by morethan £100 a week

● Guarantee three-yeartenancies for people rentingwith a ceiling on rent rises

● Devolve power to regions,handing over £30 billion ofresources to city and countyregions

● Introduce a Small BusinessAdministration to coordinatework across government tobenefit smaller businesses

● Set up a NationalInfrastructure Commission tostop long-term decisions beingkicked into the long grass.

UKIP’s economic policy aims to“restore incentives for workers bycutting taxes and ending the opendoor” arrangement for Europeanlabour which has driven downwages”. It pledges:

● 20 per cent business rates relieffor firms with total rateable valueof its properties below £50,000

● HMRC given powers toinvestigate and fine firms over latepayments to small businesses

● Pilot scheme to give SMEsaccess to trade credit financepart-backed by Government

● Scrap VAT on some goods,such as sanitary products

● Push councils to offer at least30 minutes fee parking in towncentres, high streets shoppingparades to boost trade

● Repeal EU directives that stiflebusiness growth

● Charge those with emptyhomes for more than two years 50per cent more on council tax

● Compile national brown-fieldsites register and offer grants ofand stamp duty exemptions toencourage development

● Relax planning rules onconverting offices and commercialbuildings into homes

● Allow planning permission forlarge scale developments to beover turned by local referendums

● Five-year moratorium onimmigration for unskilled workers

● Australian style points basedsystem to managed skills andpeople coming into the country

● End road tolls once existingcontracts expire

● Scrap the driver certificate ofprofessionalised competencecertificate for hauliers

● Repeal the Climate Change Act2008, which drives up costs,undermines competitiveness andhits jobs and growth

● Support shale gas extraction, orfracking

● Withdraw subsidies for newwind & solar arrays, invest in coal

● Allow businesses to choose toemploy British citizens first

● Legally binding code of conductfor use of zero hours contracts.

The Conservatives want to stick totheir long-term economic plan.They pledge:

● No rise in VAT or NationalInsurance

● Improve transport connectionsin the South West, including M5,A358, A30 and A303

● Devolve powers and budgetson economic development,transport and social care to largecities which have elected mayors

● Pilot allowing local councils toretain 100 per cent of growth inbusiness rates

● A major review of businessrates by the end of 2015 to deliverreform from 2017

● Deliver three million moreapprenticeships and abolishemployers’ national insurance onapprentices under 25

● Keep employment allowance,which frees businesses from first£2,000 of employers’ NICs

● Treble Start-up Loansprogramme to lend to 75,000entrepreneurs in next Parliament

● Raise target for SME share ofprocurement from centralgovernment to a third

● Establish Small BusinessConciliation service to mediate indisputes eg, late payment

● Require firms with more than250 employees to publishdifference between average pay ofmale and female employees

● Invest £6.9 billion in UK’sresearch infrastructure up to 2021.Target resources at ‘eight greattechnologies’ including roboticsand nanotechnology

● A referendum on Britain’smembership of the EU

● Continue with tax reliefs for film,television, and creative industries

● Extend the Help to Buy equityloan scheme and introduce Helpto Buy ISA for first-time buyerssaving for a deposit

● Extend right to buy your hometo Housing Association tenants

● Build 200,000 new starterhomes over five years sold at 20per cent below market value

● Create brown field fund tounlock housing on brown fieldsites and make councils createregister of available land.

policies for business from the party manifestos

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In pictures Bristol Post Bristol Connected business networking event

CYCLIST ALERT SYSTEM FORBusiness diary

Email your business events [email protected] are sometimescancelled without us beingnotified so please check withorganisers before travelling.

Financial Planning Clinic:One-to-one advice on financialissues and questions fromchartered accountant TonyJames at The Hive,Weston-super-Mare. Free topre-start businesses and thosetrading less than a year or £40.April 30. Book atwww.northsomerseteterpriseagency.co.uk.

The Business Case for Agileand Flexible Working: Flexibilityand Agile – just buzz words oractual good business practice?Expert panel shares insights andtips. Organised by NearDesk atColston Office Centre, ColstonAvenue, 4-6pm on Thursday,April 30. Register via Eventbrite.

The Lord Mayor’s CharityDinner: Business leaders willenjoy a drinks reception followedby a three-course dinner,entertainment and an auction, inaid of The Lord Mayor ofBristol’s Children Appeal, onApril 30. Add your name to thewaiting list athttps://galadinner2015.eventbrite.co.uk and [email protected] forsponsorship opportunities or todonate auction and raffle prizes.

Eat Drink Bristol FashionSustainability Summit: 150delegates will come together inthe tipis in Queen Square todiscuss how the food industrycan strive to operate moresustainably and position the cityas the UK capital of sustainablecatering. Wednesday, May 6.Tickets fromwww.eatdrinkbristolfashion.com

Young Enterprise West ofEngland Area Final: ThursdayMay 7, 3.30-8pm. Eight finalistsfrom West of England schoolsbattle it out to represent the areaat the South West final on June19. To attend, contact CarolineTarbuck, [email protected].

Bristol Jobs Fair: 25 employerslooking to recruit will be atColston Hall from 10am to 2pmon Friday May 8.

Business Showcase SouthWest: Inspirational speakers,exhibition stands, andnetworking opportunities allfeature. The event is held atColston Hall in Bristol on May 14and 15, and is free forpre-booked delegates. Go towww.showcase2015.com formore information or [email protected].

Bristol and BathApprenticeship Awards: Anevening celebrating the bestapprentices in the region,organised by the Bristol Postand Bath Chronicle inassociation with SouthGloucestershire and StroudCollege. May 20 at Bristol CityCentre Marriott. Tickets atwww.bristolpost.co.uk/apprenticeship.

Venturefest: Showcase forinnovation comes to the EngineShed and Passenger Shed atTemple Meads. June 9. More atventurefestbristolandbath.com

ADEVICEcreated inBristol tokeep cyclists safe could soonbe in use around the world,according to entrepreneurJim Hutchinson.

His companyFusionProcessing de-veloped the CycleEye device whichcan be fitted to buses to warn thedriverwhen cyclists are in their blindspot.The device has been tested in Bris-

tol and London and Jim told theaudience at the Bristol Post BristolConnected business networkingevent that he was confident about thefuture.“There were few of us working in

the field of collision avoidance andspotted a need,” he said. “Cyclists andlarge vehicles don’t mix very wellsharing the same space so we spotteda gap in the market for somethingthat can reliably detect them andalert the driver.“We set out with the aim of dis-

rupting things. We’ve been throughproof of concept, prototype andpre-production stages. Now we’re atproduction. Low volumes at the mo-ment but we have capability to rampthat up very quickly over the next 12months.“We are getting enquiries from

around the world.”Jim said the key to the device was

that the technology could not justdetect cyclists but distinguish themfromother objects. Previous attemptshad not been able to do that so thedriver was bombarded with alerts.“The future looks good,” said Jim.

“We’ve got the bus product out. We’vea version for articulated trucks ontrial now with a major retailer.”He said the current device was

designed to be retrofitted to existing


● Angela Belassie – PR The Write Way, Caroline Vickery – Rebalance Resource and Tina Parkers – Nozey Parkers

● Antonia James and Karen Millett, both from Veale Wasbrough Vizards ● Carrie Brassley, Tree Aid

● On the roof terraceat Colston Hall

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vehicles but the long term future ofthe business could be in supply to busand truckmanufacturers to fit onnewvehicles.Jim added: “Bristol is a great place

to be a technology company. There ishuge talent and resources on ourdoorstep. “Earlier the 70-strong audience

heard from Louise Mitchell, chief ex-ecutive of Bristol Music Trust whichruns the Colston Hall and works tosupport music across the city.She revealed that the Thank You

For the Music campaign to raise £45million for the next phase of the hall’stransformation into aworld class con-cert venue was on track.“We have a £45 million target,” she

said. “The city council pledged £10million. After we launched the cam-paign at the House of Commons, wehad a visit fromChief Secretary to theTreasury who pledged £5 million to

BUSES COULD BE GLOBAL SUCCESS

the appeal.“In a very short time, a third of the

money is on the table. I’mworking onpublic funding applications and bythe end of this year I’mvery confidentI’ll be able to tell you we’ve got twothirds of the money. Although there’splenty of hard work still to do.”The hall was the venue for Bristol

Connected, which was hosted by stra-tegic communications consultancyJBP.The firm’s head of Parliamentary

affairs James Turgoose shared hisinsights into the upcoming generalelection. He picked out Bristol Westand Bristol North West as key seats.“If Labour win those, it’s a good bet

that Ed Miliband is on his way toDowning Street,” he said.The next Bristol Connected takes

place on June 4.Details and tickets will be revealed

nearer the time.

● SpeakersJimHutchinson– FusionProcessing,LouiseMitchell –chiefexecutive ofBristolMusic Trustand JamesTurgoose –JBPPictures:BarbaraEvripidou

● Above left,Rachael Glendinning– content strategyand copy writer andLucy Smith, MazarsLLP, talking to GavinThompson; above,Julia Husbands –Barclays; far left,Louis Harris – BritishPodcast Studios;left, HannahLamarque –Startblock, AlexJohnston – DomusFinancial and DeanScott – Sanlam

● Gary Hopkins – Bristol City Council, and Catherine Frankpitt – JBP Associates

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business 29 april 2015

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