Volume5 Issue3_Larger_2019_Finalised

Volume 5 Issue 3 201 9

DEALING WITH

CREATIVITY’S

DIVERSITY

PROBLEM

USING AI

TO BOOST

CUSTOMER

EXPERIENCE

WHAT PUTS

WOMEN OFF

CAREERS IN

DIGITAL?

10 LESSONS BIG

BUSINESSES

CAN LEARN

FROM SMES

ANDREA LEADSOM:

I AM DETERMINED TO

MAKE THE UK THE BEST

PLACE TO GROW A BUSINESS

Volume 5 Issue 3, 201 9

www.londonbusinessjournal.co.uk

CONTENTS

Cover story:

Andrea Leadsom. Pages 22-23

Dean Russell: Win That

Pitch. Pages 14-17

VoguePay:

Michael

Simeon on

Fintech.

Pages 28-32

Social Impact

Investing.

Pages 33-35

“We are better off

out of Europe”

The

concerns of

passing on

wealth

Pages 60-

61

5 Things a Remote Team

Cannot Survive Without.

Pages 58-59

INSIDE

10 Lessons Big

Businesses Can Learn

from SMEs. Pages 4-7

AI to Boost Customer

Experience. Pages 12-

13

Are You A

Collaborator? Pages

18-21

Dealing with

Creativity’s Diversity

Problem. Pages 24-26

What Puts Women off

Careers in Digital?

Pages 36-37

Retrain Your Brain:

Reframe Your Mind.

Pages 54-56

The London Business Journal is produced by THE LONDON BUSINESS JOURNAL, 1 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7EB. Telephone: 07043 020 287.

© 2014 all rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner or any language, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. All material

in this journal is provided for your information only and may not be construed as business advice or instruction. No action or inaction should be taken

based solely on the contents of this information; instead, readers should consult appropriate business related professionals on any matter relating to their

profession/trade/business. The information and opinions expressed here are believed to be accurate, based on the best judgement available to the

authors, and readers who fail to consult with appropriate authorities assume the risk of any financial setbacks or otherwise. In addition, the information

and opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of every contributor to The London Business Journal. The London Business Journal

acknowledges occasional differences in opinion and welcomes the exchange of different viewpoints.

The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions. Subscribe to The London Business Journal by visiting www.LondonBusinessJournal.co.uk or

send an email to: subscriptions@LondonBusinessJournal.co.uk. For all other enquiries email: info@LondonBusinessJournal.co.uk

Business Development


10 LESSONS BIG BUSINESSES

CAN LEARN FROM SMES

As a business that advises

organisations on how to

achieve stretching growth, we

work with a wide spectrum of

organisations from bluechip multinationals

to startups with little more

than a couple of founders and a dream.

Given our broad client base we’re often

asked what lessons can be learned from

others. Most commonly it’s the biggest

businesses that ask us what they can learn

from SMEs and startups. They have a

warped view of what it’s like to work in

such an environment and misinterpret the

realities behind the strong growth that

smaller organisations can achieve. So,

when we outline what we think the most

helpful lessons are for them, they can be

somewhat unexpected. In no particular

By Justin Wright

order, here are the 10 most valuable

lessons I think big businesses can learn

from SMEs...

1. FOCUS

One of the biggest challenges for big

businesses is the sheer number of ideas

and projects being worked on at any one

time. With resource comes a lack of focus

and this can seriously compromise your

chances of delivering stepchange growth.

Conversely, SMEs tend to be better at

focusing on doing one or two things

brilliantly, as they typically don’t have the

luxury of big budgets and teams of

people. In big companies, there is a

palpable feeling of risk associated with

just doing one or two things and there is

perceived safety in numbers the more

we do, the more chance something will be

4





a success. Wrong!

2. STAY LEAN

The other big advantage of not having

access to significant resources is that it

forces individuals and teams to think

more creatively. Too much resource can

often lead to complacency and even

laziness in big organisations. When

resources are restricted you have to think

your way around problems and

compensate for lack of budget by having

bigger and better ideas. This is something

SMEs often use to their advantage.

Limiting the resources allocated to a

project team in a big business can

significantly improve the creativity and

quality of that team’s outputs.

3. MITIGATE RISK

In our experience, the smaller the

company, the greater understanding there

is of the risks involved in doing or not

doing something. SMEs tend to be better

at understanding risk and mitigating it

because everyone is so much closer to the

bottom line. Interestingly, when you ask

big companies what they admire about

SMEs and startups they always talk

about their desire to take risks. This is a

misunderstanding; it’s highly unlikely

smaller companies seek out risk given the

consequences could mean the end of the

road for the business. Big companies

should spend more time assessing and

mitigating risk not just of projects they

do work on, but also the risk of doing

nothing.

4. SHARE THE SPOILS

If you want your employees to be

motivated to deliver your vision and

growth targets, then they need to know

there are different outcomes for them if

those targets are successfully delivered.

Incentivising individuals via significant

upside is much more difficult to do in

bigger organisations, where HR is

focused on implementing and adhering to

rigid bonus schemes. Equally, we find the



5



given the ‘freedom to fail’ knowing there

will be no negative consequences.

Justin Wright:

Coauthor of

‘Stretchonomics'

and cofounder of

Mangrove

corporate world less adept at using other

nonfinancial ways of recognising

performance and a general reluctance to

single out the contributions of any

particular individuals. The best SMEs are

much more willing to share the spoils

with those who delivered them.

5. BE COURAGEOUS

SMEs are more likely to ‘play to win’

whereas big businesses are more likely to

‘play to not lose’. The bigger you get, the

more you have to lose, and this can drive

conservative attitudes and behaviours. For

SMEs, the potential gains are always so

much greater than the potential downsides

of trying something and failing. This is

one of their advantages they have a

‘challenger mindset’ that so few big

businesses manage to adopt. Employees

need to know what kind of behaviours

and decisions are appropriate and be

6. BE AGILE

From firsthand experience, we’ve

witnessed how quickly decisions can be

made within SMEs. During a workshop

with a small, fastgrowth business, we

saw a critical strategic decision made

during a cigarette break one that

determined the future direction of the

company. Perhaps quite rightly, given

what’s at stake, this could never happen in

a big organisation. However, decision

making and planning in big business tends

to take an unreasonable amount of time

and involve an awful lot of people. There

are huge gains to be made by becoming

quicker at making good decisions AND

acting upon them.

7. LEARN AND ADAPT

The other advantage of being small is the

ability to learn and adapt quickly. If a

marketing plan or new product launch is

not going to plan, then SMEs seem more

adept at finding out why and intervening

quickly. They tend to be closer to the

market and to their customers, whereas

sitting in the ivory tower of a Corporate

HQ can give a sense of being detached

and distant from the real world. Learning

tends to be more formal, involving

expensive and slow research, which

means by the time the learning has

permeated the business, it can be too late

to act to rectify the situation. On the other

hand, SMEs' approach to learning is

usually more informal some

conversations with key customers to

inform the assessment of the situation,

rapidly followed by a plan to fix things

6





before it’s too late.

8. HAVE A PURPOSE

We all need to know why we get out of

bed in the morning and come into the

office. More than just the motivation of

money, we want to feel like we are

devoting 40+ hours a week to a cause we

understand and believe in. Whilst

corporates try very hard to do this, their

expensively researched corporate

ambitions tend to be so high level and

distant from employees, that they are paid

little more than lip service. Given SMEs

are so often ownermanaged businesses,

there is a direct and immediate reminder

of why the business was set up and what it

aims to achieve. The motivations of these

key individuals are inherent in everything

the business does, so it cannot fail to rub

off on the work force.

9. DON’T TRY TO DO EVERYTHING

YOURSELF

Invariably, when a big business spots a

market opportunity, they dedicate

resources to creating a new product,

service or offer to exploit it. They have a

strong bias towards working

autonomously to developing an

appropriate solution even if the more

logical solution would be to partner with

others who already have part of that

solution or the skills to develop it on their

behalf. We find that small businesses are

much more open to joint ventures,

collaborations or licensing options that get

them to a fitforpurpose solution quicker,

and without huge development

investment. They realise what their

strengths are and play to them,

supplementing additional capabilities by

inviting others to work with them. Big

businesses could learn a lot from this

more pragmatic and collaborative

approach.

10. ENJOY THE JOURNEY

One of the most exciting things about

working in an SME is being able to

contribute to, enjoy and benefit from the

growth of the organisation. You are much

more able to enjoy the journey which is

often dynamic and stimulating. Most big

organisations have existed for some time

and they are well into their journey. Often

the focus is on not going backwards or

just keeping pace with market growth

rates. The journey is less tangible if there

is one at all. Whilst this may be true at an

overall corporate level, there is no reason

why the leaders of teams or departments

cannot create this sense of journey and

allow all team members to contribute to

and enjoy it.

The challenge for big

businesses is they

cannot just pretend

they are small and act

in this way they have

too much at stake.

Instead, they must

understand the

implications for their

organisation and focus

on emulating a few of

the advantages that

SMEs enjoy as a consequence of them

lacking scale.

Justin Wright is coauthor of ‘Stretchonomics – the art and science of success’ and cofounder of

innovation and growth agency, Mangrove. For further information visit:

www.mangroveconsulting.co.uk



7

Events: THE LONDON ASIAN BUSINESS AWARDS 201 9


THE LONDON ASIAN BUSINESS AWARDS

The 3rd London Asian Business

Awards saw 33 finalists across

London crowned for their

various business achievements in an

elegant ceremony held at the

Millennium Gloucester Hotel in

Kensington on Friday 11th October.

Sponsored by Gatehouse Bank and

presented by Greenleaf Catering, the event

was organised by Oceanic Consulting –

the UK’s leading ethnic awards company.

Oceanic Consulting's CEO Irfan Younis

said: “I’d like to congratulate all winners

and finalists awarded at the 3rd London

Asian Business Awards 2019. The evening

was one of absolute talent and inspiration.

London’s Asian Business community are

the perfect role models for future

generations of aspiring entrepreneurs.”

Categories included Rising Star, Young

Entrepreneur of the Year and International

Business of the Year among others.

Capturing the spirit of London’s South

Asian community, the ceremony was one

of inspiration, with the range of finalists

reflecting the sheer number of London

industries with Asian impact and presence.

The London Business Journal were

official media partners for the awards and

charity partners were the Asian Women’s

Resource Centre who provide specialist

domestic violence support services to

women and children across London.

The evening was hosted by Sheila G.



9



International Entrepreneur of the Year:

Zeeshan Shah CPIC Global (Mayfair)

Business of the Year: Portman Chauffeurs

Worldwide (Old Street)

WINNERS OF THE LONDON ASIAN

BUSINESS AWARDS 2019 ARE AS

FOLLOWS:

INTERNATIONAL ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR:

Zeeshan Shah CPIC Global (Mayfair)

RISING STAR IN LAW: Anita Pali – Sheridans

(Mayfair)

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR: Harry

Rashid Synergy Four Restaurants

(North Finchley)

BEST IN LAW: Nawraz Karbani

Drystone Chambers (Holborn)

RISING STAR OF THE YEAR IN FINANCE:

Zahid Anwar – Cogress (Fitzrovia)

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR:

Shanil Gudka / Jenika Gudka The

Wolfe London (Surrey)

DISRUPTIVE ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR:

Deepak Tailor Latest Free Stuff

(Ilford)

THE COMMUNITY INITIATIVE AWARD:

Henna Asian Womens Group (Kilburn)

WHOLESALER OF THE YEAR: Wanis

International Foods (Leyton)

BEST FOOD ESTABLISHMENT: Kashmir

Restaurant (Putney)

CREATIVE ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR:

Waleed Jahangir Algebra Consulting

(City of London)

WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Ninu Galot Ninu

Galot Foundation (City of London)

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR:

TMT Metal Holdings (City of London)

PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR: Bhavit

Sawjani JP Morgan & Co (Canary

Wharf)

RISING STAR OF THE YEAR: Amrita

Srivastava – Mastercard (Canary

Wharf)

10





Small

Business of

the Year: Taj

Accountants

(Shadwell)

Woman of the Year:

Ninu Galot Ninu

Galot Foundation

(City of London)

Power

Business of

the Year:

Brown &

Burk

(Hounslow)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Subash

Manuel – TechBank (Canary Wharf)

BUSINESSWOMAN OF THE YEAR: Lisa

Sohanpal Nom Noms World Foods (St

John's Wood)

BUSINESSMAN OF THE YEAR: Selva

Pankaj Regent Group (Harrow)

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: Portman

Chauffeurs Worldwide (Old Street)

Best in Law:

Nawraz

Karbani

Drystone

Chambers

(Holborn)

FOOD ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR: Aida

Khan – Shola (White City)

BEST PROFESSIONAL IN BUSINESS: Vijay

Parikh Harold Benjamin Solicitors

(Harrow)

RETAIL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: London

Tea Exchange (Shoreditch)

POWER BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: Brown

& Burk (Hounslow)

ACCOUNTING & FINANCE PROFESSIONAL

OF THE YEAR: Sudhir Rawal Jeffreys

Henry (Old Street)

CORPORATE LEADER OF THE YEAR:

Amrit Bahia Royal Bank of Scotland

(Spitalfields)

ONE TO WATCH: Rahul Modasia –

NatWest (Spitafields)

DIGITAL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: Doctify

(Hackney)

SME BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: Jealous

Sweets (Tooting)


FOOD BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: Oriental

Foods (Wembley)

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: Taj

Accountants (Shadwell)

SERVICES TO CORPORATE BUSINESS:

Anuj Chande Grant Thornton

(Finsbury)

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR:

Ruby Raut – WUKA (St Albans)

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS:

Sukhbinder Noorpuri iGP (Kent)


11

Customer Service


USING AI TO BOOST

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

I often notice that a lot of people are still reluctant to jump into the pool of AI,

but it can offer solutions to solve the many little problems that people struggle

with. And it is not always about the giant leaps – it can help make the lives of

employees and customers better in a sequence of small but meaningful steps.

By Prof. Steven Van Belleghem

Recently, many of the real

innovation in customer service and

AI have been coming from China,

because all of their innovations start from

understanding– through their data – what

their customers want, and then delivering

it to them quickly. Here are some great

examples to take inspiration from: KFC

and Baidu.

An experimental example of AI in

customer experience is KFC’s

collaboration with “China’s Google”,

Baidu. They use facial recognition to

predict what a customer might want to eat

based on the time of day, estimated age,

gender and mood. For example, a 20

something male might be offered a crispy

chicken burger, chicken wings and a coke

based on behaviour of previous, similar

customers. KFC claims that the system

will also remember what each individual

customer ate for their next visit.

It’s not surprising that this kind of

experiment is running in China.

Culturally, they are huge on speed,

efficiency and personalisation and a lot

12



Customer Service


Prof. Steven Van

Belleghem: Expert

in digital customer

focus and awardwinning

author of

'Customers The

Day After

Tomorrow'

a huge amount about how robots are used

in real life, how they ‘behave’, and what

works and what doesn’t. All the data and

usage it gathers is helping Luka the

reading robot to become better and

smarter, so Ling could easily become one

of the greatest players in the market.

more comfortable than the West with

digital ordering and the use of facial

recognition. The Guardian quoted one of

KFC’s customers as saying: “In China,

you don’t have any privacy anyway.”

LING

Ling is a robot company that was

founded by some top executives at Baidu.

They started out producing and selling

about 10 different robots, including one

that drove around inside stores. When

their reading robot, Luka, proved to be the

most successful, they decided to make it

their sole focus. They did not waste any

time analysing the market, putting a

strategy into a long PPT and then

choosing the one specific product that had

all the odds going for it – they just tried a

variety of things, and then focused on the

one that sold the most.

Robots in the US tend to be more

sophisticated, but Ling is quickly learning

XIAOMI

Often called “the iPhone of China”,

Xiaomi have the largest offer of IoT

wearable devices available in the world.

They sell basically every connected

device that can be used in the house, at

work or when we travel. Their datamunching

systems are able to predict what

their customers need. Just like

refrigerators telling customers when they

need to purchase a new supply of milk,

and possibly even automating the buying

of it for them.

Imagine what the datadriven approach

means when a company that sells

hundreds of that type of device is able to

connect them all together through the

same

platform.

Just imagine

what type of

predictabilit

y and faster

than realtime

automation

they can

deliver, and

what that could mean for customer

experience!

Prof. Steven Van Belleghem is an expert in customer focus in the digital world. He’s is an awardwinning

author, and his new book Customers The Day After Tomorrow is out now. Follow him on

Twitter @StevenVBe, subscribe to his videos at www.youtube.com/stevenvanbelleghem or visit

www.stevenvanbelleghem.com



13

Business Development: Win That Pitch


HELPING BUSINESSES TO

“WIN THAT PITCH”

Dean Russell: Founder of Win That Pitch

By Ronnie Ajoku

Dean Russell is the Founder of

Win That Pitch, a unique

business set up to help do

exactly what its name says — help

businesses and individuals to win

pitches.

A former physicist with papers published

in the British Library, he is a former

Parliamentary Candidate, a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and

Commerce (RSA), a Volunteer Champion

for the Media Trust and former Regional

Vice Chairman for the Federation of

Small Business.

Clearly he is no stranger to the business

world. “I have been fortunate to work in

the digital, comms and marketing world

and have nearly twenty years [worth of

experience] with big agencies, global

brands, startups and charities,” he says.

Having obtained adequate experience he

felt that there was more he could bring to

the table and decided to branch out on his

own by launching Epifny Consulting.

“Around four years ago, I decided to setup

my own business to do things a bit

differently than the traditional consultancy

or education model.

“Initially, we focused upon leadership but

quickly realised that a central part of

success for any individual or organisation

is the ability to pitch. Sometimes the word

'pitch' gets confused with selling, but the

reality is we pitch every day. Of course,

pitching for new business is a crucial skill

but also knowing how to pitch an idea, an

opportunity or partnership opportunity

can be just as important.

“For leadership and managers, knowing

how to present with confidence and pitch

to win is essential but you would be

amazed how many individuals who are

incredibly successful still don't feel

confident presenting or pitching or have

14





done it for so long they no longer feel like

they genuinely connect with their

audience.”

The idea for Win That Pitch came when

he began to notice the growing request for

pitchrelated support. “When helping

clients pitch, I would often be asked for

recommendations on books or training for

pitching. I soon realised that whilst there

are some great books they tend to focus

on investment (Dragons' Denstyle

pitching and presenting), which usually

means they don't take into account all the

prior stages of the pitch process.”

Looking to fill the void he created a

system aimed at increasing the possibility

of a successful pitch. “I wanted to create a

guide to take people through every aspect

of winning; covering things like the right

questions to ask at the briefing stage, how

to develop a strong proposal or how to

pitch as a team.”

Before long, what set out to be a

foolproof checklist

became an entire

book on the subject

matter titled 'How To

Win – The Ultimate

Professional Pitch

Guide'. “I decided to

write a fourpage

checklist as a guide

for clients. Quite

quickly that became

eight pages, then

twelve and by the end

of the process I had

written an entire

book: How To Win:

The Ultimate

Professional Pitch

Guide (now available

on Amazon). Once I

had written the book,

I found people asking

me about training for

the learnings I shared,

consultancy on live

pitches and

recommendation for presentation

designers.

“Quite quickly, I found myself growing

organically to build Win That Pitch into

the first fullservice pitch and presentation

consultancy. Now we can help with every

aspect of a pitch or presentation including

CPD Accredited training course, online

masterclasses, 247 design, research

support through to handson consultancy.”

In Russell's view there are three main

things that separate Win That Pitch from

other organisations offering expertise in

this arena.

“Firstly, the biggest differentiator is we

are fullservice so that we can help with

any or all of the pitch and presentation

process. For example, some clients

contact us to help design their proposals

and pitch decks, for other clients we do

the training through to handson



15



consultancy for live pitches. That means

we can turn around highquality services,

quickly and with a competitive

budget.

“Secondly, we know that

many of our clients wouldn't

call themselves salespeople.

So we approach the process to

help our clients remove the

stigma of selling and learn

how to use storytelling to

create compelling and

convincing pitches and

presentations that their

audiences love.

“Thirdly, we put the individual

at the centre of everything we do. I have

had 20 years pitching at the highest level

and learned the adage that 'people buy

people' is so true. So we make sure our

clients are trained to be the best version of

themselves throughout the whole process

of presenting and pitching. The more

comfortable they are delivering a speech,

presentation or sales pitch, the better they

will be at convincing the audience to buy

into what they are saying or selling.”

Russell has been involved in many

awardwinning campaigns

and is also a judge for several

awards including over 10

years judging the British

Association Screen

Entertainment (BASE)

Awards. He was formerly a

special advisor to the British

Interactive Media Association

(BIMA), Vice Chair of the

NHS Healthspace Patient

Reference Panel, member of

NHS Clinical Reference

Panel and judge for the Third

Sector Excellence Awards. As if that is not

enough, he is also a seasoned storyteller

and children’s book author with four

books published to date.

Win That Pitch's CPD Accredited online

pitch and presentation masterclass is

available online via their website, and the

book, How To Win: The Ultimate

Professional Pitch Guide is now available

on Amazon.

16





ARE YOU A COLLABORATOR?

Collaboration may be considered a nasty word by many; after all

many “Collaborators” were shot in both World Wars for

“collaborating” with the enemy. Despite this the term

Collaboration (at least in business) is today recognised as the fuel for any

business — the driving force for continued efficiency and a necessity for

improving outcomes.

By Don Hales; “The Don of Customer Experience”

My dictionary first defines the

word as “working in

conjunction with another and to

produce work jointly. It goes on to quote

the more sinister meaning, associated with

wars, as a secondary meaning.

Although the great importance now attached to the

concept of collaboration, by far greater

authorities than the author, the general

view is that collaboration is slow to take

hold and many opportunities are missed,

due to a reluctance by many businesses to

embrace the concept.

Why is this? Firstly, the more sinister

connotations of the word itself may be

deterring many from really examining the

benefits that can be obtained from

collaboration. Also our culture of

competition, the need to be the best and

beat the opposition is strong in the minds

of many senior executives, who have

achieved their success through personal

hard work, being the best, being in sole

command and winning against targets and

any rivals, internal or external.

From childhood, most of us have been

brought up in a competitive environment

– we are Oxford or Cambridge in the Boat

Race (whether or not, usually not, we

18





have any connection with either

University), we support a football team –

and immediately learn to detest whoever

the local rivals are. We support the Left or

the Right and rarely consider the merits of

the other wing, once a decision is made.

Strongly we stand about right versus

wrong and good versus evil.

With this culture embedded within many

of us, is it really, difficult to understand

why so many find it difficult to open

warmly to organisations who in other

aspects might be considered rivals and to

trust them, with a view to build mutual

benefits.

The best summary as to what makes a

good collaborative relationship is best

summed up by my friend and business

partner, the late John Langton. He said:

“In any partnership arrangement, when

both sides feel that they have given a bit

more than they are likely to receive, then it

is probably about right”.

How right John was! He led the five of

us to an astonishing business relationship

with the famous UK life assurance

company – Sun Life. John and his

number two, Ian, had many years

experience at the head of similar but

smaller companies. They roped in three

younger directors – Paul an actuary with

the ability to design and cost attractive and

profitable products, Roger a young but

experienced Chartered Accountant to run

the financial and support operation and

myself to run the Sales & Marketing,

where I had great experience and

knowledge.

We took a year, negotiating with Sun Life

and proving our credentials to them. We

knew we had the skills to run a highly

successful business but, what we did not

have was the large administrative

operation that would be needed, nor the

established name and tradition of a 160

yearold company with a household name.

Neither did we have the, not insubstantial,

capital needed to launch the enterprise and



19



finance it through the first year or so,

until the profits started to emerge.

We settled on a deal, whereby we set up

a company, licensing the Sun Life name,

placing all our business with them in

exchange for 10% of the shareholding.

Yes, there were

safeguards in

place for both

parties and the

biggest

contribution

they made was

allowing us to

trade under

their name.

That trust was

repaid by the

way in which

we valued and

protected the

reputation that came with the use of the

name. Four years later, they made a bid

for the company and we eventually sold

them a controlling interest in the

company (by now they trusted us to

continue to run the business) and we

agreed to sell the remainder of the

shareholding over the next four years, on

a formula basis to avoid the costly

professional advice used to establish the

share price for the first valuation.

In all, our partnership lasted 10 years.

They acquired a substantial business and

a large addition to the funds undermanagement.

My fellow executive

directors and myself, enjoyed a

challenging, but highly rewarding tenyear

journey and everyone, including

over 100 key players and the Sun Life

Group benefitted enormously.

I quote this personal example because it

contains all the elements of a great

collaboration. Sun Life had the money,

the name and the admin machinery to

make this work. They did not have the

specialist skills, knowledge and drive,

that they recognised were needed to make

this work. We

took at least 12

months getting

to know oneanother

and

thereafter we

were able to

discuss and

issues openly

and with faith

in each other’s’

judgement.

Could either

party have

achieved the

results without the other? Absolutely

NOT.

Today we are seeing more signs of

collaboration on the high streets and

many more are needed if that business

sector is to thrive. Locally, I have seen a

ladies’ hairdressing salon revitalised by

collaborating with a beautician. Many

hairdressing customers find it convenient

to have treatments at the premises that

they know and trust and equally, the

beauticians’ customers are attracted to

have their hairdressing in the beauticians’

new premises.

Prior to the collaboration, the beautician

was considering renting her own

premises, but this arrangement has

reduced costs and increased business for

both parties.

Another local example is that of a wellestablished

bookseller trying to establish

20





a coffeeshop on their premises in a high

street laced with coffee shops. Their first

attempts failed miserably. They

discovered that the skills and techniques

of book selling did not readily transcribe

to catering.

For a last attempt, they brought in an

experienced caféowner. The location

within the ship was transformed, such that

it looked nice and inviting from the

outside. It looked like the “place to be”.

Interesting and slightly more “upmarket”

than the competition. Not only is the café

thriving but the book and other sales have

increased appreciably. Customers stay

and browse longer, often before and after,

their refreshment and purchase more

items that previously. The increase in

business has not just been the success of

the coffee shop. The Bookseller’s staff,

have been encouraged to think creatively

about how to market to their new

customers – promoting booksignings and

other events, providing some reading

material, without giving whole products

away. This is, of course, an ongoing

process.

In many cases “Collaboration is King”.

My reason for writing this article, was not

to tell you what to do or how to do it. I

merely wanted to get readers’ thoughts

working.

At The London Business Journal, we

would be delighted to hear from you as to

ideas for collaboration and, even more

interesting, examples of “Collaborations”

that you have been involved in or know

of.

Don Hales is a veteran businessman who has built several successful companies that have been sold for

considerable sums. Today he is Cofounder and Chairman of Awards International Ltd, a company

specialising in producing award programmes on an international basis – primarily in the customer

experience and related fields. He is also an author and professional speaker on customer experience and is

currently involved in developing research and products relating to understanding customer emotions.



21

Cover Story: Andrea Leadsom


REINSTATING CONFIDENCE

IN THE BRITISH ECONOMY

It is no secret that the uncertainty of Brexit has been harmful to

the UK economy and by extension businesses, big and small.

By Ronnie Ajoku

From attracting foreign

investment to the best direction

for existing and upcoming

entrepreneurs, predictability appears

to be a thing of the past.

To get things back on track requires

tenacity, focus and experience. This is

where Andrea Leadsom comes in.

Previously Lord President of the Council

and Leader of the House of Commons

from June 2017 to May 2019, the Rt Hon

Andrea Leadsom was appointed Secretary

of State for Business, Energy and

Industrial Strategy on 24 July 2019.

Leadsom, who worked in the banking

and finance industry for 25 years, was at

one point Head of Corporate Governance

and Senior Investment Officer at Invesco

Perpetual, one of the UK’s largest retail

fund managers.

“The UK has a wellearned reputation for

worldclass research and innovation.

From the invention of the World Wide

Web to graphene, our scientists have

22



Cover Story: Andrea Leadsom


helped to transform the world for the

better.

"We are at the forefront of international

collaborations tackling some of

humanity’s greatest challenges, from

climate change to critical health and

societal issues,” she

said of the

government’s drive to

attract top scientists

from around the

world to relocate to

the UK; following

the Prime Minister's

instruction to the

Home Office and the

Department for

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

to work with the scientific community to

develop a new fasttrack visa route for the

brightest and best.

Keen to encourage innovative businesses

creating green alternatives to plastic

bottles and synthetic materials she said:

“Trailblazing UK businesses are giving us

all the choice to buy more sustainable

clothing, packaging and cosmetics that are

better for our environment.

“Consumers have shown they are keen

for green and we’re committed to

championing those innovative companies

that lead the way in this, protecting the

planet while at the same time opening up

huge opportunities for the UK economy.”

Along with encouraging entrepreneurship

Leadsom is also eager to protect the rights

of workers as her proposals for the

protection of workers' rights show. This

would mean that employers could, for the

first time, be required to provide at least a

basic reference for any former employee.

“I am determined to make the UK the

best place to work and grow a business —

including levelling the playing field

between employees and employers. The

overwhelming majority of businesses

comply with the law, treating their

employees with respect and fairness.

I am determined

to make the UK

the best place to

work and grow a

business

“But we cannot

tolerate the small

minority that use

nasty tactics like

nondisclosure

agreements and

withholding

references to

pressure employees

into silence, often in

cases of serious

wrongdoing. These proposals ensure

individuals are protected, striking a fair

balance between the interests of

employers and workers.”

In September, along with the Prime

Minister, Leadsom met with small

businesses in Downing Street to discuss

how best to help them start and grow. In

attendance were small business owners

and entrepreneurs from a range of sectors

across the UK, including tech, retail and

manufacturing.

At the meeting the government unveiled

plans to build a dynamic, vibrant culture

for startups, small businesses and

entrepreneurs in the UK, which means

bringing gigabit broadband speeds to

everyone and creating a tax environment

that stimulates growth. The PM and

Business Secretary heard about other

areas to boost the growth and productivity

of small enterprises, such as tackling late

payments, providing export opportunities

and improving the skills and education of

young people starting out in business.



23

Creativity


BEYOND MACHO MADNESS:

DEALING WITH CREATIVITY’S

DIVERSITY PROBLEM

Innovation, purported saviour of mankind (sic), has a diversity problem. What

was meant to be the all-round solution to everyone’s problems has over time

turned into a cornucopia of solutions for those of us male, pale, and

sufficiently well-off enough to pay for technological marvels and amazing service.

By Alf Rehn

So we hop on electrical scooters,

wielding the finest smartphones

and coolest backpacks money can

buy, confident that all our problems (such

as having to cook dinner) can be solved

with the magic words “there’s an app for

that”. We have seen the innovators, and

they look like us. This is no mere

accident, but part and parcel of the

contemporary innovation system.

If you think that innovation is about

creating great things for the benefit of all,

you simply haven’t been paying attention.

Sure, there might be some trickledown

effects, but just like in the economy at

large the biggest benefits are captured by

those at the very acme of the pyramid.

Whilst there is some evidence that the

24



Creativity


most abject forms of poverty (i.e. people

living on under £2 a day) are diminishing,

a number of other societal problems have

proven more resistant to innovative

solutions.

Inequality is today increasing rather than

decreasing. Food insecurity is also

increasing, even in rich countries like the

UK. Issues such as populism, fake news,

and a diminished trust in institutions have

not found the app to solve them – and

many apps seem to actively make them

worse. Despite everything, and despite

the fact that we globally spend an

astonishing £2.5 trillion on innovation

every year (at a minimum, and the actual

expenditure might be as high as twice

that), this year alone more than 700,000

children will die of eminently curable

diarrhoea.

Why this imbalance? Simply put, the

notion of innovation has not been

adequately challenged in contemporary

society. It has been presented as an

absolute good, always making more toys

for the boys, rather than a system that is

prone to biases. Innovation, and the

armies of consultants and pundits that

peddle in it, has become selfobsessed, all

macho swagger and talk of AIs. All this

has led to insufficient analyses of core

questions regarding innovation, including

but not limited to: Who is seen as an

innovator? What kind of innovations get

supported? Who funds innovation, and on

what grounds?

Part and parcel of this is that innovators

are often assumed to fit a few

stereotypical moulds. As Ross Baird

shows in his book, “The Innovation Blind

Spot”, most venture capital in the US

goes to young either white or Asian men,

from a short list of top universities – and

similar patterns can be found in many

other countries. In corporations, the

gender bias seems to be less pronounced,



25

Creativity


but subtle or overt ageism is rampant.

Ethnicity also plays a role, although this

differs between countries and

corporations.

No wonder, then, that the problems

solved by innovators skew towards the

interests of the young and welltodo.

Humans tend to be interested in solving

their own problems first, leading to great

leaps forward for escooters and vaping,

and less frequent ones for the childcare

problems of single parents or suffering

infants in poor countries. How, then,

might we rethink and reimagine

innovation?

In short, we need a better discussion

about innovation. We need to be able to

discuss how it is often driven by privilege,

and ask serious questions about who gets

seen as an innovator or an “idea person”.

We need to be able to question innovation

for the sake of innovation, and ask

whether the immense resources we

dedicate to innovation are going

towards solving the right

problems.

This is not to turn innovation

engagements into mere virtue

signalling, nor to forbid

innovations for people like me.

Instead, it is to argue that we

need, nay deserve, a better

conversation about innovation.

This to create antidotes to the

macho madness, and to engage

people in at anew. This to create

an antidote to innovation fatigue,

and to make sure that people do

not lose faith in it all. With the

resources we as a society have for

innovation, there doesn’t need to be an

either/or choice. With a more diverse

group of people taking part in the

conversation, we can start challenging the

stereotypes of the innovation system, and

make innovation not only more diverse,

but better for all.

Alf Rehn:

Professor of

innovation,

University of

Southern

Denmark and a

leading keynote

speaker.

Photo Credit:

Henry Harrison

Alf Rehn is a professor of innovation at the University of Southern Denmark and a leading keynote

speaker. His new book Innovation for the Fatigued is out now, priced £14.99. To find out more

visit: www.alfrehn.com

26



Finance


OVER $1 MILLION A DAY

AND JUST GETTING STARTED!

Michael Simeon first dipped his toe in business waters while

still in college and continued on the entrepreneurial path ever

since. Today VoguePay (his UK-based fintech operation

serving the African market) processes over $1 million a day. Here he

speaks to Ronnie Ajoku on entrepreneurship and growth

28



Finance


As I speak to Michael

Simeon one thing is

apparent — he is extremely

passionate about what he does and

enjoys it. Like many entrepreneurs

he started off doing something else

before striking gold with VoguePay.

“It happened that my journey into

entrepreneurship began with real

estate investment. I bought my first

real estate portfolio while in college

in the UK and have not looked back

since then. Today, I work with other

passionate CoFounders who have

gone through a similar route in

business with modest successes to

found Vogue Web Solution; a fintech

company with an innovative payment

solution (VoguePay) and other valueadded

services.”

While many African countries are

classified as 'emerging markets' and

are full of potential for the right

business investors, one huge problem

has been that of financial transactions.

This is where VoguePay comes in and it

has become one of the fastest growing

fintechs serving the African market —

proving that fast and safe transactions are

available with a few clicks.

“When we started VoguePay, the idea of

online payment was not new,” says

Simeon. “But we launched because we

realised the potential of connecting

people and businesses for commerce in an

underserved market; in Africa where

payment is still complex and fragmented.

By filling the gap we built the payment

bridge that connected businesses in Africa

to the rest of the world. Today, we support

more than 100,000 global merchants and

we continue to innovate more with

solutions that speak to the needs of

borderless commerce.”

In his opinion, the unjustly high cost of

transactions to Africa that previously

existed was a setback for many hoping to

deal with countries on the continent. This

he says was more of a stumbling block

than anything else.

“The real problem with payment to and from

Africa is not lack of trust, it is mostly because

of the high cost of such transactions compared

to other markets. Despite this, according to

official figures, over $34 billion remittance was

sent in 2017 with forecast for 2019 projected at

$89billion. This is apart from export

purchases for goods and services.



29

Finance


We realised the

potential of

connecting people

and businesses for

commerce in an

underserved

market

“What became obvious to my Co

Founders and I was that a lot of the

negative bias is due to ignorance of how

the market works, as there are people

tapping into the market opportunities in

Africa by offering a unique experience to

reduce friction, cost and time.

“Thankfully, the emergence of

technology has derisked the knowledge

gap needed to setup and launch operations

in Africa and other emerging markets.

Today, VoguePay is working with

technology partners to reduce cost of such

transactions.”

There have been a number of milestones

he is proud of and processing millions

every week is one of them. “My journey

with VoguePay has been rewarded with

several little and a few big wins. One that

stands out is hitting over 100,000

merchants and processing over $1million

a day last year. These results were

achieved without raising external

funding.”

While VoguePay is clearly in an enviable

position, such success does not come

without its own challenges. “In some of

the markets that we serve, regulators are

some of the biggest challenges to our

growth. While it is important to state that

regulation is important, there is need for

forwardlooking financial regulation

framework for fintech instead of

depending on legacy regulation applicable

to traditional banks. Initiatives like open

banking, sandbox programmes for fintech

and new payment frameworks like PSD2

are all welcome developments.”

Undaunted, he is clear on the

opportunities Africa presents to VoguePay.

“The potential of Africa's market is huge.

We are very excited to tap into the

30



Finance


With VoguePay

Digital, users can

create a single

profile to open a

bank account

anywhere in the

world

opportunities of serving Africa’s growing

and sophisticated population.”

Having achieved a huge amount of

success he is eager to pay it forward and

give back to help other emerging

entrepreneurs. “I'm very excited about the

work we do to support entrepreneurship in

Nigeria. One of such is the “Startup

Arewa” project designed to expose youths

from the Northern part

of Nigeria to the

potential of technology

entrepreneurship and

foster economic

growth. The initiative

was founded by one of

VoguePay's Co

Founders to assist the

indigent.

“We also mentor

students and provide

employment

opportunities to

undergraduates of

Computer Science

across tertiary

institutions in Nigeria.

Those 2 programmes

have impacted over 1

million people!”

VoguePay continues to

innovate and plans to

launch new initiatives

in the near future

catering to businesses

and individuals.

“VoguePay Digital

gives the capability to

seamlessly move

money and invest in

global financial

products anywhere in

the world. With

VoguePay Digital, users can create a

single profile to open a bank account

anywhere in the world and make

investments globally. More details of this

initiative is available on

www.VoguePayDigital.com.”

32



Investing


SOCIAL IMPACT INVESTING

Source: United Nations www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment

By Clémence Chatelin

Impact investing is a way of

investing that not only brings

financial returns but also has a

positive impact on society. Most fund

managers and organisations orientate

themselves on aligning their impact

goals and investment themes to those of

the United Nations’ 17 Social

Development Goals (UN SDGs).

The UN SDGs are the blueprint to

achieve a better and more sustainable

future for all. They address the global

challenges we face, including those

related to poverty, inequality, climate,

environmental degradation, prosperity,

and peace and justice. The Goals

interconnect and in order to leave no one

behind they have a target achievement

date of 2030.

HOW CAN WE INVEST IMPACTFULLY?

Impact investing can be achieved on a

scale of ‘finance first’ to ‘impact first’.

‘Finance first’ investments are, for

example, a company producing

recyclable packaging or building

affordable and sustainable housing. The

companies are for profit companies which

deliver a day to day service or product,

their operations are also sustainable

across the supply and their product or

service is contributing to achieving the



33

Investing


UN SDGs. The companies are usually

publicly traded on stock markets.

‘Impact first’ investments are, for

example, supporting social enterprises

directly or charities through a social

impact bond. The social enterprises must

have a sustainable business model from a

revenue perspective but it’s main mandate

is to deliver a service or product with a

positive impact in the community. For

example, a company that is growing food

and employing exoffenders to reintroduce

them to the community. This is

expected to decrease the rate of reoffending

in the community.

With a social impact bond a charity is

receiving a mandate to resolve a certain

issue such as homelessness. The charity

receives a target set by the government

and the funding from private investors. If

the charity hits it’s targets the government

pays the investors back with interest.

However, if the charity does not meet its

target, the investor may not receive a

return.

Unlike philanthropy, where the money

given will never be returned, impact

investing provides the opportunity for

investors to have a positive impact with

their money and to potentially recycle any

committed capital.

HOW CAN YOU ACCESS IMPACT INVESTING

OPPORTUNITIES?

‘Finance first’ companies can be accessed

through various investment platforms

either directly or through a mutual fund

such as a unit trust or open ended

investment company (OEIC), however

funds in this area need to be actively

managed to select the ‘right’ companies

and therefore tend to hold very few stocks

(2580) making them riskier than an index

tracking fund but potentially much more

34



Investing


Clémence

Chatelin: Impact

Investing

Specialist. She

holds a

Bachelor's in

International

Management and

a Master's in

Finance &

Investment

impactful.

‘Impact first’ companies can be accessed

through innovative finance ISAs and

crowdfunding but their inherent risk

makes them more suitable to sophisticated

investors, therefore it is best to speak to a

financial adviser to determine whether you

can afford to potentially lose all the capital

you have invested. Social Investment Tax

Relief schemes can provide a basket of

social enterprises to invest in your local

region or all across the UK, however the

minimum investments are fairly high.

HOW DO I KNOW IF THE INVESTMENTS I

CHOOSE ARE IMPACTFUL?

Impact investing is still very much

subjective and down to the selection

methodology of the fund manager for

active funds. For index and exchange

traded funds (ETFs) the selection

methodology is in the hands of the rating

agencies. Therefore, like with every

investment solution it is very important to

look under the bonnet.

For example, some fund managers would

hold a company such as

Procter & Gamble, this is

because ca. 50% of their

revenue is generated through

the sale of sanitation

products, therefore it is

helping towards the SDG 6

‘Clean Water and Sanitation’.

However, any inquisitive

person would also point out

that P&G are responsible for

much of the plastic and

nappies (with a 57% market

share for nappies!) we find in

landfills and in our seas. Labelling P&G

as a company with a positive impact can

seem a little farfetched to some. Others

would argue that a company such as P&G

is an excellent company to hold because

there is a lot of scope for shareholder

activism and engagement to turn the

company around to be more sustainable.

Additionally, every fund manager will

report on impact in a different way and

not every company in the fund will give

the required data to the fund manager.

This can make it complicated when

guaranteeing that the fund manager

delivers on the impact promised.

I suggest talking to an adviser who will

be able to develop a portfolio suitable to

your preferences that will make sense

financially and from an impact

perspective. It is important to balance

costs with performance, financial needs,

attitude to risk, asset allocation and

exercise ongoing due diligence on the

fund manager.

Clémence Chatelin works at Paradigm Norton and sits on the Investment Committee as the

Impact Investing Specialist. For further information visit: www.paradigmnorton.co.uk



35

Women in Business


WHAT PUTS WOMEN OFF

CAREERS IN DIGITAL?

When I started my career almost a decade ago there were very few

women in my industry. I can remember my first day like it was

yesterday, fresh-faced and ready to make my mark. As I walked into

the office and was introduced to my colleagues (whom were all male) I heard a

comment from the back, ‘great, there’s someone new to make the tea!’ That

was a knock I wasn’t expecting and the first in a line of comments, rejections,

and demoralising attitudes.

By Amy McManus

Ten years on I am the CEO and

Founder of an awardwinning

digital agency, a global speaker

and trainer, and have advised some of the

UK’s most prestigious firms on their

digital marketing activities. Despite all

this, I will still get the odd meeting where

I am completely ignored, while

conversation is addressed to my male

business partner. Don’t worry, they are

swiftly informed of their error…

But with these attitudes still present in

our business and industries, is it any

wonder the number of women in digital

has fallen?

Back in 2002, 33% of the digital

workforce was female. After falling to

27% this number is on the rise, but at a

painfully slow rate (according to the UK

Commission for Employment and Skills

[UKCES]). It is both hard for women to

36



Women in Business


these factors play a massive part.

1. THERE ARE FEWER YOUNG

WOMEN THAN MEN STUDYING

STEM SUBJECTS.

This classic old chestnut that crops

up in most ‘women in the

workplace’ discussions. If you

haven’t studied a STEM subject at

school, you’re less likely to

consider a career in digital.

There’s a lot of code, a lot of tech,

more Excel than I care to

admit…and it can be intimidating

without foundation knowledge.

enter the digital workforce and make a

mark once we’re here. Young women are

therefore less likely to see examples of

female digital leaders to network with,

learn from and aspire to be.

I was lucky; my mother is a biologist and

I would regularly visit her

lab as a child. For me, a

woman working in STEM

wasn’t strange and I had

her as a role model from an

early age. As I started my

career, I realised that this

was an uncommon

experience. The WEF

Global Gender Gap Report

reported in 2018 that 52%

of women perceive technology as a male

industry. Why?

After building my business in digital and

mentoring young women starting their

own careers in the industry, it is clear

2. THEREFORE…PERCEPTIONS OF STEM

AND RELATED INDUSTRIES AS ‘MALE

INDUSTRIES’ CONTINUE.

Fewer women entering the digital industry

continues the reality of a maledominated

workforce.

3. THERE ARE FEWER

FEMALE DIGITAL LEADERS

AND MENTORS.

And the cycle continues.

So how do we break the

cycle? Women in digital,

go to your local schools

and universities. Show the

next generation what

women in digital have

accomplished, be the digital leader

example they need to change perceptions

and get more young women considering

digital as a career.

Amy McManus is the CEO and Founder of AM Marketing, a digital marketing agency based in the

UK. She is a UK Women of the Future finalist, Freeman of the London Guild of Entrepreneurs, an

Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society, finalist for IoD Young Director of the Year

and winner of UK Female Business Speaker of the Year 2018. For further information please visit:

www.ammarketing.co.uk



37

Women in Business


DEMOCRATISING THERAPY

Dr Sheri Jacobson is the Founder of Harley Therapy and has dedicated

herself to the destigmatisation of therapy and mental health. Here she

speaks to Ronnie Ajoku on the growth of the business and her

entrepreneurial journey

38



Women in Business


We are very excited

about the prospect of

alleviating emotional

distress

Unlike many people that run

fastgrowth enterprises Dr

Sheri Jacobson's entry to the

world of business had a very different

start.

“It was an unplanned and circuitous

route,” says the Oxfordeducated

entrepreneur. “I had some early exposure

to the world of banking and finance after

university, which didn't appeal to me. So

I went back to studying and enjoyed a

degree in Social Anthropology. There

was a module on Intercultural Psychiatry

which peaked my interest and led to a 10

year training in Psychotherapy.”

It was following this that she was

motivated to help as many people as

possible and set up the renowned Harley

Therapy. “I set up Harley Therapy in

2006 with a view to creating a high

quality therapy group — and I grew it

organically, one therapist at a time. My

motivation was to help as many people as

I could to reduce prolonged emotional

suffering and to improve their wellbeing

in work, life and love.”

Her entrepreneurial journey has been an

interesting one. “For me, the journey has

been like a funfair ride. It's been 13

years, and I have to say I even enjoy the

bumps on the rollercoaster. I love

learning and that never seems to stop

when growing a business. I love that

wellbeing is the foundation of my life and

work; I feel very lucky in that regard.

“The one thing I find difficult is having

less contact with the people who started

working with me early on. Even though

they are integral to the business, growth

has meant my time is spread across more

people. I'm still acclimatising to that.”



39

Women in Business


Our Platform allows anyone to

browse through a wide range of

therapists

With the expansion of Harley Therapy

came the need for a way to cater to the

growing number of clients requiring her

services and this led to the launch of a

platform that is widely seen as the

'Airbnb of therapy' —

www.HarleyTherapy.com.

“Our highend clinic in Harley Street has

been running for over 13 years

(www.harleytherapy.co.uk). More

recently the Platform,

HarleyTherapy.com, was developed to try

to solve an issue that I grappled with for a

while; that our services were not

affordable or accessible to many people.

The Platform differs very much from

individual therapist websites and

directory listing sites.

“It allows anyone to browse through a

wide range of therapists whose

credentials, reviews and prices (from

£25) are made transparent, and

viewers can book directly on live

calendars. This solves the problem of

making good quality therapy

affordable and dependable. We

moderate between therapists and

clients in any areas of dispute, which

most other sites don't do — that gives

both sides peace of mind.

“From our experience operating

therapy clinics we know that

therapeutic connection is very

important and not everyone gels with

their chosen therapist even if they have

the right skills, warmth, experience

and professionalism. For this reason

we offer a guarantee if someone would

like to try another therapist, and we

cover the cost of that. And that is

another point of differentiation from

other sites.”

Often referred to as the 'Mary Berry of

Therapy’ for her dedication to the field,

she is passionate about destigmatising

mental health and therapeutic support.

HarleyTherapy.com was designed to

democratise therapy as well as to make it

more relatable and mainstream.

“Therapists are independent practitioners

and they advertise themselves on our

curated marketplace. They are vetted

initially and need to uphold standards in

order to remain listed. They receive

bookings from us and we charge

commission on the first session and a

smaller fee on subsequent sessions,” she

says of their business module.

40



Women in Business


“Our latest work is in the B2B field; we

now offer companies access to low cost

therapists on the Platform, a series of

monthly workshops and innovative

wellbeing initiatives.”

She also sees helping others as part of

her natural being. “I spent seven years

working as a volunteer counsellor in

organisations including Mind, Mencap,

an alcohol centre and a women's centre.

“Helping is in my DNA. The platform is

currently lossmaking, but this is a

concerted decision to put my own

resources into a low cost and hightrust

project, which will serve a big need in the

community.”

While regularly speaking to

organisations — from large corporates to

schools — and commenting to the press,

she also spreads the word about the

importance of emotional wellbeing,

technology and selfcare.

“Increasingly people are open to booking

online, however we do find that many

people like to phone before booking. We

have a large admin team to support our

psychologists and psychiatrists inhouse,

and although we thought we wouldn't

need one for a tech platform, clients'

requirements are dictating otherwise and

we are happy to accommodate them.

“I do find that the stigma to therapy is

being eroded. When we started over a

decade ago I recall many people bring

coy about sharing personal details to

book a session. Increasingly it's being

seen as normal and that's something we

are keen to do with our "Choose

Therapy" campaign (see

https://www.instagram.com/harleytherap

y/?hl=en) and our Podcast "TherapyLab"

where I interview distinguished guests

about their challenges, experiences of

therapy and wellbeing tips. (You can

subscribe and watch here

https://m.youtube.com/user/HarleyTherap

yLondon?sub_confirmation=1)”.

Harley Therapy has experienced an

upward trajectory over the past year.

“This is been a big year for us. Not only

are we increasing the reach of the

platform with 40% growth from the last

quarter, but we are rolling out our a new

business model; mental health screenings

for all employees. This is going to change

how companies approach mental health.

Rather than relying on employees to

come forward with their issues, the help

will come to them. We are very excited

about the prospect of alleviating

emotional distress even more.”

Dr Sheri Jacobson with the BBC's Head of

Creative Diversity, June Sarpong



41

Women in Business


RE-AWAKEN THE GIRL AND

BRING THE REAL ‘YOU’ INTO

YOUR CAREER

Imagine if the ‘you’ in your

workplace and the ‘you’ in

your life outside those doors

got together and became soul

mates. Imagine what a favour

you’d be doing your

organisation if the ‘outside’

you showed up a lot more.

How vivid and inspiring the

world of work would be if

you dared to be a bit more

you! Women can be

particularly hard of hearing

when it comes to permission

to bring the real you into your

career.

By Diana Theodores

42



Women in Business


IT'S TIME TO REAWAKEN THE GIRL

WITHIN! HERE ARE SIX WAYS TO

REAWAKEN YOUR INNER GIRL:

1. REMEMBER WITH A PHOTOGRAPH

Reflect on the girlhood passions that still

show up in you today. Keep your

favourite photo of you as a girl visible at

all times! Write down as many memories

as you can starting with the words, “I

remember…” Write fast and fill the page.

Reflect on what qualities and attributes

are still true of you today. Enjoy the

discoveries and reconnect with that girl.

She is your greatest ally. Bring her along

with you!

2. THE ‘I’M NOT CREATIVE’ STORY IS A

MYTH: IF YOU’RE ALIVE YOU’RE CREATIVE

In the everyday performance of our jobs

and responsibilities, we forget parts of

ourselves for periods of time, sometimes

for whole chapters of our lives. Often,

these parts are what we might call our

creative selves, and they go dormant. The

piano not touched for a decade, the

favourite poems not read since school, the

voice that once sang now speaking only

workplace jargon behind a PowerPoint

deck, the sketchbook abandoned for

spreadsheets. Where is my doodlerdreamer,

my secret songwriter, my fashion

illustrator? So long lost. We tell ourselves:

‘At some point there will be time for me,

but not right now.’ So, make creativity

dates with yourself: step inside that art

gallery you pass every day, register for

that workshop, join that choir, take out

your sketchpad. Start today. Your

acknowledgement of your creativity can

boost your professional story.

3. STOKE THE FIRE

Notice how your voice, energy, body

language, and belief comes alive when

you talk about one of your passions.

Whether it’s cooking or travel, reading

poetry, dancing or sketching, gardening or



43

Women in Business


mountain climbing, quilting or singing in

a choir – whatever connects you to your

passion and your creativity – notice how

animated you are and put that quality into

your communication, and

presentations at work! Bring

the voice that reads poetry so

thoughtfully or the voice that

sings with such heart and

enthusiasm in the choir into

those stories about the numbers

in your slide deck!

Diana Theodores:

Leadership expert

and author

4. PLAY!

When we play, we open our

bodies, hearts, minds, and

senses. ‘”I haven’t played since

I was eight!”, I hear you say.

Clearly, it’s time to return to that state of

wonder. Children at play, in their

immersion and flow, in their innocent

confidence, are profound and magnificent

role models. We need to tap into that child

within.

Embrace those wild and whacky ‘ice

breakers’ you’ve experienced in training

programmes and break through the

resistance of professional masks

and job titles. Playing is a fast

track to bringing forth our

humanity. In the act of playing

together, we warm ourselves up to

ourselves, to one another and we

warm up the environment itself in

which we can make something

meaningful happen. Encourage offsites

with your teams as often as possible

for creative thinking time. Invite everyone

to create fun physical and imagination

energisers, and to share stories.

different chapters of 'You' — what you

looked like, sounded like, experienced —

from ingénue to leader. Give your

different personas, traits and energy

qualities an airing! Exercise

them as required.

Remember: Being authentically

you does not mean being the

same all the time. It means

having the capacity to tap into

all your behaviour styles for

your best performance. When

you assert different energies,

you are playing you: the

Rottweiler, the Nurturer, the

Motivator, the Challenger, the

Seducer, the Authoritarian, the

Creative and so on – all you. You possess

a whole palette of expressive possibilities.

Play them as you need them!

6. MOVE!

Moving opens us up and brings a more

animated self forward; something more

truthful is revealed. It releases us

physically, vocally, emotionally

and energetically. This means

literally moving in the space,

getting physically warmed up,

stretching, gesturing, lifting our

posture up, opening our mouths,

voices, eyes, faces, and hearts.

Your open, uplifted body shifts

your feeling state and injects you

with positive energy. You are in

the act of warming up to yourself. It can

take you instantly from a tentative,

apologetic, defensive or anxious state to a

confident, energised and optimistic state.

5. EMPOWER YOUR INNER CAST OF

CHARACTERS

Look at a photo album of your life –

literal or visualised. Reflect on the

So get moving. Here’s to your next dance

class, run or (just for a minute) going wild

to some music. Close the door and let it

rip!

Diana Theodores is an international women’s leadership expert. Her new book Performing As You:

How to have authentic impact in every role you play is out now, priced £12.99.

44



Fashion


Flame International Fashion

& Art Festival

The threeday long event

took place on 16 August at

the Royal Horseguards

Hotel, London, showcasing an

array of talent ranging from artists

to fashion designers.

There were three categories of

designers that participated; young

designers (graduates from fashion

schools, nascent designers),

established designers and bigger

fashion.

On the first day there was the

showcasing of Flame International

Models of the season, and the

casual collections by established

and young designers.

In addition to the fashion show on

the second day, there was also a



45

Fashion


gala charity dinner with a delicious

threecourse meal, along with live

music and performances.

The final day showcased urban

style designer collections, makeup

artists, hair stylists and body art

performers, together with a

selection of musicians, singers and

dancers. The evening ended with the

presentation of awards to the top

participants.

VIP guests and celebrities in

attendance included Igor Tomaily,

Amrick Channa, Tyler Ford, Dave

Gentry, Scott Adkins, Lee Latchford

Evans, Mac Gabriel and Mark Sears

among others.

46



Fashion


LONDON PACIFIC FASHION WEEK

The Pacific Influence in Fashion

Held over two days, the

London Pacific Fashion

Week (LPFW) event was

launched on 12 September at New

Zealand House in London.

The following day welcomed the

fashion show which was held at the

Royal Horseguards Hotel and featured

two shows; one for emerging

designers and the other for the more

established designers.

The brainchild of Founder Ms Ana

Lavekau, this year's theme was

“Climate Change in the Pacific” and

began with a welcome speech from

the Fijian High Commissioner to the

UK, His Excellency, Mr. Jitoko

Tikolevu.

Welcoming both media and guests, he

spoke about the entrepreneurship of

people from the Pacific. Praising

LPFW he said he had watched the event

grow over the years and pointed out the

need for reusing and recycling of

materials in order to be more

environmentally friendly. Tikolevu also

encouraged the designers think big and

make Pacific designs bigger in terms of

reach adding that we can all play a part in

the sustainability of the environment.

The Emerging Designer Show featured a

number of designers representing

different parts of the Pacific. These

included: Baiwa Collective (Papau New

Guinea), Guma’ Ge’la – Guahan (Guam),

Itatie Collection (Papau New Guinea),

LPFW Founder: Ms Ana Lavekau

U'anga (Cook Islands), House of Mausio

(Fiji) and Fierce Fashion By RL

(American Samoa).

Later on display was the Established

Designer Show which featured: Vina

Couture (Tonga), Weaverdream (New

Zealand), Kenny Collection (Papau New

Guinea), Hupfeld Hoerder (Fiji) and

Pomahina (Hawaii)

The next London Pacific Fashion Week

event will take place on 24 February

2020 at the National Liberal Club. For

further information visit:

www.londonpacificfashionweek.com



47

Fashion


Fijian High Commissioner to the UK: His

Excellency, Mr. Jitoko Tikolevu

48



Fashion


MODELS OF DIVESRSITY

Fighting for inclusion in modelling

Models of Diversity

(MoD), a charity

campaigning for more

diversity in the modelling

industry, held their fashion show

on 14 September at Centrale &

Whitgift in Croydon during

London Fashion Week.

The event was supported by Top

Shop, House of Fraser and

Liquorish Fashion.

Thanks to the decadelong

campaigning for inclusion by

MoD, many designers and brands

are now more diverse in their

choice of models.

The fashion show featured a

diverse range of models from

various backgrounds as well as

models with disabilities, mature

and curvy models.

As with most of their events,

MoD attracted support from a

number of celebrities including

Nadia Essex, Sandi Bogle, Lewis

G, India Willoughby and Grace

Teal among others.

Left to right: Nadia Essex, Grace Teal and India

Willoughby

To make donations or for

further information on Models

of Diversity visit:

www.modelsofdiversity.org/



49

Fashion


50



Fashion


FASHION's FINEST CELEBRATES

10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Fashion's Finest held it's London

Fashion Week event on the 14

September. The day began with

the "Let's Talk Fashion Business"

segment, which featured celebrity

stylist and TV presenter Nicky

HambletonJones in an interview with

presenter and actress Gayle Thompson.

Nicky, who previously hosted Channel

4's '10 Years Younger' (the UK's

leading makeover show), spoke to

Gayle about her career and how she is

helping women and men find their

perfect style inspiration and feel more

confident.

Some of the exhibitors on the day

included Hermosa Sunnies sunglasses

and Bags by Made of Carpet. Also

available for guests were beauty

treatments from Berkshire Beauty, and

Nails by Kia B, a USbased

international nail artist.

The final segment started with Vimmi

Dhillon from the Charity Fashion For

Cause (FFC) who spoke about the

charity's work and later surprised the

director of Fashion's Finest, Deborah St

Louis, with the prestigious "Making a

Difference Award". Dhillon said: "We

at Fashion For Cause have been

following Fashions Finest and its

director Deborah St Louis for many

years. Whilst many working in fashion

have been slow to respond to necessary

changes but quick to jump on fickle

trends, Deborah St Louis has led her

Vimmi Dhillon of

Fashion For Cause

(FFC) presents

Founding Director of

Fashions Finest,

Deborah St Louis,

with the prestigious

"Making a

Difference Award"



51

Fashion


team with a strong ethical compass and

value system that is woven into the fabric

of Fashions Finest from the outset in all

aspects of her business.”

Deborah St Louis said:" I am honoured

to be receiving this award. This is a tough

industry not just for designers who are

building their business but also models. I

had a holistic vision when I started this

company. I strongly believe through

inclusion and diversity we come to

understand and appreciate the full

spectrum of beauty and alleviate

pressures that would negatively impact

on selfworth such as body image, abuse,

depression, eating disorders and selfharm.”

The following series of runway shows

included Naoise Jo, Shokushu Boutique,

Cabrini Roy, Linda Blissett, Evelina

Anglickaite, Red Hesketh followed by

Norwegian designer Kepaza, Evelina

Anglickaite and Britain's Top Designer

2019 winner Tuncer Tonun

The next Fashion's Finest event will be

held on 15 February 2020 at the

Congress Centre, 28 Great Russell

Street, Fitzrovia, London WC1B 3LS.

For further information visit:

www.fashionsfinest.com

52



Creativity


RETRAIN YOUR BRAIN:

REFRAME YOUR MIND TO AVOID

CREATIVITY ‘THINKING’ TRAPS

Snickers were onto something when they coined their now-famous

slogan – “you’re not you when you’re hungry”. Our minds are

complex machines; anything from our blood sugar levels to how

much sleep we’ve had can impact our cognitive function.

By Chris Griffiths and Caragh Medlicott

While we may make reference

to a singular ‘train of

thought’ – in reality, our

thinking is a multistranded, complex

system with tracks running all over the

place and even more technical work

going on in the background.

To make things more complex still, our

minds divide into the conscious and

subconscious; there’s a whole lot of

thinking going on below the surface that

we’re not even aware of. All of this is to

say, thinking about thinking – also known

as ‘metacognition’ – is a must if we are to

avoid common thinking traps. Doing so

allows us to make optimal business

decisions with consistency and creativity.

On the surface, ‘thinking about thinking’

sounds like a futile pursuit. Yet put into

practice, the results reaped by leaders and

businesses are very, very real. Just as you

wouldn’t expect to get fit or improve your

health without some kind of plan and

strategy to keep you on track, the same

logic applies for uncovering your best

ideas. There’s a general belief that

thinking in business starts and ends with

adjusting our mindset. We simply need to

54



Creativity


get ‘our head in the game’ – but what if

that’s not enough? You can be as focussed

and determined as you like, but this won’t

eliminate the existing biases and

assumptions impacting your decision

making.

Thinking errors are the silent, meddling

ghosts of the mind – and they’re at play

more often than we’d like to imagine.

Despite their presence, we are (for the

most part) totally unaware of their

interference. There’s an evergrowing

awareness of the power creativity

harbours in the modern business sphere;

in the age of information, knowledge is no

longer power – that means creativity and

the generation of new ideas become the

business differentiator. When companies

set out to boost creativity, it’s not long

before the word ‘brainstorming’ begins to

circulate.

Undoubtedly, brainstorming is a key part

of the ideation process – but it is also

where thinking traps are most rife. Before

we can look at how best to combat them,

we first have to understand what they are.

Generally, the biggest traps can be

summarised into these three areas:

selective thinking, reactive thinking and

assumptive thinking. So, let’s break them

down. Selective thinking is the tendency

to validate certain ideas over others (we

often see this with people favouring their

own, ‘pet’ ideas). Reactive thinking

relates to the inclination to react rashly to

external factors. That means being ruled

by an immediate kneejerk response,

rather than stepping back and thoroughly

considering the situation. And finally,

assumptive thinking – this is the common

human predisposition to accept

conventional beliefs and assumptions as



55

Creativity


Chris Griffiths:

Founder of

OpenGenius

and bestselling

author of The

Creative

Thinking

Handbook

true (despite a lack of evidence to support

this viewpoint). Fully understanding and

being conscious of these thinking traps is

a significant first step in overcoming

them. So, what else can you do to avoid

falling prey to these errors?

Well, it really all starts with how you

approach the ideation process. Rather

than getting your team to gather and come

up with ideas during the brainstorming

session, ask everyone to come with a few

of their own ideas already prepared. That

way you avoid the ‘groupthink’ that can

occur when one person suggests an idea,

and everyone goes along with it. In a

similar vein, get everyone to challenge

their own ideas to avoid the ‘pet’ idea

syndrome that leads people to favour the

concepts they’ve come up with

themselves. To tackle the status quo bias

that blinds businesses from seeing ideas

beyond convention, take the time to flip

things on their head. Try ‘reverse

brainstorming’ – rather than thinking

‘what to do’ think about ‘what not to do’

– a technique such as this will help you

push beyond the restraints of your own

ideologies. After all, you only need to

look at companies like Blockbuster and

Kodak to see how being stuck in your

own bubble results in major missteps.

The French philosopher, Emile Chartier

said: “Nothing is more dangerous than an

idea when it’s the only one we have.” It

may seem like thinking traps are poised

to set you up for a fall – but by adding

strategy to your thinking, you can cover

up the booby traps and keep a clear head.

So that your brain is retrained to be the

best and most powerful ideation tool in

your business arsenal.

Chris Griffiths is the bestselling author of The Creative Thinking Handbook, and Founder of

OpenGenius, the innovative company behind creative productivity software Ayoa.com. For further

information visit: www.opengenius.com

56



Human Resources


5 THINGS A REMOTE TEAM

CANNOT SURVIVE WITHOUT

Whether the remote team will be the future of startups is

only a question of time. However, you don’t need to wait

too long to learn how to manage a remote team yourself.

By Michael Zima

As a fully remote company, Zima

Media has faced quite a few

challenges as well as celebrated

a lot of successes.

Basing on our experience, we gathered

the most vital tips on how to sustain a

great remote startup culture. So, what

exactly does a remote team need to live?

Let’s take a look.

#1 COMMUNICATION

Communication is usually the solution to

most problems that might arise within a

remote team. Just like in our daily lives, if

you don’t communicate your ideas and

expectations properly, you only confuse

those around you.

With that said, don’t be afraid to

communicate with your team members,

what's more, even overcommunicate. Use

video calls, voice calls, often send

messages and joke a lot.

Since most of the time remote teams are

scattered around the world,

communication is essential. When you

talk to your employees, they feel involved

and understand that you care. As a result,

the team spirit grows, and the overall work

culture improves.

#2 TOOLS

Remember, when you start working

58



Human Resources


remotely, you also have to start thinking

remotely. It’s quite challenging to manage

an onpremise team, and it’s even harder

to handle a remote one. Thankfully,

technology really comes in handy here. It

offers us so many tools that sometimes

it’s hard to choose which ones to use.

For example, here are a few tools that we

at Zima Media often use to make our

remote work life more

comfortable:

Slack

Airtable

Google Hangouts

Do the research. Figure out

what will work best for your company,

depending on the needs and the size of

your team.

#3 QUALITY

When you work remotely, you should

focus on quality and not quantity. Firstly,

invest time in hiring qualified and

responsible employees. You won’t be able

to pop into their office to check how the

work is going. So, you should make sure

you hire those who understand the

importance of being committed.

Flexibility is one of the best perks of

remote work. Stay flexible and allow your

employees to take advantage of it to

produce outstanding results. As long as

they’re exceptional at what they do, don’t

be too harsh on work hours.

#4 SIMPLICITY

No one likes when life gets complicated.

So why should work be? Don’t forget that

most remote teams are multicultural. It

means that there might be people on your

team who have different levels of

language skills.

That’s why you should always express

your thoughts clearly and in a simple

language. Since remote teams require a lot

of written communication, make sure not

to overcomplicate it with sophisticated

phrases.

#5 WORKLIFE BALANCE

When you start working

remotely, it can become hard

to see the line between work

and life. However, it’s vital

to set certain boundaries to

keep a healthy worklife balance.

For example, let your team members

from various time zones know that they

aren’t obliged to respond to work

messages in the middle of the night. Also,

they shouldn’t worry about not doing it.

Let them take dayoffs on their national

holidays and have vacations. Overall, treat

your remote team like an onpremise one.

Make work not only profitable but also

fun.

The Bottom Line

Remote work isn't just working it’s a

way of living. However, some things are

integral to remote team building. Never

neglect communication, take advantage of

technological innovations, hire committed

and enthusiastic employees, avoid overcomplication

and sustain a healthy worklife

balance for each team member. It’s

that simple. The rest is up to you.

Michael Zima is the CGO and CoFounder of Zima Media. For further information visit:

www.zimamedia.com



59

Financial Planning


CONCERNS OF PASSING ON

WEALTH

Ioften see people procrastinate

about passing on wealth to

children, grandchildren, nieces,

nephews and so on.

This delay normally can be put down to

fears and concerns such as:

THE CHILDREN SQUANDERING THE GIFT

Your children may do this, but unless you

disinherit them, they will still get the

money in the end but without you to guide

them. If this really is a concern consider

gifting into a Trust, this means you can set

up rules surrounding how the money is

used, protecting it until your loved ones

need it the most. However, it is important

to be aware of the additional costs,

complexity and feelings of dependence or

distrust that it may bring amongst your

By Ruth Sturkey

family. Another idea is, rather than gifting

cash, give them an asset which is difficult

to squander such as a house (or house

deposit).

One solicitor I know suggests that rather

unsubtle but effective ‘word in the ear’

making it known that if the gift is used

unwisely, they may be disinherited!

..OR GIVE THE MONEY TO GOOD CAUSES

A popular choice for businesspeople, like

Bill Gates, is to donate their wealth to

charity. With legacy income accounting

for £2.8 billion of donations in 2018,

would this be such a bad thing for your

children? Particularly if it is something

they genuinely care about? With you

perhaps being part of the discussion to

help guide on their choices.

60



Financial Planning


Ruth Sturkey: Financial planning

expert and Client Director at

Paradigm Norton

There are also many added benefits to

this, including having inheritance tax

payments reduced. Any portion of money

left to charity will not count towards the

value of your estate which will eventually

end up in the hands of HMRC. On top of

this by donating just 10% of your wealth,

the amount of tax you pay could be cut

from 40% to 36%.

There is also the great advantage of being

able to create a legacy that your family

can aspire too.

TOO MUCH TOO SOON

There may be a concern that having ‘too

much too soon’ may take away a child’s

work ethic and strive to create their own

‘wealth’. This is a tricky one and will no

doubt be determined by the personality of

the child and the values which have been

instilled. Again, setting up a Trust could

be the best way to avoid this.

Other solutions would be to introduce

your child to a range of advisors that

could provide mentoring and guidance

surrounding wealth and investment,

whether this be by putting money into

property, education or any other smart

move that could prevent a money

‘blow out’.

A MESSY DIVORCE

Divorce courts tend to start with a

50/50 split of assets which may also

take into account an expected

inheritance. If you are concerned

about your child’s choice of partner

(or potential partner) consider the

use of a Trust or pre or postnuptial

agreement; neither provides a

guarantee but may help protect the

family wealth.

There are also solutions such as setting

up a Bloodline Trust which can ensure

that wealth is kept within the family and

is not included when distributing assets in

a divorce dispute.

FAIRNESS

Distributing your wealth amongst

children can be relative to each of their

individual personal wealth, income and

life choices. There are also other tricky

and emotive matters to factor in such as

trust, control and love. This needs careful

thought to prevent family rifts. I tend to

see parents settle for equality of amounts

gifted, even if equality is only achieved

on death by adjustments to inheritances to

reflect any earlier gifts to other siblings.

Passing on wealth is no easy decision and

there is never ‘one size fits all’. It is about

thinking your options through, making

sure you reach a sensible and balanced

decision that meets your personal value

set, family circumstances and concerns.

Ruth Sturkey is a financial planning expert and Client Director at Paradigm Norton. For further

information visit: www.paradigmnorton.co.uk



61

Volume5 Issue3_Larger_2019_Finalised

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?