IoD Midlands january 2022

The official membership magazine 

for the Institute of Directors 

in the East and West Midlands 

iod.com 

Midlands 

January 2022

Contents 

IoD News 

Don’t be afraid of taking your 

foot off the gas 

Gary Headland, Chair, IoD East Midlands 

Whatever 2022 brings, we’ll be 

with you all the way 

Inez Brown, Chair, IoD West Midlands 

New members’ spaces open in 

Lincoln, Shrewsbury 

page 7 

IoD Connections and Mastermind Groups 

page 10-11 

04 

05 

CONTACTS 

IOD EAST MIDLANDS 

Nottingham Trent 

University, Burton St, 

Nottingham NG1 4BU 

Chair: Gary Headland 

e: chair.eastmids@iod.net 

t: 07787 484448 

IOD WEST MIDLANDS 

Grand Hotel, Colmore Row, 

Birmingham B3 2BS 

Chair: Inez Brown 

e: chair.westmidlands@iod.net 

IOD TEAM 

Branch Manager – 

East Midlands 

Cait Murphy 

e: cait.murphy@iod.com 

t: 0115 678 1716 

Director of the Year Awards 

A comprehensive look back at an inspiring 

evening as the region recognises its champion 

business leaders 

pages 12-19 

Special report 

Climate change and the race to Net Zero 

pages 20-23 

Technical Briefings 

Identifying fraud in the workplace – pg 24 

Nelsons looks at IP Audits and the IP Access 

grant – pg 25 

Exports in the post-Brexit era – pg 26 

Gemma Morgan-Jones discusses the University 

of Nottingham’s Business Network – pg 28 

About The IoD 

Helping you Connect, Develop and Influence 

IoD Student mentoring programmes – pg 30 

IoD Ambassadors – pg 32 

Events Diary – pg 36 

Director Development – pg 38 

Please note... 

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of material contained within this magazine, neither the IoD nor 

Chamber Media Services can accept any responsibility for omissions or inaccuracies in its editorial or advertising 

content. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the IoD. The carriage of adverts in this 

publication does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised. 

All articles within this publication are copyright IoD Midlands. Editorial consent must be obtained before any are 

reproduced either in printed form or electronically. 

12 

26 

28 

Branch Manager – 

West Midlands 

Frances Fairclough 

e: frances.fairclough@iod.com 

t: 0121 281 5531 

IoD Student Placements 

Anna Hicks 

e: anna.hicks@iod.com 

t: 0115 857 8170 

Joshua Whitehead 

e: joshua.whitehead@iod.com 

t: 0115 857 8169 

The Institute of Directors 

Midlands membership 

magazine is published on 

behalf of the IoD by: 

Chamber Media Services 

4 Hilton Road, Bramhall, 

Stockport, Cheshire 

SK7 3AG. 

Advertising sales: 

Colin Regan 

t: 01942 537959 / 

07871 444922 

e: colinregan001@ 

yahoo.co.uk 

Production enquiries: 

Rob Beswick, 

t: 0161 426 7957 

e: rob@chambermedia 

services.co.uk 

Cover image: 

A winning 

line-up from 

the IoD 

Director of 

the Year 

Awards 2021. 

See from 

pg 12 

January 2022 

Keep up to date at iod.com/westmids and iod.com/east-midlands 

03


2022 has to be the year directors 

take their foot off the gas 

Gary Headland FIoD 

Chair, IoD East Midlands 

Magazine deadline day 

here again and I am 

just putting pen to 

paper, or rather 

fingertips to keyboard. 

It occurs to me that I 

never seem to be on 

top of emails, social 

media communications or other tasks 

such as writing this foreword. It’s a 

never-ending list that I sometimes think 

are controlling me, rather than things I 

am in control of. 

I am reminded of the apocryphal first 

act of World War II flying ace Douglas 

Bader when he assumed command of his 

RAF squadron. Instead of being 

immediately bogged down by 

paperwork, he took a pile of buff files 

from his adjutant and threw them 

straight into the bin. 

I wonder what would happen if I did 

the modern day equivalent of simply 

selecting ‘delete all’ on the email! 

I’m making light of a phenomenon that 

is a problem that has troubled many of 

us for three or four decades, but there is 

a serious point in this message, as I am 

observing, anecdotally at least, a decline 

in the health and well-being of many 

directors. 

I am wholly aligned to the notion that 

better directors lead to better 

businesses and ultimately a better 

world. To be better directors we need to 

develop our knowledge, skills and 

mindset in line with the IoD competency 

framework. As part of that mindset we 

also need to recognise the impact of the 

changing world on our health and make 

changes to the way we work, or we risk 

accelerated burnout. Having spoken with 

lots of directors and senior managers in 

the run-up to Christmas, the most 

common word used was ... exhaustion! 

The second theme is a feeling of 

dehumanisation. The fourth industrial 

revolution has created incredible 

technological advances. The world has 

sped up dramatically and the rate of 

change is increasing all the time. If we 

think of being in business as akin to the 

hamster on a wheel, the modern hamster 

is bionic, as that’s how fast the world is 

turning for many managers, including 

yours truly! Covid has acted as a major 

accelerator of change, forcing many of 

us to shift the way we lead and manage 

our organisations and alter many of the 

assumptions we have relied on in the 

past. 

During the past 18 months, as periods 

of lockdown have concluded, many of us 

have realised that we have filled our days 

with back-to-back meetings in the name 

of productivity. Instead of using the time 

we used to spend travelling, for thinking 

(or doing something healthy), we have 

rammed our diaries so we can turn work 

around faster and faster. 

Returning to travelling to meetings has 

been hard and many of us stopped 

because ‘we can get more done’ working 

remotely. And because we aren’t 

travelling to work it makes no sense to 

venture out for that business breakfast 

club or afternoon/evening networking 

session. 

We tried networking virtually with 

webinars but soon found ourselves 

bored of that medium and so we have 

stopped attending them. 

But we are human, we are social 

animals and we need to be around each 

other for our well-being. 

You might not recognise at all what I 

have described above; if so, I’m pleased 

for you. However, I know from chatting 

with members over the past few weeks 

that what I describe above is an all-toocommon 

context. I’m now in my 35th 

year of full-time employment and I don’t 

feel like I have ever before worked so 

hard, and as I review my diary for 

January, the volume, complexity and 

pace of work I am facing is a little 

unnerving. Just writing this forward has 

genuinely quickened my breathing and 

heart-rate. 

So I am – selfishly – going to give 

myself a gift this Christmas. I am going 

to take some time to really think through 

how I can improve the way I work next 

year so that I am a healthier and better 

director. I also intend to work with the 

IoD director-volunteers across our region 

so that we can do as much as we can to 

help our fellow directors during this 

extraordinarily challenging time, and this 

will include helping directors to be 

healthy. 

I wish you all a healthy, happy and 

successful 2022 during which I hope to 

see as many of you as possible in person. 

If you wish to comment on Gary’s editorial you can reach him at 

e: chair.eastmids@iod.net 

04 Keep up to date at iod.com/westmids and iod.com/east-midlands 


We still face challenges but the 

IoD will be with you all the way 

Inez Brown, 

Chair, 

IoD West Midlands 

A warm welcome to 

the January Issue of 

the IoD Midlands 

membership magazine 

The two Midlands 

regions of the IoD continue to work 

together to produce this magazine, and 

this edition is no different. Inside you’ll 

find the latest on developments within 

the IoD, including our Director of the 

Year awards, new member hubs in 

Shrewsbury and Lincolnshire and details 

on our link-ups with universities, our 

Mastermind Groups and other events. 

But you’ll also find articles to get you 

thinking, whether it is on exporting, the 

race to net zero or tackling dishonest 

employees. I hope you enjoy it. 

I have to say that by the start of 

January 2022 I was hoping that we 

would have put Covid-19 firmly behind 

us, with a period of reflection on the loss 

of life and difficulties for the business 

community during 2020 and 2021. Sadly, 

as you’ll be only too aware, the Omicron 

variant is casting a deep shadow over 

the country again, which means the virus 

continues to affect the landscape in 

which businesses can operate. 

Despite these difficult times, the IoD 

continues to be the voice for our 

members on policy; provide advice on 

good governance and highlights key 

initiatives with the government to assist 

businesses during the pandemic. 

During 2021 we were able to return to 

some sort of normality by holding 

in-person events on well-being; lunch 

and learn seminars, our Mastermind 

groups and drop-ins, as well as the 

Director of the Year Awards. We’re also 

pleased that the Midlands will continue 

to host training and professional 

development seminars throughout 2022. 

The focus will continue to remain on 

member engagement and support 

together with development of directors. 

Despite the challenges we are 

currently facing, 2022 promises to be an 

exciting year. To coincide with the 

Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, 

the IoD will be holding a Commonwealth 

Business Conference on July 19. It’s a 

date to put into your diary now. 

Another event to look out for is an 

Inclusion and Diversity conference which 

will be in the autumn. 

Before that, we encourage members 

to continue to use our IoD business hubs 

together with the other services we 

offer: business research, information, tax 

and legal helplines. 

There’s more on all these services 

elsewhere in this issue. We continue to 

receive positive feedback on this service 

from members, which is hugely 

encouraging. 

Finally, on behalf of the IoD in the 

West Midlands. I’d like to wish you all a 

good New Year and I look forward to 

meeting you again in person at one of 

our events in 2022. 

To comment on Inez’s editorial, email e: chair.westmids@iod.net 

Welcome aboard, Cait! 

IoD members in the 

East Midlands have a 

new contact as their 

branch manager as Cait 

Murphy joins the team 

to lead the region’s 

activities and support. 

Cait joins after a 

period providing 

administrative support 

to an IoD branch on a voluntary basis, so 

as she puts it, “I know what I’m getting 

myself into!” 

She adds: “With a 25-year career as an 

Executive Assistant supporting Chairs, 

Boards and Directors across a variety of 

sectors, I think I’m well-placed to 

understand our members’ needs.” 

She is particularly passionate about the 

power of the Ambassador roles and of 

the IoD in general as a power for good. 

“The IoD Ambassadors should be your 

first port of call when you are looking for 

clarity on key issues,” she says. “Within 

the ambassador ranks are sector experts 

who are happy to offer their advice to 

their fellow members.” 

Cait is also keen to help members make 

the most from the events, training, 

networking opportunities the IoD offers. 

She will work alongside her colleague 

in the West Midlands, Frances Fairclough, 

and be supported in the East Midlands by 

our two student placements, Anna Hicks 

and Joshua Whitehead. 

In her spare time, Cait loves visiting art 

museums, is a voracious reader and 

watches 1970s Shaolin Kung Fu films. 

• Cait can be contacted on 


t: 0115 678 1716 

Contact other members of the IoD team: 

Branch Manager – West Midlands 



t: 0121 281 5531 

IoD Student Placements 

Anna Hicks 

e: anna.hicks@iod.com 

t: 0115 857 8170 

Joshua Whitehead 

e: joshua.whitehead@iod.com 

t: 0115 857 8169 

• More on the IoD Ambassadors: 

See page 32 

Shape 5G future of 

Nottinghamshire 

Do you want to help shape the 

future use for 5G technology in 

Nottinghamshire? 

An ambitious 5G Connected 

Forest programme has been set 

up by a consortium of academic 

researchers and local businesses. 

One of its focuses is on how 5G 

technology could be used to 

support and benefit businesses. 

The consortium wants to hear 

from business owners, directors 

and managers from across all 

sectors so it can learn more about 

the technological needs of local 

firms. 

An independent research survey 

has been set up and can be taken 

by clicking HERE. 

It should take no more than 10 

minutes and is anonymous. 

To get involved, please complete 

the survey before January 16 

2022. There will be a chance to 

win £100 for a charity of your 

choice. 



05


Membership cards dropped as 

IoD improves sustainability 

As part of the IoD’s environmental drive, 

we are delighted to announce that we 

have received the Planet Mark certificate 

to underline our efforts to promote 

sustainability and a low carbon agenda. The 

IoD remains determined to ensure climate 

change climbs the agendas of boardrooms 

across the country, and our work with 

Planet Mark is proof of this. 

One consequence is that we have 

decided to stop sending out IoD 

membership cards and we are cutting down 

on other paper products. 

As part of our Planet Mark commitment 

we have reduced our absolute carbon 

reduction by 42.6 per cent, and the 

absolute carbon reduction per employee is 

22.5 per cent. 

For more details, see 

https://www.planetmark.com/member/iod/ 

Membership inquiries 

Should you have any questions regarding your 

IoD membership or renewal then please contact 

your local Branch Manager in the first instance. 

In the East Midlands: 

Cait Murphy 

Branch Manager, 

IoD East Midlands 

e: Cait.Murphy@iod.com 

t: 0115 678 1716 

In the West Midlands: 


Branch Manager, 


e: Frances.Fairclough@iod.com 

t: 0121 281 5531 

Making a difference 

to the environment 

The IoD is proud to launch its new Sustainable Business Hub. It brings 

together all the IoD’s sustainability related events, news, educational 

content and other initiatives occurring across our community into a single, 

easily searchable location. 

Check it out now at: https://www.iod.com/news/sustainable-business/ 

Members’ magazine 

Tell us what’s happening in your world: 

we are always looking for interesting 

and relevant editorial for the magazine 

and online, so please speak to Frances 

Fairclough about any content you may 

have. There are also opportunities to 

advertise in this magazine. For more 

details speak to Colin Regan at Chamber 

Media Services (details on pg 3) and see 

how the IoD Midlands magazine can be 

part of your marketing plan. 

A London address for your 

business – without the rent! 

Do you need a central London office 

address but you don’t want to pay 

high rent for a physical space? 

Do you want help on mail and call 

handling? Then the IoD Virtual 

Office can offer you and your 

business all of that and so much 

more! 

Choosing to work with IoD 

Virtual Office and registering your 

company in Pall Mall will raise the 

profile of your business and give it 

a much sought-after SW1 postcode 

and London phone number, 

positioning you right in the heart of 

the capital. 

You can tailor this address with 

other IoD support services, such as 

call handling and a hot desk facility 

available on a full or half-day basis. 

IoD Virtual Office prices start 

from £90 plus VAT a month for 

members, while a dedicated 

London telephone number(s) with 

professional call handling from our 

London based IoD Virtual Office 

team starts from £75 plus VAT a 

month (members). 

Call 0207 451 3300 for details. 



IoD opens new members meeting spaces 

LINCOLN 

The IoD is excited to be working with 

Lincoln College to offer drop-in workspace 

for members in the new Lincoln 

Business Centre. 

The centre is situated in the historic 

Gibney Building on Monks Road, Lincoln. 

Members can enjoy access to deskspace, 

bookable meeting rooms, free 

WiFi and a lounge area where members 

may meet with clients and customers. 

For virtual/hybrid meetings, VTC is 

available in the Business Centre’s large 

and small meeting rooms. 

The offer at present is for members to 

have access to the LBC for free up until 

July 22. 

Want to know more? 

For more details, contact IoD East 

Midlands branch manager Cait Murphy at 

Cait.Murphy@iod.com or 0115 678 1716. 

SHREWSBURY 

IoD members can now make use of the 

superb meeting facilities at The Pump 

House Knowledge Hub in Shrewsbury. 

The hub is a quiet and secure area for 

events, meetings or hot-desking right in 

the town centre. It backs onto the River 

Severn and has beautiful views from the 

conference room and the lobby. 

It’s situated just a five minute walk 

from Shrewsbury train station and there’s 

free on-street parking outside for two 

hours. Alternatively there are a number 

of local pay and display car parks close 

to the hub, including the Frankwell car 

park. 

The Knowledge Hub has a lobby/ 

exhibition area with a range of soft 

seating and high tables as well as a 

discreet kitchen with self-service tea 

and coffee making facilities including a 

nespresso coffee machine. 

It also has a dedicated guest wifi 

network and plenty of electrical plugs for 

recharging devices. 

There is also a small conference room 

seating 25 people theatre-style for hire at 

a small charge, as well as three meeting 

rooms seating between 4-6 people. 

To use the meeting space, just fill in the 

online booking form at 

https://calendly.com/knowledgehub, 

making sure you book a time slot and 

mention your IoD membership in the 

comments. When you arrive at the front 

door just press the entry button for the 

Knowledge Hub, state your name and 

you will be directed to the Knowledge 

Hub. The full address is The Pump House, 

Coton Hill, Shrewsbury SY1 2DP. 

‘A place for entrepreneurs to meet’ 

IoD members can also use the meeting spaces at: 

Nottingham: The Dryden Enterprise Centre (DEC) 

at Nottingham Trent University, where members 

can use the spacious lobby area and enjoy secure 

flexible desks, super-fast Wi-Fi and tea & coffee 

making facilities. 

Crowne Plaza, Nottingham: Members can use the 

spacious atrium, with the option to book private 

meeting rooms at a discounted cost. Save on refreshments 

by quoting your IoD membership number 

Click here for more details 

Birmingham: Grand Hotel, 1 Church Street (off 

Colmore Row) Birmingham B3 2BS 

Click here for more details 



07


IoD survey finds 3-in-10 importers 

not ready for new border controls 

KryptoKloud 

are on a high 

It’s been a very trying time for many 

businesses over the last few years, 

which is even more reason to 

celebrate those that are reaping the 

rewards of their hard work. 

One such success story is IT 

consultancy and security expert 

KryptoKloud. Run by IoD members 

Paul and Allison Burrows, 

KryptoKloud will be launching its 

new Lincoln-based office early in the 

new year. 

Paul is an IoD Regional 

Ambassador, East Midlands for 

Cyber Security. 

We wish them continued success 

and our congratulations. 

On January 1, new customs arrangements 

were brought in on imports from the EU, 

but a survey before Christmas by the IoD 

found that three-in-10 companies that 

import were not prepared for the new 

regulations. 

Companies will no longer be able to 

delay making import customs declarations 

for EU goods, and will instead have to 

make declarations and pay relevant tariffs 

at the point of import. Notice of imports of 

food, drink and products of animal origin 

will also be needed to be given in advance. 

However, in a poll of 600 IoD members 

conducted just weeks before the new 

arrangements came in, 30 per cent of 

relevant businesses described themselves 

as “not at all prepared” for these changes. 

Kitty Ussher, chief economist at the 

IoD, said the revelations were worrying: 

“Significant changes to our customs 

arrangements have been introduced, for 

which a large portion of businesses are 

either unprepared or simply unaware. 

“This will exacerbate existing supply 

chain problems, leading to further 

congestion at ports, as well as extra costs 

from accidental non-compliance for many 

businesses. 

“Government needs to ramp up an 

awareness and advertising campaign 

around these changes, simplifying the 

guidance, so that all importing businesses 

feel confident they know how to keep 

supplies flowing.” 

Only eight per cent of respondents said 

they were ‘very prepared’, and 19 per cent 

were ‘somewhat prepared.’ 

Has the post-Brexit era ushered in a new 

relevance for the Commonwealth? 

See Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, page 26 

New route open 

to Australia 

The Department for International 

Trade says a new Free Trade 

Agreement with Australia will unlock 

£10.6 billion of additional trade – a 53 

per cent increase on current UK/AUS 

trade compared to today. 

It is expected to boost the UK 

economy by £2.3 billion and increase 

household wages by £900 million. 

It is also the first step in an 

expanded role for the UK in this 

fast-growing region alongside a 

UK-New Zealand Free Trade 

Agreement, with the ultimate aim of 

establishing closer ties with the 11 

countries in the Comprehensive and 

Progressive Agreement for Trans 

Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). 

The DIT has a number of web 

resources available for companies 

interested in finding out more about 

the agreement and how they could 

benefit, including a business friendly 

guide to some key benefits broken 

down by sector. 

There is also details on the new 

rules for agriculture, food, 

customs, data, mobility, rules of 

origin and sustainability and 

inclusion. 

See the Great.gov Australia Market 

page by CLICKING HERE 

Smoothing the way for supply 

chains and procurement 

Today’s supply chains are undergoing 

unprecedented changes and challenges. 

Nottingham Trent University is therefore 

offering a series of supply chain workshops 

starting in March 2022, followed by 

company specific 1-2-1 consultancy. 

The programme is designed for senior 

management teams with responsibility for 

supply chain management and will be 

delivered by experienced, senior 

procurement specialists from the 

internationally renowned Nottingham 

Business School. 

They will critically assess how 

procurement can support the delivery of 

business strategy, with a focus on how the 

supply chain can add value and at the 

same time manage risks, and protecting 

the business from disruption. 

The consultancy is supported by a 

proven diagnostic and tool kit that helps 

develop systems and processes to support 

decision making and business growth. 

The core benefits of strengthening 

supply chain management include reduced 

costs, improve quality control, increase 

speed and flexibility, and risk mitigation. 

What it entails: 

n Three x 2 hr strategic procurement 

workshops 

n Approx. 30 hours of consultancy support 

n A grant to fund 20 per cent of a salary 

for a graduate level role 

n A procurement maturity self-assessment. 

This offer is available at no cost to 

eligible SMEs in Nottinghamshire and 

Derbyshire. 

Express your interest today – places are 

limited! 

Contact: dave.shipley@ntu.ac.uk or on 

0115 9848 for more information, or see the 

Productivity Through Innovation webpage 

by clicking HERE. 

To find out more, see the Nottingham Trent University Productivity Through 

Innovation website - CLICK HERE 



News 

The IoD 

Helping you Connect, Develop and Influence 

Did you know as a full IoD member* you get... 

Free business 

advice, 

research and 

information 

25 enquiries to the 

Business 

Information 

Service 

Four sessions with 

our business 

advisers 

25 calls to our legal 

helpline and 25 calls to 

our tax helpline 

BUSINESS INFORMATION 

As an IoD member, you have access to top professional 

researchers through the IoD Business Information service. 

They can provide you with valuable information on topics 

ranging from market forecasts and industry trends to trading 

abroad and employee salaries. 

Key details 

1. Free and exclusive service to you as an IoD member 

2. Accessible from all over the world by email or phone 

3. Up to 25 enquiries* per calendar year with 30 minutes of 

research time on each occasion 

4. Bespoke answers within 24 hours or soon thereafter 

during exceptionally busy periods 

*According to your membership package 

DIRECTORS’ ADVICE 

No matter how well connected you are, sometimes you need 

independent and confidential business advice from a specialist. 

The Directors’ Advisory Service provides IoD members 

with just that, free of charge. Our expert advice covers issues 

from raising finance to board appointments and shareholder 

disputes. 

Key details 

1. Exclusive to IoD members 

2. Free, independent & confidential advice on a vast range of 

issues 

3. Advice is given by appointment either in a face-to-face 

consultation at 116 Pall Mall or over the telephone, depending 

on adviser availability 

4. Up to four appointments per calendar year, 30-45 minutes 

each. 

Find out more at www.iod.com/services/information-and-advice 

* Full Members have full access to IoD Business Information and Advice services. Associate members have access to our digital 

business library, guides and archive of research and reports only. 

IoD Members’ Professional Benefits Programme 

The IoD has a host of carefully chosen, 

specially negotiated discounts on key 

services for IoD members 

Professional Indemnity Insurance 

Ensure you are protected against 

claims from unhappy clients. 

Office Insurance 

Save five per cent on policies covering 

you against damage on your business 

premises, such as through flooding or 

fire. 

Cyber and Data Risks Insurance 

Save five per cent on policies 

protecting you against data breaches, 

viruses and other attacks from hackers. 

Personal Private Health Insurance 

10 per cent discount on Bupa By You 

health insurance 

Car and Van Hire 

Save 10 per cent on global car hire 

and get free membership of Hertz’s 

VIP membership scheme, the Gold Plus 

Rewards Five Star 

Home and Contents Insurance 

Save 12.5 per cent for life of our policy. 

Private Client Insurance 

If you have a high-value home and / 

or contents, this IoD offer can save up to 

five per cent on bespoke insurance cover 

in the first year. 

International Payments 

The IoD’s International Payments 

Service, provided by WorldFirst, has now 

expired. Call the IoD membership team 

on 020 7766 8866. 

Business Sales, Acquisitions and 

Strategy Services 

Whether you are buying or selling 

a business, careful preparation and 

expertise is critical to success. Find out 

how the IoD can help. 

To access all of these discounts and 

services, click the link below. 

https://www.iod.com/services/ 

iod-professional-benefits-programme 



Mastermind: the perfect environment 

for director development 

What are IoD Mastermind Groups? 

The IoD’s Mastermind groups are 

unique sessions that give directors and 

senior business leaders the chance to 

discuss the key issues and challenges 

they face in an open, constructive and 

confidential environment. 

They are a combination of brainstorming, 

education, peer accountability 

and support, a unique advisory panel of 

trusted, experienced businesspeople you 

can bounce ideas off. 

For many members, these meetings 

can act as a surrogate board meeting, 

particularly for those who run their own 

business or who are part of an SME 

without non-executives sitting with them 

on their boards. 

Each group is made up of directors 

from non-competing industries, 

combining SMEs and larger businesses. 

Topics have varied from employee 

relations, directors’ duties, hot topics in 

business, whether to expand the 

company, and work-life balance. Topics 

for meetings are often tied to IoD CPD 

topics that are being run at the time. 

How can you join? 

You have to be a member of the IoD! 

To ensure that members can have candid 

conversations, these groups are made up 

of non-competing industries and every 

meeting is under Chatham House rules. 

If you are interested in joining 

a local group, please contact 

joshua.whitehead@iod.com. 

East Midlands 

In the East Midlands region, we 

currently have three Mastermind 

groups – Leicester, Nottingham and 

Lincoln. At present all are run via 

Zoom but we hope to return to 

face-to-face sessions very soon. 

The Leicester Mastermind group is 

facilitated by John Tucker. It is held on 

the third Tuesday of every month. 

Potential members are sent to the 

group facilitator, who makes sure we 

build groups that don’t have members 

from the same disciplines/sectors. 

How do they work? 

Masterminds are currently held via 

Zoom but this will change to in-person 

events in the future. The dates/times are 

set by the facilitator and group and can 

be held as frequently as you wish, but is 

usually once a month. 

When life is back to normal, 

Masterminds will revert to taking place 

in hubs situated where each branch is. 

Discussions are held over a two-course 

meal, and usually a glass of wine, but 

The Nottingham group is facilitated 

by Clive Bridge and Lindsey Newman- 

Wood . 

The Lincoln Mastermind group is 

facilitated by John Hebblethwaite. It is 

hoped that venues will be confirmed 

as soon as possible. 

If you wish to be a part of an East 

Midlands Mastermind group, please 

send a short biography to 

Joshua.whitehead@iod.com. 

this can be dependent on the group’s 

requirements. 

Are there any rules? 

We ask that when attending 

Masterminds, you don’t use it as a sales 

pitch. We want members attending each 

group to be genuine and want to help 

with/discuss business queries that they 

or members of the group might have. 

We also ask that members, where 

possible, are consistent with attending 

these meetings, as it helps the group 

build a solid foundation with each other. 

Mastermind Groups will re-start in 

February. To register your interest, 

contact the IoD regional team. 

FORTHCOMING EVENTS 

LINCOLN 

Date: January 18, 2022 

Time: 4-6pm 

Location: Online 

Price: Free 

NOTTINGHAM 


Time: 6-8pmpm 


Price: Free 

Event manager: Joshua Whitehead 

e: Joshua.Whitehead@iod.com 

For more details, contact Joshua Whitehead 

on 0115 848 6190 

or via joshua.whitehead@iod.com 

Mastermind rules: 

To join a Mastermind Group in the East Midlands, we request 

that you send us a short biography so we can ensure no 

competing organisations are represented on any group. 

All groups in East Midlands and West Midlands are strictly 

member only, and we always aim for as broad a cross-section 

of business sectors/disciplines as possible. 



11


West Midlands... 

from left, winners 

from the region: 

From left to right 

Steph Allen and 

Emma Collins (both 

representing Dale 

Parmenter, DRP 

Group), Adam 

Kiani, IoD West 

Midlands chair Inez 

Brown, Professor 

Paul Cadman, 

Shameem Kazmi, 

Andrew Thompson 

and Marisa Firkins 

From the East 

Midlands, (from 

left) Sue Liburd, 

Bushra Ali, Ashish 

Kumar, Matthew 

Bacon, IoD East 

Midlands Chair 

Gary Headland and 

Kerrin Wilson 

Midlands directors rewarded for 

excellence in the face of adversity 

IoD East Midlands and IoD West 

Midlands turned a hugely deserving 

spotlight on the region’s business 

leaders as they revealed the winners of 

the 2021 Director of the Year Awards at 

a special joint event in November. 

Held in two locations before a live 

audience of invited awards finalists and 

their guests, and watched online by 

hundreds of IoD members across the 

Midlands, the awards celebrated the 

achievements of those business leaders 

who had risen to the fierce challenges 

laid down by the pandemic. 

While many businesses have 

understandably struggled during 

the pandemic, our finalists had not 

only helped their businesses and 

organisations keep going over the past 

20 months, many had thrived despite 

the challenges lockdowns had created. 

The agility, resilience and creativity on 

display was extraordinary, judges said, 

as nominations highlighted the way 

directors had reassessed the needs of 

customers, clients and employees and 

realigned their delivery to match the 

challenging times we were living in. 

Examples highlighted by the judges 

included a personal training company 

forced to stop face-to-face physical 

sessions in favour of online courses; 

a creative agency that took its clients 

under its wing and helped them embrace 

Teams and Zoom as a meetings space; 

and Third Sector bodies who saw 

traditional income streams and fund 

raising stopped – but they stepped 

“The agility, resilience and 

creativity of entries was 

extraordinary and fully 

merited the plaudits...” 

up their support regardless as they 

recognised that it was needed more than 

ever. 

As IoD East Midlands Chair Gary 

Headland said during his opening 

address: “Reading through the finalists’ 

entries has been hugely inspiring and 

underlines once again the excellence 

alive today within the region’s business 

community.” 

He was joined in co-hosting the 

award’s film by IoD Greater Birmingham 

chair Andy Wilkinson. 

The event was filmed at the DRP 

Group’s state-of-the-art production 

facility in Worcester, with IoD finalists 

and guests gathered in the Grand Hotel, 

Birmingham and the National Space 

Centre in Leicester to watch proceedings 

via a live feed. 

Over the next few pages we highlight 

our winners, including judges’ comments 

as to why they won or were Highly 

Commended. We also applaud those 

finalists who did not win on the night but 

whose performance still deserves huge 

praise. 



YOUNG DIRECTOR 

Adam Kiani, PT Academy 

Adam epitomises the next generation of 

business leaders. He led from the front 

when the pandemic demanded a complete 

change of service delivery for his business, PT 

Academy, a specialist in fitness and personal 

training courses. With that impossible, 

Adam identified online learning as the most 

practical replacement, adding 80 additional 

qualifications to PT’s portfolio. 

AWARD SPONSOR 

AGILITY & RESILIENCE 

Marisa Firkins, Safety Forward Ltd 

The agility and resilience many business leaders 

were forced to demonstrate during the pandemic 

were typified by Marisa’s response. She undertook 

a full review of her business’s values and culture, 

building a case for a new wellbeing service. A 

desire to be flexible and ethical with respect to the 

needs of clients during the crisis highlighted how 

the business’s slogan of ‘Putting People First’ was 

more than just empty words. 

AWARD SPONSOR 

Adam with IoD 


Chair Inez Brown 

Finalists 

Natalie Allen, NS Property Solvers 

Finalist in the Young Director category 

Natalie was praised as 

an innovator in the 

property sector with a 

determination to create 

a stress-free way for 

tenants to access 

high-quality homes. 

Anita Baldwin & Anna Geary, 

Get Savvy Club 

Finalists in the Start-Up category 

Anita and Anna take 

business owners/ 

entrepreneurs from 

‘struggling’ to ‘sold out’ 

by offering engaging 

online programmes 

that connect business 

people. 

Matt Carson, East Midlands 

Cyber Resilience Centre 

Finalist in the Public Sector category 

Matt has developed a 

range of crucial cyber 

resilience services that 

are delivered in a direct, 

uncomplicated manner 

despite the complexity 

of the issues involved. 

START-UP 

Matthew Bacon, TCC-CASEMIX 

Dr Bacon’s mission for this fledgling business is to 

transform surgical services – long mired in poor 

productivity – through a focus on technology. 

Despite the pandemic he brought through a 

number of major innovations that embody the 

latest in interoperability standards. These included 

a surgical data acquisition process that allows 

any team connected to the surgical pathway to 

view real-time progress – something critical to 

the management of patient flow and healthcare 

productivity, and a vital move considering the 

pressures the health service is currently under. 

AWARD SPONSOR 

Matthew Chesney, BACKLIT 

Finalist in the Equality, Diversity & 

Inclusion category 

Matthew makes the 

creative case for 

diversity at every 

board meeting as 

part of Backlit’s 

ongoing commitment 

to represent diverse 

emergent artists. 

Karen Cureton, 

Cureton Consulting 

Finalist in the Innovation category 

Karen provides exciting 

ways for businesses 

to use social media 

to promote products 

and services, including 

profile reviews and 

training webinars. 



13


Finalists 

Justin Done, Autistic Nottingham 

Finalist in the Third Sector category 

Justin’s passion to help 

autistic adults without 

learning disabilities 

shines through in his 

work for this autismspecific 

advocacy 

service. 

Toby Ealden, Zest Theatre 

Finalist in the Agility & Resilience 

category 

Toby had to re-orientate 

Zest as soon as the 

pandemic suspended 

live performances, 

keeping his staff at the 

heart of its work while 

ensuring stakeholders’ 

voices were heard. 

Sarah Louise Fairburn, 

Greater Lincolnshire LEP 

Finalist in the Non-Executive Director 

category 

Sarah has led a re-brand 

and transformation of 

the LEP’s strategy 

around stakeholder 

engagement, ensuring it 

remains engaged with the 

community it serves. 

John Fennell, Rotherwood Group 


category 

John’s quick decisionmaking 

ensured staff 

and residents at his 

group’s care homes 

were cared for as the 

pandemic struck this 

sector particulary hard. 

Zinthiya Ganeshpanchan, 

Zinthiya Trust 


This charity continued 

supporting the 

survivors of domestic 

abuse and those living 

in poverty throughout 

the pandemic – at a 

time when calls to its 

hotline increased by 70 per cent. 

SUSTAINABILITY 

Dale Parmenter, DRP Group 

Not content with building the DRP Group into 

one of the UK’s leading creative communications 

agencies, Dale has ensured its success has been 

built on a record of sustainability and protection 

of the environment. A recent audit of its 

Sustainability Management System demonstrated 

that it far exceeded the requirements of the ISO 

14001 and ISO 20121 standards for environmental 

management. 

HIGHLY COMMENDED 

Lee Marshall, Viridis Building Services Ltd 

Lee’s passion for the environment led to him setting 

up Viridis in 2012, with the purpose of bringing a 

unique mechanical and electrical (M&E) engineering 

perspective to the table based on environmentally 

friendly solutions while maximising the benefits from 

renewable processes. 

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY 

& INCLUSION 

Sue Liburd, Abstract UK 

The IoD has taken a strong stance on promoting a 

positive EDI agenda, and Sue’s work at Abstract 

UK epitomises this, empowering organisations to 

embrace diversity and harness the full potential of 

all their people. Abstract is in a powerful position 

to influence others on EDI issues, and Sue has 

leveraged her diverse network to get executive 

teams thinking differently around how they can 

ensure they are truly inclusive. Sue has set a 

benchmark against which other organisations can 

set their own EDI policies. 

PUBLIC SECTOR 

Asst Chief Constable Kerrin Wilson 

Lincolnshire Police 

Assistant Chief Constable Kerrin Wilson has 

specific responsibility for all matters operational 

and is key to the effective and efficient delivery 

of policing across Lincolnshire. As the strategic 

commander leading the Force’s response to 

policing the pandemic, ACC Wilson used multiple 

platforms to engage with both the public and staff 

alike in a transparent and ethical way. It was a 

response hailed by stakeholders as an exemplar of 

policing during the pandemic. 

AWARD SPONSOR 

AWARD SPONSOR 

Steph Allen 

accepted 

the award on 

behalf of Dale 

Parmenter 

AWARD 

SPONSOR 



CORPORATE SOCIAL 

RESPONSIBILITY 

Bushra Ali, Bushra Ali Solicitors 

The pandemic has underlined the need for 

all businesses to consider their places in the 

communities they serve. Bushra has totally 

reviewed business operations and working 

practices, introducing new policies based around 

diversity, equality and inclusion, team health and 

wellbeing and client services to match the times 

we are living in. 

Dale Parmenter, DRP Group 

Dale has demonstrated that the smooth running of 

a successful, growing business can be compatible 

with iron-clad guarantees around corporate social 

responsibility. Throughout the last 20 months Dale 

has ensured the DRP Group played its part both 

within its community and by helping its workforce 

come to terms with the pandemic’s impact. 

He sees business as having a role to play as a 

‘corporate citizen’ that works with society. 


Emma Hallam, Alex’s Wish 

Running a charity during a lockdown when fundraising is nigh-on 

impossible would daunt many, but not Emma, whose positivity 

and creativity saw her create new online ways of communicating 

and connecting with supporters as they strived to find a cure to 

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a muscle-wasting disease. 

AWARD SPONSOR 

Emma Collins 

accepted 

the award on 

behalf of Dale 

Finalists 

Stephen Goddard & 

Philip Brooks-Stephenson, 

KuKu Global Ltd t/a Connect 

Finalists in the Innovation category 

Stephen (right) and Philip 

have built an awardwinning 

networking 

organisation which 

develops new ways to 

connect members and add 

value to their businesses. 

Stacey Green, Freedom 

Foundation CIC 

Finalist in the Equality, Diversity 

& Inclusion category 

Stacey delivers creative 

programmes which 

introduce children and 

young people to the 

performing arts as a 

way of increasing their 

self-esteem, resilience 

and confidence. 

Louise Hackford-Gentle, 

Autistic Nottingham 


Louise has proved an 

inspirational COO of 

Autistic Nottingham, 

growing funding streams 

and identifying new 

ways to advocate for 

autistic adults without 

intellectual disabilities. 



15


Finalists 

Sam Hallett, Enable Life & 

Enable Your Future Ltd 

Finalist in the Agility & Resilience and 

Innovation categories 

Sam has built Enable 

Life into a highly 

regarded Life & Health 

insurance broker which 

specialises in Business 

Protection by delivering 

outstanding customer 

service based on a 

genuine desire to offer clients a 

solution to meet their needs. 

Rachel Hayward, 

Derby Swap Shop Ltd 


category 

Rachel has created an 

interactive free-to-use 

platform on which 

small businesses and 

charities seeking 

support can swap 

skills, talents, 

products and services. 

Daniel James, 

Hickman James Ltd 

Finalist in the SME category 

Daniel’s attention to detail and 

service standards have helped 

Hickman James Ltd be recognised 

as a leader in the highly competitive 

printing industry. 

Ian McKellar, Quantum Meruit 

Credit Management Ltd 

Finalist in the Start-Up category 

Ian’s repositioning of 

the business, using 

automated processes 

to minimise the risk of 

invoices becoming 

overdue, has been a 

masterstroke, giving 

clients more control over finances. 

Matthew McKeown, Lincolnshire 

and Rutland EBP 

Finalist in the Innovation category 

Matthew is proud to help 

this social enterprise 

support young people as 

they transition to the 

workplace; his innovative 

use of Virtual Reality 

proved a winner when 

work experience projects were hit by 

Covid. 

SME DIRECTOR 

Alex Roberts, Forest Holidays 

Alex has challenged a previous lack of innovation 

and an ineffective brand with a bold new strategy. 

He has promoted a clear, unifying vision to evolve 

Forest Holidays into a purpose-led organisation 

that puts technology, brand and ecommerce at 

the heart of its operations and will confirm its 

position as a leader in the travel sector. 

AWARD SPONSOR 

NON-EXECUTIVE 

DIRECTOR 

Shameem Kazmi, 

Birmingham County FA 

Shameem has helped transform the FA’s business 

strategy. His external experience has helped identify 

new opportunities while ensuring the organisation’s 

finances and structures were protected throughout 

Covid-19. He promoted new ways of working to 

simplify the business, reducing costs and responding 

with agility, despite cuts to funding. 


Philip Brooks-Stephenson, BACKLIT 

Philip’s visionary thinking has helped BACKLIT remain focused on its 

core mission and values while promoting diverse emergent artists. 

In addition, Philip has continued to prioritise sound financial and 

corporate governance. 

AWARD SPONSOR 

THIRD SECTOR 

Andrew Thompson, 

Groundwork West Midlands (GWWM) 

When Andrew joined GWWM, project delivery 

was disjointed, there was no clear plan, financial 

reporting systems were poor and it was suffering 

badly from ‘mission drift’. In addition, departments 

were fragmented and staff lacked confidence to 

pursue ambitious projects. Andrew tackled each of 

these issues head on, establishing a Reset Model 

to allow GWWM to develop, grow and play a 

relevant and vital part in the lives of the residents 

of the West Midlands. 

AWARD SPONSOR 



FAMILY BUSINESS 

Ashish Kumar, Web Alliance Ltd 

The role of family-led businesses is often 

overlooked, but their contribution is immense. 

Ashish has built up the Web Alliance as a family 

concern with a difference: not only does it 

involve his extended family, but all his workers 

in the UK and India are regarded as family, 

too. Annual time out of the office sessions 

bring the workforce together, while Ashish 

runs this innovative IT consultancy with a true 

compassion and empathy for others, where all 

voices are heard. 


Julie Jordan-Spence, Jordan Motors Ltd 

Julie continues to evolve this family firm with a focus on 

motoring, from a bodywork specialist to a Kia dealership 

and now into its current iteration, a motor servicing, repairs 

and diagnostics business with a Practical Car and Van Rental 

franchise. Never afraid of change, Julie is now bringing in a new 

focus on electric vehicles. 

AWARD SPONSOR 

Finalists 

Michael Osborne, 

Focal Business Group Ltd 


Michael has brought 

together a team which 

delivers insight rather 

than hindsight as they 

deliver financial and 

advisory solutions to 

SMEs in an innovative 

and service-centric manner. 

Maria Peggs, Vispera Ltd 

Finalist in the Agility & Resilience category 

Maria’s exceptional 

support results in 

business and individual 

growth for her clients. 

An emergency strategy 

to diversify during the 

pandemic resulted in a 

new focus on public sector contracts. 

Mark Robinson & Andy Rudkin, 

Creative62 

Finalists in the Agility & Resilience and 

SME categories category 

Mark (right) and Andy 

guided clients as they 

looked for new ways to 

communicate during 

lockdown, offering 

support with a light 

touch that emphasised 

their focus on lasting relationships. 



17

News 

Finalists 

Kamran Saleem, MotorServUK 


Kamran plans the 

strategic direction of 

the business, working 

off KPI and real 

world data to drive 

exceptional customer 

service. 

Jane Sommerville, 

Bowers & Jones Ltd 


and SME categories 

Jane has established the 

long-term vision at Bowers 

and Jones, with a focus on 

service quality – and 

‘Keeping Mills Rolling’. 

INNOVATION 

Matthew Bacon, TCC-CASEMIX 

Matthew has built a truly innovative start-up at 

TCC-CASEMIX, which was why he was a deserved 

winner in two of our categories. TCC-CASEMIX 

brings to market a transformational new capability 

in the delivery of elective surgical care. At a time 

of desperately long surgical waiting lists, this 

capability could not be more timely and is set to 

transform the healthcare sector. 


Tom Marsden, Lincoln College Group 

Tom has applied critical strategic thinking to the College’s group 

plan. This has involved looking at where education and training will 

be focused over the next five years, examining the HE Apprenticeship 

offer and asking how the group might develop it. 

AWARD SPONSOR 

Dan Thombs, Bystronic UK 


Dan has modernised 

and revitalised the 

Bystronic Group. 

Ambitious targets to 

grow the organisation 

by 20% in 2021 financial 

year and another 20% 

by 2025 are part of a three-year 

turnaround plan. 

Barry Tong, Stephensons Online 


Under Barry’s visionary 

leadership Stephensons 

Online Ltd has grown 

from a bedroom business 

launched with £10 

of assets into one of 

Amazon’s biggest health 

and beauty sellers. 

Joe Verde, PSP IT Design and 

Development Academy 


Joe’s commercial and 

business awareness is a 

key quality; he seeks 

out trends and is 

always thinking ahead, 

looking for new profitenhancing 

strategies. 

CHAIR’S AWARDS: 

EAST MIDLANDS 

Asst Chief Constable 

Kerrin Wilson, 

Lincolnshire Police 

IoD East Midlands Chair Gary Headland 

said: “I have the pleasure of coming 

into contact with many outstanding 

directors and leaders as I perform my 

duties as IoD Chair, but few have 

impressed me as much over the past 

20 months as ACC Kerrin Wilson. She 

has led her police force through an 

incredibly difficult time but has done 

so with a calm assurance that has 

bred confidence within the public. 

“That the people of Lincolnshire have 

trusted their police’s handling of the 

pandemic and its many rules is 

testimony to Kerrin’s leadership.” 

WEST MIDLANDS 

Professor Paul Cadman 

IoD Chair Inez Brown writes: 

“Professor Paul Cadman is a longstanding 

member of the IoD and 

a true advocate of its goals and 

values. He has had a huge impact 

on a number of executive teams and 

boards, particularly in education but 

also within the private sector. 

“He is a true champion for West 

Midlands business and a man with a 

passion to deliver lasting and effective 

change.” 

AWARDS SPONSOR 



Finalists and guests at the awards event at The Grand Hotel, Birmingham 

Finalists 

Naomi Watkins-Ligudzinska, 

NW Counselling Hub CIC 


category 


Chair Inez Brown 

Naomi’s creativity has 

allowed NWCH to 

continue expanding 

services. She showed 

decisive leadership 

during the pandemic, 

keeping her cool while 

managing stakeholder relationships. 

Lee Wilcox, Electric House 


Lee has created an 

organisation that is 

able to offer its clients 

unique access to online 

communities alongside 

social media and 

marketing services. 

The IoD West Midlands: Pam Kaur, 

Anna Hicks and Fran Fairclough 

Danny Wilson, 

Thermaright Hire Solutions 

Finalist in the Start-Up category 

Danny strives to 

innovate by offering 

the latest technologies 

and cutting-edge 

temperature control 

solutions not generally 

thought of as “hired” 

products, driving the industry 

forward as he looks to redefine what 

technical equipment hiring means in 

the modern world. 

Awards night: 

Finalists await the results 

at the East Midlands event, 

hosted by the National 

Space Centre, Leicester 



19

Spotlight: The race to Net Zero 

COP26, the Climate Change Summit in Glasgow held in November 2021, showed the world that 

more progress was needed now in the race to reduce carbon emissions and improve 

sustainability, particularly in business. Over the next four pages we will look at how you can 

improve your environmental performance, without impacting on business outcomes 

THE RACE TO NET ZERO: 

sprint, marathon and steeplechase 

Andrew Thompson, 

Chief Executive Officer, Groundwork 


I’m delighted to be able 

to tell you that 

Groundwork has a 

carbon footprint of 

2,143 tonnes of carbon 

dioxide equivalent. 

Of course, I’m not 

delighted that we’re 

responsible for pushing more than 2,000 

tonnes of CO 2 

into the atmosphere every 

year – that’s the equivalent of flying to 

Australia and back nearly 400 times. 

However, I am genuinely pleased that 

we’ve got a proper and robust baseline 

against which we can measure our 

progress towards achieving net zero 

emissions. We have a goal of getting 

there by 2030. 

What’s more, this is a figure for the 

whole Groundwork Federation – 15 

separate charities employing more than 

1,100 staff and responsible for a range of 

assets and premises including offices, 

education centres, museums, community 

centres and sports facilities. Groundwork 

West Midlands actually accounts for 140 

of those tonnes – a much more 

manageable figure. 

Getting consistent data to produce a 

single measure and then getting all the 

leaders in our federation to make a 

collective commitment to a collaborative 

action plan has been a significant 

undertaking. 

But it presents as many questions as it 

answers. The most obvious is how do we 

achieve our goal now that we know our 

starting point? To a degree this is the 

most straightforward to answer. Each 

part of our federation has a bespoke 

analysis of the source of their emissions 

– including any data gaps – which should 

inform the production of an action plan. 

Bringing together leads in each 

organisation to work through issues as a 

virtual team shares learning and spreads 

innovation, while a commitment to 

annual reporting – overseen by our 

Federation Board and built into our 

collective membership agreement and 

quality standards – gives us a sound 

‘‘ 

Getting consistent data to produce a single measure 

of our carbon footprint and then getting all the 

leaders in our federation to make a collective 

commitment to a collaborative action plan has been a 

significant undertaking.... 

Operating across the West Midlands, 

including, Birmingham, Stoke on 

Trent, the Black Country and Coventry, 

Groundwork West Midlands maintains a 

holistic approach, working on hundreds 

of individual projects each year across 

the West Midlands, focusing its activity 

on communities where it can make 

a difference and create projects and 

services that benefit both people and 

the wider environment. 

governance framework. Approaching 

this as a collective also gives us the 

chance to operate an internal carbon 

market – achieving net zero overall while 

recognising that in some places it may 

take longer to make the necessary 

changes. 

As an organisation committed to 

driving social and environmental change, 

our staff teams are naturally supportive 

of the process, and we have significant 

expertise within our ranks to know what 

we need to do. Incidentally, that’s a 

service that we can also provide to other 

charities and businesses through our 



‘‘ And what happens when we identify a piece of work 

which may be bang-on in terms of our social mission 

and highly beneficial for those involved but will blow 

a big hole in our carbon budget? Getting us over all 

of these issues and hurdles will require open, honest 

and mature discussion ... 

Find out more 

at the IoD 

Sustainable 

Business Hub 

The IoD Sustainable Business Hub 

brings together sustainability related 

events, news, educational content 

and other initiatives occurring across 

the IoD community into a single, 

easily searchable location. 

Sustainable Business Consultants/ 

Sustainability Goals. 

See groundworksbs.org.uk for more 

details. 

So far so good, but there are big 

challenges ahead. The first is about what 

we measure. To establish our baseline, 

we’ve adopted a standard methodology, 

capturing direct and indirect emissions 

relating to our own people, processes 

and premises. Understanding the carbon 

embedded in some of the programmes 

and partnerships through which we 

operate is currently beyond us. Neither 

have we delved into our digital footprint, 

the upshot being that we could claim to 

be net zero one day, but as soon as we 

extend the scope of our methodology 

we need to start the journey again. 

While challenging this is probably no 

bad thing as it will keep pushing and 

stretching us. 

Another area of challenge will be our 

financial arrangements. We’re lucky 

enough to have some cash held in 

investments, and we’re thinking hard 

about how we ensure that is managed in 

line with our net zero goals, but we’ve 

also been asked the question about 

pension funds. At this point we are 

entering into the more complex territory 

of influencing our staff team’s personal 

financial choices. 

And how about the company we keep? 

Groundwork has a long history of 

working with a wide range of corporate 

partners – sometimes advising them on 

their sustainability strategies, sometimes 

benefiting from their CSR investments or 

employee volunteering programmes. 

The internal pressure to avoid 

association with companies who might 

not obviously share our values or whose 

practices might conflict with our vision 

of how the world should be is rightly 

strong, but this all rests on drawing lines, 

which can be increasingly difficult to do. 

Some decisions are very obvious, some 

we can arrive at through internal debate, 

but others have become a difficult 

moving target as companies also try and 

pivot their activities and rebuild their 

reputations. 

For example, we may all need to 

readjust when we get to the point where 

the companies investing most in 

renewables are the same companies 

currently rushing to diversify away from 

fossil fuels. 

It’s a bit like my experience of learning 

French at school. On the face of it the 

initial steps we need to take are logical 

and familiar. However, the deeper we go 

into the grammar, the more complex it 

becomes. I also know we’re going to hit 

some roadblocks at some point down 

the line, when we realise that getting 

properly to net zero may be dependent 

on major investment or buying offsets. 

And what happens when we identify a 

piece of work which may be bang-on in 

terms of our social mission and highly 

beneficial for those involved but will 

blow a big hole in our carbon budget? 

Getting us over all of these issues and 

hurdles will require open, honest and 

mature discussion with both our trustees 

and our staff teams so that we can 

effectively reconcile the drive to do 

what’s best for our organisation and its 

beneficiaries with what’s best for the 

planet. 

As with so many items on the charity 

CEO’s to-do list, this requires a steadfast 

adherence to mission, purpose and 

benefit and a willingness to be open 

about the unknowns, the dilemmas and 

the risks involved in doing the thing we 

believe to be right. 

For more about Groundwork 

West Midlands click the logo 

right 

Our core objectives are to: 

n Support directors in the 

adoption and management of 

sustainability policies 

n Provide information, value and 

support to members in relation to 

CSR issues and practices 

Through this dedicated online 

content hub and the National 

Sustainability Taskforce, the 

campaign aims to grow the IoD’s 

resource offering across this 

important and varied topic area, 

accepting that business has a crucial 

role to play in the issues surrounding 

sustainability. 

Through relevant unique content 

and special events, the IoD’s 

Sustainable Business campaign will 

shine a light on CSR, with focused 

material covering ethical, financial, 

societal and environmental factors. 

Working with our own Information 

and Advisory Service, as well as a 

team of sustainability experts from 

across the field, our pledge is to 

provide you with access to the latest 

advice, best practice and other 

useful resources, as well as 

experiences of other business leaders. 

The IoD’s Carbon Footprint 

We are committed to our own 

sustainability journey and have been 

certifying our carbon footprint with 

Planet Mark since 2019 with a 

commitment to reducing our 

environmental impact each year on 

the journey to net zero. 

Now is the ideal time for UK 

business to play a leadership role in 

defining the future of sustainable 

business. To learn more, we 

recommend these resources: 

UK Business Climate Change Hub 

https://smeclimatehub.org/uk/ 

Race to Zero 

https://racetozero.unfccc.int 

Zero Carbon Tour 

https://tour.planetmark.com 



21

Spotlight: The race to Net Zero 

Leading your business to Net 

Zero: the time to start is now 

Lynn Oxborrow 

Associate Professor and Help to Grow 

Programme lead, Nottingham Business 

School, Nottingham Trent University 

It’s hard to imagine that 

the challenge of slowing 

down climate change 

has completely passed 

anyone by, but what 

does this mean in 

practical terms for the 

way leaders run their 

businesses? 

Achieving Net Zero means using no 

more carbon in fuel or materials than we 

can responsibly return to the earth in a 

usable form. For most businesses that 

means reducing the amount of energy 

and materials used and releasing less 

carbon dioxide and other greenhouse 

gases into the atmosphere. 

But sustainability also involves 

improving the reuse of valuable 

materials, water and land and reducing 

or re-purposing waste more effectively. 

If all business could make some 

improvements this would contribute to 

reducing climate change by reducing the 

predicted long-term and sustained 

changes to weather and temperature 

that scientists are already witnessing. 

So, as a business leader, you will need 

to do just that – lead your business to a 

more sustainable future, even as you set 

about recovery and growth following all 

the disruption of the last two years. 

If you lead a small business, you may 

think that there isn’t much that you can 

do. However, a recent survey of small 

businesses, carried out by the British 

Business Bank, suggested that 

collectively, small businesses account for 

around half (43-53 per cent) of UK 

business greenhouse gas emissions but 

that 94 per cent of businesses 

questioned had taken at least one action 

to reduce their emissions. 

And in case you need any further 

convincing, climate action can have a 

positive effect, by helping to reduce 

costs, satisfy your customers’ needs to 

reduce their own impact, and it can also 

help to engage and motivate your staff. 

If you employ ‘Millennials’ or ‘Generation 

Zs’, research shows these groups are 

much more concerned about the 

environment and look to their employers 

to adopt positive values and responsible 

actions. 

So, if you intend to help your 

organisation to a more sustainable 

future, you need to start with a plan for 

change. Where do you start? Here are 

some steps to follow. 

Create urgency 

One essential ingredient in many 

change plans is to create urgency. The 

Climate Crisis is a source of urgency, so 

act NOW. 

The extensive media coverage means 

now is a good time to start! 

Enlist champions 

You could identify champions and 

partners to help take your plans 

forwards, providing both knowledge and 

energy. 

Making a positive difference can have 

a beneficial effect on staff morale, 

well-being, motivation, staff retention 

and productivity. A champion could 

bring your plan to life. 

Get trained 

Carbon literacy training could enable 

your team to measure the carbon 

footprint for your business, identify 

priorities for short and longer-term 

targets, and monitor improvements. 

Make better decisions to measurably 

reduce your carbon footprint. 

Do you know which of the following 

would have the biggest impact on your 

own ‘race to net zero’: switching to 

renewable energy, continuing to meet 

customers online or changing the 

materials in your product …? 

‘‘ 

If you make a measurable 

difference, report it, 

communicate your success 

and embed your new normal. 

But don’t make assumptions. 

Making honest claims 

supports your overall 

business competitiveness and 

stimulates further innovation. 

If something doesn’t work - 

reflect and revise.... 



Switching your vehicle fleet 

to electric vehicles could help 

you drive down your carbon 

emissions, particularly if you 

link this to a renewables-only 

electricity supplier 

Set goals 

Achieving Net Zero is going to be a big 

challenge but starting with some 

achievable short-term goals could be 

game-changing, help develop a change 

culture, win the commitment of your team 

and get your customers onside. In turn 

this can help you move on to higher 

priority targets that need time and 

investment but make a bigger difference. 

Introducing a recycling scheme, 

reducing waste in catering or production, 

or changing to LED lights, could help get 

your team committed. 

Changes to your product or premises 

could be a longer-term team challenge 

that needs all their input. 

Monitor and embed 

If you make a measurable difference, 

you can report on it, communicate your 

success and embed your new normal. 

But don’t make assumptions. Making 

honest claims supports your overall 

business competitiveness and stimulates 

further innovation. If something doesn’t 

work - reflect and revise. 

Changes you make could reflect 

positively on your operations, branding 

and communications. Tangible 

innovations in your product or supply 

chain, and new working practices all need 

to be shared with staff, customers and 

stakeholders. 

Of course, you may need some help 

with this. 

Sustainability underpins the content of 

the Help to Grow Management course, 

which has been created by the 

Government to help small and mediumsized 

businesses (SMEs) grow post 

pandemic. 

Help to Grow is being delivered at 

Business Schools across the region. To 

find out more visit gov.uk/helptogrow or 

email grow@ntu.ac.uk. 

At Nottingham Trent University we 

deliver a range of carbon literacy training, 

consultancy and design projects, and 

access to specialist support for SMEs in 

parts of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 

to become more sustainable. 

See our Sustainable and Inclusive 

Leadership* short course and 

Sustainability in Enterprise** projects. 

*Part-funded by the European 

Social Fund 

** Part-funded by the European 

Regional Development Fund. 

For more on Help to Grow, see gov.uk/helptogrow or email 

Lynn at grow@ntu.ac.uk 

IoD Course offers 

climate solutions 

Looking to implement climate 

solutions in your business? 

A free course is being offered to 

IoD members. 

Available as a bite-sized, selfdirected 

online course, it covers the 

following key topics: 

Section 1: Introduction to Climate 

Solutions 

Including: The Four imperatives; 

Mitigation and adaptation; Hierarchy 

of responses 

Section 2: Climate Change 

Including Carbon Cycle; Sources of 

Greenhouse Gases; Special day/ PPM 

activity; Climate Change impacts on 

businesses and the economy 

Section 3: Policy 

Introduction to Policy; International 

policies and agreements; EU, UK and 

Scottish Policy; Business contribution; 

Policy in action 

Section 4: Solutions 

Who shapes the solutions?; Circular 

Economy; Solutions Frameworks; 

Solutions in Action; Behavioural Change 

The programme is interactive and 

participants receive an IoD CPD 

accredited certificate. 

To find out more, CLICK HERE: 



23

Professional briefing: Security 

Will hybrid and remote 

working see a rise in 

employee dishonesty? 

Cresseys Triangle highlights 

why law-abiding citizens 

become dishonest 

Dave Kearns 

A report compiled by 

Nat West Bank in 

November 2020, on 

which I was a 

contributor, found that 

businesses lost £88 

million to employee 

fraud the previous year. That was double 

the figure for the year before. 

This figure only represents fraud. Bring 

into the equation theft and you will have 

a significantly higher figure. These 

figures of fraud are generally based on 

investigations where an employee has 

been charged and convicted. 

But how much goes undetected? At 

least double, in my opinion. 

Pre-Covid, when an employee 

committed theft and was caught: 

n 30 per cent stated they did so 

becase there were no control issues in 

place 

n 19 per cent overrode existing 

controls. 

This is not surprising when a 

businesses concern themselves more 

with external theft by a ‘criminal’ 

breaking into their premises or 

fraudsters ‘hacking’ into their systems. 

When implementing the security 

systems, both physically or IT-based, the 

focus is on the outsider and rarely on the 

opportunity for the dishonest employee 

– or the ‘Insider Threat’. 

How were these frauds discovered? 

Figures from the Association of Fraud 

Examiners Report to the Nation 2018 

(report every four years) identified that 

n 40 per cent were tip offs 

n 11 per cent found by accident 

n 15 per cent internal audit 

n 13 per cent management review 

n 3 per cent surveillance and monitoring 

n 1 per cent IT controls. 

Why does a law-abiding citizen 

suddenly become dishonest? It’s a 

question I’m regularly asked, and put 

simply: 

n they identify the opportunity 

n they rationalise their actions 

n the motivation is financial reward. 

This is known as Cresseys’ Triangle, 

named after Donald Cressey, an 

American criminologist. 

The dishonest employee’s activity is 

almost always based around their normal 

routine activity. 

For 22 years I have been investigating 

all aspects of employee dishonesty, 

including criminal theft and fraud, but 

also the civil offences of theft of data, 

false absenteeism, including false Covid 

claims of sickness and isolation, and I 

always see the correlation of Cresseys’ 

Triangle. 

I also always identify that the control 

measures were overridden and rarely is 

the activity identified by measures put in 

place by the business. The academia 

reflects the reality. 

Fewer than one-in-five SMEs have 

conducted a fraud risk assessment. 

The current working environment is 

something that we may not have 

envisaged and many workplaces and 

workspaces will be different to those 

pre-Covid. Our workplaces will change, 

not only to streamline it from a cost 

perspective but also from the business 

continuity perspective should the virus 

hit us hard again. Covid may be with us 

permanently. 

I believe businesses will want flexibility, 

a reduction in the number of employees, 

more use of sub-contracted services and 

remote working and fewer people within 

the working space. 

What impact could this have on 

dishonesty? How effective will control 

measures that businesses have in place 

at present be in the new working 

environment for the future? 

We already know that control 

measures are ineffective, and the SME 

sector, which is the most vulnerable to 

employee dishonesty, is also the sector 

which has the least control measures. 

Other factors to bring into play include 

less natural surveillance within the 

workplace as more people work from 

home, so there is less chance of a 

whistleblower revealing dishonesty. 

‘‘ 

Less natural surveillance 

within the workplace 

as more people work 

from home means less 

chance of a whistleblower 

revealing dishonesty. 

We can also presume employees 

working remotely may become less 

dedicated to the business as remoteness 

may reduce loyalty to the business. 

There could also be a tension if 

employees are not offered the benefit of 

working remotely while others do; they 

may begrudge their associated travel 

costs, etc. 

All these factors could come into play 

and tip previously honest employees to 

act dishonestly. 

So what can a business do to prevent 

and disrupt dishonest employees? 

n Be mature, realistic and responsible 

and accept it may / will happen to you. 

n Conduct a gap analysis; work from 

the broad and general to the specific. 

n Get education in this subject that is 

a real threat but overlooked by decision 

makers 

n Where necessary get training in the 

required areas where there is a skill gap 

n Conduct a security review (use 

external suppliers for the skill set and 

impartiality) 

n See more information at The Process 

(davekearns.co.uk) 

The rationalisation for employees may 

change. The majority of employees that 

are, or become, dishonest will remain 

with your business for financial gain of 

wealth, status and therefore control, 

having identified the opportunity. They 

will weigh up the pros and cons and 

maybe now the pros stack up 

significantly more in favour than the 

cons, as the chance of identification and 

being caught will potentially be reduced. 

DAVE KEARNS is Managing Director of 

Expert Investigations Group 

www.expert-investigations.co.uk 

He also writes under his personal brand 

of www.davekearns.co.uk 

He is one of the country’s leading 

experts on preventing, disrupting, 

and detecting dishonest employees 

and conducts reviews and covert 

investigations to detect dishonest 

employees 

Contact him at 

T: 02476 630498 / M: 07879 482902 

E: davidkearns@expert-investigations. 

co.uk 


january 2022

IP audits and the IP Access grant 

The UK Intellectual Property Office has 

recently launched its Intellectual Property 

(IP) Access grant, an extension to the 

UK IPO Audits Plus Programme. Nelsons’ 

Emma Toes (née Ward) discusses what 

IP audits are, why they are an essential 

part of any business looking to succeed 

and the funding available to businesses 

looking to undertake an audit. 

What is an intellectual property (IP) 

audit? 

An IP audit is a review of a business, 

focusing specifically on identifying 

existing IP, as well as potential 

opportunities to create, strengthen and 

protect IP. 

An audit might identify unregistered IP 

that a business was previously unaware of 

– such as copyright, unregistered design 

rights, confidential information or trade 

secrets. 

It is also possible that the audit will 

identify opportunities to create IP by 

applying to register a design or applying 

to register a patent. 

Why is it important for a business to do 

IP audits? 

IP is important because of the rights 

that accompany it. 

While these rights will vary depending 

on the type of IP, generally speaking 

IP will either benefit from monopolistic 

rights (meaning that, for example, no 

one can create a product that looks like 

yours without your permission, even if 

they have not copied it) or such rights will 

prevent unauthorised copying. 

IP can therefore be used to create a 

competitive advantage within the market 

place, by preventing third parties from 

taking advantage of your business’s hard 

work. 

In addition, the rights that subsist in 

IP can be exploited just like any other 

business asset – consider, for example, 

the opportunities that may arise to 

licence the right to make products 

protected by your patent and sell them 

under your trademark, all in exchange for 

a monthly fee. 

As IP is an asset, it can also be used as 

security against which investment in the 

business can be leveraged. 

Can anyone do an IP audit? 

An expert should be brought in to 

conduct the audit as they will be much 

better placed to spot the potential to 

create and protect IP. They will also be 

able to provide advice on the registration 

process and any internal safeguards that 

should be put in place (such as ensuring 

that IP created by employees belongs 

to the business, or making sure that 

applications for patents are filed at the 

right time). 

What support is available? 

The UK Intellectual Property Office has 

recently launched the IP Access grant. 

This is an ‘add on’ to the support that’s 

provided through the UK Intellectual 

Property Office’s IP Audit Plus Scheme. 

The Audit Plus Scheme provides 

funding of £2,500 to qualifying 

businesses in order to obtain an IP Audit. 

That funding from the Audit Plus 

Scheme can only be used for the audit 

itself and cannot be used to implement 

any of the recommendations identified. 

This is where the IP Access grant comes 

in as businesses that have completed an 

audit through the IP Audit Plus Scheme 

could also qualify for additional funding 

of up to £5,000, to help implement some 

of the audit’s recommendations. 


If you would like any advice on any of 

the above, please contact Nelsons on 

0800 024 1976. 

“IP can be used to 

create a competitive 

advantage within 

the market place, 

by preventing third 

parties from taking 

advantage of your 

business’s hard work” 



25

Exporting 

Has the post-Brexit era ushered in a 

new relevance for the Commonwealth? 

Modern day Johannesburg and 

Lagos reflect the increased 

confidence of both nations. 

South Africa and Nigeria were, 

before Covid, two of the fastest 

growing economies in the world 

Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, Chairman of 

Morningside Pharmaceuticals and 

CBI Regional Councillor, looks at 

the enormous trade opportunities 

offered by the UK’s close ties with 

the Commonwealth, as well as the 

many other important benefits, 

which are often overlooked. 

For many people the concept of the 

‘Commonwealth’ is outdated and 

consigned to Britain’s much-maligned 

colonial past, so what is its relevance to 

the UK’s new post-Brexit reality? 

The obvious and immediate win-win 

for both sides is trade. This has never 

been more important, as the UK looks to 

negotiate deals with nations around the 

world while seeking to develop a new 

identity outside of the European Union. 

Indeed, following the Brexit deal, 

which took effect on 1st January, 

the UK has been busy refreshing its 

trading relationships. There are great 

opportunities here. As an example, India 

is the giant of the Commonwealth, and 

is set to become the world’s third largest 

economy by 2025. 

I was part of the PM Theresa May’s 

Trade delegation 

to India five years 

ago, and have done 

business there. I 

know that there is an 

appreciation of UK 

standards, services 

and products, as well 

as a shift towards 

regulatory alignment 

on things like law 

and accounting procedures. UK-India 

trade is worth £24 billion, supporting 

half a million jobs, and is set to grow. 

Some of the trade deals that the UK 

has been busy negotiating and finalising 

include an Enhanced Trade partnership 

with India, which the Department for 

International Trade (DIT) is working to 

expand into a comprehensive free-trade 

agreement. We are applying to join the 11 

nation Comprehensive and Progressive 

Agreement for Trans-Pacific 

Partnership (CPTPP), which includes 

Canada, Australia and New Zealand. 

We are also in advance discussions 

bilaterally with these countries and other 

Commonwealth nations. 

There is a rationale for prioritising 

Commonwealth countries. Research 

shows that intra-Commonwealth 

trade is 19 per cent cheaper, largely 

due to similar legal and regulatory 

systems, which is sometimes labelled 

‘the Commonwealth advantage’. It is 

therefore not surprising that the trade 

of Commonwealth countries tends to be 

proportionately greater with members 

than non-members. 

However, for me, the Commonwealth 

is more than just a trading partner, but 

also a global leader in diversity and 

inclusivity, which have run like a thread 

through my life, both personally and as 

an entrepreneur. 

I was born in East Africa, my family 

heritage is from India, while I am now 

proudly British, having lived here for 

almost 50 years, and also I have done 

business throughout the world and in 

particular the Commonwealth. 

The Commonwealth has been helpful 

to many entrepreneurs and small 

businesses looking to expand. While it 

does not offer a single market like the 

European Union, it is instead a powerful 

economic network, accounting for over 

15 per cent of global exports and 14 per 

cent of global GDP. 

When I set up my pharmaceuticals 

company in 1991 from my home garage, 

this was before the internet and the 

Dr Nik Kotecha OBE is Founder and Chairman of Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd 

and a CBI Regional Councillor 



‘‘ 

While the Commonwealth 

does not offer a single 

market like the European 

Union, it is instead a 

powerful economic 

network, accounting for 

over 15 per cent of global 

exports and 14 per cent of 

global GDP. 

world was much less connected. We 

looked for exporting opportunities 

to emerging markets. Some of the 

first countries we exported to were 

Commonwealth ones, such as Barbados, 

Guyana and many African nations. 

The Commonwealth contains 

emerging economies which, when they 

recover from Covid, are set to grow 

fast. It offers a network through which 

companies can grow and entrepreneurs 

can find opportunity. This will be 

particularly important as countries 

look to rebuild from the ravages of 

Covid. The Commonwealth has a very 

young population, with 60 per cent of 

people under the age of 30. We need to 

provide skills, jobs and hope to the next 

generation. 

While trade, investment and capital 

flows are important, the third factor I’d 

like to discuss are the people-to-people 

links, across the 2.4 billion people of 

the Commonwealth. It spans every 

continent and has diversity at its heart 

with the people unified through common 

ties cemented by language and shared 

experiences and history. 

For Commonwealth countries these 

bonds are reflected in the strong 

diasporas in London, the Midlands and 

the rest of the UK. 

It should also be recognised that trade 

brings people together, and facilitates 

co-operation and understanding 

between nations, which is more 

important than ever as we forge 

relationships away from our traditional 

European partners. 

Perhaps we underappreciate how 

important our ties to Commonwealth 

countries are to our history, but also 

to our present and future; and how 

together we will continue to play a 

key role in championing global trade, 

diversity and inclusion. 

As Chair-in-Office of the 

Commonwealth, the UK is in the hot seat 

for now but over the longer term we 

must capitalise on the powerful network 

it provides, and the opportunities to 

enhance business, trade and people-topeople 

ties in this new post-Brexit world. 

IoD agrees deal with British 

Chamber of Commerce in China 

The IoD has signed a Memorandum of 

Understanding with the British 

Chamber of Commerce in China that 

will enable British businesses 

operating in China to have access to 

the IoD’s world class professional 

development programmes. 

Jonathan Geldart, Director General 

of the IoD, said: “I am excited that we 

will now be working with British 

businesses in China, continuing and 

expanding our work to set global 

standards of excellence and lead the 

agenda on corporate governance. 

“We believe that better directors 

make a better world. We are, 

therefore, delighted to be offering 

Are you thinking of exporting for the 

first time in 2022, or just want to start 

engaging more with your local 

Department of International Trade 

office? Then make a note to attend 

this free session with the DIT. 

The Growing International Trade: 

UK Services Roadshow will take 

place on February 3, from 10am-3pm, 

at the Park Regis Hotel, Birmingham. 

Whether you are a seasoned 

exporter or looking to export for the 

very first time, this event has you 

covered. You will be able to build your 

own day by selecting from a wide 

range of interactive talks, panel 

discussions, workshops and seminars 

best suited to your business. 

The plenary session will include 

seminars focused on: 

• Free Trade Agreements and the 

opportunities for your business 

• How to identify opportunities in 

established and growing markets 

our courses, which are designed to 

promote and champion the highest 

standards of professional 

competence for directors, in China.” 

Julian MacCormac, Chairman of the 

British Chamber of Commerce in 

China, said he too was delighted with 

the agreement, which will “support 

enhanced professional development 

for directors of British companies 

working in China.” 

The IoD will start by offering taster 

courses at the end of January, before 

rolling out the full suite of certificate 

courses to coincide with the start of 

the Chinese Year of the Tiger in 

February 2022. 

DIT Roadshow offers boost 

for exports in 2022 

• Plus a range of sessions you can 

‘drop in’ on, including: 

- A panel discussion hosted by 

successful exporting service 

businesses from the Midlands 

- Informal meetings with DIT and 

wider business support bodies for the 

service sector 

- International eCommerce 

workshop covering building brand 

awareness, website internationalisation 

and finding new clients 

- International Social Media 

Strategies for market entry workshop, 

focused session addressing the 

various routes to market for 

companies operating in the service 

sectors. 

- The Importance of GDPR & Data 

Security. 

For more information contact 

derek.binns@mobile.trade.gov.uk, or 

see the DIT website 

Looking for support for exporting plans? 

EXPORT SUPPORT SERVICE – this is an online export trading support service 

for help with trading within the EU 

See https://www.gov.uk/ask-export-support-team 

EXPORT ACADEMY – for smaller/younger companies wanting to know the 

fundamentals to exporting. It’s a series of courses that can be done online 

and upon completion there’ll be the option to seek further information and 

support with an ITA (International Trade Advisor) 

See https://www.great.gov.uk/campaigns/export-academy/ 

ESIF GRANT – from £1-9k is available to help with consultancy work, such as 

market and patent research abroad 

See https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-forinternational-trade/about-our-services 



27

News 

Business Network opens university 

doors for the region’s SMEs 

Gemma Morgan-Jones 

talks to IoD Midlands’ 

Rob Beswick about the 

University of Nottingham’s 

Business Network 

The UK’s universities aren’t just 

outstanding seats of world-class 

academia: they are also a treasure trove 

of information, knowledge and research 

that is ideally suited to help businesses 

– particularly SMEs – develop products, 

enter new markets or refine their 

processes and systems. 

But to the average director, knowing 

how to access the talent that lies behind 

universities’ often grand front doors can 

seem daunting. 

However, the University of Nottingham 

has made this process simple – just go 

through its Business Network. 

Gemma Morgan-Jones, SME 

Engagement Manager at the University 

of Nottingham, said the door analogy is 

appropriate. “I describe our Business 

Network as the ‘front door’ to the 

university as far as directors and 

business leaders are concerned. We have 

a huge amount of expertise to offer the 

business community but from the 

outside, I can understand why it would 

appear difficult to find the right people 

to talk to, or know how to access help. 

“The Business Network is a way you 

can cut through the departments and 

faculties and connect directly with our 

staff. They can provide you with the 

services you need to develop and grow 

your business.” 

The type of help on offer is incredibly 

wide, as Gemma explains. “The principal 

way directors get involved with us in the 

first instance tends to be through our 

events programme. At these we cover 

issues in depth, led by sector experts 

often drawn from within our own ranks 

who can offer real insights into how to 

meet current challenges or plan ahead to 

prepare for the next hot topic.” 

As an example, two events in 2022 

cover ‘The Future Customer’, which will 

look at how buying habits have changed 

over the years and what they will look 

like in the years to come, while The 

Future of Leadership will consider the 

skills and characteristics we are going to 

need as leaders in the future as the 

demands of our workforces change. 

The events themselves are very 

informal, with plenty of opportunities for 

Q&A and networking. Says Gemma: “The 

events are very light touch, with no 

formal joining process. You just register 

with ourselves, subscribe to our mailing 

list and sign up to any events that catch 

your eye. 

“The events are free and usually take 

place as a breakfast or after work event 

to make them as accessible as possible 

for all.” 

The Business Network has been 

running for 18 years, and in that time has 

grown into thriving group of over 1,500 

individuals. Hundreds of East Midlands 

business leaders have attended at least 

one, coming away with vital knowledge 

that has helped their businesses maintain 

a competitive edge. 

But the University of Nottingham 

Business Network has another string to 

its bow: it helps you develop direct 

connections with the academics 

themselves. 

Gemma explains: “The Business 

Network is a gateway to the knowledge 

and expertise that exists within the 

university. Our staff can bring real 

cutting-edge thought leadership on any 

topic or area that’s important to you. 

“For instance, the engineering 

department could lead on research and 

‘‘ 

The Business Network is a win/win for both the university and 

the business owner. If I have a particular need, the University of 

Nottingham Business Network provides a great starting point 

and lead into the appropriate contact.” 


design on a new project, bringing 

high-level technical expertise to bear 

and filling gaps in your own team’s skill 

set. Or you could take on a postgraduate 

who will bring a PhD level of research 

expertise, on a mini-consultancy basis.” 

The cost of such an arrangement is 

heavily subsided or, in many cases, free. 

“If your business is operating in the 

D2N2 area, you can engage one of our 

postgraduates on an appropriate project 

for free. Even if you are paying, you can 

be looking at it costing just £1,000 for 

200 hours of postgrad involvement.” 

There are other schemes that 

businesses can access, too: “We deliver 

the Help to Grow programme on behalf 

of the government. It’s 1:1 support from a 

business mentor and access to our 

alumni network. The 12-week course is 

designed to be taken alongside full-time 

work through a combination of online 

sessions and face-to-face learning and is 

90% funded by the government so you 

only pay £750.” 

The University of Nottingham Business 

Network can be a bit of a ‘best-kept 

secret’ among business leaders, but 

those who have accessed its events or 

connected with university staff have high 

praise for its effectiveness. 

Neil Stentiford is one 

such local business 

leader who reaped the 

benefits of his own 

involvement with the 

university. 

Neil, who invented 

the SoeMac, an 

innovative oxygen device for people with 

sleep and energy deficiencies, 

commented: “As a small business owner I 

found I had great ideas, energy, passion 

and drive, but lacked certain resources 

such as specific expertise, money and 

manpower. These are all potentially 

available to access within the university. 

“I attended University of Nottingham 

Business Network events and 

established a network of contacts that 

led us to undertake a number of funded 

projects with the university, including: 

materials analysis, product redesign, 

electrical engineering expertise, a 

postgraduate intern specialising in 

autism and an introduction by the 

university’s Asia Business Centre to a 

Chinese distributor. 

“We’ve attended various free seminars 

and courses at the university such as The 

Business of Stories and Strategic Social 


Media Marketing. Plus, we’ve also 

benefitted from introductions to other 

organisations like the Next Business 

Generation, Nottingham Trent University 

and The Queens Medical Centre.” 

All in all, said Neil, “The University of 

Nottingham is an excellent resource and I 

would encourage more businesses to 

work with them. 

“It’s a win/win for both the university 

and the business owner. If I have a 

particular need, the University of 

Nottingham Business Network provides a 

great starting point and lead into the 

appropriate contact.” 

It’s a glowing testimony to the 

effectiveness of the Business Network, 

and the ease with which directors can 

access its services. Why not sign up to 

the mailing list for news of future events, 

or talk to the SME Engagement team 

about how university staff could help 

your business? 

For more information see 

www.nottingham.ac.uk/go/ 

business-network 

Or talk to Gemma Morgan-Jones, SME 

Engagement Manager, University of 

Nottingham, on 

t: +44 (0) 115 74 84783 

m: +44 (0) 7811 230 781 

Email: businessnetwork@ 

nottingham.ac.uk 

Subscribe to the newsletter: 

tinyurl.com/uonbn-newsletter 

Twitter: @Uon_BN 

Instagram: @uon_businessnetwork 

Business Network member spotlight 

‘Access to areas that would previously 

have been hidden behind closed doors’ 

Graham Allen is 

Managing Director 

of Corporate Money 

Matters, which is a 

business consultancy 

and corporate 

finance brokerage. 

An active member 

of the University of 

Nottingham Business Network for 

many years, Graham has introduced a 

number of other businesses to the 

network, leading to projects that have 

been beneficial to both the businesses 

and the university as a whole. 

He was officially appointed as a 

volunteer University of Nottingham 

Local Business Ambassador in 2020. 

Graham said: “I started attending 

the University of Nottingham Business 

Network from the very start and it has 

provided me personally with a range 

of benefits, for example: 

• being taken out of my comfort 

zone 

• giving me and the business a 

parallax view, by which I mean 

providing different perspectives on 

one object, giving a more rounded 

approach 

• it has assisted me in considering 

new ways of doing things, for example 

the Classics Department talking to us 

about storytelling. 

“The Network has given us access 

to academics and to areas of research 

that would previously have been 

hidden behind closed doors in what I 

perceived as an unapproachable 

institution. 

“It is invaluable for providing 

networking opportunities with other 

businesses and with university staff 

and academics. Since joining the 

Network, our business has benefited 

from graduate placements and 

involvement in R&D projects. 

“The network has fostered a great 

deal of understanding between local 

businesses and this world class 

university. Being a member has given 

us a broader perspective as a 

business and has allowed us to take 

time out at a convenient time of day 

to reflect on new ideas and concepts. 

“I would recommend the Network 

to other business owners as a 

springboard for new opportunities 

and ideas.” 



29

IoD Student Mentoring 

IoD: Supporting education 

across the Midlands 

John Phillips OBE, FIoD 

The IoD in the Midlands has a long 

tradition of supporting education locally. 

In recent years we have deepened our 

links with our universities, with IoD 

members acting as mentors to students 

on business-related courses. 

This mentorship helps the coming 

generation bridge the divide between 

academia and the business world, 

providing vital knowledge and expertise 

on everything from compiling CVs, 

interview techniques, networking 

opportunities and how to look for work. 

If you would like to get involved, it is 

massively rewarding work and we would 

love to hear from you. 

The following is a snapshot of our 

current activity. 

WOLVERHAMPTON UNIVERSITY 

We have been involved with the 

University of Wolverhampton for the last 

11 years, supporting undergraduates at 

the business school. 

Our programme focuses on ensuring 

graduates find employment which is 

commensurate with the qualifications 

they have gained. We focus on all 

important so-called soft skills and 

confidence building. 

IoD members are matched with 

graduates according to their subjects so, 

for example, a finance director would 

generally mentor a student studying 

business and finance and/or 

accountancy. 

The programme runs from October to 

May. As well as one-to-one meetings we 

come together as a full group to work on 

CVs, practice selection interviews, 

networking and updates on social media. 

We finish in May with a celebration 

event usually held at one of our 

member’s companies and we are always 

looking for volunteers to host. 

Over the years this programme has 

demonstrated that we can massively 

increase the chances of our graduates 

finding high level employment. 

As you can imagine, our members get 

a massive amount of satisfaction from 

this success. 

UNIVERSITY OF COVENTRY 

IoD members continue to work with 

Coventry University’s MBA students. This 

is a similar programme to the 

Wolverhampton but the MBA students 

involved tend to be a little older and are 

specifically targeting senior positions. 

Students themselves identify needs and 

are matched with IoD members who 

again volunteer to become mentors. 

The programme is run by Assistant 

Professor Jody Holland who specialises 

in international business. 

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE BIRMINGHAM 

We have built a great relationship with 

University College Birmingham through 

its live projects programme. This 

involves students teaming up with a 

business to offer a different perspective 

on specific projects. 

A millennial voice in the boardroom 

can often be of high value particularly 

Pictured left at a Vintage Trains outing 

are Helen Joyner Harris, UCB Tourism 

Lecturer with her two boys, Professor 

Michelle Callanan, Deputy Dean, School 

of Business and Tourism, and three 

of our most wonderful UCB students 

Daniel, Jennifer and Tia. 

with long-standing traditional business 

looking to the future. 

UCB can provide young people to 

work on special projects or take a 

particular issue as an academic 

assignment involving a large group of 

students. 

A recent example of this took place 

last year when Vintage Trains of 

Stratford-upon-Avon took on board a 

group of UCB students to offer the 

board of trustees fresh ideas designed to 

keep marketing plans well in tune with a 

young, diverse and growing customer 

base. 

Michael Whitehouse, Chairman of 

Vintage Trains, was hugely impressed 

by the help the company had received 

from the students. He said: “It’s been 

a fantastic experience to work all the 

students. My board has been really 

impressed with many of the ideas 

and suggestions we have received 

for improving our ongoing customer 

experience. 

“We are passionate about preserving 

railway heritage but we are equally keen 

to move with the times by providing a 

high level of service to all our customers” 

This is a real win-win situation with no 

money changing hands. Students benefit 

hugely by being exposed to the real-life 

problems business face, while companies 

can tap into the views of a very diverse, 

young and well-educated cohort whose 

views should be of interest to any board 

of directors 

Our local IoD Chairman Andy 

Wilkinson and I have recently taken on 

ambassador roles at UCB and we are 

determined that both organisations 

should work more closely together for 

future mutual benefit 

If you would are interested in 

accessing UCB services via the live 

projects initiative, please contact 

Professor Michelle Callanan via 

M.Callanan@ucb.ac.uk 

One of our cohorts of student mentees and their 

IoD mentors at an-end-of-programme celebration 


If you are interested in helping us with 

this rewarding work please contacts 

your local regional office at 





IoD/NTU £10 Challenge looking for mentors 

The IoD’s strong relationship with 

Nottingham Trent University and its 

business students is built around our 

involvement with the £10 Challenge. 

This exciting enterprise competition 

has been running for eight years and 

sees IoD members leading small teams 

of business school students as they take 

an initial investment of £10 and try to 

build a business. 

The challenge aims to improve 

students’ teamwork, time management, 

fundraising, creative and entrepreneurial 

skills. 

All the profit made goes towards a 

local charity, the John Van Geest Cancer 

Research Centre in 2021. 

Despite the huge challenges presented 

by the pandemic, the 170 students who 

took part still found scope to return a 

combined profit of £7,205. 

Their enterprising initiatives this time 

round included setting up virtual pubs, 

making customised face masks, keyring 

hand gels, biodegradable glitter and 

boxes of edible s’more treat kits. 

This wouldn’t have been possible 

without the support of our brilliant IoD 

volunteer mentors. 

The £10 Challenge is on lookout for 

new IoD mentors, and IoD East Midlands 

members are being asked to get involved 

with our student groups from 

Nottingham Trent University. The 

amount of support the students need 

will differ from group to group, but from 

experience they usually meet their 

mentor initially on launch night, perhaps 

once mid-way through the Challenge and 

then at the celebration event. 

Between those dates they keep in 

touch via WhatsApp or email. We’re sure 

that this support will make them more 

prepared for the world of work once they 

graduate. 

We asked IoD member Clive Bridge to 

offer some pointers to other IoD 

members after he had taken part. He 

said: “The IoD Enterprise Challenge is a 

great example of how business can 

partner with education and help build 

awareness of what running a company is 

all about. 

“This was my first year as a mentor – it 

won’t be the last! 

“As well it being hopefully helpful for 

the students, it was great fun. 

“The group I worked with, ‘Calm 

Candles’, chose to manufacture and sell 

a variety of scented candles. This meant 

they had to think about a whole range of 

issues: design, procurement, 

manufacturing and packaging, 

marketing, finance, etc. 

“They then had to present a credible 

business plan in order to be allocated 

their initial seed money. 

“While the competitive element gives 

students that added motivation and 

interest, the real benefit is that it 

provides invaluable learning about the 

various aspects of the business world. 

“This brings to life the challenges and 

excitement of being in business far more 

than lectures and texts book can. 

“Overall, a great initiative and one that 

I would definitely recommend to others 

for next year!” 

An end-of-programme 

celebration at NTU 

Mentors needed 

for £10 challenge 

Want to get involved? 

If you would like to be 

one of our IoD mentors 

for an upcoming £10 

challenge with NTU 

students, contact 

joshua.whitehead@ 

iod.com or anna. 

hicks@iod.com 

IoD Student membership 

The IoD has a created a special 

Student Membership grade which 

gives young people knowledge of 

business issues, a better 

understanding of the world of work 

and develops connections with senior 

business leaders. 

The IoD is looking to its membership 

to highlight the benefits to students 

they know. These include: 

• Gaining awareness of and refining 

skills and capabilities through the 

IoD’s online Digital Academy 

• Build contacts and networks that 

will assist you with future employment 

opportunities 

• Add a valuable point of difference 

to your CV and interview dialogue 

• Access a deep resource of detailed 

and trustworthy information on all 

aspects of business 

• Be inspired by meeting and hearing 

from today’s most exciting business 

leaders and entrepreneurs at IoD 

events 

• Access to the IoD regional events 

schedule with regular events each 

month held across 12 UK regions and 

online 

• Online networking – member only 

LinkedIn group 

• A wealth of online business 

intelligence regularly curated and 

relevant for tomorrow’s directors 

• Access to IoD Governance and 

Policy reports 

Help students be a part of it. The IoD 

has been supporting business leaders 

for over a hundred years. IoD student 

members are part of an exclusive 

group that sit at the top of the UK’s 

business community. 

Find out more through your regional 

branch contacts; details on page 3. 



31

IoD Ambassadors 

IoD: Working for you 

across the Midlands 

The IoD across the Midlands has 

reorganised its structure to better 

reflect regional priorities and improve 

members’ identification with their 

local branch. 

The move towards a more localised 

structure mirrors central government 

experience with the creation of Local 

Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). 

In the West Midlands, the four 

branches are: 

IoD Greater Birmingham 

IoD Coventry & Warwickshire 

IoD Worcester & the Marches 

IoD Black Country & Staffordshire 

In the East Midlands, the three 

branches are: 

IoD Leicestershire & South East 

Midlands 

IoD Greater Lincolnshire & Rutland 

IoD Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire 

Each branch is run by a volunteer 

committee, headed by an 

experienced Chair. 

In addition, we have created 

Ambassador roles to act as a focal 

point for key issues, under the 

headings: 

Comms/Events/Membership 

Ambassador – a PR, media and 

marketing expert who will help us 

better CONNECT with members. 

Chartered Director Ambassador – a 

Chartered Director who will support 

members to DEVELOP their skills as 

directors. 

Governance and Policy Ambassador 

– a well-connected member who 

will manage branch governance, 

connect members and enable them 

to INFLUENCE the national agenda. 

Here we introduce you to some of 

the IoD members in these roles, and 

signpost opportunities for you to get 

involved with the IoD team and make 

more out of your membership. 

IoD East Midlands 

Regional Chair: Gary Headland 

Regional Ambassadors 

Dr Craig Marsh 

Vacant 

Andy Leask CDir 

James Pinchbeck 

Clive Bridge CDir 

Alexandra Slack 

Paul Burrows 

Michelle Allison 

Vacant 

Emma Olivier-Townrow 

Richard Wills 

Kate Strawson 

John Hebblethwaite 

Tom Marsden 

Mike Simpson 

Graham Harrison 

Craig Topley 

Kerrin Wilson QPM 

Skills & Education 

Diversity and Inclusion 

Chartered Director & 

Professional Development 

Policy and Governance 

Manufacturing and Engineering 

Connect & Events / PR & 

Communications 

Cyber Security 

Greater Lincolnshire & Rutland 

Vice Chair 

Skills and Education 



Marketing/Communications 

Financial Planning and 

Wealth Management 

Defence and Vice Chair 

Health 

Digital 

Construction and Engineering 

Co-opted Branch Ambassador 

Policing and Criminal Justice 

IoD Ambassadors: Want to get involved? 

IoD East Midlands is currently seeking Ambassadors for a number of 

roles, as specified above. If you see a role that is marked Vacant and 

you are interested in filling it, please contact Cait Murphy via 

cait.murphy@iod.com or t: 0115 678 1716 for more details. 

Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 

Dr Rona Mackenzie Chair 

Paul Eeles 

Vice Chair, Branch Ambassador, 


Stacey Green Diversity and Inclusion 

Julie Pomeroy Chartered Director and 

Professional Development 

Greg Simpson Marketing and 

Communications 

John Jennings Employee and Business 

Engagement 

Lindsey Newman-Wood 

Innovation & Creativity 

Phil Webster Business Improvement 

Peter Wingrove Mental Health & Wellbeing 

Will Jackson Entrepreneurship 

Andrew Bacon Policy & Governance 

Emrys Green Young 

Leicestershire and 

South East Midlands 

Sarah Canning 

Shamir Ghumra 

Gareth Thomas 

Rhiannon Stafford 

Craig Bentley 

Nicola Moss 

Mark Eydman 

Kyra Williams 

Adrian Pryce 

Neil Campbell 

Paul Kelly 

Branch Chair 

Vice Chair 




PR & Comms 

Employee Engagement 

Digital & Creative Ambassador 

CSR 

Risk Management 

Cyber 



IoD West Midlands Chairs and Ambassadors 

Black Country & Staffs 

Paul Wood 

Branch Chair 

April Pearson-Myatt Policy & Governance 

Julie Haydon Diversity & Inclusion 

John Phillips Develop: Education & Skills 

Peter Suddock Develop: Business improvement 

Roger Fairhead Influence 

Andrew Thompson Sustainability 

Andrew Jones Finance 

Elizabeth Mee Connect 

Worcester & the Marches 

Michael Doolan Branch Chair 

John Painter Influence 

Julie Hayden Diversity & Inclusion 

Peter Dickinson Connect 

Vacant 

Develop 

Coventry & Warwickshire 

Dean Kavanagh 

Zeynep Turudi 

Paul Fairburn 

Jenny Bettany 

Denise Taylor 

Greater Birmingham 

Branch Chair 

Connect: Trade/Export 

Develop: 

Education & Skills 

Diversity & Inclusion 

Connect 

Andy Wilkinson Branch Chair 

Gary Simpson Connect 

Trudi Beswick Diversity & Inclusion 

Paul Hooper-Keeley Develop 

Russell Jeans Influence/Governance 

Yiannis Maos Technology 

Abid Khan 

Commonwealth Games 

Opportunity, Legacy & 

Communities Ambassador 

IoD Ambassadors: Want to get involved? 

IoD West Midlands is currently seeking Ambassadors for a number of 

roles, as specified above. If you see a role that is marked Vacant and 

you are interested in filling it, please contact Frances Fairclough via 

e: frances.fairclough@iod.com or t: 0121 281 5531 for more details. 

Meet our latest Ambassadors 

Andrew Bacon OBE 

Policy & Governance Ambassador, 

Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire 

With over 32 years in 

leadership positions of 

operations management 

and lean transformation 

of corporate and public 

service organisations, 

Andrew’s experience 

spans all sectors (public, private and 

social sector), multiple industries 

(automotive, energy, 

telecommunications and services) and 

operation sizes ranging from small 

though to medium and large in over 15 

countries. 

Andrew is currently the CEO of a 

national charity and social enterprise 

based in Nottingham that brings 

together businesses, higher education, 

schools and young social/environmental 

innovators to support the development 

of some of the most socially-minded 

responsible young leaders in the UK. 

Andrew is also a professor at the 

University of Nottingham Business 

Schools. 

Peter Dickinson 

Connect Ambassador, 

Worcester and the Marches 

Peter has been a 

member of the IoD for 20 

years and has presented 

various workshops and 

webinars over that time. 

He ran peer networks 

and Mastermind groups, 

which offer an excellent loosely 

structured framework to have 

conversations with like-minded business 

people. 

He sees his role as Connect 

Ambassador as a fabulous opportunity 

to meet members in Shropshire and 

grow the IoD’s influence in the county. 

Emrys Green 

Young Ambassador, 

Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire 

Supporting young 

professionals to take the 

next step in their careers 

is one of Emrys’s 

passions. His intention is 

to make the IoD more 

accessible for the under 

30s, providing more opportunities for 

them to develop locally and make the 

most of the benefits and support 

available. 

Emrys, currently a director of my own 

company, Cloud Artisans, and a board 

member for a regional and an 

international charity, hopes to offer his 

diverse experiences and networks to 

young directors, to support our region’s 

future. 

Julie Haydon 

Inclusivity and Diversity Ambassador 

Black Country & Staffs 

Julie sees her role as an 

IoD Ambassador as 

offering an opportunity to 

enable greater 

connectivity, to positively 

influence others and to 

drive professional 

development. It also allows her to lead 

and build the voice of the IoD and to 

represent the innovation and diversity 

that exists across our community. 

She has been inspired by the positive 

benefits that diversity and inclusion can 

bring, particularly when this is coupled 

with the adoption of a more inclusive, 

kind leadership approach, inspires me to 

continue to contribute to lasting change. 

More new Ambassadors: see overleaf 



33

IoD Ambassadors 

Meet the IoD Ambassadors 

Andrew Jones 

Finance Ambassador, 

Black Country & Staffordshire 

Andrew is delighted to 

have the opportunity to 

serve as a regional IoD 

ambassador and is 

looking forward to 

building relationships and 

providing the benefit of 

his experience and contacts to advise 

members on IT strategy related 

challenges. His own experience has 

shown his own demonstrable ability to 

implement large-scale, IT-driven 

strategic change across functional and 

geographic boundaries in global 

institutional, retail and Fintech start-up 

businesses. 

Elizabeth Mee, Connect Ambassador 

for Black Country & Staffordshire 

Elizabeth has held sales roles since the 

beginning of my career, throughout 

which she has always enjoyed 

networking and building relationships. 

She is delighted to use these skills as the 

Black Country & 

Staffordshire’s new 

Connect Ambassador. She 

said: “I believe this is a 

very important part to any 

business and it is 

something I am very 

passionate about. 

“I am all about collaboration and I’m 

excited to help promote this within the 

IoD. 

John Painter 

Influence Ambassador, 

Worcester and the 

Marches branch 

John is a chartered 

accountant who has retired 

from practice to 

concentrate on coaching and strategy 

implementation with SMEs. He spent 15 

years actively involved with 

Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber 

of Commerce, during which time he was 

vice president and chairman. During that 

time he met with many political leaders 

from local government to Cabinet level. 

Andrew Thompson 

Sustainability Ambassador for BC&S 

Andrew is currently CEO of Groundwork 

West Midlands (GWWM), a charity that 

operates across the wider West Midlands 

Region, delivering a range 

of projects impacting 

upon employment & skills, 

health & wellbeing, and 

the environment & climate 

change. 

As part of this work, 

GWWM works with SMEs to support 

them on their journey to sustainability, 

including the baselining of current GHG 

outputs and helping them to implement 

their carbon reduction plans. 

Andrew is passionate about the 

sustainability agenda and supporting 

others on their journeys to carbon 

reduction and is keen to share some of 

his over 20 years’ knowledge with his 

fellow IoD members as they embark on 

their own sustainability journeys. 

34 Keep up to date at iod.com/westmids and iod.com/east-midlands January 2022

Golden night for 38 of the most 

forces-friendly employers 

Local authorities, educational 

establishments and commercial 

companies spanning IT, recruitment 

and building materials were among 

the organisations honoured for their 

outstanding support for the military at a 

regional ceremony before Christmas to 

recognise the 2021 winners of the national 

Defence Employer Recognition Scheme 

Gold Awards. 

Against the stunning backdrop 

of the Royal Armouries in Leeds, 38 

organisations were recognised for the 

contribution they make to the Armed 

Forces community in an event jointly 

hosted by East Midlands RFCA, North 

West RFCA and the RFCA for Yorkshire 

and the Humber. 

Winners ranged from SME family 

companies to large organisations 

employing many thousands, such as 

the University of Derby and Aggregate 

Industries. What all of them had in 

common was brilliant HR practices that 

support staff that serve or have served in 

the military. 

Minister for Defence People and 

Veterans, Leo Docherty, was guest 

speaker for the night. He thanked “all 

the organisations who have proven their 

support for the defence community 

during such unprecedented times. 

“The vast range of those recognised 

this year demonstrates how employing 

the Armed Forces community makes a 

truly positive and beneficial impact for all 

employers, regardless of size, sector or 

location.” 

To win an award, all the organisations 

provide ten extra paid days leave for 

serving Reserves and Cadet Force Adult 

Volunteers so they can attend camps 

and training events, and have supportive 

policies in place for Veterans, Reserves 

and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers, as 

Gold ERS 21 Award 

winners for the East 

Midlands, North 

West and Yorkshire & 

Humber. Top, all the 

award winners. Above 

right, Bruce Spencer, 

Regional Employer 

Engagement Director, 

East Midlands RFCA, 

with Her Majesty’s 

Lord-Lieutenant of 

West Yorkshire Ed 

Anderson. 

Right, the teams from 

The University of Derby 

and Lincoln College 

well as the spouses and partners of those 

serving in the Armed Forces. 

The awards were presented by Her 

Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of West 

Yorkshire Ed Anderson, who said: “The 

military depends on great employers who 

truly understand the role of Reserves 

to the Armed Forces’ capability, as 

well as the vital part Cadet Force Adult 

Volunteers play in creating fantastic 

and often life-changing opportunities 

for thousands of young people in local 

communities. That’s why it is such an 

honour to present awards to these 

organisations who showcase the very 

best of employment practices when it 

comes to those who serve, and those who 

have served, and their families.” 

Among the winners were: 

• Aggregate Industries, Leicestershire 

• Ashfield District Council, Nottinghamshire 

• Eagle Eye Innovations, Lincolnshire 

• Forces Cars Direct, Lincolnshire 

• Forces Solutions, Rutland 

• HZL Specialist Solutions Limited, Derbys 

• Lincoln College, Lincolnshire 

• Mercury Electronic Warfare, Lincs 

• Shorterm Group, Derbyshire 

• TMS Support Solutions, Lincolnshire 

• University of Derby, Derbyshire 

In addition, Nottinghamshire Healthcare 

NHS Foundation Trust had their Gold 

Award re-validated after holding it for five 

years already. 



35

Events Diary 

IoD Virtual Women’s Leadership 

Conference 2022 

Date: March 9-11, 2022 

Prices: Early-Bird Ticket - 2 day access 

£40 + VAT 

Available until December 22 

Corporate prices are available 

10 places - £320 + VAT 

20 places - £600 + VAT 

30 places - £1,000 + VAT 

40 places - £1,260 + VAT 

50 places - £1,540 + VAT 

Venue: Online 

Sponsored by global law firm, 

Herbert Smith Freehills 

The 2022 IoD Virtual Women’s 

Leadership Conference will be a 

celebration of success – of women in 

leadership roles and of the conference 

itself. 

After the huge success of the 2021 

event, with over 1,100 delegates tuning 

in, the conference will be returning as a 

virtual event in 2022 for it’s 15th year. 

This virtual event will take place as two 

sessions, the first on Wednesday, March 

9 from 2pm - 4pm, and the final session 

on Friday, March 11, from 2pm - 4pm. 

Our 2022 theme is taken from a quote 

by Eleanor Roosevelt 

“The future belongs to those who 

believe in the beauty of their dreams.” 

This conference is set to be another 

complete sell-out with world-class 

speakers, the 6th ‘Pitch Perfect’ virtual 

competition for a chance to win £4K for 

your business, and a chance to connect 

with a global audience! 

Host: Susan Hayes Culleton CFA, 

‘The Positive Economist’ 

Susan is Managing 

Director of the Hayes 

Culleton Group, with 

clients across Europe 

and the USA. She is 

author of Positive 

Economics, the marketleading 

economics second level 

textbook . Her latest book Money 

Matters is currently ready for print. It’s a 

Transition Year book focusing on 

personal finance, investing and 

enterprise, for schoolchildren. 

Susan co-founded #SavvyTeenAcademy 

which manages teenage work 

experiences in corporate organisations, 

is presenter of the YouTube show 

“Fantastic Female Fridays” and sits on 

the board of the Irish International 

Business Network. 

Speakers 

Khalida Popal 

Former Captain of the 

Afghanistan women’s 

soccer team and founder 

of the Girl Power 

Organisation, Khalida 

overcame significant 

opposition before she 

founded the Afghan women’s football 

team back in 2007. She then went on to 

captain the team and later became the 

first woman to be employed by the 

Afghanistan Football Federation, initially 

as the finance officer, followed by the 

director of Women’s Football Committee. 

Despite going into exile in 2011, the 

pioneer remained connected to her 

country and involved in many activities 

supporting and helping projects which 

helps women in terms of healthy lifestyle 

and sports. 

Today, Khalida is the founder & 

director of the Girl Power Organisation, 

the commercial & women’s football 

co-ordinator at FC Nordsjælland, a 

Brand ambassador for Hummel, an 

ambassador of the European Week of 

Sport Denmark, and a FIFA Legend. 

Dame Inga Beale, The first female CEO 

of Lloyds of London 

Former CEO of Lloyd’s 

of London, workplace 

equality advocate and 

leading businesswoman, 

Dame Inga Beale took 

the global insurance and 

reinsurance sector by 

storm. After studying economics and 

accounting, Inga joined Prudential 

Assurance Company in 1982. Entering a 

male-dominated industry, Beale faced 

adversity first hand. She moved to work 

as an underwriter for General Electric’s 

insurance department before making her 

way up to the management team in 

2001. 

By 2009 Inga was a key member of 

the Zurich Insurance Group, after 

previously reviving Swiss reinsurer 

Converium, and was named the group’s 

Global Chief Underwriting Officer. In 

2013, it was announced that she would 

become the first female CEO of Lloyd’s 

of London. 

Anne Sheehan, General Manager, 

Microsoft Ireland 

Anne joined Microsoft 

Ireland as General 

Manager in October 

2021, taking 

responsibility for the 

sales, marketing, and 

services business, with a 

particular focus on delivering business 

transformation. 

Prior to joining Microsoft, Anne was 

Enterprise Director at Vodafone UK 

having run Vodafone Ireland’s Enterprise 

Business for four years. Previously, Anne 

worked at IBM for 16 years. 

Bernadette Collins, Head of Race 

Strategy for Aston Martin Cognizant 

Formula One Team 

Bernie is responsible 

for the race strategy 

each weekend. This 

involves travelling to the 

majority of the events 

around the world and 

making strategy calls 

from the pit wall; reacting to incidents, 

safety cars and weather conditions. 

Vicky Davies, Chief Executive, 

Danske Bank UK 

A Cambridge 

graduate, Vicky started 

her career as a 

management consultant 

at Accenture in London. 

After gaining her MBA at 

the renowned INSEAD 

business school in France, Vicky joined 

Ulster Bank in 2005. She moved on to 

become part of Danske Bank’s senior 

management team in 2012, initially as 

Head of Business Development, then 

becoming Managing Director of Strategy 

& Corporate Development. 

She joined the Board of Danske Bank 

UK in 2016 and was appointed Deputy 

CEO in 2019. She took over as Chief 

Executive in September 2021. 

Event Manager Chelsea Brennan 

T: 0289 068 3224 

E: Chelsea.Brennan@iod.com 

Remember... “The future 

belongs to those who 

believe in the beauty of 

their dreams.” 



Innovation for business in Africa 

Date: February 8, 2022 

Time: 12.30 - 1.30pm 


Price: Free 

The UK Government has recently 

negotiated eight free trade agreements 

with African countries and trading blocs, 

which has created tariffs and duty-free 

trade between Britain and 30 African 

nations. These agreements have created 

significant opportunities for African 

consumers and companies, not least in 

the 24 Anglophone countries, and open 

up a new market for UK goods and 

services. 

Africa is a thriving continent offering 

immense trading opportunities but 

Africa accounts for just 2.5 per cent of 

the UK’s trade. UK-Africa trade has 

‘flat-lined’, yet prior to the Covid-19 

pandemic, the world’s five fastestgrowing 

economies were all African, and 

regional leaders like Nigeria and South 

Africa are expected to become 

superpowers of the global economy as 

we move towards the second half of this 

century. 

In addition to the anticipated 

population growth, Africa also offers 

opportunities due to its climate and vast 

wealth of natural resources as well as 

technological innovations like mPesa 

that companies around the globe are 

adopting as their business models. 

This then leads to the question: “How 

can we use innovation as an enabler of 

trade between UK and the continent?” 

Please join our guest speakers and 

colleagues to discuss the important 

topic ‘Innovation for Business in Africa’ 

on February 8th 2022. 

Event manager: Mrs Juliet Rushent 

T: 020 8078 4127 

E: Juliet.rushent@iod.com 

Johannesburg, South Africa: The 

economic centre of the country is an 

attractive market for UK businesses 

Mastermind 

groups 

LINCOLN 

John Hebblethwaite will be 

hosting this Mastermind for 

members based in Lincoln. 


Time: 4-6pm 


Price: Free 



NOTTINGHAM 


Time: 6-8pmpm 


Price: Free 



The IoD / Nelsons Lunch series is back on the menu! 

We are delighted to announce that IoD 

East Midlands’ popular Professionals 

Lunch series is back – and with same 

superb hosts who used to treat us so 

well before the pandemic! 

One of the most popular events in 

the regional diary, the Professionals 

Lunch is networking at is best, with 

great food and drink served in an 

informal, convivial atmosphere that’s 

just made for getting the networking 

going. 

This is the best reason you’ll find 

to step outside the office and take a 

proper lunch once in a while. 

A reception drink is included in the 

price with thanks to our sponsors, 

Nelsons Solicitors. 

In LEICESTER, our hosts are the 

Chutney Ivy. You’ll enjoy a delicious 

Indian food buffet right in the heart of 

Leicester while meeting fellow directors 

Memsaab, Nottingham 

and professionals from the region. It’s a 

great opportunity to discuss hot topics 

in business right now in an informal 

setting. 

Share ideas on best practice and hear 

from those in different industries with 

new prospective. Build your rapport 

with Leicester business owners and 

professionals over food and drink at 

Chutney Ivy. 

NEXT EVENT: 

Date: 10th February 

Time: 12:30 - 14:30 

Venue: Chutney Ivy, Leicester 

Click HERE for details 

In NOTTINGHAM our popular 

lunch event has been renamed as the 

DIRECTORS LUNCH. it will be hosted, 

as ever, by the Memsaab Restaurant 

in the heart of the city, and is again 

supported by Nelsons. 

As with the Leicester lunch, we will 

be serving a delicious Indian buffet that 

will cater for all tastes. 

NEXT EVENT: 

Venue: Memsaab, Nottingham 

Date: 15th February 

Time: 12.30-2.30pm 

Click HERE for details of future events 

Prices for both events: 

Student: £20 + VAT; 

Member: £25 + VAT; 

Non Member: £32 + VAT 

Event manager: Ms Cait Murphy 

t: 0115 678 1716 




37

Director Development 

IoD: Helping you improve 

as a director 

Professional 

Director Series 

To help you understand your role as a 

director, and future-proof your board 

and organisation, the IoD has developed 

the Professional Director Series to be 

delivered virtually – bringing accessible 

and digestible CPD straight to you. 

The whole series is mapped to the 

IoD Director Competency Framework, 

keeping your learning relevant, up-todate 

and in line with your professional 

development ambitions. Whether you’re 

embarking on the Certificate in Company 

Direction or are a qualified Chartered 

Director, this CPD series is the perfect 

accompaniment – or refresher – to your 

existing knowledge. 

You’ll be part of a group of leaders 

from organisations of all shapes and 

sizes from across our regions and 

nations, allowing you to connect, learn 

Find out more at https://www.iod.com/training/professional-director-series 

from each other, share your setbacks 

and successes, and encourage each 

other at the most senior level during 

these difficult times. 

Our Professional Director Series is 

now available to all full IoD members, 

including CDir and FIoD, as a free of 

charge online resource.* 

* Please note, this is not available free 

of charge to associate members. 

Certificate in Company Direction 

Whether you’re a newly appointed 

director, aspiring to a seat on the board, 

or want to improve performance with 

fresh insight, the IoD Certificate in 

Company Direction, Level 9 (SCQF) 

qualification will equip you with the core 

knowledge and awareness needed to 

function effectively as a director. 

The programme covers the key 

areas of governance, finance, strategy 

and leadership providing you with a 

foundation in effective directorship: 

n An in-depth view of the role, your 

responsibilities and legal duties 

n An understanding of the 

characteristics of an effective board 

n Sound knowledge of financial terms 

and concepts 

n The issues and processes associated 

with formulating strategic business plans 

and achieving strategic leadership 

n Enriched peer learning with 

directors across the globe 

n A qualification that is respected 

world-wide and sits as an equivalent to 

degree level 

Take advantage of a range of flexible 

routes to qualification available across 

the UK, featuring a blend of digital 

and interactive virtual learning tailored 

to your level of experience, prior 

qualifications, career aspirations and 

learning style. 

Find out more at https://www.iod.com/training/qualifications/certificate 

Leading from 

the Chair 

The role of the Chair in an organisation 

is often misunderstood and regularly 

becomes confused with the role of the 

CEO. 

It is far more than managing the 

process of board meeting execution. 

Analysis of successful organisations 

shows that the leadership role of the 

Chair is vital in order to ensure that the 

board as a team makes decisions and 

discharges its duties effectively. This 

session will clarify the Chair’s leadership 

role in order to unleash the value 

creating potential of the board. 

Delegates will be able to: 

• Outline the purpose of the Chair 

• Describe the skills, attributes and 

characteristics of an effective Chair 

• Identify how the Chair can add value 

both in and out of the boardroom 

With special thanks to our Leading 

from the Chair sponsor for 2021 - 

OnBoard by Passageways. OnBoard 

is a comprehensive and secure board 

management software that helps you 

govern more effectively. 

More details, contact: 

t: 0208 142 9066 

e: professional dev@iod.com 

Click the logo for more details, course 

fees and dates for 2022 

Want to know more about 

IoD training and director 

development programmes? 

Our training team are here to 

answer your questions. 

Call us: 020 7766 2601 

or email 

developing@iod.com 



Five steps to becoming a better director 

Role of the Director and the Board* 

Duration: Two days 

This is an essential introduction to the 

role, duties and legal responsibilities of 

a director and the workings of a board. 

The training offered within this course will 

help you to examine your own professional 

liabilities, the board’s role in corporate 

governance, and learn how to improve 

board effectiveness. 

Click the logo for more details, 

course fees and dates for 2022 

Finance for Non-Finance Directors* 

Duration: Three days 

This course, designed specifically 

for non-finance directors and senior 

managers, will demystify the world 

of finance, helping you to assess the 

financial health of your organisation in 

the context of its strategic objectives. 

Evaluate business plans with confidence, 

question financial information and 

contribute more effectively to boardroom 

decision-making. 



Strategy for Directors* 

Duration: Three days 

Strategic planning is essential for 

every board of directors. Explore 

the relationship between strategy, 

governance and risk and learn how to 

use tools and frameworks that support 

strategic thinking and decision-making to 

create, implement and future- proof your 

organisation’s strategy. 



Leadership for Directors* 

Duration: Two days 

This course will help you to brush up 

on the latest leadership techniques based 

on real-world leader examples and learn 

how to create influence, stakeholder 

engagement and impact, with an 

opportunity to reflect on and explore 

your own leadership style. 



Role of the Chair 

Duration: One day 

The chair has a critical influence on a 

board’s style, composition, balance and 

performance. This course provides you 

with the knowledge, skills and tools to 

be an effective chair and successfully 

lead and develop a board. It gives you 

an opportunity to review your role and 

update yourself on current good practice. 



Role of the Non-Executive Director 

Duration: One day 

As more individuals choose ‘portfolio 

careers’ and demand for non-executive 

directors continues to rise, it has never 

been more important to understand the 

critical requirements and appropriate skill 

set of a non-executive director. 

Gain practical advice from an 

experienced portfolio non-executive 

director and participate in interactive 

case studies. 



See www.iod.com/training/open-courses *These modular courses are part of the Certificate 

in Company Direction and can be taken individually or as part of the Certificate. 

Accelerated pathway to business success 

Business pressures can make it difficult 

to take time out to focus on personal and 

professional development. 

But the IoD has a course that lets 

you take control of your professional 

development and become a Certified 

Director with this intensive fast track 

residential designed specifically for the 

time-poor leader. 

Using a blend of online and faceto-face 

learning, the IoD Accelerated 

Certificate in Company Direction offers 

directors the same expert training 

and knowledge available through our 

traditional approach, but requiring only 

five consecutive days away from the 

demands of your business. 

This fast-track residential programme 

provides you with fresh insights into 

the key areas of strategy, leadership, 

governance and finance, thus covering 

the subjects of the Certificate in 

Company Direction modules: 

n Role of the Director and the Board 

n Finance for Non-Finance Directors 

n Strategy for Directors 

n Leadership for Directors 

Why attend? 

n Achieve the IoD Certificate in 

Company Direction in a flexible way 

n Share experiences with your peers 

n Minimise time away from the office 

n Learn from leading professional 

n For individual directors and groups of 

directors from the same organisation 

Who will benefit? 

n Busy directors who cannot take too 

much time away from the demands of 

their business and who are looking for 

a fast track method of achieving the 

certificate in company direction 

n Overseas directors who are looking to 

complete the full programme. 

n Leaders who want to bring specific 

competences and credibility to their 

businesses 

Those who wish to gain further 

qualifications will be able to progress to 

the Diploma in Company Direction and 

to Chartered Director status. 

To find out more about the 

Accelerated Certificate in Company 

Direction and to book your 

place(s), speak to the Professional 

Development team on 020 7766 2601 

or via email to developing@iod.com 

Prices: Member: £9,775 + VAT; Nonmember: 

£11,875 + VAT 

Prices are inclusive of course 

materials, five nights accommodation 

including breakfast and group meals. 



39

IoD Midlands january 2022

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