IQ-Magazine-Issue-15

Issue 15: December - February

At Robinsons, we have a dedicated Fleet Department to cater for your specific needs. Tailor-made finance
arrangements offer our affordable prices. And with many fine features as standard, P11d values are kept low.
With CO 2 emissions as low as 48g/km, the lowest ever produced by Mercedes-Benz, there’s less impact on the
environment too. And as Mercedes-Benz is the benchmark for reliability and safety, you’ll have a fleet that will give
you peace of mind.
For more information, or to arrange a test drive, please contact us today.
Robinsons Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz of Bury St Edmunds, Northern Way, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP32 6NH
01284 778 950 corporatesales@robinsonsmercedes.co.uk
We also have sites at Cambridge, Kings Lynn, Norwich and Peterborough.
Official government fuel consumption figures in mpg (litres per 100km) for the Mercedes-Benz range: urban 15.2(18.6)-
72.4(3.9), extra urban 23.9(11.8)-83.1(3.4), combined 20.5(13.8)-134.5(2.1). CO 2 emissions 322-48 g/km. Official EUregulated
test data are provided for comparison purposes and actual performance will depend on driving style, road conditions and other non-technical factors.

IQ contents
IN
THIS
ISSUE
Gemma Treby Editor
John Treby Creative Director
Georgia Watson PR & Editorial Executive
Emma Ward PR & Marketing
Rachel Cracknell PR & Marketing
Becca Plaxton Publication Sales
Lauren Eade PR & Editorial Intern
Matt Cockerton Designer | Eugene Hector Designer
Rian Davies Designer | Adam Blythe Designer
Steve Parr Designer | Sean Brkovic Designer
James Willcox Designer
Expert Contributors Glyn Mon Huges
Emily Dawson | Jacqui Kemp | James Pinchbeck
Steve Elsom | Sarah Brereton | David Donnan
Tim Mendes Da Costa | Laura Halstead
Vicky Ellis | Sam Sales | Ben Cole | Alan Cowie
Ashley Seymour-Rutherford | Andrew Webster
Cubiqdesign
Goodwin Business Park
Newmarket, CB8 7SQ
01638 666432
www.iqmag.co.uk
08
11
12
15
18
20
23
25
27
29
31
32
36
38
41
42
45
46
52
58
Business overview
What's Trending
The Search Continues
Continued Growth In Our Region
How Safe Is Your Data?
What Version Is Your Business?
Warnings On Social Media
Talk Your Way To Better Results
Body Language To Improve Working Relationships
Investing In The Individual
60 Seconds With Ann Pettengell
Start-Up Successes
When A Trend Isn't A Trend
Destination Creativity
CSR: Is It Your Thing?
It's A Business Taking Flight
Breaking Convention
Scent Of Success And A Taste For Change
Business Diary
Pure Goodness
issue 15 | page 5

IQ welcome
welcome to the Fifthteenth edition of iq business magazine,
a quarterly publication that offers insight and inspiration
to sme business owners in cambridgeshire and suffolk
WEBSITE
www.iqmag.co.uk
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
@IQBusinessMag
FACEBOOK
www.facebook.com/iqbusinessmag
CONTACT US
01638 666432
email info@iqmag.co.uk
Having attended both the Grant
Thornton Cambridgeshire and
Suffolk LTD events recently, my
enthusiasm for doing business
in the area is at an all time high.
Coming out of the trough and on our way to
positive recovery is a great sentiment to start the
New Year. Read more about Grant Thornton’s
Cambridge Ltd and Suffolk Ltd review
on pages 15-17.
As a Suffolk Inward Investment Ambassador,
it has been great to meet so many new businesses
for this issue and understand their journey. I love
a back story, especially Adrian Ward's of Fifth Wing, whose
business inspiration came from a rainy day in a caravan with
his godson. Perhaps you’ll also be inspired by the ladies at Noel
Road whose entrepreneurialism, in the face of illness, has
brought them business success as well as a sense of wellbeing.
Interestingly, two of our contributors, Mark Edmondson
and Steve Elsom, have chosen to highlight some of the issues
businesses need to consider in this digital age and how we can
best protect ourselves. I think we would all agree that digital
technology has improved the way we work. I for one couldn’t
imagine life without my Mac or Google! With every positive
there is unfortunately always a negative and in this case
the digital world has attracted crime and in turn the need for
legal advice.
For once, I will look forward to the start of 2016 as we have
a really exciting year ahead of us. IQ magazine, and our
publisher Cubiqdesign, will host our joint celebration of
the ‘30 under 30’ campaign at an event that will take place
on 14th January at the Hotel Chocolat Café in Cambridge.
Be sure to book your space by emailing me direct
gemma@cubiqdesign.co.uk! Gemma Treby
to receive your free issue of iq
Visit www.iqmag.co.uk and sign up to the IQ database to receive your free copy of IQ each quarter.
issue 15 | page 7

IQ business overview
BUSINESS
OVERVIEW
IQ looks at the impact that Chinese
investment may have on our local
economy and other regional highlights
From many angles, the state visit of the President
of the People’s Republic has been a resounding
success. The government seems happy that valuable
investments are heading this way. There also seems
to be more of a will to work together and, forgetting
the odd protest over human rights, most people seem
happy.
There are, however, a few notes of caution being
sounded here and there. Why are we relying on one
huge investor? What happens if the recent downturn
in the Chinese economy turns into a serious
depression? What happens if there’s a souring of
relations between the UK and China?
And what’s in it for East Anglia? Quite a lot, really,
though if we relied on the information in many of
the newspapers, the main beneficiaries are not in our
region. The billions of yuan which will underwrite
major infrastructure projects are heading to Hinckley
Point, London or the “Northern Powerhouse” –
for which read mainly Manchester.
But quietly, somewhere rather under the radar of
national newspaper business reporters, there was
the announcement that Sizewell C will go ahead.
This, said John Dugmore, Chief Executive of
Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, “... is good news for
Sizewell C and good news for our local and regional
economy.” The Chamber estimates that £40m will
be pumped into the local economy during each
year of the plant’s operation. In addition, there are
around 1,000 local companies registered as suppliers
to the plant, so the quiet Chinese announcement is
welcome news. 5,000 jobs will also be created during
the construction process, and a further 900 once the
plant becomes operational.
The Chinese involvement, through China General
Nuclear Power Corporation, will take a 20% stake
in the development phase. Perhaps more concerning
issue 15 | page 8

IQ business overview
It seems that 2015 got away to a roaring start – with manufacturers employing 295,000
people in the region, 11% of the entire workforce – but as the year has moved on,
there’s been a sharp downturn in demand
to the detractors of such partnerships is the
announcement that the Chinese will take a 66.5%
stake in the planned redevelopment of Bradwell in
Essex. Maybe it’s this level of involvement which
makes some people doubt Mr. Dugmore’s claim
that Suffolk and East Anglia will become the “...
engine room of heat and light across UK plc.”
The inflow of billions of pounds of investment
into the region is a supreme confidence boost,
though, and will help the region become even
more productive and successful. Law firm DLA
Piper recently released its Regional Manufacturing
Outlook, which showed that East Anglia is in the
top third of regions when it comes to confidence
about the future. It is one of the most highly
successful exporting regions, with almost 9% of
the UK’s manufactured overseas sales emanating
from the region. It is also the UK’s second most
productive region, behind only London and the
South East.
And there’s always a but . . .
It seems that 2015 got away to a roaring start –
with manufacturers employing 295,000 people
in the region, 11% of the entire workforce – but
as the year has moved on, there’s been a sharp
downturn in demand. While that might pick up,
the national picture is not entirely encouraging,
with the growth in the UK economy slowing
from 0.7% to 0.5%. Yet there is an incredible
confidence, which provides a firm foundation
for the regional economy. Maybe that’s what the
Chinese realised when they readily agreed to fund
major infrastructure projects.
Key to the growth is transport, the region’s third
largest sector. That could soon come under the
spotlight, as the new franchisee for the Greater
Anglia rail network will be required to speed up
trains, with a target of a journey time of under 90
minutes from Norwich to London being demanded
by the government.
Another key to the regional success story that is
East Anglia, is a willingness to branch out into
new areas. A new £60m Life Sciences building at
Cambridge University will provide the European
headquarters for Illumina, a world leader in
Geonomics, which focuses on improving human
health by unlocking the power of the genome.
Cambridge University is already attracting some of
the most skilled workers in the sector and the new
development will add to what is internationally
renowned as a dynamic research cluster. Already
under construction in the city is a new £40.8m
Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
facility, as well as a new £8.8m Department of
Engineering building. As a result, the University
of Cambridge is putting itself at the forefront of
engineering teaching and research, with some of
the world’s most advanced laboratories.
As 2015 draws to a close, there seem to be
thousands of new jobs in the pipeline – many of
them in well paid, highly skilled sectors. If the
Chinese President were to make a return trip
in, say, five years time, what’s the betting that he
could see an even more confident region where
unemployment is definitely a thing of the past.
Now there’s a thought . . .
More Information
www.iqmag.co.uk
issue 15 | page 9

what’s trending?
What have our local SMEs been up to this month?
IQ local
@cambwireless
Great talk! Ian Simmons VP @magnaint
@advancedenguk expo talking about how
#innovation is commercial invention
@StJohnsCentre
Bold take on #startups: James
Watt of @brewdog talks risks
#business #equity 4punks &
unconventional #fundraising
@DominoDoMoreUK
We’re excited to be
accredited with @
safe_contractor for
excellence in Health
and Safety!
http://ow.ly/UeORE
@cambschamber
Looking to export for the first time?
#JoinYourChamber of Commerce for
advice http://bit.ly/1xlRtvf
@Cubiqdesign
Excited to see
our #conference
#branding project
come together for
@DWRVets
@AngliaHub
@suffolkchamber en route to
House of Lords where Robert
Turnbull, one of our advisers,
is up for a national award!
@CRUK_Cambridge
Very excited to be
announced as @
CambridgeRoar 3rd
charity partner for 2016!
#Cambridge @CR_UK
#Fundraising
issue 15 | page 11

IQ campaign
The Search
Continues
Passion
Optimism
Drive
Patience
issue 15 | page 12

IQ campaign
Last issue, we launched our campaign to seek out and
celebrate the up and coming talent in our region with
IQ’s first ever Top 30 Under 30 awards.
Cambridgeshire and Suffolk pack a serious punch
when it comes to a uniquely skilled workforce. With
businesses across all sectors, we have everything
from medical technology specialists in Cambridge
to award winning breweries in Suffolk. The variety
of industry has attracted the young and ambitious,
looking to forge their way up an exciting and
rewarding career path.
With our fingers firmly on the pulse of what’s going
on, we’re searching for the Top 30 Under 30 to
celebrate the achievements of tomorrow’s stars.
Recognising effort and progress are instrumental
ways to engage your team, and only incentivise
continued hard work.
We’ve been flooded with submissions, but we’d like
even more and there’s still time to get your entries in.
Whether you’re a start up or multinational, we want
to hear who’s making a splash behind the scenes.
“Championing the hard work and commitment of
your people is always going to be important, but
never more so than the younger members of your
team. Fostering talent is essential to future business
success and is something we strongly believe in. We’ve
had so many inspirational stories and look forward to
reading even more as our campaign continues”, says
Gemma Treby, Editor of IQ magazine
How to nominate
To nominate a colleague, simply email us at info@iqmag.co.uk with a summary of why you’re putting them
forward by the 4th January 2016. We want to know what makes them special and how they’re driving things
forward. Our panel of judges will then review all the applications before selecting the Top 30 Under 30. Winners
will then be interviewed and have a business profile in the magazine, as well as be invited as a special guest to our
next networking event, where they’ll receive their award.
Our 30 under 30 candidates will be announced at
the next IQ networking event at the new Hotel
Chocolat Café in Cambridge.
Date: 14th January
Time: 6 - 8pm
This is a free event but please make sure you RSVP in advance
as numbers are strictly limited. RSVP to
gemma@cubiqdesign.co.uk
issue 15 | page 13

IQ growth report
CONTINUED
GROWTH IN
OUR REGION
IQ attends the Cambridgeshire and Suffolk LTD conferences
Grant Thornton UK LLP analyses the continuing positive economic performance
of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Top 100 businesses, taking into account the factors
which have contributed to their success
issue 15 | page 15

IQ growth report
CAMBRIDGESHIRE LTD
Grant Thornton’s analysis of the performance
of Cambridgeshire Ltd, the top 100 companies
in Cambridgeshire across the eight sectors of
Technology (largest and highly profitable); Food &
Beverage; Automotive; Business Support Services;
Retail & Wholesale; Land & Rural; Manufacturing
and Property & Construction, is undeniably positive.
It demonstrates continuing growth in turnover
in the county, as well as a substantial increase in
profit, reflecting the vibrancy and diversity of
Cambridgeshire’s business community.
Statistics presented by Grant Thornton show rapid
rises in returns and rewards overall. Turnover
has increased by 6% to £10,085m, with 73%
of companies reporting higher sales. Figures for
EBITDA (Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation
and amortisation) are particularly strong; it has risen
overall by 31% to £1,161m; 71% of companies
report an increase in EBITDA, whilst 96% have
positive EBITDA. Technology companies not only
show the largest EBITDA increase, but this sector
is also the most profitable. Business support services
represent the second highest increase in turnover,
whereas, atypically, the Food & Beverage Sector has
seen a slight reduction in turnover.
Another characteristic of Cambridgeshire Ltd is
re-investment for growth. Its businesses remain
largely focused on self-generated funding, seeing
external debt as a top-up rather than the mainstay
of investment. The improving strength of the balance
sheet suggests that resources are available for the next
generation of business leaders.
Furthermore, the success of business in
Cambridgeshire is based on creating an attractive
environment for entrepreneurs; some of the county’s
strongest growth happens just outside the Top 100
businesses. The EBITDA of the businesses which
Grant Thornton calls ‘Ones to Watch’ has increased
by 43% over the past two years, during which
time their employee numbers have also seen an
increase of 18%. Grant Thornton’s Growth Index,
comprising the 25 companies in Cambridgeshire
Ltd with the highest rate of EBITDA improvement,
corrects the assumption that growth is solely
driven by rapidly growing technology companies;
although the Technology sector generates 59% of
Cambridgeshire’s £1,161m EBITDA, 72% of the
companies in the Growth Index are MSBs, with the
highest placed companies being in the Manufacturing
sector.
In his foreword to Grant Thornton’s report, Professor
Christopher Loch writes optimistically, commenting,
“Cambridgeshire remains a county of enterprise and
entrepreneurs, with start-ups being created out of the
university as well as local businesses. Recent inbound
investment demonstrates that Cambridgeshire
continues to be an attractive place to do business.”
He does suggest, however, that “The county’s
challenge is to continue to provide the mechanisms
and infrastructure to enable it to prosper further.”
Paul Naylor, Partner at Grant Thornton, UK LLP,
draws attention to increasing profit growth: “The
success … shows no immediate signs of slowing.
This is evident from those companies just outside
the Top 100 which are displaying strong growth. It
is a reflection of the strength of the businesses within
our county that this growth isn’t confined to one
particular sector or size of business.”
issue 15 | page 16

IQ growth report
SUFFOLK LTD
Grant Thornton’s detailed analysis of the financial
performance of Suffolk’s 100 largest independent
companies, businesses fundamental to the county’s
local economy, is a valuable indicator of the health of
Suffolk’s economy.
Representing companies across the six sectors of
Retail & Wholesale Distribution; Services; Transport
& Motor Retail; Food & Agriculture; Property &
Construction; and Manufacturing, Suffolk Ltd has
continued to build very positively on its post-recession
emergence. Current results show that companies are
increasingly bullish about the future, with investment
levels increasing. Suffolk’s businesses have not only
survived the downturn, but now look to be prospering
with cautious new optimism. Figures show significant
growth across the county, with over 25% of companies
in the top 100 seeing growth of over 20% in their
turnover year on year.
Turnover increased overall by a healthy 6.3% from
£4.17bn to £4.43bn, with the top three performing
sectors being Transport & Motor Retail; Retail &
Wholesale Distribution & Food and Agriculture. 38
companies enjoyed a growth in turnover of more
than 10%, with seven companies turning in increased
turnover of more than 50%. All six sectors saw a
growth in turnover ranging from 17.2% for Property
& Construction to just 0.6% for Retail & Wholesale.
Operating profit also grew overall by 11.4% from
£211m to £235m, with profit before tax increasing
by 6.2% from £201m to £214m. The top three
performing sectors for profit were Retail & Wholesale
Distribution; Food and Agriculture, & Transport &
Motor Retail.
The balance sheet for Suffolk Ltd strengthened
marginally with fixed assets increasing from £1.33bn
to £1.4bn or 5.7%, while current assets increased by
a similar amount from £1.61bn to £1.71bn.
Ian Thoroughgood, Associate Director, Suffolk,
Grant Thornton UK LLP concludes, “Once again
Suffolk Ltd has shown its ability to remain buoyant
and contribute positively towards the county’s overall
economic prospects. Companies showed confidence
about the future which was reflected through
increased debt used to fund investment for continued
growth.”
Many companies which stripped out waste and
unnecessary costs during the recessionary period
are now in a good position to take advantage of any
continued upturn in the UK economy. Furthermore,
there are plenty of businesses outside the Top 100
which have enjoyed recent significant growth, which
are the future members of the Suffolk Ltd.
However, he warns, “Probably the single biggest
concern is the shortage of skilled labour and the
analysis has shown how wage costs have had to
increase across almost all sectors in order to retain
and attract the right people. This is an issue which
Government needs to address urgently in order not to
inhibit future growth.”
Suffolk and Cambridgeshire each have their
own strengths. Although Cambridgeshire
could be seen as a more vibrant business
community, with its entrepreneurial ethos
and thriving technology sector, there is no
doubt as to Suffolk’s continuing success. As
Grant Thornton’s report concludes, Suffolk’s
economy may not grow as fast, but it’s
resilient and doesn’t shrink the most in times
of economic difficulty.
issue 15 | page 17

IQ business advice
Area Director for SME banking for Lloyds, Steve Elsom, offers advice to
businesses and individuals on how they can take measures to keep data safe.
One of the fastest growing trends across the economy is cyber
crime. Every day, there are around 2,000 attacks worldwide,
costing the global economy an estimated £300bn a year. Yet
more than two thirds of firms say that they feel inadequately
protected against increasingly sophisticated hackers looking
to extort money through blackmail or steal data to sell on the
‘dark web’.
Once dubbed ‘Britain’s Greatest Fraudster’, Tony Sales is
the classic ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’. He now speaks at
conferences around the world on how you can make it more
difficult for the fraudster and, more importantly, how you
need to continually assess your own security processes and
procedures. Speaking on The Business Hub on Star Radio
recently, he stated, “No-one is safe”, commenting that being
more aware of our data security is paramount - for instance,
leaving paperwork laying around with your personal details
on is just what fraudsters are after. “Data is the new cash,”
said Tony, talking about how credit card details are sold for
as little as 50p on the dark web. He says that “ransom ware”
is the new trend; as we have seen recently, there is now a
tendency for fraudsters to confront their victims, threatening
that unless ransom demands are met, they will publicise the
victims’ details on a public site. These could be memberships
of clubs and organisations that victims would not wish to have
made public, or they could be details of payments that are
being made to organisations like political parties and fringe
organisations that might bring potential for embarrassment
and damage to the victims.
So, what can you do to ‘keep safe’? Firstly, protect your data.
Given that in the digital world in which we live, we will send
and receive data 365 days a year…think what data you might
encrypt, so that if your system was hacked, less damage might
potentially be done. Purchase an online protection package
to minimise the threat and enable the more obvious malware
attacks to be repelled.
How often do you open an attachment from an
uncorroborated source? Think about the potential risk this
might create. Another risk is how, through social engineering
i.e. befriending and interacting with you via social media
platforms like Facebook and Twitter, fraudsters can build your
trust in them, then strike.
Lloyds, along with all banks, spends several million each year
in building systems to prevent fraud, supporting victims of
fraud and inevitably losing money to fraud.
issue 15 | page 18

IQ business advice
The four most common frauds are:
Vishing: Usually a telephone scam, where fraudsters attempt
to obtain your password or confidential details in an attempt
to move money out of your account. Fraudsters will call you
and advise that there is a problem with your account. They
then ask you to call them back on an official number, but they
hold the phone line open, so when you think you are calling
the published bank telephone number, you in fact are calling
the fraudsters. They’ll usually ask you to transfer funds to a
“safe” account under their control.
Preventing such fraudulent attacks is a full
time job, and the bank offers this guidance
for protection.
Against vishing: Make any call back from
a different phone. Wait at least five minutes
before making the call and test the line by
phoning a friend or family member during
that period.
Spoofing: Fraudsters imitate a genuine telephone caller,
such as a utility company. They can alter the incoming
number which appears on your phone’s caller display.
Malware: Software viruses are often hidden in attachments
and free downloads. They can interrupt your system, and
also prompt you to provide personal data like bank details.
This data is then used by fraudsters to access your online
accounts and make fraudulent payments
Phishing: Fraudsters masquerade as your bank or other
trusted organisation and attempt to get you to divulge
confidential data. The message usually asks you to act
urgently and often looks as if it has come from a legitimate
website, which is in fact fake.
Against malware: Ensure that all your PCs
and laptops are protected by high quality
anti-virus and anti-spy software. Update
this regularly and run frequent scans. Only
download programmes to your PC and
laptop from sources you trust.
Against phishing: Watch out for poorly
worded emails, spelling mistakes and
emails that begin ‘dear valued customer’.
Hover over any links within the emails
to see the true web address. Use a SPAM
filter to remove unwanted emails and keep
personal and business information that is
stored online, to a minimum.
Never tell your password to anyone, and don’t make it easier for the fraudster by using passwords with
sequential numbers and letters, your date of birth or your name. Sounds obvious…but it happens!
Cyber crime is a growth industry and, as the TalkTalk and Playstation attacks have proved, no one is immune. But by taking
precautions, staying vigilant and being alert, you can do your bit to defy the fraudsters.
More Information
Steve Elsom Area Director, Lloyds East England.
steveelsom1@gmail.com
steve.elsom@lloydsbanking.com
@steveelsom1
issue 15 | page 19

IQ business innovation
What
version
James Pinchbeck,
Marketing Partner at
Streets Chartered
Accountants, asks you to
consider your businesses
position in the market
place. Is it state of the art,
or out with the ark?
is your
business?
Whether you have bought or received the latest technology
for Christmas, be it a phone, gaming platform, tablet, TV
or similar, part of the decision to buy it, or want it, will be
because it is the latest or most up to date version. Whether or
not upgrades and new versions really do offer the consumer
more is open to debate, but the technique of introducing a
new version of a product does help many businesses in the
quest for an uplift in sales.
If you are a technology-led business, you will be fully familiar
with the product life cycle and the process for developing and
introducing new products to market. Those in other sectors
however, may be less conversant with such an approach. It
does beg the question of a more traditional business, be they
service or product led, as to how relevant, up to date and
attractive their offering is to customers. Perhaps the simplest
way to tell is to look at whether sales, repeat business and new
enquiries are in decline, and whether you seem to be losing
sales to competitors who are offering something new.
It could be suggested that given the benign nature of many
business markets, there are a significant number of businesses
issue 15 | page 20

IQ business innovation
out there that are doing little that is different from what they
have done for many years. Customers of such businesses
though are likely to be looking for more and possibly are open
to being introduced to new products and services from their
competitors.
The threat of not updating, either your customer proposition
or the way you do business, will invariably give rise to loss
of profits, or even the demise of the business. Perhaps then,
those businesses that are still very much like the day they were
founded, say version one, or that have not changed much in
the last five years, ought to look at what the next version of
their business might look like.
By adopting the product life cycle or the approach more
successful technology brands have towards innovation, it
could be that your business may increase sales, market share,
profits and even improve recruitment and employee retention.
Whilst your focus is likely to be on fulfilling the demands of
your customers, attention should be given to all aspects of the
business, as out of date working practices in HR, marketing,
finance, production and IT often drag down the performance
of the business. It is no good having a state of the art product
or service if you have business processes and procedures that
went out with the ark.
Whether or not
upgrades and new
versions really
do offer the
consumer more
is open to debate
More Information
Streets Chartered Accountants
www.streetsweb.co.uk
issue 15 | page 21

Edmondson Hall is a progressive and
expanding practice based in Newmarket,
the hub of British Horseracing.
Established 21 years ago the firm now
enjoys a reputation of excellence both
nationally and internationally.
CORE SERVICES
Commercial Property
Corporate Commercial
Employment Law
Equine Law
Edmondson Hall provide their clients with a
comprehensive service and take pride in their plain
speaking, accessible approach and being
committed to making sure clients receive friendly
and responsive support at all times.
Our experienced team of solicitors offer a dedicated
and personal service specialising in all aspects of
law to match their client’s needs and expectations.
From large commercial companies to private
clients, Edmondson Hall provides a high level of
service to suit their clients’ needs.
Family Law
Landlord & Tenant
Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Motoring Law
Personal Injury & Fatal Accident
Private Client Wills & Probate
Residential Property
Sports Law
T: +44 (0) 1638 560556
F: +44 (0) 1638 561656
E: solicitors@edmondsonhall.com
DX: 50521 NEWMARKET
Edmondson Hall Solicitors & Sports Lawyers
25 Exeter Road, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 8AR

IQ legal
Warnings
on social media
In the recent case of British Waterways Board v.
Smith, The Employment Tribunal (EAT) concluded
that it was fair to dismiss an employee who had
made derogatory comments about his employer on
Facebook. This case was noteworthy because the
employee’s misconduct had taken place two years
before his dismissal and the employer had been aware
of it as far back as one year beforehand.
The EAT found that the delay in the employer relying
on the misconduct as a basis for dismissal (for gross
misconduct) had no effect on whether or not the
employee had been fairly dismissed, nor did the EAT
consider it appropriate to criticise the employer for the
delay in taking action. The EAT disagreed with the
decision of the lower employment tribunal, which held
that the dismissal fell outside the range of reasonable
responses which a reasonable employer might have
adopted in these circumstances.
The case is a warning to employees who have made or
who may be tempted to make derogatory comments
about their employer on social media, and any delay
in its discovery or response thereto will not necessarily
mean that the employer will have lost the opportunity
to take action at a later date. The case is also an
important reminder for employers to maintain and
police an effective Social Media Policy.
Mark Edmondson, director
at Edmondson Hall Solicitors,
highlights the growing need
for employers to consider
a Social Media Policy
ACAS advises employers to consider
the following points:
• Work out a policy: An employer should set
out in writing what it regards as acceptable
behaviour in the use of social media at work,
and also what is unacceptable. It should
also give clear guidelines for employees
on what they can and cannot say about the
organisation.
• Draw a line between private and work lives:
An employer should be clear throughout
its policy in making a distinction between
business and private use of social media. If it
allows limited private use in the workplace,
or use which is in any way connected with
the organisation, it should be clear what this
actually means in practice.
• Be ready to adapt: A policy can have many
benefits, but an employer should make sure
it is written in a way that can accommodate
alterations, so it keeps pace with the
continuing evolution of social media.
More Information
www.edmondsonhall.com
www.acas.org.uk
issue 15 | page 23

Helping you to grow.
We help businesses just like yours get
the most out of their people and succeed.
Find out what our specialists could
do for you and your team in 2016 with
a free HR consultation.
your hr partner
call-hr.com | 0845 299 6195

IQ employment
talk your
way to
better results
Sure, it sounds easy. So why is it that when things start to go
wrong, we witness or experience poor communications?
We may start with the very best intentions of having a productive
conversation, but often it does not materialise. The points below
will help you take a different approach to these conversations:
When business results are not as good
as you would like, you need to take action.
This inevitably requires communication,
whether it is with a colleague, your manager
or your team. Sam Sales from Call HR
offers her advice.
Feelings v Perspective
The starting point is to ensure there is a clear purpose and
a shared sense of trust. This may not be there, or if it
is, the way you are behaving/communicating may start
to erode this. Make sure you take on the other person’s
perspective, not how they are feeling, as the latter will set
off the alarm bells and trigger a threat response in you. Not
only does it break down the trust with the other person, it
puts you in ‘avoidance mode’ and you are unlikely to get to
the difficult part of the conversation.
Engage Curiosity
To get better results, try to understand the perspective of
the other person (not their feelings). This means, see the
world through their eyes. Try to understand how the other
person is thinking. This will help you appreciate how best
to communicate; consider what is important to them, use
the words they would use and try to tune in to their values/
beliefs. This will help build rapport, encourage trust and is
less likely to derail you to have the difficult conversation.
Empathy
This is essential within any productive conversation, but at
the right time. Empathy shows concern and that you care.
It lets the other person know you will support them. Used
too early, it gets in the way of your own ability to have a
balanced conversation, but used, in the right place, it helps
to build and maintain trust.
So, for most situations where you are trying to improve
business performance, a good degree of self-awareness,
appreciation of the other person and pre-planning of
the conversation will work wonders. Of course there may
be times and places that require a structured, scripted
conversation, perhaps with the support of an HR
professional, but this should only be your back-up option.
More Information
Call HR
www.call-hr.com
01223 919606
issue 15 | page 25

IQ human resources
Jacqui Kemp of Namasté Culture which helps businesses to create positive working environments,
offers some insights into how body language can be interpreted in the work place.
In the last issue, I spoke about the research of Albert
Mehrabian, identifying that when discussing our attitudes
or feelings we receive 55% of the message from non-verbal
clues e.g. body language, and how our own body language
can affect the way we respond to email.
By ensuring our body language is congruent with the words
we use, we will give a clear message. If however, I say yes to
something while shaking my head, the other person may not
be convinced that I mean what I have said.
When you are in a situation where you don’t necessarily
believe the words that you are hearing, you may have
unconsciously picked up some clues from the other person's
body language.
The non-verbal clues we give include:
• Overall posture
• Facial expressions
• Head and hand movements
• Tone of voice
• Eye contact - recent research suggests that we may
hold eye contact for longer when telling untruths to try
to appear sincere
Rapport occurs when two or more people feel they are in
sync or on the same wavelength because they feel similar or
relate well to each other.
When we are in a disagreement with someone else, we may
close down our body language by folding our arms, turning
our body away from them and giving generally discouraging
signals.
When we have good rapport, we will naturally mirror the
other person, nod our head to what they are saying, match
the language they use and generally give encouraging signals
to show we are in agreement.
We can use this natural mirroring to build rapport with
someone we may disagree with.
Sometimes I ask people to discuss something they disagree
on and match body language. It sounds counter intuitive, but
I have found that people start listening to the other person's
perspective when they do not allow themselves to physically
shut the other person out.
I have witnessed people who have had long-standing conflict
find agreement when using this simple technique; they may
never be best friends, but they can start to find some common
ground.
It can be fun to practice picking up the signals by watching
others, perhaps by watching interviews on TV, or if there
is something that you tend to disagree on at home. Try
matching the other person's body language (before things get
heated) and see what the outcome is!
More Information
01954 267640
www.namasteculture.co.uk
issue 15 | page 27

IQ HR
INVESTING IN THE INDIVIDUAL
EMILY DAWSON champions the benefits of protecting and
cultivating your company’s biggest asset – your people
Cambridgeshire is home to some
super clever people, but it doesn’t
take a rocket scientist to work out that
when you’re running a business, your
staff are your greatest strength.
When on good form, their attention
to detail will secure repeat business,
their commitment will see that you
fulfil the tightest of orders and their
positive attitude will ensure everyone’s
expectations are exceeded.
So what does it take to continually
motivate a winning team?
Employee benefits are a great way not
just to attract the best incoming talent
but also to reward your existing people.
You could be offering tax savings
through salary sacrifice schemes, help
towards personal travel costs with an
interest free loan, private medical
insurance or a cashback health plan or
maybe other cost-saving benefits such
as subsidised gym membership.
However you choose to do it, your
objective is to add value by investing in
your workforce in a way that reinforces
your commitment to each individual.
We recently brought some of our
member businesses together for an
interactive seminar on how an effective
appraisals process can have an integral
role to play in ensuring team members
feel valued and engaged. They
discovered how important it is to listen
to their employees, not just on the day
of the appraisal, but all year round.
A pre-scheduled appointment and a
plate of posh biscuits, it seemed, was
no quick fix when it came to staff who
had become demotivated.
That said, it is a great opportunity
to ignore the incessantly-flashing
email icon and have an honest
conversation about future career
paths and the support that’s needed
to meander them.
Developing new skills within your
team is an ideal way to demonstrate
your commitment to your staff
while opening up potential new
opportunities for your company.
There are a wide range of training
providers, and some brilliant funding
programmes, available to help
companies determine the skills areas
that could unlock future growth.
How you choose to enhance employee
engagement and demonstrate your
loyalty to your team will depend
largely on the personalities involved,
but one thing’s certainly for sure –
they will almost certainly be the key
to your future success.
More Information
To find out more about the Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce
www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk
issue 15 | page 29

IQ recruitment
Amanda Nichols
with Ann Pettengell
Sarah Flack
We discover what it takes to run a successful recruitment consultancy across
three decades with the experts at Ann Pettengell
Established in the centre of Cambridge in the early 1980s,
Ann Pettengell has been the ‘go to’ consultancy for those
looking to recruit quality office, accounting, customer
service and sales staff for over 30 years.
Having weathered economic downturns and recessions,
the company has continued to flourish thanks to the
succession of talented directors. Sarah Flack and
Amanda Nichols took the helm in 2011, after working at
the company for a number of years, and have ambitious
plans for the future.
Don’t underestimate listening
“We’ve always been the agency that listens,” explains
Sarah. “This is something that’s stood us apart for years.
Being known for our sympathetic ear is important to our
team - it’s a core part of how we work. Ann Pettengell
is proud to be different, and it’s something our clients
champion in us.”
Change with the times
“As a business, we’ve shifted and modernised along
with the needs of the marketplace. We started out
mainly placing ladies who’d just finished a Pitman
course and were looking for entry-level secretarial work
in Cambridge. Our founding directors were strong
advocates for championing equality in the workplace
and helped clients to diversify their workplaces and got
countless people on the career ladder.”
Create meaningful matches
“We’ve always believed in finding the right fit between a
client and a candidate. It sounds obvious, but we won’t
ever put a candidate forward for a position unless we’re
100% confident they’d be a great fit and would flourish.
Meaningful matches don’t happen by accident. It takes
detailed industry knowledge and an ability to sell a
position to the best possible candidate.”
You can’t pretend to be ethical
“Ours is a profession with a chequered reputation.
Standing out as one of the good guys isn’t always easy,
but it will never happen if you compromise your ethical
code of practice to get ahead. We’re a transparent,
plain-talking team, and are open and honest with our
prospective and existing clients and candidates, no matter
what the cost.”
It’s a human thing
“Our business has continued to grow over what’s been a
fairly challenging period, because we’ve never forgotten
who we are. We’re a people-centred business and are big
enough to cope with complex demands, but small enough
to provide a personal, professional service. As directors,
we work alongside our consultants and have built up a
culture based on openness, positivity and mutual respect
that our clients appreciate.”
More Information
For more information about Ann Pettengell,
visit www.annpettengell.co.uk or call 01223 350234.
issue 15 | page 31

IQ business profiles
Start-Up Successes
As 2015 comes to a close, we take a look at a selection of local businesses who began
trading this year and hope to be the ‘ones to watch’ in 2016. The range of sectors which
these business operate in is an indication of the diversity of trade in the region, illustrating
that entrepreneurial spirit is high. Article by Georgia Watson
Estelle Ruth
After working for various big name fashion brands as a
designer, Estelle Ruth Moore started designing her own
line of clothes for friends and craft fairs. Realising that this
was what she wanted to be doing full-time, she used her
experience to launch her brand six months later.
Cambridge Nanosystems
Cambridge
Nanosystems
Noticing a boost in
attention on carbon
nanomaterials
such as graphene
after the Nobel Prize in 2010 was awarded for graphene
isolation, Head of Operations, Dr Anna Mieczakowski and
her team, decided to ensure that Cambridge was on the
map when it came to the production of pristine graphene
- one of the strongest materials ever discovered, which
conducts electricity and heat better than most other metals,
whilst being strong flexible, lightweight and extremely
hydrophobic.
“My label is very feminine and I work mostly on dresses and
jackets,” explains Estelle, “I describe the style as ‘handmade
modern classics’, with the use of classic silhouettes with
a modern twist. I want Estelle Ruth clothing to empower
women and give them confidence; I want to make clothing
that women can keep in their wardrobes for years to come,
like a good LBD, but the chances are mine won’t be black!”
Currently working from her home studio, Estelle’s vision
is to make her brand a well-known British label with a full
workforce that encourages the next generation of designers
through internship schemes.
www.estelleruth.co.uk
“We have developed an innovative new production method
that turns waste greenhouse gases into ultra-high quality,
catalyst-free graphene, in one, very efficient step – with the
purity levels needed to truly transform industries and daily
life as we know it,” explains Dr Mieczakowski.
Choosing Cambridge for its factory due to its unique
startup community, Dr Mieczakowski describes the benefits
of setting up a campaign in the city: “In the early days,
we received excellent support from the entrepreneurial
community and government startup grants, as well as the
local council, who helped us to locate a suitable site for our
new cutting-edge manufacturing facility.”
www.cambridgenanosystems.com
More Information
Read more about these start-up successes
on the IQ website www.iqmag.co.uk
issue 15 | page 32

With a background in the art
dealing industry, Charlotte Bowskill
found that she was acting as a form of concierge to her out
of town clients, so decided to branch out to form a luxury
lifestyle management and events company to incorporate
the needs of her customers.
“We look after high net-worth individuals, whilst offering
extremely competitive packages for all budgets. We also have
an in-house events management team,” explains Charlotte.
With aims to build an internationally recognised brand,
things are going in the right direction for Charlotte, who
already has clients in the Middle East. “Our biggest challenge
so far is being able to take on everyone who approaches us.
We don’t want to grow too
fast and make mistakes. Our
long term goal is to be the
next Quintessentially.”
Yagro
IQ business profiles
Whilst working for a multinational agricultural company
in Switzerland, Gareth Davies saw a gap in the market to
improve the lives and businesses of farmers. His idea, Yagro,
seeks to simplify how farmers buy agricultural inputs in an
online marketplace.
“I’d describe Yagro a bit like a
combination of Amazon and
Groupon, but for agriculture.
The current practice is quite
YAGRO
manual - lots of phoning
up different people, etc, which takes up a lot of time. Not
only can we save farmers’ time, but we also allow them to
get better deals by grouping their purchases, by requesting
quotes from multiple distributors, and by benchmarking
those quotes against others in
the market. For distributors, it’s a
way to find farmers they wouldn’t
normally deal with, and to offer
them attractive prices or services,”
explains Gareth.
www.bowskill-lifestyle.com
www.yagro.co.uk
APS Furniture
Starting the company in August after being made
redundant, Alan Sheldrick used his years of experience as
a sales manager in the industry to start up his own business
sourcing and producing furniture.
“It had been something that I had been deliberating for a
while, and felt the time and market was right for a supplier
in the area,” explains Alan. “We differ from other suppliers,
because the client specifies to us what they want and then
we use our resources and knowledge to source and produce
the product for them and deliver it to their door, saving them
time that can be utilised on other things.”
Specialising in the hospitality sector, Alan provides furniture
to bars, restaurants, offices, hotels and clubs, as well as
domestic furniture to suit all specifications and budgets.
www.apsfurniture.co.uk
Ivy-Joan
As a retail manager of 50 high street stores, Hayley Wallis
realised her work/life balance had become majorly onesided.
Re-evaluating what was important to her, she gave
up her high-powered role at Kurt Gieger and launched
online lifestyle boutique, Ivy-Joan.
“I’d been having a real battle with myself over the last
few years, as I had a high power role in London, but
actually back here in Suffolk, on the weekends, I’d
love nothing more than to do a bit of upholstery or
search through car boot sales for vintage items,” says
Hayley. And from her love of retro and one-of-a-kind
products, the business was born. “The idea is that Ivy-
Joan is a complete lifestyle website. Anything you’re
looking for, you can find it, be that home-ware, fashion
or gifting.”
www.ivyjoan.co.uk
issue 15 | page 33

Just Imagine...
See your home in a new light with attractive
timber windows and doors.
Discover our award-winning product range in one
of our stunning local showrooms. Visit us before
the end of December to take advantage of our
winter sale with 10% off our full product range.
burgess-group.com
KM508677
Woodbridge
01394 386666
Bury St Edmunds
01284 760222
Ingatestone
01277 350950
SASH WINDOWS | FLUSH CASEMENT WINDOWS | ENTRANCE DOORS

IQ business growth
FORECASTING
TALENT
Having reached its 10th year in business, full-service marketing
agency, Cubiqdesign, reflects on what life’s like for the maturing
business and how they’re recruiting for fresh talent.
John and Gemma Treby founded Cubiqdesign in 2004 with
ambitions of running one of the region’s most impressive
design and marketing agencies. Over a decade later, and the
company now employs 20 people working across over two
dozen marketing disciplines.
As businesses across East Anglia feel the benefits of a more
stable economic climate, they’re looking to invest more
in their strategic marketing, as well as their PR and digital
marketing activity. Cubiqdesign has seen significant growth in
its client base across these services, which is showing no signs
of slowing for 2016.
To ensure the business was delivering the best possible service
for its client base, owners John and Gemma Treby recruited
specialist talent into its marketing team. Emma Ward, PR
and Marketing Manager, and Rachel Cracknell, PR and
Marketing Executive, joined the business in March 2015, and
really hit the ground running.
“The opportunity to work across such a broad range of
sectors was a real draw for me when looking to move to
another company,” Rachel explains. “Covering everything
from PR and social media support, to strategic services, and
event management – there’s huge scope for professional
development.”
Georgia Watson joined Cubiqdesign in May 2014, having
successfully completed a yearlong internship in the publishing
side of the business. “My skills as a copywriter have certainly
developed since I started here and am now the PR and
Editorial Executive, with a key online responsibility” Georgia
explains. “I’ve seen what it takes to craft well written content,
whether that’s for a magazine, website or press release, and
love working alongside the design and web development
teams to bring the written word to life.”
Since joining the company earlier in the year, Emma has now
become part of the senior management team – representing
the marketing department at director level.
“There are lots of positive things coming out of
Cambridgeshire and Suffolk,” Emma Ward, Cubiqdesign’s
PR and Marketing Manager, explains. “We’re seeing larger
clients increase the sophistication of their spend, as well as
smaller businesses investing in strategic services to drive
growth. As we continue to attract new clients from across the
region, as well as London and Manchester, we need to grow
our team.”
As a result, Cubiqdesign is looking to recruit into its awardwinning
marketing team. “We’re looking for talented and
ambitious marketing professionals to come and join us.
We need people who love what they do and want to make
a difference to the businesses they’re working with,” Emma
explains. “There are infinite opportunities for development at
Cubiq, so it’s the perfect place for someone with a couple of
years experience to come and take the next step in their career
to really flourish.”
for More Information
about the available positions at Cubiqdesign,
simply visit www.cubiqdesign.co.uk/vacancies
or send your CV with covering letter to
gemma@cubiqdesign.co.uk
issue 15 | page 35

IQ marketing
WHEN A TREND
ISN’T A TREND
The age of social
Social media has evolved to become an undeniably
important part of how we communicate. Years ago,
it was labelled by many as a total ‘fad’, but now – budgets
are doubling for social left right and centre. It’s grown
up and now produces a visible and measurable return
on investment, if implemented correctly.
As we consider what the New Year will
bring, Emma Ward, marketing manager at
Cubiqdesign, shares what we can’t afford
to ignore in the marketing world for 2016.
As a rule, most people avoid trends. They’re perceived
to be risky and adopting them too early, or keenly, can
make you look like an idiot. You only have to look as
far as Twitter to see how quickly trends can change, but
a blanket rejection of the ‘new and evolving’ isn’t the
answer for 2016.
Businesses can be hesitant to embrace what they
consider to be transient trends in the digital world,
because they don’t think they’ll still be relevant in years
to come and aren’t worth the investment. But there are
developments that have moved beyond ‘trend’ status,
and are now essential to how we market ourselves in
the modern world.
Those who adopted early are entering a second wave of
sophistication as they’ve learned from the mistakes they
made early on, and are reaping the benefits. Insights from
early campaigns have shaped knowledge of customer
behaviour across different channels and activity has been
refined accordingly. Businesses need to look at how they’re
performing on social to identify what can be refined and
improved from a strategic perspective.
Rise of the robots
Data science and new technologies are enhancing the
artistry of marketing at an industrious pace. The influx
of data, and its increasing complexity, has resulted in
a real skills gap for many businesses, which will need
to be addressed sooner rather than later.
This data is being collected from website analytics, email
marketing software and social media channels, as well
as back office systems, but many are struggling to make
best use of this information. Understanding data and
gathering insights that help make informed decisions,
is an undeniably valuable skill set for 2016. Getting to
grips with multi-channel attribution modelling, customer
flow visualisation and conversion rate optimisation should
be high up on the priority list.
The digital space has become more sophisticated, and
as more platforms evolve their ability to generate income,
advertising technology (AdTech) has raised its game.
Social media advertising, mobile marketing, PPC, display
advertising, re-targeting and more have become an
essential part of how businesses operate online. Keeping
up to date with what’s possible, and which channels can
provide the best return, are essential next year.
issue 15 | page 36

IQ marketing
Building the library
As we publish more information online, on social media,
via email and in printed form, we’re adding to our evergrowing
library of content. In 2016, we need to start
putting more emphasis on developing our digital assets
in a way that’s sensitive to how they’re being shared.
By designing channel-specific assets, we’re optimising their
ability to make an impact. Engaging visuals and video
content work best on social, whereas mobile-landing pages
need to be short, snappy paragraphs. Using the same
information in blanket fashion won’t get you anywhere
any more.
Getting personal
As mobile, social media and email marketing have
evolved into being established marketing channels, they’ve
collectively produced a new trend that is seeing increased
investment from both B2B and B2C organisations.
It might sound odd, but technological advancements
allow us to be more personal with our communications
than ever before. Segmenting email data, targeting
Facebook adverts, or dedicated direct mail offers are
all techniques that should be part of our arsenal
moving forward.
Adopting a ‘relationship’ view helps us to broaden the
horizons from a traditional transactional marketing
model, encouraging us to have a longer-term narrative.
This extends into how our brand identity will evolve
as customers expect a more human experience across
the board.
The might of mobile
Google announced its ‘mobile-friendly’ algorithm update
in 2015, a milestone for mobile marketing. This signified
the importance we should all be putting on evolving this
technology – but also as marketers. It’s more than ‘a
website thing’, it’s a state of mind. How our customers
interact with us on mobile should be central to how we
design and deliver our key messages.
It impacts how our websites look, sound and how they’re
optimised, as well as how our emails are formatted and
our content is displayed or shared on social. Under the
‘relationship marketing’ umbrella, investing in your
mobile marketing activity will pay dividends, as you’re
creating experiences for your customers that have been
tailored to how they’re interacting with you.
Get it together
Connected communications are, without doubt, more
effective than a disjointed approach. As our channels
diversify, it’s never been more important to invest in an
integrated approach to your marketing efforts. Social
media isn’t something for the intern to ‘do’ at lunchtime,
and emails shouldn’t be fired out once a month without
consideration for what else is going on within the business.
Operating in silos is an outdated model that just won’t
work in 2016. Get your teams together and look at what
you’re producing and see how it can be better aligned to
ensure you’re making the most impact from your activity.
Elevate your emails
If we’re suspicious of adopting trends too early, we can
also be guilty of abandoning things too quickly. People
have been saying that ‘email marketing is dead’ for years,
yet marketers still attribute this channel as providing an
excellent return on investment.
Email is fit and healthy – if you’re using it properly.
Times have changed and if you’re going to see the desired
returns, you need to raise your game. As consumers, we’ve
come to expect quality, relevant email communications
that have been personalised according to our interests.
If you’re still sending corporate style newsletters in 2016,
you’re missing a real trick.
more information
on what’s going to be big news next year
get in touch with the Cubiqdesign team
by calling 01638 666432, or by
emailing info@cubiqdesign.co.uk.
issue 15 | page 37

IQ marketing
Destination
Creativity
Rachel Cracknell, destination
marketing expert at Cubiqdesign,
meets some organisations across
the region that are shaking
up the tourism industry
Traditionally, tourist information centres, local councils
and destination management organisations would be the
first points of contact for discovering the best things to do
in a town or city, the best places to stay in an area and how
you would go about getting to a location. But today, more
and more destination marketers, individuals and smaller
organisations are taking some, if not all, of the responsibility
for promoting a place.
A great place with a limited budget for promotion, encourages
innovation and the delivery of destination creativity.
We take a look at three organisations across our region that
are leading the way in promoting their part of the world.
Designing and hosting unique events
Ourburystedmunds is one of over 200 Business Improvement
Districts (BIDs) across the UK. A BID is a business-led and
business-funded body, which provides services within a
defined geographical zone that enable businesses to thrive.
In 2009 the BID (originally named BID4Bury) was voted in
and, under the name Ourburystedmunds, it has played a key
role, with support from partner organisations, in improving
what the town has to offer.
The organisation has six key priority areas for businesses in
the town and these are marketing; safety and security; the
Christmas lights; environment; events and business support.
Each year, Ourburystedmunds delivers a range of events in
the town centre to attract additional visitors. The Whitsun
Fayre over the late May Bank Holiday weekend, the Food
and Drink Festival over the August Bank Holiday and
the Christmas Lights Switch-On during the penultimate
Thursday in November are all organised by the BID team.
Many of these events are now in their fourth and fifth year and
they’ve grown to be eagerly anticipated events in the regional
calendar. These events and supporting marketing campaigns
are not only bringing visitors to the town during the key
festivals, but visitors are also coming back at other times of the
year too.
Ourburystedmunds continues to develop new and engaging
events year after year, and this year, they’ve introduced the
Bury St Edmunds Wolf Trail and the Festival of Sport.
The latest and most exciting project to date is the provision
of the first real ice skating rink in the arc Shopping Centre
this year. This initiative, like everything the BID does, seeks
to improve the trading environment for its members. As
a result, the BID does all it can to increase visitor numbers
to the town, thereby ensuring that local residents, as well as
visitors, benefit.
At the start of the year, Ourburystedmunds commissioned the
design of 26 wolves by local artists for a town-wide activity
trail. Since July, due to popular demand, a total of 15,000
wolf trail guides have been produced and taken by people
taking part. The trail has not only encouraged residents and
visitors to explore the town, it’s also been part of an integrated
marketing campaign to learn more about how people feel
about the town.
Mark Cordell, CEO of Ourburystedmunds, said: “The
BID is now in its second five year term. I don’t think it’s a
coincidence that Bury has grown in stature as a retail and
visitor destination over the past five years, the same period
issue 15 | page 38

A great place with
a limited budget for
promotion, encourages
innovation and the
delivery of destination
creativity.
that the BID has existed. Businesses now have an organisation
looking after their interests and ensuring that key decisions
are taken, having considered the interests of businesses. The
payback is that the businesses fund the BID, which between
2010 and 2019 will have reinvested over £3.5m back into
the town centre and this benefits the businesses, Councils,
residents and visitors.”
Promoting an exclusive offering
Discover Newmarket is a Community Interest Company
(CIC) that exists to promote and deliver the best of
Newmarket. The company was established in 2014 to offer
visitors a unique opportunity to go behind the scenes of
the racing headquarters and to learn about the fascinating
history, heritage and culture of the town.
The organisation delivers a series of exclusive tour packages
for racing enthusiasts, local dwellers and novice consumers of
the racing industry. In 2015, Discover Newmarket hosted 502
tours, accommodating 9,422 visitors. These visitors are not
just from the local area, as people come from all over the UK,
as well as Australia, Japan, Florida, Germany and France to
discover more about the intriguing town and its history.
In the last year, the organisation has invested in a new,
responsive website and a layered communications model
to not only take the brand to new consumers, but also to
encourage returning visitors to book onto new tours and
experiences again and again.
Discover Newmarket is working to become the central
hub for tourism in Newmarket and West Suffolk. With
an integrated marketing strategy in place for the next 12
months, Discover Newmarket will be working with other likeminded
organisations, tourism bodies and local government
organisations to grow Newmarket’s tourism in a meaningful
and measurable way.
Lissie Hope, manager of Discover Newmarket, said:
IQ marketing
“We are thrilled to have welcomed over 9,000 visitors within
its first year of launch. Discover Newmarket is growing and
developing at a rapid rate and is now an established tours
operator. Working for the good of the town, every penny of
profits from Discover Newmarket will be reinvested for the
benefit of Newmarket and the local area.”
Putting a friendly face on destination
marketing
Cambridge BID is an organisation set up and funded by
Cambridge businesses and other commercial organisations
in 2013, to represent the interests of 1,100 shops, bars,
cafés, attractions, and businesses in the centre of this worldrenowned
city.
The organisation holds a mandate to deliver almost £4m
of new investment over a five-year term, which involves the
Cambridge BID team working on a range of projects that
promote the city to visitors, residents and workers, while
ensuring they experience a welcoming and vibrant street
scene that is both clean and safe.
Cambridge BID marketing activity includes producing a
range of publications and city guides, partnering with key
organisations to deliver cultural events such as Cambridge
Style Week and funding initiatives such as Loving Summer,
Independents’ Week and the Christmas Lights Big Switch On.
In August 2013 the organisation also launched its team of
professional and passionate City Ambassadors, who are
available 363 days of the year to help, advise and guide users
of the City Centre. The six-strong team, decked out in eyecatching
uniforms, have so far welcomed over 112,500 visitors
and walked a distance greater than the circumference of
the earth (28,000 miles); they have also rescued a swan and
reunited several lost husbands with their wives!
Edward Quigley, Cambridge BID Manager, said: “Cambridge
is a special city and when it comes to promoting it, our
Ambassadors are a real asset. They are our walking, talking
information centres and are ready to offer a warm welcome
and assistance to visitors and residents alike."
These three organisations, along with destination specialists
such as Visit Suffolk and Visit Cambridge, are all working
collectively to promote the beautiful places we have across
our counties. Whether it’s multi-channel marketing strategies,
innovative events or offline communication models, these
businesses are continuing to innovate and enhance the offer
of our region on a local, national and international scale.
issue 15 | page 39

The Northgate Business Centre hosted by The Bury St Edmunds Farmers
Club, is the business hub within the heart of Bury St Edmunds. Bespoke
meeting rooms offer an abundance of character, history and charm.
From small board meetings to large theatre style seminars.
We can offer a dedicated dining experience, anything from a
conference platter to individually priced and prepared menus.
Our Chefs can provide a range of choices to suit all requirements and
tastes. Various business memberships are available.
Contact us for an informal look around our club
01284 750969 | frontofhouse@bsefc.co.uk | www.bsefc.co.uk

CSR:
IS IT YOUR
THING?
Joanna Badcock, Strategic Marketing Manager at
Go Glass, discusses the company’s CSR and why
the concept is fundamental to their business philosophy.
IQ business planning
In a business world littered with three letter acronyms, CSR
(corporate social responsibility), is bandied about with great
alacrity. There are numerous definitions; the one that most
fully defines it comes from The European Commission:
‘A concept whereby companies decide voluntarily to
contribute to a better society and a cleaner environment.
A concept whereby companies integrate social and
environmental concerns in their business operations
and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a
voluntary basis.’
Many large corporations write long and in-depth strategies and reports to detail their commitment to their internal and
external stakeholders. At Go Glass, this is very much a fundamental ethos by which we operate and is a core value
throughout the business. We do not believe that it is about just giving a lump sum of money to a designated charity and
patting ourselves on the back.
In common with many others, we have a company charity,
CLIC Sargent, for whom we produce a life-size glass
sculpture every five years. Our design director has created
subjects as diverse as a Ducati motorbike, Lewis Hamilton’s
McLaren F1 car and a long distance runner. The first two
have raised in excess of £8000. The runner, which has
been given the title Pushing the Limits, is presently being
auctioned on our website and bids sit at £2000.
Another of the Directors, Tracy Saunders, has walked
up Snowdon in aid of Limbpower. This was made all the
more remarkable as Tracy lost the lower part of her leg in
a collision with a lorry whilst she was on her way to work
on her bike. This was a very personal challenge for Tracy,
but she felt the need to increase awareness amongst our customers far outweighed the prying questions. Following the
accident, the company developed a strategy to reduce the number of large delivery vehicles coming to its premises.
It is not just raising money that is the heart of this ethos; if we can help the charities,
then we will. When the husband of one the team was cycling 300 miles to Paris for
charity with 19 friends, the cyclists desperately needed a van to transport their bikes for
the return journey. It made total sense to Go Glass to loan and cover the insurance cost.
This was a great help, as it was one less expense for this self-funded charity bike ride.
Due to the very nature of being a glass manufacturing company, there will always
be off-cuts. Rather than disposing of the off-cut mirror, we actively design products
that use them so at to lower the ecological impact of waste. The staff are very much
involved in CSR and understand the company ethos, using their own creative talents
and glass off-cuts to design donated glass awards for local charities. Designing one
such award has now inspired the Production Team to try to win The Accumulator
Challenge for The Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, and everyone at Go Glass is now
busy organising fundraising events over the next few months for the new hospice.
More Information
www.go-glass.co.uk
issue 15 | page 41

IQ business profile
IT’S A BUSINESS
TAKING FLIGHT
IQ Magazine meets board game entrepreneur, Adrian Ward, of Fifth Wing Games
Preparing to launch his first board game into the market place next Summer,
Adrian Ward gives us an insight into the process of taking an idea from pen and paper
to manufacturing the product, using classic principles and modern technologies.
How did Fifth Wing begin?
I’ve been working in learning and development
for most of my career, but the board game thing
happened by accident really. I went to Normandy
in 2004 with my godson during the anniversary
of the D-Day landings. We were all staying in a
caravan and I thought “If it rains, we’ll be a bit
bored,” so I took something for us to play.
When I was a teenager I was a war games
player, so I drew a map of France on
the back of an old bed-sheet, cut out
some counters from cereal boxes
and when it did rain, we got a
couple of children from the
caravan opposite involved
and we replayed the invasion
of France. They were really
gripped by this, so much so that
when it was sunny the next day they wanted to
play the game rather than go onto the beach!
So I thought if they were that into something
made from a bed-sheet and a couple of Cornflake
packets, then there might be some commercial
appeal. I put a prototype together, put together
some rules, and things snowballed from there and
it became more sophisticated.
How many games has Fifth Wing created?
I’ve now got six product lines and 15 games in
total, some of which are ready to come to market.
I’m going to launch the first one, DeskTop Grand
Prix, that’s based on Formula One, in July 2016.
We’re going to make it interactive with our website
so once you’ve got the game, you can go online
and get an update pack with new cars each season.
We’ll then release a new track or two each year
based on the real life Grand Prix tracks. Most of
our games work at a number of levels because
we want to be known for depth of play. So, once
you’re familiar with the game, you can download
the upgrades to suit your skill sets. With the Grand
Prix game, there will be five different types of
weather, rather than two.
Where do you manufacture your games?
Finding a manufacturer was difficult. I’m using a
company based in London that has been going for
over a century. They started out producing playing
cards and they’ve done some big titles including
Trivial Pursuit, so are well known in the industry,
issue 15 | page 42

IQ business profile
plus they’ll do production runs was low as 1000.
If you go to the Far East you’re looking at the
lowest production runs of at least 50,000. Being
in the UK means you can also keep an eye on the
health and safety issues and working conditions at
the factory.
How are you funding the business?
Crowd-funding has been great for us. Generating
investment can be difficult with a product as
you have to pay a big cost up front for the
manufacturing run. We’re launching a campaign
on Kickstarter in January so that people can make
a pledge and effectively pre-order the game. We
will also be allowing people to buy equity in the
company for a limited time in January. People
don’t need a commercial background, they just
need to share our values of being a corporate
citizen and helping others with their learning.
What other games have you created?
We have six product series and each one has
various games. DeskTop Grand Prix is part of the
motoring series, then there’s a group of military
strategy games, including the one I started with my
godson. The key group is the educational series.
Working with children, I knew that there seemed
to be a distinct gap in basic numeracy and literacy,
and this has been in the press in recent times.
As a country we’ve dropped to about 14th out
of 20 in the literacy league, so as well as helping
people have fun, we also want to give back and
help turn the tide to basic literacy and numeracy,
as well as geography and history.
Which distribution channels will you
be using?
We have a basic marketing and distribution plan
as a whole, as well as one for each product series.
We have developed an individual marketing plan
for each game. So, for example, we’ll be selling the
DeskTop Grand Prix game online, with Amazon
as the main start-up channel initially, so they’ll do
a lot of the processing and distribution for us. We’ll
have some digital campaigns and we hope to get
this into independent motoring fan websites.
More Information
Fifth Wing Games. Read the full interview on the IQ Magazine website - www.iqmag.co.uk
issue 15 | page 43

IQ personality
BREAKING
CONVENTION
Cut-throat, over-competitive and bland - a few of the
adjectives that might come to mind when you hear the words
‘corporate lawyer’. But that’s certainly not always the
case. We caught up with Adam Kudryl, partner at Howes
Percival, who shows us that hard work and having fun
could be what it takes to break the stereotype.
Adam became a corporate lawyer back in 2003, after
working as an in-house accountant left him fascinated with
the machinations of law. His interest was peaked and he
needed to know more.
Since then, he has worked his way up to become a partner
at leading commercial law firm, Howes Percival. Dealing
with anything from the buying and selling of businesses to
joint ventures and shareholder and partnership agreements,
Adam sure has his work cut out for him, but that doesn’t
seem to slow him down.
When asked about the common misconception that all
lawyers are boring, he tells us how it really is. “Every lawyer
has to be a bit of a geek, it goes with the territory,” he
explains. “But, it can be very different to what people would
expect in the workplace. I’m lucky to be in a firm made up of
characters and colourful people who are fun to work with.”
If he were to choose another profession, he tells us he would
be an F1 racing car driver, saying, “I love the precision,
adrenaline and pressure to perform involved.” It’s clear that
Adam is far from your average lawyer.
Adam’s adventurous side took him round the world for
both business and leisure. Having travelled to New Zealand,
Australia, Cuba, China, USA and Europe, Adam was keen
to experience different cultures as well as try something
new career wise. Stemming from his passion for fitness, he
embarked on a project to restructure, refinance, rebrand
and re-launch a gym business in Cambridge, NZ. Driven
by the excitement of starting something new, he launched a
CrossFit gym business and his own CrossFit clothing range.
Adam wisely says that, “You don’t want to waste time doing
More Information
Howes Percival. www.howesperival.com. 01223 791000.
things you feel you should be doing, at the
expense of following your passions.”
After a while, he missed the cut and thrust of
the business scene in the UK and so returned
to follow his career in commercial law. Owing
much of his success to Howes Percival, Adam
says, “They allowed me to fully express my
entrepreneurial spirit and do what
I am truly good at, without the
bureaucracy and politics that
larger law firms are known for.”
Becoming a partner with Howes Percival
earlier this year was something Adam saw
as recognition of his years of hard
work, experience and hard-earned
reputation.
More than this though, it’s clear
that Adam is always looking for
exciting and innovative ways to
push himself and the business.
He views the partnership as a
platform to take his career to the
next level, using his skills and
experience to help Howes
Percival establish a solid
business in Cambridge.
Change in the future of
law is something that
Adam views as black
and white and leaves us
with the insight that,
“firms that innovate
on how they work with
clients will thrive, those
who fail to innovate
will be left behind.”
issue 15 | page 45

IQ business profile
From humble beginnings trading essential oils on London’s
Bond Street in 1886, Treatt has grown to become one of the
world’s most exciting and innovative flavour and fragrance
specialists. After importing lavender oil from Spain in 1906,
international imports flourished, and it wasn’t long before the
organisation became a limited company in 1913.
We’re extremely
proud of our roots
in Bury St Edmunds...
Local heroes
Treatt established its headquarters in the market town of
Bury St Edmunds in 1971, and has grown to be one of the
region’s top employers. With over 170 staff based in Northern
Way, Treatt also has offices in Florida and Shanghai.
Daemmon Reeve, CEO, joined the business in 1991, and
is rightly proud of how far the company has come. “There
were only 65 of us back then, and I joined as a junior lab
technician, not completely sure where my career would
take me, but certain I was in the right place to explore what
was possible. With invaluable support from my colleagues, I
worked my way up through the company and was appointed
as the group CEO in 2012, but my appetite for learning hasn’t
exactly slowed.”
Since taking over the global business, Daemmon divides his
time between the Florida and Bury St Edmunds offices and
oversees the delivery of the company’s ambitious growth
strategy. “We’re extremely proud of our roots in Bury St
Edmunds, and are strong supporters of the community
that’s given us, and our employees, so much. Whether it’s
through company donations or staff fundraising efforts, we
issue 15 | page 46

With over 270 employees and more
than 3000 flavour, fragrance and
personal care products shipped
across five continents, it’s time to
wake up and smell the scent of
success coming from Treatt.
IQ business profile
SCENT OF SUCCESS AND
A TASTE FOR CHANGE
strongly believe in supporting local causes, and donate many
thousands of pounds a year.”
From its expansive site on the outskirts of the town, Treatt’s
team of lab technicians, chemists and researchers invent new
and unique flavours and fragrances that are used in over 90
countries. With over a century of industry knowledge in the
Treatt vaults, they’re not stuck in the past, as the research and
development teams are at the cutting edge of emerging trends
and new technology.
Trendsetters
Treatt was one of the first organisations to pioneer naturallyoccurring
ingredients as a replacement for synthetic sugars.
Growing obesity levels in the US and in our own back garden
have led to a war on sugar, and Treatt is leading the charge
with its development of products that deliver the experience
of sugar without the calories. While synthetic products are
still an essential part of the business, Treatt is committed to
growing its natural range to serve the growing international
demand.
Charlotte Catignani, Research and Development Manager,
comments, “Our ability to stay ahead of consumer tastes and
trends comes down to our investment in market data. We’re
creative and inquisitive, which gives us that hunger to find out
what’s round the corner.”
In addition to growing the product range ingredient
applications, Treatt is also moving into new market places.
“Shortly after moving to the Florida office about four years
ago, I developed a bit of a personal quest for the perfect pint,”
Daemmon explains. “To my delight, the folks across the pond
had a bold taste for craft beer and I wanted a piece of the
evolving industry. We recruited a seriously talented chemist in
the Florida office, who was also a keen home brewer, to lead
the charge. We had some early successes, as our team could
talk the language of beer and we’ve mirrored this set-up in the
UK. We’re seeing some exciting wins across Europe, and huge
potential further afield.”
Global reach is already a reality for this impressive business,
but it also has a broad view, with its senior management
looking to forge new trading links in India, Nigeria, Kenya,
Thailand and parts of Latin America. “Our geographic
footprint is expanding all the time,” explains Nick Evans,
Director of Sales and Purchasing. “We have an ambitious
business strategy and a dedicated workforce who are
committed to getting great results for the business. Our sales
teams have a unique enthusiasm for our products, and work in
partnership with our clients across the world to ensure they’re
always getting best value from us.”
“We invest in market intelligence and will always be gunning
to stay ahead of the game,” Nick continues. “The opportunity
to expand our reach is one of the most exciting things about
working at Treatt right now. We’ve got big things in the
pipeline.”
International partnerships
Despite such a broad business model, Treatt works hard to
foster long-term partnerships with every one of its clients.
issue 15 | page 47

N E W M A R K E T
THE HO ME o f HORSE RA CING
Animal Health Trust
8 th Annual Gala Race Day
July Course, Newmarket - Saturday 25 June 2016
All sponsorship packages include
All sponsorship packages include:
• Champagne reception and sit down lunch to include all wines for your guests with afternoon tea and Gin Bar
• Entertainment throughout the day with guest tipster and auctioneer, main auction, silent auction and Champagne raffle
• A full page colour advert in the race card and A4 souvenir brochure
• Advertising opportunities around the course
Feature Package £10,000
• Name the Race of the Day to reflect your interest
• A table of 10 in the Hospitality Marquee inclusive of
Champagne reception and 3 course lunch
• Premier Channel 4 race coverage
• Branding sites around the rest of the course
• Branded back drop & table for presentation
• Promotional opportunities on course
• Joint branding with the AHT on the front of the race
card and A4 souvenir brochure
• Premier position colour advert in the race card
• Presentation of mementos to winning owner,
trainer & jockey
Supporting Main Race Packages £7,000
• Advertisement in the souvenir brochure and race card
• Channel 4 race coverage
• A table of 10 in the Hospitality Marquee
• Banner space on the track
• Titled race name to reflect your interest
• Presentation of mementos to winning owner, trainer
and jockey
Sponsorship of 4 further supporting races
£4,000
• A table of 10 in the Hospitality Marquee
• Titled race name to reflect your interest
• Advertisement in the souvenir brochure and race card
Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 7UU
Tel: 07805 428 327 Email: sophie.tyser@aht.org.uk
www.aht.org.uk
Registered Charity No 209642

The global commercial team works to solve client problems
and deliver a special end product that will give them the
competitive edge in their sector.
“We’re not going to stay on top without continuing to deliver
the best possible experience for our customers,” explains
Daemmon. “It sounds simple, but we dedicate a huge amount
of energy to serving our partners with a consistent and
passionate service.”
IQ business profile
Developing and protecting local talent
“We would be nothing without the skills, passion and
personality of the individuals who work at Treatt,” explains
Jo Mapston, Head of HR. “We’ve worked hard to create an
environment where great people can do exceptional things
and have seen the results that investing in your staff can bring.
Treatt is an attractive place to work for those who value an
excellent work/life integration, as well as flexible working,
training and ongoing opportunities for continued professional
development.”
“We look after our people,” Jo continues. “It’s important to
help our colleagues to feel fulfilled in their professional life,
as well as supported in their private life. We want to bring
fun into the workplace, from fundraising activities, Afternoon
Tea for everyone, social activities or just a chocolate gift from
the Easter Bunny, there is no shortage of staff engagement
activities at Treatt.”
In addition to cultivating existing talent within the business,
Treatt is championing the development of tomorrow’s rising
stars. “Being out of touch isn’t an option. We work with
apprenticeship providers and universities across the UK and
provide meaningful placements for those looking to get onto
the career ladder. We’re always thinking about ways in which
we can continue to appeal to the next generation, and will
ensure we’re attracting the people with the right cultural fit.
In doing so, we will continue to set best practice for what other
small, ambitious businesses can achieve.”
We’ve worked
hard to create an
environment where
great people can
do exceptional
things...
What’s round the corner?
With sights set on furthering the already impressive global
reach, some of the biggest changes over the next few years
will be closer to home. “We’ve begun the lengthy process
of moving the headquarters to a new location in Bury St
Edmunds,” Daemmon says. “Having been in our present
position for nearly 45 years, we’re in need of a purpose-built
facility that will reflect the cutting-edge nature of our products
and how we produce them. We’ll also be investing heavily
in our R&D team and growing the number of white-coat
chemists on board. Sales and marketing efforts will increase,
alongside our movements into new markets and geographic
areas, which will mean our teams will continue to grow.
There’s never been a more exciting time in our company’s
history, and we’re going to mark our 130th anniversary with a
serious bang next year.”
More Information
www.treatt.com
issue 15 | page 49

IQ exporting
John Dugmore CEO
Suffolk Chamber
SUFFOLK CHAMBER ‘LEADING
LIGHT’ OF UK PUSH TO
INCREASE GLOBAL EXPORTS
The Suffolk Chamber of Commerce has launched a
new service that will play a key role in the Government’s
plans to transform the UK
economy.
“As part of UK National Export
Week, I am delighted that Suffolk
Chamber of Commerce can
launch a new suite of services
that will make a major difference
to businesses in Suffolk looking to
export, be that for the first time
or a seasoned exporter looking at
new markets,” said John Dugmore,
CEO of Suffolk Chamber of
Commerce. “We share the
Government’s ambition to see the
current one in five UK businesses
exporting becoming one in four
and we believe our services and
global connections will play a key
role in achieving this here in Suffolk.”
Suffolk Chamber of Commerce is launching a new
suite of International Trade Services under the banner
of Suffolk Chamber International.
The services will build on what the Chamber currently
provides, which includes export documentation and the
“There is a great deal of
experience and a great deal
of ambition when it comes
to exporting from Suffolk,
whether that is to the EU
or across the world,” John
Dugmore continued. “These
new services will build
on that while ensuring the
opportunities to export for
many firms for the first time
can and will become
a reality.”
issuing of Certificates of Origin along with international
trade mentoring and peer to peer networking.
“This new set of services is a great
compliment to much of the work
we as a Chamber already deliver
working with our local UKTi
and our colleagues in Chamber
overseas, and supports our work
with Suffolk County Council
on the development of Inward
Investment Ambassadors,” John
Dugmore continued. “It means our
county, its business and its business
leaders will once again be leading
the UK’s push for continued
economic growth and success.”
Suffolk Chamber International
will be delivered through five
core pillars.
They are: Export Readiness –
intelligence, training and risk management. Export
Finance – access, payment methods and foreign currency.
Getting Goods to Market – documentation, logistics and
legal support. International Market Access – distribution,
local markets, trade missions. International Marketing –
marketing knowledge, channels and translation.
More Information
www.suffolkchamber.co.uk/suffolk_chamber_international/
www.exportweek.ukti.gov.uk
issue 15 | page 51

IQ diary
BUSINESS DIARY
The Rutland Arms hotel
newmarket- Coffee
Morning
Join other businesses for a
coffee and a catch up. The final
meeting of 2015 is on Dec 17th.
Dates: Every Thursday
Time: 10.00 –11.00
Venue: The Rutland Arms Hotel,
Newmarket
Organiser: Newmarket and
District Chamber of Commerce
Booking Details: Free, no need
to book
informal network
evenings
These free, popular evenings
attract businesses of all sizes
from a wide range of sectors.
Dates: Cambridge 21st Jan,
18th Feb
Venue: Holiday Inn Cambridge,
Impington, Cambridge, CB24 9PH
Dates: Ely 11th Jan, 8th Feb
Venue: The Lamb Hotel, Lynn
Road, Ely, CB7 4EJ
Dates: Fenland: 27th Jan
Venue: Oliver Cromwell Hotel,
High Street, March, PE15 9LH
Dates: Huntingdon 1st Dec, 5th
Jan, 2nd Feb
Venue: Holiday Inn Huntingdon
Racecourse, Brampton, Huntingdon,
PE28 4NL
Dates: Peterborough 20th Jan,
17th Feb
Venue: Park Inn by Radisson,
Wentworth Street, Peterborough, PE1
1DH
Dates: St Neots, 9th Dec
Venue: Waterfront Bar, Wyboston
Lakes, Great North Road, Wyboston,
MK44 3AL
Time: 17.00 – 19.00
Organiser: Cambridgeshire
Chambers of Commerce
Booking Details: Call Peter
Watts on 07545 697799 or email
p.watts@cambscci.co.uk.
a14 informal
networking
This relaxed, informal
networking group aims to build
strategic relationships and
partnerships in the area. It also
holds additional social events.
Dates: Every Friday.
Time: 9.00 – 10.30
Venue: The Tap Room, 23 Bridge
Street, St Ives, PE27 5EH
Organiser: Alan Bennett
Booking Details: www.meetup.
com/A14-Coffee-Morning-Weekly-
Business-Networking-in-St-Ives/
members/ Membership £3
Cambridge Network
Breakfast Networking
December’s meeting topic is
SEO & PPC.
Date: 3rd Dec
Time: 8.00 – 10.00
Venue: Hauser Forum,
Entrepreneurship Centre, Charles
Babbage Rd, Cambridge, CB3 0GT
Organiser: Cambridge Network
Booking Details: Member
£15.00; non-member £25 (+
VAT). Contact Becky Dodds on
01223 341064 or email becky.
dodds@cambridgenetwork.co.uk
Introduction to Sales
The fundamentals of a Sales
training course
Date: 3rd Dec 2015
Time: 6.45 – 8.30
Venue: Quy Mill Hotel & Spa,
Church Road, Stow-cum-Quy,
Cambridge, CB25 9AF
Booking Details: Book online
at www.cambscan.co.uk/
To find out more, tel 07889 364348,
or email networking@cambscan.co.uk
Menta Jelly
Informal co-working event
where freelancers, home workers
and small/micro business
owners bring their laptops and
work, chat and collaborate with
other small businesses.
Dates: 4th Dec, 8th Jan, 5th Feb
Time: 9.30 – 16.30
Venue: Menta Business Centre, 5
Eastern Way, Bury St Edmunds,
IP32 7AB
Organiser: The Suffolk Business
Enterprise Agency
Booking Details: Free. Booking
essential. www.menta.org.uk
BNI Cambridge
Outstanding business referral
networking at weekly breakfast
business networking meetings.
Corpus Christi of Cambridge
meets every Friday 4th, 11th &
18th Dec; Granta of Cambridge
every Tuesday at 6.45, 1st, 8th
& 15th Dec; and Fitzwilliam
every Wednesday 2nd, 9th &
16th Dec.
Time: 6.45 – 9.00
Venue: David Lloyd Sports &
Leisure Club, 21/25 Coldhams
Lane Business Park, Norman Way,
Cambridge, CB1 3LH
Booking Details:
Tim@BNISuffolkandCambridge.co.uk
01223 426392
issue 15 | page 52

BUSINESS DIARY
IQ diary
BNI for Bury St
Edmunds
Outstanding business referral
networking at weekly breakfast
business networking meetings
Dates: Every Wednesday
Time: 6.30
Venue: The Self Centre, Drinkstone
Investment Park, Kempson Way, Bury
St Edmunds, IP32 7AR
Booking Details: Tim Gale,
Tim@Asset-Finance.org,
07808 631167
Bury St Edmunds First
Friday Club Breakfast
Speakers: Graeme Ferguson
on the importance of Stansted
Airport to the business
community; Miles Vartan on
the benefits of Authorised
Economic Operator status.
Dates: 4th Dec
Time: 7.30 – 9.00
Venue: Denny Bros Conference
Suites, Kempson Way, Bury St
Edmunds
Organiser: Bury St Edmunds
Chamber of Commerce
Booking Details: Members:
£13.75 (exc.VAT); Non members:
£22.08 (exc VAT)
www.suffolkchamber.co.uk/events/
suffolk_chamber_events/bury_st_
edmunds_first_friday_club_breakfast_
friday_04_december_2015/
Suffolk Chamber
December
Networking Lunch
Henry Chevallier Guild of
Aspall Cyder talks about the
firm’s development and its
future plans.
Date: 8th Dec
Time: 11.30 – 14.00
Venue: Ashlar House, Eastern Way,
Bury St Edmunds, IP32 7AB
Organiser: Suffolk Chamber
of Commerce
Booking Details:
Members: £23.75 (exc VAT);
Non members: £35.42 (exc VAT)
www.suffolkchamber.co.uk/events/
suffolk_chamber_events/suffolk_
chamber_december_networking_lunch_
tuesday_08_december_2015/
Metrics: How do you
know your Marketing
is Working?
This workshop provides
marketers with an overview
of the key metrics which
demonstrate the effectiveness of
their marketing spend.
Dates: 9th Dec
Time: 9.30 – 11.30
Venue: The Trinity Centre,
24 Science Park, Milton Road,
Cambridge, CB4 0FN
Organiser: Cambridge Marketing
College
Booking Details: Free. To book,
email charlotte@marketingcollege.com
Christmas Lunch
Join Chief Executive of
Cambridgeshire County
Council and Peterborough
City Council, Gillian Beasley,
provides the keynote address at
this popular Christmas lunch.
Date: 11th Dec
Time: 12.00 –15.00
Venue: St John’s College, St John’s
Street, Cambridge CB2 1TP
Organiser: Cambridgeshire
Chambers of Commerce
Booking Details: Members:
£50.00 (plus VAT) Non members:
£60.00 (plus VAT)
Contact Karen Dawson on
01223 209808 or email
k.dawson@cambscci.co.uk
BNI New and Renewing
Member Success
Training
Covers the basics of BNI
membership.
Date: 14th Dec
Time: 17.00 – 21.00
Venue: The British Racing School,
Snailwell Road, Newmarket,
CB8 7NU
Organiser: Tim Gale, 01223
929101
Booking Details: Members
£19.95; Non-Members £24.95.
Book online at
www.bnisuffolkandcambridge.co.uk/
eventdetails.php?eventId=65237
link4coffee, cambridge
Informal morning drop-in
sessions.
Date: 15th Dec
Time: 10.00 – 11.30
Venue: CB2, 5-7 Norfolk St,
Cambridge, CB1 2LD
Organiser: Peter Daykin
Booking Details: 07769
906432. Free to attend, £3 for coffee
Ipswich and Suffolk
Small Business
Association Christmas
issue 15 | page 53

w: indytheexpert.co.uk
t: 01284 705637
w: cathedraldental.co.uk

BUSINESS DIARY
IQ diary
Party 2015
Start your festive fun by
celebrating with friends and
colleagues.
Dates: 16th Dec
Time: 18.30
Venue: Bear’s Boutique Bowling
Bar and Grill, Star Lane, Ipswich,
IP4 1JN
Organiser: ISSBA
Booking Details: £19.50 per
head (including VAT). Book online at
www.issba.co.uk/Events-calendar/
ISSBA-Christmas-Party-2015/
Event-Details
Christmas Drinks
Reception – Fenland
Enjoy mulled wine and canapés
and meet other members of the
Chamber network.
Dates: 16th Dec
Time: 17.00 – 19.00
Venue: Octavia View, 10a - 14
South Brink, Wisbech, PE13 1JQ
Organiser: Cambridgeshire
Chambers of Commerce
Booking Details: Members:
£10.00 (plus VAT) Non members:
£15.00 (plus VAT)
Contact Karen Dawson on
01223 209808 or email
k.dawson@cambscci.co.uk
Business Insights
Cambridge
Monthly meetings with distinct
themes, which cover hard and
soft business factors.
Dates: 16th Dec, 13th Jan,
17th Feb
Time: 18.30 – 21.00
Venue: available to members only
Booking Details: Join and
book online at www.meetup.com/
BusinessInsightsCambridge/events
Cambridge Small
Business Mastermind
Group
Stay on after the problem
solving breakfast meeting for
co-working until 17.30.
Date: 18th Dec, 15th Jan,
19th Feb
Time: 8.00 – 9.30
Venue: Burleigh House, 52 Burleigh
Street, Cambridge, CB1 1DJ
Organiser: Cambridge Business
Lounge
Booking Details: 01223
324040 or email info@
cambridgebusinesslounge.com.
Breakfast £10 incl rolls, tea, coffee,
juice. Co-working £12 all day
(normal price £20)
CamJelly
Cambridge’s co-working
community
Date: Monthly. Next meeting
18th Dec
Time: From 10.00 – 16.00.
Networking session 16.00 – 17.00
Venue: Future Business Centre,
Kings Hedges Rd, Cambridge,
CB4 2HY
Booking Details: Free but
a contribution of £5 would be
appreciated.
www.meetup.com/camjelly/
Link4Coffee, Ely
Informal morning drop-in
sessions.
Date: 7th Jan
Time: 10.00 – 11.30
Venue: The Cutter Inn, 42
Annesdale, Ely, CB7 4BN
Organiser: Nikki Pepper
Booking Details: 07887
747820. Free to attend, £3 for coffee
SEO in 2016
Digital Clicks will discuss
technical requirements, from
static URLs to Sitemaps.
Date: 14th Jan 2016
Time: 8.30 – 10.30
Venue: 3aaa offices, St Andrews
House, St Andrews St, Cambridge,
CB2 3BZ
Organiser: Cambridge BID
Booking Details: Contact
Philippa Artus on
01223 903300, or email
philippa.artus@cambridgebid.co.uk.
Free to businesses and organisations
within the Cambridge BID; £10
for those outside Cambridge BID
Cubiqdesign
Networking Event with
Hotel Chocolat
Join IQ and the Hotel Chocolat
team for an evening of
networking, prosecco, nibbles
and of course, chocolate. and
find out about the success and
growth of Hotel Chocolat.
Date: 14th Jan
Time: 18.00 – 20.00
Venue: Hotel Chocolat Café, Lion
Yard, Cambridge
Organiser: Cubiqdesign
Booking Details: Free.
Places are limited. Book by emailing
gemma@cubiqdesign.co.uk
issue 15 | page 55

BUSINESS DIARY
IQ diary
New Year Networking
Date: 22nd Jan 2016
Time: 19.45
Speaker(s): To be confirmed
Venue: The Jockey Club Rooms,
Newmarket
Organiser: Newmarket and
District Chamber of Commerce
Booking Details: Members:
£16.50; Non-members: £26.50
www.newmarketanddistrict.co.uk/events
EXPLORING DIFFERENT
FUNDING OPTIONS FOR
YOUR EARLY STAGE
COMPANY
Date: 26th Jan 2016
Time: 12.00 – 17.00
Venue: St John’s Innovation Centre,
Cowley Road, Cambridge, CB4 0WS
Organiser: Enterprise Europe
Network & Cambridge Wireless
Business SIG Champions
Booking Details: Free to members
of Cambridge Wireless. Non-members
£180+VAT.
www.cambridgewireless.co.uk/sign-up
ISSBA Meet the
Members Networking
Event
Find out about image
manipulation and legal
requirements, with Anthony
Wooding (Kerseys Solicitors)
and Soo Smart (Double S
Design).
Date: 28th Jan 2016
Time: 9.15 – 11.30
Venue: New Wolsey Theatre,
Ipswich
Organiser: ISSBA
Booking Details: £5 (members),
£10 (non-members) (including
VAT). Book online at
www.issba.co.uk/Events-calendar/
Meet-the-Members-Networking-
Event-Jan-2016/Event-Details
How to build and
manage
a team to success
This practical, interactive
workshop shows you how to get
the best from each and every
team member.
Date: 28th Jan 2016
Time: 10.00 - 16.00
Venue: St John’s Innovation Centre,
Cowley Road, Cambridge, CB4 0BS
Organiser: St John’s Innovation
Centre and Enterprise Europe
Booking Details: Free. Contact
Anna Nadolna on 01223 422379
or email anadolna@stjohns.co.uk.
Book online at
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/
the-new-venture-capital-modeltickets-19012564091
THE NEW VENTURE
CAPITAL MODEL
Learn about models for the
early stage tech start up market,
with Victor Christou, CEO of
Cambridge Innovation Capital,
and Bruce Beckloff, Managing
Partner of Bloc Ventures.
Date: 10th Feb
Time: 14.00 – 18.30
Venue: St John’s Innovation Centre,
Cowley Road, Cambridge, CB4 0BS
Organiser: St John’s Innovation
Centre and Enterprise Europe
Booking Details: Free. Contact
Anna Nadolna on 01223 422379
or email anadolna@stjohns.co.uk.
Book online at www.eventbrite.co.uk
TIME AND PRIORITY
MANAGEMANT
Developing a unified, overall
approach to time management.
Date: 11th Feb 2016
Time: 9.30 – 16.30
Venue: Frog, Great Shelford,
Cambridge, CB22 5NE
Organiser: www.frog.co.uk
Booking Details: Contact Debby
O’Gorman on 01223 841848, or
email debby@frog.co.uk
project management
simulation
The training workshop is an
intense simulation compressing
a twenty one week project into
three days.
Date: 17th Feb 2016
Time: 9.30 – 16.00
Venue: CAW Business School
(College of Animal Welfare), London
Rd, Godmanchester
Booking Details: £299
Tel: 01480 422060;
www.business.caw.ac.uk
lunch with mp matt
hancock
Matt Hancock will be joining
us to give his annual update in
our area.
Date: 26th Feb 2016
Time: 12.00
Venue: The Riverside Hotel,
Mildenhall
Organiser: Newmarket and
District Chamber of Commerce
Booking Details: Members:
£22; Non members: £32. To exhibit
at this event contact Claire Elbrow at
info@bluelizardmarketing.com
issue 15 | page 57

IQ business profile
In life, there are challenges, ups and downs, good days and
bad days. How we cope with the daily knocks is what shapes
us as people. However, adversity can be a breeding ground for
triumph – and this was certainly the case for one of the most
inspiring businesses to have featured in our magazine.
Amanda and Georgia Takacs are the mother-daughter
dream team and co-founders of Noel Road, a new and
exciting start up that’s bringing wellbeing to the masses.
They share their unique story and show how small
changes can lead to big rewards in business, as well
as life.
For almost ten years, the Takacs family happily
existed living and breathing their family-run restaurant on
Noel Road, Islington. Georgia’s childhood was shaped by
good food and the shared love of tasty, quality ingredients,
a passion that followed the family as they moved to Cambridge
15 years ago.
Having been brought up on sumptuous flavours and
seasonal produce, Georgia was a rare gourmet
undergraduate – cooking delicious and nutritious meals
with her friends while studying English Literature in
London, with dreams of a career in journalism.
Shortly after graduating, Georgia got the call that
would set her life on a different path. Her mum, Amanda, had
been diagnosed with breast cancer. “Georgia rushed home with arms
full of spinach and greens and was hell-bent on giving me the best
fighting chance”, Amanda recalls. “My treatment left me sick, tired
and exhausted and together, we wanted to find dietary changes that
would counter the toxins and give me a renewed sense of energy.”
Georgia launched into research mode and redesigned her mum’s diet
to include organic ingredients, natural supplements and anything else
that could help. Together, they adopted a new nutritional plan.
Georgia pulled together her favourite vitality-boosting products and
put together a ‘Health Hamper’ and gave it as a gift for Christmas.
“That was my eureka moment! We knew what we were doing was
making us feel better, and the hamper was the ideal way to package
up a collection of products that all work together. We thought this
would be a great way to bring wellbeing to the masses in an accessible
and educational way.”
The pair registered the business name in November 2014 and for
Georgia, it was a realisation of something she’d long been planning.
“I’d always wanted to brand ‘something’ with Noel Road as it’s been
such an important part of our family’s story. This business venture is
a real journey and it makes sense to bring Noel Road into it, as this is
where mine began,” Georgia explains. “It also has a timeless feel that
will give us something to grow from, which is an exciting prospect.”
A great product and a catchy business name weren’t enough to get
the business off the kitchen table. The pair needed funding and
explored a number of options before stumbling, by chance, on the
cash injection they’d need. “A friend of Georgia’s had heard about
issue 15 | page 58

IQ business profile
“We spent a lot of time
cuddled up on the sofa,
or round the kitchen
table talking,” Georgia
said. “As the weeks went
by, I could see a positive
change in mum because of
what we were eating. She
was getting stronger and
had more ‘get up and go’ -
and I felt the same.”
my illness and our new business plan,” Amanda explains. “She was
telling her parents about it one night, and her father was touched by
our tale. A self-made businessman in his own right, he remembered
that when he was starting out, someone kindly gave him the injection
he desperately needed – so he and his wife (also business partner) did
the same for us.”
The next few months were a blur as Georgia started developing
the hamper product range, while Amanda saw to setting up the
administrative side of the business. Rather than source everything
from one wholesaler, the pair wanted to support smaller, independent
businesses. “As we grew our knowledge of this growing sector, we
made friends with so many incredible like-minded people and
working with smaller retailers became a natural part of our company
ethos,” explains Georgia.
Both Amanda and Georgia are keen cooks, and it was only natural
that they’d develop recipes for their hampers as they came together.
“We wanted to show people that these ingredients aren’t weird or
intimidating – they’re easy to use and the benefits are readily visible,”
Georgia said. “We have a Boost range and a Revolution range of
hampers and each one is specifically designed to focus on a particular
area, whether it’s your immune system, energy levels or digestive
health. Each hamper includes a recipe card, as well as detailed
explanations as to the benefits of each product.”
With help from branding specialists, photographers, videographers
and other well wishers, the business launched in July this year, from its
new premises in Cambridge. “The response has been overwhelming,”
says Amanda. “Sales grow organically everyday and we’re so touched
by the support we’ve received. We believe that we have an excellent
product range that people are crying out for, as we all look to embrace
a healthier, more balanced lifestyle.”
It wasn’t just the health-conscious that came running, as the national
press were quick to knock on the door too. “Being featured in the
Guardian within our first month of business was unreal,” Georgia
said. “We’d been invited to come up with nutritious and delicious
lunchtime recipes that would do good, as well as taste great.”
With the products now selling on websites alongside Neal’s Yard and
Abel & Cole, in addition to the Noel Road website, there’s no limit
to what the pair are striving for next year. “We have new products
about to hit the virtual shelves for Christmas, as well as our own
book in the works,” Georgia reveals. “We want Noel Road to grow
into a wellbeing brand that has real roots in our local community.
In addition to growing our already popular product range, we’re
planning on becoming nutritionally qualified as well.”
At just 23 years of age, Georgia has focus and a sharp business
acumen that is beyond her years. It’s hard to comprehend the mental
and emotional strength it takes to go through cancer as a family, and
to do that whilst also launching a, now thriving, business is something
to applaud. “It was, without doubt, instrumental to my recovery,”
Amanda explains. “Having something beyond my illness that I could
focus on was a wonderful medicine. It was, and still is, immeasurably
good for my soul.”
More Information
Visit www.noelroaduk.com to learn more about the exciting
brand and its delicious product range.
issue 15 | page 59

IQ review
Article by Lauren Eade
BOOK REVIEW
#GirlBoss
Author: Sophia Amoruso
Portfolio, 2014
Available in Kindle edition or paperback
Bio
Beginning as a shoplifting, dumpster-diving
teen, Sophia Amoruso is far from the usual
character whom we expect to be on the front
cover of a business memoir. At 17 years old,
Amoruso decided to take a stab at making
money through her own business. Her passion
for stylish vintage pieces with dramatic
outlines led her to start an eBay store, listing
clothes she picked out herself, some of which
she now admits, were stolen. By 2008, her
business had boomed to become the multimillion
dollar online clothing store, Nasty Gal.
Now, Amoruso, Founder and Chair Executive
of one of the fastest growing companies in the
world, tells us exactly how to be a #GirlBoss.
Review
Teaching us all that where you begin is
certainly no predictor of where you can end
up, #GirlBoss is an inspiring read for anyone
who is doubting their personal ability to
be successful. As Amoruso claims from the
outset, this isn’t a get-rich-quick guide, instead
it’s a memoir, talking us through how an eBay
site has blossomed into Nasty Gal, one
of the most popular online retailers for
women’s clothes. Whilst her writing is
an interesting story about an ordinary,
relatable girl who makes it to the top,
much of her advice can seem trivial
and no great leap from common sense.
It preaches that hard work pays off, that
you shouldn’t be afraid to get stuck in
and that you have to work your way up -
nothing original there, it seems. Having
said that, it seems there’s a greater, more
important message behind her story:
you should never lose sight of your
goals, and, ultimately, it doesn’t matter
where you went to school, you can make
it. So, despite the slightly disagreeable
use of a hashtag in the title, and the
gender narrowing of the readership
when her tips really could be applicable
to anyone, the book is still a compelling
and motivating read.
issue 15 | page 60

IQ review
Article by Rachel Cracknell
BOOK
REVIEW
Talk Like TED: The 9 Public Speaking
Secrets of the World’s Top Minds
Author: Carmine Gallo, Macmillan,
2014. Available as ebook and hardback
Bio: TED is a non-profit organisation that’s
devoted to spreading ideas in the form of
short and powerful talks. In the last 30 years,
the company has transformed the world of
public speaking, and today, TED talks are
viewed more than two million times a day. The
company – whose name stands for Technology,
Entertainment and Design - brings together
leading researchers, world innovators and
cutting-edge thinkers to redefine the concept of
presentations and public speaking.
TED’s key mission is to spark conversation and
debate outside the four walls of a presentation
room or conference centre. They empower
individuals to overcome their fears of public
speaking, enabling them to share the ideas and
conversations that really matter to them.
Review: If the thought of speaking in front of
a group of business people, let alone billions
of viewers around the world, sends a flurry of
butterflies into your stomach, this is a must-read.
This fascinating book not only provides insight
into the world’s greatest talks, but also shows how
you can apply a range of presentation techniques
to your own talks. Inspiring, motivating and
practical, it is a must-read for those who lack
confidence when speaking in public.
issue 15 | page 61

Need to add some creativity to your brand?
Cubiqdesign is a multi award-winning design agency.
No jargon... Just great ideas and stunning designs...

info@cubiqdesign.co.uk | 01638 666432
www.cubiqdesign.co.uk
Follow Cubiqdesign on twitter twitter.com/cubiqdesign

You might not expect your
accountant to be trendy,
but you would expect
them to be on trend.
What’s trending this month?
Do you still need to complete a Self
Assessment Tax Return? Are you sure
you’re only going to pay what tax is due?
If you don’t already complete a Return
and you have rental or other income then
you may need to.
For further information and to download
our guide please visit our website:
www.streetsweb.co.uk
www.streetsweb.co.uk 01223 570000
info@streetsweb.co.uk
Follow us on Twitter @streetsacc
Watch us on YouTube
Connect with us on LinkedIn
Offices in Cambridge, Newmarket, Peterborough, Bedford (Wyboston Lakes) and Stevenage.