roundtable: TVBMA 39
The Business Magazine and the sponsors of the TVBMA – RBS, Pitmans, James Cowper, Hays, Grundon Waste Management, Deloitte – invited several 2013 winners to gather at Cliveden House, Taplow to discuss how to …
Build a successful business
THAMES VALLEY BUSINESS MAGAZINE AWARDS 2014
Participants
Erica Adams: Operations director, PHABRIX
Christopher Avery: Managing partner, Pitmans LLP
Robin Barnes: Regional director, Thames Valley and Solent Corporate, RBS
Kevin Brewer: Marketing manager, Grundon Waste Management
Dee Doyle: Energy and waste action team leader, The Grove Centre, GE Healthcare
Stephen Lane: Financial director, Xtrac
Kate Liddle: CEO, Style Acre
Lined up to debate: our Roundtable team
It came as no surprise to hear from the Roundtable that winning, successful companies usually contain hard-working talented people with creative minds or exceptional skills. What we did learn, however, was that post-recessionary business models are changing and putting people first rather than pound-notes.
Corporate culture, flexible workstyles and the overall business environment are taking on fresh importance for potential recruits. Yes, they want a reasonable salary and a management team with a strategic vision they can support, but increasingly employment today is not just focused on ‘a place to work’ but a workplace providing an enjoyable working lifestyle.
Journalist John Burbedge reports the Roundtable highlights
So, what makes you winners?
Stephen Lane of Xtrac, which won two TVBM Awards (Dynamic Business of the Year, Best Use of Technology), suggested there were three winning factors in its 30-year success story:
• Everybody in the business is a shareholder Xtrac offers an employee share ownership scheme for its 250 staff. “Some equity in the business makes a big difference to the mindset. Our people understand that we’re all pulling together for the same purpose; we all have an involvement in the business.”
• Investment in people and equipment “We are extremely focused on bringing apprentices into the business, so as the workforce gets older we are replenishing our talent pipeline at the other end.” Xtrac has training links with Newbury College. Staff retention is high, “… but even those who leave tend to go to our customers, which is no bad thing.”
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – FEBRUARY 2014
• Creation of the Xtrac ‘DNA’ “We unashamedly believe we are the best in the world at what we do.” Xtrac invests in the best equipment, and the development of a wide range of expertise throughout its company. “Coupled with what we call our Xtrac DNA that creates something quite special which keeps us ahead of the game.”
“Our emphasis is on quality in all areas. As they say in motorsport: ‘You can’t win a race, unless you finish it.’ If Sebastian Vettel pulls out of a race because a gearbox or transmission fails then we hear about. If he finishes the race, we don’t.”
Dee Doyle tries to enhance the lifecycle of waste in her job role with GE Healthcare (Green Progress Award). “When you make products you generally produce waste of some sort. At GE we try to look at that waste in a different way, and see if it can be used to produce something else. So, we work with suppliers like Grundon to utilise waste in environmentally friendly manner, for example energy from waste.
Stephen Lane
“GE now always looks at ‘cradle to grave’ aspects of waste when producing products, but the difficulty in a big company is maintaining that mantra of viewing waste in a different way, and that’s where you have to achieve the engagement of local staff. We call
Continued overleaf ...
www.businessmag.co.uk
Alan Poole: Director, James Cowper LLP
Christopher Pratt: Managing director, ScentAir UK
Warren Richmond: CEO, Retail Marketing Group
Mike Thorne: Head of Thames Valley private markets team, Deloitte
Mehran Yadegari: Regional director, Hays
David Murray:
Managing editor and publisher of The Business Magazine, chaired the discussion
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