THAMES VALLEY 250


® Our Thames Valley multi-billion success story


Top companies that lead the continuing regional success story of sales growth highlighted within our £23 billion-plus Thames Valley 250 listings, were honoured at an awards evening staged at Coworth Park, Ascot recently


The combined annual turnover of the TV250 businesses, which locally employ nearly 120,000, has now risen by approaching 30% within three years from £18 billion.


That growth by “the engine room of the UK economic powerhouse” has helped


achieve recovery and continues to sustain a positive national economy, said David Murray, publisher of The Business Magazine, as he launched the 2015 listing of the TV250*.


Now in its sixth year, the TV250 list of top privately-owned businesses has become a


TV250 Awards dinner 2015


Modern businesses are increasingly seeking suitable workspaces rather than traditional workplaces for their staff, explained Aki Stamatis, the TV250 after-dinner guest speaker.


And he should know, as a co- founder and chairman of the highly successful Fourfront Group, a leading UK specialist consultancy in the design, construction, and furnishing of ‘working homes’ for businesses.


Workplace requirements have changed in the past 10-15 years as technology has enabled workstyle change with remote, 24/7 and flexible working becoming more prevalent. Technology such as cloud computing was reducing workspace requirements, and broadband, Wi-Fi and mobile devices were broadening the potential choice of work location.


Additionally, “ … a new younger generation is coming into the workplace that does not see work in the same way that most of us do,” added Stamatis. Their attitude to employment, he suggested, might be summed up by the words of former Apple chairman Steve Jobs: “Why join the Navy, if you can be a pirate?“


Such workstyle change was throwing the spotlight on aligning staff and corporate aspirations – providing a place where people want to work rather than a place to work.


In turn, this was highlighting the need for businesses to know and embed their true company values and culture within their working community and importantly, with the ongoing battle for talented


Aki Stamatis


people, within the design and creation of an attractive, suitable working environment.


Increasingly, this need to create a workplace that can be “a business hub, a mothership, a place to meet people” was drawing the Fourfront Group into a closer consultancy and working partnership position with clients intent on providing bespoke environments for their people.


Stamatis revealed that Fourfront had examined its own company strategy, culture and purpose to discover its key business drivers and values.


This had led to the compilation of The Fourfront Way – 10 truths about the way we are – values that capture the essence of the business, binding it together and to the outside world (www.fourfrontgroup. co.uk/About/OurValues/ ).


One of the values – ‘Do unto others . . .’ – had led to Fourfront CSR activities that “are now part of our DNA, having unleashed a fresh power and connectivity within our four businesses.”


The Egham-based company has also introduced key initiatives to develop its people – The Fourfront Academy, NextGen, Women in Fourfront and mentoring – that have achieved recognition within and outside the industry.


key ranking of successful business progress, he added.


In recognition of this sales growth success story, the TV250 sponsors – HSBC; business advisers Grant Thornton; law firm Blake Morgan; and ourselves at The Business Magazine – decided to honour seven areas of top business performance at the recent TV250 Awards evening.


*The latest TV250 details are viewable at: www.businessmag.co.uk


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – SEPTEMBER 2015


www.businessmag.co.uk


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