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Robot expert is our guest speaker


A renowned expert on artificial intelligence is the special guest speaker at the annual dinner of technology company directors, held as part of the Southern Tech 100.


Dr Nick Hawes (pictured) speaks on intelligent robotics to audiences nationwide. He has built robots used in commercial environments including a security guard that patrols the offices of a Gloucestershire company.


Organised by The Business Magazine, the annual Tech 100 lists the top private tech companies in the south. Ranked by turnover, the list includes telecoms, software and computer hardware companies plus distributors and niche service businesses.


Tech companies are invited to the Tech 100 dinner at the Forbury Hotel, Reading, on March 10 to hear Hawes talk about his cutting-edge research, including enabling robots to reason.


Hawes is a reader in autonomous intelligent robotics in the school of computer science at the University of Birmingham.


The challenge of attracting and retaining top talent


Competition for the best talent is at its greatest level for more than a decade, writes David Bloxham, managing director, GCS Recruitment Specialists


When businesses are growing, inevitably they will be looking to recruit. This means not only will they be competing against you for top talent, but they might just be looking to headhunt your staff too. As a result, a clear understanding of how your organisation will attract and retain talented individuals is critical to long- term success.


Successful candidate attraction is a result of being proactive, having a strong employer brand and decisiveness. Gone are the days in which candidates will only use one method to find a new job. The proliferation of job boards and social media along with


recruitment agencies and personal networks means that jobseekers have instant access to a host of possible opportunities. Because of this, decisiveness is paramount. We often see organisations that deliberate over hiring decisions for too long have the decision taken out of their hands because the candidate has accepted another offer. Having a process in place that allows you to make swift decisions throughout the recruitment process will ensure you don’t lose people before they’ve started.


However, excellence in candidate attraction can be for nothing if you don’t apply similar principles to your


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – FEBRUARY 2016


His research applies techniques from artificial intelligence to allow robots to perform useful tasks for, or with, humans in everyday environments (such as making your breakfast, supporting nursing staff in a care home, or carrying boxes in a warehouse).


Hawes is particularly interested in how robots can understand the world around them and how it changes over time (eg where objects usually appear, how people move through buildings etc), and how they can exploit this knowledge to perform tasks more efficiently and intelligently.


The dinner is by invitation only but if any readers are interested in attending, they can apply to Linda Morse, events manager, at: linda@elcot.co.uk


The Southern Tech 100 is supported by Barclays, accountants Moore Stephens, solicitors Marks & Clerk and recruitment firm GCS.


For the 2016 Southern Tech 100 listing see pages 29-31.


seminar


employees must be heard and reacted to otherwise workers may feel what matters most to them matters considerably less to you. It is people like these who are prime targets for headhunting by your competitors.


efforts in retention. Simply hoping your team will stick by you is no longer good enough.


The key to retention is engagement. In a recent survey by GCS, more than 70% of employers stated that their working environment was more important to attraction and retention than a benefits package. Create a workplace that is enjoyable, challenging and exciting and you will have a business where employees feel valued. Regular communication is key and concerns raised by your


These principles and much more will be discussed in depth at a two-hour seminar hosted by The Business Magazine, featuring GCS Recruitment Specialists and Dale Carnegie Training, on February 24 at the Madejski Stadium in Reading.


The seminar is free to attend and will offer you and your business advice on how to maximise your chances of winning the battle for the best talent.


Details: http://bit.ly/gcsseminar


www.businessmag.co.uk


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