Business News Perfect service for tennis stars


Tennis stars Heather Watson (left) and Elina Svitolina enjoyed top service of a different kind when they attended The Ivy Temple Row restaurant in Birmingham. Ahead of the recent Nature


Valley Classic tournament at Birmingham’s Edgbaston Priory Club, Heather was on hand to show her Ukrainian tour mate what makes the quintessential British afternoon tea so special. Britain’s number two poured


them each a cup of tea and the players shared scones, cakes, and a special tennis ball inspired dessert, made especially by the team at The Ivy Temple Row. Heather Watson said: “The


Nature Valley Classic is an integral part of our Wimbledon warm-up, and it’s important we take some


time off the practice courts to relax. “It’s been great to share some


British culture with the international


players, and what better way to do so than with a lovely British afternoon tea.”


Fibre First is coming to town


Work to connect Birmingham to ultrafast broadband as part of Openreach’s ‘Fibre First’ programme is well underway – with the first 100 homes and businesses now able to access speeds of up to 1Gbps – chief executive, Clive Selley, announced during a visit to the city. The roll-out is part of the national digital


infrastructure provider Openreach’s plans to make Fibre-to-the-Premises technology available to three million homes and businesses across the UK by 2020. The 100 homes – located in Great Barr and Kings


Norton – are the first to be switched on as part of the phased initial roll-out, with building work due to be completed by the end of June, enabling thousands more homes to access the new technology. Engineers are carrying out further planning and


survey work in additional parts of the city, including Sutton Coldfield and Streetly, with Acocks Green and Stechford to follow. Details of the roll-out were given by Clive Selley during a breakfast meeting for business and civic


leaders, academics and representatives of other key organisations, hosted by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC). Clive said: “Birmingham is seeing an incredible


transformation and we’re proud to be playing our part in that. Our roll-out of ultrafast broadband has been planned specifically to support important local projects like preparations for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, expansion of the Midland Metro tram network and new housing projects, as well as focusing on areas of the city with the slowest broadband speeds. Ultrafast fibre broadband will help create wealth, spread opportunity and drive exciting new developments in sectors from health to transport and finance. “Our work in Birmingham is going extremely well. So


far, our engineers have installed around 20 kilometres of fibre optic cable and we plan to accelerate the pace of our roll-out during June, increasing the number of premises that we pass from around 800 a week to 1,000.”


The future of drone technology


The full impact of drones on many facets of life has not yet been realised, says an expert following the publication of a PwC report. Robert Garbett, chief executive of


Drone Major and chairman of the BSI Committee on Drone Standards, was giving his views on the PwC report on the future of the drone industry and its impact on the UK economy. He said: “The impact of the drone


industry is both positive and welcome but what is more exciting is that this is just a small fragment of the wider drone picture. “What many will not realise, but


what is becoming widely accepted, is that the drone industry is shifting away from being an air focused industry to one which is breaking


down traditional environmental barriers to give rise to a new understanding of the term ‘drone’. “As technology advances in this


field, we are witness to the emergence of a new wave of hybrid drone systems which are able to operate across different environments from ground vehicles that can fly to aircraft which can dive into the sea. Indeed, there are now systems available which are integrated surface (marine), underwater and air drone systems combined, such as those being developed by Marine Advanced Research, an American company which embraces the concept of the 'Hybrid' drone system. “It is the emergence of such


concepts and the advancement of autonomous systems across all environments that has led to the emergence of a new definition for a drone incorporating any vehicle, ship, aircraft or hybrid system which is autonomously or remotely controlled. “When we consider the drone


industry from this perspective, the impact on the UK economy, jobs and productivity on a whole new meaning and a much larger figure.” Drone Major Group is the world’s


first global commercial organisation dedicated to connecting, supporting and trading with all stakeholders in the drone industry at every level and across every environment.


www.dronemajorgroup.com July/August 2018 CHAMBERLINK 27 How SMEs can


attract talent SMEs must think outside the box when it comes to attracting the right talent, according to a HR expert. Sara Abbott, from the HR


Dept North Birmingham, says many smaller companies can offer greater flexibility and career progression than corporate juggernauts. And she believes these


benefits can be of a huge help when it comes to recruiting. It comes after an SME


confidence-tracking survey from Bibby Financial Services (BFS) revealed that the nation’s small and medium- sized businesses face a struggle to find workers with the right skills. Sara (pictured) said: “It’s


daunting for SME businesses when they see the fabulous campus offices of Silicon Valley firms, the luxurious free breakfasts laid-on by flourishing digital agencies and the bonuses that financial services companies can offer. “These eye-


catching benefits may seem hard to beat. But all is not lost. There are strings to the SME bow that can help them compete for great employees. “Many SMEs are able to


offer more flexibility than large corporates. In a small firm you often get the opportunity to turn your hand to the wider aspects of a role. “This could be an attractive


point to emphasise, as it shows a clear route to progression. It’s doubly good for the business because if you can get a person with the desire and capability to grow themselves, then the business will probably grow around them.” Sara says more and more


SMEs are starting to realise the benefit of investment in training to plug skills gaps and retain staff. She added: “Training is


another attractive benefit to offer. Got a skills gap? Instead of trying to hire the ready- made solution, train someone in your team to develop into the role. As well as plugging your skills gap, this fosters staff loyalty and goodwill.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80