BUSINESS REPORT


BUSINESS REPORT


NEW ROLE FOR ALEX AT TAX FIRM


Chartered accountant and tax advisory firm, Hillier Hopkins, has appointed Alex Bottom as managing principal. Alex has served on the


firm’s Board of Management since 2013 and replaces Grant Franklin who is stepping down after eight years. Since joining Hillier Hopkins


as a student in 1997, Alex has progressed through the firm and grown a large portfolio of clients. In addition to client work, his leadership of the audit department and student recruitment programme has enabled Alex to play an important role in shaping and developing the team over the years. During his time, Alex has built a highly successful education team who advise a large number of independent schools, students’ unions and academy trusts. Hillier Hopkins has been


steadily expanding in size and geographic reach over the years and has become one of the region’s leading independent firms advising businesses in the UK and overseas. Alex said: “We are very


fortunate at Hillier Hopkins in that throughout our growth we have been able to attract a hugely talented team who are loyal to the firm. I am very honoured to have been chosen to lead them and am looking forward to working together to seize the opportunities ahead.”


4 inbusiness JUNE/JULY 2019


finding employees for professional and managerial roles during the first quarter of 2019, businesses responding to the barometer this quarter – which represent over 65,000 workers across the city – saw their workforce grow. The uncertainty of Brexit means


the export market remains volatile with a slight drop this time around. There was also a steep decline in investment and cash flow, reaching -20%. Milton Keynes Chamber chief executive Paul Griffiths


said: “These figures should act as a wake-up call for the Government, who need to recognise that all businesses, but particularly small and medium sized firms, need support and encouragement in these exceedingly turbulent times.


MILTON KEYNES CHAMBER keeps its members up to date with all the latest business news. Whether it’s through the pages of this magazine, our website or regular email updates, we will always endeavour to keep you in the picture and informed


QES RESULTS SHOW A GROWING WORKFORCE


Milton Keynes businesses have grown their workforce in the past three months, according to the results of Milton Keynes Chamber of Commerce’s latest Quarterly Economic Survey (QES). Despite recruitment difficulties in


“But given the national context, these results do not


cause too much alarm. Milton Keynes’s business community will remain resilient during 2019 and our Chamber will continue to feed these findings into the development of local, regional and national economic strategies to ensure that our business community’s views and priorities have an influence.” The QES is a widely recognised


key economic indicator by the Government, the Bank of England and independent economists alike. It also provides both central and local policymakers with an important source of feedback of the


performance, concerns and views of business across the borough and, through the wider British Chambers of Commerce network, nationally.


To read the full report visit https://chambermk.co.uk/representation/quarterly- economic-surveys


MKP GOES FOR PLATINUM AWARD


Milton Keynes Pressings Ltd (MKP) has achieved the prestigious Platinum Award for the Caterpillar Supplier Quality Excellence Process. Having progressed through the


Bronze and Silver Awards over the last three years, MKP improved to achieve the highest accolade within this scheme. Within the Caterpillar Industrial Power Systems Division (IPSD) MKP are the first ever fabrication/manufacturing supplier to achieve the Platinum status. On issuing the award, Alan Wells,


purchasing quality manager, said; “Fantastic result on your achievement of Platinum SQEP, you should be very, very proud of this award.” The Caterpillar SQEP Award was


created as a certification program to recognize those suppliers who demonstrate their commitment to excellence and drive a zero defects culture within their organisations. Suppliers are certified by meeting or exceeding stringent performance standards including product quality and on time delivery.


Members of the MKP team with their award Tony Montanaro (CAT – supplier


quality manager) and Terry Heames (CAT – SQEP) visited the MKP facility to present the awards to MKP Group managing director Mike Read and the rest of the team. Mike was thrilled with the


success. “The growth of MKP was built on excellent customer service and winning awards like this justify our commitment to supplying the


best quality components,” he said. “This award is a credit to the


whole workforce whose enthusiastic and committed approach to delivery performance and customer satisfaction ensure we continuously improve, demonstrated by our progress through the Caterpillar SQEP award scheme.”


Visit www.mkp.co.uk


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