>MAY 2014

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

EZINE

PERSPECTIVE●WhyEquinitiisthenumberoneshareregistrar●Shareholderstrategycomingthroughloudandclear

10 MINUTE GUIDE●IssuessurroundingtheScottishreferendum

CLIENT FOCUS●JUSTEATtakesahungryworldbystorm

JARGON BUSTER●De-codingtechnicaljargonandbuzz-words

UPDATE●It’slights,camera,actionfortheOperationsteam●ICSACompanySecretary’sHandbook●DevelopmentstoESPPortalextendsservice

ESSENTIALS●Howtowriteanaward-winningsubmission

CUSTOMER SERVICE AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

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EQUINITI EZINE > MAY 2014PERSPECTIVE

With a host of accolades under our belt, we find out why Equiniti is number one for service in the industry

EquinitiistheUK’sNo.1ShareRegistrarbasedonOverallSatisfactionresultsintheCapital

AnalyticsUKRegistrarsBenchmarkingSurvey2013.Thisisn’tdowntochanceorevenluckbutit’sdowntoprovidingcustomerswithanexceptionallevelofservice,andplacingcustomersattheheartofthebusiness.“Bothourclientsandthemarketplacerecognisethestrengthofourservicedelivery,andequally,weareproudofwhatwedoandthatcomesthroughinthelevelofservicethatweprovide,”saysStuartEllen,ManagingDirectorofEquinitiRegistrationServices.

TheCapitalAnalyticsSurveyresultisjustoneaccoladethatEquinitihaspickedupinregardstoservice.“We’vereceivedanumberofawardsthatacknowledgeourservicelevels,suchastheBestShareholderServicesAwardandBestRegistrarAward,tonamebutafew,”saysStuart.“Thisshowsthatthe

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EQUINITI EZINE > MAY 2014

industryasawholerecognisesthegoodworkwearedoing.”

ThekeytomaintainingsuchhighlevelsofserviceliesinEquiniti’sattitudetocontinuousimprovement.“Werefusetobecomplacent,”Stuartsays.“Therearealwayswaystoimprovewhatwedoandwhatwedelivertoourcustomers.Weconstantlylookforwaystoinnovateandmakethingsbetter.”

ThereputationaboutEquiniti’sservicelevelsisclearlyspreading,asrecentlyithasbankedanumberofwinsfromcompetitors,whichMarkBullen,HeadofRegistrationsDevelopment,putsdowntoEquiniti’soverallserviceoffering.“Itisasignificantundertakingtomoveregistrarandadecisionthatanorganisationisn’tgoingtotakelightly.Ourrecentwinsaredowntoourreputationinthemarketplace.”

“TheaddedvaluethatcustomersgetwithEquinitiiswhatmakescustomerscometous,”Stuartsays.“Wehavetheexpertiseandtheexperiencetocatertoourclients’needs.FastgrowthcompaniesorcompanieslookingtoentertheFTSE100certainlydon’tnecessarilygetthebreadthorrelationshipandindustrysupportfromoneofourcompetitorsthattheyfeeltheygetfromus.”

ContinuousimprovementplaysahugepartinEquiniti’scustomeroffering.Alwaysstrivingtoimprove,thisisreflectedinthelackof

complaintsthatEquinitireceiveseachyear.“Thenumberofcomplaintswegetpertransactionisminisculeandthisisdowntoourcommitmenttocustomerexperience,”saysFionaDeAntonis,HeadofOperationalExcellenceatEquiniti.“Weareconstantlylookingtoenhanceourserviceoffering.Oneofthewayswedothisisthroughstaffdevelopment.Lastyearweinvested21,000hoursintraining,whichhelpsourstafftoprovidethebestpossibleservice.”

ExpertiseandexcellencearetwothingsthatEquinitiisrenownedfor,butMarkalsoattributessomeofoursuccesstoenthusiasm.“It’snotalwaysjustwhatyoudobuthowyoudoitthatplaysabigpart,”Marksays.“We’vehadsomeexceptionalfeedbackfrombothcurrentandprospectiveclientsabouthowenthusiasticourpeopleare.There’salwaysarealpassionthatunderpinseverythingthatwedoandthatdefinitelyhasadirectimpactonqualityoutput.”

“It’sclearinmymindthattobethenumberoneregistrarasvotedbycustomersisdowntousaddingmorevaluetoclientsandtheirexperiences,”saysStuart.“ThatisakeyfactorinhowwedifferentiateourselvesfromourcompetitorsandcertainlyeveryonecanseethatcomplacencyisnotsomethingtofearwithEquiniti,butinactualfactitistheabsoluteopposite.Equinitiwillalwaysdothebestforitscustomersandwillalwaysbelookingtopushthingsforward.”

IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATIONPlease contact your relationship manager.

PERSPECTIVE

SHAREHOLDER STRATEGY

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EQUINITI EZINE > MAY 2014PERSPECTIVE

Mark Bullen, Equiniti’s Director of Share Registration Services on evolving communications to get shareholders to take positive action

Wehaveinvestedalotofeffortintoimplementingshareholderstrategieswithmanyofourclients’

shareholders,whichencourageshareholderstoembrace‘goodshareholderbehaviour’likee-communicationandBACSmandating.Buthowdoyouaddressthechallengesthatquicklyariseoncethemostwilling,earlyadoptershavegiventheirauthority?

Onesuchchallengeisthepublic’schangingviewofemailastheircommunicationchannelofchoice.Wherewewereoncebombardedwithpaperjunkmail,wenowexperienceabarrageofdailyjunkemails.But,whereasalettercouldsimplybetornupandputinthebin,junkemailcanposearealthreattoanindividual’ssecurity,especiallythoselesscomfortablewithtechnology.

Understandably,ourcustomersareconcernedaboutthis,whichwepredictwillhaveanincreasinglynegativeimpacton

take-upresponserates.Tohelpusmoveforward,wehaveundertakenanumberofsurveyswithclientsandtheirshareholders.Feedbackhastoldusthatweneedtogiveourshareholderschoice.Thismakesperfectsensewhenyouconsiderthefollowing.Whenshareholdersreceiveseparaterequeststoconsidere-communicationandBACSsign-up,theyaremorelikelytochoosetoacceptatleastoneoftheseoptions.Moreoftenthannot,combinedrequestsdon’tfarewell,andwetendtogetaverylowresponse.

Wesoughtthehelpofaprofessionalcommunicationsconsultancyandlearntagreatdealintermsofthevalueofintelligentcommunicationscanhave,whentheyareclear,focusedandusetargetedmessaging.

Theartisintheskillofthedesignandcontentmanagement,readershavelittletime,andintheworldwherescamthreatsareincreasing,theyareonalertperhapstoseethe

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EQUINITI EZINE > MAY 2014

negativesoonerthanthepositive.Ofcoursecostcontrolisimportantbut

wedon’tneedtospendmore.Instead,bydeployingouranalyticalcapabilitiesandintelligentsegmentationwithourimprovedcommunicationskills,aseparatedrequesttoshareholdersforactioncanbeclearlydefinedwithinthesamemailing.Thiswaywecanavoidthe‘allornothing’response.Andbydoingthis,

KEEP ME POSTEDThe Keep Me Posted campaign is calling for the protection of consumers’ rights to choose how they receive communications.

Keep Me Posted Chair, Judith Donovan, says the campaign was set up because it was felt that the dash to digital, both by private companies and by the government, was in danger of leaving large sections of society behind.

She says: “I saw how important it was for consumers, particularly disadvantaged or disabled consumers, or consumers living in remote areas, to have the reassurance of the postal service and access to communications through the post. I also understand the power paper and post have to protect and build customer relationships. It is in the best interests of a company to give their customers an informed choice.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISITwww.keepmeposteduk.com

Iamconfidentwewillmaintainthemomentumwehavejointlycreatedinrecentyearsatatimewhenstimulatingshareholderstorespondwithpositiveactionisgettingharder.

Ourclients’take-upofBACS/SCRIP/DRIP/E-commandNomineeisatsuchalevel,thosewhoaren’trepresentedbyEquinitiareenvious.Whatthistellsusisthatweareexpertsinimplementingshareholdermanagementand

IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATIONPlease contact mark.bullen@equiniti.com or your

relationship manager.

communicationsstrategiesandinrecentyears,wehaveseenalotofevidencetobackthisup.

Wearenotcomplacent.We’reinvestingfurtherinourManagementInformationandcommunicationcapabilities,whichisofhugebenefittoourclients.Withthisinmind,wewillcontinuetoaddincreasingvaluetoourcustomersandshareholdersby:

■■ Improvedinsightandsegmentation■■ Increasingthequalityandrangeofourskills■■ Gainingabetterunderstandingof

shareholders’requirements,recognisingtheir needforchoice,educationandguidance,and improvingtheirexperiencesotheyhave trustineveryinteraction■■ Positivelyaddressingresistancethrough

bettercommunications.

Bycontinuingtodriveforfurthershareholderengagementnow,wearepositivethatwewillprotectyourfutureshareholdermanagementcostbudgets.

SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCEIn less than five months, the people of Scotland will be asked: should Scotland be an independent country? With many clients, shareholders and offices based in Scotland, we guide you through some of the key issues in the referendum debate that may impact the business world

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EQUINITI EZINE > MAY 2014MINUTE GUIDE10

The economyTheSNParguesthatifScotlandbecomesanindependentcountry,itwouldbeoneofthetop10richestcountriesintheOECD.NorthSeaoilrevenuesareanimportantpartoftheSNP’seconomicplansandtheypredictthatoilproductioncouldgenerate£57bnintaxrevenuesby2018.ThoseopposingindependencehavearguedthatNorthSeaoilreservesaredepletingandcannotbereliedupon.“ItseemstomethattheScottishgovernmenthasbasedalotoftheirforecastsonthemostoptimisticassumptionstheycancomeupwith,”explainsBradMacKay,ProfessorinStrategicManagementattheUniversityofEdinburgh.“Scotlandisarelativelywealthycountry,butthefundamentalquestionis–willScotlandbebetteroffoutsideoftheUK?Andwejustdon’tknowtheanswertothat.WhatwedoknowisthatthedebttoGDPratiowouldprobablybeabout81%.Forayoungcountry,Scotlandwouldbefairlyindebted.”

The business environmentScotland’sFuture,theScottishGovernment’sWhitePaper,saysthatanindependentScotlandcouldcreatea‘moresupportive,competitiveanddynamicbusinessenvironment’astheScottishGovernmentwillhavefullcontrolovertaxation,businessregulationandinvestment.TheSNPisalsoproposingareductionincorporationtaxofupto3%.“IthinkthereareopportunitiestotailorpoliciestothesectorsthatareimportantintheScottisheconomyandbusinesswouldhavecloseraccesstogovernmentbyvirtueofthefactthatitwouldbeasmallercountry,”saysBrad.“Therewouldbeanaturalrebalancingoftheeconomy.IfyouarealargePLCthatisheadquarteredinScotlandand90%ofyourtradeisintherestoftheUK,thenindependenceisanissueasthesecompanieswould,ineffect,findthemselvesoperatinginaseparatejurisdictionthan90%oftheirtrade.IfyouarealargePLCtradingprimarilyglobally,thenindependence

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EQUINITI EZINE > MAY 2014

probablydoesn’thaveasmuchasaconcernforyou.Ifyouareasubsidiaryofaglobalcompanythat’soperatinginScotland,thenyouareprobablytradingallovertheworldanywayandScotlandwouldjustbeonemorejurisdiction,providedthattheinvestmentclimatewouldcontinuetobefavourable.Ifyouareasmallbusiness,andyouarelookingforspecific,tailoredgovernmentsupport,likesubsidies,chancesareyouareprettyoptimisticabouttheopportunities.”

The currency unionTheSNPisproposingacurrencyunionwiththerestoftheUKandtheBankofEnglandwouldbeScotland’scentralbank.CriticsarguethatthiswouldmeantheBankwouldinfluenceScotland’sborrowingandspendingandtheUK’smainpartieshavealreadyruledouttheunion.TheSNParguesthatthisdecisionislikelytobereversedwitha‘yes’voteasitwouldbedamagingtotherestoftheUKifScotlandcouldnotkeepthepound.“Theadvantageofacurrencyunionisthatyoucutdownonthetransactioncostsassociatedwithhavingtotradeindifferentjurisdictions,”saysBrad.“Buttherealityis,whichIthinkhascometodominatethethinkinginLondon,itisverydifficulttomakeacurrencyunionworkwhenthereisnopoliticalunion.Youwouldhavea

verysmallScottisheconomyattachedtoaverylargeUKeconomy.IfthefiscalpositioninScotlanddeterioratedforanyreason,thepotentialisthattherestoftheUKwouldhavetobailoutasovereigncountry.Ithinkmosteconomistsarecomingtotheviewthatacurrencyunionwouldbeunsustainableinthelongterm.”CriticsbelievethatScotlandwouldbeforcedtoadopttheeuroasaprerequisiteforgainingEUmembership.ThereisstillmuchuncertaintyonwhetherScotlandwouldbeacontinuingmemberoftheEUorwhetheritwouldneedtore-apply.ItmaynotreceivesomeoftheexemptionstheUKcurrentlyreceivesinnegotiations,includingexemptionfromtheeuro.

PensionsIntheWhitePaper,theSNPisproposingasafe,‘triple-locked’pensionsystemwherethebasicstatepensionwillbeincreasedeitherbyaverageearnings,inflationor2.5%-whicheveroftheseisthehighest.Theyhavealsocommittedtoprotectingprivatepensionsandwillcontinuetorolloutauto-enrolment.GordonBrown,however,recentlysaidthatpensionerswillbe‘betterprotected’ifScotlandremainspartoftheUK.TheSNPbelievesitwillbepossibletoagreetransitionalarrangementsforexistingUK-wideschemes.

“AsIunderstandit,underEUlaw,youcan’thavecrossborderpensionsthatareindeficitandtherealityisthatalotofthemareindeficitsotheywouldhavetobemadesolvent,”saysBrad.“Sowheredoesthemoneycomefrom?Ifitdoesn’tcomefromthegovernment,thenitprobablycomesfromreducedbenefitsandincreasedcontributionsbybothemployersandsavers.Again,itisahugeuncertainty.Scotland,liketherestoftheUK,alsohasanageingpopulationandthatcouldbeshapedbydifferentimmigrationpolicies,buttowhatextentisdifficulttosay.”

10 MINUTE GUIDE

IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATIONFor more information on this topic please visit

www.whatscotlandthinks.org

TAKING A HUNGRY WORLD BY STORM

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EQUINITI EZINE > MAY 2014CLIENT FOCUS

Handling the IPO of one of the fastest growing companies on the market place, JUST EAT, was an exciting time for Equiniti

Technologyhaschangedthewayweliveourlives.Wenowdoalmosteverythingonline,frombuyingour

foodshoppingtobookingourholidaysandeverythinginbetween.OnecompanythathasprofitedhugelyfromthisseismicshiftinconsumerhabitsisJUSTEAT.

Foundedintheearly2000sinDenmark,JUSTEATnowoperatesin13countriesacrosstheglobe.HeadquarteredinLondon,JUSTEATGroupBusinessProjectsDirector,FrankMcGlade,putsthecompany’ssuccessdowntotrendsinthemarketplaceandthequalityoftheproductthecompanyoffers.“We’refortunateinthatwearebenefitingfromtheshiftinconsumerbehaviour.Aswemoveourentirelivesonline,peoplearecontinuingtolookatnewwaystodothingsviatheinternetandsoorderingtakeawayfoodisjustoneofthosethings.

“Wealsoofferagreatproductthatgivescustomersaneasierwaytoordertakeawayfood.Ourmobileappsmeanthatyoucanuse

yourmobiledevicetoplaceyourorderandonceyouhaveusedourserviceacoupleoftimes,westoreyourmealpreferences,soorderingbecomeseveneasier,”explainsFrank.

JUSTEAT’ssuccesssawitentertheHighGrowthSegment(thefirstcompanytodoso)oftheLondonStockExchange(LSE)inAprilthisyear.“TheappetiteforsharesinJUSTEATwasincredible,”explainsDannyCurran,BusinessDevelopmentManageratEquiniti.“Asitssharessoaredonthefirstdayoftrading,JUSTEAT’sventurecapitalandprivate

equitybackerssawtherewaspotentialforevenfurtherinvestmentandasaresult,JUSTEAThasnowmovedintothepremiumsectoroftheLSE.”

WhenitcamedowntochoosinganorganisationtoguideJustEatthroughtheIPOprocess,EquinitistoodoutforanumberofreasonsasFrankexplains:“WelookedatthethreemainplayersintheUKinthisarea,butEquiniticlearlyhadthebestallroundoffering,”saysFrank.“WewereimpressedbytheservicesthatEquiniticouldofferbeyondhandlingourIPO.Wequicklyrealisedtheyofferedsomuchmorethanjustabasicshareregisterservice,whichreallysuitedourneeds,”saysFrank.

“TheIPOprocesswentverysmoothly,andforEquiniti,itisexcitingtoworkwithacompanylikeJUSTEAT,thatisnotonlygrowingataremarkablerate,butthatoffersanexcitingproductthatishavingarealimpactonthemarketplace,”saysDanny.

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AsJUSTEATcontinuestogofromstrengthtostrength,whatareitsplanstobuildonthisinthefuture?“Wehaveverystronggrowthaspirations,”saysFrank.“Wecurrentlyestimatethatjust20%oftakeawayordersareplacedonlineintheUKandifyoulookatsimilarbusinessesthathave60-70%onlinesales,youcanseethereisstillmassivepotential.

“We’realsodoingsomeresearchanddevelopmentworkaroundcollectionservices.Youplaceyourorderwhenyouare20minutesawayandthencollectitonyourwayhome.Thisisanexcitingmarkettobeinandweareincrediblypositiveaboutwhatthefutureholds,”saysFrank.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATIONPlease contact your relationship manager.

A PLAIN ENGLISH CRUSADE

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EQUINITI EZINE > MAY 2014JARGON BUSTER

AIFMDThe Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive

Ifyouareanon-UCITSfund,youmayneedtocomplywithTheAlternativeInvestmentFundManagersDirectiveby22July2014.AIFMDisanEUdirectivethatlookstoplacehedgefunds,privateequityandotheralternativeinvestmentfirmsintoaregulatedframework,inordertomonitorandregulatetheiractivity.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATIONFor more information from the London Stock Exchange Group,

please click here.

The business world is full of technical jargon and acronyms. In each issue we will be de-coding some of the most common buzz-words.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

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ALL OF THE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS FROM THE EQUINITI GROUPUPDATE

Equiniti’sOperationsteamhascommissionedashortfilmfollowingasuccessionofpositivefeedback

fromclientswhohadvisitedvariousOperationssitesandteams.ThefilmwillprovideanoverviewofallthekeyOperationalareas–EmployeeBenefits&ShareholderProcessing,DocumentServices,IMC,ClientTaskDelivery(CorporateActions,Dividends,&Reconciliations),ContactCentreandOperationalExcellence.PresentedbytheHeadsofDepartment,thefilmshowcasestheservicesEquinitiOperationsprovideandthestaffwhodeliverthem.Italsoservesafurtherpurpose;allowingclientswhocan’tattendsitevisitstogetanaccurateimpressionofwhatEquinitioffersandthepassion,professionalismandexpertiseofthestaffwhoalwaysputEquiniticustomersfirst.

Lookoutforfurtherinformationonthefilmcomingsoon.

A RAVE REVIEWJames Robert Anthony Gordon, Assistant to the Company Secretary at Cobham plc, spoke positively about a recent tour

“Thank you for the site tour yesterday. It was an immensely useful and notably impressive experience. I felt that the day was structured perfectly, with adequate time permitted for each demonstration. I was impressed by the level of efficiency and the smooth flow of information across

the different departments. The day, and the information conveyed, affirmed why Equiniti is regarded as the number one share registrar. I felt that each of the demonstrations were handled well, and provided greater insight into the inner workings of the company. I certainly recommend a site visit for other customers.”

IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATIONPlease contact your relationship manager.

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EQUINITI EZINE > MAY 2014UPDATE

GREATER ACCESS NO MATTER WHERE YOU AREDevelopments to ESP Portal extends the service to international employees

Meetingclients’needsisthebackboneofEquiniti’sbusiness.Whenclientsaskedforacomprehensiveonline

solutionthatwouldallowemployeestoviewtheirholdings,accessinformationandcarryouttransactionsfromasingleplatform,EquinitirespondedwiththeESPPortal.

Asclients’requirementscontinuetoevolve,sodoestheESPPortal,andthismonthaninternationalversionwilllaunch.Withaphasedroll-outstartinginMay,EquiniticlientswithinternationalemployeescanbenefitfromthesameexperiencethoseintheUKcurrentlyenjoy.

“TheinternationalSAYEservicedevelopedforESPPortalallowsclientstoofferthesameservicetotheiroverseasemployeesastheydotothosebasedintheUK,”saysPhilAinsley,ManagingDirector,EmployeeServices.“ContinuousimprovementisfundamentaltohowwerunourbusinessatEquinitiandtheongoingevolutionofESPPortalisnodifferent.

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We’realwaystryingtoimproveouronlineservices,sothisisanaturalextensionofPortaldevelopmentanditcontinuestomakeourcustomerpropositionbetter.”

SarahMoore,ProjectManageratEquinitiexplainsthataddinginternationalenquiryandtransactionalpagesbringstogetheravarietyofexistingonlineserviceswithinoneESPPortalenvironment.“Clientfeedbacktellsusthattheyhavewantedtheserviceavailableforinternationalemployeessothatallemployeeshaveaccesstoaone-stopviewofalltheirequityholdingsthroughouttheyear,regardlessoftheirlocation”.

Theserviceallowsinternationalemployeestotransactonlineaswellastohaveaccesstoreal-timebalanceenquiriesfortheirinternationalSAYEplans(whetheroptionorsharebasedplansorphantomplans).AspertheUKservice,theywillalsohavealinktoanyotherdiscretionaryplansorordinaryshareholdingstheyhave.

DevelopmentwillmeanthatloggingintoESPPortalbecomeshighlyintuitive–itdetectswhatcountryyouarelogginginfromandemployeeswillfindinternationalpagesinalanguagenominatedbytheclientforthatlocation.

“IfyouarebasedinSpain,thesystemwillpickupfromlogincriteriathatyouarelogging

infromSpainandthatyouwouldliketoviewtheESPportalpagesinSpanish,”saysSarah.“Howeverifyouhappentobeanex-patworkinginSpainyouhavetheabilitytochangeitbacktoEnglishoranotherlanguage.Itisaveryflexibleanduser-friendlysystem.”

EquinitihavebeenworkinginpartnershipwithAPTTranstelexLimited(APT)totranslatethenewpages.Withover40,000wordsforeachlanguagetotranslate,therelationshipandprocessessetupwithAPThavebeenkeytothesuccessoftheproject.Toensurethattranslationsareaccurate,twonativespeakinglinguistsareusedoneachpiece.Onetotranslateandthenasecondonetoproofreadandedit.AswiththeESPPortal,internationalplanpagescanbebrandedtocomplementanorganisation’sexistingbrandstructure.“Wecanmakeinternationalpagesfitacompany’sexistingbrand,”saysSarah.“Notonlycanweincorporatecolours,logosandanythingelsetheclientwantstobranditastheyseefit,theycanalsochoosewhichlanguagestheirsiteistranslatedinto.

“It’sagreatproductandwearereallyexcitedthatthefirstphaseofdevelopmentwilllaunchthismonth,withtheroll-outcontinuingthroughtheyear.It’ssomethingourclientshaveaskedforandbeingabletomeettheirneedsisincrediblyexciting.”

UPDATE

IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATIONFor further information please contact your relationship

manager.

ESSENTIAL READINGThe new 10th edition of the ICSA Company Secretary’s Handbook is completely updated for 2014

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EQUINITI EZINE > MAY 2014UPDATE

ICSAPublishingisdelightedtoannouncethepublicationofthe10theditionoftheICSACompanySecretary’sHandbook.

Thisisapracticalguide,writtenbyDougArmour,MDofEquinitiDavidVenus,andcoversthelegislationandregulationgoverningcompaniesandcompanysecretarialprocedures.Coverageiscomprehensiveanddetailstheproceduresassociatedwithboardsofdirectors,companymeetings,reporting,sharesandshareregistration.Thebookalsocontainschaptersonlistedcompanycompliance,corporategovernance,companyinvestigations,takeoversandmergersandinsolvency.Thisneweditionhasbeenthoroughlyrevisedandupdatedfor2014.Andforthefirsttimethe10theditionwillincludeaccesstoanonlineresourceofusefuldocuments,precedentsandforms.TheneweditionofTheICSACompanySecretary’sHandbookcosts£79.95.Toreceivea10%discount,insertthecodeEDV10.Orderonlineathttps://www.icsa.org.uk/products-and-services/bookshop/books/icsa-co-sec-handbook-10th

The 10th edition of the ICSA Company Secretary’s Handbook covers legislation and regulation governing companies and company secretarial procedures

HOW TO WRITE AN INDUSTRY AWARD-WINNING SUBMISSION

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EQUINITI EZINE > MAY 2014ESSENTIALS

Therearealotofgreatreasonstoputyourbusinessforwardforanaward.It’sgoodpracticeto

gothroughtheprocessofpreparingandeditinganentry,asitenablesyoutofocusonthetoplevelstrategyandessentiallywhatyourproductorschemehasachieved.Ifyouareshortlisted,orevenluckyenoughtowin,thePRopportunitieslongoutweightheshort-termeuphoriawhenyouwin.Sostartwriting,andyouneverknow,youmightevencollectatrophy!

1Readthequestionproperly–whatdothejudgesreallyneedtoknowabout

yourcompanyandyourplan?Areyouenteringthecorrectawardcategory?Thiswillallowyoutogivemoredirectandconciseanswers.

Our in-house awards writer and Marketing Manager Kathryn McCartney shares her top tips for turning your submission into a winner.

2Don’tcutandpasteexistingdocumentsandthinkitwillfitthecriteria.Startfrom

scratch,beoriginalanditwillpayoff.

3Highlightwhatmakesyoudifferentfromyourcompetitors.Imagineyouare

ajudgeandarefacedwithanumberofentriestoread–youneedtomakeyourentrystandout.Forexample,isthereacomplexorchallengingsituationyouhavefacedandovercome?Ordoyouhaveinnovativetechnologyoranewideayouhaveintroducedthatyoucouldtalkabouttowowthem?

4Clearlystatetheplanobjectivesandprovehowyouhavemetthem.Thisis

asimpleandeffectivetechniqueforgettingstraighttothepointwithoutgettinglostinthedetail.

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EQUINITI EZINE > MAY 2014

5Sticktothewordcount–youdon’twanttobetakingouttextlastminuteasthiscan

leadtomistakes.Someawardscriteriawillpenaliseyouforgoingoverthewordcountandonlineentriesoftensimplywon’tallowit.Aneasywaytogetyourpointacrossistousebulletpoints.Theyarebothsimpleandeffective.

6Startearlysoyouhavetimetore-draft.Iliketoworkbackwardsfromthefinal

submissiondateandsticktokeydeadlines.Duringtheprocess,Iwillliaisewiththerelationshipmanagerand/ortheservicedeliverymanageruntilwegettofinalclientsignoff.

7Useatemplate.Doyourhomeworkandlookattheawardcriteriatofindoutwhat

judgeswanttoknow.It’shelpfultoeithercomeupwithatemplateoruseonethatEquinitihascreated.Thiswillhelpyoutopullalloftheinformationintooneplace.

8Usequantitativeandqualitativedatatosubstantiateyourentry.Showingchanges

year-on-yearcanbereallyuseful.Quotesandfeedbackfromsurveys,focusgroups,andcustomerscanalsohelptoreallybringanentrytolife.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATIONPlease contact your relationship manager.

ESSENTIALS