KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSThe business NEWSpaper for Kir k lees1, May, 2012

INSIDE

● Full story - Page 7

● Full story - Page 8

WILL MORRIS

Co lumn - Page 4The str a in in Spain !

Co lumn - Page 5

An EXAMINER publication

Answeris YESHUDDERSFIELDcompany YorkshireEnergy Services is tobecome one of theGovernment’s pioneerGreen Deal providers.YES, based at NewNorth Parade, will playan active role in theGreen Deal in providingand managing thefinance needed forhouseholders andsmall businesses toaccess effective energysaving services.

PerfectmatchBUSINESSWOMAN JoHaigh has been playingmatchmaker. TheDenby Dale-basedpartner in fdsCorporate FinanceServices teamed upwith colleagueCharlotte Mason tolaunch a non-executivedirector matchmakingprogramme tointroduce 10 companychief executives to 20talented females whomight turn out to betheir idealnon-executive or boardappointment.

SIMON KAYE

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iner

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uk Themosttrustednewsbrandin thebusiness

FTSE 100-106 .58

5665.57

Skilled staff keepcontracts comingSKILLED staff are playing a vital rolein the success of a Huddersfield manu-facturing firm.

Honley-based precision metalwork-ing company Allsops Ltd has reportedbusiness almost back to pre-creditcrunch levels with a series of contractwins for clients in the UK and over-seas.

Technical director Stephane Leric-olais said: “We are getting busierbecause out customers are gettingbusier, which is a positive sign formanufacturing.”

And he was also quick to credit theefforts of the firm’s 110-strong work-force as a factor in the firm findingfavour with clients..

“Twenty per cent of the staff havebeen with the company more than 20years and 5% have at least 30 years’service,” he said. “We have been able toretain the skilled personnel necessaryto successfully bid for contracts.

“All our customers can see that theproducts are world-class and that isdown to the experience of the work-force.”

Allsops Ltd, formed in 1959,provides steel and aluminium com-ponents for customers in a wide rangeof industries, including global namesin sectors such as food processing,retailing, electronics, logistics, utilities,defence, transport, pharmaceuticalsand waste water treatment.

Major end-users have includedNike, KP, Cadburys, Tesco, Argos andCisco.

Recent contracts have included sup-plying ovens to a company based inLimerick, which specialises in supply-ing equipment such as ovens and cool-ing systems to the catering and foodindustries.

The company is also set to embarkon a contract to provide conveyorsused as part of the security systems atDubai Airport.

Sales and marketing director RobertMachon said the firm was winningexport business in the highly competit-ive markets of Germany and Chinathanks to the quality of its products.

But he added: “We have not lostsight of the needs of local companiesand remain committed to them. Nocontract is too small for us.”

Previous contracts have includedones to supply all the metal compon-ents for a new generation of mailsorting machine, metal enclosures fortelecoms and cable companies andself-serve kiosks for a number of lead-ing retailers.

Allsops also built a range ofstand-alone videoconferencing roomsfor a top US-based computer systemscompany’s offices in the USA, Singa-pore, Egypt and Lithuania.

The firm is reaping the benefit oflong-term investment in the latestcomputer-controlled machines andlaser cutting kit to increase speed,accuracy and flexibility – and to helpreduce waste at a time of rising costsfor raw materials.

It also has high speed com-

puter-controlled metal punchingequipment and robotic welders.

Allsops’ investment at its 85,000sq ftHope Bank Works site also includestwo powder-coating plants with zincphosphate pre-treatment lines – one ofonly two such installations in the northof England – and an assembly plant.

Together, the investments underlineAllsops’ reputation as a one-stop shopfor design and assembly of metalproducts ranging from metal fur-

niture, lighting fixtures and conveyorsto industrial ovens, video gamemachines and accessories for fittedkitchens.

Allsops, led by managing directorPaul Goodwin, was founded by thelate Bob Allsop with just threeemployees in 1959. From being a tradi-tional sheet metal sub-contractorusing conventional tools, it hasbecome a leading name in theindustry.

■ BUSIER: Stephane Lericolais, technical director for Allsops Ltd, saidbusiness was close to matching pre-credit crunch levels

Orchard seals three-year European energy dealA PLASTIC products manufacturerhas teamed up with Elland-basedenergy advice company OrchardEnergy to increase efficiency across itsentire European operations.

Constar, with its UK headquartersat Sherburn-in-Elmet, is one of thelargest manufacturers of plasticbottles in Europe and the USA.

Purchasing manager Graham Hallsaid Constar had worked with Orch-ard for a number of years.

It has now sealed a three-year deal

for Orchard to negotiate withEuropean suppliers for its manufac-turing operations on the continent.

“We may be a big player in the softdrinks sector, but ours is a toughindustry with tight margins and effi-ciency in all areas is vital,” said MrHall.

“Raw materials make up 82% of thecost of each container and with anannual energy spend in the UK aloneof £3.6m we can’t afford to makemistakes when buying electricity.

“We rely on specialist advice, notonly to tell us when to buy and at whatprice but to help us plan our budgetsover the year and forecast businessgrowth, providing us with detailedconsumption and demand data thatallows us to make accurate projectionsfor the months ahead.”

Constar began manufacturingplastic bottles in 1963 as SewellPlastics and introduced the first twolitre drinks bottle to the market in1977.

The Yorkshire plant makes bottlesfor major brands including CottBeverages, Britvic, CCE and Coors.

Gareth Henderson, managing dir-ector of Elland-based Orchard Energy,said energy purchasing strategies inthe UK and Europe had brought signi-ficant savings for the manufacturer,added that negotiating with supplierson other costs associated with energycontracts had also played a key role incutting costs.

Health and safety myths

INSIDE

● Full story - Page 7

● Full story - Page 8

WILL MORRIS

Co lumn - Page 4The str a in in Spain !

Co lumn - Page 5

An EXAMINER publication

SIMON KAYE

exam

iner

.co.

uk Themosttrustednewsbrandin thebusiness

FTSE 100-39 .33

5737.78Health and safety myths

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS national Page 2

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THE owner of Clydesdale and York-shire banks blamed the UK’s falteringeconomy for a “brutal” shake-up thatwill axe more than 1,400 jobs.

National Australia Bank’s two UKbrands will cut about 17% of theirworkforce by 2015, as they mainly pullout of the south of England and con-centrate on their heartlands in Scotlandand the north of England.

The banks, which have 337 branches,will close 29 of their 73 FinancialSolution Centres, which offer servicesto businesses and better-off individualinvestors. Nine more will be mergedwith local retail branches, following astrategic review and six back officelocations will be shut.

Of the six back office locations to beclosed, four have already beenannounced – in London, Leeds andtwo in Glasgow.

The decision was blamed on a deteri-oration in the UK economy, which

recently slipped back into recession,with commercial property markets par-ticularly badly hit.

The announcement comes as thebanks racked up a £25m loss in the sixmonths to the end of March, comparedwith a £77m profit in the previous year– reflecting a higher charge on baddebts and higher funding costs.

The resu l t s revea l a £141mwrite-down to the value of Clydesdaleand an additional £120m set aside tocover mis-sold payment protectioninsurance.

David Fleming, national officer forunion Unite, said the announcementwas “nothing short of brutal” for theUK workforce.

He said: “Unite finds it disgustingthat the company decided to release astatement from Australia in the middleof the night so UK staff across York-shire and Clydesdale banks would wakeup to hear that their jobs are being cut

through the morning news reports.This is not the behaviour of a respons-ible or credible organisation.”

The bulk of the job losses – 670 – will

come from the closure of the financialservices centres in the south. Some 300jobs are set to go in Yorkshire and 60 inScotland on top of 200 that havealready been announced. A further 200will be moved to NAB.

NAB chief executive Cameron Clynesaid: “In the last half year, there hasbeen a significant downgrade in thegrowth prospects of the UK economy,in part reflecting the drag on its recov-ery from heightened weakness in theeurozone.

“In addition, the commercial prop-erty market, which had previously seensigns of recovery, has recently experi-enced a “double dip“ as the recoverystalls and other banks accelerate thereduction in their commercial realestate exposures.”

The bank said restructuring will cost£195m, but will deliver cost savings of£74m by 2015.

THE boss of insurer Aviva bowed toshareholder pressure and waived apay rise which would have taken hisannual salary over the £1m mark.

Chief executive Andrew Moss wasawarded a 4.6% rise in March on his£960,000 annual salary, but hasdecided not to accept the increasef o l l o w i n g t a l k s w i t h m a j o rinvestors.

The decision, which was acceptedby the board, comes after investorg ro u p Pe n s i o n s I nve s t m e n tResearch Consultants called onshareholders to vote against Aviva’sexecutive pay report at its annualmeeting on Thursday.

Banking giant Barclays was stung

by its shareholders last Friday afternearly a third of their votes failed toback the bank’s bumper payawards.

Pirc has dubbed Aviva’s executivepay awards “excessive’’ while theAssociation of British Insurers hasissued an “amber alert” warningover Aviva’s remuneration report.

Mr Moss received a total pay andperks package worth up to £5m lastyear if certain targets were met.

Aviva said its shareholders hadexpressed concerns over pay fornew recruits as well as whether over-all levels of remuneration reflectedchanges in shareholder valuethrough the year.

A GROUP controlling 445 carehomes with 20,000 residents hasagreed to be sold to financier GuyHands’ private equity firm for£825m.

Four Seasons Health Care, theUK’s largest independent elderly andspecialist care provider with 30,000staff, which also owns 61 specialistcare centres, will be sold to TerraFirma.

Mr Hands, founder, chairman andchief investment officer at TerraFirma, is perhaps best known for hisfailed investment in British musiccompany EMI.

He said: “Our number one priority

is to ensure that Four Seasons deliversconsistent high-quality care andpeace of mind for residents, serviceusers and their families.”

The deal is expected to complete onor before July 16, at which point FourSeasons’ debt liabilities will be dis-charged in full.

The £825m price tag is being fin-anced through a mixture of equityand new debt, with the debt beingarranged by Goldman Sachs andBarclays.

Four Seasons has achieved a turn-around in quality of care and businessperformance and is trading profitably,Terra Firma said.

Economy blamedfor ‘brutal’ job cuts

Aviva boss waives pay increase Four Seasons to be sold

TOURIST RATES

Tourists going abroad can expectthe following rates for sterling:Australia...................... 1.48 dollarsBangladesh................. 125.75 takaBrazil.............................. 2.74 realsCanada....................... 1.52 dollarsChina ............................. 9.19 yuanCzech Republic ...... 27.95 korunasDenmark....................... 8.69 kroneEuro............................... 1.17 euroHong Kong................ 11.99 dollarsHungary ................... 314.96 forintsIndia.......................... 75.40 rupeesJapan........................... 124.19 yenMexico ....................... 18.81 pesosNew Zealand .............. 1.84 dollarsNorway ......................... 8.88 kronePakistan.................. 139.54 rupeesPhilippines ................. 58.91 pesosSouth Africa.................. 11.81 randSouth Korea.............. 1604.00 wonSri Lanka ................ 199.45 rupeesSweden....................... 10.45 kronaSwitzerland.................. 1.41 francsTaiwan ...................... 41.47 dollarsTurkey....................... 2.70 new liraUSA ............................ 1.56 dollars

AN extra shift has beenintroduced at the UKfactory of car giantHonda – where hundredsmore jobs have beencreated.

The 500 newemployees take the totalnumber of workers at theSwindon plant to 3,500.

The Japanese firmsaid the second shiftcoincided with growingdemand for its new Civichatchback models.

Production at theWiltshire plant is forecastto double to 180,000 thisyear.

Speaking in December,Honda Motor Europepresident ManabuNishimae said Hondaremained totallycommitted to buildingcars and engines inEurope, with Swindon atthe heart of its Europeanmanufacturing activities.

Honda director AndyPiatek said: “I amdelighted to welcome ournew associates. We areproud of the skills of ourworkforce and the qualityand reliability of theproducts we build.”

New shiftfor factory

A LEADING five-a-sidefootball pitch operatorhas won more time toallow a takeover bid fromone of Canada’s biggestpension funds.

Goals Soccer Centres,which has 42 UK sites,said it had received anapproach from OntarioTeachers’ Pension Planat the beginning of April,but said the interest wasat an early stage and thatthere was no certainty anoffer will be forthcoming.

In the net

NORTH AMERICANAmerican Express £37.05 -0.02Gannett 844.84 -19.72Hess Corp £31.92 +0.16Microsoft 1970.67Motors Liquidation 46.22Wal-Mart Stores £36.10 -0.27

AEROSPACE & DEFENCEAvon Rbbr 282 +41/2BAE Systems 2951/4 -73/4Rolls-Royce 8231/2 -11

AIMBrady Plc 861/4 +3/4Dawson Intl 13/8Man Brnze 371/8 +1/8

AUTOMOBILES & PARTSG K N 2033/4 -41/8

BANKSBarclays 2181/4 -47/8HSBC 5551/8 -41/4Lloyds Banking Gp 31 -1/8Ryl Scotland 241/4 -1/8Stan Chart 1506 -17

BEVERAGESDiageo 1551 -231/2SABMiller £257/8 -1/8

CHEMICALSCroda £223/8 -1/2Elementis 98 2081/8 +3/4Johnsn Mat £231/8 -1/2

CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALSBalfour Beatty 261 -41/2

Costain 2221/2 +3

ELECTRICITYDrax Gp 543 -21/2Intl Power 417 -3/8SSE 1321 -14

ELECTRONIC & ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTLaird 2161/4 -11/2

EQUITY INVESTMENT INSTRUMENTSAlliance Trust 361 -21/4

FIXED LINE TELECOM SERVICESBT Grp 2103/4 -21/8Cable & WirelessComm

33 +1/8

Cable & WirelessWwide

351/2 -1/4

Colt Group 1063/8 -1/4KCOM 71 -5/8Talktalk Telecom 1277/8 -7/8

FOOD & DRUG RETAILERSMorrison W 2805/8 -25/8Sainsbury 3077/8 +3/4Tesco 3173/8 -5/8

FOOD PRODUCERSAB Food 1219 -4Tate Lyle 6901/2 +1Unilever £21

GAS, WATER & MULTIUTILITIESCentrica 3067/8 -53/8National Grid 6651/2 +21/2Pennon Grp 736 +11/2Severn 1690 -12United Utils 6181/2 -11/2

GENERAL FINANCIAL3i Group 1911/8 -11/8ICAP 3793/4 -31/4London StockExch 1088 +6Man Group 1031/2 -31/2Provident Financial 1156 -1Schroders 1418 -32Schroders NV 1126 -22

GENERAL INDUSTRIALSCooksn Grp 7251/2 -15REXAM 430 -1/2Smiths Grp 1070 -8

GENERAL RETAILERSAshley L 23 -1/4Carphone Whse 131 +3/4Dixons Retail 173/4 -1/4Home Retail 1065/8 -7/8Inchcape 3657/8 -23/4Kingfisher 2901/2 -21/2M & S 357 -41/8Mothercare 1703/4 +4Next £291/4 -1/4WH Smith 527 -1/2

HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SERVICESSmith Nph 6061/2 -5

HOUSEHOLD GOODSAga Rangemaster 80 -11/4Barrat Dev 1333/4 -11/4Persimmon 6281/2 -111/2Reckitt Benckiser £357/8Taylor Wimpey 501/4 -3/4

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERINGI M I 9891/2 -261/2

INDUSTRIAL METALSFerrexpo 2921/4 -1/8

INDUSTRIAL TRANSPORTATIONBBA Aviation 1971/2 -1/4

LIFE INSURANCEAviva 3081/8 -85/8Lgl & Gen 1175/8 -13/8Old Mutual 1473/4 -21/4Prudential 7541/2 -51/2Resolution 2233/4 -23/4Standard Life 2235/8 -31/4

MEDIABSkyB 678 +101/2D Mail Tst 4161/4 -81/8ITV 833/4 -21/2Johnston Press 53/4 -1/4Pearson 1160 -7Reed Elsevier 510 -31/2STV Group 1121/2 +1/4Trinity Mirror 321/2 -1/4Utd Business 5891/2 -4UTV 152 -13/4WPP 8331/2 -101/2Yell Group 37/8 +1/8

MININGAnglo American £235/8 -1/8Antofagasta 1181 -24BHP Billiton 19741/2 +81/2Eurasian NaturalRes

5591/2 -11/2

Fresnillo 1560 -53Kazakhmys 861 -18Lonmin 1042 -16Rio Tinto £343/8 -3/4

VEDANTARESOURCES

1217 -24

Xstrata 11771/2 -241/2MOBILE TELECOM SERVICES

Inmarsat 4393/4 -33/4Vodafone Group 1701/2 -5/8

NONLIFE INSURANCEAdmiral Grp 1211 -9RSA Insurance Gp 105 +1/4

OIL & GAS PRODUCERSBG 14501/2 +61/2BP 445 -13/8Cairn Energy 3433/4 -1/4Royal Dutch Shell A £217/8Royal Dutch Shell B £221/2 -1/8

Total £293/8 -3/8Tullow Oil 1534 -6

OIL EQUIPMENT & SERVICESAMEC 1135 +5Petrofac 1735 -4Wood Gp(J) 781 -61/2

PERSONAL GOODSBurberry Gp 1485 +16

PHARMACEUTICALS & BIOTECHNOLOGYAstrazeneca £27 +1/4GlaxoSmithK 11/2Shire £201/8

REAL ESTATEBrit Land 4893/8 -75/8Captl Shop Cent 325 -51/4Hamrsn 4175/8 -51/4Land Secs 7271/2 -12SEGRO 2211/8 -73/4

SOFTWARE ETC SERVICESInvensys 2221/8 +105/8Logica 777/8 -17/8Misys 3483/4 +1/8Sage Group 2861/8 -17/8

SUPPORT SERVICESBerendsen 515 -51/2Bunzl 1023 -6Capita 663 -22De La Rue 9751/2 -9Electrocomp 2273/4 -3/4Experian 9721/2 -8G4S 2795/8 -45/8Hays 891/4 -13/4Homeserve 2521/2 +13/8

Menzies J 652 +19Rentokil 861/2 -1Smiths News 991/2 +11/2Wolseley £233/8 -5/8

IT HARDWAREARM Hldgs 524 -13Psion 56 +1/2Spirent Comms 170 +17/8

TOBACCOBr Am Tob £315/8 -1/4Imperial Tobacco £245/8 -3/8

LEISURE & HOTELSBwin.Party Digital 154 -4Carnival £20 -1/2Compass Grp 644 -31/2easyJet 4957/8 +7/8Enterprise Inns 611/2 +1/2FirstGroup 1943/4 -61/8Go-Ahead Gp 1140 -1Greene King 5101/2 -2Intercontl Htls 1467 -18Intl Cons AirlinesGp

1763/8 -3/4

Ladbrokes 1793/8 -1Mitchells & Butlers 2633/4 -51/4Natl Express 2163/4 -1/4Rank Org 117 -2Stagecoach Group 248 -25/8TUI Travel 191 +7/8Whitbread 1927 +20

INDEXFTSE 100 5737.78 -39.33

INDEXFTSE 250 11417.59 -62.15

Carclo 387 -61/2Marshalls 931/4 +1/4National Grid 6651/2 +21/2Weir Gp 1705 -35

■ CUTS: Clydesdale and YorkshireBanks will axe more than 1,400 jobs

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS profile Page 3

HENRYK ZIENTEK

The Clever FishRecruitmentWork: Recruitment agencySite: HuddersfieldPhone: 01484 513333Email: adam@the cleverfish.comWebsite: www.theclever fish.com

Fishing for business ina competitive market

■ IN THE SWIM: Victoria and Adam Dyson, of Clever Fish Recruitment, are happy working from home withdaughter Amelia

THINGS couldn’t be going moreswimmingly for Adam and VictoriaDyson.

The husband and wife team behindup-and-coming agency The CleverFish Recruitment are combining thedemanding role of running a businesswith the equally important job ofbringing up their two-and-a-halfyear-old daughter Amelia.

And the couple, who set up theirbusiness just two years ago, havealready won a business award.

They work from home, anarrangement that has severaladvantages. “We have to watch ourcosts like all businesses, so we don’thave the overheads of officepremises,” says Adam, “And we arelucky to be able to spend more timewith Amelia.

“When we first set up the businessand Amelia was born, we were alwaysthankful for hands free phones so wecould change a nappy and take a callat the same time!”

Adam and Victoria met when theywere both working for the samerecruitment agency. Together, theyhave over 17 years’ experiencerecruiting in the industrial andcommercial sectors across Kirkleesand Calderdale.

Victoria, who hails from Marsdenand attended Colne Valley HighSchool, says: “When I left education, Iwasn’t sure what I wanted to do. Istarted working as a receptionist for arecruitment agency in Huddersfield ona part-time basis. I trained as aconsultant and after a lot of hard workI worked my way up to be a branchmanager.

“I started working in industrialrecruitment, then moved intocommercial and office recruitment.

“I enjoy working closely with clientsto understand their requirements andinterviewing and coaching candidatesthroughout the whole process.”

Adam, who grew up in Lepton andattended Kaye’s College, worked incasinos in Huddersfield and Bradfordfor a few years before becomingcasino manager for Princess CruiseLines – a job which took him to theCaribbean, North and South America.He also worked in London for fiveyears as a casino inspector andtrainer.

However, after 12 years, the lure ofthe bright lights began to pall. “It wasall about people losing their money,smoking and drinking,” he says. “Itwas interesting to work abroad, but itinvolved unsociable hours and longdays. You had to think on your feetand work out complicated bets in yourhead. I did all right, considering mathswas never my strongest subject!”

While working in London, Adam gotchatting to someone who worked inrecruitment and became interested inthe sector. He answered a newspaperadvert for a trainee recruitmentconsultant in Huddersfield, andthanks in part to his managementexperience in casinos, he was offereda branch manager position and“fast-tracked” to become a branchmanager.

Adam quickly turned a strugglingbranch around and within 18 monthswas promoted to sales and operations

manager.Victoria and Adam married in 2007,

but discovered on return fromhoneymoon that Victoria was beingmade redundant due to branchesmerging. Adam left a few months laterto work for another local agency as ateam and on-site manager. Victoriaspent the next two years working for alocal agency as commercial manager.

In 2009, Victoria was maderedundant when the company shewas working for closed down, so withVictoria being seven months pregnantthe couple decided to take a gambleand set up on their own.

While the agency’s name inevitablymakes would-be clients curious, TheClever Fish Recruitment had noproblem “hooking” new clients. Andcompanies, who had dealt with Adamand Victoria in the past, were gettingin touch to recruit for them.

“We have been thankful for theirsupport,” says Adam. “They believedin us. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’tbe where we are today.”

Says Victoria: “We were forced intosetting up our own business. Whowas going to give me a job when Iwas seven months pregnant? But thisis something we had always dreamedof doing.”

Adam didn’t need to be a casinomanager to know that the stakes werehigh. “We didn’t have any doubt that itwould work,” he says. “It had to workbecause if it hadn’t, we would loseeverything including our home.

“Now, we want to be a really goodlocal agency that looks after its clientsand its candidates; that is honest,professional and reliable; we are nottarget driven, out to make a quickbuck, we are looking for a long-termfuture.

“We advertise for the bestcandidates for the job; we undertaketelephone screening and face-to-faceinterviews. We look at personality aswell as skills.”

Says Adam: “When a client asks usto recruit for a role, we visit thecompany and get a feel for the role sothat we can better understand what itinvolves and find the correctcandidates for the job.”

As well as general industrial andcommercial posts, The Clever FishRecruitment has provided people for arange of roles – from electricalestimators, lab technicians andengineers to web developers,accounts and call centre staff.

During the current uncertaineconomic climate, demand fortemporary staff has increased – asemployers adopt a cautious approach.Says Adam: “Some companies are sobusy, they are taking on a lot oftemporary staff, but it isweek-by-week and month-by-monthbecause they aren’t sure what ishappening.”

Among its many contracts, onemanufacturing client requires 30temporary staff each day to work dayand night shifts. With Adam’s on-siterecruitment knowledge, he has theexperience and ability to handle largevolume accounts which includeson-site health and safety inductionsand site visits once or twice a day toensure things run smoothly.

He believes recruitment agenciesshould treat their candidates as wellas they treat their clients. “I am honestwith the candidate,” he says. “I don’tpromise long-term work if I cannotprovide it. That saves them a lot ofheartache and builds up trust.Candidates fully understand the typeof work they will be asked to do andon many occasions, the candidateswill visit the companies before startinga contract.

“Communicating with candidates iskey, but due to the volume ofapplications we receive, it isimpossible to reply and keep in touchwith everyone, we do what we canand have even set an automatic politeresponse to job applicants so theyknow we have received theirapplication and what the process willbe.

“We ask candidates to keep inregular contact with us as newvacancies come through everyday.”

The Clever Fish Recruitment is atrue family business.

Victoria’s mum Dale has over 15years experience working in therecruitment industry and providessupport and handles the accountsand payroll.

Victoria heads up thecommercial/office recruitment, Adamlooks after industrial and engineeringrecruitment as well as businessdevelopment. And Amelia – they hope– will soon be looking after reception!

Who will be the nextBusiness of the Month?If you are proud of what your business has achieved;why not tell us about your success storyand you could be a winner of ourprestigious award.

For further details please contact:Ian Greenwood, Eaton Smith Solicitors,14 High Street, Huddersfield HD1 2HA

T: 01484 821389 E: iangreenwood@eatonsmith.co.uk

Business Of The Month Awards - Rewarding Success Since 1995

KIRKLEES BUSINESSlocal Page 4

Getting betterCONSUMER confidence showstentative signs of improving,according to a survey.The latest Consumer Trackerfrom business advisory formDeloitte said fewer people werepessimistic about job securityand the ability to managepersonal debt – but morepeople were downbeat abouttheir household’s disposableincome.It said consumers had reducedtheir focus on money-savingtactics, but saw no evidencethat consumers are returning tomore free spending habits.

Will Morris is risk management consultant at Wilby Ltd

RISKYBUSINESSWill Morris

Take a look atR&D tax reliefMANUFACTURERS in Kirkleesare being encouraged to take afresh look at research anddevelopment tax relief schemes– and be prepared to take fullcredit for their sustainedinvestment in innovation.From April, 2013, theGovernment is planning tointroduce a new “above the line”R&D tax credit that will beavailable to larger companies –those with more than 500employees – regardless ofwhether they are making a profitor loss.The proposals are currentlysubject to a wider consultationand views from businesses arebeing sought by June 29, 2012.For some manufacturingbusinesses that have been usedto making a loss, such as thoseinvesting in the research anddevelopment of emergingtechnologies that have not yetmade it to market, R&D tax reliefmay not have been claimedpreviously.The fact that such businesseswill soon be able to claim arepayable tax credit to helpbalance the books even beforetheir innovation goes intoproduction, will be verywelcome.Gordon Singer, head of tax atPwC in Yorkshire, said: “Largerfirms in the region are bigspenders when it comes to R&Dand they deserve to be able totake the credit for theirinvestment.“From April next year, it isproposed that even if they aremaking a loss they will be ableto claim a repayable tax creditcalculated by placing the suminvested in R&D above the line.For tax purposes, this meanstheir R&D spend can increasethe company’s profits beforetax.”Small and medium-sizedbusinesses can benefit from taxrelief of 125% on their R&Dspend and the limit imposed onthe level of relief payable, basedon the company’s PAYE/NIcontributions, has been removedaltogether.

Buyer event is a winnerKIRKLEES companies have beenurged to follow the example of alocal firm – and secure newbusiness by attending a Meet theBuyer event.

Meltham-based Harold Fisher(Plastics) Ltd came up trumps afterattending one such eventorganised by Calderdale andKirklees Manufacturing Alliance.

Managing director Jeff Monkssaid his firm landed “significant”new business from a newcustomer and was able to provideadditional work for a tooling firm inElland as a result of attending theevent.

Said Mr Monks: “Gaining a newcustomer is always good news.The fact that the customer is localto us brings other benefits to bothparties. Local customers enable usto minimise transport costs,minimise stockholding and recyclepacking materials in a manner not

burdened with administration.“When customers are at a

distance we go and see themwhen there are issues to discuss,but how often do we find time to goand see them to exploreopportunities together? We lookforward to building a long-termrelationship with an important newcustomer thanks to CKMA andwould recommend both suppliersand buyers to attend the nextevent.”

CKMA is an independentorganisation run by people activelyinvolved in manufacturing. It aimsto benefit its members through

holding regular informative events,providing details of relevantsupport and giving a voicerepresenting the interests of thisvery important sector. Membershipis open to any manufacturingcompany based in and aroundCalderdale and Kirklees for anominal annual fee.

The next Meet the Buyer eventwill be held at 5.30pm on May 16at the Briar Court Hotel,Birchencliffe, when buyers lookingfor potential suppliers will be DavidBrown Gears Ltd and The LeoGroup.

Go to www.ckma.co.uk

Hits and myths ofhealth and safetyHEALTH and safety law is

very important in and outof the workplace, but have weall become too conscious?

The Health and Safety Execut-ive has published a list of the top 10health and safety myths – to cleartheir name and remind us thatthere are some very silly decisionsthat are blamed on health andsafety.

It’s hard to tell where some ofthese ridiculous and bafflingmyths originate, but they all haveone crucial thing in common –they are not required by health andsafety law.

To mark the launch of the newMyth Busters Challenge Panel,HSE has published its top 10 worstmyths, and stated: “We wantpeople to work with us to chal-lenge these myths – the time hascome to end the madness!”

● Children being banned fromplaying conkers unless they arewearing goggles – Realistically therisk from playing conkers is incred-ibly low and just not worth bother-ing about. If kids deliberately hiteach other over the head withconkers, that’s a discipline issue,not health and safety

● Office workers being bannedfrom putting up Christmas decora-tions – Most organisations includ-ing HSE and local councilsmanage to put up their decora-tions, celebrating the spirit ofChristmas without a fuss. Theyjust sensibly provide their staffwith suitable step ladders to put updecorations rather than expectingstaff to balance on wheelie chairs

● Trapeze artists being orderedto wear hard hats – Hard hats do

an excellent job of protecting build-ing workers from falling debris, butthey have no place on a trapeze

● Pin the tail on the donkeygames being deemed a health andsafety risk – Not trusting childrenwith drawing pins seems a littleoverprotective to the HSE. Afterall, millions of children have beenplaying traditional party games likethis for years without any prob-lems

● Candy floss on a stick beingbanned in case people trip andimpale themselves – Is the tradi-tional form of this sweet disappear-ing because it is easier to massproduce and store it in plastic bags?Who knows, but it certainly isn’thealth and safety leaving anyonewith a bad taste in their mouth

● Hanging baskets being bannedin case people bump their heads onthem – Back in 2004 a town didbriefly take down its hanging bas-kets over fears that old lamp postswould collapse. This was anoverly-cautious reaction to a lowrisk

● Schoolchildren being orderedto wear clip-on ties in case they arechoked by traditional neckwear –Simple precautions such as remov-ing the tie during laboratory workor around machinery make sense,

but if the concern is really aboutchildren fighting, while clip-on tiesmay help, the real issue is discip-line

● Park benches must be replacedbecause they are three inches toolow – It seems that the story origin-ated from a decision by a facilitymanager and has no basis in healthand safety law at all. There are nosuch bench height requirementsand the HSE will definitely not besending their inspectors aroundmeasuring the benches!

● Flip flops being banned fromthe workplace – However, slips,trips and falls do account for about30% of all workplace accidents andwhat you wear on your feet canmake a difference. So, if you worksomewhere where the floor can’t bekept dry or clean, then wearingshoes that fit well and have a goodgrip would be a better choice thanflip-flops

● Graduates ordered not tothrow their mortar boards in the air– The chance of being injured by aflying mortar board is incrediblysmall and, when the concern isactually about the hats beingreturned in good condition, it’stime to stop blaming health andsafety

The value of your investments may go down as well as upand you might not get back the money you’ve put in.

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS local Page 5

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Simon Kaye is divisional director at Investec Wealth & Investment

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Coach firm investsA COACH company in Huddersfield hasinvested £750,000 in three new coaches toadd to its 32-strong fleet for 2012.

Milnsbridge-based Stotts Coaches hasacquired a Portuguese-built CaetanoLevante featuring full leather seating,wheelchair access and CCTV that waspurchased for a new five-year contractawarded to Stotts in February.

The new contract is the 335 service thatoperates between Halifax and Birmingham363 days a year. Stotts has operatedscheduled express services for NationalExpress since 2010.

At the recent National Express OperatorAwards, Stotts won trophies for Best Fleet2011 and Operator of the Year in the one to

five vehicle category.The other two coaches are

Scarborough-built Plaxton Elites, featuring51reclining seats incorporating three-pointall-age seat belts with cream leather pipingand headrest inserts. The coaches alsoboast climate control and air conditioningtogether with strongly tinted windows, atoilet, a servery and an entertainmentsystem with DVD player and monitor.

Director Carl Stott said: “We like thePlaxton brand and choosing the Elites addsvalue to the business. We continue tore-invest in a modern fleet and the strikinglydifferent look of the Elite clearlydemonstrates this to our customers whosay they have the ‘wow’ factor.”

No need to fearthe Spanish flu!SINCE the beginning of the second

quarter, the mood in financial mar-kets has darkened once again, prompt-ing a retreat from equities –particularly from shares most directlyexposed to the eurozone crisis.

The causes of the increased nervousnessare easy to see, being negative developmentsin all three key elements of the bullishprognosis for risk assets – namely a “muddlethrough” in Europe, a “soft take-off” inAmerica and a “soft landing” in China.

Least worrying to us is America, wherefaith in the economic recovery has beenshaken by recent employment data.Although this bears watching, a broad rangeof indicators still point to a run rate of 2-3%real GDP growth, including consumer con-fidence and housing, both previously sourcesof concern.

Similarly, although we find China’s polit-ics to be intriguing, we are highly un-alarmedby the deceleration of the economic growthto 8.1% in Q1 and the re-stating of the officialtarget of 7.5% growth for the full year.

Such a “landing” may feel hard to thoseused to double digit rates, but it should notcause global GDP forecasts to be meaning-fully downgraded from current levels.

Which brings us back to Europe. Theeurozone is facing its first serious tests sincethe European Central Bank’s (ECB’s) widelyapplauded Long Term Refinancing Opera-tions injected over one trillion euros of fundsinto the banking system – averting a poten-tially catastrophic liquidity crunch.

The tests are coming from both politicaland economic directions. On the politicalfront, imminent elections in France andGreece both have the potential to force theexisting Franco-German road-map forachieving a stability to be re-drawn.

From the economic direction, Spain’sincreasing borrowing costs following uponthe new administrations’ repudiation of pre-vious deficit reduction targets raises thespectre of another key European economy

falling into a debt trap – where furtherausterity actually makes the problems worserather than better.

Our view is that judging the health of theeurozone project by movements in financialmarkets on a daily basis risks losing theproper perspective. Although politics couldde-rail the process, significant forwardstrides have been taken over the past 12months. Crucially, all members of the zonehave been forced into accepting that stabilitycan only be achieved through fiscal sustain-ability, which in itself can only be achievedthrough increasing competitiveness (employ-ment) and unwinding unaffordable post-warsocial security models (reduced expendituresand disincentives to work).

The nature of these tasks means thatprogress is not linear or steady – the mandatefor progress is difficult to win againstentrenched interests and the effects of meas-ures taken are difficult to quantify.

Bearing this in mind, we view the recent“pain in Spain” with less alarm than theItalian situation at the end of 2011. At thattime, the overall European plan was lessclear, the support of the ECB was lesscertain, safety nets less defined and thenature of the problem was not agreed (thenby the Berlusconi government). With Spain,markets are simply debating the speed ofprogress and keeping pressure on the Rajoyadministration to deliver, not threatening toabandon all faith – as was the message toItaly.

On a more optimistic note, althoughEurope is currently enduring very high levelsof stress as the price of an Austrian solutionto the sovereign debt crisis, there are goodreasons to expect a more forgiving environ-

ment after the middle of the year.Aside from a clearer political picture, the

most important of these is the passing of theJuly deadline for European banks to hit theirrequired “stress tested” capital adequacylevels, set by the European Banking Author-ity .

Once this hurdle has been jumped,European banks’ inclination to lend willincrease and the credit crunch will ease. Ifthis is accompanied by a more favourableexternal economic environment or (howeverunlikely it seems now) a more pro-growthpolicy mix within Europe (led by Germany)investors in European sovereign debt couldquickly view the glass as half-full oncemore.

In the meantime, we must expect volatilityto continue, matching our commitments tothe markets with our stomach to tolerate itand our inclination to look past it.

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS property Page 6

Construction ‘iskey to recovery’A BUILDING industry leaderhas urged the Government tointroduce major reforms to stimu-late the construction sector andget the economy growing.

Brian Berry, chief executive ofthe Federation of Master Build-ers, made the call after disap-pointing figures for UK growthfrom the National Office of Stat-istics.

Mr Berry said: “The Govern-ment will find it very difficult toget sustained growth in the eco-nomy while the constructionindustry remains depressed.

“Construction is essential tothe well-being of the wider eco-nomy because of the variety andquantity of jobs it creates – fromapprentice bricklayers to worldleading architects.”

Said Mr Berry: “Every £1 spenton construction generates £2.84 inthe wider economy, which makesit the best investment the Govern-ment can make to get Britain backon its feet.”

Mr Berry called on the Govern-ment to abandon its plans tointroduce VAT on heritage build-

ing, cut VAT on property repairs,take action against banks thatdiscriminate against constructionfirms and their clients, open uppublic sector procurement tosmall firms and introduce “mean-ingful incentives to drive privatedomestic retrofitting”.

He added: “It’s a sad fact thatthe building industry has been inrecession for four years with littlehope of any immediate recovery.

“Until we get builders building,again the economy is not going torecover.”

Steven Housden, sector skillsmanager for training bodyCITB-ConstructionSkills inYorkshire, said latest official fig-ures showing a 3% decline inconstruction and a 0.2% contrac-tion of the UK economy duringthe first quarter of the year hadcome as no surprise.

He said: “Our ConstructionSkills Network forecast predictedthat 2012 will be a difficult yearfor the industry with output inYorkshire and Humber expectedto fall by 6% and constructionemployment to fall by 6% as

decreasing levels of demand andtough trading conditions meanthe industry will need fewerskilled staff.

“The huge cuts to public spend-ing across the UK – 24% in publicnon-housing and 25% in public

sector housing with a further 10%cuts to both anticipated for 2013 –have left a hole too big for othersto fill.

“Although there will be somegrowth in 2013 in Yorkshire andHumber, there is no forecastedgrowth in output over the nextfive years in the region.”

Mr Housden said: “Construc-tion is fundamental to the healthof the UK economy, contributing8% to GDP, so its performancehas a significant impact on overallgrowth.

“The Government’s recentinvestment in infrastructure iswelcome, but that takes a longtime to convert to jobs.

“We need greater investment inother areas of the industry – inrefurbishment, homes, hospitals,schools.”

The most recent CSN forecastin January highlighted that by2016, output and employment inthe UK construction industry willstill be more than 5% below theirrespective 2007/2008 peaks – sig-nalling a ‘lost decade’ for thesector.

■ ESSENTIAL: Brian Berry,chief executive of the Federationof Master Builders

UK architectflies the flagA HUDDERSFIELD-born architect is setto promote the best of Britishconstruction and design in the USA.Jonathan Wimpenny, who has hispractice in New York, will be flying theflag at a reception to be held on May 17at the British ambassador’s residence inWashington, where he will welcomeRoyal Institute of British Architectspresident Angela Brady.Mr Wimpenny, a member of thewell-known Wimpenny family of buildersin Huddersfield, is a member of RIBAand president of RIBA-USA, anorganisation representing Britisharchitects working in the States.He said: “I will be welcoming the 74thRIBA president, Angela Brady, topromote British architects and all thoseconnected with the UK building industryworking in the United States.”Earlier the same day, Mr Wimpenny willbe moderator for a series of talks givenby prominent RIBA-USA members at theAmerican Institute of ArchitectsConvention in Washington. It is the firsttime that RIBA-USA has been includedin the convention.Last September, Mr Wimpenny metPrime Minister David Cameron in NewYork during a reception at the WallStreet Banqueting Hall for the launch of“This is GREAT Britain” – a campaign topromote the country in the run up to the2012 Olympics and the Queen’sDiamond Jubilee.RIBA-USA has chapters in New York,Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Phoenix,San Francisco and Boston.

Mutual’s office openingsYORKSHIRE Building Society hasrevealed plans to open a new branchin Ilkley – as part of plans to set up12 new branches over the next twoyears along with further expansion ofits agency network.

The society, which has its roots inHuddersfield, has alreadyannounced planned openings thissummer in Pudsey and Bingley.

The moves will see the totalnumber of Yorkshire Building Society

Group branches rise to 227.Chief executive Chris Pilling (left)

said: “It’s a very exciting time for theYorkshire as our branch and agencynetwork is truly at the heart of ourbusiness and I’m delighted toannounce Ilkley as the latest locationin our expansion plans.

“We’re proud to be opening newoffices at a time when many financialinstitutions have been closing theirs.”

He added: “We are currently in the

planning stages for our three newbranches, but expect doors to openin early summer.”

The Yorkshire’s branch networkhas grown following its mergers withBarnsley, Chelsea and Norwich &Peterborough building societies –taking the total number of branchesfrom 135 in 2008 to 224 today.

The society has also expanded itsagency network, with 16 newagencies opening over the last year.

■ PRIME TIME: Huddersfield-bornarchitect Jonathan Wimpenny (right) withPrime Minister David Cameron at thelaunch of This is GREAT Britain in NewYork

Buy-to-let remains strongPROPERTY acquisition activityremained strong during the firstquarter of 2012, according to latestresearch commissioned by specialistbuy-to-let lender Paragon Mortgages.

The report, produced byindependent researchers BDRCContinental, showed that during thelast three months, landlordsincreased their portfolio size by 1.8properties.

In the first quarter of 2012, theaverage portfolio size was 10.8properties, accommodating 1.3tenants per property.

Of those landlords taking part in thesurvey, 20% said that they expect topurchase property in the next 12months.

However, among Paragon

Mortgages customers who took partin the survey, 35% said that theyexpect to add to their portfolio in2012.

Terraced houses continued to bethe most popular property choice forinvestment at 64%, followed by flats –individual units – 57% andsemi-detached houses 46%.

Tenant profiles remained largelyunchanged in the first quarter withyoung singles still the most prolifictenant type at53%, followed by youngcouples (51%) and families withchildren (51%).

Attitudes around being a landlordremained positive and 89% of thosesurveyed said that they are satisfiedwith their current tenancies.

Landlords were also asked to

comment on the level ofcommunication they have with theirtenants.

The majority (39%) speak to theirtenants every two to three monthsand 27% once a month.

John Heron, director of ParagonMortgages, said: “It has been asteady and progressive start to 2012.”

But he said more needed to bedone to stimulate demand.

“Whilst landlords are still benefitingfrom attractive market conditions,there is still a long way to go to meetthe increasingly high level of tenantdemand,” said Mr Heron. .

“More investment across the privaterented sector is needed during thecoming year to help to meet thisdemand.”

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS property Page 7

YES to Green Deal!

■ GREEN TEAM: Yorkshire Energy Services chief executive William Edrich (front, left) andoffice manager Emma Kovaleski (second left) at the signing of the Green Deal Memorandum ofUnderstanding at the offices of the Department for Energy and Climate Change

A HUDDERSFIELD-based company is tobecome one of the Government’s pioneerGreen Deal providers.

Yorkshire Energy Services, based at NewNorth Parade, will play an active role in theGreen Deal in providing and managing thefinance needed for householders and smallbusinesses to access effective energy savingservices.

The highly-anticipated Green Deal is set tolaunch in October and will help thousands ofresidents save energy through domestic install-ations such as insulation, central heating andrenewable technologies with no upfront costs.

Unlike other finance programmes, repay-ments on the Green Deal loan are linked to theparticipant’s energy bills and set at a lower ratethan the money they saved on energy over afixed period. Customers are therefore able tosave money and improve their home’s efficiencywithout breaking the bank.

YES chief executive William Edrich said: “Itis an honour to work with the Department forEnergy and Climate Change by representingthe SMEs within the Green Deal Pilot.

“We have over 11 years experience deliveringinnovative and ground breaking energy effi-ciency schemes like the Green Deal and lookforward to demonstrating our expertise inorder to shape and model an effective GreenDeal process.

“YES works within the local community andexcels in the delivery of community-basedwork. Our ethos as a Community InterestCompany is to invest profits made back intoschemes to further assist communities and are

committed to supporting the local economy.”YES is also undertaking Green Deal advis-

ory accreditation and a number of staff arebeing trained to become qualified Green Dealassessors.

Working with Stroma Certification, thisaccreditation will enable the organisation tooffer customers an inclusive Green Deal servicefrom assessment through to provision.

The success of the Community InterestCompany began with the pioneering KirkleesWarm Zone scheme. YES has since branchedout to manage further insulation schemes onbehalf of Hampshire County Council, enablingthe development of a Southern office. Mostrecently, YES has been involved in Leeds CityCouncil’s free insulation scheme, Wrap UpLeeds.

MP helps out tosupport trainingCOLNE Valley MP Jason McCartneyspent a day learning the building tradethe practical way to help celebrateNational Apprenticeship Week.The Conservative MP became an“apprentice” for the day with PeterArmitage Ltd, a member company ofthe Federation of Master Builders.He joined FMB regional director PhilParkinson to shadow Peter Armitage’sapprentice Luke Kowalski under thesupervision of the company’s directorJohn Armitage.Jason and Phil got stuck into layingbricks on a training wall at thecompany’s premises in Milnsbridge.Said the MP: “It was great to meetLuke, one of the 310 new apprenticesin my constituency, and to see hisbricklaying skills.“The apprenticeship scheme makessense for local businesses and theapprentices themselves.”Mr Armitage said: “At Peter ArmitageLtd, it’s essential we have the rightpeople with the right skills, which iswhy we make the effort to trainapprentices.“However given the difficult economicclimate, it’s hard to be confidentenough to take on new trainees.“More attractive incentive paymentsfor hiring an apprentice and anexemption from employer NationalInsurance contributions for allapprentices employed by smallbusinesses would be a big help tocompanies like us.”

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS Movers and shakers Page 8Rory Ingham

Orchard EnergyENERGY managementconsultancy OrchardEnergy has promoted RoryIngham, 24, to take controlof national businessdevelopment for the firm.

Mr Ingham (pictured) hasworked as an energyconsultant and regionalmanager for the businesssince joining in 2008,establishing Orchard’s Newcastle and Glasgowoffices.

The newly-created role will involve developingbusiness with blue chip sector clients throughoutthe UK. Mr Ingham will work closely with theteams at each of the firm’s offices in Elland,Bradford, Bristol, Newcastle, Cardiff andGlasgow.

“Orchard is currently working with businessesacross a range of sectors from manufacturingand retail through to hotel groups and charitiesadvising on purchasing, efficiency andcompliance,” he said.

“As national development manager I will betargeting organisations that are significantenergy consumers with a view to helping themimprove efficiency and reduce operating costs.”

Abigail Stahelin-Hall

StafflexRECRUITMENT agencyStafflex has appointedAbigail Stahelin-Hall to itseducation team.

The appointment is partof the Huddersfield-basedfirm’s continuedexpansion following itsmove from Aspley tolarger premises at ChapelHill.

Ms Stahelin-Hall(pictured) is a qualified teacher and is lookingforward to using her experience to augment thecompany’s growth in the education sector.

Jonathan Thompson

SantanderSANTANDER Corporate Banking has appointedJonathan Thompson as regional director forbusiness development in the north, coveringYorkshire.

Mr Thompson has worked at Santander since2009 and has 15 years experience in thecorporate banking industry. In his new role, hewill lead a team of business developmentdirectors across the north of England, includingYorkshire and Humber and Merseyside.

Mr Thompson is one of several regionalappointments to be made by SantanderCorporate Banking across the country as itstrives to expand its SME customer base.

Terriers goby the bookHUDDERSFIELD TOWN is perfectly happy to getbooked!

The club has announced the addition ofaward-winning Igloo Books to its list of partners.

The Northampton-based company is the latest in anextensive list of recent partners to get on board with theclub.

It follows the announcements of partnerships withLeeds-Bradford Airport-based private aviation companyMultiflight; Batley-based customised Land Rovermanufacturers Overfinch; local workwear specialistsXamax Clothing; and Huddersfield-based national foodservice specialists Total Foodservice.

The partnership between Igloo Books andHuddersfield Town revolves around community literacy.An exciting new project involving schools and youngchildren in Kirklees is in the pipeline and will beannounced in due course.

Formed in 2003, Igloo Books featured in the SundayTimes in 2010 as the 68th fastest growing privatecompany in the UK over the past five years.

The company also won the 2011 Queen’s Award forEnterprise in the International Trade category and was afinalist in the Santander Small to Medium-SizedBusiness of the Year Award at last year’s NationalBusiness Awards.

Igloo Books publishes children and adult books and islicensed brand owners of children’s characters such asHumf, Humphrey’s Corner, Rachel Hale and ForeverFriends.

Sean Jarvis, Huddersfield Town’s commercial director,said: “Getting Igloo to become a partner is a coup ofsorts as they are yet another big award-winning brandwith an international presence which has joined forceswith Huddersfield Town.”

John Styring, managing director of Igloo Books, said:“I have been very impressed at the way that the footballclub is working to support the local communities and inparticular the children.

“It is great that Town are prepared to put significanteffort, resource and time into supporting the educationof their current and future fans. This initiative reflects agrowing presence in the community with HTAFC thatruns alongside the growing success of the footballteam.”

Game, set andmatch for Jo!

BUSINESSWOMAN Jo Haigh has beenplaying matchmaker.

The Denby Dale-based partner in fdsCorporate Finance Services teamed upwith colleague Charlotte Mason to launcha non-executive director matchmakingprogramme to introduce 10 company chiefexecutives to 20 talented females whomight turn out to be their ideal non-execut-ive or board appointment.

Jo and Charlotte organised the eventunder their business venture CrackingBoards, which develops boards and indi-viduals who serve on them through train-ing, advice, mentoring and information.The event was held in London at the officesof Coutts in The Strand.

Jo, who has held more than 40 non-exec-utive directorships, said: “The DaviesReport highlighted the small number offemale board appointments and its detri-mental effect on company performance.

“This event aimed to make it happen byputting real candidates with real businessesand taking the boring out of the board-room.

“With each would-be non-exec and busi-ness pitching for the best candidate, theevent was entertaining and saw real posi-tions being filled.”

Also speaking at the event was OliverRothschild, who has sat on numerousboards. His talk focused on the benefits ofboard level diversity.

As well as her involvement with Crack-ing Boards and fds Corporate FinanceServices, Jo is a partner in the fds Group, aspecialist training and development busi-ness.

An experienced dealmaker, she hasbought and sold more than 300 companiesin the last 20 years, specialising inowner-managed businesses.

Charlotte advises high growth busi-nesses. Her experience includes being dir-ector of an angel investment network andmentoring at several organisations, includ-ing the Astia Entrepreneur Programme,Atlantic Accelerator, Rockstar MentoringGroup and the Cherie Blair Foundation.■ MATCH POINT: Jo Haigh aims to

provide a boost to Britain’s boardrooms

David Claybrook & Gemma Denny

Grant ThorntonGRANT Thornton has appointed DavidClaybrook and Gemma Denny to its specialistbusiness risk services teams in the north ofEngland.

Mr Claybrook has been working in internalaudit for 12 years. He joins from CumbriaCounty Council, where he spent 18 months asan audit manager. Ms Denny joins as executive,having previously been a senior auditor withWakefield Council for five years and a traineeauditor with Bradford Council. With seven years’experience, she has specialist knowledge oflocal government and education.

Sporting greats!

A BIRSTALL-based marketingagency has helped launch anew charity to encourage moreyoungsters to take part in sport.

Fantastic Media was asked toprovide brand development anddesign and build a website forthe James Milner Foundation,which has been set up byManchester City and Englandfootballer James Milner.

The launch event, which washeld at the Lowry Hotel inManchester, was also backed bysports stars lan Shearer, FayeWhite, Kevin Sinfield, JamesAnderson, Mark Cueto, SteveHarmison, Patrick Vieira andGordon Taylor, who have allagreed to be patrons.

The launch was attended by ahost of businesses which have

pledged to support thefoundation such as BMW, Nike,EA Sports, PFA, CorumTimepieces and FantasticMedia.

Andy Hobson, managingdirector of Fantastic Media, said:“We’re delighted to besupporting the James MilnerFoundation.

“Fantastic has a proven trackrecord in sports marketing andas a company which recognisesthe benefits of a healthy andactive lifestyle, we fullyunderstood the needs of thecharity immediately.

“The result is an attractive,user friendly website which is akey building block for the JMFbrand.”

■ LINE-UP: Miles Thorp (left) and Paul Whitcroft (right), ofFantastic Media, with Manchester City and England footballerJames Milner at the launch of the James Milner Foundation