Bristol’s growing reputation as one of the UK’s leading hi-tech centres has been recognised by its inclusion in a national innovation festival. Some of the city’s most innovative businesses will open their doors to executives, entrepreneurs, investors, potential employees and the public as part of the OpenCo event, which...
Human resources professional Geraldine Buckland, who has 25 years’ business and HR experience spanning the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, has been appointed to lead the HR consulting team at accountants Smith & Williamson’s Bristol office. Geraldine, who takes over from partner Rachel Stone, has worked in senior roles...
By Adam Powell, director of skills, West of England LEP What will your business look like three years from now? Do your existing staff have the right mix of skills to help your business flourish? Do you have the right recruitment and workforce development strategy in place? If you...
Using social media to promote charity fundraising and other issues faced by the region’s professional fundraisers and charity marketers will be examined at a major event next month. The second South West Charity Marketing Conference, organised by The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) South West region, will give the...
The Royal Mail flotation and an improved market for equities helped Bristol-based fund manager Hargreaves Lansdown post a strong rise in full-year new business and reward its shareholders with a larger dividend pay-out. The firm, which has continued to grow steadily in recent years despite tough trading conditions, today...
Bristol Pound has launched its first official app for mobiles offering a range of new services for users of the UK’s most successful local currency. The free ‘£B app’ will simplify the £B mobile phone text payment system, TXT2PAY, notify users of nearby Bristol Pound businesses, track users’ spending...
Business rescue and recovery specialist firm Begbies Traynor’s regional managing partner Julie Palmer has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award. Julie, pictured, who heads up a network of 12 offices including one in Bristol, is in the running for The Business Magazine’s Women in Business 2014, Woman of...
Bristol-based law firm Burges Salmon has advised its client Business Growth Fund (BGF) on its £3.6m investment in sustainable energy firm Ecovision Renewable Energy. The Burges Salmon team was led by partner Richard Spink with assistance from senior associates Douglas Streatfeild-James, Vanessa Barnicoat and solicitor Jenny Tran. The deal...
West firms will be able to learn about commercial opportunities in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies when the British Ambassador to South Korea visits the region next week. Scott Wightman will be joined by CEO of the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea, David Lee, at the free...
The Bristol office of BGF, the business growth fund set up to help the UK’s growing smaller and medium-sized firms, has appointed Sarah Ledwidge as an investment manager. Sarah, pictured, will be responsible for identifying investable businesses in Wiltshire, Hampshire and the Thames Valley and working with them to...
Accountancy and investment management group Smith & Williamson has become the latest blue-chip firm to sponsor a Shaun the Sheep sculpture as part of next year’s Shaun in the City charity arts trails in Bristol and London. The campaign, to be launched by Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Appeal, will...
Three innovative small firms from Bristol have been included among 100 from across the country selected to attend intensive business boot camps and compete for support worth thousands of pounds. Wriggle, Grow Bristol and Talking Men’s Shoes were chosen by a panel of expert judges in The Pitch 2014,...
Further evidence of an impending skills shortage among West firms that could threaten to derail the economic recovery has emerged from a report predicting the strongest jobs growth since 1998. The national survey by accountants BDO shows businesses’ hiring intentions rose sharply last month to surpass their pre-recession figure...
