Bristol-based mutual insurer National Friendly has seen a lot of change in its 150 year history. Originally it provided sickness benefits to working men, but also, uniquely among friendly societies at the time, it welcomed working women and children too. This pioneering stance – when poverty, poor education, poor...
Bristol-headquartered national law firm Burges Salmon has recruited Martin Cook as its new head of fintech, describing him as a sector heavyweight. Joining as a director, Martin, pictured, will sit in the firm’s funds and financial regulation team, working closely with colleagues in its financial services sector and technology...
Regional law firm Michelmores has appointed head of corporate Richard Cobb as its new senior partner. Richard, pictured, succeeds Andrew Oldland QC, who has served as the firm’s senior partner for four years. At the time of his appointment Andrew was the first barrister to hold the role of senior...
Expanding Bristol search engine optimisation (SEO) firms upUgo and GoRank are poised for further expansion after securing investment from Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Imran Hakim. Both firms have benefited from the lockdowns of the past year as more business goes online and already boast a already the likes of WH...
Business management systems giant Sage has taken a minority investment in fast-growing Bristol-based retail management software firm Brightpearl as part of a £25m fundraising round aimed at triggering further international expansion. Sage, which will have a seat on Brightpearl’s board under the deal, said the move would help make...
Billionaire businessman Stephen Lansdown’s Guernsey-based investment group has entered the air ambulance market with an acquisition made through its Bristol Airport-based aviation services firm Centreline. The deal for the trading name and key assets of Capital Air Ambulance, the UK’s largest air ambulance provider, has added two specially equipped...
Bristol’s small businesses can access help and advice to grow internationally through a new, free, post-Brexit programme. The Export Academy involves overseas trade experts from the Department for International Trade (DIT) hosting a series of online workshops and events offering advice and support directly to business owners. The programme...
An inspirational entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist will talk about her career – including building up and selling Europe’s first holiday rental website – in a webinar to be hosted by the Bristol office of financial and professional services firm Smith & Williamson. Marcelle Speller OBE, pictured, who lives near Bath, is appearing at the online event, called An Entrepreneur’s Journey Through Business...
Malachy McReynolds, the chair of regional alternative finance lender SWIG Finance, is to step down in March after five years in the role. He will be replaced by Christine Allison, a former lead economist for the World Bank, who has been a non-executive director of SWIG Finance for the...
The latest lockdown will be another “body blow” to Bristol firms, coming after the uncertainty caused by Brexit and lost trade in the run-up to Christmas, the region’s biggest business group has warned. Business West, which runs Bristol Chamber of Commerce, said firms that had survived so far with...
The Bristol office of national accountancy group Smith & Williamson capped off a successful 2020 by completing two deals – a management buyout at a robotics firm and a sale of an e-learning business. The management buyout at Gloucester-based CKF Systems secures the future of the 30-year-old business, which...
Fresh calls for a rethink of government support for businesses hit by Covid-related restrictions have been made as more parts of the South West join Bristol in Tier 3. While Bristol’s status remained unchanged – having gone from Tier 2 to Tier 3 on Boxing Day – Bath and...
Bristol is to move back into Tier 3 on Boxing Day, the government announced today against a backdrop of increasing Covid-19 infection rates across the city. The number of people contracting the virus in the city has risen sharply since the last review of the local tier restriction system...
