The former managing director of Bristol-based chocolate manufacturer Elizabeth Shaw has been appointed by alternative finance provider South West Investment Group (SWIG) Capital as a non-executive director to the board of its fund-holding arm. Malachy McReynolds, pictured, join the group, which since 1996 has invested £15m in to more...
Confidence among West of England businesses petered out at the end of 2014 and has started the new year lower than at any time over the previous 12 months, new research shows. Domestic sales, cashflow and recruitment expectations all fell during the fourth quarter, according to results of the...
Bristol is to become a test bed for hybrid buses that can automatically switch from diesel to electric power to reduce emissions in areas of the city with poor air quality. The vehicles will be piloted on the city’s streets thanks to a £1m Government grant. The trial coincides...
The University of Bristol is to play a key role in helping the UK develop a hub to manufacture next-generation advanced semiconductor materials. Along with the universities of Bath, Sheffield and Strathclyde and industrial partners, it has received £2.65m from the Engineering Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to fund research into...
Bristol businessman and charity champion Stephen Parsons has been appointed MBE in the New Year Honours list. Mr Parsons, pictured, splits his time between specialist engineering firm Redcliffe Magtronics, where he is chairman, and his extensive charity work. He also chairs the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP)...
Phil Smith, managing director of Business West, the organisation behind Bristol Chamber of Commerce and the Bristol Initiative, looks back at the past 12 months and considers why next year’s General Election is set to be one of the most important in recent memory. “The noise and glare of...
The Bristol office of accountancy and investment management group Smith & Williamson has completed two private equity deals in one week, signalling a resurgence of interest from both businesses and investors. The firm’s Bristol tax, advisory and corporate finance teams worked closely with Bristol-based specialised advanced engineering firm Stirling...
The amount of world-leading research carried out at UWE Bristol has soared by 170%, according to a major new national report. The results of the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) show that 57 % of the research submitted by UWE was judged to be either world-leading or internationally excellent....
Bristol Chamber & Initiative has welcomed another decrease in unemployment but warned that “fundamental weaknesses” remain in the economy which threaten to hold back recovery. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published this week show unemployment across the South West fell by 2,000 between August and October,...
Building a fairer and more sustainable society would create jobs and boost the economy, Green Party leader Natalie Bennett said on a visit to Bristol. Speaking to Bristol Business News, Ms Bennett, pictured, said it was a stereotype that her party was anti-business. But it wanted big businesses to...
Bristol today promised to stage the best-funded and most-comprehensive programme of events yet by any European Green Capital as it officially took over the title. The European Commission bestowed the title on the city from this year’s holders Copenhagen in a ceremony in the Danish capital. Bristol is the...
For the second year in a row Warmley-based Bath Ales has been shortlisted in prestigious national awards that recognise quality and innovation in the pub trade. The firm is a finalist in the Best Food Offer (2 – 50 sites) category in The Publican Morning Advertiser Awards, as well...
The annual search for the region’s best companies has started with the launch of accountants PwC’s widely-respected West of England Business of the Year Awards 2015. Now in their 27th year, the eagerly-contested awards are the most prestigious in the region by far – previous winners read like a...
