Frying high!

Massive congratulations to Paul Goodgame and his team at The Chesterford Group who have made it to the top 3 of the ‘Best Multiple Operator’ Category in the National Fish & Chip Awards 2024.

Keeping everything crossed for you at the finals in February!

Opencast shine with double Dynamites

Tom Lawson and his team at Opencast celebrate a remarkable achievement as a double winner at the 2023 Dynamites Awards, winning both the ‘growth explosion’ and ‘equalities diversity and inclusion’ categories. The Dynamo North East awards spotlight the region’s top talent and businesses, with Opencast being the first to receive the growth award for two consecutive years. Well done!

Staffordshire business bolsters international operations with Italian launch

Congratulations to Oliver Ragg and his team at Staffordshire-based Top Online Partners Group who have recently announced their expansion into the Italian market with the launch of TopCashback Italy.

The new cashback site already features over 270 of the biggest Italian brands including Mediaworld, Manomano, Italo and more, offering members savings on everything from fashion to food, travel, technology and much more. Like its UK counterpart, the site’s aim is to help its members save as much money as possible by securing the best cashback rates on offer.

TopCashback Italy joins the group’s six strong network of existing cashback sites (UK, USA, China, France, Germany, and Australia) which have a membership base of over 23 million people worldwide.

The Rooflight Co.

Congratulations to Steve Webber and his team at Rooflight who are celebrating a massive 30 years of trading!

They have used this milestone as a perfect time to revamp their brand. They have got a fresh new visual language, including a new company name, logo and website, check it all out for yourself via the link below.

Michael Pace and ZCJ Consulting

Wishing Michael Pace all the best in his new venture. After a wonderful 4 1/2 years at NHS LPP, he is striking out on his own again. Michael is looking to work in procurement and transformation roles as well as support HealthTech companies bring their developments into the Health Sector. Visit his company’s new LinkedIn page here for more info.

Tracker's 30th Birthday!

Tracker celebrates 30 years of successfully recovering stolen vehicles for their customers. As they celebrate this milestone, they would like to thank everyone at Tracker, their Customers and their Partners for contributing to their success.

They are celebrating:

✔ Over £590 million worth of recoveries
✔ Over 27,900 recoveries to date
✔ Over 2,920 arrests made
✔ Over 2,800 other non-Tracker fitted vehicles recovered

Smart Connect Research nomination!

Congratulations to François Leprêtre and his team at SCR, who have been shortlisted as finalists for the Recruitment Excellence award at the prestigious MRS Operation Awards, fondly known as the OPPIES. This acknowledgment not only reaffirms their passion for excellence but also highlights their unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional results within their field (Hard to Reach audiences).

Not one, but two nominations for awards for Wilson Partners!

Massive congratulations to Allan and his team at Wilson Partners who have recently been nominated for two awards. They are a finalist in the Best Company to Work for Award at the Maidenhead and Windsor Business and Community Awards and their Corporate Finance team have been shortlisted for the Transaction Services Team of the Year at the Insider Media Dealmaker Award!

Big well done to all involved and best of luck at the award ceremonies in September – looking forward to hear how you got on!

ITPEnergised celebrate their 10th birthday!

Here are Jonny’s reflections of the last 10 years:

“I vividly remember the excitement of walking into our new Edinburgh office on Day 1, 1st July 2013, after months of graft getting us to the start-up. Whilst we’ve expanded well beyond that small office, I still get a buzz seeing and hearing the activity around the business, and always really enjoy talking to our clients and the co-professionals we work with.

It’s never been dull over the last 10 years. If there’s one thing that has been constant as we’ve ridden the rollercoaster of geo-political, macro-economic and global pandemic impacts, is that it’s all about people and relationships. I often reflect that we’re fortunate in our industry to work overwhelmingly with and for genuinely good people. Looking forward to more of that.”

Well done Jonny – looking forward to see what the next 10 years brings for you and ITPEnergised!

Capula take on mountain challenge

Congratulations to Simon Coombs and his team at Capula who completed this year’s Severn Trent Water Mountain Challenge over the weekend – it had roughly 1,500M of elevation – that’s a lot of uphill! This was a fundraising challenge for Water Aid – a charity which provides clean water, decent toilets and hygiene knowledge to people who don’t yet have access to them.

75 years of the NHS!

As the NHS celebrates 75 years, watch the clip below that explains the importance of the work of Michael Pace and his team at the NHS London Procurement Partnership. Effective procurement in the NHS is vital to enable clinicians to focus on delivering the very best patient care. The NHS LPP supports it’s members and NHS organisations to make decisions that create clinical and financial efficiencies, which benefit NHS patients.

Ayima shortlisted for Global Search Awards

Congratulations to member Nicky Applegarth and her team at Ayima for being shortlisted for the Global Search Awards – good luck at the finals in Paris, we’re all rooting for you!

Woodford officially open their Innovation Hub!

Steve Abbott and his team at Woodford & Woodford have officially opened their Innovation Hub. The hub is designed for technical training with clients, thought leadership sessions with consultants, industry experts & partners and in the near future, hopefully a location for one of our MD2MD meetings (keep your eyes peeled for more information coming soon!).

British Rowing Masters Championships Victor Ludorum!

Congratulations to Sarah Cripps and her rowing club, Monmouth RC, for winning the British Rowing Masters Championships Victor Ludorum. Sarah and her team also came 5th in the double and 3rd in the quad, well done all!

Exclusive MD2MD member discount - get 20% off with Tony K Silver, LinkedIn Profiler

Tony is very kindly offering 20% discount on the below services to all MD2MD members – just mention you are a member when you reach out to him!

LinkedIn services (a PDF for each service is available and can be sent to interested parties)

• 1-2-1 Training – Includes a report, 2 videoed sessions and 3 months Message support £600.
• Masterclasses – Online sessions from 45 minutes to 2.5/3 hours £225 to £850 (price for in person is POA)
• Speaking Gigs – from £1000

Connect with Tony:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyksilver/

https://tonyksilver.com/

https://thesilvervoice.co.uk/

Gold Medalist, Citizen Spritz, a newly launched innovative, non-alcoholic spritz range!

Citizen Spritz, which is co-founded by our very own MD2MD member and food industry entrepreneur Mike Bagshaw and his wife Lynsey, are celebrating as its signature flavour, Bitter Orange, was awarded Gold in the World Alcohol-Free Awards 2023! The annual awards are the only drinks competition dedicated solely to drinks of 0.5% ABV and below, where the panel of judges highlight the best alcohol-free products in the world. So without further ado… say hello to your Gold Medalist, Citizen Spritz, a newly launched innovative, non-alcoholic spritz range!

Described as having “bags of flavour” by the judges, the Bitter Orange flavour is created with a unique blend of bitter orange oils, rhubarb and subtle hints of herbs and botanicals. The simple-to-serve instant spritz mix is deeply complex in flavour, and once combined with soda or sparkling water, it creates a delicious non-alcoholic aperitif. With soaring feedback on the taste, the spritz was described as having a flavour of “red cola cubes, cinnamon, vanilla, orange/citrus, marshmallow, angelica and peach jelly,” as well as “a wisp of bitterness on the finish, almost like wormwood. Nicely balanced, with plenty of personality which easily shines through when mixed with soda.”

The Citizen Spritz team is thrilled with the award win; in particular, Mike, who launched the brand with co-founder Mark Gould as they were on the hunt to find a refreshing and genuinely delicious drink to be enjoyed as an alternative to alcohol. Mike says, “We tried many mocktails and non alcohol spirits, but most were sickly sweet, with no complexity or depth of flavour and often overwhelmed by the taste of mixers.  We thought that we couldn’t be the only ones looking for a satisfying ‘in-between’ drink, so we decided to create our own” and as a result, were beyond excited to unveil Citizen Spritz to the world!

Allan's Marathon for Mind

On Sunday 23rd April, Allan Wilson took part in the London Marathon 2023. He said he had an awesome day and feels it is one of the best things he has ever done. Allan took on this challenge in order to raise awareness and money for the charity Mind – what a fantastic achievement Allan & all for a great cause, well done from all of us here at MD2MD!

Celebrations for MLL Telecom

Gary Marven & his team have been named in the E2E Tech100 List of the Fastest Growing Tech companies in the UK! The track focuses on privately owned, UK-based technology companies and is designed to showcase the very best UK companies that are excelling, experiencing consistent growth and presenting disruptive business strategies. Congratulations to Gary and the whole team at MLL Telecom!

Opencast leading the way

Last week, Tom Lawson and his team at Opencast attended the annual Northern Tech Awards in Edinburgh – celebrating technology throughout the North of the UK.

Opencast were confirmed as the 9th fastest growing tech firm over the past three years in the North of England. Tom was presented with the ‘Judges Award for Leadership – The Management Team With The Strongest Vision And Best Leadership’ after sharing Opencast’s model for human-centred and values-driven growth.

What an amazing achievement being recognised for your admirable leadership skills, Tom. Congratulations to you and your team from all of us at MD2MD!

Big Balance Theory Podcast ft. Emma Phipps

Member, Sarah Cripps, has just released her 16th episode of her Big Balance Theory Podcast, this time featuring MD2MD’s very own Managing Director, Emma Phipps.

Listen to the episode where you can hear Emma talk with Sarah about her career objectives – working hard and saving money to travel and work across the world. Find out how introverted Emma coped over lockdown with having her husband and two teenage children all under the same roof and learn what the common themes of MD2MD members were over the testing Covid-19 period. Recommended reads, podcasts, and legacy can be found at the end of the interview.

Malcolm spending a night outdoors!

On Thursday 30th March, member Malcolm Knott is spending a night outdoors to raise awareness and money for charities supporting the homelessness crisis in the UK. Malcolm is horrified at the amount of homeless people in Teeside and wants to do something about it. The money raised goes to people in need, people who’ve been contacted by, or people seeking help from the charity. Any donation will be greatly appreciated. Well done to Malcolm for taking on such a tough challenge for a great cause!

Congratulations to Malcolm and all the other participants at the CEO Sleepout, Middlesbrough who have now raised over £55,000 to help fight poverty and homelessness in the UK!

Paul in the Pennines

Paul Currah, one of our group managers, is taking on the Pennine Way in May – read below to find out more about his challenge!

I am retiring (well, partially) at the end of March, and to mark this occasion I am raising money by walking the Pennine Way over 21 consecutive days during May.  You may know that I love hiking, but this is a big one; 265 miles and a total ascent which exceeds that of Everest!

If you would be willing to donate to either Alzheimer’s or Cancer Research UK, please follow the link below.  Why these two charities?  You’ll have to follow the link to find out!

Welcome to the world baby Oliver!

Massive congratulations to one of our members Tom Scrimgour who welcomed a little boy, Oliver, into the world on the 21st February. Wishing you and your family all the best, Tom!

TopCashback winning top awards (again)!

Staffordshire-based TopCashback have been named Cashback Site of the Year for the fifth consecutive year at the Moneyfacts Consumer Awards 2023. The UK’s leading cashback site was presented with the prestigious award at a glittering ceremony at the Royal Lancaster in London.

The Moneyfacts Consumer Awards are totally independent and combine more than 30 years of Moneyfacts’ expertise with the opinion of the all-important consumer. By giving almost 200,000 customers a voice, the results enable Moneyfacts to distinguish companies which offer great products, alongside excellent customer service.

What a great achievement for Oliver Ragg and his team at TopCashback – many congratulations from all of us here at MD2MD!

Some good news for Wilson Partners!

A huge congratulations to Allan Wilson and his team at Wilson Partners who made the top 25 Best Small Company (25-74 employees) to work for in the UK. They placed 19th and are recognised as a ‘Very Good’ company to work for by Best Companies which is a remarkable achievement!

Event: Diamonds - taking place in London on 16th March

Run by women, for women, Diamonds is an exclusive network for female business leaders at the top of their respective professions.  The aim of the network is to actively generate opportunities for women-led businesses, within a culture of kindness and support, and provide a safe space for mentoring, encouragement, and peer-to-peer advice.

Hosted by Liz Jackson, Marketing Director for BCMS.

Congratulations to Sarah Perry of Knights

We almost missed this piece of news, but we’d like to wish congratulations to MD2MD Member Sarah Perry for being awarded Honorary Doctorate of Law at Coventry Cathedral by Dr Margaret Casely-Hayford CBE last November.

A big win for NHS LPP at the HCSA Awards

Congratulations to Michael Pace’s team at NHS London Procurement Partnership (NHS LPP) for winning the prestigious HCSA Award at a ceremony this week in Manchester. The Medicines Optimisation and Pharmacy Procurement (MOPP) team won the Clinical Procurement in Partnership Award for creating a regional homecare dashboard to monitor a set of high-level, nationally recognised KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for homecare medicine services.

We can’t wait for the 15th & 16th March 2023!

We are very pleased to announce that we have partnered with The Business Innovation Expo on the 15th & 16th March 2023 at the London ExCeL to bring answers to budding businesspeople across the UK.

After a successful event in 2022, The Business Innovation Expo is back for a bigger and better event in 2023, and we can’t wait to attend alongside them. Events like this are essential for businesspeople who are finding it hard to make connections and grow in the difficult modern market, or even for ones that are finding growth easy and are looking for ways to sustain their fast growth!

The Business Innovation Expo promises to provide networking, learning and collaboration opportunities as well as a room full of exhibitors who all hold the answers to YOUR business questions and problems.

We will be exhibiting as well as partnering with the event and therefore have reserved a group of tickets for our network so click the link below to register for a free ticket.

This event comes highly recommended, so please come and see us in March!

Anthony James Insurers completes 1000KM Challenge

Congratulations to Steve Boorman’s team for completing their Triple challenge, finishing the year with their final event 1000km Swim, Bike and Run. Well done to you all and for raising vital funds for The Bodie Hodges Foundation.

Congratulations to Allan Wilson of Wilson Partners

Upon opening a new office in Stellenbosch, South Africa.  Exciting times ahead of you, we wish you all the best of success.

OK Positive - Mental Health Platform for your employees

We’d like to introduce you to Charlie Winton founder of OK Positive who comes highly recommended by MD2MD member Steve Abbott.

OK Positive is a mental health platform that can support both individual and organisational mental wellbeing. It utilises machine learning and AI to provide specific content, support and signposting to engage your employees and provide analytical insight into the wellbeing of your organisation as well as partners and interventions to positively affect culture, productivity and employee wellbeing.

Charlie will be hosting a Special Interest Group in March, see our events list for further details.

Click the link to watch his demonstration video

BAFTA Awards

Huge congratulations to Sean Clarke and his company Aardman, who have had THREE projects nominated for the BAFTA Children and Young People Awards 2022!

Boom Coms in partnership with Exertis

The market for Unified Communications services will grow significantly in the coming years with the ISDN switch off and the change in working behaviour as a result of the pandemic. Nick Birtwistle of Boom is proud to support Exertis and their resellers in helping to transform their customers’ communications solutions.  By using their flexible and programmable features that Exertis Voice provides, this will enable the ideal solution for customers of any size to make their telephony cloud-based.  Click the button below to read more.

Britain's Biggest Business Show is back for 2022,

Returning to ExCeL London on the 16th & 17th of November!

Are you looking to start a business or grow your existing business? Helping small businesses grow and develop, the 44th edition of the show will reveal the secrets of business adaptation, innovation and survival in the business world through finding and purchasing the products and services that your business needs to take you to the next level.

Running alongside The Business Show this year we have Working From Home Live and Retrain Expo, offering everything you or your business needs to successfully adapt to the ever changing industry advances. Retrain Expo helps you re-skill and retrain for the future, whereas Working From Home Live offers the tools and resources needed to work remotely.

Good luck to Tom Lawson

Tom is currently attending the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School for a couple of months, its an opportunity of a lifetime.  Click on the link below to read his post on LinkedIn.  We’ll miss you Tom but we and your fellow members look forward to catching up with you in December.

Congratulations to GSSArchitecture

GSSArchitecture have recently been shortlisted in two categories at this year’s Northamptonshire Business Excellence Awards. The Practice is a finalist in the Employer of the Year category, which recognises employers that have created an outstanding workplace based on a set of values that has led to a committed, effective, and motivated workforce.

In addition to this, the GSSArchitecture designed expansion of Northampton Museum and Art Gallery is also a finalist in the Land and Development category. The awards will take place on 10^th November at Northants County Cricket Club and will be presented by Paddy McGuinness.

Learn more about GSSArchitecture

National Sales Conference - MD2MD offer

The National Sales Conference is back this year on the 10th November. The NSC is Europe’s leading growth event for sales & revenue leaders held at the National Conference Centre, Birmingham. All content is CPD accredited, so you can get those valuable points in to further your personal and professional development. This year, NSC are kindly offering MD2MD members only a discounted offer to attend:

Simply use the code in the image when booking and enjoy the day!

This workshop needs YOU, and so does your business!

We appeal to all male members! We need to get this conversation out into the light, it could be affecting your bottom line!

Talking Menopause – are you an inclusive employer? (workshop) with Lynda Bailey  – Wednesday 19th October 4:00pm-6:00pm.

Looking for some early adopters…

Would you be keen to try new tech that could save money, improve efficiency and increase safety? If so please keep reading:

• For manufacturing and distribution:  monitor if employees are wearing PPE (personal protective equipment), spot/alert for employees in danger zones to stop equipment/prevent accidents, check for anomalies or issues on the production line, etc.
• For healthcare: monitor facility utilization, analyze traffic/headcount in certain spaces, wait times, last time a hospital room was visited by a provider, etc
• For pharma: production anomolies, production safety and protocol monitoring, etc.

Introducing Vergo the Future of Pest Management

Following the sale of Terminix UK the company revealed its new name Vergo Pest Management Ltd.

The new brand recognises Vergo as the UK’s largest independent pest management provider, with over 370 colleagues geographically spread across the UK and Northern Ireland.

This change of company name will allow Vergo to present itself as the most innovative and forward-thinking pest management business in the UK today. As part of Vergo’s new brand commitment, they will also be continuing to develop its sustainability and green credentials on behalf of their customers, staff and for future generations.

The Rooflight Company's EO story

The Rooflight Company are in the running for this year’s Employee Ownership Association #EOStories competition. The Employee Ownership Association celebrate the stories of employee-owned businesses and the impacts they are having on employees, the performance of the business, and on the economy and society. Sadly, voting closed yesterday on the 1st of August but we wish The Rooflight Company all the best of luck at the celebration dinner at the EOA Annual Conference on October 3 & 4 where the winners will be announced.

A little help from Ayima

Award-winning digital marketing agency Ayima have provided some handy tips and tools for budgeting for Pay Per Click. Calculating a budget for Pay Per Click (PPC) is a slightly different task from budgeting for other paid media channels. This is because PPC budgets rely upon demand (searches). Ayima have created a 6 step guide on how to budget for PPC on their website, and we think some of our members may find it very useful!

Wilson Partners take on the 3 peaks!

Wilson Partners have been busy completing the 3 peaks challenge recently – we asked them how they got on and these were the results! Their goal was to complete the challenge in 24 hours but despite a good effort and a lot of enthusiasm they didn’t make this due to a mixture of driving delays and weather conditions. They started at 8am climbing Ben Nevis. They then made a quick journey across to Scafell pike and arrived at Snowdon which they climbed in biblical weather. Unfortunately due to wind speeds of up to 75 mph, they had to turn around 500 feet from the top. There were no injuries (except for some dodgy knees)! What an achievement – well done to the team!

AirTanker celebrate women in engineering

Here at MD2MD, we support diversity and place a particular emphasis on celebrating women in business and (hopefully) expanding our community of women leaders in the near future. So, we are thrilled so see that our members share our values! AirTanker have been supporting and celebrating women in engineering, and have spoken about the importance of women in engineering and why some of the women on their team have chosen to pursue a career in the industry. You can hear what they have to say in the following video on AirTanker’s Linkedin page!