The Latest News from Wrexham Business Professionals

Top politician backs city status for Wrexham

WREXHAM'S future is to become a city as the centre of a "powerhouse" North Wales, according to one of the country's leading politicians. Lord Dafydd Elis Thomas, who has served for over 40 years as a Plaid Cymru MP and AM and is a former Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales, was guest speaker at the annual gathering of Wrexham Business Professionals (WBP) at the Ramada Plaza. WBP, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary, is a group of highly skilled professional firms of solicitors and accountants working together to raise the profile of expertise that exists in the region and beyond as well as fostering business entrepreneurship and encouraging the development of skills. The seasonal event attracted over 140 WBP members and guests, and organiser Gill Atkinson, a director of Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditor Coxeys, was delighted to welcome Lord Elis Thomas who she described as "one of the most renowned and insightful politicians in Wales today." Lord Elis-Thomas, who has been the Assembly Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd since 2007, told his audience that the recent referendum on Scottish independence had created a "window of opportunity" for Wales to exert its presence on a more diverse United Kingdom, with the north of Wales playing a crucial role. He said: "We are now in a totally different situation and we are talking about citizenship – citizenship of the UK, of Wales and of Wrexham. "My great mentor, Lord Cledwyn Hughes, when he was Secretary of State for Wales in the 1960s, tried to create an elected council for Wales as part of local government reorganisation but he also wanted to create one county for North Wales because the north is one place, and I agree with him. "The north is the powerhouse of Wales, in terms of energy and in manufacturing. "I believe the key thing for North Wales is to work with the north of England because of the opportunities being offered...... more ›

Investing in staff is key to business success

A GIANT of the UK health sector says investing in his staff has been one of the main reasons for his success. Mike Parsons, the founder and former chief executive of Barchester Healthcare, was a keynote speaker at the recent meeting of the Wrexham Business Professionals where he shared some of the secrets of his phenomenal achievement of transforming just one small care home into billion pound brand leader with around 300 homes. Wrexham Business Professionals is a group of professional firms of solicitors and accountants who collaborate on a non-competitive basis to promote the development of businesses, skills and employment opportunities for professional people. Mr Parsons was guest of honour at their recent meeting at the town's Ramada Plaza Hotel which took as its theme the "Business of Age" and attracted an 80-strong audience of members from across North Wales. His business is viewed by many as one of the health sector’s true "success stories" and an example of how future healthcare should function. He formed Barchester Healthcare in 1994 after a career in advertising that saw him rise to the position of Chief Operating Officer for Saatchi & Saatchi’s international business. He also spent two years in the USA where he researched various new business ideas including long term care. He was particularly impressed with many of the Assisted Living facilities he saw in the US. After returning to the UK in 1992, he set up Country Life Care Centres which merged with Eskgrove in 1994 to form Barchester Healthcare. Earlier this year Barchester was listed in the Sunday Times Top 26 big companies to work for and one of Britain’s Top Employers 2013, and last year Mr Parsons was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the prestigious Wales Care Awards. In 2013 he retired as Chief Executive Officer but remains on the board of Grove, Barchester’s holding company. Mr Parsons told Wrexham Business Professionals that investing in people and "building a...... more ›

Plan to turn Wrexham into economic powerhouse given kickstart

BUSINESS leaders in Wrexham are getting behind a masterplan to turn Wrexham into an economic powerhouse. The blueprint was unveiled to a meeting of Wrexham Business Professionals (WBP) by David Jones, Principal and Chief Executive of Coleg Cambria. On the economic front, the meeting heard, there was already a raft of good news. Around 45 acres of land on Wrexham Industrial Estate had been sold for new business development since January leading to an anticipated total investment of around £1 billion over the next three years. WBP is a group of highly skilled professional firms of solicitors and accountants working together to raise the profile of expertise that exists in the region and beyond Mr Jones said the campaign has been designed by Wrexham Local Service Board (LSB), which is part of a network of similar bodies across Wales on which leaders of local public authorities and the voluntary sector take action to ensure public services are effective and focused on people. He was recently appointed as chair of the group on the LSB which is responsible for making sure that Wrexham has a strong resilient and responsible economy. To achieve its aims the group has drawn up a masterplan for how it would like to see the local economy develop over the next decade and he told an audience of over 70 WBP members that he was anxious to have their reactions to it as the plan was undergoing its 2015 review. He said: "You have a vital role to play because we want Wrexham businesses to have a strong voice and influence in relation to public sector developments that impact on the local economy. "I also want to ensure that businesses in the private sector help to shape the work of my group and set its priorities and targets. "This session is aimed at raising awareness but, more importantly, giving a key Wrexham business group the opportunity to influence the direction of the...... more ›

Top accountant calls for action

The UK's top accountant who gave advice to 10 Downing Street during the financial crisis has called for more help for businesses in North Wales to ensure the economic recovery is sustained.. Martyn Jones, President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England Wales (ICAEW), says more needs to be done to help small and medium businesses in North Wales to recover from tumultuous decade including a deep recession to create jobs and build a sustainable future Mr Jones was speaking at the fifth anniversary celebration dinner of Wrexham Business Professionals (WBP) at the Ramada Plaza in Wrexham. WBP is a group of highly skilled professional firms of solicitors and accountants working together to raise the profile of expertise that exists in the region and beyond. About 150 of its members and guests gathered for the dinner at which the other prominent guest speaker was John Timpson, Chairman of the Timpson group of companies. The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales is a leading professional body with 142,000 members in business, professional firms, the public sector and in the charity sector in many countries. Mr Jones, who is originally from Denbigh, has had a distinguished career which began in a medium-sized firm and an international practice before he became a lecturer. before becoming a standard setter then a senior technical partner in a large firm of accountants He has provided advisory services to a number of well-known companies, financial institutions and to the House of Commons and to the House of Lords. He has also worked on projects with the World Economic Forum and provided insights to the Prime Minister's Senior Policy Advisor on "going concern issues" during the financial crisis. He believes strongly in the key role of Chartered Accountants in promoting the success of the private sector side of the economy and in providing wide social access to the professions. In his speech, Mr Jones said he was delighted to be...... more ›

Things are looking up says Timpsons boss

One of the best known names on the UK's high streets will urge entrepreneurs and their financial backers to ditch the cautious approach and take a chance on the recovering economy. John Timpson, chairman of the Timpson group of companies, will be delivering the upbeat message at a special dinner in Wrexham. It's being organised by the Wrexham Business Professionals (WBP), an influential group of accountants and solicitors, who will be joined by their guests, including other senior figures from the local business community. The event at the Ramada Plaza in Wrexham on the evening of Tuesday, March 25, is being held to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the group that was established to raise the profile of expertise that exists in the region and beyond. The other VIP guest on the night will be Martyn Jones, President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). He has had a distinguished career which began in a medium-sized firm and an international practice before he became a lecturer. Three days later the group will welcome Dame Clara Furse DBE, one of the best known figures in the world of global finance. She will be the guest speaker at a breakfast meeting at the Ramada on Friday, March 28. Dame Clara Furse DBE, who became a member of the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee last April, is a former Chief Executive of the London Stock Exchange. She is also a non-executive Director of Nomura Holdings Inc, Amadeus IT Holding SA, and the UK's Department for Work and Pensions. First up, though will be John Timpson, who is also known as a keen supporter of social enterprises and for working with ex-offenders. The company he heads has more than 800 outlets across the UK and is involved in shoe repairs, key making, photo processing, watch repairs, dry cleaning and other services. Timpson's is proud of being the most active recruiter of ex-offenders in the...... more ›

Make Wrexham a city

Wrexham MP Ian Lucas is backing calls for the town to be made a city to underline its credentials as the civic capital of the region. Mr Lucas said that North East Wales could become a dominant economic force with the city of Wrexham at its heart. He was speaking at a meeting of Wrexham Business Professionals, a group of local solicitors and accountants who collaborate on a non-competitive basis to promote the development of businesses, skills and employment opportunities for professional people. Mr Lucas told the meeting at the town's Ramada Hotel that Wrexham also needed a merger with Flintshire, improved road and rail links and high quality education and training networks. Mr Lucas said: "As MP for Wrexham, I have never understood why Wrexham does not have a Crown Court and we need to argue for it to be a city and recognised as such. "As someone who promotes Wrexham as part of my job, I cannot understand why some within Wrexham oppose this. Just as we need a university, we need city status too. He added: "North-East Wales, made up of the counties of Wrexham and Flintshire, is one of the country's most successful regions and one of the most economically important areas in the United Kingdom. "For much of the last 30 years it has grown and created sustainable employment for its population. This is quite remarkable as, during that period, the economy has transformed." He said this had come about from the death of heavy industry based on coal and steel and its replacement by the hugely successful aerospace project led by Airbus at Broughton in Flintshire and including its suppliers across both Wrexham and Flintshire. This was backed by a committed local workforce and together with investment incentives had attracted many other major businesses to the area, including Sharp, Sony and JCB as well as successful home grown enterprises such as Village Bakery, Moneypenny and Nu Instruments. But he...... more ›