Hitachi Capital appoints new chief information officer

Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC has appointed Kim Brien as chief information officer (CIO) to drive forward group IT and digital operational development at the leading financial services provider.

Kim, who brings over 20 years’ experience in information technology to the role, has joined from global research and advisory company Gartner, having previously held senior positions at HML, MDA Limited and Armature Limited.

The appointment comes as Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC looks to build on ten years of consecutive growth. In July, the company reported strong performance across its five key business units and announced record financial results with profit before tax of £123.1m FY 18/19, outstripping the average for the FTSE 250.

As CIO, Kim will be based out of Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC’s Leeds office, and will oversee IT strategy aligned to business operations across Hitachi Capital UK and ensure efficiencies across the company’s IT and digital strategy activities.

In addition to leading IT organisational design, he will play an important role in utilising data from across the Group to drive informed decisions that will deliver the best possible customer experience.

Robert Gordon, CEO of Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC, said:

“After more than a decade of rapid growth, Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC continues to deliver improvement as a business. The appointment is testament to our focus on developing industry leading solutions which deliver real value for our customers.

“I’m delighted to welcome Kim as part of our senior leadership team. Kim’s significant experience and expertise in implementing innovative IT and digital strategies across a range of industry sectors will play a crucial role in delivering operational efficiencies and creating new customer-facing platforms that make it easier and faster to transact business.”

Kim Brien, CIO, Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC, said:

“Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC has a strong reputation as a trustworthy and forward-thinking finance provider and I’m excited to play a part in supporting its development from an IT and digital strategy perspective.

“There’s huge scope to use technology to create opportunities which deliver substantial incremental efficiencies and continue to build on the strong foundations of the existing business, which is really exciting.”

OECD employment rate increases slightly in the third quarter of 2019

The OECD area employment rate – the share of the working-age population with jobs – increased to 68.9% in the third quarter of 2019, from 68.7% in the previous quarter.

Compared to the previous quarter, the employment rate in the third quarter of 2019 was stable in the euro area (at 67.9%, following continuous increases since the fourth quarter of 2013). Within the euro area, the employment rate increased by more than 0.5 percentage point in Estonia (to 75.7%), Latvia (to 72.7%) and Portugal (to 70.8%) but declined by 0.3 percentage point or more in France (to 65.2%), Luxembourg (to 67.9%) and Slovenia (to 71.5%).

Outside the euro area, the employment rate rose by 0.3 percentage point or more in Chile (to 62.7%), Denmark (to 75.1%), Japan (to 77.9%), Norway (to 75.7%), Poland (to 68.4%) and the United States (to 71.5%), but it fell by 1.7 percentage points in Iceland (to 82.7%).

The OECD area employment rate increased in the third quarter of 2019 compared to the previous quarter for both women (to 61.7%, from 61.5%) and men (to 76.2%, from 76.0%). Over the last year, the gap between male and female employment rates narrowed by 0.5 percentage point (to 14.5 percentage points). The gap narrowed more rapidly in Japan, and also in Korea and Mexico (where the employment rates for men fell over the year).

Crystal Specialist Finance appoint new group sales director

Crystal Specialist Finance (CSF), the award winning specialist distributor, has today announced the appointment of Jason Berry to the newly created role of group sales director.

Berry previously led the sales function at Platform Home Loans and more recently was director of sales at fintech business and leading general insurance company, Uinsure.

Berry will lead the CSF field and telephone sales teams plus take responsibility for distribution and sales strategy.

Jo Breeden, managing director of CSF, said: “We are delighted to be working with Jason, this is a great appointment. His reputation and background speak for itself and he is a great fit for the business.

“His passion and vision is in line with ours, and this underlines our commitment to working with our broker partners to continually improve our service and offering, and even after an outstanding set of sales results last year it shows our focus on continually raising the bar.”

Berry added: “I am very excited to be working alongside Jo and his expert team. Crystal has achieved outstanding sales growth in recent years but the potential to improve still further is clearly visible.

“There is undoubted talent within the company and I very much look forward to sharing my experience so existing skills can be developed and most importantly record sales volumes can be delivered.”

Berry commences his role with immediate effect on an interim basis.

Job seekers optimistic after decisive elective results

Morgan McKinley’s Q4 London Employment Monitor details City hiring trends from October through December 2019. The fourth quarter of the year saw uncharacteristically brisk movement among candidates, with a 38% month-on-month increase in job seekers from November to December, and a rise of 24% when compared to December 2018. This movement came on the heels of a 12% increase in jobs available in quarter three, and after voters delivered a resounding mandate to bring years of Brexit uncertainty to a close in the New Year.

Despite a 6% month-on-month increase in jobs in November, fewer jobs were released in the fourth quarter, and were down by 29% quarter-on-quarter. The decrease aligns with the traditional end-of-year closing out of budgets and slowing of business as organisations put hiring off until the New Year. Nevertheless, the 42% decrease from Q4 2018 highlights Brexit’s stubborn grip on City jobs.

With the government now moving full speed ahead with Brexit, questions about equivalence, passporting and trade between Britain and the EU remain unanswered. However, with businesses having had a number of years to prepare, lingering in the bloc is considered a bigger economic burden than departure. And with wildfires ravaging Australia, protests engulfing Hong Kong, military tensions bubbling in the Middle East and the US China trade wars showing minimal signs of abatement, resolving Brexit now pales in comparison to other global challenges.

In addition to candidate optimism, other signs point to the new decade bringing new opportunities: the December KPMG and REC Jobs Report showed UK hiring conditions improved towards the end of the otherwise challenging year, with permanent placements rising for the first time in a year. The report shows employers increasingly concerned about the ability to recruit top talent, a trend reflected in rising salaries across the financial services industry.

Hakan Enver, managing director, Morgan McKinley Financial Services commented:

“2019 was a gruesome year, with historic job losses and the constant economic insecurity that came with Brexit. But 2020 will mark a turnabout for the City. You could hear a collective sigh of relief across London when the election results came in. Everyone is sick and tired of Brexit and eager to put it in the rearview mirror where it belongs”.

“The silver lining of Brexit dragging on for so long is that businesses have spent over two years preparing for a worst case scenario. It was unpleasant and it was costly, but they are ready. There isn’t much the divorce can throw our way that can’t be handled.”

“Job seekers are on the front lines of the job market, which is why it is so encouraging to see them aggressively looking for the next opportunity. Clearly confidence in the economy is rebounding now that EU citizens already in the country have the security of knowing they can stay. We are even seeing more Britons from the EU returning home to look for their next professional opportunity”.

IGF appoints new commercial director.

Matt Shepherd is the former UK head of business development and client management for the ABL division at CYBG.

In his role at IGF he will focus on helping the team reach a wider audience.

“I’ve been incredibly impressed by the partnership, speed of delivery and flexibility IGF provides in order for its clients to grow,” Shepherd said.

“I’m looking forward to increasing IGF’s national presence and the continued growth of the sales team.”

John Onslow, chief executive of IGF, added: “We’ve had another strong year of growth and we’re confident in the outlook for 2020.

“Matt’s experience in strengthening high performance teams is one of the reasons we brought him in. He delivers high quality solutions and has a wealth of leadership knowledge.”

Recruiters believe Brexit will have a long-term positive impact

A new state-of-the-nation study into how businesses in the recruitment sector are prepared for Brexit, has revealed 33% of businesses believe the process of exiting the EU is currently having a positive impact on their business, while a staggering 66% feel it hasn’t had any impact at all.

Commissioned by global sales, negotiation and communication experts, Huthwaite International, the report shows that post-Brexit business prospects remain positive, with 33% of businesses believing their growth potential will prosper post-Brexit, regardless of the outcome.

When looking at what worries businesses most about the UK leaving the European Union, rise in prices, a no deal Brexit and changes to laws and legislation ranked as the highest concerns.

Improving negotiation skills also ranked as the biggest priority amongst businesses before the Brexit deadline, with many sighting it to be a key priority when it came to safeguarding profits and reducing overheads.
Tony Hughes, CEO at Huthwaite International said: “Gaining the skillset and knowledge to survive this economic uncertainty is vital for business success. The UK is packed with ambitious and prosperous companies that in theory should flourish regardless of economic uncertainty, however the importance of obtaining the core skillsets to flourish shouldn’t be underestimated.

“One of the few certainties the UK faces is that, for selling organisations, things are getting tougher. As buying organisations entrench, delaying or even cancelling purchasing decisions, sales teams across all sectors and markets are having to up their game. This means sophisticated negotiation skills aren’t just important to ensure the UK secures a quality deal with the EU, but also form the fundamentals for ensuring business success across the UK too.”

Huthwaite International has published a white paper looking at five key elements businesses can implement to increase sales success in times of economy uncertainty. These include:

• Confidence through coaching
• Aligning capabilities
• Utilising your service resources
• Negotiation skills
• Effective qualification

To access the full research white paper, please visit: https://info.huthwaiteinternational.com/improving-corporate-negotiations.

Deloitte boosts Scottish team with two new director appointments

Professional services firm Deloitte has made two new appointments to lead its global employer services team in Scotland.

k

Deloitte’s global employer services team helps clients navigate complex, multifaceted domestic and international tax, social security and immigration obligations, transforming companies’ global workforce programmes in a compliant and cost-efficient manner.

Hayley joined Deloitte as a graduate in 2008 and has worked her way up within the global employer services team, leading on the delivery of mobility, employment tax, payroll and data analytics projects for clients in the energy, resources and industrials (ER&I) sector, with a particular focus on those in the oil and gas subsector.

In her new role, Hayley will lead a team of 21 across Scotland overseeing the delivery of a range of consulting and compliance services. Hayley will also be responsible for developing Deloitte’s global payroll offering in the Scotland market, which she sees as a key area of growth for the company.

On her appointment, Hayley commented: “It’s an exciting time for us in Deloitte’s global employer services as we continue to add capabilities and breadth to our service offerings, and I feel incredibly proud to be given the opportunity to lead such a diverse and talented team. In the immediate context of factors such as Brexit and the changes to IR35 rules in 2020, plus macro trends such as the digitisation of tax and gig economy workers, businesses need to be ready to respond and I’m excited to collaborate with my clients to develop solutions to the particular issues they face.

Alister also first joined Deloitte, then Andersen, as a graduate in 2000 and worked across the London, Tokyo and Sydney offices. He left the firm in 2012 to join the HR department of Macquarie Group as its global mobility lead, working his way up to HR analytics and reporting lead. Ali moved his family back to Glasgow in 2018 and spent time at Tesco Bank before re-joining Deloitte as a director this year.

In his new role, Alister will be looking after digital products and analytics for the global employer services team across the UK, with a focus on people data analytics and digital product development.

He commented: “Latterly my focus has been on people data analytics and I’m looking forward to developing and delivering to market digital products that meet the real needs of our clients. Alongside Hayley, I very much look forward to promoting and increasing the presence of Deloitte’s global employer services team, helping to further establish us as a key and integrated service provider to our clients not only in Scotland but throughout the whole of the UK as well.”

Stephen Williams, senior partner for Deloitte in Scotland and Northern Ireland, said: “These appointments are an indication of our investment and confidence in our global employer services team. It is an interesting and challenging time for business, and with ongoing political uncertainty combined with digital transformation, it’s crucial the businesses we work with have the right expertise and advice. I’m confident Hayley and Alister and the wider global employer services team can provide this and ensure our clients are prepared for the future.”

Business lender Spotcap grows UK team

Spotcap UK is delighted to announce that Ian Mills and Duncan Ballingall have joined the UK team as partnership manager and underwriter, respectively. Ian and Duncan will support Spotcap in helping a growing number of UK businesses with swift and flexible unsecured loans.

Ian Mills joins from Boost Capital. He has over 20 years’ experience working in commercial finance, including 18 years at NatWest. At Spotcap, Ian will be responsible for developing and maintaining long-term relationships with Spotcap’s extensive partner network and supporting relevant loan applications from start to finish.

Duncan Ballingall has previously worked in Funding Circle’s loan operations team. At Spotcap, he will analyse and verify financial and non-financial information to determine the creditworthiness of a business applying for an unsecured loan.

Spotcap is a responsible lender committed to building a more efficient and service-focused take on business loans. In September last year, the company successfully extended its unsecured loan offering with no personal guarantee to also include partial or full PGs and corporate guarantees.

Commenting on the recent appointments, Kevin Vendel, Spotcap’s head of sales, said: “Ian and Duncan are a great addition to the Spotcap team. Their experience will allow us to continue to provide the best possible service to our partners and clients.”

Kevin continues: “Our recent Commercial Finance Industry Pulse showed that 77% of intermediaries are confident about future lending activity and business growth in the UK. We will continue to work hard – together with our partners – to provide unsecured loans to UK businesses within one working day.”

Simply announces two strategic hires as it creates dedicated manufacturing team

Simply, the SME funder, today announced that it has created a dedicated manufacturing unit designed to extend the business’ reach, drive growth and support existing customers in the sector.

The team, which has rapid plans for expansion, is led by new hires Matt Graham and Liam Ryan who join as national sales managers.

Both individuals have extensive industry experience. They will play an important role in increasing Simply’s lending over the next 12 months and developing its market share in the manufacturing industry.

Mike Randall, CEO of Simply commented: “Simply continues to go from strength to strength and the creation of this new team is part of the business’ commitment to put even more people on the ground that really know and understand specific sectors. We want to support SMEs even further in 2020 by widening our offering and are delighted that Matt and Liam are joining us to help do that. They bring a wealth of skills, the right attitude and a real desire to help businesses grow and prosper.”