News
SALE SHARKS TACKLE 100K CHALLENGE
Sale Sharks players, Jack Forster and Nick Macleod, tackled some of the region’s top businessmen in the centre of Spinningfields last week to prepare for and promote awareness of the ‘Hear Our Cry’ 100k Challenge in aid of the NSPCC.
For the past six months, the businessmen have given up their social lives, undergone weeks of punishing physical training and endured a strict dietary regime in order to complete the challenge. So the Sharks’ training session should have been a walk in the park, but the prop and full back made sure that they put the runners through their paces and provided a few new handy hints for their final push.
The 100k Challenge - ten 10k races in ten countries in five days – will start in Manchester this Sunday on 16th May. The runners will then sweat, chafe and blister in Amsterdam, Brussels, Luxembourg, Cologne, Geneva, San Remo, Monaco, Marseille before finishing in Barcelona on 20st May.
Rob Cotton, CEO at NCC Group, runner and driving force behind the challenge, said: “Forget business and board room meetings; this 100k Challenge will be one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do.
“It was a fantastic opportunity to have a warm-up and training session with Sale Sharks just ahead of the runs. The guys were great trainers and we picked up a trick or two to help us cope with the constant strain and pressure on our bodies throughout the challenge.
“I’m just glad we didn’t have to play a full-blown game with them – you wouldn’t want to mess with these lads and certainly not in the heart of the city’s business centre with all eyes on you!”
Hear Our Cry is a new campaign for the NSPCC in the North West and has been launched to promote awareness of the vital helpline services provided by the charity, including ChildLine, the UK’s free confidential 24-hour helpline for children, and the NSPCC Helpline for adults concerned about a child.
The aim of the campaign is to raise £2.7m by May 2011 to ensure more children and young people across the region have access to the help they need when they need it most.
Angela Capper, NSPCC development manager said: “It is fantastic to see Manchester’s entrepreneurs coming together and donning their fundraising caps to help bring in the pounds for the NSPCC. Taking part in an event like this is a tough mental and physical challenge, but it is an incredibly rewarding experience and I’m sure they will really enjoy it. The funds raised will make a real difference to the lives of local children. I wish them all the best of luck with the epic challenge.”
The running team includes leading businessmen such as Mike Perls of MC2, Phil Adams from Altium, European Financial Solutions’ Tony Machin, Mark Stephenson of Deloitte along with TiE Manchester board members, such as Imran Hakim, CEO of Hakim Group, Ashok Kallumpram, MD of Premier Textiles and Wallis Ullah, CEHO of Exec Coach.com.
To find out more about the 100k Challenge or the Hear Our Cry appeal please go to www.hearourcry.co.uk or to donate the Just Giving page is www.justgiving.com/100kchallenge.
Can partnerships be a match made in heaven for your business?
Entrepreneurs across the North West are taking part in Building Partnerships for Innovation, the first in a series of follow-on events from the hugely successful RAW 2010.
Hosted by RAW sponsors Manchester: Knowledge Capital and Manchester Metropolitan University the workshop will take place on 12th May at Steelcase Manchester’s SmartSpace in the city centre. Building Partnerships for Innovation will focus on how in-house business capability can be bolstered by cultivating the right partnerships.
Speakers will include: Philip Hemsted, serial entrepreneur, managing director of Psycuity; Robert Garnish, general manager of John Lewis Cheadle; Professor Lynn Martin, director of Manchester Metropolitan’s Centre of Enterprise and Clare O’Neill, deputy CEO of Manchester: Knowledge Capital.
The interactive workshop will help some of the region’s leading entrepreneurs to identify what opportunities partnerships create for innovation, how to find the right partnerships and which partnerships will give maximum benefit to the bottom line.
Kate Pickering, innovation programme manager at Manchester: Knowledge Capital, said: “Innovation is a contact sport. You need partners, investors, suppliers and customers feeding back new insight. This event will help entrepreneurs develop productive partnerships to drive innovation forward. RAW is a dynamic network of some of the region’s brightest entrepreneurs and we’re proud to work with them to deliver the first in its series of inspirational events.”
Imran Hakim, co-founder of RAW, said: “One of the key aims of RAW 2010 was to create a unique network of entrepreneurs who could work together to help businesses in the North West flourish. That’s the mentality the RAW community was built on and I think it’s vital we continue to encourage these productive discussions between RAW members.”
To register for the event, visit:
http://partnerships4innovation.eventbrite.com/
Hatton Helps NSPCC 100k Runners
Ten of Manchester’s most successful businessmen donned their lycra shorts last week to be put through their paces by boxing legend Ricky Hatton and his personal training team at Hatton Health and Fitness, all in aid of the city’s Hear Our Cry appeal to support the NSPCC.
The session, which also included expert sports nutrition advice from SK Sports, was part of the groups’ preparation for a 100k Challenge – a gruelling ten 10k races in ten countries in five days, from Manchester on 16th May to Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne, Luxembourg, Geneva, San Remo, Monaco, Marseille and finishing in Barcelona on 20th May.
Rob Cotton, CEO at NCC Group, runner and driving force behind the challenge, said: “Having the session with Ricky and his personal trainer was a great boost just four weeks before the challenge begins. We’ve all been training pretty hard but we were shown some really good warm up exercises and stretches as well as plenty of top tips from the experts in terms of endurance training. Here’s hoping that we remember them when we get going!”
Hear Our Cry is a new campaign for the NSPCC in Manchester and has been launched to raise awareness of the vital helpline services provided by the charity, including ChildLine the UK’s free, confidential 24-hour helpline for children and the NSPCC Helpline for adults concerned about a child.
The aim of the campaign is to raise £2.7m by May next year to ensure more children and young people across Greater Manchester have access to the help they need when they need it most.
Rob added: “As the chair of the Hear Our Cry Appeal board in Manchester I am acutely aware that we have a long way to go with this appeal but I have every faith that we can pull this off with the help and support of the city’s business community. As a team we have pledged to raise £100k from our challenge so that will be a good step in the right direction.”
The running team includes leading businessmen such as Mike Perls of MC2, Phil Adams from Altium, European Financial Solutions’ Tony Machin, Mark Stephenson of Deloitte and Imran Hakim, CEO of Hakim Group.
Angela Capper, NSPCC development manager said: “It is fantastic to see Manchester’s top entrepreneurs coming together to take part in such a challenge to support the NSPCC and we are extremely grateful for their efforts to raise much needed funds that will make a real difference to the lives of local children. I wish them all the best of luck with their training.”
To find out more about the 100k Challenge or the Hear Our Cry appeal please go to www.hearourcry.co.uk or to donate the Just Giving page is www.justgiving.com/100kchallenge.
MPA launches its search for a Managing Director
The MPA, Manchester’s organisation for the creative, digital, film and media sector, has this week launched the search for its first paid employee in its 90-year history; a Managing Director to spearhead its exciting new strategy.
The organisation is set to undergo significant changes over the next few months, which will enable the MPA to achieve its aim of facilitating the unification of Manchester’s creative community, championing the sector on a regional, national and global scale, and providing a powerful, credible and representative voice for the sector.
The role will involve acting as the MPA’s ambassador with key organisations in the North West, including North West Vision and Media, the NWDA, Manchester City Council, the IoD and Pro Manchester, as well as key infrastructure projects such as the Sharp Project, Media City and The Hive. The aim of this will be to create partnerships and advocates, and maintain successful, productive relationships with agency and media heads across the region.
The MPA is also looking to recruit an Events Manager. An equally challenging role, the position will involve the delivery of a comprehensive events programme, with up to three events per week on differing scales.
Mike Perls, Chairman of the MPA, said: “We are looking for an extremely dynamic, high calibre individual with the mind of an entrepreneur, the ambassadorial skills of a diplomat and the motivation of an Olympian.
“It is an exciting time to be joining the organisation – there is an opportunity for both candidates to really make their mark on the region’s creative sector.”
IoD urges business leaders to make their vote count
Business leaders in the North West are being reminded by the IoD that there is only one week left to submit their nominations for the prestigious 2010 North West Director of the Year Awards. Business leaders across the North West have until 5pm on Friday 30th April to nominate those who have shown outstanding achievements in business during the last year.
Now in its seventh year, the Director of the Year Awards is designed to highlight the individuals who have shown excellent skill, judgement and innovation to guide their companies forward during uncertain times. Nominations for this year’s awards can be made online at www.armstrongcraven.com/iod/northwest.
The 2010 competition will have an extra significance, as for the first time the North West winners will be automatically put forward for the national IoD Director of the Year Awards. This new element to the competition gives nominees the chance to gain national recognition for their achievements.
The categories for the awards are split into Director of the Year and Young Director of the Year for each of the IoD Branches in the North West, including Cheshire, Lancashire, Cumbria, Manchester and Liverpool, with overall North West awards for each of these categories. Last year’s winners included Liz Russell of Envirosystems (North West Director of the Year) and Sarah Dunning of Westmorland Ltd (North West Young Director of the Year).
Darrell Matthews, Regional Director for the IoD in the North West, said: “With only one week to go time is running out to submit nominations for the awards. If you think somebody really deserves recognition for their efforts and achievements in business, the Director of the Year Awards is a great chance to highlight them.
“The North West has shown a lot of resilience in the last year, with continuing economic uncertainty meaning that business leaders have had to think creatively, a make bold moves to help their businesses thrive. I think it’s important that we celebrate these achievements, showcase this talent, and encourage business development across the region.
“We’ve already had a great response, but I would like to urge everybody to submit nominations before the deadline on Friday 30th April if they really think someone deserves an award.”
The high-profile Awards Ceremony is a black tie event and will take place on Thursday 7th October at the Hilton Deansgate Hotel in Manchester. To book tickets for the event, please contact the IoD on 0161 209 3150.
