North West business briefs: THG; Vertex Hydrogen; Naimuri; Bring Digital; Fuuse; Meraki HR Solutions North; Sovini Group

Manchester-based online retail group THG has given away £50,000 worth of shares to two employees as part of their annual awards ceremony.

James Robinson was named Group Employee of the Year and Charlotte Pratska was named Group Newcomer of the Year.

Both received £50,000 in GHG equity to recognize their achievements in 2022.

Senior Data Analyst James Robinson said: “I am proud to have worked at THG for four years and am delighted to receive the Employee of the Year award. The best thing about working at THG is the hard working and passionate people I work with – there are so many people willing to help and support whatever the issue.

“They really are among the best and make THG what it is. 2022 was a career-changing year as I took on a new leadership role managing both the CRM and data functions in THG’s Nutrition business. I am proud to have accepted the challenge and received recognition from business with this award.”

In July last year, Matthew Moulding, co-founder and CEO of THG, gave his friends shares in the group worth almost £821,000 as a gift.

Pilkington

Vertex Hydrogen has signed a Heads of Terms off-take agreement for low-carbon hydrogen with glass manufacturer Pilkington UK of St Helens.

Pilkington, part of the NSG Group, has led the flat glass sector in its transition to low-carbon fuels, completing two world-first trials of hydrogen firing in a glass furnace. The agreement will see Vertex supply hydrogen to Pilkington UK while the manufacturer continues to develop low-carbon glassmaking processes.

Vertex Hydrogen was formed last year as a joint venture between Wirral-based oil refiner Essar and Progressive Energy, with plans to build the UK’s largest hydrogen hub at the Stanlow production complex on the banks of the River Mersey at a £1bn investment.

Joe Seifert, CEO of Vertex Hydrogen, said: “Pilkington has long been admired as an innovator in the glass industry and in 2021 conducted a world-first trial of flat glass made from hydrogen at its famous St. Helens facility. The Offtake Agreement is another iconic name in the Northwest manufacturing region that is transitioning to Vertex’s low-carbon hydrogen.”

Neil Syder, Managing Director of Pilkington UK, said: “We are fully committed to the NSG Group’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Decarbonising the glassmaking process is a significant challenge, so it is critical that we work with academics and industry groups, especially here in the North West.”

Carl Roberts

Salford-based data intelligence firm Naimuri has doubled its headcount and seen a significant increase in revenue since it was acquired by global defense firm QinetiQ in 2020.

The company forecasts growth of more than 25% in 2023 after a similar increase in 2022 as it expands its customer portfolio, supports more projects in national security and law enforcement, and wins new contracts in the defense sector.

Founded in 2015, Naimuri has grown its workforce from 70 to more than 140, including a significant increase in gender diversity. The company continues to attract new talent to fill its growing work pipeline and fulfill its mission of “Making Britain a Safer Place”.

Managing Director Carl Roberts said: “It has been an exciting time since our acquisition by QinetiQ and despite the events of the last few years and the current economic challenges, we have continued to grow, win new customers and expand our work with existing customers.

“This growth has been fueled by the growing number of software developers, cloud engineers, business analysts, delivery managers and data scientists at the heart of operational impact. As part of our growth, we have seen a positive increase in the diversity of our workforce, which is extremely important to us as we continue to make Naimuri an inclusive workplace. We look forward to what can be achieved in 2023.”

The Bring Digital team

Performance marketing agency Bring Digital has launched a new global localization service to support the international growth of its partner e-commerce brands.

The Manchester agency has developed the in-house capabilities and infrastructure to offer e-commerce brands full translation services, including subtitling and voice-over in more than 200 languages to support advertising and content marketing expansion in global territories. The new strategic offering supports the agency’s existing global delivery reach for brands such as Formula One, Cotton Traders and Beauty Bay.

Justin Young, CEO of Bring Digital, said: “Having seen the continued trend of growing e-commerce demand in international territories, we have worked hard to build the infrastructure to offer professionally accredited translation services by native speakers in so many languages .”

“We’re excited to launch this service in 2023, and we look forward to helping our brand partners expand their reach to truly global audiences.”

This service expansion follows a record year for the Manchester-based agency. In 2022, Bring Digital added 10 new digital specialists to the team as the agency generated revenue of over £4.5m.

Alex Baker

Lancaster-based EV charging management platform, Fuuse, continues its accelerated growth with expansion into Ireland. The EV charging platform and fleet transition partner has hired Alex Baker, a veteran fleet innovator, to deliver ambitious expansion plans across the country.

Initial projects in the region include powering Siemens chargers installed at Dublin City University’s innovation campus and working with installer eCharge to bring electric vehicle charging to the county’s luxury five-star Castlemartyr Resort hotel provide cork.

Fuuse provides a comprehensive platform to configure and manage EV charging operations of entire fleets and to manage multi-hardware networks of chargers from one easy-to-use system. Fuuse works with both the public and private sectors, allowing for flexible access controls – meaning chargers can remain private for authorized drivers or be made available to the public to generate revenue. In addition, operators have extensive configuration options to set different rules for driver groups, including opening hours and managing multiple tariffs.

Alex Baker has over 20 years of fleet and technology experience and is adept at supporting companies on EV strategy, e-mobility and V2G projects. He said: “With a target of nearly one million electric vehicles on Ireland’s roads by 2030, and following several new initiatives to encourage EV uptake across the country, the need for a robust and scalable charging infrastructure is now paramount to Ireland’s success in climate action. “

Owen Murray, Siemens eMobility Lead in Ireland, highlights the acceleration needed in Ireland to drive the transition to the electric fleet and how the relationship between Fuuse and Siemens will further support this: “To achieve EV deployment targets we need to ensure electric vehicles Vehicle infrastructure across Ireland is accessible to everyone. Working with our preferred software provider Fuuse, we are installing charging stations that can optimize energy use and provide additional revenue opportunities that are perfect for use in commercial spaces – offices, hospitals, college campuses and more.”

Emma Browning

HR consultancy Meraki HR Solutions North has expanded and opened a Northern Division based in the Kendal Business Hub at South Lakeland House.

Founder and Managing Director Emma Browning, who founded the company in Oxfordshire in 2014, has already hired Melissa Oliver as HR Administrator in the Kendal office and hopes to add more staff as the Northern Division expands.

She said: “My biggest concern about moving to the Lake District was that I’m from the south and whether I would be accepted, but everyone I’ve met in the local business community has been incredibly supportive and welcoming and I’m really looking forward to it to the future.”

She added: “Meraki is a word often used by modern Greeks to describe doing something with soul, creativity or absolute passion – when you bring something of yourself to what you do. Meraki is who we are and what we believe in.”

Prior to founding Meraki, Emma was HR Manager for Porsche Cars Great Britain, where she completed her Masters in Management of Innovation and Change, and HR Director for Harley-Davidson Europe, Middle East and Africa, where she earned a qualified MBTI and became a Gallup strengths coach. She is a member of the business networking group Kendal BNI.

Paula Robinson

Sovini Group is working to eradicate poverty payments and improve labor practices across the Liverpool City area.

The Fair Employment Charter, a campaign launched by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, requires employers to pledge to protect workers affected by the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

Bootle-based Sovini Group joins an elite group of 50 organizations from across the region that have been awarded Aspiring status under the Mayor’s Fair Employment Charter, which encourages companies to pay their employees a real living wage and against the use of Working towards zero hours Contracting, providing mental health support, promoting flexible working and working with unions.

Paula Robinson, Sovini Group’s Interim Chief People and Communications Officer, said: “At The Sovini Group we know that our people are our greatest asset and we are committed to ensuring that our people are paid fairly for a fair day’s work.

“We are proud to be one of the first organizations to sign the Fair Employment Charter which is such an important initiative for the Liverpool City area and would encourage other companies to join us to ensure that the area one of the fairest places to work is in the UK.”