Tees Business Tees Business Issue 14 | Page 3

HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS ISSUE OF TEES BUSINESS: WELCOME FOREWORD from Laura Woods I Welcome to the Summer 2018 issue of Tees Business – the Tees region’s quarterly business magazine. t gives me great pleasure to provide the guest foreword for the 14th issue of a publication that’s always a “must read” for the region’s business population. I’m particularly delighted to see Tees Business leading the way for our area’s women, with the launch of the very first Tees Businesswomen Awards, set to take place at Wynyard Hall on November 8 this year. In too many cases, women are the silent stars of the Tees Valley economy. We have some brilliant female talent and know- how behind business successes of every complexion – exactly the talent and know-how that will help us to seize the great growth opportunities we now face. This is recognised by some stand-out female leaders in the area, who work hard to promote and celebrate the achievements and potential of the region’s women. What we need is a concerted, Tees Valley- wide effort to help women find their voice and get it heard. If we can bring that collective contribution to the fore, I believe we’ll make a massive impact on the opportunities the Tees Valley is creating right now. Teesside University has a central role to play here. Raising educational attainment and skills levels can only happen if we raise aspirations, confidence and ambitions – and our own students and prospective students are where we start. We’re ideally placed to make sure that the girls and women who come on campus to study our programmes are aware of the opportunities that are there for them, and have the self-awareness and self-belief they need to grasp those opportunities and make a real difference, to their own future and the future of the Tees Valley. That’s why the Tees Businesswomen Awards have struck such a chord with Teesside University. Professor Jane Turner OBE, our pro vice- chancellor for enterprise and business engagement, and a passionate advocate for women in business, will be the keynote speaker at the awards. We’re also delighted to be sponsoring an award category - the very first Tees Businesswoman of the Year. One last thing. This is an event about women, for both women and men. We want everyone to come together, for one night in the year, to celebrate success in celebrating some of the brilliant women we have in the Tees Valley. We’re looking forward to being a part of the awards night, and we applaud Tees Business for taking the initiative to launch this statement event. Laura Woods Director of The Forge (Teesside University’s business hub) TALKING UP YOUR BUSINESS W ant to reach potential customers throughout the Tees region? We’d love to help. Tees Business is delivered FREE to the Tees region’s business communities of Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar & Cleveland, Hartlepool, Stokesley, Wynyard and now Darlington too. Out every quarter, our high-quality magazine is dedicated to shouting out for the businesses of our region – and we’ve now increased our circulation to 6,000. See our website teesbusiness.co.uk for our Media Pack with full details of our packages, starting from just £245 + vat. We also offer flash banner advertising on the Tees region’s only weekly enews from just £195 + vat. Our trained journalists can write your editorials, while our professional designers can help to create eye-catching adverts. Even photography is included at no extra charge. If you’d like to hear more, call us on 01642 450255 or email [email protected] Tees Business | www.teesbusiness.co.uk Boho Four Gibson House, Cleveland Street, Middlesbrough, TS2 1AY Tel: 01642 450255 | Email: [email protected] Published & distributed by: Resolution Media & Publishing Ltd www.resolutionpublishing.co.uk Co-editors: Martin Walker and Dave Allan Designed by: KINSHIP, [email protected] Contributors to this issue: Dave Allan, Martin Walker, Laura Woods, Michael McGeary, Harry Pearson, Adam Steel, Sharon Lane, Bill Scott, Jacky Stevely, Lou Murray. Photography credits: Martin Walker (including cover), Doug Moody, Tom Banks, Michelle Maddison /TeesBusiness @Tees_Business PRIVACY POLICY We have made some updates to our Privacy Policy to make it easier for you to understand what information we collect, why we collect it, and how we u se it. You can view our policy online at teesbusiness. co.uk/privacy. If you do not want to receive hard copies of Tees Business, or our weekly e-news, please email [email protected]. 15 FEMALE VOICE Teesside University pro-vice chancellor Jane Turner is confirmed as keynote speaker for first Tees Businesswomen Awards. 20 TOP OF THE TASTES The Tees region’s best restaurants – by its business leaders. 25 LEX TALK BUSINESS How Sound Training has the solution for employers. 42 TECH A LOOK AT THIS City-scale digital ambition highlighted in Tech Nation report. 47 DOUBLE BUBBLE Utility broker celebrates two major deals as it strengthens its foothold in the Tees region. 56 DOMINO EFFECT How law firm Endeavour has helped Tees businessman rack up a £30m-a- year franchise group