CONTENTS
THE TEAM
Editor & Founder Anita Jaynes anita @ tbesw . co . uk 01793 847966
Editorial Support Ben Carey & Nick Batten press @ tbesw . co . uk
Special Features Fiona Scott Fiona @ fionascott . co . uk
Design Juicy Designs www . juicy-designs . co . uk
Artwork Studio Creative Services www . studio-cs . co . uk
Printed by Acorn Press www . acornpress . co . uk
On the cover Techies Award winners meshii wifi
Advertising Sales Sian Swift Business Development Manager Sian @ tbesw . co . uk T : 07710 566 145
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© The Business Exchange South West Limited 2023 / 24 . Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that adverts and articles appear correctly , The Business Exchange South West Limited cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by the contents of this publication . The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of its publisher or editor . All rights reserved . This publication is copyrighted and no part of this publication may be used or reproduced without the written permission of The Business Exchange South West Limited .
KEY STATISTICS
Readership : 15,000 Our audience :
56 % business owner / director level 44 % partner , manager or senior executive
05 12 28
Swindon 2050 : Commission starts work on town ’ s long-term economic future
REGULARS
04 Business News 11 Creative Thinking 41 People 42 Property 48 Positive Business 53 Revved Up 54 Connect
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Video content
EDITOR ’ S NOTE
Podcast
So there we have it , another year has passed .
2023 will always be memorable for me as it was the year we celebrated 10 years of The Business Exchange . Producing our special 10th anniversary editions was a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the highlights of the last decade and an occasion to look to the future . With that in mind , we launched our new look brand in the autumn and have some exciting plans in store for 2024 – read more on page 51 .
The economy in 2023 has been turbulent and with a General Election on the cards next year the business community is eagerly looking to the future for some stability . In our Business Review of the Year on pages 12-13 we ask local business owners , “ If you were a politician for the day , what would you
Business Review of the Year
FEATURES
50
30 The Techies Awards 2023
40 The hunt is on for Swindon & Wiltshire ’ s most inspiring women
Driving Positive Change – The Business Exchange South West Charity Conference is back for 2024
change ?” They came up with some strong answers .
When the going gets tough , it ’ s always important to celebrate the wins , however small and this issue is packed with lots of positivity .
On pages 28-29 we share our annual feature Swindon & Wiltshire ’ s Top 100 Businesses ranked by turnover , in association with S & P Global Market Intelligence . It provides us with an interesting snapshot into the diversity of our business landscape and which industries are currently excelling .
In October we hosted the 6th Techies Awards for Swindon and Wiltshire . It was a fantastic evening celebrating the best in local tech and we uncovered some amazing , innovative businesses doing exciting things which continue to showcase our area as a hotbed for innovation and emerging technologies .
More news at : www . tbebathandsomerset . co . uk and www . tbeswindonandwilts . co . uk
100
Swindon & Wiltshire ’ s Top 100 Businesses Ranked by Turnover
PEOPLE
54
36 Meet Sussi Murphy , Founder of Visually Connected
47 John Davies : Is it me ?
Dates for your Diary 2024
Next year we have a packed calendar of events ( see pages 51 , 52 & 54 ) and I hope you join us to network and grow your business in 2024 .
I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who ’ s supported me and The Business Exchange in 2023 . Here ’ s to a great New Year !
Anita Jaynes E : anita @ tbesw . co . uk T : 01793 847 966
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2023 3