Blackadders’ Employment Team has been nominated for the “Innovation in Practice Award” at the Scottish Legal Awards 2018.
The team has received recognition for their series of podcasts – Employment Lawyer In Your Pocket – which are available for free on both the website and on iTunes.
Simon Allison who heads up the Employment Team was also nominated for the “Lawyer of the Year Award”, unbeknown to him he was put forward for the award by fellow team member, Associate Solicitor, Jack Boyle. When asked why Jack nominated Simon he said; “That’s easy. Simon deserves this award because he has unparalleled success DESPITE having a stroke early last year. As Simon himself says, “When the going gets tough and I wonder why I am doing this, I remind myself, it’s because I can.”. Simon commented that it was “a lovely surprise to be nominated for the Lawyer of the Year Award and that he is truly honoured although he is also going to keep a closer eye on Jack in future”.
When asked about the team nomination Simon commented, “We are absolutely delighted to be nominated for this accolade. It is recognition of both the quality content and the hard work which the team has put into their podcasting journey. Both Blackadders and the Employment Team are flattered to be named as one of the finalists.”
The team commenced their podcasts in December 2016. Series one was entitled “Eight steps to conduct a fair dismissal”. Series two was entitled their “How To” series of podcasts where the team cover such topics as “How To Be A Good Witness”, “How To Deal With Stubble and Tattoos”, “How To Manage Your Apprentices” and “How To Appoint A Data Protection Officer”.
Simon commented, “Each podcast lasts for approximately 10 minutes. The rationale was that a ten minute podcast was longer than the length of time for Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody and less than Meatloaf’s I Would Do Anything For Love (album version). Believe it or not, there is no actual script. And editing has been minimal to ensure that the natural flow of our friendships was not missed.”
The purpose of the podcasts was not to be the best podcasters in the world. Instead it was to raise the profile of the firm and to generate new business and new clients. We have been really successful in all of these criteria both locally and throughout the UK.
“We were advised that if we managed to get 150 listeners for each season, that would be a great result. By the end of season one, we had over 800 listeners. Season two ended in December and at the last count, there were over 3600 subscribed listeners.”
If you want to ask the team a question which may be featured in season three of their next series, you should tweet them using the #ELiYP hashtag.
Simon has promised the team that he will take them to watch a Real Madrid match if they win the award.
Let’s hope that, for Simon’s sake, the team will be dining on mince and tatties this summer as opposed to tortillas.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has been named Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s prestigious Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) competition.
The SMWS has concluded a wonderful year of recognition for its single cask, single malts by winning the title of Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s Independent Bottlers’ Challenge competition. The Society also won the awards for Independent Bottler of the Year for Campbeltown, Speyside and Grain whiskies.
The IBC award demonstrates the extremely important role that independent bottlers play within the whisky industry, offering consumers expressions from distilleries where ‘house’ bottlings are rare or non-existent, as well as single cask and limited-edition releases at unusual ages and a range of strengths.
The Independent Bottler of the Year award concludes an extremely successful year for the Society, with a suite of prizes in a range of international competitions, including The Luxury Masters awards, the IWSC, International Spirits Challenge, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the Ultimate Spirits Challenge, and the Scotch Whisky Masters.
“This year has been one of the busiest and most successful in The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s history, and winning the overall title of Independent Bottler of the Year is fantastic recognition of the outstanding quality of the whisky we offer our members,” said Kai Ivalo, spirits director at the SMWS.
“We go to great lengths to source for our members the very best casks from a wide range of distilleries and offer a huge variety of bottlings in our monthly Outturns.
“Winning the overall title, as well as gaining recognition for the best bottlings in the individual Campbeltown, Speyside and Grain categories, is a great endorsement for what we do and demonstrates the consistent excellence of our single cask, single malts.”
To access the Society’s award-winning whiskies, join up now by visiting www.smws.com/whisky-club-membership
Here are all the bottles that helped the Society win the overall title of Independent Bottler of the Year 2017.
SPEYSIDE
Winner, Independent Bottler of the Year
12 Years & Under: Silver medal winner
36.128 Moroccan afternoon tea
13-20 Years Old: Gold medal winner
35.174 The river of joy
Egg custard with a touch of gravelly minerality. Sharper orchard fruit notes build, along with a pinch of candied lemon.
Silver medal winners: 9.110 Sense of sophistication, 9.116 Boozy fruit trifle
21 Years & Over: Gold medal winners
9.107 Intriguing adventures
Meaty notes mingle with freshly cut grass and tarragon cream.
35.177 Caramelised fruit and nut medley
Perfumed and pokey. Sultanas and sugared raisins with baked apples.
Silver medal winner: 39.135 Magical and heavenly
ISLAY
12 Years & Under: Silver medal winner
10.118 Enthralling pink and peat intensity
LOWLAND
13 to 20 Years Old: Silver medal winner
5.58 Contrapuntal harmony
21 Years & Over: Bronze medal winner
50.92 Sipping sherry in the potting shed
NON-SCOTCH
12 Years & Under: Silver medal winners
134.1 Exotic rainforest fruits, 133.1 Speakeasy sneaky peeky
CAMPBELTOWN
Winner, Independent Bottler of the Year
12 Years & Under: Gold medal winner
93.72 BBQ outside a sweetie factory
Big wonderful sweet nose then BBQ coals with honey-coated chicken just caramelising. Salt and chilli chips with prawns.
Silver medal winner
93.76 Beurre blanc and blue steak
13-20 Years Old: Silver medal winner
93.73 Seaside chillies with syrup
21 Years & Over: Gold medal winner
93.78 Like a vintage dessert wine
Seriously gentle and delicately oily, almost sticky like sauternes wine. Rich fruits, melon and mango. A little oak grip.
GRAIN
Winner, Independent Bottler of the Year
12 Years & Under: Gold medal winner
G15.1 Lead us to temptation
Perfectly pleasant, grassy vanilla notes dominate, with cracked black pepper.
13-20 Years Old: Silver medal winner
G9.3 Fruit, spice and all things nice
21 Years & Over: Silver medal winner
G1.15 Could pacify a mob
BT Group has become the first-ever employer in Scotland to be awarded the highest possible marks in a review of its Modern Apprenticeship scheme by HM Inspectors.
The company received ‘Excellent’ gradings in all five areas* assessed during the review, which was undertaken by HM Inspectors from Education Scotland.
Previously, the highest rating ever achieved in Scotland was four Excellent grades and one Very Good.
The review process covers Modern Apprenticeships in IT and Communications offered by colleges, training providers and employers. Core areas of evaluation are rated on a six-point scale from unsatisfactory to excellent, the latter awarded for “outstanding and sector leading” results.
The rigorous assessment process included in-depth interviews with senior managers, trainers and Modern Apprentices across the company.
BT Group currently employs more than 320 apprentices in Scotland, with 185 working in Openreach and the rest in the other lines of business, including 44 in BT Business and Public Sector and 29 in EE.
BT Scotland director Brendan Dick said: “We’ve employed apprentices for more than 100 years and it’s the first time in our history we’ve achieved all excellent ratings for our scheme anywhere in the UK. We’re honoured and thrilled by this fantastic result.
“Modern Apprentices are the lifeblood of our business and we work hard to make sure they get the best possible grounding whether they’re headed for a career in engineering, customer service, mechanics or cyber security.
“Modern Apprenticeships are a great choice for individuals who want to learn as they earn, but they also bring skills into the workforce that benefit the wider Scottish economy.
“We work very closely with Skills Development Scotland on our Modern Apprenticeship programme, and we could not have done this without the fantastic support they provide.”
He added: “The review has highlighted as an area for development the need to increase our number of female Modern Apprentices. We’ll be looking at what more can be done to encourage women into careers in IT and communications, which ties in with our long-term commitment to help build a culture of tech literacy in the UK.”
The inspectors examined learning, teaching and other activities at BT and Openreach that impact on the quality of the apprentice experience. These were evaluated against three areas: Outcomes and Impact, Service Delivery and Leadership and Quality Culture.
They found that achievement rates among BT Modern Apprentices were significantly higher than the ICT sector and the national average. The report highlighted the company’s collaborative approach with political and technical organisations, and the development of links with Scottish universities to deliver degree-level programmes in the near future.
The report concluded: “There is a culture of improvement within BT at all levels which supports apprentices to achieve their programmes, develop important technical and essential skills and take opportunities to develop themselves within the company.
“BT is meeting well its strategic ambitions of ensuring every apprentice receives high-quality training experiences and developing a pool of talent to meet business needs and provide future managers.”
– ‘No. 1 Golf Resort in Britain & Ireland’, Golf World –
– ‘Best Golf Resort in the World’, Daily Telegraph/Ultratravel Awards –
– ‘Best Hotel/Resort in Scotland’, Today’s Golfer –
– ‘Best Golf Experience’, ‘Best Pro Shop’, ‘Best Large Hotel’, Scottish Golf Tourism Awards –
Gleneagles, the iconic Scottish hotel and global luxury destination, is the newly-crowned ‘No.1 Golf Resort in Britain & Ireland’, an important accolade that brings the curtain down on a stellar 2017 that has seen the 850-acre Perthshire estate win a host of golf industry awards.
In a year that has seen the continuation of a multi-million-pound refurbishment across the hotel and estate to enhance the guest experience and celebrate Gleneagles’ rich heritage and naturally beautiful location, this latest accolade from leading UK magazine, Golf World, underlines the ongoing progress made under new owners, Ennismore.
Gary Silcock, Director of Golf, commented: “2017 has seen Gleneagles invest significantly across the whole business as it continues to reaffirm its place in luxury hospitality. In golf, this has included major renovation projects on all three championship golf courses – specifically bringing both the King’s (the No.1 inland course in Scotland*) and Queen’s courses back to the original vision of designer, James Braid.”
Investment in golf operations continues early in the New Year, when work begins on a complete internal renovation of The Dormy Clubhouse and an exciting, new customer experience in the Gleneagles Pro Shop.
“The Dormy Clubhouse is already a firm favourite with our golfing guests who play 75,000 rounds each year at Gleneagles. We opened the new Auchterarder 70 Bar, within The Dormy, to critical acclaim last year and we look forward to bringing a new, very special atmosphere to the wider Clubhouse when work concludes in spring 2018,” added Gary.
In addition to its ‘No.1 Golf Resort in Britain & Ireland’ status, Gleneagles’ roll call of 2017 accolades includes being voted ‘Best Golf Resort in the World’ for sixth consecutive year at the Daily Telegraph/Ultratravel Awards; becoming ‘Best Hotel/Resort in Scotland’ for a fourth consecutive year, thanks to readers of Today’s Golfer Magazine; and winning a trio of gongs at the Scottish Golf Tourism Awards – ‘Best Golf Experience’, ‘Best Pro Shop’ and ‘Best Large Hotel’.
Gary Silcock, Director of Golf, concluded: “Whilst the team at Gleneagles is incredibly grateful to receive such important recognition from industry experts and the general public, we remain focused on continuing to deliver a truly world-class experience for every guest and member.
“Looking back, the staging of the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles marked just the beginning of the journey we are currently on and we have many more exciting plans to share with our customers from around the world over the coming months and beyond.”
In 2018, all three 18-hole golf courses at Gleneagles will stage major events. The PGA Centenary Course will host the inaugural European Golf Team Championships; the King’s Course will welcome the 100th playing of the Scottish Stroke Play Championship, and the Queen’s Course will see the second PING Scottish Mixed Championship.
These events will then make way for the 2019 Solheim Cup, as Gleneagles becomes the only venue in Europe to have hosted both The Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup.
For further information about Gleneagles, visit: www.gleneagles.com
activpayroll, the global payroll and tax compliance specialist headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland was delighted to see its Singapore office win its first award.
On Thursday 9th November, activpayroll’s Singapore team were announced the winner of the ‘Partner of the Year 2017 – Top outsourcing Partner’ at the Justlogin Partner Awards 2017.
Justlogin, Singapore’s premier provider of HR solutions on the Cloud, awarded activpayroll Pte Limited the prestigious accolade in recognition of the Singapore office’s hard work, excellent working relationship and support in driving improvements to their systems.
activpayroll’s Singapore operation started in 2013 with a small office, but due to growing customer demand, this has resulted in the firm moving twice to bigger premises. The current office is at United Square, a 30-storey office tower, host to a number of embassies and blue chip companies. Along with the ever-increasing customer base, activpayroll’s employee headcount has increased and the company is continuing to recruit for additional Singapore posts.
Steven Naarden, Regional Director – APAC of activpayroll, picked up the award and commented: “It is a great honour to accept the Justlogin award for Top Outsourcing Partner 2017 on behalf of the activpayroll team.
Our partnership with Justlogin has been crucial to our success in Singapore and Hong Kong in the last 4 years. We have seen Justlogin make the effort to understand activpayroll and this has really helped us grow and prosper.
From all of us at activpayroll, I can say that we have found that being part of the Justlogin family has proven to be not only beneficial, but also enrichening and enjoyable.”
Leading law firm Thorntons was crowned Best Large Employer for a second year running last night at Scotland’s Best Employer Awards 2017.
The firm, which employs more than 420 employees across its 10 offices, collected the accolade at the Awards Ceremony in Glasgow on Thursday 12 October. Thorntons was also shortlisted for the Youth Investment Award which recognises businesses that demonstrate a commitment to recruiting, engaging and developing young people.
Colin Graham, Chairman at Thorntons, said: “We are delighted to be awarded this title and recognised at the ceremony for a second consecutive year.
“Investing in training and development of our people is crucial to the future of our business, as well as the legal profession as a whole, and we are proud of the services we offer to our growing teams.
“Developing our own highly-skilled people is very much part of our growth strategy and will improve our overall client experience. Training new recruits also helps upskill our existing team because none of us ever stop learning, regardless of our level.”
The Business Insider Best Employer Awards aim to recognise and reward companies who put employees at the heart of their business, promoting development and health and wellbeing to strive in their industry.
Thorntons was awarded two titles at last year’s ceremony – Large Scottish Employer of the Year and Best Scottish Employer of the Year at Scotland’s Best Employer Awards 2016.
A new graduate from Edinburgh has been recognised by Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh for her excellent performance during her psychology degree.
Marta Isibor, who is 32 years old and is originally from Poland, graduated from QMU with a BSc (Hons) Psychology. Her incredible efforts throughout her degree journey were recognised by the British Psychological Society when she was presented with the Society’s Undergraduate Award 2017 for achieving the highest overall scores on her degree programme.
This special commendation is awarded once a year to QMU’s top performing final year psychology student.
Marta, who has lived in Scotland for ten years, has juggled significant family responsibilities whilst studying for her degree. She is a busy mother of two beautiful young boys.
In addition to the British Psychological Society award, Marta also gained first prize in the Edinburgh University Neurological Society National Conference essay competition for her work on the contribution of psychology to present understanding of schizophrenia. The article has since been published in the Cambridge Medicine Journal.
She has also won first prize poster presentation award at the Queen Margaret University first Undergraduate Psychology and Sociology Conference. The poster illustrated her dissertation research study.
Discussing her work, she said: “I used my dissertation to study skin picking disorder which is a condition affecting 1.5% – 5.4% of the population. Compulsive skin picking (CSP) is characterised by the repetitive picking of the skin which ultimately causes damage and distress.
“CSP is classified under obsessive-compulsive and related disorders and is often repetitive, ritualistic and tension reducing. I was really interested in studying this area as the condition is so under researched and the people who are affected are really struggling.”
Marta continued: “I recently presented my research at a conference at King’s College London which was well received. I’m really enthusiastic about further developing this research at master’s level.”
The abstract of the work has been published in the Frontiers of Psychiatry journal, landing Marta her second academic publication as an undergraduate.
Marta is currently working in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital as an honorary assistant psychologist but is keen to return to QMU to do a Masters in Research.
Discussing QMU, she said: “I really enjoyed my time at QMU as the university is small and friendly. It’s easy to get to know your lecturers and I felt I got more individual guidance from academic staff that I may have got at a larger institution. It also has a very helpful learning support service which I found very useful in my first year of study.”
Stephen Darling, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, was Marta’s personal academic tutor. He said: “Marta’s success deserves celebration – she has overcome many obstacles to emerge with a highly impressive final degree. I am delighted that she intends to stay within the area of psychology, and in a world where we have so many crucial issues with regard to mental health, I believe she, alongside our other graduates, will go on to make a real difference.”
Marta was joined by her husband, mother, sister, and two sons at the graduation ceremony in July which took place at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.
The ScotRail Alliances’s fourth intake of Modern Apprentices has celebrated securing permanent employment on the railway and completion of the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
The 18-month-long Customer Service Modern Apprentice scheme saw six apprentices, aged 18-22, work towards achieving a Level 2 Scottish Vocational Qualification in Customer Service as well as a Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
During the programme, they were trained, paid and given placements in key frontline customer service roles including – station booking office, gateline, ticket examiner and on-train hospitality host.
Additionally, three apprentices gained a modern apprenticeship in Level 3 engineering maintenance.
The engineering apprenticeship is a four-year programme where the first year is spent at full time college and thereafter day release for the remaining three years.
All eight of the apprentices have secured full-time positions within the ScotRail Alliance.
Jordan Bingham, ticket examiner, said: “The Modern Apprentice program is probably one of the best things I have done.
“During my time as an apprentice I learned new skills and gained confidence with working with new people and the public.
“I was thrilled to secure full-time employment on completing my apprenticeship. It just proves the worthwhile the programme is.
“I would recommend it to anyone that’s looking to challenge themselves and improve in what they do.”
Laura Friel, ticket examiner, said: “Completing my Customer Service Modern Apprenticeship with ScotRail was so rewarding. I’m glad I done it.
“Having the opportunity to move around the business and learn different aspects of the railway that I wouldn’t have got a chance to experience out-with the apprenticeship was the highlight.
“I was really happy to achieve a full-time job with the railway as a ticket examiner. I can use my experience from the apprenticeship in my new role to further my career in the railway.”
Alex Hynes, ScotRail Alliance managing director, said: “We are extremely proud of our apprentices.
“These young people have worked hard to complete their apprenticeship and now take the next step in their careers.
“The value of taking on an enthusiastic apprentice cannot be understated and the programme is incredibly important to businesses, individuals and the economy.
“Today’s Modern Apprentices are the skilled and qualified workers of tomorrow and they’ll help us build the best railway Scotland has ever had.”
The Chief Executive of Cornerstone, one of Scotland’s largest social care organisations, has been honoured with a prestigious award from global accountancy giant EY.
Edel Harris was named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year overall Scotland winner – the first woman to claim the title – as well as taking home the Building a Better Working World award.
In the nine years Edel has been at Cornerstone she and her team have delivered business growth of £10million, diversified into new care markets and delivered an ambitious capital plan to create new homes for people with disabilities and autism. Cornerstone’s most recent transformational strategic plan, designed to embrace the challenges and opportunities presented by the ageing population, was recognised as having the potential to transform the social care sector in Scotland.
Edel said: “I am overwhelmed to have won such a prestigious award and I am delighted that the hard work of everyone at Cornerstone has been recognised on such a grand stage. Awards like this should never be about one individual because without such a fantastic team of colleagues none of this would be possible.
“Like all social care providers in Scotland Cornerstone is going through a period of change brought about by the growing challenges in our sector, however I am hugely excited about our organisation’s future and proud that we are pioneering a new and innovative way of working for the benefit of the people we support.”
There was tough competition for Edel who was up against eighteen other successful and accomplished entrepreneurs based in Scotland. As overall winner she goes forward to the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017 UK final to be hosted in London in October.
Annie Graham, EY Partner and leader of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year programme in Scotland, said: “Edel Harris is an entrepreneur with wow factor. Her passion, drive and strategic mind-set have made a significant impact to the lives of the people who work and are supported by Cornerstone across Scotland. As a leader she is a shining example of Scotland’s vibrant entrepreneurial community.”
Founded in 1980 in Aberdeen, Cornerstone has grown to support more than 2,200 adults, young people and children across 18 local authority areas in Scotland including people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, autism, Dementia, and mental health problems.
More information on Cornerstone can be found by visiting www.cornerstone.org.uk or on social media at www.facebook.com/cornerstonecharity and www.twitter.com/cornerstonescot
RZSS Edinburgh Zoo has been awarded a gold Green Tourism award just in time for World Environment Day on 5 June.
With the Zoo being part of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland – one of Scotland’s leading conservation charities – every effort has been made to help the environment in a number of different ways. From hosting green events and engaging in conservation projects, through to environmental credentials such as ISO 14001 and creating a dedicated Green Team amongst staff, the Zoo is committed to reducing its impact on the environment.
Our catering partners Compass have also ensured that we use Vegware cups and cutlery. These items are fully compostable and are in fact made from materials derived wholly from plants.
The inspection covered all aspects of sustainability, from energy and water efficiency and waste management to biodiversity, social and ethical choices.
Bruce Ritchie, Head of Business Operations and Visitor Experience at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, said:
“We are so pleased to have been given a gold award from Green Tourism. To get the news that we have been awarded the gold standard in time for World Environment Day is very special.
“As the Zoo is so large, with so many different facets which can have an environmental impact, it is essential that we have a strong focus on sustainability and our impact on the environment. With everything under scrutiny, from preventing pollution to educating the public about the environment, reducing our carbon footprint to becoming more energy-efficient, Zoo staff and visitors are hard at work turning objectives into reality and it is great to see that rewarded.”
Thanks to the widespread use of recycled materials and a focus on sustainability, the Zoo has managed to divert an incredible 5.2 tonnes of waste away from landfill in the past year. We hope to continue this trend and, through close cooperation with our employees, suppliers, sub-contractors and customers, we aim to be a role model for sustainable businesses across Scotland.
To find out more about RZSS Edinburgh Zoo’s sustainability programme, please visit the RZSS Edinburgh Zoo website – http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/sustainability/
