The firm decided to relocate the Secondary Investment Division for a broader market access

Samuel Freshfields, a next generation investment company that aims to give its clients access to a broad range of financial instruments, promoting the highest standards of integrity, responsibility, and competence to produce a highly personalized counseling process, is pleased to announce that the recently created Secondary Investment Division will be relocated inside mainland China. The move is designed to simplify bureaucracy and enhance access potential to Asia’s biggest market opportunities.

Samuel Freshfields has recently restructured its team of private equity secondary investment experts into a fully developed department and has even appointed one of the Members of the Board, Mr. Charles Chan, to spearhead the Secondary Investment Division. The department is already operational and the firm has adopted the idea of enlarging its physical infrastructure in Asia by appointing a new office location in which the new division can reside and function from.

“Currently, as we have already engaged in 3 separate new projects within China’s huge market, we are located in the company’s Head Quarters. Due to our hand-on approach and round-the-clock analysis of industry data, we have considered that a physical expansion of office infrastructure into mainland China will address some of our most important needs when conducting our activity,” stated Mr. Chan, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of the Secondary Investment Division.

Samuel Freshfields considers Shanghai as the most suitable location, due to the city’s status of one of the world’s financial hubs and the internationally inclined policies that govern its markets.

Mr. Gordon Suen, Executive Vice President and Portfolio Manager for Real Return Strategies, says: “We will most likely decide that we want Shanghai to host one of our offices, however, as we all have come to realize, particularly within the last decade, China is developing at an incredible rate and we want to make sure we consider all probable scenarios regarding future developments that we might be able to capitalize on, for our international database of clients, before we officially decide.”

The new office location will be announced officially by the firm within the next short space of time.

About Samuel Freshfields Samuel Freshfields is a next generation investment company that aims to give its clients access to a broad range of financial instruments and markets as well as professional advice to maximize returns. Samuel Freshfields’ investment advisory and brokerage services are multidisciplinary, allowing the company to devise custom strategies and deliver exceptional results for our clients. The company’s major goal has been to work hand-in-hand with clients to meet their investment needs. While many financial firms push one-size-fits-all products, Samuel Freshfields strives to coordinate the fundamental disciplines of the company’s dividend-growth philosophy with the unique needs of our clients regarding the growth, use and preservation of their wealth.

The latest diversity report from FinTech recruitment company Storm2, has found that female representation in Nordic FinTech engineering teams stands at 11%, below the global average of 17%. 

With a focus on FinTech companies in the Nordics, Storm2 examined the current state of gender diversity in engineering. The report highlights that there is still work to be done and aims to “educate, spark discussion, and inspire change.”

Angela Ward, VP of Europe at Storm2, said: “The Nordics are world leaders when it comes to gender parity in many areas of society, but this has not filtered through to the FinTech sector. We hope that by sharing our research on why this is still a problem, in even the most progressive of regions, and offering actionable advice on how to turn the dial on the problem, we can create a more diverse, inclusive and more profitable FinTech ecosystem.”

Storm2 is a specialist FinTech recruitment firm that focuses solely on finding candidates with the skills needed to build and scale a successful FinTech company. 

The safe, secure and simple key storage company has appointed a new CEO after fresh round of investor funding 

Redkey.app – the 24/7 key safekeeping service – is set for international expansion after securing further funding. 
The Barcelona-based app – which allows users to anonymously store emergency keys in a secure place and request drop-off 24/7 – has received another thumbs-up from investors. 

An injection of €300,000 is now being used to diversify the brand into new cities and accelerate app performance. 

Redkey.app is described as an “innovative key safe logistics solution”, operating the first specialised technology platform of its kind. Designed for domestic and personal use (homes, vehicles, business premises), the app has already proven a huge success in Catalonia – with plans to roll out the service domestically and further abroad. 

New CEO to lead key management service through 2021 

With Redkey.app, emergency keys are stored in security cabinets under permanent surveillance. Whenever keys are needed, users simply tap the app and a driver will deliver them at any time, day or night. 
Users are assigned a unique and encrypted security code for each key (the app never asks for names) and subscriptions are completely free. 

Encrypted code technology means owners can also authorise keys to be sent to anyone they may want to access the property or vehicle – such as friends or family members. 

Astrid Camprubí has been appointed to the board of directors to lead the company into the next chapter, equipping the company with the skills it needs in business development, devising strategies and the design of scalable models. 

Camprubí stated: “Redkey.app lets you control your house/space, without the need to be physically present, so we provide you with confidence and a personal service. 

“This new capital injection will be used to develop and optimise the service, the integration and the UX and will enable us to begin our expansion into new capitals.”

Redkey.app: A visionary idea for changing times 
Redkey.app was founded in 2021 by five visionaries in Javier Durán, Joan Castells, Ernest Quingles, Eduardo Conde and Ramón Barguñó. 

Since launch, the company has made a strong commitment to in-house talent, enabling it to have control over security and foster the engagement of that talent. 

The unique and pioneering nature of this project has enticed investors specialising in Technology and Smart Cities – with more money now being dedicated to the platform for further development.

 
Learn more about Redkey.app by visiting the official website. 

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UK food and drink industry experts Wriggle are proud to announce their new venture, the Wriggle hamper collection. Wriggle’s unique gift box selection combines show-stopping craft products with on-trend design to create a hamper offering for a whole new generation of gift givers.

Alongside their expertly-curated selection of food and drink hampers designed for birthdays, anniversaries, housewarmings and Christmas, Wriggle has launched a bespoke corporate gifting service, inspired by a growing awareness to improve wellbeing in the workplace. Companies can browse through a number of gift box options to send to employees and clients, each made with different budgets, dietary requirements and occasions in mind, and can be customised with personalised messages and inserts when required.

 
“Over the last 18 months, we’ve found gifting an invaluable way to thank our employees and reward them for their hard work during difficult and turbulent times. Corporate gifts have proven to be a vital way of easing stress, promoting positivity , and strengthening teams, especially when the majority of workforces are working remotely.”

Wriggle have designed their corporate gifting service to make it as hands-on as possible for inquiring companies. With an easy to browse selection of hampers and a rapid nationwide delivery service, there couldn’t be an easier way to reward employees. They’ve also ensured that their packaging, from their gift boxes to their bespoke labels, is made from 100% recyclable materials, so you can rest assured that these gifts are as good for the planet as they are for your team. 

If the ease of ordering and conscious packaging doesn’t seal the deal, then the handpicked specialty products included in each of the hampers surely will. With a focus on choosing food and drink from craft producers that make high-quality products that you’ll be pushed to find elsewhere, their offering is unique, eye-catching and on-trend. From natural wines to award-winning UK made chocolates and biscuits, their one of a kind offering is guaranteed to leave a lasting impression.

“We love hampers, but we think there are a lot of stuffy, traditional options on the market. By bringing together incredible food and drink gifts from up-and-coming producers, we’re striving to create a whole new gifting experience. Our experience working alongside chefs and producers since 2014 has put us in the perfect position to discover showstopping products from UK producers.”

Wriggle’s everyday gifting hampers and bespoke corporate options are now live on their website. For more information and to view the full range: https://getawriggleon.com/pages/for-businesses

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IF YOU’RE EVER IN THE RAT BUSINESS…‘Come in!’’ — the Mayor cried, looking biggerAnd in did come the strangest figure!His queer long coat from heel to headWas half of yellow and half of redAnd he himself was tall and thin,With sharp blue eyes, each like a pin

These days, the one thing that large and small businesses have in common is their desire to be successful.  If “success” is not your core strategy, big or small, you’re in the wrong business (no matter the size!)

Where large companies differ somewhat to the start-up or the SME in “scale-up” is the luxuries they have; and yes, a huge budget is one of those luxuries!  They inevitably have an enterprising board too, willing to bring onboard strategically focused outsiders [Non-Executive Directors] into its heart.   These “outside” directors often provide advice based on special knowledge and more often than not, an enviable list of contacts who bring ever-expanding opportunities for development.

On the other hand, the smaller and medium sized companies tend to be more circumspect in their approach to inviting these same exceptionally talented and well-connected non-executives. There is no single reason for this but rather a plethora of potential reasons which usually involve cost, of course, but also a reluctance to make a shift from being a relatively small and tight knit group of founders or board members.

Now this is all good and well but as we know, the issue with wearing something tightly knit, though, is that it has a tendency to constrict the breathing.  The same is true in business and is especially true in the SME landscape.

By expanding the stitching, you may let in some air! Now doesn’t that feel better? This is what a non-executive director does, especially for SMEs, where sometimes the board may consist of family members and who knows, even the odd friend or two! Bringing in new members to the board will breathe a breath of fresh air into the business.

Developing a new perspective, gaining a deeper knowledge of the marketplace and crafting a more innovative way of thinking, can really open your business up to new opportunities for development and growth; these are key ingredients for greater success in anyone’s book!

SMEs can’t Ironically, and using a monetary analogy, SME’s are precisely the kind of businesses that cannot afford to miss out on what a non-executive brings to the table. And as long as he or she is welcomed and valued for their advice and contributions, your SME will grow from strength to strength. But heed this caution, though! It’s advisable to give some thought to the qualities you’re looking for in your non-executive director, before you make your approach.

Remember the lesson learned by the Town Council of Hamelin, who brought in a non-executive to help them with their infestation problem. Once he had helped their enterprise to flourish – by utilising his musical expertise in pest control – they refused to appreciate the full contribution he’d made to their town’s development and withheld his payment. The consequences were disastrous! Refusing to pay him was actually the second mistake they made.

The first?

Well, even back in the fourteenth century, the members of the Town Council should have done their candidate due diligence a little better. They were approached by the Pied Piper, not the other way round.  As a result, they knew nothing about him. Now, if there had existed back then a website that could bring to their attention a large number of prospective candidates, where their background, expertise and personal qualities were on open display, well then…But sadly, the internet was almost 700 years away. And as a consequence, such a website did not exist in the year 1376.

Perhaps if it had done, they would have called it Non-Executive Pied Pipers.com!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ian Wright is the Founder and CEO of Virtualnonexecs.com, a global platform and the UK’s largest Boardroom advisory community with 11,000+ non-executive director members.

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Boguslavsky & Co, a Digital Strategy Agency aimed at growing tech startups, is pivoting its focus on the UK market from ​this month onwards​. Founded by Marianna Boguslavsky & previously operating in UAE & South Africa, the focus is on scaling tech startups by solving the issue of access to international markets.

Marianna​, who is now based in the UK, has​ assembled a small team that is agile, intelligent, and resilient enough to accommodate growing arrays of emerging tools and approaches that can enable tech startups to grow & scale. Their background of marketing (both domestic and international) and technological innovation skills is how the agency aims to help the startup community in the UK.

‘’Large proportion of tech companies fail to achieve their full potential because they do not have the marketing skills to engage with and sell to their target market. Plus knowledge/experience of how to launch in international markets. Customer acquisition and access to markets is key for startup success” – Marianna Boguslavsky, founder of Boguslavsky & Co, commented.

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The funds are enhanced equity strategies designed to help investors outperform market indices
Samuel Freshfields, a next generation investment company that aims to give its clients access to a broad range of financial instruments, promoting the highest standards of integrity, responsibility, and competence to produce a highly personalized counseling process, is pleased to announce the launch of six equity funds which are designed to outperform market benchmarks through a fundamental index-based approach that incorporates active insights.

The six funds, which expand upon the more than decade-long collaboration between Samuel Freshfields and Research Affiliates, will cover Asian Large, Asian Small, International, Global, Global ex-Asian and Emerging Markets.

The strategies select stocks based on non-price measures of company size such as sales, cash flow, book value and dividends. By removing stock price from the portfolio construction process, the funds seek to capitalize on market inefficiencies, systematically capturing returns when prices deviate from fundamentals and therefore outperforming market cap-weighted indices over time. In addition, portfolio weights will be refined through the use of research-based active insights designed to further enhance risk-adjusted returns.

The Fundamental funds are part of Samuel Freshfields’ Enhanced Equity suite, which also includes award-winning Fundamental PLUS funds.  

“In a low return world, investors are looking for approaches that provide meaningful return on top of what the market delivers, which can make a big difference over the long term,” said Janet Sze Ho, Samuel Freshfields’ Managing Director and Equity Product Manager. 

The six new funds are as follows:

•           Samuel Freshfields Fundamental Asian Fund

•           Samuel Freshfields Fundamental Asian Small Fund

•           Samuel Freshfields Fundamental International Fund

•           Samuel Freshfields Fundamental Global Fund

•           Samuel Freshfields Fundamental Global Ex-Asian Fund

•           Samuel Freshfields Fundamental Emerging Markets Fund 

About Samuel Freshfields

Samuel Freshfields is a next generation investment company that aims to give its clients access to a broad range of financial instruments and markets as well as professional advice to maximize returns. Samuel Freshfields’ investment advisory and brokerage services are multidisciplinary, allowing the company to devise custom strategies and deliver exceptional results for our clients. The company’s major goal has been to work hand-in-hand with clients to meet their investment needs. While many financial firms push one-size-fits-all products, Samuel Freshfields strives to coordinate the fundamental disciplines of the company’s dividend-growth philosophy with the unique needs of our clients regarding the growth, use and preservation of their wealth.

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23 SEPTEMBER 2021– UK SMALL AND MICRO BUSINESS OWNERS have this week been dealt yet another devastating blow as the energy crisis takes hold, warns UKBF (formerly UK Business Forums).

Whilst media reporting on the UK’s energy crisis and its impact on consumers continues to gather pace, there is a notable gap in reporting on the impact it will have on small businesses.

UKBF founder, Richard Osborne, says: “Businesses are still suffering from the effects of COVID-19, with many more casualties still to come as the Government tapers away the support packages further. We have supply chain issues, both local and internationally, and now energy costs are skyrocketing and suppliers are going out of business. We have to ask how much more can businesses take?” 

Many small business owners, the backbone of the UK economy[1], are at tipping point. The energy crisis compounds the series of blows they have been dealt through pandemic devastation, the end of furlough, plans to increase National Insurance, and hiking costs due to issues with supply chains.

Growing concern amongst small and micro business owners is clear from discussions within UKBF, the UK’s online community of 270,000 small and micro business owners: “I did a comparison last week, checking my current tariff that I’ve had with EDF for about 10 years with the market. The best offer I had was an annual increase of around £150.”  Mike Jefferies, UKBF Community Member 

Richard Osborne, UKBF founder, continues: “The Government provides a number of protection options and caps for consumers which are important, but what protection is being given to small businesses still trying to dig themselves out of the past 18 months of struggle?”

UK small businesses have already suffered an estimated cost of over £69 billion due to COVID-19 and, during 2020, small business owners are reported to have suffered an average loss of £11,779[2]. 

[1] Cabinet Office; https://www.gov.uk/government/news/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-our-economy
[2] Simply Business; https://thecircularboard.com/small-business-statistics/

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