Annual Report 2017.

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Board at Carers UK I ¹ Source: HSBC Essence of Enterprise 2016 Report. PNE Group exists to ... again senior management
Annual Report 2017.

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Welcome to the 2017 PNE Group Annual Report. PNE Group exists to support. We support individuals to realise their professional ambitions, from entrepreneurship to employment; we support businesses to realise their ambitions for social impact, as well as to fulfil their economic potential; and we support communities to activate change that will contribute towards a better future. We believe that by giving people the tools they need to realise their potential, whether those tools are skills, expertise, networks, access to finance or simply a confidence boost, people can do extraordinary things something many of the case studies in this report demonstrate. For this reason I would like to dedicate the 2017 Annual Report to every person the PNE Group team have worked with over the past twelve months, people who continue to motivate us, inspire us and educate us with their ambition, imagination and commitment to bettering themselves, their businesses and the world around them. In 2017, we saw global challenges to business strength, however in my work with entrepreneurs from the across the world I am

given a quiet confidence – business is shaped by innovators and disruptors, who adapt and evolve in the face of challenges. I am also comforted by statistics revealing this generation of young entrepreneurs are determined to make change happen, 69% reporting they are driven by a desire to make a social contribution¹. It is the role of PNE Group, and organisations like PNE Group, to support these entrepreneurs to realise their ambitions for better, which we will continue to strive to do, in 2017 and long into the future.

Dawn Cranswick, Chief Executive

Pictured: (Clockwise from TL): Karina Sudenyte Co-founder of Wonky Drinks Credit: photographic Services, Shell International Limited, Liam Watson Founder of Canny Milk, Guy Tindale Founder of WordWatching Editorial Services, Louisa Rogers Founder of Trendlistr (also pictured cover), Chloe Hall Founder of Bumble and Bloom, Anneisha Merryweather Founder of Great Park Cafe with her daughter, Henrik Hagemann Founder of CustoMem Credit: photographic Services, Shell International Limited, Carlton Cummins Founder of Aceleron, Afrujahan Begum Founder of My Day My Deeds, Jacqui Miller-Charlton MBE ambassador for Brand Britain, Walter Cutabiala Founder of Phresh Bones, Chi Onwurah MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and David Grayson Chairman of the Board at Carers UK I ¹ Source: HSBC Essence of Enterprise 2016 Report 3

“This year we have seen the impact of our current strategy, successfully moving the company to one connected city centre location, changing the profile of our management team and recording a significant increase in efficiency. 2017 represents another year of strength for PNE Group.” Tim Smith Chairman of the Board

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PNE Group. Enterprise Expertise

Into the Future

In 2017, PNE Group was proud to experience a number of clients extending contracts for its services. These decisions demonstrate that the Group’s consultancy delivery model is strong and that the high-calibre of our specialist consulting teams are recognised amidst a very competitive marketplace.

The ambition for 2018 is to retain the momentum of 2017. PNE Group will continue investment in infrastructure, in particular, digital and workspace. The Group is also looking to grow its consultancy client base in 2018, with a specific focus on business sustainability, and is especially keen to work with other businesses that share a passion for profit with purpose.

PNE Group’s financial performance in 2017 was robust, and we remain confident about our position. From an operational perspective, we increased our efficiency in several areas, and have further developed our technology base to secure future efficiency gains, something end of year figures reveal is already making a significant impact.

The End of an Era

Along with strong financial performance, staff delivered against every objective, and yet again senior management and the Board have cause to be extremely thankful to colleagues for their efforts to achieve above and beyond expectation. 5

Finally, the Group is proud to share that in 2017 it made the final repayment on a 25 year loan from NatWest plc. Valued at £1,360,000, the loan was taken out in the formative years of PNE Group and used to provide finance to business starts in the North East of England.

PNE Enterprise.

PNE Enterprise provides business support and guidance to aspiring entrepreneurs, start -ups and established businesses. Their services include confidential advice, training courses and workshops, mentoring schemes, and access to funding support.

The Reece Foundation

area to grow in confidence.” Services provided by the programme included outreach sessions, one-to-one mentoring, access to workshops, online advisor support and evening and weekend learning.

Between April 2014 and June 2017, a programme was delivered on behalf of the Reece Foundation, supporting over one thousand aspiring entrepreneurs and start-ups to overcome diverse challenges by building their confidence, growing their knowledge and helping them to develop the skills they need to pursue entrepreneurship.

Sustainable Start-up Award In 2017, PNE Enterprise was awarded funding to deliver the Sustainable Start-up Award, a discretionary grant accessible to Tyne and Wear residents whose businesses positively demonstrate their commitment to supporting the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Grants of up to £1,000 will be available to a minimum of 50 individuals, who will also receive one-to-one mentoring. The programme will launch in February 2018.

Over the programme PNE Enterprise delivered 270 online support appointments, 68 courses and 986 one-to-one sessions. In total, 1223 young or disadvantaged individuals were trained. Programme Manager, Melissa Middleton commented, “Over the last three years, the Reece funding has enabled us to help young, disadvantaged people in the Tyne and Wear 6

“The most effective support I found is the one-to-one. It’s great because you can get your ideas out to someone who is experienced in business. In the past, I’ve suffered from mental health personally, that’s been my biggest challenge but knowing you’ve got the support of the entrepreneurial community, both in PNE and other entrepreneurs, it’s fantastic. It always gets you up and going.” David Hall Founder of Manhua Cha

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Four PNE Enterprise Success Stories Great Park Cafe

Canny Milk

Mumpreneur Anneisha Merryweather launched her business, Great Park Cafe, with the aim of bringing her local community together.

In 2017, Newcastle based business Canny Milk, which received start-up support from PNE Enterprise, was selected to supply their healthy milkshake range to Virgin Trains.

To realise her ambitions, Anneisha sought business support from PNE Enterprise, attending the 2 Day Intensive Business Course. Anneisha commented, “The 2 Day Intensive Business Course gave me the knowledge I needed before I went into business. It broke down steps into simple and manageable tasks and made the overall goal of starting my business a lot less intimidating.”

In 2015, PNE Enterprise supported entrepreneur Liam Watson to secure a Start Up Loan and provided one-to-one mentoring to help him get his business up-and-running. Fast forward two years and Canny Milk is available in over 300 stores and celebrating securing a deal to join the drinks menu of Virgin Trains.

The integration of strong social purpose into her business secured Anneisha a place as the PNE Enterprise finalist in the 2017 If We Can You Can Awards.

Liam said, “It’s great that Virgin Trains has signed-up to sell Canny Milk on-board its trains. As a start-up business, it’s amazing to have this opportunity for people using Virgin Trains to buy my product.”

Trendlistr

WordWatching

Louisa Rogers is the Founder of Trendlistr, an online platform for vintage clothing and accessories.

In June, freelance proof-reader Guy Tindale launched his business WordWatching Editorial Services. Since starting his business, he has supplied household name publishers including Faber and Faber and Penguin, as well as international clients.

To support her to achieve her business goals, Louisa attended the PNE Enterprise Start Your Own Business Course. She commented, “The resources and tools shared with us in the workshops have been so useful, especially the market validation techniques. I would recommend the workshops to anyone with the seed of an idea in mind that they might want to pursue!

Guy sought business advice from PNE Enterprise, attending their 2 Day Intensive Business Course, and received one-to-one mentoring. Guy comments, “The 2 Day Intensive Business Course provided a great deal of knowledge and motivation. It broke the tasks ahead down into manageable steps and helped me understand them in terms of my business.”

Louisa is now exploring further opportunities for her business, “I would like to be overseeing an established community of sellers through the platform. I’d also like to help more independent vintage retailers to maximise their sales.”

The company now offers clients a range of editorial services including proofreading, copy editing, transcription and translation. 8

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ERDF Start-up Support

In addition, 24 paid workshops were run via Eventbrite. In some cases, paid attendance was subsidised by available funding. A significant increase in demand resulted in plans to increase delivery in 2018.

The ERDF scheme is aimed at pre-start businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs in the North East of England. In 2017, PNE Enterprise provided a minimum of 12 hours of ERDF funded support to 102 clients, resulting in 62 clients starting a business.

SSW Businesses Boost PNE Enterprise supports the delivery of the Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) programme, which supports those already in business, as well as managers and employees. PNE Enterprise have committed to refer 100 individuals to the programmes Boost Your Business residential course by summer 2018.

New Enterprise Allowance New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) support is available to anyone who is in receipt of a DWP benefit and interested in exploring selfemployment. PNE Enterprise supported 255 people, contributing to a total of 908 over the project; 31 new businesses were started, totalling 176 over the project.

Start Up Loans PNE Enterprise deliver Start Up Loans across the North East and Cumbria. The total value of approved loans secured via PNE Enterprise support in 2017 was £165,500.

Further delivery and impact, including business survival, will be reported in 2018.

Get Growing

If We Can You Can Awards

Get Growing supports North East businesses run by 18-30 year olds, with high-growth and employment potential to achieve their development ambitions.

In November, PNE Enterprise was a sponsor of the If We Can You Can (IWCYC) Awards, which supports and rewards entrepreneurial talent within the North East’s start-up community.

In 2017, the total number of clients supported by the programme was twelve, who altogether benefitted from 50 hours of one-to-one appointments and 50 hours of support.

Charlotte Windebank, IWCYC Awards organiser, commented, “Last year we were able to reach out to 123 new business in our region. This year with our partners like PNE Group we are going to create more impact and most importantly a lasting legacy for these businesses to thrive in our communities.”

Bubble tea business Manhua Cha, received a grant to cover the costs of product testing. In February 2017 it launched the tested product, reporting an increase in the business’ customer base as a direct result.

Commercial Support PNE Enterprise continues to offer commercial business support. In 2017, 11 organisations procured one-to-one mentoring or workshop delivery services. Pictured: previous page (clockwise from TL): Louisa Rogers, Founder of Trendlistr; Guy Tindale Founder of WordWatching Editorial Services; Anneisha Merryweather, Founder of Great Park Cafe, with her daughter; Liam Watson, Founder of Canny Milk 10

North East Workspace. Dedicated to supporting the success of start-ups and SMEs, North East Workspace manages PNE Group’s portfolio of Newcastle based properties, providing commercial workspace to small and growing businesses.

Occupancy Heights

Teaming Together

The year closed with occupancy levels at 96%, a 6% increase on 2016.

2017 saw the move of all PNE Group staff into North East Workspace sites, across 7-15 Pink Lane and Adamson House, Westgate Road. The move has empowered greater collaboration within the team and with tenant businesses, as well as financial savings for the Group.

New Programmes A new conference room, which tenants are able to hire for a fee, was completed in Adamson House, Westgate Road, creating additional income for the business. Refurbishment of the Pink Lane’s kitchen spaces, staircase and toilet facilities were completed. A project to replace all lightbulbs with energy saving LEDs and the introduction of energy efficient boilers has continued across the year, contributing to an improved environmental impact.

Ouseburn Developments The latest building project being developed on Group owned land in Ouseburn continues, with Mosedale Gillatt Architects’ plans achieving sign-off from authorities. The site will provide innovative, eco-friendly commercial workspace to Newcastle start-ups and SMEs. The project continues into 2018. northeastworkspace.co.uk

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PNE Development. PNE Development empower organisations and individuals to achieve their full potential through consultancy, professional qualifications, and tailored coaching and mentoring services. A Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) centre, PNE Development offer professional qualifications that cater for the full scope of management positions, from line managers to Chief Executives.

Coaching for Clergy

Qualifications

PNE Development’s Coaching for Clergy contract, a four-year programme delivering professional coaching for Diocese in the North East of England, came to an end in 2017. In total, 26 clients received a total of 149 one-toone sessions and 111 clients received 224 management appraisals.

In 2017, a range of new candidates from the public, private and voluntary sectors began qualifications with PNE Development.

A New Approach

Impact on individual career progression is reflected in qualitative feedback collected. Revd. Catherine Pickford commented, “PNE gave me the tools to think more clearly and strategically myself, rather than coming up with answers for me. The next time I faced a challenge, I remembered the skills and used them again. The coaching made a lasting difference to my working life.”

A new marketing strategy was introduced. Paid third-party lead generation has been ceased, in favour of promotional activities delivered by the in-house marketing team. pne-development.org

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Nicola’s Story

“I’ve found the Coaching programme immensely valuable. Tracey helped me to devise practical strategies which enabled me to plan the next stage of my career development. I’d really recommend PNE coaching. The approach is informal and friendly; the advice is insightful and practical and is tailored to the individual’s goals and requirements.” Gary Simpson

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Four Inspiring 2017 Smarter Future Award Winners

Adam Dixon I Phytoponics

Karina Sudenyte I Wonky Drinks

Phytoponics develops commercial horticulture growing systems, using unique new innovations. Hydroponics uses more than ten times less land and water than traditional agriculture, freeing up fresh water usage for human consumption or environmental sustainability, and enabling land to be used for sustainable development or reforestation.

Wonky Drinks is a social enterprise that aims to tackle food waste, reduce packaging waste and help orchards that can’t shift ‘wonky’ produce. Wonky Drinks are packaged in five litre boxes together with a branded smoothie tumbler. It replaces between 15 and 25 plastic bottles and reduces packaging waste by 70%.

Douglas Martin I MiAlgae

Henrik Hagemann I CustoMem

MiAlgae is a microalgae production company that aims to revolutionise the £340bn global livestock feed industry. MiAlgae reduces production costs whilst reducing the pressure on fish stocks and reducing nutrient pollution of fresh water systems. The business’ products will significantly reduce the environmental impact of this industry, while cleaning up Scotland’s fresh water.

CustoMem makes products to tackle water pollution using a biological production toolkit. Its granular water filtration products capture micropollutants from industrial wastewater that are challenging to remove with current technology. The business can then safely dispose of, or recycle captured micropollutants into high-value products, enabling the circular economy in the wastewater treatment sector. 14

Shell LiveWIRE UK. PNE Group is the delivery partner of the Shell LiveWIRE UK programme. The programme supports innovative young entrepreneurs in the UK with bright ideas that meet the energy and resource needs of a fast-growing population.

Smarter Future Programme

Carlton received US $15,000 prize money for his business, gained UK and international press coverage, and was featured in a digital campaign promoted by Shell on social media.

In 2017, the Smarter Future Programme awarded twelve innovative entrepreneurs £5,000 each to grow their start-ups. In April, Carlton Cummins was named the 2016 Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year for his business Aceleron, which is developing technology to transform end-of-life lithium batteries into safe, cost effective energy storage applications, like battery packs for wheelchairs or homes. In total, £85,000 of funding was awarded by the programme in 2017.

The UK programme was invited by the global Shell LiveWIRE team to nominate two businesses to take part in the Top Ten Innovators Awards. The second entrepreneur nominated by the team, Fergus Moore, Cofounder of Revive Eco, was named a runnerup and awarded US $10,000.

Website Launch July marked the launch of a new Shell LiveWIRE UK website. The site features an interactive design showcasing programme alumni and featured content, as well as streamlining the Smarter Future Programme application and assessment process.

Top Ten Innovators Six month after his Young Entrepreneur of the Year success, Carlton Cummins was named the global winner of the Top Ten Innovators Awards, a high-profile innovation competition for Shell LiveWIRE alumni around the world.

shell-livewire.org

Pictured: previous page (clockwise from TL): Adam Dixon, Co-founder of Phytoponics; Karina Sudenyte, Cofounder of Wonky Drinks; Henrik Hagemann, Co-founder of CustoMem; Douglas Martin, Founder of MiAlgae Credit: photographic Services, Shell International Limited 15

“PNE have partnered with Shell LiveWIRE for over 35 years. Since the start of the programme in Scotland in 1982 it has now grown into a global entrepreneurship programme which supports thousands of entrepreneurs across 15 countries. In 2017, with the vital, ongoing support of PNE, the programme expanded to 3 new countries. PNE and Shell also worked in partnership to organise the highly rated Top Ten Innovators competition that recognises and rewards innovative entrepreneurs.” Marina d'Engelbronner-Kolff PTE Local Content & Enterprise Development Shell International

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Shell LiveWIRE International. PNE Group are delivery consultants of Shell LiveWIRE, Shell’s global flagship social investment enterprise development programme, which has a vision of strengthening local economies by promoting entrepreneurship, innovation and meaningful employment. The Group co-ordinate and provide assistance to individual country programmes, as well as supporting the delivery of international initiatives for alumni of the programme.

A Global LiveWIRE

number of programmes to 15. Expansion plans continue into 2018, with several new countries joining the Shell LiveWIRE family, including France.

During 2017, PNE Group continued to provide a range of project management, enterprise delivery and consultancy to Shell to support the effective delivery of its Shell LiveWIRE programme. Support included working with global leads to co-ordinate and share good practice across the network; assisting individual Programme Managers to deliver impactful Shell LiveWIRE programmes that meet the organisations’ regional and global objectives. A management workshop was facilitated, enabling programmes around the world to highlight success and learn from each other.

Top Ten Innovators The Shell LiveWIRE Top Ten Innovators Awards ran in 2017, rewarding exceptional examples of innovation by entrepreneurs supported by the programme and creating a cohort of role models to inspire young entrepreneurs across the globe. Ten alumni were rewarded with a total US $85,000 prize money, as well as global press coverage. An online public vote attracted over 10,000 voters from more than 130 countries.

New Programmes

The overall winner was UK business Aceleron, with businesses from Pakistan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Trinidad and Tobago also recognised. Plans are in place to

Three new country programmes were launched in 2017, Trinidad & Tobago, Kazakhstan and Kuwait, bringing the total 17

International Impact

deliver a wider version of the competition for 2018, focused on energy and retail innovators who can contribute to the Shell supply-chain and social entrepreneurs.

Monitoring was completed on the 2015 Let’s Go Trade (LGT) initiative, which enabled alumni around the world to undertake international research trips. Reports from 12 participants revealed LGT visits generated new business opportunities worth US $1,184,000, meaning every US $1 of LGT grant generated US $36 of business benefit. LGT also enabled the creation or safeguarding of 14 jobs.

Celebrating 35 Years 2017 marked the 35th Anniversary of the Shell LiveWIRE programme. The milestone was highlighted by a global campaign, including a standalone promotional website (35years.shell -livewire.com) delivered by PNE Digital. The campaign shared inspiring stories of previous programme participants, including the first ever winner Stewart Graham, whose business is now a globally operating corporation, and Johari bin Brahim, whose business Teamone Environmental Technologies secured a US $24m contract with the Brunei Shell supplychain.

Michael Korn, Founder of KwickScreen, commented, “LGT has been transformative in allowing us to broaden our horizons overseas.” shell-livewire.com

Pictured: (L-R): Carlton Cummins, Co-founder of Aceleron and global winner of the Shell LiveWIRE Top Ten Innovator Awards; Joanna Cochrane, VP Shell Social Performance Photo credit: Shell 18

Meet Four Top Ten Innovators Winners Aceleron

She’Kab

Carlton Cummins I UK

Hira Batool Rizvi I Pakistan

“I am humbled to be chosen as winner of this global innovation competition. Shell LiveWIRE has been an important supporter of Aceleron and this endorsement will further empower us to bring ‘energy-for-life’ to people around the world.” Carlton Cummins

She’Kab is a subscription based carpooling service, connecting women with costeffective, safe and reliable transport solutions. Delivered through a web-based platform, the business is an example of a sharing economy model being used to overcome a social barrier. By offering accessible, low-risk travel, She’Kab addresses challenges of gender equality in Pakistan, empowering Pakistani women to access work opportunities, education and services safely.

Aceleron provides an innovative solution to the problem of waste batteries. Harnessing the untapped health of recycled lithium batteries, which is typically over 70%, they extend the use-phase for consumers. Once the original stored energy is used up, Aceleron repurposes the battery as storage for renewable energy which can be endlessly replaced.

Hira explains, “We see She’Kab directly empowering our working women by addressing a systemic transportation problem that exists in Pakistan.”

De-rahbs Energy Services

Ciclo Orgânico

Atalor Ngozi Deborah I Nigeria

Lucas Chiabi I Brazil

De-rahbs installs, services and repairs solar energy equipment. Through an innovative business model it is able to offer affordable solar energy solutions on a small scale, empowering families and businesses in more rural areas to adopt the technology. The business also provides training to future engineers and energy entrepreneurs.

Ciclo Orgânico is a subscription service business which collects organic waste and transforms it into high quality soil, providing a recycling solution for city residents. Using specially adapted tricycles, the business collects food waste from households and businesses in Rio, transporting them to local composting sites where the waste is transformed into rich soils. Since its launch in November 2015, Ciclo Orgânico has diverted over 210 tonnes of food waste from being dumped in landfill sites.

After winning the Award, De-rahbs received coverage across Nigeria’s national media, as well as appearing in a Shell Nigeria campaign promoting innovative energy entrepreneurs. Atalor has since been championed as a successful female entrepreneur with a strong social purpose and nicknamed ‘solar-lady’ by press.

In 2018, Ciclo Orgânico intends to capitalise on the momentum of its success, growing its team and expanding into new neighbourhoods. 19

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Skills and Opportunities Fund. PNE Group provides grant administration for the Royal Bank of Scotland Group’s Skills and Opportunities Fund (SOF). Launched in 2015, the fund pledges £7.5m to grassroots community organisations supporting enterprise, employability and skills training within disadvantaged groups in the UK and Ireland.

Outstanding Social Impact

and reviewing how we manage outputs will leave a legacy within our organisation.” Another reported how “brilliantly easy and straightforward the application and voting processes are” in comparison to similar funds.

In 2017, PNE Group continued to support RBS as grant administrators of the SOF, processing over 1,200 applications for funding from projects. By the end of 2017, £6,184,105 of funding had been distributed. In the 2017 Q4 report, it was revealed the fund had supported 84,588 individuals, helped 4,107 into jobs and employment, created 675 businesses and enabled 12,204 qualifications to be achieved.

Evolving Delivery Working with RBS and other partners, in 2017 PNE Group continued to improve the efficiency of the fund, increasing the digital support provided to applicants and delivering more impactful reporting to the bank on fund performance, including expanding the number of measurements of social impact to reflect changing client priorities. The Group was delighted to be given the opportunity to run a further funding round in early 2018.

The Grantee Experience As the first rounds of funded projects begin to achieve completion, the SOF team have been receiving final feedback reports from grantees. One respondent highlighted the value of the guidance they received from PNE Group, commenting support on “overcoming barriers

skillsandopportunitiesfund.rbs.com

Pictured: Ulster Bank staff pose with students at the SOF funded National College of Ireland 21

Four SOF Funded Project Changing Lives On Your Marks, Get Set, Go I London

Essential Skills for Employment I Northern Ireland

Offering homeless, vulnerably housed and unemployed Londoners the opportunity to undertake training, gain qualifications and access support to help them overcome personal barriers, Cardboard Citizens uses performing arts as a pathway to employment.

Between September 2016 and December 2017, West Bann Development delivered Essential Skills for Employment. The project gave people aged 16-55 the opportunity to develop the skills, qualifications and experience needed to enter employment.

‘On Your Marks, Get Set, Go’ has provided 82 individuals with access to workshops and advice sessions on diverse topics, including life skills, money management, scriptwriting, and performance, as well as mentoring.

The programme focused on three main goals: increasing skills and confidence, helping individuals to gain employment and supporting individuals to start their own enterprise.

Of the 82 individuals supported, 22 have gone on to secure employment, and a further ten are now in volunteering roles to help them build confidence and gain experience.

Over the course of the programme, 173 individuals were supported, with five progressing to start their own business. 51 participants reported improved financial capability and 83 qualifications were awarded.

Swift I South East

The Recreation Programme I Scotland

With Skills and Opportunities funding, Sound Architect Creative Media (SACM) to deliver the Swift programme, which supported women challenged by rural or personal isolation to pursue enterprise, including self-employment. 26 women took part in the programme, taking part in a mix of one-to-one sessions, peer group work and courses.

Options in Life deliver The Recreation Programme, a social inclusion and skills development programme for isolated adults with learning disabilities, supporting participants to work towards social fulfilment as well as mainstream integration and employment. Skills and Opportunities funding enabled an additional 35 people to join the programme.

All 26 participants reported increased confidence and enterprise skills, with 16 starting or developing their own business as a result of taking part. Meanwhile, SACM has experienced a boost to its reputation as experts in the delivery of this type of enterprise support and is seeking funding for another run of the programme, already attracting a waiting list of 36 women.

The Recreation Programme created a profound impact for its participants, helping them build new friendships, supporting four individuals into employment and supporting nine to access work placements. An additional benefit was to provide time relief for at least 60 carers, giving them the opportunity to catch up on practical aspects of their care duties or take some much needed respite. 22

PNE Digital. PNE Digital develops and delivers digital and IT services to clients, in particular to support enterprise development projects and as an additional service for North East Workspace tenants. From designing and managing complex programme application portals to providing intelligent, tailored websites, the Digital team have the knowledge and tools to fulfil complex digital and technical requirements.

Digital Services In 2017, PNE Digital continued to deliver innovative digital services to small and large organisations to support the delivery of Group activities. Several bespoke website application and assessment portals were developed for RBS Group and Shell, including the creation of a promotional website to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Shell LiveWIRE in partnership with the Shell Brand team (35years.shelllivewire.com). In addition, hosting services for Virgin Start Up and a range of digital solutions to meet the requirements of PNE supported SMEs have been provided.

PNE 2.0 The PNE Digital team led several Group wide infrastructure changes to improve efficiency 23

including the provision of a suite of productivity communication and design tools and a new integrated hosted telephony solution for all projects.

Silicon Alley Silicon Alley, a subsidiary company of the Group, continued to provide internet connection to North East Workspace tenants and select clients. In 2017, Silicon Alley reported significant profit increase on previous years as a result of improved efficiency. Over the year, the Silicon Alley team oversaw the handover of internet services the Design Works business centre to new owners, after the building’s sale by the Group in 2016.

“Almost all the great start-up activity you can see in Newcastle today can be traced back to the work PNE Group have been doing since the early 80s. The event was a great way to take stock of where we are, how far we’ve come and start the conversation about where we go next!” Paul Lancaster Advancing the North East attendee

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Thought Leadership. PNE Group has a history of doing things first, pioneering new ways to enable real, positive social and economic change. By sharing best practice and acting as ambassadors for enterprise, the Group continues to contribute to the conversation at the cutting-edge of the sector.

Advancing the North East

Awards

The Group’s Advancing the North East event took place in November. The event brought together a panel of experts to develop a regional agenda for change, asking the question - how can we leverage the assets of the North East to empower economic growth?

In 2017, PNE Group and its team received recognition through a variety of accolades. In February, PNE Group was named Social Enterprise of the Year Finalist at the Northern Powerhouse Northern Lights Awards

An Advancing the North East data project was realised in partnership with SDG Economic Development, providing a portrait of the North East region and highlighting its economic opportunities and challenges. The findings of the project were taken to a national audience and presented at the National Enterprise Network’s annual conference, promoting discussion and sharing insight into current sector challenges. A booklet sharing the findings is planned in 2018.

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The nomination recognised PNE Group’s commitment to driving economic, social and business value in the North East of England. In August, Dawn Cranswick, Chief Executive of PNE Group, won the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the ‘Building a Better Working World’ Category, in recognition of her “commitment to creating socio-economic value.” In May, Communications Manager Billie Jenkins was recognised in a cohort of Talented Future Leaders by Thinking Digital.

Thanks to the Team PNE Group would like to thank all those on the staff whose support, hard work and dedication is behind the successes of 2017: Sharon Barry, Karen Bellis, Anne-Maria Brown, Chris Brown, Brian Butcher, Emily Carlson, Richard Clark, Dawn Cranswick, Brenda Forrest, Tracy Gee, Michelle Hetherington, Jessica Hindley, Katherine Hurst, Billie Jenkins, Les Johnson, Erin Kinnee, Debbie Leckey, Kasia Lipka, Lee Longstaff, Amy Mason, Ann Maughan, Andrew Maville, Alan McCabe, Andy McChlery, Tracey Moore, Melissa Middleton, Steven Miller, Gary Nagel, Charlotte Parker, Alan Slater, David Tuck.

Awards We would also like to thank our expert Board members, who provide invaluable support and

stewardship to the Group: Jim Hedland, Ceri Jones, David Mitchell, Tracey Moore, John Oswald, Caroline Pilling, Tim Smith, Dawn Cranswick. In 2017, PNE Group undertook a successful Board recruitment process. The executive management team look forward to expanding the expertise we can draw on, and to welcoming new faces.

Personnel Changes A special mention should be given to the changes in personnel which took place in 2017. Emily Carlson became the new Shell LiveWIRE UK Project Manager, replacing her long-standing predecessor Erin Kinnee. Two new roles were created: Amy Mason joining in May to expand our communications team; and, Kasia Lipka joining in December to grow our research department. We were also sad to say goodbye to Alan McCabe, who retired after thirteen years with the Group.

Pictured: (L-R): PNE Group team members Jessica Hindley; Gary Nagel; Alan Slater; Dawn Cranswick holding her EY Entrepreneur of the Year North Award; David Tuck; Emily Carlson; Brian Butcher; Tracey Moore; Billie Jenkins 26

“PNE Group’s ability to deliver specialist expertise that is responsive to the client’s real-time needs is only made possible by its exceptional, skilled team. The work reflected in this report is testament to their hard work and professionalism.” Dawn Cranswick Chief Executive

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PNE Digital

PNE Group

PNE Digital offer an extensive range of digital and technical skills to a select group of clients.

We support organisations with the design, management and monitoring of their enterprise development programmes, helping businesses realise their ambitions for social and economic change.

PNE Group, 2nd Floor, Adamson House 65 Westgate Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

PNE Group, 2nd Floor, Adamson House

NE1 1SG

I 0191 438 6236

65 Westgate Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 1SG

I 0191 438 7999 I pne.org

North East Workspace PNE Enterprise

North East Workspace represents a diverse, awardwinning property portfolio, letting managed workspace in Newcastle and the surrounding areas.

PNE Enterprise provides tailored business support services to individuals and businesses in the North East, including confidential advice, workshops and courses and access to funding.

North East Workspace, 7-15 Pink Lane, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 5DW I 0191 230 6407 northeastworkspace.co.uk

7-15 Pink Lane, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 5DW 01912 230 6410 I pne-enterprise.org

PNE Development PNE Development utilise accredited qualifications, professional coaching and online resources to support people to structure their self-development. PNE Group, Unit 1, 2nd Floor, Adamson House 65 Westgate Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 1SG I 0191 438 7999 I pne-development.org

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