Devolving more power from Westminster to the South West will turbo-charge its economy and end a productivity gap that costs its workers an average of £5,000 a year in lost income, according to a new report. But decisions on spending money devolved from central government must be taken by an independent regional board rather...
Specialist IT group SCISYS’s £78.9m acquisition by Canadian tech giant CGI has been given the go-ahead by UK competition watchdogs. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had decided not to refer the deal to a phase 2 investigation based on the information available to it. The CMA launched its merger inquiry on...
Pharmaceutical group Vectura’s longest serving director has stepped down after 12 years on the board, during which time it has been transformed into a £1bn turnover business. Dr Susan Foden, pictured, left her position as senior independent non-executive director last week to be replaced by Dr Thomas Werner. Dr Foden joined Chippenham-based Vectura’s board...
Specialist IT group SCISYS expects its £79m acquisition by Canadian tech giant CGI to be completed before the end of this year it said this week as it revealed a 2% increase in half-year revenues. Directors at the Chippenham-headquartered group, which supplies innovative software and IT services to the space, government, media, commerce and...
A pioneering campaign aimed at helping businesses across the West of England prepare for life after Brexit is in the running for a top national award. Trading Through Brexit (TTB) was launched in October last year by Business West, the region’s largest business group and the organisation behind the Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative. Realising...
The South West will suffer more than any other region if the UK crashes out of the EU with no deal, the CBI said today. The national business organisation has written to all the region’s MPs urging them to find a Brexit deal that works for the South West and warning that a no...
Business West, the organisation behind the Swindon & Wiltshire Inititiatve, provides the best business advice, guidance and support of any chamber in the country, a new report has revealed. It is also the top-grossing and most-profitable among the 53 accredited chambers across Britain, research by membership group the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) shows. ...
A major conference in October will give Wiltshire firms valuable insight into working with the nuclear sector in the UK and overseas. The Nuclear South West Showcase and Conference (NSW19) – the UK’s largest event of its kind – will shine a light on current and future opportunities in new build, decommissioning, defence and...
The boss of the region’s largest business organisation has again slammed Westminster for “playing political chess” while the health of the economy is in the balance. Phil Smith, pictured, managing director at Business West – which runs the Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative – said firms were paying the price for the failure of a...
Ambitious Wiltshire technology firms are being invited to enter a major awards scheme that recognises the UK’s fastest-growing businesses in the sector. Entries are now open for the 22nd annual UK Technology Fast 50 Awards staged by global accountancy group Deloitte. The awards are open to firms that use a proprietary technology in their business. The...
