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Sex robots in 2022: What’s happened in the last four years?

In 2018, Business Leader investigated the fledgling world of sex robots. We discovered an industry very much in its infancy. Sex robots were a new and developing technology and the industry was just beginning to create a buzz on the international stage. We’ve now revisited the industry four years later to see how much it...

Josh Dornbrack

Ocushield Founder secures £1m after turning back on Dragons’ Den

A start-up founder has bravely turned down two of TV’s fiercest entrepreneurial ‘dragons’ to furrow his own path – and has now landed private investment worth 1000% more for an even smaller stake. Eye health innovator and qualified optometrist Dhruvin Patel created Ocushield while at university in 2015 to combat the effects of harmful blue...

James Cook

Steven Bartlett mentors 16-year old Jenk Oz after competition win

Jenk Oz, the 16-year-old Founder & CEO of social enterprise company Thred Media, was recently mentored by Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett after winning Vodafone’s latest edition of its Shout Out for Small Businesses competition. Launched last year, the Shout Out for Small Businesses competition celebrates entrepreneurs using digital skills and technology to drive their...

James Cook

New research ranks the UK 11th in the world for work-life balance

A recent study by Small Business Prices has revealed that the UK has been ranked 11th out of 37 countries for its work-life balance – with the Netherlands in the number one spot. Whilst some people may enjoy the constant hustle and bustle of the business, others may prefer a quieter life, with as little...

James Cook

Toyota to close all 14 of its Japanese factories due to suspected cyber attack

Toyota, the world’s best-selling carmaker, has closed all 14 of its factories in Japan due to a suspected cyber-attack on one of its major suppliers. The company, which has a production target of 8.5 million vehicles for this year, will reportedly be unable to produce more than 13,000 cars due to the disruption. Japanese factories...

James Cook

Labour turnover in 2021 highest in not-for-profit sector

According to an analysis of labour turnover between January 2021 and January 2022, by Cendex, part of XpertHR, the total labour turnover of all companies surveyed stood at 14.4%, whilst voluntary labour turnover was at 9.5%. Organisations in the not-for-profit sector saw much higher rates of staff moves with a total labour turnover of 18.1%,...

James Cook

Finalists for 2022 Go:Tech Awards announced

The finalists for the 2022 Go:Tech Awards have been revealed. With the Awards’ independent judging panel coming to the end of its process of narrowing down a record number of entries – the finalists for each of the 14 categories have been announced. The Awards’ close collaboration with the UK’s leading business incubators, universities and...

Josh Dornbrack

Jacqueline Gold

Jacqueline Gold CBE shares her incredible life journey with Business Leader

Not many business leaders can say they’ve had bullets sent to them through the post, been poisoned by their nanny and arrested on multiple occasions. Jacqueline Gold CBE is the executive chair of Ann Summers and has taken the business from humble beginnings to a global superstar of business, battling adversity and life-changing moments along...

Josh Dornbrack

Glassdoor reveals 25 best UK jobs for 2022 with stem and tech roles on top

With job hunting amongst UK employees expected to peak at nearly 30% by mid-February, Glassdoor, the online platform for insights about jobs and companies, has released the 25 Best Jobs in the UK for 2022. This follows their announcement of the Best Places to Work in 2022 last month. The list combines salaries and overall...

James Cook

Over a third of workers now skipping more lunch breaks

Over a third (36%) of UK workers are now skipping more breaks than last year, new survey data can reveal. The Digital Detox survey, conducted by Just Eat for Business, uncovers workers’ habits towards breaks and computer use, focusing on screen time. The study also includes expert comments on the mental impact of skipping breaks...

Josh Dornbrack

Majority of UK employees prefer hybrid work according to a new report

Envoy, a workplace platform that helps teams manage hybrid work, released the results from its latest UK Return to the Workplace Report. The study gauges sentiment among 1,000 UK workers who go into the office at least once a week. Despite being fielded during December’s Omicron surge, the report reveals that given the option, most...

James Cook

The ‘Great Resignation’ and how it can be turned into the ‘Great Reshuffle’

In this guest article, Dr Jonathan Lord, an HR expert from the University of Salford Business School, discusses how the ‘Great Resignation’ can be turned into the ‘Great Reshuffle’. The Great Resignation’ does not necessarily mean businesses simply accept that workers resign from their jobs, it can also be viewed as ‘The Great Reshuffle’ where...

James Cook

Monolith AI and Imperial College London secure £500,000 to create manufacturing AI

Monolith AI, the Artificially Intelligent Engineering (AIE) software company, and Imperial College London gained £500,000 funding from Innovate UK to launch a project to build a new type of artificial intelligence solution that will be able to assess if metal components are manufacturable and even explain why they might not be manufacturable. Monolith AI successfully...

James Cook

Konektio secures £2.1m to accelerate international expansion

Konektio, a UK business that aims to transform the industry with its Internet of Things (IoT) software platform has raised £2.1m to accelerate its international expansion. The Chesterfield-based business received funding from both the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) and Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF), managed by Mercia and Foresight Group, along with existing investor...

James Cook

10 businesses that went bust in 2021

With the ongoing anxiety of Coronavirus looming over the UK, 2021 was always going to be a difficult year for businesses. Lockdown restrictions and supply chain issues proved too much for many businesses to bear. The Bank of England confirmed that a third of small businesses are now classified as highly indebted after months of...

James Cook

Diverse group of people holding seedlings to be planted

Who are the top 32 ESG pioneers in the UK?

For our latest Top 32 list, we’ve profiled the UK’s leading ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) businesses and the senior figures that lead them. Following the fallout of COP26 and the business community’s shift to a more sustainable and socially-conscious future, these businesses have shone through as leading the way within their respective industries. How...

Josh Dornbrack

Duncan Bannatyne

Which Dragon is most likely to invest in a business?

Small Business Prices has analysed 18 seasons of the BBC TV show Dragons’ Den to reveal which cast member has invested the most. Dragons’ Den has been credited for helping to launch hundreds of businesses, making several millionaires along the way. Taking a look into the show’s history, Small Business Prices reveals which Dragons are...

Josh Dornbrack

Is flexible working now more important than salary expectations?

Flexible working has overtaken salary as the top benefit to employees (59%), highlighting that flexibility and autonomy over the working day is now more important than financial reward for most workers. This is according to a new report from Jabra; the  Jabra Hybrid Ways of Working 2021 Global Report carried out amongst 5,000 knowledge workers in five...

Josh Dornbrack

76% of young people feel employers need to improve when explaining environmental commitments

With world leaders shortly setting foot in Glasgow to set out their collective environmental commitments at COP26, new research has revealed the impact that climate change is having on young jobseekers. According to TheTalentPeople, over three-quarters of young people (76%) believe employers could do a better job at explaining their commitments to the environment. The...

James Cook

CBD oil in bottle and hemp leaves on petri dishes

Business Leader industry report: The UK’s cannabis/CBD market

The CBD market is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world and the UK is one of the biggest consumers of CBD products. For this Business Leader Industry Report, we’ve looked at the present size of the UK CBD sector and what trends can we expect to see from it in the years ahead....

James Cook

A black man in suit

Who are the most successful black entrepreneurs in the UK?

As Black History Month is observed worldwide, we thought it was important to recognise the achievements of the UK’s most successful black entrepreneurs. We looked at some of the leading black UK entrepreneurs who have excelled in the business world. This list is in no particular order. Sharmadean Reid MBE British Jamaican entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid...

James Cook

Steven Bartlett

‘I’ve never done anything because I wanted it to be the biggest, but because I wanted it to be the best’ – Meet the newest star of Dragons’ Den

He’s the new investor on Dragons’ Den, a university drop-out and a multi-millionaire at just 28. We met with Steven Bartlett for our latest cover story, where he talks about what makes him happy, why his first investor was an idiot, and how you can build your personal brand. Watch our exclusive interview with Steven...

Josh Dornbrack

Aerial view of Clifton Down Bristol UK

Who are Bristol’s top 100 owner-managed companies?

We’ve partnered with leading chartered accountants and business advisory firm PKF Francis Clark to showcase the top 100 owner-managed companies in the Bristol area. Our exclusive list ranks owner-managed businesses with headquarters in the BS postcode area by turnover, according to their latest published accounts. In total, these 100 businesses have achieved more than £7bn...

Josh Dornbrack

Brits prefer the dentist chair over back-to-back work meetings

New research has revealed the real feelings of Britons when faced with a stark choice – either attend back-to-back working meetings or get comfy in the dentist’s chair. A wide majority, 61%, said they would pick a date with the dentist instead of having to attend consecutive work meetings (either virtual or in-person). The survey...

James Cook