Professor Dr. Klaus-Peter Hillebrand, CEO of DOMUS AG, member company Russell Bedford in Berlin and board manager Russell Bedford International to the EMEA region, opened this year's Russell Bedford regional meeting in the EMEA region, where more than 50 countries.
„The changes (ed. related to the pandemic) will have a long-term effect," said Klaus-Peter. – Employees have realised the benefits of more flexible working conditions and employers from cost benefits in the form of lower office costs. But we also noted that despite our success in adaptation, the need for closeness did not disappear. ”
On first Meeting session of Jas Dhillon, Director of VAT at the London member company Lubbock Fine, considered VAT after Brexit – implications for trade between Britain and the EU.
In a very comprehensive presentation, Jas summed up Brexit's influence on all areas of law and politics, an infamous trade agreement signed on Christmas Eve 2020, and impact on the supply of goods and services which have been provided since January 2021 have caused the company challenges sometimes insurmountable.
Jas discussed the so-called "free trade agreement" and its numerous shortcomings, presenting several key points of action that companies may have to consider, including mapping supply chains to assess where they can be simplified or amended, and considering VAT registration in the EU country.
Development was then discussed by taking over: practical considerations, led by Ian Fletcher, a professional speaker in 2020 Innovation Group, providers of training and solutions for progressive accountants and tax specialists. Ian was joined by Mark Eden, director of Jerroms, British member company Russell Bedford, West Midlands.
The discussion concerned factors that companies must take into account when concluding takeover contracts. Mark stressed the importance of chemistry in deciding to take over. He said: “Culture is everything; it is important that the company is fit, otherwise you will undoubtedly encounter problems.
” He added: “A clear definition of the purpose of the transaction and of what each party has to gain from the transaction is essential for a successful acquisition and for ensuring that each party achieves what it seeks”.
When asked how much to pay for the takeover, he advised: “If you pay the entire value of the company, the margin of error is much smaller, so making sure it is a proper business is crucial. You have to think about whether I'll be back four years, because if the answer is no, you may pay too much.
” He added: “I usually advise against paying excessive value unless there are really strong arguments for a particularly interesting takeover or opportunity that cannot be missed”.
When asked about the problems that may arise during the takeover, he said, “It is important to prioritise integration and make the company seized feel part of the team as soon as possible, so that it does not feel like it has become something additional.” The final session of the first day was led by Chris Harvey, Coach4Managers, a management coach who worked with people and groups at all levels, supporting their development in the workplace.
Chris led an open discussion at a forum on team management in "new normality", sharing insights on how to maintain proper support and leadership in a constantly changing working environment.
The second day of the meeting was opened by CEO Russell Bedford, Stephen Hamlet, who spoke about the recent development and achievements of the network; at the same time thanking member companies for their hard work and dedication as they continued to support customers in these difficult times.
The first session on the second day, they led Kyle Gibbons and Caroline Winch, Confirmation (with Thomson Reuters), who joined discussions on quality audits and the beginning of a new audit era.
Because the number of fraud cases increased by 92% Since the start of the pandemic, Kyle and Caroline have provided advice on tackling the challenges facing businesses.
During the penultimate session of Andrei Badiu, a partner in 3B Expert Audit, Romanian member company Russell Bedford, led a panel discussion with marketing specialists in the Russell Bedford network with the theme "Promote Your Business in the Digital Era".
Andrea was joined by panelists specialising in marketing, Anabel Salinas, GNL Russell Bedford, Spain, Mariska Krukkert, Boon, Holland, Danielle Greenberg, Raveh Ravid, Israel and Leszek Dutkiewicz, Russell Bedford Polska.
The creation of high value and regular content was the main topic of discussion, and all panelists placed them high on the list of priorities for effective digital marketing strategies.
Anabel Salinas said: "The valuable content is everything, as are the various digital contact points, including a well optimized website and regularly maintained social media channels." She added: “Sometimes the customer will not understand the language you are using, so it is important that the message is specific.
Get a real understanding of the basis of your customers, their needs, and the language that makes sense to them, and then build your content around to speak to them in a way that they understand.
” Mariska Krukkert advised companies that are just starting marketing or that have limited resources: “Start thinking – how much can I invest; whether in marketing expenses or in a team”. She also encouraged companies: “Just start. It is important to do first step. Start with something small, do some first and build from there.
In time, you can invest in professional staff and training to make sure that your employees understand your wider marketing strategy and are able to support it by sharing their content and co-creating online messages. ” Leszek Dutkiewicz said: “The impact of Covid was significant, but it did not change our overall strategy.
Our content is very up-to-date; we quickly adapt to publish accurate and up-to-date information that is useful to our customers. Many of our latest content concerns government assistance available to our customers. Since regular information creation involves large investments, we try to expand their destiny as much as possible," he added.
“ For example, the content of our monthly magazine is also published on our website; because we are striving to expand our coverage as much as possible. ” Danielle Greenberg added: “We are very focused on brand awareness and we are engaging our team to support us in achieving our goals. The entire team is on board.
” She added: “It is important to keep a regular calendar on social media to avoid publishing at the last minute and ensure that the content we publish is always of high quality”. At the end of the meeting, members had the opportunity to contact their colleagues more informally during "Russell Bedford Happy Hour".
The survey series revealed some of the greatest achievements of our network over the past year, including: “still married”, “sharpen” and “bought a dog”.
One of the biggest surprises of last year was the “kindness of people”, “the enterprising ones are people” and (perhaps not as surprising) “how annoying their children can be!”. When members regained “freedom” from the restrictions of Covid, on first the place included ‘boarding an airplane and flying to literally any place’, ‘dinner with friends’ and ‘meeting with another family’.
„It's encouraging to see our members take time in their very tense schedules to focus on professional development," commented CEO Russell Bedford, Stephen Hamlet. – Apparently members see value in moving away from a heavy workload, and investing in science + development + to make contact with colleagues from across the region". He added: “I have a priority, especially in the face of the challenges of last year, to ensure that as a network we continue to provide the same level of support and opportunities for our members to create networks and build significant business relationships. It was different and we had to think creatively, but it worked to a large extent. I keep seeing new faces at our online events that I may not have had the chance to meet before – this one with unexpected benefits coming from entering the virtual world."