Lord Michael Hastings CBE will visit Guernsey on 22nd and 23rd May to ensure Sustainable Development is high on the Island’s agenda. The esteemed businessman, who is visiting the Island on behalf of KPMG in the Channel Islands, will attend school numeracy workshops and chair a business seminar.

Lord Hastings became KPMG International’s Global Head of Corporate Citizenship in 2006. Since then, he has presented widely and driven change in regard to global business sustainability and responsibility.

On 22nd May, Lord Hastings, who began his career as a teacher, will be attending Amherst Primary School to facilitate numeracy workshops as an extension to the wider firm’s sponsorship of National Numeracy Day held on the 16th May. Alongside the headmistress, Tracey Moore, and several KPMG volunteers, he will host two maths sessions titled ‘Max’s Marvellous Maths’, focusing on basic numeracy support, and the ’24 Club’, focusing on advanced numeracy support. In addition, Lord Hastings will be discussing the importance of numeracy skills at a school-wide assembly.

On 23rd May, Lord Hastings will present to an audience of senior business leaders, governing bodies and politicians at a KPMG seminar. The event will focus on the UN’s set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which are aimed at making the world more prosperous, inclusive, sustainable and resilient. Lord Hastings will talk about KPMG International’s involvement in this initiative and will foster a wider debate on the role of businesses around the world to support these global goals.

In addition to business leaders, KPMG have also extended the seminar invitation to sixth form students from a number of schools across Guernsey, to give them the opportunity to engage and contribute to the wider debate.

Prior to becoming KPMG International’s Head of Citizenship, Lord Hastings joined the BBC as Head of Public Affairs and then became its first Head of Corporate Social Responsibility. He is also a trustee of the Vodafone Group Foundation and previously served for nine years on the Board for Responsible Business at British Telecom. He has represented KPMG on the Global Corporate Citizenship Committee of the World Economic Forum (2008-2010) and in 2009 became a Member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Diversity and Talent. He is listed as one of the 100 most influential black people in Britain and No.6 on the 2016 list of 100 Black British Business Leaders.

In 2005, he was awarded the honour of an independent peerage to the House of Lords by Her Majesty The Queen. In the same year, he also received the UNICEF award for ‘outstanding contribution to understanding and effecting solutions for Africa’s children’. Lord Hastings is also Chancellor of Regents University London.

Neale Jehan, Managing Partner, KPMG in the Channel Islands, says:

‘It’s a great privilege to be hosting Lord Michael Hastings CBE in Guernsey. 2018 will no doubt be another year of significant and unpredictable change and against that backdrop, it’s never been more important for Guernsey to participate in the debate on sustainability and resilience in relation to business and the global economy.

‘I know he is also particularly looking forward to participating in Amherst Primary School’s numeracy workshops. Instilling a thirst for learning and passing knowledge from one generation to the next is something that both Lord Hastings and KPMG are extremely passionate about.’

Microsoft Business Solutions specialist, Corefocus, have grown their team, upgraded to a new office and invested in digital skills. The expansion marks a period of enhancement for the local company which is focused on developing local talent and providing high quality service to clients in the Channel Islands.

Corefocus have announced the appointment of Senior Developer, Nicholas Clyde-Smith. As an expert in web, API and app development he will be working to deliver high quality bespoke software solutions to clients.

Sustained growth at Corefocus means the team has increased in size over each of the last five years, resulting in the need for a new office space. With a larger footprint to accommodate the team, the office is situated directly above their previous premise, offering plenty of room for the team in a modern, inspiring, working environment.

The company has also pledged to lead the industry in up-skilling local talent in order to support the Island’s Digital Industry. Four members of the team have recently completed the latest exams in Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Click Dimensions (a best of breed marketing solution), including Matthew Falle (22), who joined the team last year as Junior Developer, after successfully completing an undergraduate summer placement with the company in 2015.

Corefocus’ Microsoft Dynamics implementations are all underpinned by the knowledge and experience held within the team. This ensures that the very best software solutions are delivered to clients.

Matthew van Sanden, Managing Director, Corefocus, says:
‘Our latest developments mark significant steps for Corefocus. We are a growing business, focused on offering high quality service for our clients and extending our portfolio of services.

‘We are delighted to welcome Nicholas to the team. He has worked in app and web development globally and brings over a decade of experience to the company, which is invaluable for offering bespoke solutions to our clients.

‘More and more companies are relying on the employment of IT software, meaning there is a growing demand for IT specialists. Being forward thinking and investing in people is important in order to develop new skills, stimulate career progression and ensure that we are constantly working to deliver the best standards of IT services for our clients.

‘This is an ethos that we follow fully. For example, we are currently providing an annual bursary for an undergraduate Computer Science student, Alex Collie, and we are continuing to offer summer placements for students at Corefocus. This offers them a working environment to nurture their skills and assist with their progression through University and into the work place.’