On Wednesday 24 June, Smith & Williamson’s South Coast office hosted a webinar, attracting over 100 participants. Traditionally held as morning face-to-face events in Southampton, Bournemouth and Portsmouth where guests would enjoy a full English breakfast, this time it was held digitally and calorie free due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Opening the webinar, Southampton’s office Managing Partner Andrew Edmonds reflected on the last few months since the World Health Organisation declared Coronavirus a global pandemic and the UK itself went into lockdown on 23 March. He commented: “We have remained open for business throughout the lockdown by quickly moving to a remote working environment for the majority of our people and have been helping clients address a variety of needs.” He continued: “We know that for some businesses the trading environment has been extremely challenging. Lockdown measures are starting to be relaxed and business has now begun to slowly recover for some, while others are still fighting for their survival. However, it has been great to hear how some businesses changed their manufacturing processes to support the PPE efforts to combat the virus.”
The event attracted leaders from a large range of businesses and organisations representing many sectors across the South Coast. Guests heard Elise Sheppard, an audit trainee on her perspective of how she has adapted to working at home. There was also a thought-provoking panel discussion and Q&A with senior staff members representing different service lines in the Southampton office. They addressed general topics of concern from cashflow and the furlough scheme to insolvency management and corporate finance measures.
Michelle McClean, Sector Growth Manager from Business Hampshire, who attended the webinar said: “Bringing together business leaders to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on both the economy at large and everyday practices was commendable. The breadth of topics covered gave people valuable intelligence to take back to their businesses. Smith & Williamson is offering a number of online events and webinars that are focussed on helping businesses rebuild and recover for the future. We are very excited by what will be next”.
Business Hampshire has launched a campaign #HampshireIsGreat which is a video series on how Covid-19 has impacted upon working practices and also the opportunities it has presented. Elise will feature on a forthcoming video.
The webinar was recorded and can be viewed https://vimeo.com/432459127
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Disclaimer
By necessity, this briefing can only provide a short overview and it is essential to seek professional advice before applying the contents of this article. No responsibility can be taken for any loss arising from action taken or refrained from on the basis of this publication. Details correct at time of writing.
Government and Tax legislation, sourced from HMRC and gov.uk, is that prevailing at the time, is subject to change without notice and depends on individual circumstances. Clients should always seek appropriate tax advice from their financial adviser before making financial decisions.
Note to editors
Smith & Williamson is a leading financial and professional services group providing a comprehensive range of investment management, tax, financial advisory and accountancy services to private clients and their business interests. The firm’s c1,800 people operate from a network of 12 offices: London, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cheltenham, Dublin (City and Sandyford), Glasgow, Guildford, Jersey, Salisbury and Southampton.
Smith & Williamson LLP
Regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales for a range of investment business activities. A member of Nexia International
PHOTO: Andrew Edmonds, Managing Partner of the Southampton office of Smith & Williamson