Business Diary: November 23

Lessons in life and business from travel

So who was your business mentor? It's a question which every successful business person has been asked at some stage.

Last week, Diary attended the official opening of the business school at Harrogate Ladies' College. The new base will be used to instil a love of commerce among the college's

pupils.

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On hand to give some entrepeneurial tips was Deirdre Bounds, the current holder of the Yorkshire Businesswoman of Achievement Award holder, who set up an ethical travel business after seeing the world.

So, the audience wanted to know, who had inspired her? The answer was surprising.

She said: "My main role model was a wily Greek school owner called Asimina. I had no aspirations to run a business until I worked for this woman."

According to Asimina, business was simply a game, and you have got to play it – but most people don't even try.

There is a cautionary sting to this tale, however.

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"She also failed spectacularly,'' Ms Bounds recalled. "I learned from that too. Focus on what you do very well and don't borrow too much."

She said she always took time to find out about other cultures on her travels.

She added: "I made sure that I learned a bit of their language, always ate what was offered – no matter how awful it looked, but most importantly remained alert to how they create their wealth and did business."

WHILE the market clearly liked Northern Foods' proposed merger with Greencore, it was less sure about the new name for the venture – Essenta Foods.

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Greencore chief executive Patrick Coveney admitted it wasn't an easy choice to pick a name for the new chilled foods giant.

"We wanted to have a new name for a new business," he said. "It's difficult to find a new name – we looked at a whole variety of different options."

He said Essenta has connotations of "essence and quality" – and is neutral.

But analysts aren't convinced. "We're at a loss to define that one," said analysts at Shore Capital.

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AMID the gloom of austerity Britain, the revival of one fixture in the Yorkshire business community, with the help of one of its most-respected figures, could help banish the blues for a couple of hours.

A lunch club, named the Victor Club in hour of Victor Watson, the former chairman of Waddingtons, has begun again at La Grillade on Wellington Street in Leeds.

Guy Martin-Laval, owner of the restaurant, helped set up last week's event with David Mitchell from accoutancy firm Mitchells Group, Paul Johnson from solicitors Irwin Mitchell and Georgina Mitchell from stockbroker Redmayne Bentley.

Mr Watson has legendary status in Yorkshire after sending Robert Maxwell packing twice. He saved Waddingtons of Leeds from the clutches of predators including the former Mirror Group tycoon and turned it into one of the best-loved names in Yorkshire. It is hoped his involvement in the lunch club will inspire a new wave of business people to get involved.

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"Victor was very pleased to be there and hopes to be there for many more to support the next generation of business people," Mr Martin-Laval said.

The previous series of lunches ran for 26 years until 2007. In their new incarnation they will take place every six weeks with space for up to 40 people.

IT has been in business for over five generations but Yorkshire jewellery firm Griffin Jewellers is to be thrown into the spotlight this week after being selected for a national advertising campaign.

The Bridlington-based firm, which claims to stock one of the largest selections of coloured diamonds in the UK outside London and one of the widest collection of clocks in the north of England, has been chosen for the Barclays Business advertising campaign

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The advertisements, which go live this weekend in the national press, feature managing director David White examining the jewellery collection. He said: "We've been working with our Barclays Business manager throughout the recent turmoil and it's great to see a bank not only actively supporting us but also promoting our strong brand and working in partnership with us."

AS a journalist you become accustomed to being kept waiting for long periods of time, so our scribe wasn't too surprised to spend 15 minutes in Sainsbury's reception ahead of this week's profile interview of customer services director Gwyn Burr.

However it was later established that a clerical mix up had led Sainsbury's to think our journalist was late.

When they found out their mistake the Sainsbury's press team were so sorry our scribe was sent a pre-Christmas hamper of goodies.

It's not the run of the mill treatment!

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