CIBSE NABERS UK Energy for office ratings recognised by the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard

CIBSE Certification is delighted to announce NABERS UK Energy for Office ratings, certified by CIBSE and administered through its wholly owned subsidiary CIBSE Certification, may now meet the operational energy requirements of the UK Net Zero Buildings Standard (UKNZCBS), as defined in Annex C of the Standard.

Since taking on the role of NABERS UK administrator in 2024, CIBSE has worked closely with NABERS and the Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) to drive the decarbonisation of buildings through the rapidly expanding NABERS UK Energy for Office scheme. 

This recognition marks a significant milestone for the scheme, reinforcing its role as a trusted benchmark for operational energy performance.

Over the past months, the CIBSE Certification team and the UKNZCBS team have collaborated to ensure NABERS UK certified ratings align with the operational requirements of the Standard. Their joint efforts have been successful, ensuring that NABERS UK Energy for Office certifications - including the prestigious 4.5★ rating - may now be used to demonstrate compliance with UKNZCBS operational energy requirements for existing offices.

Kieran O’Brien, Director of CIBSE Certification, told That's Business: “We are thrilled NABERS UK Energy for Office ratings are recognised under the UK Net Zero Buildings Standard. 

"We believe this demonstrates the credibility and robustness of the scheme, providing building owners, occupiers and investors with confidence that their operational energy performance meets one of the highest sustainability standards in the UK. 

"It’s another step forward in CIBSE’s mission to support the decarbonisation of buildings and a net-zero built environment.”

The recognition of NABERS UK by UKNZCBS highlights the scheme’s growing influence in driving sustainable, low-carbon office buildings across the UK, providing a clear pathway for organisations seeking to measure, improve and validate their operational energy performance.

For more information on NABERS UK Energy for Office ratings, please visit 

https://www.cibsecertification.co.uk/nabers-uk

Action to Tackle Fraudulent Asbestos Surveyors Defrauding Householders and Businesses and Threatening Health

The British Occupational Hygiene Society, the leading awarding organisation for professionals involved in the identification, protection and analysis of asbestos is leading a national initiative to drive out criminals from the asbestos surveying industry.

Asbestos, a substance found in hundreds of thousands of UK buildings becomes cancer causing when it is disturbed, resulting in around 5,000 preventable deaths a year. 

Identifying the presence of asbestos requires specialist knowledge to safely survey, identify likely places where is present and to safely take samples.

However, around 100 companies in the UK are offering asbestos survey services without any training or qualification or using fraudulent certifications. The result is seriously endangering the health of householders and often goes hand-in-hand with sharp business practice and unlawful and dangerous removal practices.

BOHS has been assisting trading standards and a separate investigation by the Daily Mail newspaper to bring fraudulent asbestos surveyors to justice.

Responding to a national initiative, announced this week to tackle qualifications fraud Ofqual’s action plan for the prevention of qualification fraud – GOV.UK, BOHS is announcing the launch of several initiatives aimed at keeping businesses and homeowners safe from this criminal enterprise.

A national Register of Qualified Asbestos Surveyors is being launched, in consultation with the Royal Society for Public Health, which also awards in this area. The register will go live next month to enable individual surveyors to have their qualifications checked by those using their services, their employers and regulators. 

The scheme runs alongside work being done by ARCA, the asbestos contractors trade body, to ensure asbestos surveyors using the CSCS scheme have validated qualifications when working on construction sites. It also underpins the national quality scheme run by UKAS to accredit asbestos surveying companies.

Asbestos surveyors will have six months to verify their qualifications and have the opportunity to join a voluntary complaints scheme run by the professional body for asbestos experts, the Faculty of Asbestos Assessment and Management (FAAM). Verified surveyors will be able to use a logo, with an embedded verification QR code to provide clients with assurance of certification.

FAAM will also be issuing a “buyer’s guide” in March, aimed at helping businesses and individuals make procurement decisions to minimize risk and help them comply with the law.

In addition, FAAM will issue a standards statement, which outlines the competences and skills required to undertake safe and effective surveys, bringing together regulatory guidance and standards to help businesses, lawyers and insurers have a clear understanding of the professional standard of competence and care for contracts and in the case of claims in negligence.

BOHS CEO, Professor Kevin Bampton told That's Business: “Last year the scale of fraud on homeowners had got to the extent that a Google search was more likely to offer you a scam provider than a legitimate one. You can’t see, smell or taste whether asbestos is present, but the health consequences of disturbing it can be very significant and it can be a blight on property. 

"Criminals have been exploiting a loophole in the law that puts the burden on the building owner to manage asbestos. By preying on fear and the difficulty in detecting the substance, they have been ripping off businesses and home-owners and putting their health at risk.”

He continues, “As the awarding organisation for those who have been trained in this complex area, we feel the need to do more to make the public aware of the risks. 

"We have to be clear that surveying a building for the presence of asbestos is a highly complex task and a qualification on its own is not enough. But without doubt, you should never employ a surveyor without a valid BOHS P402 or RSPH Level 3 Survey qualification.”

BOHS has been the leading awarding body for asbestos surveyors for decades, but recent years have seen an alarming growth in criminal activity, including the falsification of certificates. BOHS is a charity and registration including the cost of the complaints scheme and administration of the logo verification will cost each surveyor only £20.

“We strongly advocate that people use UKAS accredited surveying firms, but also recognize that there are excellent surveyors who are not in that scheme. 

"As the professional body, FAAM want to ensure that those who have a duty to manage asbestos can access the appropriate level of professional advice and guidance. 

"Our three-fold approach to tackle qualifications fraud, help intelligent procurement and make a clear statement of minimum standards of competence aims to help deliver this. We want to avoid as many unnecessary deaths and reduce criminal activity as far as we can.”

https://www.bohs.org

Neil Jurd OBE Delivers Leadership Training to Gurkha Welfare Trust charity leaders in Nepal – Senior Leaders Embrace Online Platform and Book

Former Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment (QOGLR) veteran Neil Jurd OBE has just returned from leading a high-impact leadership workshop at the Gurkha Welfare Trust's annual training conference in Pokhara. 

The two-day session, delivered to some seventy senior leaders including medical staff and former Gurkha officers, focused on practical tools from his bestselling book The Leadership Book, in which Jurd writes that ‘quite simply, good leadership makes the world a better place’. 

He also covered some of the ideas in his popular TEDx talk "Pause & Allow.”

Feedback was immediate and powerful: "Incredibly energising," Field Director Johnny Fenn told That's Business.

"The energy, clarity, and real-world wisdom Neil brought left everyone inspired, and we're already putting it into practice."

Fifteen senior Gurkha Welfare Trust leaders now have 12-month access to Jurd's engaging and popular Leader-Connect.co.uk online learning platform, where they are already diving into courses, videos, and podcasts. 

"Lots of them told me how useful it was - they are one of the most engaged groups on the platform," Jurd said. "They're busy people working in hard to reach locations around Nepal, so remote, flexible learning fits their lives perfectly."

To support the group, Jurd provided one hundred discounted copies of the highly reviewed The Leadership Book and substantially reduced access to the platform, ensuring long-term impact for the charity's teams in Nepal and beyond.

Leader-Connect's reach is growing fast: educational trusts including Abingdon Learning at Dallam School in Cumbria, and teams from the University of Sheffield, are already using the platform for professional development, proving its value across sectors.

Jurd's credentials:  A former Sandhurst instructor, he commanded 94 Squadron, QOGLR, in Iraq from 2006–2007, where he was injured on operations. He is an ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’ at Lancaster University Management School and fellow of the Institute of Leadership. 

Awarded the OBE in 2021 for leadership development with young people, he now channels that experience into helping leaders in education, charities and business to build resilient, high-performing teams.

"Leadership isn't complicated," Jurd said. "It's simple and involves easy to learn behaviours and tools, ones that are easy to remember and apply and that work under pressure. Seeing highly capable and experienced Gurkha leaders light up with these ideas? That's why I do this."

Leader-Connect offers practical leadership training through an online platform, bestselling book The Leadership Book, and face-to-face workshops. Founded by Neil Jurd OBE, it helps managers, educators, and teams turn potential into performance, but without the fluff.

Leader Connect: Revolutionising Leadership Training for Educators – Affordable, Remote, and Built by Neil Jurd OBE

Tired of costly, time-guzzling CPD that never really quite fits? Leader Connect (leader-connect.co.uk) is the online platform schools, trusts and universities are buzzing about delivering top-tier leadership development straight to teachers' and headteachers' laptops, no travel required.

Created by Neil Jurd OBE, former Army lieutenant colonel(PICTURED), TEDx speaker, and author of the bestseller The Leadership Book, this platform turns real-world expertise into flexible, bite-sized courses. 

For just £25-£35 each, educators get masterclasses on building high-performing teams, equality and inclusion, tackling fear in schools, and leading through change, all backed by Neil's interviews with education stars like Glyn Potts MBE DL (headteacher insights), Rachel Diss (EDI in schools), and Dr. Brian Gregory (managing pressure). 

There is also content from a wide range of other experts including Headteacher Dr Victoria Carr, former RAF combat helicopter pilot Sarah Furness and mindfulness expert Maude Hirst. 

Trusted by Abingdon Learning Trust, University of Sheffield's leadership programmes, and more, Leader-Connect is ideal for remote training: watch videos, join podcasts, use the free leadership profiler, download tools, anytime, anywhere. 

No more annoying half-day absences; just practical wins that boost morale, retention, and pupil outcomes.  

It's proving very useful in Nepal where the Gurkha Welfare Trust have 15 senior leaders in remote locations across the mountainous country using the platform.  

"Leadership in education isn't theory, it's daily reality," Neil told That's Businesss. "We've made it accessible, fun, and stupidly good value. Headteachers tell us it's transforming how they lead."

With fresh content weekly, including school-specific sessions, Leader Connect is the smart way to upskill your staff without breaking the budget. Perfect for trusts, academies, and universities wanting measurable impact.

Thriving through uncertainty: Europe’s underwriting leaders gather in London to redefine profitability

Over 200 senior underwriting leaders from Europe’s leading insurers will gather in London on June 9 for The Underwriting Network: London, the industry’s premier closed-door meeting dedicated to underwriting strategy and profitability.

Held at One Moorgate Place, the event will bring together chief underwriting officers and senior decision-makers responsible for portfolio performance, risk appetite and underwriting transformation at a time of heightened economic uncertainty and competitive pressure.

As underwriting remains the cornerstone of insurance performance, market participants are navigating a complex environment shaped by softening conditions, geopolitical volatility, emerging risks, environmental challenges and capital constraints. 

Against this backdrop, underwriting leaders are being challenged to maintain discipline while responding to increasing demands for growth and innovation.

Building on the success of previous editions, The Underwriting Network: London 2026 will provide a focused platform for Europe’s most senior underwriters to examine how profitability can be sustained through collaboration, data-driven decision-making and operational resilience. Unlike broader industry conferences, the invitation-only format ensures highly targeted discussion among peers facing similar strategic challenges.

The one-day agenda explores how underwriting teams can balance pricing discipline with expansion ambitions, strengthen broker collaboration and adapt operating models as automation and artificial intelligence reshape the underwriting function. Discussions will also address regulatory pressures, distribution disruption and the evolving role of alternative capital and MGAs in shaping market dynamics.

Sessions throughout the day will examine key industry priorities, including managing profitability in a soft market, integrating AI while preserving underwriting expertise, modernising market connectivity, improving pricing through better data governance and preparing underwriters to assess emerging risks such as AI liability, cyber exposure and energy transition challenges.

Senior leaders from organisations including SCOR, AXA XL, Allianz, Liberty Specialty Markets, Swiss Re and PartnerRe will contribute to discussions exploring how underwriting organisations can adapt to an increasingly complex risk landscape.

Delegates will benefit from:

Exclusive networking with Europe’s most senior underwriting leaders in an invitation-only environment.

A focused agenda addressing underwriting profitability, discipline, and performance.

Interactive roundtables, Oxford-style debates and workshops designed for practical engagement rather than traditional panel sessions.

A highly curated audience of chief underwriting officers and senior underwriters from top-tier insurers.

A confidential setting enabling open discussion of market challenges and strategic priorities.

The opportunity to customise participation through multiple breakout discussions and networking spaces across the venue.

Key speakers will include:

Marie Biggas – Chief Underwriting Officer, SCOR Business Solutions and Fac

Mike Gosselin – Chief Underwriting Officer for UK & Lloyd’s, AXA XL

Adam Lloyd – Chief Underwriting Officer, Allianz

Henry Nelson – Chief Underwriting Officer, Liberty Specialty Markets

Andrea Scascighini – Chief Underwriting Officer – Casualty, Swiss Re

Nicolas Georgy – Chief Underwriting Officer P&C EMEA, PartnerRe

Michael Wrightman – Chief Underwriting Officer, Berkley Re UK Limited

Tony Tarquini – Founder & CEO, 5189 Limited

Helen Raff, Director, Event Portfolio, Intelligent Insurer, told That's Business: “Underwriting remains at the heart of a resilient and sustainable insurance market, but the environment in which underwriters operate is becoming increasingly complex. 

"This event brings together senior leaders from across the industry to examine how disciplined underwriting, improved data insight and closer collaboration can help firms respond to emerging risks while maintaining long-term profitability and confidence in the market.”

Featuring chief underwriting officers from across Europe, the event combines keynote discussions, collaborative workshops and structured roundtables addressing topics ranging from underwriting discipline and AI adoption to distribution strategy, product innovation, data governance and talent development.

Run by Intelligent Insurer, the leading digital hub for senior re/insurance executives, brokers and carriers, the event equips underwriting leaders with the insights, connections and practical strategies needed to strengthen performance and profitability in an increasingly uncertain market.

For more information and to apply for an invitation, visit The Underwriting Network: London https://events.newton.media/Underwriting-Network-2026

Pulse Joins Forces with Binq to Enable Seamless Embedded Lending in the UK

Pulse, a top embedded credit and SaaS company, has announced a new strategic partnership with Binq, a UK-based AI-powered business marketplace and app.

The partnership brings together Pulse's transformative embedded lending infrastructure, Binq's growing SME marketplace, and tailored funding solutions from Nucleus Commercial Finance to deliver faster, more intelligent access to finance for small businesses across the UK.

Through this collaboration, Pulse will power the underlying technology that enables real-time credit decisioning and impeccable lending journeys, while Nucleus Commercial Finance provides reliable and timely funding. 

Binq will serve as the aggregation and distribution platform, allowing SMEs to explore and access multiple funding options directly through its app and marketplace experience. This strategic partnership is designed to remove friction from business lending and significantly reduce the time it takes for SMEs to secure critical funding.

For many small businesses, accessing funding remains slow, manual, and fragmented. By integrating Pulse's API-first intelligence and data orchestration capabilities, Binq users will be able to receive near-instant eligibility assessments, complete loan applications in minutes, and access a wider range of bespoke funding options through Nucleus. 

The result is a more efficient, convenient and digital lending process for borrowers, and improved data quality and risk assessment for lenders.

Jamie Stewart, CEO of Binq, told That's Business: "Being able to access the right funding at the right time is essential for SMEs, helping them to bridge cashflow, boost inventory or invest in growth. But funding from traditional and high-street banks can often be too complicated and slow.

!Our partnership with Pulse and Nucleus removes those barriers and means business owners can see an even wider range of fast, flexible and hassle-free funding options with Binq."

Yasmine Holliday, Head of Partnerships at Nucleus Commercial Finance, commented: “Pulse's embedded lending technology will empower Binq to deliver funding in a way that is both scalable and highly responsive. 

"Partnering with Binq allows us to extend our reach and provide even more SMEs with faster access to Nucleus's bespoke funding solutions through a reputable marketplace."

Chirag Shah, CEO, Pulse, added: "At Pulse, we focus on embedding seamless, intelligent, digital credit journeys directly into platforms that SMEs already use. Our partnership with Binq, alongside Nucleus as funding provider, brings together technology, distribution, and capital to create a smarter, faster way for UK businesses to access finance."

https://mypulse.io

Entrepreneurs at Lancaster University Team Up: Fear as Fuel for Business Success

Two entrepreneurs shaping the next generation at Lancaster University Management School have released an insightful interview on how fear, often seen as a hurdle, can actually propel leaders and startups forward.

Neil Jurd OBE, founder of Leader Connect (a successful leadership training platform) and Entrepreneur in Residence/Honorary Teaching Fellow at LUMS, sits down with Dr Brian Gregory, Senior Teaching Fellow in Entrepreneurship and Strategy, and Director of the university's Entrepreneurs in Residence programme, in a new Leader-Connect podcast/video.

Brian, who left school at 16 and built Safety Management (UK) into a leading fire safety firm before transitioning to academia, shares insights from his 2025 PhD, "Heart-centred Networks: Powered by the Brain and Driven by the Heart." The research shows fear sharpens focus in uncertain markets, while "unrequited reciprocity," giving support without strings, creates resilient networks that spark innovation and growth.

Neil, who runs Leader Connect delivering practical courses to thousands, ties it to everyday business: "Brian's work proves what I've seen running my company, acknowledge fear, build trust through real help, and watch momentum build."

Brian adds: "In entrepreneurship, fear signals opportunity. Heart-centred connections turn it into advantage—something I learned scaling my own ventures."

The 49-minute chat (January 2026 release) previews Brian's upcoming course on emotional intelligence for founders. Free to watch: https://leader-connect.co.uk/videos/interview-with-brian-gregory