The blog for smart businesspeople
Thursday, 19 March 2026
That's Green: Bluwater Solutions: Smart Water Innovation for a G...
That's Green: Bluwater Solutions: Smart Water Innovation for a G...: Water is one of our most precious natural resources, yet it’s often taken for granted. Across the UK and beyond, concerns around water qual...
AI Needs Power. PoweringAI Thinks It’s Found It
And right now, Europe doesn’t have enough of either.
Enter PoweringAI, a new pan-European venture with a simple but ambitious idea: stop waiting for perfect sites, and start transforming the ones we already have.
Launched as a spin-off from advisory firm Xynteo (and backed by Leon Capital), PoweringAI isn’t playing the usual data centre game.
Instead of battling over scarce land and grid connections, it’s going after overlooked industrial and port sites, the kind of places that already have the one thing AI desperately needs: power.
And it’s not starting small. The company launches with a hefty 350 MW pipeline (with ambitions pushing closer to 500 MW), positioning itself as a serious contender in Europe’s race to build AI-ready infrastructure.
From Rust to Revenue
PoweringAI’s model is as pragmatic as it is clever: take legacy industrial land, plug it into modern energy systems, and turn it into high-performance compute hubs.
Think less “greenfield dream” and more “industrial reinvention.”
It’s a strategy that ticks multiple boxes:
Brings dormant sites back into productive use
Supports local job creation in post-industrial areas
Speeds up delivery by bypassing land and power bottlenecks
Aligns neatly with Europe’s sustainability and circular economy goals
In short: it’s infrastructure with a second life, and a business case.
Why This Matters Now
AI isn’t slowing down. If anything, demand for compute is accelerating faster than most infrastructure pipelines can keep up.
The real constraint? Not chips. Not software. Not even talent.
Power.
PoweringAI is betting that the winners in the next phase of the AI boom won’t just be the companies building smarter models, but the ones solving the unglamorous, foundational problem of where all that compute actually lives.
A Different Kind of Developer
Backed by Xynteo’s industrial network and over a year of groundwork in site origination and development, PoweringAI is positioning itself at the intersection of three forces:
That’s a crowded Venn diagram, but also where the biggest opportunities tend to sit.
The Bottom Line
While others are still wrestling with planning delays and grid constraints, PoweringAI is effectively saying: the infrastructure we need is already here, we just need to rethink it.
If it delivers, this won’t just be another data centre developer. It could be a blueprint for how Europe powers its AI future, faster, smarter, and with a bit of industrial common sense thrown in.
And in a sector obsessed with the future, that’s a refreshingly grounded place to start.
Wednesday, 18 March 2026
That's Food and Drink: Speciality & Fine Food Fair to join Food, Drink & ...
That's Food and Drink: Speciality & Fine Food Fair to join Food, Drink & ...: Speciality & Fine Food Fair will begin a new chapter in 2027 as it moves to take place alongside Food, Drink & Hospitality Week at E...
Utilities sector faces communications talent exodus at a moment of peak public scrutiny
That’s according to new research from specialist recruitment firm Murray McIntosh.
The Strategic Communications Report 2026 reveals unprecedented levels of workforce mobility within Utilities communications teams, with over half (52%) of strategic communications professionals in the sector planning to move roles within the next six months, while almost two-thirds (64%) have interviewed for a new position in the past year.
The findings signal a sector under growing strain, as communications professionals grapple with rising regulatory complexity, sustainability pressures and heightened public and media scrutiny. With customer trust, affordability, environmental performance and resilience firmly in the spotlight, the loss of experienced communications talent risks further weakening already strained relationships between Utilities providers and the public.
Evolving skills landscape placing further strain on comms teams
At the same time, skills expectations within communications roles are evolving rapidly. Beyond core communications skills, demand is rising sharply for technical capabilities, including data literacy, AI, data science and coding. This reflects the Utility sector’s increasing reliance on digital transformation, predictive analytics and data-driven decision-making to manage complex infrastructure, customer expectations and regulatory obligations. Notably, 82% of communications professionals believe AI has already impacted, or will imminently impact, their role, the highest level recorded across all industries surveyed.
Lauren Maddocks, Associate Director, Policy and Public Affairs at Murray McIntosh, told That's Business: “Utilities organisations are operating in one of the most scrutinised environments of any sector, yet they are at real risk of losing the very communications talent needed to navigate that scrutiny.
"When public trust is fragile, and expectations around transparency, sustainability and accountability are rising, experienced communications professionals aren’t a ‘nice to have’, they are fundamentally critical.
“Firms that don’t address the upcoming exodus in time and effectively pipeline communications professionals risk a revolving door of talent at precisely the wrong time. At a time when public trust in Utilities is already fragile, employers that fail to recognise just how crucial communications talent pipelining is will find themselves exposed, not just to skills shortages, but perhaps more importantly to reputational and operational risk.”
You can read the report here https://www.murraymcintosh.com/downloadable-content/strategic-communications-salary-labour-report
UK Foundations Hit Record Highs for Transparency and Accountability
The 2025–2026 assessment of 100 grant-making foundations has delivered the strongest results in the initiative’s five-year history, with clear progress in diversity, accountability and transparency across the sector.
Record-breaking performance
This year’s findings highlight a sector moving in the right direction:
12 foundations achieved an A grade overall, the highest number ever recorded
Three foundations secured straight A’s across all categories (diversity, accountability and transparency), a rare achievement
Only seven foundations received D grades across all areas, down from 12 last year
Every assessment criterion was met by at least one foundation, reinforcing that best practice is both realistic and achievable
The message is clear: standards are rising, and more organisations are meeting them.
Real progress—but more to do
Danielle Walker Palmour, Director of Friends Provident Foundation, says the shift is meaningful. He told That's Business: “Five years ago, the Foundation Practice Rating found that as foundations we had work to do especially in diversity. These results show we’re making headway.”
While progress is evident, she also acknowledges ongoing challenges, particularly as the operating environment becomes more complex.
Spotlight on leadership
Among the standout performers is Mission 44, founded by Sir Lewis Hamilton, which achieved a rare “AAA” rating.
The organisation focuses on improving access to education and STEM careers for young people, with CEO Jason Arthur emphasising the importance of inclusion:
“Valuing and listening to diverse voices, particularly young people, is central to everything we do.”
Community foundations lead the way
Community foundations continue to outperform the wider sector. All seven assessed this year received A or B ratings, reflecting strong local engagement and accountability.
Emma de Closset, Chief Executive of UK Community Foundations, credits their success to a grassroots approach: “We’re rooted in the communities we serve. That closeness drives transparency, trust and responsiveness.”
A sector in transition
Despite the positive results, the report also highlights emerging pressures. Some foundations are pausing or closing, while others face increased scrutiny—and even personal targeting of staff and trustees.
This raises important questions about how far transparency can or should go in a changing landscape.
Why it matters for business
For organisations partnering with charities or foundations, these improvements are significant. Stronger governance, clearer accountability and more inclusive practices make for more effective funding—and better outcomes.
As Palmour puts it: “How we fund matters just as much as what we fund.”
Bottom line: The UK foundation sector is improving fast—but in a more challenging environment than ever. For businesses, donors and partners, that makes transparency and trust more valuable than ever.
Read the full report: foundationpracticerating.org.uk/cohort-results-2025-2026
UK Payroll Systems Under Pressure as Year-End Exposes Cracks
New insights from CloudPay reveal that year-end pressures are exposing deep-rooted weaknesses in payroll infrastructure, and many organisations are struggling to adapt.
Legacy Systems Are Holding Businesses Back
For many companies, payroll modernisation isn’t just slow, it’s stalled.
According to the data:
61% of employers say integration complexity is delaying progress
29% point to legacy systems as their biggest barrier
This paints a clear picture: outdated technology and disconnected systems are preventing payroll teams from operating efficiently at a time when precision and compliance matter most.
More Than Just Paying Staff
Payroll has evolved far beyond simply processing wages. It now plays a critical role in:
Maintaining compliance
Supporting business decision-making
Protecting employee trust
Ensuring operational continuity
Yet many organisations are still relying on fragmented, ageing systems that can’t deliver the accuracy or insight modern businesses demand.
A Systemic Problem, Not a Temporary One
CloudPay warns that this isn’t just a seasonal issue driven by year-end workloads — it’s a structural problem across UK payroll.
John Pearce, Chief Customer Officer at CloudPay, highlighted to That's Business that businesses are facing “systemic barriers to progress,” with outdated infrastructure and poor integration limiting their ability to modernise.
At a time when payroll accuracy and employee experience are under increasing scrutiny, these limitations could have serious consequences, from compliance failures to reputational damage.
The Case for Payroll Transformation
The message is clear: payroll transformation can no longer be treated as a future project.
Businesses that invest in modern, cloud-based payroll systems stand to gain:
Greater agility and scalability
Improved accuracy and compliance
Better workforce insights
Stronger resilience in high-pressure periods
Those that don’t risk falling behind, not just operationally, but competitively.
The Bottom Line
Year-end isn’t just a busy period for payroll teams, it’s a stress test.
And right now, many UK payroll systems are failing it.
For forward-thinking businesses, the opportunity is obvious: modernise now, or risk being left behind.
Tuesday, 17 March 2026
IoT SIM Card disrupter transits 70m MB in 2025 on track for 100m+ in 2026
The company processed 36.5 million MB in 2024 increasing to 71.5 million MB in 2025, an impressive 49% rise driven by growing demand for resilient, multi-network IoT SIM Cards.
This growth is being fuelled by UK organisations migrating major connectivity contracts to KeySIM as they seek greater control, security, and performance from their IoT deployments.
Built on a Tele2 core network and enhanced through private breakout across multiple UK data centers KeySIM delivers high-performance IoT services including private APNs, VPN connectivity and fixed IP addressing.
The business supports over 500 UK enterprises across sectors including security, healthcare, retail, and infrastructure and remains firmly on track to exceed 100 million MB of data throughput in 2026.
KeySIM is led by co-founder Graham Robinson who brings over 20 years’ experience in IoT, including the development of a SIM-powered lone worker solution — experience that has directly shaped the company’s network architecture and service offering.
Graham Robinson, Co-Founder of KeySIM, told That's Business: “This level of growth reflects a broader shift in how organisations approach IoT connectivity, with increasing emphasis on security, control, and performance.
KeySIM’s architecture has been designed to meet these requirements, and current growth levels indicate strong ongoing demand.”
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