Your Voice

The latest Your Voice feature, giving LBV members a platform for their views on the current business landscape in Leicester.

Ian Guyler is well-known throughout the Leicestershire business community after providing strategic business consulting services to local organisations in a range of different sectors for almost 20 years. Prior to his consultancy, Ian worked for organisations such as Fisons Pharmaceuticals, EMAP and Blackburn Starling in roles including financial accountant, management account, finance manager, financial controller and finance director.

How would you describe what your business does?

I provide a service to businesses which catalyses change and development. My impact is about bringing teams together and getting them to focus on their roles around mutually agreed objectives.

Because I am a finance person who has worked in industry from Blue Chip PLCs to independent SMEs, I always bring a financial focus (but not financial dominance) which aims to generate sustainable improvements in profit and cash generation. It’s all about knowing and influencing the ‘business levers’.

What are the biggest opportunities for your business?

The biggest opportunities are with small to medium-sized businesses with owners and leaders who want to bring about change but need help in doing so.

What are the biggest challenges for your business?

The biggest challenge for my business is in getting the message over to companies who can use my expertise and experience.

What would you identify as the key strengths of Leicester?

Leicester has an energetic, diverse but cohesive business community. Its position as the ‘mouse that roars’ gives it a team culture that is determined to prove itself and make itself better. This is reflected in both the private and public sectors.

What are the top three ways in which Leicester can develop to support the business community?

1. Keep recognising, progressing and publicising the potential of its businesses – small and large – and its vibrant workforce
2. Have a plan which has the openly stated objective of gradually bringing businesses back to the city centre
3. Have regular private sector/public sector joint communication events that discuss and promote the potential of Leicestershire. The outside world needs to see the two sectors working together as a team. There is a lot of good work going on – and it will come back as lockdown restrictions reduce – but it needs the leaders of both the private and public sectors at all levels to be seen to have a unique connection. This will attract inward investment based upon Leicester’s skilled and energetic available workforce and employment offering