Hi Kent Business Community

Another busy week pulling together Kent’s local business news…

We take a look at Andrew Metcalf stepping into the Chair role at Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce and what his leadership means for Kent firms. There is strong growth news from Spurling Cannon as they open a third Kent office in Tonbridge, plus a major deal led by Brachers in the UK lighting sector.

You will also read how a Kent startup is part of an £8.2m push to change how medicines are made, a community project from Embridge Consulting, and a clear warning from Azets on the new Fair Work Agency and what Kent employers need to do now.

Got a business launch, win or story to share? Send it to [email protected] and we’ll help spread the word - for free!

If you missed previous editions you can catch-up here.

Kent’s business community has a new leader at the top. Andrew Metcalf, Managing Director of PR and marketing agency Maxim, has been appointed Chair of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, taking over from MidKent College’s Chris Hare.

With more than 30 years at Maxim and a decade on the Chamber’s board, Metcalf brings deep local insight and a passion for connecting people across the county’s business and political scene. He says his focus will be on collaboration and helping firms navigate a shifting local government landscape.

Kent businesses are watching closely to see how his leadership shapes the Chamber’s next chapter.

➡️ Want to see what direction Kent Invicta will take under Metcalf’s chairmanship? Read the full story. 

Kent-based accountants Spurling Cannon are growing again, snapping up Tonbridge firm Cantium Accountants in a move that cements their presence across the county. The deal marks their third Kent office, adding to Ramsgate and Ashford, and brings Cantium’s trusted local team into the fold under director Sam Graham’s leadership.

Cantium founder Andrew Bradley said the merger made sense from day one, with both firms sharing a focus on long-term client relationships and personal service. For Spurling Cannon, it’s another confident step towards joining the UK’s Top 100 accountancy firms - and a sign that regional expansion doesn’t have to mean losing the human touch.

➡️ Curious how Spurling Cannon plans to grow while staying personal? Read the full story. 

Kent law firm Brachers LLP has advised Jordan Reflectors Limited on the sale of its subsidiary Emergency Lighting Products (ELP) to Prime Light Group, a London-based specialist backed by private equity firm Baytree Capital.

ELP, based in West Sussex, is known for its high-quality emergency lighting systems used in commercial and public buildings across the UK. The deal strengthens Prime Light’s position in the lighting sector, expanding its reach and product range across Europe. Led by partner Matt Simmonds, the Brachers team guided the complex transaction under tight deadlines, earning praise from both UK and German partners involved.

➡️ See how this cross-border deal came together and what it means for the UK lighting market. 

A young Kent startup is helping to reshape how medicines are made. Particology, a particle science company based at Sandwich’s Discovery Park, has joined a £8.2M research consortium backed by Innovate UK to make drug manufacturing cleaner, faster and more sustainable.

Leading the crystallisation arm of the project, Particology is developing new precision sensing technology to monitor the purity of drug ingredients in real time, cutting waste and energy use in the process. The three-and-a-half-year programme could set a new global standard for greener pharmaceutical manufacturing and strengthen Kent’s growing life sciences hub.

➡️ Can this small Kent team change how the world makes its medicines? Click to see how far their innovation could reach. 

Gravesham-based Embridge Consulting has swapped spreadsheets for paint rollers, giving Shears Green Junior School’s hall a much-needed facelift. The volunteering crew, known as #EmbridgeGiving, brought fresh energy and bright colours to one of the school’s busiest spaces, transforming it into a more welcoming hub for pupils and teachers alike.

The project isn’t just a lick of paint, it’s a reflection of Embridge’s belief that digital transformation starts with people. With every employee given two volunteer days a year, the consultancy is proving that business success and community care can go hand in hand.

➡️ See how one local firm is colouring outside the corporate lines 

Get Ready For New Employment Rights Enforcement Agency, Azets Warns Kent Businesses

The clock is ticking for Kent firms to get ready for the introduction of the Fair Work Agency (FWA), according to experts from international business and advisory group Azets.  

H-J Dobbie and Chris Waterson have warned that employers could face consequences, including fines, if they don’t comply with the employment rights the FWA will enforce.  

Azets has Kent offices in Maidstone, Ashford, Canterbury, Sandwich and Sidcup.

“The creation of the FWA marks a step change in the Government’s attitude towards employment rights and shows they will take a proactive approach to enforcing them,” H-J Dobbie, Head of HR Consultancy at Azets, said.   

“Many of the areas the FWA will enforce when it launches in April – Statutory Sick Pay, statutory holiday entitlement, and agency worker protections for example – are areas employers should already be complying with, but if they don’t, the consequences of not doing so will become more serious from the spring of next year.”  

The FWA’s new powers include the ability to enforce employer failure to pay payments to workers that include holiday and statutory sick pay (SSP).  

It will be able to issue notices of underpayment to employers if employees haven't received these payments, which can go back up to six years and must be paid within 28 days of being issued.  

It will also be able to investigate employers it believes aren’t complying with employment law and under this will be able to enter a business’ premises, interview its staff and check documents, computers and equipment.  

Chris Waterson, Director of Payroll South at Azets, said: “The Fair Work Agency will have the authority to impose financial penalties, publicly identify employers who fail to comply, and represent workers in Employment Tribunal proceedings.  

“Its introduction signals a major shift in how employment rights are enforced, and businesses should begin now to review their processes, including payroll processes around accuracy and compliance, to ensure readiness for its launch in April 2026.  

“Preparing now will help avoid penalties and reputational risk when the Agency launches in April 2026.” 

From April 1st, the FWA will enforce the following key employment rights: 

• Statutory Sick Pay  

• National Minimum Wage (NMW) including entitlement to the NMW and record-keeping requirements  

• Unlawful deductions from pay 

• Statutory holiday entitlement and pay  

• Agency worker protections 

• Modern slavery, human trafficking, and forced labour  

• Zero hour & low guaranteed hour contracts and the right to request more stable hours 

• Gangmasters licencing 

• Obligations to pay sums ordered by an Employment Tribunal or a conciliation agreement. 

• A new obligation to keep records demonstrating compliance with statutory holiday entitlement for six years. 

For more information about Azets, visit www.azets.co.uk

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