Leadership will be key for businesses to thrive in fast moving environment, say UKSE
09 Jul 2026
Published in: Member News
Effective leadership is key for businesses adapting to rapid technological change and global economic pressures, says Steve Grice, Midlands Regional Manager for investment specialist UKSE.
The first half of this year has already seen companies have to respond to shocks to the global markets from the conflict in Iran, impacting the costs of fuel through to energy bills.
Meanwhile, the use of artificial intelligence is disrupting traditional ways of operating and creating new opportunities for firms adopting its usage to gain advantage over rivals.
At UKSE we make minority equity investments in a range of businesses, ensuring management stays in control while offering a flexible exit policy.
We recognise the pressures faced by leaders operating today and can offer more than simple financial support through our ‘critical friend’ approach.
As a community investment specialist we look to the leadership teams of businesses to provide a clear plan which is achievable to make the funding viable, benefitting not just the business and the investor but the wider economy.
Acting upon a robust but flexible strategy is vital if you draw upon equity finance, which can help you speed up expansion plans.
Good management is also important for firms drawing upon loans, whether they are to buy new assets, invest in staff or just cover day-to-day working capital needs.
Research shows businesses now recognise they have to move quickly, with a survey of 1000 UK business decision-makers for Telegraph Media Group and software company MHR finding 73 per cent of leaders now value agility over long-term planning, with the typical strategic horizon having shrunk to just 2.08 years.
Finding the right people to lead a business is no easy task. The Chartered Institute of Management reports that 82 per cent of managers who enter management positions have not had any formal management and leadership training, who they dub "accidental managers".
The CMI also found that 52 per cent do not hold any management and leadership qualifications.
At UKSE, we encourage businesses to take management seriously and invest in training or additional talent.
Our driving force is to generate growth, create jobs and bolster the local economy rather than be focused on narrow financial returns.
We can support opportunities including business acquisitions, expansions, management buyouts/buy-ins, or the purchase of new equipment, UKSE is eager to meet the businesses of tomorrow and to support communities.
When we support companies drawing upon lending, we encourage them to add to the skill sets in their teams, particularly at board level.
One way to do this is to bring in an experienced non-executive director, a part-time board member who does not hold executive management responsibilities or participate in the day-to-day running of a business, but it is imperative to find the right match.
A report by the Institute of Directors chaired by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park and published in January said non-executive directors need to have modern skills for the evolving business landscape and spend more time in companies to ensure businesses move from “a model of periodic oversight to one of active, informed, and adaptive stewardship”.
Having invested in West Midlands firms since our launch in 1975, UKSE, part of Tata Steel, has seen significant change in the businesses we serve during our history. Nationwide we have invested more than £115 million and helped create more than 83,000 jobs.
Among the businesses to benefit from our equity finance support are Robell Control Systems, an automatic control systems company based in Nechells, Birmingham, who safeguarded the future of more than 40 jobs after completing a management buyout supported by a six-figure equity investment from UKSE.
With a combined 40 years’ experience with Robell, project sales manager Adam Woroch, operations manager Edd Watson and accounts manager Ruth Fennell were able to buy the business from the founding directors and outgoing owners.
Robell Control Systems used our funding to secure their future as one of the UK’s leading specialists in the design, installation and maintenance of automated heating, ventilation, environmental and air-conditioning control systems across a range of commercial buildings.
These kinds of investments can provide stability in changing times and with our region still reliant on manufacturing more than the national average, recent research by the manufacturers organisation Make UK and PwC showed 65 per cent of manufacturers believe that despite the economic uncertainty the opportunities outweigh the risks.
Make UK and PwC's 2026 data shows that the strongest management teams are leveraging funding not to stay afloat, but to pivot toward growth.
The opportunities are out there and with the right management in place future success can be secured.
- To find out more about UKSE, visit www.ukse.co.uk.
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