Welcome back

Following on from the successful launch of UiQ last year, we’re delighted to be back and excited to get the New Year off to a fresh start. Thank you for receiving Edition 1 so well, we’ve had some great feedback and do please keep your comments coming.

At this point, it’s fair to say that we’re set to see some of the key themes from the back end of 2022 carry through into this year and, if anything, amplify to the point that they simply cannot be ignored. Specifically, I’m talking about the challenging times we’re living in.

According to leading economic forecasters at EY, the UK’s impending recession could be twice as bad as previously thought. The experts expect there’ll be a 0.7% contraction in UK GDP this year – a downwards revision from the 0.3% predicted last year – making 2023 the first calendar-year economic decline for the UK since 20091.

This situation poses significant impacts to things like energy and house prices, as I’m sure many of us are sadly already experiencing. However, it’s also set to continue impacting businesses in a big way and not least when it comes to rising infrastructure costs.

With this in mind, we’re taking a positive approach by skewing this second edition of UIQ towards the importance of resilience. We saw businesses take resilience more seriously during the pandemic, but that momentum must continue if we’re to survive – and thrive – in these times.

Over the following pages, you’ll see our unique take on resilience, our advice for standing strong in the storm, and how our partners are on hand to help with some truly supportive solutions. We hope you find it useful and don’t forget, we’re with you every step of the way. All the very best,

Scott