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Pinion cuts 25% finance review time with MindBridge AI

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KAREN JOY BACUDO

Finance Editor

Pinion has integrated MindBridge’s AI platform into its financial review work, cutting time spent on a recent complex engagement by 25%.

The consulting and accounting firm, which focuses on food and agriculture clients, said a pilot with a new client reduced the workload on a review engagement from about 200 hours to 150 hours. The process also gave its team a broader view of the client’s operations.

Pinion had already used MindBridge for external audit work before expanding its use to review engagements. The move was part of a wider effort to change established processes and reduce reliance on manual sampling in favour of analysis across an entire dataset.

That shift proved important in the pilot because the client had been dissatisfied with the pace of work and the level of interaction required by other accounting firms. Pinion said the new process helped it handle a large volume of data more efficiently while improving the quality of discussions with the client.

Instead of checking selected samples by hand, the firm used anomaly detection across the full set of financial data. This helped staff identify trends earlier and ask more targeted questions during the engagement.

Process change

The pilot involved a new client that Pinion selected as a suitable test case for a different review method. The firm serves businesses across the food and agriculture sector, including tractor manufacturers and logistics providers, and said the result has changed expectations for future projects.

Jenn Tozlian, Principal at Pinion, described the aim as improving the review process without lowering standards.

“I wanted to see if we could optimise the review engagement process, reducing the total time spent while still delivering a high-quality outcome. It was incredible to not only avoid any major issues on this first-year engagement, but to exceed expectations on all fronts. The client was extremely complimentary about the experience. They appreciated how smooth the process was, the timely delivery, and how well-informed we were about their business. I truly believe that taking the time to set them up with MindBridge and dive into their needs made a significant difference in the outcome,” Tozlian said.

The outcome suggests that firms under pressure to complete assurance-related work more quickly are looking beyond labour-intensive methods. In this case, the benefits were not only shorter review times but also a deeper understanding of the client’s business.

That can affect both staff workload and client relationships. Moving away from manual processes allowed employees to spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time on analysis and discussion, according to Pinion.

Broader pressures

MindBridge, which sells AI software for financial review and audit work, said the result shows firms can shorten engagements without weakening oversight. It also linked the issue to wider staffing constraints in the profession.

“The results achieved by Pinion highlight the immediate value of adapting modern methods for complicated review engagements. By reducing the total time spent on a 200-hour engagement by 25%, the team has proved that significant efficiency gains do not require a sacrifice in quality. This allows professionals to focus on higher-value work and use our platform to find operational details that lead to more productive client discussions. This is critical when you consider balancing the pervasive theme of talent shortages with operational efficiency while maintaining coverage,” said Sarah McGinnity, General Manager of Audit & Assurance Solutions at MindBridge.

The figures disclosed by Pinion indicate the engagement fell from 180 to 200 hours to 150 hours, which the firm described as a reduction of 20% to 25%. The result has also increased internal confidence in using the approach on similar work in future.

For firms in specialist sectors such as food and agriculture, where clients can span manufacturing, supply chains, and transport, the ability to quickly review large sets of operational and financial information can shape how much time teams spend gathering evidence and how much they spend interpreting it. Pinion said the pilot showed that a fuller examination of data could also improve the quality of client conversations.



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‘Bicester has fought too hard to be ignored’, says MP on EWR

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Consultation on more than 80 changes along the East West Rail (EWR) line has been ongoing since April, and one change has those living in Bicester up in arms.

The existing London Road crossing in Bicester is to permanently close on safety grounds when the EWR line becomes fully operational.

CGI images of single-lane motorised underpass, which is the preferred option for Bicester’s London Road level crossingCGI images of single-lane motorised underpass, which is the preferred option for Bicester’s London Road level crossing (Image: East West Rail Company)

Instead, an underpass is among the improvements proposed in the railway project.

Following a public consultation last November that received more than 6,200 responses, the underpass and an alternative footbridge have been proposed for the London Road crossing in Bicester as part of more than 80 design changes made to the East West Rail Project.

East West Railway Company said the revised underpass design would be subject to securing third-party funding contributions.

This was met with anger from the community, including from local campaigner of more than a decade and chairman of the Langford Village Community Association, Carole Hetherington, who described the announcement as “incredibly frustrating”.

READ MORE: Victoria Beckham gushed over Cruz after Spice Girls Instagram post

Carole HetheringtonCarole Hetherington (Image: Charlotte Coles, Newsquest)

The new designs show a single-lane road for vehicles, alongside a protected active travel corridor for pedestrians and cyclists, but the underpass could not be used by tall vehicles such as lorries.

East West Rail’s preferred solution would be to divert traffic via existing and upgraded roads and to install a bridge or underpass for pedestrian, cyclists and other users.

The design now includes a single-lane road that could be used by vehicles, alongside a protected active travel corridor for pedestrians and cyclists.

Traffic signals would be installed at each entrance to allow vehicles to travel through the underpass safely in both directions.

Officials, businesses and residents fear that Bicester will be “cut in two” as a result, sparking an ongoing campaign to keep the crossing open to vehicles.

READ MORE: Group of ‘patriots’ to protest following murder of student Henry Nowak

L-R: Carole Hetherington, chairman of Langford Village Community Association; Johnny Morgan, The Fat Zebra; Robert Packman, Imagex; Andrew O'Gorman, O'GormansL-R: Carole Hetherington, chairman of Langford Village Community Association; Johnny Morgan, The Fat Zebra; Robert Packman, Imagex; Andrew O’Gorman, O’Gormans (Image: Carole Hetherington)

Calum Miller, MP for Bicester and Woodstock, said in a statement: “This is the final week to respond to East West Rail’s consultation on London Road.

“I know I have asked before (many times) that Bicester has already shown, loud and clear, that we are united behind keeping London Road open.

“But this final push matters.

“East West Rail has now put forward revised proposals for an underpass at London Road. We now need the Government to have no excuse not to back it, fund it and deliver it.

“So, if you have five minutes this week, please respond to the consultation and make your voice heard.

“Bicester has fought too hard to be ignored now.”

EWR described the new line as connecting “communities between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge, supporting sustainable economic growth in the area”.

The company confirmed the changes “would make it easier to reach jobs, education, public services and days out with family and friends”.





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Verne drops Global as it sharpens AI data centre focus

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SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Verne has unveiled a new brand identity and shortened its name from Verne Global to Verne, a change it says reflects its focus on AI and high-performance computing infrastructure.

The rebrand brings its public identity in line with a business that has expanded from a single-region operator into a pan-Nordic data centre platform. It serves hyperscalers, neocloud providers and enterprise customers with compute-intensive workloads across Northern Europe.

Backed by Ardian, Verne has been repositioning itself in a data centre market reshaped by demand for AI computing. Operators are under pressure to provide sufficient power, cooling and operational depth as customers seek sites that can support denser, more energy-intensive systems.

The updated branding centres on the phrase “natural intelligence”, which Verne uses to describe a combination of Nordic location advantages and the expertise of the teams running its facilities. The new identity is intended to deliver a clearer message to customers and communities as the company grows.

The visual redesign moves away from earlier imagery closely tied to landscape and energy. In its place, Verne is adopting a more restrained look based on Nordic design cues, with mineral textures, muted colours and architectural composition meant to reflect an engineering-led business.

Dropping “Global” from its name also better matches the way the company operates. Verne said it already sees itself as an international business, making the shorter name a simpler expression of its market position.

Market shift

The rebrand comes as data centre operators adjust both strategy and messaging to meet a surge in AI-related demand. Across the sector, providers are trying to distinguish themselves not only through location and sustainability claims, but also through their ability to house dense computing equipment reliably.

Nordic countries have drawn growing interest from data centre and cloud operators because of their cooler climates and access to lower-carbon electricity sources. Those factors can reduce cooling demands and help customers manage the environmental impact of large-scale computing operations.

For Verne, that backdrop has become central to its positioning. The revised brand places greater emphasis on the physical environments where it builds, the staff who operate its sites and the local communities connected to those facilities.

Cheil led the branding work, with support from other agencies across communications and digital strategy. The resulting identity is meant to reflect a business that says it has changed significantly in scale, customer mix and market expectations in recent years.

Nick Spink, Creative Director at Cheil Worldwide, described the thinking behind the project.

“Verne came to us with a clear challenge: how should its brand reflect the fundamental shift the business had made? As we explored the brief, we found a meaningful tension: how to communicate high-performance computing and AI in a way that still felt deeply human. This led us to ‘natural intelligence’, a concept that connects the advanced technology Verne enables with the natural advantages at the heart of the company: its locations, climate and grounded, disciplined approach. It proved a powerful and authentic fit,” said Spink.

Growth plans

Verne said the new identity also supports engagement with local communities in the regions where it operates. That work is intended to help explain the role of data centres in digital services while setting out how the company contributes locally.

The business has sought to frame that local message alongside a broader international customer base. As AI adoption rises, companies running large language models and other compute-heavy applications are looking for facilities that can support sustained, high-density demand, often across multiple sites and jurisdictions.

That has created an opening for operators with room to expand in markets where grid access, land and cooling conditions can still support new buildouts. Investors have been drawn to the same trend, with infrastructure funds and private equity groups increasing their exposure to data centres as AI spending grows.

Ardian’s backing supports Verne as it expands across the Nordics and Northern Europe. The company did not announce new sites alongside the rebrand, but said the refreshed identity is designed to support the next phase of growth.

Anne Katrine Vestergaard Jensen, Vice President of Marketing at Verne, said the changes were meant to reflect a business now facing different expectations from customers and the wider market.

“Verne has changed significantly – in scale, in markets and in the expectations placed on us. This refresh makes that clear. In this market, clarity builds trust, and trust drives decisions. We’ve grounded the brand in something more real: the environments we build in, the people who operate our sites and the role we play in local communities. That’s what gives it credibility – and it’s also what we mean by natural intelligence: the combination of our natural advantages and the human intelligence of the teams behind the infrastructure,” said Jensen.



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UK brewery enters administration as survival crisis mounts

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Redemption Brewing Company, based in north London, has appointed FRP Advisory as administrators and is continuing to trade while a buyer is sought.

The brewery, established in 2010, has been credited with helping to revive the capital’s craft beer scene and was the first commercial brewery to open in Tottenham in nearly a century.

A statement from FRP, seen by CityAM , said: “Rising duty rates in recent years have placed a particular burden on independent brewers, who face a more challenging cost environment than larger national and international competitors.”



Redemption Brewing became part of a community effort in 2013 to save The Antwerp Arms, the oldest working pub in N17 and a longstanding customer.

David Lammy, the local MP and now Deputy Prime Minister, supported the campaign to preserve the pub after corporate developers threatened to replace it with housing.

HMRC filed a winding-up petition against Redemption in January, with a court hearing scheduled for February 2026.

The company’s financial difficulties have deepened, with its deficit rising from £632,151 in 2023 to £705,111 in 2024, alongside a net loss of £72,960 for the latest financial year.

Redemption’s signature products include Hopspur, a premium bitter named in tribute to Tottenham Hotspur, and Big Chief, a New World IPA.



The brewery supplies around 75 pubs across London and has long been regarded as a pillar of the Tottenham community.

The wider independent brewing industry is under strain, with the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) describing a “survival crisis” that has seen around three brewers a week close their doors.

Brewers are contending with rising alcohol duty, VAT, employment taxes, business rates, and corporation tax, alongside higher operating costs.

These pressures have led many pubs to shut down or switch to more affordable products from global brewing companies instead of independent suppliers.

Business rate hikes introduced late last year significantly increased costs for thousands of pub landlords, prompting widespread backlash.



UK’s brewing sector facing pressures

Redemption Brewing’s fall into administration highlights the fragile state of the UK’s independent brewing sector, especially in London, where high costs and tax pressures continue to threaten smaller producers.

FRP Advisory has said it is actively seeking a buyer for the business, and the brewery remains operational during the administration process.

The outcome will depend on whether a suitable investor can be secured to keep the business running and protect the jobs and community heritage attached to the brand.

Are you worried about your local pub? Let us know in the comments





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