Business leaders of tomorrow have received important advice about how domestic abuse and stalking can affect the work environment.

Nick Gazzard, chairman of Gloucester-based charity the Hollie Gazzard Trust, visited the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester to talk to business students about the issues.

The Hollie Gazzard Trust was set up by Nick following the death of his daughter Hollie, who was stabbed to death while at work.

The talk was an adaptation of Nick's 'Working Without Fear' programme that he runs through his own consultancy.

Nick said: "It was great to be able to get the message over to the people who will be running large companies in the future, existing or maybe even their own.

"I was able to share with them some scary statistics including a third of all domestic abuse homicides take place at work and 50 per cent of stalking victims have now curtailed or stopped work all together.

"It is important that we get the message across that it is a serious issue and affects not only the victim but all around."

He was invited to the university by visiting lecturer Phyllida Wilson, who is a consultant to Business and Enterprise Centre at the university and works with students looking at setting up their own business.

Phyllida said: "The work that Nick Gazzard is doing in universities and schools is simply invaluable in educating students and staff alike about the epidemic of domestic abuse, coercive control and stalking currently unfolding in our society.

"This is particularly prevalent amongst 16 to 24-year-olds who are three times more likely to be victims than any other sector of the population.

"The Business and Enterprise Centre decided to invite Nick to speak in the first instance specifically to our business students, who as the business managers of tomorrow, will have the moral and legal responsibility for the wellbeing of their staff.

"Knowing how to spot the signs amongst colleagues and contemporaries is the first step in raising awareness and ultimately reducing the devastating impact of this deadly phenomenon. Nick's talk was both hard-hitting and enlightening. You could have heard a pin drop".

Nick provided students with information about the free app HollieGuard, which turns a smartphone into an advanced personal safety device at the touch of a button.

Picture: Phyllida Wilson and Rita Walsh with Nick Gazzard