InBUSINESS Q3 2017

STANISLAUS KENNEDY ON THE MENTORS SERIES SRPOWER OF HUMAN VALUES

InBUSINESS USINESS CONNECTING IRISH BUSINESS

Q3 2017

DE-CODING THE

DRESS CODE

WATCH THIS

SPACE

THE IRISH FIRMS CONTRIBUTING TO THE GLOBAL SPACE INDUSTRY

HOW TO DECIPHER WHAT TO WEAR FOR WORK

InBUSINESS Q3 2017

WHAT

MILLENNIALS

WANT WHAT BUSINESS NEEDS TO

KNOW ABOUT GENERATION Y

Getting

Personal PERMANENT TSB’S

SOLUTIONS WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH

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KILLIAN O’FLYNN ON PROVIDING SIMPLE BANKING

25/10/2017 09:24

THE WESTIN DUBLIN HOTEL WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 6TH 2017

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25/10/2017 09:27

Editor: Joseph O’Connor Managing Editor: Mary Connaughton Editorial Assistant: Elisha Collier O’Brien (Chambers Ireland) Tiernan Cannon Art Director: Alan McArthur Editorial Contributors: Tiernan Cannon Orla Connolly Conor Forrest Valerie Jordan Design Assistant: James Moore Front Cover Photography: Jason Clarke Photography: Jason Clarke Photography iStock Photo Infographics: www.flaticon.com Production Manager: Mary Connaughton Production Executive: Nicole Ennis Sales Director: Paul Clemenson Managing Director: Gerry Tynan Chairman: Diarmaid Lennon

Published by: Ashville Media Group, Old Stone Building, Blackhall Green, Dublin 7 Tel: +353 1 432 2200 Email: info@ashville.com Web: www.ashville.com On behalf of: Chambers Ireland, 3rd Floor, Newmount House, 22 - 24 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2 Tel: +353 1 400 4300 Email: info@chambers.ie Web: www.chambers.ie All articles © Ashville Media Group 2017.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher. Opinion and comments expressed herein are not necessarily those of Ashville Media or Chambers Ireland. ISSN 20093934

16

Entrepreneur

Co-founder of Cara Pharmacy Group Ramona Nicholas talks expansion plans and being a start-up mentor

24

Business of Sport

What are the ingredients for a successful podcast?

We delve into the world of sports podcasting to find out Words: Conor Forrest

30

What Millennials Want We sought advice on what attracts Generation Y to a given employer Words: Orla Connolly

We met with Killian O’Flynn, Head of SME Banking with Permanent TSB, to talk simple banking solutions with a personal touch

INDUSTRY FEATURE

INDUSTRY FEATURE

Snapchat

Helen Dixon, Data Protection Commissioner

34

De-Coding The Dress Code

Words: Orla Connolly

001 InBusiness Q3 2017_Contents.indd 1

Getting Personal

33

Where do you draw the line between individualism and professionalism when dressing for business?

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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COVER STORY:

Space Ireland’s contribution to the global space industry has grown rapidly in recent years, and forecasts suggest that this trend is set to continue. TIERNAN CANNON sets out to get a sense of some of the companies working within the sector and how they intend to remain viable down the line.

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InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

t may come as something of a surprise, but the space sector in Ireland is increasingly big business. While the country isn’t launching its own rocket to the moon just yet, the development of its first ever satellite, EIRSAT-1, shows just how giant a leap the Irish have taken into the industry. A growing number of companies here work within the sector, facilitated largely by Ireland’s membership of the European Space Agency (ESA).

ESA is an inter-governmental agency comprising of 22 member states, which seeks to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country.

ESA is funded primarily through member states’ contributions. Ireland, which joined the agency in 1975, currently provides a17.8 million per annum, representing approximately 0.5 per cent of total ESA member state contributions. In return, Irish companies and research teams are permitted to bid for ESA contract development work in a range of space programmes.

According to a spokesperson for the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI), which is responsible for managing Ireland’s membership of the ESA, the number of Irish companies working with ESA has almost doubled over the past five years, with 60 companies currently engaged and more expected. Total employment in ESA-participating companies has grown from 1,300 in 2008 to almost 2,000 in 2016, and is projected to exceed 5,500 by 2020.

This high level of activity and growth in employment reflects the combined efforts of Government in investing significantly in R&D, of Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland in working with industry, and of ESA itself translating the innovation capacity in Irish industry into products, systems and services for the European space programme and the global space market.

“ESA programmes and contracts allow Irish industry to develop the specific capabilities required for the commercial space market, such as launches, satellites, downstream equipment and services,” says

the DBEI spokesperson. “Ireland’s specific focus within the space sector is on technology innovation. DBEI supports Irish companies working within the space sector through Enterprise Ireland, R&D supports, research collaborations and specifically a number of other supports.”

TERRESTRIAL APPLICATIONS An increasing number of Irish companies have engaged in extremely specialised work as part of ESA contracts. Cortona 3D for example, which is headquartered in Booterstown, Co Dublin, produces visualisation and simulation software which was chosen by ESA for spacecraft crew and astronauts training for the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), a fleet of 20 tonne space transport vehicles used to bring fresh food, clothes, water, fuel, experiments, and oxygen to the International Space Station.

“Our project aimed at improving the quality and performance of International Space Station crew operations and training,” says one member of the Cortona 3D team. “Training and mission operations are of crucial importance to the International Space Station and other similar sophisticated programmes.”

The type of work carried out by Cortona 3D is critical to the space sector, but the company is not bound entirely to it. The benefits of the company’s visualisation and simulation software extend across a large variety of industries, including automotive, manufacturing, consumer electronics, aerospace, high-tech, defence and medical.

This is an important feature of many of the technologies produced by companies working within the space industry, as the ability to bring space technologies back down to earth is often essential in ensuring the continued viability of the company producing them. Dr Frank Smyth, CEO and founder of Pilot Photonics, knows as much.

“One of the things that ESA insists on is that the technology produced can also be applied to more regular, earth terrestrial markets,” he says. “Otherwise what happens is you have this technology that’s only suitable for space, but the space market is too small to support it and the company goes bust, because it didn’t have a sustainable market on the ground. So when you put proposals together [for ESA] there has to be a terrestrial business case for it as well.”

Dr Smyth’s company, Pilot Photonics, is a spin-out company of DCU, founded

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

A ROADMAP FOR EMERGING SPACE STATES At the International Space University’s Space Studies Program 2017, held this year in Cork, a report entitled ‘A Roadmap for Emerging Space States’ was presented, which provides a general roadmap for Ireland and other emerging space states to build and expand their space sector capacity. The report included the following recommendations: • Establish a national space agency to develop a space policy for Ireland and coordinate the Irish space sector in line with strategic goals.

• Join the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) and participate further in international partnerships and organisations related to space.

• Increase investment in space-related STEM education and incentivise space science and engineering programmes.

• Encourage strategically focused private industry to engage in space-related activities that promote Irish technologies, economic growth, and societal benefits.

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INDUSTRY

Watch This Space

Ireland’s contribution to the global space industry has grown rapidly in recent years Words: Tiernan Cannon

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25/10/2017 09:29 05/09/2017 16:11

SR STANISLAUS KENNEDY ON THE MENTORS SERIES POWER OF HUMAN VALUES

InBUSINESS USINESS CONNECTING IRISH BUSINESS

Q3 2017

DE-CODING THE

DRESS CODE

WATCH THIS

SPACE

THE IRISH FIRMS CONTRIBUTING TO THE GLOBAL SPACE INDUSTRY

HOW TO DECIPHER WHAT TO WEAR FOR WORK

InBUSINESS Q3 2017

WHAT

MILLENNIALS

WANT

WHAT BUSINESS NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT GENERATION Y

Getting

Personal PERMANENT TSB’S

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KILLIAN O’FLYNN

ON PROVIDING SIMPLE BANKING SOLUTIONS WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH

Go to chambers.ie for the online edition

[SNAPPING IN STYLE] For our cover shoot with Killian O’Flynn we chose NoLIta, a New York style bar and eatery on Dublin’s South Great George’s Street. Part of the Mercantile Group, NoLIta is the ideal place for a business lunch or a catch-up with friends.

www.nolita.ie

Meet Our New Motoring Correspondent

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36

Mentors: Sr Stanislaus Kennedy Social innovator Sr Stan on connectedness, the homelessness crisis and the power of human values

34

Words: Joseph O’Connor

40

Small Business HairyBaby, the novelty t-shirt company that started in a shed

42

In Conversation

126

MOTORING: Volkswagen launches a revamped camper van 130

INNOVATION:

Top equipment for mobile journalists

46 WORLD REPORT

WORLD REPORT

World Report

Putt ng

Kyrgyzstan Not much about the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan is known in the West, but one community-based tourism organisation is on a mission to change that.

JOSEPH O’CONNOR reports.

Words: Valerie Jordan

44

Book Extract An extract from Facebook Marketing: The Essential Guide for Irish Organisations

˘ Raluca Gaitan

[LIFESTYLE]

Entrepreneur and firefighter Neil McCabe proves to be a real all-rounder

130

on tНe Map

A boy pictured on horseback in the At-Bashi District of southeastern Kyrgyzstan

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InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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We report on the rise of community-based tourism in the Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan Words: Joseph O’Connor

132

TRAVEL:

The Greek capital of Athens makes for the perfect getaway 135

BOOKS:

How to survive assholes in the workplace InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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[REGULARS]

Our Local Government InBUSINESS Supplement 07 DOING continues to THINGS BETTER look at the important role played by local authorities in Irish enterprise Page

Page

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5 Business News 10 Movers & Shakers 13 Opportunity Ireland 14 Start-Up Central

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Microsoft buys Kerry electricity, new coach park facilities at Cliffs of Moher, and researcher to examine IoT in Limerick.

136 The IB Index

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Digital boost for Galway firms, support for Mayo farmers welcomed, and Sligo towns and villages to receive funding.

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New cross-border greenways for Donegal and Derry, housing boost for Monaghan, and Donegal businesses urged to get ‘cool’.

In Association with

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Cork County Council has developed a number of innovative initiatives that have helped to transform people’s lives.

GREEN LIGHT FOR ROSCOMMON DISTILLERY

The construction of a new distillery for Boyle has moved a step closer.

Page 4

57 Chambers Catch Up

Page

LEINSTER • MUNSTER • CONNAUGHT • ULSTER

Laois to benefit from renewal scheme, quicker broadband for Mullingar, and Liberties emerging as an innovation district.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

03

SOUTH-EAST AMBITIONS

In Association with

Cork County Council attraction Spike Island has been crowned ‘Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction’.

1

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25/10/2017 17:39

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25/10/2017 09:30

NE WS UCD LAUNCHES NEW BUSINESS CENTRE UCD College of Business has launched its new Centre for Business and Society (CeBaS) at UCD Smurfit School. The aim of of the new centre is to support responsible business practice through a collaborative effort of bringing together academic researchers, business, government, NGOs, consumers and other academic communities to develop best practice models. Led by leading UCD College of Business Faculty, Professors Donna Marshall, Andy Prothero and Colm McLaughlin, CeBaS will be the largest research centre in UCD College of Business with academic researchers focusing on six key themes: Africa; gender discrimination and diversity; health; transparency; sustainability; and work.

BUSINESS NEWS

Marguerite Sayers, Managing Director of ESB Networks, with Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment Sean Kyne

ESB LAUNCHES INNOVATION STRATEGY

E

SB Networks formally launched its innovation strategy at Connecting Ireland’s Energy Conference, which took place at the Mansion House on September 28th. The strategy sets out how ESB Networks will meet the challenges of the changing energy landscape, deploying new technology, engineering, and innovation tools to facilitate the transition to a low carbon future. The innovation strategy includes investment in state-ofthe-art control centres in Dublin and Cork; investment in line sensors, fault indicators, augmented reality and 3D laser scanning to help control the network and repair faults remotely.

BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR

The Financial Times and McKinsey & Company has published the shortlist for the 2017 Business Book of the Year Award. Now in its 13th year, the award recognises a work which provides the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues. For this year’s shortlist, eight judges have chosen the six most influential business books of 2017. The winner will be announced at a dinner ceremony in New York on November 6th at the Lotte New York Palace. The 2017 shortlist is:

The Spider Network

by David Enrich

Adaptive Markets: Financial Evolution at the Speed of Thought

by Andrew W. Lo

SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

Janesville: An American Story

by Amy Goldstein

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone

by Brian Merchant

Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change by Ellen Pao

The Great Leveler:

by Walter Scheidel

5

25/10/2017 12:33

BUSINESS NEWS

CSR SHOULD DO MORE THAN TICK BOXES,

SAYS SR STAN

Social innovator Sr Stanislaus Kennedy has warned businesses against paying lip service to their corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments. Sr Stan, who has been involved in social development in Ireland for more than 30 years, was speaking to InBUSINESS as part of our mentors series. Of companies engaging in CSR practices, she said: “What I wouldn’t like CSR to be is crumbs on the table. It must be a serious commitment to changing our society instead of giving what’s just left over.”

Sr Stan believes it is critically important that businesses engage in CSR practices but also that they are kept informed about the needs of the time.

“Businesses have to have economic policies but they should also have social policy,” she added. “It’s the same with government. It’s the social policy that informs how we distribute the resources we have. And that has to be embraced by leadership.”

For more from Sr Stanislaus Kennedy go to our mentors feature on page 36.

SHANNON WELCOMES

NEW CANADA SERVICE

Shannon Airport has welcomed the announcement by Air Canada of a new direct service from Shannon to Toronto operating from June 2nd to October 13th 2018. The service will operate four days a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Outlining the potential for the service, Andrew Murphy, Managing Director, Shannon Airport said: “Canadian tourists are high spenders and businesses along the Wild Atlantic Way in particular will benefit as the route will deliver significant Canadian visitors directly to their doorstep.”

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PICTURE THIS

Dancers perform at a 10-year anniversary event for the Irish Fujian Business Association, at Clontarf Castle. Photograph: Julien Behal Photography

Business

BITES

GLOBAL AIR PASSENGERS TO SOAR The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has estimated that 7.8 billion people will fly on commercial airlines in 2036 - almost double the four billion expected to fly this year.

EASYDRY BAGS VISIONARY AWARD Easydry, the Dundalk company specialising in disposable towels which we profiled in our Q1 issue, has won an award for Best Ecommerce Site B2B 2017 at this year’s DOT IE Net Visionary Awards.

The accolade recognises businesses that sell across multiple channels, provide excellent customer service and that are determined in their efforts to grow their business while embracing technology to meet their customers’ needs. Easydry uses a range of digital marketing tools to increase brand awareness across the globe. It has an extensive social media presence and uses localised social media content to communicate with its customers and attract new business.

Anne Butterly, CEO of Easydry, who says she was “thrilled” to have won the ecommerce award

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 12:33

BUSINESS NEWS

30% CLUB HOSTS

FIRST GALWAY SEMINAR The 30% Club, a global group of company Chairs and CEOs committed to achieving better gender balance in business, held its first event in Galway on September 25th in partnership with NUI Galway and KPMG. The event, which was hosted in NUI Galway, focused on the theme of ‘Growth through Diversity’ and had an attendance of over 140 business leaders, academics and MBA students from across Galway and the wider Connaught region.

THE 30% CLUB MISSION The 30% Club aims to develop a diverse pool of talent for all businesses through the efforts of its Chair and CEO members who are committed to better gender balance at all levels of their organisations.

Business leadership is key to its mission, taking the issue beyond a specialist diversity effort and into mainstream talent management.

Pictured at the 30% Club event were Professor Anne Scott, Vice President for Equality and Diversity, NUI Galway; Dr Jim Browne, President, NUI Galway; Brid Horan, 30% Club and Patricia Orme, Audit Director, KPMG

FRESH CALLS FOR TECH AMBASSADOR

AMAZON SEEKS MORE DUBLIN OFFICE SPACE

PAYPAL SEES PROFITS ALMOST DOUBLE

The British Irish Chamber of Commerce has called for the Government to turn Brexit into an opportunity for Ireland’s tech sector by appointing a Technology Ambassador to represent the industry in Silicon Valley.

Amazon.com is seeking office space in Dublin that could hold as many as 800 people. According to a report from the Bloomberg financial news, the e-commerce giant is looking for as much as 80,000 square feet of office space in the city.

PayPal has revealed that its pretax profits have almost doubled from 5.8m last year to 10.2m this year, with its total turnover now standing at  184m, 184m, up from  168m 168m in 2016.

“If you’re starting out, don’t underestimate the effort, discipline and perseverance required to build a business.” business.

MILESTONE SIGNALS GROWING APPETITE FOR P2P LOANS

P

eer-to-peer (P2P) lender Linked Finance has funded its 1000th loan for an Irish SME, with total loans made by the company now over 31 million.

This milestone loan saw 100,000 raised for accounting software specialists Big Red Cloud in order to support increased marketing activity in the year ahead. Homegrown SMEs that have borrowed successfully on Linked Finance since its launch in 2013 include Viking Splash Tours, Lolly & Cooks, Murphy’s Ice Cream, Iconic Offices and the Irish Fairy Door Company. Lending levels are accelerating in 2017, with total loans in the first half of 2017 up 243 per cent to 11.4m.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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Killian O’Flynn, Head of SME Banking, Permanent TSB

Niall Dorrian, CEO of Linked Finance and Marc O’Dwyer of Big Red Cloud mark Linked Finance making its 1000th loan since launching in 2013

COVER STORY

P20

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25/10/2017 12:33

THE BURNING QUESTION

?

In your opinion, what has been the most positive business news story so far this year?

RAMONA NICHOLAS Cara Pharmacy Group It is fantastic to learn that as recent as September 7th, Jaguar Land Rover has become the latest large carmaker to say it will stop launching new models solely powered by internal combustion engines, two months after Volvo pledged to do so.

NEIL McCABE The GreenPlan Seeing Teelings Whiskey Distillery go from strength to strength has been a really positive story. The company has shown the power of thinking outside the box.

Certainly, one to watch.

DARAGH MURPHY HairyBaby The CSO has issued results from the quarterly national household survey for Q2 2017 showing employment figures are up by 48,000. I would like to think this is positive. Also there’s a lot of new office construction going on in Cork right now. Good times ahead hopefully.

KILLIAN O’FLYNN Permanent TSB The expansion of the Chopped salad brand is a great news story. It’s empowering when an SME can grow its business or brand and I think there is lots more to come from the team driving this fantastic Irish company.

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Dr Michelle Cullen, Accenture Ireland, Irish Defence Forces Chief-of-Staff, Admiral Mark Mellett, Jean Winters, Director, Industrial Relations, CIF and Anne Dooley, MD, Winthrop

FEDERATION GETS CONSTRUCTIVE ON GENDER The Construction Industry Federation’s first Women in Construction Network, aimed at increasing the number of women working in the construction industry, has been launched. A recent report by the CIF showed that the industry needed an additional 112,000 employees to deliver the housing and infrastructure required for the Irish economy and society. Earlier this year, the CIF welcomed over 100 senior leaders to a briefing entitled Increasing Female Participation in Construction to mark International Women’s Day. The very clear message from this event was that the CIF should expand its leadership role in promoting gender equality within the construction industry.

TRUMP AND BREXIT HOT TOPICS

IN IRISH CLASSROOMS Donald Trump was the politician most spoken about in 5th and 6th class in primary schools across Ireland last year.

The results of a survey carried out among Junior Entrepreneur Project participants showed that over 96 per cent of teachers of the 5th and 6th class pupils involved said that the new US President Donald Trump was the politician most spoken about in their classroom in the last year. He was followed by former Taoiseach Enda Kenny on 2.8 per cent. Irish school children are also aware of Brexit, with over 85 per cent of teachers saying the topic of the UK exit from the European Union had come up in the classroom in the last year.

Leah Shanahan Killeen, a pupil from Lurga National School, Co. Galway whose class created Handy Hats as part of their project in the Junior Entrepreneur Programme

ABOUT THE JUNIOR ENTREPRENEUR PROGRAMME Led by Jerry Kennelly of Tweak Cloud, Junior Entrepreneur Programme is a 12 to 16 week programme delivered free of charge to all 5th and 6th class pupils in the country helping them to learn and develop business skills in collaboration with their classmates. Close to 40,000 children have participated in the Junior Entrepreneur Programme since its inception in 2010.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

26/10/2017 16:42

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25/10/2017 09:31

MOVERS & SHAKERS

M vers

NEW APPOINTMENTS IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY NATIONWIDE

SHAKERS

NATALIE WALSH

DAVID PHELAN

PETER SANDYS

BARRY D’ARCY

NEW TITLE: Executive Director EMPLOYER: Blackstone LaunchPad at NUIG PREVIOUS ROLE: Programme Manager, Blackstone LaunchPad

NEW TITLE: Managing Partner EMPLOYER: Accreate PREVIOUS ROLE: Partner – Life Sciences, Accreate

NEW TITLE: Chairman EMPLOYER: IVCA OTHER ROLE: Managing Partner, Seroba Life Sciences

NEW TITLE: Chief Risk and Compliance Officer EMPLOYER: KBC Bank Ireland PREVIOUS ROLE: Director of Finance, KBC Bank Ireland

Natalie Walsh has been appointed Executive Director of Blackstone LaunchPad, the NUI Galway-based entrepreneurship programme open to students, alumni, staff and faculty. Prior to taking up the role, Walsh worked as programme manager of the initiative, in addition to being the administrative lead on the proposal which saw Blackstone LaunchPad choose NUI Galway as its first international site outside of the US.

Accreate, the global executive search and selection firm headquartered in Dublin, has appointed David Phelan as Managing Partner. In this new role, Phelan will lead the dynamic team in Accreate, with an additional specific responsibility for leading the company’s life sciences practice.

Phelan joined Accreate in 2015 to build its life sciences offering, which has since become one of the cornerstones of the business.

Peter Sandys, Managing Partner of Seroba Life Sciences, has been elected chairman of the Irish Venture Capital Association (IVCA).

He succeeds Michael Murphy, Partner of Investec Ventures Ireland, who has completed his term of office. Sandys, who also chaired the IVCA in 2010, is a co-founder of Seroba and is an experienced investor and director of companies in the technology and fund management sectors.

KBC Bank Ireland has announced the appointment of Barry D’Arcy as Chief Risk and Compliance Officer. D’Arcy takes up the role having held the position of Director of Finance at KBC Bank Ireland since 2013. Prior to this he was Associate Director, Risk Management, at KBC for two years. D’Arcy has more than 21 years’ experience across financial services and industry.

TOP CAREER TIPS 10

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Pearl Clarke is Managing Director of PostPoint, a subsidiary of An Post. She has held the role for over six years. Clarke has worked with An Post since 2001, and during that time has held senior roles in numerous areas including corporate finance, parcels, banking and retail.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 12:30

CAREER DOCTOR

THE BUSINESS COST OF BULLYING IN THIS ISSUE, CAREER DOCTOR SUSAN KEALY LOOKS AT WHY THE ACT OF INTIMIDATING STAFF DOES LITTLE IN THE WAY OF MOTIVATING THEM.

FRANKIE DOUGLAS

VALERIE HOURIGAN

NEW TITLE: Head of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs EMPLOYER: Nutritics PREVIOUS ROLE: Technical Executive, Food Safety Authority of Ireland

NEW TITLE: Partner EMPLOYER: ByrneWallace PREVIOUS ROLE: Litigation and Dispute Resolution, ByrneWallace

Frankie Douglas has been appointed Head of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs at Nutritics, the specialists in nutrition software.

Douglas will work in conjunction with the company’s CEO & COO, to support their roles and work independently on scientific and regulatory related projects. She is responsible for developing the Nutritics platform to ensure ease of compliance with food law in global markets.

ByrneWallace has announced the appointment of Valerie Hourigan as partner. Hourigan is an experienced litigator specialising in property and landlord/tenant dispute resolution. She has expertise in defamation and recently acted for clients in securing a number of Norwich Pharmacal orders against online platforms and a telecom provider to ascertain the identities of the posters of defamatory material on the internet.

S

cott Rudin is the mastermind producer behind such movies as The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Reportedly, he is also a bully, sadist and aggressive megalomaniac who is known for his screaming tirades and poor treatment of staff. Unsurprisingly, the average turnover of his assistants is just four weeks.

In business, far too many managers still use intimidation as a way of leveraging their authority, and bullying, in its many forms, is thought to affect around 8 per cent of employees in Ireland. While many managers simply do not attempt to control their emotions, others use anger and threats as a deliberate attempt to ‘motivate’ staff. Though not every raised voice constitutes bullying, it is true that fear-based tactics normally have the exact opposite of their intended effect.

When we feel afraid the blood vessels in our forebrain contract so that the blood can flow to our hindbrain, which preps our muscles, preparing us to flee or to run. We become more reactive at the expense of reasoning.

It results in us making more mistakes and plotting to escape down the nearest fire ladder.

Sadly, escape is indeed the best option for many employees with 60 per cent of those who are bullied reportedly running off to safer pastures – at a significant cost to employers.

It is highly likely that those who stay offer just a fraction of their potential. In order to tackle this problem we need to stop pretending that emotions don’t exist in business and start learning how to work with them. Mindfulnessbased practices offer one such approach.

Susan Kealy is a certified coach and trainer and a registered psychologist specialising in organisational and career psychology. For more visit www.careercraft.ie.

1.

Approach your career with the highest integrity. Good relationships are ones that are built on trust.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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2.

Bring enthusiasm to your tasks. Have a genuine drive to do well for yourself and the company you represent.

3.

Don’t be afraid to take risks.

Grab opportunities when they come your way.

11

25/10/2017 12:30

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COMPANY: Graebel Companies Inc

SECTOR: Technology

LOCATION: Wexford

COMPANY: Stats

ANNOUNCEMENT: Tech company Datapac is to create 35 new positions in Enniscorthy as part of a 2.1m investment. The investment is funding enhancement of ICT managed services at Datapac’s network operations centre.

SECTOR: Management Services LOCATION: Dundalk ANNOUNCEMENT: Graebel, a provider of workforce and workplace mobility services, has announced the opening of the company’s new EMEA operations centre in Dundalk with the creation of 125 new jobs within the next three years.

SECTOR: Data and Intelligence LOCATION: Limerick ANNOUNCEMENT: US sports data and intelligence giant Stats is to open an EMEA headquarters in Limerick, creating over 100 high-quality jobs by 2020. Its new regional base will help it develop the next generation of sports technology products.

OpportunityIRELAND InBUSINESS highlights some of the companies that are expanding operations and generating new employment opportunities around the country.

COMPANY: Tandem HR Solutions SECTOR: HR

COMPANY: Veritas Technologies SECTOR: Technology

LOCATION: Dublin

LOCATION: Dublin

ANNOUNCEMENT: HR tech firm Tandem HR Solutions is to create 40 new jobs in Dublin. The company has just raised 2m in a seed funding round led by Frontline Ventures, along with ACT Venture Capital, Enterprise Ireland and angel investors.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Data protection company Veritas Technologies has announced the creation of 250 jobs at its new R&D centre in Dublin. Its recruitment drive will focus on development roles from new graduate positions to senior level executives.

COMPANY: Pepsi

SECTOR: R&D

LOCATION: Cork

ANNOUNCEMENT: Pepsi in Cork has announced 40 new jobs as part of a new multi-million euro research and development centre in Little Island. The company described it as a strong statement of its commitment to Cork.

Rural Development Almost 300 rural towns and villages are set to benefit from over 21 million in funding announced under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. The funding is the second tranche of funds to be announced by the Department of Rural and Community Development. The scheme is part of the Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development. After criticism of the derelict state of dozens of villages and towns around the country, the Government has committed over 30m to renewal projects.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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300

the approximate number of towns and villages to benefit

281

number of centres with populations under 5,000 set to benefit

€30m

Rural Renewal in Numbers:

funding allocated under the scheme

€20k to €100k range of funding awarded to individual towns and villages

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25/10/2017 09:53

START-UPS

Start-Up Central

NEWS,VIEWS AND PROFILES ON THE LATEST START-UPS IN IRELAND

The amount of funding rasied by Irish tech firms in the first half of 2017, according to the Irish Venture Capital Association VenturePulse survey published in September.

HOW IT ALL STARTED

CYNTHIA BALOULA

Founder and Managing Director, CB Media How did you fund your business initially?

I worked a full-time job while building my business initially. This meant working extremely long hours every day for about three years. Every penny I earned was invested into building CB Media.

What’s the best advice you were given?

Every method of making money has a system already discovered by somebody, at some point in time. Don’t re-invent the wheel.

Find the system, learn it and apply it.

What was the most important lesson you learned starting out?

To push through my fear of failure, because failure does not exist; there is only feedback and thus the opportunity to learn from your mistakes and improve.

Your biggest make or break moment?

When I hired my first full-time staff, it added cost to the business but allowed us to take on more clients and more complex projects, which has been very exciting and essential to our growth.

Would you change anything in hindsight?

I’d get out of the convincing business earlier, by utilising technology to generate warm leads from prospects who are looking for our type of services; instead of working hard to convince people who have no interest in the services we offer.

Company: CB Media Location: The Digital Hub, Dublin Product: Video production, animation and aerial filming/ photography Staff: 11 Website: www.cbmedia.ie

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NEW TOOL TO FIND FUNDS Knowledge Transfer Ireland (KTI) has announced details of a new interactive ‘Find R&D Funding’ tool, which will provide organisations with a mechanism to help them source funding and supports for research and development activity in Ireland. The resource was launched at KTI’s Knowledge Transfer Summit which brought together over 300 entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, universities, Institutes of Technology and publicly-funded research organisations (RPOs).

For more details on the new tool visit www.knowledgetransfer ireland.com.

ONLINE START-UP ADDRESSES ACCOMMODATION CRISIS A new online start-up is providing a solution to the housing shortage and escalating rents faced by third level students. switchingrooms allows students to advertise the room they are leaving behind on its database, to search for a suitable match in the required destination and do a direct swap, thus eliminating the need to pay any rent in their new room. “switchingrooms allows students to swap their home rooms, cutting out huge rental costs faced by students in the academic year,” says founder Aisling Byrne. “They may also agree terms and provide food, WiFi, cleaning facilities and transport to save on living expenses.” Byrne came up with the idea for the business when her work in the film industry required her to rent short-term and she had difficulty securing suitable accommodation. switchingrooms has launched in time for the academic year and is offering sign-up free of charge for a limited period as a special introductory offer.

For more details visit www.switchingrooms.ie.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 09:55

START-UPS

Dr Ruairi Friel, CEO, Westway Health

NUIG SPIN-OUT RECEIVES EU FUNDING BOOST

Jim Tracey, CEO and co-founder, Voinext.com

TEN NEW JOBS FOR GOREY FIRM Gorey-based tech firm Voinext.com has announced that it will create ten jobs over the next 18 months. The company is an online customer engagement platform that makes it easier for businesses to talk to their customers via their websites. Voinext has launched its first Ireland and UK service, which will allow potential and existing customers to click on a website and call that company free from anywhere in the world. Speaking about the technology, Jim Tracey, CEO and co-founder of Voinext.com, says: “Existing services like type-chat or ticketing call backs are clunky, slow, and expensive as they rely mostly on the customer’s telco or software provider. Our model with no contract or monthly fees, minimal cost and ease of use is attractive for even the smallest SME, sole trader or professional services organisation as well as enterprise.”

NE TO WATCH: STORYSTOCK

The EU has provided funding of 2.5 million to an NUI Galway spinout which is taking on the global challenge of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Westway Health was set up in 2012 to commercialise a breakthrough antimicrobial technology developed in NUI Galway’s School of Natural Sciences. Headed by CEO Dr Ruairi Friel, the startup’s novel technologies have a range of applications beyond animal health, including human health and environmental sterilisation.

The funding will be used to advance the development of the company’s lead product aimed at treating bovine mastitis.

Francis Fitzgibbon, CEO and founder of StoryStock

New Irish start-up StoryStock.com is slowly becoming the AirBnB of the content world by connecting a global community of content creators with media and brands who need high quality content.

StoryStock – led by a team of experienced journalists – is a platform where content creators, videographers, writers, journalists and bloggers can create profiles, upload content to a digital stock content archive and reply to job postings from media and brands who need great quality content and stories. The platform has already worked with some blue clip clients like the European Commission and is hoping to open its first investment round before Christmas.

Advertising is changing and content marketing is set to become a $313 billion industry by year end 2019.

StoryStock is aiming to lead the charge by becoming the go-to company for content for media, business and some of the world’s leading brands.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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25/10/2017 09:55

ENTREPRENEUR

Ask the

Pharmacist Ramona Nicholas, co-founder and joint managing director of Cara Pharmacy Group, talks to InBUSINESS about expansion plans, being a mentor and the childhood chemistry set that would shape her career.

IB: How is life and how is business at present?

RN: Life is great at the minute.

It’s coming into my favourite and busiest time of the year – Christmas. Sarah, our daughter has just turned 18 months and we can’t take our eyes off her. She is most certainly ruling the roost!

Business wise, as of September 15th, we acquired Abbey Healthcare, a pharmacy group based in Dublin and in Cork. This is a very exciting move for us, and we look forward to continuing their level of excellence in pharmacy and putting the Cara retail stamp on it. This is our first move to the east coast and we plan to expand on this after a period of consolidation.

IB: What are your thoughts on the current state of the pharmacy sector in Ireland? Any market trends impacting your business?

RN: Being honest, I do believe there are too many pharmacies per population as a result of deregulation, and I am always aware of the number of 16

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independents that purchased pharmacies at extortionate prices at the height of the boom.

Ultimately, I believe there will be four main players in Ireland over the next five years. The larger multiples will buy up the smaller ones, and individual independents. Two of these will be non-indigenous, Lloyds and Boots Alliance, and ultimately, we aim to be the third or fourth stakeholder in the market.

In terms of market trends, digital influencers and beauty bloggers have a huge impact on our sales of certain products, so it’s exceptionally important for us to stay ‘on trend’ with what’s happening in this space at all times.

IB: Would you say you have always had a business head on your shoulders?

RN: I would have to say yes, as it’s not something that can be learned or taught. From the age of 11, I knew I wanted my own pharmacy, and set myself the goal of having one by the age of 25. Two things I remember from my childhood is

the chemistry set that Santa gave me for Christmas when I was very young, and the other is the pretend shop I set up in my bedroom with a little pretend till and scanner!

There is no pharmacy in my background, but my mother and father worked very hard and this instilled really strong values in me. My father still runs his own business with my sister. In saying that, I’ve never had any form of business education. I believe there are three ways of learning – experience, reading and the people you surround yourself with. And this is how I have learnt.

IB: What are your thoughts on entrepreneurship in Ireland at present?

RN: I feel that entrepreneurship is very strong in Ireland and it is being encouraged at a governmental level, which is great. Having worked with Transition Year students in several schools, what they learn about entrepreneurship at such a young age is amazing – the products and presentations they come up InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 09:58

ENTREPRENEUR

“I’ve never had any form of business education.

I believe there are three ways of learning – experience, reading and the people you surround yourself with.”

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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25/10/2017 09:58

ENTREPRENEUR

RN: I learned so much when I was filming Dragons’ Den from my fellow Dragons who had a wealth of experience from so many different industries. This path of learning I really enjoyed.

Helping others achieve their own dreams gives me so much satisfaction also, and it’s something I love doing, even outside of Dragons’ Den. We all learn by our mistakes, and make plenty of them in business, believe me! Sharing that alone can be a great asset to someone starting out.

“MY ADVICE WOULD BE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE

100 PER CENT COMMITTED TO THE

BUSINESS. IF YOU WANT A

BUSINESS TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL YOU HAVE TO LIVE, BREATHE, DRINK AND EAT IT 24/7.”

FROM JUDGING TO BEING JUDGED Nicholas was an industry finalist in this year’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year programme. Speaking ahead of awards night, she described the journey as being “unbelievable”. She said: “The EOY programme has allowed me to take a step back and examine our business thoroughly. Everything was planned so precisely and the trip to San Francisco alone was a once in a lifetime experience. I cannot recommend it highly enough.”

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with are just magical. Also, having experienced Junior Dragons’ Den when I was a Dragon on the RTÉ Series Dragons’ Den, a lot of the ideas were up there with those of the adults.

IB: Any interesting story you can share with us relating to getting your business off the ground?

RN: Well ultimately, the biggest risk I ever took in my career was setting up a business with my boyfriend. In July 2002, I was offered a pharmacy in Donegal Town, and I jumped at the chance.

I had to choose if I was to go into competition with my now husband who owned Nicholas Pharmacy, 20 minutes from Donegal Town.

I remember clearly on an beautiful sunny August evening over a glass of wine when we decided to join forces. We are lucky that we both have two very different skillsets which covers the whole spectrum of the business. So CARA (the first two letters of both our names) was born on September 1st 2002.

IB: How has your experience on Dragons’ Den shaped you? How do you enjoy being a mentor to those starting out?

IB: Any advice for budding entrepreneurs hoping to get a business off the ground?

RN: My advice would be to make sure that you are 100 per cent committed to the business. If you want a business to become successful you have to live, breathe, drink and eat it 24/7. That never lets up. So the question I would ask is, ‘are you willing to put your business in front of other things in life (excluding family) in order to achieve what you want?’

IB: What has been your own mantra in business?

RN: It has simply been that hard work and the right attitude gets you to places that you might only have dreamed of.

IB: Tell me about your interest in CSR and why do you think it is important that businesses engage in CSR practices?

RN: Personally, I believe that you cannot receive without giving. As a company with 245 employees, it is our duty to give back to the communities in which we serve. Our CSR at Cara is called ‘Cara in the Community’ and we have raised well over 250,000 to date.

My appearance on the RTÉ series The Secret Millionaire in 2012 embedded in me just how important it is to give back. To see others, especially carers, do what they do on a daily basis is mind-boggling. That’s why I believe in the importance of the statement ‘in order to receive, one must give’.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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25/10/2017 09:32

COVER STORY

Jason Clarke

WE HAVE FOUND THAT SMES VALUE HUMAN INTERACTION AND CONVENIENCE MORE THAN OTHER FEATURES.”

Killian O’Flynn at NoLIta

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InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

26/10/2017 16:42

Getting

Personal K

The nature of banking for small businesses has changed significantly in recent years, but some lenders have stayed true to valued principles. InBUSINESS spoke with Killian O’Flynn, Head of SME Banking with Permanent TSB, about providing simple banking solutions with a personal touch.

illian O’Flynn’s first experience with an SME came about through his employment at a local filling station back in the 1980s.

There, as a young man, he watched with wonder how the business adapted when the village in which it operated was bypassed.

The owners took the decision to diversify through the opening of a forecourt shop, which ultimately helped them to survive and succeed. It’s something O’Flynn recounts when we meet at Nolita Bar on Dublin’s South Great George’s Street.

O’Flynn has come a long way since accepting money for gas; going from working for an SME to building solutions for them to grow and succeed as Head of SME Banking at Permanent TSB. That summer job at the petrol

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

pumps was one experience, alongside a 25-year career working with SMEs in Irish and European markets, which he says helped him develop a real affinity for the enterprise and energy displayed by small businesses.

Before joining Permanent TSB in 2014, O’Flynn worked with one of the other national banks for much of his career, as well as undertaking a four-year stint in Poland with Bank Zachodni WBK. He made the move there two years before Poland gained EU membership, and it’s an experience O’Flynn remembers fondly. More recently, the Dublin native was employed as Head of Strategic Planning at the National Asset Management Agency. His work there in helping overcome the banking crisis ultimately led him to his current role, and the opportunity of being tasked with adding SME banking to an established retail bank was an offer he couldn’t refuse.

21

Having formally launched its SME proposition in December 2015, O’Flynn and his team have been busy building a service that is focused on delivering face-to-face banking across the local markets it serves in 77 locations nationwide.

“The service has been really well received and we are growing fast with each passing month,” he says of the traction being gained by the bank’s SME offering. “We doubled business lending activity in 2016 and expect to do the same in 2017. Having initially focused on an improved current account offering, we then enhanced our lending service. We have found that SMEs value human interaction and convenience more than other features. Even in the relatively short time we have been serving SMEs we have recognised new opportunities to satisfy their needs.”

This recognition has resulted in Killian O’Flynn, O’Flynn and his team providing Head of SME, what he calls “simple Banking Permanent TSB banking solutions” and delivering CV: JP Hughes Chief Commercial Officer, Friends First them locally with a personal touch, CURRENTLY FAVOURITE FAVOURITE something it could READING: FILM: QUOTE: be said has been “Learning never Beautiful Idiots Gran Torino missing from exhausts the mind” and Brilliant (2008) Lunatics Leonardo da Vinci banking in recent

by Rob Baker years. “We’d like to differentiate ourselves through who we are, more GREEN ROLLING HILLS improving consumer sentiment. than what we do,” he remarks.

Permanent TSB’s typical business The rolling hills represent the O’Flynn says Permanent TSB’s constant need to overcome open and enduring relationships with customer tends to be small – micro enterprises employing less obstacles as they arise. customers is something that sets it than 50 people and with annual “I have a positive outlook apart from Ireland’s two pillar banks sales and balance sheet assets overall but can recognise the many and other less traditional lenders of 10 million or less. They are challenges facing SMEs. Ripples that have entered the market. “We usually owner-managed and created by political and social issues benefit from strong brand awareness often family-run. They operate across the globe such as Brexit and a wide branch network that may well develop into dangerous across most business sectors, with helps us reach right into local tides, while domestic issues farming, manufacturing, retail and communities but, once there, it’s the such as housing shortages could quality of each customer engagement hospitality featuring strongly. undermine our competitiveness, Dealing with such a wide range that differentiates us,” he notes. but I like to think that enterprising of small businesses on a regular “More than one million personal SMEs will be able to successfully basis, how does O’Flynn view the customers can't be wrong! They like navigate most stormy waters.” current landscape for SMEs in how we are open, straightforward Ireland? “Somewhat similar to our According to O’Flynn, one of and commercial in satisfying their countryside,” he says. “The green the key challenges facing small banking needs. We strive to build a reflects positive factors such as high businesses when seeking finance relationship with our customers that employment, low interest rates and is their difficulty in generating or delivers mutual respect and trust.”

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Jason Clarke

WE BENEFIT FROM STRONG BRAND AWARENESS AND A WIDE BRANCH NETWORK THAT HELPS US REACH RIGHT INTO LOCAL COMMUNITIES BUT, ONCE THERE, IT’S THE QUALITY OF EACH CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT THAT DIFFERENTIATES US.”

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

26/10/2017 16:42

attracting appropriate levels of equity.

Those that can are often reluctant to accept investment if it dilutes ownership. He says that equity is particularly important for startups and fast-growing businesses.

When determining repayment capacity, banks tend to focus on the free cashflow currently generated by a business and the threats to its sustainability. High dependency on future growth is a risk better suited to equity investment.

O’Flynn offers some advice for SMEs considering approaching their bank for finance. “The lessons I learned from customers is that you need to start with researching and executing your strategy thoroughly, and be willing to adapt if circumstances change,” he says. “That is, learn to fail fast and pivot often. Be able to identify the particular segment of a market that you can serve profitably.

One customer described this as ‘know whose problem you can be the solution to’. Demonstrate considered decision-making. If done right, this need not compromise innovation and it will always inspire stakeholder confidence.”

BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS In terms of more general advice for would-be entrepreneurs and business owners on what they can expect from running a company, O’Flynn singles out preparation for hard graft: “If you’re starting out, don’t underestimate the effort, discipline and perseverance – the blood, sweat and tears – required to build a business,” he says. “If you want to be able to sustain energy, build your business around your life and not the other way around.”

He also advises on maximising the human aspect of the business.

“Surround yourself with good people and find a mentor.

Collaborate wherever possible and consider every interaction to be a networking opportunity. As you build relationships, build a reputation for dependable service delivery.”

Guidance is never too far away for customers of Permanent TSB InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

020 InBusiness Q3 2017_Cover Story.indd 23

as its dedicated business managers will offer tailored advice on how businesses can plan more effectively to secure finance for their business.

This includes guidance on drafting a suitable business plan, ensuring it is reflective of the business and not merely ticking boxes for the lender – a mistake often made by SMEs. Meanwhile, at the forefront of O’Flynn’s team is the use and value of data. “When looking at applications, we are always mindful that customers put their best foot forward to ensure they are enriching their business planning to drive success,” asserts O’Flynn. “Most SMEs are rich in data that they can use purely for their own business planning, and this helps greatly when they come seeking bank finance.”

While growth for a small business might be right around the corner or a bit further down the line, planning and preparation is something that can be put in place at any time – something that Permanent TSB can help with.

Such advice and support make for a strong SME proposition and according to O’Flynn, Permanent TSB remains the only lender dedicated to serving and focusing its energy on independent SMEs. Its team of specialist business managers is growing as its business and pipeline expands, and the bank is scaling up to ensure it can meet customers in its branches or at their place of business. And O’Flynn is determined to keep things personal.

“Permanent TSB has been busy innovating over recent months including repositioning our branch network and rewarding our personal customers who bank with us through a new range of exciting everyday products,” he says. “It’s well documented that all banks have had challenges to overcome but we are making really good progress.

We want to build a better place to bank, a better place to work and a better place to invest and we’re getting there.”

SUPPORTING SOCIAL ENTERPRISE Last year, O’Flynn volunteered to join the board of the Irish Men’s Sheds Association to support the movement through appropriate corporate governance. He speaks passionately about the organisation.

“Men talk shoulder to shoulder, rather than face to face,” he explains. “Sheds are places where they can meet with a shared purpose. This helps overcome social isolation and improve wellbeing.

The movement has achieved great things over six short years. High growth brings new challenges and I volunteered to join the board last year to help sustain the movement. Since joining I have been hugely impressed by the enthusiasm and energy of volunteers and ‘shedders’ who all make valuable contributions to their communities. Permanent TSB is a keen supporter of social enterprise, such as that demonstrated by the sheds. Earlier this year, the bank entered into a five-year partnership with Social Entrepreneurs Ireland to support the work of its alumni network. It's something we at Permanent TSB are very excited about."

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26/10/2017 16:42

BUSINESS OF SPORT

Podcasting is big business these days, with everybody from amateur history enthusiasts to global media companies getting in on the act. So what are the ingredients for a successful podcast recipe?

CONOR FORREST delves into the world of sports podcasting to find out.

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A

s a medium, the podcast has been around for quite a while, a portmanteau of ‘iPod’ and ‘broadcast’ that dates back to the 1980s and was propelled into the stratosphere by broadband internet and portable devices. The web is littered with hundreds of thousands if not millions of podcasts created over the last two decades, on topics as varied as Roman history and true crime to poetry and the GAA. However, it’s not quite as simple as recording a show, uploading it online and waiting for the hits to start rolling in. The most successful podcasts today are the result of trial and error, of hard work and serious effort, and investment of resources.

Take The 16th Man, one of several podcasts emanating from Pundit Arena – a joint venture between Richard Barrett and Ross O’Dwyer that encourages sports fans to become journalists. Their first podcast to achieve any notable success, it began life as a recording of a live video show but performed poorly – the audiences for a video and for a podcast are often expecting two different experiences.

“Although we may be talking about the same points, each one exists as its own entity,” Barrett explains. Now the podcast is their main focus, with several hours of preparation involved for each edition; the main points are then synthesised and discussed on camera for a much shorter video show. The result – thousands of followers and a reputation for informed and articulate discussion.

This didn’t happen overnight but was instead the result of lessons learned first-hand, of analysing behaviour and trends, and investing in outside help. For example, Pundit Arena brought in producer Killian Fennell (RTÉ’s Late Late Show is among his credits) to bring some new and interesting ideas to the table.

“One of the main things he said to us is if you expect people to turn up and listen to your podcast or watch it in video format, then you need to turn up yourself,” says Barrett. “So what we’ve brought in now is even if you’re just recording the podcast you need to come dressed... as if you’re ready to turn up to work. So that gets people into the professional mindset.”

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 15:14

BUSINESS OF SPORT

CONTENT IS KING Content is obviously key for any media enterprise – those that attract and retain loyal listeners or readers are the ones that constantly find interesting and original topics, angles and interviewees, providing a carrot with which to entice people to return again and again. For sports journalist Daniel McDonnell, co-host of the LOI Weekly podcast with his Irish Independent colleague Johnny Ward, ensuring that content is relevant and interesting, whether it’s consumed six minutes or six days after going live, is a balancing act.

“We are very conscious of not putting out something on Wednesday morning that’s so news-orientated that if anyone is listening to it on the Friday it’s completely out of date. Ideally, we want something that lasts – someone could almost listen to it five or six days later and still get something from it, as opposed to just doing something that is 100 per cent looking ahead to the weekend’s games,” he explains.

The challenge then is to book guests who have a story to tell, with a broad enough focus that the resulting discussion is somewhat timeless – the shine from special guests who appear on a regular basis tends to wear off rather quickly. “I think you’re really trying to do something that has a week’s worth of listening in it...

We had a couple of chats with Brian Kerr [and others] a couple of months ago that you can still listen to now and find enjoyable,” he adds.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

If successful, it’s a great way of differentiating yourself from the other players in the market, rather than providing more of the same – originality is the name of the game.

“We’re working on a number of shows both in the video and audio spheres at the moment. We’re just ensuring that they’re totally different to what’s been done out there. What I would say is just make it original and unique so that people can’t just find it elsewhere,” says Richard Barrett, while noting the need to take a more flexible approach to podcasting. “I think the more scripted it is and the more rigid, I think the less chance of success you have. The conversational nature of a podcast is what really makes them flourish and succeed.”

THE WAY FORWARD As many media outlets are discovering, podcasts represent an opportunity to target specific audiences and broaden their readership base, to package interesting content and make it available where consumers can access it at any time of the day, wherever they are, in a format that lends itself to more in-depth discussion.

“That’s what podcasting is definitely giving companies the option to do,” McDonnell explains.

“You’re not as restricted by issues of space and availability, and it gives the opportunity for that company

Richard Barrett of Pundit Arena

or that podcast to tap into a market that might feel it is otherwise unrepresented in the more traditional forms of media.”

These days Pundit Arena is home to a team of some 650 pundits and 16 staff members, with more new hires on the way. Podcasts might not be entirely responsible for their growth trajectory but there’s no doubt that they’re enticing traffic that might otherwise go elsewhere, thanks to some hard work and clever thinking.

“We’ve learned a lot about podcasts and we’re a lot more strategic than just recording three lads sitting down in an office,” says Barrett. “Thankfully it’s starting to pay dividends.”

PARTNER UP Finding a partner can prove vital to a podcast’s success – while it’s a standalone brand, LOI Weekly is supported by eir and Independent.ie, organisations that can help in securing new listeners and interviewees or with giving much needed funds to support production costs. “I think working with brands and creating good podcasts and building up loyalty and long-term partnerships with brands is how you will get a successful podcast,” says Richard Barrett. From a business perspective, it’s still difficult to say how commercially rewarding it is to sponsor a podcast and how it might change in the future, but there are some big companies such as AIB, Friends First and Rabodirect keen to be aligned with the thriving medium.

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INDUSTRY FEATURE

Space Ireland’s contribution to the global space industry has grown rapidly in recent years, and forecasts suggest that this trend is set to continue. TIERNAN CANNON sets out to get a sense of some of the companies working within the sector and how they intend to remain viable down the line.

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InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 10:03

INDUSTRY FEATURE

t may come as something of a surprise, but the space sector in Ireland is increasingly big business. While the country isn’t launching its own rocket to the moon just yet, the development of its first ever satellite, EIRSAT-1, shows just how giant a leap the Irish have taken into the industry. A growing number of companies here work within the sector, facilitated largely by Ireland’s membership of the European Space Agency (ESA).

ESA is an inter-governmental agency comprising 22 member states, which seeks to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country.

ESA is funded primarily through member states’ contributions. Ireland, which joined the agency in 1975, currently provides a17.8 million per annum, representing approximately 0.5 per cent of total ESA member state contributions. In return, Irish companies and research teams are permitted to bid for ESA contract development work in a range of space programmes.

According to a spokesperson for the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI), which is responsible for managing Ireland’s membership of the ESA, the number of Irish companies working with ESA has almost doubled over the past five years, with 60 companies currently engaged and more expected. Total employment in ESA-participating companies has grown from 1,300 in 2008 to almost 2,000 in 2016, and is projected to exceed 5,500 by 2020.

This high level of activity and growth in employment reflects the combined efforts of Government in investing significantly in R&D, of Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland in working with industry, and of ESA itself translating the innovation capacity in Irish industry into products, systems and services for the European space programme and the global space market.

“ESA programmes and contracts allow Irish industry to develop the specific capabilities required for the commercial space market, such as launches, satellites, downstream equipment and services,” says InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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the DBEI spokesperson. “Ireland’s specific focus within the space sector is on technology innovation. DBEI supports Irish companies working within the space sector through Enterprise Ireland, R&D supports, research collaborations and specifically a number of other supports.”

TERRESTRIAL APPLICATIONS An increasing number of Irish companies have engaged in extremely specialised work as part of ESA contracts. Cortona 3D, for example, which is headquartered in Booterstown, Co Dublin, produces visualisation and simulation software that was chosen by ESA for spacecraft crew and astronaut training for the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), a fleet of 20 tonne space transport vehicles used to bring fresh food, clothes, water, fuel and oxygen to the International Space Station (ISS).

“Our project is aimed at improving the quality and performance of ISS crew operations and training,” says one member of the Cortona 3D team. “Training and mission operations are of crucial importance to the International Space Station and other similar sophisticated programmes.”

The type of work carried out by Cortona 3D is critical to the space sector, but the company is not bound entirely to it. The benefits of the company’s visualisation and simulation software extend across a large variety of industries, including automotive, manufacturing, consumer electronics, aerospace, high-tech, defence and medical.

This is an important feature of many of the technologies produced by companies working within the industry, as the ability to bring space technologies back down to earth is often essential in ensuring the continued viability of the company producing them.

Dr Frank Smyth, CEO and founder of Pilot Photonics, knows as much.

“One of the things that ESA insists on is that the technology produced can also be applied to more regular, earth terrestrial markets,” he says. “Otherwise, what happens is you have this technology that’s only suitable for space, but the space market is too small to support it and the company goes bust, because it didn’t have a sustainable market on the ground. So when you put proposals together [for ESA] there has to be a terrestrial business case for it as well.”

Dr Smyth’s company, Pilot Photonics, is a spin-out company of DCU, founded

A ROADMAP FOR EMERGING SPACE STATES At the International Space University’s Space Studies Program 2017, held this year in Cork, a report entitled ‘A Roadmap for Emerging Space States’ was presented, which provides a general roadmap for Ireland and other emerging space states to build and expand their space sector capacity. The report included the following recommendations: • Establish a national space agency to develop a space policy for Ireland and coordinate the Irish space sector in line with strategic goals.

• Join the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) and participate further in international partnerships and organisations related to space.

• Increase investment in space-related STEM education and incentivise space science and engineering programmes.

• Encourage strategically focused private industry to engage in space-related activities that promote Irish technologies, economic growth, and societal benefits.

ENBIO’s hydrophobic PTFE-coated stainless steel

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INDUSTRY FEATURE

Pilot Photic’s Chris Leonard, VP of Sales and Marketing; Desi Gutiérrez, R&D Manager; and Frank Smyth, CEO

in 2011, which offers a unique technology applicable to many markets, including communication, spectroscopy, sensing, and metrology. The company is a new entrant into the space market and currently has one ESA contract underway.

“Our product is, at its core, essentially a laser, so it can be applied to anywhere where lasers are used,” Dr Smyth explains.

“We’re applying it to optical communications and fibre optics, we’re applying it to optical sensing, we’re applying it to data centre networking – for every space application there’s an analogous ground application that we’re applying the technology to.”

DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS The development of space technologies in Europe is pushed largely by ESA. However, as Dr Smyth explains, ESA doesn’t actually manufacture its space technologies itself – rather, it contracts other firms to do so.

“ESA doesn’t build its own spacecraft,” he begins. “It coordinates the programmes to ensure they get done, and it manages the projects, which are funded by each of the member states. Essentially its job is to build up a strong supply chain and ensure that new technologies are 28

026 InBusiness Q3 2017_Industry Feature.indd 28

coming on board. But it doesn’t actually manufacture anything. It introduces small companies like ours to the larger contractors and those companies that are very well-established in the space and aerospace markets, and it identifies new technologies that those large prime contractors should be aware of and should consider.”

Developing a good relationship with ESA then is extremely desirable for European space companies, and in Ireland this would perhaps be best achieved by first engaging with supports such as Enterprise Ireland.

Enterprise Ireland, as an agency of the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, is responsible for the development and growth of Irish industrial capacities in the commercial space sector. It assists Irish companies in developing sustainable business models within the sector, with a specific focus on new start-up companies.

“Ireland is a relatively small player in the space field, but growing all the time,” says Dr Smyth. “Enterprise Ireland is hugely supportive and ambitious and is constantly seeking to grow its budget allocations and win more funding from the government that it can apply to companies that claim space-relevant products.”

Aside from the Irish supports directly available to Irish companies, there are also Europewide initiatives that can be taken advantage of. ENBIO, an Irish SME headquartered in Dublin with a production facility in Clonmel, has been involved in the space sector for the last six years, and was recently awarded a1.52 million from the European Commission to develop a green alternative to the toxic chemicals necessary in coating metals under the EU’s Horizon 2020 SME Instrument Phase 2 scheme.

This funding was awarded under the premise of the European environmental legislation REACH, which is attempting to reduce the prevalence of hazardous chemical treatments widely used to prepare metal surfaces for bonding or coating. However, it is not just the space sector that needs a replacement but any European industry using wet hazardous metal pre-treatments. The work will be important therefore to aerospace, automotive, and other industries in general.

EXCITING TIMES The space sector is naturally extremely specialised and can prove difficult to break into. Therefore, the various supports – be they Irish-based or Europe-wide – are essential for small Irish companies keen to enter the industry and get a slice of the pie.

“It can be challenging for a small company [based in Ireland], because, for example, if you’re trying to introduce a new technology, it may take a number of years before it is adopted on to a large programme,” says Kevin O’Flynn, General Manager, ENBIO. “So that timespan can present a challenge for small companies.

But certainly as a sector, it’s really exciting in Ireland.”

Kevin O’Flynn shares that enthusiasm. “Putting products into space is something that still puts a smile on my face,” he beams. “I love doing it.”

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

26/10/2017 16:45

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25/10/2017 09:33

FEATURE

Most employers assume the quickest way to a millennial’s heart is ‘Ice Cream Cart Fridays’ and a slippy slide in the meeting room, yet when it comes to retaining top talent, the experts disagree, writes ORLA CONNOLLY.

irst things first: millennials, also known as Generation Y, are those individuals who have reached adulthood in the 21st century. Many of them have entered the Irish workforce in recent years and, following on from the baby boomers, now make up 50 per cent of the Irish workforce, according to figures recently released by millennial consultancy firm, EngageSmith. Furthermore, by 2025, it is estimated that millennials will make up a total 75 per cent of the workforce. So we probably should pay attention to what they’re looking for.

As employers assess their future workforce, there remains a perception among many employers and leaders of industry regarding this generation – millennials are lazy, troublesome and lack dedication.

“They think of a very demanding generation,” says Lisa Smith, founder of EngageSmith, who herself is a millennial. “They think we need a lot of handholding, we want to be promoted very quickly, we have bad attitudes and we want to get a promotion, with a pay rise, for doing no extra work.”

As Ireland’s employment numbers improve, Smith feels that this stigma has made employers overly hesitant in hiring young talent, which could earn them a reputation of not being ‘millennialfriendly’ down the line. But Susy Roberts, a people development consultant at Hunter Roberts, counters the notion of millennials as being generally lazy and demanding. “Generation Y aren’t more demanding – but they are different,” she says. “They’ve been brought up in a team environment and were encouraged to speak up when things aren’t right.

And this, as any good business coach will tell you, is simply best practice.”

Roberts notes that millennials aim to choose organisations where they feel their opinions are respected, often leading them to be more outspoken when they notice a practice that they feel is outdated or ineffective. Smith echoes this view and says: “If

want What Millennials

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FEATURE

you look at systems that companies use, that may have worked about ten years ago, a millennial will come in and say ‘why are we are doing ten touches when we can do it in three?’” Smith feels that the internet and the rapid growth of workplace technology have been the most significant influence on the changing workforce, often allowing tech savvy millennials find more efficient ways of carrying out a routine process.

While many employers recognise the value of hiring millennials, they are uncertain of what a ‘millennial-friendly’ workplace really looks like; something that could prove detrimental to the growth of their company. “Several of our clients have over 80 per cent millennials in their workforce,” says Smith. “Companies like these need to adopt millennial-friendly programmes now or suffer the consequence of high attrition levels.”

In order to consistently retain millennial talent, Smiths advises business owners to firstly involve their staff in the overall vision of the company, offering them the prospect of a long-term career and not just a job. “The attracting piece is very easy for this generation. It’s all about what happens the minute they walk through the door,” she explains. “Do they see the future with the company from day one? If they don’t, you’ll get a short-term [commitment] with that millennial, which will cost your company hundreds of thousands.”

VOICE OF A GENERATION:

THE GIMMICK MYTH Some employers fall victim to emulating gimmicks, such as pool tables, nap pods and bean bags, widely used by giant multinationals like Google in a bid to recruit the best graduates. However, according to EngageSmith, only 1 per cent of millennials value these office perks. Instead, 62 per cent of Irish millennials view career progression as the most important factor in work.

They are also expressing a preference for incentives like remote working and flexi-time options, as technology increasingly renders the regimented nine to five work day obsolete.

Unlike baby boomers, this generation is known for keeping an eye out for career opportunities away from their company. While those in senior roles might view this as a lack of commitment, Smith believes that employers need to take responsibility for making a workplace ‘millennialfriendly’ in order to retain talent, especially considering that 60 per cent of Irish millennials said an unfriendly atmosphere within a company would cause dissatisfaction. “We have this perception that we are job-hoppers and it’s true we are, but we don’t want to be,” she says. “We are looking for commitment very early and we’ve just had a bad experience of picking the wrong employers that aren’t millennial-friendly.”

In order to attract and retain millennial talent, Smith also advises employers to register their company for the Millennial Friendly Index, a

Lisa Smith, founder of EngageSmith

new tool launched in September by EngageSmith. According to Smith, the programme will allow companies to engage millennials correctly, with some customers already doubling millennial engagement since its launch. “Once they get their diagnostic done from being certified, they’ll be able to identify the areas, from the experts, where improvement is needed, whether that be from onboarding, the hiring stage, the processes, the leadership or the atmosphere,” she notes.

The Index allows graduates to examine reviews of a business to determine how ‘millennialfriendly’ it is, as decided by previous employees. “Graduates will have it in every college across the country and the software will be available online for any millennial who is transitioning from work,” says Smith.

“Once a company is certified you can go online and we’ll also provide an updated ranking on our own website as well.”

InBUSINESS spoke to five millennials about what attracts them to an employer.

CATHERINE SHERIDAN Project Worker, Barnardos

CIARA THORNTON Science Graduate

KATIE DUNNE Financial Advisor, Paypal

CONOR CALIFF Paralegal, Mason Hayes & Curran

BRENDAN COLEMAN Business Graduate

I look for a good induction, support and supervision from a team leader or manager, along with continual professional development, such as training throughout the job. I would leave if the caseload was unmanageable and I wasn’t being supported or if work became repetitive and unchallenging. Within a company I look for opportunities for development and promotion.

Options for professional development and progression are top of the list, as is the opportunity for further study. A company without gender bias is important to me, especially considering STEM fields have traditionally been male-dominated.

Even as a millennial, I would not want to work for a company that expects employees to work for free after the initial training stage.

Obviously, salary is an important aspect as it motivates an employee to work hard and remain with a company. Benefits such as healthcare or paid sick leave are also a definite draw for me. However, one factor that cannot be underestimated is the daily environment that the management team creates with other employees.

What attracts me to a firm is the calibre of people to learn from.

Training under those who are experts in their fields is one of the best ways to develop and that is a big pull factor for me. In addition, a firm’s culture is one of the most important factors for me in wanting to stay there. While work can often be demanding, having people to call on to help you resolve issues makes it a lot more enjoyable.

Good pay would attract me to a job and I would stay in a company that offers the opportunity of a pay increase or career progression. I would also be incentivised by good working hours, that didn’t include night shifts or weekend work. A negative for me would be a company that didn’t foster good morale with co-workers.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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FEATURE

SNAP

CHAT once-in-ageneration overhaul of the data protection laws in Europe. It undoubtedly

Helen Dixon, Data Protection Commissioner

“This is a significant

applies to every business – every organisation that has even one employee is processing personal data.”

With less than a year before the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect, Irish businesses need to prepare themselves to ensure they are compliant. Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon has been advising companies on how to get their ducks in a row.

Now every corner store has an electronic point of sale; every government department operates a website and has databases and electronic interfaces. Every organisation is now a tech organisation and increasingly every organisation is becoming a data organisation.

It’s very clear that the economy can only develop where there’s trust of consumers so the European Commission wanted to ensure a new law could underpin the development of trust between data subjects and organisation.

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A lot of companies are telling us that they’re coming across all sorts of data sets stored on old media that they didn’t know they had. They need to look at where the data they collect is stored. Then they need to look at the new accountability requirements.

In order to implement a system where we deploy fines we need to have very rigorous structures to demonstrate fair procedure, to conduct investigation and adjudicate.

“We emphasise to organisations that their focus should be their accountability.”

Our message is: organisations that are accountable will fare a lot better

if there is any case of infringement.

Now is the time to sit down and map out what changes are relevant for your organisation. Nobody can do it for an organisation bar the organisation itself.

GDPR comes into force on May 25th 2018. To find out more about how it will affect your business, visit www.gdprandyou.ie or check out advice from page 93.

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De Coding

FEATURE

The Dress Code

When it comes to honing a personal style, it’s easy to pick the pieces you want to hang in your wardrobe. In the workplace, however, where do you draw the line between individualism and professionalism?

ORLA CONNOLLY sought the answers from those in the know.

ccording to stylist and corporate fashion consultant Frances Jones, founder of Image Matters, many Irish businesses are overlooking how a comprehensive dress code can fit into the overall perception of their company.

“Businesses spend a lot of money on their website, their marketing plan and their financial plan, but they often don’t really appreciate the value of their own staff, how they present themselves and if they are maximising the impact of the business with how they present themselves.”

A “Reflect your personal style in your accessories” Louis Copeland Louis Copeland & Sons

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One of the most important things to consider when dressing for success in business is the fit. A well-tailored suit will make you look and feel a million dollars!

You can reflect your personal style in your accessories; your tie and pocket square can be colourful and interesting but keep them understated.

Finally, you can’t go wrong with a crisp white formal shirt, pressed to perfection.

Print Pocket Square, 59, Eton

“Good tailoring is a workplace must-have” Shelley Corkery Fashion Director, Brown Thomas

Good tailoring is a workplace must-have and this season, hero tailoring is one of the biggest trends – nipped in waists, strong shoulders and pencil skirts create a powerful silhouette. Pair with a pussy bow blouse and a kitten heel to keep the overall look feminine. Heels are lower this season, which is great news for daywear, worn with louche wide leg trousers and a blouse for a very modern, professional, sophisticated look.

Frances Jones, founder of Image Matters

Jenno Textured Shirt, 139 Hugo Boss

Pussybow Frilled Shirt, 135 Karen Millen

Pia Embellished Kitten Heels, 170 170 Kurt Geiger

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FEATURE

Orange Sleeve Dress, 99 Lennon Courtney at Dunnes Stores

You need to make a little time investment in your workwear wardrobe and understand what you’re trying to achieve. It’s Sonya Lennon really helpful if Fashion Designer you can figure out what suits your body shape, what suits your skin tone and then work up a palette that you can build on so that you don’t get stuck in the black trap. What you’re trying to do is look like you belong. As much as possible you should look like the best version of the people who are walking into the building.

“Don’t get stuck in the black trap”

“Dress for the job that you want” Darren Kennedy Style Entrepreneur

Dress for the job that you want. It sounds so clichéd but it is true.

People have to be able to visualise you as a manager and taking that executive role before you’re even in it. Every man needs a suit. It doesn’t even have to be tailored but it should be tweaked to each man’s physique. A good clean, polished pair of shoes goes without saying, and good socks! A woman decides on whether she wants to go with a skirt suit or trouser suit but then the same rules apply; when you wear it you should feel bulletproof!

Pineapple Print Socks, 10 Happy Socks

Jones notes how the right attire can help employees feel more secure in their job and increase productivity. “The old ‘dress for success’ is a bit of a cliché now but still, how you’re perceived in business really influences how others treat you,” she explains. “People often say ‘When I’m dressed well I feel more confident, I feel more focused, I feel more productive.’”

Recent years have seen office workwear transition from strictly InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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Brown Bertie Shoe, 135, Dune

suits to a far more casual feel, which Jones muses isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, deciphering the difference between casual, smart casual and business casual can be confusing for employees intent on making the right impression during a meeting or important presentation. She says: “Often, not always but often, it can be seen as too casual so I would often say to people, ‘do you look as good as you are?’

In other words, you might have people with really amazing skills, qualifications and experience but they don’t project that in their personal appearance.”

Jones’ most stringent rules include dressing appropriately for the situation you’re in, paying attention to personal grooming and attention to detail. She adds: “If you’re saying to a potential client that we are fastidious in our approach to our business system and we leave no stone unturned to deliver an excellent service, and the person saying that is looking less than impressive in terms of personal appearance, there’s an incongruence about what they’re saying and how they’re looking.”

A guiding tip for employees who are unsure of how to dress for a presentation is to be as well, if not better, dressed than your client or potential client. She adds that when implementing dress codes, the most important rule is that it must come right from the top, starting with the boss, all the way down the line of employees.

Jones notes that while every industry has a different expectation of dress codes, and most employees hesitate to spend a hefty portion of their income on work attire, there are core steps that any staff member can take to ensure their appearance is appropriate for the workplace. “I would say clothes that fit well, clothes that are in good condition, clothes that are clean and well-maintained,” she concludes.

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MENTORS

MENTOR: SISTER STANISLAUS KENNEDY

Sister of

CHARITY

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Founder of four successful charitable organisations and a pioneer in developing support services for the homeless, Sister Stanislaus Kennedy’s work to date has centred on helping those living on the fringes of society. She spoke to JOSEPH O’CONNOR about connectedness, the homelessness crisis and her sense of powerlessness when it comes to the state of the world.

I

f you’re looking for Sr Stanislaus Kennedy these days, your best chance of meeting the nun and social innovator is at the Sanctuary, a meditation and mindfulness centre located in the heart of Dublin city. Sr Stan, as she is affectionately known, has been involved in social development work for the past five decades, which includes establishing groups such as homeless charity Focus Ireland, the Immigrant Council of Ireland and Young Social Innovators. In recent years, however, the 79-year-old has taken a step back from dayto-day involvement with these organisations and now spends much of her time at the centre in Stoneybatter that she founded in 1996.

It’s here where we meet just weeks ahead of a surprise celebration for Sr Stan that took place at Dublin’s City Hall honouring her work in social justice, with tributes led by former president Mary McAleese. The Sanctuary is something of a surprise itself – a place of peace and tranquillity, which manages to exist amid the hustle and bustle of the capital. Coco, the friendly resident dog, adds to the atmosphere too.

“I was conscious about the drabness and demands on people,” Sr Stan explains while sitting in her office, a colourful display of books providing a distinctive backdrop. “I had this idea for a place in the city where you could open the door and go into, that would be beautiful, that would be peaceful, quiet and still, where you would be revived and resuscitated and go back to your place with more energy.”

A wide range of programmes are provided at the Sanctuary, all of which focus on “nourishing the inner spirit”. That can entail anything from yoga classes to a course aimed at young people called ‘the Warrior’, which draws on the traditions of different cultures, faiths and psychology to help people make the transition from youth into adulthood. The centre receives no grants and is entirely dependent on subscriptions but Sr Stan says the many people who avail of the services are keeping it in good stead.

“I had read a lot about mindfulness and things like that so over time it evolved into a range of courses, programmes and retreats to help people on their journey,” she says. “While I originally planned it for carers, it extended out to children, teachers, nurses and ordinary people.”

NOT ROCKET SCIENCE Although the mood in the Sanctuary is quite contemplative, it doesn’t take long before Sr Stan becomes animated and impassioned when the conversation shifts from her humble upbringing on a family farm in west Kerry and her social services work as a young nun in Co Kilkenny to the current homelessness crisis and where as a country we’ve gone wrong. “It’s not rocket science,” she asserts, before explaining how the decision to cease the construction of social housing was a major turning point in Ireland’s policy towards the disadvantaged.

“When I started there were only 1,700 people on the housing waiting list in Dublin,” she says. “There was only something like 15,000 in the whole country. Now there are 100,000 InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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MENTORS

THIS IDEA FOR A PLACE IN THE CITY WHERE

I HAD

YOU COULD OPEN THE DOOR AND GO INTO, THAT WOULD

BE BEAUTIFUL, THAT WOULD BE PEACEFUL, QUIET AND STILL, WHERE YOU

BE REVIVED AND RESUSCITATED

WOULD

Jen Murphy

AND GO BACK TO YOUR PLACE WITH MORE ENERGY.”

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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households on the waiting list. Why? Because successive governments stopped building social housing.

They left it to the private sector and left it to the market and, of course, the market has no conscience. And people fell.”

Sr Stan says she sees the impact first hand at the Focus Ireland coffee shop in Temple Bar, which on average sees three families visit daily having been evicted from their homes. She estimates that for every family that the charity houses each day, three new ones come in seeking emergency accommodation.

“Basically, it’s a lack of planning, a lack of priorities, and a lack of commitment,” she continues. “You always have to have housing for people who can’t buy. And the private rental sector would never make up for that. You also need affordable housing. You and I know, people who are working can now be evicted because landlords can’t pay their mortgage and so the family who is renting has to get out. There are people buying up and evicting, and the vulture funds are doing it too. We are trying to change those things.”

In the recent Budget, the Government announced a total of e1.83 billion to be allocated to housing. Announcing the investment, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said some 3,800 social houses would be built next year by local authorities and approved housing bodies in an effort to tackle the crisis. Despite these plans, Sr Stan is not holding her breath.

“It’s been slow,” she says of the response by Government. “Simon Coveney [as housing minister] did have a plan. He did consult and he was moving on the issue, but I don’t see any big changes. It frightens me. I wish I could tell you that in three years’ time we’ll have solved this, but we won’t.

They are moving some of the families out of B&Bs into what they call hubs, hubs that are better than most B&Bs, but they’re not permanent homes.

Children need permanency. It’s one of the biggest scandals and this will come to light in 20 years’ time.”

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On October 17th Dublin City University paid tribute to Sr Stan by conferring her with an honorary doctorate at a special ceremony in the Helix

SR STAN ON...

BEING DRAWN TO WORK WITH THE DISADVANTAGED From a very young age, I read some books – not necessarily about Ireland, but about children in other countries. I remember reading a book on Italy and the poor children of Naples, and I became really drawn to work with the disadvantaged as a result of that.

RESEARCHING THE LIVES OF HOMELESS WOMEN IN THE ‘80S They described vividly how people looked at them and walked on the other side of the street, gave out to them, lectured them, spat at them, ignored them, and how their whole dignity, their whole sense of any future dissipated day by day.

BEING THE VOICE OF THE VOICELESS It is the people in need and knowing that they are human beings, people like you and I with the same aspirations but who don’t get a chance which really compels me to speak out.

Sr Stan and former president Mary McAleese pictured at a surprise celebration at Dublin’s City Hall in September honouring the work of Sr Stan

A RESPONSIBILITY One of the other organisations established by Sr Stan whose services are very much in demand right now is the Immigrant Council of Ireland.

The charity recently launched a new five-year strategic plan working for equality, which includes reforming immigrant legislation and helping to shape the narrative on migrant rights; measures needed given the ongoing refugee crisis.

Sr Stan believes that as a society we have a responsibility to help these people. “The thing is, whether we like it or not, people from the south will come north,” she notes. “They are coming, as you know, risking their lives on little boats. No walls will stop that. The way it is, the world is so unequal that we do have a responsibility to try and create more equality. There is no leadership in Europe. Angela Merkel – it was good what she did [allowing refugees come to Germany]. She InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 17:41

MENTORS

at peace, that spreads. If you and I are angry, that spreads too. I do believe in that.”

Sr Stanislaus Kennedy

knows from her own background what it was like. But where is the leadership?”

In terms of global affairs, Sr Stan has strong views on those two issues that seem to go hand-in-hand these days; Brexit and Trump. “Brexit was a disaster,” she declares. “What did he [David Cameron] call that referendum for? And then he went off and left it all. Now there’s no plan. I don’t know what Teresa May is saying. It isn’t a bit clear. It has implications for Ireland. It has implications for Europe. And it has huge implications for immigration. And that’s what it’s about – immigration.

“In the meantime, you have Trump. He’s totally anti-immigrant. He’s just... there are no words for him.

The world is in an awful place. You feel very powerless in relation to it, you really do. You can only do your own small things and encourage people to do small things too.

“Honestly, I just feel powerless. But I believe in the interconnectedness of all things and here in the Sanctuary we have a place of peace, and we can do a lot with peace. Every morning at 9.30, whoever is here gathers for meditation and at the end of it, we send the peace that we have out to the world. And I believe in that kind of interconnectedness. That if you and I are InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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“SUCCESSIVE GOVERNMENTS

STOPPED BUILDING SOCIAL HOUSING. THEY LEFT IT TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND LEFT IT TO THE MARKET AND, OF COURSE,

THE MARKET HAS NO CONSCIENCE. AND PEOPLE FELL.”

HUMAN VALUES Along with the disadvantaged, Sr Stan takes a strong interest in Ireland’s youth and is passionate about the potential they have to drive social change. Along with Rachel Collier, she established Young Social Innovators (YSI) as a pilot project in 2011. Sixteen years on, the organisation works to empower and support young people to realise their potential as social innovators, giving them the skills and confidence to tackle various social issues facing them, their communities and wider society.

So what is Sr Stan’s advice for young people today trying to find their place in the world? “I would say to them to look at their values – human values that will stand to them no matter what they do,” she says. “Those human values will really be about justice, about equality and about compassion, and will be about them becoming a fully human, caring person. And that’s what we try to do in the YSI, to help people to take that kind of responsibility at a young age which will inform them later in life.

“My advice to them really is to have clarity about their values.

They’ll all know a teacher or someone in their life like parents who have clear values. They are not eejits, young people. They should hold on to those values no matter what area they go into.”

Clearly uncomfortable talking about her own successes in life, when asked what part of her work she is most proud of, Sr Stan shifts the focus away from herself and highlights the dedication of volunteers and staff she has worked with along the way.

I put the question to her a second time, which brings her to a pause.

“My best gift really was being able to draw people in to help,” she finally concedes.

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25/10/2017 10:06

SMALL BUSINESS

InBUSINESS spoke with Daragh Murphy, owner and founder of HairyBaby, the novelty t-shirt company that started in a shed.

IB: Could you give us some background on how HairyBaby came about?

DM: It all began way back in 2006. I was working as a sound engineer in Dublin and gigging as a DJ at night. At the time, I developed an unhealthy fascination for t-shirts and it wasn’t long before I owned hundreds of

them. I had a few favourite clothing labels and had started to notice that every one of them were imports. I thought, ‘why can’t we get a good Irish t-shirt?’ Sorry, I’ll rephrase that – ‘why can’t we get a good Irish t-shirt that isn’t overprinted with shamrocks, leprechauns, sheep and Guinness?’ Why can’t we get an Irish t-shirt that actual Irish people would like to wear? That started the whole process.

IB: How did you initially fund the business?

DM: After a job at an audio-visual company didn’t work out, I found myself unemployed. I had been working on the idea for HairyBaby all the while with the intention of starting it as a business some day. I had a regular income from DJ-ing in Cork and the money earned from that was put into printing my first few batches of t-shirts. These were dragged around the streets of Cork, in and out of various clothing shops, to see if anyone would sell them. Most refused but luckily a few took them in.

It wasn’t long before they were back ordering more.

After that, the idea was to build an e-commerce website and sell online. This was very early stage stuff for e-commerce and a pretty basic website, but it did the job. We were online by December 2007. I still had no funding as I was refused a small business loan of 115,000 by my bank who 40

040 InBusiness Q3 2017_Small Business Profile.indd 40

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

26/10/2017 16:47

SMALL BUSINESS FEATURE

thought selling t-shirts on the internet wasn’t a good idea. The exact quote from them is now printed on our office wall.

IB: Describe how you generate new ideas for t-shirts.

DM: The ideas side of things can come from anywhere really. In the earlier days I always carried a pocket notepad and pen, now it’s my phone. Our ethos is that our content must be fundamentally Irish in its nature, and funny where possible. As Irish, we have a great way with words and turn of phrase and that’s the backbone of our content. So our ears are always to the ground.

IB: Tell us about some of the partnerships you have developed in recent years.

DM: I credit some of the partnerships at HairyBaby with saving my business when the recession hit.

Thankfully I spotted a licensing opportunity in Father Ted and actively went about acquiring it with the last few euros I had in the bank. I pitched the idea of a dedicated range of Father Ted t-shirts to Hattrick Productions - the licensors - and they went for it. With that brought a whole new customer base, mostly from the UK. It helped the business get back on its feet and more importantly, helped us acquire other licenses. Each licensor earns between 12 and 18 per cent royalty per product sold.

IB: Tell us about your latest venture ‘The Tee Shop’.

DM: As much as I hate the InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

040 InBusiness Q3 2017_Small Business Profile.indd 41

old cliché ‘I spotted a gap in the market’, I actually did. We had customers regularly calling us to see if they could get their business logo on t-shirts.

The Tee Shop offers three handy packages: ten, 11-25 or 26-50 t-shirts with your company logo.

We have the technology, printers and know-how to print these smaller quantities of t-shirts costeffectively.

IB: What would you say are the biggest challenges you face as a small business in Ireland?

DM: Year on year it’s the same challenge – credit and the lack thereof. Gone are the days of knowing your bank manager and them in turn knowing the history and trends of your business.

IB: What more could the Government be doing to help businesses like yours?

DM: I don’t want to be all doom and gloom; tax changes to support entrepreneurship in last year’s budget have helped new start-ups, however the distinct lack of support should a start-up fail in the Irish market is still a problem. Until that changes we’re never going to encourange those great untapped business ideas.

IB: How many staff do you have and can you share your most recent results/projections for 2017 with us?

Daragh Murphy, owner and founder of HairyBaby

DM: We have five full-time staff at HairyBaby and this is a nice managable number right now. However, we can do up to 40 per cent of our yearly turnover in the last quarter so our staff numbers double for those months. We are going nice and steady at the moment, up on last year and hoping to reach the 11 million turnover next year. Not bad for a small online t-shirt company that started in a shed.

IB: Where do you see the business going in the next five to ten years? How would you define success?

DM: I can see our Tee Shop venture becoming a bigger part of what we do. We are also focused on expanding our online

reach globally – last year we shipped HairyBaby t-shirts to over 80 different countries around the world so our export market is getting stronger.

We have worked up a plan for the next five years and are actively seeking investment to help us reach our potential.

Success to me in a business is not having to look at your bank balance with one eye open. It’s not all about vast amounts of profit either, but successful enough that you don’t have to rob Peter to pay Paul all the time. It’s also about wellness and contentment in the workplace. Not hammocks and working barefoot, simply a nice vibe where everybody has a bit of craic and does a good day’s work.

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26/10/2017 16:47

IN CONVERSATION:

PUTTING OUT FIRES,

IGNITING Entrepreneur by day, firefighter by night, full-time climate change activist, Neil McCabe is a real all-rounder. He tells InBUSINESS how his career has evolved over the past ten years.

CHANGE

t all started with batteries – something a fire station gets through a fair amount of in order to keep its equipment fully operational.

Dublin’s Kilbarrack fire station had lost around half its staff to a newer unit, and with them years of skill and expertise.

Morale was low. One day, firefighter Neil McCabe labelled a cardboard box ‘used batteries here’ and put it on a countertop; a month later it was overflowing.

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Neil McCabe pictured speaking at the TEDx Ha’pennyBridge event in June 2017

Adrian Langtry

“I had no idea what we were supposed to do with the batteries.

For a while I was hiding them around the station,” he laughs. “But I was fed up with the lack of morale: it’s something you can’t have in a fire brigade. I realised the staff were buying into something with the batteries. I started looking at what we could do with them: was there a value in that waste? Could we recycle them?

Could someone buy them off us?”

McCabe realised there was more they could do to reduce waste and save energy, and the rest of the staff were motivated to get involved, too.

“Within a few months the lads were asking what was the next project

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 10:10

IN CONVERSATION

A GROWING VENTURE and I started dishing out projects left, right and centre,” he recalls.

“After a year, I had a list of projects that had succeeded and they became known as the GreenPlan.”

McCabe started crowdfunding to invest in the station. They raised 14,000 and invested in Ireland’s first thermodynamic solar collectors, which use wind and rain to make hot water; within a matter of months the panels had reduced the running costs of the station by 6,000. The battery recycling operation expanded into a full recycling centre built in the firefighters’ downtime, which resulted in a 2,000 reduction in the waste bill in the first year.

“The return was a 10,000 saving over the first year,” says McCabe.

“And everyone gets interested when you start talking money.

The GreenPlan’s procedures are procedures to lower money spent on energy and waste. And I thought what if the savings generated at Kilbarrack were reinvested in the next station, and the next station.”

Management were in agreement. 168,000 was invested in the GreenPlan which saw savings of 50,000 per year. Those savings were reinvested in Phibsborough fire station and in 12 months, Phibsborough had reduced its energy spend by 33,000. Soon the combined savings had built into a 3.2 million fund. McCabe was heavily involved in rolling out these plans – while still a fulltime firefighter.

He was offered a secondment to Dublin fire brigade to work exclusively on managing his project.

The City Manager then asked him to apply the GreenPlan to the City Council. Two years and nine months later, McCabe had embedded the Greenplan in Dublin’s swimming pools, leisure centres, libraries, the Mansion House and all of Dublin fire brigade.

Under the government’s energy targets the public sector has a target to reduce energy demands by 33 per InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

042 InBusiness Q3 2017_In Conversation.indd 43

Along with his climate change and firefighting endeavours, McCabe is also co-founder of GROWN, a sustainable clothing brand. A few years were spent researching and testing every aspect of the supply chain, before it launched online last year. A shop has just also opened on Francis Street, Dublin. “Clothing is a dirty business. It’s the second dirtiest business after fossil fuels. We want people to think differently about where their clothes come from and how they are made,” says McCabe. GROWN’s goal is to respect the environment. The tree4tee campaign means one indigenous Irish tree is planted for each piece created. Last year over 800 trees were planted. As part of its Let’s SEA change campaign, a percentage of profits goes towards ocean conservation, mammal conservation and beach clean-ups. www.grown.ie

cent by 2020. In 2015, the estate of Dublin fire brigade had reduced its energy by 44 per cent.

“The project was really exciting but firefighting is a vocation. I could the see the system was embedded in the fire brigade and the City Council, so I went back to being a fulltime fire-fighter. I really missed it,” says McCabe.

He then decided the next step was to take the GreenPlan and get it into business and society. He launched a free open online course, GreenPlan Champion for Communities – available at alison.com. The plan focuses on seven themes: energy, water, waste, biodiversity, transport, society and procurement.

“The best way to do it is to give it away for free. It’s a two-hour course with a goal of reducing the energy spend in communities by 20 per cent. Then they can reinvest those savings into their community. We’re empowering communities to tackle climate change and there are 117 towns in Ireland practising the GreenPlan.”

McCabe is now running a campaign to challenge every mayor in Ireland to take the course. Today, so many mayors have taken it they’re challenging the councillors.

He’s given the GreenPlan to communities for free as a social entrepreneur; on the entrepreneur front, he’s also launched a version for business.

Last year, McCabe was invited by the US Department of State to the US under the Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI), a programme established by Barack Obama to encourage idea sharing. That October, he addressed the EU Parliament in Brussels on the subject of transatlantic trade, as a guest of John Kerry and he’s also travelled to Moscow to discuss the GreenPlan with Russian policy-makers.

On the subject of the current US President, who refuses to acknowledge climate change, McCabe says: “Trump is the best thing ever for people like me. He’s such an advocate for bringing everyone backwards that those who don’t want to be caught up in that path of destruction are saying ‘how can we do something about this?’ and people like me are saying ‘I can show you what to do’.”

MCabe has been honoured with several awards for his work, including the Irish Green Leader Award, the Global Green Leader Award and the International Corporate Social Responsibility Award. He’s been directly involved with the writing of two EU directives on climate change and he’s addressed some of the world’s leading figures on tackling this issue. And he’s still fighting fires around Dublin.

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25/10/2017 10:10

BOOK EXTRACT

“ IT’S NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY, IT’S ABOUT WHAT YOUR

CUSTOMER WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU.”

In her new book, social media marketing expert Louise McDonnell advises businesses on how they can use Facebook to help increase their bottom line. In this extract from Facebook Marketing: The Essential Guide for Irish Organisations, McDonnell looks at what makes people engage with content.

ocial media is about connecting with your audience and consistently communicating your core values to them. Think of your Facebook page as a radio station where your customers can tune in. What would you broadcast to keep them interested? Would you tune into a radio station that broadcast nothing but ads?

Well neither will your customers. If you publish one sales post after another your audience will tune out.

In Chapter 1 we discussed the Facebook algorithm, Edgerank, which controls what appears on Facebook.

If people who like your page stop engaging (liking, commenting, clicking, sharing) with posts on your page, there is a high likelihood that Facebook will stop showing your posts to them. It presumes they’re not interested. And they probably aren’t!

The most important advice when it comes to creating content for your Facebook page is … it’s not about what you want to say, it’s about what your customer wants to hear from you. It’s not about you. It’s about them.

If you publish content that is useful to your customer they are much more likely to engage.

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WHY PEOPLE ENGAGE Why People ‘React’ (Like) Posts People can associate a range of emotions with a Facebook post. They can choose from the following: Like, Love, Ha Ha, Wow, Sad, Angry.

People will associate their emotions with a post to: • Acknowledge that they have seen it • Show support • Let others know what they think.

You need to remember that people are flicking quickly through their news feed. They may stop and look at your posts but not click the ‘like’ button. They are not thinking about how they can keep you happy by ‘liking’ your post. Remember … it’s not about you, it’s about them.

You can encourage people to like your posts by simply asking them: ‘Like this post to show your support’ or ‘Like this post if you agree with ...’

Or ‘Like this post to congratulate ...’

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 10:11

BOOK EXTRACT

Why Fans ‘Comment’ on Posts People comment on posts to: • Express their opinion, whether they agree or disagree • Let their friends know what they think • To raise their profile with your audience – comments on your posts are visible to everyone • Tag friends who they know will be interested in the post.

It’s hard to get people to comment.

They have to think about what they are going to say and then spend time typing it. If your page only has a few hundred likes avoid publishing too many posts where you ask people to comment. One tactic to encourage comments is to ask some of your friends to comment which may in turn encourage others to do so.

The more emotive the subject the more likely people are to comment.

People will regularly tag friends in posts to draw their attention to them. Publishing high quality content that is useful to the reader will encourage this.

Why People Share Posts When people share posts it goes into their news feed and therefore has the potential to reach all of their Facebook friends. In terms of engagement it’s the crème de la crème. It’s the most cost effective way of extending the organic reach of your page, that is, the number of people who see your posts without you having to pay.

People will share posts if they: • Think the information contained in the post is so good that they want all their friends to see it • Are a brand advocate and want to tell everyone they know about your products/services • Believe in a cause and want to influence their friends • Want to let their friends know what they think about a particular subject.

The people most likely to share your posts are your friends, family and InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

044 InBusiness Q3 2017_Book Extract.indd 45

“WHEN YOU

EXCEED CUSTOMERS’

EXPECTATIONS, YOU ‘DELIGHT’ THEM.

DELIGHTED CUSTOMERS

ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO BECOME

BRAND ADVOCATES.

THEY ARE SO

HAPPY WITH YOUR SERVICE THEY

This is an extract from Facebook Marketing: The Essential Guide for Irish Organisations, reprinted with permission from The Liffey Press. It is available in paperback for a19.95 from good bookshops or directly from www.theliffeypress.com.

‘TELL OTHERS’.”

brand advocates. Beyond this, people will share your posts if they are so impressed with the content that they want others to see it.

Clicking on Posts Getting someone to click on your posts is the easiest form of engagement. There is no commitment on your readers’ part. They are not seen to be publicly endorsing your content.

If they are interested and want to find out more, they will simply click on your post without giving it too much thought. The simple ‘click’ is often overlooked by business page owners, but it is the simplest and most effective way to get visitors to your page to interact with your posts.

People will click on posts to: • Click on links contained in your posts (links to websites) • Visit other pages you have tagged • View multiple images or a video • ‘See more’ if your post contains a lot of text.

CHAMBER CONNECTION Louise McDonnell was once part of the Chamber Network family, serving as CEO of Ballina Chamber between 2000 and 2007. Today, she is an online and social media marketing expert passionate about delivering Facebook, SEO and website marketing training and coaching.

McDonnell has a particular expertise in Facebook marketing having coached and trained in excess of 2,000 businesses since 2009.

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25/10/2017 10:11

˘ Raluca Gaitan

WORLD REPORT

A boy pictured on horseback in the At-Bashi District of southeastern Kyrgyzstan

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InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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WORLD REPORT

Putt�ng

Kyrgyzstan Not much about the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan is known in the West, but one community-based tourism organisation is on a mission to change that.

JOSEPH O’CONNOR reports.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

on tНe Map

47

WORLD REPORT

Approximately 85 per cent of the revenue generated by the CBT is given directly to the families who provide a service

˘ Raluca Gaitan

Joseph O’Connor

Joseph O’Connor

A

n unlikely but significant breakthrough for the tourism industry of Kazakhstan came about in 2006 with the release of Sacha Baron Cohen’s mockumentary Borat.

Back then, authorities in the Central Asian nation banned the film and threatened to sue the comedian over his portrayal of the country and its people as racist, sexist and primitive. However, as it turned out, the film proved such a box office hit that it generated widespread curiosity about Kazakhstan, which translated into a monumental increase in the number of people applying for tourist visas in the years that followed. It culminated in 2012 with then Kazakh foreign minister Yerzhan Kazykhanov declaring in parliament: “I am grateful to Borat for helping attract tourists to Kazakhstan.”

Neighbouring Kyrgyzstan hasn’t been quite as fortunate. Without a colourful character like Borat Sagdiyev to represent it on the international stage, until now the country – along with other ‘Stan’ nations in

Köl-Suu, an alpine lake located close to the Chinese border

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WORLD REPORT

the region such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan – has remained something of a mystery to people in the West. Phonetic challenges aside, the former Soviet state doesn’t register on most people’s radar, and given that it exists within a strong Russian sphere of influence, Europe’s relations with the Stan states are tenuous at best. This influence became even more pronounced in 2015 when Kyrgyzstan joined the Russian-led Eurasian Union, one year after closing a US military base used to support operations in Afghanistan since 2001.

It doesn’t help that Kyrgyzstan rarely makes the news in this part of the world. One recent exception came in July, when a story broke surrounding a picture that Aliya Shagieva, the then Kyrgyz president’s youngest daughter, posted of herself on Instagram breastfeeding her baby. Unsurprisingly, the image sparked a lively debate in the country home to over 5.7 million people, 75 per cent of whom are Muslim. The story made the news across the globe featured by the likes of the BBC as well as The Telegraph, which incidentally led with: ‘Forget Ivanka Trump. Meet the feminist First Daughter you need to know’. It’s the kind of headline made to generate clicks, but apart from breastfeeding, Kyrgyzstan has had little to click about on the western front.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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Capital: Bishkek

Population: 5,789,122

Bordering Countries: › China (1,063km), › Kazakhstan (1,212km), › Tajikistan (984km), › Uzbekistan (1,314km)

Ethnic Groups: › Kyrgyz 70.9%, › Uzbek 14.3%, › Russian 7.7%, › Dungan 1.1%, › Other 5.9% (includes Uyghur, Tajik, Turk, Kazakh, Tatar, Ukrainian, Korean, German)

Languages: › Kyrgyz (official) 71.4% › Uzbek 14.4%, › Russian (official) 9% › other 5.2%

Life Expectancy at Birth: 70.7 years

Percentage of Population Using the Internet: 34.5%

Main Exports: Cotton, gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas Source: The CIA World Factbook

Median Age: 26.2 years

Joseph O’Connor

Gulira Kenjekaraeva, Coordinator at CBT Naryn

˘ Raluca Gaitan

AN AMBITIOUS CONCEPT Someone who is determined to change that and spread the word about her country and what it has to offer is Gulira Kenjekaraeva, Coordinator at CBT Naryn, part of the Kyrgyz community-based tourism network that aims to promote sustainable tourism and improve the living conditions of people living in remote mountain regions through its work. It’s an ambitious concept for a country whose tourism industry is only in its infancy, employing the services of locals – anyone from drivers helping travellers navigate pot-holed terrain to nomadic families welcoming tourists into their yurt for Kumis, a fermented mare’s milk popular among the peoples of the Central Asian Steppes.

Kenjekaraeva has been instrumental in improving tourism services in the Naryn province. There in 2012 she set up the Bosogo yurt camp at Köl-Suu, an alpine lake located close to the Chinese border, where locals now accommodate travellers in traditional yurts. It began with Kenjekaraeva obtaining special travel permits from the Government to allow five tourists to travel there, among

COUNTRY FACT FILE

An innovative way to keep the car cool in the hot Kyrgyz summer

Bosogo yurt camp

Horse breeding and riding have been an integral part of Kyrgyz culture and livelihood since ancient times

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25/10/2017 10:15

Joseph O’Connor pictured at the Bosogo yurt camp

˘ Raluca Gaitan

WORLD REPORT

“WE HAVE

– THE ONES AT ARSLANBOB,

KOCHKOR AND ME – WHO

RECEIVE A LOT OF FEEDBACK, AND WE

ARE FOCUSED ON USING THIS FEEDBACK TO

Traditional nomadic living still exists in many parts of Kyrgyzstan

˘ Raluca Gaitan

THREE CBT COORDINATORS

them a travel blogger and a professional photographer. Since then, the camp is attracting a growing number of tourists each year as word gets out about the stunning landscape in the region and the traditional nomadic customs that still exist there.

“Nowadays, if you mention Kyrgyzstan, they immediately ask ‘Kazakhstan? Where is Kyrgyzstan?’” Kenjekaraeva tells me in her office as she grapples to control a group of boisterous young Israeli tourists vying for her attention. “I would say Kyrgyzstan is now working very hard to improve its services because here in Kyrgyzstan, services are still simple. But tourists accept us as we are, we are not a very developed country but we are improving.”

A lot of those improvements have come about since the Kyrgyz Community Based Tourism Association (KCBTA) was established in 2003. Located in the capital Bishkek, KCBTA is an umbrella group uniting 17 diverse destination communities plus a five-group association of shepherd families offering yurt tourism. It has a number of international backers, primarily Helvetas, a Swiss NGO that has committed to a long-term alliance.

The main objective of the KCBTA is to develop and market community-based tourism in Kyrgyzstan and improve the livelihoods of local people without harming the natural environment and culture of the country. As part of its strategy, approximately 85 per cent of the revenue generated by the CBT offices is given directly to the families providing a service, with the remaining amount supporting the national association.

Kenjekaraeva and KCBTA’s work is just one part of a concerted effort in Kyrgyzstan to help kickstart the country’s tourism sector

ADDRESS THE THINGS THAT WE CAN IMPROVE ON.”

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and capitalise on what it has to offer – for the outdoors lovers, an unspoiled natural beauty reminiscent of that seen in New Zealand or Switzerland, a rich nomadic tradition to interest the culturally inquisitive, and remnants of a Soviet era for the political history junkies.

It’s a place to capture the intrigue of travellers in pursuit of an untapped destination.

While it is undoubtedly rich in tourism potential, Kyrgyzstan still has a long way to go. This year it was placed 115th in the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report behind Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, showing that there’s plenty of room for improvement. A new political landscape in the country might serve to speed up the progress already made.

Former Prime Minister Sooronbay Jeenbekov won the country’s most recent presidential election on October 15th, which marks the first democratic transfer of power in Kyrgyzstan since independence in 1992, and according to reports, the initial signs of a smooth transition are positive. Some of the key issues facing the new government include fighting corruption, restructuring and diversifying domestic industries, and attracting foreign aid and investment.

It’s too early to say how Jeenbekov will address these issues or whether tourism will feature high on his agenda, however Kenjekaraeva is certainly not deterred by the challenges ahead. “My vision is that in ten years’ time we will have improved greatly in tourism,” she says. “Kyrgyzstan has a very young population. Also, Kyrgyz people are very welcoming, it’s something I know from living here. They love to see tourists.

“Many people talk about the beautiful nature that we have. Maybe I don’t see it as clearly because all my life I have lived here, but I would like to recommend to tourists who enjoy nature that they should definitely come to Kyrgyzstan. We do our best for visitors. We have three CBT coordinators – the ones at Arslanbob, Kochkor and me – who receive a lot of feedback, and we are focused on using this feedback to address the things that we can improve on.”

In the meantime, Kenjekaraeva is earning herself quite a reputation for ensuring tourists get the best from their trip to Kyrgyzstan.

“Sometimes tourists come in saying, ‘ah, you are the famous Gulira!’” she beams. “Many bloggers are writing articles about it, because I do the best job I can. Not because of money but to show Kyrgyzstan’s hospitality.”

By the sounds of it, Kenjekaraeva is on a mission to do for Kyrgyzstan what Borat has done for its more widely recognised neighbour.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 10:15

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25/10/2017 09:31

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25/10/2017 09:35

IB PARTNER FEATURE ENERGIA

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W: www.aidanryan.ie InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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IB PARTNER FEATURE ENERGIA

PAT MCDONAGH | MD, SUPERMAC’S Supermac’s first opened its doors in Ballinasloe in 1978. Since then we have grown to 107 stores throughout the country including the Plaza Group of national route service stations. As we approach our 40th year of business, there have been a number of lightbulb moments. The first real one was our decision to open a second store in Gort in Co Galway, which marked the beginning of the expansion, with Ennis becoming our first store outside of Galway. The opening of Eyre Square, O’Connell Street and the Plazas were other significant milestones.

Most recently, we have moved to fresh beef and chicken as part of our fresh range. The customer’s needs are constantly changing as society changes and one of the strengths that we have in Supermac’s is our ability to adapt and meet those changes. We are on track to spend in excess of 7 million on Irish poultry this year, which brings our spend on Irish produce to almost 30m annually.

Looking at the future, there are a number of significant changes coming through. With the new motorways and road systems changing the face of Ireland, there is a need for more forecourts in various areas of the country.

The introduction of electric cars will have a big impact on forecourt business and that’s an area that we are very interested in.

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Make that switch

Marty Morrissey and Pat McDonagh at the announcement of Supermac’s sponsorship of the Marty Squad on RTÉ Radio 1

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25/10/2017 15:32

IB PARTNER FEATURE ENERGIA

Frank Keane, Chairman, Frank Keane BMW

FRANK KEANE | CHAIRMAN, FRANK KEANE BMW I first became interested in cars through a teenage fascination with motor racing, which resulted in the beginning of a lifelong passion. In 1967, I was awarded the franchise for BMW as the main importer in Ireland.

The early years were crucial in conveying the BMW message to the Irish public, establishing and promoting the reputation of both the BMW and Frank Keane brands. In 2003, we transitioned from BMW importer to BMW dealer at our Naas Road premises. That decision to move into dealership was perhaps our most significant lightbulb moment and, by 2010, we had opened our second BMW showroom, located in Blackrock. The experience has helped us to grow a sustainable business and we know that looking after our customers is our biggest competitive advantage. Being part of such a progressive brand has meant that we have been able to realise innovative opportunities that bring the latest technology in mobility to our customers. With the current spotlight really starting to shine on electric and hybrid vehicles, we are delighted to be appointed the authorised retailer of BMW i and iPerformance models this year, including the new electric BMW i3 and BMW 5 Series hybrid.

As we celebrate 50 years in partnership with BMW in 2017, I believe that our power to adapt to the changing needs of our customers is what will keep us in business for the next 50 years and beyond.

W: www.frankkeanebmw.ie InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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That’s just one of the great benefits of being an Energia customer. Why not find out more about this great opportunity for your business? Email businessextra@energia.ie for further details.

FIND OUT ABOUT OUR CLEVER BUSINESS CUSTOMERS at energia.ie/hub

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25/10/2017 15:32

DUBLIN PORT Facilitating irish economic growth

Port centre, alexandra road, Dublin 1, ireland.

Tel: 00 353 1 8876000 Email: info@dublinport.ie www.dublinport.ie

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25/10/2017 09:35

CHAMBERS NEWS

A ROUND UP OF ALL THE NEWS AND EVENTS FROM THE CHAMBER NETWORK NATIONWIDE

CHAMBERS

CATCH UP LIMERICK CHAMBER FOCUSED ON DIGITAL Limerick Chamber has launched a new digital strategy to help promote its members’ businesses online, at a time when internet penetration in Ireland has exceeded 80 per cent and tablet and smartphone usage has outstripped that of desktop computers. Limerick digital marketing agency, AGENT Digital, has partnered with the Chamber to create the strategy, which will help Limerick Chamber members to promote their businesses through the updated Limerick Chamber Digital platforms and networks. AGENT Digital Managing Director Kevin Meaney said: “AGENT Digital has been a proud member of Limerick Chamber for the past 10 years, and we‘re delighted to have worked on this digital strategy, which will benefit all members of Limerick Chamber.”

Maura McMahon, Marketing & Membership Manager, Limerick Chamber, Kevin Meaney, AGENT Digital Managing Director and Dr. James Ring, Limerick Chamber CEO

MOTORWAY BECOMES BACKBONE OF ATLANTIC CORRIDOR

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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CHAMBER COMMENT “Research and best practice has shown that mediation, when used to resolve business disputes, helps preserve business relationships, encourages dialogue between disputing parties, and most importantly helps to resolve disputes in an efficient and cost effective way.”

Chambers Ireland Chief Executive Ian Talbot welcoming the passage of the Mediation Bill (2017) through the Houses of the Oireachtas.

The opening of the final 57km of the M17 M18 Gort to Tuam motorway will not only bring immediate economic benefits to towns and cities along the Atlantic Economic Corridor (AEC), but it will support the development of the entire Shannon basin and act as the mobility backbone that improves the north-south flow along the Wild Atlantic Way. That’s according to Maurice O’Gorman, President of Galway Chamber and a member of the AEC, which has been pressing for continued investment in the corridor’s infrastructure to support the economic build-out of the region. The overarching objective of the AEC, an initiative of the Chambers of Commerce of Shannon, Ennis, Galway, Roscommon, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, is to maximise the region’s assets and connect economic hubs, clusters and catchments of the region.

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CHAMBERS NEWS

CYBER CRIME THREAT ADDRESSED IN CAPITAL

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usinesses gathered to discuss the future threat of cyber crime and the challenges of GDPR at a breakfast seminar held by Dublin Chamber and Fujitsu Ireland on September 21st. A packed audience of over 100 business leaders heard about the actions that An Garda Síochána are taking to prepare Ireland for the growing threat of high tech crime, GDPR and Brexit, as well as the precautions that Irish businesses are implementing to protect themselves from potential threats. Pictured at the event were guest speakers Tony O’Malley, CEO, Fujitsu Ireland, Paul C Dwyer, Cyber Risk International, Michael Gubbins, Garda Cyber Crime Bureau and Aebhric McGibney, Director of Public and International Affairs, Dublin Chamber.

Anthony Cooney, CEO, Fingal Dublin Chamber

APPOINTMENT NOTICE The Board of Fingal Dublin Chamber has appointed Anthony Cooney as its new Chief Executive Officer. Cooney took up his new role with Fingal Dublin Chamber on August 28th. Commenting on the appointment, Fingal Dublin Chamber President Guy Thompson said: “I am delighted to welcome Anthony to Fingal Dublin Chamber as its new CEO. Anthony has has excellent business links, a strong track record in developing business opportunities and a deep understanding of the economic development of the Fingal region.”

CHAMBER COMMENT

CHAMBER CAPTION A student enjoying the experience of a Daqri VR helmet at Toys4Engineers Conference & Expo, an event organised by Waterford Chamber and Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) showcasing how innovation and technology is leading the way.

Photo: Golden Moments Photography

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“This increased spending by Government is an important first step that will fund important infrastructure projects in priority areas such as transport, housing, water, and will drive continued economic improvement.”

Chambers Ireland Chief Executive Ian Talbot responding to the publication of the Mid-Term Review of the Capital Plan 2016-2021.

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CHAMBERS NEWS

WATERFORD BUSINESS AWARDS LAUNCHED The 2017 Waterford Business Awards, which are organised by Waterford Chamber and supported by Waterford City & County Council and WLR FM, have been launched. Comprising 12 categories, the awards are designed to recognise the achievement of individual businesses and business leaders in Waterford. Speaking at the launch, Waterford Chamber Deputy President Kathryn Kiely said: “This event has become one of the main talking points on our calendar and we look forward to working with all our sponsors and judges once again to highlight the exceptional businesses that are in Waterford right now.” You can find details on the event on Waterford Chamber’s new and improved website www.waterfordchamber.ie.

CHAMBER COMMENT “The ability of our workforce to take on the new challenges that Brexit will likely bring will be tantamount to our success. This necessitates training staff in exploring new export markets and engaging with additional administrative procedures.”

Sarah Freeman, Director of Policy and Communications, Chambers Ireland, responding to CSO figures published in September which show continued employment growth in the Irish economy in the second quarter of the year.

AIRLINE CHIEF ADDRESSES KILDARE EVENT Teresanne O’Reilly, WLR FM and Kathryn Kiely, Deputy President, Waterford Chamber with Lar Power, Waterford City & County Council and Frank O’Regan, Chair of the Judging Panel at the launch of the Waterford Business Awards

A GREAT TIME FOR SMES TO BE RAISING FINANCE

Shannon Chamber CEO Helen Downes with Key Capital’s head of corporate finance Jonathan Dalton and director Tero Tiilikainen

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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rish capital markets have developed considerably since the financial crisis to the point that it is now a great time for SMEs to be raising finance. This was the message delivered at a seminar in Shannon, organised by Shannon Chamber in conjunction with Key Capital. Keynote speakers at the event, Key Capital’s head of corporate finance Jonathan Dalton and director Tero Tiilikainen, provided a frank and in-depth analysis of the types of funding now available to companies. Their advice to SMEs was to understand the different forms of capital and how they differ before applying and, most importantly, to know what it will be used for.

County Kildare Chamber continued its business breakfast series in September with another big name speaker – Stephen Kavanagh, CEO of Aer Lingus. During his address, Kavanagh described the airline’s strategy and the importance it places on its customers. He also addressed the legacy of underinvestment in Dublin Airport and the culture of reactive investment. He said his ambition is to work with the DAA and Aer Lingus’ competition in building partnerships for the future. Kavanagh’s address concluded with a famous quote from Field of Dreams: “If you build it, they will come.”

Stephen Kavanagh, CEO of Aer Lingus, addressing delegates at the second County Kildare Chamber business breakfast

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25/10/2017 09:36

CHAMBER CEO Q&A BRIAN O’FARRELL

The Chamber Life InBUSINESS speaks with Carlow Chamber CEO Brian O’Farrell, an advocate for lifelong learning, working to grow business across the county.

Q: You have been head of County Carlow Chamber for a year and a half now. How is Chamber life?

of Brian facilitate the development of accommodation in the right locations, including the removal of barriers to bring units located above premises in our town centres back into use.

A: Chamber life is great,

Q: For any business

it is a very interesting and enjoyable role, where every day differs from the one before. As a Chamber we are very active in a variety of areas and are constantly reviewing new challenges to the businesses across the county. County Carlow is home to a very diverse range of businesses and this allows us plenty of scope to broaden our own horizons.

considering locating in Carlow, what would you say the county has to offer?

Q: What are the burning issues currently facing businesses in Carlow?

A: Carlow, like other areas, is facing a variety of issues including availability and supply of housing, something that is particularly important due to a growing workforce and the student population of IT Carlow and Carlow College. The Government has been working on the issue, however more needs to be done to

A: We always talk about ‘location, location, location’ in business and this is definitely true for Carlow.

The county is well located on the road and rail network with easy access to airports, ports and of course the rest of the country. Within the county, companies have access to two great third level institutions for assistance in research and for highly skilled graduates.

Q: In terms of leading the Chamber, where do you draw your inspiration from?

A: I look to past career experience to help inform my decisions. I also have regular contact with many members as well as the board of the Chamber, which is a great support and source of specialist expertise.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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Q: What is the most valuable advice you’ve been given?

A: “Never stop learning.”

Every day you should learn something new, and at the end of every day, take a few moments and think back over what new things you have learned. There are also other ways and a few years ago, I decided to refresh my skills and completed an honours degree part-time through IT Carlow, something I would highly recommend.

It was strange being back in college after so many years, tough at times also, but highly rewarding at the end.

Q: Any up-and-coming Carlow-based companies to watch out for in the near future?

A: We have a number of very interesting projects that have been established in the county. One company to continue watching is Equiratings, who have established themselves as the leading sports technology, data and content company in the equestrian world.

Brian O’Farrell, CEO, County Carlow Chamber

Q: Looking into 2018, what will be the key objectives of the Chamber?

A: There are a number of objectives for the Chamber in 2018 especially as businesses are faced with a number of key changes including GDPR and of course, Brexit. At the Chamber we want to continue to grow our membership and to deliver the necessary supports to businesses across the county, lobby local and central government on a range of topics and also work with agencies such as IDA and Enterprise Ireland to grow business across the county.

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26/10/2017 16:29

CHAMBER FEATURE GLOBAL TRADE

Making Sense of

Global SHIFTS

The two trends of globalisation and protectionism are at odds in the world today. Will Doyle, Boston College Policy Intern with Chambers Ireland, takes a look at where we’re headed and speculates on how Ireland can fit in.

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he world stage has experienced a great deal of a change in a very short period of time.

In June of last year, 51.9 per cent of the UK voted to leave the European Union, triggering Brexit. A few short months later, in November 2016, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States by 74 electoral votes, despite losing the popular vote by upwards of three million votes.

These two events seemed to indicate the start of a dramatic shift in global trends, one towards protectionism and isolation rather than globalisation.

Over the last few months, however, there appears to have been resistance to this pattern internationally. In France, Emmanuel Macron defeated the protectionist Marie Le Pen, while the drafters of the Trans-Pacific Partnership have indicated that the deal will move forward even without US support. This is promising news for the EU, and Ireland in particular.

As it stands, Ireland may be able to capitalise on the departure of the UK and US from the global stage but ultimately, now more than ever, it needs to commit to a more globalised economy.

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In early July of this year, the EU and Japan committed to a significant trade agreement. The terms of the agreement stand to profoundly boost the Irish economy. The benefits include the removal of tariffs on 99 per cent of goods traded between the EU and Japan, the removal of customs

a similar deal, with equally beneficial effects for Ireland, removing tariffs and sparking new business opportunities. The more Ireland trades with other countries, the better its businesses will fare.

The reduced presence of the UK and US on the global stage may provide an opportunity for Ireland to make its presence felt internationally. Brexit will certainly negatively affect Ireland, but there are also some reasons to be optimistic. Many companies are

I reland’s low tax rate and new impending status as the only English speaking country in the EU make it an attractive place for FDI, and a gateway for international business to the rest of the EU.” duties (which cost EU businesses 11 billion a year), and new opportunities for investment in Japanese markets.

Together, the EU and Japan comprise 33 per cent of the world’s GDP. This trade deal is an enormous victory for those who believe that free trade benefits all parties involved, and sends a strong signal to protectionists that the world will move on without them. Ireland in particular will enjoy the removal of tariffs, especially with regards to beef, which had a 38.5 per cent tariff prior to the agreement. In January, the EU and Canada signed

leaving the UK to search for another place to base themselves. Ireland’s attractive corporation tax rate and impending status as the only English speaking country in the EU make it an attractive place for FDI, and a gateway for international business to the rest of the EU. The UK’s loss could be Ireland’s gain if Ireland stays committed to globalisation and free trade. As long as the US continues to retreat from the global economy with its trade policies, other countries will be looking to fill the void. As seen with Canada and Japan, the EU and

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CHAMBER FEATURE GLOBAL TRADE

Ireland in particular, may be able to capitalise on these opportunities.

Free trade is good for businesses and citizens alike. It lowers costs for businesses, and gives them access to more markets and wider groups of consumers. The removal of barriers allows businesses to grow and expand. In today’s increasingly digital economy, it is more important now than ever to be as connected to as many people and places around the world as possible. For consumers, free trade allows them lower prices and more choices. Markets become much more competitive, which is beneficial for everyone. With free trade agreements, it’s easier to ensure higher quality standards of products.

Looking to the future, only time will tell whether globalisation

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or protectionism will succeed.

One would hope that the rest of the world will recognise that the resurgence of extreme nationalism and protectionism is dangerous.

From an American perspective, it can be worrying to watch these events unfold, with news appearing to only

the meantime, the US is missing out on opportunities to continue to grow the economy and expand business around the globe.

The world needs to embrace a forward thinking economy, investing in new technology and becoming more connected. Ireland has been a

The world needs to embrace a forward thinking economy, investing in new technology and becoming more connected.” get worse each week. ‘America First’ policies may end up putting America last. Rather than embrace the TPP, the US has decided to shut itself away from the rest of the world. Will the US be able to recover after the current administration? Most likely. Yet, in

shining example of this, and it’s not a coincidence that Ireland and the EU’s openness to free trade has made Ireland an extremely attractive place to do business and trade with. Hopefully the rest of the world will follow, and reject protectionism.

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CHAMBER FEATURE BREXIT

Clock Ticking on Terms of

BREXIT

Emma Kerins, International Affairs Executive with Chambers Ireland, has the latest on efforts to reach agreement on the terms of the UK’s exit from the EU.

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t the time of writing, four rounds of negotiations for the UK’s exit from the European Union have taken place in Brussels, leaving approximately 18 months left to negotiate the terms of Brexit and the future trade relationship with the rest of the EU. While the European Commission has published more than a dozen position papers over the course of June and July, the UK was slow to respond, resulting in many commentators questioning the UK’s preparedness for the exit negotiations.

Indeed, the detail provided in their White Paper, published earlier this year, was viewed as underwhelming.

In August, the UK released a series of position papers outlining its key policies, most notably on customs procedures, citizen’s rights and how it envisaged managing the relationship between the UK and Ireland.

The first paper indicated a desire for a future customs arrangement with the EU and proposals for a temporary transitional period that would allow the UK to retain its current customs arrangement with the EU. On an initial reading of the position paper, indications that the UK may be willing to enter into a transitional arrangement with the EU following Brexit will be cautiously welcomed by business.

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Nobody, particularly businesses in the EU and the UK, wants to see the “cliff-edge scenario” of “no deal”, so it is positive to see that the UK Government has moved away from that language.

However, the old adage of “the devil is in the detail” was very true in this case. Although the UK Government noted that it would like to see a transitional arrangement in place following April 2019, what it actually

Chambers Ireland acknowledged that Ireland and the UK are on the same page when it comes to wanting no physical border and prioritising the need for efficient cross-border trade, making maximum use of available technology and SME-friendly arrangements” proposed was a new type of customs union, similar to what currently exists.

That enables the UK to negotiate trade deals with third countries, something that is not currently allowed under EU law. Furthermore, even if the EU was willing to negotiate a new Customs

Union with the UK, the probability of such an arrangement to be agreed within what remains of the two-year negotiating period is unlikely. However, it should also be noted that since the publication of the the Customs paper, Prime Minister May has clarified during her Florence speech in September that the UK would be willing to uphold the status quo following for a period of two years from March 2019.

Following on from the customs proposals, the UK published a second paper, its much-anticipated position on how it proposes to deal with the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland – the new land border with the European Union. While sensitively drafted, taking into consideration the necessity of protecting the Common Travel Area and the Good Friday Agreement, the paper was sorely lacking in substance and amounted to the UK Government declaring that it would be content to allow an open border at its end.

Responding to the publication of this paper, Chambers Ireland acknowledged that Ireland and the UK are on the same page when it comes to wanting no physical border and prioritising the need for efficient cross-border trade, making maximum use of available technology and SME-friendly arrangements. However, the problem with the British proposals is that it remains unclear how it intends to execute these plans. Since the UK has committed to leaving the Single Market and the Customs Union, and has also

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26/10/2017 16:26

CHAMBER FEATURE BREXIT

Chambers Ireland re-iterated that an implementation period would be required following the UK’s exit from the EU, and this transition period must be a commitment to allow the status quo to remain in place for a realistic amount of time.”

declined to maintain the status quo during a transition period, there will be no alternative other than the border with Northern Ireland becoming a new land border with the EU in 2019.

A member state leaving the EU is uncharted territory. Whatever the outcome of the exit negotiations, businesses will need time to adapt.

The Irish business community is particularly sensitive to this, given the complexity of our border with Northern Ireland, the high levels of cross-border movement of people and goods and the high interconnectedness of our supply chains.

Chambers Ireland re-iterated that an implementation period would be required following the UK’s exit from the EU, and this transition period must be a commitment to allow the status quo to remain in place for a realistic amount of time. It is clear that whatever kind of exit the UK seeks from the EU, navigating a future trading relationship will be complex and will require businesses to prepare, up-skill, invest in technology and even find new markets.

As Michel Barnier noted, the clock continues to tick and the UK has only 18 months remaining in the European Union. Going forward, both sides must be willing to make significant compromises to find a workable arrangement that includes an implementation period that allows businesses and governments to adequately prepare for what lies ahead.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

A STRONGER PRESENCE ABROAD

Chambers Ireland has welcomed the announcement from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that he intends to double Ireland’s presence on the international stage within the next decade, as part of a new policy initiative, entitled ‘Ireland’s Global Footprint 2025’.

Responding to the announcement made in August, Chambers Ireland Director of Policy and Communications Sarah Freeman said: “The UK’s exit from the EU in 2019 will require us to focus on building new trade links, increasing investment and growing tourism into Ireland. The CETA agreement and the recently concluded EU-Japan trade deal hold many benefits for Irish business. Therefore it’s very welcome to see the Government committing to increasing the resources of our embassies and agencies like the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and Tourism Ireland operating in these key markets.”

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CHAMBER FEATURE EDI

Becoming an Inclusive

BUSINESS

Recent controversies at Google and Newstalk demonstrate that we ignore the need to be inclusive at our peril. Here, the Employer Disability Information (EDI) provides practical tips on how to prepare your company to be inclusive of disability.

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oday’s workplaces are more diverse than ever. And yet, many of us do not feel prepared for the challenge of accommodating diversity and disability in the workplace.

According to the World Health Organisation, one in seven of us worldwide experiences some kind of disability. Census 2011 showed about 600,000 people living with a disability in Ireland or 13 per cent of the population. The majority of those people will have acquired their disability at some stage during their working lives.

In other words, we will be managing a disability-related issue at some stage regardless of whether we feel ready for the challenge. So how do we go about it? What makes retention and disability management work? What’s the magic formula?

And what do we do if it all goes wrong? In our own companies, we feel like we are taking a great risk if something happens that we are unsure how to manage successfully.

If we take a few practical steps, we can prepare our company to be inclusive of disability:

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1. WRITE IT DOWN

5. TAKE ACTION

Create a disability policy. You may already have one so double check its content to ensure it is up to date with current legislation.

Take the chance and recruit someone with a disability. By employing someone with a disability, you get to test out your inclusion policies and processes. You also discover where the barriers may lie - attitudinal as well as practical.

2. GATHER YOUR CHAMPIONS Find others in your organisation who understand the benefits that diversity in the workplace can bring and recruit them to the cause. Successful diversity initiatives are driven from the top but need middle level staff to implement.

3. TELL PEOPLE ABOUT IT Communicate your commitment to diversity to all staff and customers of your business. Awareness raising campaigns will help to get the message of inclusion out there.

4. GET HELP There are numerous agencies available to assist you to recruit diverse staff such as EmployAbility, National Learning Network, Specialisterne, Association for Higher Education Access & Disability and the Irish Association of Supported Employment.

6. REVIEW FREQUENTLY Set up a system to frequently review your policies and processes. Are all staff aware of your commitment to inclusion? Is diversity linked to the overall goals of the organisation?

Are your clients aware of your diversity commitment?

Now inclusion and diversity can move from a company’s wishlist of activities to becoming part of day-to-day operations – being a driver for innovation, creativity and problem-solving in your company.

Further information and resources can be found at www.employerdisabilityinfo.ie.

ABOUT US Employer Disability Information (EDI) is a free advice and information service for employers who need support on the recruitment, management and retention of employees with disabilities. With the backing of a consortium of employer organisations – Chambers Ireland, Ibec and ISME – and funding from the National Disability Authority, the EDI team promotes and drives inclusive employment initiatives through a dedicated helpline, email and by providing a wealth of information and guidance supports for employers on the website.

For more information visit www.employerdisabilityinfo.ie

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

26/10/2017 16:25

CHAMBER FEATURE CYBER SECURITY

Staying

Cyber Safe Chambers Ireland has partnered with Microsoft Ireland to produce a cyber security guide for business. Elisha Collier O’Brien of Chambers Ireland fills us in on the details.

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he WannaCry virus earlier this year saw thousands of computers infected all over the world, bringing some companies to a standstill as staff were instructed not to turn on computers for fear they were at risk.

While Ireland was thankfully spared the worst of WannaCry, this ransomware attack and the more recent attack on the Musgrave Group have brought cyber security into the spotlight and caused many Irish businesses to question their own security programmes.

Unfortunately, attacks on organisations around the world, including Irish businesses, are on the rise. In today’s constantly evolving tech landscape, tools, gadgets, and platforms are not the only things advancing; cyber attacks too are becoming ever more powerful, wide-ranging, and harmful to organisations.

Such attacks can cause significant monetary damage and the varied nature of cyber crime means that millions of euros worth of data and intellectual property are at risk. Attacks can mean loss of productivity and damage to business continuity, and a significant consequence that lives beyond an initial attack is the long-term reputational damage that can take years for a business to fully recover from.

It is easy to become overwhelmed by the scope and complexity of threats

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facing anyone in today’s online world.

But inaction is not an option when it comes to protecting a business against these threats.

Navigating today’s advanced cyber risks is a team effort. Irish businesses need to understand the gravity and importance of cyber security and must learn new skills to protect themselves from cyber criminals to ensure infrastructure security.

Chambers Ireland is delighted to have partnered with Microsoft Ireland to produce a cyber security guide for business. The guide is targeted towards small and medium size enterprises, and it aims to be accessible and explain the key terms, while advising on positive actions a business can take to counter cyber threats.

Microsoft highlights how there often remains a gap among businesses between awareness of the potential threat of cyber attacks and the implementation of a robust cyber security plan.

An interesting fact brought to our attention by Microsoft is that 48 per cent of data security breaches are

caused by acts of malicious intent, while human error or system failure account for the remaining 52 per cent.

For a business, having poorly informed and untrained staff is a cyber threat in itself; often it is the actions of an organisation’s people that are the weakest link in security. Hackers and cyber criminals aim to exploit such gaps in knowledge and use it to their advantage. As such, information is key and making sure that both management and all levels of staff in an organisation are up to date with cyber threats is the first step in preventing illegitimate access to networks.

The guide produced by Chambers Ireland and Microsoft Ireland aims to make Irish businesses aware of the threats facing them, explains why it is an important part of doing business today, and offers information on how to approach cyber security in a way that mitigates risk, secures systems and ultimately protects businesses from harm.

The guide will soon be available online at chambers.ie and from your local affiliated chamber of commerce.

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All-New

Renault KOLEOS Crossover by Renault

Bigger. Bolder. Better.

Model Shown: All-New Renault KOLEOS dCi 130 Signature. RRP from €36,790. The official CO2 emissions are 128 g/km and fuel consumption 4.9l/100km (combined).

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25/10/2017 09:36

CHAMBER CEO Q&A SARAH FREEMAN

Policy

Matters Recently appointed as Director of Policy and Communications with Chambers Ireland, Sarah Freeman talks to InBUSINESS about the new role and how Chambers Ireland policy development addresses the challenges facing Irish business.

Q: Tell us a bit about your background and how it led you to this role?

A: I’ve always been interested in news and started writing for the college newspapers while studying law in UCD. I qualified as a barrister and practised for almost a decade during which time I did a lot of freelance print and radio journalism. It was this dual career which finally led me to a fulltime career in Policy and Communications with Chambers Ireland.

Q: You’ve been in the role for a few months, how have you been settling in?

A: I have really enjoyed getting to know our Chamber Network and learning about the variety of issues facing business in every region across the country. It’s been fascinating to see the contributions each individual Chamber is making to their local business landscape and

community. On a national level, I’ve been working on our policy priorities and ensuring that we are effectively inputting into Government policy development.

Q: What is the main focus of the policy team over the coming months?

A: Now, post-Budget, we will be focusing on the detail of the National Planning Framework (NPF) and the ten-year Capital Investment Plan. We support the alignment of the two plans for the benefit of long-term strategic planning. The NPF is an opportunity to plan for the type of regional development and spatial strategy that is necessary for economic growth, sustainable development and improved quality of living. The country needs a strong and comprehensive NPF to ensure that economic development will be appropriately located, effective and

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Sarah Freeman, Director of Policy and Communications, Chambers Ireland

sustainable and where capital investment and infrastructure plans are implemented through best practice planning.

We have also made a submission to the Action Plan for Jobs 2018 and will be working with our Chamber Network

to ensure that actions are completed and hope to see the unemployment rate continue to drop in 2018.

We will also focus on the costs of doing business in Ireland, particularly in the context of retaining our competitive edge amid the uncertainty of Brexit.

PR TIPS FOR SMES

Having worked in PR and journalism, InBUSINESS asked Sarah for some simple PR tips for small businesses.

• With over 3 billion social media users in the world, the opportunities to communicate with and get to know your customer base via social media platforms are easily accessible and endless • Ensure that any platforms are populated with timely, topical content • Update pages regularly • Engage as much as possible with like-minded organisations • Invite participation by customers via surveys/competitions • Harness the energy of your customer base to create an online community that is trustworthy and provides useful information

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CHAMBER PARTNER PROFILE ONE4ALL

Loyalty, Leaders, and Wellness in the Throughout 2017, One4all Rewards has commissioned research into how Irish workers feel about key aspects of their working lives. The results paint an interesting picture with plenty of learnings for Irish business leaders, writes One4all CEO Michael Dawson.

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Workplace

ne of our main goals here at One4all for 2017, as well as improving our corporate offering, was to gain a deeper understanding of what the average Irish employee looks for in an ideal work environment. The aim here is to provide business leaders with insights on how to keep their workforces motivated, engaged, and happy at work.

To gain these insights, we commissioned nationally representative bodies of research throughout the year in key areas of importance for Irish businesses: office culture/work life; sentiment toward Irish leaders and bosses; and health/ mindfulness in the workplace.

The findings throughout the year have been fascinating – and each body of research has come with its own set of learnings, for both myself as a business leader, and for all businesses in Ireland seeking to develop and grow in these key areas.

smaller companies. Almost 70 per cent of Irish people want to work in an SME (10-250 employees) or a start-up (less than 10 employees). The research also shows that 70 per cent of respondents believe that start-ups and SMEs offer the best office culture.

Increasingly, we see people considering culture in a workplace as an important factor in their job search, and the results imply that – for the Irish worker – smaller businesses

are cream of the crop in this regard.

They are also the desired place to work for almost three-quarters of the population.

Another interesting point is that a high number of workers (45 per cent) feel motivated to work longer hours for a smaller company – rising to over half (52 per cent) among those aged 18-24.

This could tie in to the perceived office culture of smaller businesses as more close-knit, collaborative, and friendly.

SME CULTURE Our research into office culture uncovered some very interesting results, particularly around the Irish worker’s attitude towards SMEs and

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Michael Dawson pictured at the launch of the Junior Entrepreneur Programme 2017

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CHAMBER PARTNER PROFILE ONE4ALL

VIEWS ON LEADERSHIP We conducted this research to see how Irish people felt their bosses were doing, what their strengths are, and where they can improve in order to create stronger employee engagement.

Our findings showed that over half of Irish workers (54 per cent) believe their boss is doing a good job. Just 12 per cent of those surveyed would rate their boss’s performance as poor, and 34 per cent reckon their bosses are ‘average’.

It’s great to see that such a large number of Irish people feel they get on well with their boss, and even better to see that almost two-thirds feel they can approach their boss with any issue. These figures are a positive result for Irish leaders.

However, the results have also identified areas where Irish leaders can improve – particularly in the areas of feedback and praise. Only 36 per cent of respondents feel they receive adequate feedback from their bosses about their work and just 22 per cent say they receive enough praise from their boss.

Respondents were asked about the skills/traits that make a good boss, and where their boss was lacking.

Communication came out on top as the most important skill, with over 60 per cent listing it in their top five.

Interestingly, communication was also the skill most listed as missing, with 29 per cent of Irish workers saying their boss lacked this trait.

This disparity shows that there is an opportunity for Irish employers to engage workers, simply by communicating with them; praise them when they are doing a good job, give feedback where they are not, and keep them abreast of what is going on in their company.

WELLNESS IN WORK Over three-quarters (76 per cent) of Irish workers believe their employers should encourage their staff to be healthy. Concurrently, half of Irish workers would like to see their own workplace do more to encourage

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employees to stay fit.

Despite this, just 13 per cent of respondents say their employer has an employee fitness programme.

One-quarter agree that their employer encourages them to eat healthily, and provides healthy snacks in the workplace.

Bike to work schemes have proved more popular with Irish companies – 38 per cent say their employers provide such a programme. However, just 24 per cent say that employers provide shower facilities for those who cycle or run to work. Additionally, only 30 per cent provide a secure bike area for employees who cycle.

MENTAL HEALTH Given that there is a rising focus on mindfulness in the workplace, we wanted to really focus on mental health in the workplace this year. The results show that, unfortunately, there is still a stigma around discussing mental health issues – particularly (and perhaps surprisingly) among our young workforce.

Thirty-five per cent of Irish people state that a mental health issue has affected their work ethic at some point in their career. However, 40 per cent would not feel comfortable calling in

sick over a mental health issue. This is particularly, and worryingly, true of Ireland’s younger workers – those aged 18-24. In this age bracket, 50 per cent say that their work ethic has been affected by their mental health, while 49 per cent say that they wouldn’t call off work for same.

The rise of mindfulness in the workplace is a good start in combatting this stigma, and raising awareness around the importance of our mental health in everything we do. While the awareness and implementation of mindfulness programmes in the workplace is still quite low, it appears to be on the rise.

Research like this will hopefully keep the momentum going, and encourage more open conversations about mental health in the workplace.

Throughout the year and through this ongoing research campaign, we have uncovered some great insights into the Irish workforce; areas where businesses are excelling, areas where they have improved, and areas that can be improved on. I will certainly be taking some of this on board, and I hope that it has helped other business leaders in Ireland to better understand what makes a happy, healthy, and productive workforce.

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CHAMBER PARTNER PROFILE VODAFONE IRELAND

Digital BOOST Vodafone Ireland has been making significant investment to expand its technology offering within the public sector.

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n line with its commitment to pioneer a gigabit society, Vodafone is investing in leading-edge technologies for public sector enterprises.

These include building the Government Cloud Network, a nationwide gigabit private network for all public sector bodies, delivering 100 per cent fibre-to-the-building broadband network rollout with SIRO, Vodafone’s joint venture with the ESB, and providing leading-edge, unified communications solutions across the country.

GIGABIT SOCIETY Vodafone has a vision of pioneering a gigabit society, as John Clancy, Head of Public Sector Business at Vodafone, explains. “The gigabit society we aspire to is one which offers a level digital playing field to all citizens and businesses and where there is no urban-rural divide to deprive small towns of the connectivity and technologies needed to attract investment from overseas or to access vital public services.”

In recent years, Vodafone Ireland

has made significant investment to expand its technology offering within the public sector, supporting it to adapt to the technology revolution.

SIRO is in the process of connecting 50 towns across the country to a 1 gigabit broadband speed, as well as being the single supplier to the government network – serving 250 government sites. Vodafone is also responsible for projects such as the Government Cloud Network (GCN), which is a secure private network that allows any government agency to connect at gigabit or higher speeds across all of their data services. In addition, Vodafone is continually working on the enhancement of the Government’s National Core Infrastructure footprint through the addition of fibre and wireless services throughout the country.

TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION

John Clancy, Head of Public Sector Business, Vodafone Ireland

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“A big part of my role is enabling business owners across the public sector agencies to deliver business outcomes using today’s technology,” says Clancy. “We identify their business challenges and create bespoke solutions to deliver on a range of public sector projects.”

Clancy has seen a shift in more government agencies embracing leading-edge technologies. The public sector, he says, is now taking advantage of cloud technologies as they become more accessible.

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CHAMBER PARTNER PROFILE VODAFONE IRELAND

“Traditionally, the public sector didn’t have the ability to connect to a high speed network to avail of cloud technologies,” he explains. “That’s no longer the case as government agencies now have the ability to access any commercial or government data centre nationwide.”

He continues: “There are also significant economies of scale for all public sector bodies, as the GCN was built using existing government infrastructure and building this allows them to take advantage of their own large footprint that exists across the country.” Clancy notes that it has resulted in a number of new digital and cloud projects emerging from the public sector, particularly in areas of central and local government and government health.

GIGABIT HUB INITIATIVE As part of their commitment to pioneering a gigabit society, SIRO and Vodafone have partnered on a unique new initiative called the Gigabit Hub Initiative, which aims to spark a digital transformation in 15 towns across Ireland by providing gigabit connectivity to qualifying hubs free of charge for two years. The recipients will receive a 1 gigabit broadband connection from Vodafone, which is powered by SIRO’s 100 per cent fibreoptic network.

The Ludgate hub in Skibereen was the first hub established and has been listed as a finalist in the European Broadband Awards, a European Commission event acknowledging outstanding broadband internet from all over Europe. “The Ludgate hub has been a tremendous success and I think it has the potential to be the cornerstone of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in West Cork,” says Clancy.

“The aim of the Gigabit Hub initiative is to replicate the success of the Ludgate hub in Skibbereen. In addition to Ludgate, Vodafone has established three digital hubs. These are located in Tralee, Dundalk and Drogheda,” he adds.

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“The gigabit connectivity will help to boost start-ups in the region, encourage existing businesses and remote workers to relocate to the hubs and has the potential to stimulate local economic growth and regeneration. Community hubs and public sector enterprises with gigabit connectivity can help regional towns compete with larger urban areas by attracting highly skilled people, encouraging start-ups and making a town more attractive for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).”

INTEGRATION OF SERVICES Another key area of investment for Vodafone is unified communications.

“In its simplest terms, unified communications is the integration of communication tools to help people exchange ideas and do their jobs more effectively,” explains Clancy.

“This can be the integration of services such as instant messaging, landline or mobile, along with audio and web conferencing.”

According to Clancy, Vodafone’s unified communications platform, One Net, has given customers the ability to work to scale, to be more efficient and to deliver satisfaction to their own customer

base simultaneously. “Vodafone has invested about e20 million in our One Net business product,” he says. “It’s the first truly unified communications solution in Ireland.

It combines landlines, mobiles and desk phones into a single solution, and if you’re the type of business that has a contact centre it will incorporate that too. It’s hosted entirely in the Republic of Ireland on Vodafone’s own network and it’s a completely converged platform that allows customers to have a single number, from which they can make or receive calls from.”

One Net also offers security and the assurance of an enterprise cloud-managed service. The single management platform empowers the customer to take more control of their communications platform and enables them to configure and manage it themselves, should they wish to do so. To date, there are over 4.3 million users on One Net Business globally.

To find out more about what Vodafone’s communications services can achieve for your public sector business, email John.clancy@vodafone.com.

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CHAMBER PARTNER PROFILE ESB

Changing the Business In both Ireland and the UK, ESB’s Smart Energy Services is saving businesses millions by developing partnerships that offer more than just smarts.

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of Energy

hat if someone told you there was an easy way to lower business overheads, and generate more revenue with a net benefit to the environment? Would you believe them? Question their understanding of modern business realities? Look around for a hidden camera? If your brow furrowed at the mere suggestion that all of these things could be achieved simultaneously, you wouldn’t be alone.

Rising competition and the rapid adoption of new consumer and supply chain technologies have seen many businesses around the world

John Walsh, Head of Smart Energy Services, ESB

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struggling to adapt to the pace of change and remain competitive. And long established businesses in Ireland and the UK are no exception. Indeed, the more established the business and the larger the operation, the more daunting the prospect of change — even when innovating holds so much promise. So, what can today’s business leaders do to ensure their company’s continued ability to compete?

One solution is surprisingly simple, especially for organisations with significant energy bills – work with an energy services partner with a proven track record to analyse energy usage, and the expertise to implement energy-saving, revenuegenerating solutions.

THE NEW CEOS Call them impartial advisors, project managers or chief energy officers, ESB’s Smart Energy Services team is on a mission to change the business of energy. By helping large-scale energy users manage consumption and reduce energy costs, ESB ensures its customers benefit from the transition to a low carbon, environmentally sustainable future.

Using advanced monitoring software and systems to deliver detailed data and analytics on energy usage and assets, ESB’s Smart Energy Services offers expert insights, tailoring recommendations on how to optimise existing assets and implement energy saving solutions – without the need for upfront investment.

Established in 2015, ESB’s Smart Energy Services has already partnered with over 50 businesses to reduce their energy consumption and improve their bottom line. In 2016 it delivered over 20 million in energy savings to commercial customers across Ireland and the UK. Next year, Smart Energy Services aims to help clients achieve over 50m in savings. To make sure this and other ambitious targets are met, ESB will expand its workforce from 20 to 35 this year with similar growth in subsequent years.

SCALABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS While some customers have opted to implement once-off energy saving initiatives, others such as Tesco

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CHAMBER PARTNER PROFILE ESB

have partnered with ESB’s Smart Energy Services to avail of their total energy management offering.

The collaboration with Tesco has demonstrated that finding efficient ways to reduce energy costs has a significant impact on business overheads. Last year alone, Tesco saved 25 per cent in energy costs, and the partnership is poised to deliver even greater returns across the client’s 150 retail outlets through 2018.

These kinds of business results have delighted clients like David Hanlon, Tesco’s Head of Retail Finance.

But it’s not just the partnership’s ability to deliver benefits ESB’s Smart Energy Services to the bottom line over 3m to team works across retail, that has impressed scale Endeco’s leisure, pharma, manufacturing, him. “This was our first business agrifood and dairy sectors year working with the ESB and make its and we’ve found it enormously technologies more beneficial for us,” he says. “We’ve made widely available. Together, some really good savings over the year. the two companies offer customers They’ve brought some really high a sophisticated revenue-generating calibre people to our organisation to scheme through battery storage work closely with our retail colleagues solutions coupled with capital and maintenance team in-house.” funding options.

This is testament to the power of a partner capable of managing A COMPETITIVE EDGE all phases of a project, from initial The ability to generate ancillary consult through capital funding and streams of revenue appeals to most implementation working in close clients, for obvious reasons. But collaboration with the customer. what consistently impresses ESB’s To ensure ESB continually Smart Energy Services customers delivers the most appropriate and is the level of service they receive: innovative solutions to its customers, “My experience working with the Smart Energy Services has forged team is just so positive,” says Monika partnerships with suppliers and Wojitka, Head of Facilities for the innovators in the energy sector.

Dublin Dockland’s listed CHQ “We’ve partnered with large energy building. “Every question I had, users across the UK and Ireland, every query, anything I hadn’t been but we also collaborate with new sure about was answered promptly.” technology companies and early Feedback like this is music to adopters to develop innovative the ears of Paul Mulvaney, ESB’s solutions for our customers to reduce Executive Director of Innovation. their operational costs and develop Mulvaney is pleased with the positive new revenue streams,” says John Walsh, response from customers, as well as Head of ESB’s Smart Energy Services. the significant growth potential in One such collaboration is with energy services across the Irish and Endeco Technologies. ESB invested UK markets. What really drives him,

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Working in partnership with customers is key to unlocking the energy saving opportunities available to businesses

however, is a motivation to inspire in customers the desire to adopt the technologies and expertise capable of delivering real value and setting their organisations on a trajectory toward a low carbon future.

John Walsh echoes Mulvaney’s enthusiasm, and articulates the benefits of a partnership with the ESB’s Smart Energy Services in plain terms: “We provide energy saving guarantees as well as finance, so there’s no upfront cost to our customers.” And that not only means customers receive world-class expertise in energy management, but a sustainable, competitive edge as well.

Having established a track record with customers in retail, pharma, transportation, manufacturing, agrifood and dairy, Smart Energy Services will announce a number of exciting new propositions in the coming months. These offerings will deliver innovative revenue schemes for customers, and also promise to advance the large-scale adoption of renewable energy by businesses across Ireland and the UK. To find out how your business would benefit from ESB’s Smart Energy Services visit www.esb.ie/smartenergy or contact John Walsh at smartenergy@esb.ie

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CHAMBER PARTNER PROFILE WATERFORD CRYSTAL

Waterford Why not visit the home of Waterford Crystal and experience the wonders that the city and county has to offer, including Reginald’s Tower, the Comeragh Mountains and the Waterford Garden Trail.

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aterford, Ireland’s oldest city is a glittering gem in Ireland’s Ancient East. At the heart and soul of Waterford is the world-renowned Waterford Crystal.

Since 1783, Waterford Crystal’s skilled craftsmen – blowers, cutters, engravers and sculptors – have been creating stunning crystal pieces in the factory at the House of Waterford Crystal. Every day, two tonnes of molten crystal are melted, creating the beautiful products that give Waterford Crystal its reputation for exquisite artistry around the world.

There is no better way to see and understand the history, archaeology, and architecture of Waterford city than by visiting the Viking Triangle, Waterford’s cultural and heritage quarter. A tranquil place, characterised by narrow streets and atmospheric public spaces, it boasts an array of cultural and heritage attractions. The city also encompasses 1,000 years of history in 1,000 paces.

Reginald’s Tower is a massive stone fortress, named after Waterford’s founder Ragnall, which hosts beautifully wrought ancient metalwork, including the magnificent Kite Brooch, preserved through the ages. Visitors can climb to the top and look out over Waterford, imagining it as it must have appeared in the 13th century.

The medieval museum displays its own treasures, including the Great Charter Roll of 1373, which depicts Waterford as it was in the medieval

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A Waterford Crystal piece in production

ages, and the Cloth-of-Gold vestment, woven in Florence, embroidered in Bruges, which made Waterford its home. The Bishop’s Palace is an elegant townhouse where you can discover another age of Waterford, the Georgian period.

Whether you’re in search of the perfect weekend break or a unique cultural experience, Waterford is the perfect place to be. A visit to this county could literally take you anywhere; from browsing the shops and attractions of Waterford city and county, to learning the Irish language in the Ring Gaeltacht.

The city offers plenty of shopping options, with loads of cosy pubs to rest your weary feet in afterwards, along with a fantastic selection of great cafés and restaurants to sample Waterford’s cuisine.

For those with adventure on their mind, the Comeragh Mountains offer a fantastic location for cycling, climbing and hiking. The Waterford

Greenway is a spectacular 46km offroad cycling and walking trail along an old railway line between Waterford and Dungarvan. There, visitors can enjoy a beautiful journey across three tall viaducts from the river to the sea.

For those wishing to walk, jog, swim, explore rock pools, surf, scuba dive, fish, kite surf, observe wildlife or just relax, county Waterford has a stunning 100km long coastline. For those who enjoy golf, whether they have a low handicap or just enjoy the craic with golf buddies, Waterford has a golf course to suit you.

Meanwhile, the Waterford Garden Trail offers something special for both the novice and experienced gardener alike.

Discover an abundance of inspirational ideas, explosions of colour and remarkable displays of exotic and unusual plants when you explore the gardens of the county. The trail features around 15 private gardens.

For more information on what Waterford has to offer go to www.visitwaterford.com or www.waterfordvisitorcentre.com

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GECAS - Q3 Chambers Ireland - InBUSINESS 210x297_Layout 1 9/14/2017 1:28 PM Page 1

Above & Beyond GECAS is very proud to be celebrating its 50th year in aviation finance.

GECAS provides clients in over 75 countries with innovative solutions, the most comprehensive array of financing products and the deepest domain in the industry.

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LONGBOAT ANALYTICS

WINNER FINANCIAL SERVICES AWARDS 2017

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079_InBusiness Q3 2017_CSR Splash.indd 1

CSR AWARDS

Brighter futures Our staff lead the way in CSR Valuing and supporting what matters to our staff makes us stronger together.

Every day, our people commit themselves to their work, and it’s vital that the workplace reflects their values, supports their talent and channels their drive and energy.

Our commitment to CSR means we provide a supportive environment, where staff have space and time for what matters to them, both in their work and in their home lives. Our CSR structure supports individuals’ career and personal aspirations, health and wellbeing, as well as their commitment to the wider community.

The positive impact we make, by supporting communities and initiatives most important to our staff, gives us all inspiration, making us stronger and more powerful together as a team in our work.

Aisling Gannon Partner and Head of CSR +353 1 6644 205 aislinggannon@eversheds-sutherland.ie

eversheds-sutherland.ie ŠEversheds Ireland is a member of Eversheds International Limited.

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KPMG was presented with the top accolade at this year’s Chambers Ireland CSR Awards.

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PMG has been awarded the Outstanding Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility Award at Chambers Ireland CSR Awards. The ceremony was held in the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road in Dublin on September 7th 2017, with each winner being presented with a specially commissioned trophy designed by Waterford Crystal.

The 14th annual awards were run in association with the Department of Rural and Community Development, partnered with Business in the Community Ireland and sponsored by BAM Ireland. The Environmental Protection Agency sponsored the Excellence in Environment Award and One4all sponsored the Excellence in Workplace Award.

The event serves to highlight the depth of commitment to CSR from across the Irish business community. The role of CSR is continuously growing in strength in Ireland, and CSR practices are now becoming mainstream in an increasing number of companies across the country. KPMG’s CSR programme epitomised CSR principles by demonstrating strong engagement across the company and performing consistently well across all aspects of CSR. “The CSR Awards showcase the exciting CSR practices taking place within Irish business,” said Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, speaking at the cermony.

“Over the past 14 years we have witnessed the growth of socially responsible business practices. Businesses can flourish when time is dedicated to engaging with the community, improving the environment and supporting employees.

Congratulations to KPMG and the other 14 excellence in CSR category winners, who deserve the recognition for demonstrating and delivering best practice CSR.”

MARKETPLACE

ENVIRONMENT

COMMUNITY

EMPLOYMENT

PARTNERSHIP

VOLUNTEERING

COMMUNICATION

CHARITY

WORKPLACE

MARKETPLACE

ENVIRONMENT

COMMUNITY

EMPLOYMENT

PARTNERSHIP

VOLUNTEERING

GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND FOR CSR

THE CSR AWARDS 2017 CATEGORY WINNERS ARE: EXCELLENCE IN CSR COMMUNICATIONS ■ Ulster Bank for the Making a Difference in our Communities project EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY – PARTNERSHIP WITH CHARITY – LIC ■ Applegreen for the Applegreen Charitable fund Programme EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY – PARTNERSHIP WITH CHARITY – MNC ■ Boots Ireland for its partnership with the Irish Cancer Society EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENT – LIC ■ Dublin Airport Central for the Sustainable Buildings project EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENT – MNC ■ Lidl Ireland for Origin Green Project EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY – VOLUNTEERING – LIC ■ KPMG for the KPMG Family for Literacy EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY – VOLUNTEERING – MNC ■ Cisco Systems for Age Action Volunteer programme

EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY PROGRAMME – LIC ■ Bank of Ireland for the Enterprise Town programme

EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY PROGRAMME – MNC ■ Amgen or Inspiring the Scientists of Tomorrow

EXCELLENCE IN WORKPLACE CSR – LIC ■ KPMG Inclusion and Diversity programme

EXCELLENCE IN WORKPLACE CSR – MNC ■ Vodafone Ireland for Think Well, Live Well, Feel Well

EXCELLENCE IN MARKETPLACE CSR ■ Eversheds Sutherland for the pro-bono Robbie Sinnott case

EXCELLENCE IN SUPPORTING YOUTH EMPLOYMENT ■ ESB Networks for the ESB Networks Apprenticeship Programme

EXCELLENCE IN CSR

BY AN SME ■ Earth’s Edge for the Kilimanjaro Equipment Lending Programme

*LIC: Large Indigenous Company | *MNC: Multinational Company

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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CSR PROFILE KPMG

KPMG takes home

TOP CSR AWARD

KPMG took home the Outstanding Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility Award 2017 at this year’s Chambers Ireland CSR Awards, highlighting the degree of the company’s commitment to CSR and support for making a difference in communities in Ireland.

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n addition to winning the Outstanding Achievement Award, KPMG secured category wins in Excellence in Workplace (Large Indigenous Companies) for the KPMG Inclusion and Diversity Programme and Excellence in Community Volunteering (Large Indigenous Companies) for the Family for Literacy programme. KPMG was also shortlisted for the Excellence in Marketplace

CSR category for the KPMG Going for Growth programme.

Speaking at the CSR Awards, Karina Howley, Head of Corporate Citizenship & Diversity, KPMG, said: “We are thrilled to have won three awards at this year’s Chambers Ireland CSR Awards, including the overall award for Outstanding Achievement.

Corporate citizenship is at the heart of KMPG,

IanTalbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland; Shaun Murphy, Managing Partner, KPMG; Karina Howley, Head of Corporate Citizenship & Diversity, KPMG; Michael Dawson, Chief Executive, One4all and Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, Seán Kyne TD

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and our emphasis on skills-based volunteering means that it is very much a team effort – from our most senior colleagues to those who have just joined us. Over 1,400 staff volunteers commit over 10,000 hours of their time each year to work with some of Ireland’s most dedicated charities and voluntary bodies. We are very proud of all of our corporate citizenship projects that support areas as diverse as social isolation amongst older people to encouraging female entrepreneurship, diversity in the workplace, literacy, sustainability and more.”

Shaun Murphy, Managing Partner, KPMG added: “Our success at this year’s CSR Awards is the result of a real commitment to making a difference to the communities in which we operate. I’d like to highlight the energy and the dedication of our people and to thank all of our volunteers for giving of their time in supporting our corporate citizenship programmes. I’d also like to acknowledge our Head of Corporate Citizenship & Diversity, Karina Howley, for making such an

enormous contribution to our programme.”

INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY Diversity is a key strategic focus for KPMG. Using the range of gender diversity and Intelligent Working Arrangement (IWA) initiatives it has rolled out over the past three years, KPMG is striving to make itself an even better place to work, to build a culture that allows people to balance career ambitions and personal lives, and to grow a wider pool of female talent – all of which benefits the individual whilst strengthening the business. These initiatives are wide ranging, and include intelligent working arrangements, maternity supports, training, coaching, role model launches, executive speaker series, and a range of external programmes.

“Being an inclusive workplace is very important to us and helping all our people reach their full potential, both male and female, is particularly important,” says Howley. “We have initiated this broad array of initiatives targeting female staff so that there is a more InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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CSR PROFILE KPMG

supportive environment for our female talent to reach their career objectives.”

KPMG is also working to encourage women to remain in senior positions and to ensure they feel valued. The ultimate goal is to create a more diverse workplace where women believe they can build a long-term and fulfilling career, supported by the gender diversity programmes and the flexibility to balance the demands of family life and other commitments.

FAMILY FOR LITERACY Literacy is the baseline from which so many other opportunities are possible, and it can open up new worlds and instil in children a lifelong love of learning.

However, for many Irish people, reading and writing remains a major challenge, limiting potential and causing difficulty in getting a good education, securing employment or managing everyday life.

Providing quality education is key, and KPMG is continuously looking for new ways to broaden its commitment to lifelong learning. One of these avenues is KPMG Family for Literacy. The programme was developed to improve literacy rates in local communities, providing children in need with the ability to access books. Reading programmes for second class students provide one-to-one reading support; Doodle Dens supports children’s literacy development via afterschool initiatives; and the Get Cents programme focuses on financial literacy and InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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KPMG employees take part in World Book Day at North Presentation Primary School in Cork

highlights the importance of budgeting, saving and attitudes to money.

“We have a strong and measurable record of helping to improve communities through vibrant corporate citizenship,” says Howley. “We have a clear commitment to lifelong learning and empowering next generation leaders.

We prioritise learning and development among our partners and employees and have established strategic partnerships with organisations focused on improving livelihoods by lifelong learning.”

GOING FOR GROWTH Strengthening female entrepreneurship in Ireland is another key pillar of KPMG’s CSR strategy.

Having lower levels of entrepreneurship in Ireland when compared to European norms results in unfulfilled potential for both women and the wider economy. To help address this, KPMG partners

with Enterprise Ireland in supporting Going for Growth. An award-winning initiative, this encourages female entrepreneurs to be ambitious and supports them in achieving their growth goals.

The programme’s success is based on several factors, not least the interactive roundtable sessions facilitated by successful entrepreneurs rather than consultants or academics.

These Growing for Growth lead entrepreneurs have the practical knowledge that comes from first-hand experience of owning and managing a business that has achieved considerable growth. Participants are offered a unique learning environment with a peerled approach, based on the shared experiences of both a lead entrepreneur and other participants facing common challenges. Going for Growth is designed to be action and resultsoriented, to go beyond the classroom. And it works – participants experience

increased confidence and motivation to meet and exceed their goals.

Since KPMG became involved, over 200 female entrepreneurs have participated in a cycle of Going for Growth.

This has translated into practical changes, with many reporting increased turnover, more export activity and an increase in jobs created, and KPMG is committed to continuing its support of this awardwinning initiative. “As well as helping address a very worthwhile marketplace objective, it also provides real opportunities for our female staff to develop their networking and personal development skillset.”

KPMG remains committed to CSR and great corporate citizenship programmes based on leveraging the skills of its people. As Karina Howley concludes: “We hope our success to date will inspire other employers and their people to make a difference to the entire community.”

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CSR PROFILE AMGEN

Inspiring

Future Innovators The Amgen Foundation’s science education programmes in Ireland have directly benefited 533 life science teachers and brought subjects to life for more than 59,000 secondary school students.

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mgen and the Amgen Foundation inspire the next generation of innovators by funding evidence-based science education programmes at every level, from the local secondary school to the world’s premier educational institutions.

It’s all part of Amgen’s commitment to fuel science innovation and create a brighter, healthier future for all.

Amgen was the winner of the Excellence in

Community Programme (MNC) Award this year for its work in science education. Speaking about the win, Rayne Waller, Vice President of Regional Manufacturing and Site Head at Amgen Dún Laoghaire says: “The Amgen Foundation in Ireland has committed e600,000 to developing three science education programmes: Amgen Scholars, Amgen Biotechnology Experience and Amgen Teach.

We’ve been blown away by the impact of these

programmes which have reached 59,000 students in Ireland. We are very proud of the positive contribution these programmes are making to inspire the next generation’s interest in science.”

As one of the world’s leading independent biotechnology companies, Amgen unlocks the power of biology to help improve the lives of patients.

Amgen attracts the best scientific staff who bring a passion for science and discovery. It is therefore

Amgen was winner of the Chambers Ireland Multinational Community Programme Award 2017

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uniquely positioned to use its skills to encourage young students’ interest in science.

The Amgen Foundation leverages the skills and expertise of the Irish Amgen workforce based in Dun Laoghaire and Santry to support its three science education programmes.

Speaking about the programmes, Eduardo Cetlin, President of the Amgen Foundation explains: “To ensure our commitments have the most impact, we started by asking, ‘How can we make sure that students have access to the strongest possible opportunities to experience real-world science and careers?’ Our research findings led us to develop a suite of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education initiatives: Amgen Biotech Experience, Amgen Teach and Amgen Scholars.”

The Amgen Biotech Experience provides teachers with professional development in biotechnology, as well as teaching materials and research-grade lab equipment, so that they can conduct biotechnology experiments with their students.

Amgen Teach provides training workshops to build secondary school teachers’ skills and confidence in enquiry-based learning. It is designed to inspire the next InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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CSR PROFILE AMGEN

generation of innovators by supporting the professional development of secondary school science teachers and increasing students’ scientific literacy and interest in scientific careers.

The Amgen Scholars Programme provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to complete 8-10 weeks of research in the world’s leading educational institutions. It provides young scientists access to cutting-edge research experiences and exposure to biotechnology and drug discovery. Ninetyfive percent of the programme’s alumni who have completed their undergraduate studies are pursuing an advanced degree or career in a scientific field.

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE The three Amgen Foundation programmes in Ireland have impacted 59,000 secondary school students, directly benefited 533 life science teachers and provided 5,939 secondary school students with hands-on biotechnology experience.

Some 34 undergraduates have also participated in the Amgen Scholars Programme, conducting research in some of the world’s most prestigious educational institutions.

Speaking about the benefit of the programmes, Scott Heimlich, Vice President of the Amgen Foundation says: “It’s no surprise that when students become fascinated by science, that enthusiasm can be contagious. From our research, we know InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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Students participating in the Amgen Biotechnology Experience Programme

students crave hands-on biology experiences that are often lacking in the classroom. The Amgen Foundation is on a mission to help more students catch the science bug, by introducing them to the thrill of scientific discovery and the experiences of actual working scientists.”

Meanwhile, independent research on the Amgen Biotechnology Experience Programme demonstrates that 82 per cent of students got new ideas about what happens in science labs; 72 per cent of students got new ideas about what science is; 53 per cent of students are more interested in learning about science research; and 53 per cent of students reported increased interest in science careers from ABE participation.

Speaking about staff support of the

programmes, Laoise O’Murchu, Corporate Affairs, Amgen explains: “Our people are passionate about science. Scientific expertise is in our DNA. Our staff know what can be achieved when people discover a passion for science and they are excited to support our evidence based initiatives that make a difference at a local, national and international level. Scientific discovery and innovation are critical to the success of Amgen and the biotechnology industry. The industry depends upon a highly skilled scientific workforce.

We in Amgen believe that we have a responsibility to inspire and prepare the next generation of scientists. The Amgen Foundation’s science education programmes are one way of fulfilling this charge.”

AMGEN’S IMPACT IN NUMBERS The positive effects of the three Amgen Foundation programmes in Ireland have been far-reaching.

59,000

secondary school students directly impacted

5,939

secondary school students provided with hands-on biotechnology experience

533

life science teachers directly impacted

34

undergraduates given access to some of the world’s most prestigious educational institutions

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CSR PROFILE CMRF CRUMLIN

CARING FOR THE CHILDREN CMRF Crumlin provides vital funding for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital and the National Children’s Research Centre to enable sick children to have the best possible outcomes.

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MRF Crumlin is the fundraising body for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, as well as the National Children’s Research Centre, and is dedicated to working to improve the quality of life for this and future generations of sick children.

At its core, CMRF Crumlin is patient-centred, focused on child

At its core, CMRF Crumlin is patientcentred, focused on child health and supporting families dealing with life-changing challenges.

health and supporting families dealing with life-changing challenges. CMRF Crumlin not only wishes to improve child health, but also to enhance the mental wellbeing of the child and their families while attending the hospital. Research goes hand-in-hand with child health, and breakthrough projects are changing the way in which CMRF delivers care to some of the sickest children in the country.

For example, the use of 3D plastic heart models is proving to be extremely useful. Using a special 3D printer, data from an MRI or CT scan is used to print an exact, multi-layer plastic copy of a child’s heart. Every section of the heart – down to the length of each artery – is printed

true to size. This gives doctors and surgeons a huge advantage when planning surgery. This breakthrough technology will help to save the lives of children with heart conditions now and far into the future.

CMRF Crumlin’s aim is to have funding available to fulfil the immediate and relevant requirements of the hospital and research centre, allowing it to deliver the most beneficial treatments to the patients of the hospital.

If you would like to be involved in changing the landscape of children’s health please contact Sarah Joyce, Head of Corporate Partnerships at 01 7091742 or sjoyce@cmrf.org.

Eliminating

Avoidable Blindness Together we are making great things happen by saving sight, fighting blinding diseases and enabling people with disabilities to live independently and with dignity. Without your support, this is not possible.

We are delighted to be shortlisted for Ireland’s first Good Governance Awards, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to transparency.

For more information on how you can change lives like Khady’s, please contact Ciara Smullen on 01-2710238 or csmullen@sightsavers.ie

Khady, age 11, Senegal.

Photo: Sightsavers

csmullen@sightsavers.ie SightsaversIreland

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25/10/2017 15:39

CSR PROFILE SPECIAL OLYMPICS IRELAND

Game On For

A Special Event

In 2018, the Special Olympics Ireland Games will return to Dublin for the first time in 16 years.

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ext year is set to be an exciting one for Special Olympics Ireland, as not only does it celebrate its 40th anniversary but it is also delighted to see the Special Olympics Ireland Games return to Dublin for the first time in 16 years.

Special Olympics Ireland is a sports organisation for people with an intellectual disability, but it provides athletes with far more than the physical benefits of sport. Special Olympics changes lives.

Through sport, athletes develop both physically and emotionally, they make new friends, realise their dreams, and know they can fit in. Special Olympics Ireland enables its athletes to achieve and win, not only in sport but in life too.

The Special Olympics Ireland Games, taking place over four days from Thursday June 14th to Sunday June 17th, offer athletes the opportunity to realise their dreams and represent their region on the national stage. In what will be one of the largest and most prestigious sporting events to take place in Ireland next year, InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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Everyone connected with Special Olympics is immensely excited that the Games are returning to Dublin

1,600 Special Olympics athletes from throughout the island of Ireland will travel to Dublin. They will be accompanied by 600 coaches and official delegates, 5,000 family members and supporters, and a team of 2,500 volunteers.

Dublin footballer Dean Rock and Olympian Natalya Coyle were announced as the first of the ambassadors to the Games. They recently teamed up with Special Olympics athlete Rebecha McAuley, who has also been announced as the athlete Face of the Games.

Rebecha, aged 25 from Bray, is a member of Lakers Club and will be competing in badminton next June.

Special Olympics competitions in each of the sports have been taking place over the past number of months at regional level, and athletes

Dublin footballing legend Dean Rock and Olympian Natalya Coyle call on you to support the Special Olympics Ireland Games, pictured here with Special Olympics athlete and badminton player, Rebecha McAuley

from each of the five regions have now qualified to compete at a national level. For the next eight months, these athletes will be busy training in their local clubs, supported by their volunteer coaches and management team.

The excitement doesn’t stop there though, as athletes competing in the Ireland Games have the opportunity to qualify for Special Olympics World Summer Games, taking place in Abu Dhabi in 2019.

“Getting involved in the 2018 Special Olympics Ireland Games will be an unforgettable and rewarding experience,” says Matt English, CEO,

Special Olympics Ireland.

“Your involvement is vital and is guaranteed to make a real difference. Everyone connected with Special Olympics is immensely excited that the Games are returning to Dublin and we hope that these Games will be a fantastic success, talked about for many years to come.”

To find out more about the Games please visit www.specialolympics.ie.

To hear more about a unique and enriching CSR initiative tailored for your organisation’s needs please contact our Corporate Manager Paul Ahearne on Paul.Ahearne@ specialolympics.ie or call 01 869 1608.

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CSR PROFILE PAYPAL

Giving Back to

Local Communities Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is at the heart of the work that PayPal does, with the company measuring its own success, not simply by its financial performance, but also by the way in which it engages with and supports the local communities within which it belongs.

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usinesses throughout Ireland have an enormous capacity to positively impact the communities in which they are based.

From invigorating the local economy and boosting employment, through to charitable programmes which can make a real difference to the people who need it most.

PayPal has placed a tremendous focus on supporting its local communities. In Ireland, the company has global operations centres in Dublin and Dundalk, where it encourages its employees to engage with local charitable

Maeve Dorman, Vice President of Merchant Operations EMEA at PayPal

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causes, as well as schools, colleges and businesses.

“At PayPal, we measure success not just financially, but on our ability to support our local community,” says Maeve Dorman, Vice President of Merchant Operations EMEA at PayPal. “We see corporate social responsibility as our way of giving back to the areas in which we do business.

From teaching computer skills to older people, to opening our doors to students for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) career workshops, we give back to our communities through a number of initiatives.

“Central to this is our

PayPal Gives programme, through which we support and recognise our teammates who participate in charitable giving, volunteering and fundraising. Through this programme, PayPal donates tens of thousands of euro and provides thousands of volunteering hours each year in Ireland.”

Earlier this year, PayPal donated €55,000 to seven Irish charities to help them to continue the good work that they do in the community. Charities that received funding included ARC Cancer Support, homeless charity DePaul, children’s hospice Laura Lynn, Dundalk Dog Rescue

and children’s charity Temple Street Foundation.

Apart from charitable initiatives, PayPal is committed to having a tangible impact on local communities by reducing unemployment and creating a great place to work. Caring for its employees and their families’ wellness is a core part of PayPal’s ethos; it promotes balanced lifestyles, including healthy eating in its onsite restaurants and free gym access to employees. PayPal’s endeavours in this area were recently recognised when it won most improved large company at the 2017 Irish Workplace Fitness Challenge Awards.

“As the executive sponsor of the PayPal Gives committee, I see first-hand the positive impact our CSR activities have on charities and communities, as well as our teammates,” adds Dorman. “Having grown up in Dublin’s inner city, I’ve always wanted to give back, both to my own community and to other communities throughout Ireland.

Many of our teammates come directly from the live register, and they benefit immediately from job security, competitive salaries and personal development. I’m proud to be part of company that is providing permanent and rewarding careers that are accessible to people from all backgrounds.”

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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CSR PROFILE BREAST CANCER IRELAND

FIGHTING BREAST CANCER Breast Cancer Ireland seeks to improve the outlook for patients diagnosed with breast cancer.

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reast Cancer Ireland’s goal, through its research and educational awareness programmes, is to transform breast cancer from often being a fatal disease, to a treatable long-term illness.

The outlook for patients diagnosed has been changing for the better, with significant advances being made, including: • Survival rates are improving from 75 per cent to 83 per cent • Mortality rates are reducing 2 per cent per annum • 50 per cent less patients diagnosed require chemotherapy as their standard treatment of care • New exciting clinical trials showing increased survival rates with

combined drug therapy treatments • Research discovery timelines are improving • New radiography equipment is benefiting patients by eliminating the need to return daily for five consecutive weeks post-surgery That said, there is still a gap in understanding of how important it is to be breast aware for women of all ages. Statistically: • 15 per cent of women between 20-40 years being diagnosed; 49 per cent between 45-65 years and remainder 65 years plus • One in nine women will be affected in their lifetime • 2,880 new cases are being diagnosed annually

There is still a gap in understanding of how important it is to be breast aware for women of all ages.

Awareness is key to saving lives and as such we have created a free national outreach initiative aimed at educating women of all ages from Transition Year students to women’s groups and companies at large about the importance of good breast health.

For more information visit www.breastcancerireland.com or call 014022747.

Driven by vision Everything we do in IWA is driven by our vision of an Ireland where people with disabilities can enjoy equal rights, choices and opportunities in how they live their lives Following his accident and through IWA’s Sports Activities, Declan Slevin was able to discover a vision for his future and realise his dream of representing Ireland in the Rio Paralympic Games.

To find out more about how your company can have an impact through working with IWA, contact John Fulham: john.fulham@iwa.ie or 087 951 4044.

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IWA Charities Regulatory Number CRA 20007997, Charity Number CHY5393.

25/10/2017 15:38

CSR PROFILE EVERSHEDS SUTHERLAND

Sight for

Better Laws Eversheds Sutherland recently picked up the award for Excellence in Marketplace at this year’s CSR Awards for paving the way for a new Irish law allowing visually impaired persons to vote without assistance.

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visually impaired person in Ireland has, until recently, been unable to vote in secret in any election in Ireland. They may have brought a trusted companion with them to mark their ballot paper or they might have asked the returning officer at the polling station to do so.

However, they had no way of knowing that their vote had been exercised in the way they wanted it to be.

In 2014, legal proceedings were instituted

by Eversheds Sutherland, on behalf of Robbie Sinnott, who is visually impaired, against the State, seeking to vindicate his right to vote in secret and without assistance.

The case was run by Eversheds Sutherland Public Administrative Law Unit in association with the firm’s CSR initiative – so-called ‘Fulfilling Lives’.

Evidence was heard in the case over five days in July 2016, with a further five days of legal submissions from November 2016 to February 2017. Judgement was delivered by the High Court on March 30th 2017.

The High Court found that the Minister for

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Environment and Ors has a duty to put arrangements in place to allow visually impaired persons to vote without assistance. Before the conclusion of the case, the minister made regulations to allow a visually impaired person to vote without assistance in referenda. Three senior solicitors, with considerable expertise in this area, worked on the case over a three-year period. The case required an intensive amount of work to prepare it for trial, to run the trial, and to make final legal submissions. The case involved significantly complex legal issues on the power of the court to make declarations which affected the government.

In taking on this project, Eversheds Sutherland was mindful that it would only be worthwhile if the correct and relevant expertise were assigned to the case. The lawyers who worked on the case were hand-picked, based on both their experience and their passion for human rights. They were supported by a team of junior solicitors, trainees and legal secretaries. The firm adopted this staggered approach to ensure that

Robbie Sinnott received the best and most appropriate legal advice at all times.

Eversheds Sutherland succeeded in seeking a declaration that the State had a duty to put a mechanism in place to facilitate visually impaired persons to vote in secret.

The court also found that the plaintiff, Robbie Sinnott, was entitled to a declaration that the minister had a duty to “outline publicly details of planned studies and regulations” which would provide for arrangements to allow a visually impaired person to vote without assistance. This principle heightens the obligations of public bodies to engage with interested members of the public and provide information to them.

This is an important case in the evolution of

Irish public administrative law and provides clarity to public bodies on their obligations to enact regulations and to engage with interested members of the public. The judgement also establishes that there is an onus on public bodies to identify the rationale where a particular duty cannot be vindicated for economic or practical reasons.

The aims of this project were decided in conjunction with Robbie Sinnott. The primary aim was to obtain declarations from the High Court regarding the right of the visually impaired to vote without assistance.

The secondary aim was to raise awareness regarding the rights of the visually impaired. Eversheds Sutherland is very proud that both of these aims have been achieved.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 15:39

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25/10/2017 09:41

GDPR

ENSURING

DATA PROTECTION The enforcement date of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is rapidly approaching, meaning businesses within the EU need to act now to prepare in time.

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he General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is due to come into enforcement in May 2018 – by which time any organisations in noncompliance will face heavy fines. Organisations in breach of GDPR can be fined up to 4 per cent of annual global turnover or a20 million, whichever is greater. It is essential therefore that businesses due to be impacted by the changes prepare now.

GDPR will replace the EU Data Protection Directive as the primary data protection regulation within the EU. It has been designed to harmonise data privacy laws across Europe, to protect and empower all EU citizens’ data privacy and to reshape the way organisations across the region approach data privacy.

It applies to all companies processing and holding the personal data of data subjects residing in the European Union,

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regardless of the company’s location. Personal data can mean any information related to a person that can be used to directly or indirectly identify that person, such as a name, a photo, an email address, bank details, posts on social networking websites, medical information, or a computer IP address.

Clearly then, GDPR will effect most Irish companies and could prove challenging for those that have not implemented a comparable level of privacy practices in the past. Nonetheless, all companies will need to comply, and so education and support must be sought now wherever possible if businesses are to prepare in time.

Over the following pages, a number of data protection experts outline some of the steps that businesses should take and the supports that are available to them to ensure the smoothest possible transition into GDPR compliance.

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25/10/2017 09:41

GDPR

Preparing for the GDPR Businesses in the EU must act now in order to adhere to the impending General Data Protection Regulation, writes Tanya Duncan, Managing Director, Interxion.

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f we were to take a step back and ignore the misconceptions surrounding the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we could see that essentially the legislation protects the data of people within the EU. When it comes to personal information, GDPR gives control back to the individual, in terms of how it’s stored, for how long, who it’s shared with, and when.

GDPR will come into effect on May 18th 2018 – one of the biggest changes in the regulation of data protection and privacy in decades. With less than a year until the regulation comes into effect, organisations need to take the time now to review their data policy.

Although May 2018 might seem far away, organisations now have an obligation to consider their data regulations. A proactive approach to compliance will ensure that GDPR requirements are met across your business.

Proper preparation prevents poor performance. GDPR should be a priority for data processors, CIOs, CTOs, their teams and any organisation handling an individual’s data. The first step is to take time to understand the legal framework and understand what data you need to protect.

With the continued move to cloud storage, we need to take action now and focus on ensuring that cloud solutions meet GDPR regulations. There are nine pillars which organisations are advised to consider when looking at GDPR, with three areas of particular relevance to InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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INTERXION

GDPR can act as a playbook for enterprises to implement their digital transformation, ensuring the best practices for data privacy are implemented by making them part of the law. This allows for the framework to foster the digital economy within the EU, providing certainty and protection to individuals, and ensuring we have a

Proper preparation prevents poor performance. GDPR should be a priority for data processors, CIOs, CTOs, their teams and any organisation handling an individual’s data. The first step is to take time to understand the legal framework and understand what data you need to protect.

Tanya Duncan, Managing Director, Interxion

the data centre industry, including safeguarding sensitive data, data transfer outside the EU, and access and portability.

As part of GDPR, organisations will need to ensure that the transfer of data between on-premises and cloud storage or between various clouds is secure – we cannot rely on the public cloud. Interxion’s Cloud Connect service allows organisations to ensure that their connectivity to multiple clouds is secure. When it comes to transferring data outside the EU, there are significant legal overheads involved if the country is not considered to have adequate regulation.

At present, there is a perceived lack of trust with the cloud, and as a result the EU lags behind the US in terms of Enterprise Cloud adoption.

system which can compete with the US and is positioned for growth.

The EU is setting the international standards and when GDPR comes into place, it will not just be on a par with the US, but rather will lead the field. As a result, anyone who wants to do business with the EU will have to meet these standards.

This new regulation will be difficult at first for business to adhere to, but compliance to the nine pillars is achieved through privacy by design and by following best practice in every aspect.

It is also important to note that Ireland has attracted significant investment from international firms and is home to over 1,000 multinationals, and so needs to be a leader in GDPR adoption.

Ireland is a data centre hub and cannot fall behind.

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25/10/2017 15:14

GDPR CERTIFICATION EUROPE

Setting Standards in Data Compliance Brian Honan, CEO of BH Consulting who will be presenting at the Certification Europe ISO 27001 Roadshow seminars, outlines how security standards can guide GDPR compliance efforts.

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any organisations are still trying to understand how the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will affect them, and what they will need to do to comply with it. The first thing to emphasise is that GDPR is not an IT issue alone. It’s true that technical controls play a part in maintaining ongoing compliance, but GDPR is also a management issue. The proof is that the word ‘risk’ appears 75 times in the text of the regulation.

Where management goes, culture follows. Guidance from the top can ensure everyone in the organisation treats personal data responsibly. In practice, most organisations collect and use personal information about their customers or suppliers. Yet few of them know what they will need to do in order to comply with GDPR. Research commissioned by the Data Protection Commissioner found that 69 per cent of SMEs have heard of the regulation, but 78 per cent had not identified actions to take to become compliant.

One of the first steps to becoming compliant is for organisations to document what personal data they hold, where it originated and with whom it is shared. Measuring those processes against the requirements of GDPR makes it possible to identify gaps and address them.

This is where security frameworks such as ISO 27001 can help. GDPR comprises risk-based principles, so a risk-based security standard is well suited to mirroring the regulation’s requirements. ISO 27001 is a riskbased approach for securing valuable information and applies a high standard of controls to address areas like confidentiality, continuous protection, integrity and availability of information. Organisations can align the systems, controls, and processes they use for monitoring data assets with a widely accepted independent standard that is not aligned to any one technology or provider.

GDPR requires an organisation first to understand what data it holds, and

all of the places where it is stored. This exercise, or data audit, not only helps to meet compliance requirements, it also has a business benefit. It will very likely uncover unnecessary duplicates of information, or records that are no longer required. By deleting those copies, businesses can reduce the overhead of having to manage them.

It also reduces the chances of being compromised or breached.

There is no such thing as a magic bullet for GDPR compliance but a series of actions to take. Just as solid foundations are the fundamental bedrock for building a house, ISO 27001 is a robust platform to give structure and support to data protection efforts.

ISO 27001 is more than just a set of guidelines to follow. There is a certification process to validate the work. The EU Data Protection Supervisor Giovanni Buttarelli said earlier this year that certification schemes “could bring great benefits” in helping organisations to navigate the GDPR. Accountability is one of the regulation’s key principles.

Becoming certified to ISO 27001 demonstrates to all external stakeholders that the phrase ‘we take your security and privacy seriously’ isn’t just an empty promise.

BH Consulting will be presenting at the Certification Europe ISO 27001 Roadshow seminars during October and November. The nationwide roadshow will take place in Dublin, Cork, Athlone and Belfast, where an expert panel will discuss implementing an information security management system, and demonstrating compliance to GDPR. For more details, or to register, visit www.certificationeurope.com/ roadshow.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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25/10/2017 09:45

IRISH IN BUSINESS

BUSINESS

AS GAEILGE The Irish language presents a range of opportunities to businesses willing to engage with the available supports.

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he Irish language has clearly undergone a substantial shift throughout the centuries, in terms of both its usage and its status. English of course is far more widely spoken in Ireland today, with only a minority of the population being fluent in Irish. Yet the language today remains a significant cultural bedrock of Irish identity and thus presents an opportunity for those willing to take advantage of it.

Introducing the Irish language into a business offers a range of opportunities. At a basic level, it can harness goodwill InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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towards a company at minimum cost, as many people within Ireland – while not being fluent in the language – recognise and admire its basic use. Incorporating the Irish language into a business can also help to cultivate a distinct image that draws upon Irish culture and identity, helping an Irish company to convey an authentic feel.

Irish can be used in any area of a business, from company brochures to social media, and while the task of promoting the language within a company may initially appear daunting, thankfully there are a number of supports available.

Over the following pages, InBUSINESS meets Foras na Gaeilge for a Q&A to discuss ‘Gnó Means Business’, its initiative to facilitate and increase the practical use of the Irish language in business. We also profile Gael-Taca, the principal Irish language organisation in Cork which provides a range of Irish language services.

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IRISH IN BUSINESS FORAS NA GAEILGE

Gnó Means BUSINESS Foras na Gaeilge fills us in on ‘Gnó Means Business’, its initiative to facilitate and increase the practical use of the Irish language in business.

Q. What is Gnó Means Business?

A. Gnó Means Business is an initiative undertaken

by Foras na Gaeilge that focuses on the function and use of the Irish language in a business capacity. The aim is to provide a central source of information and practical assistance to firms that wish to use the Irish language as a practical and productive business tool.

Q. How will it help businesses?

A. We strongly believe that the Irish language can be a great advantage to every type of business in various ways, even if you don’t have fluent Irish.

Recent times have seen the practice of bilingualism become increasingly popular in both the public and private business sectors and, accompanying English, the unique characteristics of the Irish language are being effectively harnessed by the business community as a marketing tool on signage, stationery, packaging and advertisements.

Q. Tell us about your research programme.

A. It is understood that 100

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the business sector has specific requirements, and Foras na Gaeilge is currently undertaking a comprehensive research programme, in collaboration with business groups, to evaluate and develop the business case for the Irish language.

As part of the business case, a growing number of pioneering companies are highlighted for best practice in relation to innovative and practical ways to use the Irish language on a business basis. An extensive visual database of practical usage of Irish in a business context is presented in the Business Archive on the Foras na Gaeilge website, www.forasnagaeilge.ie, which is custom-designed for different sectors, such as retail, hospitality, professional services, construction and IT.

our Business Support Scheme. Development grants with a value of up to a12,000 are also available through our support fund, Innovation in the Business Sector, to facilitate and normalise the use of Irish within the relevant field.

Foras na Gaeilge’s range of business support aids are all available free of charge through the selfordering system on www. gaeilge.ie, and there is also an extensive collection of bilingual templates available for free download.

Gnó Means Business also provides information on other relevant business support sources at Sources of Funding and Business Support Resources, in which there are valuable information databases of opportunities for the use of Irish within a business context.

Q. Any exciting news you can share?

A. Over the last few years, Foras na Gaeilge has developed a strong relationship with strategic partnerships from the business sector and we are delighted to have been a sponsor of the best company providing a service or product in Irish with the All-Ireland Marketing Awards in association with the Marketing Institute of Ireland where there is a specific emphasis on the use of Irish in the food and hospitality sectors.

For further information on how using the Irish language can help your business achieve success, please visit www. forasnagaeilge.ie/gno or call 074 955 8120.

Q. What kind of support do you offer?

A. Foras na Gaeilge is committed to supporting the business community in exploring and developing the practical business application of the Irish language, and to this end financial assistance of up to a3,000 is provided through InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 15:22

IRISH IN BUSINESS GAEL TACA

Promoting the Irish Language Gael-Taca provides a range of Irish language services and has strong roots in promoting the language within local businesses.

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unaithe 40 bliain ó shin in 1987, is é Gael-Taca an phríomh-eagras Gaeilge i gcathair Chorcaí. Cuireann GaelTaca raon leathan seirbhísí ar fáil; idir ranganna, imeachtaí pobal agus siamsúla, ciorcail chomhrá, agus neart eile. Tá bunús Gael-Taca fite áfach, leis an bpobal gnó. D’aithin bunaitheoir Gael-Taca – Pádraig Ó Cuanacháin – an buntáiste ollmhór a bhí ann, obair leis an bpobal gnó.

Founded in 1987, Gael-Taca is the principal Irish language organisation in Cork. Gael-Taca provides a range of Irish language services, from classes, community and social events, conversation circles and much more besides. The roots of

Gael-Taca will continue to work with groups across Cork city to promote the Irish language Gael-Taca however, are in working with the business community. This relationship goes back to Gael-Taca’s founder Pádraig Ó Cuanacháin, who acknowledged the great possibilities for promoting the Irish language by working with local business.

Gael-Taca maintains this connection today through its annual business award, Gradam Uí Chuanacháin – the first of its kind in Ireland. The Gradam recognises businesses that open up to the advantages of using Irish in

their business and go the extra mile to do so.

Located on Sullivan’s Quay in Cork City, Gael-Taca houses a café and bookshop, as well functioning as the city’s only Irish language centre.

Open six days a week, Gael-Taca will continue to work with groups across Cork city to promote the Irish language within businesses and communities across the city. If you’re working in Cork and want further information on our own work, to learn more about Irish, or if you are interested in incorporating the Irish language into your business don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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25/10/2017 09:46

CONFERENCING AND EVENTS

THE ART OF

EXCEPTIONAL EVENTS If an event or conference is to leave a lasting impression upon its audience, the choice of venue is absolutely essential.

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he content and ideas expressed at an event or conference are pivotal factors in that event’s success. Speakers must be clear, informed and charasmatic – people capable of clearly and effectively communicating ideas with the event’s attendees.

Vital as it is however, content is by no means the only factor that influences upon an audience’s perception and approval of an event. The choice of venue itself is of paramount importance to the event’s success and can very much sway how the attendees remember it. Choosing the right space then is pivotal.

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There are several factors that need to be considered when choosing a venue. For example, is it easily accessible to attendees? Is it suitable to the particular event that is intended to run? Does it possess historical or cultural relevance that will allow it to stand out from other venues?

Ireland is blessed with a multitude of top-quality event spaces that can cater to any manner of gathering or conference.

The country is equipped with spaces capable of hosting small meetings right up to large-scale events with thosands of attendees.

In the following pages, InBUSINESS profiles two quality event spaces in Dublin, both of which hold particular cultural significance to Irish society. The Guinness Storehouse and the Aviva Stadium are landmarks within the capital that both possess the essential features to ensure the events held within them are of a world-class standard.

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CONFERENCING AND EVENTS GUINNESS STOREHOUSE

Home of the BLACK STUFF Not only is Guinness Storehouse Ireland’s top visitor attraction, but it also serves as one of the country’s leading event venues.

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uinness Storehouse, situated in Dublin 8 at the legendary ‘Home of Guinness’ at St James’s Gate Brewery, is best known as Ireland’s most popular visitor attraction, with almost 1.7 million visitors annually. On top of this, the iconic building, originally a fermentation plant for the worldfamous beer, is also one of Ireland’s leading event venues, accommodating gatherings from as few as ten, all the way up to 2,000 guests.

The central atrium of the building is modelled on the shape of a pint glass, with the unique event space spread across seven floors, topped off by the iconic Gravity Bar. Events at the Storehouse offer guests an immersive experience by including elements of its Visitor Experience, which can range from a self-guided visit of the ingredients and brewing floors, to handheld and detailed guided tours, to pint-pulling demonstrations and Guinness beer tastings with one of the Storehouse’s Beer Specialists.

The seven venues within the building offer a range of solutions for events.

Starting on the second floor of the building, the Arrol Suite (named after Sir William Arrol – the architect that designed the Storehouse) is a unique location for daytime conferences and meetings for up to 200 delegates, with an abundance of natural daylight, charm and character. This stunning space also benefits from the striking original architectural features of the building, such as the steel frame and

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exposed brick tilework. The Arrol Suite is also the most flexible space in the building, and over the years has accommodated all nature of events, from product launches to breakfast seminars to gala awards dinners to Christmas party nights for over 300 guests.

One of the hidden gems in the Storehouse is the Connoisseur Bar. Located on the fourth floor of the building, this decadently crafted space seats a maximum of 16 guests and offers a unique setting for a private dining experience. Guinness and Food is a theme that has been dramatically developed in recent times, and it is in this space that the Storehouse really showcases its Guinness and Food offering, having designed a sevencourse tasting menu, paired with a selection of Guinness beers. This space can be exclusively hired for an intimate evening event.

The fifth floor of the building is also an homage to Guinness and Food, and whilst the space works well for large parties and events for up to 600

guests, the three bars and restaurants on this level can also serve many purposes as unique venues for smaller evening events.

Situated on the very top of the building, Gravity Bar is without doubt the most striking space at the Storehouse, with breathtaking views out across Dublin. Gravity Bar works best as a post-dinner reception area for larger events at the Storehouse, or as a private dinner venue for up to 84 guests.

Catering services are taken care of inhouse, with catering partner Aramark leading the food and event hospitality offering since the early days of the Storehouse, meaning that corporate bookers have one point of contact for booking an event at the Home of Guinness to include venue hire, food and beverage, entertainment and anything else you could possibly need.

Find out more on www.guinnessstorehouse.com/events or contact the events team on +353 (0)1 471 4602, or email enquiries-storehouse@diageo.com.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 15:42

CONFERENCING AND EVENTS AVIVA STADIUM

Stadium EVENTS Aviva Stadium is the home of Irish international rugby and football and serves as a top-class venue for a whole host of corporate events and gatherings.

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port first came to Lansdowne Road in 1872, when Henry Wallace Dunlop leased the existing site from the Earl of Pembroke’s estate. It was designed to be a multi-purpose sports venue with an athletics track, a cricket pitch, a rugby pitch, as well as facilities for both archery and tennis. The first rugby international was held there in March 1878 between Ireland and England – making it the world’s oldest rugby international test venue and the oldest sports stadium in Europe.

Lansdowne Road continued as the home of Irish international rugby and football until 2007, when it was demolished to make way for a new state-of-the-art stadium which re-opened as Aviva Stadium in May 2010.

Aviva Stadium continues to be the home of Irish rugby and football, two international teams. Therefore, unlike other international stadia, it is very brand neutral in its decor throughout the event spaces, making it suitable for a large array of events and clients.

It has forged an indelible mark on the event landscape of Dublin and is now firmly one of the city’s most popular event venues. It’s not hard to see why – the spaces are bright, airy and flexible enough to host everything from small scale meetings to exhibitions, and they can transform from plenary sessions of 1,000 people to gala dinners of InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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Aviva Stadium, Dublin

1,200 people and entire level takeovers for up to 3,500 people.

The team at Aviva Stadium is celebrating its most recent win of Best Event Caterer at the Event Industry Awards in July. The Event Industry Awards are the premier event in Ireland, celebrating excellence and showcasing the very highest standards in Ireland’s event industry.

Since these awards were launched, Compass Group Ireland at Aviva Stadium has won six awards, including Best Event Caterer and Best Purpose Built Venue. In fact, since the Best Event Caterer category was launched in 2010, it has been awarded to Aviva Stadium four times, something the team there is extremely proud of. They certainly understand the importance of food at an event – and how important it is to the overall success of the event.

Aviva Stadium has won over twenty-six awards since opening, ranging from sustainability to architecture. Its dedicated in-house

team ensures that every event – be it an international match, world famous artist in concert or an international conference – is run to the highest standards of service, delivery and health and safety.

What also stands out is the efficient and friendly attitude of all the staff and the quality of the fresh, locally sourced food on offer, which is produced by James Smith, Executive Head Chef. Smith leads his catering team with class and ease, designing and creating diverse and bespoke food offerings, all within Aviva Stadium.

In 2017, Aviva Stadium welcomed back Martina Flood as head of operations. Flood is an extremely experienced and accomplished operations manager returning from the frenzied racecourse scene in the UK as regional general manager of Jockey Club Catering. With fresh eyes and a new approach, 2017 has delivered a year of ongoing improvements and upgrades with all eyes set on another successful year in 2018.

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IB PARTNER PROFILE MALLINCKRODT PHARMACEUTICALS IRELAND

Making Local Connections InBUSINESS caught up with Dr. David Keenan, Managing Director of Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals Ireland and last year’s Fingal Business Person of the Year.

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t a time when the threat of US companies located here ‘upping sticks’ and moving back home is a hot topic of conversation, it’s refreshing that some multinationals are expressing a strong vote of confidence in Ireland.

Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, located in northwest Dublin, has been doing just that. Mallinckrodt has had a long history and presence in Ireland for nearly 25 years and in May of this year it officially opened its new global medical device engineering centre at its campus at the College Business and Technology Park in Blanchardstown.

Mallinckrodt is consolidating global device research and development (R&D) activities at this new centre, creating 45 highly skilled jobs in a range of disciplines. The opening of the facility brings Mallinckrodt’s total investment at its Cruiserath Road location to a95 million and, with these 45 new positions, brings with it 120 new roles in a variety of areas.

Mallinckrodt’s new location also houses its corporate offices in Ireland and a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility which is currently undergoing commissioning and validation.

The man at the helm of operations is David Keenan, who last year picked up the Fingal Business Person of the Year Award for his “leadership on a project that boosted local employment, contributed to the local economy and made it possible for Mallinckrodt to remain in the Dublin area”. He explains why Mallinckrodt continues to view Ireland as critical to its global strategy.

“Ireland’s reputation as a centre

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Dr. David Keenan, Managing Director of Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals Ireland

Ireland’s reputation as a centre for innovation in the supply and development of pharmaceutical products is very strong. If you talk about the unique offering that Ireland has, our country has a very strong history of manufacturing for innovation in the supply and development of pharmaceutical products is very strong. If you talk about the unique offering that Ireland has, our country has a very strong history of manufacturing going back 30 to 40 years and will continue to be at the forefront of manufacturing in the pharmaceutical space.”

Keenan also cites Ireland’s strong

record in compliance as an attractive proposition. “For every week or month that a product’s launch is late due to a compliance issue there is lost revenue, so pharma companies need to have confidence that the facility will get product approval by the regulators. Ireland has a fantastic compliance track record.”

Irish sites have also proven to be flexible and open to new ideas, according to Keenan. “They work very strongly in teams, and what you have seen over the years is that Ireland has moved from being a predominantly manufacturing operation with assembly lines into complex manufacturing, complex supply chains and complex R&D,” he explains.

Mallinckrodt’s presence in Ireland is clearly more than lip service, evidenced by its CSR work with local communities. “We’re based here in Fingal, we’re quite close to Blanchardstown and Mulhuddart so one of the things we want to do is to make stronger connections with the local community, and we’ve already started doing that by linking with local schools and local colleges,” says Keenan.

“We’re going to start looking at an apprenticeship programme, too.”

Making this connection and forging stronger relationships is made all the more easier through its membership of the Fingal Dublin Chamber and by working closely with the local council.

“Fingal has been a very good local authority to deal with,” asserts Keenan. “It’s very pro-business, we’ve had very good dealings with Paul Reid and his team and we’re very happy working closely with the Fingal Chamber. “We’re here for the long haul,” he concludes.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 15:27

IB PARTNER PROFILE PAYPAL

A Great Place to do Business With access to excellent infrastructure and a diverse pool of talented people, Fingal serves as the perfect location for one of Paypal’s global operation centres.

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here a company chooses to locate its operations says a lot about its business and what it considers to be important. For decades, Ireland has welcomed leading global companies to its shores and has ranked first in terms of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) attractiveness for the past six years running.

In Ireland, PayPal’s global operations centres – which manage customer support, risk operations, merchant services, telesales and operational excellence in Europe, the Middle East and Africa – are located in Fingal and Dundalk.

In basing its operations in these locations, PayPal has helped to position these areas as great places to build a successful business.

Fingal is an especially attractive location for PayPal. The area provides access to excellent infrastructure, with its convenient location close to the M1, M50 and Dublin Airport, and is particularly appealing to companies with an international focus. Furthermore, Fingal provides PayPal with access to a diverse pool of talented people from which to build its workforce.

“The combined work of Fingal County Council, Fingal Dublin Chamber of Commerce, the Dublin 15 Steering Group and IDA Ireland has really helped to put Fingal on the map as a great place to do business,” says Annette Hickey, Senior Director of Customer Solutions EMEA and site leader of PayPal’s Operations Centre in Dublin. “As one of the biggest employers in Fingal, we work InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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Annette Hickey, Senior Director of Customer Solutions EMEA and site leader of PayPal’s Operations Centre in Dublin

The combined work of Fingal County Council, Fingal Dublin Chamber of Commerce, the Dublin 15 Steering Group and IDA Ireland has really helped to put Fingal on the map as a great place to do business.

closely with these organisations to support and promote economic growth here and hire a significant number of people from the local area.

“At PayPal, we are committed to offering careers, not just jobs, and empowering talented people from every background and perspective to thrive in a culture of collaboration, respect and innovation. Being located

in Fingal has provided us with a direct link to highly skilled teammates, who are now working with us at the heart of some of the most important financial services and commerce innovations of modern times.”

PayPal has always been committed to contributing to the local areas in which it operates, and gives back to Fingal by collaborating with local schools and universities, helping students and graduates prepare themselves for the working world. A recent initiative saw female Transition Year students from Luttrellstown Community College and Castleknock Community College welcomed into PayPal’s Dublin office for a workshop, as part of the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown’s Young Women in Technology Project.

Companies like PayPal not only drive direct employment, but also contribute to a general uplift in a local economy, drawing more people to an area and boosting growth in local businesses, particularly in service industries. PayPal works closely with local businesses and entrepreneurs in Fingal, much to the betterment of the entire community.

“The success of local businesses is crucial to allowing any community to thrive, so it’s essential that we do everything we can to drive their continued development,” says Hickey.

“PayPal provides ongoing support and advice to local businesses and entrepreneurs to help them grow and succeed. This includes e-commerce training programmes for local businesses, special rates for start-ups, as well as a personal service for small and medium-sized businesses. It is our hope that these initiatives will continue to help Fingal flourish and build on its reputation of being a fantastic place to do business.”

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EXPECT EXCELLENCE Our mediation practice advises across a broad range of sectors. We assist parties in achieving a confidential, cost and time effective solution to their disputes, while continuing to preserve their business relationships. A number of our lawyers are CEDR accredited mediators and are available to act as mediators using their skills and experience to facilitate the resolution of disputes. Our lawyers are also available to bring valuable insight and expertise to clients preparing for mediations. We have represented clients at mediations in highly complex multi-party disputes across a wide range of sectors.

To learn more, contact:

GAVIN WOODS PARTNER IN DISPUTE RESOLUTION T: 01 9201136 E: gavin.woods@arthurcox.com

DAVID O’DONOHOE ACCREDITED MEDIATOR AND PARTNER IN DISPUTE RESOLUTION T: 01 9201148 E: david.odonohoe@arthurcox.com

ISABEL FOLEY ACCREDITED MEDIATOR AND PARTNER IN DISPUTE RESOLUTION T: 01 9201153 E: isabel.foley@arthurcox.com

SEAMUS GIVEN ACCREDITED MEDIATOR AND HEAD OF EMPLOYMENT GROUP T: 01 9201210 E: seamus.given@arthurcox.com

www.arthurcox.com DUBLIN • BELFAST • LONDON • NEW YORK • SILICON VALLEY

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MEDIATION ARTHUR COX

Mediation Matters Arthur Cox is a leading Irish law firm which can expertly represent clients as they embark in a mediation case.

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ediation is a voluntary, private form of alternative dispute resolution which can be used as a way of resolving a dispute between two or more parties.

The process is undertaken with the assistance of a mediator who acts as a neutral third party and facilitates the process with a view to the parties voluntarily negotiating a settlement of their dispute.

Mediation usually has a structure, timetable and process established and agreed by the parties which can help it to be a more effective dispute resolution process than a traditional settlement meeting. The process is private, confidential, without prejudice and non-binding, although the objective is to reach a resolution of the dispute by agreeing a binding settlement agreement.

There are a variety of advantages to mediation over other means of dispute resolution, including the potential for savings. “There is a significant saving of legal costs in mediation, because you’re not having to go through the costs of legal proceedings and most importantly a trial, which is the most significant cost in any litigation case. So you’re potentially saving a significant amount of money,” says Gavin Woods, Partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department at Arthur Cox. Important a factor as the potential for savings is however, the most significant advantage of mediation may be that a future business relationship might emerge between feuding parties, as Woods explains.

“In a commercial environment, the advantage that mediation has over

Gavin Woods, Partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department at Arthur Cox

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alternate dispute resolution is that the parties, between themselves, might be able to come up with a resolution that involves a future business relationship between them,” he says.

“Even though [the parties] may be in dispute, they may be able to work out a way of carrying out future business to their mutual benefit. In a court, the outcome is very much binary, where one side wins and the other side loses.

Mediation allows for a whole range of possible outcomes.”

The process is entirely flexible and depends on the mediator and the parties’ preferences. In general terms, it is preferable that position papers are exchanged in advance. Depending on what stage in the dispute the mediation takes place, it may be appropriate for the parties to agree to exchange relevant documents in advance. If possible, the parties and their legal representatives should meet the mediator themselves prior to the scheduled date of the mediation in order to assist the mediator in identifying in advance, the key issues in dispute.

Mediation has increased in Ireland in recent years as an effective means of resolving disputes, and it is sure to continue to be utilised. A new mediation bill is currently before the Oireachtas and if enacted would oblige all solicitors and barristers to highlight the advantages of mediation to their clients and then to sign a statutory declaration stating that they have advised their clients that mediation is an option. This is sure to encourage more parties involved in disputes to go down the road of mediation in future.

Woods and his firm Arthur Cox believe this would be a positive thing, as mediation can prove to be a quick, cheap and mutally advantageous means of dispute resolution.

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MEDIATION REGAN SOLICITORS

The Mediation EXPERTS Regan Solicitors provides an innovative legal practice that offers high quality, cost effective commercial legal advice and mediation services.

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hile disputes are unlikely to be completely avoided in business, their effects can be mitigated with the right preparation and expertise.

The manner with which a business handles a dispute is vitally important, and so it is wise to be aware of the options available before the problems arise. Consulting Regan Solicitors is a good start.

When the going is good dispute is not necessarily something at the forefront of a business’s mind, nonetheless it is something that has the potential to arise and impact a company heavily. It is necessary therefore for a business to take note of its potential options in the case of a dispute down the line – after all, the sooner a conflict is resolved, the better for all parties involved. Disputes can be costly and time-consuming, so

ideally prevention of such a scenario is best, but failing that a quick and satisfactory conclusion is desirable.

There are a number of options for a company or its directors in a dispute.

In mediation, all parties involved in the dispute must first jointly agree upon and appoint a mediator. This is the person who will facilitate the discussion and help both sides attempt to reach agreement. The entire process is totally confidential and without prejudice to other legal rights and remedies. It is a voluntary

The manner with which a business handles a dispute is vitally important, and so it is wise to be aware of the options available before the problems arise.

process and not a determination. It is ideally suited to resolving commercial disputes. Contacting Regan Solicitors early is a wise move.

With over 30 years’ experience in legal affairs, Regan Solicitors is constantly improving the quality of its service. It seeks to offer a more personal and mannered approach with its clients than the larger commercial legal firms but is trained and ready for the fight, if required. The firm offers a wide range of services but in the case of a dispute, it offers arbitration, litigation, adjudication/conciliation and mediation services.

The firm’s principal, Mark Regan, is a fully trained mediation specialist and accredited to act as a mediator with the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), the largest conflict management and resolution consultancy in the world. Regan’s skills, knowledge and experience in relation to mediation in business are such that he regularly gives lectures on the topic to diploma students in the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.

“The process saves time, in that rather than taking a year or more to get a court date, it can be arranged much sooner to suit all parties involved, and is generally concluded within a day,” says Regan on the option of mediation. “It saves money by allowing the parties in dispute to avoid the considerable costs associated with litigation, and it is more likely to ensure mutually satisfactory outcomes, as parties are generally more satisfied with an outcome they have helped form themselves rather than having it imposed on them by a third party, such as a judge in a courtroom.”

For more information, please call 01 687 4100 or visit www.regansolicitors.ie.

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IB PARTNER PROFILE ZURICH LIFE ASSURANCE

Taking Ownership of Retirement Income Taking an active role in making the right level of contributions is crucial to achieving an adequate pension, writes Joe Creegan, Head of Corporate Life and Pensions, Zurich.

T

he recent announcement by Leo Varadkar signalling the Government’s intention to publish a paper on pension reform by year end is to be welcomed.

Proposals around the introduction of auto-enrolment (whereby all workers will be automatically enrolled into a pension scheme) by 2021 will be central to this. However, autoenrolment is still some years off.

The last four years have seen a decline in private pension coverage, despite the significant tax advantages available to employers and employees. According to the Central Statistics Office 2015 Household Survey, 47 per cent of workers across the public and private sector had a pension in Q4 2015 – down from 54 per cent in Q1 2008.

The figure stands at only about 35 per cent of private sector workers included either in their company’s pension scheme or that have a private pension arrangement.

Coupled with low coverage, there is an even bigger problem when it comes to the adequacy of the pension provision currently in place. This is particularly the case in the private sector and in defined contribution pension arrangements, where the contribution levels by both employer and employee may not be sufficient to provide a reasonable replacement income in retirement. For example, an accrued InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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pension fund of e100,000 might appear significant, but even using a generous annuity rate of 4.5 per cent per annum would equate to a pension of s86 a week, in addition to the State pension.

On a more positive note we are living longer, but how do we fund those extra years in retirement while in paid employment? This can only be achieved by contributing more during working years or by deferring our retirement age. This is already the case with the State pension, currently payable at age 66, but rising to 67 in 2021 (for those born between

The last four years have seen a decline in private pension coverage, despite the significant tax advantages available to employers and employees.

January 1st 1955 and December 31st 1960) and then to 68 (for those born after January 1st 1961). For economic reasons, this age is likely to be pushed out further, but what impact will this have on employers operating a different retirement age or workers expecting to retire earlier?

With all of these challenges ahead, and in advance of the introduction of auto-enrolment, what can be done now to improve pension coverage and adequacy levels?

• Existing employer pension schemes should be compulsory for all employees to join, with the option to opt out. For those opting out, the employer should ensure that the opt-out is in writing to protect against any future claim for benefits at retirement.

Joe Creegan, Head of Corporate Life and Pensions, Zurich

• Where no employer scheme exists, employers should consider establishing one now in advance of legislation being enacted. Personal Retirement Savings Accounts were set up for this purpose in 2002, allowing both employers and employees to contribute. While it is not obligatory for employers to contribute, they are obliged to facilitate employee contributions through salary deduction.

• For individuals currently making contributions to an employer or personal pension arrangement, it is important to take an active role in terms of contribution levels and the investment of these contributions.

Making the right level of contributions as early as possible and ensuring that they are well managed by an investment manager are crucial to achieving a sufficient fund to provide an adequate pension.

Zurich Life Assurance plc is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

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IB PARTNER PROFILE NEW IRELAND ASSURANCE

The Challenges Facing Women & Pensions Many women face challenges in their working lives not experienced by men, which ultimately can impact upon their pension savings, writes James Skehan, Head of Pensions, New Ireland Assurance.

I

t’s important for everyone to have a pension plan in place so that their standard of living doesn’t fall when they retire. While women generally live longer than men, they are less likely to have adequate income in retirement.

Women often face challenges during their working lives not experienced by men. Their career

Taking time away from work can significantly impact your pension savings and ultimately the type of lifestyle you can afford in retirement.

paths are more likely to alter course to allow for temporary or permanent leave to mind children, take care of loved ones or even take a career break. While this pattern is changing with more men taking on the role of carer, the vast majority of women still undertake this role.

Taking time away from work can significantly impact your pension savings and ultimately the type of lifestyle you can afford in retirement.

THINGS TO CONSIDER • Will your employer still contribute to your pension if you are on maternity leave?

• If you take extended leave or reduce your working hours, there could be a knock-on-effect of losing out on employer contributions towards your pension.

• If your income is reduced, saving for retirement may become less of a priority.

• If you take extended leave or reduce your working hours will you have enough contributions to qualify for the full State Pension (Contributory) when you retire?

• If you have a pension from a previous employer do you know how much it is worth?

• If you are married or have a civil partner do you know how much income their pension will provide in retirement?

IF YOU DON’T HAVE A PENSION PLAN James Skehan, Head of Pensions, New Ireland Assurance

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• Start one now to help ensure that you have a comfortable retirement.

• If there are any gaps in your earnings as a result of extended leave or reduced working hours, you can factor this into your pension savings.

IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A PENSION PLAN IN PLACE • You should review it to ensure you’re on track for the retirement you want.

• Ensure that it factors in the impact that any extended leave or reduced working hours could have on your pension savings, if this applies to you.

IF YOU ARE APPROACHING RETIREMENT • Find out how much income your pension is likely to provide you with in retirement. If there is a shortfall you still have time to increase the amount you are saving into your pension.

• Find out if you are eligible for the full State Pension (Contributory) and at what age it will become payable.

While it’s important to have a suitable plan in place for retirement, there are many considerations to work through which may lead you to seek professional advice. A financial broker or advisor can review where you are today, and work with you to develop a plan that meets your future needs and goals, whatever your career path to date.

New Ireland Assurance Company plc is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. A member of Bank of Ireland Group.

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LEINSTER • MUNSTER • CONNAUGHT • ULSTER Laois to benefit from renewal scheme, quicker broadband for Mullingar, and Liberties emerging as an innovation district.

Microsoft buys Kerry electricity, new coach park facilities at Cliffs of Moher, and researcher to examine IoT in Limerick.

Digital boost for Galway firms, support for Mayo farmers welcomed, and Sligo towns and villages to receive funding.

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New cross-border greenways for Donegal and Derry, housing boost for Monaghan, and Donegal businesses urged to get ‘cool’.

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DOING THINGS BETTER

Cork County Council has developed a number of innovative initiatives that have helped to transform people’s lives.

GREEN LIGHT FOR ROSCOMMON DISTILLERY

The construction of a new distillery for Boyle has moved a step closer.

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SOUTH-EAST AMBITIONS

In Association with

Cork County Council attraction Spike Island has been crowned ‘Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction’.

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LIBERTIES EMERGING AS AN INNOVATION DISTRICT START-UP RESOURCES IN THE LIBERTIES THE DIGITAL HUB The Digital Hub is the largest cluster for digital companies in Ireland, offering companies of all sizes a space to scale and grow.

WHAT’S ON IN

LEINSTER

GUINNESS ENTERPRISE CENTRE The GEC is a not-for-profit, world-class enterprise centre for ambitious and innovative companies, providing a modern, spacious and flexible working environment.

3RD – 4TH NOVEMBER THE FUTURE: DESIGN & CREATIVE FESTIVAL RDS, Dublin 4

NATIONAL DIGITAL RESEARCH CENTRE NDRC invests in early stage digital startups, providing capital and expertise to young Irish companies with global growth potential.

4TH NOVEMBER STRAWFEST Slane, Co Meath

The Liberties Business Forum and Dublin City Council recently held the Liberties Enterprise Day, a series of events hosted in partnership with Bank of Ireland aimed at showcasing the very best that the area has to offer. Attendees heard how the Liberties is Dublin’s emerging innovation district – a mix of vibrant community life, great workplaces, diverse local businesses and leading-edge start-ups along with a lively social and cultural scene. Significant public sector investment is creating new parks and amenities, street renewal and ambitious major public space improvements in the area.

9TH – 12TH NOVEMBER KILKENOMICS FESTIVAL Kilkenny city

7TH – 9TH DECEMBER CARLOW CULINARY XMAS FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL George Bernard Shaw Theatre

 COUNTY WICKLOW   COUNTY LAOIS 

LAOIS TO BENEFIT FROM RENEWAL SCHEME Nearly 290,000 is to be diverted to three projects in Laois under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme to encourage enterprise and job creation in the county. A grant of 100,000 has been set aside to realise the development of an enterprise hub in Mountrath while Mountmellick is set to benefit from a 100,000 grant to develop a digital hub.

Portarlington is in line for a major boost with total of 89,445 on the way to develop phase two of the Portarlington Enterprise Centre.

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NEW LIBRARY FOR WICKLOW TOWN Fianna Fáil Cllr Gail Dunne has welcomed the announcement of the purchase of the former Ulster Bank building on upper Main St, Wicklow as the location of the new library for Wicklow Town. “The old library located on the site of Wicklow Courthouse was totally unsuitable to the needs of Wicklow Town,” commented Dunne.

“Our county town has grown over many years and will continue to grow so a much larger space and facilities are needed for a proper library service.”

 COUNTY WESTMEATH 

QUICKER BROADBAND FOR MULLINGAR Members of Westmeath County Council’s Mullingar Municipal District have been given a presentation outlining a major infrastructural project presently being undertaken in Mullingar which aims to leave the town with 1GB broadband availability by the end of this year. SIRO is behind the project and is using existing electricity infrastructure as the anchor for the open-access fibre-optic cable which will be opened up to broadband providers who will in turn offer the service to customers.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 17:40

LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN BUSINESS NEWS: MUNSTER

SPIKE ISLAND WINS BIG Cork County Council attraction Spike Island has been crowned ‘Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction’ at the World Travel Awards 2017.

The island beat an extremely competitive field to scoop the award at a ceremony in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Cork East Fine Gael TD David Stanton congratulated the people behind Spike Island, saying: “This is a huge achievement for Spike Island and everyone involved in the project deserves huge praise for what they have achieved.”

28TH – 29TH OCTOBER BURREN FOOD FAYRE Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare

9TH – 12TH NOVEMBER LISTOWEL FOOD FAIR Listowel, Co Kerry

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Spike Island ranked ahead of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece

THE SHORTLIST

Spike Island took the top prize in a shortlist consisting of some of the world’s most famous attractions, including:

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Acropolis, Athens, Greece

>

Buckingham Palace, England

10TH – 19TH NOVEMBER CORK FILM FESTIVAL Cork city

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La Sagrada Familia, Spain

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Mary Rose Museum, England

17TH NOVEMBER - 23RD DECEMBER WATERFORD WINTERVAL Waterford city

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The Eiffel Tower, France

The Roman Colosseum, Italy

WHAT’S ON IN

MUNSTER

[ COUNTY CLARE ]

NEW COACH PARK FACILITIES AT CLIFFS Clare County Council has signed a e1.34 million contract which will see new coach park facilities at the Cliffs of Moher. The Council has entered into an agreement with Kilmihil-based L&M Keating for the construction of a new coach park reception building, and for the upgrading of existing coach parking facilities at the cliffs. The 280 square metre building has been designed to keep in with the design of the existing visitor experience, and will be completed by next June. [ COUNTY LIMERICK ]

RESEARCHER TO EXAMINE IOT IN LIMERICK Dell EMC and Lero, the Irish Software Research Centre, have announced plans to jointly sponsor a post-doctoral researcher for a period of two years to examine the Internet of Things (IoT) in Smart Sustainable Cities, with particular reference to Limerick. Limerick City and County Council has signalled its support for the project and believes that the research will foster IoT use cases that can be piloted in the local community. Dr Mihai Bilauca, head of digital strategy, Limerick City and County Council, said: “We view this project as another important step in our goal to make Limerick a sustainable smart city, region and community.”

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[ COUNTY KERRY ]

MICROSOFT BUYS KERRY ELECTRICITY Sustainable Nation Ireland, the body charged by the Government to grow Ireland as a hub for sustainable investment and business, has welcomed the news that technology giant Microsoft has signed an agreement to buy all of the electricity produced from a new wind farm in North Kerry.

The electricity produced will be used to support the growing demand for Microsoft Cloud services from Ireland.

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SLIGO TOWNS AND VILLAGES TO RECEIVE FUNDING The Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Councillor Seamus Kilgannon, has welcomed the announcement that almost 300 rural towns and villages are set to benefit from over €21 million in funding under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. Fourteen schemes in Co Sligo will receive funding totalling a1.06m.

Kilgannon said: “This news is a great boost to the many community groups and dedicated volunteers throughout our county, and the roll out of the various schemes will greatly enhance our towns and villages.”

WHAT’S ON IN

CONNAUGHT

24TH – 30TH OCTOBER VODAFONE COMEDY CARNIVAL Galway city

25TH – 30TH OCTOBER SLIGO LIVE Sligo Town

27TH – 30TH OCTOBER INTERNATIONAL HARP FESTIVAL Achill Island, Co Mayo

13TH – 26TH NOVEMBER GALWAY SCIENCE FESTIVAL Galway city

[ COUNTY ROSCOMMON ] [ COUNTY GALWAY ]

DIGITAL BOOST FOR GALWAY FIRMS Almost a250,000 has been allocated to help Galway businesses develop a presence on the internet. The scheme is operated by Local Enterprise Offices and offers a financial incentive of up to a2,500 to small businesses to develop their online trading capacity. Minister for Digital Development Seán Kyne has welcomed the funding, stating: “The importance of the online marketplace for small, local businesses cannot be overestimated.”

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GREEN LIGHT FOR ROSCOMMON DISTILLERY The construction of a new distillery for Boyle has moved a step closer following news that Roscommon County Council has approved plans for the development of a new a10m whiskey distillery, store and visitor centre in the town.

Senator Frank Feighan believes the whiskey distillery and visitor centre would be a major tourism boost for Boyle. “This project shows great vision and has the potential to be a landmark attraction for the town, creating up to 20 jobs in the process,” he said.

FAMOUS INVESTOR It has been reported that one of the investors of the distillery project is Boyle native Chris O’Dowd, known for his roles in The IT Crowd, Moone Boy and 2011 hit comedy Bridesmaids.

[ COUNTY MAYO ]

SUPPORT FOR MAYO FARMERS WELCOMED Mayo farmers are set to benefit from over a19m in funding under the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme. Minister Michael Ring has welcomed the funding, stating: “Farmers, especially on the hills and in the disadvantaged areas, took heavy cuts in direct support during the recession and the funding for this year, totalling e19,100,821 in Mayo, will go some way to rectifying that.”

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN BUSINESS NEWS: ULSTER

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CAVAN PROJECTS RECEIVE RENEWAL FUNDING The Department of Rural and Community Development has awarded Co Cavan a929,727 for town and village renewal. Projects to be funded include a new digital hub in Cavan Town, the restoration of Ballyjamesduff Courthouse and tourism improvements in Belturbet. The central aim of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme is to support the revitalisation of towns and villages in order to improve the living and working environment of their communities and increase their potential to support increased economic activity into the future.

24TH - 29TH OCTOBER TRADOODLE ARTS FESTIVAL Co Monaghan

26TH – 29TH OCTOBER CLONES FILM FESTIVAL Clones, Co Monaghan

NURTURING TECH a200,000 of the funding will go towards Cavan Digital Hub, which seeks to nurture tech-based startups, provide supports for existing businesses in the county and ultimately to create jobs by establishing Cavan as a leading location in tech.

8TH - 12TH NOVEMBER CAVAN INDOOR INTERNATIONAL HORSE SHOW Cavan Equestrian Centre, Co Cavan

9TH – 12TH NOVEMBER ALLINGHAM ARTS FESTIVAL Ballyshannon, Co Donegal

WHAT’S ON IN ULSTER

[ COUNTY DONEGAL]

NEW CROSS-BORDER GREENWAYS FOR DONEGAL AND DERRY Donegal County Council has welcomed the news that Derry city and Strabane District Council has received a formal letter of offer to proceed with a project that will lead to the provision of 46.5km of new crossborder greenways across Donegal, Derry city and Strabane District Council regions. The Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, Cllr Gerry McGonagle has welcomed the project, which is funded by the EU’s INTERREG VA programme, and the environmental benefits and investment in cross-border employment that the project will bring. [ COUNTY DONEGAL ]

DONEGAL BUSINESSES URGED TO GET ‘COOL’ Donegal businesses are being urged to link in with the ‘Cool Route Project’, an information and booking platform that links businesses to their local ports, providing information to marine tourists on what’s available in the port locality by way of food and drink, entertainment and things to see and do. The information and booking platform has been launched as part of the Cool Route Project which Donegal County Council is a partner of and which centres on the promotion of marine tourism on Europe’s North Western Seaboard.

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[ COUNTY MONAGHAN ]

HOUSING BOOST FOR MONAGHAN Monaghan County Council has been allocated over a1.6 million for local authority housing. Local Minister Heather Humphreys has welcomed the funding, which has been approved for the acquisition of 12 local authority houses in Smithborough. Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy approved the funding under the Rebuilding Ireland Plan, which is designed to tackle the country’s housing shortage.

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN BUSINESS CORK COUNTY COUNCIL

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Doing Things Better Local authorities are often criticised for being reactive rather than proactive in how they conduct business.

Cork County Council has developed some innovative initiatives that have helped to transform people’s lives.

Here we take a closer look at three such projects.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND WELLBEING OFFICE Launched in November 2016, this initiative is the first of its type by a local authority in Ireland and is targeting Cork County Council staff, primary and secondary schools across Cork, and the general public.

Cork County Council recognised that there was untapped potential for local authorities in playing a stronger role in promoting physical health and wellbeing. By promoting the hugely positive association between physical activity and all aspects of health and wellbeing, the Council recognised an opportunity to take on a preventative role in providing for the psycho-social wellbeing of the people of Cork as well as Council staff.

A physical activity and wellbeing section is now in place in all 28 branch libraries with two local schools involved in pilot projects. The initiative has already played an important part in enabling staff and the public to lead happier and healthier lives.

SERVICE rePUBLIC Service rePublic is hugely innovative, being the first public serviceled, partnership driven, service design centre of its kind in Ireland.

Planned, designed and developed

by Cork County Council (CCC) in InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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The YourCouncil.ie team

collaboration with Cork Institute of Technology (CIT), it forms part of the Council’s broader transformation agenda, with a key focus on transforming public services.

The centre, which is located at Cork County Hall, was established in January 2017, and was officially launched in May 2017. Its focus is to create better services for citizens and users through engaging with people and identifying what matters to them.

It is a unique approach to customer service innovation and transformation.

A combined CCC/CIT team has been established, with all members having been specifically trained in service design principles, tools and techniques.

A range of services have already been transformed, ranging from housing to community.

This hugely transformative change regime has positioned the Council as a leader of participative local government, embedding sustained change in how the Council delivers services. Service rePublic has transformed how Cork County Council operates, by looking outwards rather than inwards, by engaging with

citizens, users, elected representatives, communities, businesses and other stakeholders, both public and private.

YOURCOUNCIL.IE YourCouncil.ie is a radical new cross functional online services portal, enabling customers and citizens to transact services online with Cork County Council on a 24/7/365 basis.

It was launched to wide public acclaim in January 2017. The establishment of the portal represents a fundamental shift in the way people engage with the council and has achieved an enviable 88 per cent satisfaction rating by users.

The initiative was pioneered by Cork County Council, and forms part of the Council’s broader customer services and digital transformation agenda. It enables users to transact in excess of 80 local authority services online. The portal is integrated with the Council’s new website www.corkcoco.ie or alternatively through www.yourcouncil.ie.

The Council is well advanced in the journey of creating better services. And it’s not finished yet. The range of services available online will continue to expand over time to meet future needs.

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Informing you about the work of local authorities in supporting the business needs of their community...

To tell us what your local council is doing for business email joseph.oconnor@ashvillemediagroup.com

In Association with

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25/10/2017 12:41

IB PARTNER PROFILE KPMG

The Changing Role of the CEO KPMG’s most recent Global CEO Outlook survey has shown that Irish CEOs are aware of the changing nature of their roles in today’s business environment.

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rish CEOs are today facing challenges they typically didn’t grow up with and are having to take leadership positions in areas where they have little personal experience, according to KPMG. Four in five of CEOs surveyed in KPMG’s most recent Global CEO Outlook survey are concerned about their capabilities around critical business issues they have not previously encountered in their careers.

Irish CEOs, in keeping with their global peers, are reassessing their skills and attributes to help them lead better.

A decade ago, themes such as cyber security, data and analytics, artificial intelligence and cognitive computing were niche themes in the realm of corporate futurism. Now they are on the board agenda.

The survey, which was carried out

by Forbes, assessed attitudes of over 1,200 CEOs worldwide, including in both the Republic and the North.

Irish CEOs, in keeping with their global peers, are reassessing their skills and attributes to help them lead better. More than nine out of ten have taken a course or a qualification in the past 12 months in order to help disrupt or challenge their role.

Seventy per cent agree that they are now “more open to new influences

Disrupt and grow Irish CEO Outlook 2017

and new collaborations than at any time in their career”.

According to Shaun Murphy, Managing Partner of KPMG in Ireland, this is entirely consistent with staying abreast of change and disruption: “The CEOs that we work with are occasionally apprehensive about change – but more often than not they’ve an appetite for tackling what they see as opportunities to be explored rather than issues to fear.”

With continued pressure on the bottom line, Irish CEOs are keenly focused on managing their business’s core strengths while transforming the way they create value.

To find out more see www.kpmg.ie.

90%

of Irish CEOs see disruption as an opportunity – not a threat.

Learn more at kpmg.ie #CEOoutlook

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OFFICE SPACE

ROOM TO

IMPROVE With quality office and storage space becoming increasingly expensive, growing businesses often need to look to alternatives in order to rapidly expand facilities in a simple, cost-effective manner.

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igh quality storage and office space is becoming increasingly expensive and difficult to acquire in Ireland, with prices in Dublin in particular ranked among the highest in Europe. With such astronomical prices proving detrimental to many companies seeking more space, creative solutions are often the order of the day.

Modular buildings, for example, can allow a company the space it needs to grow and improve its business. These buildings can come in a range of different forms and sizes, but generally speaking are constructed from two or more steelframed units called ‘modules’ which are connected side-by-side or end-to-end and in multiple storeys to create buildings of any size or configuration.

Modular buildings can accommodate large numbers of people and can be adapted to meet specific requirements.

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They can be used within a wide variety of sectors and can be employed for permanent use.

Modular construction has proved essential for organisations in need of assured-quality buildings completed quickly and on schedule, with minimal disruption to the surrounding environment or local area. No other construction method can match its speed of delivery, minimal waste and disruption, and future flexibility.

Modular buildings are uniquely capable of responding to a company’s changing needs. Once assembled, a modular building is still relatively easy to expand, reduce or even relocate. This offers a flexibility that traditional office space and storage fails to deliver.

In the following section, InBUSINESS looks at thoughtleaders in this space, Portakabin, whose quality off-site solutions can help businesses to improve their work environments quickly and effectively.

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25/10/2017 12:49

IB PARTNER PROFILE PORTAKABIN

Improving Your Workspace High quality office accommodation can be hard to find for growing businesses when it’s needed the most.

Modular expert Portakabin can help rapidly expand any facility and improve floor space quickly with a custom-built structure.

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rowing businesses shouldn’t have to wait to expand, and with an off-site solution from Portakabin, quality buildings can be delivered much quicker than traditional construction methods. In some cases they can even be delivered, installed and ready to use on the day of order.

OFFICE ACCOMMODATION The Portakabin team created a large single-storey office facility for the world-leading biotechnology company, Genzyme, to house 100 specialist engineers. The team designed and built an individual two-module building for use as a gowning room, which connected the non-sterile office space with the sterile areas of the main building.

Portakabin had to ensure that the building met the strict cleanroom standards required to satisfy

Quality work accommodation delivered by Portakabin

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Genzyme’s rigorous quality control procedures. The gowning room was designed to be positioned five metres above the ground on structural steel supports, so that it gave direct access to both sterile and non-sterile areas of the site.

Every element of the build was engineered to the bespoke requirements and exacting standards of Genzyme. Eoin Carroll, Project Engineer, Genzyme explains: “The buildings from Portakabin fulfilled all our expectations and provided the ideal environment for the team working on this important project.”

PIONEERING MANUFACTURING Portakabin has pioneered modular construction for more than 50 years, delivering interim and permanent bespoke buildings of any size to fulfil almost any application, site and design. As a market-leading modular

specialist, the company has provided award-winning, off-site solutions of outstanding quality, with exceptional service and unrivalled on-time and on-budget performance in seven countries.

As an expanding business itself, expert designers and engineers appreciate how vital the continued development and growth of a company can be. Not only can Portakabin hire interim buildings to cope with overflow or employee decant during developments, it can also deliver permanent buildings quicker than traditional construction methods.

Portakabin delivers projects from conception to completion – its buildings are made module-bymodule by skilled technicians. Starting with a metal framework, the walls, flooring and roof are installed along with windows and doors to provide a water-tight structure. Once the framework process is complete, the modules are fitted out with partitions, lighting, plumbing, interior fittings and are delivered to site via a country-wide network of Hire Centres across Ireland.

While the modules are being developed, site construction workers can prepare the site for installation by landscaping and creating foundations with all the necessary electrical and plumbing connections. This means a Portakabin building can be delivered up to 50 per cent faster than a traditional structure. Specialist site workers will crane in and install the modules one at a time, with units being designed to fit together to almost any size and design and to a height of up to six modules.

Find out how Portakabin can find a solution to help your business grow.

Call 01 808 5055.

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IB PARTNER PROFILE MILESTONE SOLUTIONS

For Quality, Go The Extra Mile Transition to ISO 9001:2015 before the September 2018 deadline with Milestone Solutions’ new web-based, paperless quality management system.

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he September 2018 deadline continues to loom large for organisations that have yet to make the transition from ISO 9001:2008 to ISO 9001:2015. Companies certified against the 2008 revision of ISO 9001 must transition to the new version, and the quality management system (QMS) isn’t going to transition itself. So, what has changed and why do companies need to make the transition? Milestone Solutions, a dynamic Irish based company, provides the answers.

Q: What has changed since ISO 9001:2008?

A: The new version has ten clauses instead of eight, and there has also been

changes to the principles and mandatory procedures.

The major changes occur in areas such as risk and opportunities, context of the organisation and interested parties.

Q: What does this mean for the QMS?

A: The newer version introduces significant changes in approach and in addressing the challenges of implementation, transition, and maintenance. The revision brings with it better integration with other business activities and enhancement of the process approach and PDCA cycle. There is now a focus on having the system business process led with a spread of responsibilities for the QMS throughout the

organisation, with greater focus on making the QMS part of everyday business activities. There now exists opportunities to leverage risk based approaches and a higher emphasis on the monitoring of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).

Q: Why do you need to make the transition to the new certification?

A: Those who do not make the transition risk losing the benefits that come with being ISO 9001 certified.

ISO certification highlights to your prospective and existing customers that your business has the resources, facilities, capability and management system necessary to consistently deliver on the quality your customers expect. Without ISO 9001 certification, the standard of your quality management system goes unrecognised, thus sacrificing your competitive edge.

Q: Where does Milestone Solutions come in?

A: Gaining ISO 9001 accreditation can be a complex, sometimes painful process. Companies that decide to tackle the process alone suffer the most as they battle with inefficient systems and mountains of paper-based documents. Milestone Solutions has developed a web-based, paperless solution that helps

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companies comply with ISO 9001 standards. Its mobile compatible QMS platform enables clients to manage quality manuals, standard procedures, corrective and preventative actions, documentation, control practices, internal audits and customer interactions on one userfriendly system.

The platform allows users to create business documents using online forms and templates, while Milestone Solutions’ document management system ensures increased consistency and decreased variation as company documents remain uniform company-wide.

The platform also delivers improved efficiency and productivity. Time is spent more efficiently using documents rather than generating them. Costs associated with losses of quality such as defects are reduced and opportunity costs such as losing out on potential customers who require ISO certification as a vendor pre-requisite are negated.

Reach out to Milestone Solutions today to get started with its quality management system.

For further details contact Milestone Solutions on +353 (0)21 461 0061, +353 (0)87 344 3581, email mlynch@mile.ie or visit www.mile.ie.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 15:27

IB PARTNER PROFILE ŠKODA

SUPERB STYLE ŠKODA’s new Superb promises greater space, comfort and fuel efficiency. But does it live up to the name?

InBUSINESS took a spin to find out.

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aming a car is a difficult process. Most of the good ones are taken – Mustang, Charger, Phantom, Veyron, all strong names that evoke power, precision and a fantastic drive, though perhaps the immense Rolls-Royce Phantom doesn’t quite fit the dictionary definition. The Hyundai Excel failed to exceed expectations, and the Chevrolet Cavalier didn’t generate any images of swashbuckling motoring. When you see the Mercedes Sprinter, you don’t immediately think of Usain Bolt hurtling along the tarmac – perhaps the Mercedes Marathon might have been a little more suitable, if not quite as appealing to the marketing department. The ŠKODA Superb, however, is actually rather superb.

My most recent outing in the Superb was in the Combi version, taking what is already a big car and turning it into a van in disguise. My first impression was of a distinct premium feeling – it’s a fantastic looking car, the materials in the cabin have a quality feel, and the seats provide the perfect mix of support and comfort. There’s even a little mood lighting – a soft blue strip of lighting which runs through the four doors, meeting in the centre of the dashboard. It doesn’t actually do anything, but it’s a nice touch. There’s also quite a few handy gadgets – heated seats, voice control, navigation and a reversing camera.

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You also quickly become aware that this is a car designed to make life on the road a little easier.

When you pull down the visor and open the vanity mirror, a little light comes on. An ice scraper is hiding behind the filler cap.

The rear seats can be folded forward by pulling a switch by the boot door, increasing the impressive amount of space from 660 litres to 1,950 litres. There’s even a proper spare wheel in the boot, which seems to be a rarity these days. Other options include a removable LED torch in the boot, a fully foldable front passenger seat and a retractable hitch. You can also store three seating positions in the driver seat memory, just in case somebody comes along and messes up your finely tuned system.

On the forecourt you’ll have a choice of engines from the 1.4 petrol version to the 2.0 diesel 4x4. My test model came with a 120hp 1.6TDi which was quite nimble on the road. I did find a bit of lag from the six-speed gearbox in first, but you’re cruising in second and above. With a somewhat light foot I managed to average 5.7l/100km (49mpg) over the course of a week, though if you really pay attention you should hit 4.7l/100km (60mpg) without too much trouble.

In my experience, the latest Superb

SKODA Superb Combi 1.6TDI 6 speed manual Power: 120hp 0-100km/h: 11.1 seconds Max speed: 204 km/h CO2 emissions: 108g/km Annual tax: €190 Price: €35,150

Combi is as close to the perfect car as I’ve seen in my few short years of motoring reviews, with the exception perhaps of the Audi A8 and the R8, though those belong in quite different classes. My only quibble relates to the ignition – there’s no lighting surround and so it can be a little difficult to find the slot when it’s dark. That’s all I’ve got. Even with that (very) small issue, it’s one that I would buy myself in a heartbeat.

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25/10/2017 15:29

IB PARTNER PROFILE TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN

Trinity College offers a range of start-up supports and activities that have resulted in the direct creation of jobs and millions of euro in exports.

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rinity College plays a handson role in helping to translate academic research to achieve both economic and societal impact.

As well as delivering collaborative research programmes with industry and licensing new technologies to existing businesses, the university has a legacy of supporting successful spinouts dating back to the 1980s. In the last 30 years, over 60 Trinity campus companies have raised more than a200 million in private investment, have enabled the direct creation of in excess of 3,000 jobs and have delivered over a1.2 billion in exports.

Trinity is structured to deliver impact through 19 research themes across a wide range of technologies in life sciences, medical sciences, physical sciences and ICT sectors. The creation of new campus companies which commericalise Trinity research has been achieved by developing a structured, holistic approach for startups, campus companies, and spin-ins to enable inventors and entrepreneurs to have the best chance of success.

Trinity supports entrepreneurs to navigate the minefield of raising finance, developing business propositions, arranging agreements with shareholders and investors, and, perhaps most important of all, finding customers. This structured approach includes: Early engagement and external reviews by industry experts and mentors, which is invaluable before and during feasibility and

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commercialisation award activities.

Feasibility workshops identify viable markets and support academics to understand viable business models, ensuring quality and high potential innovations are prioritised.

Supporting academics to develop investor-ready business plans and one-to-one mentoring, which has resulted in greater funding success.

• Trinity is launching a Trinity Angel Syndicate for early stage funding and is a partner in the a60m Atlantic Bridge University seed fund to support Trinity spin-out companies (from a500,000 to a1.5m or more through syndication with other venture funds).

• T rinity’s Founders programme brings accredited Enterprise Ireland business partners on campus through the Entrepreneurs-InResidence programme.

• L aunchLabs is an accelerator programme run in Trinity for the purpose of commercialisation of its IP through campus companies.

CASE STUDIES Trinity immunologist Professor Luke O’Neill has made major discoveries about how the process of inflammation gets ramped up and suppressed in the body, and his research is paving the way for new therapies for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and even cancer.

Stephen Bergen

Starting Up at Trinity

Trinity college front facade

In 2004, O’Neill co-founded Opsona Therapeutics which has raised over a60m in VC funding. More recently, O’Neill and Professor Matt Cooper from the University of Queensland co-founded a new Trinity spin-out company, Inflazome, raising a15m in investment, which is now developing new compounds. Hopes are high that they provide useful new treatments for a range of inflammatory diseases.

Last year, Conor Harkin and the Proverum Medical team developed a novel, minimally invasive treatment for patients with symptomatic Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). Existing treatment options for this condition require traumatic procedures, lengthy hospital stays and are associated with many negative side effects.

Soapbox Labs has developed a cloud based proprietary children’s speech recognition platform using Trinity technology. SoapBox Labs, led

by Patricia Scanlon, has successfully raised a1.2m in seed funding through private investors and VCs. To find out more about Trinity’s range of startup supports and activities, contact Neil Gordon, Trinity Start-up Development Manager at 01-8964985 or neil.gordon@tcd.ie.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 17:44

IB PARTNER PROFILE FIRST CITIZEN FINANCE

Outstanding CITIZEN First Citizen Finance DAC is a retail financial services company providing bespoke asset finance solutions across a diverse asset class including motor, agri, SME and CRE lending, writes Managing Director Chris Hanlon.

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irst Citizen Finance DAC was established in late 2012 by the former senior management team of permanent tsb Finance. Prior to its sale in 2012, this management team led the largest consumer finance company in Ireland, with a market share in excess of 35 per cent. At its peak, the IT platform was processing circa 100,000 applications per annum for credit in Ireland over a range of diverse products, including car finance, agricultural machinery, office equipment, computers and film finance investment.

First Citizen Finance acquired this operational platform and has retained and enhanced its capabilities over the past few years. This allows it to service a wide range of assetbacked loan portfolios, comprising of consumer and non-consumer hire purchase, leasing and contract hire products across a variety of different asset classes.

First Citizen has developed its own proprietary online system, Autoline, which allows SIMI motor dealers to electronically process the applications through to activation/payment stage.

Currently, over 60 per cent of all motor applications are processed through Autoline.

Furthermore, First Citizen was appointed as an on-lender for the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) in April 2016 and provides bespoke asset finance solutions for the agri sector through its subsidiary company, First Citizen Agri Finance DAC. Its online system used by agri dealers is called InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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Chris Hanlon, Managing Director, First Citizen Finance DAC

First Citizen focuses exclusively upon the Irish market. All customers are resident in the Republic of Ireland and all assets financed are located and registered here.

AgriConnect and helps facilitate a speedy overall process. Together, First Citizen and the SBCI have combined their resources to provide a a50 million lending facility, specifically for agri assets.

First Citizen focuses exclusively upon the Irish market. All customers are resident in the Republic of Ireland and all assets financed are located and registered here.

The company has recently entered the commercial real estate (CRE) lending market and has just secured a funding facility of a150m with a leading international finance player.

Funding in the CRE sector will be

available for office, retail, industrial, multi-family residential and mixed use investment property.

For all of its product offerings, the company’s platform has full cradle to grave functionality, including distribution, origination, underwriting, customer service and collections/special servicing.

First Citizen owns the intellectual property rights of all of the key systems used in the business and has the capability to substantially grow over the coming years.

First Citizen, as part of its ongoing growth strategy and commitment to the motor industry, among other sectors, recently concluded negotiations for a new capital raise totalling a70m. This new investment will facilitate further growth and support the business and new lending up until 2020. The new capital raise will enable First Citizen to develop additional products and expand its overall financial footprint in the Irish market.

The company has also recently completed the first publicly listed Irish auto securitisation, comprising of around a158m in receivables. The portfolio was rated AAA/Aaa by rating agencies Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s. It has allowed them to access competitive funding on the European markets and together with planned future securitisations will help them offer substantial opportunities to the Irish motor industry.

First Citizen has recently launched a new website, www.firstcitizen.ie, where further details about the company and products on offer can be found.

First Citizen Finance DAC is authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland as a Retail Credit Firm.

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IB PARTNER PROFILE CREDIT REVIEW OFFICE

YOUR VIEWS ON CREDIT If you have applied for and received bank credit in the last 12 months, the Credit Review Office wants to hear your views.

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he Credit Review Office was set up in the wake of the financial crisis to ensure the credit system was operating effectively for small and mediumsized enterprises, including sole traders and farmers.

It helps SMEs access credit from banks, providing a helpline for businesses who are having difficulty accessing credit, and an independent review process (similar to an Ombudsman) if businesses have been refused credit. It also monitors the level of credit sanctioned by the pillar

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banks, and reports directly to the Minister and Department of Finance on trends and developments in the Irish SME credit market.

Since the Credit Review Office was set up in 2011, SME banking in Ireland has changed hugely, but there is little information on the customer experience of business borrowers who get credit from Irish banks, and how/if the new banking delivery models are meeting the needs of Irish SMEs. The Credit Review Office has put together a short survey to better understand the customer experience for SMEs/farms that get credit. If you have applied for and received bank credit in the last 12 months, we need your views. This survey takes just five minutes to complete. Your insights will be invaluable and all responses will remain anonymous. Just click on

the survey link on on our website – www.creditreview.ie in the news section. The deadline for completion is November 15th 2017.

25/10/2017 15:23

IB PARTNER PROFILE GECAS

Fifty years OF FLIGHT GECAS, the Shannonbased subsidiary of General Electric, is celebrating 50 years in the aviation financing sector.

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his year marks the 50th year of business for General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), the Shannon-based global aircraft financier. With an owned and on-order fleet of over 1,950 narrowbody and widebody passenger aircraft, cargo aircraft, helicopters and regional and turboprop aircraft from manufacturers such as Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, Bombardier and ATR, it is the financier to a number of airlines, and was in fact the initial financier for AirAsia’s first aircraft.

Given the cyclicality of the aviation finance sector, 50 years in business is an impressive milestone, as Sean Flannery, General Manager, GECAS Limited, acknowledges. “Fifty years in aviation finance is a very significant achievement,” he beams. “GECAS was able to build scale and secure global coverage early in the developing industry, and with that we developed a highly experienced team. There’s been a lot of innovation along the way, but due to our scale and experience, we’re willing to forward commit to customers’ future needs, offer fleet take-outs, and we’re able to do very large and complex deals.”

Given the time that the company has been operating, it has seen some dramatic changes within the industry. Even in the time since Flannery himself has been a part of the company, the marketplace has gone through many twists and turns. He joined GECAS in 1993 in the role of Vice President, Technical Operations.

This coincided with GE’s acquisition

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Sean Flannery, General Manager, GECAS Limited

of the company Guinness Peat Aviation, where Flannery had been working since 1989. He assumed the role of General Manager at GECAS Limited in 2006, a position which he has since held.

As an industry veteran, Flannery too has witnessed many industry transitions. Firstly, the increased prevalence of competition within the sector has meant that lease rates have been driven significantly down. On top of this, the decades have seen some shocks that have directly impacted the global aviation market. Events like the Gulf War and 9/11 have had a direct bearing on the sector, as well as more general events like the global liquidity crisis. “You get these periods of oversupply undersupply of aircraft as a result of supply and demand from the airlines, and that, in the past, has influenced the market,” says Flannery.

In spite of such challenges, GECAS has thrived over the years, and is now the largest commercial airline leasing and financing company in the world, by number of aircraft. Today, about

one in 20 commercial aircraft are financed by GECAS. Flannery believes the company’s impressive standing is due to a number of factors, including the talented team that the company has assembled over the years.

2018 will introduce a multi-year phase of GECAS growing its balance sheet by lessening its rate of assets sales, originating $5 to $6 billion in aircraft transactions (including saleand-leaseback deals, senior-secured debt, and aircraft from its order pipeline) and building an off-balance sheet portfolio, as well as increasing its serviced assets.

“In terms of differentiating ourselves in a competitive environment, I think the main influencer we have is very much our team,” he says. “GECAS has about about 570 employees in total.

They are long-tenured, they have lived through many industry cycles, and if you look at the way our organisation is structured today, our go-to market to always understand the customer’s requirements and plans, and to tailor the best solutions to meet their needs.”

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25/10/2017 15:25

File on time or face penalties

ELECTRONIC FILING OF ANNUAL RETURNS IS NOW MANDATORY

B1B2

10 B Don’t leave it until the last minute!

73 B

You must: • File B1 Electronically • Upload Financial Statements • Pay Fees Electronically The return may be digitally signed using ROS, otherwise, the signature page must be printed, signed and delivered to the CRO. Don’t forget to upload Financial Statements before sending in the signature page.

Remember the signature page must be received on time!

Check our website on www.cro.ie for further important information

Register with CORE now at www.core.ie

AN OIFIG UM CHLÁRÚ CUIDEACHTAÍ

COMPANIES REGISTRATION OFFICE

Oifig Poiblí: Teach Bloom, Plás Gloucester, Baile Átha Cliath 1

Public Office: Bloom House, Gloucester Place Lower, Dublin 1

Fiosruithe: Bóthar Uí Bhriain, Ceatharlach Íosghlao: 1890 220 226 Fón: +353 1 804 5200 Faics: +353 1 804 5222 Ríomhphost: info@cro.ie Láithreán: www.cro.ie

Postal Enquiries: O’Brien Road, Carlow Lo Call: 1890 220 226 Tel: +353 1 804 5200 Fax: +353 1 804 5222 Email: info@cro.ie Web: www.cro.ie

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25/10/2017 09:47

IB PARTNER PROFILE COMPANIES REGISTRATION OFFICE

ELECTRONIC FILING The Companies Registration Office has introduced mandatory electronic filing for annual returns (Form B1) and financial statements.

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ince June 1st 2017, the sole means of filing a B1 and financial statements and paying for a B1 is in electronic form. The B1 must be submitted on CORE within 28 days of the companies’ annual return date.

The main changes since June 1st are as follows:

order or bank draft. However, it is still possible to top-up a customer account by cheque etc.

PDF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS All financial statements must be uploaded as a PDF attachment on CORE/software package within 28 days of the date the B1 was submitted. Hard copies of the financial statements are no longer accepted by the CRO. The PDF financial statements can be attached to the B1 in your Workspace in CORE/software package, in much the same way as you attach a document to an email.

Where financial statements have not been uploaded when the signature page is received in the CRO, the document will be sent back electronically.

B1’S NO LONGER SENT BACK BY POST Companies and presenters should ensure that they provide the correct email addresses to ensure they are alerted when their documents are sent back as they are no longer sent back by post.

Where a B1 is sent back, the B1 must be resubmitted, a new signature page must be printed and the financial statements must be uploaded again. The resubmitted signed signature page must be returned to the CRO within 14 days of the sent back date.

ELECTRONIC PAYMENT The filing fee and any late filing penalties must be paid electronically by credit/debit card or through a CRO customer account. It is not possible to complete the submission of the B1 without first making the payment at the submission stage.

It is not possible to pay the filing fee of a20 and/or any late penalties by cheque, postal order, money InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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FILING A FORM ELECTRONICALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME Forms can be filed electronically using CRO’s online filing system CORE https://core.cro.ie/ or through a secretarial software package.

To file electronically on CORE you must first register as a new user. Once registered, you can log in and go to “File a Form”, select your submission (e.g. B1) and complete the form. There are links on CORE to help you when filing online.

FILE ON TIME Please do not leave it until the last day to submit your B1 on CORE or to upload your financial statements. If an annual return is late the CRO has no discretion in relation to the application of penalties and the loss of audit exemption.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Filing on CORE: core.cro.ie For filing through a software package website please contact your software provider.CRO website: www.cro.ie/Annual-Return/Filing-Electronically Frequently Asked Questions on mandatory electronic filing can be found at www.cro.ie/E-Filing/FAQ-regarding-Mandatory-EFiling.

Phone Helplines: 1890-252536 /059-9178981 /01-8045394 e-B1 Help Mailbox: eb1@dbei.gov.ie ROS (Revenue Online Service): www.ros.ie

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25/10/2017 17:46

IB PARTNER PROFILE DUBLIN PORT

A New Era at Dublin Port Musical stars Damien Dempsey and John Sheahan serenaded guests along the banks of the River Liffey as part of the official opening of Dublin Port Centre.

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aoiseach Leo Varadkar was among those in attendance at the official opening of Dublin Port Centre on Thursday October 12th. The project which began last November marks the largest physical intervention by Dublin Port to reintegrate the port with the city, as committed to in the company’s Masterplan. The project has softened the port’s boundaries to the city and provides public realm at Port Centre for the first time in 35 years.

On the day, the 500-strong crowd, which was made up of members from the communities surrounding the port, was serenaded by acts including Damien Dempsey, John Sheahan of the Dubliners, The Blades, Lisa O’ Neill, Colm Mac Con Iomaire of The

Frames and Catherine Fitzgerald, many of whom were featured in Dublin Port’s 2016 album ‘Starboard Home’.

Speaking at the official opening ceremony, Eamonn O’Reilly, Chief Executive, Dublin Port Company said: “Dublin Port is delighted to begin this new chapter of port city integration.

In recent years the connection has waned somewhat but this a new era for the port. Rebuilding the connection between the port and the city, which was so strong a century ago, is something which will be at the core of everything we do going forward.”

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “While Dublin Port’s key focus is on its infrastructural development

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar with Lucy McCaffrey, Chairperson of Dublin Port Company, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mícheál MacDonncha and Eamonn O’Reilly, CEO, pictured after unveiling the new art installation entitled ‘The Sphere’ at the official opening of Port Centre on Thursday October 12th

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and the import and export needs of the Irish economy, it also has a strong commitment to rebuilding the linkages between the port and the city. This new project will enhance port-city integration to the benefit of city dwellers and visitors.

“Dublin Port is at the heart of what is emerging as one of the most exciting neighbourhoods in the city, and the opening of this port centre will add to the buzz and energy of this area, as well as providing locals with a host of new amenities to enjoy.”

Port Centre has been a hive of activity in recent months as the development of public space progressed. Projects included the removal of a section of the existing old boundary wall to create new pedestrian entry points at Alexandra Road and East Wall Road. In early October, the Port unveiled Crane 292, a newly restored crane from the 1960s which now stands proudly towering over Port Centre.

Visitors can now enjoy a landscaped ‘maritime garden’ with seats for reflection and relaxation. NCAD graduate and up-and-coming Irish artist Eimear Murphy’s new sculpture ‘The Drop’ features in the garden. The sculpture is made from solid concrete and plays with notions of fluidity in its design. The commissioning of this piece highlights the port’s long-term commitment to supporting the arts.

Dublin Port Company is now focused on plans for a new internal road network, cycle lanes and pathways. Approved by Dublin City Council and scheduled for development, the 3km route will give pedestrians and cyclists access to the port estate for recreational use for the first time. It includes a perimeter route with vantage points overlooking the Tolka Estuary.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

27/10/2017 13:18

IB PARTNER PROFILE THE HERITAGE KILLENARD

A RICH HERITAGE The Heritage Killenard in Laois offers impeccable hospitality for both business and leisure travel.

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he Heritage Killenard opened its doors in June 2005 and since then has offered a sophisticated elegance with impeccable hospitality set within the pastoral Laois countryside.

The property comprises a world-class hotel with 98 guest bedrooms, an award-winning spa, restaurant and bar, and an exquisite lobby lounge serving afternoon tea. The Heritage Killenard also offers guests a number of onsite facilities such as a tennis court, a 5km walking track, cinema, children’s games room, and state-of-the-art outdoor playground.

The Heritage Killenard is popular for both leisure and business travel and caters for exhibitions, small meetings, family celebrations, large and small conferences and elegant weddings.

Nestled in the charming village of Killenard, The Heritage Killenard is based in the perfect location, situated just off the M7 motorway in Ireland’s most central county, Laois. The grounds are one hour south-west of Dublin city and Dublin Airport, and two hours from Shannon Airport and Cork city, and are within close proximity to Portarlington train station.

This location is a factor that Andrew Phelan, General Manager at The Heritage Killenard, believes is one of the hotel’s primary assets. “The location is in the heart of Ireland for the conference market and for domestic holiday people. It is very much in the heritage heart of Ireland, so there’s a huge amount for visitors to do,” he says. “One of the great benefits to this location over the last number of years has been the improvements that have InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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Andrew Phelan, General Manager at The Heritage Killenard

been made to the road infrastructure.

We’re just off the motorway that links Cork and Limerick with Dublin, so as people are passing by, we’re right there.

I often say to people that when they’re here, they’re already halfway home.”

While the hotel’s location and facilities are of high quality, it takes much more to make a successful hotel.

According to Phelan himself, the hotel market has become extremely competitive outside of Dublin in recent times, and it is therefore essential to offer something specific to customers that cannot be found anywhere else.

“One of our big strengths here is our people,” Phelan states. “We have to set ourselves aside [from our competitors] on service delivery and that’s what we really strive to do here – to demonstrate that if you come here, our service is at a unique and personal level. That’s the experience we strive to give.”

The strength of the staff at The Heritage Killenard is particularly important for guests organising their wedding. “With weddings you can be dealing with the customer for up to two years prior to the event in some cases, so there’s a huge amount of interaction in that,” says Phelan. “It becomes quite a personal event for the team here because they’re involved in all the decision-making, and that rolls over to the corporate and conference market. When people come here they feel that they are in safe hands and that there are people dealing with them that really do care. That gives a great level of comfort and confidence in what we’re providing.”

For more details visit www.theheritage.com.

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25/10/2017 15:30

LIFESTYLE: motoring

“THOUGH IT DRIVES SURPRISINGLY WELL FOR A VAN, THE BEST PART ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA WILL ALWAYS BE BEHIND THE DRIVER’S SEAT.”

MEET OUR NEW CORRESPONDENT InBUSINESS’s new motoring editor is CONOR FORREST, who took the Toyota GT86 for a spin one day and caught the reviewing bug. Conor’s focus is on the real world of driving – comfort, practicality, fuel economy and pricing, though speed and power are quite enjoyable too. If you’ve got any thoughts or queries, drop him a line on Twitter @Conor_Forrest.

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VOLKSWAGEN HAS LAUNCHED ITS REVAMPED CALIFORNIA T6 CAMPER VAN, BUT IS IT ANY GOOD? CONOR FORREST TOOK TO IRELAND’S HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS TO FIND OUT.

CALIFORNIA InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 12:48

LIFESTYLE: motoring

s I write these words, I’m sitting in a campsite in Co Clare, surrounded by camper vans, caravans and tents, at the end of a three-day trek through Munster and Leinster. There’s an undeniable freedom in this lifestyle, as I’ve found, but driving a rather large vehicle around Ireland’s often narrow roads can be a little awkward, particularly if you’re used to a regular-sized car.

Enter the Volkswagen California.

A tidy little camper based on the short wheelbase Transporter van, the California is an ideal solution for overgrown back roads, tight town centres and height restricted car parks. And, because it weighs under 3,500kg and seats a maximum of five people, you only need an ordinary B category licence.

Coasting Along My test model was the California Coast, powered by a surprisingly refined 150bhp (102 and 201bhp versions are also available) diesel engine paired to a six-speed manual transmission. Top speed is 178km/h and you can go from 0-100km/h in just over 14 seconds, though camper van enthusiasts probably won’t be too concerned about those sort of figures.

What is important is that it doesn’t feel underpowered on the road. It is noticeably top heavy thanks to the extendable bedroom housed within the roof, but otherwise it feels firm and solid, combined with sharp steering, good ride quality and even quite nippy acceleration. Well-engineered for long distance driving, the California is decently economical too, averaging 6.9L/100km or 40mpg.

And it doesn’t feel like you’re in a large vehicle, thanks to its compact shape and size, the high driving position and good visibility (huge windscreen and wing mirrors).

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but not a reversing camera or sat nav – for the latter VW opts instead for a smartphone app connection through Android Auto or MirrorLink. Mirroring apps like Google Maps means that you’re reliant on your data allowance and a decent signal. Then again, part of the charm in having a camper is finding your own way.

Step Inside

There are one or two bad marks.

The material is moderately decent, built more for functionality than style, and is easily marked during the rough and tumble of the camping lifestyle. Take the front doors – space is tight when you’re rotating the seats to face backward, and they’re easily scratched or ripped by the fold-out armrests if you aren’t careful. An additional USB port would be quite useful, and you’ll need to bring along a travel adaptor for the two-pin 230V socket.

Though it drives surprisingly well for a van, the best part about the California will always be behind the driver’s seat. If you’re new to the California, one of the first things Pricing you’ll notice is the impressive Volkswagen Ireland has an asking use of space. Housed in the back price of €51,395 for the cheapest is a fold-out table, a kitchenette four-seater California with 102bhp (standard on the (€52,415 for five Coast and Ocean seats), of which trim levels) around €15,000 comprising a accounts for VAT VOLKSWAGEN sink and two-hob and VRT, with CALIFORNIA COAST gas cooker, with annual road tax of ENGINE: 2.0TDi storage for pots €102. But is the POWER: 150bhp and pans below, rather steep price a 42L fridge worth it?

TRANSMISSION: and a handy You could get a Six-speed manual double socket bigger secondhand FUEL ECONOMY: (you’ll need to camper for the 6.9L/100km (40mpg) be hooked up same or less money, ANNUAL TAX: €102 to the mains via but there’s no doubt PRICE: €53,500 the charging that the California is (€59,072 as tested) cable, though a very handy vehicle the leisure for Irish roads. You battery runs the could also fork out camping gear, for a cheaper and with impressive range). There’s a older T5, but truth be told that foldable picnic table in the sliding offers a less refined, economical door, a built-in wardrobe and shelf and overall driving experience, fittings, not to mention sleeping though perhaps the cost savings quarters for four. might soften the blow.

Arranging the beds only takes The T6 is undoubtedly more a few minutes. Two adults can expensive, an option for the more comfortably sleep below, while the affluent travellers, but there’s quite overhead pop-up room will sleep a lot of bang for your buck and the another two. If you’re concerned California tends to hold its value about what the neighbours think, quite well. It really depends on what you might want to fix the magnetic you’re looking for. If you don’t mind window covers and blinds in place a more cosy interior, coupled with first – clambering upstairs is a the latest mod cons and the ability to rather ungainly affair. It’s actually navigate narrow streets or overhead the most comfortable of the two, barriers, the California really is but it’s much colder – the canvas the ultimate tool for the job – a walls aren’t the best at keeping the comfortable, clever and reasonably elements at bay. economical hotel on wheels.

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THE HARD SHOULDER

SILENT OFF-ROADING New York-based Bollinger Motors has claimed it has developed the world’s first electric off-roading SUV, the rather utilitarian Bollinger B1. It certainly sounds like a nifty vehicle – 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds, 360hp, 639Nm torque and a range of up to 321km. There’s quite a lot of functionality – you can convert from a full to half cab, carry a payload of up to 2,700kg, and, thanks to the absence of an engine and the hidden electric powertrain, transport long lengths of wood, piping or other items via a pass-through door at the front. Sparse? Undoubtedly.

Supremely functional? Most certainly.

SCANDINAVIAN VOLVO’S UPDATED V40 ISN’T A REVOLUTION FOR THE BRAND, BUT IT’S STILL A GOOD CHOICE FOR THE FAMILY, WRITES CONOR FORREST.

MAZDA AND THE HOLY GRAIL Diesel has been getting a bad reputation of late, and Mazda has dealt it another blow. The Japanese giant has unveiled the Holy Grail of internal combustion technology – the SKYACTIV-X petrol engine. Set to debut in 2019, SKYACTIV-X will use compression to ignite the fuel for the most part, relegating spark plugs to a secondary role. The result? Diesel-level efficiency without the harmful emissions, they claim, which could be another nail in the coffin for the rather beleaguered fossil fuel, and an interesting development as automakers around the world begin to look to electric vehicles as the way forward.

IF GURE THIS

THE NUMBER OF LESS EFFICIENT EURO-4 DIESELS ON IRISH ROADS IN 2017

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LIFESTYLE: motoring

iven that Volvo’s V40 is only five decent handling, great ride quality, plenty years old, the latest version is a of grip, little body roll and top of the class refresh rather than a complete refinement, particularly at higher speeds. overhaul, bringing it more in Visibility to the front is great, though the line with the latest Volvo design rear window is relatively small, and wide B updates. The overall shape pillars create a sizeable blind spot over your remains the same though the shoulder. It’s packed with safety features optional (and admittedly cool) Thor’s hammer – pedestrian airbags, City Safety, a speed headlights are new, as is a more distinctive limiter, hill start assist, and parking sensors, grille. Otherwise, it’s still a comfortable, combining for a five-star Euro NCAP rating. sensible family car for people who aren’t For long distance driving, there’s a enticed by the flashier Audi A3 or BMW 1 choice of three diesel engines – the Series, but still prefer a step up from the likes entry-level 120hp D2, the D3 (150hp) and of the Volkswagen Golf.

D4 (190hp), all available The V40’s interior is in manual or automatic. comfortable, well-built and My test model featured decidedly upmarket, from the 1.6L D2 beneath VOLVO V40 D2 the spongy materials and the bonnet, a nippy MOMENTUM the floating centre console turbodiesel paired to a ENGINE: 120hp to the figure-hugging front smooth six-speed manual seats and the old-school gearbox that’s quite frugal, 0-100KM/H: 10.5s handbrake. However, the managing 5.5L/100km TOP SPEED: small and fiddly media (51mpg). For shorter 190km/h centre in my Momentum journeys, opt for one of two ANNUAL TAX: test model was a little frugal petrol engines – a €180 outdated, and the number 122hp T2 (manual), or the FUEL ECONOMY: of buttons on the centre more powerful 245hp T5 5.5L/100km (51mpg) console is distracting. The (automatic). ignition is awkwardly placed Pricing is quite PRICE: €28,995 and if you’ve got house keys competitive, starting at (€32,400 as tested) they’ll jingle annoyingly €28,995 for the base (€59,072 as tested) against the dashboard. model (Kinetic) 1.6L It’s not terribly spacious diesel. There are a few either (blame the Ford carrots to sweeten the Focus platform on which deal – Irish customers can it’s based), particularly for rear passengers. avail of a three year/100,000km warranty The boot is small at 380L, rising to a more and two years of Volvo Assistance, which respectable 1,032L with the back seats provides free breakdown assist 24/7 across folded. The rear sill is a little high which can Europe. Though you might be tempted make loading heavy bags difficult, but there to wait for the next generation in 2019, if are several handy cargo lashing points and an you’re looking for a small family car that’s actual spare wheel. comfortable, drives well, is top of the class Things are much better on the road. for safety and security, and is a little bit Steering is a little light, but otherwise it’s a different, the V40 should still be high on relaxed and pleasant driving experience – your shopping list.

“THE V40’S INTERIOR IS COMFORTABLE, WELL-BUILT AND DECIDEDLY UPMARKET”

CONOR’S TOP TIPS ON...

BUYING A USED CAR

INSPECTION Enlist the help of a trusted mechanic or knowledgeable friend, even if you’re a petrolhead.

TEST DRIVE Take an extended test drive if you can, trying it out on a variety of surfaces (listen out for odd noises).

PAPERWORK Always make sure the tax disc, registration cert etc. match the car.

D2/D3 four cylinder diesel engine

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T2/T3/T4 four cylinder petrol engine

D4 four cylinder diesel engine

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LIFESTYLE: innovation

INNOVATION NATION InBUSINESS looks at the latest innovations and technologies that are shaping our future. In this issue, we focus on equipment to turn your smartphone into a proper mobile journalism (mojo) kit

SHOULDERPOD MOBILE TOOL Featured at Mojocon in Galway earlier this year, Shoulderpod makes professional mobile tools to enable smartphones to be used as cameras.

From its basic grips to advanced rigs, the exquisitely designed Shoulderpod allows you to add external microphones and lights to your smartphone. The products have become a standard for mobile journalism at many broadcasters including RTÉ, and the great thing about Shoulderpod is that it’s modular, like LEGO, enabling customers to upgrade, expand and build the rig they need. www.shoulderpod.com

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NETFLIX has announced a rise in prices to some of its subscription plans in Ireland, raising the cost for two of its three main subscription plans as it spends heavily on original content.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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LIFESTYLE: innovation

D:VICE DIGITAL AUDIO INTERFACE Mojo is all about capturing news or stories conveniently and practically while on the go.

Sometimes this can compromise the quality of your audio. By using the d:vice Digital Audio Interface your audience will clearly hear your message, even if you are recording in challenging conditions. Pre-programmable, easy to use and inconspicuous, the d:vice allows you to record excellent sound so you can tell the full story.

CHARGYS BATTERY POWER

www.dpamicrophones.com/ microphones/dvice

Galway start-up Chargys is helping mobile journalists around the country with extra battery power when shooting on location. The emergency chargers will soon be available from specialised vending machines in a variety of public areas. www.chargys.com

INSTA360 AIR Turn your smartphone into a 360-degree camera with the Insta360 Air, distributed in Ireland through Cork-based Hähnel. www.insta360.com product/insta360-air

MICROSOFT has no plans to build new versions of its Windows 10 Mobile operating system and Windows Phone, Windows boss Joe Belfiore has suggested on Twitter.

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Snapchat’s parent company SNAP INC has announced plans to create TV programmes for its mobile app as part of a new deal with TV giant NBCUniversal.

In a deal reportedly worth €20m, Dublinheadquartered CUBIC TELECOM has signed a memorandum of understanding with Telstra Wholesale to deliver connectivity solutions to the automotive industry.

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LIFESTYLE: travel

Athens Roving Through

WITH OODLES OF THINGS TO SEE AND DO, THE GREEK CAPITAL OF ATHENS MAKES FOR THE PERFECT GETAWAY, WRITES TIERNAN CANNON.

t can be quite difficult to get a coherent grasp of the city of Athens. The place is a tumultuous mish-mash of cultures and eras, epitomised by grand, ancient ruins situated in underground metro stations, or magnificent eleventh century Byzantine churches located just a few strides away from H&M. The physical make-up of the city is quite befuddled, which in a sense can be thought of as a genuine reflection of the character of the city.

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Athens has been defined by a vast array of distinct eras and circumstances. There is an eccentricity evident within the city, with the marks of various cultures and times scattered indiscriminately throughout. Athens has endured some dramatic twists and turns over the centuries, and even today there is a tangible sense of uncertainty in the air as its future remains obscured.

As we know, Greece was hit particularly hard by the financial crisis and is still reeling from its impact. Even today around one in five people in the country are unemployed, a figure which rises to 44.4 per cent of those aged under 25.

According to a study by Greek NGO Dianeosis, 15 per cent of the Greek population in 2015 lived in extreme

poverty, compared with 2 per cent in 2009. This situation is further exacerbated by the continuing migrant crisis, as the country struggles to handle the vast number of refugees landing on its shores.

However, in what might be deemed a response to these crises, a sense of cultural vibrancy has sprung up and diffused throughout society, making itself starkly felt in parts of the capital.

A Proud Culture Art is important to the Athenians, and it exists in many forms. Theatre in particular is fundamental in Athens, owing perhaps to its prevalence in the city’s ancient society. Today, there are a host of contemporary theatres and art spaces where you can experience InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 12:46

LIFESTYLE: travel

WHERE TO

The city of Athens is a tumultuous mish-mash of cultures and eras. The physical make-up of the city is quite befuddled, which in a sense can be thought of as a genuine reflection of the character of the city.

MEET...

St George Lycabettus Hotel St George Lycabettus Hotel offers a range of in-house banqueting, outside catering and conference options for events. Popular rooms include Le Grand Balcon and La Suite Lounge, which enjoy abundant natural light and near-panoramic views of downtown Athens. www.sglycabettus.gr

EAT...

Funky Gourmet With two Michelin stars, Funky Gourmet offers some of the finest cuisine in Athens.

The restaurant is located in the Kerameikos neighbourhood and features a menu of creative Mediterranean cuisine. www.funkygourmet.com

SLEEP...

AthensWas theatre – with the most intriguing being Gazarte, a multi-purpose art space with facilities including a theatre, cinema, bookshop, dance stage and roof garden.

For a truly unique theatrical experience however, nothing beats a production within the ruins of an ancient theatre, like the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. This theatre, built between 160-174 AD, is a stone structure lying under the shadow of the Acropolis, the ancient citadel and home to some of the city’s most important ancient structures, InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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GETTING THERE

BY SEA: Piraeus is the main port in Athens as well as the largest in Greece. It serves most itineraries to and from the Greek islands and some mainland destinations.

BY AIR: A number of airlines offer direct flights from Dublin to Athens including Ryanair, Aegean Airlines and Aer Lingus.

including the Parthenon, the Propylaia and the Temple of Athena Nike.

Since its re-opening in the 1950s, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus has served as a prime location to experience Greek tragedy and has also hosted ballet performances, orchestras and even Frank Sinatra.

There are countless venues and galleries in Athens, but it isn’t totally necessary to seek them out. The streets themselves serve as art spaces, particularly in neighbourhoods such as Excharcia. Here, music floats out of cafés and

AthensWas stands on a cobbled walkway, two blocks from the Acropolis Museum. Its interior is dominated by Greek marble and each room has a veranda to allow guests a chance to relax with a drink after a day’s sightseeing. www.athenswas.gr

SEE...

The Acropolis The Acropolis is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop overlooking the city. It contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural significance, including the Parthenon and the Temple of Athena Nike.

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KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus

LISTEN Rick Steves is an American travel writer who has put together a series of audio walking tours. Before heading to Athens, download his podcast tours of the city.

Monastiraki flea market

LANGUAGE While English is widely spoken throughout Athens, the locals are sure to appreciate some effort. Learn the basics, such as signomi (excuse me) and efharisto (thank you).

bars and artists sell their wares directly to those taking their iced coffees out on the street. Posters advertising festivals, talks and concerts cover the neighbourhood’s walls, and there is a strong sense of a proud culture at work.

A Different Pace HISTORY The history of Athens is incredibly rich, and a broad awareness of it will stand to you upon arrival. The varied architecture and culture makes more sense once you’ve delved into the city’s past.

CITY PASS The Athens City Pass Classic saves money and time by allowing holders to skip lines and gain entry to various attractions, and offers free public transport for 72 hours.

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People in Athens are generally welcoming and relaxed. With the sun shining as brightly as it does, it’s quite natural that the pace of life slows down, but it can take some getting used to. Food and drinks are served slowly, but this is something to be embraced. Expect to be in a restaurant or café for a time long enough to really soak in what that particular place has to offer. A bonus for Irish visitors is the fact that Athens is extremely well catered to English-speakers, with signs in both Greek and English and much of the population having at least a grasp of the essentials.

Dining outside on the stairs in the Plaka district of Athens

There are some truly enchanting cafés and restaurants all over Athens, but for a more tranquil affair, head to Plaka, Athens’ oldest neighbourhood. Plaka is a maze of mostly pedestrianised streets of restaurants, jewellery stores, tourist shops, and cafés that lies at the foot of the Acropolis. Though quite commercialised, Plaka offers a glimpse into a quiet Greek village way of life, right at the heart of the capital city.

A ten minute walk away you’ll find the Monastiraki flea market, an animated hive of stalls and vendors selling every manner of clothes, souvenirs, antiques and oddities. While most of the merchandise is aimed directly at tourists in search of kitsch, there are some gems to be discovered, and the sights and sounds of the market are worth the visit in themselves.

Nightfall in Athens offers just as many options as the day.

Open-air cinema, for example, is a part of the fabric of the Athenian night, and there are multiple locations to choose from. Nothing quite beats the unique experience of watching a classic or new piece of cinema under the stars during a still, warm night.

There is no shortage of clubs and bars in Athens either, catering to all musical tastes and persuasions. The main areas include Psiri, Thissio and Kolonaki, but a particularly wonderful bar and club is Six d.o.g.s in Monastiraki, a seemingly regular venue that actually contains a cool but concealed beer garden, decorated with fairy lights and nestled among the trees.

The Six d.o.g.s beer garden is completely unexpected, as is Athens itself. With its ease for English-speakers, its Mediterranean climate and the endless activities and sights to see, this unpredictable city is made to be explored.

Souvlaki is a popular Greek fast food

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

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LIFESTYLE: books

BOOKS ON

THE ESCAPE INDUSTRY

InBUSINESS looks at the latest business books offering great insights for executives, budding entrepreneurs, and other professionals seeking to acquire business skills and knowledge.

THE ASSHOLE SURVIVAL GUIDE: How to Deal with People Who Treat You Like Dirt

I

t may be an uncomfortable truth, but assholes are an unfortunate fact of life.

They can impact upon people’s wellbeing and productivity, but whether in business or in life there is no escaping them, and so the only option left available is to learn how to deal with and overcome them. The Asshole Survival Guide, as the name suggests, teaches us how to do just that. Throughout the course of the book, Stanford professor Robert Sutton offers practical advice on identifying and tackling any kind of asshole. His advice is based on research into groups such as uncivil civil servants and French bus drivers, and the 8,000 emails that he received on asshole behaviour following his previous book, The No Asshole Rule. With expertise and humour in this latest offering, Sutton provides a cogent and methodical game-plan to handle assholes in the workplace and beyond once and for all.

AUTHOR: Robert I. Sutton PUBLISHER: Penguin Random House Ireland RRP: 14.99 AVAILABLE: amazon.co.uk

YOUR TRAVEL COMPANION

Apartment in Athens

AUTHOR: Glenway Wescott PUBLISHER: New York Review Books AVAILABLE: barnesandnoble.com

Apartment in Athens concerns an unusual triangular relationship in which a Greek couple in Nazi-occupied Athens are forced to share their living quarters with a German officer. This intense and unsettling drama deals with ideas of accommodation and rejection, resistance and compulsion, and is an account of political oppression and spiritual struggle that is also a parable about the costs of closeted identity.

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

“A great one stop resource for anyone thinking of starting up a food business in Ireland.”

AUTHOR: Oonagh Monahan PUBLISHER: Oak Tree Press

The Escape Industry presents an expert view of travel marketing AUTHOR: and branding, Mark Tungate focusing on PUBLISHER: Kogan Page how travel has RRP: transformed 22.50 for both AVAILABLE: consumers and koganpage.com providers since the beginning of the 21st century. Author Mark Tungate traces the evolution of the industry, from nineteenth century trailblazers such as Thomas Cook and The Ritz, to today’s innovations such as TripAdvisor, Couchsurfing and Airbnb. A lively read full of incidents, anecdotes, unexpected encounters and a groundbreaking report from the final frontier and space tourism, The Escape Industry is at the cutting edge of this attractive sector and shares how all marketers can learn from its rich experience of digital transition.

Money for Jam: The Essential Guide to Starting Your Own Small Food Business helps small food producers get to grips with the latest updates in legislation and registration, labelling and packaging and emerging trends.

Author Oonagh Monahan has been working with small food producers for over 18 years, and here presents a helpful guide, with lots of new case studies of successful food businesses, in an easy-to-read and easy-to-follow format.

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THE InBUSINESS INDEX

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5 Y N A M R E G : D 3R 4TH: JAPAN 5.26

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5TH: UK 5.20

France remains in second position, withstanding the effects of the terrorist attacks of 2015 and 2016. Though this has led to lost ground (five places) on safety and security, international arrivals have remained stable. Cultural resources, ground transportation and air connectivity continue to drive France’s travel and tourism competitiveness.

5.12 ES TAT DS ITE .10 : UN LIA 5 6TH USTRA A 7TH: Y 4.99 8TH: ITAL 9TH: CANADA 4.97 1 0 T H : S W I T Z E R L A N D 4 .

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2nd - France

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s fr e l s ue , ta t 2 & a InB To s d or uris USINESS explore Rep s m Co mpetitivenes

6th - United States

The US has the most travel and tourism competitive economy in the Americas, ranking 6th globally, two places lower than in the previous edition. The country offers a very business-friendly environment, with strong ICT readiness and qualified human resources. The country’s wide global connectivity though air transport and exceptional tourism infrastructure enable visitors to access its vast natural and cultural resources.

23rd - Ireland

Ireland dropped four positions in this year’s index mainly due to its poor scoring in the price competitiveness category. The country performed well in the area of international openness and business environment and ranked third on the list of 136 countries when it came to effectiveness of marketing and branding to attract tourists.

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ABOUT THE TRAVEL & TOURISM COMPETITIVENESS REPORT The World Economic Forum has for the past 11 years carried out an in-depth analysis of the travel and tourism competitiveness of 136 economies across the world. The index measures the set of factors and policies that enable the sustainable development of the travel and tourism sector, which in turn, contributes to the development and competitiveness of a country.

For more information go to www.weforum.org/reports/the-travel-tourism-competitiveness-report-2017

InBUSINESS | Q3 2017

25/10/2017 12:44

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