InBusiness Q4 2013

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CONNECTING IRISH BUSINESS | Q4 2013

INTEL InBusiness Q4 2013

When you have meetings outside Dublin, take the train.

It’s like taking your office with you.

INSIDE Eamonn Sinnott on operations in Ireland as Intel enters a landmark year

Enjoy all the benefits and comforts of an office on the move. With free WiFi you can always be on top of things.

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WOMEN ON AIR

Efforts to have more women on our airwaves

aplenty in animation and gaming

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Good things come to those who don’t wait.

The Audi A6 SE. From €439 per month PCP* or from €45,590 on the road.

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*Typical Finance model: A6 2.0TDI 177HP SE OTRP €45,590. Deposit/Part Exchange €13,755.57. 36 monthly payments of €439. Optional Final Payment €19,707.60. Total hire purchase price €49,417.17 including acceptance fee (€75) and completion fee (€75). Minimum deposit is 10%. Subject to lending criteria. This offer is made under a hire purchase agreement. Audi Finance is a trading style of Volkswagen Bank GmbH Branch Ireland, authorised by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority in Germany and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland for conduct of business rules. **Offer exclusive to orders placed with a PCP finance plan before 31/12/2013. Prices are correct as of 01/09/2013 and are subject to change. Offer applies to the Audi A6 and is subject to availability. Audi Ireland has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this information but does not accept liability for any errors. Model shown is for illustrative purposes only.

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CONTENTS NeWs 03 08

10

27

Business News Movers & Shakers

Job Creation

30

It's What's Inside that Counts InBusiness speaks to Intel Ireland's Eamonn Sinnott about the evolution of the company here.

17

25

48

Women On Air Joseph O'Connor looks at the work of Women On Air in giving women the skills and confidence to go on radio and television.

Plans of Action Phil Ellison talks to Eoin MacManus of Three Ireland about the mobile services they are offering to businesses.

Fuelling Business and Community Shell has been working hard to become a good neighbour in the north-west, as InBusiness discovered.

Moving Pixels Dean Van Nguyen reports on the opportunities for Irish companies in the animation and gaming industries.

21

32

Awarding Excellence in their Class The second InBusiness Editor's Choice Awards celebrated innovation and inspiration in Irish business.

reGuLars 35

Chambers Ireland, Ireland’s largest business network.

86

The Last Word Cathriona hallahan, Managing director of Microsoft Ireland, tells InBusiness why confidence and determination are central to success.

Experience that Doesn't Age Phil Ellison profiles the work of Senior Enterprise Ireland in encouraging a greater involvement with enterprise by those aged over 50.

features 12

Blogging for Business Conor Forrest examines the benefits of online interaction for Irish business and seeks out the opinion of the Irish Internet Association.

LIfestyLe 75

Motoring Conor Forrest took a spin in Nissan's new Note to see if some things ever change.

78

Business Books InBusiness profiles some of the latest business books on the market.

80

Gadgets Valerie Jordan takes a look at some of the most useful and eye catching gadgets available.

83

Travel Whether you wish to expand your historical knowledge or just need a break with some winter sun, Malta has it all, as InBusiness discovered.

Chamber update News and opinion from

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83 75 17 editor (ashville Media Group): Joseph O’Connor Managing editor: Mary Connaughton editorial assistant (chambers Ireland): Amy Woods commercial editor: Conor Forrest editorial contributors: Conor Forrest, Colm Gorey, Phil Ellison, Valerie Jordan, Dean Van Nguyen Design and Layout: Leon Hayden, advert Design: Alan McArthur, Seamus Neeson, Photography: Thinkstock.com, istockphoto.com Production Manager: Mary Connaughton Production executive: Nicole Ennis sales Director: Paul Clemenson Managing Director: Diarmaid Lennon Published by: Ashville Media Group, Old Stone Building, Blackhall Green, Dublin 7 Tel: +353 1 432 2200, Fax: +353 1 676 7100, 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, Fax: +353 1 661 2811, email: info@chambers.ie, web: www.chambers.ie all articles © ashville Media Group 2013. 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

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business news

Business News A round up of all the news from the world of Irish business.

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Irish success at European Enterprise Awards

n Irish project, Senior Enterprise, was the winner in the Investment in Skills category at the European Enterprise Awards 2013 which took place in Vilnius, Lithuania, in November.

Senior Enterprise is specifically designed to encourage a greater involvement with enterprise by those aged 50 and over and to raise awareness of their potential to start, acquire or invest in a business, or to become a volunteer mentor.

The European Enterprise Promotion Awards have been rewarding public bodies and public-private partnerships who have shown excellence in promoting entrepreneurship and small businesses since 2006. Over 2,500 projects have entered during this time, and have supported the creation of well over 10,000 new companies. The Awards' objectives are to create a greater awareness of the role entrepreneurs play

in European society and encourage and inspire potential entrepreneurs. This is achieved by identifying and recognising successful activities and initiatives to promote enterprise and entrepreneurship, and then showcasing Senior Enterprise team and sharing examples of best entrepreneurship policies and of the European economy, with around practices.

21 million firms employing almost 87 The Awards ceremony took place in million people and accounting for more Vilnius as part of the SME Assembly, the than 99.8 per cent of all enterprises. focus of European SME Week. European Promoting entrepreneurship and Commission Vice-President Antonio improving the business environment is Tajani, Commissioner for Industry and therefore critical for Europe’s continued Entrepreneurship commented: "The growth and success.” latest information available shows that For more on the work of Senior SMEs continue to form the backbone Enterprise see page 30.

Finance professionals gather for annual event

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n Monday November 18th in the Burlington Hotel over 150 senior finance professionals gathered from a variety of sectors and industries

for the annual RSM Farrell Grant Sparks Essential Technical Update.

The event was chaired by Michael Shelley, Audit, Advisory & Assurance Partner at RSM Farrell Grant Sparks.

Commenting on the event he said: “In light of the significant changes to the financial reporting framework Aidan Clifford, ACCA; Mark Cunningham, Bank of Ireland; Michael Kennedy, ByrneWallace; Michael Shelley, RSM Farrell Grant Sparks; for Irish Jim Mulqueen, Managing Partner, RSM Farrell Grant Sparks. companies

in 2014 and 2015, the need for relevant technical training for senior finance professionals has become even more important. We established this event three years ago and the feedback received has been overwhelming.

I would like to thank our valued clients and contacts for their continued support.”

Speakers at the event included Michael Kennedy, Head of Employment Law, ByrneWallace; Aidan Clifford, Advisory Services Manager, ACCA; Seán Weafer, Business Development Coach, Speaker and Author; Mark Cunningham, Director of Business Banking, Bank of Ireland; Michael Shelley, Partner, RSM Farrell Grant Sparks.

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business news

Tech Entrepreneur launches new corporate identity

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Eamon Moore, E-MIT Solutions

-MIT Solutions, headed up by technology entrepreneur Eamon Moore, have launched their new corporate identity and website. Following a full corporate rebrand and months of hard work, the Dublin-based IT consultancy has unveiled the company’s new vision.

Speaking at the launch, Moore said: “There have been significant changes happening at E-MIT Solutions recently and we are taking this opportunity to showcase these.

Earlier this year we moved to a new premises in Northwood, we have expanded our team of experts and today we are launching our new website and corporate identity. I am delighted to be a part of today’s announcement which includes

the addition of three fantastic new services based on our research and client feedback.”

Along with a range of services including Outsourced IT Management and Cloud Computing, E-MIT Solutions is now offering IT Strategy, Social Collaboration and Commercial Property Services. These innovative new services are designed to ensure clients get the most out of the technology they use in their business.

E-MIT Solutions has been in operation for ten years and boasts a large portfolio of notable clients including Commission for Communications Regulation, Colliers International, Louis Copeland & Sons, The International Society for Quality in Health Care and numerous well-known Dublin law firms.

Charity Makes Laptops Appeal

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rish charity Camara Ireland has issued an appeal for donations of laptops for use in Irish schools. There has been a surge in demand for Camara’s educational technology packages and the charity has not yet sourced enough used laptops to meet this demand.

With its waiting list growing by the day, Camara is appealing to all organisations and individuals to consider donating their end of life laptops for reuse in the education of Irish students.

“I would urge people to consider Camara for reuse of their laptops,” said Ciaran Cannon TD, Minister for Training and Skills and a supporter of Camara Ireland.

“The package they provide makes an important impact in our schools, helping to provide young people with vital access to technology.” The social enterprise, which was founded in 2010, provides reused laptops and teacher training to disadvantaged Irish schools at 25 per cent of the price of a new laptop. Camara Ireland has supplied over 900 computers to schools Students from Scoil Mhuire, this year, having trained Shankill using Camara Ireland’s refurbished laptops. nearly 400 educators.

BullorBear wins Best Digital Startup Award

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fter fighting off stiff competition from eight other dynamic startups, BullorBear were delighted to win Best Digital Startup at the Eircom Spider Awards. To take away the award is an outstanding achievement, especially as the firm only officially launched at the Dublin Web Summit in October.

The Eircom Spider Awards 2013 gathered together the most important figures in the technology, online and digital media industries as well as non-profit and corporate sectors.

The awards recognise Irish businesses and community organisations for their creativity and innovation and provide an important opportunity to showcase online excellence.

BullorBear is an Irish company based in the heart of Dublin, committed to bringing a new way to bet and interact with your family and friends. Their vision is to invite a global community of friends to connect and have banter with each other through online social interaction and endless betting opportunities.

4 Q4 2013 | InBusiness

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business news

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Mayo start-up makes it in South Africa

ayo-based Sentinel Fuel Products have signed an initial contract worth a500,000 with South African company Lebone Engineering (Pty) Ltd. Lebone will distribute Sentinel’s Oilguard 9000 product range and provide front-line support across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

Sentinel Fuel Products is a start-up business targeting global markets for the manufacture and supply of fuel anti-theft devices and fuel management systems.

Sentinel Fuel Products is one of 37 Irish companies which participated in the Enterprise Ireland trade missions to South Africa and Nigeria, led by Minister for Trade and Development, Joe Costello T.D.

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L-R: Collin Matlala, Lebone Engineering; Minister for Trade and Development, Joe Costello T.D; Kurt Reinhardt, CEO, Sentinel Fuel Products; Noel Reinhardt, Sentinel Fuel Products; Fred Klinkenberg, Manager - South Africa, Enterprise Ireland; Kelvin Radebe, Lebone Engineering; The Ambassador to Ireland, H.E. Brendan McMahon.

Prepaid Card Providing A Taste of Ireland

ood Food Ireland has introduced a new Prepaid MasterCard, a Multifunctional Card, a Gift Card and Food Travel Passport, a whole new way to experience Ireland like never before. The Card was officially launched

by Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar, TD and offers one-to-one connections with the very best food places committed to using Irish food. It can be used in the Good Food Ireland Places to Stay, Eat, Cook

Darragh McCullough, Presenter RTE Ear to the Ground; Minister Leo Varadkar; Margaret Jeffares, Founder, Good Food Ireland; Redmond O' Donoghue, Chairman, Good Food Ireland.

and Shop all over the island of Ireland and online on the Good Food Ireland Shop which sends the best Irish artisan food produce direct to people’s homes in Ireland and around the world.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Varadkar said: "Good Food Ireland and its members have made a significant contribution to Ireland’s growing reputation as a great destination for food. Its members are committed to using local produce wherever possible, and providing a top-class service to visitors. This brings clear benefits to tourists, but it’s also vital for the tourism industry and for sustaining and creating jobs.”

The Good Food Ireland Card will direct Irish people and international visitors to the very best restaurants, pubs, cafes, cookery schools, country houses and hotels that have all come together because of their passionate belief in using local food, and their desire as one, to change the culinary reputation of this country.

6 Q4 2013 | InBusiness

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business news

2014 Sponsorship Summit launched

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roke Park played host to the launch of Ireland's premier oneday sponsorship conference which will take place February 20th in Croke Park, Dublin. Entering into its fourth year, the event is estimated to attract 200 of Ireland's most passionate sponsorship professionals to forge new connections, exchange ideas and learn from the industry’s foremost practitioners.

This year’s programme features keynote presentations including; Robert Tansey, Director of Sky Cycling's back to back Tour de France winning team, Heineken's Director of Marketing for Ireland, Sharon Walsh and Rick Jones, CEO and Captain of Fishbait Marketing.

Jones is a renowned and engaging public speaker. These global leaders share their sponsorship stories about the grand strategies and effective tactics that are winning over consumers, catching the attention of sponsors and increasing revenue for sponsored properties.

Bruce Mansour, Co-Founder of the Irish Sponsorship Summit (ISS), says:

“Plans for the ISS 2014 literally started the day after the ISS 2013 came to a close. A selection of hugely topical themes have been carefully selected following an extensive amount of research and industry cross sector

co-ordination.”

He added: “The team of organisers and speakers is really looking forward to welcoming the industry’s key players to a day of education, networking and industry bench marking.”

Sharon Walsh, Heineken, Paul Collins, Today FM and Ballywire, Rob Hartnett, Sport For Business and Bruce Mansour, Event Co-Founder.

Cork tech firms announce merger

Alf Smiddy, Granite Digital; Chris O'Halloran, Fireball Media Group; Doyin Abimbola, Fireball Media Group; Robert Carpenter, Granite Digital; Seamus White, Granite Digital.

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wo of Cork’s leading web development companies, Granite Digital and Fireball Media, are to merge following recent discussions on the advantages of a combination of the two businesses.

Granite Digital has signed an agreement with Cork firm, Fireball Media Group, which will see Granite Digital run the combined web design business, commencing on December 1st 2013, with all Fireball Media’s

current employees joining the Granite Digital business. The combined business will offer a wider range of products and services to clients of both companies, and combined revenues in 2014 will be in the region of €1 million.

Speaking about the merger, Granite Digital Director, Robert Carpenter who is overseeing the transfer of clients stated: “This merger is fantastic news for both companies. We at Granite Digital are delighted to get the opportunity to work with Fireball Media’s existing customers, and believe that our wider range of digital services will enable them to grow their online profiles in 2014.”

Granite Digital has experience of combining web businesses, having very successfully executed a merger with Digital Crew in November 2011, which went on to become the largest specialist digital agency in Munster.

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Movers & shakers | News

Movers & Shakers New appointments in the business community nationwide.

She has a broad range of expertise having worked with clients such as Warner Brothers, Sony PlayStation, IBTS, Calor Gas and HP. O'Mahony will be heading up the digital planning on Ulster Bank and Aviva.

James Dunny

David Browne

James Dunny – FleishmanHillard James Dunny has been appointed an Associate Director at FleishmanHillard Dublin. He joined the company as a Client Director on the Corporate Communications Team in 2008. With over 15 years'experience, Dunny has an outstanding track record in strategic counsel, public affairs and reputation management and he has masterminded many award-winning campaigns.

He was appointed Head of Crisis Communications in 2010 and represents FleishmanHillard Dublin on the FleishmanHillard Global Crisis Communications Team.

Jennifer O'Mahony – MediaVest Jennifer O’Mahony has been appointed Senior Client Manager at leading Irish media planning and buying agency MediaVest.

With a number of years of digital media experience working in OMD, O'Mahony joined MediaVest in 2013.

Jennifer O'Mahony

David Browne – Savills Ireland David Browne has joined property consultants Savills Ireland as Head of their New Homes Department.

Browne joins Savills from Knight Frank (formerly HT Meagher O’Reilly), where he was Managing Director of HT Meagher O’Reilly New Homes.

Commenting on his new post David Browne said, “I am delighted to be joining Savills as Head of New Homes.

On a personal level, this is an excellent opportunity to be involved with a dynamic company at such an exciting time in the new homes market. With the strengthening of house prices and rents in the Dublin area, it is clearly evident that there is a severe shortage of stock, which is fuelling significant demand for new homes, a sector that will

grow rapidly over the next three years.

By working closely with our successful development land division we will be offering our clients the very best in specialist new homes consultancy and advice.”

Jennifer O'Brien – Fastnet Recruitment Fastnet Recruitment is delighted to announce the appointment of Jennifer O’Brien as Recruitment Consultant, due to a number of new client wins and sustained growth at the recruitment and executive search firm.

O'Brien holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in management and marketing from University College Cork and has more than six years’ experience in customer services and relationship managment.

O'Brien will support Fastnet’s clients seeking highly educated candidates with customer service and multi-lingual skills to support significant growth in the Pharma, Shared Services and ICT sectors.

Looking to add to your management team?

Look no further than The Panel.

Accountancy • Financial Services • Insurance • Banking • Funds • Legal • IT 8 Q4 2013 | InBusiness

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Movers & shakers | News

The Digital Marketing Institute has appointed two new Programme Coordinators to manage its rapidly

growing schedule of digital marketing courses. Sharon Weafer has been appointed as Programme Coordinator for Professional Diploma and Corporate training, alongside Mark Golbo who is Programme Coordinator for Postgraduate Diploma and Masters courses; both bring a wealth of experience from previous roles within the education sector.

Sharon Weafer joins the Digital Marketing Institute from Independent College Dublin, where she spent five years as Programme Coordinator across the Media & Journalism, Arts and Psychotherapy faculties.

Mark Golbo previously held the role of Teaching and Learning Associate at University College Dublin for three years where he managed the catalogue of programme structures, module contents and achievable competencies.

This autumn, the Digital Marketing Institute is running more digital marketing courses than ever before, launching ten Professional and Postgraduate Diploma learning programmes between the UK and Ireland. The company continues to expand internationally via its licenced education partners, with the Digital Marketing Institute syllabus now taught in 21 countries across the globe.

Sharon Weafer

Mark Golbo

Jennifer O'Brien

Mark Horgan

Commenting on the appointment, Catherine Cunningham, Business Unit Lead, Fastnet Recruitment, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for Jennifer to be part of a dynamic and growing team; she will add value to our business by adopting a partnership approach to recruitment providing an efficient, tailored, customer-focussed service to clients and candidates.”

seed and early stage technology companies. Before this he was group financial director of Mentec and has held a number of senior financial management positions including at Eastman Kodak.

Mr Horgan holds a B. Comm from University College Cork, an M.B.A. from University College Dublin and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.

Mark Horgan – Irish Venture Capital Association Mr Mark Horgan, partner in Atlantic Bridge, has been elected chairman of the Irish Venture Capital Association (IVCA). He succeeds Dr Manus Rogan, managing partner and co-founder of Fountain Healthcare Partners.

The Irish Venture Capital Association is the representative organisation for venture capital firms in Ireland. In the last ten years Irish VCs have invested €1.5 billion into Irish SMEs and have attracted an additional €1.5 billion from international VCs through syndication.

Mr Horgan has been involved in the venture capital industry in Ireland since 2001. Prior to joining Atlantic Bridge in 2004, he was CEO of Mentor Capital, a venture capital firm he founded that specialised in investing in and mentoring

Sharon Weafer and Mark Golbo – Digital Marketing Institute

Tel: 01 637 7000 • www.thepanel.com InBusiness | Q4 2013 9

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job creation | News

Job Creation InBusiness highlights some of the companies that are expanding operations and generating new employment opportunities around the country.

Microsoft Microsoft has announced the creation of up to 400 construction jobs with a major new investment in Leopardstown in Dublin.

The technology giant is investing â‚Ź170 million in a new data centre in the capital.

The centre will be used to support the company's services on the likes of Windows Messenger and Xbox Live.

Commenting on the investment, Cathriona Hallahan of Microsoft Ireland said it proves how important the country is to the tech giant. "The Irish leadership team here are very proud of the fact that we spend a lot of time lobbying about why Ireland is a great place to invest," she said.

Crowley Carbon Twenty new jobs are being created in County Wicklow at what is claimed to be the world's first carbon control centre.

Last November Crowley Carbon opened

the new facility which will provide a carbon level monitoring service. The company will monitor, control and alert clients to any event that is causing their equipment to consume more energy than should be required.

Northgate A Mayo-based company providing health services is to create 150 jobs. Northgate said the new positions, which will be filled over the next three years, will more than double its workforce in Ireland.

Northgate is a private company specialising in public service contract work. It operates around the world and currently has 100 employees in Ireland.

It runs a newborn hearing screening programme for the Health Service Executive in public maternity hospitals and also operates computer file management systems for several other hospitals.

The new jobs will be in the information technology sector.

Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank has announced that it will create over 700 jobs in Dublin over the coming years.

The German bank, which already employs over 300 people in Ireland, said it plans to significantly grow

its operations in Dublin by moving to a new office at EastPoint Business Park.

The bank said it aims to create a regional hub and centre of excellence in the city.

Deutsche Bank, which has had operations in Ireland since 1991, will start recruiting for the new jobs in 2014.

It plans to hire staff to work in trade finance, cash management and technical and operational roles.

The company said the quality of Ireland's workforce was one of the main reasons it chose Dublin as its location.

Britvic Britvic Licensed Wholesale is creating 20 new jobs in Dublin after it signed new contracts to distribute Walkers Snacks and Findlater Wines in Ireland.

The company, which distributes goods to more than 7,000 bars, hotels and restaurants, will also rebrand to Counterpoint.

The new jobs, which will be located at Counterpoint’s head office in Kilcarbery Business Park, are related to customer care and financial accounts functions that were previously undertaken in the UK. Walkers Snacks, best known for its eponymous crisps, is owned by PepsiCo, with which Britvic already has drinks distribution agreements.

The company is already a major distributor of packaged beers, with market leaders Heineken, Carlsberg, Budweiser, Becks and Coors Light among the brands it distributes.

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intel | cover story

InBusiness caught up with General Manager of Intel Ireland, Eamonn Sinnott, to get his thoughts on the evolution of the company here as it looks towards 2014 and the celebration of a very special occasion – 25 years of Intel operating in Ireland.

It's what's

INSIDE

that counts 12 Q4 2013 | InBusiness

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intel | cover story

F

or global technology leader Intel, 2013 has been an exciting and transformational time for both the company at a broad level and for Intel in Ireland.

In May the Intel Corporation board of directors unanimously elected Brian Krzanich as its new chief executive officer, succeeding Paul Otellini.

Now more than six months into the role, Krzanich has overseen a major reorganisation of the company, a refocusing of the Intel business strategy and the creation of an entirely new business group focused on the Internet of Things, which kicked off in September with the introduction of a new family of microprocessors named Quark.

Despite a continually challenging business environment, Intel is expected to retain revenues in excess of $50 billion for this year and continues to extend its technology and manufacturing leadership globally. For Intel in Ireland, 2013 has also marked a transformative time as the Leixlip campus prepares for the introduction of latest generation process technology in its high volume, advanced manufacturing facilities.

Exciting business diversification for Intel operations in Ireland continued as Belfast company Aepona became part of the Intel family and the new Intel development board – Galileo. The new product and the Intel® Quark SoC X1000, by which it is powered, were unveiled to the world having both been designed in Ireland at the Leixlip campus.

Years of Evolution Eamonn Sinnott, Intel Ireland General Manager, is in a reflective mood. Sinnott, who is also Vice President of the Technology Manufacturing Group at Intel, is reminiscing about 1989 and the now historic decision by Intel to locate in Ireland. “We had no idea how successful or enduring Intel’s partnership with this country would become,” he says. “If I think back to our humble beginnings in a used car dealership in Palmerstown, it’s hard to believe that as we look towards 2014 we are reflecting on our almost 25 year association with Ireland.

“Almost a quarter of a century ago when Intel first arrived in Ireland our mission was very clear; we had to deliver for the Intel Corporation world class production of the most technologically

“I am very proud of what Intel in Ireland has come to represent, I am proud that today Ireland has its own vibrant Silicon Valley in Leixlip and most of all I am proud of the people who have made all of this possible.” complex devices on the planet at that time” he says. “This of course was a daunting task but one which the Irish team relished and now more than two decades later and with nearly $8 billion spent transforming our Collinstown home, I think that we have certainly succeeded in our mission and our reputation for delivery within the Intel Corporation is rock solid.”

Intel Ireland’s achievements since establishing in Leixlip have been impressive by any measure. When Intel first located here the initial focus was on the construction of a PC motherboards and systems factory at the Leixlip campus. This was soon followed in the early part of the 1990s with the establishment its first fab manufacturing facility focussed on the production of Pentium® processors – throughout that decade Intel continued to invest in high volume advanced manufacturing facilities at the campus, building a second facility – Fab 14. Sinnott recalls that “at one point during the 1990s over 50 per cent of the world’s Pentium supply was coming from the plant in Leixlip; an incredible feat considering Ireland had no prior track record of semiconductor manufacturing.” The Leixlip campus continued to mature and at the turn of the century Intel Ireland secured investment at the campus for a 300mm manufacturing facility which was the start of a massive construction project resulting in the establishment of the Fab 24 facility.

The development of Intel in Ireland has been closely linked to Intel’s campus in Leixlip which has been the location for much of the nearly $8 billion investment which has been made since 1989 but from this incredible anchor tenant has come the opportunity over the past two decades for a diversification of activities in Ireland spanning the spectrum of Intel’s business.

“Today there are more than 5,200 Intel employees across the island of Ireland,”

says Sinnott. “In addition to our centre of manufacturing excellence in Leixlip we have hubs for our embedded business activity and our software and service operations in both Shannon and Belfast.

We are also seeing Ireland begin to play a role in Silicon design and we continue to play a pivotal role as a key research and development location in Europe.”

Sinnott is quick to highlight that the positive knock-on effects from Intel's presence here are not simply oneway. “Intel has been good for Ireland and Ireland has been good for Intel,” he affirms. “Indeed the evolution of the Intel story, from basic computer assembly and testing through the advanced manufacturing of the Fab facilities to the creation of original IP in Ireland through research and design facilities, is an almost textbook example of the Irish industrial policy at work.”

An example of how the Intel relationship with Ireland is ever evolving came recently as Intel unveiled the Galileo development board that features the new Quark range of processors.

This represented a very important achievement for Intel Ireland as both of these new technologies were designed in Kildare. The Quark SoC X1000, which is the first product from the Intel® Quark technology family of low-power, small-core products, is the culmination of years of hard work, collaboration, innovation and unwavering vision on the part of a number of people and represents an important development of design competency for Intel Ireland.

Intel’s successes here in Ireland send out the right signals internationally about the ease of doing business in Ireland. “Intel has become a cornerstone client of the technology investment landscape in Ireland,” says Sinnott.

“Success stories such as ours, and that of many other hi-tech companies who have chosen to invest here, continue to play a key role in the positive signals that Ireland is sending as a business location.”

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Making Kildare the Place...

...to live, to learn, to work, to visit and do business.

Kildare County Council www.kildarecountycouncil.ie /KildareCountyCouncil

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@KildareCoCo

19/12/2013 13:26:38

intel | cover story

“We have inherited a value system from the founders of Intel which prevails today in our business approach.”

Eamonn Sinnott

FuELLING INNOVATION Parallel to Intel’s core objective of delivering a continuous stream of high tech silicon products and innovations that enable their ecosystem, the company also strives to make a real contribution to both their local community in Leixlip and to Ireland nationally. “This is an integral part of our culture as a company,” says Sinnott. “We have inherited a value system from the founders of Intel which prevails today in our business approach and which is captured in our ambitious vision which is to create and extend computing technology to connect and enrich the life of every person on Earth.”

Meanwhile, Intel has had a change at the helm and new CEO Brian Krzanich is keen to bring the firm back to its fundamentals. Krzanich, or BK as he is known in the company, wants to recapture the original meaning of the Intel name – which was composed from the combination of the start of the words ‘integrated’ and ‘electronics’. Sinnott is confident that his new CEO can deliver on this promise through a combination of “the relentless pursuit of Moore’s Law, and our commitment to creating leadership products for the multibillion dollar PC industry”.

Moore’s Law – coined by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore – is a forecast that predicts the pace of silicon technology advancement

as he observed that the number of transistors incorporated in a chip would approximately double every 24 months. This infamous observation has essentially described the basic business model for the semiconductor industry. But Moore’s Law is not one of physical or natural occurrence but more of an observation of the possibility of this unique industry and the very existence of Moore’s Law today relies on unparalleled human ingenuity coupled with unrivalled investments in technology and manufacturing. It is this approach which enables Intel to drive transistor scale to ever smaller dimensions and to deliver the computing capability that the world increasingly requires. Sinnott defines the philosophy: “Moore’s Law is driving a fundamental shift in computing, networking, storage, and communication devices to handle the ever-growing digital content and the trend towards a world that within the next ten years will have almost 40 billion intelligent connected devices.”

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION The demand for the fundamental thing that Intel does is exponentially increasing as the way we interact with the world around us continues to change and as our expectations as technology users grow, so too do we see an increase in demand for the basic building blocks

of the internet economy. “It’s staggering when one thinks of the explosion in social media as just one example of the rapid rate of change in technology” says Sinnott. “Every week there are 33.25 billion pieces of content shared on Facebook, a number that has increased almost tenfold in the space of three years and this is a statistic that is reflective of the broader technology landscape that is rapidly changing before our eyes.”

Success for individuals in these evolving, modern day, technology and innovation-led economies depends largely on access to quality education and as a company Intel has had a strong association with excellence in education and in promoting the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). Each year, the Intel foundation donates over $100 million worldwide on education initiatives and here in Ireland, over the last 25 years, the company has donated in excess of $40 million to the Irish education system. This is done through a broad commitment to initiatives that span the education system. This year, for example, more than 12,000 students from across Ireland took part in Intel-run or supported science fairs, giving them the chance to engage in science through an investigative approach to learning.

There is massive opportunity in the near future for the creation of a substantial number of new jobs in InBusiness | Q4 2013 15

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intel | cover story the Irish economy, with ESRI/FAS data suggesting this number to be as many as 250,000 by 2015. It is expected that most of these roles will come from the higher end of the skill scale and include professionals and associate professionals in the areas of science, engineering, business services, and information technology.

This kind of sustained, long-term employment creation, much of which will happen in areas that rely heavily on high standards of maths and science, requires us to put in place critical foundations for the future through investment in an education system that equips our young people with the skills they need to be successful in the 21st century.

Nonetheless, in the Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum for 2013-2014 Ireland continues to rank as average. Sinnott stresses the importance of addressing this shortfall: “On overall quality of education and training we are ranked 18th in the world and when you break this indicator down further to the quality of maths and science education in Ireland we rank 25th. We need to have a relentless focus on our education system and on implementing the transformations necessary to ensure that it is fit for purpose in the face of a changing global landscape.”

achieve and this sentiment is echoed in many sectors of the economy with 'The Global Technology Hub', a document published by ICT Ireland, underpinning the opportunity for Ireland to lead. It stated: “Given the breadth and depth of technology companies already established here, Ireland is uniquely placed to become a global technology hub.”

In particular, 2014 will be a crucial time for Ireland with economists predicting that after a solid 2013 – a year which marked Ireland's first full calendar year of expansion in GDP since the recession began – we will see continued growth in 2014 to as much 2.5 per cent. Austerity has been tough on everyone but what it has enabled is for Ireland to regain a large part of our competitiveness, to refocus on our strengths and to rebuild a somewhat compromised reputation.

IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE THAT COuNTS The backbone of all that Intel does is driven by the company's culture and its success very much depends upon having some of the world's brightest minds working together, according to Sinnott.

Intel is known for its technology, but he believes “the people behind the technology are what makes the company great”.

He offers an insight into how the firm has evolved into what it is today.

“The current chairman of the Intel board of Directors Andy Bryant once described it so aptly when he said that at Intel we start with sand, one of the most common elements on the planet - what we end up with are the most complex devices known to man and in between there is just the innovation, ingenuity and sheer will of our employees.”

Looking ahead to Intel's future in Ireland, Sinnott appears optimistic about the company's commitment here. He also expresses pride in what the Irish team have achieved to date.

“I am very proud of what Intel in Ireland has come to represent, I am proud that today Ireland has its own vibrant Silicon Valley in Leixlip and most of all I am proud of the people who have made all of this possible – and this is just the first chapter of our story. We have been on an incredible journey which gives me much optimism and excitement for what the next 25 years will hold for Intel in Ireland. As one of Ireland’s finest poets Seamus Heaney once wrote 'Believe that further shore is reachable from here'.”

For further details on Intel's key business operations in Ireland see page 56.

LOOKING TO THE FuTuRE The past two decades have represented a very unique time for Ireland as a country and the Intel story that has played out in that time has been a remarkable one which has been categorised by the regeneration of its Leixlip campus and indeed of the Intel businesses across Ireland.

A report commissioned this year by the American Chamber of Commerce and written by Joseph Quinlan provides a comprehensive insight into the impact and value of US trade and investment to Ireland and underpins the long proven track record of Ireland’s reputation as one of the best locations in the world to do business.

Quinlan captured the significance of Ireland as a global business location perfectly as he wrote that “Ireland is a hugely important strategic cog in the global operations of many of the world’s top corporations”. This is a glowing endorsement of what Ireland can

CV: EAMONN SINNOTT ROLE: General Manager Intel Ireland and Vice President of the Technology & Manufacturing Group, Intel.

LIVES: In County Meath, originally from Wexford.

FAMILy: Married to Marion with three beautiful children ryan, roisín and Ciara.

CuRRENTLy READING: The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín FAVOuRITE FILM: My Cousin Vinny (1992) starring Joe Peschi and Marisa Tomei.

HOBBIES: Cycling and learning about photography.

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aniMation and gaMing | feature

Moving pixels

Still from the Brown Bag-produced short film Anya.

Evolving technology and changes in consumer habits are presenting huge opportunities for Irish companies operating in the animation and gaming industries. but will a skills shortage hinder the development of both sectors? Dean Van Nguyen reports.

W

ith global powerhouse organisations like Disney, Pixar, Rock Star and Electronic Arts creating work that generates gross profits in the billions, it’s hard to envision room at the table for homegrown Irish companies operating in the animation and gaming industries. But Ireland boasts a highly decorated history in the former, stemming from the mid eighties when industry legend Don Bluth and businessman Morris Sullivan moved Sullivan-Bluth Studios to Dublin to take advantage of government tax incentives.

Producing the much loved featurelength films The Land Before Time and All Dogs Go To Heaven, as well as helping to establish education systems that trained many young Irish animators, the studio left a legacy that is still felt today as Irish companies continue to work on projects for large scale media corporations like BBC, Disney, Cartoon

Network and Nickelodeon.

In addition to our reputation in animation, the relatively young gaming industry in Ireland is also experiencing significant growth. According to a 2012 report primarily written and researched by Jamie McCormick, Marketing Systems Manager with GALA Networks Europe, employment in the Irish-based video games industry has increased 91 per cent since 2009 to a current estimated total of 3,344 workers.

McCormick also found that the sector has generated a revenue of â‚Ź2 billion since 2001.

While Sony and Microsoft may currently be embroiled in a hardware space race with the release of their powerful games consoles, Playstation 4 and Xbox One, more and more gamers are scaling back and turning to their mobile phones and tablets. With simple ingenuity becoming increasingly

favoured over raw power, there’s an opportunity for creative Irish companies to compete. But despite these prospects, some firms operating in both the animation and gaming industry believe the country is currently experiencing a skills shortage. Demand for talent is now outweighing the supply and many firms have turned to hiring animators outside of Ireland to fill the cracks.

BRIDGING THE GAP Aiming to address and reverse this skill shortage, The Bridge programme was established earlier this year to assist graduates of Ballyfermot College in their transition from education to what hopefully will prove to be long and fruitful careers in the animation and gaming sectors. A collaboration between the Dublin Business Innovation Centre, the Guinness Enterprise Centre, Ballyfermot College and highly regarded InBusiness | Q4 2013 17

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animation and gaming | feature media companies Havok, Jam Media, Brown Bag Films and Riot Games, an initial 13 students have participated in the scheme.

Conceived by Dublin BIC board member Dave O’Meara, The Bridge is a six month programme designed to throw participants into a real working environment. Kicking off last June, the first round of Bridge students have experienced working on professional projects such as creating conceptual artwork for the Jam Media-produced Ivor’s Island, including developing characters and sets, with a view to creating a two-minute trailer, and working with Havoc on a new game for mobile and tablet platforms.

“Through collaboration with two games companies and two animation studios, we set up what would be a real life situation that we put the graduates into,” explains The Bridge Project Manager Richard Glynn, who believes throwing students into real life work situations both fosters their development and bolsters their chances of securing full-time employment. “They’re working with their dream companies – companies that they really look up to and would really love to work with in the future and it’s a real opportunity for them to get their foot in the door and make an impression with them.

It’s easier to get a job with a company if you’ve have had that face-to-face meeting with them and they know who

you are, rather than being just another CV on a slush pile on the HR manager’s desk.”

The Cutting Edge

How exactly a skills shortage has developed over recent years, Glynn isn’t quite sure. But he suspects a lack of communication between industry and education may have played a part, believing education started to address areas which weren’t necessarily up to date with the way that the industry had gone. “It could have to do with speed to which education reacts to deal with industry changes and the way the skills of the industry has to adapt quickly to those changes,” he ponders. “Particularly in games. Gaming is a very fast moving industry; it changes very quickly.

The skills say for creating a console game are very different than skills for creating a mobile game, and that whole movement into agile game development is something that’s quite new. It’s not taught in the schools at all.”

While ever-evolving technology may have played a role in the skills shortage he’s working to address, away from The Bridge, Glynn is very much embracing new advances as an opportunity. Having worked for companies such as Jam Media, Boulder Media and Kavaleer Productions as either a Production Manager and Line Producer on various TV shows, last year Glynn, along with business partners Stephen Kelly and Eoghan Dalton, established Studio Powwow, a company embracing changes in technology and how we consume media.

With more and more viewers spending less time in front of the traditional television and absorbing their media via mobile phones, tablets, games consoles and other devices, the trio behind Stephen Kelly, Co-Founder, Animation Director and Lead Studio Powwow Game Designer at Studio Powwow. decided to take

advantage of the shift. “We saw how the animation industry was going – that a lot of things are going digital, that the app store is becoming really big – and you could see that animation companies are already talking about making games but no one was fully doing it,” says Kelly, the company’s Animation Director and Lead Game Designer whose list of achievements prior to establishing his new business included work on Sesame Street. “So we thought it was a good opportunity now to jump in and fully turn ourselves into a game company rather than just an animation company trying to make games.”

Studio Powwow are currently developing their first major project The World of ShipAntics, a puzzle-based adventure that Kelly envisions will become not just a game, but a TV show, online videos and comics as they attempt to take advantage of the full spectrum of mediums now widely consumed online.

“We saw this as an opportunity of how we could go direct to our consumer,” says Kelly on using the internet to publish their work. “To get our product out there quickly and we could tell if people like it or not and we can change [because] of that. And you can do it with a lot lower budget than you could, say, with a TV show. TV shows are great but the problem with it is you have to go to a broadcaster, you have to raise all this funding, and all this time you’re not dealing directly with your consumer.

You’re dealing with a broadcaster or some sort of middleman and they make the decisions. They have to kind of guess if the kids won’t like it or ‘this won’t work’ or ‘this is trendy right now’.

But we can make our own assumptions now and get it straight out there and test it. We’ve already been doing that by getting content online though YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.”

New tricks While Powwow is a relatively new company, launched in a bid to take advantage of changing media trends, older companies are also adjusting to the brave new world. With 150 staff in Dublin, Brown Bag Studios are one of the city’s more prominent operators in the animation industry, boasting a portfolio that includes work with Disney, Nickelodeon and BBC, as well

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animation and gaming | feature

Pictured at the Guinness Enterprise Centre at the launch of The Bridge: John Phelan, Dublin Business Innovation Centre; Ballyfermot College graduate Rachael Wilson; Chris Dicker, Jam Media, and Maureen Conway, Principal, Ballyfermot College.

“Through collaboration with two games companies and two animation studios, we set up what would be a real life situation that we put the graduates into.” as two Oscar nominations.

As part of The Bridge, students have been working on a Brown Bag short titled Anya. Produced in collaboration with Irish charity To Russia With Love, the four-minute film will depict the life of an abandoned child growing up in a Russian orphanage in order to raise awareness of the group’s work with abandoned and orphaned children in the country.

Anya is written and directed by Damien O’Connor and will represent a foray into some new territories for Brown Bag. The two-time IFTA nominee believes that the project may prove to be a pathfinder in terms of how the long-established animation company releases in future.

As soon as the film is completed, it will be uploaded online and viewers will be invited to donate to the charity, testing the idea that delivering content directly to the audience can prove profitable. “So in a way, without sounding too crass,

it’s almost like we’re busking with the Russian project,” says O’Connor. “It’s a good way to test the waters and just see how successful it will be.”

Established in 1994, Brown Bag have experience technological upheaval more than once in their history, and O’Connor admits time and effort goes into keeping them ahead of the curve. “It’s always a challenge keeping on top of [new technology] but at the same time, once you do learn the technology that comes in invariably it will help the process – it will help get the work done and to the high standard that we deliver. It is always a challenge but we do have a research development team in house here who certainly look at what’s coming down the tracks and make sure that everyone is trained up and that there won’t be any unpleasant surprises technology-wise in the future.”

One of Ireland’s larger operations, Brown Bag may have the resources to

ensure they can remain at the forefront of technological advancements. Smaller start-ups, however, may not be so lucky, and Studio Powwow’s Kelly believes that Government funding is important to ensure these companies can grow – particularly those working in the gaming industry, which he feels lacks financial support. “I think the animation industry is really well supported by the Film Board and the Irish Government,” he asserts. “There really isn’t anything like that for games yet. And I think until there is proper support out there, there aren’t going to be enough skilled people here because there aren’t enough jobs.

There aren’t enough opportunities for companies to grow as fast as they could.”

But while companies evolve to their audiences’ ever-changing demands and hardware advancements outside of their control, Irish success will likely be pioneered by creativity and defined by our continuing ability to produce great work. “It’s a cliché that everyone says the Irish are good at telling stories but I actually think that’s true,” says Kelly.

“So we’re good storytellers and we’re good at crafting stories, and even with design and animation. I think a lot of that has to do with our background.”

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women on air | Feature Margaret E. Ward, Founder of Women On Air with Sinéad McSweeney, Twitter's Director of Public Policy for Europe at the celebration of the group's third birthday.

wOMEN ON AIR Women On Air is a voluntary networking group that runs seminars and informal training workshops to help give women the skills and confidence to go on radio and television.

Joseph O'Connor spoke to its founder Margaret E. Ward.

I

t all started with a tweet back in 2010.

It was sent by journalist Margaret E. Ward in response to an article written in the Sunday Tribune by Úna Mullally entitled ‘Radio Gaga: Where are all the Women in Irish Radio?’ The piece claimed that women's voices were on Irish radio only 10-20 per cent of the time, a statistic which Ward found difficult to fathom. “I thought 'that is simply not true',” she recalls. The article

also stated that women, when they did appear on radio schedules, tended to broadcast outside of the prime time hours of 7am to 7pm.

“So I kind of had a little debate with Úna on Twitter and said 'C'mon Úna!' and she encouraged me to just start listening, which I did, and I was pretty shocked that you could go for twelve hours out of the day and hear very few female voices.” At that early stage, little

did Ward know that the subsequent series of tweets would be the catalyst in the formation of a networking group aimed at improving the number of women we hear on the airwaves.

It was then, through Twitter, that Helen McCormack, producer of Tom McGurk’s radio show on 4FM, challenged Ward to come up with a list of women who could talk on various subjects. And so, the list of female speakers was compiled on InBusiness | Q4 2013 21

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women on air | feature womenonair.ie, as Ward explains. “There was a producer on Twitter who said 'well look, you say there are all these great women but we can't find them. Where are they? Why don't you give me a list?' I said 'fine' and I started compiling one.”

An Accidental Organisation Shortly after this, other volunteers emerged. Another tweeter, Helen O’Rahilly, a former executive at RTE Television, offered to provide a free training session for a group of women.

At O’Rahilly’s request, Ward asked Helen Shaw, a former director of Television to join in. She agreed immediately. The first event was organised at the National Library of Ireland in October that year; a successful occasion which proved difficult to walk away from, as Ward recalls. “It was meant to be a one-off,” she affirms. “I had no intention to start anything except to have this one-off event. So we did and seventy women showed up and said 'that was fantastic, when's the next one?' I said 'there is no next one. I'm too busy for this kind of thing. Sorry people!' And they said 'No, really. When is the next one?' So I got a couple of volunteers together and then we had another one and another one, and here we are three years later. So it was an accidental organisation to be honest that I didn't really have time for.

But we've had a great team on board from the very beginning so they made things happen behind the scenes.”

Group Aims The aims of Women On Air are quite simple; to increase the number of women we hear on Irish airwaves. This is not exclusive to radio presenters, however. The goal is to have as many female voices as possible and from all walks of life; women in history, in business, in tech, in science, in anything as long as they are experts in their field.

The group does not believe in gender quotas to achieve these goals but rather focuses on gender targets. “We don't think gender quotas are possible on the airwaves,” says Ward. “We do believe in gender targets and there's a difference.”

She explains how targets are much more effective in broadcasting and uses TV3’s Tonight with Vincent Browne as a case in point. “The show set gender targets for

“Presently, the voices on radio and TV here far from reflect that fact that 51 per cent of the population is female. Nor does it give any indication that women in Ireland are the highest educated they have ever been and are represented in every industry at every level of business.” itself around two years ago and at the end of every week they ask 'how did we do?' And if it wasn't very diverse Vincent demands to know why. So targets seem to be extremely effective. There are a few radio programmes that I know of that have targets and they review them but they are not public targets. So I think if you give people something to work towards it is effective. If there are no targets, then nothing is done. I think quotas are unworkable in broadcasting.”

Ward also believes that a better gender balance in broadcasting will lead to a more democratic society. Presently, the voices on radio and TV here far from reflect that fact that 51 per cent of the population is female. Nor does it give any indication that women in Ireland are the highest educated they have ever been and are represented in every industry at every level of business. In relation to presenters, research shows that most here are white male from Dublin 4 or Dublin 6 who went to private colleges.

They tend to be between 45 and 65.

They are generally heterosexual and are probably Catholic. These statistics hardly reflect current society. “The main reason why we want more women voices on air is that a diverse media equals a healthy democracy,” says Ward. “As a journalist and as people working in media, we know that the more diverse voices you hear, the better informed you are but if you are hearing the same voices with the same opinion, as we often do on Irish radio, you don't have enough information to make a decision on anything and that's kind of a poor representation of democracy.”

Research Research is important to Ward and Women On Air. As a journalist and former broadcaster herself, she wants the hard facts on the frequency of women

voices on our airwaves. Dublin City University and NUI Maynooth have both conducted research in this area since the Women On Air’s foundation and it has enabled the group to have the legitimate evidence to back up its claims when it “gently” persuades media executives, producers and researchers that more women are possible on air.

“The academic research and statistics are very important,” says Ward. “We've done loads of studies ourselves but we can only go so far and we wanted it done in an academic way. So they said that they would do it and we welcomed it.”

So for an “accidental organisation”, have there been tangible results to its work and how much support has Women On Air received? The positive knock-on effects were quite immediate, according to Ward. “In the first year we were getting phonecalls from the BBC in the UK asking us how we did it and how they could do something similar at the BBC World Service. We also had Sound Women (UK-based organisation committed to raising the profile of women who work in radio) contact us. They started up about six months after we did. Now they are really big over there and they were asking us how we did it. We have had a number of organisations around the world replicate our list.” This is a list of one thousand women who are available to go on radio and television in all business areas and which is available for free on the website to anyone who wants the information.

The State broadcaster has also been supportive of the initiative. They worked with Women On Air last May on a joint training day called 'Bring on the Women', where 25 women were trained in broadcasting. These women are now available to all RTE Radio and Television producers going forward. Such was the event’s success, that another is

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media | feature

What members have said about Women on Air

Building on Success Women On Air’s inception may have been an accident but their success to date has not and Ward intends to build on that. The not-for-profit group celebrated its third birthday last October with a sold out event at the European Union House that was addressed by Sinéad McSweeney, Twitter’s director of public policy for Europe. This can only be a positive sign of things to come in 2014. Meanwhile, Ward is using her expertise to address why there are too many all-male conferences taking place in Ireland, part of her new start-up business 'Broadly Speaking'.

“I think that until we start to take women's voices seriously we are really losing out on some business opportunities and opportunities for a stronger democracy.”

Parallel to this new venture, Ward and her colleagues will continue to work hard to give women a greater voice on Irish airwaves. Afterall, there is still much work to be done. “I think that until we start to take women's voices seriously we are really losing out on some business opportunities and opportunities for a stronger democracy,” says Ward. “We're 51 per cent of the population, why are we invisible? It doesn't make any sense from a purely commercial point of view, when the vast majority of consumers – the people who make the buying decisions in homes – are women. It makes no sense to exclude them from the media.”

“Women on Air is the only reason I got as far as RTE’s Frontline. It’s all that women on air training.”

– Deirdre O’Shaughnessy, Editor of the Cork Independent.

“Just been asked on Vincent Browne tonight to talk about 'Understanding Limerick'. Can’t wait. Thanks to the Women on Air list and Margaret E. Ward.”

– Dil Wickremasinghe, Social activist and entrepreneur.

“Women on Air helped it all happen.”

– Pauline Sargent who appeared on Capital D, a local TV programme. Pauline is interested in hyperlocal news, community development and civic engagement.

“Women on Air not only gave me the confidence to say ‘yes’ to going live on air, but it also activated an inner powerful desire to put myself out there as a speaker on youth and wellbeing issues. Why? Because Women on Air reminded me that my voice is needed.

Thank you.”

– Susan Quirke.

© Thinkstockphotos.com/Hemera

planned for 2014. The group has also received funding from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland in order to hold its inaugural annual conference. The only section of the media which hasn’t shown support is the commercial one, but this was not something which surprised Ward. “The public broadcaster has been great. The local and community radio stations have also been very supportive.

We found the commercial radio sector to be fairly hostile. But they have the worst representation and they're pretty unapologetic about it as well.”

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m

three ireland | feature

Eoin MacManus, Business and Wholesale Director, Three Ireland.

Plans of Action

With the growing importance of SMEs to the wider economy, the provision of efficient and cost-effective mobile services for business is needed now more than ever before. Phil Ellison talks to Eoin MacManus of Three Ireland about the plans they can offer.

T

he current economic climate in Ireland has exacerbated the typical challenges SMEs already confront.

From basic utility bills to high rents and limited access to credit, these firms have their work cut out simply to ensure their survival. Recent research from the Central Bank showed that SMEs in Ireland are among the most reliant in Europe when it comes to bank lending.

To that end, these indigenous businesses are now more apprehensive than ever about their cash-flow and expenditure.

Considering these challenges, mobile service providers have had to re-evaluate their offerings to businesses, to ensure an

affordable and reliable service; alleviating one area of financial stress for burdened businessowners.

Fortunately, competition in the market has improved. Since the telecommunications sector was deregulated in 1998, Ireland has become laden with competitively priced mobile plans as operators attempt to gain market share over their competitors.

Three Ireland has been operating successfully across all sectors in the Irish telecommunications market since 2005, but it is only in the last three years that the company began to assess their services to business customers. Eoin

MacManus, Business and Wholesale Director, has been employed with Three since 2009 and is responsible for all markets within a business context. He believes their strategy to be making strong progress. “We are not as established in the corporate space as we are with Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs), but we are certainly making very significant progress across the business marketplace.�

Business Plans Businesses in Ireland want fixed costs without the fluctuation of price for additional data or minutes. They also InBusiness | Q4 2013 25

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three ireland | feature want to avoid long-term contractual commitments. With this in mind, Three has formulated new plans to suit the needs of both SMEs and corporates. One such plan is called 'Business Saver' and is described as an 'all you can eat' type plan. Companies can avail of unlimited calls, texts and data at any time. The plan also targets businesses which frequently deal with clients abroad – particularly in the UK. “We operate a service called 'Three Like Home',” says MacManus. “If you're in contact with a country where Three is operating like the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Austria, or Hong Kong – we include it in your unlimited minutes. That means that calls from Ireland and back to Ireland are included as part of your plan. This is particularly beneficial for Irish businesses that have operations abroad, and research shows that companies in Ireland and the UK would be in contact regularly with each other.” The tariff for the service is €40 per month for companies using 2-10 handsets, and is lowered to €35 for anything above that.

Contractual obligations can be intimidating for any business. With uncertainty surrounding the future for many SMEs, an unconstrained approach to service provision is necessary. Three's SIM only plan is a one-month €20 rolling contract which includes all of the clauses in the Business Saver plan but comes without a subsidised handset.

The non-committal nature of the plan adds a level of flexibility and control for the budget-focused SME, as MacManus explains: “Companies and employees are frustrated with the fact that they are being locked into contracts from 12-36 months. Additionally, the employees themselves want to choose the types of handsets they are using. That's where our SIM-only plan would come in.”

Valuing the Customer It is not only cost efficiency that businesses look for when signing up to a service. Companies rely on their providers for proficient and pragmatic customer care. A temporary lapse in service quality can have devastating effects on a firm's operations, as well as hindering its reputation. In response to feedback from their business customers, Three has established a dedicated call centre in Waterford to

“Companies are frustrated with the fact that they are being locked into contracts from 12-36 months.” manage the various accounts, with the senior account managers stationed in Dublin. “Our business customer care consists of Irish people based in Ireland, as requested by our clients,” says MacManus. “We also offer a dedicated account manager to companies with anything above four handsets on our plans. Generally with other operators, this type of service is reserved for companies with over ten handsets.”

Smarter Technology Demand for these wide range of services will grow as more businesses embrace the digital age and adopt an online presence. Perhaps a good indication of how far we have come in the last three years is to look at the massive choice of smartphones currently available in Ireland. These trends are not exclusive to the Irish market. An industry survey by research firm Gartner shows that in Q3 2013, smartphone sales accounted for 55 per cent of global mobile phone sales, and with technological advancements ubiquitous across the world, the scope of personal choice and preference is immense. With nearly three quarters of Irish consumers owning smartphones, operators need to keep expanding their digital services and maintain high standards of connectivity to preserve their business customer base. According to Accenture's Mobile Web Watch 2013 survey, which was conducted across 26 countries including Ireland, 36 per cent of Irish smartphone users make internet calls on their devices, but a booming 91 per cent want better mobile data connections. In addition to this, a promising 54 per cent noted that they would pay more to upgrade their internet connection to a speed ten times faster than their current data connection.

These figures demonstrate the need for a greater rollout of 4G mobile internet services in Ireland.

Marking Your Territory Competition in any market is healthy.

That is why some concern was raised in June 2013 when Three agreed to buy O2 from Spanish group Telefonica for €780 million, with a further deferred €70m payable on the condition of specific agreed financial targets. The acquisition would mean the merging of two of the four mobile networks in Ireland. Three is owned by multinational conglomerate, Hutchison Whampoa Ltd (HWL), and the parent company will control 37.5 per cent of the market if the deal is approved. MacManus was restricted in what he could comment about the deal as the company looks for the green light from the EU. “Currently it's subject to competition approval, and we are working very closely with the European Competition Authority to attain clearance of the acquisition in the shortest possible time,” he says.

“We want it to happen as quickly as possible and are working very hard to ensure that is the case.” The Commission is said to rule on the deal by March 24th 2014. If approval is given, it will take some time before we can gauge the true impact the acquisition has on the market.

The Right Message Looking ahead, it's clear that mobile operators have plenty of work still to do in the services they provide to business. The competitive marketplace demands a dynamic and fresh approach to keeping clients satisfied in an everchanging industry. With emerging advancements such as cloud computing solutions which businesses are actively incorporating into their day-to-day operations, the sector is moving at a rapid pace. For MacManus and Three, getting the message across to potential customers about the competitiveness of their network is the main focus. “We're trying to communicate to consumers that Three has a very serious offering for enterprises in Ireland. We've really great aggressive tariff plans that are really resonating with customers and businesses, and we're building on that.

We're trying to challenge the Irish business space, as historically it's always been down to two operators, and I think we have a significant and viable opportunity,” he concludes.

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BLOGGING | feature

BLOGGing for Business

For the uninitiated or the unsure, successful blogging simply consists of opening an account and putting words to screen. In reality, however, it's a little different. Conor Forrest examines the benefits of online interaction for Irish business and seeks out the opinion of the Irish Internet Association.

Ireland on the Internet The Irish Internet Association (IIA) is the professional body for those who conduct business from Ireland, over the internet. Four needs of the Irish business sphere are the driving force behind the operations of the IIA; the need to educate businesses on the benefits of the internet as a medium, to provide practical results, to bring about an environment which leads to speedy adoption of internet technologies, and to ensure the enhancement of Irish competitiveness online.

Eoin Kennedy is a freelance communications consultant who is also chair of the Irish Internet Association's social media working group. Kennedy believes that while Irish organisations should theoretically be well able to take advantage of the internet and utilise online resources, the reality is a little more complicated.

“Blogging is time-consuming, as is social media in general. It also takes a

while to find one's voice and, outside of technical know, confidence to embrace platforms is a serious barrier,” he explains. “Outside of being geared to manage their own presence, blogger outreach and influencer management is rarely well-deployed in Ireland. It's very easy to get wrong, and very timeconsuming to get right. For many Irish companies there was a rush to get

Blog Awards Each year, the Blog Awards celebrate the best in Irish blogging, recognising both the sheer numbers of people who blog, and the influence blogs can have upon the public, if done right. This year's winners include Chill Insurance for Best Corporate Blog, Foxglove Lane Studio for Best Photography Blog and Molly Moo, for Best Craft Blog. It could be your name up there some day.

© Thinkstockphotos.com/iStock

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hile complete adoption hasn't exactly been achieved yet, more and more Irish businesses of all shapes and sizes are embracing the internet as a medium, recognising the importance of an online presence.

Getting your business online is the easy part however, setting up a website with some general information and a shop perhaps; maintaining an active, and, more importantly, an interactive presence is the difficulty. Gone are the days when a website is the ultimate in an organisation's web presence – these days, virtually every business has a website, and the key now is to take that extra step into the world of blogging. There are many benefits for those businesses who use the medium effectively to gain an advantage; new connections with partners or customers, traffic generation, the opportunity to establish yourself as an authority, increasing your business reach through your website, cultivating a new voice and brand, and the chance to receive feedback and reviews.

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blogging | feature seeking to extend their reach into the digital world through the use of blogs. Tech giant Google offer 'Blogger' while others make use of its Google Plus network; Wordpress is consistently popular amongst the blogging populace while Tumblr and Squarespace are all on the Eoin Kennedy, Chair of the Irish Internet list of readilyAssociation's social media working group. available and easy to use blogging destinations.

The great thing about platforms like these is that they don't online, especially with social media sites require a masters in graphic or web with the lure of free platforms. This has design; a few simple clicks can set you up led to many social media tombstones. with an eye pleasing design, leaving you In theory, Irish companies should be to focus your time on creating quality well-positioned for online and social content. media as they are natural storytellers and Securing the best platform, however, community-driven. Harnessing this and is only part of the battle, as Kennedy replicating it online has alluded many,” explains. “The key to success is to he adds. Still, for those who do manage take a strategic approach rather than to develop a well-oiled online presence, rushing out to set up profiles. This the results can be quite positive. means starting with the overall business “Maintaining a solid online presence objectives, making sure the social media can be extremely time-consuming and objectives contribute to these before expensive, so having a presence that drilling further down into defining does not contribute to the company's success, measurement, reporting, goals is probably a luxury that few resourcing requirements – all before Irish companies can afford,” Kennedy a single profile or account is opened.” says. “On the flip side, results can be Preparation, Kennedy maintains, is very tangible and a real impact can be vital to success. Competitor analysis, achieved, but rigour must be applied content schedules, platform analysis, to measurement – for example, Google target audience - these are all things Analytics, which gives real-time results. which should be considered fully This constant process of doing, watching before moving into the world of digital and adjusting can produce very focused thoughts. “The company should keep campaigns that deliver.” asking itself what is its social media currency, and why should anyone care PLATFORMS about it in online platforms. Full teams There are a huge amount of platforms should be established and responsibility and options available to businesses shared throughout the company as this

"blogger outreach and influencer managment is rarely well-deployed in Ireland."

is probably where most of the content will be found,” Kennedy adds.

If you're new to the concept of business blogging, or have already been considering the prospect, don't be put off. Despite the fact that the initial stages can be somewhat time-consuming, and require a lot of work, the fact is that there are great benefits in entering the online world (providing you have something interesting or genuinely useful to say). Ultimately, a business blog is about creating a connection.

While a website can act as a portal into your organisation, and provide a lot of useful information, they are onesided relationships. Blogs, however, can provide actual interaction between a company and a potential consumer, encouraging interaction, feedback and comments on your business, allowing you to learn from consumers and vice versa. With the right preparation and investment, you can develop your brand, drive more consumers to your website and business, and, ultimately, harness the unlimited power of the internet to expand your reach.

CONGREGATION Aside from taking tips from successful bloggers and developing internal strategies to ensure relevant content, there are also a number of events hosted in Ireland each year by organisations like the IIA, and individuals such as Eoin Kennedy.

Kennedy is the brains behind CongRegation, for example, a one day event with a difference held in Cong, Co Mayo (of 'The Quiet Man' fame) last November, which he hopes will evolve into an annual event. There's no entry fee, at least not in monetary terms – attendees pay through sharing their insights on social media and the creation of quality content.

CongRegation 2013

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We are delighted to have won the Exporter of the Year award at the InBusiness Editors Choice Awards.

We supply our products to 31 countries, making Monaghan Mushrooms a global company. Employing around 4,000 staff we are dedicated to bringing our customers the best quality and freshest mushrooms.

To keep up to date with everything happening at Monaghan Mushrooms visit: www.monaghan-mushrooms.com or follow us on Twitter @ Mon_Mushrooms

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senior enterprise | Feature

experience that doesn't AGE John Brophy, Founder and Managing Director, Carrig Solutions.

The invaluable experience and resources which the over 50s can provide to the business community are substantial. Phil Ellison speaks to Paula Fitzsimons of Senior Enterprise Ireland about the relatively untapped market and how the award-winning group is taking full advantage.

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enior Enterprise Ireland has been bridging the gap between entrepreneurship and the over 50s since its inception in October 2010.

An EU supported initiative through INTERREG IVB NWE, the group aims to encourage a greater involvement with enterprise by those aged over 50. This can be developed in a number of ways; through starting a business, alone or with others, acquiring or investing in a business, advising an entrepreneur or supporting innovation within a business owned by another.

Through the work of experienced advisers and resources, Senior Enterprise provides a professional and pragmatic platform for these people looking to venture into a business domain. Paula Fitzsimons, Co-ordinator and Communications Manager, is at the heart of the Senior Enterprise operations. She says it was

John Byrne, Director at Mid-Eastern Regional Authority, who first proposed the initiative some five years ago.

As Fitzsimons explains: “They were looking at ways to spend EU money on the over 50s. Originally looking at tourism and quality of life, we settled on entrepreneurship.”

A Tailored Programme With redundancies ubiquitous across Europe, more and more individuals are faced with the daunting prospect of a new career, often at a later stage in life. Additionally, early retirement is commonplace among the senior demographic, so there is no shortage

of people in this age bracket who feel they have more to give. “We needed to capture their interests,” says Fitzsimons.

“We recognised that the over 50s aren't a homogeneous group and that they all have different backgrounds and motivations. We had to come up with something that's innovative and something that is tailored to the differences among them.”

Too often the over 50s can be viewed as a burden instead of being valued as a resource. In the eyes of many, entrepreneurship and seniority are incompatible. Senior Enterprise aims to dispel these beliefs by encouraging and showcasing the experience of the over

“We've proven that this works and there's a real need for our services. Above all, it's been a great benefit to the economy."

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senior enterprise | Feature 50s in business. “If you were to look at the policy papers and the action plans from Europe, they are saying we need to be more innovative, productive, and we need more employment. In the next breath it says we have this demographic challenge or problem,” explains Fitzsimons.

'Love Money' In Europe, the number of start-ups in receipt of informal investment (sometimes known as 'love money') is relatively low with an EU average of four per cent compared to six per cent in the US. A recent report from the Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship of Dublin City University suggests that Irish start-ups are becoming progressively more reliant on informal investment from family and friends.

Senior Enterprise believes the market they are targeting can vastly improve investment prospects for these indigenous enterprises. “We're talking about mothers and fathers giving money to their children,” says Fitzsimons. “The general idea is making people smart investors – those who give their time and expertise as well as money. There will be people who don't want to risk any money, and that's where we come in with support and advice on innovation.”

Senior Enterprise also has a partner system in place whereby those who are aged above 50 can consider entering business with a younger individual.

The result is the creation of a mutually beneficial relationship.

European Recognition Expansion is undoubtedly a good indicator of success. Between the three branches in Ireland, Brittany and the UK, over 1,000 businesses have been created with the support of Senior Enterprise. Additionally, a general report of business activity shows that in 2011, 2.5 per cent of people over the age of 55 were early stage entrepreneurs, which has significantly increased to 4.6 per cent. “In the first three years of operations we wanted to create 350 new businesses. That number has been considerably higher,” remarks Fitzsimons. “The 2020 Entrepreneur Action Plan published by the Commission also said that Europe would do well to take inspiration from

Senior Enterprise Ireland.” Testament to employees receive on departure which the work it has been carrying out, Senior can potentially be used as capital for a Enterprise recently won the Investing start-up. “I decided to invest the entire in Skills Category at the European sum in the business and it was the Enterprise Awards which took place best financial decision I ever made. In in Vilnius, Lithuania on November addition, by involving my bank from 25th 2013. This type of indispensable day one, and by keeping my promises to publicity has been vital in promoting the them, I found it relatively easy to obtain group's message but Fitzsimons stresses credit facilities after we had built up a that the real value is seeing the tangible track record. Banks will not support a results on the ground. “While winning badly thought out scheme and they will the award was the icing on the cake always look for figures – not words,” and terrific for our confidence, the real says Brophy. Carrig Solutions has been impact has been with real people.” operating successfully since 2010 and John Brophy, Founder and Managing employs eight full-time and two partDirector at Carrig Solutions, is one of time staff. those “real people” who has benefited from Senior Enterprise. After 11 years in The Future of Senior Enterprise a senior IT role in a large multinational, Despite Senior Enterprise's evident he was made redundant. Stifled by the success to date, not to mention its news of unemployment, he was back prestigious accolades, funding is not on his feet within two days when he always readily available. Finances can decided to start his own business. “I had run out if there is not enough interest felt for some time that I could provide and support – regardless of proven track a better service for customers than my records. “The current cycle of funding employer was doing and now I had the opportunity to prove that I could deliver has come to an end,” says Fitzsimons.

“We've proven that this works and on that long held opinion,” explains there's a real need for our services.

Brophy.

Above all, it's been a great benefit to The idea of entrepreneurship and the economy. You have people who are 'going out on your own' is something productive who otherwise wouldn't be, considered by many individuals at so looking forward, we need further some stage or another. The majority support.” The group is unlikely to spend are unfortunately hindered by their much time basking in the glory of its careers, reluctant to take the leap into recent European award. With Fitzsimons uncertainty or feel they are too old to at the helm, Senior Enterprise will seek deliver on a long-standing goal. For to build on its success of proving the Brophy, the unexpected redundancy, true worth to the business community coupled with guidance from Senior of people over 50.

Enterprise, gave him a push to pursue his ambitions.

“Entrepreneurship is not for everyone. You have to really believe in what you are doing and what being your own boss, with all the risks and uncertainties that that entails, really means. It should not be a fall back situation when someone cannot find alternative employment.

It is certainly not a soft option,” remarks Brophy.

One consolation John Byrne and Paula Fitzsimons of Senior resulting from Enterprise, Winner of the Investing in Skills redundancy is the Category at the EEP Awards. financial lump sum InBusiness | Q4 2013 31

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shell | Feature

Mary Carolan, Tony McGarry (Scholarship Board), Sean Staunton (Chairman, Scholarship Board), Christy Loftus and Fiona Togher at the announcement of the 2013 Corrib Natural Gas scholarship winners.

Fuelling business and coMMunity Shell has been working hard to become a good neighbour in the north-west, as InBusiness discovered.

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he Corrib Gas Project has had more than its share of headlines ever since the Corrib field was first discovered by Enterprise Oil in 1996.

'Controversy' was a byword that attached itself to the development after Enterprise Oil was bought by Royal Dutch Shell in 2002. Reversing that negativity and becoming a good neighbour to the communities close to its operations has been a key priority for the Shell team in Mayo.

In an age when long-term environmental concerns are held by many across the globe, the actions of companies that primarily deal with the extraction of

natural resources come into focus.

For Shell, as one of the largest energy companies in the world, there was, understandably, considerable interest in their proposal for bringing the Corrib Field on stream. Following the jailing of the Rossport Five in 2005 it became clear to Shell that there were significant issues between the company and the local community which had to be addressed.

INSTIGATING CHANGE Fiona Togher has been Shell's Social Investment Advisor in Erris since 2007 and has seen a dramatic change in people's attitudes towards the Corrib

project in recent years. When Fiona joined, the Corrib project was a regular feature in the news and she knew it would be a difficult task to convince the local people of the benefits of the development. As she explains: "With Shell, we are always confronted by legacy issues arising from the early days of the project. I started working with Shell in 2007 and I spent the first six months speaking to people in the community and listening to what they had to say.

What they told us was that they had never felt listened to; they spoke but they weren't necessarily sure that their concerns were being heard. This failure

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shell | Feature of communication resulted in a lot of trouble in the early stages of the project.

When we got past the stage where they were venting their frustration, we began to build a good relationship with them.

We've come a long way since then.”

Certainly in the last five years, the people of north-west Mayo have greatly benefited through the hundreds of jobs that have been created on the project and also from the financial support that is provided to community and voluntary groups. Considerable assistance is also given to local businesses and SMEs which helps them do business with other less remote parts of the country.

This feeling of isolation was prevalent among the people of Erris and they made their feelings known in discussions with Fiona: "When we spoke to community groups, a common theme that was regularly expressed to us was the geographical isolation of the area. As well as being one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland, Erris is one of the most remote areas in Europe. As well as increasing the cost of doing business, the geographical isolation can lead to particular challenges for their operation.

For example, a local sports club can find that the costs of travel to go wherever they want to go to is probably three times that of other areas because of the distances involved.

COMMUNITY INVESTMENT “With that in mind we set up what we called our Local Grants Programme which offers grants ranging from €500 up to €5,000 to voluntary and

community sector groups which meet the criteria of being local, inclusive and sustainable. Normally we get about 150 applications each year and we fund between 60 and 90 organisations annually. Some of the projects we have invested in would be for IT equipment in schools, road safety programmes with schools in the area and other local groups. We also support sporting clubs and some cultural and heritage projects like local festivals."

Shell has also contributed significant funding towards sixth-year students looking to go on to college with their Corrib Natural Gas Third-Level Scholarship Programme. Launched in 2007, this programme offers 16 students from the four schools serving the region the chance of receiving €2,000 per year of their degree programme. To date, the scholarships programme has helped 60 students to receive the education they need to progress in their careers.

Erris Enterprise Week One project that has received great praise from local businesses has been Erris Enterprise Week. The first Enterprise Week was held in 2012 and as part of the event, businesses attended a number of lectures on marketing, tourism marketing, digital marketing, effective use of social media in business, access to finance, business governance and taxation.

Many of these areas have proven considerably challenging in the past but Fiona believes that Shell’s commitment to supporting local sustainable

enterprises and encouraging and mentoring young, enthusiastic business people will result in benefits to the area for many years to come.

"As part of Erris Enterprise Week, we had young entrepreneur workshops with the local schools and we got such great feedback from it,” says Fiona.

“We also did follow-up mentoring whereby anyone who went to one of the seminars could access mentoring in their particular fields and to help them with the practical problems they are to expect in their business. It's okay bringing in someone for four hours in an evening to go over a marketing plan, but if they run into problems rolling that out, they need someone to show how it actually operates. We had such great feedback from the inaugural Erris Enterprise Week in 2012 that we decided to run it again this year and we plan to have it on our events calendar for the foreseeable future."

Gavin Duffy, of RTE’s Dragons’ Den fame, who launched this year’s event, was received with wide acclaim. He spoke about the worrying level of negativity in the national media surrounding business in Ireland and suggested that it was harming not just businesses in rural Ireland, but instilling a psyche of hopelessness amongst business owners.

According to Fiona, the effect of Gavin Duffy's visit was clear to see: "There was a great buzz about it afterwards in the community and they were saying that they need more positivity like that more often. It was like a shot in the arm for a lot of local businesses."

corrib facts

Michael Crothers, MD SEPIL, pictured with course co-ordinator Edel Goldman and digital media production students at the Erris Enterprise Week.

• When the Corrib gas field comes on stream (first gas is expected in 2015) it will have the potential to meet 60 per cent of Ireland’s gas needs.

• According to Goodbody Economic Consultants, it will add €4.4billion to Ireland’s GDP. • It has already resulted in eight towns in Mayo and Galway being added to the national gas network which enhances Mayo and adjoining counties as a location for future industry.

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Value through Innovation

Even after a century of experience, we remain intensely curious.

For the sake of future generations.

Boehringer Ingelheim has always remained true to its character as an independent family-owned company.

Our vision drives us forward. It helps to foster value through innovation in our company and to look to the future with constantly renewed commitment and ambition. Today, we operate globally with 142 affiliated companies in 50 countries. With more than 41,500 employees worldwide and a track record developed over 125 years, we are dedicated to improving the outlook for healthier lives. www.boehringer-ingelheim.ie

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Chamber Update News and opinion from Chambers Ireland, Ireland’s Largest Business Network.

36. Chamber News A round up of all the news and events from Chamber networks nationwide.

39. Tricks of the Trade Chris Byrne of Portorium Tax outlines the benefits of free trade agreements and has advice for exporters on how to reduce or eliminate customs duties.

40. Local Leaders A round up of all the winners at the 2013 Excellence in Local Government Awards.

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chamber news

Chamber Catch-Up A round up of all the news and events from Chamber networks nationwide.

Neuroscientist wins Start Up Package

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Bali Agreement will lower trade barriers

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he International Chamber of Commerce Ireland has welcomed the historic agreement at the 9th World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Bali as a result that will not only restore confidence in the multilateral trading system but also generate a much needed stimulus of $US1 trillion and 21 million jobs to the world economy.

The agreement reached on trade facilitation is expected to reduce crossborder transaction costs for companies by 10-15 per cent and is significant for businesses in all sectors and of all sizes around the world.

Commenting on the deal, ICC Ireland Secretary General Ian Talbot said: “This agreement is an important step that will lower barriers to trade and speed up customs procedures around the globe.

This agreement will be of great benefit to a country like Ireland that relies so heavily on exports. The fact that this is the WTO’s first trade agreement provides hope that other important elements of the Doha Development Agenda can be completed.”

© Thinkstockphotos.com/istockphoto

© Thinkstockphotos.com/istockphoto

he winner of the Start Up Support Competition was announced at an exciting event held in Miele, Citywest Business Campus on 14th November 2013. With tough competition from a range of new business ventures, Áine Behan of new science-related enterprise, Cortechs Connect, was revealed as the winner of the prize fund worth almost €7,000.

The prize includes one-to-one mentoring and advice in a range of areas including marketing, accountancy, legal and HR, a management and administration software package, training worth over €2,500, stationery design and print and even a style consultation; all provided by the members of the South Dublin Chamber Ladies B2B Network. In addition, she will receive a year's membership of South Dublin Chamber, including access to their six Business to Business (B2B) Networks.

Ann Kelsey, Chairwoman of the South Dublin Chamber Ladies B2B Network, explained the true benefit of the prize to a start up business: “Many business owners, when starting out, want guidance but feel that they cannot afford professional advice. They want to know more about marketing, recruitment, sales, IT and many other specialist areas. We put together a package for a business starting off, to give them the advice that they really need at the beginning. We also wanted to show the real strength of businesses owned by women and the importance of working in a network.”

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chamber news

Front row kneeling: Denise Gore and Tony Carey of Copytype. Back row from L to R: Fintan Flanagan and Bryan Sheedy of Northern Trust, Liv Carrig and Jonathan Griffin of Dell, and Linda Edgeworth and Julianne Greenslade of Cook Medical.

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imerick Chamber, in partnership with Barrington’s Hospital Great Limerick Run, has launched the Fittest Company Challenge. This novel challenge, which will run as part of the Great Limerick Run event, provides an opportunity for some friendly competition amongst businesses in the midwest region as well as highlighting the idea that healthy employees are happy employees.

For each employee who finishes a race in the Barrington’s Hospital Great Limerick Run, their company will earn points per mile finished. The company with the most points in their category will be declared the fittest company.

Maria Kelly, CEO, Limerick Chamber, explained why the organisation developed the challenge: “Our work

in the Chamber is about helping companies to succeed. One of the greatest assets any company has is its employees. We hope that this challenge will encourage companies to develop healthy lifestyle strategies for their employees which will in turn lead to a more productive and successful workforce. It also gives us a unique way to support the Great Limerick Run which brings substantial economic benefits to the Limerick region year on year.”

The Challenge is open to companies of all sizes. There are categories for micro, small, medium and large size companies. Participants do not need to be runners as walkers are also encouraged to participate in the Great Limerick Run.

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onor Healy, CEO of Cork Chamber of Commerce, urged the people and businesses of Cork to continue their long tradition of support for SHARE (Students Harness Aid for the Relief of the Elderly) this Christmas season. This year saw SHARE’s fundraising campaign in its 44th year. The 2013 theme was Dignity, Respect and Compassion as these values lie at the heart of what SHARE aims to provide by supporting the elderly in Cork’s community.

The Christmas campaign of Fasting and Fundraising is the only fundraising campaign which SHARE runs throughout the entire year.

The campaign launched on Sunday December 15th at the SHARE Crib, Daunt’s Square, Cork. The launch of the campaign saw 1,800 fourth and fifth year students from 20 schools around Cork don the yellow jackets on behalf of SHARE. Healy has been supporting SHARE for as long as he can remember.

Commenting on the work of the charity, he said: “Seeing the boys and girls of SHARE on the city streets is an intrinsic part of a Cork Christmas. I think the difficult times we have gone through reiterate how important the role which SHARE plays for Cork’s senior citizens really is. SHARE helps provide over 200 housing units across the city of Cork and also provides a fantastic Day Care Centre on Sheare’s St for older people to socialise in.”

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Fighting Fit for Business

Cork gets behind SHARE campaign

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chamber news

Newbridge looked local this Christmas

East-West Tourism Imbalance Must be Addressed

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Senator Mary Ann O’Brien helps Newbridge Chamber President David O’Reilly to launch Christmas '13 - Lucky for some!' Shop Local Campaign.

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ewbridge Chamber once again reminded Newbridge shoppers in advance of Christmas how lucky they were to have everything on hand in town to do their seasonal shopping.

Speaking before Christmas, President David O’Reilly explained: “It’s so easy.

If you are looking for value, choice and convenience you need look no further than Newbridge! We have so many vibrant streets and shopping centres, all located between the Bridge and Ballymany, full of seasonal fare. And most importantly of all, you will get a unique personal service by keeping it local.”

The launch of ‘Christmas '13 - Lucky for Some’ shop local campaign took place at Lily O’Brien’s funky Factory

Shop on the Green Road. Speaking at the launch, Founder and Chairperson Mary Ann O’Brien spoke passionately about the importance of buying Irish and in particular about buying local.

“I think we, as Irish consumers, have long understood the importance of buying Irish,” she said. “By choosing to shop locally this Christmas we are not only receiving excellent quality and value for money but we are also contributing to the prosperity of our local communities through supporting local jobs.”

She continued; “Newbridge has so much to offer as a modern shopping destination and Lily O’Brien’s has certainly been blessed for many years with the support Kildare shoppers have afforded our little factory shop.”

hannon Chamber has warned that the growing east-west imbalance in tourism will continue unless actions are taken to redress the issue. In responding to a specific set of questions raised by the Government in its Tourism Policy Issues Paper, Shannon Chamber also recommended that tourism be treated as a defined sectoral activity, in terms of economic performance and value to the economy, in the same way as other sectors are recognised.

“This may require collaboration between government departments who are supporting parts of the sector, but not regarded as mainstream providers. A Tourism Satellite Account, which will monitor and provide statistics on how tourism impacts the economy, would be an essential first step in this direction,” said the Chamber’s chief executive Helen Downes.

Pointing to the need for aligning marketing spend to destinations served by airports, Shannon Chamber said the Government needs to assess the benefits of choosing regions in Ireland for specific tourist offerings.

“Ireland is an island economy so we have to view it from a tourist’s perspective to maximise its performance. Visitors come to see multiple products in a single destination; getting them to move east-west and west-east is essential,” Ms Downes added.

In its submission, Shannon Chamber also made reference to the value of Aer Lingus’ Heathrow slots in supporting tourism, describing them as “critical for national connectivity and essential for delivering tourism through Shannon to the West.”

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PORTORIUM TAX | feature

Tricks of the Trade Customs Advisor and Managing Director of Portorium Tax, Chris Byrne, outlines the benefits of free trade agreements and has advice for exporters on how to reduce or eliminate customs duties.

T

he European Commission is busy negotiating new free trade agreements with various countries around the world. Canada is among those who recently signed a free trade agreement with the EU; the political agreement was signed on the 18th October and now discussions move to the legal text and the technical agreement. It is expected that most industrial products will go to zero customs duty from the commencement date. It is estimated that the Canadian market opening up for EU exporters will be worth €11.6 billion.

Recently we became aware that Ukraine had walked away from signing a trade agreement with the EU and many of its 43 million inhabitants have taken to the streets to try and force their leaders back to the table. The European Union is the largest trading block in the world and many countries want access to that market to help improve their own economies. It is strange for a country to walk away from the table at the 11th hour because this action in itself could bring about the opposite effect through economic isolation. It is very important for Ukraine to be able to access the largest market in the world as this will help improve the standard of living of the population. It is also an opportunity for EU businesses to access those new markets.

From an EU perspective, what do free trade agreements bring?

• Open new markets for goods and services; • Make trade cheaper by significantly reducing customs duties; • Make trade faster through modernising customs to facilitate trade through to making it easier to transit through those countries;

• Through improving technical and examination it appears that the product sanitary standards, and; does not qualify, some expert advice may • Protection of intellectual property be acquired to work through the bill of rights, competition rules and materials and sources for raw materials frameworks for public procurement. to make adjustments to meet the In order to reduce or eliminate particular origin rule. These bilateral free customs duty when accessing the trade trade agreements are going to change the agreement countries goods must qualify trading environment. Traders wishing to for originating status in the exporting access those new opportunities need to country. Exporters need to be able ask themselves whether they are ready. to issue a EUR 1 certificate of origin For further information contact or qualify as an approved exporter to chrisbyrne@portoriumtax.eu. issue invoice declarations of origin. South Korea, for example, will only accept invoice declarations. It is really important to ensure that goods qualify to meet the origin rules because if the goods do not qualify the customer could suffer unexpected duties and the exporter could be hit with penalties. In order to check whether an exported product qualifies; the customs classification needs to be verified because each product has its own origin rule and the rule is connected to the classification.

Chris Byrne, Customs Advisor If upon first InBusiness | Q4 2013 39

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CHAMBERS IRELAND | LOCAL GOVERNMENT AWARDS 2013

Local Leaders Dublin City Council scoops top award at the 2013 Excellence in Local Government Awards.

D

ublin City Council was named City Council of the year at the 10th Annual Excellence in Local Government Awards which took place last November. Meanwhile, Ennis Town Council was named Town/Borough Council of the year at the event held in association with the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.

Ian Talbot, Chambers Ireland Chief Executive said: “While next year’s elections herald a new era for Local Government in Ireland, we have no doubt that the excellent work carried

out by local authorities will continue to strengthen and grow during these times of change. We are honoured every year to host these awards and recognise best practice across the country. I’d like to give my congratulations to not only the winners on the night but to all those who made the shortlist.”

In presenting the awards, Phil Hogan, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government commented: “Every year these awards showcase just how imaginative and innovative local authorities can be.

Whether it’s organising a festival, using

new technology or dealing with a water supply issue, the quality of the projects and dedication of the people involved is always impressive. It is a pleasure for my Department to partner with Chambers Ireland in recognising these achievements.”

Individual awards were sponsored by: AIB; An Post; CBRE; EirGrid; ESB Networks; GloHealth; Optic Nerve; The Gathering Ireland 2013; Shell E&P Ireland and Zurich. Winners were presented with a specially commissioned trophy designed by Tipperary Crystal.

Patrick King, Policy and Communications Manager, Dublin Chamber of Commerce; Peter Finnegan, Director Office of Economy and International Relations; Maryann Harris, Senior Executive Parks Superintendent, Parks and Landscape Services; Edel Kelly, Senior Executive Planner, Roads & Traffic Department; Paul Clegg, Executive Manager, Culture, Recreation and Amenity; Margaret Hayes, Dublin City Librarian, Dublin City Public Libraries; Phil Hogan T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Cllr Henry Upton, Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin; Colm Moroney, PASS Co-ordinator, Dublin Region Homeless Executive; Eoin Ward, Senior Executive Parks Superintendent, Parks & Landscape Services and Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland.

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CHAMBERS IRELAND | LOCAL GOVERNMENT AWARDS 2013

The Winners City Council of the Year Dublin City Council

Town/Borough Council of the Year

Cork City and County Councils – Cork Innovates

Ennis Town Council

Innovation in Technology Sponsored by Shell E&P Ireland

Sustaining the Arts Sponsored by Tipperary Crystal

Dublin City Council – Pathway Accommodation and Support System (PASS)

Cavan Town Council – Trans-art Cavan 2012

Supporting Active Communities Sponsored by GloHealth Kerry County Council – Building Community Resilience

Festival of the Year Sponsored by An Post Cavan Town Council – Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann

Best Library Service Sponsored by Optic Nerve Wexford County Council – Discover, Imagine, Grow!

Parks & Recreation Sponsored by Zurich

Smarter Travel Sponsored by Shell E&P Ireland Cavan Town Council – Smarter Travel Scheme

Sports Development Sponsored by Eirgrid Carlow Local Authorities – McGrath Park Integrated Community Sports Facility

Sustainable Environment Sponsored by ESB Networks Dublin City Council – Tolka Valley Greenway

Outstanding Customer Service Sponsored by Zurich

South Dublin County Council – Taking steps to be a literacy-friendly Local Authority

Local Authority Economic Efficiencies Sponsored by CBRE Laois County Council – Road Recycling for the Restoration of Local and Regional Roads

The Gathering Ireland 2013 – Community Gathering of the Year Sponsored by The Gathering Ireland 2013 Clare County Council – Celebrate Scattery Island

The Gathering Ireland 2013 – Community Gathering of the Year Sponsored by The Gathering Ireland 2013 New Ross Town Council – JFK50 – The Homecoming

Dublin City Council – Fairview Park Improvement Project

Strategic Water Initiative Sponsored by Tipperary Crystal Limerick County Council – Kilmallock Water Supply

Supporting Tourism Sponsored by Eirgrid Enniscorthy Town Council – Rebellion @ The National 1798 Rebellion Centre

Partnership with Business Sponsored by AIB Galway County Council – Made in Galway

Joint Local Authority Initiative Sponsored by ESB Networks

Awards MC Mary Kennedy

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chaMbers ireland | LocaL GoverNMeNt aWarDs 2013

TheWinners toWN/ BorouGH couNcIL of tHe year ennis town council Left: Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Mary Coote ryan, Ennis Town Mayor; Ger dollard, director of Services, Clare County Council; Leonard Cleary, Ennis Town Clerk and Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland.

sustaINING tHe arts cavan county council -trans-art cavan 2012

right: Mark Fearon, Sales Manager, Tipperary Crystal; Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Jacquii Lewis, Cavan Town Mayor; brian hora, Cavan Town Clerk and Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland.

Left: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland; Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Siobhan Griffin, Community and Voluntary Forum, kerry County Council; Cllr Seamus Cosai Fitzgerald, Mayor of kerry and Teresa kelly Oroz, Legal director, Glohealth.

suPPortING actIve coMMuNItIes Kerry county council – Building community resilience

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chaMbers ireland | LocaL GoverNMeNt aWarDs 2013

festIvaL of tHe year cavan town council – fleadh cheoil na heireann

Left: Angus Laverty, Public Affairs Manager, An Post; Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Jacquii Lewis, Cavan Town Mayor; kevin Smith, Cavan County Council; Jack keyes, Cavan County Manager and Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland.

Best LIBrary servIce Wexford county council – Discover, Imagine, Grow! right: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland; Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Cllr Ted howlin, Cathaoirleach, Wexford County Council; Fionnuala hanrahan, Wexford County Librarian and david rice, Optic Nerve.

ParKs & recreatIoN Dublin city council – fairview Park Improvement Project Left: Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Cllr henry upton, deputy Lord Mayor of dublin; Eoin Ward, Parks and Landscapes division, dublin City Council; Conor brennan, director of broker distribution, Zurich and Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland.

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chaMbers ireland | LocaL GoverNMeNt aWarDs 2013

strateGIc Water INItIatIve Limerick county council – Kilmallock Water supply

Left: Mark Fearon, Sales Manager, Tipperary Crystal; Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; richard O’Neill, Plant Operator, kilmallock Water Supply; Cllr John Sheahan, Cathaoirleach, Limerick County Council; and Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland.

suPPortING tourIsM enniscorthy town council– rebellion @ the National 1798 rebellion centre right: Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Cllr Johnny Mythen, Cathaoirleach, Enniscorthy Town Council; Jacqui hynes, Manager, Enniscorthy Castle; Fintan Slye, Chief Executive, EirGrid and Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland.

PartNersHIP WItH BusINess Galway county council – Made in Galway

Left:Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Cllr Liam Carroll, Mayor of Galway; Alan Farrell, Acting director of housing Services, Galway County Council; brian barrett, head of Economics and Community development, Galway County Council; John Irwin, head of Strategy & Enablement, AIb and Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland.

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chaMbers ireland | LocaL GoverNMeNt aWarDs 2013

JoINt LocaL autHorIty INItIatIve cork city and county councils – cork Innovates

Left: Conor healy, Chief Executive, Cork Chamber; Siobhán Finn, Coordinator of Cork Innovates; Jerry O’Sullivan, Managing director, ESb Networks; Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Cllr Catherine Clancy, Mayor of Cork City; Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland; Cllr Noel O’Connor, Mayor of Cork County; Tim Lucey, Cork City Manager and Martin riordan, Cork County Manager.

INNovatIoN IN tecHNoLoGy Dublin city council – Pathway accommodation and support system (Pass) right: Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Cllr henry upton, deputy Lord Mayor of dublin; Colm Moroney, National database Coordinator, dublin City Council; John Egan, Communications Manager, Shell E&P Ireland and Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland.

sMarter traveL cavan town council – smarter travel scheme Left: Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Cllr Val Smith, Cathaoirleach, Cavan County Council; Jacquii Lewis, Cavan Town Mayor; Ger Finn, director of Services, Cavan County Council; John Egan, Communications Manager, Shell E&P Ireland and Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland.

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chaMbers ireland | LocaL GoverNMeNt aWarDs 2013

sPorts DeveLoPMeNt carlow Local authorities – McGrath Park Integrated community sports facility Left: Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Cllr Eileen brophy, Cathaoirleach, Carlow Town Council; Cllr des hurley, Cathaoirleach, Carlow County Council; Seamus O’Connor, director of housing, recreation and Amenity and Special Projects, Carlow Local Authorities; John Fitzgerald, director of Grid development, EirGrid and Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland.

sustaINaBLe eNvIroNMeNt Dublin city council – tolka valley Greenway

right: Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Cllr henry upton, deputy Lord Mayor; Maryann harris, Senior Executive Parks Superintendent, dublin City Council; Mike Fitzgerald, divisional Manager; ESb Networks and Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland.

outstaNDING custoMer servIce south Dublin county council – taking steps to be a literacy-friendly Local authority

Left:Cllr Paddy Cosgrave, South dublin County Council; Sandra hickey, Social Inclusion unit, South dublin County Council; Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Cllr dermot Looney, Mayor of South dublin; Maria Finn, Social Inclusion unit, South dublin County Council; Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland; Cllr Emer higgins, South dublin County Council; Conor brennan, director of broker distribution, Zurich and Cllr Mick duff, South dublin County Council.

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chaMbers ireland | LocaL GoverNMeNt aWarDs 2013

LocaL autHorIty ecoNoMIc effIcIeNcIes Laois county council – road recycling for restoration of Local & regional roads

Left: Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Laura halpenny, Procurement and Clerical, Laois County Council; Michael Malone, Senior Executive Engineer, Laois County Council; Gerry hooban, General Services Supervisor, Laois County Council; Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland; Edmund kenny, Executive Engineer, Water Services, Laois County Council and Enda Luddy, Managing director, CbrE.

tHe GatHerING 2013 – coMMuNIty GatHerING of tHe year clare county council – celebrate scattery Island right: Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Ian Lynch, Scattery Island heritage and development; ronan Foley, Chief Executive, IPb Insurance ; rebecca brew, Scattery Island heritage and development; Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland; Joe Arkins, Mayor, Clare County Council and Jim Miley, Project director, The Gathering Ireland 2013.

tHe GatHerING 2013 – couNty GatHerING of tHe year New ross town council – JfK50 – the Homecoming

Left: Anthony bailey, New ross Town Clerk; Phil hogan T.d., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Cllr Michael Sheehan, Cllr Niamh Fitzgibbon, Cathaoirleach, New ross Town Council; Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland; Eamonn hore, New ross Town Manager, ronan Foley, Chief Executive, IPb Insurance and Jim Miley, Project director, The Gathering Ireland 2013.

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Awarding Excellence in their Class

Awards MC Anton Savage

2

013 marked the second successful year of the InBusiness Editor's Choice Awards, which took place on December 17th at the Hibernian Club, St. Stephen's Green, to celebrate success and excellence in Irish business.

At this unique event which brought together representatives from a wide variety of businesses, awards were handed out in 22 categories – including Best Tourist Attraction, Best in Financial Services, Exporter of the Year and Company of the Year.

The awards are run in association with Chambers Ireland and winners were chosen by the editorial team of InBusiness on the broad criteria of company growth, profile of business,

range of services offered and business to customer relationships.

Over the past number of years, InBusiness has reported extensively on the state of business affairs in Ireland, but these awards represented an opportunity to celebrate the success stories in Irish business. InBusiness Editor Joseph O' Connor said: “it’s also been a pleasure to cover the highs – those companies who have thrived in adversity or shown inspirational leadership and innovation when it has been most needed. We are delighted to recognise the men, women and firms who have displayed such qualities with this event.”

Companies awarded on the day included Emirates for Business Airline of the Year; AIB for Best Financial App for their new My Money Manager; and Ireland's newest health insurance provider GloHealth for Best Private Health Insurer. Intel Ireland was awarded Manufacturer of the Year for the second year running. 2014 marks

Intel's 25th year of operations in Ireland where the company has shown commitment to research, development and innovation as well as to business and employment in Ireland. Big Red Book were also repeat winners for Best Accountancy Software for SMEs. Businessman of the Year was awarded to Christoph Mueller, CEO of Aer Lingus. Mueller was chosen for his display of commendable business acumen in the face of adversity, guiding his company through a difficult and challenging restructuring process.

Mueller accepted the award on behalf of the entire Aer Lingus team. “The workings of an airline are the absolute exemplification of teamwork,” he said.

“You cannot achieve anything alone in our business.”

Louise Phelan of PayPal scooped the Businesswoman of Year accolade for guiding her company through one of the most challenging economic periods in Irish history and for securing significant jobs and investment in Ireland.

Commenting on her award Phelan said: “It's a great honour. It's up to publications like InBusiness to celebrate Businesswoman of the Year; because for every woman that makes it to the top of her game, we get that bit closer to changing the status quo.”

Other winners on the day included eircom, who scooped the coveted Company of the Year award.

Event Photography © Robbie Reynolds Photography

The second InBusiness Editor's Choice Awards celebrated innovation and inspiration in Irish business.

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List of Winners Exporter of the Year Monaghan Mushrooms

Best in International Logistics DHL Express

Best Accountancy Software Big Red Book (Big Red Cloud)

Best Financial App AIB (My Money Manager)

Best Senior Healthcare Specialist Home Instead Senior Care

Executive Car of the Year Audi A6

Best in Retail Excellence The Loop

Best Brand An Post

Best International Marketing Initiative Molson Coors (Molson Canadian)

Accountancy Firm of the Year KPMG

Best Life Assurance Company Friends First

Manufacturer of the Year Intel

Best Service to SMEs Credit Review Office

Best in Financial Services Zurich

Business Airline of the Year Emirates

Best Business School Dublin Business School

Best Tourist Attraction House of Waterford Crystal

Businessman of the Year Christoph Mueller, Aer Lingus

Best Private Health Insurer GloHealth

Businesswoman of the Year Louise Phelan, PayPal

Best in Pharma Boehringer Ingelheim

Company of the Year eircom

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THE WINNERS EXPORTER OF THE YEAR Monaghan Mushrooms

Left: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness, presenting the award for Exporter of the Year to Paul Wilson from Monaghan Mushrooms.

Right: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness, presenting the award for Best Accountancy Software for SMEs to Marc O'Dwyer from Big Red Book.

BEST ACCOUNTANCY SOFTWARE Big Red Cloud

Below: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness, presenting the award for Best in Retail Excellence to Paul Nelson from The Loop.

BEST IN RETAIL EXCELLENCE The Loop

Above: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness, presenting the award for Best Senior Healthcare Provider to Ed Murphy from Home Instead.

BEST HEALTHCARE SPECIALIST Home Instead

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BEST INTERNATIONAL MARKETING INITIATIVE Molson Coors

Left: Robert Bythe from Molson Coors, Winner of Best International Marketing Initiative.

Right: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness, presenting the award for Best Life Assurance Company to JP Hughes from Friends First.

BEST LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY Friends First

Below: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness, presenting the award for Business Airline of the Year to Margaret Shannon from Emirates.

BUSINESS AIRLINE OF THE YEAR Emirates Above: Catherine Collins and Paul Kerr of the Credit Review OfďŹ ce, winner of Best Service to SMEs..

BEST SERVICE TO SMES Credit Review Office

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BEST TOURIST ATTRACTION House of Waterford Crystal

Left: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness, presenting the award for Best Tourist Attraction to Helena McGrath from House of Waterford Crystal

Right: Jim Dowdall, Chief Executive, Glohealth, winner of Best Private Health Insurer.

BEST PRIVATE HEALTH INSURER Glohealth

Below: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness, presenting the award for Best in International Logistics to Mike Farrell, Operations Director, DHL Express Ireland.

BEST IN INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS

BEST IN PHARMA

DHL Express

Boehringer Ingelheim Above: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness, presenting the award for Best in Pharma to Dr Colin Edwards from Boehringer Ingelheim.

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BEST FINANCIAL APP AIB

Left: Mark Culleton and John Brennan from AIB, winners of Best Financial App for My Money Manager.

Right: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness, presenting the award for Executive Car of the Year to Mark McGrath from Audi.

EXECUTIVE CAR OF THE YEAR Audi A6

Below: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness, presenting the award for Accountancy Firm of the Year to Eric Wallace from KPMG.

ACCOUNTANCY FIRM OF THE YEAR KPMG

BEST BRAND Above: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness, presenting the award for Best Brand to Fionna Heffernan from An Post.

An Post

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MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR Intel

Left: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness, presenting the award for Manufacturer of the Year to Brendan Cannon from Intel.

BEST IN FINANCIAL SERVICES Zurich

Right: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness, presenting the award for Best in Financial Services to Anthony Brennan, CEO Ireland, Zurich Life.

Left: Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness, presenting the award for Business School of the Year to Gerry Muldowney, Dublin Business School.

BEST BUSINESS SCHOOL Dublin Business School

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BUSINESSMAN OF THE YEAR Christoph Mueller, Aer Lingus

Left: Businessman of the Year Christoph Mueller, Chief Executive, Aer Lingus.

BUSINESSWOMAN OF THE YEAR Louise Phelan, PayPal

Right: Businesswoman of the Year, Louise Phelan of PayPal, pictured with Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, and Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness.

COMPANY OF THE YEAR eircom

Left:Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Joseph O'Connor, Editor of InBusiness, presenting the award for Company of the Year to David Walsh from Eircom.

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Intel | IB Survey

Intel in Ireland InBusiness profiles a number of Intel’s key business operations across the island of Ireland.

F

ounded in 1968, Intel Corporation is a world leader in computing innovation. Having introduced the world’s first microprocessor in 1971, today Intel designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world’s computing devices. Intel first began operating in Ireland in 1989 and over the past two decades Intel in Ireland has come to represent a diversity of activities across the spectrum of Intel business, from advanced manufacturing technology to cutting-edge research and design.

Here we profile some of Intel’s key business operations across the island of Ireland and meet the business leaders who are driving them.

Advanced Manufacturing Since 1989, Intel has invested almost US$8.0 billion turning 360 acres of the Collinstown Industrial Park in Leixlip into the most advanced industrial campus in Europe. The campus is home to the highly complex Fab 24 facility which produces 300mm wafers on multiple process technologies and our combined facilities constitute one of Intel's most technologically advanced, high-volume manufacturing sites in the world. These facilities are producing leading edge silicon products that power platforms and technology advancements which are essential to the way we learn, live and work today.

Ann-Marie Holmes is the Factory Manager of the Fab 24 facility and in that role is responsible for all aspects of 56 Q4 2013 | InBusiness

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Intel | IB Survey “It really is about how to successfully lead, as opposed to manage, the whole organisation of more than 2,000 people.” advanced manufacturing taking place in the fab on the existing 65nm technology node whilst preparing her team for the transfer of a leading edge process technology in the future.

After beginning her Intel career as a Process Engineer, Holmes progressed to a role as Group Leader before taking on her next role as the 90nm transfer manager for Fab 24. She then worked as a Department Manager, a role in which she was managing people managers and learning how to motivate them, who could in turn motivate others.

In 2011 she was promoted to her current role as Intel’s Fab 24 Factory Manager, becoming one of only two female factory managers ever at the Ireland campus. In her current position, Holmes manages senior managers and has to ensure that she supports and enables them to meet their own department needs. “It really is about how to successfully lead, as opposed to manage, the whole organisation of more than 2,000 people,” she says.

Ann-Marie Holmes, Factory Manager, Fab 24.

Product, and Innovation Labs spanning the European region. Curley, who previously held the role of Global Director of IT Innovation, leads Intel’s research and innovation engagement with the European Commission and the broader EU research ecosystem. He is a member of the Royal Irish Academy and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland, British Computer Society, Irish Computer Society and the Irish Academy of Engineering. Martin chairs the EU Open Innovation Strategy and Policy group, an industry-led group advising on strategic priorities for Open and Service Innovation.

Martin Curley, Senior Principal Engineer, Intel Labs and Director, Intel Labs Europe.

A key European R&D location The core of advanced manufacturing capability in Ireland is a key enabler for numerous research and development initiatives that are carried out across the country.

The Intel campus in Leixlip is home to Intel Labs Europe Open Lab - Ireland focused on Sustainable Intelligent Systems research (Internet of Things + Cloud Computing + Intelligence), specifically in the domains of Software Defined Cities and Software Defined Infrastructure. Leixlip is also home to a team of employees involved in Silicon Nanoelectronics Research who collaborate extensively with research institutes such as the CRANN Nanoscience Research Centre in Trinity College Dublin and the Tyndall National Research Institute in Cork.

Additionally, Intel Ireland is involved in a leadership role with three Technology Centres in Ireland; The Energy Research Centre (I2E2), The Irish Centre for Manufacturing Research (ICMR), and The Innovation Value Institute (IVI). Alongside additional open research initiatives, our leadership in the technology centres strengthens our collaborations with industry and academia.

Ireland-based Prof. Martin Curley is an Intel Vice President, Senior Principal Engineer Intel Labs and Director Intel Labs Europe, Intel’s network of more than 40 Research and Development,

Design hub for the Internet of Things The world’s digital economy has grown from zero to tens of trillions of euro of economic impact in the past couple of decades. Intel was at the centre inventing critical compute, connect and storage technologies. But that compute and internet economy has been almost entirely comprised of computers, tablets and phones connected to the internet and the cloud. Change is happening.

That internet revolution has started to connect to everything in the physical world, from complex robotic systems in state-of-the-art factories, through traffic lights managing city traffic flow, to the coffee machines in our kitchens. Widely referred to as the 'Internet of Things' or IoT, this capability is transforming high technology businesses today. Brussels,

Philip Moynagh, General Manager, Intel's Quark Solutions Division.

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Intel | IB Survey “Change is happening.

That internet revolution has started to connect to everything in the physical world, from complex robotic systems in state-of-theart factories, through traffic lights managing city traffic flow, to the coffee machines in our kitchens.”

Beijing and Washington predict that this capability will soon touch everything. Tens of billions of things will have built-in connected-computers by 2020. And that will create tens of trillions of euro in new economic value.

So what is Intel doing in IoT? In September 2013, Intel announced a new family of products called Quark, designed for IoT and wearable computing. In October the first Quark solution was launched, called Galileo, targeted at education and maker communities. In November Quarkbased solutions were announced for IoT in Industrial, Energy and Transportation. These technologies were designed in Ireland by a team led

by Philip Moynagh and Noel Murphy.

Moynagh is the General Manager of Intel's Quark Solutions Division, identifying IoT transformation opportunities, translating them into silicon and software architectures, and building real world solutions.

Prior to this role, Moynagh was Factory Manager in Intel silicon chip fabrication facilities in both Ireland and the US. He is married to Claire with children Niamh, Ciara and Cian.

Intel in Shannon Since its beginning in 2000, Shannon has been a core European R&D site for Intel’s Communications and Intelligent Systems businesses. These businesses are quickly evolving from fixed function and isolated embedded applications towards new

was the General Manager and Group Director of Engineering for Software Development within the Embedded and Communications Group (ECG) where he was responsible for the definition and execution of software strategy over the last decade where ECG won four Intel Software Quality Awards.

Intel in Belfast

Jonathan Walsh, Director of Intel’s Mobile Communications Group (MCG) Tools & Development Infrastructure.

categories like intelligent systems and software defined infrastructure (SDI).

The three main focus areas for the 250 Intel employees on the Shannon campus which work to deliver Intel’s strategies in Communications and Storage Infrastructure, Automotive and Retail are the Communications and Storage Infrastructure Group, the Automotive Solutions Division and the Retail Solutions Division.

Key capabilities among the Shannon organisation include Software Design, Silicon Design, Architecture, Project Management, and The Shannon Business Centre which is forging strategic business direction for much of the embedded group’s European operations. It provides technical and marketing support for European customers and the Europe/ Middle East/Africa field, with all major European customers directly supported from Shannon.

Leading the Intel Shannon operation is Jonathan Walsh who is Director of Intel’s Mobile Communications Group (MCG) Tools and Development Infrastructure where he is responsible for the alignment and improvement of software development methods and associated infrastructure for the Intel teams working on tablet and phone products. In addition to his worldwide role in MCG, Walsh manages Intel Shannon and is also a founding member of the corporate software directors’ staff.

Before taking on this role, Walsh

Intel Corporation has established a Centre of Excellence in Belfast for its Network Products and Services group through its acquisition in April this year of Aepona, one of Northern Ireland's most successful technology companies. The addition of Aepona's products, personnel and expertise extends Intel's capabilities in areas instrumental to building and delivering future network and cloud services across the spectrum of computing.

The team at Intel Belfast, which comprises of over 100 people, has built a market-leading API Monetisation Platform (AMP) that is used by many of the world's leading Communications Service Providers (CSPs) to drive innovation, create new services and monetise their significant network resources.

AMP bridges the enterprise with the network, enabling Service Providers to offer communications, context, commerce and control features that enrich business applications using cloudbased APIs. This allows CSPs to monetise their assets in new ways, and enterprises to easily embed mobile intelligence into a

Michael Black, Site Manager, Intel Belfast.

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Intel | IB Survey

Paul Walsh, Vice President of Engineering and site leader, McAfee Ireland.

diverse range of applications.

The acquisition of Aepona is part of Intel's efforts to build a portfolio of services that bring compelling experiences across all platforms and hardware architectures, further accelerating the delivery of integrated, cross-platform solutions.

The Intel team in Belfast is led by Michael Black, who has worked in the tech industry for 15 years. As well as his role as site manager for Intel Belfast, Black is also a non-executive director of various other Irish software companies.

In a voluntary capacity, Black is Chairman of Craigavon Industrial Development Organisation, a business incubator in Northern Ireland.

McAfee Ireland McAfee, the world’s largest dedicated security company, has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation since February 2011. McAfee employs over 340 people in Cork and its Irish operation, which celebrates ten years in Ireland in 2014, is the headquarters for the company’s business in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific. Over the last nine years McAfee has constantly invested in its Irish operation, growing from an initial base which employed 40 people.

McAfee delivers proactive and proven security solutions and services for systems, networks and mobile devices around the world. With its Security Connected strategy, innovative approach

to hardware-enhanced security, and unique Global Threat Intelligence Network, McAfee is relentlessly focussed on keeping its customers safe.

The McAfee Irish operation represents 15 different functional areas with 31 nationalities and 16 different languages.

The company has invested strongly in its people and in research and development, particularly into new security technologies focusing on Cloud, AntiVirus and Encryption Technologies.

The McAfee team in Ireland is led by Paul Walsh who is the Vice President of Engineering and site leader for McAfee Ireland. Walsh joined McAfee in 2004 as Vice President of Localisation to lead the company's internationalisation effort and expansion into new markets. He now manages a global engineering services team that provides technical publications, localisation, product certification and engineering solutions for the company.

Prior to joining McAfee, Walsh, who is a graduate of University College Cork, worked as a product unit manager in Microsoft’s Windows division and as an engineer at IBM.

Havok Havok, which was acquired by Intel in 2007, is a leading developer of games technologies. Since being founded more than 13 years ago, the company has gained experience servicing the most demanding technical requirements for leading customers in the commercial games and entertainment industry.

Havok’s technologies are being used in over 500 of the best known and award-winning titles including Halo 4, Assassin’s Creed® III, Guild Wars 2, The Elder Scrolls® V: Skyrim™, Call of Duty®: Black Ops II, Skylanders Giants™ and Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour. Havok.com, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is based in Dublin with additional offices in San Francisco, Calcutta, Munich and Tokyo, employing approximately 120 people.

David Coghlan, who joined the company in 2004, is now the President and Managing Director of Havok and prior to this appointment held a number of senior operational roles in the company, including Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations, Vice President of Development and Chief Financial Officer. He has served

“Since being founded more than 13 years ago, the company has gained experience servicing the most demanding technical requirements for leading customers in the commercial games and entertainment industry.” alongside the outbound Managing Director, David O’Meara, as one of the two executive Directors of the Board since 2007.

Coghlan has closely followed the emerging trends in the mobile gaming market and, under his direction, Havok has increasingly targeted its technology towards the mobile space.

This initiative has culminated in Havok’s launch of Project Anarchy – a free game development engine and toolkit for mobile platforms based on Havok’s leading edge development tools.

Prior to joining Havok, Coghlan was Director of Corporate Strategy for Elan Corporation, a NYSE-listed biotechnology company. Coghlan qualified as an accountant in the audit and business advisory group of international firm KPMG and he holds a first class honors degree in Finance from Trinity College Dublin.

David Coghlan, President and Managing Director, Havok.

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Ballyfin Estate | IB SURVEY

Regency Retreat

Located in the sleepy village of the same name, Ballyfin Demesne is steeped in history and renowned for being one of Ireland’s most luxurious hotels today. InBusiness profiles the private estate and the range of activites on offer there, making the hotel an ideal location for business and pleasure.

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ince officially opening its doors in May 2011, Ballyfin Demesne provides luxurious surroundings for those seeking an ideal Irish location for business retreats and conferences.

Located in the village of the same name in County Laois, Ballyfin Estate provides a picturesque and luxurious backdrop for business meetings and dealings on its 614 acre site. Containing a majestic fifteen bedroom Regency mansion dating back to 1820 as well as extensive, impressively maintained grounds, the estate is the perfect location for both a productive working environment and a relaxing and peaceful getaway.

With a range of amenities and activities on offer for businesses, the venue is a fantastic location for impressing business clients in a quiet, serene setting or for engaging in intense yet enjoyable team building exercises with co-workers.

Ballyfin has had its ups and downs in its history and has been placed under numerous ownerships and different functions. Yet it has emerged as an impeccably detailed and well cared for business that offers a luxurious stay that is to be unrivalled all over the world.

the Poles and the Wellesley-Poles. The house soon fell under ownership of the Coote family, who were descended from Sir Charles Coote, the Elizabethan adventurer who came to Ireland in 1601.

Throughout its history, several different houses were built on the site up until the current structure which was built in the early 19th century.

The current house, a neo-classical Regency home, was designed by acclaimed

Irish architects Sir Richard and William Morrison to act as the residence for another Sir Charles Coote and his family in 1820. The Cootes lived in the estate for the next 100 years with a large team of servants who impeccably maintained the house and grounds. The Cootes enjoyed a life of leisure and pleasure which is well documented in Edwardian photographs, depicting the family enjoying tea out on the terrace or skating in the walled garden.

History The site of what is now known as Ballyfin Estate was first settled back in ancient times and went on to become the ancestral home of a number of noble families; the O’Mores, the Crosbys,

Ballyfin Estate bedroom.

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Ballyfin Estate | IB SURVEY After the fight for Irish independence and amid a changing political landscape, Ralph Coote sold the estate to the Patrician Brothers in 1928. Under their care, the estate became a school throughout most of the 20th century.

Restoration In 2002, due to the falling number of brothers joining the order, the Patrician Brothers sold the building to an American couple named Fred and Kay Krehbiel who both had strong Irish connections. The building had fallen into great disrepair over the years. This became increasingly obvious to the Ballyfin community when a part of the ceiling in the Gold Drawing Room caved in due to wet rot. Masonry was falling from the façade of the building and the conservatory – an extension added to the building in the mid-1850s – was choked by overgrown weeds and vegetation. The future of the house looked uncertain.

It was not until the Krehbiels bought the property that restoration began. The project took nine years to complete, which was much longer than the initial construction of the house. Every aspect of the building needed to be painstakingly restored from the roof down. Skilled craftsmen were successful in restoring the house, working on returning the vast interior and stone exterior to its previous elaborate state. The house was then extensively redecorated with Irish art, world antiques, Irish furniture, French chandeliers and mirrors by Thomas Chippendale. Every effort was made to restore the spectacular grandness of the original property without forgetting to inject a warm and welcoming atmosphere to both the building and the grounds.

Business and Pleasure Due to its relaxed private and easyto-reach location, Ballyfin Estate is an ideal escape from the hustle and bustle of the real world with its rich, quiet countryside surroundings and peaceful building, making it ideal for corporate entertainment and business functions.

The professional world class staff at Ballyfin Estate aim to service all those hoping to do business, offering private rooms and a designated liaison assigned to any group. Ballyfin’s rooms are useful for numerous business occasions – be they board meetings, social business functions

Ballyfin Estate drawing room.

or discreet meetings between a small number of clients. Rooms come in various shapes and sizes and the estate is versatile enough to accommodate different types of business arrangements and groupings.

Staff are trained to cater to the individual needs of each business and are on-hand to help out with everything from seating arrangements to technical support.

If businesses are looking for less discreet and more active ways of improving their business, Ballyfin offers a range of outdoor activities that can assist businesses in co-operative team work, strategy and building up social relationships. Activities on offer include archery, clay pigeon shooting, treasure hunts, cookery classes, blind wine tastings and road rallies over the nearby Slieve Bloom mountains in classic cars or on bicycles. The estate is open to residents only so guests will be able to conduct their affairs with little interruption or distraction from their main business goals.

After a hard day’s work, guests can unwind in a number of ways. They can enjoy the fine cuisine prepared by the culinary team, which makes their meals with food freshly sourced from the hotel gardens. The menu

accommodates everything from working lunches to formal evening meals to casual gatherings in the wine cellar or bar. Working life is often stressful for employers and employees alike so the estate offers a range of solo or group activities to enjoy during breaks from business. Some of these endeavours include croquet, horse-riding, fishing, falconry, swimming, hiking or visiting the fitness centre for a good workout session. The estate even arranges for private sessions in pilates, outdoor tai chi, stretch aerobics and yoga.

Ballyfin Estate offers excellent and varied services which are bound to impress. The testimonials on the hotel’s website are an indication of the positive feedback it has received. There is plenty of praise for the hotel’s assistance in organising events, its enthusiastic and unquestionably hospitable team and its idyllic location, one review describing the experience as “utterly transformational”.

To experience or find out more about Ballyfin Estate, visit the website at www.ballyfin.com/home or call them on 05787 55866. Ballyfin Demesne is a member of Ireland’s Blue Book www.irelandsbluebook.com InBusiness | Q4 2013 61

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Special Report | THE |MEDIATOR CHAMBERS IRELAND chamberGROUP week

Security Through Obscurity: A Fool's Paradise Angela Maia of TMG Corporate Services outlines the importance of being diligent when considering the security of your personal data.

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fool's paradise according to one idiom is "to be happy because you do not know or will not accept how bad a situation really is". According to an online source, security through obscurity is a pejorative referring to a principle which attempts to use secrecy of design or implementation to provide security. If your laptop at work, your computers at home, your small business' IT system, your domestic security or your personal security environment relies on contractors that subscribe to the principle of security through obscurity then you will have theoretical or actual security vulnerabilities; but your supplier believes that if the flaws are not known, then attackers will be unlikely to find them.

It's just a little naive, isn't it? And more worryingly – it's a common occurrence. It is analogous to a homeowner leaving the rear door open, because it cannot be seen by a would-be burglar.

From the excellent blog post by Adam L. Penenberg, entitled I challenged hackers to investigate me and what they found out is chilling: “What I learned is that virtually all of us are vulnerable to electronic eavesdropping and are easy hack targets. Most of us have adopted the credo 'security by obscurity', but

all it takes is a person or persons with enough patience and know-how to pierce anyone’s privacy — and, if they choose, to wreak havoc on your finances and destroy your reputation."

Pawel Wawrzyniak notes from his experiences as an operator (he does not state whether he is a black hat or white hat hacker but that matters little): "You have to attack with many different vectors, where the vast majority of them are related to gaining a physical access first. No matter, if we have to visit someone’s workplace, break into someone’s house or just have to spend five minutes with his computer or smartphone left without control. We just have to start with physical access to gain enough information and to put our piece of malicious code or spying device on the victim’s side. We have to somehow – get inside – then we can take more and more control and escalate the attack. Therefore, no matter how much effort we put into IT security we should always remember that the best IDS, firewall or antivirus solution are not enough. The security starts with physical protection – this is the first and the most important layer of securing any information. Strict physical access control procedures are a must in

such place [SIC]. With this [SIC] being implemented, the life of an attacker will be much harder. However, there are even more sophisticated methods of information leaks possible, like those presented on DEFCON 16 – imagine, how many things one can do with a resistor and IR camera or blinking LEDs. Especially today, when all these devices are accessible for anyone."

Do not delude yourself into thinking you are protected from prying eyes the Government, your employer, your friends, your significant other or anyone else’s - if they belong to someone with the right combination of skills, resources and determination, you are hackable and identity theft may be the least of your worries.

“According to an online source, security through obscurity is a pejorative referring to a principle which attempts to use secrecy of design or implementation to provide security.”

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Special report | tHE MEdIAtor grouP

tHE PErIls of AssuMEd sEcurIty soďŹ a grudov of TMG Corporate Services explains why private citizens and organisations should not solely rely on a third party to handle their security concerns.

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he vast majority of private citizens and organisations proxy their security concerns to a third party; their telco provider, their ISP, their hosting provider, their network router designer, assuming these suppliers know how to handle their security concerns. In reality many of these outfits neither cater for or are even aware of the layers of vulnerability that exist in their infrastructures which, once compromised, can provide streams of data to be used by unethical organisations to facilitate everything from identity theft, fraud, illegally obtained marketing / consumer profiling data for sale, all the way up to corporate espionage and trading in secret government information - for those company employees and public servants who take their work laptops home.

The simple tactic of "pretexting" - for example, calling a telephone operator or government department to gain information that will generate leads to facilitate a hack - on the "pretext" that the person calling is the hack target - is a widely used tactic and despite being an entry level one, it is often the most effective tool of the unethical hacker or unscrupulous investigator.

Assumed security also refers to a principle that a system is safe from attack due to an attacker assuming, on the basis of probability, that it is secure. Assumed security is the opposite of security through obscurity. A system relying on security through obscurity may have actual security vulnerabilities, but its owners or designers deliberately make the system

more complex in the hope that attackers are unable to find a flaw. Conversely a system relying on assumed security may make no attempt to address its security flaws but instead relies upon potential attackers simply assuming that the target is not worth attacking.

The reasons for an attacker to make this assumption – which is relied on – may range from personal risk where the attacker believes the system owners can easily identify, capture and prosecute them to technological knowledge where the attacker believes the system owners must have sufficient knowledge of security techniques to ensure no flaws exist, rendering an attack moot.

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HiberniaIRELAND College| chamber | IB Survey CHAMBERS week

The Future of Education With the number of online education initiatives growing rapidly across the globe, quality and affordable education is now readily available to a wider demographic of people. Hibernia College has been at the forefront of this academic revolution here since its inception in 1999.

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ibernia College is the only Government-accredited third level online institution in Ireland and specialises in undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing professional development (CPD) courses catered for both students and professionals around the world. Dr Seán M. Rowland, President of Hibernia College, founded the school with a view to boosting employment and economic development in Ireland through the creation of high standard and flexible courses. Coupled with this, Dr Rowland also established the Irish Institute at Boston College, and is the current president of the Harvard Club of Ireland.

Learning From Home “Performance has been strong,” explains Dr Rowland when reflecting on 2013.

“The online education community is gathering pace and growing all the time, and we have had multiple international institutions come on board. The college is very much an offering for adult learners who find themselves in an area that doesn't offer college education, who can't afford to leave home and rent somewhere in the city. So we've provided access to a high quality service for a broad group of people.” The benefits of learning online are evident. Unrestricted by time constraints, travel, or any other pertinent factors, Hibernia College provides a platform for willing learners to incorporate education into their lifestyle and routine, allowing individuals to remain in their homes and seek work from within their locality if required. Dr

Dr Seán M. Rowland, President of Hibernia College.

Rowland elaborates: “Teachers become highly motivated because they are part of their community. They don't migrate for educational purposes and the school community would be more inclined to hire them. Often the belief is that if you enlist a teacher that's from the area, they will stay longer.”

Collaboration Hibernia College's spectrum of global reach is constantly expanding.

Collaborating with Pfizer, one of the world's premier research-based pharmaceutical companies, they have developed a Master's degree course in Pharmaceutical Medicine. Additionally, both Pfizer and Novartis have students

"Unrestricted by time constraints, travel, or any other pertinent factors, Hibernia College provides a platform for willing learners to incorporate education into their lifestyle and routine."

from Hibernia College within their ranks, spanning across 36 different countries.

Training future teachers is also one of the college's fortes. “We offer primary and secondary teaching programmes in Ireland and England, which we are in the process of elevating to Masters programmes. We also provide degrees from the London School of Economics, and PhDs in association with Plymouth University. We have a good geographical spread,” says Dr Rowland.

Hibernia's exemplary work in online education has not gone unnoticed. Last November, the college was voted winner in the eLearning and Education category at the 2013 Eircom Spider Awards.

Commenting on the achievement, Dr Rowland said: “The award demonstrates recognition of our technology team's work. We have a great team of people in Dublin, Westport and London, where we also placed third for the 'Best Online Distance Learning Programme' at the eLearning Awards 2013 last month.

There has been a superb appreciation of the concept which further indicates that eLearning is extensive in education.”

Ready for the Real World Keeping apace with technological advancements is crucial to Hibernia College given the digital nature of their courses. Upon completing any of the teaching programmes, graduates are fully prepared for the digital world.

“We prepare teachers for the classroom of today so pupils don't miss out,” says Dr Rowland. “I think it's a wonderful opportunity to be innovative and to embrace modern technology, especially through a private sector organisation which can really create change for the better. We say: 'Tear down the walls, and work with global partners to provide the best education in Ireland at local level'.”

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The Panel | IB| Survey CHAMBERS IRELAND chamber week

Data as an Asset In recent years businesses have been alerted to the value and importance of information technology, data management and data analytics as well as the actual value of data. Fergal Keys of The Panel Executive Search tells InBusiness how management of business data has become a career in itself.

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n the last few years companies have become aware of the value and importance of information technology, business intelligence, data management, data analytics and data integration as well as the value of data as an enterprise asset.

The management of this data has become more visible and crucial.

To this end, many companies have realised that they must better define strategic priorities for management and delivery of data throughout the enterprise. They must identify new business opportunities through the analysis of data and significantly improve revenue generation through more effective use of enterprise data. In an ideal world, one person should be focused on the quality, management, governance and the availability of data. It is about treating data as a strategic asset. But most organisations do not give data the same kind of attention as other corporate assets.

The CDO Now, as companies understand the importance of data and the enterprisewide governance and utilisation of data as an 'asset' the position of the Chief Data Officer (CDO) has thus been born.

The CDO is typically a member of the executive management team managing their company's enterprise-wide data administration and data mining functions. Fundamentally, the CDO is tasked with being the voice of data and generally representing data as a strategic business asset at the executive table.

• Data stewardship, or being the chief owner of all enterprise data.

• Data aggregation, or being responsible for “building bridges between business units and creating an enterprise focus for the data”.

• Communication of data schemas and elimination of semantic differences among enterprise data.

Fergal Keys, Partner in The Panel.

Fergal is an expert in Business Change and IT Executive Search.

• Data managed as an asset • Data-driven decision-making

The Role – Managing DATA as a Strategic Business Asset

The CDO now holds the position of being primarily responsible for implementing that vision.

In essence, managing data as an asset means improving links between the databases; making information/data easier to find on-line, making it easier for analysts and decision makers to quickly access and transform data into new formats and knowledge. It means lowering the cost of consuming and using data because we keep having more data to manage.

The marketplace is now getting a better understanding and has a clear vision of

The CDO's typical responsibilities include:

The CDO should develop capabilities to measure and predict risk and influence enterprise risk appetite at the executive table. The CDO should also be watching the top-line revenue numbers as well as the bottom line.

Treating data as a strategic asset enables the CDO to generate more revenue or lower costs through the use of data.

Statistics, Research and What's Next There are over 100 Chief Data Officers serving in large enterprises today. That’s more than double the number from 2012.

Banking, Government and Insurance are the top three industries for Chief Data Officers – in that order. However, we are now seeing other industries rising. 65 per cent of Chief Data Officers are in the United States, 20 per cent are in the UK. There are now CDOs in over a dozen countries.

According to research by Gartner, 4.4 million IT jobs will be created globally to support big data within the next two years.

Other new roles emerging at senior executive level include Chief Science Officer and Chief Digital Officer.

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ESET | IB Survey CHAMBERS IRELAND | chamber week

Has Irish online security decreased over the last two years?

New research shows a startling decrease in online security practices among Irish computer users, with worse results in all categories of a comparative 2011/2013 survey.

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n 2011, ESET Ireland commissioned the first survey with Amárach Research, to determine how Irish computer users comply with their Antivirus software’s warnings. The results weren’t optimistic back then, as large percentages ignored their Antivirus’ warnings and voluntarily exposed their computers and networks to infection.

In 2013 we asked Amárach to repeat the survey, to see what the situation is like now and, unfortunately, the results we received show that the situation has deteriorated in every category we asked about.

Comply or Ignore So…when an Antivirus, any Antivirus, alerted the users something potentially bad was detected, now only 52 per cent complied with the warning (previously

66 per cent), 19 per cent stayed on a website they received a warning about (was 15 per cent), 24 per cent ignored the warning when they tried to open a potentially infected file or program (was 14 per cent), 8 per cent actually disabled their Antivirus, because it wouldn’t let them open a file or a program or look at a website (was 6 per cent), and 6 per cent use no Antivirus software at all (was 4 per cent).

The demographic breakdown shows some very interesting patterns. The youngest generation (ages 15-24) is the only one where complying with Antivirus warnings has actually increased (from 35 per cent to 46 per cent), so they seem to be taking things more seriously than they used to. But the midlife cyber-crisis seems to have hit the

35-44 year-olds hard, as they have shown the worst decline. Of 74 per cent that used to trust their Antivirus’ warnings only 45 per cent do so now, and they are the worst age group when it comes to dodgy websites, as now 20 per cent ignore warnings and continue surfing, while only 9 per cent used to. They are also the worst when it comes to opening suspicious or infected files or programs, as 26 per cent now ignore warnings, from the previous 11 per cent.

While it is somewhat comforting that the percentage of people without any Antivirus protection is still relatively low, it is quite concerning that so many have it, but don’t comply with the warnings.

Malware Any Antivirus tries to automatically prevent infections and the spreading of viruses and other malware. But that cannot work if computer users ignore or disable the protection, because they’re intent on doing something with the computer, regardless of the consequences. Malware is not used just to annoy users, but to steal their passwords, banking and credit card details, entangle them in scams and fraud, etc., all things that can have serious financial consequences. Is visiting that one dodgy site really worth that risk? Can we seriously expect our information superhighway traffic to be safe, if only one half of the drivers notices the traffic lights, one quarter willingly ignores them and one in twelve drives without brakes?

More info at www.eset.ie

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safetica | IB|Survey CHAMBERS IRELAND chamber week

Managing Social Media with Moderation in the Workplace Internet and social media use at the workplace is a significant productivity issue for many employers.

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s it possible to create a middle-ofthe-road solution that limits Internet use within given boundaries, without creating privacy issues or a management enforcement nightmare? The question is not about making a full prohibition; it’s about setting reasonable restrictions.

Internet and social media use are a known productivity issue in the workplace. And while use of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media is growing, organisations are unsure whether they should completely block employee access to suspect sites, issue an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for their employees, or find some other method to moderate their employees’ online activities.

Productivity losses due to social media use are huge The numbers of employees using work time to surf the Internet are substantial.

A Safetica Technologies survey of employees in Ireland found that 35 per cent used their computer during office hours to check on various social media unrelated to their work. When it comes to effective productivity at work, social media definitely impacts it. Faced with this drag on their productivity, organisations have two major ways to limit Internet and social media use – technical blocks and legalistic AUPs – and both have significant problems.

Block or talk: two common defense strategies There are a number of ways to block specific sites. Organisations can block a specific domain or IP Address at the

network or at the individual browser level. However, there are also many ways for employees to circumvent these restrictions by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or an anonymous proxy server. In addition, a blocking strategy prohibiting employee access to the Internet could hit employee morale and make the company a less attractive place to work.

Organisations can also try to reduce Internet use though an Acceptable Use Policy, establishing the conditions and the penalties for unapproved Internet use in the office. Typically, an AUP is a legal document with limited or no technical enforcement mechanisms.

It is often used as giving the grounds for employee termination and not limiting behaviour beforehand. Safetica Technologies found that the percentage of employees using the Internet for personal purposes dropped a bit when they knew it was against their company’s policy, but only to a limited extent.

Reasonable restrictions are possible with Safetica

Internet or specific social media use by department or the individual. Once this boundary is crossed, an alert is triggered.

The question is not about making a full prohibition; it’s about setting reasonable restrictions. It’s important to give employees a clear time limitation and have the software – not the individual manager – sound the alert. Direct control of internet use by a manager will be inconsistent and dominated by temper tantrums – and this isn’t in anyone’s best interest.

Get legal and get your employees on board Use of a monitoring tool such as Safetica 5.0 must be used in accordance with the individual rights to privacy. It’s important to remember that respecting the individual employee’s rights – and involving them in establishing the boundaries for Internet and social media use – is a critical part of the process.

More info at www.safetica.ie

New monitoring software Safetica Auditor, the monitoring component in Safetica 5.0, enables organisations to list the sites their employees are visiting and to chart the time spent at these sites.

Employee behaviour and internet use will vary by company so the first step is to map out the specific situation.

Armed with data on actual internet and social media use, employers can establish rules that meet their specific needs and block targeted sites. With Safetica, an employer can set time limits for InBusiness | Q4 2013 67

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Ballyvolane House | IB SURVEY

Bohemian Beauty Ballyvolane House is a historic Irish country house of extraordinary warmth, style and comfort that provides luxury accommodation and salmon fishing on the river Blackwater, in the countryside of North Cork.

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ne of the fascinating Hidden Ireland family of historic country houses, and a bijou bohemian beauty, Ballyvolane House is lovingly run in a gracious and relaxed way by Justin Green and his wife Jenny, the second generation of the Green family to welcome guests into their comfortable and stylish home. Both accomplished hoteliers with years of experience in five star resorts and hotels around the world before taking up the reins at Ballyvolane, Justin and Jenny take exceptional care of every aspect of their guests’ enjoyment, continuing the Green family tradition of warmth and welcome.

A magical place for a romantic stay or a house party with the very best of Irish country house cuisine, where delicious food matched by an exceptional wine list is served around the huge antique polished mahogany dining table, Ballyvolane House is the epitome of laid back luxury and proper, old-school, Irish hospitality.

The lovely country house at Ballyvolane is surrounded by its own farmland and wooded grounds, complete with a restored trout lake and beautifully mature gardens including stunning bluebell woods in spring and a pretty walled garden, all well managed and impeccably maintained. Ballyvolane House is a member of the Blackwater Valley Garden Trail and possesses many local trails and walks to follow. Such walks can be taken around the house as well as further afield.

During the summer there’s croquet on the lawns or badminton by the dovecote.

There’s game shooting during the season and clay pigeon shooting on request.

There’s also golf courses, great beaches and rewarding day trips all around.

Ballyvolane House provides all kinds of activities, including private salmon fishing on the renowned River Blackwater, with a wide variety of spring and summer beats. The Blackwater is Ireland’s finest salmon river and one

of the most important salmon rivers in Europe, stretching for over 150 kilometres from its source in Kerry to the sea at Youghal. Salmon season opens on 1st February and continues until 30th September, and Ballyvolane offers some of the best beats on the river, spread over a 40 kilometre stretch from Killavullen and Ballyhooly down to Ballyduff.

Ballyvolane’s own lakes on the grounds

“Equally, a perfectly rewarding stay can be had at Ballyvolane House without ever venturing beyond the front door, as big log fires and cosy couches beckon, and the rooms furnished with antiques glow in firelight and lamplight begging to be kept company.”

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Ballyvolane House | IB SURVEY are stocked with rainbow trout, and can be fly-fished all year round. Particularly suitable for younger guests, and for salmon fishermen when conditions on the river are impossible, trout rods and flies are available at Ballyvolane.

Ballyvolane is ideal for little people too, with vast grounds to get lost in, a tree house to play in, woods to explore, hens to feed, eggs to collect, donkeys to pet and lots more entertainment nearby such as Fota Wildlife Park, Blarney Castle and Leahy’s Open Farm. Farmer Justin will take all the kids on a tractor and trailer ride around the estate after breakfast.

Ballyvolane plays host to a wide variety of wildlife, both native and domestic which provide a great distraction for little people and big kids alike.

Ballyvolane is still a working farm too and the cattle that graze the surrounding pastures are kept good company by the small herd of donkeys (Poquita, Carisma and Heloise). Various kinds of rarebreed pigs currently occupy the back haggard along with the large flock of hens who lay eggs for the breakfast table and for baking. The spaniels and terriers are always bubbling with excitement, welcoming guests and begging to be taken for walks, and fan-tail doves occupy the aviary in the gardens.

Equally, a perfectly rewarding stay can be had at Ballyvolane House without ever venturing beyond the front door, as big log fires and cosy couches beckon, and the rooms furnished with antiques glow in firelight and lamplight, begging to be kept company by someone with a good book to get through, accompanied by a pot of coffee and some delicious home baking, or a perfectly made rhubarb martini!

From the remarkable pillared hall with a baby grand piano and open fire to the six guest bedrooms, and even the option of luxurious glamping in the grounds during the summer months, everything at Ballyvolane is spacious, individual, tasteful and above all indulgently comfortable.

The original house dates from 1728, with major modifications made in an Italianate style in the mid 19th century, creating a lovely elegant home.

Bedrooms vary according to their position in the house but all are kitted out with the essential tea and coffee making facilities, a good old wireless, a television, free wi-fi and a healthy

selection of books and magazines, the ideal place to just relax and forget about the rest of the world. All the rooms have en-suite bathrooms, some of which have beautiful big old antique baths, calling you for a good long soak after a hard day’s work or play. Tea, coffee, homemade blackcurrant or elderflower cordial and the all-important jar of freshly baked cookies are always within easy reach.

Ballyvolane is an amazing place for a country house party, catching up with a bunch of old friends for a few nights of fun, delicious food and drink in a glorious country house. Barefoot or ball gowns – make the party as relaxed or as formal as you like – you’ll have the entire place to yourselves.

Before dinner, gather for cocktails by the fire, then enjoy a blissful meal with your friends, matched by the exceptional wine list around the dramatic antique table laid with old silver.

Each Hidden Ireland house has its own charm, but all emphasise comfort and proper food in surroundings full of character and personality, and Ballyvolane is the perfect example. The food is straightforward country house in style, and the menus vary with seasonal, weather and fishing conditions, using mainly organic ingredients and much use is made of the walled garden during the growing season.

After dinner, chat, play cards, board games or sing – a pianist can be arranged to come and play (song sheets provided),

and then breakfast is served until noon the next day so you can enjoy a well deserved lie in.

Choosing Hidden Ireland is a chance to be part of a genuine family history, sharing the owner’s historic home where you become a welcome member of that family. Most Hidden Ireland houses were originally built for entertaining on a grand scale, which often shows them at their very best, making them perfect for house parties and celebrations of all kinds, but their comfortable bedrooms, grand but cosy reception rooms, and fine food using first class ingredients make them just the ticket for a romantic break too.

As far removed from the modern hotel as you could possibly imagine, Hidden Ireland is an eclectic mix of handsome homes that provide the rare treat of an insight into a different kind of life, and a continuation of a distinctive and luxurious Irish history.

But it is the families who run these jewels that set them apart from any other kind of getaway. Each has their own charm, and Ballyvolane House is an absolute charmer, a gem of laid back luxury run by the Greens in their inimitably polished and relaxed way on the Blackwater.

Ballyvolane House & Blackwater Salmon Fishery, Castlelyons, Fermoy, Co. Cork.

Tel: +353 25 36349 www.ballyvolanehouse.ie www.hiddenireland.com InBusiness | Q4 2013 69

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KPMG | IB Survey CHAMBERS IRELAND | chamber week

Innovation Matters Fostering innovation is widely regarded as fundamental to delivering a sustainable economy. Government strategy has helped encourage innovation, particularly through the continued improvement of incentives such as the R&D tax credit, writes Ken Hardy of KPMG.

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espite the challenges facing many Irish-based companies, it is evident that all businesses should seek to become more innovative. The benefits can be significant - from reducing costs, accessing incentives and funding, to making products and services that secure a competitive advantage. To further improve levels of innovation in Ireland, it is important to know what is working and what needs improvement. We recently produced a report in conjunction with Red C Research called Innovation Monitor. It highlights many of the issues affecting innovation in Ireland, while assessing the innovation-focused policy choices Ireland faces.

The Results Ninety per cent feel that Irish companies are either more innovative or the same since the onset of the recession, with large companies in general feeling more positive. Irish companies are more positive this year about the Government's support of innovation, though 43 per cent feel that there is more to be done.

Over half would like to see more financial incentives and grants. 89 per cent of companies feel access to funding is very, or somewhat, important to the successful completion of an innovation project.

Only one in five respondents feels there is enough information available on funding options for R&D and innovation projects. A fifth of companies (19 per cent) are in receipt of grant funding for R&D or innovation; this is a slight increase on last year (15 per cent).

The R&D tax credit A quarter of companies that describe themselves as innovative are claiming the R&D tax credit; medium and large companies are twice as likely to

be claiming as small companies. The primary reason given for not claiming the credit is that the company is not conducting R&D (58 per cent), but 60 per cent of those companies describe themselves as “currently innovative”. This means up to 35 per cent of companies that are not currently claiming the credit could, in fact, do so.

Collaboration for innovation This year, fewer companies are collaborating on an innovation project with a third-level institution, dropping from 16 per cent to 9 per cent. Only 13 per cent of firms feel there is sufficient information available on collaboration with third-level institutions, unchanged from last year. Of those that have collaborated, only one-third say there was enough information available.

Our research shows that overall, Irish business seems to be optimistic about the innovation environment in Ireland.

In addition, firms are more positive than last year about the Government’s ability to support innovation. Finance is consistently highlighted by firms as one of the key drivers of innovation, yet many respondents indicate insufficient access to funding. Our research shows that the biggest issue regarding financing innovation is not a lack of incentives, but rather a lack of information on existing incentives.

Our research shows that almost a third of companies in receipt of a grant for their R&D/innovation do not claim the R&D tax credit for the remainder of their expenditure. This is a recurring issue, relating partly to the fact that the eligibility criteria for R&D grants and the R&D tax credit are not aligned. We recommend that all Government

Ken Hardy, KPMG.

agencies work together to develop clearer, more uniform guidance on the eligibility of activities. We encourage these same agencies to continue their existing information campaigns, in particular highlighting the benefits of collaboration to small firms and the steps required in finding an appropriate collaborative partner.

Finally, the availability of qualified personnel is the most influential factor on a company’s decision to innovate.

However, in Ireland a higher rate of personal taxation kicks in at an earlier stage relative to many competitor locations for R&D. Given that the availability of skilled personnel is vital to innovation, we encourage Government to keep this under review to ensure that this tax issue is not detrimental to achieving Ireland’s economic objectives.

Ken Hardy heads KPMG’s R&D Tax Credit Team.

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| IB Survey CHAMBERSDAA IRELAND | chamber week

Hassle free travel Parking Plus at Dublin Airport is providing unlimited Fast Track and car parking.

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or frequent Dublin Airport customers, Parking Plus is a premium service with the following benefits: • Speed – Entrance to the carpark is automated by registration recognition for speedy entry. You can also avail of unlimited access to the Fast Track security lanes in both terminals.

• Convenience – Never book parking or Fast Track again - one annual payment and expense receipt.

• Member discounts – At the Loop retail outlets, executive lounges, VIP, car valet and more.

We have three options to choose from:

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Parking Plus • Green a999 Unlimited annual Fast Track and parking in the Red Express long term car park and exclusive member discounts.

executive car park, 20 complimentary visits to the Executive Lounge, one complimentary visit to the VIP suite and exclusive member discounts.

Visit www.parkingplus.ie Contact us +353 1 814 4898

• Silver a1999 Unlimited annual Fast Track and parking in the short term car park and exclusive member discounts.

• Gold a2999 Unlimited annual Fast Track and VIP parking in the

19/12/2013 12:29:22

CBRE Ireland Survey week CHAMBERS IRELAND| |IB chamber

Irish Commercial Property Market Review 2013 marked a major turning point for the Irish commercial property market. Marie Hunt of CBRE Ireland takes a look back at the year.

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ast year marked a major turning point for the Irish commercial property market.

Having bottomed out in 2012, the first tentative signs of recovery emerged over the course of the last 12 months.

This manifested itself in significantly higher volumes of transactional activity in occupier markets (particularly in prime locations) and the emergence of some rental growth in locations where demand outstripped supply.

All sectors of the market including development land, hotels and licensed premises experienced a year-on-year improvement in transactional activity and values. However, the most notable trend was the increase in demand from investors, particularly from outside the jurisdiction, for loans, individual assets and portfolios that were offered to the market over the course of last year. This, coupled with rental growth expectations, led to significant yield compression being experienced during 2013.

As various financial institutions and NAMA continued the process of deleveraging, releasing both assets and loans to the market for sale over the course of the last 12 months, sentiment improved and transaction volumes increased significantly across all sectors of the market. By mid-year 2013, most sectors of the Irish commercial real estate market had experienced more transactional activity than in the entire 12 months previous. Fuelled by a further surge in transactional activity in the autumn, year-end tallies for all sectors were up considerably compared to 2012. As the country slowly emerged from recession, all sectors of the occupier markets (office, industrial and retail) experienced a resurgence in activity during 2013 and with no speculative development having occurred for several years now, supply

The Trinity Capital Hotel, Dublin 2, sold during 2013.

shortages of prime stock began to emerge in some locations last year. This resulted in prime rents stabilising and rental growth being experienced in the Dublin office market in the second half of 2013.

Against a backdrop of healthy occupier activity in prime locations and improving economic prospects, investor demand for Irish real estate heightened over the course of 2013 to the extent that prime yields contracted by more than 100 basis points during the 12 month period due to the weight of Irish and overseas capital chasing investment opportunities.

Demand was further strengthened during 2013 with the establishment of two Irish REIT vehicles following the publication of Irish REIT legislation in the Finance Act earlier in the year.

The Irish IPD index showed its first positive capital growth reading in six years in Q3 2013 marking another important milestone, for a year which looks like having been the stepping stone to the next phase of growth in the Irish commercial real estate market. There was also considerable transactional

activity in the hotels and licensed sector during 2013 boosted by a notable improvement in tourist activity on the back of events such as The Gathering.

More than 30 hotel properties changed hands around the country in 2013 compared with only two hotel sales in the Irish market in 2009.

There was also a marked turnaround in the development land sector during 2013.

Indeed, there was more development land sold in Ireland during the first half of 2013 than in the two previous years combined, which clearly demonstrates the growing appetite for strategic sites in key locations such as Dublin. This momentum escalated in the second half of the year with a large number of sites being sold, driven by imbalance between supply and demand in the housing sector in some locations and shortages of prime office accommodation in core locations.

With economic indicators showing signs of improvement and continued foreign direct investment anticipated, the prospects for the Irish commercial property market in 2014 are very positive indeed.

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Shelbourne Park | IB Survey CHAMBERS IRELAND | chamber week

A Night at the Races For a fun-filled night out, look no further than Shelbourne Park Greyhound Stadium.

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re you looking for a night out with a difference where you can entertain work colleagues, clients or just enjoy a great social evening with friends or family? Well why not follow the crowd and enjoy the thrills of a night's greyhound racing in 2014 at Shelbourne Park Greyhound Stadium (the Irish Greyhound Board's Flagship stadium), which is firmly established as one of Dublin’s leading entertainment and fundraising venues. This state of the art venue offers incredible value night time entertainment that will exceed your expectations with superb dining options "Dobbins style", an array of buzzing bars and one great party atmosphere. Racing takes place every Thursday and Saturday from 2nd January through to St Patrick’s weekend with Wednesday night racing resuming on Wednesday 19th March.

Packages

round with private bar and tote betting facilities. There are seven suites available which can cater for numbers from 20 to 120. All suites provide a bird’s eye view of all the racing action.

Group packages such as the hugely popular Sizzler Deal start from as little as a9.99 per person. This deal includes admission and race card (normally a10), a2 drinks voucher, a1 tote voucher and Dobbins sizzling sausage and chips.

Challenging in the popularity stakes is the value for money Dobbins Platter Deal at only a15 per person which includes admission/race-card ,a delicious platter of Dobbins party favourites "designed to share". The Premier Track Special Package priced at a20 per person includes admission/race card, a5 food voucher, a5 drinks voucher and a5 tote betting voucher. Tote vouchers can be purchased in advance with a seven per cent additional

free given when you pre-purchase a500 tote vouchers before your night.

Booking Booking is easy, for reservation enquiries call the IGB Sales Office on 1890 269 969, book online at http://www.igb.ie/ or for specific enquiries on Shelbourne Park call Patrick Flynn Sales, Operations & Commercial Manager on 087 9577064 or email either Patrick.flynn@igb.ie or david.hand@igb.ie tel: 061 448048.

An Event to Remember It's a night out with a difference you won't forget so whether it is business or pleasure make your event one to remember in 2014 and go greyhound racing at Shelbourne Park with packages to suit all budgets and tastes. Check out www.facebook.com/ shelbourne.park for all the latest news, views and events at Shelbourne Park.

Stockbyte/thinkstock.com

There are a number of great value New Year Dobbins Restaurant packages available with mid-week Bistro restaurant packages starting from only €19.50 per person including admission, race card, reserved seating and main course option from the popular bistro menu. Four-course dinner options start from the amazing value price of only €31.50 per head including admission and race card (early booking advised with limited spaces available) offering a panoramic view of all the racing action with both bar and tote service at your table (buffet options also available from €38.50pp including admission and race card). The venue also offers the option of having your own "seasonally decorated" corporate suite(s) all year InBusiness | Q4 2013 73

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Intro Matchmaking | IB Survey CHAMBERS IRELAND | chamber week

The Business of Love A matchmaking venture by a Dublin-based couple is proving a success in both business and pleasure.

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ena Maycock and Feargal Harrington were introduced in 2010 by Feargal's brother Eoin. The rest, as they say, is history! The couple fell in love, got engaged in June this year and are set to marry around the anniversary of their engagement in June 2014. Hoping to replicate a match like their own, they have worked since 2011 on their business, Intro Matchmaking, which has grown from a one-employee business to a thriving company of five people operating six days a week from their offices on Dawson Street, Dublin 2.

Intro Matchmaking aims to match up the one million plus singles currently living in Ireland with a partner most compatible to them. Maycock and

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Harrington travel around the country meeting clients face-to-face, completing detailed profiles and checking IDs to ensure safety and encouraging feedback following the initial dating period.

Intro have provided their services to members from all walks of life, matching up couples from 22-80 years of age, all kinds of working backgrounds, creeds, nationalities and sexual orientations.

They have both found that clients love the personal touch – the consultations are face to face and then Intro do all of the hard work for them by arranging each date and calling for feedback afterwards. Easy.

With a thriving business growing by 300 per cent each year and with a proven

Rena Maycock and Feargal Harrington, Intro Matchmaking

track record, Intro Matchmaking has been a truly worthwhile venture, not only for those looking for love.

Intro Matchmaking, 39 Dawson Street, D2 www.intro.ie • T: 01 677 7000

19/12/2013 12:29:38

MotorIng | LIfEStYLE

taking note conor Forrest took a spin in Nissan's new Note to see if some things ever change.

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ith the new Nissan GT-R Nismo – which Nissan has said will be the fastest GT-R ever – to begin rolling off the production line next January, things are shaping up for fans of the Japanese brand. And while much of the excitement will be dedicated towards this impressive marque, the introduction of a new and improved Nissan Qashqai and its younger brother, the Note, seem to have slipped under the radar just a little.

BeAuty – skIn deep?

Before we go any further, let's be clear – the Note isn't competing with the latest Mercedes or Jaguar in the whole looks department, nor does it try. Though the old Note had little going for it on the exterior, this time around, it's much sleeker and stretched, less boxy than its predecessor, and even approaching a state where you can stand in front of it, nod your head and say 'that's actually not bad'. Still, those who will seriously consider the Note will more than likely pay more attention to those features inside and under the bonnet.

on the InsIde Inside, the Note is incredibly practical.

Five adults, for example, can easily fit.

There's an impressive 325L of space, increased to 411L with the rear seats pushed forward or an astonishing 2,012L when folded flat. Tall or short, the seats are neither too hard nor too soft. Taller drivers, however, will note (ahem) the likelihood of finding the one spot where the sun visor and the dot matrix pattern behind the rearview mirror freely allow the sun to completely blind you. Or perhaps that was just our misfortune.

Though laid out quite well, the dashboard and the array of buttons and gadgets give rise to mixed feelings.

While the unusual heating controls and shiny black central console are a nice addition, what's left over is rather bland, if functional. Having said that, there's no doubt that they're durable, if kids or grandkids are trampling in and out of the Note each day, it will surely come in handy. Our model also came with a safety package called Nissan Safety Shield, comprised of a blind spot monitor, lane departure warning (which

can get a little tiresome) and a moving object detector, while a live aerial view of the entire vehicle and a reversing camera are accessible through the dashboard display which is also home to the music and navigation systems.

under the hood Four options (and three trim levels) are available at present – including three increasingly powerful versions of a 1.2L petrol engine, ranging from 79-86 bhp.

Response time and available power might just surprise you, and the gurgle from our petrol model was actually quite nice, if unexpected, though it tends to run a bit flat once motorway cruising speed is reached. MPG figures of 60.1 are touted by Nissan, likely to be lower for regular long term driving. Nissan reckon that the petrol engine will be the most popular, though there's also an optional 1.5L diesel model, with emissions of just 92 g/km and 88 bhp.

Well-priced, beginning at €15,995 for the 1.2L bog standard version and rising to €22,145 for the top of the range spec 1.5L diesel, much-improved looks, plenty of room and an economical experience, it's certainly one to be considered. Prospective buyers: take Note.

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Motoring | Lifestyle

Fully Charged The Tesla Model S has been touted as the first electric vehicle which could capture the cold heart of the motoring world.

Conor Forrest investigates whether this electric luxury car can go one better than all those which have come before.

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here are certain thoughts conjured in our heads – particular those of a petrolminded nature – when the term 'electric car' is mentioned.

Slow. Pointless.

Completely lacking in personality (and petrol). While these aren't entirely accurate, the design of those electric cars already on the market – the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV spring immediately to mind – hasn't done much to assist in capturing the hearts of those drivers stubbornly holding onto fossil fuels. Soul is the ideal to which dedicated car-lovers aspire – a car which is more than just a collection of parts, but something which has life.

That's why Tesla's Model S is surprising, to say the least. It's a work of art, a little like the offspring of an Aston Martin and a Jag, and from the outside, there's no real way of even telling it's powered by electrons (those of a more eagle-eyed disposition will probably note the lack of a petrol cap). This is no ordinary electric car. Consider, for example, the 0-100 time of roughly 4.4 seconds, placing it in the same sphere as the Rolls-Royce Wraith or the Aston Martin Vantage V8 SP10. The 213 km/h top speed. 416 hp and 4,432 lb/ft of

torque continuously available coupled with a likely range between 200 and 300 miles. To say it packs a punch is an understatement, and there's something eerie about being thrust back into your seat to a soundtrack of complete silence.

These aren't figures which would make you have second thoughts about the electric car – they force you to take those ideas, ball them up and fire them out of the window.

Space is one thing you're going to notice immediately, largely due to the fact that the battery is placed underneath the cabin and between the axles, leaving plenty of room between the bonnet and the boot (which, incidentally, features two foldable rearfacing seats, meaning that the Model S could actually be classed as a sevenseater). This more than makes up for

the fact that, despite its luxurious exterior, some of the materials used inside don't live up to the price tag, reportedly starting at £55,000 (€65,000) and rising. Still, the huge screen situated in the central console is a big plus, controlling everything from air conditioning to the car's suspension and providing feedback on the battery levels and energy consumption, lending a touch of a spaceship to the Model S. The first batch of the Model S with the steering wheel on the right hand side is due in London in 2014.

Though Tesla has no plans as of yet to introduce their product to Ireland, the company has indicated that the Irish Government's positive attitude towards EVs is something to be taken into consideration; Irish incentives exist along the lines of zero VRT, purchase grant of €5,000 and reduced road tax.

There's no denying it's not perfect.

But it's a car that has the potential to change the way in which many view the electric car, a breakthrough moment Nikola Tesla himself could well be proud of. This is the first generation of a new species. When it's this good, the best is surely yet to come.

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Motoring | Lifestyle

For Oil Eyes Only The LWB Range Rover represents luxury off-roading at its best.

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e've all been there. You're searching the upmarket dealerships for something with a prestigious badge and long wheel base, beautiful looks and an interior which wouldn't look out of place in a house.

The Audi A8, or Jaguar's XJR spring to mind. But one important question remains...can they take a short cut through a field?

Fear not, Land Rover have swooped in to save the day with a new long wheel base addition to their range, the first

in twenty years, and an all-new, all-exclusive trim level Autobiography Black, a name which appears to mean very little. Heralded as an alternative to large luxury cars like those from Audi and Jaguar, the Autobiography Black LWB version has 140 extra mm of legroom for passengers in the rear, with an executive seating package which will recline you to a more comfortable 17 degrees (it makes the difference, we'll have you know).

Travellers down back will also enjoy a chiller compartment, mood lighting and

Hyundai in Horticulture Hydrogen is on the up with Hyundai.

leather seats with massage functions.

Still, air suspension, auto terrain response and a low range gearbox should remain, meaning it could still traverse the rough, if so inclined (despite the £140,000 price tag suggesting otherwise). Basically it's a taller Mercedes S-Class which could probably give climbing the Alps a good go. If ever there was a subtle hint as to who Land Rover expect will be buying the new luxury SUV, it's this – it made its début at the Dubai motor show in November, and isn't for sale in the UK. We dare not even ask about Ireland.

The Future is Driver-Free Google's driverless cars appear to be gaining momentum.

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espite a long-running joke in the automobile industry about hydrogen cars always being a decade away from production, boffins at South Korean firm Hyundai have put together an impressive hydrogen fuel cell, and put it to work growing vegetables. Converting hydrogen into energy which powers the engine's motor, the only emission from the ix35 Fuel Cell is water. To demonstrate its environmental credentials, the ix35 cell has been hooked up to an aquaponics farm in London (a combination of hydroponics – which involves growing plants in water – and aquaculture, growing fish in tanks). Water emissions from the cell are filtered into the fish tank, creating optimum conditions, and the aquaponics technology harnesses minerals from the fish waste to grow crops on the farm. It's all a little technical, but still quite impressive.

Take that BMW drivers. We'd like to see your M5 growing a Sunday salad (we actually really would).

ccording to results from the hundreds of thousands of miles logged by Google's driverless Lexus and Prius cars, these autonomous vehicles – run by technology including high tech laser systems, GPS, lidar (light detection and ranging) and the organisation's vehicle software aptly named Google Chauffeur – were better at maintaining safe distances from cars ahead, and braked and accelerated less sharply.

People have argued that the problem isn't the technology, but liability, i.e. who is responsible in the event of an accident. There is, however, one superior issue which many have failed to address. When the doors slam shut of their own volition, the locks click down and Skynet gains complete sentience at last – don't say we didn't warn you.

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BOOK REVIEW | LIFESTYLE

Books on Biz InBusiness looks at the latest business books offering great insights for executives, budding entrepreneurs, and other professionals seeking to acquire business skills and knowledge.

WAKE UP AND SELL THE COFFEE

By Martyn Dawes Ireland has a strong enterprise culture and the number of new businesses started here continues to grow yearby-year. Nonetheless, the odds of survival let alone growth are not high. A new book, Wake Up and Sell The Coffee, has been released to help ambitious entrepreneurs think big and become tomorrow's high growth successes.

Author Martyn Dawes knows plenty about aiming high, having founded and grown Coffee Nation from just an initial idea to one of the UK's favourite brands that he would

eventually sell for ÂŁ23million less than ten years later. Coffee Nation has sold more than 100 million cups of coffee, been ranked in consecutive years as one of the UK's fastest growing private companies, was winner of The Sunday Times Fast Track Innovation Award and Martyn Dawes is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winner.

Dawes says: "What really encouraged me to write Wake Up and Sell the Coffee is the need to help more entrepreneurs not just start a business but to survive and grow. I noticed that so much of what is written and talked about relates to start-ups, not what comes later. Beyond survival towards growth gets little coverage.�

Through the course of the book's narrative, Martyn Dawes sets out his own journey growing Coffee Nation, including the highs, lows, successes and setbacks. Mistakes to avoid are revealed just as honestly as the good decisions, making the book both refreshingly frank and an invaluable resource for anyone with genuine ambitions to build their own business.

Wake Up and Sell the Coffee is well worth a read and a good starting point for entrepreneurs in a bid dream big and achieve big.

today inevitably take their toll on the precious energy levels of business leaders. This in turn can impact leaders' ability to respond and react quickly and positively to changes, and in some cases can lead to CEOs failing and burning out. A new book, Coherence is due to be published to reveal the medical science and techniques that could allow leaders to be "younger, smarter, healthier and happier" and achieve sustainable success at every level.

The author, Dr Alan Watkins, originally qualified as a physician, has a first class degree in psychology and a PhD in immunology. More recently he has been applying the latest approaches from neuroscience and physiology to the human performance challenges faced by business leaders and sportspeople around the world through his consultancy, Complete Coherence Ltd. Over the last 15 years he has been a coach and a confidant to CEOs and

COHERENCE - THE SECRET SCIENCE OF BRILLIANT LEADERSHIP

By Dr Alan Watkins The increasing challenges and stresses faced in the commercial environment

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Book rEvIEw | LIfEStYLE leaders of some of the best known brands across the world.

Most executives have struggled with energy levels in their career at some point, and most have experienced a momentary brain shutdown when their mind has gone blank under pressure.

Coherence not only reveals why such situations occur, but also provides a unique set of scientifically based assessments that are designed to drive development and improve commercial performance.

cItIZen QuInn: A MAn, An eMpIre And A FAMIly

By Gavin Daly and Ian Kehoe Twelve divisions churning out products.

Billions of euro in debt. One man behind it all. Here, Conor Forrest reviews the contentious exploration of the downfall of Sean Quinn and his empire.

Once one of Ireland's wealthiest men, with a personal fortune reported to be €4.7 billion at the height of his success in 2008, Sean Quinn, who described himself as a "simple farmer's son", is now bankrupt. His business, Quinn Group, is now gone and the Aventas Group – newly renamed – stands in its place. Quinn and several members of his family have spent time in jail for contempt of court and remain embroiled in one of the largest legal battles in the history of the State.

Where did it all go wrong? Co-written

by Gavin Daly (Sunday Times) and Ian Kehoe (Sunday Business Post), Citizen Quinn is an in-depth examination of the contentious events which surrounded the rise and fall from grace of Sean Quinn. Drawing on unnamed sources close to Quinn, Daly and Kehoe chart his humble beginnings on a farm in Derrylin, his discovery of sand and gravel on family land, and the hard work which saw the simple operation grow and expand over the proceeding decades, morphing into an international group with interests across insurance, cement, glass and energy combined with a global property portfolio. Throughout the account, what stands out in particular is the blurred boundary between Quinn, his family and the company, who saw themselves and the Group as one and the same.

Quinn, by no means, is presented as a

straightforward man. In the book we see a sharp business mind who began with just one lorry and a gravel pit on the family farm, building up a strong business through hard work and determination, a business which brought jobs and economic stability to a depressed border region; the reason Quinn did – and still – enjoys such strong support.

On the other hand, however, is a man who risked everything he built, everything for which he worked so hard.

In patient and great detail, Daly and Kehoe deftly sift their way through the events which spelt the end for the businessman, from Quinn's ill-advised billion euro Contracts for Difference gamble on Anglo's shares and their subsequent plummet in value, through a secret loan organised by Anglo with the so-called Maple 10 – a group of businessmen loaned money to allegedly buy back Quinn's stake in the bank and bolster the share price – Quinn Insurance's receivership, the attempts by members of the family to hide assets abroad and the overarching battle between Anglo, the Quinns and the Irish state over €2.34 billion in loans, a battle which still rages today.

Well-researched and written, Citizen

“Throughout the account, what standsout in particular is the blurred boundary between Quinn, his family and the company, who saw themselves and the Group, as one and the same.”

Quinn is both an interesting, revealing and perhaps somewhat contentious read, as Quinn and his supporters have railed against the veracity of its contents; the former having released an open letter to the authors, condemning what they contended were inaccuracies in key points of the book. As the book ends, the saga continues to roll on and the Quinns await their day in court. The final chapter in this explosive story is yet to be completed.

Citizen Quinn: A Man, an Empire and a Family is available from Easons for €15.99.

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gadgets | Lifestyle

Gadget Nation Valerie Jordan takes a look at some of the most useful and eye catching gadgets on the market.

Nokia Lumia 1020 The Nokia Lumia 1020's biggest boast is its imaging – claiming it can capture some of the sharpest images possible with any digital camera – with a giant 41 megapixel sensor, Nokia PureView technology and optional optical image stabilisation. This is a smartphone capable of professional photography.

The aim of the Nokia Lumia 1020 is to capture, edit and share. You can take a high-res 38 megapixel image, edit to a 5 megapixel picture and easily share it through social media. This device can capture clear images in low light and blur free videos with quality sound. It's a phone for the generation who want to capture, record and share life.

Most smartphones are also cameras, but is this a camera that's also a phone? Yes. However, the display is sharp, its screen is ample (larger than the iPhone 5S) and Windows Phone 8 is intuitive with excellent functionality. Android and iOS phones still dominate in this market so there are slightly fewer options for Windows users in terms of apps and development. The Nokia Lumia 1020 is a really good smartphone and it's a great camera.

Available on Vodafone (from free billpay and €629.99 prepay), Meteor (from €129 billpay), O2 (from free billpay and €639.99 prepay), emobile (from €179.00 billpay) and Three (from €99 billpay).

Sony SmartWatch 2 We're constantly reaching for our smartphones throughout the day – to take and make calls, send messages, read emails, update social media, take photos or just to check the time. The Sony SmartWatch 2 aims to cut this in half. It works as a standalone digital watch but when connected to your phone it functions as a message notification device, Android app interface and music remote – from the convenience of your wrist.

You can personalise the device to meet your needs – whether you're out and about, in meetings or relaxing at home – use it to conveniently handle calls, read previously downloaded emails, take photos, map your driving routes and track your jog at quick glance. Wait, doesn't a smartphone do that? Well, yes it does. But this is wearable gadgetry, for the clothes-horse and tech-junkie combined.

Sony still have a few creases to iron out with their SmartWatch 2. The display is a bit slow and, annoyingly, you'll find you have to deal twice with notifications on your smartwatch and smartphone, which isn't that smart.

It is, however, one of the sleekest smartwatches available and wearables are, we've heard, the next big thing in technology. If you simply can't wait to sport the latest gadget, the Sony SmartWatch 2 is a good option.

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gadgets | Lifestyle

Prestigio Tablets

TheSnugg.com

T

heSnugg.com make the world's most popular iPad and iPhone cases with an emphasis on quality and durability.

TheSnugg.com's covers are made in China, mostly from high quality polyurethane, which isn't real leather but it's a good imitation and more affordable. They also do an impressively protective (and, we think, stylish) bamboo iPhone case. You'll find protective covers here for all your devices: iPads, iPhones, Amazon Kindle, Nexus, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy, Blackberry, MacBooks etc. What's more the covers come with a lifetime guarantee.

TheSnugg.com offer personalisation and engraving services and they've also got a whole host of tablet accessories; iPad, iPhone and iPod accessories and computer equipment. Check it out at www.thesnugg.com

Prestigio have just launched a new range of tablets into the expanding and increasingly competitive tablet market.

The Quantum range of MultiPad tablets are available in three sizes: 10.1", 9.7" and the new 7.85". This range has speedy 1.6GHz quad-core processors for quick browsing and downloading; improved displays, thanks to improved IPS technology; and benefit from a new, pretty-sleek design.

The memory storage capacity of the MultiPads can be increased up to 32GB, and they have a fairly good battery life with the ability to charge via a micro-USB, for extra mobility. Like previous Prestigio MultiPads, the new range comes with a two-year warranty and a large number of pre-installed apps, including Office Suite Pro, so they're largely ready-to-use. These tablets are a great low-cost option. More details can be found at prestigioplaza.com.

• MultiPad 4 Quantum 7.85: from €169 • MultiPad 4 Quantum 9.7: from €292 • MultiPad 4 Quantum 10.1: from €199

Barco's ClickShare Barco's ClickShare CSM Base Unit has been developed to support the rise of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) in the workplace. It's a new system that enables up to eight meeting attendees to wirelessly share content from a range of different devices (PC or Mac, Android or iOS phone or iPad) on a single meeting room screen. Developed specifically for smaller meetings, it's a costeffective, collaborative and efficient way to discuss business. Connect, click and share – it makes staff involvement, inclusion and decision-making that much easier. RRP €1,750.

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crossword

the InBusiness Boss-word!

Please send all completed entries to InBusiness Magazine, Ashville Media Group, Old Stone Building, Blackhall Green, Dublin 7 to arrive no later than March 30th 2014.

The first correct entry drawn will win a fabulous hamper courtesy of Hampers & Co.

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

Terms and conditions apply.

acroSS 2. Progress through profession or occupation, a way of making a living (6) 7. Marketing strategy taking the brand name of one product and extending it to another (5, 9) 10. Wealthy individual provides the money to start a business (5, 8) 11. Amount by which the selling price of an asset exceeds the initial purchase price (7, 4) 12. Situation where an entrepreneur's income and net worth depends on their business (6, 8) 13. Summary statement of accounting values of assets, liabilities, stock, and earnings (7, 5) 14. Investigation an investor should conduct into the operations of a company (3, 9) 15. Any printed or broadcast message paid for by an organisation to a target market (11) 16. Laws that protect investors from misrepresentations of the value of investments (4, 3) 17. Coming up with a product or service and finding a way for people to buy it from you (8)

DowN 1. Separate entity business; provides limited liability, easy transfer of ownership and unlimited life (11) 2. Primary function that a good or service is providing to a

consumer (4, 7) 3. Any individual or company representative that acts as a buyer of goods or services (8) 4. Act of making up one's mind; resolution (8) 5. A set of restrictions by a lender on a borrower of how the borrower must operate the business (8) 6. Selling technique; salesperson approaches a customer with little or no warning. (4, 4) 7. Measure of consumer knowledge that a particular brand exists (5, 9) 8. Ownership of written/drawn material, cannot be reproduced without the author's consent (9) 9. A market in which stock prices are expected to rise (4, 6) 11. An asset used to secure a loan (10) 17. Name, term, symbol, or design intended to identify and differentiate a seller’s product (5)

tel: 061 202116 | www.ul.ie/business | www.facebook.com/businessatUl

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trAvEl | LIfEStYLE

Magical MAltA © thinkstock.com/ iStock.com

whether you wish to expand your historical knowledge, experience a different culture, sample unique food or just need a break with some winter sun, malta has it all, as InBusiness discovered.

W

ith a history expanding some 7,000 years, Malta is the perfect destination for those who wish to learn about the rich history of the Mediterranean. Four Heritage Malta sites have received a Certificate of Excellence for 2013 by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site. The National War Museum, the

National Museum of Archaeology, the Inquisitor’s Palace and the 16th century masterpiece Grandmaster’s Palace, which includes the state rooms and the Palace Armoury, have received the award, given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor.

Other landmarks include megalithic

monuments, Punic tombs and the remains of Roman Villas. The Auberge de Castille, situated at the highest point of Valletta, was the official seat of the knights of the Langue of Castille, León and Portugal – one of the most powerful of the Order of St. John. The original Auberge was built by the renowned Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar in InBusiness | Q4 2013 83

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TRAVEL | Lifestyle 1574 and was extensively re-modelled and virtually rebuilt in 1741. Another highlight of Malta’s uniqueness is the Hypogeum. This underground cavity consists of halls, chambers and passages made out of the living rock and covers some 500 square metres. Archaeological material including pottery and human bones have been discovered here during various excavations. Malta also boasts a variety of museums including the National Museum of Fine Arts, which specialises in art from the early Renaissance to modern times.

Vibrant Valletta Otherwise known as 'a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen', Malta’s capital Valletta makes the perfect getaway for a short winter sun break. Valletta was unanimously named European Capital of Culture for 2018 by a jury of experts last year. This prestigious honour is given to cities which are rich in heritage, but also have a great potential of cultural and socio-economic regeneration. Just a 30-minute drive from the airport in Luqa, Valletta is the epitome of a noble baroque city, encompassing within its highly cosmopolitan identity, the true meaning of a great European destination steeped in history, art and culture.

One event not to be missed is the

“No trip to Malta is complete without a trip to Mdina, the island's Silent City. It is one of Europe's finest examples of an ancient walled city and extraordinary in its mix of medieval and baroque architecture.”

Valletta International Baroque Festival, which the capital plays host to from 10 to 26 January 2014. Centring around the Teatru Manoel, one of the oldest working theatres in Europe, the Festival will extend to the magnificent St John’s Co-Cathedral, the atmospheric Valletta churches, the splendid Grandmasters’ Palace, the auberges and other baroque edifices. The high calibre programme that has been put together for this remarkable festival should not only give it the international status that it deserves but also extend the Baroque map of Europe to include Malta.

No trip to Malta is complete without a trip to Mdina, the island’s Silent City.

It is one of Europe's finest examples of an ancient walled city and extraordinary in its mix of medieval and baroque architecture. Situated practically in the middle of the Island of Malta, Mdina is a real paradise out of the Middle Ages, where there are no apartments,

no aluminium apertures, only beautiful palaces, quaint little houses and a splendid baroque cathedral.

Colours of Malta The pretty village of Marsaxlokk in the southern tip of Malta is another location well worth a visit. A traditional fishing village steeped in history, it reaches back to Phoenician trading posts, and much later on served as a shelter for the Ottoman fleets during the Great Siege of Malta. Nowadays, the Ottoman fleet has transformed into a rainbow of colourful and quaint fishing boats, each ‘luzzu’ painted with the customary Eye of Osiris to ward off the dangers so common on the fisherman’s journeys. Marsaxlokk’s rounded shores are flecked with a multitude of fishermen and fishing aficionados, as if the village’s history is still alive and present in the gentle waves of the harboured sea, and all one needs to do is to fish it back up along with the tuna, swordfish and traditionally popular ‘lampuki’ (the dorado).

Many of Malta’s southern villages have come a long way from prehistoric settlements, and yet the traditional touches can still be felt. The village centres of Qrendi, Siggiewi, Zejtun, Mqabba and Zebbug all retain a certain antique charm. They each have their own local bakeries, releasing a heartwarming and alluring scent as one explores the intricate winding streets of these old villages, where one can often see locals sitting on benches in the piazza, their amiable chatter livening the atmosphere. Furthermore, the frequent festivals, events and religious ceremonies held throughout the year are a definite testament to Malta’s unique traditions.

A Gastronomic Delight

Piazza Regina

After experiencing some of Malta’s culture and historical landmarks there are few things more appealing than tasting some of the island’s traditional food which is based on the seasons.

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trAvEl | LIfEStYLE

Top: The ancient walled city of Mdina. Left: St John's gilded Cathedral, Valletta. Malta's coast provides a diver's paradise.

The Mediterranean region is renowned for its healthy and mouth-watering cuisine. Nowhere else in the world is food exalted in quite the same way as it is by the countries bordering its bountiful sea. The Maltese islands have served as one of the most important trading posts of the region since ancient times. They have seen their fair share of exotic delicacies cross Malta's port, from fragrant oriental spices to cured meats, cheeses and fine wines, but their personal take on food is much more humble and focused on local produce. Maltese cuisine draws influence from Italian, French, British, North African, Spanish and Greek tastes and over the years the

Maltese have gained a reputation for being big foodies, with a particular taste for fish and meat.

Some of the most popular foods include lampuki pie (fish pie), rabbit stew, bragioli (beef olives) and kapunata, (Maltese version of ratatouille). Fishlovers can visit the Marsaxlokk fish market on Sunday morning to try some spnotta (bass), dott (stone fish) or cerna (grouper). Malta’s restaurant scene, which is a mix of speciality restaurants, caters for all tastes including vegetarian, Mediterranean and gluten-free dishes.

relAx After experiencing some of the islands

many pleasures some rest and relaxation may be needed. Malta’s 40 health and spa outlets, which have state-of-the-art equipment and highly qualified staff, aim to focus on every client’s overall wellbeing. Many of Malta’s five star hotels also offer packages, which include specialist treatments and unlimited use of facilities including gyms and swimming pools.

Whether you’re seeking to recover from a busy work schedule, seeking some new experiences and a vibrant atmosphere, Malta is definitely the place to visit this year. Embrace the magic!

For further information visit www.visitmalta.com.

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the last word

The Skills to Succeed Cathriona Hallahan, Managing Director of Microsoft Ireland tells InBusiness how Ireland can tackle a skills shortage in IT and why confidence and determination are central to success.

Cathriona Hallahan, Managing Director of Microsoft Ireland

You followed a very unconventional route to your current role at Microsoft. How would you describe your journey and how have you found your new role, as head of Microsoft Ireland, to date?

I joined the company in 1986 as an accounts clerk and found it was an environment in which I thrived. Though I did not have a degree, Microsoft

provided many opportunities for me to develop my skills and to progress. One of the unique things about Microsoft in Ireland is that you can have many different careers while always staying with the company.

I gained experience in a wide variety of other leadership positions over the years, primarily global and regional roles in the finance and operations sides of

the business. I’ve long understood the importance of a strong team and am fortunate today to be surrounded by a great group of people with a range of talents and expertise. In my role as Managing Director, I endeavour to take an inclusive approach where team members’ views are shared and discussed.

It’s a great time to lead Microsoft in

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the last word Ireland – the business is focused on its transformation to a services and devices company. With signs visible that the economy is starting to improve, we aim to facilitate firms as they turn to technology to enable growth.

What advice would you have for other women in the area of technology hoping to advance their career?

I wouldn’t say that any challenges have arisen for me as a result of my gender. A difficulty I did have in this area stemmed from my own expectation that being committed to excellence and doing highquality work would naturally position me for a new role. You can’t assume that someone is going to tap you on the shoulder and suggest you apply for a new job. I’ve learned through experience that you need to pro-actively go about making it known that you are interested in the position, and also that you are ready to master the challenge it presents.

Women can sometimes wait to be asked to move up while men, generally speaking, don’t.

To anyone, male or female, my advice would be that you need to be confident in your abilities - don’t put limits on yourself. Confidence and determination are as central to success as ability.

It’s so important to know your career goals and ambitions. Take time to invest in yourself and make sure that you set about getting the experience and qualifications you need to achieve your ambitions. A career is an evolution, so transformation is to be welcomed. At the same time, you have to remain true to yourself and supportive of the team that surrounds you.

Do you believe there is a skills shortage in the area of IT in Ireland?

If so, how can we address this?

There is unquestionably a skills shortage in the IT industry in Ireland. There are technical roles which simply cannot be staffed because the pool of suitably qualified candidates is too limited.

Improving access to the STEM subjects in the Irish education system and highlighting the incredibly high level of career opportunities that exist are vitally important in order to entice people into the industry.

One core fact often overlooked is that

the range of roles that IT firms find it challenging to fill includes specialised marketing, sales, finance and operations positions. It’s not just those for people with IT skills – there are a range of opportunities for people with other backgrounds. A greater emphasis on the variety of skills needed could well lead to a larger and increasingly diverse pool of applicants.

I would definitely see a need for industry, Government and academia to work together to solve the problem. The Government’s funding of conversion courses for those looking to retrain in order to access greater employment opportunities is very welcome. Through our involvement in FIT (Fast track to IT), which is an industry-led initiative promoting an inclusive smart economy, and our support of events promoting careers in the sector such as Career Reboot, Microsoft is working to play its part in addressing the skills shortage head on.

We see the need for a range of approaches geared at different audiences.

Through Imagine Cup, we are engaging young people in technology through encouraging the development of new thinking. Our aim is to inspire by showing what technology can make possible, with some of the ideas generated in the course of the initiative forming the seeds of start-ups.

Could you tell me a bit about the Microsoft FIT/Youth2Work initiative and its achievements?

Youth2Work is an initiative targeted at addressing the youth unemployment problem in Ireland, which remains unacceptably high at almost 30 per cent.

In consultation with other industry players, Microsoft and FIT are enabling young people to be trained in cloud computing, gaming and mobility.

The objective of the programme is to enable the training of 10,000 unemployed young people over the course of three years, equipping them to take up IT opportunities which often cannot be filled due to the skills gap.

This is the first year of Youth2Work, but with an investment of €3 million behind it, we firmly believe that it will make a concrete difference in the lives of young people in Ireland.

Microsoft employees are

enthusiastically supporting the programme, even donating their time to participate in an event for students on the courses to offer interview practice and CV-writing advice as a supplement to the training provided.

You attended the recent Dublin Web Summit at the RDS. What were your thoughts on the event and do you think it reflects Ireland's current standing in the world of technology?

Attending the Dublin Web Summit is always a restorative experience – I am continually heartened by the enthusiasm and ingenuity of the exhibitors. This year, I began the first day of the Summit in Cork where I took the Start-Up Express, a specially chartered train, to Dublin along with a series of young entrepreneurs all making the trip to the conference. Passengers received expert guidance on pitching their business to investors and heard about the latest technologies from Microsoft.

The takeaway message for me from the Start-Up Express and the Summit itself has certainly been that the opportunity that technology presents is being harnessed by entrepreneurs from around the world.

There was a great presence from Irish entrepreneurs. I didn’t speak at the Summit itself – Microsoft sponsored the Leaders’ Lunch for women in the technology sector. The Summit had very few female speakers. Initiatives like the Leaders’ Lunch are hopefully going to ensure that this is not the case for the future.

Our young people possess tremendous potential and resourcefulness, and we must do all we can to facilitate this country’s blossoming start-up culture.

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the last word At Microsoft, we work with hundreds of start-ups through our BizSpark programme – we’ve found the quality of innovation to be very high and it is wonderful to see that many participants’ ambitions are global in scale.

Microsoft has been working to transform itself from a software company into a devices and services provider. How has this transformation been going?

Over the course of my 28-year tenure at Microsoft, I’ve seen the company undergo a great deal of change.

Personally, I know that I’ve changed along with the company to meet evolving demands and objectives. So the transformation Microsoft is currently undergoing is part of the same urge to innovate and drive change that has always shaped what we do.

Our unified strategy sees all parts of the organisation come together to create a family of devices and services for individuals and businesses. We want to empower people for the activities they value most, helping them achieve their potential at work, at home and on the go, and deliver real impact that way.

What are the main initiatives, incentives or services Microsoft is offering to Irish businesses?

Microsoft is offering a range of solutions, services and devices that are enabling people and organisations to do more. Microsoft is partnering companies and helping them to transform through an embrace of technology and identifying the opportunities it makes possible. We see the cloud as a key tool for business growth.

How has Microsoft embraced cloud technology and how important will it be in the years ahead?

The cloud is playing a major economic development role in Ireland. In addition to the jobs created within cloud computing service firms, efficiencies are made possible for industries outside the technology industry. The cloud is enabling the Irish workforce to achieve cost savings, while increasing productivity and creating scope for greater co-operation.

According to the Microsoft/Amárach Cloud Index we launched during National Cloud Week earlier this year, 48 per cent of firms surveyed see the Cloud as a business imperative, as opposed to an IT solution. This already substantial figure will increase in the years ahead as access to Cloud is further democratised and its possibilities become evident to all businesses.

Any major plans on the horizon for Microsoft in terms of products or services?

We’ve had a really exciting month – we launched Xbox One in time for the Christmas market. We also announced plans to create 30 new development roles at its Irish based operations in Dublin. The new positions are located at our European Development Centre in the Microsoft Office division, and in the Applications Media and Publishing Group at Microsoft. In addition to these new positions the company also announced the creation of 35 new graduate positions across all parts of its business.

Microsoft’s commitment to Ireland is visible in the scale and diversity of our presence here. It’s the only country in the world where we have a research and development centre, sales, marketing, services, a global operations centre and a data centre.

Our investment is not only strategic but philanthropic as well, and that’s seen in programmes we operate such as YouthSpark – under the banner of which we invest in a number of initiatives with various youth-centric aims including Imagine Cup, Inspiring Careers, DreamSpark, Partners in Learning and, of course, Youth2Work.

"A career is an evolution, so transformation is to be welcomed.

At the same time, you have to remain true to yourself and supportive of the team that surrounds you."

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Good things come to those who don’t wait.

The Audi A6 SE. From €439 per month PCP* or from €45,590 on the road.

Avail of a range of exclusive upgrade packages during the Future Now 2014 Sales Event.

The Special Edition Future Now Package comes with enhanced features including 18” 5 Spoke V Design Alloys, Xenon Lights with LED Daytime Running Lights and upgraded Valcona Leather.

Plus receive a complimentary three year Audi Service Pack with all PCP orders placed before 31st December**.

Order during Future Now 2014 and enjoy the following upgrade package savings: Recommended Retail Price:

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Future Now Offer:

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Future. Now. 2014 Visit audi.ie/futurenow

*Typical Finance model: A6 2.0TDI 177HP SE OTRP €45,590. Deposit/Part Exchange €13,755.57. 36 monthly payments of €439. Optional Final Payment €19,707.60. Total hire purchase price €49,417.17 including acceptance fee (€75) and completion fee (€75). Minimum deposit is 10%. Subject to lending criteria. This offer is made under a hire purchase agreement. Audi Finance is a trading style of Volkswagen Bank GmbH Branch Ireland, authorised by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority in Germany and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland for conduct of business rules. **Offer exclusive to orders placed with a PCP finance plan before 31/12/2013. Prices are correct as of 01/09/2013 and are subject to change. Offer applies to the Audi A6 and is subject to availability. Audi Ireland has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this information but does not accept liability for any errors. Model shown is for illustrative purposes only.

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