Business Awards 2015 Supplement

THURSDAY MAY 7, 2015

of commerce

All the winners from this year’s glittering awards ceremony Inside

BELFAST TELEGRAPH THURSDAY MAY 7 2015

2

BELFAST TELEGRAPH BUSINESS AWARDS 2015 IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS

INTRODUCTION: A CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE

B

ritish Airways (BA) was delighted to sponsor the Belfast Telegraph Business Awards for the third consecutive year. As the leading and most prestigious awards ceremony here, it provided the perfect opportunity for BA to recognise local companies.

The ceremony, which was attended

by Stephen Humphreys, head of UK and Ireland sales and marketing at BA, acknowledged the success of companies

across sectors including export, marketing, innovation and more. These dedicated approaches to business development are an inspiring testament to the determination of local companies to succeed.

At BA, we remain committed to supporting these firms by offering the crucial airlink of up to six daily flights between Belfast City and Heathrow. This is an important route for BA, and it offers customers connectivity to the airline’s

global network of almost 130 destinations worldwide from Heathrow.

As part of our commitment to the local marketplace, BA flights have moved to the airline’s flagship Heathrow home, Terminal 5. Northern Ireland customers can now connect to important long-haul and European destinations without having to transfer between terminals.

BA would like to congratulate the winners, who have demonstrated major

achievements to be awarded these accolades. They are creditable representatives of the success of our business community at home and abroad.

BRENDA MORGAN British Airways partnership manager for Northern Ireland

SERVING UP AN IT REVOLUTION Overall Business of The Year, sponsored by British Airways WINNER: Novosco Novosco, which employs 100 people and has been in business for 20 years, won attention from the judges for its diligence and consistency in securing contracts worth millions of pounds at home and in Great Britain. It is led by entrepreneur Patrick McAliskey, a former RAF electronics technician who joined FG Wilson as an IT expert before leaving to set up his own company.

This year, Novosco secured contracts worth more than £2.1m with a large housing association in the south-east of England. The company, which is headquartered in the NI Science Park in Belfast and has offices in Dublin and Birmingham, secured the business with Swan Housing, which manages more than 10,000 homes in London and Essex. It was just one in a series of large contracts in the housing association sector that the company sealed.

Managing director Mr McAliskey said: “We were totally surprised to win the best SME award, but to get called back up to win the overall award is amazing. When you see all the other companies, we didn’t think we stood a chance. I would never have expected to win the Overall Business of the Year Award.

“Our track record is that we are very proactive at looking after our staff. There’s been a lot of hard work in this, and that’s down to the people that work at Novosco.”

From second from left, Belfast Telegraph MD Richard McClean, Novosco’s Ellen Dickson, Helen Malone and Patrick McAliskey, Stephen Humphreys, head of UK and Ireland sales at BA, and Novosco’s Lee Glover and Nigel McGimpsey after picking up the award. They were joined

by BA ambassadors Christine Wright (L) and Jayne Deasy (R)

Businessperson of the Year, sponsored by British Airways WINNER: Brian Conlon, chief executive, First Derivatives Brian Conlon wanted to join the Down GAA football team before a knee injury intervened. He had to travel to London for treatment, so after training with KPMG, he took up a position with Morgan Stanley International in the city. He then joined a tech start-up in Silicon Valley that grew into a Nasdaq-quoted company.

In 1996, he founded his Newry-based business with just £5,000, establishing it in his mother’s spare room in the city’s Fullerton Road. Since floating on the Alternative Investment Market in 2002, the firm has expanded beyond its roots in capital markets and has developed the world’s leading timeseries database. It has some 13 offices around the world, but Mr Conlon has remained loyal to his roots and kept the company’s HQ in the city’s Canal Quay. Its software is used by organisations including the Singapore Exchange, Japanese banks and more.

The firm, which employs more than 1,300 people, is forecast to generate more than £100m in revenue this year. It is also the largest publicly quoted technology company on the island of Ireland and, along with UTV Media plc, one of just two listed companies in Northern Ireland.

After picking up his award, Brian Conlon said: “It’s brilliant. It was a great surprise. I came here expecting nothing. It’s great to win this award.”

Stephen Humphreys (centre right), head of UK & Ireland sales at BA, presents the Businessperson of the Year Award to Brian Conlon, joined by BA ambassadors Christine Wright (L) and Jayne Deasy (R)

BELFAST TELEGRAPH THURSDAY MAY 7 2015

BELFAST TELEGRAPH BUSINESS AWARDS 2015 IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS

3

JUDGING THE EXCEPTIONAL

The judging panel was made up of (from left to right) Brenda Morgan, from British Airways, Kirsty McManus, from Ulster University (UU), Neil Gibson, from UU, panel chairman John Simpson, Katy Best, from Belfast City Airport, Alastair Hamilton, from Invest NI, Jackie Henry, from Deloitte, and Ann McGregor, from the Chamber of Commerce. They were joined by the Belfast Telegraph’s business editor Margaret Canning

J

ohn Simpson, the chairman of the panel of judges, told how deciding the winners was a long and arduous process because the quality of the entrants was so high.

“The Belfast Telegraph Business Awards seem to have an appeal to many business owners and managers,” he said. “Partly, it is a challenge to themselves to tell a bigger audience about their achievements.

“This year, some categories attracted larger numbers of entries than usual. For me, in the midst of making a choice where choice can be invidious, my lasting impressions are, first, the sheer impressive nature of the entries outlining successful innovation and, second, the quality and initiatives demonstrated by the people who entered for consideration as Young Businessperson of the Year.

The local economy is endowed with business talent that deserves our compliments.”

Mentalist David Meade provided the after-dinner entertainment at the gala ceremony and mystified the audience with his mind-boggling numerical trickery. His performance even extended to a cut-out of the one and only George Best.

Mr Meade also embarked on a last-minute voyage from the Culloden Hotel to Heathrow, courtesy of main sponsor British Airways. On the night, the airline also gave away one set of return tickets to Hong Kong and overnight accommodation as a much-coveted raffle prize.

Mentalist David Meade captivated the awards audience at the Culloden Hotel with a series of feats of numerical wizardry

BELFAST TELEGRAPH THURSDAY MAY 7 2015

4

BELFAST TELEGRAPH BUSINESS AWARDS 2015 IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS

HALE AND HEARTY MARKETING

Hugh Black, commercial director of AgeNI Enterprises, presented Elsie McLaughlin (centre left) and Cliodhna Mulhern (centre right), of 3fivetwo, with the award. They were joined by BA ambassadors Jayne Deasy (L) and Christine Wright (R)

Excellence in Marketing, sponsored by Age NI and Insurance and Personal Alarms WINNER: 3fivetwo The 3fivetwo group, which walked away with the marketing gong, was established a decade ago and has developed into a multi-faceted private healthcare organisation covering medical, dental, eye, ear, fertility and health insurance services.

The firm’s innovative approach to marketing has strengthened the brand and helped expand its customer base.

A new high-quality digital and hard copy HealthStyle magazine has reaped dividends, and a big focus for 2014 was the development of medical tourism packages. The group’s partnership with Ulster GAA has also been very success-

ful, with its dedicated website generating around 1,500 hits each month.

Elsie McLoughlin, group marketing director said: “It’s been an amazing surprise. The calibre of the competition was incredible, and we thought we wouldn’t win.

“We’ve had some incredible achievements in the face of adversity. I think our partnership with the Ulster GAA has been the driver of this, and we hope it has, because it has been a pleasure to work on that project.”

COMMENDED Anaconda Equipment Dungannon-based manufacturer Anaconda Equipment has utilised a mixed approach to marketing its product range to mining, quarrying and recycling companies worldwide. Proactively building up excellent customer rela-

tionships and choosing the best dealers to represent it has helped the firm establish a strong sales base.

Tools for achievement have included a good presence at trade exhibitions, strong brand representation via distributors and participation in global trade missions, coupled with robust dealer support and targeted product launches.

MXB Specialist shopper marketing agency MXB punched well above its weight with the delivery of a marketing campaign in the Republic of Ireland based on car insurance firm its4women.ie.

Appointing Olympic boxing star Katie Taylor as a brand champion, the company created an inspirational message to connect with women of all ages.

Named Its4women Going Places, the campaign took women on a journey us-

ing a range of advertising techniques, online experiences and mobile optimisation. And the journey continued with the chance to tweet and meet Katie. A subsequent 100% sales increase created 17 new jobs for its4women.ie, and the firm anticipates recruiting 40 more.

Nifty Nosh Founded in 2008 by the Lynch brothers, the fast food delivery company employs 19 staff. To compete with global giant Just Eat in Northern Ireland, the firm launched a new marketing campaign — “no transaction fees, ‘nuff said!”. Using a mix of fresh and quirky advertising approaches, the campaign targeted a whole new audience. A 14% rise in sales and an almost £250,000 increase in overall business means further expansion is on the horizon for niftynosh.com

BELFAST TELEGRAPH THURSDAY MAY 7 2015

BELFAST TELEGRAPH BUSINESS AWARDS 2015 IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS

5

Sandra Scannell (centre right), business growth and trade director at the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, presents Andy Mackey (centre left), of AJ Power Ltd, with the award. They are joined by BA ambassadors Christine Wright (L) and Jayne Deasy (R)

THE FUEL TO POWER NI EXPORTS Excellence in Exporting, sponsored by the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry WINNER: AJ Power AJ Power walked away with two awards last year, and now it has added a third. Operating in a fiercely competitive market, the Craigavon-based firm manufactures diesel generating sets and associated equipment, exporting most of its range to 55 countries.

Aligning the company with global super-brand Massey Ferguson through a licensing agreement has helped open doors in new territories. And a sustained and vigorous approach to se-

curing new customers resulted in a £17.5m order book at the end of December 2014, compared to £7.6m in the previous year. Nurturing existing customer relationships and researching and evaluating new markets enabled the trend to continue into 2015, with January sales hitting a record high of almost £21.5m.

Andy Mackey, sales manager at AJ Power, said: “We are absolutely delighted. It’s a lot of hard work from the team. It’s great to win an award like this. It shows that what we are doing is working.

“Last year was a bit of a surprise — we didn’t expect to win it two years running — but the business is going from strength to strength.”

COMMENDED The Rug House Newry-based retailer The Rug House, the largest rug retailer in the UK and Ireland, was founded by siblings Paul and Clare Vallely, who in 2006 set their sights firmly on developing a robust online business.

Since then, the retail company has metamorphosed and the ever growing order book is now managed by 25 members of staff. The firm, which exports 95% of its products to 30 countries, achieved an export growth of 400% in 2014, and it anticipates this to grow year-on-year.

A sound digital marketing strategy also helped create strong brand awareness and develop website sales.

Edge Innovate Machinery manufacturer Edge Innovate was founded in 2009 and works in six continents, employing 108 people.

Utilising established dealer networks and undertaking extensive market research, Dungannon-based Edge exports more than 98% of its product portfolio and continues to push the boundaries of design and production.

New markets in 2014 included South Africa, Japan, Spain, central America and more, with export sales growth also driven by product launches and the company’s new Edge Innovate Recycling Division.

Strong sales figures for 2013/2014, which increased from £9m to £11.3m, reflected this growth.

BELFAST TELEGRAPH THURSDAY MAY 7 2015

6

BELFAST TELEGRAPH BUSINESS AWARDS 2015 IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS

FOSTERING OUR NEXT LEADERS

Employment and Learning Minister Stephen Farry (centre) with Linda McDonagh (centre left) and Eddie Killen (centre right), of Allstate NI, and BA ambassadors Christine Wright (R) and Jayne Deasy (L)

Excellence in the Development of Management and Leadership, sponsored by Department for Employment and Learning WINNER: Allstate NI Allstate NI faced a raised bar in 2012 when Allstate US developed its global operating model, which required managers to lead their teams to cope with the demands of rapid expansion.

To achieve this, Rose Kelly, Allstate Northern Ireland vice-president and chief administrative officer, led a needs analysis exercise, resulting in the development of a global leadership education programme that was launched in May 2014 and delivers strategic work-

shops and tailored programmes to suit every level of leadership.

The programme has contributed to growth and new business contracts, and it has a track record of exceptional performance. In fact, global leaders within Allstate Technology Operations have grown eight-fold since 2013.

Eddie Killen, of Allstate, said: “It [the awards] is always a thing. You tend to put a lot of work in to these things. We tend to submit what we have done over the last years, and you hope that you do as well as you can do.

“We’ve punched above our weight over the past 15 years. I’ve been there since pretty much day one. It works, and the people that work for us are dedicated to working hard.”

COMMENDED Hill Engineering Newry-based Hill Engineering Ltd recently introduced a customised professional management level programme called The Challenge of Change.

The objective of the programme is to provide bespoke training within the company to ensure the challenges that come with rapid growth are met.

It includes Department for Employment and Learning initiatives, competency matrices and channels, so employees can give feedback to management to keep programmes relevant.

The company has recently committed to achieving Investor in People accreditation, ensuring further development for its employees.

Huhtamaki Lurgan Global specialists in packaging for food and drink, Huhtamaki Lurgan supplies products to household brands including Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer.

Employing more than 200 people, the company has implemented HR strategies to further the success of the business through positive workforce engagement and development.

Their initiative, named People Strategy, covers benefits and opportunities to attract new employees, while also focusing on a number of development programmes already in place. The Leadership Development Programme alone has ensured that 54% of employees who have taken part have been promoted since its 2013 implementation.

BELFAST TELEGRAPH THURSDAY MAY 7 2015

BELFAST TELEGRAPH BUSINESS AWARDS 2015 IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS

7

Wilfred Mitchell (centre right), Federation of Small Businesses Northern Ireland policy chair, hands the award to Jim Hannan (centre left), of Hannan Meats. They were joined by BA ambassadors Jayne Deasy (L) and Christine Wright (R)

BEEFING UP INNOVATION FOR ALL Excellence in Innovation, sponsored by Federation of Small Businesses WINNER: Hannan Meats Hannan Meats is an independent producer, processor, wholesaler and distributor to the food service throughout Northern Ireland. Not only has it changed the way quality meat is sourced by partnering with Glenarm Estate to develop a unique producer group made up of 58 farmers, the company has also developed a unique salt-ageing process and specialised animal handling and processing.

Its innovative approach is reflected in its two Himalayan salt chambers — a first for Northern Ireland.

Jim Hannan, of Hannan Meats, said: “We are very privileged. Our relationship with the Glenarm Estate started the whole ball rolling, and it was on the basis of that that we tried to develop something even better.

“We now go to Fortnum & Mason and Mark Hix [in Great Britain] and to other decent eating establishments over here.”

COMMENDED Hill Engineering Newry-based Hill Engineering Ltd has

been developing and building couplers for excavation for more 20 years, most recently including the TEFRA double-locking hydraulic coupler, which has helped transform health and safety procedures on sites across the world.

Simple yet clever in design, the company’s flagship TEFRA product improves the safety of excavator machines, making it the most reliable and robust on the market today.

Such innovation has enabled the company to enter new markets and develop two new products.

Moy Park Moy Park is Northern Ireland’s largest

company, employing more than 12,000 people in the UK and Europe. With a development that took more than two years and a £1m investment, the business’s team changed their chicken Kiev manufacturing process into a new and patented technology.

The aim was to make the process more efficient, reduce the environmental impact and deliver a higher quality product — but mainly to keep that garlic butter inside the chicken until the customer cuts into it.

Through new thinking and technologies, the team achieved their goal and a new and improved way of producing chicken Kiev was born.

BELFAST TELEGRAPH THURSDAY MAY 7 2015

8

BELFAST TELEGRAPH BUSINESS AWARDS 2015 IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS

Senior partner at Tughans Solicitors Phyllis Agnew presents Peninsula Care managing director Jonny Cook with his award. They were joined by BA ambassadors Christine Wright (L) and Jayne Deasy (R)

TAKING CARE IS THEIR BUSINESS Outstanding Service to Business, sponsored by Tughans WINNER: Peninsula Care Services Newtownards-based healthcare agency Peninsula Care Services, now in its sixth year of business, provides three main services: temporary and permanent recruitment, in-house and on-site training and care at home.

The company aims to go “that extra mile” to support its clients in the daily

running and functions of their facilities, not only providing nurses, carers and ancillary staff, but also ensuring they are the best people for the job.

Peninsula’s training academy ensures all its staff are trained in line with industry standards, and the company offers training to its clients either at its own training suite or on-site at their care homes.

Jonny Cook, managing director of Peninsula Care Services, said: “It’s amazing and a big shock. It’s the first

time we have gone in for any kind of award, and we didn’t really think that we were in with a chance.

“Our place is like a big family. It’s always been like that — from the office crew right through to the care workers.

We have 160 staff and we know every one of them.”

COMMENDED Dalriada Trustees Established in Belfast in 2003, Dalriada Trustees has become one of the leading

firms of professional pension scheme trustees in the UK, helping employers address often complex pension issues.

By focusing on the specific needs of customers, Dalriada has continued to show strong performance and growth, developing innovative solutions and helping clients surmount challenges.

Its Better Way scheme aims to take away the worry of pension provision for employers, freeing them up to concentrate on their day jobs while streamlining advisers and reducing costs.

BELFAST TELEGRAPH THURSDAY MAY 7 2015

BELFAST TELEGRAPH BUSINESS AWARDS 2015 IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS

9

A LESSON IN BRAND IDENTITY Best Use of Digital and/or Social Media, sponsored by Saville Audio Visual WINNER: Ulster University Study at Ulster is the student marketing and recruitment brand of Ulster University. Its sole function is to recruit students to undergraduate, postgraduate and part-time courses.

In 2013, the university developed a new strategy to grow student numbers intelligently, recruiting to high-calibre courses in the correct volumes.

Activity centred on social media, video content, web apps,

email, SMS, digital advertising and extensive staff training.

As a result, the university has seen a 7.59% increase in undergraduate applications since 2013 — higher than most competitor institutions across the UK. Paul Ferguson, of Ulster University, said: “It [the award] is awesome. It’s absolutely awesome and it reflects the hard work that has gone in to it — not just from the marketing team, but from the students we work with as well.

“We didn’t expect to win.

When we saw the competition, we were absolutely terrified, so it’s delightful to win.”

COMMENDED MW Advocate Belfast-based PR and public affairs company MW Advocate saw a 500% increase in traffic to its website after using social media to promote TweetXplore — an event held to help businesses improve how they use Twitter to promote their work.

Using film quotes adapted to include a reference to tweeting, local views featuring references to the theme of the TweetXplore event and statistics interpreted through quirky infographics, the campaign resulted in a reach of nearly 39,000 Twitter users in just three weeks.

Keith Scott (third from right), centre manager of Saville Belfast, presents the award to (from second left) Lydia McClellan, Craig Fairless and Paul Ferguson. They are pictured with Jayne Deasy (L) and Christine Wright (R) from British Airways

GARETH’S BUILDING FOR FUTURE

Andrew Hillis (centre right), group head of information services at Almac, with young businessperson Gareth Loye, of M&M contractors, and BA representatives Christine Wright (L) and Jayne Deasy (R)

Young Businessperson of the Year, sponsored by Almac WINNER: Gareth Loye, M&M Contractors Gareth Loye became chief executive of M&M Contractors after taking over the family business from his father, and under his watch, the company has gone from strength to strength.

Gareth’s growth strategy has paid dividends, with the firm becoming a prime contractor and expanding into international markets. So successful was the international expansion that it now accounts for 85% of M&M’s work.

As well as such enormous business success, Gareth still finds time to run marathons and engage in charity work.

He said: “It’s kind of funny, you get up every day and you have problems to deal with and issues, and you get on with life — but at the end of the day you have to deliver.

“It’s nice to get your head out of the water and see what you have done in a year. It [success] is created by the team you have behind you, and you would be nothing without that.”

versity, Paul Vallely had little idea what selling some of his parent’s junk on eBay would lead to.

In 2008, his business really took off, and Paul has not looked back since.

The first Rug House team member was hired in 2009. Fast-forward six years and the company employs 25 people and ships more than 3,000 rugs per week to more than 30 countries around the world. And growth continues.

As well as charity work, Paul also works with his chamber of commerce.

COMMENDED Paul Vallely, The Rug House A business graduate from Queen’s Uni-

Richard Willis, Willis Insurance After graduating in 2002, Richard Willis joined family insurance broking

business Willis & Company. He was appointed director of sales and marketing in 2008 and became managing director of the company in 2013.

The company has made major strides in the first two financial years under Richard’s watch, with new offices opening in Coleraine and Reading, and increased turnover and staff.

It became the first broker in Northern Ireland to be awarded Chartered status and extended its range of services to human resources and health and safety — a definite game-changer and milestone investment in transition from traditional insurance broker to business risk consultancy.

BELFAST TELEGRAPH THURSDAY MAY 7 2015

10

BELFAST TELEGRAPH BUSINESS AWARDS 2015 IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS

Paul Convery (centre right), head of BT business, with Jim Diamond (centre left) and Nicola Montgomery, both from PathXL, and BA ambassadors Jayne Deasy (L) and Christine Wright (R)

A PROGRAM FOR PROSPERITY Excellence in Technology, sponsored by BT WINNER: PathXL PathXL is a software company that specialises in cancer tumour detection with digital pathology.

Its ground-breaking product TissueMark automatically identifies cancer tumours on images of human tissue. It is the first of its kind and stems from years of pioneering research.

Organisations using the software span the USA and Europe, and experts have noted the potential that Tissue-

Mark has provided for more accurate diagnoses, thanks to its exciting combination of pinpoint accuracy and reduced processing times.

Jim Diamond, head of software at PathXL, said: “We’re a spin-out from the university, and it’s great to see a research product that is now coming to industry and is starting to impact on cancer diagnosis, which is very important throughout the world.

“From sales to marketing, to interacting with hospitals and pathologists, it’s not just us, it’s the whole arena we’re delivering to. We operate in an area that is very important to people.”

COMMENDED Danske Bank Danske Bank in Northern Ireland has over the past year put a bigger focus than ever before on technological products for customers.

Paym, a UK industry-wide mobile-to-mobile payment solution, was introduced in Northern Ireland last April, and Danske was the first of the four main local banks to offer customers this important service.

The bank also recently introduced an online meeting option, providing customers the opportunity to attend meetings with advisors via a PC.

Total Mobile Total Mobile was established by Colin Reid to find innovative software solutions to revolutionise the way that companies operate.

The Belfast-based firm develops software that enables staff from a range of sectors to work more efficiently.

It developed the Total Mobile HealthCare solution — an app that works on all mobile devices and enables healthcare providers to improve patient safety and care quality. The product is now being used by 12 health providers across the UK, in addition to success further afield.

Ellen Dickson (second left) and Patrick McAliskey (second right), of Novosco, are presented with the award for Best SME by Andy Duke (centre right), principal dealer from Greers of Antrim and Coleraine, and Ciaran Dines (centre left), business executive with SMW Volvo. They are pictured with Christine Wright (L) and Jayne Deasy (R) from British Airways

GROWING BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS Best Small/Medium Business, sponsored by Volvo

WINNER: Novosco Novosco has expanded significantly in recent years and now has offices in Belfast, Dublin and Manchester.

The company’s principal activity is the provision of IT infrastructure and cloud services to both public and private sector organisations. Clients include more than 50 of Northern Ireland’s top 100 companies, 15 of the largest NHS health trusts in the UK, major universities and some of the UK’s largest housing associations.

In April, Novosco announced plans to create a further 50 new jobs in Belfast and was recognised for its worldclass workplace when it appeared in

the Sunday Times list of best companies in the UK to work for.

Novosco managing director Patrick McAliskey said: “It’s been a fantastic achievement for us. Our last two years have been all about growth — outside Northern Ireland and into England.

We’re delighted we have won. It’s a total surprise, and it was great to be shortlisted. We are delighted.”

COMMENDED Hill Engineering Hill Engineering, based in Newry, was established in 1994 to manufacture agricultural products. A year later, after identifying a gap in the market, it began to diversify into the development of excavator quick couplers.

The expansion was so successful that a second production facility was

opened in 2004 to enable the manufacture of excavator buckets.

The company exports the majority of its products outside of the island of Ireland, with markets including north America and Australia, and it continues to grow and develop.

Quicklet Quicklet Northern Ireland is a specialist residential lettings and management business with offices in both Lurgan and Belfast. Established in 2009, it has quickly grown to become one of Northern Ireland’s largest residential lettings and management businesses.

From a staff of two in 2009, the team has grown to 10 and its current turnover represents an 800% increase on its first-year turnover. Over the past two years, Quicklet has successfully imple-

mented a number of new innovations and introduced a number of services that have improved customer service and business performance.

White Ink Architects White Ink Architects was formed in 2001 by the three current directors. It has since grown to become an award-winning practice with 20 staff.

In 2006, White Ink won its first project outside of Northern Ireland. And since then, it has enjoyed continued impressive success in Great Britain, Ireland and internationally. The practice, based in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, has doubled in size in the past two years, and its success is evident in the growth in value of its contracts, which were worth under £12m two years ago but are now worth more than £40m.

BELFAST TELEGRAPH THURSDAY MAY 7 2015

BELFAST TELEGRAPH BUSINESS AWARDS 2015 IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS

11

Joe McDonald (centre right), senior manager of corporate affairs at ASDA, hands the award to Gillian Shields from Coca-Cola HBC NI, who was joined by Jayne Deasy (L) and Christine Wright (R) from BA

WHY THE ONLY WAY IS ETHICS Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility, sponsored by ASDA WINNER: Coca-Cola HBC NI A successful corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy has always been a key objective of Coca-Cola’s business plan. The introduction of the Refreshing Responsibly campaign has allowed it to not only increase employee involvement in CSR activities, but also encourage 75,000 people to participate in community investment programmes.

Coca-Cola has placed a strong focus on helping people here remain active

through sponsorship of the Belfast City Marathon and, more recently, the Coca-Cola Zero Belfast Bike Scheme.

Coca-Cola’s Gillian Shields said: “We are absolutely delighted, and it’s a real company effort to win the award.

“We didn’t expect to win it with the other people in the categories. It’s going to mean a lot because the Belfast Telegraph Business Awards are so prestigious for us to enter and win.”

COMMENDED Allstate NI Allstate NI’s CSR programme, Helping Hands, compromises three core principles: people, community and the en-

vironment. A Dragon’s Den-style competition invited employees to identify and pitch potential social enterprise projects for the firm to support.

To date, more than £100,000 has been raised for charities, and staff have been actively involved in the promotion of various health campaigns in the wider community.

Henry Brothers Based in Magherafelt, Henry Brothers is a construction and civil engineering company making a positive impact in its local community. It recently built a sensory garden for the pupils of Kilronan School, and it has promised to

drive down transport CO2 emissions and promote energy efficiency through the installation of solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations at its headquarters.

Ulster Bank Recognising the need for improved financial education and entrepreneurship, Ulster Bank implemented MoneySense for Schools as part of its overarching CSR strategy.

Now the largest free financial education resource on the island of Ireland, it helps provide children in more than 300 schools with an increased understanding of personal finance.