Business First September-October 2014

northern ireland’s business magazine

BUSINESSFIRST INFORM CHALLENGE INSPIRE

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

NOEL BRADY: A DECADE INSPIRING BUSINESS SUCCESS Guest Columnists Dr Peter Bolan and Tom Cotter consider the exciting future for Golf Tourism Northern Ireland.

Thought Leader

In Conversation

Best Practice

Michael McAllister, ASM outlines the ingredients for successful business acquisitions.

Gavin Walker talks to Alan Clarke as he steps down after 13 years leading Northern Ireland tourism.

Can taking on role as Non Executive Director help build your career? asks Arts &Business NI.

THIS MAGAZINE IS ALIVE INSIDE: click anywhere to visit pages, websites and videos. Be inspired!

CONTENTS

Putting your Business First

What’s inside this issue CLICK ANY PAGE TO BE TAKEN STRAIGHT THERE BUSINESS FIRST FEATURES 13 Paper bills, who needs them?

COVER STORY A number of Nb1 clients give you an introduction to how Noel Brady has helped them develop their businesses page 25

Alan Egner, Power NI

22 Northern Ireland Enterprise Awards –

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Supporting entrepreneurship

Gordon Gough, Enterprise Northern Ireland

34 IntertradeIreland Business Monitor Dr Eoin Magennis, InterTradeIreland

38 Why do we appoint incompetent leaders?

Professor Simon Bridge, Univeristy of Ulster

Where are you in the vehicular hierarchy?

As we go to press we are bemused by the recent announcement from the Department of Regional Development that they are to create a ‘cycling strategy’ for Northern Ireland.

In short, it is their intention to get us all on our bikes come hell or high water and they are prepared to make private and business motorists suffer to achieve their cycling targets and strategies.

Now don’t get me wrong - I love a leisurely cycle on a sunny Sunday morning as much as the next man and have often tried (with limited success) to encourage my offspring to leap on two wheels and take to the by-ways of North Down.

But the idea that Belfast’s streets are going to become awash with cyclists on a wet Tuesday in November is fanciful at best and potentially bad for business at worst.

If the Department is genuinely intending to make the needs cyclists and pedestrians the primary driver (no pun intended) of future traffic planning then business needs to speak loudly to ensure that what begins as a genuine effort to make streets safer doesn’t end up creating further barriers to business, delivery of products and services or detrimental to economic development. A balance must be struck and the consultation period is the time to make our voices heard.

Enjoy the autumn colours - see you on the frontline. (I’ll be the one in the car!).

Gavin Gavin Walker Managing Editor FRONT COVER IMAGE Noel Brady Nb1 & Harbour Commissioner.

Photo by Khara Pringle, www.kharapringlephotographic.com

10 Talent and infrastructure vital for jobs & growth in Northern Ireland Chris Cummings, TheCItyUK

12 Business acquisitions – maximising potential success Michael McAllister, ASM

13 Paper bills, who needs them?

44 How secure is your information in

Alan Egner, Power NI

transit ?

Michael Noble, MomentumNI

18 Why improving our air connectivity is vital to growing our economy David Fry, CBI

58 Exit interview with Alan Clarke, chief executive, Northern Ireland Tourist Board Gavin Walker, Business First

20 Going for growth? digital strategy is a

64 Universal broadband for business: still some work to be done Grace Peacock, Federation of Small Businesses

73 Northern Ireland needs more women

game-changer Richard Houdmont, Chartered Instiute of Marketing

in construction Ben Collins, director, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

BEST PRACTICE 17 The business case for harnessing the

Media Partners for the 2014 NORTHERN IRELAND ENTERPRISE AWARDS Details on page 22

power of Facebook Bill McCartney, Bill McCartney Social Media

70 Building high performance teams Kirsty McManus, director of the Centre for SME Development at the Ulster Business School

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YOUR BUSINESSFIRST TEAM Editor Gavin Walker gavin@businessfirstni.co.uk Sales Jenny Belshaw jenny@businessfirstni.co.uk Finance Margaret Walker margaret@businessfirstni.co.uk Design Studio Tw2 studio@twworks.co.uk

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CLICK ON ANY PICTURE TO BE TAKEN TO THE ARTICLE

YOUR EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS

Articles from some of Northern Ireland’s most influential business leaders that will inform, challenge and inspire your thinking.

Chris Cummings TheCityUK page 10

Michael McAllister, ASM page 12

Bill McCartney Bill McCartney Social Media page 17

Dr Eoin Magennis, InterTradeIreland page 34

Professor Simon Bridge University of Ulster page 38

Lee Surgeoner Partner, Endeavour Information Solutions page 42

Sinead McLaughlin Londonderry Chamber of Commerce page 47

Cathy Booth BDO page 50

Heidi Hauf Business in the Community page 54

Professor Peter Bolan University of Ulster page 60

Kirsty McManus Centre for SME Development page 70

Chris Brown MCE Public Relations page 80

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Businesses to gain from #belfasthour

IoD seeks Northern Ireland’s leading Directors

Paul Terrington, chair IoD Northern Ireland and Des Moore, head of First Trust Bank Northern Ireland

he Institute of Directors has launched its annual search for the most successful Northern Ireland business leaders.

The 2014 IoD First Trust Bank Director of the Year Awards, regarded by many as the most prestigious business awards, will recognise those who lead their field across all sectors of the local economy.

Paul Terrington, chairman of the IoD NI, said: “The IoD First Trust Bank Director of the Year Awards is an opportunity for directors to receive the recognition they truly deserve for their continued determination, good corporate governance and exceptional standards in leadership within their organisations.

“Northern Ireland is awash with business leaders who excel within their respective sectors.

“Testament to this is that all eight of our winners from last year’s awards have now been shortlisted for the UK Finals, which just goes to show how rich the pool of business alent is here in Northern Ireland.”

The esteemed awards, sponsored by First Trust Bank, are the pinnacle of business success in Northern Ireland and are highly regarded as the most prestigious industry accolade.

Speaking about the sponsorship, Des Moore, head of First Trust Bank said: “First Trust Bank has long been an admirer of the work of the IoD in promoting and developing executive and non-executive directors across the private, public and voluntary sectors and is delighted to be the lead sponsor at this year’s IoD Director of the Year Awards. “ The awards are open to all business leaders in Northern Ireland, whether they are IoD members or not. Directors are invited to enter across nine categories:

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Dorcas Crawford, senior partner, Edwards & Co with Glyn Roberts, chief executive, Northern Ireland Independent Retail and Trade Association

aw firm Edwards & Co Solicitors has launched a new initiative to develop links and communication among entrepreneurs and small businesses in Belfast. Based on Twitter, the project is increasing rapidly in terms of popularity with over 1,000 followers and is causing a stir among SMEs in Belfast.

With over 350 businesses taking part in this initiative every week, Belfast hour is a Twitterbased forum, on which businesses and individuals are free to discuss whatever they want for an hour every Thursday between 910pm. This could be anything from pitching for business or sharing good news stories, to promoting other businesses or general networking.

To view any activity that is occurring on the forum, the user simply uses the hashtag ‘#belfasthour’, which will lead them to discussions between people involved. Once the user then posts a message and uses the hashtag, all other interested parties can view that message. Over four and a half million timelines have been hit to date, which is the potential number of times somebody could have seen the hashtag #Belfasthour, with a reach of over 749,000.

Sean Kelly, finance manager at Edwards & Co expressed a sense of excitement about the project: “The forum acts as a modern-day chatroom and has seen lively activity since it began in early June – there is business being done right before your eyes.”

Any interested company can find out more by following Belfast hour at @BelfastHourNI on Twitter, or use the hashtag #Belfasthour to get involved every Thursday.

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1. Director of the Year for a Large Company (over 250 employees) sponsored by 4C Executive Search 2. Young Director of the Year sponsored by Jaguar

3. Director of the Year for a Small and Medium Company (250 or fewer employees) sponsored by the Ulster Business School’s Centre for SME Development 4. Public Sector Director of the Year sponsored by Capita Managed IT Solutions 5. Director of the Year for Leadership in Corporate Responsibility sponsored by Ulster Business 6. Family Business Director of the Year sponsored by BDO 7. International Director of the Year sponsored by the William J Clinton Leadership Institute 8. Non-Executive Director of the Year sponsored by First Trust Bank 9. Third Sector Director of the Year sponsored by First Trust Bank 10. A tenth award will be presented to the Young Enterprise Director of the Year nominated by Young Enterprise NI and sponsored by Concentrix The Director of the Year Awards are part of a UK-wide IoD programme that sets the standard for directors.

This year a simplified application form has been introduced so it has never been easier for directors to enter.

The IoD First Trust Bank Director of the Year Awards, will be presented at a lunch on Friday 5 December at The Merchant Hotel in Belfast and are now open to all business leaders across the province.

Scan the code to download the criteria for all the awards and application forms www.iodni.com or contact Linda Brown on 028 9068 3224.

Closing date is 30 September 2014.

Wizz Air’s low fares land in Northern Ireland

Launch of Funding Honeypot for creative industries sector

he University of Ulster has launched a new £240,000 seed fund designed to stimulate growth and enhance competitiveness within the digital content sector.

The Honeypot seed fund is part of the Honeycomb – Creative Works initiative, a £3.58 million skills and business development programme funded by the European Union’s INTERREG IVA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body. It is targeted at digital content creators across Northern Ireland, the six border counties of the Republic of Ireland and western Scotland.

The seed funding is available to organisations and individuals that will play a key role in the development of the digital content sub sector thorough animation, film & broadcasting, computer gaming, interactive media and music technologies.

Fiona McElroy, Creative Enterprise manager in the University of Ulster’s Office of Innovation said: “Northern Ireland is becoming renowned for innovation in the creative sectors and the university is committed to nurturing talent and playing a key role in helping the sector flourish through education and research.

“The wider Honeycomb initiative couples skills training and market development to enhance the capability of the sector. It is helping to cement Northern Ireland’s reputation as a leader in the creative industries, allowing local companies to compete on a global scale and potentially create new jobs.

“The new Honeypot seed fund is all about further encouraging and enabling innovation through cross-regional cooperation and is open to anyone from an individual to larger SMEs.”

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izz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe*, today announced a new route from Belfast to Vilnius which will commence on 22 April 2015. The new service will initially operate two times a week.

Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, will be Wizz Air’s launch route from the capital of Northern Ireland. By adding Belfast to its growing route network, Wizz Air now operates over 300 routes across 36 countries and provides millions of passengers with reliable air traffic operations, very low fares and a friendly, consumer oriented service.

Seats on the new Belfast-Vilnius route are already on sale from just £39.99** and can be

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booked on wizzair.com.

Wizz Air’s Daniel de Carvalho said: "Wizz Air is delighted to announce its new Belfast route to the people of Northern Ireland, who will now have now access to our low fares.

Our first destination from Belfast is Vilnius, the second biggest city of the Baltic states with a rich cultural heritage. With fares starting from just £39.99**, we hope that this route will be as popular as the other over 300 routes in Wizz Air’s network. We also hope that this new service can contribute to strengthen business relations and tourism between both cities. Tickets are already on sale on wizzair.com.”

Avaya sponsor Simon Community Golf Day vaya will again play principal sponsor for the Annual Simon Community Corporate Golf Day at Dunmurry Golf Club, Thursday 11th September.

Aidan Furlong, channel manager “Avaya Ireland is delighted to be partnering with Simon Community for a second year and we’re only too glad to be supporting the charity as it aims to help make homelessness in Northern Ireland a thing of the past”.

Attracting a range of corporate teams from across the province, Golf Day has over the past 10 years generated £60,000 for Northern Ireland’s homeless population.

Noel Brady chairman of Simon Community’s Corporate Fundraising Committee - “Golf Day is always a highlight for Simon Community and we’re delighted to have Avaya on board as our Principal Sponsors. Corporate sponsors are vital to Aidan Furlong, channel manager Avaya Ireland with Noel Brady, Corporate Fundraising Committee our charity and I’m looking forward to chairman, Simon Community and Brian Shanks, teeing off with Aidan again this year”. corporate fundraiser.

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The three fund categories The three Honeypot seed fund categories include: pre-proof of concept ideas with funding requirements of up to £2500; later stage proof of concept projects with funding requirements of up to £5000 and, transdisciplinary projects with funding requirements of up to £15,000.

For more information on the Honeycomb – Creative Works initiative and the Honeypot seed fund, visit thehoneycomb.net.

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Disney benefits from Belfast Super Connectivity hirty Belfast businesses, including a provider of interactive advertising to Google and Disney, are set to benefit from access to some of the fastest internet connection speeds in the world through a new deal with Novosco.

Speeds of one-gigabyte-per-second are available to Ormeau Business Park tenants such as rehabstudio, which also has offices in London and New York, following Novosco installing its Cloudstream offering there this month.

The Belfast-headquartered IT infrastructure and connectivity specialist has signed up the Gas Works-based business park as part of the Belfast City Council Superconnected Cities scheme, of which Novosco is a preferred supplier. This utilises funding from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to help increase access to superfast broadband.

Novosco has invested significantly to be able to offer superfast connection speeds, including in installing its own fibre-optic ring in Belfast, and in a strategic alliance with Hibernia Atlantic, the organisation responsible for the deployment of Project Kelvin.

Belfast City Lord Mayor Councillor Nichola Mallon welcomed the announcement.

“Belfast City Council’s voucher scheme is another example of our commitment to making the city as competitive as possible,”

Laura Jackson: partner at BDO

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From Trainne to Partner - Laura Jackson is pictured with BDO senior partner Nigel Harra

the Lord Mayor says, “I am very proud that Belfast and its businesses are leading the way and proving that partnerships between private and public sectors can deliver significant long term results.”

As part of its Cloudstream connectivity service, Novosco also provides customers with a back-up connection as standard with the service, and an iPhone app to monitor their connection.

Scan the code for further information about the Superfast Belfast Voucher Scheme at: www.belfastcity.gov.uk

BDO has announced the appointment of Laura Jackson as their newest partner. Laura who takes up the role within the firm’s Audit and Assurance practice, is the 10th Partner and her appointment follows a series of promotions within BDO in the last month.

Laura joined BDO in 2002 as a trainee and her progression to partner makes her the sixth staff member to progress within the firm from trainee to partner since BDO was established in Belfast 25 years ago.

Speaking on her new appointment, Laura said: “I am delighted to have been appointed a partner in BDO. Having joined the firm 12 years ago, I know very well the commitment of the whole management team to the recruitment and long term development of staff.”

Northern Ireland Businesses Compete to ‘Make a Million’ he Prince’s Trust and some of Northern Ireland’s leading companies have signed up for the Million Makers Corporate Challenge 2014. Each company is undertaking to turn an initial £1,500 investment into a fundraising profit of £10,000 in just six months through establishing and running a mini-enterprise.

Now in its seventh year, the fundraising competition has successfully raised more than £300,000 to help The Prince’s Trust support disadvantaged young people from the ages of 13 to 30 across Northern Ireland.

Million Makers is an opportunity for companies to engage, inspire and motivate employees to develop many transferable skills such as leadership, motivation and decision making, while generating funds to help young people turn their lives around.

Ian Jeffers, director of The Prince’s Trust in Northern Ireland welcomed the support from all of the teams saying, “The last round of Million Makers was an overwhelming success.

This year I know that the teams will throw themselves wholeheartedly into the competition with the goal of collectively raising even more money helping local young

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The PowerNI team

people to get their lives on track and move into work, education or training.”

Mark Liggett from Power NI commented “Power NI is delighted to be associated with The Prince’s Trust Million Makers Scheme.

“By generating creative and innovative ideas to help raise £10,000 from a business venture, which in turn will be ploughed back into the local community, it also gives staff the

chance to enhance and develop skills within the workplace.”

If you think your company has what it takes to be a Million Maker, and are not afraid of competition, then why not sign up?

Contact Arlene Creighton for more information at arlene.creighton@princestrust.org.uk or Tel: 9089 5019

CIM brings Marketing Game Changers to Belfast

Minister for Employment and Learning, Dr Stephen Farry and the chair of the Ireland Board of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Christine Watson

ome of the United Kingdom and Ireland’s top marketing professionals will reveal how they deliver maximum impact for their companies at a major conference in Belfast organised by The Chartered Institute of Marketing. The conference, Game Changers: Marketing with Impact, will be held on October 1 at Crumlin Road Gaol.

Speakers include Cera Ward Country Manager of Google Ireland, Elizabeth Sheehan,

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director of Marketing for Ireland at Lucozade Ribena Suntory and Colin O’Toole, senior brand manager at Mondalez International who has also worked with global giants Mars, L’Oreal, Colgate-Palmolive and Johnson and Johnson.

“This is a great opportunity to get the latest cutting edge information and advice from top marketing experts. We’ve brought together an exciting group of people who will be able to shine a light on all aspects of marketing, giving

business professionals from across Ireland the chance to learn and develop new skills that can really make a game-changing difference to their companies,” said Christine Watson, Chair of the Ireland Board of CIM. Highlighting the importance of continual skills development and recognising the value of life-long learning, Dr Stephen Farry said: “The CIM conference theme of ‘Game Changers: Marketing with Impact’ will provide a forum for marketing practitioners to both share and learn with local experts and international peers on a diverse range of marketing topics simultaneously enhancing their skills and experience.”

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) is the leading international professional marketing body with some 35,000 members worldwide. First established in 1911 it has defined the marketing standards that operate in the UK for over a century and is the global champion of best marketing practice. CIM exists to develop the marketing profession, maintain professional standards and improve the skills of marketing practitioners, enabling them to deliver exceptional results for their organisations. It does this by providing membership, qualifications and training to marketing professionals and businesses around the world.

The conference is open to all whether, CIM membership is not required. Booking details are available at www.cim.co.uk/63521.

Further information about the event as well as sponsorship and exhibition opportunities is available from cimevents@cim.co.uk.

UU Business School appoints new directors he University of Ulster’s Business School has announced two senior appointments. Kirsty McManus becomes director of the Centre for SME Development whilst Michael McQuillan takes on the role of director of the Ulster Business School’s Business Institute.

Welcoming Kirsty and Michael, professor Marie McHugh, dean of the Ulster Business School said, “The Ulster Business School plays a significant role in supporting business and economic growth in Northern Ireland across a number of platforms. The Business Institute’s primary focus is on professional development, shaping the future of both individuals and organisations through the delivery of bespoke management and leadership programmes and consultancy. Michael’s personal experience in management and his proven entrepreneurial skills will perfectly complement the Faculty’s extensive academic offering.”

Kirsty McManus, professor Marie McHugh and Michael McQuillan

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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Talent and infrastructure vital for jobs & growth in Northern Ireland

by Chris Cummings, chief executive at TheCityUK hat are the challenges we face in fuelling continued economic growth? How can the business community contribute to the jobs and growth agenda over the next few years?

These are central questions being discussed right across the UK, and ones that were pivotal to an event TheCityUK recently chaired in Belfast, hosted by Citigroup, for the financial and related professional services industry. Taking a local perspective, our focus was the role the industry can play in addressing those questions.

The strength of Northern Ireland’s financial and related professional services industry is notable.

Financial services firms in the region employ 31,500 people, account for 4.5 per cent of total employment and generate 7.4 per cent of gross value added.

Our event attracted an esteemed panel from across the local industry, comprising representatives from Citigroup, law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, Invest Northern Ireland and Ulster Business School.

Very early on the group agreed on the benefits that Northern Ireland has reaped by becoming an important centre for the ‘nearshoring’ of operations and support services.

In recent years, regional centres such as Northern Ireland have benefited from nearshoring as firms looking to base themselves in the UK choose locations across the country.

This is not ‘back office’ work, but highly technical and productive activity supporting strategic international projects. Alastair Hamilton, chief executive of Invest Northern Ireland, noted that financial services is a key sector for attracting foreign direct investment to Northern Ireland, with Belfast being the primary hub.

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In recent years, regional centres such as Northern Ireland have benefited from nearshoring as firms looking to base themselves in the UK choose locations across the country.

Chris Cummings

A prime example of this is Citigroup, a major employer in the city Citi opened its Northern Ireland office in 2005 with the initial intention of accommodating around 375 technology staff. According to John Healy, the site head of Citi’s Service Centre, it now has over 800 technology employees based there.

Other areas of the team have also grown, meaning the firm has expanded its offices and now employs around 1500 people. Why? According to Hamilton, there are four key reasons: cost; the availability of talent – especially from colleges and universities; the proximity to London - flights take less than 90 minutes; and the same legal and regulatory environment as the capital.

The abundance of talent was a recurring theme

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during the event. From conversations TheCityUK has had with members around the country, we know that a key factor in location decisions is a broad and deep talent pool.

Luckily for Northern Ireland, it’s in a strong position, something we heard of from Lisa McLaughlin, deputy director of Herbert Smith Freehills’ Belfast Office, a global law firm that opened an office in Belfast in 2011.

Over the past three years, the Herbert Smith Freehills team has grown significantly, something they attribute to the quality of their staff and the willingness of the people they’ve hired in Northern Ireland to be innovative.

Michael Pogue, course director at Ulster Business School, also spoke of the ongoing improvements the University is making to its courses to ensure it can provide high quality candidates to the local financial and related professional services sector, including incorporating modules on risk and behavioural finance.

The University is also teaming up with local employers, offering some students the option of placements with companies like Citi and Herbert Smith Freehills, for example.

The future certainly looks bright for Northern Ireland, but there are, of course, areas for improvement.

A major challenge identified is infrastructure Concerns were raised among our panellists about rail links in Northern Ireland, something that has also been raised in other conversations with our members.

The region can only compete on a national and international stage and continue to grow if it has the infrastructure to support it.

A recent report by PwC estimated that financial services alone could contribute an extra 1.1 per cent to GDP growth in Northern Ireland by 2020 if the right environment exists for it to prosper.

Good infrastructure is also central to the region’s symbiotic relationship with London. London’s ability to attract major international firms delivers a real economic boost for this region; at the same time, the quality of the workforce and the cluster of support services and universities in regional centres across the UK contribute to London’s global appeal by widening the talent pool and offering greater growth opportunities.

But for this to continue, having the right infrastructure is vital. If these concerns can be addressed, when it comes to boosting jobs and driving economic growth, for Northern Ireland the sky really is the limit.

Business acquisitions – MAXIMISING POTENTIAL SUCCESS

by Michael McAllister, director ASM ou have navigated the storm and business is good, you have ambitions for growth and have access to cash and capital to go for it.

But what is the most effective growth strategy to pursue: organic strategies or acquisition?

For many, the attractive and indeed most appropriate route is through business acquisition. Obvious benefits include potential cost, revenue and operational synergies with a return on investment relatively quickly.

Appropriate acquisitions, where the target has established sales and cash flows can appear more attractive to funders and investors compared to organic proposals.

Although the benefits are compelling there are a number of inherent risks which should be addressed to ensure the potential for success are maximised.

Some common reasons why acquisitions fail to deliver the intended objectives include misjudgement of strategic fit, overpayment, nasty surprises, overestimation of synergies, taking the eye off the existing business and underestimating the scale of the integration task.

So how can you enhance the chances of success? The following are some steps to consider:

principles should be adopted in formulating and implementing an acquisition and/ or integration plan. Your plan should clearly define the acquisition objectives, focus on priority initiatives and include steps for rapid integration from Day One. Management and leadership responsibilities should be clearly articulated to ensure accountability.

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1. Undertake an appropriate and specific due diligence process Analysis of the key financial, legal, operational, strategic and other risks of the business is an obvious but nonetheless essential element of the buying process.

Validating the assumptions being made in your decision making is essential. Ask the challenging questions you need answered as you only have one chance to gain the comfort you require.

2. Mitigate the risk Irrespective of the level of due diligence undertaken, it is inherent that not all risks can be fully addressed and mitigating actions should be considered including: a. Representation, warranties and indemnities These form the basis for your right to recourse for any problems later encountered.

These will form a part of your ‘insurance policy’ in the event that you encounter skeletons in the closet.

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5. Negotiate hard but fair

b. Escrows and Earn outs Consideration held in escrow is only released once certain conditions are met post completion whilst earn-out provisions ensure the seller will only receive additional consideration upon achievement of certain milestones which may include achieving future revenue and earnings. c. Consider an asset rather than a share purchase A straight forward asset sale could result in the acquisition of the more attractive elements of the business only whereas a share sale includes ‘warts and all.’

Tax implications can play a considerable role in this decision and the preferred structure will depend on the individual circumstances of the buyer, seller and target.

3. Focus on what matters Retain a focus on the key things that are most important to creating value postacquisition. Ensure you clearly understand the added value you and your team can bring as well as the core competences and resources of the target. Be comfortable that these will not be jeopardised post sale by for example ‘management flight.’

4. Fail to prepare – prepare to fail Inadequate integration planning could result in a doomed relationship from the outset. Don’t underestimate the scale of the task. Good project and business planning

Have a clear understanding of your fundamental objectives and limits and don’t let yourself fall uncomfortably outside this zone. Do not fall into the trap of making concessions for the sake of negotiation goodwill or be affected by the others apparent wealth, status, success or attitude.

Your initial indicative offer should be clear on the assumptions you have made and agree on an appropriate period for due diligence.

This will allow you to adjust your value and offer if information or assumptions are found to be inaccurate.

6. Get your valuation and offer right There is no hard and fast rule on the best way to value a business and the method chosen will have as much to do with future plans as the current status of the business.

Analysis of future earnings including assessment of synergies should be approached with prudence.

Multipliers of earnings, e.g. EBITDA, (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, And Amortization) are a common valuation method. Other methods include net book value and return on investment.

Ultimately, the key driver on value can be how keen a seller is to sell and how determined a buyer is to buy.

Bear in mind also that sellers won’t always go for the highest offer. It’s important to understand the type of offer that is most likely to appeal to the seller.

Michael McAllister is a founder and director at accountancy and business advisory firm, ASM. He is recognised as a leading corporate finance adviser in the area of mergers and acquisitions and was recently awarded the Dealmaker of the Year award for 2013 for Northern Ireland.

ENERGY FOR YOUR BUSINESS a Business First Feature

sponsored by

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PAPER BILLS, WHO NEEDS THEM? Go paper free with Power NI, it’s a no brainer!

Now it’s even easier for small businesses to save money on their Power NI electricity bill, says Alan Egner, Power NI’s Commercial Sales & Marketing Manager. Not only do they get four per cent discount for paying by Direct Debit, they can go one step further and get an additional one per cent discount by opting for paperless online billing at powerni.co.uk/nobrainer ree up your business from the problems of handling and disposing of excess paper by switching to Energy Online, Power NI’s free online billing service. Instead of waiting for your bill to arrive by snail mail, you get an email sent directly to your inbox.

In just a few clicks you can access your online account where up to two years’ bills and payments are organised and stored safely, ready for you to view anytime.

Alan Egner, Power NI’s Commercial Sales & Marketing Manager comments: “Reducing energy costs and your carbon footprint are very important issues, no matter the size and type of your business. Energy Online ticks both boxes. It is paper and postage free which means less carbon is used during the production and delivery stages, allowing our customers to do their bit for the environment.

As a thank you for going paperless, we are happy to reward our Energy Online customers with extra discount off their bills.

“But there’s a lot more to Energy Online than a simple online account service. It has lots of free extra features that make monitoring and managing your energy costs much easier, including the option to compare each bill to the same period during the previous year, and bar charts showing consumption, cost and CO2 emissions for every bill. You can also check your balance and submit meter readings online without ever having to call us.

“If you are a larger energy user with a halfhour meter you can get a high definition view of your energy consumption by clicking on the annual, monthly or daily view on the bar charts. If you require your consumption data for insertion into your own energy monitoring software you can easily download the data for selected months as a csv file.

“Having multiple sites brings its own challenges but with Energy Online you can easily keep track of your energy costs.

Initially you get a summary of total consumption and monetary spend across your whole business for up to two years. You then have the option of viewing the same information for selected individual sites allowing you to compare one location to another, giving you the power to control wastage as well as costs.”

After nearly 15 years of competition, Power NI continues to be Northern Ireland’s number one electricity supplier. The company has over 35,000 commercial customers and this year over 900 businesses returned from other

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suppliers. Customers are assured of local, friendly service and the latest figures released earlier this summer by the Consumer Council NI showed that Power NI received the lowest number of formal complaints per 100,000 customers than any other electricity supplier in Northern Ireland, for the third year in a row!

Alan continues: “Power NI supports all sizes of business in Northern Ireland. Whether you use electricity for lighting, heating, hot water or refrigeration, we are actively contributing to the success of local businesses by providing a competitively priced, reliable supply with various added value services including advice, financial support and special offers on energy saving equipment. We work with industry experts to bring customers a range of grants for the latest energy saving and renewable technologies including lighting, heating, insulation and solar PV. “We pride ourselves on offering great value ways to save energy and money. From listening to our customers we know that this is more important than ever. Conor Keown from Total Produce Ireland, based in Dunmurry, recently told us: “Using Power NI’s Energy Online service helps us to cut down on

our carbon footprint as we receive all our bills through our online account rather than through the post. We can also look at exactly how much electricity we use on a daily basis, allowing us to spot wastage easily. I would definitely recommend paperless billing to other businesses as it’s highly convenient and a great way to compare bills.”

Alan concludes: "Over 33,000 Power NI customers have activated their Energy Online account and we are getting great feedback.

It’s easy for customers to keep a closer eye on their usage, helping cut down on energy bills whilst improving their business’ bottom line.

It’s a no­brainer!”

For more information on how your small business could benefit from Energy Online, visit www.powerni.co.uk/nobrainer and start saving today.

(Four per cent Direct Debit discount and one per cent Energy Online discount applies to Power NI’s quarterly billed small business and farm tariff customers only. Other discounts apply for larger users on personal contracts.)

Renewing our focus Northern Ireland is well placed to become a leader in wind and marine energy. Investment in renewables and a targeted focus on increasing the skillset of our engineers is vital if we are to capitalise on this multibillion-pound sector. Darren McVicker, managing consultant, Vickerstock Recruitment takes a closer look at the needs of this fast-growing sector. overnment, business and individuals have become more focused on reducing their ‘carbon footprint’. The growing awareness of the finite supply of fossil fuels, as well as the impact we all have on the environment, has pushed the renewable energy sector to the fore.

Climate change is generally accepted as one of the greatest environmental challenges we will face and, coupled with a need to ensure long-term security of energy supply, we must all consider our carbon footprint and generating more of our energy from renewable resources.

The government has set ambitious targets as we work to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions over the next few decades, and of course the most effective way to do so will be by making a big shift from fossil fuels to clean energy sources.

Clean energy includes both onshore and offshore wind, marine energy including wave and tidal energy, and energy from waste and additional energy streams.

The potential is there, and already Northern Ireland firms are taking a lead with associated benefits already accruing for the economy.

The benefits of using clean, natural energy aren’t just environmental – we also stand to gain from being less reliant on expensive, imported fossil fuels that fluctuate in price and increase local employment and grow the goods and services that we can export to a global market keen to harness renewable energy.

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A recent study into the effect of reaching the government target of 40 per cent from renewable energy sources estimates that by 2017 we could have created an additional 2,000 jobs in Northern Ireland with the potential benefit economically of more than £100 million.

We’ve seen success already at Belfast Harbour with the £51 million tailor-made installation harbour for all wind farms in the Irish Sea as well as Harland and Wolff’s contract wins which have resulted in the renewables sector now accounting for 80 per cent of their annual turnover.

There is also the likes of Hutchinson Engineering who secured a £1.2m contract from Xeres Wind Europe as well as Creagh Concrete who won a £1.1m contract from Renewable Energy Generation and Lagan Construction who were able to secure significant work from Land Energy.

These are all positive moves, but, working with firms, we also realise that we need to do more if we are to successfully build on our research and development and secure a global lead.

As a priority, we need to increase the number of students opting to choose ‘STEM’ subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) at all stages of education and raise awareness of the variety and benefits that can come with a career in renewable engineering, as well as the associated engineering fields.

For current engineers, we must also ensure that they have the relevant skills to avail of

A recent study into the effect of reaching the government target of 40 per cent from renewable energy sources estimates that by 2017 we could have created an additional 2,000 jobs in Northern Ireland.

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opportunities in this quickly growing sector.

Recently, with government and employer support, industry body RenewableUK has established the Renewables Training Network to ensure those with relevant skills and expertise in other sectors are able to make the transition across to renewables, and more programmes such as this are vital if we are to move forward.

The opportunities are clear, the benefits of going green are manifold, not just in environmental terms, but to the whole economy and supply chain. We must act now, renew our focus, and make sure that we have the skills and personnel ready to make us a global leader in renewables.

VickerStock, Northern Ireland’s leading specialist technical engineering recruitment agency, offer recruitment solutions and expert engineering advice to candidates and companies within the construction and civil engineering sector as well as a range of engineering sectors including; aerospace, manufacturing and production, supply chain, ICT, electronics and electrical, civils and infrastructure, utilities and renewables.

Based in Belfast, offering both permanent and contract employment with NI’s most sought after employers in the engineering sector, the organisation’s overall goal is to match highly skilled engineers with the specific demands of each individual organisation they represent.

For further information visit www.vickerstock.co.uk

Ultimate Two-Day Facebook Course with Bill McCartney Thursday 9th October & Wednesday 29th October, 9am – 16.45pm Ramada Plaza Hotel, Shaw’s Bridge, Belfast Learn how to reach and engage with 720,000 Northern Ireland Facebook users For information & to register scan the code to visit www.businessinnorthernireland.com

The business case for harnessing the power of Facebook

by Bill McCartney, Bill McCartney Social Media

newsletter site has an app that can easily be integrated into your Facebook business page to grow your email list. Remember the money is in the list.

Instagram owned by Facebook is growing fast with 200 million monthly active users and 20 Billion shared photographs. Instagram naturally integrates beautifully with a Facebook business page and is one to watch.

Boosting posts, using, Events and Notes, etcetera. are also great ways to reach out to your audience.

acebook’s second quarter results showed 829 Million Daily Active Users up 19 per cent and 1.32 Billion Monthly Active Users up 14 per cent year over year.

Over 720,000 people in Northern Ireland have a Facebook profile. It’s time for the surrender of Facebook business sceptics.

The sad truth is that most Northern Ireland businesses don’t understand how to effectively use Facebook for business. A combination of poor knowledge, myths and skepticism has denied them a huge profitable opportunity. “Scepticism is slow suicide” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Advanced Techniques

Consider a few points.

Facebook 2nd Quarter Earnings Facebook revenue has soared as mobile makes up 62 per cen of total advert revenue.

With sales now of almost $3 Billion up 61 per cen and net income $788 million up 138% from the same quarter last year. Facebook has figured out mobile and is building an increasingly effective platform for businesses.

Strong Foundation Seems obvious that you need a Facebook Page that is created properly to support your business ambitions. Most people fail at this first hurdle. They have no strategy, fail to focus on a niche and make little attempt to use the tabs, apps, etc. Security is vitally important.

Many people don’t understand this or the role of administrator, editor, moderator, advertiser and analyst. They tend to settle for the default settings in General and Page info.

These settings are critical for success and it’s important to customise them for your unique business needs.

Less than 20 per cent of active business pages on Facebook advertise.

There has never been a better opportunity to start a Facebook advert campaign.

Bill McCartney

Making mistakes and missing opportunities in creating a customised effective page acts as a drag on engagement and advertising.

Engagement Engagement has been the Holy Grail for many people and is sabotaged not only by a poorly created business page but also by the desire to build likes of any quality as quickly and easily as possible.

Competitions, many of which break Facebook’s terms and conditions come to mind. It’s like a shooting star, burns brightly initially and then fades fast.

Now growing your likes is still important not only for brand awareness but also as a custom audience for advertising.

Building a large number of high quality valuable likes takes time and I think of it like farming.To grow an excellent crop and harvest it takes time and skill.

It’s important to have an idea how Facebook’s algorithm works and the type of posts that it is more likely to allow onto your audience newsfeed. Focus on the right message, to the right audience, at the right time is a good place to start.

Options There are many different options available to enhance your marketing on Facebook.

Email capture is equally as important to building high quality valuable likes. For example MailChimp a popular email

Facebook advertising has improved out of all recognition. This is actively laser targeting an audience through sophisticated Facebook adverts. It is an equally important activity to farming on Facebook and I refer to it as hunting. In many ways it has now diminished the need to run competitions.

It’s now possible with custom audience and website conversion tracking for business people to bring their own data to Facebook.

This data layered onto the existing Facebook data delivers very powerful targeting with little waste.

The best part of all this is that less than 20 per cent of active business pages on Facebook advertise. There has never been a better opportunity to start a Facebook advert campaign.

Continuous Improvement “Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital” ­ Professor Aaron Levenstein.

It ‘s important to accurately measure the effectiveness of your Facebook business page.

Likealyzer.com is a simple handy tool that will give you a quick overview of both your page build and use.

Google Analytics is a powerful tool to go deeper into your performance. Facebook Insights are excellent for indepth analysis of your Facebook page. All these analytic tools are free and it’s worth taking time to understand the story in the data.

Facebook is now part of our culture. It continues to grow and provide huge opportunities for a wide range of business.

My two-day Facebook course is a very unique opportunity for your business to pick the low hanging fruit while others remain lost and confused.

www.businessfirstonline.co.uk

17

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Why improving our air connectivity is vital to growing our economy

by David Fry, senior policy advisor, CBI Northern Ireland key determinant of the competitiveness of a region is its aviation provision.

Without excellent global links, growth of exports from indigenous firms, attractiveness of foreign direct investment to our shores and realising Northern Ireland’s undoubted tourism potential would prove difficult.

In our Infrastructure: Investing for our Future report of October 2013, we earmarked a number of key deliverables which would go some distance towards realising these lofty and crucial goals.

Of these, a key success has recently been achieved.

The announcement by Flybe that it is to service a George Best Belfast City Airport to London City Airport flight three times daily from the autumn will prove a significant fillip to the business community.

We specifically called for this in our report after consultation with our members, perhaps most significantly those within the financial services and banking industries. It was made clear that, simply by having such a connection with the City of London in place it would make business easier to do for those companies already in Northern Ireland and also open up the opportunity of investment into Belfast and beyond.

Linked to this, our infrastructure report also looked at the need to significantly

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enhance both our long and short haul connectivity into other markets.

Short haul connectivity to continental Europe should be an area of renewed focus given the current lack of direct flights with Germany a key strategic location from both a tourism and business perspective. Airlines like Aer Lingus are already, through their expanding schedule from George Best Belfast City Airport, making a positive contribution towards the expansion of the European route network.

Long haul connectivity, when we put ourselves in direct comparison with the offering of Dublin Airport, is also an area where efforts need to be redoubled as well.

General Election. A decision on capacity is now decades overdue – and all parties must commit, through manifesto pledges, to accept its findings and recommendations once published.

Without building new runway capacity in the south-east of England, it is clear that capacity will be reached at Gatwick and London City in the next 10 years, with Heathrow already reaching that point in 2010, and this is a situation the UK can ill afford.

In the short-term, action must be taken to further boost the use of regional airports, such as George Best Belfast City Airport and Belfast International Airport, by making immediate improvement to the roads around them to maximise usage of current capacity.

Political will is required However, for this to become a reality, key political decisions must be made.

Flying High, a recent CBI report, detailed that without urgent action on the future of the UK’s airport infrastructure, businesses would miss out on the new connections they need, severely hampering efforts to rebalance the economy towards trade and investment.

Our research shows that each and every additional flight to a high-growth market boosts trade by as much as £175,000, while almost half (49 per cent) of businesses in the UK consider air links to emerging markets as a key consideration when choosing where to place their next investment.

For us, a key deliverable is the need to speedily progress the work of the Davies Commission on UK airport capacity once it publishes its final report after the next

Air Passenger Duty Of course, a discussion on expanding air links cannot be had without making reference to Air Passenger Duty. The CBI continues to call for the duty, at a national level, to be frozen given that it is now a clear barrier to businesses establishing networks which lead to inward investment and exports.

Indeed, the World Economic Forum has recently ranked the UK’s airport taxes and charges as the second least competitive in the world. A UK-wide review of the tax’s future is now an imperative.

A second key aspect of the Flying High report is addressing the question of what expanding our air links does for meeting our environmental obligations.

As the report critically addresses, there doesn’t have to be a conflict between our

In 2003, Northern Ireland had direct air access to one European city. As of this summer we can fly direct to 50 destinations of which 25 are cities in Great Britain, 22 are in continental Europe and one, through United Airlines, is to America. David Fry environmental goals and aviation capacity.

It is our clear and strong view that sustainable growth is possible due to technological advances, such as more sustainable biofuels and efficient engine technology, and industry commitment.

New technologies already in the pipeline, along with greater collaboration between industry and government, can enable the UK to meet projected demand growth while further reducing noise and emissions.

Indeed, the investments made by the aerospace and aviation industries in new technology are already having an impact on noise and greenhouse gas emissions.

Noise is currently in decline at the UK’s major airports, while new aircraft are as much as four times more fuel-efficient than their equivalent in the 1960’s.

Like much else, the story therefore on enhancing our connectivity through aviation is therefore mixed. The positivity of the Flybe announcement is to be strongly welcomed – but the challenges to further route expansion undoubtedly remain.

That being said, the progress made over the last decade is marked. In 2003, Northern Ireland had direct air access to one European city. As of this summer we can fly direct to 50 destinations of which 25 are cities in Great Britain, 22 are in continental Europe and one, through United Airlines, is to America.

This is a solid foundation on which Northern Ireland can and must build. Our politicians, locally and nationally, must now step up to the plate.

Access the CBI’s report of July 2014, Flying High here www.cbi.org.uk/flying-high The infrastructure report, Investing for our Future, can be found at: www.cbi.org.uk/media/2434993/ni_17_1 3_cbi_ni_infrastructure_report__executive_summary_final.pdf Follow the CBI Northern Ireland on Twitter: twitter.com/CBI_NI Scan the code to find out about CBI events: www.cbi.org.uk/ni

Infrastructure: Investing for our Future was launched by CBI Northern Ireland report in October 2013

The announcement by Flybe that it is to service a George Best Belfast City Airport to London City Airport flight three times daily from the autumn will prove a significant fillip to the business community.

www.businessfirstonline.co.uk

19

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

GOING FOR GROWTH? digital strategy is a game-changer

by Richard Houdmont, director for Ireland, The Chartered Institute of Marketing n a recent survey undertaken by The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) senior marketers were asked: which capabilities will be the most important contributors to the success of their organisation in five years’ time?

The top three responses were (a) digital strategy, (b) marketing strategy & planning, and (c) innovation and/or new product development. The impact of digital means that marketing today in unrecognisable from twenty years ago. Given the pace of change it will be fundamentally different in another five years, or less.

For many start-up companies it’s not a case of switching into digital, they’re already there.

Technology is undoubtedly removing barriers to entry for the growing number of post-recession start-up companies. But a digital strategy is for everyone, not just technology companies, indeed digital is a game-changer.

Nevertheless many companies feel that they’re playing catch-up in the rapidly-changing digital field.

As Colin O'Toole, senior brand manager at Mondalez International says: “Your consumer’s attention is being dragged away from your media spend all day long.

“Phones and tablets are taking over the commute, video-on-demand is taking over TV and press…the questions on every marketer’s mind: how much do I switch into digital? How do I measure it? Can I link it back to a sale?” But he then he goes on to say: “These are all the wrong questions.”

Colin completed his master's degree in marketing at UCD and learned his trade with some of the global giants of marketing like Mars, L'Oreal, ColgatePalmolive and Johnson & Johnson so we need to listen to what he has to say, which is why CIM has invited him to Belfast to speak at the Marketing gamechangers conference to held at Crumlin Road Gaol on 1 October 2014.

“The top global marketeers and brand architects are foregoing the usual ‘Why?’ and ‘Where?’ questions and starting to search for growth around a fundamental metric: how many people buy your brand.” Colin continues “if you start with a focus on growing your consumer base, you can be confident you are starting on the right track to making a bigger impact than you were before.”

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Phones and tablets are taking over the commute, videoon-demand is taking over TV and press…the questions on every marketer’s mind: how much do I switch into digital? How do I measure it? Can I link it back to a sale?”

Richard Houdmont

But what exactly do we mean by a ‘digital strategy’? What would one look like?

CIM’s recently-introduced Digital Strategy Award looks at how organisations can implement digital marketing capabilities into strategic marketing planning. Businesses need to develop their digital strategy beyond a set of tactical actions but it’s not necessarily a case of having a stand-alone digital strategy, it’s more about how digital can enhance your overall marketing strategy.

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Companies need to understand the strategic implications of the disruptive digital environment.

What are the key emerging themes within the digital marketing environment? What is the impact of digital on your industry structure and dynamics?

Will your customer behaviour change with reference to digital behaviours and identities? And what is the impact of ‘digital disruption’ on internal resources.

“To tweet or not to tweet, that is the question”.

Well no, that’s not the question. When it comes to digital planning it’s all about the customer. How will you acquire, convert and retain customers through a digital approach? And how does that integrate with your wider marketing strategy?

So for example in a recent survey an electronics retailer that answered an e-mail in seven minutes took 76 hours to reply on Twitter to the same question. That may be the result of several uncoordinated tactical moves into digital, rather than a well-planned digital strategy forming part of their overall marketing strategy.

What does success look like? Your digital strategy will identify and assess the tools available to measure social, sentiment, search and site behaviour. You’ll establish monitoring systems and agree KPIs. Of course there’s no point having a digital strategy without the appropriate skills and capabilities. Because digital is a fast-moving area that’s a challenge, especially when senior staff may not have the digital skills themselves.

Luckily there are tools available such as CIM’s online Digital Marketing Capability Analysis which can measure digital marketing competency levels in individuals and across teams. It identifies an individual’s digital marketing knowledge and competence as well as their skills gaps and development needs and allows you to coordinate training needs across an organisation.

It also highlights individuals with specific knowledge and strengths – your star performers, whose talents can be used in many ways in the business, for example to coach others.

Another speaker at the Crumlin Road Gaol conference will be author Daniel Rowles who will discuss how we should be dealing with ‘digital disruption’, in an environment of constant and fastpaced change.

Daniel believes that existing and near-future digital technologies will be complete game changers for many industries. So businesses must stay up to date with digital marketing, and plan for a future of constant change. In such a rapidly-changing field, forecasting the future can be precarious, but Daniel intends to make some predictions for the next five years ahead in digital and get the audience’s view on what this will mean in practice.

For further details of the Marketing Gamechangers conference see www.cim.co.uk/ireland.

NORTHERN IRELAND ENTERPRISE AWARDS

Northern Ireland Enterprise Awards – SUPPORTING ENTREPRENEURSHIP E

nterprise Northern Ireland is the organisation responsible for representing the interests of Local Enterprise Agencies and small businesses with central government, official agencies, the private sector and other organisations operating in the field of enterprise and economic development.

There is a local enterprise agency in every council area in Northern Ireland, all delivering a range of business services to help people set up and grow their businesses.

These services include Start Up Loans providing mentoring and financial support to entrepreneurs that would not normally be available via traditional banking relationships. Since the scheme commenced earlier this year Enterprise Northern Ireland has dealt with over 250 enquiries resulting in 48 loans being dispersed at a value of over £250,000!

And in terms of the complexities of setting up a new business it is very encouraging to note that in the first 12 months of the Invest NI Regional Start Programme over 3000 start up business plans were assisted at local enterprise agencies right across Northern Ireland. This will translate into approx. 2000 new business start-ups across Northern Ireland and impact favourably on job creation.

And for those people looking for business premises then look no further than the local enterprise agency network. Across Northern Ireland local enterprise agencies provide workspace for over three thousand small businesses.

Social economy businesses are big business in Northern Ireland. The local enterprise agency network over the past year has helped to set up forty six new social enterprises with a combined projected turnover of over £3m, creating over one hundred new jobs; that`s real impact!

In terms of employment opportunities for the long-term unemployed then Exploring Enterprise is the Enterprise Northern Ireland programme of support. Exploring Enterprise provides one to one advice and training leading to an award in Understanding Business Enterprise. Local enterprise agencies have delivered 130 Exploring Enterprise courses in the past two years to over 1000 participants.

Northern Ireland Enterprise Awards Enterprise Northern Ireland is the voice of local entrepreneurship and we are delighted to present the 2014 Northern Ireland Enterprise Awards to celebrate great examples of local ingenuity and talent.

Helping to develop strong businesses that create employment and export across the

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John D`Arcy, chairman of Enterprise Northern Ireland, Keith Liggett, managing director, Legacy Wealth and Gordon Gough, chief executive of Enterprise Northern Ireland launching the 2014 Northern Ireland Enterprise Awards which are supported by Legacy Wealth.

world is an important part of what we do.

The 2014 Northern Ireland Enterprise Awards are an excellent way to recognise the hard work and dedication of businesses and members of the Enterprise Northern Ireland network. Whether it is through offering business support or highlighting access to finance initiatives, our network of enterprise agencies is playing an important role in stimulating the Northern Ireland economy.

We have to encourage and support innovation and entrepreneurship collectively if we are to improve Northern Ireland’s economic performance.

At the local enterprise agency network we come across innovative talent and entrepreneurial business flair every day, individuals ready to take a risk on a new idea, businesses prepared to take a risk and develop new products and enter new markets even in tough times.

Entrepreneurial tenacity and determination is alive and well and the 2014 Northern Ireland Enterprise Awards is the place to be to showcase Northern Ireland’s brightest business talent.

Keynote speaker: Fraser Doherty MBE Fraser Doherty MBE, is the guest speaker at the awards. Now 25, Fraser set up SuperJam at 14, using his Gran's recipes.

SuperJam now supplies over

2,000 supermarkets around the world (incl.

Tesco, Asda Wal-Mart, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Waitrose) in countries including Australia, Russia, Denmark, Finland and Ireland.

SuperJam is exhibited in the National Museum of Scotland as an 'Iconic Scottish Brand', alongside Irn Bru, Tunnock's and Baxters and Fraser was named 'Global Student Entrepreneur of The Year', the first ever winner from outside North America.

Fraser launched The SuperJam Cookbook, sharing his jammaking secrets with the world and SuperBusiness; a book about his story and everything he has learned. Both books have since become best sellers.

Fraser has also been `Entrepreneur in Residence' at London Metropolitan University since 2010, delivering lectures and speeches.

Anyone who gets an opportunity to hear him speak should take advantage. He has a great story which he tells with humour and a level of maturity that would put many professional speakers on the circuit to shame.

Scan the code for information about the 2014 Northern Ireland Enterprise Awards being held at the Hilton Hotel Belfast on Thursday 27 November - along with other Enterprise Northern Ireland business support programmes at www.enterpriseni.com

Media Partners for the Northern Ireland Enterprise Awards 2014

SPONSORED ARTICLE

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SPONSORED ARTICLE

Choosing an Investment Manager the track record fallacy Choosing an investment manager is one of the most important choices you will make, says Nigel Crawford, head of the Belfast office of Quilter Cheviot Investment Management t was only last summer that England beat Australia in the home Ashes series, Alastair Cook was a hero and Andy Murray triumphed at Wimbledon. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy was struggling to find form after switching to Nike golf clubs.

One year on and their contrasting fortunes tell us that in sport, as in much of life, past performance is no reliable guide to the future.

When looking for an investment manager, it is also the case that performance should not be the sole or – arguably – primary consideration.

Of course, historical data can be useful for investors, but it needs to be handled with care. Looking at an investment manager’s past performance is only useful if we explore why they may have performed that way, and what this possibly teaches us about likely future performance.

If you are looking to invest for the medium to long term, it is best not to rely on short term performance data as a guide. Although most high-returns are attributable to clever strategy, there is such a thing as flukes in the market and sheer good luck. A sudden spike in performance may be down to just this.

So look for a manager who has generated good returns over the longer term, navigating a variety of market conditions. Some investment managers shine when markets are healthy but struggle in challenging periods.

Successful longer term investors combine an ability to navigate tough markets with the skill to capture returns in better times.

Try to look at both cumulative performance – how well they've done over the past three, five or ten years – and discrete annual performance – how they've performed in each separate year. This will give you an idea of how their style copes with various different markets: up, down or sideways.

It's also possible to look at how they've done relative to their sector, but be aware that, in many sectors, average performance may be worse than the market.

Take time to understand how and in what context a record has been achieved. One manager may have a better record than another but is that due to skill or a different approach to risk?

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What is their investment philosophy, and how closely does it align with your own? In order to assess whether they are a good match for you, you must identify whether they first understand your objectives.

To do this, they will need to identify your attitude to risk, and how long you are prepared to tie your money up for. The two, of course, are inextricably linked. If you don’t need access to your money for many years to come (e.g. it is a pension fund) you will be better placed to take risks, as you will be able to withstand short term losses in the expectation that your investment will grow steadily over time.

However, if you’re saving for something quite specific in the medium term future (such as a child’s university fund) a much more cautious approach is recommended.

With such a clear deadline for withdrawing your funds, you will be at much greater risk should the market dip.

You should look for an investment manager who understands exactly what you hope to do with the funds you are investing, and is capable of devising a tailor-made plan that will help you to achieve these aims.

Clarity of communications and, of course, customer service, is another key component in both ensuring that the process of investment is simple, and in achieving your goals. Important questions to ask include: will an experienced investment professional be responsible for looking after your investments? what resources will they have to hand? how responsive will they be to changes in your circumstances? how carefully can they link your circumstances to an investment solution? how accessible – and therefore accountable – are they?

The least tangible – but arguably most important – consideration is integrity. Will you gain direct access to a highly qualified and experienced investment manager? Does he or she represent a business with an exemplary regulatory track record? Is that business able to demonstrate a lack of conflicts of interest? Are charges reasonable and transparent?

Do they understand the importance of any particular nuances of your own investment

Nigel Crawford

approach, such as a desire to avoid certain sectors and are you confident that this will be as important to them as it is to you?

The world of savings and investment is rapidly changing and many more people are having to take responsibility for their financial well-being. We at Quilter Cheviot welcome this trend, and believe that we can demonstrate our credentials in terms of performance, service and integrity.

To find out more contact Nigel Crawford at the Belfast Office on 028 9026 1150 or visit www.quiltercheviot.com Investors should remember that the value of investments, and the income from them, can go down as well as up. You may not recover what you invest. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

Quilter Cheviot Limited is registered in England with number 01923571. Quilter Cheviot Limited is a member of the London Stock Exchange and authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority.

BUSINESS FIRST CELEBRATING SUCCESS

Nb1 celebrates the first ten years of inspiring Northern Ireland business

In the July issue of Business First we discovered that the personality behind Noel Brady’s glasses is the same in public and in private: what you see is what you get.

In this celebration of ten years in business for Nb1 we asked some of Noel’s clients to share with you how their partnership with Nb1 has helped them develop their business.

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25

NORTHERN IRELAND BUSINESS GROWS WITH NB1

Customer service is key to Fenix Solutions success enix Solutions are an established business communications company, and we have been delivering solutions to customers in Northern Ireland for over 30 years.

The way that businesses and consumers communicate has changed dramatically in the last few years, and is a constantly evolving technological minefield.

At Fenix we put customer service as our number one priority, and believe it is our role to stay on top of the ever changing telephone and communication portfolio of solutions.

Many business owners now have a land line number, a mobile number, a Smart Phone, email, and other solutions all designed at making sure they stay in contact with both suppliers and customers.

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Are you one of those business owners?

If so, you probably have many different channels of communication to deal with on a daily basis. Although it is fantastic to be in touch, at times it gets both confusing and quite difficult to stay on top of, as you try to get on with running your business.

Help may be at hand with the latest advances in what we call our “Fenix Hosted Solution.”

Who is the Fenix Hosted Solution for?

miss a call they can pick up their voicemail no matter where they are.

Ideal for multi sites The service is provided and managed centrally so you don’t need an expensive system on each site. Fenix connects branch offices together, calls are free between locations and everyone shares the same dial plans and directories. How much easier would that make things for your organisation?

Organisations who prefer operational running costs rather than capital expenditure Hosted on your behalf, there is no expensive maintenance or running costs and you pay for what you use on a simple peruser basis. No need to take a large chunk of capital out of your budget.

Organisations that need a business continuity solution In the event of a disaster your services can be instantly moved across to a backup plan that can include, for example, diverting calls to different locations without loss of functionality and without expensive call forwarding costs.

This solution is ideal for any size of business, and is highly effective in organisations that have more than one site that need to work together. The system is capable of serving a single user to companies with many employees. This puts you in FULL control.

Here are some examples of how our Fenix Hosted Solution is often used:

You can put calls on hold, play marketing messages, move calls seamlessly between users and offices, and your customers will get the best experience when calling your business.

Dynamic businesses wanting flexibility

Training and monitoring

Businesses with employees who are regularly on the move or out of the office will never lose calls as each user can simply tell the system, at the click of a mouse, where their calls should be sent: their desk, their mobile (or both), or their colleague. If they

Fenix Solutions provides a cost-effective way to record calls. This centralised feature means calls can be recorded from any location, in any direction and configured instantly at the click of the mouse.

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Improving customer contact

Helping local businesses of all sizes We knew we had a great product and we knew that we needed to reach out to businesses in Northern Ireland. If we had the opportunity to work with them we could demonstrate how a “state of the art” hosted solution could bring real cost saving.

Not only that, it would also bring many advantages for both their internal and external customers.

In 2013 Fenix Solutions engaged the services of Nb1 to seek advice and guidance on the potential development and growth of our communications business. We did this based on the reputation of of Nb1 as a company, and its founder Noel Brady, to deliver results.

Kieron McGuire, the CEO of Fenix Solutions commented, “Since engaging the services of Noel Brady, we have put a structured plan in place, and have witnessed growth in our revenues, and a strong sense of accountability.

“Noel agrees that you need a business plan, but that the plan needs to be adaptable to changing circumstances, and the introduction of new services.

“His contribution has been fresh, incisive and enjoyable and he now feels part of our team working together in a clear direction forward.”

Henry Ford summed this up very well: “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”

Nb1 on Fenix: “This Company focuses entirely on customer service, led by an extremely experienced business man in Kieron McGuire, who has a great team around him and they are a pleasure to work with.

“They are hungry for advice and apply uncluttered positive thinking to moving forward.”

Pictured: Gareth Thompson, Operations Director, Fenix, Noel Brady, Nb1 and Kieron McGuire, CEO, Fenix.

NORTHERN IRELAND BUSINESS GROWS WITH NB1

Provincial Care Services a caring business A s our population grows, the number of people of all ages that require some form of care at home grows with it.

Each year in Northern Ireland we spend in excess of £150M on domiciliary care.

Budgetary pressures mean that domestic “home help” services are being reduced in favour of increased support for those deemed to “substantial” help. In Northern we have a range of both public and private sector organisations providing these care services.

Provincial Care Services Agency Limited (PCSA) has been operating since 1993 and was set up in response to the People First document, which indicated that those in need of care could be maintained in their own homes, as opposed to long term residential care. The founders of the company, having worked in the NHS for many years, opened a nursing home and the care in the community seemed to be a natural progression. The domiciliary care industry in those early days was unregulated, but the nature of the whole sector changed in 2008 with the establishment of the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA). This Authority is responsible for the Registration of providers and sets high level inspection standards which aim to benefit all of the stakeholders involved with scale and established compliance systems.

Monica Byrne is the Managing Director or more formally known as the Registered Person for PCSA whilst the other formal role of Registered Manager falls to Angela McKeever. These positions are a vital requirement by RQIA to ensure that the company adheres to the regulatory standards and procedures. PCSA has a longstanding reputation for delivering a very high quality and reliable service which is provided across a large area of Northern Ireland.

This standard of care is clearly and unambiguously set out in the PCSA Statement of Purpose, which commits all members of staff to provide outstanding quality of care and support in partnership with their service

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users, their carer’s and representatives and the commissioners of the services. The primary aim is to enable each service to continue to live independently in their own home for as long as they are able and wish to do so.

Compassion is Key to the Company Values PCSA has set out its value stall under four main headings:Commitment – Dedication to providing Quality Care to the Service User Accountability – taking ownership and responsibility for care delivery Rights – To uphold and respect all service user’s rights to choose Equality – Ensuring everyone is treated equally .

To achieve these values PCSA has placed a huge emphasis and a major investment in staff training, for example, all managerial staff have relevant third level qualifications in care and allied medical fields.

Transforming Your Care Presently, a large percentage of domiciliary care delivery is carried out by private providers, some large conglomerates and an element of small providers, who work only in their local areas.

PCSA falls somewhat in the middle, employing in excess of 160 staff. A significant percentage of services is also provided by the Health Trusts from in-house resources. A key element of the TYC initiative would suggest that “home is the hub”.

To this end the Health Sector is currently taking a strategic look at what services are needed, how these services should be commissioned and who should provide them.

There is at least a strong expectation that a significant amount of future services will be tendered in open competition by the various trusts.

It was with this expectation in mind that PCSA initially sought out the help and advice of Nb1. Noel Brady had a well-known reputation

for working on public sector tenders.

Whilst PCSA had many years of experience in the care sector, the management team felt that they needed help to prepare for the expected tenders and perhaps they needed to consider how best to promote their own reputation and profile with the various stakeholders in the health market.

Noel began his work with a thorough review of the materials, policies and procedures that would by necessity have to be in place to ensure compliance with tender requirements.

Not surprisingly, in a regulated business Noel found that most things that were required were already in place but just needed to be clearly identified and structured. This quite quickly led Nb1 to recommend that PCSA should immediately apply for Investor in People, which they did and achieved the award in December 2013.

Monica Byrne says, “We found that Noel fitted very quickly into our ethos and ways of working. He is always willing to work to our timescales, this is very important because our business is fast-changing, so if a meeting was scheduled and an emergency occurred, Noel quickly rearranges to suit the needs of the company.

“He has been a huge assistance to the management team providing advice and knowhow to assist them in a very wide range of aspects of the business.”

Nb1 on PCSA – It’s strange that a sector that focuses entirely on the safety and welfare of our most vulnerable people is continuously under pressure to find efficiencies - this seems incongruous with our values as a society.

Working with PCSA is a delight, I enjoy every aspect of it – especially the people.

Their compassion for the people they care for is evident for all to see.

NORTHERN IRELAND BUSINESS GROWS WITH NB1

UPS or no UPS – that is the question?

CONTINU has the answer! to simple issues, for example, the batteries had long since expired!

“Without a maintenance programme in place these ad-hoc call outs can be expensive and uneconomical in the long run.”

Working with Nb1

Tom Hall, Managing Director, Continu, Noel Brady Nb1 and Alison McFadden, Director, Continu

he risk of blackouts is higher than at any time over the past six years according to National Grid. Spare electricity power production capacity could fall to two per cent by 2015, increasing the risk of blackouts.

Whilst the systems operators may be able to ensure the appropriate level of security of supply in Ireland both planned and unplanned interruptions are on the rise.

When the sun is shining it’s easy to forget the miserable days of winter!

To avoid downtime, data loss and potential hardware damage businesses should ensure they have trusted and reliable backup power in place.

It is now widely accepted that the only way to ensure a clean power supply is to have standby power. It’s not just outages but spikes, surges and dips that can create serious problems on all electronic equipment, particularly computer equipment.

Backup Power Specialists, Continu Ltd urges business to get in touch to check their backup system is up and running. High temperatures, storms and flooding as well as our normal winter conditions can cause power disruptions across the province.

Unplanned outages such as occurred in the summer in Portstewart when almost 1,800 NIE customers experienced a power cut on a

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Saturday night, caused havoc with local businesses operating in one of busiest times on record.

Damien Morelli of Morelli’s commented “Thanks to Continu ltd who installed and maintain our UPS system we were the only retailer on the promenade continuing to trade through the blackout, we had no loss of business as our tills were up and running”

“We had no loss of business as our tills were up and running” Damian Morelli Has your organisation made provision for back-up power supply?

Tom Hall, MD of Continu Ltd says: “Lack of knowledge and a certain amount of fear means many businesses may have an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system installed at their premises but neglect to maintain it.

“Our engineers spend a great deal of their time attending call outs to businesses who’s backup power failed to provide critical backup power to their servers etc., often due

We at Continu Ltd understand the demands of virtually every industry as we have been a supplier of both installation and backup power maintenance services to a wide range of customers throughout Ireland for almost fifteen years.

In 2010 we re-branded to Continu Ltd with support from Invest NI. The challenge for Continu Ltd has been to educate the customer on the need for backup power as well as increase awareness of their services throughout Ireland.

A small business, with big clients in the public and private sectors means resources for marketing can be a challenge in mid-2013 we decided to get some outside help – in the form of Nb1.

We initially engaged the services of Nb1 to assist with our business development strategy.

The 1 in the form of Noel Brady (Nb) arrived and together with Tom and I we started by taking a really in-depth look at our company, ourselves, our markets and our clients.

With our combined knowledge and Noel’s experience and knowhow we quickly established a wide range of actions which would help us grow and expand our business.

We were extremely encouraged by Noel’s comment on the first day, “This is a great business that you have developed but the untapped potential is the target we need to go for.”

Noel has been an invaluable resource on a very practical level, for instance helping Continu to navigate into the Irish I.T. market, opening doors at a level that a small business can find difficulty opening. His business network seems to be of encyclopedic proportions – if someone needs contacted he will find a way.

Alison McFadden, Continu director commented, “Looking back since we started working with Noel we can see clear milestones being achieved and with Noel, it’s not all about writing a business plan but actually hitting targets and having a bit of fun doing it!’

Nb1 on Continu – “ What a solid service provision company, great people, great service to clients – this company will grow easily into new markets.”

NORTHERN IRELAND BUSINESS GROWS WITH NB1

Strategic exporting with Sentel A s export-led growth is recognised as a key factor in growing Northern Ireland’s economy, Sentel is taking a strategic step in the right direction.

“Over the last few years, Sentel has been repositioning itself “as a direct result of the way the customer is becoming more educated” about technology, comments Ger Connery, CEO. “It’s in focus more and more in recent years because technology is now driving businesses. In the old days, it was just about making phone calls. It’s a lot more about Unified Communication (UC) that the infrastructure is built around. Our customer’s want business intelligence reports around UC.” Our solution offers the integration of fixed line and mobile telephony data to provide a unified view. Through our TEM360 solution, we ‘bring together’ the data from disparate communications technologies that exist in organisations environments today.

Ger explains that his customers want to see the “full visibility” of all technology spend.

The key questions for clients are: “Can you make savings, and can you assist the management team in making corporate decisions about where they’re going to spend their next £1 million or £2 million.

“Can you track and trace all their assets, and quite simply that’s what we do. We make savings!”

Sentel’s TEM360 client list has grown over the past few years and it’s impressive with a spread of large public and private sector clients across the UK and Ireland.

These include: the largest Trust in the UK, Belfast Health and Social Services, Atos SE (Societas Europaea) the international information technology services company with annual revenues of € 8.6 billion and 76,300 employees in 52 countries and Genworth Financial (NYSE: GNW), a Fortune 500 company that manages more than $9 billion in revenues, $100 billion in assets and 5,000 employees in more than 25 countries.

Other companies trusting Sentel with their comms management and intelligence include: Sellafield Ltd; Dell; AIB; UCL, Reckitt Benkiser; Health & Safety Executive; London South Bank University; Covidien; Belfast Metropolitan College; Belfast Improved Housing and Isaac Agnew.

For more than 16 years, Sentel have given their customers the software and services to allow them to save money, cut costs, gain intelligence and operate more efficiently.

“Our customers love our customer-centric approach”, remarks Ger. “They trust us to deliver top class solutions that help them achieve more.” “Sentel has achieved notable success within our own public sector here in

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Noel Brady, Chairman with Ger Connery, CEO of Sentel

Northern Ireland.”

“The public sector market is vital and it is being driven obviously by government to reduce costs,” Ger continues. “We can help to achieve some of those savings.”

Sentel’s market repositioning moved them from fixed and mobile commodity sales to being a European telecom expense management player. Sentel are an official GCloud partner.

Connery sees four parts of a public sector organisation in the expense management process: IT; procurement; finance; and senior management.

“IT will be focused on getting control of their estate because that’s the big problem in government,” he comments. Considerations will include: “How do I know what each branch has? How do I know what telecoms they’ve got? I need to find out how many lines they’ve got, how many people are on that site, how many people are using the systems.”

Procurement wants to compare pricing against contract, benchmark against competitors and make sure the customer is being conscientious and accountable for their spend and the finance department will want to make the savings.

When organisations start down the road of proactively managing their telecoms costs they go through a learning process. Initially

savings are made from monitoring expenditure.

IT market research group Gartner has identified that the telecoms invoices, on average, have a 7 to 12 per cent margin error, which has also been Connery’s experience.

Indeed he observes that with total communications management, savings could rise to as much as 30 per cent.

Sentel’s approach has always been to support clients through this process of managing its costs and has a culture of “always supporting the customer with a locally based service.”

During this exciting period of growth, Ger has drawn on the experience of Noel Brady particularly on his experience within the Northern Ireland public sector market.

The success of the partnership lead Noel to becoming chairman for Sentel who continues to help Ger shape the business for the coming years.

Nb1 on Sentel: It is testimony to Ger and his team that they have remained a strong independent company in a very tough and competitive Telecommunications Sector. I have very much enjoyed making the transition from Consultant to Chairman and look forward to growing success for Sentel.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Investing for growth clear priority for businesses across Ireland: IntertradeIreland Business Monitor • 37 per cent of businesses reported an increase in sales this quarter, this percentage was higher in exporting companies (55 per cent) • The number of companies reporting staff increases remains the highest since 2009 (11 per cent) • While SMEs are cautious, there is a clear sign of optimism with 69 per cent of SMEs indicating that they have plans to invest over the next 12 months. igns of a broad-based recovery across the island continued to emerge in the second quarter of this year, with positive sales and employment performance across all sectors.

The number of businesses increasing employment remains at its highest level since 2009 with 11 per cent of firms reporting an increase in staff. This quarter 37 per cent of businesses also reported an uptake in sales, providing an overall positive picture of current performance.

Figures from Q2 2014 InterTradeIreland Business Monitor also revealed that more than two-thirds of firms (69 per cent) plan to invest in their business over the next 12 months, with plans to increase marketing activity topping the poll (50 per cent), followed by investment in staff training (32 per cent).

Manufacturing firms and those exporting are the most likely to invest over the next year according to the survey.

Commenting on this, Dr Eoin Magennis at InterTradeIreland said: “It is encouraging to see such a significant percentage of firms planning to invest and this may reflect a change in businesses focus towards strategies for growth at a time when many firms are expressing cautious optimism about the future.”

The note of caution can be seen in the drop in the number of firms in growth mode this quarter, falling to 30 per cent from 37 per cent in Q1.

The fall is much more marked among businesses in Ireland than in Northern Ireland. However, firms across the island are reserved about employment and sales outlook over the next 12 months.

According to Magennis, “Although the growth figures are much stronger than 12 months ago, the dip in the number of firms

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Dr Eoin Magennis, InterTradeIreland

experiencing growth this quarter aligns with findings from other economic surveys.

“This could be related to external factors, such as weak growth in the Eurozone market, or to the increased speculation about a rise in interest rates.

“Businesses also remain concerned about cost inflation and the linked and growing issues of cashflow and late payments.”

The Q2 2014 Business Monitor also found that 82 per cent of firms surveyed are not currently exporting.

However, it was also revealed that almost one in five businesses (19 per cent) have a product or service suitable for export but don’t sell across the border or further afield.

Firms reported that the main challenges to export cross-border and off-island were: a lack of time or management resources (26 per cent), the perceived cost associated with entry to new markets (24 per cent) as well as lack of internal financial resources (21 per cent) and a lack of awareness of available support (17 per cent).

Eoin Magennis said: “Given that we consistently see exporters significantly outperforming domestically-focused businesses and that they are very positive about increasing their sales in the next year, it is vital that we ensure that any potential

exporter is encouraged and supported.

InterTradeIreland offers a range of supports to tackle some of the resources issues identified by potential exporters as a barrier to taking their first steps along the exporting pathway.”

InterTradeIreland’s quarterly Business Monitor survey is the largest and most comprehensive business survey on the island and is based on the views of more than 750 business managers across Northern Ireland and Ireland.

It differs from other surveys in that it is seen to be the ‘voice of local businesses’ feeding directly from telephone interviews conducted with a robust sample of firms of all sizes across a range of sectors to track allisland economic indicators such as sales, employment, business outlook and other specific topical research areas on a quarter by quarter basis.

For more information on InterTradeIreland and the business support programmes available, visit www.intertradeireland.com.

Scan the code to view a the 2014 Q2 InterTradeIreland Business Monitor Executive Summary can be viewed at: www.intertradeireland.com/ researchandpublications.

SPONSORED ARTICLE

Only way is up for W5 T

his summer W5 unveiled “Climbit”, a brand new signature exhibit soaring three stories high, where visitors can explore a state of the art climbing structure that is part visually elegant three dimensional sculpture - part climbing frame, where children can stretch their muscles, test their limits, take safe risks, and develop confidence in their physical abilities.

W5’s new exhibit was designed by Luckey Climbers, an American company renowned for one-of-a-kind climbing sculptures and the project has been part-funded by Odyssey Trust Company and the European Regional Development Fund under the European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland, administered by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and is supported by Media Partner UTV. For years, children have been scaling Luckey Climbers in fits of absolute euphoria in children’s museums across the United States, South Korea, Indonesia and recently in Switzerland but this experience has not been available anywhere in the UK or Ireland… until now.

“Thirteen years on, W5 is still at the cutting edge of visitor attractions and the best place in Northern Ireland for a family day out” says Judith Harvey, W5’s General Manager. “With Climbit we are introducing a whole new experience to the heart of the building with a truly iconic exhibit; a one-of-a-kind climbing sculpture that seems to float in space and will fascinate young and old visitors alike. This marks a new phase in the ongoing development of W5 as we are committed to ensuring that our visitors will always find something new to see and do every time they visit.”

Robert Fitzpatrick, chief executive of Odyssey Trust Company added “Climbit is an exciting new first for W5; an exhibit that will enthrall and thrill children of all ages and the first in a rolling programme of development designed to enhance the world-class experience at W5.

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COMMENTARY

Apprenticeships are meeting employers skills needs

by Karen Lennon, Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Colleges NI olleges Northern Ireland (NI) firmly believes that apprenticeships are a highly effective vehicle for developing skills that meet the needs of employers and support the rebalancing and rebuilding of the economy.

Over the past seven years the six regional Further Education (FE) colleges across Northern Ireland have supported over 46,000 apprentices.

Education is not something which should suddenly end when employment begins and a move towards an all-age apprenticeship can help reinforce this ethos. Already 80 per cent of the 2020 workforce has left compulsory education and NI continues to have the highest proportion of working age population with no formal qualifications.

In an economy where it is predicted that 50 per cent of all jobs will require higher level or degree qualifications, the extension of some apprenticeship pathways up to Degree and Postgraduate level is welcomed.

The value and importance of apprenticeships over the coming years cannot be over-stated. The primary benefit to the economy from apprenticeships is a better matching of supply and demand for skills.

From an employer perspective, apprentices help address skills gaps and can result in significant returns in investment while for the apprentice, benefits include the opportunity to earn while they learn and to engage in both on and off the job training.

The new apprenticeship strategy launched by the Minister for Employment and Learning in June 2014 is welcomed on a number of fronts. This includes the all-age offering, minimum of two years duration, tax incentives for employers, seamless progression routes, international applicability and placements and the increased range of professional and technical occupational areas.

Colleges NI has been lobbying for a more joined up 14-19 policy where the two Departments can work in partnership in developing a structured vocational educational framework which sits alongside other academic routes.

The ethos of the new apprenticeship strategy which aims for a ‘parity of esteem’ is a clear step in the right direction.

Colleges NI fully supports the new Higher Level Apprenticeships which are being developed by colleges.

Higher level apprenticeships are an excellent way to gain the skills needed by

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Julie-Anna Glass from Southern Regional College was the runner up in the 2014 BEST Awards in the 19+ category. She is pictured with Gerry Campbell – CEO of Colleges NI and Dr Stephen Farry, Minister for Employment and Learning.

employers through studying for higher level qualifications whilst earning.

The Higher Level Apprenticeships in the colleges are in the field of accountancy, life and industrial science, aeronautical engineering, advanced engineering and ICT. In addition, there are many more in the pipeline. These courses represent a dynamic vocational pathway that will help to meet the employment needs of the local economy.

The talent and expertise of apprentices has been showcased recently in a number of skills competitions at a local and national level.

Firstly, in June two of the six regional FE colleges were involved in hosting the UK squad selection events for the first time. This saw over 140 of the most skilled apprentices from across the UK competing. Northern Ireland yet again ‘punched above its weight’ with 17 apprentices from Northern Ireland (11 of whom are studying at one of our FE colleges) securing a place on the UK Squad for WorldSkills 2015 taking place in Brazil.

Secondly, in May, Colleges NI hosted the annual BEST (Business and Education through Skills and Training) awards. Now in it’s fourth year, the competition saw 180

Northern Ireland college students competing for a number of awards.

Finally, for the first time, eight BEST finalists were selected for placements in Massachusetts’, USA for the Frontiers Programme which focuses on STEM subjects and, in addition, four finalists were selected for fully funded places sponsored by ADS (the trade organisation advancing the UK Aerospace, Defence and Securities Body) to attend the Farnborough Airshow. Both these events took place in July 2014.

The further education sector will be a key delivery partner in the new apprenticeships landscape which will be central to securing our economic success.

Colleges NI will continue to promote skills competitions as a key tool in raising the standards of training, promoting skills, enhancing business performance in the economy and showcasing the opportunities that an apprenticeship can offer.

For more information on apprenticeships, please contact Karen at karen.lennon@collegesni.ac.uk.

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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WHY DO WE APPOINT INCOMPETENT LEADERS? asks Simon Bridge, visiting professor at University of Ulster

e can all probably think of people who seemed to be ideal candidates for a leadership position but who then couldn’t do the job when they were given it.

An example not that long ago in politics was Gordon Brown who might be remembered, at least for a time, as a relatively successful chancellor but who, despite his many good points, is not going to go down in history as a good prime minister.

He therefore seems to be a salient example of someone who earned promotion through capable and distinguished service but who, despite extensive experience and assessment, did not turn out to have had the qualities required to succeed in the top position.

This problem occurs not just in politics but in all areas of life. It can be seen in organisations as diverse as business, churches and armies.

It may even be most noticeable in armies and Norman Dixon, an award-winning experimental psychologist who is himself a former soldier, has written a book in which he explores the reasons why many generals have turned out to be failures when put to the test.

He takes his examples from the British Army: not, he says, because it only happened there, but because it is the army in which he

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served and therefore knows best.

He suggests that the reason for such incompetence at the top, despite an extensive period of preparation, is that the qualities which could help someone to rise to the top are not the qualities needed at the top.

A military career, he says, can be particularly attractive to people with certain characteristics such as a fear of failure, a need for approval and a willingness to obey.

Because such people fit very well into the life of a soldier they are promoted and a number of then reach the top ranks.

However, at the top, where there are no superiors to issue orders and to give approval, and where new situations require new and innovative thinking, those qualities become sadly incapacitating.

Rigidity and having a closed mind are considerable disadvantages when dealing with the tremendous uncertainties of highlevel command in war.

Thus, frequently, at the start of a conflict, the top generals in an army can turn out to be no use and new people have to be found who can do the job.

The leadership of the Union Armies in the American Civil War is a case in point.

Abraham Lincoln’s first appointments were failures and it wasn’t until General Grant took

over that the Union side started to gain significant strategic success.

However it took some time for Grant’s qualities to become apparent because he had not done well in the pre-war army and did not fit the usual mould of promising general officer material.

But Grant himself believed that generals were there, not as a reward for past effort, but to do a job and if the generals working under him couldn’t do their jobs to his standards he fired them, however well they might have served at an earlier stage.

Another phenomenon sometimes observed in armies occurs when, after a diligent and successful career in the ranks, a soldier eventually obtains a commission and then apparently ceases to try so hard.

It is as if such individuals, having achieved their goals, saw the trapping of the target rank as a just recompense for correct and approved earlier effort and as a reward earned which should then be enjoyed.

Thus there can be people in relatively senior positions who appear to see promotion to their elevated rank, and the privileges and accord that go with that rank, as their rightful reward for past effort, and not as a requirement for them to undertake a difficult new job potentially requiring new

One view is that appointment to a top job is justified and earned by good service lower down and is a form of reward for such service. After all, what better way can there be of preparing and testing someone for the top position?

Professor Simon Bridge thinking. In contrast, in writing about Field Marshall Alexander, one biographer said of him that, ‘in a truer sense than of any other commander in the Second World War, he was the servant of his soldiers’.

That is the antithesis of treating a high position as a recognition and reward: it is acknowledging that the primary function of such a job is to serve, and therefore that what matters is the ability to serve at that level, not the qualities which might have appealed to others on the way up.

The trouble is that, without the qualities which do appeal on the way up, people with the right qualities often don’t get to the top, and that the people who do get to the top may well feel justified in believing that they have justifiably earned their place.

Could that happen in other organisations?

Might it be relevant to ask whether, in recent years, it has happened in banks when those at the top had got there in the easy times and couldn’t make the decisions required to change course in the rough times?

It happens in politics where someone can serve a party diligently and perform very well as a senior minister but then apparently be out of place as the prime minister but has it happened in the Catholic Church where some bishops appear to feel that they have earned their high position by loyal and diligent service faithfully obeying the rules as they understood them, but who then appear neither to understand the impact of sexual molestation of the young nor to have the credibility to address it?

But looked at from the point of view of the bishops concerned, why should they be blamed when they personally have done nothing wrong, at least according to their organisation’s own rules.

Is the lesson to be learnt from such examples that there might be two views of the relevance of prior service to holding a top position?

One view is that appointment to a top job is justified and earned by good service lower down and is a form of reward for such service. After all, what better way can there be of preparing and testing someone for the top position?

The other view is that a top job is a different job with different requirements for which earlier good service does no more than gain

someone the opportunity to try. If the former view is taken, then failure at the top may be regrettable but does not justify removal - not least because the person concerned is still the best qualified for the job.

In the second case, however, failure is failure and shows that the person is wrong for the job.

From an external viewpoint it is often easier to see that, for the well-being of the organisation, the latter view has to prevail.

For an army it can take the brutal tragedy of a military defeat to demonstrate that the real qualification for a high position should be the ability and credibility to deliver under the new present and future conditions, not a reputation earned for survival under different past conditions.

Although it is the latter qualification which often gets people to high places it should at least be made clear to all concerned that that their past performance has done no more than earn them a chance to be tried at a new level where different requirements apply.

For people who have been encouraged to believe that they have earned their high positions through their past service and should now be able to enjoy their promised reward, it might seem unfair.

But it has been said that the ability to lead no more depends on the ability to follow than the ability to swim depends on the ability to sink. And to lead it is not just intellectual ability which matters, but also character.

To be successful a general needs to be able to command his soldiers’ respect and loyalty: he needs them to trust him and to follow him.

Organisations need leaders who can be credible in the reality of present and future conditions, and they are not necessarily people whose main qualification is that they succeeded in past conditions which almost inevitably were different.

Both the organisations and the people concerned need to understand that appointment to a high position involves a commitment to a higher and different level of service and, as such, is a challenge not a reward.

If a person cannot meet that challenge and cannot adjust to the new requirements of a high position, or either does not have, or loses, the trust of those he or she should be serving, then it should be clearly understood that he or she should not remain in that position.

Character is important and what might have earned the approval of peers and seniors in the past might not necessarily earn the respect of followers in the future.

It must be understood that the demands of the present and the future take precedence over the apparent achievements of the past.

Unfortunately such understanding is not compulsory and organisations can, and do, suffer because they get it wrong.

Organisations, and those in senior positions within them, therefore need to understand that having a blameless career to date is neither a guarantee of fitness for a high position not a reason for a person remaining in such a position if and when it becomes clear that they are incompetent at that level.

Norman Dixon has lectured to both the armed services on military incompetence and to business organisations on industrial incompetence.

However, he said, there was a difference: the business audiences showed far greater resistance to thinking that this part of the message had anything to do with them.

Norman Dixon, On the Psychology of Military Incompetence, (London: Jonathan Cape, 1976) Nigel Nicholson, Alex: The Life of Field Marshal Earl Alexander of Tunis (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1973) Norman Dixon, ‘Some thoughts on the nature and causes of industrial incompetence’, Personnel Management, Vol.14 No.12, December 1982

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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

You want a business loan.

What does the lender need to know? asks Paul Henry, chairman, Chartered Accountants Ulster Society t’s no secret that availability of credit and access to capital are crucial to the survival and development of business.

Chartered Accountants across Northern Ireland, and their clients, tell us again and again that this has been one of the most challenging aspects of the economic climate in the last few years.

In October last year, ministers Simon Hamilton and Arlene Foster jointly established the Access to Finance Implementation Panel, chaired by professor Russel Griggs (Independent Reviewer of the UK Banking Appeals Process) to get to the heart of the problem of business finance issues in Northern Ireland.

At the launch of the panel last autumn, Simon Hamilton put the conundrum fairly starkly: “For some time now we have been faced with a situation where banks have been saying that they have money to lend but that there is no demand, and where many businesses are saying they cannot get the money they need to invest and grow.”

While we will have to wait for the findings and recommendations of the Access to Finance Implementation Panel, reading between the lines it seems that banks have money to lend but businesses really need to do everything they can to show that they have a sound proposition to finance.

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Small business lending is a particularly biting issue for Northern Ireland with its high proportion of small businesses relative to the population base.

Paul Henry

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Can banks be expected to lend if they can’t see the risks and the full proposition?

Is there a problem with local businesses not giving the full picture?

If the problem is a lack of providing adequate business information, we have an answer…

Over the summer, Chartered Accountants Ulster Society launched a free Business Plan Helpsheet, aimed at local SMEs and their advisers. It’s a 20 page booklet aimed at those who are seeking finance to develop or expand their operations.

It offers step by step advice on the information and structure which businesses should include in their business plans to support applications for finance and to ensure that prospective lenders receive all of the information they need to make a decision. It has all the details of what banks will expect to see before they invest their money.

Best of all, it’s free and available on the homepage of our website, www.charteredaccountants.ie/ulster By using the Helpsheet, we hope to help local SMEs to convey the core information, language

and approach that they should be using when forming a business plan as an approach for lending.

Chartered Accountants have always helped businesses to plan their futures. We hope that by getting some of this guidance down in writing and available online we can help the quality and success of loan applications and speed the lending process.

We are in a period of recovery, slow though it might be.

What is worrying about the funding landscape is that opportunities to speed that recovery may be being missed.

Earlier this year, a survey of our members found that nearly 80 per cent felt businesses were putting viable investment plans on hold because they cannot access finance.

Delaying investment decisions will hamper recovery and ultimately lead to business opportunities going elsewhere.

Small business lending is of course a particularly biting issue for Northern Ireland with its high proportion of small businesses relative to the population base, coupled with the property overhang which has adversely affected Northern Ireland more than the rest of the UK. The Executive was quick to realise the issue, and quick to act with the formation of the Economic Advisory Group (EAG) in 2010, and the EAG’s Implementation Panel as mentioned earlier.

But we cannot rely on the Executive to solve all of our problems for us. SMEs, lenders (including the banks), and those of us who advise SMEs need to work more closely together.

We need to get businesses working and growing. We need to ensure that local businesses get the funding they need to develop to compete on the international stage.

Understanding each other’s needs and expectations is a good place to start.

INFOTECH BY BUSINESSFIRST your guide to everything IT in northern ireland in association with

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Keeping the wheels of business information turning Lee Surgeoner, partner with Endeavour Information Solutions a Microsoft Gold Competency Partner based in the heart of Belfast delivering Microsoft-based solutions to companies across the UK and Ireland, discusses the importance of having an experienced and qualified IT partner working with your business to help improve efficiency, reduce costs and encourage growth. here are not many businesses in operation today that don’t have some kind of reliance on IT but not all are making full use of the investment that they already have in place.

The most common IT application within any business is email; ensuring that communication with your customers and suppliers is maintained at all times is vital.

In second place is the ability to quickly access information such as emails and documentation about customers and suppliers along with associated financial reporting, all of which helps you respond faster to customer demands and helps you decide how to best use the resources at your disposal to meet your targets.

But how much of that is your current IT supplier really providing?

I’m certain you have discussed the latest and greatest equipment and software now available, along with the amount of professional time needed to help support your business.

However, has your IT supplier ensured the CRM software you purchased was implemented to your satisfaction or sat down with you for more than five minutes and asked “What do you want your business to look like in two, three or five years time?” or even suggested “Perhaps we can help reduce your spend on IT and other operational areas by setting a proper budget along with a set of objectives to meet.”

Well, if you have an IT supplier asking you those questions, then you have someone who is interested in you and your business and wants it to succeed.

However, if you don’t I suspect you have the kind of IT supplier who is only interested in you achieving their sales target.

Don’t misunderstand my point, sometimes you need the latest and greatest thing that is being sold to you, but as IT solutions tend to be complex and can require considerable capital expenditure in order to be implemented and maintained you have to trust the person making the recommendation for your IT solution and if they don’t have a business or technical background and are more salesfocused how do you know if they are making the right decisions for your business?

The key to all of this is the word “solution” and that is what a specialist with technical and

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Lee and Blaithin Surgeoner, Partners, Endeavour Information Solutions

If you have an IT supplier asking you these questions, then you have someone who is interested in you and your business and wants it to succeed.

Lee Surgeoner

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business experience can offer.

Over the last 25 years our background has been in management and business consultancy and not one in IT sales; this is supported with practical experience of implementing and managing IT projects of all shapes and sizes.

So with that in mind we put an emphasis on getting to know the business first, then asking what you want your business to achieve moving forward.

Sometimes that’s a requirement to reduce ongoing IT costs, or to help improve business processes to save time and money or even to assist other IT suppliers to ensure your whole IT solution is setup correctly.

No matter what those requirements are they help form the basis of success for our business relationship with a customer and can be measured from day one.

With our business consulting background we understand the costs incurred when your business suffers an IT failure so that is why we get to know who you are, what you need and when you need it.

From there, we can ensure that the right level of service is given and monitored and all at a price that is agreed from the start with no hidden costs.

If you would like to discuss how we can help look after your IT systems and reduce your IT costs while still meeting your business goals please give the team at Endeavour a call on 028 9031 1010 and we will arrange a review of your systems and talk about what you want to achieve rather than what we can sell you and all before you have to make any commitment.

How secure is your information in transit ? asks Michael Noble, chief executive, MomentumNI ata and internet security is a hot topic at the minute and all over the world researchers, policy makers and companies are struggling with the protection of secure and vital data, but how secure is this data while it is in transit ?

Much has been written over the last few years about web sites and data repositories being hacked and there are a whole host of solutions and laws on the topic of protecting data. However most of this activity has been based on securing data on servers.

When you dig a little deeper there is very little activity related to securing information as it passes through the various networks and systems on its journey. This is surprising as information is potentially more vulnerable in this state.

For example when you connect to the Wifi at your local coffee shop – do you pause to consider the potential that your important information might be intercepted ?

The router you connect to can see the information as it passes through – not just passwords but that confidential document you are emailing to a client or the list of recent transactions on your bank account you are viewing – and all this without you knowing or without having to ‘hack’ into a server.

Even when security such as SSL is used (when you see the padlock on your web browser) this is potentially vulnerable as recent allegations about the activities of the National Security Agency have highlighted.

This security is becoming more and more important as the Internet evolves into the Internet of Things where machines are connected to machines and the amount of potentially useful and sensitive information explodes.

For example consider the usefulness of information coming from smart electricity meters in the home where potential burglars can look at your electricity consumption and work out whether you are at home or not or where a company’s stock price can be estimated by inferring production rates from this information.

Likewise cloud computing which necessitates the safe and secure flow of information between services – connections that are not transparent to the user - presents a potential vulnerability.

Before we get completely paranoid and stop using data communications altogether most of these issues are issues in the future and in the meantime the benefits of this

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Partners representing policy, research and industry gather at the BeWiser launch meeting in Paris

The router you connect to can see the information as it passes through – not just passwords but that confidential document you are emailing to a client or the list of recent transactions on your bank account.

Michael Noble communication far outweigh the dangers.

However it is a topic which deserves more attention and this is why Momentum alongside the world class research facility at CSIT and Invest Northern Ireland have come together with a number of leading organisations across Europe in an EU funded project to consider this problem.

The work that we are undertaking is looking at the security of data in transit in a holistic way taking into account the views of the government (who wish to protect us from the bad guys), the citizens (who wish to

remain private) and commerce (who wish to use data in a meaningful way) and we will report to the European Commission in 2016 with a set of recommendations and actions.

The example of the National Security Agency in the United States allegedly weakening the effectiveness of existing security protocols for their own use is a good example of the issues and solutions that might be brought to bear.

Whatever we feel as citizens, government still has a duty to protect us from the ‘bad guys’ but would a more open approach have worked better ? One where a proper debate had taken place with everyone’s point of view had been discussed.

This might have resulted in a solution where a general consensus could have been reached where the security services had a clearly detailed position about how and under what circumstances they were ‘snooping’.

The work that we are undertaking will seek to ensure that Northern Ireland will play its part in helping EU maximise the benefits that will arise from the new technologies.

Without citizens, government and industry having confidence in the secure transport of data quite simply we will miss out on the new wave of opportunity coming our way.

For more information www.be-wiser.eu

SPONSORED ARTICLE

Cloud & Confusion

s there a business out there selling IT & telecoms products and services who isn’t promoting their offerings as ‘cloud based’ and talking about a revolution?

Evangelists of Cloud computing could

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perhaps be accused of promoting the concept in a way that is all ideas with less focus on how in practice the SME sector can benefit.

This kind of promotion has extended into some of the marketing of the actual services to the point where there is fog of confusion over what it all means.

The development of the cloud IT services have been publicised as a revolution in how we use and store our critical data but is it not more of a natural evolution of business technologies? Either way, it is clear that the marketing hype around the cloud is causing confusion about what the services are, what they mean and what they need a business to do to be ready.

Cloud Computing can bring many benefits, but it is a tool, that when implemented with a realistic approach will allow for specific business objectives to be achieved and not just a must-have for the business. Businesses need to avoid being on the train without being clear about where it is going and how it is going to get there.

Regardless to the size of your business it is crucial when adopting Cloud based services that you think of the cloud not as an end in

itself but as an important part of your overall IT process and integrated into your existing IT platforms.

Marketing and promotion tend to overvalue the power of the cloud with very little about potential impact of implementation.

Companies often try to migrate their entire IT infrastructure onto one single platform rather than using cloud computing as a part of a complete IT strategy. Moving a company’s entire IT infrastructure to cloud computing will allow for some savings to be seen In terms of money and time but the danger of the sales process over-promising on its impacts is very real.

Organisations could aim towards a hybrid approach to IT to ensure that all business needs are met. The choice of how business applications are delivered should be tailored to fit the needs of specific needs to maximise the benefits seen. There is no single answer.

Richard Simpson is Managing Director of Atlas Communications. Atlas provides in premises and hosted data and telephony solutions to the private and statutory sector across Northern Ireland and can be contacted at 028 9078 6868.

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Being Smart – the digital economy Northern Ireland, we need to have a Digital Strategy, which is not only defined, but also proactively managed says Dr Sinclair Stockman, visiting professor University of Ulster and executive director of DNI 2020 he Digital Economy is recognised by the World Economic Forum, Organisation of Economic Development, The European Union and well nigh every major economic body, as probably the primary driver of growth in the economy over the next decade (at least).

As a percentage of GDP, the United Kingdom leads the world in the percentage of its economy which, is linked directly to the digital economy. By 2016 it is projected that 23 per cent of UK retail activity will be online.

For traditional businesses this can be a very scary statistic. However, for Northern Ireland, this could really be the gold at the end of the rainbow, in terms of our pathway to economic opportunity and growth in the future.

A recent survey determined that the UK as a nation ranked seventh in the world after Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Singapore and Hong Kong, in terms of the maturity and proactive exploitation of the digital infrastructure to deliver economic growth and social well being.

This cluster of countries is quite close together. For the UK, this is a real transformation from where it was in the early days of broadband rollout, when we were one of the laggards of the digital era.

What is even more exciting, is that the recent OFCOM report confirms that Northern Ireland has the best digital platform of all of the regions in the UK, in terms of availability, speed, uptake and the penetration of advanced online devices. As a region, we are one of the most advanced pieces of real estate on the planet in terms of our access to the global digital platform.

Proactive exploitation of this position of competitive differentiation has the potential to deliver significant growth to our economy, both in terms of indigenous and inward investment fuelled growth.

However realisation of this potential, which is now in our hands, depends on the business, government and social sectors all embracing the imperative to being ‘Smart’ about how we exploit the global digital platform.

The term ‘Smart’ is one which is often used, and seldom defined. In the world of digital technology, a Smart Business, Region or City is one which uses digital technology, not just to automate what it already does, but transform the way it delivers services, develops products and addresses markets, in order to deliver step changes in their performance.

In other words, to not just be more efficient, but more effective in engaging with and delivering services to its marketplace, which in turn will grow economic growth, or social improvement.

To take a few examples, let’s look at the computing industry and automobile industry where they have used technology to move from a make and sell to a sell and make model.

Using digital technology to enable the customer to choose what they want, and then in effect making to

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It is imperative that our trade organisations and government proactively support their members in understudying how embracing digital technology can transform their business prospects.

Dr Sinclair Stockman

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order, and using digital technology coupled with advanced work flow management, to deliver the finished product in days or weeks.

This has the effect of reducing stock wastage, enabling the customer to choose, and pay for, the extra features they want, increasing profit margins and delivering high levels of customer satisfaction.

In Northern Ireland, we already have many companies, many from traditional businesses, who are doing this across a range of product and service areas, and they are reaching increasingly global markets, and achieving high levels of growth.

Yet there are many more companies who still have to embrace this approach.

For example, whilst many companies now have a web presence, in far too many cases, it is not possible for the customer to purchase online, and consequently in most cases, the opportunity to sell to that customer is lost.

Just as in traditional business, you could only sell to them when they came into your shop, now you need to think of your web site as an online shop, so that when a potential customer visits it, you need to make it easy for them to purchase your services or products.

It is imperative that our trade organisations and government proactively support their members in understudying how embracing digital technology can transform their business prospects.

We have many great role models here in Northern Ireland to follow. One of the observations made by both the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Economic Forum, is that to be fully effective in realising the benefits that the digital economy offers, it is important at government, sector and business level to have a clear strategy on how you are going to go about this.

Strategy is about deciding what is important to delivering your business and social goals. It is not about making a list of everything you could do, but rather deciding what of the many options, is going to deliver maximum benefit.

For Northern Ireland, we need to have a Digital Strategy, which is not only defined, but also proactively managed. At City and Regional level, we need to do the same. Our Trade Associations should also be developing with their members digital strategies aimed at ensuring that they are on the winning side in the digital economy revolution, and not amongst the casualties.

For us in Northern Ireland, the imperative to proactive in exploiting the potential of the opportunities of the global digital economy are all the more stark, as we have, at the moment, probably one of the best, if not the best, regional platform on the planet. We also have the technical talent. Now we need to ensure we have the ambition, to make it real.

We have in our grasp the opportunity to deliver a prosperous and exciting future here. The ball is in our court - are we going to be ‘Smart’ or Stupid?

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

CultureTECH takes centre stage in Derry

by Sinead McLaughlin, chief executive of Londonderry Chamber of Commerce he city of Derry-Londonderry is busy repositioning itself in the minds of the public and potential investors. We are a population of young, technically-savvy, people, who are taking advantage of what a recent Ofcom survey confirmed is the UK’s best digital infrastructure. Yes, we have the best broadband networked connectivity of any city in the UK. So it is entirely fitting that Derry also has not just the best combined culture and technology event in Northern Ireland, but one of the very best anywhere in Europe. This year’s CultureTECH takes place from 15 to 21 September and we expect around 40,000 people to attend.

CultureTECH has been an amazing success story for the city. It is a subsidiary of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce and is an evolution of our earlier initiative, Digital Derry.

Our Chamber’s leadership had a serious think some years ago about what our city’s Unique Selling Point was.

In fact, we came up with three USPs – our city’s youth, its cultural life and some major technology companies that are a cornerstone of our business community.

Today those big technology employers include Seagate, Allstate, Kofax, Fujitsu, Learning Pool and Kainos. Not a bad list of large businesses in a small city! In addition, we have some marvellous emerging businesses – such as 360Production, 8Over8. Dog Ears and Small Town America.

We also have a world leading Intelligence Systems Research Centre, part of the School of Computing and Intelligent Systems at the University of Ulster’s Magee campus, while the new North West Regional Science Park will help another generation of high tech new starts.

Technology is truly at the heart of our economy.

So it should be no surprise that the Chamber of Commerce established a subsidiary to make the most of our new technology expertise.

The remit of CultureTECH is not just to hold a once a year spectacular, but also to support and nurture new start digital businesses.

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CultureTECH brings together the best of every element of Derry-Londonderry. It is a partnership of key players in the city, it celebrates the city’s culture and it demonstrates the city’s capacity to do business in the digital age.

Sinead McLaughlin

The CultureTECH festival is now in its third year – it keeps returning because it has been such a fabulous success.

To attract young people the activities include a three-day Minecraft tournament; the City Arcade, one of Ireland’s biggest video games events; dozens of free-to-play arcades throughout the historic walled city-centre; and the 360° Video Dome, an 11 metre high-definition video dome which will play host to a range of music events

and stunning visual displays.

We also have Ministry of Science Live! - a science-focused stage show, supported by technology firm Seagate and urban regeneration company ILEX, which will play to over 6,000 young people across the week. To round off CultureTECH, the city will host a major music festival – MTV Crashes.

CultureTECH is fully integrated into the life of Derry-Londonderry and anyone walking around the city during the week of the festival will come across a range of events. We are very proud of the Ebrington Barracks site, which will be launched during CultureTECH as a creative industries hub. The North West Regional Science Park will host one of its first events during CultureTECH. Our CultureTECH director Mark Nagurski explains: “Every year our goal is to make CultureTECH bigger and better, so we are incredibly excited to be announcing some of the highlights from this year’s programme.

“Simply put, we’ve got more video games, more workshops, more family events, more educational programming and more community-based activities than ever before.

“And of course, we are absolutely thrilled to be working in partnership with Derry City Council to welcome MTV Crashes to Derry, bringing a packed programme of events across the week to an amazing close.”

But the festival is not just about fun. The ‘Google Juice Bar’ will provide business advice for entrepreneurs and offer a clinic on marketing, to be delivered by Google team, to assist businesses improve their online presence.

(However, this was sold out, weeks in advance.)

During the week, business leaders will be asked to sign a digital charter to raise a thousand digital champions in the city.

A digital jobs fair will highlight the fact that many of our technology businesses are still seeking well qualified candidates. The packed programme also includes the Create 2014 conference for the under 18s, managed by Generation Innovation.

CultureTECH brings together the best of every element of Derry-Londonderry.

It is a partnership of key players in the city, it celebrates the city’s culture and it demonstrates the city’s capacity to do business in the digital age. CultureTECH represents exactly the vision the Chamber of Commerce has for our city.

The CultureTECH programme is available online at culturetech.co/prog.

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BEST PRACTICE

Safe and Sound? The importance of electrical compliance for your business Studies show that electrical issues cause up to 30 deaths and 2700 accidents across the UK per year. With the responsibility of employee safety falling on business managers, electrical compliance is crucial for your workplace. ike the flick of a light switch in your offices in the morning, electrical systems can easily be taken granted. As a result, electrical safety and compliance are often overlooked too.

Yet faults in the electrical systems in your workplace can be crucial, as they place both employees and your company’s assets at substantial risk. Disturbingly, these faults lead to up to 30 deaths and a staggering 2700 accidents in the UK every year – 430 of which happen in the workplace.

Electric shocks can cause serious internal injuries, while overheating of wires and electrical leakage can cause fire and explosion, posing a threat of deep burns, injury and even death.

But it’s not only physical damage that results from faulty electrical systems. Fire and explosions create profit-threatening damage to company assets, equipment and property – leading to major disruptions in production and devastating financial leakage.

Risks aside, employers have a legal obligation to ensure their premises are electrically safe. The Health and Safety Northern Ireland Order (1978) and the Electrical Safety at Work Regulations (1991) declare employers are responsible for the safety of both employees and the general public. This includes electrical safety.

Business managers should therefore have a set of policies in place to assess potential risks and the safety measures needed to eliminate them. This should include the regular inspection and maintenance of fixed wire systems and lighting installations.

For most sectors, such policies are also essential for obtaining trade body accreditations and with these being crucial to compete in the market place, it is vital business owners have proof of their full compliance with electrical laws.

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Testing the solution So how can you ensure your workplace is fully compliant? The answer for many businesses is an electrical maintenance employee, responsible for the installation and upkeep of electrical systems. However this

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introduces the risk of employees covering malpractice and temporary fixes, leading to inaccurate electrical test reports that don’t highlight dangerous faults.

At ROL Testing Ltd, we believe the solution lies in professional electrical testing. We are Northern Ireland’s largest electrical testing provider, specialising in electrical testing, inspection, maintenance and compliance. We operate across the commercial and industrial sector throughout the UK and Ireland, supplying impartial electrical checks that are free from conflict of interest.

Having worked for an impressive range of clients – including Victoria Square, NI Water, Translink and the Pan Government Framework – ROL has acquired a wealth of experience across a number of sectors. Our electrical testing solutions are therefore specifically designed to meet the demands of any working environment be it retail, public transport, utilities, office space, industrial sites or complex technical facilities.

“We have experience across a multitude of sectors and that is one of our biggest strengths,” said Company Director, Richard O’Lone. “Each project is considered from the customer’s point of view to provide tailored solutions to meet their individual needs and we are committed to providing total customer satisfaction through our electrical testing and maintenance services.”

To achieve this, ROL selects a highly skilled and dedicated workforce who is as committed to protecting property and life as we are. Our engineers have the skills, knowledge and

expertise to carry out the highest quality of electrical tests for each client. Importantly however, they also have exclusive experience of delivering services in a range of complex, live environments across a plethora of sectors.

Doing it right “Quality is something we strive for,” said Richard. “There are ways for businesses to manage their electrical safety in-house, but with no independent assessment of the building, business managers cannot get a true picture of the state of their electrical systems.

“That is why ROL is passionate about high quality electrical testing,” he added. “We want to give businesses complete reassurance in their electrical safety and the proof of legal compliance they need.”

More and more companies in Northern Ireland are seeing the benefits of independent electrical testing – and as safety polices continue to define a business’s professional accreditation – it is becoming an increasingly important action for businesses to take.

To find out how ROL Testing Ltd can ensure electrical compliance for your company, visit our website www.roltesting.com or follow us on Twitter at @roltesting, or call us on 028 90 918244.

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COMMENTARY

Leadership and the family business

by Cathy Booth BDO and Greg Templeton William J. Clinton Leadership Institute ere is what we know – around three quarters of all businesses in Northern Ireland are family businesses, but only around a quarter of them will survive beyond the second generation, and just over a tenth beyond the third generation. What a challenge for leaders within family businesses, and indeed for policy makers in Government as attempts are made to rebalance our economy. What a challenge for the “next generation” of families in business.

These are some of those challenges: the readiness of the next generation, the unique and complex nature of family relationships and roles in the business, the shareholding dilemmas.

As if that’s not all, there is the importance of effectively integrating non family managers/directors, the transition and evolvement of family ethics and values and the formalising and structuring of family communication and management processes – and then there’s the day job!

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Family businesses represent the most enduring business model in the world.

There are numerous statistics showing the significant contribution that family businesses make to the economy (74 per cent of all businesses in Northern Ireland are family businesses) and society in general, the economy as a whole drawing great strength from families who, generation after generation, foster the spirit of entrepreneurship.

In the context of the above it is clear to appreciate how important the continuing success of family firms through the generations relies heavily on ensuring that the next generation, to whom the baton may one day be passed, are not only up for, but are able for, the challenge.

Becoming involved in a family business can be an enormous privilege as well as hugely rewarding and exciting. It can also however be demanding and challenging with the greatest of expectations and responsibilities being placed on the shoulders of the next generation to transition the family business into the next era.

Such responsibilities are sometimes greater than the individual is maybe prepared for, or even have the ambition for.

Whilst the above may sound anecdotal, the statistics speak volumes. As hinted at above, only 26.9 per cent of family businesses survive past second generation, 11.3 per cent ast third generation and 3.2 per cent beyond third generation.

The reasons for these worrying statistics have been researched, understood and

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documented and the ‘reason’ is clear – Next Generation Leadership. Fundamentally as a family business we have to ask ourselves, what are we doing to provide the right support, development and education to the next generation of Family Business Leaders, to ensure our long term success?

How, and when, should we provide the right opportunities, exposure and networks to ensure the capabilities and confidence of the next generation truly emerge?

The process by which we allow the next generation of our family business leaders to develop, and evolve, should not be focused on any one particular development activity occurring at any one time.

It is the sum of events and opportunities that take place in settings that combine family, business and subsequently the family’s relationship with the business that will all play a part. The sum of all these events will influence the individual, who will require space to create, challenge and define their own path and test their own leadership base outside the formal boundaries of the family business.

It is within this ‘space’ that a Leadership programme, specific to Family Business Leadership, can provide the real opportunity.

The William J Clinton Leadership Institute has been working with BDO to understand the leadership challenges for family members in delivering sustainable success. We know that effective leadership, at all levels, is one of the central drivers of long term success.

That's evidential, we can show that. In public companies, in government, in social enterprises, this represents one of the great challenges, but there are some unique challenges within family businesses.

Leadership starts with a sense of the future, with a vision of where we should be that

creates purpose and meaning around which others may be engaged. With family members having differing starting points for their perceptions and differing motives about that future, there is a particular challenge for leaders in creating long term success.

BDO's work provides the evidence around family business failure that shows the work there is to do if we are to rebalance the Northern Ireland economy with thriving family businesses in all sectors.

The Leadership Institute’s work shows how leadership, innovation, and the ability to adapt and change are the critical factors that can dramatically improve the prospects for long term success.

The outcome of the BDO and the William J Clinton Leadership Institute collaboration is the “Family Business Programme: Preparing the Next Generation of Leaders”.

It is the only programme on the Island of Ireland that takes participants to the unique and complex interaction that family business leaders face, creating the best platform for a family business to grow and evolve from one generation to the next. The programme will commence in late October 2014.

We can take great confidence from the clarity of understanding that exists about what works – family businesses will remain the bedrock of the economy, and changing the statistics about long term success will make a significant impact on the Northern Ireland economy.

For further information and details of the Family Business Programme at the William J Clinton Leadership Institute please scan the code to visit www.leadershipinstitute.co.uk

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY a Business First Feature

sponsored by

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Corporate responsibilty is central to our business “Our corporate responsibility strategy is central to our operations at George Best Belfast City Airport as we strive to build and maintain lifelong relationships with the community”, says Michelle Hatfield, Director of Human Resources and Corporate Responsibility. s a key economic and tourism driver for Northern Ireland and one of the biggest employers in East Belfast, Michelle believes it is vital the airport plays a significant role in the community it serves.

“We are acutely aware of the environment in which we operate and our creative approach to Corporate Responsibility (CR) allows us to offer support and provide opportunities to neighbouring groups and individuals.

“Within our CR strategy there is a strong emphasis on young people and helping them realise their ambitions by presenting them with opportunities and experiences they may not have otherwise had.

“Be it through our Community Fund activities, adopted schools programme or apprenticeship scheme we aim to make a difference to the community we serve.

“The airport's CR strategy isn’t an add-on to our core business but one that is actively driven by our Chief Executive Brian Ambrose and one that all staff play a role in delivering.”

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Community Fund

Michelle Hatfield, Director of Human Resources and Corporate Responsibility with students supporting the New Lodge Arts Festival

The airport’s Community Fund was established nearly five years ago and is funded by the airport fining airlines that operate flights after 9:30pm.

Michelle Hatfield continued: “Over the last four years our Community Fund has invested more than £160,000 in approximately 60 projects supporting young people in the greater Belfast area across the themes of education, sport and the environment.”

address a need to provide support for young people in the greater Belfast area seeking employment and opportunities to develop skills which would enhance their employability.

“The scheme provides the apprentices with up to two years of work experience at the airport in areas such as human resources, retail, customer service and business administration.”

Apprenticeships

Respecting our Setting

The airport is one of the largest employers in Belfast with almost 1500 employed on site.

However, by way of response to the still problematic unemployment rate among young people the airport launched its “High Fliers Apprenticeship Scheme” as Michelle explains: “The programme was developed to

“Given our location it’s important we play our part in protecting the environment.

“Over the years, the airport has worked closely with Business and the Community to develop and maintain an Environmental Management System.

“This process, which is overseen by a dedicated Environmental Executive, provides an effective framework for setting and reviewing environmental objectives and targets in order to improve our environmental performance and minimise our environmental impact,” continued Michelle.

“By implementing policies to minimise waste and maximise efficiency, we have improved the airport’s environmental performance and its effect on the wider community.

“This remains an important objective and

Supporting World Book Day

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we are continually looking at new ways to improve our environmental performance even further.”

Central to Business “The airport’s CR policy is driven by listening. Listening to the local community and ensuring CR address the community’s needs.

“Our Community Newsletter is distributed to 24,000 neighbouring households communicating up to date information about the airport and seeking the views on our operations.

“Our social media channels are also vital to answering questions and having conversations with the public which assist in focusing the CR strategy.”

It seems the airport’s CR strategy is paying dividends and while it has been the recipient of cross-party political praise and had industry and peer group awards bestowed upon it, that’s not what it’s about according to Michelle.

“For us, our Corporate Responsibility objective is simple; we want to encourage, inspire and build confidence in the young people across our great city and will tirelessly commit ourselves to achieving this.”

For more information on the airport’s corporate responsibility activity, please visit: www.belfastcityairport.com

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Building a prosperous Northern Ireland: What is the role of business?

Heidi Hauf, Sustainability Campaigns manager, Business in the Community Northern Ireland, talks to Richard Moore, managing director of Linergy and commercial director of Linden Foods rosperous societies in the 21st Century will be ones that can turn issues such as climate change and natural resource constraints from barriers to growth into economic and social opportunities. Northern Ireland’s Environment minister, Mark H. Durkan encapsulates this in his vision: A Better Environment ­ A Stronger Economy.

In pursuing this vision, the CEO of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), Terry A’Hearn has said that too many people still think that creating a better environment means weakening our economy.

The message from the Department for Environment is clear: long-term economic prosperity and wellbeing is only possible through the responsible management of the environment.

Obviously the Department has a key role in achieving this, but the biggest impact will come from the main users of natural resources; the business community.

We need businesses to identify opportunities for growth that reduce reliance on finite resources, reuse and reduce waste and rethink the products they provide.

Business in the Community has been facilitating a new initiative between the NIEA and businesses called Prosperity Agreements.

The first Prosperity Agreement is with Linden Foods and Linergy. We ask Richard Moore, managing director of Linergy and commercial director of Linden Foods, what they are and how they will help business.

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It uses animal by-products from the meat processing sector and fallen farm animals to produce renewable biomass fuels, tallow oil and meat and bone meal: from these renewable electricity is produced.

actions to achieve them.

Both of us have agreed to address challenges, and target opportunities that might otherwise be missed through a traditional regulator-business relationship.

Why is a healthy environment important?

What are the benefits to your business?

If the business is not sustainable, it’s not viable. That means the entire supply chain, ‘from farm to fork’ must be in good health. For this reason we have invested time and resource into ensuring that we minimise our impact on the environment and influence where possible those key elements of the business that sit outside our control: on-site resource efficiency, assessing carbon associated with livestock, and working with state of the art machinery to develop high quality products.

What is a Prosperity Agreement?

A Prosperity Agreement is a new way for businesses to work with the NIEA. It is a voluntary partnership aimed at identifying the economic and environment ‘win, win’ opportunities.

Both organisations identify areas where improvements are possible and then agree

Through this partnership we are confident that NIEA will gain a better understanding of our business needs, we in turn will better understand the Agency’s challenges.

Tools to remain compliant will become more efficient, and therefore we will experience reduced regulatory burden. This will have a direct financial benefit for the business.

We will also be able to make use of NIEA expertise to reduce our environmental impact and assess future technological investments.

This will inform our growth strategy and allow us to continue the innovation required for the business to adapt and contribute to a prosperous Northern Ireland.

What do Linden Foods and Linergy do?

Linden Foods is a market leader within Northern Ireland’s fresh meat processing industry: developing from a fresh red meat processor to embrace a full spectrum of value added products for the retail and food service industries in the UK and Europe. Linergy is a rendering plant also located in Dungannon.

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Richard Moore, managing director of Linergy and commercial director of Linden Foods,

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Can taking on role as Non Executive Director help build your career?

Taking on the role of a Non-executive Director is a practical, challenging and rewarding way of gaining hands-on Boardroom experience and developing business skills. Here Charlotte Jess, Social and Digital marketing officer, Northern Ireland Tourist Board; Ciaran Preshur, investment manager, Cunningham Coates Stockbrokers and Ellie McGimpsey, business development manager, George Best Belfast City Airport share their experiences of joining the boards of Crescent Arts Centre, Millennium Court Arts Centre and Oh Yeah! Music Centre respectively.

Charlotte Jess As Social and Digital marketing officer for the Northern Ireland Tourist Board Charlotte is responsible for developing integrated digital marketing campaigns, using social media to grow reach and customer engagement in addition to devising digital strategies for destination marketing.

Charlotte Jess says “I was seeking a diversification from my normal working life, whilst still expanding my marketing experience. I was looking to volunteer or contribute to a community oriented organisation as well as learn, develop, and expand my network.”

“The training programme prior to board matching was a revelation” continues Charlotte, “I quickly realised I had little idea what being a Non-Executive Director of a Board would actually entail! The programme was very well structured, starting with essential theory around governance, board responsibilities, decision making and negotiation, which, combined with practical context and local case studies, provided me with a sound knowledge base of what I was taking on at the Crescent Arts Centre.”

Charlotte felt a staged process helped her manage her transition to Boardroom saying “My matching process felt natural and very much tailored to my interests, with friendly guidance and advice provided at each step. I was given a warm welcome for 3 months as a board observer and felt comfortable to engage, with a Board Buddy to interrogate and ask all the stupid questions!”

The benefits of working in a different environment are clear to Charlotte and she says “The process has given me a fresh perspective on my own organisation and consequently I have an increased ability to appraise alternate situations to my areas of expertise - I feel much more confident approaching different types of decisions and tasks.

I also feel lucky to have, in a short time, already participated in incredibly diverse discussions - from the artistic programme and budgetary oversight, to building maintenance and HR matters – experiencing the full spectrum of running an organisation from short term planning to strategic decision making. Observing the debates, dynamics and nuances of engaging on a professional board has also been fascinating - and

extremely useful.”

Charlotte particularly enjoys the satisfaction of knowing she is playing her part in the community “I have been particularly inspired by the breadth of outreach work undertaken by the Crescent and the platform it provides to engage directly with people I would not otherwise have had the chance to meet. I really look forward to what the next few years will bring in my new board life!”

Ciaran Preshur As an investment manager with Cunningham Coates Stockbrokers, Ciaran Preshur manages investment portfolios for individual, corporate and charity clients on a discretionary and non-discretionary basis.

Given the demands of the day job, the three half-days the course required weren’t too much of a distraction and proved an easy “sell” to his employer.

Ciaran says “My firm have been incredibly supportive of my tenure and given me the flexibility needed to fully embrace the experience.”

“My time on the Board of the Millennium Court Arts Centre in Portadown - produces local, national and international contemporary visual arts exhibitions - has been both educational and surprising” reflects Ciaran, “I met Arts Director Jackie Barker and Harry Porter from the Board as part of the matching process and found them very welcoming. I was given information to help me hit the ground running, and my input was encouraged from the beginning.”

Ciaran is enjoying seeing the results of his work on the ground. “I quickly realised the challenges the Arts sector faces and we began to investigate ways of improving the centre’s facilities and services on offer. I have found the process incredibly beneficial. My personal skills have developed to include governance awareness and Board experience and I now have the opportunity to interact with committed individuals passionate about the future of the Arts and to influence and potentially improve the offering of a fantastic venue.”

Ellie McGimpsey As business development manager for George Best Belfast City Airport, Ellie McGimpsey’s day job role sees her focus on attracting new routes and airlines to operate from the airport. Michelle Hatfield, the airport's HR and Corporate Responsibility Director, recommended the A&B NI Young Professionals on Arts Boards programme as an opportunity both for personal development and to share her commercial experience with the arts community.

Ellie is now a Non-Executive Director on the board of the Oh Yeah! Music Centre, which is focused on the development of the music industry in Northern Ireland and offers programmes of outreach, support and development to the music community.

Ellie comments, "Oh Yeah! is an excellent fit for me, allowing me the opportunity to share my commercial and business development skills to improve the long term financial sustainability of the company. I strongly recommend the programme as it gives a unique opportunity to play a part in the vibrant arts community in Northern Ireland, whilst at the same time developing your own skills and experience in a practical and exciting environment" Ellie believes there are also strong benefits for her employer. "I'm much more conscious of how I present information and issues to my own Board now. I've also become better at making decisions outside of my areas of expertise and asking the right questions when I don't have all the information to hand."

Deadline for application to this year’s programme is 22 September 2014.

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CHRISTMAS @ THE LYRIC THEATRE

Experience the Magic of Theatre this Christmas at the Lyric T

reat yourself to some festive fun at the Lyric this Christmas with Mistletoe and Crime, Olivier Award winning author Marie Jones’ new fun filled comedy, directed

by Dan Gordon. Two WPC’s try to keep order amongst the mayhem that is a Belfast Christmas, what could possibly go wrong?

‘T’was the night before Christmas the city is heavin’, There’s shoppin’ and gurnin’ and drinkin’ and thievin’ Bring your friends, family or colleagues and enjoy our affordable, all-inclusive Christmas Party Package which includes a top-class delicious pre-theatre meal and a ticket to Mistletoe and Crime for just £45 - It would be a crime to miss it…

Or bring along the whole family for a spellbinding time, as Sleeping Beauty arises from her slumber for this year’s new musical production of the classic tale.

This enchanting show guarantees fun, laughter and excitement for children and adults alike, the whole family will be left in a spin-dle.

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So stop with the shopping, wrapping and decorating and come to the Lyric where you are invited to share the magic and be cast under our spell this Christmas.

Mistletoe and Crime runs from 22 November – 11 January Sleeping Beauty runs from 5 December – 4 January Book Now 028 9038 1081 lyrictheatre.co.uk

WIN TICKETS TO THE LYRIC The Lyric Theatre has teamed up with Business First to offer two pairs of tickets to be won for the Christmas show and date of your choice.

Question: What does Sleeping Beauty prick her finger on?

Email your answer by October 5 to gavin@businessfirstni.co.uk Subject ‘Lyric Competition’

TOURISM IN NORTHERN IRELAND

Alan Clarke

EXIT INTERVIEW After 13 years leading Northern Ireland Tourist Board Alan Clarke is standing down as chief executive. But before he went Gavin Walker met up with him to review the progress to date and get an idea of what challenges are still in place for his successor.

Ince our inception Business First has been reporting on the progress of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board of which the last five have been the most exciting.

During that time we've seen the sector regain its confidence as first the MTV Awards and then one international event after another unfolded across the country. With every success came the belief that we could go further, do better – and the ambition grow.

The last time I sat with Alan in his modest office above Writer's Square in Belfast in 2012 – a year of startling achievement and acknowledged as the 'tipping point' for tourism in Northern Ireland – he had espoused a hope that he could announce one major event every year for the next decade.

And with World Police and Fire Games, Giro d'Italias and Irish Opens in the diary, it's an ambition that could well be met – even if Alan is not the one making the announcement.

Writing in Business First in July of this year, Institute of Directors chair Paul Terrington acknowledged the importance of keeping our 'foot to the floor' on delivering worldclass events when he wrote 'we've had a remarkable few years as international hosts, but we need to sustain the excitement and maintain the momentum of Northern Ireland being perceived globally a great event location and our people as welcoming hosts.'

And that was very much the approach Alan is suggesting needs to be taken as he passes on the reins to whoever is to be appointed his successor which, at time of writing, is still to be announced.

“Over the past decade we have driven the tourism contribution to Northern Ireland's GDP to 5.2 per cent. That's a significant achievement, but when we compare that with the Welsh economy where tourism is at 13 per cent of GDP, we can see both the challenge and the opportunity.

“Our sector is very much in the growth stage and we need to keep pushing hard to maintain the momentum, because you can be sure our neighbouring competitors (Scotland, Wales the English Regions and the Republic of Ireland) are.”

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Which immediately presents the first challenge: if the GB market is a growth area for Northern Ireland but a mature one for the Republic, how can we differentiate the two within the Tourism Ireland marketing?

“We need to create a distinct brand for Northern Ireland, “Alan said. “One that is easy identifiable and positions us as a part of the all Ireland offering while differentiating us from the other regions of the country.

“There are still great opportunities for us in the GB and near-European market and we urgently need to find an effective way to capitalise on them.”

And for this Alan highlights the need for continued growth in air connectivity.

Reflecting the same thoughts as the CBI's David Fry highlighted in his article Why Growing our Connectivity is vital to growing our economy (page 16), Alan noted that while we now have direct air access to 50 destinations, we need to both protect and expand the routes served.

“It's because it's as easy to access Northern Ireland from GB as it is Manchester or Glasgow that we are seeing an increase in our business/conference tourism,” Alan asserted.

“This is a very valuable market for Northern Ireland and if we are to achieve our goal of doubling tourism revenue by 2020, we need to place an emphasis on high-end visitors.

“The expansion of the Waterfront Hall is a valuable addition to our offering as is the easy access to both the Odyssey and the Titanic allowing delegates at an international sized conference to move easily between the three main venues.”

Which raises another of the challenges highlighted in the recent DETI report Review of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and wider Tourism Structures by John Hunter: if we are to continue to attract international tourism, then Northern Ireland requires a crossdepartmental formal Tourism Strategy that addresses the estate and training needs of the sector.

WorldHost is an internationally recognised customer service qualification and 4,000 people have completed the training in Derry.

WorldHost city status is awarded when 25 per cent of all customer service sector businesses have trained at least half of their staff in the programme.

“The investment in World Host is proving invaluable and the announcement in March that Londonderry has become the UK's first WorldHost city was an outstanding achievement. But we need to continue driving this commitment to training and a formal strategy that includes DETI and DEL would go a long way to achieving that,” Alan concluded.

So there is no question that as Alan Clarke exits the arena he leaves Northern Ireland tourism in a very different place to where it was when he entered. After thirty years of neglect during the troubles, the sector has shown its willingness to grasp, reach and often exceed expectations over the past decade.

There is still work to be done and Stormont – along with new Councils who are being given much more influence in the direction tourism takes in their Districts – must be encouraged to continue building on the work to date.

A continued political will to support tourism is just as important as the proven will of the private sector to upscale their plant and services to meet the demand and expectations of 21st Century tourism.

Doing business at Lough Erne Resort is a five star pleasure I

n 2013, Lough Erne Resort was chosen as the venue for the G8 Summit, and has established itself as of of Ireland’s leading venues in the meeting, incentive, corporate and events sector. Lough Erne Resort has also been selected as host of the 2017 Irish Open, a major sporting celebration and something that will be of equally significant benefit in showcasing the beauty, the facilities and the hospitality of this award-winning hotel and this wonderful part of the world.

Winner of Hotel of the Year at the 2014 Northern Ireland Tourism Awards, Lough Erne Resort can host anything from an intimate board meeting for 12 to a large-scale conference for 400 in its six dedicated conference and event rooms flooded with natural daylight, with private entrances and offering inspiring views, making it a popular destination for conferences and meetings of all sizes.

The Resort also offers a wide variety of additional experiences for delegates to enjoy from the Faldo Championship Course and the Golf Academy for the keen golfers, to a selection of themed gourmet dining evenings or cookery demonstrations from the Resort’s award-winning chef Noel McMeel, the Irish Whiskey Tasting experience in association with Bushmills, to casting lessons and fishing for pike with resident game angling instructors, to sailing, canoeing, mountain biking, pony trekking, walking and also team building activities on site.

A five star resort of 120 luxury rooms and suites, the Hotel can accommodate up to 400 delegates in the Ross Suite, followed by the

The Board Room

The Fermanagh Room

Loughside Suite, also with stunning views over the Lough and the golf course, which will suit groups of up to 120.

The Executive Boardroom, ideal for groups of up to 12 delegates, looks out over the 18th hole on The Faldo Course, and the Catalina Private Dining Room can host up to 30 guests.

Finally the Fermanagh I and II have private rooftop terraces and can be partitioned or joined to offer one or two rooms. Flexibility and a variety of breakaway rooms is central to Lough Erne’s conference facilities.

All rooms are equipped with LCD screens and in-built audio-visual equipment, and there is complimentary Wi-Fi access also available throughout the Resort.

One of the most indulgent aspects at Lough Erne Resort is the Thai Spa, the only wholly Thai spa experience in Ireland and the UK, where an array of specialist Thai treatments are provided by therapists who originate from and are expertly trained in Thailand.

Along with the indoor infinity pool and thermal suite, the relaxing surroundings of the Thai Spa provide the perfect antidote to a busy day.

“At Lough Erne Resort we pride ourselves on our attentive service,” says the Resort’s General Manager Andrew Phelan, “and we are looking forward to offering all our conference guests and delegates, our unrivalled hospitality.”

Lough Erne Resort Fermanagh, BT93 7ED, Northern Ireland Telephone: +44 (0)28 6632 3230 www.lougherneresort.com

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TOURISM IN NORTHERN IRELAND

Driving our golf tourism potential

by Dr Peter Bolan and Tom Cotter

ory McIlroy’s phenomenal win at the US PGA close on the heels of his victory at The Open has once again put Northern Ireland on the world stage for golfing success.

When we add to this the recent announcement that Royal Portrush will again host The Open Championship as early as 2019 and that the Irish Open Golf Championship will return north in 2015 to Royal County Down, and then again in 2017 to the Lough Erne Resort there is no question that huge momentum is now with us to capitalise on developing golf tourism in Northern Ireland.

Product wise we have some of the best links courses in the world (Royal Portrush and Royal County Down regularly featuring very highly in global rankings). Our top golfers have raised Northern Ireland’s profile in a very positive light. Rory’s recent success is leading the way, but Major winners Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke have played their part too.

Golf tourism itself is an incredibly lucrative form of tourism and can make a significant contribution to our economy if harnessed effectively. It has been valued at some US$20 billion with over 50 million golf tourists travelling the world to play on some of the estimated 32,000 courses. We are in a prime position to gain a larger slice of such an important market for Northern Ireland and indeed Ireland in general.

On the island of Ireland overall, there are currently 430 golf clubs affiliated to the GUI (Golfing Union of Ireland), 98 of which are located in Northern Ireland. Ireland also has 58 of the world’s 246 links golf courses, a little over a quarter of the entire global total, placing it in a unique position in the golfing world.

Whilst this provides a hugely important element to our tourism product, its true potential is yet to be fully realised. With this in mind, major research was recently conducted by Tom Cotter (The Cotter Collection) and overseen by myself at the

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University of Ulster. The study was the first significant examination of the golf tour operating sector in relation to the links golf courses of Ireland.

It is widely held that golf tour operators provide both a significant number of golf tourists to Ireland annually, and that their activities therefore create significant economic benefits. Additionally, the majority of golf tourists prefer to play links courses but previous research studies conducted have not separated links courses from parkland courses in economic terms. This research for the first time addressed these crucially related aspects and most importantly, puts a value on such a contribution. Survey work was conducted with 76 golf tour operators located in 19 different countries around the world, followed up by 22 in-depth interviews to delve even more deeply on core issues pertinent to the research. Survey work was also conducted with the links clubs around Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Selected findings from the research reveals that golf tour operators generate 66 per cent of the business for links courses in Ireland (north and south). Also, a small percentage of golf clubs are generating the vast majority of golf visitor spend here. Based on Fáilte Ireland figures that in the Irish Republic, in 2012, there were 163,000 overseas golfers generating €202m for the economy, the research can confidently attribute at least 37 per cent of that figure directly to “links golf”.

In other words, 12 per cent of the golf clubs in the Republic of Ireland (42 out of 332) produce 50 per cent of the total international golf visitor income.

However more stark, is that five out of the 98 GUI registered clubs in Northern Ireland (five per cent of Northern Ireland golf clubs) produce 64 per cent of estimated total revenue (£8,993,171.44) based on the suppositions by Minister Arlene Foster (NITB, 2013) that golf is worth £10-12million per annum.

Some further key findings and recommendations from the study include: • Tourist bodies need to look closely at developing ‘new’ golf markets to allay the significant over reliance on the North American market with which there will inevitably be sporadic demand issues subject to global economic conditions.

The Asian market is huge and still largely untapped here in golfing terms. Having said that, evidence from the International Golf Tour Operators Association (IGTOA) suggests such a market will only travel to play on courses they have seen on television hosting major competitions.

Important then that the most is made of The Open when it returns, the Irish Open and other European Tour events (including the new Northern Ireland Open).

• Government bodies in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would also appear to have significantly undervalued the economic impact of golf tour operator business to the island of Ireland’s links golf courses and also, to the wider game.

A complete review of the economic impact of golf tourism needs to be undertaken as a matter of priority to establish whether, pro rata, the marketing and promotion of golf tourism here is under-funded.

• Developing air access routes from certain markets would have a significant impact on visitor numbers in the shoulder seasons and thereby extend the season for many businesses. New air route development can play a vital role in this way.

• Golf courses and operators in conjunction with the tourism bodies need to urgently examine how to dissipate business across the whole of the season to reduce the pressure on the demand for the month of September in particular.

• Clustering of quality courses can have an extremely positive effect on a region where golf tourism is concerned.

The north coast region of Northern Ireland needs to look closely at the benefits that the new Bushmills Dunes golf resort project will inevitably bring to the region and strategically plan for the time when the facility is fully operational.

• Utilising our top golfers more effectively and pro-actively to provide greater ‘celebrity endorsement’ of tourism here can reap dividends in boosting golf tourism visitation. If the banks and financial organizations can use them in major television adverts and campaigns why aren’t we doing it more for tourism?

These are just some selected findings and recommendations from the recent research study. There is no doubt the future for golf tourism here is looking very strong, especially if the aspects mentioned are addressed effectively. However, time is of the essence.

Momentum is with us and now is the time to seize on the opportunities that are available for the taking. We need a detailed, in-depth and fully comprehensive golf tourism strategy that can really make a difference and leverage maximum potential.

Dr Peter Bolan is director for International Travel and Tourism Management in the Ulster Business School of the University of Ulster.

Tom Cotter is the owner of ‘The Cotter Collection’, a bespoke representation, consultancy and sales generation business that introduces clients and the international golf tour operator and DMC markets.

TOURISM IN NORTHERN IRELAND

Annual Hotel Industry Survey shows sustained growth in tourism In 2013, Belfast A had its best year in terms of bedroom demand with an average occupancy rate of 78.6 per cent. Indeed the occupancy rate in August, during the hosting of the World Fire and Police Games, was 91.8 per cent - the best on record.

ASM Annual Hotel Survey

SM Chartered Accountants, has joined forces with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and The Merchant Hotel to officially launch the Annual Hotel Industry Survey, which shows continued upward momentum in the hotel sector in 2013.

Large-scale events such as Derry/Londonderry’s year as UK City of Culture, the World Police and Fire Games and the G8 Summit and conference all contributed to the growth in bedroom demand during the year, which followed on from a successful 2012.

The average bedroom occupancy rate for across Northern Ireland for 2013 was 74.8 per cent, compared to 73.2 per cent in 2012.

There was a large improvement in the performance of hotels operating in the five star segment, while mid-market hotels (three star) typically experienced a modest revenue and profit decline during the year, suggesting that consumers are less price sensitive than they have been in recent years.

In 2013, Belfast had its best year in terms of bedroom demand with an average occupancy rate of 78.6 per cent. Indeed the occupancy rate in August, during the hosting of the World Fire and Police Games, was 91.8 per cent - the best on record.

The ASM Hotel Industry Survey is the only comprehensive assessment of hotel performance in Northern Ireland.

Now in its 17th consecutive year of publication, it is a respected barometer of the performance of the

sector and of the wider tourism industry.

Over the past two years it has recorded improved trading at hotels across Northern Ireland and in Belfast and Derry/ Londonderry particularly and this trend seems set to continue as Northern Ireland improves its appeal as a tourist destination.

Alan Clarke, chief executive of Northern Ireland Tourist Board said: “The tourism industry has enjoyed a fantastic few years of hosting successful major events and the huge increase in infrastructure development has provided the visitor with a choice and quality of world class things to see and do.

“I have no doubt that this has led to an increase in hotel occupancy and with large-scale events such as the highly successful Giro d’Italia this year and hosting the Irish Open in 2015 and 2017, I expect this momentum to continue.”

Michael Williamson, director of Consulting at ASM continued: “There is no question that Northern Ireland’s programme of major events has driven visitors into hotels, while helping to garner new respect and prestige for Northern Ireland as a whole.

“Given the challenging economic climate of the past few years, one wonders what might have happened to the industry were it not for that programme of events in 2012 and 2013.”

Bill Wolsey, owner of one of Northern Ireland’s leading luxury hotels, The Merchant, said” “Our management team find the survey an invaluable benchmarking resource, which allows us to better understand the marketplace”.

Peter Forde, doorman at The Merchant, with Michael Wiliamson, James Sinton, Bill Wolsey and Alan Clarke

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COMMENTARY

Universal broadband for business: STILL SOME WORK TO BE DONE

by Grace Peacock, Press & Parliamentary officer for Northern Ireland Federation of Small Businesses orthern Ireland remains the leader for superfast broadband provision within the UK, an OFCOM report confirmed earlier this month. However, there is still much progress to be made, particularly in areas throughout the province where even basic mobile phone coverage remains a challenge.

Presently, Belfast City Council is rolling out a broadband scheme which enables businesses throughout the city to avail of up to £3000 worth of assistance to install broadband equipment to rid themselves of slow connectivity and torturous download and upload speeds.

The scheme, open to application until March 2015, is operating in partnership with small and larger broadband provision companies, to propel the city’s reputation as being a ‘Digital Belfast’.

The total investment for the scheme is over £17m, with £13.7m provided by the UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s Urban Broadband Fund following successful bidding. Belfast City Council cite the aim of the investment initiative as being to make Belfast a world class digital city that benefits businesses, residents, visitors, students and inward investors.

The scheme is to be rolled out to Derry/Londonderry in the near future, who also were successful in bidding for the broadband funding.

Earlier this year, FSB Northern Ireland published its Rural Roadmap policy document. Launched at the Balmoral Show by the Agriculture minister, Michelle O’Neill MLA, Rural Roadmap: Unlocking the Potential of Local Businesses sets out a number of recommendations to the Northern Ireland Executive, with a particular focus on

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introducing and improving superfast broadband and mobile provision in rural communities.

The document pulls together an ongoing campaign by Northern Ireland’s largest business organisation around provision of superfast broadband as standard.

Following our longstanding campaigning, FSB Northern Ireland welcomed the considerable investment into telecoms projects over recent years and, in particular, the £5m Broadband Improvement Project, launched by DARD to target rural areas of high deprivation that have no or only limited access to broadband; however, we must push forward for a universal superfast broadband provision both in urban and rural areas.

The OFCOM report further highlighted that whilst 51 per cent of people in Northern Ireland have access to internet on the move, this can prove to be irrelevant as there are still parts of rural Counties Fermanagh and Tyrone that are mobile phone coverage ‘black spots’. Therefore, there is a need for the Executive also to prioritise investment in mobile phone networks so that access to the superfast broadband coverage in which we lead is not negated by poor communications coverage.

The 3G and 4G services in Northern Ireland remain poor in comparison with other parts of the UK, with even provision of 2G being impossible in certain areas.

A nationwide study by the FSB, entitled The Fourth Utility: Delivering universal broadband connectivity for small businesses across the UK, published last month, revealed that broadband provision, both locally and nationally is, as yet, still not universally “fit for purpose” thus placing businesses out of coverage areas at a competitive disadvantage.

This is a view that is agreed upon by small businesses, as the survey reports that 94 per cent consider a reliable internet connection to be critical to the success of their business.

Only 15 per cent of businesses are very satisfied with their broadband provision.

Lack of access to a fast broadband network is contributing to a number of issues including: stifling growth; hampering the

ability of businesses to compete in global markets; and intensifying economic imbalances on a regional basis.

The FSB regards the UK’s broadband target as simply not ambitious enough when compared to other nations and therefore is calling on the Government to deliver a minimum of 10Mbps for all homes and businesses by 2018/19. Furthermore, the FSB has called for this to increase to 100Mbps by 2030.

Wilfred Mitchell, Northern Ireland Policy chair explained, “If our local businesses are to thrive and prosper, as well as contribute to a growing economy, there needs to be universal access to what is now considered to be the fourth utility.

“It is good that the Northern Ireland Executive has delivered on a number of the demands that the FSB has made so far, and has committed to working on the rest.

“Broadband technology is crucial to the competitiveness of Northern Ireland and for that reason, it is essential that the benefits of a better broadband service should now be demonstrated to our small businesses, serving to stimulate interest and increase their UK wide and overseas customers. “ Mr Mitchell concluded: “We argue that the broadband market, both in Northern Ireland and throughout the UK, needs to ensure that fit-for-purpose connectivity is available to everyone, regardless of location. FSB defines a fit-for-purpose broadband service as having nothing less than the speeds that are advertised and a high quality of service.

“Residential internet users prioritise download speeds; there needs to be a parallel between download and upload speeds, which are equally, if not more important to businesses that operate online.”

Scan the code to download the FSB nationwide report into broadband provision, entitled The Fourth Utility: Delivering Universal Broadband Connectivity www.fsb.org.uk/policy/assets/FSB-TheFourth-Utility.pdf

FAMILY FRIENDLY EMPLOYER AWARDS

Family Friendly Employer Awards finalists announced A fter some lengthy discussion and debate, Employers For Childcare Vouchers and media sponsor Business First Magazine, are delighted to announce the Family Friendly Employer Awards finalists for 2014.

The Awards recognise organisations that promote family friendly working practices.

Initiatives such as flexible working, Childcare Vouchers and other employee benefits make it easier for parents to balance their home and work life.

The 2014 Finalists are:

The judges for this year’s awards are Professor Marie McHugh (Dean of the Ulster Business School, University of Ulster), Patricia LewsleyMooney (Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People), Maxine Orr (Partner, Worthingtons Solicitors), Gavin Walker (Editor of Business First) and Julie Taylor (Managing Director of Integrity NI and Board Member Employers For Childcare Charitable Group).

Action Cancer Edwards & Co Solicitors Eircom George Best Belfast City Airport Musgrave Retail Partners Northern Ireland Hospice Northern Regional College

Powerteam Electrical Services Queens University Belfast South West College Springvale Employment and Learning Viridian

The finalist organisations have demonstrated examples of excellence in their approach to family friendly employment initiatives and will be recognised in a prestigious award ceremony on 24 September in Belfast City Hall.

Congratulations to all of the finalists and good luck!

To book your free place at the Family Friendly Employer Awards, on 24 September at the Belfast City Hall, please contact Employers For Childcare on freephone 0800 028 3008 or email marketing@ employersforchildcare.org

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IN CONVERSATION

In conversation with Women in Business In this series of conversations with some of Northern Ireland’s leading business people, Women in Business chief executive, Roseann Kelly talks to Shelly Taylor, Managing Director of Taylored Workwear Ltd. helly Taylor was born in Nottingham and is married with three children. She didn’t go to university or college as Indian girls were not educated years ago due to her religion. Shelley set up a business selling socks and afterwards worked behind a burger bar in the United States before returning home and selling socks again for a while. She then worked for her family and after they passed away she founded Taylored Workwear.

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How long have you been in your current role and what qualities do you bring?

I started Taylored Workwear in 2000 as a sole trader, I have been managing director from the start until now which is approximately 14 years.

What qualities do you bring to the role?

I motivate and organize the team, I am enthusiastic and passionate about the company and what I do which rubs off and has a positive effect on the rest of the team. I have to put in the hours to succeed, you have to be motivated if you want your company to succeed as your motivation rubs off on your staff.

How have you shaped/defined the role you are in?

I have a personal relationship with all our customers which means I get to know the person and the business and I can advise them accordingly. I do all aspects of the work in the company from embroidery, packing, accounts, there is nothing in my company that I can’t do.

Would you say that being a woman has in any way helped or hindered the position you are in today?

Some men don't like working with women in business, especially those in positions of authority and 95 per cent of my customer base are males!

How do you motivate your team?I am very enthusiastic in myself and about the company and it rubs off on the other employees. I am very passionate about what I

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Alderman Fraser Agnew (past Mayor of Newtownabbey) joins Shelly Taylor and Roseann Kelly

do which has a positive effect on the team.

Nothing is impossible as I tell them if I can do it they can do it.

Do you have financial targets to meet, budgets to manage?

grown by seven new employees in the last two months. We have also developed into printing so we have grown a fair bit in the past five years. every day the company grows.

How has your organisation adapted to the changing environment in which it operates?

Yes, I manage the financial control of the business which means managing the finances of the business, ensuring we make a good profit and can make sure we run on a daily basis.

We have grown and moved from a garage to 7000sq ft premises, obtained new machinery and hired new staff.

What difference do you make to the organisation's bottom line?

What do you think the next five years will bring for your organisation?

Financial control of the business, thinking of ways to grow and expand, basically I ensure the company keeps running and ensure that we will continue to run for years to come and always look months ahead not just the next couple of weeks.

We hope to have more staff and more machinery which means turning Workwear over on our machines at an even faster pace and service and that would mean we could make more sales and more growth and expansion and in the long run more profit.

What changes if any, have you seen in your business in the past five years?

What is your attitude towards the pay gap, and do you think it will close?

We have moved to new premises recently, we have purchased new machines which allow a faster service turnover, our staff has

I think it is totally inappropriate, women can work just as hard as men, and women can do anything a man can do.

WIBNI (Women in Business Northern Ireland) is an organization to help women succeed and there are plenty of events for everyone to go to and get new ideas, if you learn one thing from one of the events it is one more thing you have learnt. Shelly Taylor, If you were prime minister what steps would you take to close it?

If I were Prime Minister I would make it that women get paid more as we run our homes, cook, clean do the laundry and look after the children as well as going to work.

Do you think there is a need for women to support each other in business more so than men may need?

Yes, because it’s a man world, women understand other women’s needs to succeed as it is a harder thing to get to the top for a woman.

In developing your career have you benefited from networking and mentoring?

Yes, of course, it has helped me by networking and meeting others in business industry and I have picked up other ideas from other women.

What tips would you give to other business women to get the most from networking and mentoring?

WIBNI (Women in Business Northern Ireland) is an organization to help women succeed and there are plenty of events for everyone to go to and get new ideas, if you learn one thing from one of the events it is one more thing you have learnt.

What advice would you give to young girls leaving school or college and trying to get their foot on the first rung of the business ladder?

To have a business proposal, work out start up costs and have an idea of costs, ask as many question as you need to from other companies that are in business, to reach your goals and never be afraid to ask for help or advice and always listen as it costs nothing.

If you had the opportunity to stand in front of the Northern Ireland government to make one plea to encourage growth in the Northern Ireland economy, what would it be?

To make it fairer for smaller businesses and new start up businesses to pay less corporation tax for managing directors and director earning less than £40,000 a year.

Personally, what juggling do you do on a daily basis?

Every day is a juggling match when you run your own company, especially since my work force has doubled, you have to make sure you are monitoring all your finances so you can see what money is coming in and what is going out. Making sure the sales team are bringing in orders and production is leaving in designated time.

If you had £1m to spend on the Northern Ireland economy where would you spend it?

How do you maintain a work/life balance?

In young adults that leave school as that’s the next generation for business.

My work is my life which I thoroughly enjoy and I involve my family so they feel part of it.

Tell us something interesting about yourself.

What’s your favourite motivational quote?

I arrived in Northern Ireland with a suit case, renting a housing executive house, built a 5000sq ft mansion on a four acre estate from nothing.

I’ve built a business from a back bedroom 14 years ago and it has been hard through the troubles of Northern Ireland as I am an Indian Lady.

One of my favorite motivational quotes is “Success rarely comes to those expecting failure.” And another would be “You can do it if you really want to do

For further information on joining WIBNI, or visit www.womeninbusinessni.com

When did you join Women in Business NI and how do you benefit?

I joined Women in Business in 2013. I benefit from going to their WIBNI events and meeting other women that are trying to make new leads and networking. Also finding leads through their membership on their website.

Which aspect of membership would you recommend to others?

To go their networking events as you can meet people from all aspects of different businesses to help your business grow.

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CELEBRATING NORTHERN IRELAND BUSINESS

Reserve your place to celebrate with Northern Ireland finest retailers ith more than 450 retailers competing, judging is now underway for the Neighbourhood Retailer Awards 2014.

Now it’s time to book your table for the biggest celebration of Northern Ireland’s independent convenience industry.

Walk the red carpet and join the champagne reception, feel the excitement build before the NR Awards ceremony begins then enjoy a sumptuous gala dinner with fine wines and superb live entertainment.

Set in the fabulous Ramada Plaza in Belfast on Friday October 17, the 16th annual Neighbourhood Retailer Awards will play host to the finest convenience retailers from across Northern Ireland.

In attendance will also be decision-makers from Northern Ireland’s, Ireland’s and GB’s top symbol groups, wholesalers, oil companies and suppliers - making it a fantastic networking opportunity.

Our charity partner for this year is the Cancer Fund For Children and we hope to raise much needed funds on the night.

The Neighbourhood Retailer Awards have attracted high calibre entries from leading retailers who feel that their businesses are in the running to scoop a prestigious award, so this year is shaping up to be the best yet - and a sparkling evening awaits you.

New for this year we have introduced a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ which seeks to reward and acknowledge the excellent work carried out over the course of the recipient’s career and it is open to owners, entrepreneurs, educators, managers and innovators within the local convenience industry.

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It’s time to book your table for the biggest celebration of Northern Ireland’s independent convenience industry.

This is presented to a long-serving individual in recognition of the unique contribution they have made to the industry.

Unlike all our other awards, there is no entry form and winners are not nominated.

The recipient is decided upon each year by senior staff at Neighbourhood Retailer and the name of the winner remains a closely guarded secret until the gala evening itself.

The awards have garnered much industry support over their 16-year history and this year is no different.

Leaders in their respective fields - such as Imperial Tobacco, Nestle Cereals, Cuisine de France, Power NI, United Wine Merchants and JTI - are already sponsoring a selection of this year’s awards categories.

Mark White editor of Neighbourhood Retailer commented: “Local retailers make a major economic contribution to cities, towns and villages across NI and are an integral part of neighbourhood communities.

“The Neighbourhood Retailer Awards are all about recognising and rewarding the innovative retailers who consistently strive to offer first-class customer service in their locality. They are also a fabulous celebration in which people can relax and enjoy an evening with colleagues and friends.”

To book a table, contact Pamela Beers on 028 90 457 457 or visit neighbourhoodretailer.com for more details.

Media Partners for the 2014 Neighbourhood Retailer Awards

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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Building high performance teams

by Kirsty McManus, director of the Centre for SME Development at the Ulster Business School ccording to Meredith Belbin “A team is not a bunch of people with job titles, but a congregation of individuals, each of whom has a role which is understood by other members. Members of a team seek out certain roles and they perform most effectively in the ones that are most natural to them”.

High-performance work teams are therefore distinguished by their ability to function at a high level for extended periods of time, in the most efficient and effective manner possible. Teams of this type come in many shapes and sizes, and there is no one team model that is right for every business; however, there are a few foundational characteristics that seem to underpin most high-performance teams.

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Diversity Paradoxically, this definition calls for diversity within the team, in terms of a wide range of skills and attributes among members, yet commonality in terms of values base and purpose. Common values and a shared sense of purpose set the ground rules for how team members are going to conduct themselves as they strive to achieve their goals.

Effective teams are composed of members with a wide range of skills and experiences from which to draw for support, guidance and motivation. Dynamic teams have members with particular strengths and weaknesses that compliment one another and a variety of personalities to fulfil different roles of leadership, logistics, creative direction and discipline. Effective teams respect and embrace differences of opinion.

Clear Goals and Expectations Clear goals and timetables drive highperformance teams, as does a knowledge of

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professional expectations. To have multiple people work toward a common goal objectives must be clearly understood by all team members, and each person must know exactly what his responsibilities are in relation to the achievement of team objectives.

Progress toward goals should be measured at regular intervals to ensure the different elements of the project are progressing together in a timely fashion.

Belbin’s Nine Team Roles Strengths The Nine Team Roles that Meredith Belbin identified are used widely in thousands of organisations all over the world today.

Innovators – tend to be highly creative and good at solving problems in unconventional ways.

Resource Investigators – when the team become isolated and inwardly focused, the Resource Investigator provides inside knowledge on the opposition and makes sure that the team’s idea would carry to the world outside.

Co-ordinators - are needed to focus on the team’s objectives, draw out team members and delegate work appropriately.

Shapers - provide the necessary drive to ensure that the team kept moving and did not lose focus or momentum.

Monitor Evaluators - are needed to provide a logical eye, make impartial judgments where required and to weigh up the team’s options in a dispassionate way.

Team Workers – are needed to help the team to gel, using their versatility to identify the work required and complete it on behalf of the team.

Implementers - are needed to plan a practical, workable strategy and carry it out as efficiently as possible.

Completer Finishers – are most effectively used at the end of a task, to “polish” and scrutinise the work for errors, subjecting it to the highest standards of quality control.

Specialists – have in-depth knowledge of a key specialist area. (Source www.belbin.com) Solid teams are the foundation of a high performance organisations and developing those teams is an effort that requires serious effort and consistent discipline.

At the Ulster Business School, Centre for SME’s we have developed a programme for senior managers which will help you identify the team roles within your organisation, giving you a common language to show clusters of behaviours that are needed in the workplace.

This course will provide your organisation with a step-by-step guide, through a process to take responsibility to become a high performing team that takes full responsibility for their business results.

Financial assistance of 100 per cent is available towards training costs to eligible participants from the Department for Employment and Learning.

For more information, please contact k.mcmanus@ulster.ac.uk

Business First celebrates your success [1]Marc Casey joins Stena Line as Route Marketing Manager (Irish Sea North) after16 years in the advertising and communications industry during which time he devised and managed campaigns for a range of blue-chip clients throughout Ireland. Marc will play a leading role in Stena Line's marketing communications strategy in the UK and Ireland.

[2] Lisa Keys takes on the new role of head of Business Development (NI) with the Institute of Directors. Lisa has almost 20 years of experience in the fields of marketing and business development in the retail and professional services sectors, having previously worked for international law firm, Pinsent Masons and Westfield Shoppingtowns.

Lisa’s role will be to develop and grow membership of the Institute of Directors and assist with IoD engagement in Northern Ireland.

[3] Business advisory firm BDO have announced the appointment of Laura Jackson as their newest Partner. Laura who takes up the role within the firm’s Audit and Assurance practice, is the 10th Partner and her appointment follows a series of promotions within BDO in the last month. Laura joined BDO in 2002 as a Trainee and her progression to Partner makes her the sixth staff member to progress within the firm from Trainee to Partner since BDO was established in Belfast 25 years ago.

[4] Julie Tierney has joined Edwards & Co. Solicitors as head of Family Law Departmen to advise on all matters related to family law.

Julie trained and qualified as a Solicitor in Northern Ireland. Having qualified in 2008 she has specialised in family law throughout her career. Julie advises clients on all aspects of separation, maintenance, divorce proceedings and asset injunctions. She is also an accredited member of the Children (NI) Order panel and specialises in child contact/residence issues.

[5] Brendan Adair has been appointed senior Networks Specialist at Zenith Networks Ltd, Belfast. Before joining Zenith in 2013, Brendan worked with a number of companies in senior IT roles including Grafton Recruitment and Capita IT. His position in Zenith Networks incorporates all aspects of IT support and project delivery and he has a particular focus in large scale desktop rollouts.

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[6]Michael Kennedy has joined ASM Chartered Accountants as Accounts, Audit and Assurance supervisor. Michael qualified as certified accountant in February 2013 and worked in practice for over 10 years working in areas such as accounts, audit, tax, assurance, VAT and payroll.

worked exclusively in the Internal Audit department in RSM McClure Watters. This included a 14 month secondment to the Environment and Heritage Service (now NIEA).In May 2014, I joined ASM Chartered Accountants as a Supervisor in the Internal Audit department.

[7] Shauna McDonnell has joined ASM as Assistant Manager Internal Audit. Shauna studied a BSc in Accountancy at Queens University before joining the PwC graduate scheme in October 2008. In October 2013 she moved to Australia and joined the Department of Education in New South Wales as a senior internal audit contractor for six months before joining ASM, during which I was responsible for performing testing to ensure the Department was compliant with the Procurement Accreditation Standards.

[9] The Mount Charles Group, has appointed Jonathan McKinlay as director of their Cleaning and Support Services Division.

Jonathan, who originally joined the Mount Charles Group as business development manager from The British Standards Institution in 2011, has been promoted to the role with immediate effect.

[8] Regan West has joined ASM Chartered Accounts as supervisor Internal Audit. From November of 2008 to May 2014, Regan

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BEST PRACTICE

How to deal with LATENESS IN THE WORKPLACE our new advice column from Peninsula Business Services

lthough staff who are clocking on one or two minutes late in the morning are not causing your company huge detriment, promptness and reliability are important in an employment relationship and employees are often subject to disciplinary proceedings because of their tardiness.

Many instances of lateness are not within the control of the employee e.g. train cancellations or road traffic accidents which have created delays but you are still within your rights to expect that employees will arrive on time.

Informal discussions with an employee who has had a couple of instances of lateness might be enough to make them realise that they are now on your radar and need to take measures to rectify their behaviour.

A quick word in your office will usually do it. This sets your stall from the very beginning and confirms to the employee that you are monitoring behaviour.

Before considering disciplinary action for continued lateness after you have had a word with the employee, it may be worth looking to see whether it is possible to make a small change to the employee’s working hours.

There is no requirement to make this move but it will show that you are being reasonable and are willing to come to an agreement with the employee when it appears that their start time is causing the employee problems.

Clearly this would not be appropriate in all circumstances, and would normally be reserved for those instances when the lateness is caused by travel/transport problems, or changes in the employee’s family life e.g. a marriage break up resulting in problems with getting the children to school etc.

Shortening an employee’s hours e.g. pushing back their start time from 9am to 9.15am will result in a drop in pay therefore

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this must be done with the employee’s agreement.

If lateness continues, a formal disciplinary procedure may be appropriate. You’d need to check your contractual procedures and make sure you act in line with them.

A disciplinary hearing should be called and the employee should be informed of the right to be accompanied.

During the hearing, the employee may provide an explanation of the lateness which you had not considered previously.

This could include a health problem which hinders their ability to keep to a time structure in the morning or they may have caring duties to perform. Any mitigation provided by the employee should be taken into consideration when determining what sanction to impose.

A series of warnings would need to be issued, escalating in gravity with each further instance and eventually the employee should be warned that any further lateness may result in dismissal. If the employee continues to be late, dismissal will be the ultimate sanction.

Warnings should only remain on an employee’s file for a prescribed amount of time and generally, only when further instances of misconduct appear within the shelf life should the warning be built upon.

There are no guidelines in law to dictate how long a warning should remain on an employee’s file.

It is an employee’s contract of employment that will dictate how long this should be, so you should look to the contract for an indication of how long to wait before the warning should be disregarded.

Keeping accurate records of lateness in a central location makes it easy for an

employer to have an at a glance view of the employee’s conduct.

Accurate records will provide sound evidence for disciplinary action. You may keep a note of your employees’ lateness centrally, in an absence book maybe, or in a diary, so you’ll know how many instances of lateness there has been in a period of time.

What that method will not make immediately apparent is that the lateness is always on the same day of the week, which may alert you to the possibility that there may be something going on that you need to ask the employee about.

Using a calendar style recording system will help you pick out any patterns of lateness quickly. Being fully prepared with as much information as possible before you speak to an employee about their lateness will put you in the best position to ask the right questions and nip the problem in the bud.

Make sure you take some time to do some preparation before each time you speak to the employee, whether it be the first chat about it, or a disciplinary hearing.

On a final note, an employee’s length of service is an important factor in deciding how to deal with an employee who is consistently late.

Although some employers are happy to use the same procedures with all employees, regardless of length of service, some will prefer to apply different dismissal procedures for short service employees, where a swift dismissal can be much less risky in terms of exposure to a tribunal claim.

If you would like more advice on dealing with lateness in the workplace please Paul Bradley of Peninsula Business Services Northern Ireland on 0796 611 2104 or email paul.bradley@peninsula-ni.com. And please tell Paul Business First sent you!

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Northern Ireland needs more women in construction he old saying goes that ‘a women’s work is never done’. When it comes to the construction sector, some might argue that it hasn’t really even begun.

Yes there are many very talented women working in property and construction – indeed the recently inaugurated President of RICS, Louise Brooke-Smith, is female – but in the UK, women make up just 11 per cent of the construction sector, with a mere 1.2 per cent working in manual labour trades. This means that there is a huge potential pipeline of untapped talent for the construction sector to benefit from.

The most recent RICS Construction Market Survey suggests that skills shortages are becoming an issue for Northern Ireland’s construction sector as the industry continues its recovery.

This is concerning, as there is a real need for the necessary skills to enhance and upgrade our infrastructure. Skills shortages have the potential to hamper this economically important objective in the years ahead.

This should prompt all of those involved in the construction sector in Northern Ireland to sit up and think seriously about how to attract, retain and progress more women to the sector.

I note that in GB, one large construction firm has committed to offering 30 per cent of its apprenticeships and 40 per cent of its undergraduate sponsorship opportunities to women by 2016.

After all, how can you expect to compete in the market and deliver some of the major projects required if you are not using the expertise of 53 per cent of the population?

In Northern Ireland, we are getting indications from local third-level education establishments that enrolment levels for construction-related courses are at very low levels.

This could be boosted if a higher proportion of females were choosing the profession. With skills shortages emerging and the pipeline of professionals potentially hampered by fewer students enrolling on construction-related courses, something needs to be done.

Northern Ireland has an infrastructure deficit which will need to be dealt with in the years ahead, and we need the necessary skills available to do so.

Our message is that students shouldn’t be put off studying chartered surveying and other construction disciplines because of challenges the sector has had in the past number of years. It provides an incredibly exciting career opportunity for students – male and female.

We hear from the local universities that employers are currently having difficulty

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by Ben Collins, director, RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Northern Ireland

The most recent RICS Construction Market Survey suggests that skills shortages are becoming an issue for Northern Ireland’s construction sector as the industry continues its recovery.

Ben Collins

recruiting because of the increasing demand and the lack of availability of students with the necessary skills.

It’s important for professional bodies and leading employers to unite in the effort to attract more women into construction. RICS is keen to lead in this arena.

Firstly through our diversity and careers campaign to attract a wider variety of candidates into the construction/property sector and spark meaningful debate on the trajectory of female professionals from classroom to boardroom.

Because, while we acknowledge that our profession’s employment credentials are marginally better than the rest of the UK construction industry, with just 13 per cent of chartered surveyors being female and 28 per cent of students/trainees, there is still room for progress.

And there is progress to build on - in the 1980s only three per cent of qualified chartered surveyors were female.

Harriet Beecher Stowe once said that “Women are the real architects of society.” It is essential that we encourage more of them to be the chartered surveyors, civil engineers, architects, and manual labourers of the future.

RICS has some 4,000 members in Northern Ireland, employed in the land, property and construction markets and in associated environmental issues.

Its members are employed across private practice, regional and local government, public agencies, academic institutions, business organisations and non-governmental organisations. RICS has a Royal Charter which requires it to act in the public interest.

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BEST PRACTICE

Lifetime Customer Value what are your customers really worth? asks Tom Verner, Momentum Business Development long-term customer spending £500 each, that’s £10,500! Now, we’re talking.

Repeat customers are the backbone of any business!

ar too many business owners are locked into a short-term view. It’s a natural tendency to think something like: “I place an ad that costs £1,000. That ad brings in 230 responses, and of those, 21 turn into actual sales.

At £90 per sale, I have a gross income of £1,890.

When I subtract the cost of the ad I end up with £890.

Next I subtract my other expenses associated with producing or buying my product wholesale, fulfilment, salaries and other factors, and I end up with about £230 in net profit.”

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Results like these can seem discouraging.

Remember who your customers are – they are another word for sales.

Tom Verner

The Board Room

After all that money spent and effort, you end up with a tiny £230. To get another £230, you have to do it all over again -- buy another £1,000 ad, and all the rest. This is where a lot of business people drop out and try something else that seems more profitable.

But wait -- this view of things is too short sighted.

The initial ad brought in 21 new, paying customers. What if that same business person had read my earlier item on back-end marketing and had a second-tier product ready to sell after each of those 21 customer paid £90 for the first?

What if his second-tier product sold for £65 and 13 of the 21 also bought it in addition to the first product? That’s an additional £845, which you add to the first £230 for £1,075!

Suddenly things are looking a lot more profitable - but this is still not the end.

If the seller does what he must to keep the customer satisfied and coming back for the next three to five years, each of those customers may end up spending another £400 or £500. If each of those original 21 customers is converted into a

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It’s reasonable and perhaps even conservative to expect another £500 in sales over the next five years from each customer you capture with your initial ad, for which you paid £1,000 - which had actually generated more than 10 times that cost £10,500.

Furthermore, each of those initial customers will often refer a friend, (or you can be even more proactive by asking for a referral) and sometimes more than one friend to also make a purchase.

You pay nothing for a word-of-mouth referral and the result is even ore profit that can be tied to your original ad expenditure. Remember who your customers are – they are another word for sales.

So what you should do is calculate the lifetime value of each customer.

Doing so helps you realise that you can spend a lot more on ads and other marketing tools to go out and get them simply because the long-term payoff is literally… fantastic.

When you know that the lifetime value of each customer may be £500 to £900 each, for example, then a £1,000 ad that gets you 21 of them is a real bargain.

Another benefit of knowing the lifetime value of your customers is that because you know that a £1,000 ad – as per the above example - will generate £10,500, it provides you with the ability to plan and estimate your future cash flow with a degree of certainty.

Furthermore, should you ever want to sell the business, demonstrating this knowledge could have a tremendous impact on the capital value and therefore the sale price.

All of this requires a long-term view and planning, however, to happen. You have to be prepared with back-end products to sell, you have to sell quality and make the customer want to come back, you have to develop a healthy relationship with your customers, and more.

But when you plan and take a long-term point of view, you set yourself up for long-term success.

You also gain the confidence of spending what you need to spend to get new customers, knowing that it will pay off.

Do you know the lifetime value of your customers?

You can find out more about Momentum Business Development by visiting www.momentumni.com

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MOTORING

Volvo V60: sleek and handsome T

by Ian Beasant, BUSINESSFIRSTMAGAZINE motoring correspondent

he V60 Volvo is not one bit like the Volvo estate cars of years gone by. The new V60 is a long way from the vast Swedish motherships with all the style of a farmers barn but a bit more space inside. They were the only cars on the road that actually looked better with every panel bashed in and 200,000 miles on the clock than they did when new. Now look at this glinting, curving, handsome slice of automotive sculpture and consider the journey Volvo has been on during these past few years.

The V60 is available with a range of petrol and diesel engines. I chose the D4 a manual six-speed gearbox. The engine produced a 170bhp and was nippy enough to propel the V60 to 60MPH in 7.0 seconds , not bad for what is a family car.

The most important thing about the engine in today’s world is the CO2 emissions as this effects the amount of car tax to be paid. Well Volvo has got it just right with this car as it emits only 99 Co2 per km which puts the car in the A bracket for car tax making it extremely attractive to fleet and private buyers alike. The V60 is capable of 140 mph and yet still turns a very respectable 60 miles per gallon.

On the inside the cabin of the Volvo V60 looks the business – a home from home and clearly more stylish and imaginative than the otherwise impressive interior standards of the main German opposition. Climb aboard, sit in its the excellent seat comfortable seat and survey the scene; this could be the cabin of a car costing £10k or £20k more. The floating centre console looks beautiful, the sweep of the dash is cool and classy and the materials used are uniformly excellent.

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So it looks great. But it doesn’t work as well as some rivals. The driving position is good, thanks to the unusually extensive reach of the steering column, but there’s precious little room for your foot to the left of the clutch.

Moreover, without an iDrive-style central controller there are just too many small buttons to identify and operate while driving.

It smacks of a desire to be different for the sake of it rather than sound ergonomic reasons. The controls for the air conditioning remain a model of simplicity, though. Pity the same can’t be said for the audio system – they’re confusing and in this instance less is, well, less.

There’s not much room inside, either. We

know that volumes of space is not high on the priority lists of people in the market for such cars, but we still think their children would appreciate a little more rear legroom, even if headroom is surprisingly uncompromised by that tapering roofline.

The V60 is very comfortable out on the road and handles well. The chassis has been tuned to give a comfortable drive rather than a sporty drive, yet it all does work well and the V60 is a pleasing car to drive and extremely pleasing to look at which I am sure will attract a lot of estate car customers, couple that with Volvo’s exceptional safety details and a very good reliability record, Yes, the V60 won me over.

MOTORING

Tiguan R

by Ian Beasant, BUSINESSFIRSTMAGAZINE motoring correspondent

rossovers, Suv’s or Hatchback, there are so many choices on the market nowadays it is hard to pick which type of vehicle will suit you best. Volkswagen has the New Tiguan and in R line specification, which is Volkswagens performance spec, I feel it offers all the practicalities of a crossover and SUV: the handling and performance of a hot hatch, and the quality of an executive car.

The Volkswagen Tiguan comes in fourwheel and front-wheel drive versions, both being comfortable and enjoyable to drive.

Thanks to great adjustability in the driver's seat and steering wheel, visibility is great and it's easy to find the ideal driving position.

The interior itself is finished with high quality materials and the R-Line seats were comfortable and supportive. The Tiguan I drove was fitted with a 2.0 litre Diesel engine offering a 177BHP and was mated to a four wheel drive system through Volkswagens excellent DSG 7-speed gearbox.

The Tiguan was very light on its feet sprinting to 60mph in 8.5 seconds and that is not far away from hot hatch territory , The beauty of it all is the way the engine and gearbox are now so silky smooth and added bonus the Tiguan is capable of returning 45milesper gallon on average .

The R-line comes fitted with sports suspension, I was a little sceptical at first as the Tiguan is quite a tall vehicle and I thought the suspension might affect the ride quality, not one bit. The suspension has been set up to offer minimal body roll and sporty driving experience and at the same time offer a comfortable ride, not an easy thing to do.

The interior is extremely spacious and the

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controls are most definitely Volkswagen as they have that quality feel from them. The Tiguan shares many components from the Volkswagen Golf and that is no bad thing at all, the dash seems to be very similar to that of the Golf which is easy to use and clutter free.

On the road the Tiguan is great fun and also very practical. The one thing I really did notice was the engine. With 177bhp the engine is extremely quiet and very refined.

The Tiguan is great for everyday use as it ticks so many boxes.

It really does steer and stop like a lightweight hatchback, it has loads of room

for passengers and all the bits and pieces that we all haul about, you can drop the rear seats and you have the room of a small van., not forgetting that four-wheel drive system which means you can park on the grass or on the beach without worry.

The Tiguan really does fit the bill and makes a lot of sense. It is not the cheapest, The R-line I drove had a few extras and was ÂŁ31,770 on the road. Saying that Volkswagen vehicles have a very low depreciation rate and the quality of the materials and build is as good as you will find in vehicles that are twice the price .

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MOTORING

A little bit of Soul

he Kia Soul was a bit quirky when it first appeared in 2008. The SUV Crossover was definitely different from what was on offer.

The second generation Kia Soul holds on to its original and stylish looks and certainly stands out on the road. The new Soul has a slightly longer wheelbase and is also slightly

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lower ,which gives it a more sporty look.

There is also a more premium look and feel to the interior. This has been achieved through the choice of materials; the softtouch facings on the instrument panel, centre console and door panels; the leather-covered steering wheel rim and gearlever knob and the high-gloss black finishing’s on the fascia

panel, steering wheel bezel, door armrests and upper console cover, The new Soul provides more passenger and luggage space than the previous model and has new seats that offer increased sideways and thigh support.

There is more head and shoulder room for the driver and front passenger, while in the rear of the cabin up to three people enjoy more knee and leg space.

The step-in point and hip point are also lower, making it easier to get in and out. The windscreen pillars are further away from the front occupants, and there is a lower centre tunnel to improve arm and elbow space. It is a nice place to be and Kia have worked hard on reducing the road and engine noise, which is great as the Soul is very quiet indeed.

The Soul has a semi –elevated driving position, which is very comfortable and very, practical Kia have made a big effort on the handling of the Soul as it is refreshing to drive, its light and easy but at the same time it is fun and practical. The one thing I really enjoyed was that as standard all Kia Souls are fitted with a Dab Radio , Kia have also fitted a turret style speakers on the dash rather than try and hide them in the doors.

The Kia Soul is Funky, Quirky, Original, and Practical and well built, it offers a fun car with everything you would need at an affordable price and a seven year warranty what’s not to like.

Cooper D pulls strongly.

Yet it’s the MINI’s mid-range muscle that’s really impressive, serving up decent overtaking pace and carrying the car effortlessly up steep inclines. It is a little softer sprung than the previous car but you can adjust that from inside and have it handling in full Go Kart mode , I really did not notice a big difference.

It was good fun in which ever mode it was in. Press the glowing red starter switch, and the Cooper D clatters into life. It’s noisy from the outside but excellent sound deadening means the cabin is well isolated. This refinement continues on the move. It’s only at high revs that you’ll notice a trademark three-cylinder thrum from the engine.

Once on board you notice the a revised dash layout that’s packed with retro touches

and dominated by the large circular sat-nav screen the speedometer and rev counter which is half-moon shaped have been moved in front of the driver . Fit and finish is firstrate as usual, and most of the materials have a high-quality look and feel.

The New Mini looks similar to the car it replaces on the outside , it is longer and wider and does look a little out of scale , the rear lights look a bit too big for the car ,but in saying that it does add to its quirkiness. en.

Starting price tag of this model of £16.450

3G Mini o doubt about it, the Mini changed the way the world thought about cars. The original Mini was a massive success and when BMW bought the company and relaunched it the Mini sales were once again impressive to say the least.

BMW kept as much of the original quirky and simple features as possible and it worked, especially as fashion item, it was the car to be seen in, and it suited everybody.

The new Mini - or Mini Hatch as it is called - has seen some changes but keeps the retro look and merges it with the modern feel.

I spent a week in the company of the Mini Cooper D , which is powered by an all-new engine, with the MkII’s 1.6-litre four-cylinder making way for a 1.5 three-cylinder. Despite having a smaller capacity and one less cylinder than before, power output rises from 110 to 114bhp, while torque remains unchanged at 270Nm. Which BMW claim can return over 80 miles per gallon – not to be sniffed at all?

The New Mini did not disappoint in performance either, 0-60 in 9 seconds, there won’t be any complaints about the performance. It feels a little flat from idle, but once the revs rise above 1,500rpm the

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The Final Word Community Consultation the new business objective for developers

by Chris Brown,

MCE Public Relations

arlier this year, the minister for the Environment Mark H Durkan launched a consultation on a new strategic planning policy for Northern Ireland.

Contained within that document is the requirement for enhanced arrangements for community engagement to ensure that community views are reflected at an early stage of planning applications.

Importantly, this means that applicants for regionally significant and major developments will be required to demonstrate that they have consulted with the community prior to the submission of a planning application. As a result, consultation will no longer be a mere consideration but a real business objective that needs to be achieved.

Planning issues, by their very nature, may often lead to disagreement and opposition from individuals, communities, and interest groups so it is essential that development teams are prepared with a strategy and tactical plan.

As the minister and his departmental officials have outlined in the consultation document, the front loading of planning applications is now required with a focus on pre-application discussions between applicants and planners with meaningful community participation.

It is expected that this will contribute to higher quality planning applications, facilitating quicker and more confident decision taking.

As someone who has managed community consultation processes for over £150million worth of development in Northern Ireland alone, I have been able to refine some of the elements which work best, particularly for larger scale projects.

Here are my six pointers for a successful community consultation:

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1. Ask people how they want to be consulted. This is a vital starting point. What works in one community may not in another.

Research of the local area and population will

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give you a sense of the average age and economic profile. For example, a digitally based consultation will not work for an area that has an elderly population and day time community exhibitions will have nobody at them as most people are likely to be at work.

2. Develop an advisory panel. Give local stakeholders and communities the chance to be part of the consultation process by designing a stakeholder advisory panel that is in place to oversee the running of the process.

This works as a check and balance and ensures transparency in the process. If the project is technical in nature, create technical stakeholder groups which are a useful gobetween for technical experts and local people.

3. Ensure you have a robust set of economic messages. Spend the money on developing an Economic Impact Assessment – an independent document that will show job creation, induced local benefits and how it fits with regional government policy documents such as the Economic Strategy and Programme for Government.

4. Get thinking about social clauses.

Community benefit in the shape of social clauses in procurement contracts are becoming a popular way in which the local community can be assured that they are the people and groups that will be employed or gain benefit directly from a local development.

5. Create a digital presence. Creating a straightforward bespoke microsite is a good way of developing a central resource online. It is also a great way of maintaining open communication with local stakeholders outside of meetings and exhibitions through a dedicated online feedback form. Choose wisely the social media platforms that you might consider linking the site to. Be aware

that you will have to get involved in the ‘conversation’, which has staffing and resource implications.

6. Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). By the end of the pre-application discussion period, a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) must be prepared to show in detail all the steps that a development team has taken to engage with the local community and stakeholders. Showing how a particular project has been augmented to take into consideration local views is a great way to demonstrate how a particular development team has been sensitive to opinions.

Community consultations do take time and cannot be a quick fix – a window of about six to nine months before an application is submitted is usually a good time to find the right Public Affairs consultancy to design the consultation and ultimately carry out the activity in partnership with the wider development team.

Public Affairs professionals like me have been designing and implementing community consultation processes for a number of years and have been able to identify what works best. A poorly planned consultation is not worth the risk and can backfire spectacularly, creating more negative sentiment around a project than is sometimes warranted.

Sensitive projects such as fracking, gas pipelines to the west, interconnectors, retail developments, wind farms and incinerators are not going to go away as private and public investment increases.

Can we really afford the rise in ‘BANANAism’ (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) to crowd the plate when it comes to some of the projects that might be massively beneficial in the long run?

Connect with Chris Twitter: @CB_PRandPA