BizEye Feb Mar 2016

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Issue 158 Feb/March 2016 £2.50 Voted best Business Magazine in Ireland 2005 and Magazine of the Year for Northern Ireland

UPSTREAM & POSITIVE...

Shortlisted Magazines Ireland Awards 2011 Business To Business Magazine of the Year

JUDITH TOTTEN’S NEW ERA Features:

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Small Business Success... Awards Launched For 2016

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Business Focus...

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Contents

titanicbelfast.com Feb/March 2016 ISSUE 158

Small Business Awards

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Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards 2016

Specials

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Serving Up An Artistic Treat Discovering a latent talent for painting in our 40’s would come as a bit of a surprise to most of us, but Martin Caldwell has taken it all in his artistic stride. Originally from Derry and now living in Portstewart, Caldwell is the man in charge of Restaurant Training at Ulster University’s Department of Hospitality & Tourism. He’s also an artist with a bright future.

La Mon House Hotel & Country Club was the venue for the launch of the second annual Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Award... and the County Down hotel will also be the setting for the awards night on Thursday, 2nd June, 2016.

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Nigel Robbins... A Big Year At The Arena

Cover Story

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Upstream & Positive... Judith Totten’s New Era If new premises make a statement about a business and its intentions, then Judith Totten and her team at Upstream aren’t just making a statement. They’re shouting their intentions from the rooftops. The company formerly known as Keys Commercial Finance hasn’t just changed. It has reinvented itself with a brand new name to go with those brand new offices.

Steve Martin... Sound & Vision Man The stars of Game of Thrones aren’t the only celebrities who find themselves at Sound House & Picture House’s Holywood Road base in Belfast. Steve Martin has built a thriving business around demand for high quality sound, voices and images.

Banking & Finance

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HSBC – Global Reach, Local Expertise HSBC’s new-look top team in Belfast has clear plans to develop the bank’s presence in the Northern Ireland business marketplace. Under the leadership of Nial Douglas in his new role as Director of Corporate & Business Banking, the team is setting out to build its footprint in the local business arena.

Chestnutt Holiday Parks... Caravans For The 21st Century Caravan holidays here in Northern Ireland have come a long way....Take the case of Chestnutt Holiday Parks.

Based on the scenic stretch of coastline around Annalong and Cranfield in the shadow of the Mournes, this is a progressive and ambitious group of four different holiday parks owned by the Chestnutt family firm.

Business-Led Training....What Does The Future Hold?

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Women In Business BDO & The Lighter Touch

Business Eye joined forces with MOL, a national training and development company based in Manchester, to stage a Round Table Discussion held at Belfast’s Scottish Provident Building and looking at the important of training and development to businesses in Northern Ireland.

There aren’t too many consistencies around the Brexit Debate, which is hotting up nicely ever since David Cameron decided to name the date (June 23rd). But one of them, here in Northern Ireland at least, is that business seems to speak with one voice... or very close to it.

Eye on Technology

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Eye on Wealth Management

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Eye on Careers

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Eye on Finance

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Eye on Law

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Moving On

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Eye on Financial Services

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Eye on Economics

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Eye on Motoring

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Buckley Publications 20 Kings Road Belfast, BT5 6JJ Tel: (028) 9047 4490 Fax: (028) 9047 4495 www.businesseye.co.uk

Editor Richard Buckley Commercial Director Brenda Buckley

Business Development Manager Ciara Donnelly

Design Hexagon Tel: (028) 9047 2210 www.hexagondesign.com

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Brexit... Does Business Speak With One Voice

The Belfast office of BDO is well ahead of the curve when it comes to what’s popularly known as diversity in the workplace. And the firm reckons that it makes a big difference when it comes to BDO’s other strong point... and that’s client service.

Business Eye catches up with two of BDO’s female partners, Laura Jackson & Carol Malcolmson.

Regulars

Taking on the new role of Commercial Director at the Odyssey Trust was something of a departure for former television industry professional Nigel Robbins, but he couldn’t have timed his move much better. He looks back on a momentous nine months for the Belfast venue.

Photography Press Eye 45 Stockmans Way Belfast, BT9 7ET Tel: (028) 9066 9229 www.presseye.com

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The Brexit Debate is suddenly up and running... at last.

Comment

“It’s worth remembering sometimes that there are a lot more voters in Greater Manchester than there are in the whole of Northern Ireland.”

Sponsored by

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Richard Buckley EDITOR Irish Magazine Editor of the Year 2005

here’s been a bit of an awkward silence over that business and the economy here stands to the past few months. It’s as though we all benefit a lot more from maintaining the status quo, knew that it was coming but no one wanted particularly when we share an island with a state to get the argument started. Maybe that’s because that has no intention of leaving the European fold. we’re kind of used to arguments in this part of the There are a few in the business community who’ve world and didn’t want to start another one. been bemoaning the lack of facts and figures available But there’s no avoiding to help us all to decide which way to vote. it now, is there?

But there can’t be too many, can there?

It’s going to be The political lines are drawn.....

What might happen if the UK votes to well, almost. In a nutshell, it’s the leave Europe is a matter for conjecture. fascinating to watch DUP in the Get Out Of Europe No one, no matter how convincing they the Prime Minister camp, Sinn Fein and the SDLP try to sound, can be sure of any imagined and his nemesis, Boris benefits that might come our way. in the Stay In Europe camp and the Ulster Unionists helpfully But we do have a fair idea of how Johnson, squaring still sitting on the fence. things will pan out if we decide up over the weeks to Meanwhile, over at Westminster, to stay in the European fold. come between now David Cameron’s Conservative So, if you’re a fence sitter like the and later June.

Party is badly split on the issue.

Ulster Unionist Party, it can all boil down It’s going to be fascinating to whether you want to bet the house to watch the Prime Minister on a horse that might just produce a and his nemesis, Boris Johnson, squaring up over performance... or whether you’d prefer a much safer bet. the weeks to come between now and later June.

Is that over-simplified. Perhaps it is. But it makes about It’s unlikely, though, that we’ll have any such fun and as much sense as anything else we’ve read or heard from games over here. Our local politicians are going to be the leaders of the debate over the past week or so. much more consumed with May’s Assembly elections All of that said, Northern Ireland can produce than they will be over the Brexit Referendum. a big result at the end of June and vote Does business here speak with one conclusively for the UK to stay in Europe. voice – or close to it – on the issue?

But it could all count for nothing is the debate The first serious survey on the subject, from the across the Irish Sea goes against staying in Europe.

NI Chamber of Commerce & Industry, could hardly Over there, the debate largely speaking isn’t have been more conclusive. It came up with a about the economy, jobs or trade. It’s about fairly impressive 81% vote for staying in Europe.... immigration... and that’s a major worry. and a fairly high level of undecideds to boot.

It’s worth remembering sometimes that there It’s hardly surprising. There seems little doubt are a lot more voters in Greater Manchester than there are in the whole of Northern Ireland.

Not that we want to depress you... or put you off voting!

We’re not playing our cards close to our chests. Get out there and vote for Europe.

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Eye on News

ULSTER ORCHESTRA ‘MUSIC ROOM’ LAUNCHED AT STORMONT IN 50th ANNIVERSARY YEAR The Ulster Orchestra will be taking a variety of musical experiences to every corner of Northern Ireland thanks to the Music Room - a ground-breaking Ulster Orchestra initiative launched at Stormont.

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he Music Room will bring workshops, concerts, masterclasses and educational collaborations to schools, community groups and arts organisations throughout Northern Ireland. It is supported by a grant from Ulster Garden Villages and a number of corporate funders as well as the Orchestra’s ongoing support from Arts Council Northern Ireland, BBC and Belfast City Council.

After a musical fanfare in the Great Hall, which included children from St Kieran’s Primary School in Poleglass and students from the City of Belfast School of Music, Ulster Orchestra Chairman Sir George Bain said he was delighted that during its 50th anniversary year the Orchestra was launching this new initiative which, over the next five years, aims to engage and inspire more participants and audiences than ever before.

“The Ulster Orchestra’s Chief Conductor, Rafael Payare, is himself a product of the world famous community music-making project, El Sistema in Venezuela. He is now one of the most respected and sought

after young conductors in the world, thanks to the opportunities he gained from an initiative like the Music Room.

Along with Rafael, the Ulster Orchestra is committed to investing in the community, at grassroots level, and aims to bring the magic of live music to as many people as it possibly can. Providing opportunities for children, young people, and those who would not otherwise be able to access live musical experiences, is at the heart of what the Orchestra does as a collective of music makers, as well as being an ambassador for Northern Ireland on the global stage.”

Dr Tony Hopkins, Chairman of Ulster Garden Villages, said; “We are delighted to support this important initiative which will extend the activities of the Ulster Orchestra to work with the most disadvantaged in our society ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy and take part in world class music. We have supported the Ulster Orchestra at various times in its 50 year history and are delighted to be part of the Music Room as the Ulster Orchestra moves into a new phase in its development.”

Lucy McCullagh, Director of Learning and Community Engagement, and leader of the programme, praised the dedication of the players and their enthusiasm in grasping an opportunity to support community and social development here.

“Music has tremendous power to heal and create joy and the Ulster Orchestra is determined to be a driving force in that dynamic,” she said. “The Orchestra has worked in the area of learning and community engagement across the region for the past 30 years and is now bringing together its forces under the banner of the Music Room to further draw out hidden creative potential, impact positively on health and social inclusion, and build our

reputation as a significant contributor to the community in Northern Ireland.

“We are also delighted that 8 brass players from the City of Belfast Youth Orchestra are here today, playing alongside the Ulster Orchestra brass quintet. This reflects both the orchestra’s longstanding relationship with the Belfast School of Music and the fact that many of our players are engaged by them as instrumental tutors and coaches, as well as plans to develop exciting new Music Room partnerships and programmes in the future. In addition, the Orchestra looks forward to developing further its relationship with schools such as St Kieran’s Primary School, whose choir is also performing today.”

FLOGAS TO SPONSOR IRELAND’S NEWEST TOURING GOLF PROFESSIONAL Flogas Ireland have become Cormac Sharvin’s first commercial sponsor, as the former Walker Cup star embarks on a career in the professional golf ranks.

Flogas MD John Rooney and newly minted golf pro Cormac Sharvin at the announcement of Flogas as his first commercial sponsor.

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talented hurler, Sharvin (23), who hails from Downpatrick, Co. Down and plays out of the Ardglass Golf Club, switched to golf later in life than most top amateurs at age 15, but quickly caught up and achieved a scratch

handicap within two years. He finished off his amateur career in style with a 100%-win record during the 2015 Walker Cup. John Rooney, Managing Director, Flogas Ireland, said, “We are very pleased to be able to support Cormac in his ambitions to become a successful professional golfer.

Flogas is an Irish-owned company operating on an all-

Ireland basis, much like golf, and we have big ambitions as an energy company, in the way that Cormac has great ambitions to make his mark in professional golf.”

Cormac said, “I’m really excited to be turning professional and very grateful to Flogas for their support and faith in me, at the beginning of my career. I am fully aware of

the significant costs that can be incurred by every touring professional, which is why this sponsorship deal is so important to me, taking some of the financial worries away, allowing me to concentrate on developing my game and being as competitive as possible.”

Eye on Careers

Inspiring Leaders... Noel Thompson & His Alma Mater

the teaching of Robin Tughan and John Knox, I won an Exhibition in French and German to St Catharine’s College. I greatly enjoyed life at Cambridge, but the course did not suit me, I found it dry and lifeless, and I ended up changing to Social and Political Sciences, emerging at the end with a gentlemanly 2:2.

Following an unpleasant experience at a Unilever recruitment drive and two years in the West Indies, working in a restaurant owned by my brother, I decided that I wanted to become a journalist, and I came back to Belfast to seek my fortune. I applied unsuccessfully for various

graduate training schemes, and, penniless, was on the point of taking a job as a salesman when, out of the blue, I was offered a contract as a researcher on the BBC Nationwide programme, a job that required more common sense than journalistic experience.

I knew at once that BBC News was my spiritual home. I loved the sense of independence and integrity that drove the editorial process, the skill, knowledge and dedication of the news teams. After a couple of years in Manchester, London and and Bristol, I returned to Belfast. It was where every young reporter wanted to be, as politics and violence dictated an extraordinary journalistic response. The typical career path was to spend a couple of years cutting your teeth in Northern Ireland and then head for the bright lights of Television News London.

Against the advice of my News Editor, Stephen Claypole, I took a side-step, and went travelling for a year in Asia. It was a year of amazing experiences, I have not regretted a second of it. I came back to Belfast at the end of 1984 to resume my journalism, and I have been here ever since. I have enjoyed every moment of my career. I have witnessed historic events, met and interviewed extraordinary people from Mumbai to Mullaghmore, and have been fortunate to work for what I believe to be the world’s finest news organisation.

If you’d told me in my last year at Campbell that I’d be living in Belfast at the age of sixty, a mile away from the house I was raised in, I would have laughed at you. But my goodness, how it has all flashed by!”

Josh Haslett: Noel Thompson’s life stories were made all the more interesting by the fact that many took place during his time at Campbell.

His passion for the profession and his involvement in broadcasting during some of the most important years in the history of the country proved truly motivating.

Michael Scott: Reassuringly, as a teenager he too was not sure what he wanted to do with his life, doing different courses, applying for different jobs and travelling around the world before deciding on journalism. Journalism is something I will consider moving forward.

Campbell College welcomed renowned, award-winning BBC journalist Noel Thompson back to his Alma Mater to talk to the pupils about life in journalism as part of the ‘Leaders in Society’ initiative supported by Business Eye Magazine. The students were captivated as Noel relived his experiences as a journalist in Belfast and revealed that his career path was not always destined for journalism.

“I

took Modern Languages and English for A Level at Campbell. I loved these subjects and had brilliant teachers in Tom Garrett, Raoul Larmour and David Young.

They inspired in me a love of language and literature that has never left me, and I am eternally grateful for the legacy they gave me.

At that stage my ambition was to study French and German at university, and become a European business executive, jetting round the continent, making lots of money. Good A Level results persuaded me to stay on a term to do the Cambridge scholarship, and thanks to

What the audience said…

Matthew Craig: I found Noel’s unique and entertaining story of his path into journalism particularly interesting as it is a career path I would consider following. It was an inquisitive and informative question and answer session and really highlighted the big changes in both education and journalism over the years.

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Eye on News

MINISTER OPENS ELECTRIC IRELAND’S NEW BELFAST OFFICES Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Jonathan Bell, has officially opened Electric Ireland’s new Belfast offices at Cromac Quay.

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he Gasworks site houses the energy suppliers’ dedicated Northern Ireland Customer Service Centre and marketing and business development functions. The offices are the embodiment of the extension of Electric Ireland into the residential market in Northern Ireland.

Speaking at the official opening Pat O’Doherty Chief Executive ESB said, “This is a very special day and one that I am particularly proud of.

Many people know that we have been supplying electricity to businesses in

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Northern Ireland for sixteen years and have worked in partnership with our customers to deliver strong energy products and services while improving energy efficiencies and competitiveness.

“Now it is wonderful to have the opportunity to bring a similar service to the residential market. Our entry into the competitive residential markets is delivering an investment of £5 million and 40 new jobs, something which we know is very welcome in Northern Ireland.

“Today the groundwork comes to

The Minister with Electric Ireland CEO Pat O’Doherty and Chairman, Ellvena Graham

fruition as we officially open our new home in Belfast bringing our residential and business teams together under one roof from which we will fulfil our ambition to provide competitive products and simple ways to make life better for businesses and homes alike.”

Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Jonathan Bell said: “I welcome Electric Ireland’s decision to enter the supply market on a full

scale basis. Increased choice and competition at supply level is good news for consumers and the company’s investment of some £5million is also good news for the economy. Not only is it delivering 40 new jobs, it is a positive endorsement of Northern Ireland as a place to do business.”

The offices at 1 Cromac Quay were secured on behalf of Electric Ireland by CBRE.

2016

Eye on Awards

Brenda Buckley, Business Eye, Des Moore, Head of First Trust Bank and Edel McCooe, Regional Manager, First Trust Bank.

BUSINESS EYE FIRST TRUST BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS 2016 La Mon House Hotel & Country Club was the venue for the launch of the second annual Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards, and the County Down hotel will also be the setting for the awards night on Thursday, 2nd June, 2016.

Sandra Corkin, Managing Director of Oasis Travel (winner of Small Business of the Year 2015

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Brenda Buckley, Business Eye, Richard Ennis, First Trust Bank, Richard Buckley, Business Eye & Michael McKinstry, Phoenix Natural Gas

Eye on Awards

Des Moore, Head of First Trust Bank addresses the audience.

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uests at February’s launch included senior representatives of main sponsors First Trust Bank, category sponsors, past winners as well as local business organisations.

They heard from Des Moore, Head of First Trust Bank, as well as Business Eye’s Richard Buckley and Sandra Corkin, Managing Director of Oasis Travel, winners of the headline Small Business of the Year

Award at last summer’s event.

The inaugural Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards proved to be a major success and a significant addition to the business calendar in Northern Ireland.

And the aim this year for the team at Business Eye and sponsors is a simple one.....to build on last year’s success and cement the Awards position within the SME sector here.

Brenda Buckley of Business Eye, Des Moore, Head of First Trust Bank, last year’s winner Sandra Corkin of Oasis Travel and Business Eye’s Ciara Donnelly at the launch of the awards.

Hundreds of entries are anticipated across the 12 categories and the winners will be chosen by a panel of judges led by the First Trust’s Head of Business & Corporate Banking, Richard Ennis, and including Richard Buckley of Business Eye and Gary McDonald, Business Editor at the Irish News.

Closing date for entries this year is Friday 29th April and local small businesses can enter via the dedicated awards website – www.businesseyeawards.co.uk Speaking about the second year of the Awards, Des Moore, Head of First Trust Bank said; “We were delighted with the success of these Awards when they were first held last summer, and we’re pleased to be able to support them once again.

“Small businesses account for the vast majority of the private sector here in Northern Ireland and are therefore critically important to the future growth and rebalancing of the local economy.

“Everyone agrees that as a small regional economy we need to produce more entrepreneurs and support the growth of

Richard Buckley, editor of Business Eye.

small businesses, especially those which have the potential to compete successfully in global export markets.

“We need to do more to showcase and celebrate the successful businesses we already have, to encourage others to replicate their success and these awards will be an excellent vehicle to do just that.

“Last year’s Awards produced plenty of examples of really innovative small companies and we’re looking forward to discovering more of these excellent organisations this time around.”

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Eye on Awards (1)

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(1) Peter McMahon, NITEC Solutions; Brenda Buckley, Business Eye; Mark McKeown, Branch Manager, First Trust Bank and Jill Crawford owner of Just Live a Little.

(2) Brenda Buckley, Business Eye & Edel McCooe, First Trust Bank. (3) Ciara Donnelly, Business Eye with Debbie McLorinan, Dunmurry Dental Practice and Tommy McGinley, First Trust Bank. (4) Guests at the launch reception. (5) Richard Buckley, Business Eye, Glyn Roberts, NIIRTA, Des Moore, First Trust Bank. (6) Richard Ennis, First Trust Bank, Ciara Donnelly, Business Eye, Orla Farren, Tourism Northern Ireland, Chris Johnston, Scottish Provident Building, Richard Buckley, Business Eye. (7) Guests at the launch reception.

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Eye on Awards (8)

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(8) Guests pictured at the launch. (9) Stephen Cairns, Innov8 Office Interiors with Alison Esler, First Trust Bank and Diarmuid Convery, I3 Digital. (10) Brenda Buckley, Business Eye, Raymond Hill, Belfast City Auctions and Rosie McNeill, First Trust Bank . (11) Wilfred Mitchell, Federation of Small Businesses NI, Edel McCooe, Regional Manager, First Trust Bank; Alex Megarry, Phoenix Natural Gas and Roger Pollen, Federation of Small Businesses NI. (12) Guests pictured at the launch. (13) Richard & Brenda Buckley, Business Eye with Richard Ennis, First Trust Bank. (14) Leo Callow, FAB Events, Brenda Buckley, Business Eye, Kieran Donnelly, Morrow Communications, Julie Roulston,Thinkeighty20, Naomi McMullan, The Profit Margin and Paul Beattie, Hexagon Design.

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AWARD CATEGORIES & CRITERIA

There are twelve categories for the awards this year...

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

HEALTHCARE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING AWARD

AGRI-FOOD BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

The small business enterprise with 50 employees or less which, in the opinion of the judges, exemplifies best practice and achievement across the board.

Entries for this premier award category can be made directly and winning entries in all other categories will also be considered.

Another specialist category, aimed at small business enterprises in the healthcare field here in Northern Ireland.

This category is open to all business-led healthcare related organisations including opticians, dental practices and enterprises such as care homes for the elderly.

Open to companies in all sectors of the local business community, this award sets out to recognise and showcase the organisation which best uses marketing – including advertising, PR or the strategic use of digital platforms and social media - to enhance business performance across the board.

Northern Ireland’s leading small business operating in the agrifood sector, to include food and drink producers, farm-based enterprises and companies providing products and services to the agri-food industry here.

SPONSORED BY

SPONSORED BY

COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION AWARD START-UP BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD CUSTOMER FOCUS AWARD Our judging panel will single out the local small business which most effectively brings to life best practice in customer service across all of its operations. The judges will look for clear evidence of customer satisfaction.

Aimed at Northern Ireland’s most promising start-up enterprise, the award will go to a young company of one year old or less which, in the view of the judging panel, best illustrates what can be achieved by startup businesses across any sector here in Northern Ireland.

SPONSORED BY

SPONSORED BY

INNOVATIVE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD Open to companies operating in any business sector, this award will go to the organisation which best illustrates the most effective use of innovation through investment in innovative practices, leading edge products and/or services to contribute to overall business success.

SPONSORED BY

MANUFACTURING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD EXPORTER OF THE YEAR An award which will recognise the top achieving exporting company from Northern Ireland’s small business community, recognising sales achievement in all markets outside of Northern Ireland itself, including both the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain.

A category open to all companies with 50 employees or less engaged directly in the manufacture of products for sale in Northern Ireland and in export markets. The judges will look for evidence of research and development as well as innovation in manufacturing.

TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD This award is open to all small businesses based in Northern Ireland who provide products and/ or services in the wider technology field, including IT services, software development, technology product innovation and consultancy.

Despite smaller budgets, corporate responsibility plays an important role for small businesses in Northern Ireland. This special award will recognise the best example of how small businesses here can help to make a difference in the communities they serve.

SPONSORED BY

HOSPITALITY & TOURISM BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD A special category aimed directly at Northern Ireland’s growing number of small tourism and hospitality-related business enterprises, including pubs, restaurants, cafes, smaller hotels, tourism activity businesses and transport and travel providers.

SPONSORED BY

For further information please contact Ciara Donnelly at Business Eye on 028 9047 4490 or ciara@businesseye.co.uk

enter online at www.businesseyeawards.co.uk 14

“First Trust Bank is a refreshingly different bank to work with.�

Russell Bailie, Bailies Coffee Company, Belfast

We see the potential too.

0345 6005 925+ www.firsttrustbank.co.uk/business Terms, conditions and eligibility criteria apply, contact us for further details. +Call charges may vary. We may record and monitor calls. First Trust Bank is a trade mark of AIB Group (UK) p.l.c. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c.), incorporated in Northern Ireland. Registered Office 92 Ann Street, Belfast BT1 3HH. Registered Number NI018800. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential 15 Regulation Authority.

Eye on Technology

Introducing NAVsimplified –

an interview with the creators NAVsimplified is a newly launched accounting solution from Xperience Group. Built on Microsoft Dynamics NAV, it is touted by its creators as being easy to use, affordable and quick to implement. Following its launch in Northern Ireland, we spoke to Andrew Cavey, Director at Xperience Group, to discover if NAVsimplified can live up to these bold claims. Here we explore what sets NAVsimplified apart from other business software applications.

What led you to develop NAVsimplified?

As a provider of ERP solutions we observed a common barrier for businesses considering ERP software was price. Therefore, we set about identifying a way to deliver sophisticated ERP functionality while reducing the upfront investment required. We wanted to be able to offer the Northern Ireland market place a product that is both affordable and provides variety when it comes to licensing and hosting methods – not limiting customers to cloud only applications.

Is NAVsimplified suited to all businesses?

In short, no. For instance a business with specialist requirements, such as manufacturing, would need a solution to cater for these specific needs. NAVsimplified focuses on two core areas which are a common requirement for small and mid-sized businesses - finance and distribution.

But it is by no means a one size fits all, more a one size fits many. NAVsimplified has four different packages where we have tailored the functionality, making it extremely flexible to meet the needs of a variety of businesses. To start off, you can pick a package to suit your current needs and then scale accordingly as needs change.

NAVsimplified is built on the leading Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution, Microsoft Dynamics NAV. How is it beneficial for SMEs? When people hear Microsoft Dynamics NAV, they instantly think that it is too big or too expensive for their business. NAVsimplified is different, we have used all the core functionality within Microsoft Dynamics NAV which gives companies access to ERP capabilities, but by offering pre-configured packages there is no need for

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configuration and customisation, which is often the most costly part of an ERP implementation.

What makes NAVsimplified different to other accounting solutions on the market?

The pre-configured packages that we offer with NAVsimplified makes the system quick to deploy and easy to implement. We can get end users up and running in as little as eight days.

With a short implementation, costs are further reduced ensuring instant access to big system functionality and a sound return on investment.

You claim NAVsimplified is affordable, what do you deem affordable?

NAVsimplified can be purchased from as little as £99 per user per month for a fully hosted application. However, if customers don’t want to have the system hosted, the software is attractively priced for a one off licence or can be purchased on a subscription payment model.

What do you mean when you say it’s ‘flexible’?

NAVsimplified is flexible in that you can choose from four pre-configured packages to suit your needs. If things change down the line, you can switch to another package. You can also choose how you pay – either everything up front or the more popular subscription model. What’s more, it can be fully hosted in the cloud (without

sacrificing functionality) or deployed on–premise, ideal if you have your own server environment.

If you opt for hosted, there is a range of additional options ensuring exact requirements are met, both now and in the future.

Can NAVsimplified really help a business grow?

Yes, we believe so. Firstly, the subscription payment model helps cash flow better, which means there is more available cash to invest in your core business. Secondly, NAVsimplified offers a wealth of features and reporting capabilities which can directly improve productivity and efficiency. It will allow you to drive your business forward based on real time information available at the click of a button.

Does it live up to the bold claims of being affordable and quick to implement?

We’re convinced it does - its creators certainly understand the industry, and have created a solution that ticks a lot of boxes for SME’s in Northern Ireland.

Find out if NAVsimplified can work for your business - visit www.navsimplified.com

Eye on Art

Martin Caldwell...

From Cuisine To Canvas

Discovering a latent talent for painting in our 40’s would come as a bit of a surprise to most of us, but Martin Caldwell has taken it all in his artistic stride.

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riginally from Derry and now living in Portstewart, Caldwell is the man in charge of Restaurant Training at Ulster University’s Department of Hospitality & Tourism. His hospitality career before that took him to hotel and restaurant management posts in the South of England and as far afield as Germany.

Always a keen fisherman in his spare time, he discovered a flair for art and painting a couple of years ago.

“It’s something that I’ve always thought about,” he says. “I used to like drawing and painting when I was growing up but, to be honest, I didn’t think about it a lot over the years when I was working hard and concentrating on family life when I wasn’t at work.

“But, in more recent years, I’ve found myself thinking more and more about painting so I decided to do something about it.....starting with a sketch pad

and moving on to oils and canvas, but only once I’d discovered that I really did have a passion for it.”

Within a few short years, Caldwell has developed from something of a secret artist to a man showing – and selling – his paintings at shows and galleries all over Northern Ireland.

What’s more, he’s developed a style of his own. Starting out with landscapes inspired by his North Coast home and the Hills of Donegal not far from his parents’ home in Derry, he’s also found artistic inspiration in his working environment.

“They say that there’s art in everything,” he smiles. “And there’s certainly a lot to be captured from restaurants and kitchens in particular.”

That’s exactly what he’s managed to do in a series of works based around the hectic environment of restaurant kitchens.....his own unique take on a dramatic and character-filled place to work.

17

Eye on IT

World-Class Security Guaranteed For A Belfast-Based Law Firm By implementing a new server environment, Murphy O’Rawe is now able to guarantee 24/7 business continuity and bullet-proof security, protecting client confidentiality.

They now have a secure and resilient platform, ensuring real-time protection of the sensitive customer data that the company works with.

Data security challenge Established in 1950, Murphy O’Rawe have an exceptional track record in the delivery of legal services. Acting for a diverse range of insurance companies, international organisations and private clients, data security and business continuity is extremely important, with growing online threats. Following a security audit, conducted by Xperience IT Solutions, Murphy O’Rawe identified the need to replace their IT infrastructure with a solution that is future proof and provides exceptional levels of security.

Joanne Logan, IT Manager at Murphy O’Rawe explained, “By 2015 our existing server had reached the end of its life and was unable to cope with the security requirements being asked for by our client base. Xperience was brought in to carry out a security audit which highlighted the risks of relying on a single point of failure and having zero redundancy within the infrastructure. Our clients include large insurance companies who require a very high degree of security and resilience, so it was important for us to improve on what we had and also think of future requirements that these organisations might demand. “ World-class security To ensure a bullet-proof data security strategy, Murphy O’Rawe brought in Xperience IT Solutions to design and install a new server environment,

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L-R; Joanne Logan of Murphey O’Rawe, Patrick Eastwood of Murphey O’Rawe and Jonny Weir of Xperience IT Solutions.

offering exceptional levels of security and business continuity, both now and in the future.

Jonny Weir, Technical Business Advisor at Xperience IT Solutions, commented, “Whenever we sit down with a client we don’t just look at what they need today but also look at what may be required in the years ahead. With Murphy O’Rawe we have designed and implemented an IT platform that will deal with the now as well as cater for the demands of the organisation in the future.

The overarching remit for the design was to insure resilience, security and business continuity - key requirements from their staff and their client base.”

The new setup provides Murphy

O’Rawe with a security-enhanced platform with built-in resilience that also monitors and detects potential security threats. In case of a disaster Murphy O’Rawe could be up and running within the same day with minimal disruption and zero compromise to data security.

Added to this, the Xperience team implemented new firewalls and wireless access points with high-end intrusion detection creating a safe environment for everyone accessing the network.

Jonny Weir explained, “We have taken Murphy & O’Rawe from a single server environment, with multiple points of potential failure, to a dual server and SAN environment offering enhanced resilience as well as piece of

“ It’s been really good working with Xperience, they understand our industry, they understand what our clients need and we have every confidence in working with them on our future projects.”

mind. Murphy O’Rawe now have an excellent IT system in place with 24/7 server support from IBM. Everything is backed up in two places – on site and secure off site. If a disaster did happen, Murphy O’Rawe could be up and running in hours, allowing the staff to pick up where they left off, ensuring minimal disruption. ” The future The new server environment has fulfilled Murphy O’Rawe’s need for effective data security with round-the-clock protection and guaranteed confidentiality.

Joanne Logan concludes “We now have an outstanding, secure and resilient system in place that will take our business into the future.

It’s definitely been worth the investment! It’s been really good working with Xperience, they understand our industry, they understand what our clients need and we have every confidence in working with them on our future projects. Certainly an IT partner I can recommend!”

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Eye on Cover Story

UPSTREAM & POSITIVE... JUDITH TOTTEN’S NEW ERA If new premises make a statement about a business and its intentions, then Judith Totten and her team at Upstream aren’t just making a statement. They’re shouting their intentions from the rooftops.

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he company formerly known as Keys Commercial Finance hasn’t just changed.

It has reinvented itself with a brand new name to go with those brand new offices.

Gone is the Keys name from above the door. Gone are the firm’s old offices in an anonymous business park just off the Boucher Road. In comes the new Upstream Working Capital name and in come newly re-styled and bespoke designed ground floor office on Belfast city centre’s Linenhall Street.

Branded and styled by Ian Bennington and the team at Part II Design , alongside Ron Hogg and the team at Whitespace Design, the new offices look impossibly cool when compared with the firm’s former, more workmanlike, surroundings.

“I wish I had taken a photograph of some of the team coming through the doors on our first Monday morning in the middle of January,” says Judith. “They couldn’t believe the difference between what they had left behind and what they were walking into.”

But the changes go a lot more than just skin deep.

Or office wall deep, to put it more appropriately.

Keys, under its former name, was a major success story in the local financial services marketplace. Back in 2011, it brought a new and refreshing approach to the well-worn path of invoice finance and over the last five years has provided hundreds of millions of pounds worth of working capital to a wide variety of Northern Ireland-based customers SMEs. Backed by Dutch wholesale bank ABN Amro, Keys lent £120 million to its business clients last year alone.

But Managing Director Judith Totten and her trusted lieutenant and FD, Colin Dundas, the former Danske Bank Regional General Manager , reckoned that change was needed.

When she first bought into Keys, Judith had ended up as a joint main shareholder with Owen Graham, who ran the original family firm specialising in insurance premium finance for insurance brokers and their customers.

“Owen didn’t have any real interest in following the strategy we aspire to, so we decided on a parting of the ways and it has all been very amicable. Owen will retain

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the Keys brand and concentrate on premium finance... while we have become Upstream and are driven to take the business to another level. So, we are doing our own thing as we always have,” she says simply.

A six-figure sum lies behind the deal to buy out Owen to see the new company with Judith Totten firmly in place this time around as the majority shareholder.

“We had the deal done by June of last year, and our next step was to think about a new name and to start looking at office premises.

“On both fronts, we started with a clean slate. We played around with plenty of potential names. We did the old Latin & Greek stuff, we looked at quirky options and we bounced all sorts of ideas around various rooms.

“But a bit like a bride who ends up buying the first wedding dress she tried on, we kept coming back to Upstream, a word that we bandied about right at the start of the process with the Part II guys. It just stuck...

“Anyone who knows me will testify to the fact that I’m an optimist by nature, so I liked the sound of Upstream right from the start. It might be a bit left of field, but I think it’s positive, it expresses the flow of money, it’s fresh and natural.....and works well with the messages we’re trying to get out. As a business we have always swum against the tide never conforming to the expected rules I guess.”

Moving on to commercial property, a trawl of Belfast city centre office space resulted in a couple of real possibilities – one in Linenhall Street, the other at Law Society House in Victoria Street. The former got the nod and Judith adopted the same open mind to the bricks and mortar as she did to the more artistic task of choosing a name.

“The interior design team in Whitespace did a double take when I told them that they had a clean sheet to work with......I don’t think anyone in our sector had ever said that to them before,” she laughs.

“All I said was that I wanted the place to be fun and funky....not the Formula Bank image as I call it !

“The last thing we want to look like is a conservative and traditional financial institution. Yes , we want to reflect professional efficiency but that doesn’t have to be dull.”

The result? Officially opened during January at an evening event enthusiastically attended by 180+ guests,

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Eye on Cover Story

Upstream’s ground floor base at 40 Linenhall Street is a light, airy space which has clearly been professionally designed. It’s an impressive 3,800 sq.ft. for the growing Upstream team and it’s also an impressive place to welcome customers and business associates alike .The layout is flexible with meeting space , board room facilities and an open plan work environment in fresh hues of magenta , turquoise and soft purples throughout.

“We used to have to meet clients in various hotels and coffee shops around town. It’s great to be able to bring them in to a place that we’re really proud of......and we’re still getting used to that luxury.”

Upstream, says Judith Totten, is now off and running on a clear five-year development and growth strategy on the back of its new brand and new offices.

“We’ve signed a partnership agreement with a major trade

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finance funder based in South Africa and Neil McGivern , a sector expert in this field , is heading up our new trade finance company . This business will help new and existing customers to fund the purchase of new stock and raw materials through their supply chains,” she says.

“We’re predicting a growth in the number of companies making use of trade finance facilities, and its a product area that sits very well with our established invoice finance and asset finance activities.”

Upstream, in common with Keys, has no qualms about co-existing in the financial services marketplace alongside the main banks.

“We don’t want to impinge on our clients’ existing banking relationships.

Our new trade finance service is similar to our other product lines. It can sit easily alongside whatever day to day banking arrangements our customers have.

Collaboration is our mantra.

“I’m not too keen on the ‘Cocktail of Funding’ description.....but I suppose it does perfectly describe how a lot of our customers work in today’s financial marketplace.

And it works very well.”

But Judith Totten is also keen to stress that working with Upstream isn’t all about specific products. “More and more, we find ourselves dispensing broader financial guidance to our customers -particularly around capital , corporate structuring and growth capital issues,” she says. “And we’re very happy to counsel , support and signpost to expert advisers when and where we can on an informal basis.

“Our message to our customers is very simple. Come in here and talk things over with us whenever you want.....our door is always open.

We encourage informal discussion with all our contacts - knowledge is power for a business owner as it leads to informed decision making.

We have learned that ourselves - over the last 5 or 6 years.

Meanwhile, 2016 is set to be an even busier year for Judith Totten.

Outside of her ‘day job’ at Upstream, she’s a woman increasingly in demand around the wider business community. She’s in her second year as a board member at Invest Northern Ireland, and she’s just been appointed to chair the Economic Affairs Committee at CBI Northern Ireland. Both roles she’s typically enthusiastic about whilst approaching them with a hunger to learn and contribute.

But one can’t help but suspect that busy is just the way she likes it...

Suite B - Ground Floor 40 Linenhall Street Belfast BT2 8BA Tel : +44 (0) 2890 999450 www.upstreampositive.co.uk

Eye on News

Atlas Sails Ahead With Wireless Solution For Fishing Ports

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tlas Communications, a leading local provider of internet and network services, is continuing its growth in 2016 with a substantial new contract to provide public Wi-Fi at three of Northern Ireland’s key fishing ports...

Kilkeel, Ardglass & Portavogie.

David Smyth, NIFHA Project Manager explained: “the installation of a public access Wi-Fi service at the three fishing harbours will be

of use to the fishermen, for other business users and for promoting the harbour and local communities.

It will also be available to tourists and visitors ensuring connectivity during their visit. The solution has been developed enabling it to be accessed in multiple languages including Romanian, Polish, Lithuanian and Tagalog.”

Managing Director Richard Simpson said: “Atlas is continuing to evolve with the changing market

landscape and the innovation demanded by our customers.

While continuing with our traditional telephony products and services, Atlas has seen a huge increase in demands for advanced networking and cloud services. Partnering with leading equipment providers in these new sectors, and developing broader solution portfolio, Atlas anticipates sales will triple in this growing segment of the Atlas business.”

Pictured testing out their new connectivity in Ardglass Harbour is (centre) John Smyth, Harbour Manager with (l-r) David Smyth, NIFHA Project Manager, Stephen Gray, DARD Fisheries Officer for Ardglass, and Richard Simpson, Managing Director of Atlas Communications.

MCS Group Sponsors Chartered Accountants Ulster Society Annual Dinner MCS Group, Northern Ireland’s leader in professional recruitment, has confirmed its support as a key sponsor for the Chartered Accountants Ulster Society Annual Dinner.

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ne of the highlights of the Ulster Society’s business and social calendar, the event takes place at the Culloden Hotel on March 10th at 7.15pm.

The guest of honour at the Annual Dinner will be Vernon Coaker MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Chartered Accountants Ulster Society is a district society of Chartered Accountants Ireland, Ireland’s oldest and largest professional body of accountants.

The Ulster Society provides professional, educational and social services and events for its more than 3,800 local members and is a strong voice for Northern Ireland’s business sector. MCS Group will join Danske Bank as joint sponsors of the Ulster Society’s premier event.

Established in 2008, MCS Group has firmly established itself as the preferred choice for professional recruitment in Northern Ireland, focusing in the areas of Accounting and Finance, Professional Services, IT and Engineering

MCS Group directors Barry and Louise Smyth with Patrick Gallen, Chair of the Ulster Society near their offices on Linenhall Street, Belfast.

Louise Smyth, Commercial Director, MCS Group, said; “Chartered Accountants Ireland is the oldest and largest professional body of accountants on the island and in 2016 remains one of the fastest-growing accountancy bodies. As an industry leader in the provision of quality personnel in Accounting and Finance, MCS Group already works extremely closely with many firms in the sector and we are delighted to be able to sponsor

this important annual event.”

Hosting the prestigious event will be Patrick Gallen, Associate Partner with PwC in Belfast and Chair of the Ulster Society. Gallen is also a Past President of Belfast Junior Chamber of Commerce.

Patrick Gallen said: “I’m delighted to welcome MCS Group Belfast as a key sponsor for our Annual Dinner and I congratulate the company for its success in supporting the industry’s growth in Northern Ireland through

its professional efforts and expertise in matching the right people with the best-fit roles.

“I believe that business success is down to hard work and networking and I know that events such as the Ulster Society Annual Dinner will be important for members as an enjoyable social event to look forward to but also as an event which encourages the flow of information and generation of new business.”

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Eye on News

Cunningham Coates Announces Two Senior Appointments Local investment management firm, Cunningham Coates has today announced the appointment of John Cubitt and David Currie with immediate effect.

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he appointments follow a recent strategic review which has identified several opportunities for growth in the local market. John, who brings 16 years’ experience, will join the firm’s Investment Management

team managing portfolios on behalf of individuals, families, trusts, companies and charities. John is also well known amongst local solicitors for his extensive estate administration and wealth management experience.

David Currie brings 20 years’ experience and, his appointment will see the introduction of a new Financial Planning service for clients of Cunningham Coates. This new service will complement the firm’s existing Investment Management and Private Banking services enabling clients to take a much broader view of their financial future. David, will draw on his extensive experience of working in leading investment, consulting and professional services firms to help clients achieve their financial goals through the use of appropriate investments, pensions, employee

benefits and wealth transfer strategies.

Commenting on the appointments, Jonathan Cunningham, Senior Office Partner, said: “I am delighted to welcome both John and David to the firm. The name Cunningham Coates has long been associated with achieving the right results for our clients whilst at the same time offering the highest levels of personal service. We are therefore very pleased to announce the addition of not one, but two, such widely regarded and experienced professionals to the firm and look forward to the new opportunities these appointments will present for our clients.”

Business Leaders Urged To Continue IoD Awards Success

Marie-Thérèse McGivern, Principal and Chief Executive of Belfast Metropolitan College and Jeremy Biggerstaff of Flint Studios were joined by Des Moore of First Trust Bank to launch the awards.

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he Institute of Directors has launched its annual search for Northern Ireland’s most successful leaders – and is urging local directors to take inspiration from the outstanding success enjoyed on the UK stage last year.

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The 2016 IoD First Trust Bank Director of the Year Awards recognise leaders across the private, third and public sectors who have set exceptional standards of leadership and demonstrated good corporate governance.

The launch of the Northern Ireland awards comes after the region enjoyed huge success at the recent 2015 UK IoD Director of the Year Awards in London, when Simon Hunter, CEO of Hunter Apparel Solutions, won the coveted Overall Director of the Year Award title as well as the Family Business Director of the Year title.

Marie-Thérèse McGivern, Principal and Chief Executive of Belfast Metropolitan College, was named Public Sector Director of the Year, while Mike Mullan, Europe HR Director of Moy Park, won the Leadership in Corporate Responsibility Award.

Part of a UK-wide IoD programme that sets the standard for directors, the Director of the Year Awards have 10 categories this year. The closing date for entry is Tuesday, 15th March.

Des Moore, Head of awards sponsors First Trust Bank, said: “We are proud of First Trust Bank’s association with the Institute of Directors

and the part we play in honouring local business leaders and encouraging them to display exceptional standards of leadership within their organisations.

“The calibre of nominees for the last awards was fantastic and this was reaffirmed by the great recognition on the national stage. We are confident this will inspire an even higher level of entries this year and we greatly look forward to announcing a new set of winners.”

The awards are open to all leaders in Northern Ireland, whether they are IoD members or not. Directors are invited to enter across 10 categories: The IoD First Trust Bank Director of the Year Awards will be presented at a lunch on Friday, 15th April, at The Merchant Hotel.

Criteria for all the awards can be viewed and application forms downloaded at www.iodni.com/news

Eye on Communications Ofcom has set out ambitious plans to improve the UK’s digital infrastructure. Jonathan Rose tells Richard Buckley what it means for consumers and businesses in Northern Ireland.

OFCOM...

AIMING FOR THE BEST OF BROADBAND C

ommunications has changed a lot in the last decade. In that time mobile and internet services have gone from being near luxuries to necessities on a par with water and electricity.

Consumers and businesses now expect more; better, faster and more reliable services. And for the most part, the UK is pretty well served on this front but Ofcom wants the industry to do better. It wants improved coverage – both broadband and mobile – and better service, and a better deal for consumers.

And that will be welcome news for many in Northern Ireland, especially in rural areas, who are hindered by poor coverage and slow broadband.

So what is Ofcom planning?

First off, Ofcom Northern Ireland director Jonathan Rose says it wants to see rival operators have access to BT’s network of telegraph poles and underground tunnels. He says: “This will allow rivals to build their own, advance fibred networks, connected to homes and offices”.

The inference is that if BT won’t build fibre to the homes, then others might and, at the very least, encourage BT to do more.

Ofcom is also proposing to reform Openreach, the division of BT that runs and manages its infrastructure and which wholesales services to BT’s retail arm, Talk Talk, Sky and others. It will still remain within the BT group but will be more independent and more answerable to those other non BT users of its network.

Ofcom is also proposing some potentially fundamental changes to the way BT operates in Northern Ireland.

Jonathan Rose says: “Back in 2005, when we last carried

out a review of this scale it was considered disproportionate to split BT’s small and geographically separate engineering workforce in Northern Ireland to form Openreach in Northern Ireland.

“We will consider whether the existing arrangements in Northern Ireland remain appropriate as part of the next phase of our work but our starting position is that any new model should apply right across the UK.” That will no doubt be welcomed by local competitors like Rainbow, who’ve been snapping at BT heels in recent years.

Furthermore, Ofcom intends to introduce tougher rules on faults, repairs and installations; transparent information on service quality; and automatic compensation for consumers when things go wrong.

“Given the essential nature of fixed and mobile communications services, we believe that consumers should receive

Ofcom Northern Ireland director Jonathan Rose

“ The regulator is working with Government to introduce a Universal Service Obligation that will make fast, affordable broadband available to every home and business in the UK.” automatic compensation where their retail provider does not deliver certain service quality standards,” says Jonathan Rose Finally, and crucially, Ofcom wants better broadband and mobile coverage, especially in rural areas. The regulator is working with Government to introduce a Universal Service Obligation that will make fast, affordable

broadband available to every home and business in the UK. In mobile, Ofcom says operators’ own plans should deliver significant improvements in mobile coverage, notably with the rollout of 4G. For its part, Ofcom intends to place new obligations in future spectrum licences to improve rural mobile coverage.

The measures, when

implemented, are designed to make sure the UK has a world class digital infrastructure.

Jonathan Rose says “People need affordable, reliable phone and broadband services. Coverage and quality are improving, but not fast enough to meet the growing expectations of consumers and businesses.

“What we’ve announced is a fundamental reform of the telecoms market – more competition, a new structure for Openreach, tougher performance targets, and a range of measures to boost service quality.

“Together, this means a better deal for telecoms users, which will improve the services and networks that underpin how we live and work.”

25

Eye on Banking

Global Reach, Local Expertise HSBC’s new-look top team in Belfast has clear plans to develop the bank’s presence in the Northern Ireland business marketplace.

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Eye on Banking

H

aving recently been recruited by HSBC, Nial Douglas is settling into his new role as the Area Director in Northern Ireland for Business & Corporate Banking. “I have been immensely impressed at the quality within our portfolios here. With a Group footprint that gives us access to approximately 90% of world trade flows, we are uniquely placed to work in partnership with local businesses that are expanding their trade networks internationally, helping them achieve their growth aspirations. That said, our market leading suite of working capital and term debt solutions also makes us a credible alternative for quality businesses focusing on their domestic markets”.

Formerly with the Corporate Banking team in Ulster Bank and a Chartered Accountant by trade, whilst Nial is settling into his new role at HSBC’s Adelaide Street headquarters his wider team are comprised of strong and experienced businessfocused relationship managers.

Chris McQuay is responsible for the higher end corporate customers, many with established international connections and has been with HSBC and the old Midland Bank (acquired by HSBC back in the 1980’s) for more than 30 years. Chris has a breadth of sectoral knowledge and first hand experience of engaging the Bank’s international network for the benefit of his Northern Ireland customers – his work since the start of the year has seen him working closely with his Austrian and Spanish colleagues.

“Our experience and our global reach means that we can fund trade flows globally for our customers right here in Northern Ireland - we can connect customers, and we can link customers in to global banking expertise, including at a sectoral level, wherever it is needed,” Marty Colvin has 20+ years of experience of working with business banking customers across the province and has been integral to their growth, some from small beginnings to £10million+ turnover thresholds. Marty adds that “we pride ourselves in being able to work closely with a broad range of business customers, understanding what they need and coming up with the right banking solutions for them.

27

Eye on Banking

Core to our delivery is the desire to keep things simple for our customers, be it in the products and structures that we use, or our documentation – we put the customer at the heart of what we do.”

One area HSBC have placed significant investment into over the past 10 years has been in the local agricultural sector, with their specialist Agricultural Director Nigel Young being one of the best qualified and most experienced agri bankers serving the industry in Northern Ireland. From a family farming background in West Tyrone, Nigel’s work has also seen a number of renewable energy projects get off the ground via innovative bank funding support.

“We have seen significant changes in agriculture here over the past number of years – it is a global industry now more than ever, and with that comes cyclical challenges” he says. “But we have built up a strong and loyal customer base who we see very much as best in class, some of whom have been with HSBC for 10 years. In agriculture, it’s all about working closely with farmers and others, and all about knowledge of the industry and the challenges facing those working in the industry in its widest sense.”

“What makes HSBC different in a crowded marketplace? Ours is a value added relationship management model allied to being a locally-run bank with huge global connections,” says Douglas.

“Other Banks often refer to having an

28

international focus - HSBC’s is clearly established through physical presence, and is being maintained when a number of others are returning to domestic propositions. That said, we have a mandate to contribute to the local economy via our 5 retail branches and wider Business team of support staff and Product Specialists - we are passionate about being there for our customers and will ensure that they get the right advice from the right person at the right time.”

Nial Douglas points to another key element for HSBC. “The Northern Ireland Corporate & Business Banking Centre runs on a streamlined credit process without reliance on Credit Committees.

We have a global brand with significant capability in terms of capital strength, but we can make the calls here on the ground in Northern Ireland. Our commitment to our customers, and potential customers, is that we will be in a position to give them an indication on any funding proposal within a number of days, not weeks, of receipt of the requested information, along with guidance on what might work best for them in terms of price and structure.”

“Having a presence in 60 countries worldwide enables us to connect Bank customers with suppliers and others through first hand introductions, and our internet banking platforms enable full visibility of all global currencies including Chinese RMB in one place. Our ambition

is to grow with our existing customers and to assist new customers as they expand – we are comfortable financing overseas debtors and other assets which is a significant USP in today’s market”.

Marty Colvin has seen a discernible shift in business customers’ views on the banking landscape “There’s no doubt that the financial downturn loosened ties as far as customers and banks are concerned and on occasion we’re more than happy engaging with customers on a transactional basis” he says. “But at our heart we’re a relationship-based Bank and this is what our customers appreciate. Our service levels are high which has resulted in us achieving market leading levels of customer satisfaction within the NI team and a high level of referrals from our existing customer base and I think this speaks volumes.

At the end of the day, the better we know and understand our customer’s business model and requirements, the more we can assist them, both in terms of the type and quantum of facilities which we deploy but also in terms of the response times which are seen.”

“More customers are turning to HSBC on the back of our international reputation and our global strength and, as part of that process, are finding out that we do things well on the domestic front as well.”

It’s clear also that technology and the changing face of business means that there is an international aspect to a lot

more business operations nowadays.

“Between local companies who are now selling and working outside of Northern Ireland and international organisations with operations here, we’re seen increasingly as global relationship managers,” says Chris McQuay.

“Certainly it’s not unusual for me to be dealing with HSBC offices globally on behalf of customers based here in Northern Ireland....whether it is converting an order into Chinese currency, assisting with international account opening or any number of different banking requirements. Our job is to understand our customer, and the sector in which they operate, from the top down”.

Nial Douglas is particularly keen to emphasise that HSBC is a Bank that is seeking to grow in Northern Ireland “we are a relatively young presence in comparison to the 4 main banking providers in the province, but that does not mean that we lack ambition or the desire to work with local successful businesses and their management teams.

HSBC is not seeking to be all things to all people but we are passionate that our customer delivery is precise and that our customers see the value in the relationship service we provide”.

HSBC has five branches around Northern Ireland – the main Belfast retail branch at Royal Avenue in the city centre along with Omagh, Portadown, Coleraine and Derry/Londonderry.

Eye on Banking

Nial Douglas

Nigel Young

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rained as a Chartered Accountant with PwC and worked with the firm in both Belfast and Sydney, Australia. His career in banking originated with Ulster Bank, spending 10 years on Ulster Bank’s Business and Corporate Banking teams.

He was appointed as Area Director for Corporate & Business Banking in HSBC Northern Ireland at the start of this year.

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SBC’s agricultural specialist hails from farming stock in County Tyrone, and spent six years on the staff at Greenmount Agricultural College near Antrim before joining HSBC to specialise in working with customers in farming and the agri-food sector.

Marty Colvin

Chris McQuay

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career banker at HSBC, he’s been with the bank for 20 years, initially working in the bank’s busy Asset Finance operation before being appointed as a Business Banking Relationship Manager in 2003 currently looking after business customers in the sub £10 million turnover market segment.

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hris is approaching his 30-year anniversary with the bank having started his career with Midland Bank back in 1986. A highly experienced business banker, he now services the upper end of the business marketplace here at as HSBC’s Corporate Relationship Director.

HSBC - Global

F

ounded in 1865 to finance trade between Asia and the West, today HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations serving some 48 million customers. Our aim is to be acknowledged as the world’s leading international bank.

HSBC Bank plc is one of the largest banking and financial services organisations in the world. HSBC’s international network comprises around 7,500 offices in over 80 countries and territories in Europe, the AsiaPacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa.

HSBC Bank plc is one of the four major clearing banks in the United Kingdom and is a wholly owned subsidiary of HSBC Holdings.

The business ranges from the traditional High Street roles of personal finance and commercial banking, to private banking, consumer finance as well as

corporate and investment banking.

Across all brands the bank operates some 1800 sites in the UK. The UK headquarters of HSBC are at HSBC Tower in the Canary Wharf area of east London. This building is also home to HSBC Group’s headquarters, and houses some 8,000 staff over 42 floors.

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Eye on Venues

THE WOW FACTOR The opening of Belfast Waterfront’s 7,000m2 conference centre in May 2016, will offer more than just extra event space, but also that elusive ‘wow’ factor for your next event.

A taste of things to come The re-imagined award-winning Belfast Waterfront has already received rave reviews from event organisers who attended a preview event last month. Over 100 lucky event organisers got a sneak peek of the newly extended riverside venue has been emerging behind construction hoarding over the last 18 months.

Despite still being a construction site, Northern Ireland’s only purpose built conference centre delivered the wow factor. In keeping with the existing facility, the new space exuded luxury, elegance and exclusivity. An engaging and exciting programme of music and dance highlighted the new spaces and the endless possibilities they present, when the venue opens in fewer than 70 days.

The event kicked off in the spacious new riverside reception where female quartet ‘The

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Leading Ladies’ added a touch of elegance as guests enjoyed drinks and canapes. Performers led guests to Hall 1, measuring 1,805m2, to reveal a 20-minute spellbinding performance from Carrickfergus Choir, Voices of Ireland, Titanic Drums’ Mark Wilson and Irish Dancers Damhsa, who filled the 9m high Hall 1 with a stunning fusion of Irish and Ulster Scots music to showcase the scale of the new space.

And the wow experience didn’t stop there, as delegates had the opportunity to indulge in the culinary delights of Northern Ireland with a selection of its finest local produce in the 700m2 Hall 2.

A showcase event would not be complete without including the jewel in the crown – the Waterfront’s spectacular 2,000 seat auditorium - where everyone is guaranteed the best seat in the house. And where Northern Ireland’s business elite, leading academics and professionals have taken to the stage for almost 20 years.

Perfect for any event size When opened the new Belfast Waterfront will feature over 30 stylish spaces spread across six floors. It will deliver a brand new

event experience for up to 5,000 delegates in a truly inspirational riverside setting.

The new multipurpose halls greatly enhance the venue’s capacity to host large scale events, but equally the new spaces can be subdivided into a variety of configurations ideal for smaller, more intimate business meetings and events.

In addition to the halls, auditorium, studio plus gallery and bar areas, clients can choose from a suite of 17 fully equipped meeting rooms.

From a small business meeting for 10 individuals to a gala dinner for up to 1,000, the new Belfast Waterfront offers endless possibilities for local businesses.

This world class facility is purposely built to accommodate any type of event, large or small, and therefore equipped with quality support services and facilities that are essential to creating a fantastic experience for event organisers and guests alike.

If you would like to see how the new Belfast Waterfront can accommodate your future events, please call the team on 028 9033 4400 or email conference@waterfront.co.uk

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Bank of Ireland UK is a trading name of Bank of Ireland (UK) plc which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

Registered in England and Wales (No. 7022885), Bow Bells House, 1 Bread Street, London EC4M 9BE.

9624150702

Eye on Venues

NIGEL ROBBINS:

A BIG YEAR IN THE ENTERTAINMENT ARENA Taking on the new role of Commercial Director at the Odyssey Trust was something of a departure for Nigel Robbins, but he couldn’t have timed his move much better. A former senior executive with Viacom’s MTV Networks International, and a man who’s lived and worked all over the world, Robbins touched down in Belfast almost five years ago in the Group Commercial Director’s role at UTV Media Plc, before taking on the newly-created role with the Odyssey Trust in 2015.

‘T

he focus since joining the executive team at the Odyssey Trust has been on optimising all areas across our portfolio, and we can now look back on the Trust’s most successful year to date. The newly-named SSE Arena has delivered its strongest ever results, the Belfast Giants have enjoyed a significant uplift in attendance and game-night revenue, and W5 has posted record attendance figures. We now plan to build on our collective success.’

After announcing a 10 year naming rights deal with SSE last summer, the Odyssey Trust invested £3m on upgrading the formerly-named Odyssey Arena with the installation of 9,000 new seats, 4G high-speed Wi-Fi, the addition of 200 IPTVenabled digital screens, enhanced chip and pin technology and the launch of the first UK & Europe integrated Arena App. Work on all of those projects was carried out over a frenzied twelve week period prior to the September 2015 relaunch.

‘Deadlines certainly sharpen the focus,’ says Robbins. ‘And I was hugely impressed with the professionalism

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of the Arena team over what proved to be a very busy period. The SSE Arena, Belfast then opened its doors to a tremendous variety of acts in the latter part of the year from One Direction to U2, to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in December, which showcased Northern Ireland’s greatest to millions of TV viewers across the UK. In fact it was so busy,’ says Robbins, ‘that the Arena team had their Christmas party in January!’

The SSE Arena, Belfast was recently listed among the world’s top 25 arena venues in Pollstar’s 2015 worldwide ticket sales report, which saw the Belfast venue climb an impressive 25 places from the previous year’s report, with annual attendance increasing by more than 120,000. ‘When you include all of our events, ticket sales are well above 600,000,’ says Robbins, though he insists that the team’s focus remains as much on customer experience as those all-important volumes.

‘We’ve invested a lot of resources in our digital infrastructure, including the launch of the SSE Arena App, which provides customers with more choice, a range of great deals on F&B – thanks

to regular features like ‘Appy Hour’ – but it also allows us to build a more valuable data analytics profile, so we can improve on ways we serve our customers from sofa to seat, whether it’s purchasing tickets for Disney on Ice or ordering a Slipknot Hoodie. Their experience of the Arena begins long before they get here, and we certainly recognise the fact that it doesn’t end as soon as they walk out of the door.’

Another important development area for the Odyssey Trust’s Commercial Director has been the renewed focus on advertising and supplier partnerships at the SSE Arena, Belfast. ‘It’s all about offering our customers more choice and working with partners and suppliers who are keen to activate through our newly created marketing channels. Gone are the days of static posters and passive pop-ups,’ says Robbins. ‘When people visit a world-class Arena they expect to be entertained with great offers and opportunities to engage well before show time. We are working with a host of new partners at the SSE Arena, including Britvic and Pepsico, Dillon Bass, Walkers and Red Bull, all of whom come with great ideas

and a terrific range of products. Add to that a fortified relationship with Heineken, more local businesses supporting the Stena Line Belfast Giants than ever before – from Cyril Johnston to the Belfast Baking Co – and it makes for a truly dynamic mix.’

Robbins also cites the Odyssey Trust’s working relationship with SSE as being positive for both entities in ways that go well beyond the brand value. ‘The SSE naming rights partnership is going extremely well. For one, it’s an arrangement that gives us ample room to create compelling commercial opportunities for our partners outside of the SSE partnership, in ways that complement what we are working hard to achieve with SSE. We have a shared vision of

Eye on Venues

looking after our customers, to the point where we are now creating a bespoke in-App environment for SSE Airtricity customers so they can further build on the privileges that come with signing up to SSE’s excellent Reward programme. In the weeks ahead we will also be announcing SSE’s sponsorship of W5’s Core Education Programme, which is testament to the global approach SSE is taking to the Odyssey Trust portfolio in ways we very much welcome.’

One other key area for the Arena team post relaunch, says Robbins, is Corporate Hospitality.

The SSE Arena, Belfast offers customers the opportunity to entertain their clients in the

Arena’s plethora of VIP Suites and Lounges, which include the West Lounge and the recently upgraded Heineken Lounge. ‘At Suite Level we have a diverse range of annual Corporate Clients who entertain on a regular basis, and who sometimes make their Suite available to other business associates or family members. A Corporate Client should feel at home in their Suite, and we’re placing a great deal of emphasis on customer service coupled with a first-class dining experience, whether it’s casual or formal.

What we also offer our Corporate Clients now, beyond their branded VIP Suites, are ways to market their own businesses and brands

across our newly created digital channels, with calls-to-action and brand messaging reaching an ever-increasing audience, whether it’s via Digital Screens, the App, the website or the many social media channels before and after events at the Arena.’

So what’s next for the executive behind the scenes of such vigorous commercial development at the Odyssey Trust?

‘For the executive team at the Trust the focus remains on staying true to the ethos on which the Odyssey Trust was founded fifteen years ago. The only difference now is that we are in a more competitive arena, both locally and internationally. Like any

entertainment venue or leisure destination, we have to work increasingly harder to maintain leadership. For the team at the SSE Arena, Belfast that means ensuring we have first-class content in a world-class arena.

It’s as simple and as challenging as that. Building on the terrific success of last year, in 2016 we can look forward to entertainment as diverse as Adele, Dynamo, Darts and Elton John, with one or two surprises along the way. It’s vital that we keep the content rich and varied for our customers in Northern Ireland, who are among the most adventurous in the world when it comes to sampling a truly eclectic mix of entertainment.’

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Eye on News

Bank Of Ireland Reports Strong Growth In Northern Ireland Business Lending Approvals In 2015 Bank of Ireland has revealed it approved £795m in new lending to Northern Ireland businesses in 2015, representing an increase of 26% on the previous year.

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ommenting on the uplift in demand, Ian Sheppard, Regional Director of Business & Corporate Banking Northern Ireland, Bank of Ireland UK said the increase in activity had come from all sizes of business and from the majority of business sectors.

He said: “We welcome the increased activity and are delighted with the growth in lending approvals. We are particularly pleased to see the increase in demand for term loans as it shows the growing confidence of local businesses as they invest and plan for

their long term future. Export focussed businesses were foremost in this space.

We can cite numerous examples of local businesses we are supporting with their global trade ambitions including IFS Global Logistics who already export to more than 50 countries and have plans to do more and, the awardwinning AJ Power, who continue to increase their international reach.

“With 4% growth in Northern Ireland export sales in 2015*the growth potential of the export market remains and we continue to

Bank of Ireland’s Ian Sheppard.

support all our customers entering new markets and trading globally.

“The agri sector is an important growth sector for Bank of Ireland and lending approvals were up 25% on 2014 figures. Despite challenges in the dairy sector, increased demand was driven by opportunities in both farming and agri food businesses.

“There is evidence of a continued recovery in the local housing market, with funding approvals for residential development doubling year on year representing more than 600 new units planned for 2016 - and we expect demand to continue to grow in the year ahead. We are pleased to have supported significant investment deals such as Omagh

Showgrounds Retail Park and Obel a flagship building on Belfast’s skyline.

“On balance the outlook for 2016 is a positive one. Momentum is evident with challenges and opportunities in key areas such as scalability, investment in innovation and exporting capability, including development of skills and confidence for entry into new markets.

“There are a number of indicators pointing to continued growth with increased confidence in the market, increased levels of business activity and increased business investment and as Northern Ireland’s Enterprise Bank we will continue to do all we can to support customers as they take these opportunities to grow their business.”

Leading Retail Expert Says Sky’s The Limit For NI Businesses One of Northern Ireland’s leading retail experts, Hugh Black, has today launched two exciting new business ventures, Hugh Black Consulting and Black Marketing.

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he Belfast-based businesses will offer strategic packages to enable any business in achieving their short, medium or long-term goals and help them compete with a global audience.

For more than 30 years, Hugh has played a significant role in Northern Ireland’s retail and commercial world, carrying out senior management roles within Dunnes Stores, Junction One and Victoria Square, and most recently in his role as Commercial Director of Age NI. During this time Hugh has mentored hundreds of businesses and worked alongside some of our best-known local, national and international brands, ranging from SMEs to large multinationals.

Hugh who is the current President of Belfast’s Chamber of Commerce, is excited about his new venture, he said: “I have a real passion and understanding of the retail and commercial world and I am delighted to be able to share my wealth of experience and knowledge with businesses across Northern Ireland and beyond.

“In today’s retail environment, businesses are

34

competing not only with other local companies in their town or city, but with a global audience – that is something I want retailers to realise and to strive for. By making your business the absolute best it can be in terms of branding, customer service, marketing and product offering, any Northern Ireland business can compete with the best in the world. That kind of mentality will not only help your own business but will help the overall economy of Northern Ireland – something which I am very passionate about.”

Hugh Black Consulting will offer a wide range of services including retail consultancy, branding, asset management as well as training and mentoring. The team at Black Marketing will focus on design, website, digital, social media and public relations.

Hugh goes on to say; “I’m looking forward to delivering successful strategies and plans to businesses of any size from any sector, whether it’s simply helping to identify the correct location for a store, creating a concept for a new brand, a three year marketing strategy or designing a website.

The possibilities are endless – and myself and team are absolutely up for the challenge. My aim is to use my extensive knowledge and past experiences to help drive local companies to be the absolute best they can possibly be.”

One of the most interesting and fulfilling aspects of Hugh Black Consulting is the Mentoring element, Hugh says, “My aim is to do what I can to better equip my clients and provide them with all the tools and confidences they will need to fully deliver their successful business objectives. In short, I hope to enable business owners to achieve their goals by helping to remove barriers to performance and releasing the true potential in their business and to realise nothing is impossible.”

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Eye on Media

STEVE MARTIN...

SOUND & VISION MAN The stars of stage and screen such as .... Sean Bean, Liam Neeson, James Franco, James Nesbitt, Amanda Peet, Peter Dinklage Timothy Spall and Charles Dance to name but a few – may be regular visitors to Belfast, but they’re certainly not the only celebrities to find themselves at The Sound House & Picture House’s studios on Belfast’s Holywood Road.

B

ut it wasn’t always thus for Steve Martin, his business partner Hugh Matier and a team of specialists that has expanded through the years.

Steve and Hugh were musicians / singers when they started out a business specialising in advertising jingles back in 1985. Steve quickly established something of a reputation... not as a musician, but as a voice-over artist on a wide range of ads for both radio and television.

It’s something he does to this day.

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“I have friends who tell me that they can’t get away from me. One of them even rang me from Tesco the other day to thank me for telling him over the Tanoy about the great deals over in Beers, Wines and Spirits” he laughs It’s an interesting aside that The Sound House nowadays provides in-store commercials/messages via the internet on a daily basis, controlled direct from their Holywood road base, to the large-scale Tesco Extra stores across Northern Ireland.

“I don’t really voice as many radio

and television ads nowadays says Steve, it’s just people who know me in the business recognise my voice. It’s more likely that we’ll help to match a professional voice either local or national to the brief provided. We record a wide range of voice-over artists for commercials, from the length and breadth of the UK and Ireland including well-known local and national personalities regularly linking up with them via our ISDN systems.

The business started back in the mid-1980’s on the lower end of the Holywood Road in Belfast.

“We’ve had a Holywood Road address for the past 30 years,” smiles Steve ... can’t get away from it. “We were in our first studio at 69 for six years (affectionately known as ‘the skip with a roof’ .... but we had to start somewhere?) then up to the Strand Cinema for sixteen happy

years and then on to our current base, 429 Holywood Road at the junction of the outer ring, at this rate of going we’ll end up in Bangor.”

The business started life as Jingle Jangle Studios then became The Sound House still producing jingles and music beds for programs but adding voice-over recording to the mix and later branching into the video side of the business with sister company The Picture House... the two clearly going hand in hand in today’s extensive media world.

But their work isn’t restricted to just Northern Ireland. “A lot of our work for ‘local and national’ Ad Agencies and direct clients would be broadcast outside Northern Ireland.

We regularly produce radio and television commercials and corporate videos that are seen and or heard throughout the UK and Ireland for shopping centres, furniture stores

Eye on Media and car dealerships and many National ‘blue chip’ companies such as Kia, Stena, Spar UK, TrustFord, Lookers, Subway, The Mirror and Argento to name but a few.

The Sound House production studios also provide sophisticated and confidential recording facilities for the international entertainment industry... hence the regular presence of big name actors at the Holywood Road studios where they can take advantage of state of the art studio facilities, in total privacy, which can link them to facilities houses in London, New York or Los Angeles in fact ‘anywhere in the world’.

“So if a cast member from say, Game of Thrones or any other production is filming here in Northern Ireland, he or she can nip in and record dialogue for other films or commercial work that they’re involved in, and it’s something that happens a lot,” says Steve.

But the Belfast studios are also the ‘port of call’ for Many of the major film companies like 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Columbia and Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers and Universal and of course HBO, the home of Game of Thrones providing what’s known as ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement).

“On occasions they will discover that the sound quality of an actor’s voice has been poor on location, so the actors, if they’re working in Ireland, can come to the studio and re-voice their lines which are then lip-synced to the film sequences.

He’s the consummate professional when it comes to sound production, and voice-overs in particular, his twin daughters Dawn & Jill have been voicing commercials almost as long as Steve, starting at just seven years of age and now in their thirties, “a couple of chips of the .... slightly older block” he laughs.

“I do talk a bit,” he says with more than a touch of understatement, “and i think you’ll find plenty who’ll agree with that, so what better job? and i even get paid for it! .... sometimes” In truth, Steve has become something of a legend in the media and entertainment industries here in Northern Ireland, with a personal policy of “No problems .... just solutions” it’s no wonder The contacts list on his mobile phone reads like a Who’s Who of media people and personalities

in this region....and well beyond.

Over the years Steve played in bands and eventually turned his hand to stand-up comedy. Back in the early 80’s, he introduced Northern Ireland to the singing telegram, beloved of stag nights, hen nights and other occasions, “back in the day myself and my team would be driving around most nights of the week delivering singing telegrams all over the province.

I loved every minute of it, even

though there were a few awkward situations along the way, it was good ‘clean’ fun and at that time, although some thought of it as daft .... it was a licence to print money” Even these days, he still does the odd ‘stand-up’ turn reserved for functions of all sorts and of course family weddings where it’s expected of him, he’ll deliver funny telegrams in several of the voices that he keeps in his vocal repertoire. And it’s hardly surprising that he always has a ‘real

“ They’re currently building up a string of new clients for what Steve is calling ‘WOW video’(walk-on-web video); an innovation that introduces walk-on presenters, managing directors, company staff etc, to appear as live on websites.”

life story’ or joke or two at hand.

“I keep a wee notebook on me most of the time I’ll always hear a good yarn that’s escaped me, which I can wheel out at a later date,” he jokes.

ADR though, isn’t the only innovation from The Sound House & Picture House in recent times.

They’re currently building up a string of new clients for what Steve is calling ‘WOW video’(walk-onweb video) .....an innovation that introduces walk-on presenters, managing directors, company staff etc, to appear as live on websites.

“In other words, you log onto a company website and as the website appears, the first thing that happens is that someone representing the business just walks onto the screen and introduces the company and what it has to offer.

“It can be the Managing Director, the Sales Manager, a presenter or personality just whoever you want it to be and whatever fits the bill.

It’s different, it’s surprising, it’s welcoming, it’s engaging , but above all it adds a touch of real life and “Hello” to any website, and although The SoundHouse has just launched it recently it’s already gaining considerable interest with existing clients and quite a few new ones.”

Why not take a quick look for yourself at ..... www.thevoicebox.tv or right here at www.businesseye.co.uk So Steve, what’s next? ....

“Sorry Richard, i can’t tell you other than it’s very very exciting, a clue perhaps? ...T.T.T.”

37

Eye on Finance

RSM

and the Risk Agenda

38

Eye on Finance Too few businesses here in Northern Ireland take time to properly assess the risks they face on a day-to-day basis.

T

hat’s the view of David Gray, a Partner with the Belfast office of RSM, the global accountancy chain and an acknowledged specialist in the growing area of risk advisory services.

RSM in Northern Ireland is the re-branded firm formerly known as RSM McClure Watters. It’s been a member firm of the RSM worldwide network for just short of ten years, but opted back in October to adopt the global brand name as its own.

“RSM is a true global network with particular strength through the former Baker Tilly network in GB and McGladrey in the United States,” says David Gray. “We work closely with RSM offices around the world. It’s a close association rather than any kind of loose grouping. We can and do draw on the experience of RSM worldwide.”

RSM has a 90-strong team here in Northern Ireland and is headquartered at Lanyon Quay in Belfast, from where it also provides the traditional audit, tax, insolvency, restructuring and business consultancy services to a wide range of clients.

It also has a particularly strong economic consultancy division working with large public sector organisations. A team based in Belfast provides consultancy to organisations both here and in GB, including the Welsh Government and a number of GB local authorities.

In the specialist area of risk advisory and risk assurance, David Gray heads up Belfast operations but works closely with the GB specialists in the area, not least Jon Pepper, a partner in RSM s Leeds office (formerly Baker Tilly) and a leader in the field of risk assurance for the financial services sector.

“It’s not often that we can say that the public sector can show the private sector how to do things, but risk assurance is one of those areas,” says Pepper. “The public sector has taken risk and risk assessment very seriously for quite a few years now.

“If internal audit is all about proving that what you think is happening is actually happening, then risk management is all about assessing what can happen and putting measures in place to mitigate against the risks that are out there.

“We take a very close look at operations, we assess exactly what the risks are and we recommend measures that can be put into place. It’s as simple as that.”

There are, of course, lots of different areas of risk facing business,

ranging from fraud to the much more modern threat of cyber crime.

“There’s no doubt that the online business world has added a whole new level of risk that simply wasn’t there before,” says Jon Pepper. “It can some in the form of large-scale hacking threats, but there are a wide variety of possible threats around customer data and online sharing.”

Organisations that are ahead of the game will routinely operate and update risk registers, and make sure that they have preparations in place to cope with just about any eventuality.

“We’re talking about public sector organisations and larger private sector ones. Our challenge is to persuade small private sector enterprises to adopt the same methodologies,” says David Gray. “It’s all about recognising risk, managing risk and controlling risk, and it’s something that smaller companies can and should do.

“We understand that those who run smaller companies are busy people but this is an area that they really need to look at, and we can help them to do exactly that with the minimum of effort on their part.”

Companies bidding for public sector contracts, he points out, find themselves having to sign various undertakings at the tender stage to confirm that they comply with a variety of factors......and this is an area where risk assurance can make a difference, ensuring that companies are fully compliant in a competitive marketplace.

“There is an increasing amount of regulation out there. In my own specialist area of financial services, regulation is particularly onerous. But it’s something that impacts on just about every sector and every business.

Ignoring compliance is a dangerous road to travel down,” adds Jon Pepper.

“Putting in a proper system of checks and balances is a small price to pay for reassurance,” he adds. “At the top end of

the scale, organisations need sophisticated systems in place, but it’s possible to move down the scale for smaller organisations.

“Most companies manage risk to some extent without really thinking about it.

“The concept of risk is a simple enough one for every businessman or woman to grasp,” adds David Gray. “We have an educational role to play, but we’re also here to help companies to assess and manage risk in a very practical way with a range of enterprise wide risk management solutions to counter that threat from what we call the risk universe.

“Companies here have a stark choice. They can be risk mature or risk immature.....it’s their own call.”

Case Study Cathal Geoghegan, Managing Director of Mount Charles Group stated “Companies must adopt risk controls but also make these controls transparent and visible to produce greater organisational validity. This makes management accounting, risk management and corporate governance increasingly and inextricably co-dependent.

“The Mount Charles Group is aiming to increase revenue in excess of 100% in the next five years. Much of this will be achieved by developing our business in the Republic of Ireland, as well as continuing to diversify and innovate in terms of our existing service offering.

“One of the key factors in our ongoing growth and success is our commitment to managing risks. As a fast growth business, we must continually scan our broader trading environment to identify and address any perceived risk to mitigate their impact.”

39

Eye on Tourism

CHESTNUTT HOLIDAY PARKS...

A NEW ERA FOR HOLIDAYS AT HOME

By Richard Buckley

I’ve an admission to make on this one. Caravans and caravan parks played an important part in my childhood all those years ago. But these were the County Down coast caravan parks of cooking by bottled gas, erratic electricity and chemical toilets... I well remember the walk along the ‘field’ with the toilet slopping by my side.

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ut enough of that. It’s fair to say that caravan parks have come a long way in the intervening years.

Nowadays, they’re not just a booming business. They’re also impressive, well equipped and ultra-modern holiday centres..... or the best ones are, at least.

Take the case of Chestnutt

40

Holiday Parks. Based on the scenic stretch of coastline around Annalong and Cranfield in the shadow of the Mournes, this is a group of four different holiday parks owned by the Chestnutt family firm.

Current Partner Richard Chestnutt is following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father, developing

a business that had its roots in one caravan park established along the coast back in the 1960’s.

So what’s the difference between Chestnutt Holiday Parks and my own memory of caravan parks? Quite a lot, it seems.

The caravans, or holiday homes as they prefer to be known these days, have changed from fairly primitive boxes into luxury units that can live up to the ‘home from home’ billing that Richard Chestnutt likes to use.

But, when you’re relaxing in a spacious centrally-heated living room area looking out over the Irish Sea while glancing at whatever’s on your SmartTV, and your kids are elsewhere using the park’s latest generation fibre

broadband, it’s hard to argue with the ‘home from home’ tag.

“Our challenge has been to make the holiday experience at our parks better and better all the time,” says Richard. “So we’ve invested year upon year in the latest mobile homes, in on-site shops and restaurant facilities, in play parks and summer activities and in utilities like fibre broadband... which makes it possible for our customers to work and stay fully in touch while they’re with us.

“Connectivity is a very important part of what we offer our guests, and fibre broadband into every holiday home has made a huge difference. It’s proving very popular with everyone who comes

Eye on Tourism

“ Connectivity is a very important part of what we offer our guests, and fibre broadband into every holiday home has made a huge difference.” here, whether they are regulars or just here for a short stay.”

All four of Chestnutt’s holiday parks along the coast – Annalong, Chestnutt, Loughside & Sandilands – cater for three different types of holidaymaker. The majority of guests are those who have bought their own holiday homes on one of the parks, and who return season after season to spend holidays in the area.

But Chestnutt Holiday Parks also offer short-term rental of fully-equipped holiday homes so it’s possible to book a one or two-week stay during the Easter-Autumn opening period.

They also have dedicated areas open to camping, touring caravans and motorhomes, with pitches

available on a night by night basis.

“People come here because they love coming to this area. They love the beaches, they love the Mournes and they love the fact that they’re barely more than an hour’s drive from Belfast,” says Richard Chestnutt. “We have customers with us who spent time here as children and have bought their own caravans. We’ve got grandparents who’ve bought here to be close to their extended families. And we’ve also got plenty of loyal customers who’ve been with us for many years.”

Each of the Chestnutt Holiday Parks has around 180 mobile homes, plus space for touring caravans. Richard Chestnutt says that there is clear evidence

that holidaying at home is once more increasing in popularity.

“I think it’s about the ease of getting here and having a base that you can return to time and time again,” he says. “You can be out of your office at 5 pm on a Friday and be relaxing down here by early evening with a full weekend – or longer – ahead of you.”

While short-term rental is a good way to try out the Chestnutt Holiday Park experience, there’s no doubt that holiday home purchase is an affordable and cost effective option.

A fully equipped holiday home might cost anywhere from £10,000 to more than £30,000, but it’s important to factor in the amount of holiday use you can get out of it......Easter, spring weekends, summer breaks, weekend trips and so on. Then there’s the money saved not having to pay for expensive holidays elsewhere.

“And a holiday home is also a valuable asset that can be sold in time, or passed on through the family.

“From our perspective, there are more and more people thinking about it as an option, and we also see a bit of an upturn in the economy which has led to more prospective customers coming to see us,” Richard Chestnutt adds. “Last season, we reached full capacity on some of our parks, and that’s an encouraging sign.”

The winter months – from October through to Easter – are spent renewing, renovating and refurbishing. “As soon as the last guests leave at the end of one season, we’re on site preparing for the next one. It could be major investment like new pitches or facilities. Or it could be upgraded play parks or communal areas.

We plan our capital programmes well in advance so we’re ready to swing into action when Easter comes around each year.

“We see our mission as a very clear one. We’re here to provide top quality holiday parks and to enable people to make the most of their leisure time.”

41

Eye on Tax

Year End Tax Planning A regular review of your tax affairs (at least once a year) is an opportunity to reduce the taxman’s take from your family. The period leading up to the end of the tax year on 5 April is one of the best times to review your taxes and finances.

I

n this article, Ronan McGuirk, Director, ASM Newry outlines a summary of the more important year end tips to help you identify areas that should be considered, however you should always seek professional advice on your individual tax affairs.

Tax saving tips for the family Each spouse is taxed separately, so it is an important element of basic income tax planning that maximum use is made of personal allowances and the starting and basic tax rate bands.

If you are self-employed or run a family company, consider employing your spouse or taking them into partnership as a way of redistributing income.

Child Benefit If you are in receipt of Child Benefit and either of you or your live in partner (widely defined) have income above £50,000 then it is possible that you may have to pay back some or all of the benefit. This could be avoided by reducing income for this purpose. Ways of achieving this include making additional pension contributions or charitable donations or reviewing how profits are shared and extracted from the family business.

Dividend Changes From 6 April 2016 there are major changes to the taxation of Dividends: The 10% dividend tax credit is abolished with the result that the cash dividend received will be the amount potentially subject to tax.

New rates of tax on dividend income will be 7.5% for basic rate taxpayers, 32.5% for higher rate taxpayers and 38.1% for additional rate taxpayers.

A new Dividend Tax Allowance will remove the first £5,000 of dividends received in a tax year from taxation.

The table below shows a comparison between the current and future tax rates.

Dividend falls into: Effective dividend tax rate now Rate from 6 April 2016

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If you do not currently extract all your company profits by way of dividend you may wish to consider increasing dividends before the 6 April 2016. However, other tax issues may come into play, for example the loss of the personal tax allowance if your total ‘adjusted net income’ exceeds £100,000. There will also be non-tax issues such as the availability of funds or profits in the company to pay the dividend. Paying dividends in advance of 6 April 2016 will also accelerate when the tax is due. The tax due on dividends paid in the 2015/16 tax year is payable 31 January 2017, whereas tax due on dividends paid in the 2016/17 tax year is not due until 31 January 2018.

National insurance matters If a spouse is employed by the family business it may be worth paying earnings in 2015/16 of between £112 (the employee lower earnings limit) and £155 (the employer threshold) per week. This will result in no employer or employee contributions due on the earnings but entitlement to the state retirement pension and certain other state benefits is preserved.

Giving to charity Charitable donations made under the Gift Aid scheme can result in significant benefits for both the donor and the charity. Currently the charity is able to claim back 20% basic rate tax on any donations made and if the donor is a higher rate taxpayer the gift will qualify for 40% tax relief. Always remember to keep a record of any gifts you make.

Capital gains tax Annual Exemption The first £11,100 of gains made in the 2015/16 tax year are exempt from CGT, being covered by the annual

Basic rate band

Higher rate band

Additional rate band

0%

25%

30.6%

7.5%

32.5%

38.1%

exemption. Each spouse has their own annual exemption, as indeed do children. A transfer of assets between spouses may enable them to maximise the use of their annual exemptions.

Consider selling assets standing at a gain before the end of the tax year on 5 April to use the annual exemption.

Investments – are yours tax efficient?

Individual Savings Accounts Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) provide an income tax and capital gains tax free form of investment. The maximum investment limits are set for each tax year and the 2015/16 limit is £15,240. To take advantage of the limits available for 2015/16 the investment(s) must be made by 5 April 2016.

Pension Contributions Consider making a pension contribution up to £40,000 before 6 April 2016 to use up any unused pension relief available. Tax relief will be at your marginal rate.

If you have unused tax relief from the previous three tax years, then that too can be used in the current year to reduce your bill for 2015/16.

Mileage Claims If you are not reimbursed for your business miles, or are reimbursed at a rate lower than the HM Revenue & Customs authorised rates of 45p per mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25p per mile thereafter, you can make a claim on your tax return for a deduction of the underpayment. You should maintain a record of your business mileage to support such a claim.

Inheritance Tax You can gift up to £3,000 each tax year free of Inheritance tax, or £6,000 if there was no gift in the previous year. Small gifts of up to £250 to any number of people are also exempt.

Regular gifts out of income can also be made as long as your capital or standard of living is not reduced.

This is a complicated area so advice

should be taken before doing this.

Finally, consider making a will or reviewing an existing will. A will avoids the intestacy rules and allows for some considered tax planning to minimise your family’s future tax exposure.

The above points are only a brief summary of the key pre year end tax planning ideas you should consider. Each will help you save tax. For more tailored tax planning solutions please contact us to discuss your individual circumstances.

By Ronan McGuirk, ASM Chartered Accountants

ASM Chartered Accountants has six offices, Newry, Magherafelt, Dungannon, Belfast, Dublin and Dundalk. The 160 strong team specialises in a range of accountancy disciplines including, corporate finance, Insolvency services, forensic accounting, Audit & accounting, consultancy services, internal audit, tax, hotel, tourism and leisure.

Ronan McGuirk can be contacted at ronan.mcguirk@asmnewry.com Ph: 028 3026 9933 to discuss your business finance needs or any other corporate finance matter.

Eye on Finance

4 Benefits of Asset Based Lending Benefits of asset based lending Asset based lending (ABL) is a newer form of business finance that can open up fresh (and often overlooked) funding avenues.

While ABL is becoming an increasingly common lending structure in Great Britain, Close Brothers Commercial Finance is currently the only provider of ABL financing operating in Ireland. While invoice finance releases cash flow from unpaid customer invoices, ABL works alongside this service, offering additional layers of funding against a range of assets.

Linda Mallon – Client Services Director, Invoice Finance; Paul Stephens – Head of Sales, Invoice Finance and ABL; Ciaran McAreavey – MD; Ian McMurray – Client Services Director, Asset Finance; Adrian Madden – Head of Sales, Asset Finance.

Here are the main benefits of ABL: 1. Releases funding from existing business assets – finance can be raised against stock, property, and plant and machinery, in addition to invoices.

2. Enables businesses to achieve corporate aspirations – a highly effective way of raising funds to expand, restructure, refinance, or simply to release additional working capital.

3. Tailored to individual businesses – with Close Brothers Commercial Finance, every transaction is fully bespoke and structured to support the specific requirements of the business.

4. Provides flexibility – asset based lending responds to changing needs as the facility can grow in line with the business.

Close Brothers Commercial Finance is part of Close Brothers Group plc, a leading merchant bank. They offer

the flexibility of an independent provider, combined with the financial strength of a FTSE 250 company.

Close Brothers Commercial Finance operates across Ireland with offices in Belfast, Dublin, Cork and Galway, with a team of specialists who have extensive experience working across a wide range of sectors.

To find out more, please visit: www.closecommercialfinance.com/abl

Asset based lending Utilising assets to realise corporate aspirations Asset based lending is a new and innovative way to raise higher levels of funding, enabling businesses to release capital against assets such as invoices, stock, property and plant and machinery. It is ideal for refinancing, facilitating strategic events such as a management buy-out, merger or acquisition, or simply to release additional working capital.

To find out more call us on 028 9099 4869 or visit closecommercialfinance.com Close Brothers Limited (being a UK registered private limited company and its Irish registered branch of the same name having registration number 907899), trading as (and having as registered business names) Close Brothers Asset Finance, Close Brothers Commercial Finance, Close Brothers Premium Finance Ireland, Close Brothers Motor Finance and Braemar Finance, is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom and is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom and is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland for conduct of business rules. UK registered address: 10 Crown Place, London, EC2A 4FT, registered at Companies House, Number 00195626. Directors: M. Morgan (UK), P. Prebensen (UK), R. Golden (UK), A. Sainsbury (UK), S. Hodges (UK), S. Bishop (UK), F. Pennal (UK), M. Hook (UK) and J. Howell (UK).

Close Brothers Invoice Finance and Close Brothers Commercial Finance are registered business names of Close Invoice Finance Limited, a UK registered private limited company (and its Irish registered branch of the same name having registration number 908024). UK registered address: 10 Crown Place, London, EC2A 4FT, registered at Companies House, Number 00935949. Directors: J. Brown (UK), R. Frewer (Australia), C. Gould (UK), A. Sainsbury (UK), I. Steward (UK), D. Thomson, (UK).

CF Business Eye ABL ad 186x126 2-16V4.indd 1

25/02/2016 12:02

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Eye on Banking

Meet The Managers With Their Eye On The Local High Street While many financial institutions are closing branches on our local high streets, Northern Ireland’s largest locally owned financial institution, Progressive Building Society, is investing in their branch network...

P

rogressive is reaffirming its commitment to their branch network here, with a recent £2 million high street investment, which included the upgrade and refurbishment of premises as well as the modernisation of customer-facing technology.

Darina Armstrong, Chief Executive of Progressive Building Society explains that the investment in its branch network across Northern Ireland has strengthened the business.

She said: “We are passionate about our branch network and see it as an essential part of our business.

“Progressive has had a presence in the towns and cities across Northern Ireland for more than 100 years and we know that this is important for our Members.

“A recent Deloitte Consumer Review – ‘Reinventing the role of the high street’ found that 72% of consumers usually go to their local high street, shopping centre or retail park to access banking and financial services, with more than two-thirds saying they will continue to do so in the near future.

“As a Member-owned financial institution, our Members are at the heart of our decisionmaking process and influence how the business operates.

“All Progressive branches deliver convenience, service and value as standard to Members – and they can also provide tailored solutions such as specialist mortgage guidance from qualified advisors.”

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Eye on Banking Meet the Managers – The 12 Progressive Building Society Branch Managers outline why engaging with Members face-to-face on their local high streets is good for business.

Noel Murray Branch Manager, Derry/Londonderry

Lynne Lyness Branch Manager, Portadown

Lorraine Johnston Branch Manager, Coleraine

“Face–to-face contact in the financial world is becoming more of the exception than the rule. The digital age is becoming more and more prevalent but many people still prefer to have their financial needs explained by a local person, face-to-face and we pride ourselves in being able to deliver this.”

“With a dedicated Mortgage Advisor in each Progressive branch, building and maintaining trust with our Members is key to our local commitment. We find that face-to-face interactions lead to positive outcomes and better long-term relations.”

“2015 was a very successful year for the Coleraine branch in terms of mortgage applications and savings accounts. The personal approach we take to individual Members’ finances and requirements will continue to gain momentum on the local high street because we remain focused on our mutual status and being run by and for the benefit of our Members.”

Amanda Wilson Branch Manager, Omagh

William Burgess Area Manager, Ballymena

Lyn Crawford Branch Manager, Newtownards

“Our customers in Omagh favour face– to-face interaction; putting a face to a name provides reassurance when it comes to their mortgages or savings.

While keeping on top of the many changes in the financial market and with training and compliance, our branch focus will remain the same as it always has, providing our Members with friendly and efficient service on their local high street.

“The Ballymena Branch was redeveloped in 2014, confirming the Society’s longterm commitment to investing in the local economy and developing the high street, a consequence of which has been an increase in branch activity for both savings and mortgages. With local knowledge at hand to assess when Member’s financial needs change, we can adapt the services and products we offer to remain relevant.”

“As a Branch Manager, one of my first tasks in the morning is to ensure that I have the necessary staff resources to deliver the high standard of customer service expected by my Members. Great customer service is central to who we are and what we provide at Progressive; every effort is made to ensure that when someone walks into one of our branches they get a real feel for our ethos.”

45

Eye on Banking

46

Graeme Norris Area Manager, Belfast

Elaine Molyneaux Branch Manager, Bangor

Brenda Robinson Customer Service Manager, Enniskillen

“Having worked at Progressive for 34 years, I’m proud of the fact that our ethos has always remained the same. Maintaining a presence on the local high street is fundamental to the Society’s continued success and although the internet is a very useful tool, many of our Members prefer to use our branches for their savings and mortgage requirements. We are expecting 2016 to be an even busier year in terms of mortgage lending as homebuyers in Belfast gain more confidence in the recovery of the housing market. “

“As the mortgage market has become increasingly more buoyant in Bangor, we strive to provide a competitive, personal service to local people. One of the highlights of my job is providing mortgage advice and helping potential home-owners achieve their dream – it is very rewarding being able to approve mortgage offers and see the delight on the faces of the young first time buyers when they realise they can purchase their own home.”

“Being based in a rural area, our Members rate being able to handle their mortgages and savings on their local high street very highly. We work hard to develop and build relationships with our Members where they can speak directly to the Progressive staff member who is dealing with their finances. When applying for a mortgage, our Members are reassured by the fact that they can speak directly to the person making the decision, receiving regular updates on the progress of the application.”

Ian Nelson – Branch Manager, Lisburn

Kevin Flannery Customer Service Manager, Arthur Square, Cornmarket

Kerry MacDougall Customer Service Manager, Glengormley

“At Progressive, we care passionately about our local communities, and a key part of this is having face to face engagement and building relationships with our Members.

Particularly for mortgage and potential members, we believe our approach of dealing directly with people rather than using call centres is more supportive of their needs. Helping at a local level is very rewarding and something our Members value.”

“Many other financial institutions are closing their branches but at Progressive we have a different approach, investing in our high streets and branch network- the most recent being the branch I manage at Cornmarket, Belfast. Convenient access for our Members is important; they don’t want to deal with call centres and we are often complimented on the hassle-free and secure approach of dealing with our Members.”

Many of our savings Members in Glengormley are longstanding which reflects the high level of Member engagement with staff which has built up over the years. This helps develop our understanding of our Members and the products and services they require.

Based in the local area, I can see firsthand the increase in local housing developments and consequently can prepare and adapt for the increase in demand over the coming months.”

Eye on Beauty

Cosmetech... Are The Forefront Of The Cosmetic Boom THERE can’t be too many business sectors which can claim a year on year growth rate of somewhere around 30%. But that’s the level of growth being achieved in the area of non-surgical cosmetic treatments.

T

o the layman, that means treatments to maintain one’s youthful looks (if one has any, of course) without the need for expensive and complex surgery.

Holywood-based Cosmetech is one of Northern Ireland’s leading exponents of nonsurgical cosmetic treatments.

Nowadays part of the fastgrowing 3FiveTwo Medical Group, which also owns Belfast’s Kingsbridge Private Hospital, Cosmetech is also a sister clinic to the Chelsea Private Clinic in London which became part of 3FiveTwo a couple of years ago.

Both centres showpiece the skills of Maxillofacial Consultant Surgeon Mr. Ashok Songra, a true leader in the field of cosmetic treatments and one of the two founders of the 3FiveTwo Group alongside Dr. Suresh Tharma.

Mr. Songra developed an interest in non-surgical treatments while specialising in the correction of facial deformities, many of them caused by trauma.

Mr. Songra has an established reputation for creating some of the most natural-looking cosmetic work in the business.

His dislike of expressionless over-plumped faces has shaped his signature style.

“The techniques I use are more advanced and focus on preventing the signs of ageing by maintaining the skin and supporting the underlying structures of the face.

“People are much better informed these days about what kind of treatments are available

to them,” says Mr. Songra. “Most of our clients come following personal recommendations. It takes time to build a loyal client base and a strong reputation “People are living longer now and this market is open to people from all walks of life.

Professional people, both men and women, make up a large proportion of our client base,” he adds. “Most people take a very simple view.....that’s it’s good to be able to delay the ageing process for a few years if it makes them feel good.”

Non-surgical cosmetic treatments fall into four key areas:Cosmetic Botox – antiwrinkle injections Therapeutic Botox – for the treatment of migraines, hyper hydrosis (excessing sweating) & bruxism (teeth grinding).

Dermal Fillers – used to replace lost volume in areas of the face to create a non-surgical lift Thread Lifts – non-invasive treatment using threads to create lift on different areas of the face, neck and decolletage.

“With such a variety of noninvasive treatments available today, we’re now able to achieve an excellent natural-looking face lift without surgery.

“Symmetry and proportion are key to a natural attractive look because, as we age, we lose natural volume in the face.

Hyaluronic acid dermal fillers form a substance that occurs naturally in the body gently replacing what the skin has lost, lifting folds and halting ageing.”

Cosmetech’s team of experts specialise in non-surgical anti-ageing solutions, skin rejuvenation and semipermanent make-up.

The team of surgeons, with extensive experience in head, neck and reconstructive surgery, are fully experienced in providing a full range of cosmetic surgery procedures.

To find out more information or to book an appointment please call 028 90 423200, email frontdesk@cosmetech.co.uk or visit www.cosmetech.co.uk Cosmetech Clinics can be found at: Kingsbridge Private Hospital 811-815 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7GX Maypole Clinic, 5-7 Shore Road, Holywood, BT18 9XH Chelsea Private Clinic, The Courtyard, 250 Kings Rd, London, SW3 5UE

47

Eye on Leadership

Does this scenario sound familiar?

You have progressed well in your career and have earned your place at the leadership table. You are really looking forward to your first Board meeting, which will allow you to make a significant contribution to the strategic direction of the company...

Y

ou take your seat at the table -you are congratulated by your colleagues and you’re good to go. Suddenly, you glance down at the agenda – Item 3: Review of Financial and Management Accounts – 45 Minutes.

Items 1 and 2 are over and in walks the accountants, suited, booted and looking very serious.

The accounts are passed out – you are staring at a lot of numbers – and you hear the start of an overview, “Gross Profit is down, EBITDA has increased, accruals, prepayment, payables, turnover...”.

Just as the theme music to Jaws

48

starts playing in your head, you may start to feel that maybe, just maybe you shouldn’t be here but that thought couldn’t be further from the truth! Being on the Board of any organisation brings lots of responsibilities.

We want to help you maximise your contribution to the Board and add value.

With the Finance for NonFinancial Managers Programme you will leave with the ability to read, understand and interpret accounts and be able to ask the tough questions that are required when reviewing the financial situation of your company.

Both programmes are practical and delivered by people with extensive experience in finance and governance at Board level.

So, you don’t have to listen to the theme from Jaws any more. Think of our programmes as the opportunity to end the theme tune forever.

Davy McAlinden, Programme Director, William J Clinton Leadership Institute.

With the Leading Effective Boards Programme you will understand your duties as a Director but also understand and practise the skills, attitudes and behaviours you should demonstrate as an effective Board member.

BOOK NOW for these popular programmes 028 9097 4394 leadershipinstitute@qub.ac.uk www.leadershipinstitute.co.uk

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Ability to interpret financial data and ask the right questions Understanding of the risks that come with becoming a company director Confidence in budgeting for projects Capacity to forecasting financial trends Self-assurance in making informed and independent decisions

is short co a practical a urse provides n accounts k d comprehensive nowledge to Non-Finan c The two d ial Managers. ay program me will cover a wid e topics, esse range of finance n modern lea tial for efficient dership, in cluding financial la nguage, ca sh versus profi t, numbers, th interpreting the insolvency e role of audit, and much more.

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50

Eye on Women In Business

BDO & THE LIGHTER TOUCH Laura Jackson and Carol Malcolmson make up a charismatic and effective double act when it comes to talking about BDO’s Northern Ireland operation and the importance of women in the firm’s local team.

T

his pair are more than just effective communicators, a lot more. They believe that BDO is well ahead of the curve when it comes to what these days is popularly known as diversity in the workplace. And they reckon that it makes a big difference when it comes to BDO’s other strong point... and that is exceptional client service.

“We hear all the time now about professional advisory firms aiming to make sure that they have a diverse workplace in a few years time, and even publicising targets,” says Laura. “The difference here is that we have been in that space for quite a few years now. It has been in our nature and not something we do just so we can talk about it....”

An audit specialist, Laura is one of three females who hold the rank of Partner at BDO’s Belfast office. The other two are Carol Malcolmson, who heads up the firm’s Wealth Management operation, and Tax Partner Maybeth Shaw.

“Three of our 10 partners locally are female, and when you look at the director and senior management level in the firm, the majority are women. It’s easy to predict that our partner make up will remain balanced well into the future,” she smiles.

A former pupil of Belfast Royal Academy, Laura was one of a small group of school leavers to win a scholarship set up by the sister of the late Sir Ian Gow in his memory and studied accountancy at Queen’s University at the same time spending summers working in the charity sector, joining BDO and later completing a Masters Degree at the University of Ulster.

Carol Malcolmson, by contrast, took a very different route. She left school at 16, entered the financial services industry, worked her way up taking professional exams along the way and ended up in management with both Abbey National and Law Society (NI) Financial Services before moving to BDO to head up its dedicated wealth management unit.

“I think that what we do well here at BDO is to provide opportunities for our employees.

We can’t make them take the opportunities, but we can provide access to them along with

Carol Malcolmson.

genuine flexibility,” she comments. “We have members of staff here working a wide variety of different hours and days. We’re committed to working with families as well as employees. In a lot of ways, we’re like a family ourselves.”

In Carol’s own case, being a woman has some distinct advantages. “For example, I do a lot of probate work and that can often be with women managing an estate after the death of their husbands. But I find that being a woman, and a good listener, helps in all sorts of one on one situations. And that’s what my role is all about.”

Laura Jackson, on the other hand, still finds herself in her audit role as sometimes the only

51

Eye on Women In Business

Laura Jackson

“ Corporation tax reduction could and should be a major boost, although I agree with those who’ve been saying that we need to start the preparatory work now and get the infrastructure up to speed. As accountants, we play a key role as advisers and, in many cases, as entrepreneurs.” woman advising male dominated boards and senior management teams. But it’s something she is well used to....and it certainly doesn’t hold any fears for her.

The mother of two children aged 7 and 9, Laura also works hours that suit her lifestyle. “Most mornings I do the school run before coming into the office, and on some days I leave before

52

the evening rush hour kicks in.

That is then balanced out with working in the evening, that is when I am not out a work related dinner or function. But I don’t mind that at all, it is part of the weekday routine as far as I’m concerned, and all part of making sure that BDO clients continue to get exceptional service.

“Technology is the game

changer for all of us. We can all work nowadays from home or wherever we happen to be, when we need to.”

And BDO’s family-friendly approach isn’t limited to mothers and, in Carol Malcolmson’s case, grandmothers.

“We also work with fathers in the firm who need flexibility to be able to look after their children on a regular basis,” adds Laura.

The BDO team in Belfast have their own mantra for the approach that they take – Affability, Availability & Ability.

“We think it sums us all up very well,” says Carol Malcolmson. “But it is important to stress that we also take a very holistic approach to working alongside our personal and business clients. We’ll use the expertise in the firm as a whole on a day to day basis.

“Take our tax team, for instance. Both Laura and I will liaise with them all the time while we’re working with our clients. In fact, I will often take a tax specialist with me when I go out to talk to clients.”

On the business front, both women see a lot more optimism and confidence amongst their clients and the economy as a whole.

“Things are certainly looking a lot brighter,” says Laura Jackson.

“There are some areas of concern.

The construction sector, for example, is lagging behind a bit.

But, overall, there are plenty of reasons to be confident. The fact that the banks are fully engaged again is something to be welcomed, especially as our growing businesses begin to make ambitious investment decisions.

“Corporation tax reduction could and should be a major boost, although I agree with those who’ve been saying that we need to start the preparatory work now and get the infrastructure up to speed.

“As accountants, we play a key role as advisers and, in many cases, as entrepreneurs.”

BDO works with a high proportion of indigenous Northern Ireland businesses, and that’s no accident given the firm’s record of keeping close to its clients.

“We talk to our clients every day, It’s as simple as that. We work

to connect the dots for them, and we can do that right across the board,” adds Laura. “There are some brilliant companies in this region, and a lot of them tend to be modest and reserved about what they are doing.

“That said, businesses here have to be driven. There’s no merit in anyone resting on their laurels.”

Carol Malcolmson says that BDO’s role is all about being trusted advisers, whether its on strategic direction, finance, tax or wealth management.

“We understand our clients and what they are trying to achieve.

With that in place, it’s all about maintaining contact and keeping the lines of communication open.”

And BDO, with its 162 staff and 10 partners, is one of those organisations where a ‘work hard, play hard’ ethos is part of the DNA. At Christmas, for example, the firm and its people went a bit further than the traditional festive party. Instead, it took over the MAC in Belfast to stage its very own pantomime, with employees making up the cast and family and friends in the audience. The whole initiative raised more than £8,000 for the Northern Ireland Hospice.

“Working life isn’t all about the financial side of things,” adds Carol. “We work hard, but we enjoy working here as part of this team and we enjoy the camaraderie around the place.

And, do you know what, I think it shows in how we do things.....”

Eye on Women In Business

Catherine Roy, Director, Audit at BDO NI

Claire McFall, Director, Audit at BDO NI

Jackie Nesbitt, Principal, Wealth Management at BDO NI

I have been part of the team at BDO for almost

I joined BDO in 2005 as a graduate trainee and I

I am a Chartered Financial Planner and a Fellow

15 years, the majority of that time spent within

am now a director within the audit department

of the Personal Finance Society. For the last

the management team. Having completed

having progressed through the various levels of

11 years I have worked within the Wealth

my training contract with BDO, I was very

management over the past 10 years. I work with a

Management department at BDO providing

quickly offered the opportunity to progress

wide range of clients in terms of size and industry

financial advice to both corporate and private

within the firm. In fact within 2 months of

from Top 10 Northern Ireland companies to small

clients. Currently I am the Principal within

becoming a qualified chartered accountant, I

owner managed businesses. During my time with

the team and have overall responsibility

was promoted to an assistant manager role.

the firm, the partners at BDO have taken a personal

for compliance and risk management.

Further promotions followed, proving that hard

interest in my career development, providing not

BDO is a family friendly firm who has provided

work and commitment to my team and to the

only a broad spectrum of opportunities in terms of

me with the flexibility to combine a senior

wider firm was being recognised and very much

technical experience, but also one on one mentoring

management role with family commitments. Over

appreciated. The partners have been extremely

and support which has equipped me for the role I hold

my time with BDO I have had the opportunity to

encouraging along the way and are always more

in BDO today. There are no barriers to progression

develop my leadership skills through involvement

than willing to support those that are keen

at BDO – from day one, we are all encouraged to

in strategic planning and people development.

to learn and develop into leadership roles.

strive & develop at the firm, with the knowledge that hard work and talent will be rewarded.

Fiona Hall, Director, Private Client Tax at BDO NI

Pam Gillies, Director, Advisory Services at BDO NI

Bronagh Bourke, Director, Audit at BDO NI

I joined BDO as a manager in 2006 so this year

I was encouraged by my Partners at an early point in

I have recently joined BDO having spent the last

marks my 10th anniversary with the firm.

my career to embrace my potential with confidence

15 years working in practice in Dublin. A key

Over this period our team has enjoyed strong

and to focus on a leadership fast track programme,

factor which attracted me to BDO was the gender

growth, and personally I have progressed to

as a result of which I became a Director of the

balance within their management team; a team

Director level. We provide both Private Client

Advisory team within BDONI when I was 30.

that includes highly successful working mothers.

tax advisory and compliance services. A key

At the heart of my success was a clearly defined

I am at a stage where I wanted the opportunity to

characteristic of our department is exceptional

personal development plan that supported the

progress in a firm which matched my ambition but

teamwork and it is really satisfying to lead a

evolution of my role and which was fundamental

maintained a work life balance as a core principle,

team where different personalities use their

to my career journey within the firm.

and I believe BDO offers this.

skills to work together for our clients.

As a Director within the firm, I have a clear vision

From the outset, I have benefited from the

with ambition to succeed. I naturally take a friendly

flexibility and support to identify and focus

and engaging approach to motivate and support my

on the tax and managerial areas I enjoy and

colleagues and in working with our clients. I fully

which play to my strengths. This has been

recognise the importance of: taking responsibility,

central to the evolvement of my specialist

gaining the respect of those with whom I work with

tax knowledge and career progression.

and providing, at all times, clear direction.

53

Eye on News

AIRPORT CHARITY PARTNERSHIP A FLYING SUCCESS A two year partnership between Belfast International Airport and local charity, Action Mental Health (AMH), has concluded with over £16,000 raised to help increase awareness of mental ill-health in Northern Ireland.

F

unds collected during the charity partnership, the first of its kind for Belfast International, will go towards helping people recover from mental illness in Northern Ireland and raise awareness of the symptoms.

Praising Belfast International Airport on its achievement, Chief Executive of AMH, David Babington said: “We are extremely proud to have been selected as the very first charity partner of Belfast International Airport and are delighted with its unprecedented success.

“The money raised will further our efforts in reducing stigmatisation within the local community and transform

the lives of those living with mental illhealth, as well as promoting resilience and well-being to future generations.”

During the two year partnership, Belfast International Airport employees collectively organised a series of funfilled fundraisers for both customers and staff, including a VIP discounted Christmas shopping event, coffee mornings, and pilates taster sessions.

In addition, Belfast International Airport kicked of the partnership with a substantial donation of £10,000.

Action Mental Health operates in nine locations across Northern Ireland and supports more than 2,000 clients each year by delivering

Managing Director of Belfast International Airport, Graham Keddie; with Chief Executive of AMH, David Babington; AMH Communications Manager, Tricia Browne; Business Development Director of BIA, Uel Hoey; BIA Public Relations Assistant, Lauren Deegan; and AMH Fundraising and Events Officer, Callum Clark.

a variety of life-changing courses to the local community.

Managing Director of Belfast International Airport, Graham Keddie said: “Belfast International Airport is extremely passionate about giving back to the local community, which is why we have a number of charitable initiatives in place to help fund a catalogue of worthy causes such as Action Mental Health.

“The topic of mental health is something which has touched most people’s lives in Northern Ireland, whether it’s through a friend or loved one. So with that said, we endeavoured to raise as much funds as possible for AMH so they can carry out their fantastic work and support those in need.”

To find out more information on Action Mental Health and the services it offers, please visit www.amh.org.uk

VISIT BELFAST ANNOUNCES NEW CHAIRMAN Dr. Howard Hastings OBE, Managing Director of Hastings Hotels, has been appointed the new Chair of Visit Belfast.

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oward replaces David Gavaghan, who has chosen to focus on other commitments.

He will continue to serve as a member of the Board.

Commenting on his appointment, Howard said “This is a very exciting time for Belfast, where a huge amount of investment is resulting in a growing tourism industry.

The extension of the Belfast Waterfront, a new cruise facility and new hotel developments are raising the city’s profile as an attractive destination. I am very pleased to take on the role of Chairman of Visit Belfast and look forward to the opportunity

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to play my part in growing tourism further for the city.

David said, “I thoroughly enjoyed my time as Chair of Visit Belfast, but given my other immediate commitments with Aurora Prime Real Estate and as Chair of the Confederation of British Industry in Northern Ireland, I am delighted that Howard Hastings has agreed to replace me as Chair and I am pleased to support him in his new role.”

Gerry Lennon, Chief Executive of Visit Belfast, said, “I would like to thank David for the work and dedication he showed as Chair of Visit Belfast, and to congratulate Howard on his appointment. As Managing Director of Northern

Ireland’s largest locally-owned hotel group, Howard is a very wellknown and respected member of the tourism industry. He serves on the Boards of Tourism Ireland and Food NI, and recently stood down as Chair of Tourism Northern Ireland after a most successful

tenure. It is this experience that makes him an excellent choice as our new Chair, and we are looking forward to working closely with him during his term.”

AMERICAN

FRIDAYS AT 8PM

Eye on Round Table

BUSINESS LED TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT...

THE WAY AHEAD FOR NORTHERN IRELAND Business Eye joined forces with MOL, a national training and development company based in Manchester, to stage a Round Table Discussion held at Belfast’s Scottish Provident Building and looking at the importance of training and development to businesses in Northern Ireland.

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OL provides blended and online learning programmes across many levels in Management & Leadership, Human Resources (CIPD), Facilities Management, Accountancy, Public Relations, Property, and Construction & Electrical and also delivers bespoke

training programmes for companies, converting in-house training to national recognition. They have been operating in Northern Ireland for the past two years, are members of the NI Chamber of Commerce, and recently sponsored the Business Education Award at the UTV Business Eye Awards.

The Panel

John Simpson – Economist

Colin Gordon – Tina McKenzie – Managing Director of Staffline Managing Director, MOL Ireland, PeoplePlusNI and Diamond Recruitment

RB – A general question to kick off: how important is it for local organisations to invest in training and development?

MB – It’s immensely important.

Everything has to be demand led. I’m working with 70 small businesses and what they need must drive curriculum development. I’ve been on both sides of the fence, as Head of Technology at Belfast Met and in the private sector.

What’s important, as I see it, is the the destination has to be kept in mind when it comes to training and learning. Designing the right courses is vital.

CG – With budget being so critical, organisations insist that training must deliver for them. In other words, it’s not all about what they spend: it’s about what outcomes and organisational impact they can achieve. And don’t forget that there are people being trained

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for jobs now that never existed five years ago. Part of looking forward is trying to anticipate what the future demands will be.

So demand-led is critical, but so is the speed at which training and development providers can move.

MB – And that’s where the challenge lies, how the education sector can respond to the needs of business.

RB – It’s one of the big questions, isn’t it? Whether the education sector is producing the goods for the private sector.

AM – There are mixed opinions on that. We hear some fantastic stories of very responsive colleges and establishments, particularly when it comes to inward investment projects. But it’s not always like that on the ground here in Northern Ireland. Almost every company we talk to has a skills shortage of some description.

Kieran O’Neill Director of Operations and Lead for Talent & Innovation at Deloitte Northern Ireland

MB – I’ve come across plenty of quick fix solutions, where an FE college has delivered tailored solutions for businesses quickly and effectively. But, that way, you’re not building capacity for the future.

TM – We work closely with the colleges, we even outsource back to them. But we have taken the step of establishing our own academy on the GB-wide basis and it is skills based rather than academic. The Northern Ireland landscape is very different to GB. The wider problem is that there can still be a lack of connection between the education sector and business. Here we have 77% of GDP centred around SME’s whereas in GB, 52% of GDP comes from large companies. That’s probably why we spend less than other areas of the UK on training.

AM – A lot of the small businesses we deal with are often afraid to invest in training because they’re scared that additional

Ann McGregor – Chief Executive NI Chamber of Commerce

Mark Brotherston – Chief Executive of Inspire Business Park

training will make their people more employable....by others.

CG – Yes, but they run the risk of the old adage: “Train them and they may leave: don’t train them and they will stay”.

I’m sure we all appreciate the impact of having untrained and ineffective workers in our businesses as we move forward.

MB – We used to cluster companies together and take them to DEL with a view to a customised training route. It was very bespoke and worked well. That’s changed.

Customised training is now back in further education. And working directly with colleges just doesn’t always seem to work for companies. A lot of people think that it’s a case of the public sector feeding the public sector.

TM – The issue for DEL is that it needs more people from the private sector at its heart and

Eye on Round Table

involved in what it is doing. DEL is seen as an extension of the education sector, and that’s not the way that it should be. But I think change will come in the form of the new Communities Department. I certainly hope so.

MB – DEL have moved to the position where they have two funding streams. One is Bridge to Employment, the other is Assured Skills. Outside of those, they can’t help, so it’s easy to get gridlocked.

MB – There’s no doubt that we need to invest more in indigenous growth. I’m running one of 30-odd business centres with 50 and more SME’s at each and I don’t think they’re getting the support that they need.

CG – So is the message here that the people making the decisions in the Department don’t have a grasp of current business issues and challenges?

TM – We do what employers need us to do in the private sector. But that’s not the case in the public sector. There is still so much about DEL and even DETI that is just too complex. A lot of smaller organisations don’t even know where to start. They don’t have the time to navigate their way through.

TM – We also have another big challenge, the highest youth unemployment in the UK. Something about what we are doing on the skills development front simply isn’t working.

RB – But does business engage enough? We can’t always blame the education sector and the department.

MB – We make the environment over complex. I’ve only got my head around it by living on both sides of the fence.

TM – I think it will change with the department restructure. Budget cuts means that they will have to be more innovative. And I think the education system will change for the better too. But businesses have to take responsibility.

Sometimes it’s easiest to fix things yourself instead of running to a government department. To be frank, the education system isn’t fit for purpose....and that’s going to take years to remedy.

RB – Colin, you’re back at home in the Northern Ireland marketplace having been based in England for some years, does it look overly complex to you?

CG – It seems to be down to who controls the purse strings, and because there is a large private sector here, it is all about chasing the public purse and that can mean following someone else’s agenda or you don’t get anything.

Businesses must engage and

get their message across. If we want to improve our GDP, we’ve got to boost the performance of our organisations, and skills development is crucial to that.

TM – Moving some resources from government out to the new local councils is fine in principle, but the councils are slow to get their strategic plans made and to get working. So there is a gap between DETI losing the service and the councils getting up and running.

AM – Yes, there are disconnects there. Some of the councils are further down the lines than others.

I used to be Chief Executive of Enterprise NI and the help that could be given at a local level used to be significant. What concerns me is that delivery agents are getting well paid to produce things like simplistic business plans... that’s not right.

TM – DEL won’t move people on from its Steps To Success programme until they have an accountant and a business bank account, and some people struggle with that. It’s another disconnect.

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Eye on Round Table AM - All of this might help explain that fact that a lot of people who start a business here don’t go near an enterprise agency.

RB – What can we do to encourage our businesses in Northern Ireland to educate their people, to develop them into management material? Why can business not make that investment, and why can government not see that that’s where they need to spend their money? Where is the roadblock?

TM – It’s because the economy here is SME-led. Those companies don’t have the funds and the knowledge of where to go and how to develop.

AM – Invest NI will say that they spend most of their money on the SME sector and the fact is that most of those companies concentrate on running their businesses and trying to make money. The majority simply don’t invest in training and development as they should do. They are the ones that need development.

RB – We can be a bit inward looking around here. What messages can you bring back from GB, Colin?

AM – I’d say that Investors in People is a really good discipline to help make any organisation more outward looking, as are awards like the UTV Business Eye Awards.

CG – I like to add to the old adage “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink” - with “but you can add salt to his water to make him thirsty”. So we face the challenge of making these SMEs thirsty. They must see the value in what we’re offering.

And that’s difficult when they’re looking through a cloudy lens that they’ve created through the years. It can’t be forced. It’s about getting us close to businesses, engaging, understanding them, and helping them to understand

what their business needs to grow and move forward.

KO – There is a gap in the skills base. Universities and colleges are doing a great job, but there is more to do.

JS – The difficulty is that we’re seeing a lot of this from a provider point of view. We have a very successful SME sector here...and its a very profitable sector. We might not be doing enough training, but does that mean that businesses

are not successful? I don’t think so. So you can see why some might not be spending too much time thinking about training. So it probably comes down to providers finding the right targets. And universities and colleges can only be so flexible....it still takes a couple of years to design and introduce a new course, for example. There is a school of thought that our universities and colleges operate at too low a level and tend to inherit their approaches from the past.

What they’re doing is useful but not as useful as we would like.

TM – And it doesn’t make much of an impact on the very large number of economically inactive people that we have here in Northern Ireland.

JS – We now have high-level science graduates coming back to Northern Ireland from GB universities and working in big contact centre operations here.

TM – But at least these centres give them real work experience.

The problem with a lot of graduates coming out is that they’ve never even had the experience of a part-time job and a taste of the discipline of work. Here’s a question. If you look at our economy, GDP and the amount of investment going into the Republic, is the lower level

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Eye on Round Table MB – And there’s a legacy mentality. East Belfast is an example. Back in the days when thousands of people worked in the shipyard, the education system didn’t have anything much to aim for.

CG – We talked about graduates working in contact centres.

Another challenge is around how we find them their next job... how we progress them. So how do we up-skill them and create a career path with progression and developmental opportunities?

TM – I don’t think that leaders are trained. They’re the ones in any organisation who take the initiative and go the extra mile.

of investment here a reflection of a skills gap, or is it more about Northern Ireland’s image?

JS – Invest NI behaves as though 40 years of the Troubles didn’t happen, and it has to do that. But it did happen. People still come off the plane at Belfast carrying the knowledge that they have about this place. But we’ve also got to note that they’ve geared up their education system really well in the Republic.

AM – They have a very cohesive interlinked approach. Our’s tends to centre around a series of silos..... and that doesn’t work so well.

TM – They also embrace the technical college system.

We’re stuck with a bit of a snobbery around graduates.

MB – I remembering being Head of Technology at Belfast Met and I used to hear of students at Inst next door being

threatened that, if they didn’t work hard at A Level, they’d end up with Mark Brotherston at the College of Knowledge..... as it used to be nicknamed!

But a lot has changed. In our academy system, we might have a girl who left school at 15 and has a child sitting beside someone who is an archaeology graduate, and one is as bright and eager to learn as the other.

TM – Here’s the bottom line,. There are no more jobs for life. You’ve got to re-skill, up-skill and move on.

There are jobs out there, despite all that we hear in the media.

CG – In some places there is a role for training, in others a role for skills development, and in some others a role for increased knowledge. But the culture of an organisation is important, and wider organisational development can play a crucial role.

TM – Northern Ireland, let’s not forget, has a unique opportunity.

We really could be the first region on these islands, even in Western Europe, with full employment.

It is achievable. 40,000 people is not a big number. If we can bring enough shared services operations to Northern Ireland and create a speciality around that, then we could do it.

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A DV E RT I S I N G F E AT U R E

Are you running the risk of outliving your savings?

In a world of low interest rates, volatile markets and increasing life expectancy, Finlay Wealth Management LLP offers some useful guidance on retirement planning.

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lthough the State Pension provides a limited income (currently £6,029.40 for a single person, per annum, based on a full NI record), it falls drastically short of what is really needed to fund a comfortable lifestyle. So how do we avoid poverty in retirement?

First, decide how large a fund you will need. One method is to multiply your target retirement income by 25.

For example, if you think you’ll need £25,000 a year, aim for a fund of £625,000.

Next, select the most appropriate investment vehicles to achieve your goal. Property, Investment Bonds and ISAs have all proved popular over recent years but don’t offer the same degree of tax breaks or guarantees as a pension. Take advice from a trusted financial professional. If your retirement is imminent you will obviously want to maximise your income from the money available. But be aware – you’ll need to make it last.

longer and facing the possibility of funding a retirement that could now last 20 years or more. What are your best income options?

Most people will be familiar with annuities, whereby you exchange pension funds for a guaranteed annual income from a life assurance company. Annuities are fixed for life but they can be linked to inflation and furthermore, can provide your partner with an income when you pass away.

The annuity rate offered by the life assurer is affected by the prevailing yield on gilts and corporate bonds. Annuity rates have recently been falling. Nevertheless, it is imperative to exercise the Open Market Option – your right to compare annuity rates in the market – before making a decision.

Retirement funds are coming under increasing pressure from the simple fact that we’re living longer.

An alternative to an annuity is something called income drawdown. These schemes aim to outperform annuities by investing in assets such as stocks and shares.With recent market volatility they have not performed well. That said, opportunities may exist for those phasing in retirement as markets will, eventually, bounce back. Deciding how you take your pension benefits is complex and necessitates professional advice.

The Office for National Statistics showed that in 1981 a woman’s pension was expected to last 17 years, and a man’s pension was expected to last 6 years*. With people generally living

For further information or to request your complimentary guide to retirement planning, please contact Finlay Wealth Management LLP of St. James’s Place Wealth

Finlay Wealth Management LLP is based locally and is inviting Business Eye readers to discover the simple yet highly effective steps you can take to protect your wealth and stay in control - helping the right amount of it pass to the right people at the right time.

Call 028 9067 2359 for more information or your complimentary guide to wealth management.

Management. Jonathan can be contacted by phone on 028 9067 2359 or by email on jonathan.finlay@sjpp.co.uk.

The levels and bases of taxation and reliefs from taxation can change at any time and are generally dependent on individual circumstances. The value of an investment with St. James’s Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds selected and the value may fall as well as rise.You may get back less than the amount invested.

Office of National Statistics, UK Interim Life Tables (released 29/09/11)

*

FINLAY WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLP Partner Practice of St. James’s PlaceWealth Management Tel: 028 9067 2359 Email: jonathan.finlay@sjpp.co.uk Web: www.finlaywealth.co.uk

The Partner Practice represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products. The ‘St. James’s Place Partnership’ and the titles ‘Partner’ and ‘Partner Practice’ are marketing terms used to describe St. James’s Place representatives.

Eye on Giving

STRATEGIC GIVING...

NI NEEDS TO CATCH UP Michael Graham, Director and Head of Private Client at Cleaver Fulton Rankin, since 2005.

1. What are your thoughts, in general, on charitable giving?

I think that charitable giving is hugely important and, given that the amount of state funding available has been cut across the board, it will only continue to grow in terms of its importance to society. I think that engaging with and giving to charities is of vital importance to our collective social conscience.

2. Is your giving personal or corporate or a combination of both?

Both. There are a number of charities which I support personally and at Cleaver Fulton Rankin we have always supported and acted for a large number of local and national charities. About four years ago we took the decision to allow our staff to choose a ‘charity of the year’ which provides a better focus for fundraising events. We have found the charity of the year initiative to be a great way of generating enthusiasm amongst our staff and have raised around £25,000 each year for our chosen charities.

3. How do you give to charity: monetarily, your own time as a volunteer or your specialist skills?

Again, I would have to say all of the above. I have been involved with a number of charities in a personal capacity over the years and presently sit on the executive

committee of Will to Give which is a local charity dedicated to promoting charitable giving by will.

I have been involved with Will to Give since it began in 2009 and am very passionate about it. I also work with a number of charities and carers groups to provide information to their members about relevant issues such as wills and planning for nursing care. Will to Give is also taking part in an event for Philanthropy Fortnight on 20 April this year which is aimed at encouraging professional advisers to promote charitable giving by will.

4. What types of causes do you favour and why?

I tend to have most involvement with charities which help older people given that in my day to day work I advise my own clients in relation to wills, tax and issues of mental capacity. I tend to give most of my time to charities working in a similar area themselves, such as the Alzheimer’s Society and Parkinson’s UK. I sometimes think that it was no accident that I fell into this area of work since as a child I was lucky enough to know all four of my grandparents and two of my greatgrandparents. That meant that I spent a lot of time in nursing homes, visiting family members. I now find that much of my work involves dealing with older people and I have always been very interested in and protective towards those clients.

5. Are there specific charities or causes that you give to regularly? How do you choose which to support?

In addition to the work we undertake annually as a firm for our Charity of the Year I also give to a number of charities that mean something to me personally. For example, I support the work of the Alzheimer’s Society because of the funding that they provide for dementia research. Two of my wife’s grandparents suffered from dementia and so we have seen the effects of that illness first hand. I am also a member of the National Trust and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust because I believe that we need to protect our local environment.

6. Do you believe that companies and individuals have a duty to help others? If yes, why?

Yes, of course. What sort of society would we live in if we only thought of ourselves?

7. What is your message to business people who may be thinking about

becoming more involved in strategic philanthropy?

It is extremely worthwhile for a whole host of reasons. Over and above the need to demonstrate good corporate social responsibility, targeted giving helps to ensure maximum benefit from the funds raised. As a firm, we have found that working with a charity closely, rather than just making a donation to it, can help create good news stories which benefit both organisations.

8. Giving Northern Ireland was set up to champion Philanthropy. Why do you think it is important that there is an organisation that helps businesses and individuals think more strategically about giving?

I think that whilst people in Northern Ireland are recognised as being amongst the most generous in the UK, we are still some way behind the rest of the country in terms of strategic giving. Having a local organisation that can help business and individuals develop a solid framework for their philanthropic activities is a real step forward.

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Eye on Law

Catriona Gibson with Alan Taylor.

ARTHUR COX APPOINTS NEW MANAGING PARTNER Leading law firm Arthur Cox has appointed Catriona Gibson as Managing Partner of its Northern Ireland practice.

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atriona becomes the first female to assume leadership of a top-tier law firm in Northern Ireland and will lead a practice of 90, whilst continuing to head the highly respected Dispute Resolution team.

She takes over the Managing Partner role from Alan Taylor, under whose eight-year tenure the firm has gone from strength to strength. Alan, meanwhile, becomes Chairman of Arthur Cox’s Belfast office.

Catriona joined the firm 10 years ago, following a very successful career in England. She specialises in commercial, product liability and finance litigation, and has worked on many of the most high-profile cases to come before the courts in Northern Ireland and London.

Speaking of her new role, Catriona said:

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“It’s a tremendous honour to lead one of the most respected advisory teams in Northern Ireland. Our firm in Belfast has a history that stretches back almost 100 years, and it is remarkable what we have built under Alan’s term – a firm with truly global reach and capabilities, one that is a natural adviser to the largest multinationals operating here.

“Looking forwards, we are committed to the local marketplace and committed to providing trusted and innovative advice to an ever-growing national and international client base.

“I have learnt much from Alan’s leadership and will continue to value his counsel as we further build our reputation for nuanced and pragmatic advice.”

Alan Taylor, now Chairman of Arthur Cox in Northern Ireland, commented: “Catriona is unparalleled locally within professional services for the strength of her capabilities and the

international locus that she has brought right to the heart of Northern Ireland’s professional service community.

“She has been a leading light within the practice for many years, highly regarded by clients and peers alike as an excellent advisor who is not only technically very strong but also very commercially-minded.

“Catriona has been a major driver of Arthur Cox’s success and has been heavily involved in a number of genuinely pioneering legal developments in recent years. I look forward to working closely with Catriona in her new role, in which I know she will be a huge success.”

Arthur Cox is ranked as one of the leading law firms in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland by both Chambers and Legal 500 and currently advises Government, leading corporate clients and the SME sector. The firm employs over 90 people in Belfast with additional offices in Dublin, London, New York and Silicon Valley.

Eye on Economics

RESILIENCE IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD We’re fortunate to be part of a UK economy which is looking strong despite the uncertainties in the global picture at the moment... says Frances Hill

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hat should we make of the state of the UK economy in the early weeks of 2016? It’s a question my colleagues and I in the Bank of England’s Agency network try to make sense of as we meet those at the coal face of industry every day.

In truth, it’s a tough one to answer at the moment. The global economy continues to give some business leaders – and policymakers – reasons for concern, whether that be disappointing growth rates in overseas markets, stock market volatility, or further drops in oil and other commodity prices.

And those global events are contributing to continued extremely low inflation here in the UK, leading the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to vote to keep interest rates at historically low levels when they met last week [w/b Feb 1].

The Bank Rate has now been at 0.5% for almost seven years.

But the world looks very different today from that we faced in 2009.

Then, the global economy had stalled, financial markets had plummeted and the UK banking system was in crisis. Today, whilst global growth may be sluggish and financial markets turbulent, the UK financial system is much more resilient – and the economy is growing robustly.

It’s that resilience in the face of global challenges that characterises the mood amongst many of our business contacts in Northern Ireland at present.

As reported in our latest Agents’ Summary of Business Conditions, growth has eased back a little in

recent months, but remains solid overall, and many businesses are continuing to invest.

The services sector, in particular, has been buoyant, reflecting further growth in consumer spending, which is being helped by falling unemployment and higher spending power thanks to weak inflation, especially for goods such as food and petrol. That picture must be balanced, however, by the fact that conditions are more challenging for many manufacturers, especially those exposed to global markets or in sectors such as oil and gas.

The stories we pick up from our contacts play an important part in informing the Bank of England’s policymakers about what is going on in the economy.

For example, despite record numbers of people being in work across the UK (and in NI we have seen unemployment fall from a peak of 8.2% in DecFeb 2013 to 5.9% in Sep-Nov 2015), we have not seen wages (as measured by the Labour Force Survey) rise as strongly as expected. It could be that the current low rate of inflation is moderating pay rises, although other factors – such as relatively weak productivity growth and lower levels of ‘churn’ in the jobs market than pre-crisis – may also be a factor. Our business contacts can help us weigh these – and other - drivers of trends in pay settlements.

In gathering our evidence, we talk to a diverse range of businesses across Northern Ireland, from manufacturing to services to construction firms, and firms of all sizes.

Frances Hill, Bank of England’s Agent for Northern Ireland.

The MPC is targeted to help deliver inflation, measured by the Consumer Prices Index, of 2%. Much of the current weakness (CPI is 0.2%) reflects the effects of low energy and imported goods prices, which will wane over time. So inflation is expected to pick up over the next two years as domestic cost pressures, notably wages, grow, returning inflation to target and then rising a little above it.

For that to happen, it’s more likely than not that Bank Rate will need to increase over the next three years. But with various headwinds weighing on the economy, when that happens, it is expected to rise only gradually and to a lower level than in recent times.

We live and work in one of the most open economies in the world, so the recent difficulties facing parts of the global economy inevitably affect our prospects.

But, with record high employment, businesses continuing to invest, and a financial system that has been tested to withstand severe shocks, the UK today is the fortunate possessor of a resilient economy in an uncertain world.

“ We live and work in one of the most open economies in the world, so the recent difficulties facing parts of the global economy inevitably affect our prospects.”

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Eye on Business Leaders Forum

Brexit... Does Business Speak With (Almost) One Voice?

There aren’t too many consistencies around the Brexit Debate, which is hotting up nicely ever since David Cameron decided to name the date (June 23rd).

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ut one of them, here in Northern Ireland at least, is that business seems to speak with one voice.....or very close to it. The first mainstream survey of local business leaders, by the NI Chamber of Commerce & Industry, produced an 81% vote in favour of staying in Europe.

Politically, things are very different.

Despite her pro-business tendencies, First Minister Arlene Foster seems determined to toe the party line and promote Brexit. Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell, meanwhile, is known to be pro-Europe but hasn’t made his position entirely clear. Sinn Fein and the SDLP are both pro-Europe

and the Ulster Unionists are still (unbelievably) sitting on the fence.

There aren’t a lot of facts around in the debate. A lot of this, inevitably, is conjecture and theory and that’s the way that it will be between now and the 23rd of June.

We asked a healthy cross section of local business leaders for their views on the Brexit Debate. Curiously, there is a clear reticence out there to be seen talking about it. It’s hard to know why that might be, but some shy away from this in the same that they would if they’d been asked what local party they vote for......!

In any case, debate is crucial.

We have to talk over the issues in

advance of going to the polls in June.... for the second time in two months.

Here at Business Eye and on our weekly Business Eye Online blog, we’ll continue to promote that debate. And we’ll continue to take

a position... that Northern Ireland is much better off staying in Europe alongside the rest of Ireland.

Richard Buckley Editor

Patricia O’Hagan CEO Core Systems

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can only speak for my company, but I am sure many business owners will look at the issue as I do, whilst others will see different factors affecting them.

In simple terms, for Northern Ireland to get wealthier, we need to bring money in from outside. That can only come from a combination of export sales and foreign direct investment. The jobs provided by Core Systems in North Belfast are sustained by selling goods and services to overseas customers (99% export sales). We supply customers in Australia and America but Europe is a key market for us and we have ambition and opportunity to grow further.

Being in the EU gives us access to one of the largest and richest markets on the

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planet but, possibly more importantly, it also lets us draw our employees from across twenty eight countries with minimal bureaucratic difficulties associated with their employment.

Half of our management team comes from the Republic of Ireland which, under the current arrangements, is very straightforward. Would that continue to be the case if the UK were to leave the EU? – it’s not clear and no one who advocates the UK leaving is in a position to give a categorical answer.

By way of prior experience, we previously sought to recruit a specialist from outside the EU, but the process took many months and was fraught with difficulties we just don’t face when employing EU nationals.

The EU certainly has flaws; that are well known to most business people, and it has many challenges ahead of it, but our leaving will not change them. In making a choice between the options facing us, I am conscious that the “Remain” lobby has the easier task of pointing to the existing settlement and, perhaps, offering to make some improvements. By contrast, the “Leave” lobby cannot bind successor governments, so it has to rely on predictions of what might be achieved through multi-lateral negotiations and what the costs and benefits might be.

For my business, the certainty associated with remaining in the EU is more compelling than the uncertainties of leaving.

Eye on Business Leaders Forum Joe Doyle Head of Finance, Montupet UK Limited.

MONTUPET successfully operates in the global automotive market, manufacturing high quality aluminium engine components, in Dunmurry. Part of a French Group it has annual sales of £100 million, employs 600 highly skilled employees and contributes significantly to the local economy, benefitting from substantial EU funding.

Support for membership is based on the belief that, if run efficiently, it brings; • Financial stability • Enhanced market growth opportunities • National cooperation • Better long term prospects for all participants However, there are serious issues, which the no campaign will use to attempt to sway public opinion towards an EU exit.

Budget allocations, immigration, inefficient bureaucracy, federalist agendas, uncontrolled admission of economically weak members, corruption etcetera are of concern, but can best be resolved by being tackled from within to the benefit of all.

David Cameron has backed himself into a very difficult corner in that; • His negotiated reforms are universally regarded as being marginal.

• A referendum result will be final and binding.

• Due to the complexity of the economic

“ This is very dangerous territory and is tantamount to playing Russian roulette without knowing how many bullets are in the chamber.”

arguments and the plethora of opinions of economic participants and experts, a confused public is likely to be swayed more by emotive issues championed by high profile spokespersons with diverse agendas.

This is very dangerous territory and is tantamount to playing Russian roulette without knowing how many bullets are in the chamber.

If Germany were to decide to exit, they

would survive. Their economy is driven by a strong export led quality manufacturing sector that will always provide economic wealth.

The UK economy, heavily reliant as it is on Services, Banking and Finance, may have difficulty going it alone should there be, for a variety of reasons, a major relocation of employment overseas with no strong manufacturing core to fall back on.

As they say in France “Croissez les doigts!”

Glyn Roberts Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Independent Retailer Trade Association (NIIRTA) Staying In Offers The Only Certainty

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orthern Ireland’s business community has an absolutely central role in this EU referendum, particularly our small businesses that make up 99% of all private sector companies.

In our alternative Programme for Government, The Plan, we are very clear that the UK remaining in a reformed, refocused and competitive European Union makes sound economic sense for Northern Ireland.

Being part of the largest single market in the world of over 500 million is crucial for Northern Ireland growing our private sector. The uncertainty of Brexit is the very last thing Northern Ireland’s slow recovery needs at this time.

The Centre for Economic and Business Research says that locally nearly 111,500 jobs are linked to trade with the EU, which equates to 1 in 8 jobs in

Northern Ireland. Goods exports from Northern Ireland to the EU account for over £3.6 billion. Our colleagues in the CBI also point out that being the EU is worth £3000 per year for every family.

Given the recent job losses in Bombardier do we really want to put further jobs at risk by a leap in the dark of Brexit?

Over the next five years, Northern Ireland will receive £173m in agriculture funding from the EU and nearly £400m from the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund. Can those who advocate Brexit guarantee that Northern Ireland will receive that funding?

That is not to say we don’t need further change with the EU, building upon the Prime Ministers deal. We want to see a EU which does less, and does it better, a more competitive EU, which focuses on improving trade and strengthening the Single Market.

The real question is not whether we need to leave the EU, but what type of reformed EU is fit for purpose for the 21st Century.

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Eye on Business Leaders Forum Thomas Hunter McGowan InterTradeIreland CEO

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ith the Referendum on the UK’s future in Europe likely to take place this June, do you feel that Northern Ireland’s business community and economy stands to benefit more from being inside or outside of the EU? We feel that Northern Ireland’s business community and economy stands to benefit more from being inside the EU. It is the view of InterTradeIreland that there are no positive outcomes for Northern Ireland from Britain leaving the European Union.

InterTradeIreland works closely with the two Governments in both Northern Ireland and Ireland and indeed the wider EU Community to ensure that the proper structures and supports are in place to support economic development and foster greater cross-border trade across the island of Ireland. To this end, we have made significant progress in creating a positive economic environment resulting in strengthened trade links. cross-border trade is currently valued at circa £2.6bn/€3billion annually.

For over 15 years InterTradeIreland has worked as a cross-border agency on an all-island basis enhancing North/South trade relationships, despite different trading environments, to help SMEs deliver sustained cross-border trading growth to the benefit of both economies.

A British exit from Europe could mean rowing back on a lot of the positive work and progress that has been achieved over the past number of years on allisland trade. It could also potentially add additional barriers and obstacles for SMEs from Northern Ireland trading into Ireland and vice-versa which is something that we believe could be bad for business by creating added pressures and impact negatively on future growth plans.

No matter what the outcome is on the 23rd June, InterTradeIreland will be part of the solution going forward and are well placed to help SMEs from Northern Ireland and Ireland to continue to grow their businesses and explore new markets as part of our cross-border trade remit.

Philip Bain Co-Director ShredBank

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n short, I’m not sure. And I suspect, deep down that is how most people feel. The information has not been given to us in a clear, factual, and unbiased manner. And as a result we make our judgments based on perhaps some headline stuff, political personalities or emotive feelings of patriotism or European idealism. As decisions goes, this is pretty much as big as it gets so we need to be better informed before we cast that vote.

Sir Tom Hunter, the billionaire Scottish businessman (who I used to work for many years ago), set up a website leading up to the Scottish Independence referendum.

This website was established for one sole purpose – to provide those interested in voting in the Scottish independence referendum with data, evidence and facts in relation to that vote. The content of the website was not intended to influence in any way whether you

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voted yes or no to independence.

The purpose was to provide the public with more information – as objective as possible – in order to help them make informed decisions. This is exactly what we need for the EU vote!

My take on it, for what it’s worth, is that the world is probably more interconnected and interdependent than it has ever been. The notion of independent sovereignty in the purist sense of the word has been diminishing anyway.

NATO, UN, EFTA, World Bank, IMF, all to one extent or another “pool sovereignty” in order to get things done in an increasingly complex and problematic world.

The big challenges of this world can simply no longer be sorted by one or two great powers; it needs collaborations and alliances that, because of the sheer scale and complexity of the problems, need to be more and more formalised

leading to the inevitable dilution of sovereignty. If you are not part of one of the big alliances like the EU, then the likely result will be big economic decisions will be made (without our input and influence) and we ultimately will

be subjected to those decisions or at least impacted to one degree or another. So there is an argument that we are better being in the tent, even with all it’s issues, exerting some influence on the decisions that affect us.

Eye on Events

Upbeat At Upstream Launch A significant corporate finance deal has heralded the next stage of growth for one of Northern Ireland’s most successful and experienced funders. (See cover story).

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ith a team of 12 experienced professionals, Upstream Working Capital is set to be one of the leading providers of working capital solutions for NI’s SMEs, having already provided more

than £120m of funding to local businesses.

UPSTREAM recently held a launch event at their new premises in Linenhall Street and treated some 180 guests to a Hennessy tasting experience.

Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, Judith Totten

Liam O’Hagan, Michael Jennings, Michael Fitch

Colin Dundas, Bill Hichens, Judith Totten, Robert Weekes

Alan Wardlow, Debbie Baird, Judith Totten, Neil McGivern, Nick McCafferty (Upstream)

Hilary McMurray, Judith Totten, Neil Adair

Judith Totten, Scott Kennedy, David Totten, Brian Cummings

Janice Waring, Margaret Lewis, Uel Butler, Ronnie Lewis, Bill Waring

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Eye on Internet

They’re ALL losers The UX of Miss Universe

By Gareth Dunlop, Fathom.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave since late December you’ll know that American comedian, television host and radio personality Steve Harvey read out the wrong name when announcing the 2015 Miss Universe winner. While every part of me hoped that Harvey was providing brilliant social commentary about how interchangeable and meaningless beauty pageant wins are, it turns out that he simply couldn’t understand the card he pulled out of the golden envelope and when you see it for yourself, you’ll understand why.

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his leaves the organisers of the event with no fewer than three chronic embarrassments. Firstly, at the 2015 pageant the host read out the wrong winner. Secondly, to date every single winner of Miss Universe has been from the same planet (perhaps the competition is organised by the people who brought us World Series baseball) but thirdly – and most inexplicably of all – it’s the early part of the 21st century and the competition still exists.

Heck, if there are any more scandals like this, people might even start to ask questions about the role and credibility of such a facile competition in the modern world.

But back to the card that caused the confusion.

Put yourself in Steve Harvey’s shoes for a moment. You are about to announce the winner of the Miss Universe 2015 competition from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. You are broadcasting live to around six million people. And you are surrounded by beautiful women. Someone hands you a card which reads as follows: MISS UNIVERSE 2015 ELIMINATION CARD – SHOW FINALS 3 TO 1 - 2nd Runner Up, USA - 1st Runner Up, COLOMBIA - MISS UNIVERSE 2015, PHILIPPINES What the heck does any of that mean? Nope.

Me neither. And unfortunately for him, not for Steve either. In terms of global consequence and import, this fiasco still comes a distant second to the greatest form layout failure of all time.

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The greatest form layout failure of all time can without exaggeration claim to have impacted major world events such as 9/11, the Arab Spring and Western interventions in the Middle East. At the very least it had a major impact on American foreign policy in the first decade of the 21st century. The form in question is the ballot paper from Palm Beach County FL from the 2000 presidential election.

Across the United States, voting was so evenly split between Bush and Gore that it become increasingly clear that the presidential race outcome would come down to a single state. The winner in Florida would become the next president of the United States.

Palm Beach was a key county in Florida, with Bush and Gore unsurprisingly dominating polling. Pat Buchanan, a little-known Reform candidate, whose importance will become apparent in a moment, would have expected between 400 and 500 votes, according to his Florida coordinator, Jim McConnell. On the night Buchanan received 3,407 votes, around 3000 more than was anticipated.

It won’t surprise you to learn that the second tick box was for little known Buchanan.

The format of the form (called a butterfly ballot) had increased Buchanan’s vote by 750% and potentially decreased Gore’s vote by a number that we will never know.

Ultimately the Florida vote was settled in favor of George Bush, by a margin of only 537 votes out of almost 6 million cast.

These apparently random stories about forms are relevant to the Internet because we spend so much of our time on the web filling them in. Outside of navigation and search, forms represent the single biggest element of web interactivity. Steve Harvey’s moment of pain illustrates how their design impacts usability and confidence and George Bush’s eight years in the white house reminds us how their design directly impacts quality and accuracy of inputs.

Forms design involves layout, labeling and segmentation, validation, in-line help, and calls-to-action. Each of these elements deserves considered thought.

Perhaps a paraphrased Bush deserves the last word on this one? “Don’t misunderestimate the challenge of doing forms well.”

The top of the form read as follows: Option 1 – numbered 3 – first tick box REPUBLICAN George W Bush Dick Cheney Option 2 – numbered 5 – third tick box DEMOCRATIC Al Gore Joe Lieberman

Gareth Dunlop owns and runs Fathom, a user-experience consultancy which helps ambitious organisations get the most from their website and internet marketing by viewing the world from the perspective of their customers. Specialist areas include strategy, research and design. Clients include Three, Ordnance Survey Ireland, PSNI, Permanent TSB and Tesco Mobile.

Visit Fathom online at fathom.pro.

Eye on Events

Belfast Architects Celebrate £30m In New Contracts (1)

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(3)

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(1) Ulster rugby legend Paddy Wallace was the VIP guest speaker at the Hamilton Architects event. He is pictured with Partners, from left, Mark Haslett, Paul Millar and Seamus McCloskey. (2) Ulster rugby legend Paddy Wallace with the top team from the Hamilton Architects Derry~Londonderry office, from left, Partner Seamus McCloskey and Directors Simon Doyle and George Brolly.(3) Eamon O’Hare (left) of O’Hare & McGovern, joined Eleanor McEvoy of Budget Energy and Seamus McCloskey, Partner, at the Hamilton Architects event.

(4) Professor Peter Walker of the Belfast School of Architecture, Ulster University, accepted the Hamilton Award for Most Promising Young Designer from Partner Seamus McCloskey.

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amilton Architects, one of Northern Ireland’s leading architectural practices with offices in Belfast and Derry~Londonderry, have announced a strong start to 2016 by winning £30m of contracts in the education sector.

The company, which has been in business over 40 years, have also announced the launch of new London offices at an investment of £750k and the clinching of their first contract in the city, for Ealing Council.

The good news comes at the start of an ambitious 5-year growth plan for the business, which aims to boost turnover by 50% and increase staff by 27 to a total of 65 staff by the end of 2020.

The news was announced by Partners Paul Millar, Mark Haslett and Seamus McCloskey, during an event attended by around 100 sectoral stakeholders and rugby legend Paddy Wallace at Hamilton’s offices in the

Linen Conservation Area of Belfast.

“We are delighted to be going into a new year on an extremely positive note,” said Paul Millar. “These wins coincide with the initiation of a plan aimed at driving a strong growth surge which will see our business expand across the UK and into Europe over the next several years.

“Our first contract in London, to design social housing for Ealing Council, is a modest but significant one which has already led to further opportunities. Our new offices, in Old Broad Street, will officially open in the Spring and will give us a permanent presence in the city.

“In Northern Ireland, we are very pleased to have secured new contracts in the primary, secondary and higher education sectors, underlining our success in delivering exciting and innovative learning environments.”

The education contracts are for South West College, for a new campus on part of the former Erne Hospital

site; a new primary school and nursery unit at Gaelscoil na gCrann Primary School in Omagh; and a new 600 pupil secondary school for St Joseph’s High School, Crossmaglen.

Hamilton recently completed the £12m SPACE building for SERC in Bangor, an innovative design project which combines the Schools of Performing Arts and Technical Innovation with the aim of enhancing the future potential of the knowledge economy through provision of state-of-the-art facilities.

Paul added: “We are very lucky to have some of the most talented young architects on the island of Ireland in our practice. However, looking ahead, as the economy continues to recover we foresee shortages developing in the skillsets we need to operate successfully as a business and a sector.

“Northern Ireland needs to support and invest in its young people if we are to nurture the talent and

ambition that will ensure our place as a significant player in the knowledge economy of these islands and beyond.

We want to play our part in that.”

The Hamilton Award for Most Promising Young Designer, comprising a £1,000 bursary and internship opportunity, was accepted by Professor Peter Walker, Head of the Belfast School of Architecture, on behalf of Ulster University and will be awarded to a student in June.

Hamilton, who have earned a reputation as a creative and innovative awardwinning practice, offer a multi-disciplinary service to clients in the sport, education, health, conservation, commercial, tourism and residential sectors.

Projects delivered by the company include Kingspan Stadium, Dundalk Race Course, Riddel Hall, Crumlin Road Gaol, Ulster Museum, Mersey Ferry Terminal and greyhound stadiums in Cork and Dundalk.

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Eye on News

TOP 40 NI STARTUPS PREPARE TO BE PROPELLED FORWARD The top 40 Start-up applicants for this year’s Invest Northern Ireland Propel Programme have been selected and are starting work in the first phase of the highly sought after start-up support programme. The programme is designed to fast-track export focussed business ideas with high growth potential, led by entrepreneurs who have the ambition, passion and energy to succeed on a global stage.

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he latest programme attracted almost 130 applications from right across Northern Ireland and following a stringent shortlisting process the top 40 participants have now been selected to progress to Phase One of the Propel programme.

Over the next two months, the group of entrepreneurs will attend a series of intensive workshops to develop and validate their core business ideas.

After this initial stage and following a further competitive process, around 50 per cent of the candidates from Phase

One of the programme will progress onto the second phase, starting in March 2016.

The second stage will take place over ten months, giving participants the chance to work on an accelerated development plan, experience one-to-one expert mentoring and attend workshops aimed at making their business idea investor ready. Each entrepreneur will also gain access to new shared office workspace in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter and up to £20,000 worth of financial support.

Speaking about the current intake Niall Casey, Invest NI’s Director of

Skills and Strategy said: “We continue to be impressed by the level and calibre of applications received for the Propel Programme, an indication that entrepreneurial talent is very much alive and well in Northern Ireland. We now look forward to working with the top 40 applicants and helping them to bring their dynamic and innovative ideas to the next level.

While only half will ultimately make it through to the next stage of this year’s programme we know from feedback that all participants can gain

from the process as it helps them validate their business proposition.

“Over the past five years, the programme is credited with assisting over 120 companies, between them having accessed over £15m of investment and creating over 390 jobs so far.

Having already met many of the latest participants we have no doubt that they will contribute significantly to these figures in the years ahead,” said Mr Casey. For more information visit investni.com/ propel or call 0870 4954 841.

in the property business in Holywood with our many clients experiencing our dedication , longer opening hours and with many clients coming back after several years to ask us to sell for them again , we know we are doing something right . When clients use this branch, they’re actually working with all five Templeton Robinson offices who act as one team when it comes to selling a home.

“All current offers on our properties are available on the Templeton

Robinson website, a service which isn’t offered by other agencies offering full transparency, we also ensure we check the conditions of every offer we receive before recommending it to the seller, this makes the sale a lot let stressful with less houses falling through once they have been agreed.

“It’s been a pleasure to work in North Down over the past 20 years and we are very much looking forward to the next 20!”

LANDMARK YEAR FOR TEMPLETON ROBINSON Holywood’s longest established estate agency, Templeton Robinson, is celebrating two decades of business in the town and a newly refurbished, state of the art office on the High Street.

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irector Michael Young, who is one of the original staff members at the branch along with Rene Kyle and Judith Gilchrist, says demand for property in the town has continued to grow over the past two decades.

“There’s no doubt that the public realm works undertaken recently have enhanced Holywood, but this has always been a hugely desirable place to live and continues to attract all types of purchasers,” said Michael “Holywood is widely recognized as a melting pot, with a fantastic community spirit. Anything within walking distance to the town is always attractive, but we’re increasingly seeing demand across all property

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types. We have experienced a considerable increase in our listings from the beginning of the year, confirming our thoughts that property is no longer a seasonal business and a properly priced house will always do well in the market.”

As the only Estate Agency in Holywood to have celebrated 20 years in business Michael attributes Templeton Robinson’s staying power to providing a professional, honest approach to those buying and selling their homes here.

“We understand the needs of both the purchaser and the vendor, and will always work to get the best price possible while providing a unique service. We have an unrivalled heritage

Eye on News

RIGHT ON Q WITH GROUND BREAKING MEDIA FIRST Q Radio and RLA advertising are celebrating rolling out a media first in Ireland. As part of their province wide advertising campaign promoting their seven radio stations in Northern Ireland, Q radio have launched a branded megawrap special with a built in live radio stream. This is the first time the technology has been used in this way by a radio station.

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dvertising agency RLA devised the creative campaign and worked with Clear Channel NI to develop the sound shelter initiative.

Julie Mc Cartney from RLA explains “I wanted to use to the Howard Street Megawrap, as not only it is a key location in the heart of the retail centre, it is in close proximity to an extremely busy commuter route. The large format of this fully wrapped shelter provided the perfect canvas for the vibrant creative

giving strong on street presence – and what better way to convert new listeners than encourage them to listen to the station!

We worked closely with ClearChannel NI to have a bespoke system fitted within the shelter, which will broadcast Q Radio live - entertaining and engaging people as they wait for their bus or walk past the unit, creating an element of surprise and talkability.

The 6 sheet poster within the unit encourages the public to download the Q Radio app – so if they like

Pictured at the Q radio sound shelter special on Howard Street Belfast are: Julie McCartney RLA, Nicola McNaughton PML and Orla Ross Q Radio.

what they hear, they can continue listening on their phone! The unit makes clever use of NFC technology to allow users to instantly download the Q Radio app to their phone”.

Q Radio embarked on an extensive re-branding campaign earlier this year after acquiring Belfast station Citybeat which has now been re-launched as Q Belfast.

Robert Walshe, Managing

Director of Q Radio commented “ we are tremendously excited at the opportunity to bring our station to the streets through this sound shelter initiative. This is part of a wider campaign which we hope will highlight the personality of our stations and what we have to offer. We look forward to continuing to innovate and break new ground in the market”.

SELECTIVE TRAVEL MANAGEMENT WINS £5.5M UNIVERSITY CONTRACT Selective Travel Management, Northern Ireland’s largest independent travel company, has won two multi million pound three year contracts to service the travel requirements of two of the UK’s leading universities.

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elfast-based Selective Travel earned the glittering prizes following a nationwide tendering process for the £4m contract to provide and manage travel for the University of Glasgow, plus a £1.5m travel contract for the University of Sunderland in Newcastle.

Keith Graham, Managing Director of Selective Travel Management, is delighted with the win as it reinforces the company’s strength in the universities sector.

Welcoming the news, he said: “This latest double win totalling £5.5 million in value, follows a major share of a five-year £100 million Framework contract awarded to us in June 2015 by the

influential Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium. The latest win will add almost £26milion of additional turnover to our business and, as a result of the new contracts, we have increased our staffing levels from 88 to just over 100 employees.”

He continues, “The University of Glasgow is the fourth oldest University in the English speaking world and we are privileged to be working with such a highly recognised and prestigious institution. For both Universities we found ourselves competing for business against some of the leading travel companies in the country. It was certainly a universities challenge but, armed

Selective Travel Management’s Keith Graham.

with our previous experience and considerable expertise in the sector, we were ready for the challenge – and delighted to emerge as winners.

“The new contracts reinforce our position as one of the leading and fastest growing independent travel management companies in the UK and the largest in Northern Ireland. They enhance our growing reputation and market share in the academic sector where our clients already include buying consortia for 400 British Universities and over 20 Higher Educational organisations throughout the UK.

“Today’s universities are large internationally-focused businesses with complex travel requirements. Our role in working with them centres on the management of their travel requirements and delivering the best value, while meeting the client’s duty of care needs.

The business we already hold in the higher education sector demonstrates not only our considerable expertise, but also our determination to create and maintain a sector lead through outstanding customer care. We are looking at these latest wins as very much ‘our starter for ten’.”

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Celebrating life, every day, everywhere

DRINK RESPONSIBLY The BAILEYS, GORDON’S, CAPTAIN MORGAN, SMIRNOFF, GUINNESS, SMITHWICKS, CARLSBERG and HARP words and associated logos are trade marks © Diageo 2015.

Eye on Events

Standing up for better research in Northern Ireland Northern Ireland’s elite research companies came together to establish a new local body to drive forward standards in market research.

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he newly established Northern Ireland network of the Market Research Society aims to support, promote and protect market research in Northern Ireland.

CARD Group Chief Executive, Albert Hamilton, who hosted the event said, “Northern Ireland has access to some of the best research talent in the UK. The network’s agenda includes improving trust in market research and promoting the benefits of evidence.

Hamilton continued “As a long term member of the Market Research

Society, I would like to be able to host events locally to network with those operating in market research arena.

“The aim of these events would be to provide educational information of benefit to both market research specialists as well as to companies searching for research solutions. It would be advantageous to improve the level of market research knowledge in Northern Ireland.”

Market Research Society CEO Jane Frost CBE commented “MRS is excited by the appetite for a new members’ network in Northern Ireland. Developing opportunities

for professional networking, learning and best practice exchange are at the heart of what we do, and we’re thankful to CARD Group for giving researchers in the region the chance to get together.”

Amongst the Market Research Society members at the event today were delegates from PwC, Ipsos, Millward Brown, Perceptive Insight, Ruth Flood as well as several independent consultants.

New Rooftop Solar PV Systems Are Set To Save Newry Company Almost £1 Million One of Northern Ireland’s leading suppliers of building materials, tools and DIY products is set to make cost savings of almost £1 million, thanks to the installation of new, solar electricity systems at five of its outlets.

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ewry-based Murdock Builders’ Merchants was established in 1982 and has 11 branches across Ireland,*nine of which are in Northern Ireland, employing more than 270 staff. The family-owned company operates as a ‘one stop shop’ for the construction sector and supplies to both the building trade and the general public.

Kingspan ESB has installed a total of 898 rooftop solar PV panels for Murdock’s at its outlets in Newry, Warrenpoint, Banbridge, Newtownards and Derry.

Murdock’s will make savings from the first day the rooftop PV systems ‘go live’, even though the company has not had to make any financial investment in them.

The company has opted for a 100% fully-funded scheme which means that in return for a 25-year lease on

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the roof space, Kingspan ESB designs, installs and maintains the systems.

The electricity generated by them is then supplied to Murdock Builders’ Merchants at lower rates than the grid.

The new PV systems, totalling 233kW, will generate more than 4 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of green electricity during their 25 year lifetimes and over that time, Murdock’s will make cost-savings of £943,000.

As well as having financial benefits, the systems are cleaner and greener - helping to offset more than 2,130 tonnes of CO2 in their lifespan.

Ann Morgan, CEO of Murdock Builders’ Merchants said: “We are always looking for ways to improve and innovate at Murdock’s. It made complete sense for us to take advantage of the Kingspan ESB

Kevin McCarthy, Business Development Manager, Kingspan ESB; Ann Morgan, CEO, Murdock Builders’ Merchants; and Gerry Conway, Financial Director, Murdock Builders’ Merchants.

fully-funded option on solar PV and make immediate savings for the business.

“We’re delighted to be using new technology which is helping us operate in a more environmentally friendly way - our new PV panels will produce more than 185,000kWh of green energy in their first year.”

Mel Courtney, Director at Kingspan ESB said: “Rooftop solar panel electricity systems are one of the simplest renewable

energy technologies to install and own - they have a long operational lifespan and don’t need a lot of maintenance.

“Photovoltaic, or PV, cells convert the sun’s energy into electricity and they can still perform well in our climate. The 100% funded package, like this one Murdock’s has opted for, means a business makes no upfront capital investment but once the system is up and running, starts to makes significant savings on power bills.”

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere

DRINK RESPONSIBLY The BAILEYS, GORDON’S, CAPTAIN MORGAN, SMIRNOFF, GUINNESS, SMITHWICKS, CARLSBERG and HARP words and associated logos are trade marks © Diageo 2015.

Eye on Events

Belfast To Host Top Law Conference For The First Time Belfast will later this year welcome some of the UK and Ireland’s top legal professionals, hosting a two day conference in the city.

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osted by the British Irish Commercial Bar Association (BICBA), the flagship event will be held at the Inn of Court in April 2016, and will be organised by the NI member representatives of BICBA from the Bar Library, and law firms Cleaver Fulton Rankin and Pinsent Masons. Speakers include Lord Neuberger, President of The Supreme Court and Lord Kerr, Justice of the Supreme Court and Former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland.

The conference will be themed around the impact of technology on the court process and the development of substantive rights.

Chairman of Commercial Bar Association in Northern Ireland, Michael Humphreys QC “The increasing influence of technology has left no area of business untouched; legal services is no different. As lawyers, we need to be offering the most innovative solutions to our business clients whilst embracing the latest technology to

Launching the British Irish Commercial Bar Association conference to be held in Belfast for the first time are Michael Humphreys QC and Brett Lockhart QC, both from the Bar of Northern Ireland, Jonathan Forrester, Director, Cleaver Fulton Rankin and Laura Gillespie, Partner, Pinsent Mason.

ensure the courts are as efficient and effective as possible.”

Jonathan Forrester, Director, Cleaver Rankin Fulton added: “Developments in technology are clearly having a significant impact upon both the substantive law and the litigation process, and the conference will focus on commercial

law and practice in the digital age.

The conference promises to be one of the highlights of the year for the legal profession in Northern Ireland.

Cleaver Fulton Rankin is delighted to be associated with the event, which will undoubtedly raise the profile of the Northern Irish legal profession throughout the four jurisdictions.”

£1M INVESTMENT IN LANDMARK BELFAST OFFICE LETTING FOR LOCAL ANIMATION STUDIO EMMY® nominated and BAFTA-winning children’s television production company Sixteen South has invested £1 million in relocating to new, larger premises in Belfast.

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eading commercial property agent Lisney has secured the letting of the 7,500 sq ft building at 46 Bedford Street to Sixteen South on behalf of a private client.

The move from its existing city centre location at Linenhall Street represents a major commitment to the Northern Irish creative industry by the award-winning business, which plans to triple its workforce within the next number of months as new shows are launched.

Colin Williams, Creative Director and Founder of Sixteen South, said: “We are hugely excited about relocating to our new studio in Bedford Street. It marks the

beginning of a new chapter in our company’s growth and of our commitment to Belfast.

“All aspects of our childrens television shows are made in-house, from pre-production to post-production and every stage in between.

“We had reached capacity at our current studio and needed about three times more space to facilitate our operations, which are continually expanding.

“We leased our very first studio space from Lisney at 16 Donegal Square South – which became the inspiration for the name of our company - so there is a nice bit of symmetry to the story.

“Our new studio in Bedford Street is an important building with lots of history. It originally housed a busy linen manufacturer in 1884 – an industry that Belfast was world-renowned in for the quality of its work. It’s apt that the same building is home now to one of the new industries, which I hope will benefit the city in the same way.”

David McNellis, Director at Lisney Belfast, commented: “It was a real privilege to assist Sixteen South on its relocation to Bedford Street and help facilitate the company’s expansion.

“The building is steeped in Belfast’s history while also in fantastic condition and has a really

Lisney’s David McNellis with Colin Williams of Sixteen South

contemporary feel – perfect for such a vibrant and fast-growing company.

“As Sixteen South produces all content in-house, the premises had to be able to cater for their varied requirements, which included a range of recording studios and office space with room to seat around 90 people.”

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Eye on News

HENDERSON WHOLESALE ANNOUNCES PURCHASE OF LOCAL PRINT COMPANY

Henderson Wholesale Limited, part of the Mallusk-based Henderson Group has announced the acquisition of neighbouring print company, Dargan Press Limited, which will merge with Wholesale’s subsidiary company, Henderson Print.

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he deal, the amount of which has not been disclosed, was completed today and staff have been notified. 12 Dargan Press employees will transfer to Henderson Wholesale employment from Monday 15th February 2016.

Henderson Print has been trading

for more than 40 years, employs 16 staff, and will relocate from the current Hightown Avenue premises to Dargan Press Limited’s site on Michelin Road. The move will begin over the coming months with staff being kept fully informed of proceedings.

Dargan Press has traded since 1981

and finished 2015 with a turnover of £1.5m. After over 50 years in the Lithographic Printing business Mr Richard Traynor, the founding owner, decided to sell the company in order to pursue other business interests.

Ron Whitten, Group Financial Director from Henderson Group said of the

acquisition; “The purchase of Dargan Press Limited means that we can provide an enhanced range of print services to our mutual customers, attract new business, and fully utilise the newly acquired state of the art premises and equipment to further develop the print business arm of our group activities. We are delighted to have the opportunity to build on the successful operation Richard has developed over previous years, to retain the business in local ownership and further secure the future of its operations.

“There are many synergies between the two businesses and we have no doubt that by combining resources we will be well positioned to provide an even better and more competitive offering to both existing and new print customers.”

The acquisition comes after the announcement of a £25m investment by the Henderson Group, which will see a complete transformation of the HQ site in Mallusk, facilitating business growth and employment opportunities across all four companies within the Group.

INVENT Launches £33,000 New Inventions Business Competition Awards Ian Sheppard, Head of Business and Corporate Banking at Bank of Ireland UK and Elaine Smith, Head of Programmes NISP CONNECT pictured with Neil Hanley, Company Founder PicoPuf the overall winner of INVENT 2015

The INVENT 2016 Awards have been launched seeking out the latest world-changing inventions and ideas from entrepreneurs and inventors across Northern Ireland with the opportunity to win a share of its £33,000 prize fund and a place on the 2017 Tech Mission to California.

R

un by NISP CONNECT and sponsored by Bank of Ireland UK, INVENT recognises innovations that have the greatest commercial potential and back them with funding and business support to realise their business dreams.

Companies and inventors across Northern Ireland are invited to demonstrate their prowess through the hugely popular INVENT 2016 Awards.

“INVENT is a chance for NISP CONNECT to help our inventors reach unlimited potential for success. The variety of innovations that applied to INVENT last year was immense, from eco-friendly surfboards to video analytics

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software to pest-controlling nemotodes. We want entrepreneurs to lift the lid on their proof-ofconcept stage inventions. The potential in this country is incredible.

We offer not just investment and funding, but training, global business connections and a tech mission place to the USA, to help our best entrepreneurs achieve their potential both here and abroad, ” states Peter Edgar, NISP CONNECT’s Programme Manager.

Northern Ireland has long been renowned for its contribution to global innovation and the INVENT 2016 Awards is seeking out the latest world changing inventions to ensure that we continue that tradition.

INVENT 2016 is now OPEN for applicants across the six categories below.

• Agri-Science • Creative Media / Consumer Internet • Electronics • Engineering • Enterprise Software • Life and Health Entrants will be accepted until MIDNIGHT on FRIDAY8th APRIL via the website www.invent2016.co

Ian Sheppard, Head of Business and Corporate Banking at Bank of Ireland UK said: “Bank of Ireland is delighted to support INVENT 2016. Helping to connect businesses across Northern Ireland is a key part of what we do. INVENT provides our entrepreneurs of the future with exciting opportunities to engage and develop invaluable insights at a critical stage in their business lifecycle, such as access to high calibre business founders like 2015 Innovation Founder Brian Conlon of First Derivatives or the commercial contacts on the TechMission to San Francisco.”

When your business is saving money and energy, you’re winning Talk to Electric Ireland, and we can show you how and where you can save Call us now 0800 056 9914

Smarter Living

Eye on Agri Food

Sam Butler talked to Dr Richard Horton, managing director of Carritech Research in Belfast about its new transformational technology that makes the delivery of nutrition and medicinal products easier and more enjoyable than ever before.

Innovator Leads In Dynamic Functional Foods B elfast-based scientist Richard Horton is pioneering technology that could help overcome nutrition problems particularly in the developing world. And the patented technology he has developed could also be used to deliver essential drugs to children and adults especially the elderly everywhere by means of a baked product that’s crunchy, tasty and easy for everyone to eat.

He’s the managing director of Carritech Research and heads a team of experts with vast experience across a range of disciplines including food.

The technology, known as Coldbake, enables the production of entirely new ranges of sweet and savoury ‘baked’ foods, crispy biscuits with a honeycomb texture, that are capable of carrying heat sensitive ingredients that provide health, nutrition and medicinal benefits.

It’s game changing technology that puts Northern Ireland at the forefront of functional food and is already attracting interest from major bakeries and food companies in Britain and the Republic of Ireland. The need to focus on such pioneering technology was recommended

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in the Agri-Food Strategy Board’s Going for Growth strategic action plan.

“ColdBake uses vacuum ovens to expand snacks and biscuits at low temperatures and carefully layered formulas to ensure incorporation of ingredients such as vitamin C, fish-derived Omega-3, creatine and B vitamins,” Horton says. “Traditional baking or snack extrusion techniques cannot handle certain heat-sensitive ingredients. Many are in fact damaged by the high temperatures found in these traditional processes.

“What ColdBake does is to reduce baking temperatures to lows below 45C and this enables heat-sensitive vitamins and nutrients to be incorporated without damage,” he adds.

Horton, an engineer whose career has included stints at Harwell Research in Oxfordshire, founded Carritech Research, now based at the Innovation Centre in the Northern Ireland Science Park, and is bringing the innovative technology, ColdBake, to market. The company is seeking to raise the necessary finance from a variety of sources including crowdfunding through the Seedrs internet site. He was assisted in the early stages of developing the transformational technology by Invest Northern Ireland.

He’s keen to see the leading-edge technology harnessed for the benefit of the local economy.

Horton and his team have developed ColdBake over the past decade. The innovative process produces a light, aerated, crispy product, which retains nutrients. It weighs and blends powdered ingredients, adds and mixes liquid ingredients and water, shapes the resulting moist powders or dough into granules or larger pieces, allows those pieces to ‘condition’, and expands and dries the pieces in a vacuum oven.

Horton continues: “We are currently involved in confidential dialogue with a number of companies regarding product applications, including baked goods and pharmaceuticals. One obvious application would be the delivery of easy to consume nutrition and medicines in regions of the world facing famine or food shortage. For regions of the world that struggle to get enough calories, we can load our products with proteins and high-energy ingredients.

“The technology is all about making good nutrition readily available and enjoyable.”

ColdBake requires a manufacturer to make an investment in vacuum oven kit, although Horton adds: “This would be no greater than an alternative expansion or dehydration process such as extrusion cooking. This could be potentially ground breaking for the bakery industry and could be a real way forward, as there is no need for fortifying afterwards, and the texture and flavour remains as good as it can be.

“There are fantastic opportunities across the bakery sector, and we’re really excited about these. For instance, we are witnessing the early stages of a global megatrend; the convergence of the food and pharmaceutical sectors. This trend is motivated by growing interest in preventative and personalised healthcare that’s being driven by governments whose healthcare services are buckling under the pressure of illness and ageing populations.

Our technology offers an effective means of delivering nutrition and pharmaceutical care.”

Eye on Agri Food

Around Noon Clocks Up Success In Food Sam Butler talked to David Graham, executive head chef of Around Noon, about the Newry food company’s focus on new taste experiences for customers.

D

avid Graham created over 200 new products last year for the dynamic grab and go’ food sector.

He’s executive head chef at Around Noon in Newry, a leader in handmade sandwiches and snacks for restaurants and cafes throughout the island of Ireland.

“We are operating in a very fast moving sector that’s driven by the demands and preferences of consumers who look to our customers for deliciously different taste experiences,” he says.

“Our success is this catering sector is the result of our commitment to our customers. We work closely with them to create snacks that will appeal to consumers seeking new ideas and tastes. While it’s immensely challenging it’s also very stimulating,” he says.

“One of our great strengths is that all our snacks are still handmade. This gives us the flexibility to be able to respond quickly to the requirements of our customers seeking to attract more consumers by offering them different taste,” he adds.

He’s a qualified chef who worked in high-end restaurants in his native county down, including the critically acclaimed Balloo House in Killinchy.

He was subsequently involved in the creation of innovative products at Rich Sauces in Newtownards, the leading Northern Ireland exporter of a broad range of sauces and mayonnaise to catering establishments in the UK, other parts of Europe and the US. He brought this knowledge and experience to Around Noon in 2012.

“Creativity, quality and customer-focus are crucial to success in what I believe is the most challenging food sector,” he continues. “I jumped at the chance to join Around Noon when chief executive Gareth Chambers approached me. I was attracted by the company’s sharp focus on quality in all aspects of the business.

It offered me the opportunity to work as closely as possible with existing and potential customers in the creation of snacks and sandwiches that we sought to grow their business. Our success as a food

business is heavily dependent on their success in retraining existing consumers and attracting many new ones,” he adds.

He knew much about the business from working as a food consultant for a period. “I realised that it was an ambitious and progressive company focused on innovation, consumer service and business outside Northern Ireland,” he says.

David clearly thrives on the pressure that comes from having to create new tastes in such a demanding marketplace.

“It’s certainly exhilarating. Every customer requires different ‘special’s to entice consumers to try something different,” he adds. “We’ve a really good team here at Around Noon that’s prepared to go the extra mile to meet the specific requirements of individual customers.

This is why our business in growing strongly particularly in the Republic of Ireland, an immensely competitive marketplace in which we achieved 40 per cent growth last year. Overall, sales to all markets have grown by an average of 35 per cent year-on-year over the past three years. Our strategic objective is to build business in the Republic and also to explore opportunities in Great Britain over the next few years.”

Where do the ideas for new sandwiches come from? My own experience as a chef dealing with a wide range of mostly local ingredients is, of course, an important influence. We also watch food trends in other markets such as the US and Britain. We are aware of and responding to market trends such as gluten-free and low salt and reduced sugar. This involves visiting trade shows and exhibitions to keep abreast of what’s happening in all our markets,” he explains.

“Pulled meats, for instance, continue to popular and we’ve developed sandwiches and wraps with pulled meats including pork, turkey and game. The popularity of Thai food led us to create Thai Green Curry with fennel and coriander product that also features Basmati rice.”

Formed by husband and wife team Francis and Sheila Chambers in 1989 as a kitchen table enterprise, Around Noon has developed into one of Ireland’s most enterprising food businesses. It operates from a 27,000 sq ft state-ofthe-art production complex outside Newry. The company now employs 230 people and has a portfolio of 600 products including sandwiches, wraps and paninis along with salads, smoothies, juices and desserts.

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PARTNERSHIP.EXPERIENCE.IMPACT.

Banking & Finance | Technology

32 years connecting talent and opportunity

Engineering & Manufacturing | HR

www.graftonrecruitment.com

Sales & Marketing

Eye on Moving On 1 Niall Martindale has joined natural gas distribution and supply company, firmus energy, as Director or Regulation and Pricing to ensure the company’s compliance to distribution and supply regulatory requirements within the terms of firmus energy’s licences. He has more than eight years’ experience working in Northern Ireland’s regulated energy industries.

2 Danielle Black has been appointed Senior Account Executive at Genesis, a multi-award winning advertising, design and digital agency. Working as part of the Account Management team, she will support the day-to day management of a number of key accounts including Invest NI and firmus energy.

1 Niall Martindale

2 Danielle Black

3 Thomas MacMahon

3 Thomas MacMahon has been appointed Senior Account Executive at Genesis, a multi-award winning advertising, design and digital agency. Working as part of the Account Management team, he will support the day-to day management of a number of key accounts including Henderson Group and NI Water.

4 Peter Thompson has been appointed Senior Account Director at Genesis, a multi-award winning advertising, design and digital agency. He will be responsible for leading a number of key accounts including Invest NI, SPAR UK and Henderson Group, as well as supporting the continual development of the agency’s digital capabilities.

4 Peter Thompson

5 Ed Henderson

6 Phill Coulter

5 Ed Henderson has been appointed Digital Account Director at Genesis, a multi-award winning advertising, design and digital agency.

He will be responsible for leading digital projects across a number of key accounts as well as supporting the continual development of the agency’s digital capabilities.

6 Phill Coulter has been appointed Digital Content Manager at Genesis, a multi-award winning advertising, design and digital agency.

He will be responsible for generating, developing and managing strategically focussed and insight lead content campaigns to engage audiences across all digital channels.

7 Lawrence Boal has been appointed Digital Media Manager at Genesis, a multi-award winning advertising, design and digital agency.

Working alongside the Media Director, he will be responsible for the strategy, planning, buying and evaluation of digital media campaigns.

7 Lawrence Boal

8 Cherith Titterington

9 Gareth Latimer

8 Cherith Titterington as been appointed Marketing Manager at Betterhomes Group.

Cherith will be responsible for the complete rebrand of the Betterhomes Group and will roll out the new advertising and PR strategy over the next 12 months. Cherith brings 23 years’ advertising, marketing and PR experience with the Spectator & Chronicle Media Group.

Most recently, Cherith was Marketing & Communications Executive at Bank of Ireland UK. 9 Gareth Latimer has been appointed as Director at Grant Thornton Northern Ireland. A licensed Insolvency Practitioner, Gareth has extensive experience in the insolvency field and will lead the Recovery & Reorganisation department in Belfast.

10 Also at Grant Thornton, Ian Davison has been appointed as Assistant Manager. Ian has significant experience in the Recovery & Reorganisation field and will manage the department’s portfolio of cases.

10 Ian Davison

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11 Sean Largey

A former stores director of Tesco Northern Ireland has been appointed as its new commercial 11 manager. Sean Largey’s appointment will see him succeed Cliff Kells in the role, where he will lead a commercial buying team at Tesco Northern Ireland’s headquarters in Newtownabbey.

He will be responsible for all the commercial functions within Northern Ireland including the procurement of local food and drink products, currently at an annual value of over £550m.

PARTNERSHIP.EXPERIENCE.IMPACT.

Banking & Finance | Technology

32 years connecting talent and opportunity

Engineering & Manufacturing | HR

www.graftonrecruitment.com

Sales & Marketing

Eye on Moving On 12 Mark Canning has joined Danske Bank as Corporate Acquisition Manager, responsible for acquiring and building relationships with Northern Ireland’s top trading and property businesses. Mark joins Danske Bank with over 10 years’ experience having previously held the roles of Senior Investment Manager at WhiteRock Capital Partners LLP and Manager at Bank of Ireland’s Corporate and Business Banking team.

12 Mark Canning

13 Leann Duffy

14 Angela Maguire

13 Leann Duffy has been appointed as Group Director of Catering at the Mount Charles Group. Leann joins the company from Marks & Spencer Plc, where she spent three years as Head of Bakery Operations for their in-store hospitality department, managing 530 units across the UK and Ireland. Prior to this she was the Ireland Manager for Compass Group.

14 Also at Mount Charles, Angela Maguire has been appointed as an Area Manager to the Catering Division at the Mount Charles Group.

Angela spent six years as Operations Support Manager with BaxterStorey, overseeing a number of sites across Ireland, her extensive industry experience also includes roles with Sodexo and Pennine Services.

15 Amanda Costello-Harris

16 Barry McLean

17 Claire Reid

15 Amanda Costello-Harris joins the Mount Charles Group from Dover District Council, where she spent five years as an Environmental Health Officer and their Lead Health and Safety Inspector. Prior to this she was an Environmental Health Officer at Ballymena Borough Council and Health & Safety Officer for the Wright Group, Ballymena.

16 And Barry McLean has been appointed as Procurement & Compliance Officer at the Mount Charles group. Prior to joining the company, Barry spent 12 years with distribution specialists Exertis MSE as a home entertainment buyer in their buying and procurement team, working closely with major retailers including Amazon and Littlewoods to fulfill key contracts.

17 Claire Reid joins 4c Executive Search as Head of Delivery. She joins 4c with 16 years’ experience in recruitment, her experience includes developing and implementing client-tailored recruitment solutions, assessment methodologies and delivering on HR consultancy projects.

18 Natasha Deeney

19 Sean Murphy

20 Hannah Orr

18 Natasha Deeney joins JPR as Digital Marketing Consultant, providing social media and digital marketing services to JPR’s clients across the public, private and voluntary sectors. Previously she was with the Northern Ireland Science Park, where she managed content creation, email marketing, social media, websites and provided marketing support for the umbrella brand.

19 Sean Murphy has been appointed Regional Managing Director of Branch & Private Banking for Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland.

Educated at De La Salle College in Belfast and Queen’s University Belfast, he has worked for Ulster Bank for 20 years. Sean’s previous experience includes Head of Financial Planning, Regional Manager Branch Banking RI and Regional Manager Branch Banking NI. 20 Hannah Orr has been appointed as GIS Project Officer with Gaelectric Developments, providing an essential service to Gaelectric’s wind analysis, energy storage, planning and business development teams. Hannah previously worked for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) asan Information Analyst, and LPS as a Mapping and Charting Officer.

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Eye on Voluntary Sector

STRATEGIC THINKING: FROM VOLUNTEER TO DIRECTOR It’s 25 years since Linda Williamson, Director of Citizens Advice Belfast, joined the organisation as a volunteer.

Here she explains how CA Belfast has changed with the times and why running a voluntary organisation is like running any business. Advice is free to the end user, but there are costs to cover, budgets to balance and contracts to win. Innovation is the key to success.

L

ast year, Linda Williamson was appointed Director of Citizens Advice Belfast, an organisation she’s worked for in a variety of roles for the last 25 years.

But it wasn’t so much her experience in the voluntary advice sector that won Linda the top job. It was her strategic thinking and vision for the future: “The CAB I work for today is a completely different organisation to the one I joined all those years ago as a volunteer.

“I’m lucky. I’ve had a chance to influence, innovate and change our ways of working throughout my career with the organisation.

“The clients and their needs are obviously at the heart of everything CAB does, but we are a business. Advice is free to the end user but the service we provide incurs costs, which we have to meet. And we can’t continue to grow and develop as a business without the money to do it.”

Today Citizen Advice Belfast employs 21 paid staff and 45 trained volunteer advisers. Last year they helped over 38,000 people coming through their doors and dealt with over 52,000 problems – an increase of 30% on the previous year.

Staff numbers were higher when Linda joined the organisation back in 1991 at the age of 23. A degree in Social Administration & Policy had helped her get a job with the Social Security Agency but, when her six-month contract came to an end, she saw it as an ‘opportunity’ to volunteer for Citizens Advice Belfast and get specialist

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advice training into the bargain.

It wasn’t long before Linda got her first paid post as an Outreach Adviser in Short Strand and knew she’d found the right career: “It was my first tribunal and not the quick outcome I’d wanted. I represented an elderly gentleman who had difficulty walking and was contesting the Social Security Agency’s refusal to pay him what’s known as ‘attendance allowance’, a benefit for people aged 65, or over, who have disabilities and need help with personal care.

“The panel did, finally, rule in my client’s favour. But only after a frustrating wait for him and his family.

Sadly, he died before the money owed was paid. His family used the back dated payments to pay for his funeral and headstone. They were so grateful for the help they’d received.

“It really brought home to me how important it is that people have access to free and independent advice and representation.”

On her next rung up the career ladder, Linda was given the opportunity to modernise and expand CAB services right across Belfast. As Service Development Manager, she realised that the organisation, which up until then had focussed on providing face to face advice in its offices, could help more people by promoting its telephone helpline.

Since then, CAB services have been transformed. The introduction of a telephone ‘triage’ line means callers get through to the right adviser.

The organisation still offers face to

face meetings with advisers but the helpline means ‘quick fix’ concerns can be addressed there and then, leaving the team more time to deal with more complex cases.

One such ‘complex case’ sticks in Linda’s mind: “A lady came into our North Belfast office on a sunny day.

“She sat down, talked through her concerns, got help filling out forms and left feeling reassured.

“When she got to the door, she looked at the sky and remarked what a lovely day it was.

“Thing is: it was a nice day when she’d arrived but she just hadn’t noticed because she was so worried. That’s the difference we can make. We can lift a weight off someone’s shoulders.”

Every year CAB deals with questions about benefit entitlements, housing problems, employment issues, family disputes and breakdowns, wills, tax… and the list goes on.

CAB receives funding from the Department of Social Development, Belfast City Council and Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. Under Linda’s leadership it has also entered into working partnerships with Cystic Fibrosis and Macmillan Cancer Support.

“Both these leading charities know that people affected by cancer and cystic fibrosis can find themselves in need of specialist benefits advice as a result of their condition and treatment.

“The charities came to us to share expertise and, together, we have set up ‘bespoke’ advice services with a dedicated helpline and advisers.

“This sort of partnership working gets results. Last year, for instance, our CAB Macmillan advisers helped people affected by cancer claim a

staggering £6.5 million in welfare payments. That’s money they might not have claimed, or even known they were entitled to - without us.”

During the course of her career with CAB, Linda has had the chance to train volunteers, helping not only clients but the volunteers themselves. Many use the work experience and training to go on and get paid work. In fact, Linda is always encouraging volunteers and staff to think about their career development and ‘change jobs every 3 – 4 years’. Which begs the question: why hasn’t she?

“You’ve put me on the spot. We tend to think that moving on every few years is the right thing to do. It’s what we all tell young people today. But the truth is, I don’t work for the same organisation I joined 25 years ago.

“Most people move on because they outgrow an organisation for lack of personal development and opportunities. I’ve been lucky and given the responsibility to develop and improve our ways of working.

“I’ve been appointed Director because of my commitment to innovation and the need to innovate. It’s not about keeping up with the times, it’s about staying one step ahead.

That’s the only way we will survive.

“Put simply: it’s not just the private sector that has to deal with competition. The same goes for the voluntary advice sector.”

If you can spare a few hours each week and would be interested in volunteering with Citizens Advice Belfast, please get in touch by emailing belfastrecruitment@ citizensadvice.co.uk.

For used VAT qualifying vehicles visit our website...

Eye on Motoring

dfcbelfast.co.uk Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

TOYOTA STICKS TO DIESEL WITH ITS COMPANY CAR CANDIDATE Solid, reliable and feels like it will go on forever - sounds like a good formula for a fleet car?

Yes, it is easy to damn the Avensis with faint praise but you get the feeling that it is a much better car than most people think.

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hile the rest of the Toyota range is pushing hybrid as the salvation, the Avensis is solidly petrol and diesel. This is a mainstream workaday car that has no pretensions. It comes as a smart saloon or as a good looking estate.

The appearance and the driving feel of the latest Avensis has a bit more European appeal. But it is still struggling to catch up in

an ever-more stylish car market.

More glamorous cars are around and not just from Audi or BMW just look at the latest Mazda6!

The new 2.0-litre turbo diesel is a surprisingly good performer, accelerating to the 62mph benchmark in less than 10 seconds and on to a potential 124mph top speed. It returns 61mpg combined and emits 120g/km putting it in the 22% BIK band.

The new Avensis is more taut and brisk on the road than before and the steering more responsive. It feels competent in most situations with a comfortable ride on most surfaces. Inside, there is good leg and head room and metallic touches to lighten the dash.

In the tradition of Japanese cars, equipment is generous. Starter models come with air conditioning but the higher Select and Icon

trims include sat nav, automatic wipers and lights, climate control, alloy wheels and Bluetooth.

Prices start from under 18K for the 1.8-litre petrol models but the more desirable 2.0 D-4D diesels start from closer to ÂŁ19K. The Avensis enjoys better residual values than most of its fleet rivals.

So maybe Toyota’s conservative approach to its business car pays a dividend at the end of the road.

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dfcbelfast.co.uk

Eye on Motoring

Can Telematics Really Encourage Safer Driving?

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A Telematics vehicle management system accurately monitors your drivers’ performance in real time. It offers significant peace of mind to business owners and fleet managers, who previously had no real control over their vehicles on the road. But while it is certainly a powerful solution for fleet management, could it also have the added benefit of making drivers safer behind the wheel?

ere at DFC, we recognise that the safety of our customers is paramount.

Which is why, through our exclusive partnership with the RAC we offer RAC Telematics to all our customers.

Judging a drivers performance on the road used to be a complicated task.

The best solution was for someone to accompany them and assess their work, but even this is not an exact science. A driver will naturally be more cautious when being monitored, which offers no guarantee that they will behave the same when observed.

This is where Telematics can help. RAC Telematics allows you to monitor a driver’s performance at all times and build a clear picture of how they really behave behind the wheel. Thanks to our accurate scoring reports, you can identify nonefficient drivers and tailor training to remedy problem areas. You can even be informed if one of your drivers exceeds a certain speed, allowing you to quickly issue a warning.

Initially you would expect a driver to be mindful of a Telematics box in their vehicle and behave as they do when someone is assessing them. Over time however, it will become second nature and they will instinctively drive with care. In this sense, safer driving can certainly be encouraged using Telematics.

Better driver behaviour can only be a

Local Company Local People Local Service 84

good thing for your company. Nobody wants one of their employees to be injured at work. This may result in legal action from the driver or a third party, while the cost of repairing or perhaps replacing the vehicle could prove a real financial headache.

There is also a negative effect an accident could have on your company’s reputation. As the saying goes, ‘It takes a life time to build a good one, but you can lose one in a minute.’ A single accident due to one of your drivers’ poor driving style, could have such an outcome.

RAC Telematics can do far more than simply keep track of your fleet. It can help mould your drivers into better professionals, saving your company money and enhancing its reputation.

At DFC we do not simply believe in Telematics as a tracking device but a necessity in ensuring the safety and well-being of your drivers. It is not that Big Brother is watching you, but rather Big Brother is taking care of you.

Speak to Pauline Nelmes our dedicated Telematics Account Manager on 07775 773 806 or email pauline@dfctelematics.co.uk to see how this system can improve the safety of you and your drivers.

DFC is Northern Ireland’s only major independent locally owned Vehicle management company.

For 25 years DFC have supplied, funded and managed cars and vans.

We are confident we can provide a cost effective solution for your business or individual needs.

Call us today for more information on our car and van offers on 028 9073 4222 or email sales@dfcbelfast.co.uk

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Eye on Motoring

dfcbelfast.co.uk Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

THIS HAS GOT TO BE THE MOST IMPROVED AUDI A4 EVER! With the arrival of the more glamorous A5, there was a risk that the good old A4 might lose ground as the mainstay of the Audi range. The new model will make sure that this doesn’t happen.

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he profile is sharper with subtle detail changes and the car looks bigger - shades of a compact A8? Yes, this is a roomier A4 as rear seat passengers will quickly appreciate.

It is also quieter and more refined in the way of its big brother.

My test car was powered by the uprated 190PS version of the ubiquitous 2.0-lire TDI engine.

This provided a sweet driving

experience with plenty of power and very little noise. With a sevenspeed S-tronic automatic gearbox, it has to be the pick of the range in terms of performance and economy. Yet it returns 72mpg combined and emits just 103g/km.

Also of note is a 150PS Ultra version of the 2.0 TDI pitched towards the business buyer.

With a six-speed manual gearbox this brings the emissions down

to a tax-busting 99g/km.

The new A4 feels sharper and more responsive to drive - though not quite as precise as its BMW 3-series rival which is not as roomy.

My car had the optional S-line suspension - making it both lower and stiffer - and I think many drivers would be happier without this.

The interior is better than ever - a testimony to quality and ergonomics. Another option

is the virtual instrument panel introduced on the TT. This allows the sat nav map to be displayed directly in front of the driver with the ability to shrink the size of the instruments when you need to concentrate on navigation.

My car started with a list price of £33k and with typical Audi options rose to over £40k. Lesser models with the 1.3 TFSI petrol motor start from just under £26k.

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Eye on Fleet Management

GAME CHANGERS –

Ogilvie Fleet - Mileage Credits, Terminations And End Of Contract Charges – Ouch!

All the things that Ogilvie Fleet talk about when others in the vehicle contract hire industry tend to avoid. And this transparency is contributing significantly to their business growth in N.Ireland.

T

he independently owned firm Ogilvie Fleet is now firmly established in N.Ireland. A proud sponsor of the Belfast Giants for several years, the local Ogilvie office is having a record year. The team is led by Paul Griffiths, a man who has 14 years’ experience in the local vehicle market.

Professional ice hockey hasn’t been here long in N.Ireland but it captivates the spectators with it’s unique viewing experience and this attributes greatly to the annual growth of crowd attendances. “Our client nights always involve the Giants, it’s a fantastic night out and our client’s families love the experience, you need to offer something different now to succeed and the Giants are an example of this and are something that Belfast should be proud” said Griffiths. The distinctive match day experience of the Belfast Giants was instrumental in developing a reciprocal unique service offering for Ogilvie’s direct supply corporate clients in N.Ireland.

With price sensitivity still to the fore, a lot of contract hire headline rentals do appear in the market place in print and media banners, but Griffiths warns that you do need to dig deep and understand what is included in the price and look at the possible perils that could lie ahead.

Quantify – others talk about customer service, but what does that mean? “What is the substance? We can offer all our clients full transparency right from the start through our Master Hire Agreement. Every Ogilvie customer knows exactly where they

86

will stand if something unexpected arise”.

Griffiths points to an incident recently where a client’s employee fell to a serious illness and has been signed off work for a full year. “At Ogilvie we can offer our client a restructure of any contract mileage, this includes reducing the mileage down due an unforeseen circumstance, after all, if you aren’t going to be using the vehicle for those contracted miles, why should you pay for this?” It isn’t an option widely available throughout the industry and Ogilvie are pioneering this in N.Ireland, much to the advantage of the customer and themselves.

Fleet News, the car industry’s leading publication, highlighted Ogilvie’s approach to End of Contract damages in their October edition. They pointed to how they use a ‘fixed cost damage matrix’. “We don’t see end of contract charges as an income stream, others will try and sell the car onto the general public at a trade or retail forecourt and therefore they can be very harsh on end of contract charges to their client as they are assessing it based on what it needs to look like on a forecourt for a retail customer”. Griffiths sees this as being crucial to long term customer service. “We don’t service retail customers, we service business clients, and our clients don’t need to have a concern if the car is being returned in showroom condition. Our clients deserve transparency right from the start, our fixed cost damage matrix keeps costs to a minimum as we use it for ‘depreciation’ rather than ‘repair costs’. Yes, we don’t actually repair the car, it goes straight to an auction as repair costs can be hefty. For example, if a door panel is damaged and looks like it needs replaced, we just charge £75, it would cost a lot more than £75 to paint and repair a door at a bodyshop”. All Ogilvie’s customers know these prices up front. Last year in the UK the average charge in the leasing industry

Paul Griffiths, Head of Sales – NI, Ogilvie Fleet and Brandon Benedict, Player/ Assistant Coach of the Stena Line Belfast Giants.

“ Ogilvie Fleet has just been nominated as a finalist in the 2016 Fleet News Awards for Best Leasing Company under 15,000 vehicles in the UK.”

Eye on Fleet Management

across all returned vehicles was £274, Ogilvie’s was £112.

The UK company had a record year in their 2014/15 financial year ending in June by delivering 4,358 contract hire vehicles in just 12 months, that’s and average of 363 vehicles per month! “We have seen confidence returning to the local and UK economy. A lot of our local clients are transacting business across the water so we are seeing the demand for national delivery increasing. Not everyone has grown, some clients have had to consolidate in certain divisions and we have had to early terminate a vehicle for them.

Again we discuss the topic of termination right from the offset, we have an agreed cost cap in

our Master Hire Agreement. Yes, Ogilvie do take a hit on profit due to terminations but it washes out due to the size of our fleet which today stands at 13,448 in the UK”.

“Substance is the key, transparency is the Ogilvie way.

I am fortunate to be working for an independent business that sees customer service as their no 1 priority, our clients, our focused people and our USP’s put us in a position of strength. As I write this article we are currently sitting at a 95% customer satisfaction rate according to Fleet Eye which score the industry, the industry average is 59%”. What next for Ogilvie?

“We are continuing to develop our award winning IT offering which is free to our customers,

we are delighted to be the only leasing company in N.Ireland that has a driver App which is handy for emergency contact numbers and tax information. Our MiFleet software has won the best Business Car ‘Fleet Technology Award’ in the UK for 3 years in a row now, it is really easy to use, browser friendly and it is free to our clients. We are planning to recruit more people in 2016 as our company actually has a set percentage of ‘staff to clients’, a bit like a ‘child to carer’ ratio in a day nursery”. And like youth, Ogilvie Fleet are growing day by day.

The recent offering of Salary Sacrifice has proved to be an attractive proposal to larger local companies, a very specialised car

scheme and Ogilvie have invested heavily to develop a package which conforms to the current HMRC guidelines and regulations.

Facilitating NI client’s transport needs throughout the UK has also seen the Belfast branch provide a large amount of short term rental business, airport destinations and short term van hire are now a common daily request. “We offer a complete corporate package which services the entire UK, it’s what our clients need so we simply just provide them with a complete transport solution which is cost effective, has favourable contract conditions and has a superb customer service experience”. www.ogilvie-fleet.co.uk

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For used VAT qualifying vehicles visit our website...

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Eye on Motoring

Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

HONDA JAZZES UP ITS LITTLE TARDIS The Jazz has enjoyed a niche in the small car market due to its practicality and reliability. While the latest model has sharper looks it lacks the fire that you might expect from a Honda. But is its solid build and behaviour enough to make it a viable company car?

M

any business buyers will be put off by the lack of a diesel engine option though this may change in the coming years as the EU gets stricter on emissions. Meanwhile, Honda, like Toyota, is pinning its green credentials to the hybrid option.

Anyone looking for value in the Jazz will go for the lower priced models with small petrol engines.

The 1.2 i-VTEC with stop start offers up to 54mpg combined and

emissions of around 120g/km put it in the 19% BIK bracket. The 1.4 i-VTEC has a bit more power and gets around 50mpg with 129g/ km to slip into 20% BIK. Not much to choose between these two.

The hybrid is a little half hearted as it will not run on electric power alone and does not duck under the 100g/km hurdle. Yet 62mph combined consumption and 104g/km emissions put it into the lower 15% BIK band. But it is pricey, starting from over £17K.

Inside, the big plus is space, lots of it in the petrol models not so much on the hybrid. The fuel tank is below the front seats and with clever folding seats you get much more carrying room than bigger cars. Fold everything down and you can rival many vans.

Inside is smart and functional.

That description also sums up

the Jazz on the road where it is predictable though without the expected Honda verve. This sensible recipe has worked well in the past so the new models should continue that appeal. Customer satisfaction ratings are high.

Prices start from £12.490 for the 1.2 in ES trim and run from £13,957 for a 1.3 ES plus.

LEVORG CARRIES ON FROM THE LEGACY BUT WILL IT CATCH ON?

W

Car names can be confusing but at least Subaru gives us a clue in the first two letters of its oddly named Levorg. The ‘Le’ is the hint that this car succeeds the Legacy - their large car which sold well in other markets but was rather unfairly ignored in these parts.

88

hile Subaru is still offering the big Outback estate models from the old Legacy range, the new Levorg is charged with making more noise in the big car market. It has an eye-catching profile that is more dramatic than the old car. A little shorter, it still manages a big 522-litre boot, expandable to 1,500 litres with the rear seats folded.

Re-tuned suspension with tougher dampers and anti-roll bars make the Levorg a better handling car than most. So far, it is shaping up as a contender in the executive car class. But there is one rather large caveat.

The Levorg comes with only one choice of engine - a turbo-charged 1.6-litre boxer unit! It is petrol and comes only with a CVT automatic gearbox. We can only hope that other and diesel options will be added at a later date.

As it stands, the downsized boxer engine puts out 168bhp - offering about the same performance as the previous 2.5-litre engines.

It takes the car to 62mph in a nippy 8.4 seconds. But the Combined consumption figure 39mpg suggests that this willing little engine is having to work too hard!

For this reason not many companies will be opting for the Levorg at this point. It does feel well-built and engineered with a definite novelty value.

It is well equipped but there is just too much competition - mostly diesel- in its price bracket from £27,495.

business offers from volvo Cars in northern ireland

Model shown is XC60 D4 SE

Model shown is V40 D2 R-Design

Business Contract Hire

Initial rental

Month agreement

Annual mileage

Excess mileage (per mile)

BHP

BIK%

CO2

P11d

V40 T2 ES from

£1,014 + VAT

36

10,000

10.5p + VAT

122

20%

127

£19,290.00

£1,254 + VAT

36

10,000

10.5p + VAT

120

17%

99g

£22,140.00

£1,374 + VAT

36

10,000

10.5p + VAT

120

16%

94g

£23,590.00

£1,374 + VAT

36

10,000

11.1p + VAT

150

19%

105g

£23,940.00

£1,554 + VAT

36

10,000

15.15p + VAT

190

21%

117g

£31,605.00

£2,952 + VAT

36

10,000

20.25p + VAT

225

27%

149g

£46,050.00

£169 per month* + VAT

S60 D2 Business Edition from V40 D2 R Design from

£229 per month* + VAT

V60 D3 Business Edition from XC60 D4 SE from

£209 per month* + VAT

£229 per month* + VAT

£259 per month

XC90 D5 Momentum from

*

+ VAT

£492 per month* + VAT

VAT payable at 20%

S M W Belfast

Volvo Business Centre

Greers of Antrim & Coleraine

028 9068 6000 www.volvocarsbelfast.co.uk 028 9446 0066 www.volvocarsantrim.co.uk

Fuel consumption and CO2 figures for the Volvo Range in mpg (I/100 km): Urban 68.9 (4.1) – 19.1 (14.8), Extra Urban 85.6 (3.3) – 37.7 (7.5), Combined 155.2 (1.8) – 27.7 (10.2). CO2 emissions 237 – 48g/km. MPG figures are obtained from laboratory testing intended for comparisons between vehicles and may not reflect real driving results. *Important Information. Business users only. Subject to status. Vehicle must be returned in good condition to avoid further charges. Subject to availability at participating dealers for vehicles registered 01/01/16 to 31/03/16. Not available with other promotions. Provided by Lex Autolease Ltd trading as Volvo Car Leasing, SK3 0RB.

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Eye on Motoring

IS THE TOP MITSUBISHI L200 KING OFF AND ON THE ROAD? Mitsubishi modestly bills its L200 as the king of the pick-ups. Now in its fifth generation it continues to blend the workhorse with the style icon.

T

he top line Barbarian version that I have been driving has lots of chrome work and a spec that would rival some executive cars with leather upholstery, climate control, touch screen sat nav, big alloy wheels and keyless entry.

Of course this is not a car but a proper 4x4. Judged against the last few pick-ups that I have driven, the L200 feels quieter, a little more agile and has a better turning circle than most. There is more power too with

a beefy 178bhp from its improved 2.4-litre turbo-diesel donkey.

That means you can reach 62mph from rest in a useful 10.4 seconds. The combined consumption figure of just under 43mpg and emissions of 169g/ km are, believe it or not, among the best achieved in the pick-up sector.

A six-speed gearbox is standard but I drove the automatic which had somewhat pretentious paddles on the steering wheel! Changing to fourwheel drive simply involves twisting

a knob to match the conditions and the high clearance of L200 meant it could go anywhere (almost!)

The double cab has become popular as it can be used as a family car as well as a work vehicle. The Mitsubishi claims the largest cargo area in its class and the Barbarian boasted a lockable shutter to protect the load area.

While the ride was on the firm

side, I suspect it would be better with a full load on board. That is what it is designed for and the payload of 1045kg and braked trailer rating of 3100kg testify that it does what it says on the tin.

Prices for the double cab start from £19,749 but the lavish Barbarian trim hikes it to £23,799.

But, as it is classed as a commercial vehicle, VAT is refundable.

WHOLE LIFE COST LEADER†.

YES, IT’S AN ASTRA.

P11D FROM £15,240 | CO 2 FROM 88G/KM | MPG UP TO 85.6MPG

SEARCH NEW ASTRA BUSINESS

Official Government Test Environmental Data. New Astra range fuel consumption figures mpg (litres/100km): Urban: 35.3 (8.0)-74.3 (3.8), Extra-urban: 55.4 (5.1)-91.1 (3.1), Combined: 45.6 (6.2)-85.6 (3.3). CO2 emissions: 142-88g/km.

Official EU-regulated test data are provided for comparison purposes and actual performance will depend on driving style, road conditions and other non-technical factors. † = Whole Life Cost leadership compares the following vehicles: New Astra Tech Line Hatchback 1.6CDTi 110PS ecoFLEX 88g/km, Focus Zetec Nav Hatchback 1.5TDCi 120PS 98g/km, Golf Match Hatchback 1.6TDI 110PS 99g/km. 2015-16 tax year. General Motors UK Limited, trading as Vauxhall Motors, does not offer tax advice and recommends that all Company Car Drivers consult their own accountant with regards to their particular tax position. All figures quoted correct at time of going to press (February 2016).

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