Business Eye Feb March 2024

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Retail In The Spotlight

Retail NI has held its second annual Retail Showcase Event at Titanic Belfast, showcasing the importance of the local supply chain to retailers here in Northern Ireland.

10 Innovation In Tourism

Tourism is one of Northern Ireland’s most important economic sectors and key to dispersing wealth right across Northern Ireland, contributing an annual tourism expenditure of more than £1 billion in 2019 and supporting approximately 71,000 jobs across the region.

12 Commercial Property Futures

CBRE Belfast hosted more than 500 business guests at its annual commercial property outlook event held at Belfast’s ICC recently.

14 Honeycomb – Leading The Way In Business Support Recruitment

Honeycomb Jobs, Northern Ireland’s leading Business Support recruitment agency, continues to grow after 7 successful years in business.

20 Barclay Communications – New Broadband Partnership With BT

Barclay Communications, Northern Ireland’s leading business to business telecoms provider has partnered with BT Wholesale to provide all businesses across the province with ‘Free Ultra- Fast Fibre’ in a £6 million investment.

24 Kingsbridge & The Healthcare Revolution

The senior leadership team at Kingsbridge Healthcare Group talk about the growth of private healthcare and how the company is investing steadily across all of its sites in both Northern Ireland and the Republic.

34 Keith Shorten – New Commercial Chief For Ulster Rugby

It’s a measure of how far the professional game has come around these parts that the appointment of a new Head of Commercial recently was regarded as a key appointment at Ulster Rugby. Keith Shorten talks to Richard Buckley about the challenges ahead.

43 Business Eye Sustainability Awards 2024

The second annual Business Eye Sustainability Awards in association with Strategic Power Connect were launched for 2024 at a reception in the Culloden Estate & Spa, the venue for the awards on 9th May 2024.

52 Life After The Boardroom –A Retirement Tale

Moya Neeson, creative content producer and former Director of Morrow Communications, the Holywood-based integrated communications consultancy shares an honest, oft untold perspective on life after the boardroom...

56 CRN Financial Group Marks 50 Years

Leading independent financial advisory company CRN Financial Group celebrates 50 years in business this year and commenced celebrations with a very special CPD event held recently at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast.

The restoration of the Exective and Assembly at Stormont has definitely brought with it a feelgood factor, a sense of positivity, an added stability.

Richard Buckley EDITOR Irish Magazine Editor of the Year 2005

Comment

Whether that translates into economic and business gains remains to be seen, but let’s take the good news when we can.

Our all-female First & Deputy First Ministers seem to have gelled well and they’ve worked hard at making as many smiling public appearances as they can. Back in the big white building, work has started in earnest and the various ministers have been quick to get moving.

“Tough decisions don’t equate to public popularity and they definitely don’t translate into votes at the ballot box, so politicians – as a general rule – avoid them like the plague.”

But, whilst no one wants to dampen spirits, it’s fair to say that our leaders have started by grabbing the low-hanging fruit. They’ve been quick to talk about pay rises for public sector workers, extra funding for health, for education, for infrastructure. But they’re not so fast to grasp the various nettles or to stare down the very obvious elephant in the room.

That, of course, is the question of funding. The UK Government might have splashed the cash to get Stormont up and running again, but now that it’s standing on its own two feet, the supply of brown envelopes looks set to dry up. Viewed from a Westminster perspective, that’s not too difficult to understand.

Viewed from the perspective of our elected politicians, it’s terrifying. As a devolved government, they’re almost certainly going to have to start raising revenue of their own and that means taking some tough decisions, something they’ve studiously avoided in any of their previous incarnations.

Tough decisions don’t equate to public popularity and they definitely don’t translate into votes at the ballot box, so politicians – as a general rule – avoid them

like the plague. But something has to give. If Westminster continues to keep its money to itself, thoughts might have to turn to water charges, to higher rates, to prescription charges, to fewer bus passes for the older generation... and so the list goes on. None of its contents palatable from an elected politician’s viewpoint.

It seems a bit early to be talking about mature devolved government here when we’re just back up and running after two years of protest for by one key party.

But that’s what the British Government will be expected, it’s what the Irish Government will be expecting and it’s what we all should be expecting.

The days of hand-holding need to end, and so do the days of begging bowl politics. Julian Smith, arguably the most engaged Secretary of State we’ve ever had, suggested recently that Westminster might need to step in to establish revenue raising measures here. But, helpful that it might be, that’s not the way forward.

The First & Deputy First Ministers have to lead the way, Caoimhe Archibald has to lead the way and the other Minister, if necessary, have to play their own parts. The public will whinge, the public will moan, and the public will call the Stephen Nolan Show. But everyone has to understand that it’s part of devolution.

If we’re going to stand on our own two feet, we’ve got to take the falls and if we stand on something someone else’s dog did, we need to be able to clean it up ourselves. It’s all part of growing up.

Retail NI’s Second Annual Supplier Showcase Event Celebrates Success

Retail NI, the driving force behind Northern Ireland’s independent retail and wholesale sector, has staged its second Annual Supplier Showcase Event.

Paddy Murney, Retail NI Chair, said:

“Our Supplier Showcase was bigger and better than ever and illustrates the support we provide to many new and existing local agri-food sector companies with their route to market with our retail and wholesale members.

“Retail NI now represents businesses, large and small, throughout our local supply chain and we are actively working

with hundreds of new-start agri-food members to scale up their businesses.”

The event, which took place from 3pm to 6 pm on February 27 at Titanic Belfast, was a unique opportunity for industry players to network, collaborate, and highlight the significant impact local businesses have on the wider economy.

Guest Speaker Steve Baker MP, Minister of State for Northern Ireland, provided valuable insights into the industry’s current challenges and opportunities.

He said: “I am deeply honoured to have been a participant in this dynamic event that highlighted the resilience and innovation prevalent in Northern Ireland’s retail and wholesale sectors.

The Supplier Showcase orchestrated by Retail NI not only paid tribute to our local producers and manufacturers but also facilitated invaluable connections

and insights crucial for the future of our business community. This extraordinary event celebrated the vibrancy and diversity of our local business landscape and served as a platform to connect, discover, and support the remarkable talent driving our economy forward.”

Liam O’Connor, Sales and Marketing Director at Biopax Limited, emphasised the company’s commitment to the sustainable movement in the food and drink sector: “Biopax Limited was honoured to be a key partner for Retail NI’s Supplier Showcase. This event provided an invaluable platform for local businesses to showcase their products and services, and we were thrilled to contribute to the growth and success of the Northern Ireland business community.”

John Lucas from Bobby’s Foods added:

“Bobby’s Foods was proud to stand alongside Retail NI in supporting the Supplier Showcase. We believe in the strength of local businesses, and this event was a fantastic opportunity to highlight the innovation and quality that our community brings to the retail and wholesale sectors.”

nijobfinder’s Colin Maxwell concluded: “We take great pride in sponsoring one of the liveliest trade events in the retail industry. This sector plays a crucial role in job creation and significantly contributes to the local economy. Any event that recognises and applauds these efforts is truly essential.”

With over 50 exhibits, this year’s showcase presented a diverse array of products and services from local suppliers, showcasing the strength and resilience of Northern Ireland’s business community.

Paddy Murney, Retail NI Chair; Guest Speaker Steve Baker MP, Minister of State for Northern Ireland; John Lucas from Bobby’s Foods and Liam O’Connor, Sales and Marketing Director at Biopax Limited.

Eye on News

Profitability And Easing Of Price Rises Points To Business Optimism Across The Island

The latest Business Monitor from InterTradeIreland reveals that stability is the prevailing trend among firms across the island.

The survey of over 750 companies found that business performance remained consistent at the end of 2024, with the majority of firms (60 percent) reporting they are stable, while 32 percent say they are growing.

Below the topline result, the sentiment among business is positive. 73 percent of firms report they were profitable over the last 12 months. This is the highest overall percentage since Q3 2019, before the Covid pandemic.

While the vast majority of businesses are expecting employee numbers to remain the same in the next 6 months, there are clear signs of optimism. Martin Robinson InterTradeIreland’s Director of Strategy comments “It is interesting to note that 42 percent of larger SMEs are predicting employee

growth over this period. With both economies in Ireland and Northern Ireland sitting at close to full employment, we can see from our data that recruitment is one of the top issues for businesses. I would encourage firms to get in touch with InterTradeIreland to find out how we can help them to innovate to drive productivity and address skills gaps.”

Aside from the difficulties that firms are finding in attracting the correct talent, the other top two issues reported by businesses remain energy costs and overheads. However, the Business Monitor indicates that businesses believe the speed of price rises should slow down over the next 6 months, as inflationary pressures ease in the wider economy.

Looking ahead, 58 percent of companies predict their prices

will remain the same, while the number of businesses saying they have increased their prices significantly has halved since the beginning of this year (from 30 percent in Q1 2023 to 15 percent in Q4 2023). Only 3 percent of firms anticipate their prices will increase significantly in the next 6 months. Businesses also are now more aware of the circular economy as a means to reuse resources and to reduce cost and wastage. Two thirds (63 percent) of firms say they incorporate circular economy principles with a further 15 percent working towards this.

While two thirds of businesses state that sustainability and netzero is important, only 20 per cent actually have a plan, with 17 percent developing one. Of those businesses that don’t yet have a net-zero plan in place, 7

in 10 don’t foresee themselves developing one in the next 5 years.

Martin comments “It’s shortsighted of SMEs not to start to think about the sustainability question. The transition to a low-carbon world is lifting technology investment and is attractive to funders.”

“Increasingly, larger companies and public sector organisations are seeking green credentials from smaller companies in their supply chains. Looking at new ways of doing things can also make you more efficient and save money. A number of the partners that we collaborate with, including Invest NI and Enterprise Ireland, have various schemes in place to help businesses integrate sustainability practices that will also enhance their competitive advantage. At this point, business should start to explore the support available.”

Martin Robinson, InterTrade Ireland’s Director of Strategy

Survey Report Calls For Government Support For Economic Growth In Manufacturing & Engineering Sector

The MEGA Cluster, representing a consortium of manufacturing and engineering companies, has reiterated its commitment to supporting the objectives outlined in the new Economic Mission for Northern Ireland: Executive Summary.

This coincides with a focus on the key recommendations released in the MEGA Skills Survey this week.

MEGA have launched a ‘Skills Survey Outcomes Report’ this week following comprehensive engagement with the large member network of Mid-Ulster and surrounding area companies. Aimed at assessing skill gaps and training needs within the industry, this has provided invaluable insights for strategic decision-making and workforce development into the future.

Key findings from the survey include the challenge of significant skills gaps whilst highlighting an urgent need for targeted investment in training and development.

Additionally, government support has been highlighted as crucial with a spotlight on apprenticeships and training programs if the challenges are to be addressed effectively.

Darragh Cullen, MEGA Chair and MD of Edge Innovate, believes MEGA member companies are wellplaced to contribute to the key objectives of the new Economic

Mission for Northern Ireland. By increasing the number of highquality apprenticeship opportunities and promoting regional balance, the network’s drive is to support economic growth and create greater opportunities for the local workforce.

“As Chair of MEGA, I appeal to the Department for Economy to recognise the importance of our initiatives in addressing the skills gaps and driving innovation within the manufacturing and engineering sector. We must accelerate our efforts to ensure a more prosperous future for our industry and the Northern Ireland economy as a whole. But government support is essential in making this a reality.”

The shifting priorities identified in the survey highlight the dynamic nature of the industry. Embracing advanced technologies like AI, machine learning, and robotics to

drive growth and competitiveness is apparent. MEGA is committed to supporting initiatives that align with these evolving priorities to ensure the continued success and growth of the sector.

Maria Curran, MEGA Project Director, reflected on MEGA’s in-depth analysis of the survey findings and emphasised the network’s strategic recommendations in addressing identified skills gaps; including targeted investment in training programs, advocacy for increased government support and fostering collaboration with educational institutions and policymakers.

“The very clear message is that investing in people and skills remains essential for Northern Ireland companies. An increase in apprenticeship uptake from 5% to 7% since 2023, alongside a heightened focus on diversity within member companies, reflects our shared dedication to cultivating a diverse and skilled workforce.

“By actively engaging in MEGA activities, training, and networking opportunities, companies are reinforcing their growth and development initiatives. MEGA therefore remains steadfast in our commitment to assist companies in implementing the survey recommendations.

“On behalf of MEGA, I extend our gratitude to all member companies for their continued significant engagement which will undoubtedly impact our sector positively and help drive a brighter and more prosperous future for manufacturing and engineering in Northern Ireland into the future.”

The invaluable contributions to the survey have enabled a highly comprehensive outcomes report produced with detailed analytics that portray clear ambitions and commitment to sustainable growth, development and advancing the industry.

Back Row L_R Conal Curran and Una Mc Cabe

Front L-R Anastazja Milczarek, Maria Curran and Elita Frid

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THE RISING TIDE OF INNOVATION IN TOURISM

By David Roberts, Director of Strategic Development Tourism Northern Ireland

Tourism is one of Northern Ireland’s most important economic sectors and key to dispersing wealth right across Northern Ireland, contributing an annual tourism expenditure of more than £1 billion in 2019 and supporting approximately 71,000 jobs across the region.

Eye on Tourism

Innovation is at the heart of everything we do in tourism.

Our industry of entrepreneurs and creatives across Northern Ireland are constantly creating new tourism experiences which aim to delight and inspire our visitors. Our innovative spirit was evident during the pandemic when tourism and hospitality was the first industry to close and the last to reopen. The industry innovated to create new survival techniques to make it through the pandemic’s uncharted waters with many moving operations online and creating virtual experiences.

From an innovation perspective, the industry has had to continually innovate to adapt to the digital revolution which has swept through the travel and tourism industries in recent years. Today’s traveller is accustomed to being able to do practically anything from their mobile device; from booking flights, checking in, and booking hotel rooms, unlocking their hotel room door, ordering room service, accessing information, booking experiences, sharing these with their peers and sharing their opinions instantly on review websites.

With new destination choices continually emerging, Northern Ireland is under intense pressure to remain both attractive and competitive. In this hard-fought environment, we must be authentic, distinctive, innovative, and creative in our approach.

To support tourism businesses across Northern Ireland in adopting an innovationfirst mindset, Tourism NI in partnership with Innovate NI held a series of interactive ‘Innovate Tourism’ workshops, demonstrating how innovation is key to business growth, whilst also increasing awareness and knowledge about what innovation means in a tourism context. Those in attendance at the workshops held across various towns and cities in NI, received an introduction to the Innovation Fundamentals of the Innovate NI Framework through immersive, handson activities and support to effectively recognise and

capture innovative work and achieve innovative recognition. Designed to support businesses to embed innovation structures and processes in their businesses, the workshops gave access to experts and instilled an innovation process which took the business from ideation, to selection, to testing to commercialisation, saving money and making businesses more productive and sustainable in the long run.

We understand the need for practical and tangible takeaways and so those who attended the workshops acquired the skills and methods required to optimise their current offers and transform their business into an innovation powerhouse. A number of ideas have been generated from these sessions and are due to take part in a follow up session in March 2024, which will see them properly implemented within the business.

There are a number of key areas in which businesses within the tourism industry can look to make innovative change for their betterment including advancements in technology, novel approaches in sustainability and immersive experiences.

Whether its technology,

sustainability or travellers’ preferences, the rising trend of innovation shaping the tourism industry is here to stay and should be embraced by businesses to help the sector and Northern Ireland to thrive in an ever-changing landscape.

At Tourism NI, we will build on our culture of innovation and creativity to deliver

positive change and will pursue excellence and world class ideas to make our industry more competitive and sustainable. Having a focus on innovation will increase incomes, improve productivity levels, provide opportunities for all our people, create a net zero economy and showcase our brilliance both locally and globally.

Paul O’Callaghan, Innovate NI Manager, Jacqueline McCann, Facilitator, Eimear Callaghan, Tourism NI and Sam Harding, Managing Director, Game of Thrones Studio Tour.

Eimear Callaghan, Tourism NI, Paul O’Callaghan, Innovate NI Manager and Claire Bacon, Titanic Belfast.

Eye on Commercial Property

CBRE NI Hosts 500 At Commercial Property Outlook

CBRE NI hosted more than 500 business guests at its annual Commercial Property Outlook event held at Belfast’s ICC recently.

Guests were welcomed by CBRE NI Managing Director Brian Lavery and the event included presentation and on-stage interviews covering a range of commercial property and investment topics. The keynote guest speaker was Sir Tim Smit, co-founder of the Eden Project in Cornwall, and a renowned commentator on sustainability and climate change issues

Eye on Commercial Property

3 - Kathryn Forde, Arthur Cox and Deborah Cromie, CBRE NI. 4 - Lucy Davis, Thomas O’Hagan, Ellen Heenan, Weev. 5 - Lisa McAteer, CBRE NI and Anne Skeggs, Mills Selig.

6 - Danielle McCluskey, Belfast Harbour Commissioners, Martin Tumilty, Lotus Homes, Paddy Henry, CBRE NI. 7 - Kevin McKay, Benmore Group, John Morgan, Panther Purchasing, and John Hansen, Titanic Quarter. 8 - Malcolm Emery, Radius, Benny Wilson, CBRE NI. 9 - Mark Rainey, CBRE NI, John Toner and Jim Burke, Hagan Homes Limited. 10 - Robert Ditty, CBRE NI, and Alastair McBurney, QUB.

(8)

Front row, left to right: Claire McCleery (Head of Public

McClinton (Head of Professional Services), Evelyn Fraser (Head of Key Accounts), Louise Quinn (Associate Director

Eye on Recruitment

Honeycomb

Jobs,

Northern Ireland’s leading Business Support recruitment agency, continues to grow after 7 successful years in business.

Since launching as a team of 3 in 2017, Honeycomb has experienced considerable progression on the market, now sitting with a high-performing team of 30.

Since its inception, Honeycomb’s core mission is to raise the profile of Business Support roles within their respective sectors across Northern Ireland. Honeycomb specialise in sourcing essential business support employees for a wide range of business sectors including professional services, industry, banking and public sector. But far from simply filling temporary gaps or providing short-term cover, every candidate is carefully selected to provide the support clients need today and the talent they’ll need tomorrow. At Honeycomb, we believe having the right business support professionals in position is essential to business growth and success. From Office Managers to Logistics Coordinators –the team successfully fill a wide range of positions by aligning consultants with their own specialist area, creating experts in their field. With a 5* Glassdoor rating and 4.9* Google rating – the team act as trusted advisors, supporting each other and exceptional clients, to deliver a truly premium service.

Honeycomb is now entering ‘Phase 3’ of their growth. Former MD and founder, Mairead Scott, has transitioned to the role of Managing Director at sister company MCS Group. When Mairead founded Honeycomb, one of her key drivers was to create the same opportunities for the team that she had been afforded throughout her career. Having invested continuously in training and development since Honeycomb launched, Mairead was in the fortunate position to have an incredibly strong female leadership team with the skills, passion and commitment needed to lead Honeycomb into the next stage of its growth.

2024 is an exciting year for Honeycomb, with investment in new office space, growth into new market areas (ROI & UK) and continued expansion of the team, Honeycomb is set to embark on its most ambitious year yet. Honeycomb remains dedicated to nurturing talent within its ranks and empowering its leadership team to drive the company forward.

Joining in 2017 when Honeycomb was founded, Associate Directors, Louise Quinn and Erin Butler, have progressed through various roles during the past 7 years. The most recent chapter of their careers now places them both at the

forefront of Honeycomb’s expansion into new markets. Dearbhla Kilpatrick rejoined the team in October to undertake the role of General Manager for the business. Further progression within the Honeycomb team saw Claire McCleery promoted to Head of Public Sector (Temporary division) and Evelyn Fraser taking on the role of Head of Key Accounts. Nuala McClinton continues to lead the Professional Services team for Northern Ireland. Collectively the Honeycomb leadership team are charting the course for the future of the business whilst remaining dedicated to delivering the best service for our candidates and clients. Due to an ongoing demand for the quality service that Honeycomb delivers, Louise Quinn has moved into the Irish market, supporting clients in the Republic of Ireland to source exceptional talent across their business support teams.

Focused predominantly on Dublin as a strategic hub for expansion, Louise has already seen significant success since the launch of Honeycomb ROI in December 2023. Erin Butler, who currently oversees the industry team within NI, is focusing on the penetration of the English market, with Bristol identified as a primary target.

Honeycomb’s journey over the past seven years is a testament to its unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation, and growth. As it embarks on its next chapter, Honeycomb is poised to redefine standards, expand its reach, and continue its legacy of success in the dynamic world of business support recruitment.

Honeycomb Senior Leadership Team: Louise Quinn, Dearbhla Kilpatrick and Erin Butler.

DANSKE BANK RAISES OVER £276K TO SUPPORT TEENAGE MENTAL HEALTH

Danske Bank has raised over £276,000 for charity partner AWARE NI over the past three years, benefiting more than 11,500 young people across Northern Ireland.

The partnership began in 2021 as the impacts of the Covid19 pandemic and lockdowns on people’s mental health were becoming increasingly obvious.

Studies at the time showed that rates of anxiety and depression among Northern Ireland’s children and young people were around 25% higher than in other parts of the UK, with 1 in 8 experiencing emotional difficulties.

Through a wide range of fundraising activities driven by Danske Bank’s employees across its branches, contact centre, business centres and support functions, the Bank’s donation has been used to AWARE NI’s work with young people across NI. The majority of funds were used to develop and deliver the charity’s Mood Matters for Young People programme to more schools.

The programme gives 14-18 year olds the knowledge and skills to maintain good mental health and build resilience to help deal with life’s problems and challenges.

In addition to the fundraising, Danske Bank and AWARE NI set out to support colleagues’ mental health and wellbeing through webinars, training and educational resources, and to help raise general local awareness of the mental health and the support available.

Karen Collins, Chief Executive of AWARE NI said:

“Our collaboration with Danske Bank has extended beyond fundraising, effectively raising mental health awareness amongst

both staff and customers. This effort, distributed across its various internal and external channels, has contributed to a meaningful change in the mental health landscape here in Northern Ireland.

“Recent findings bring to light a stark reality—45.2% of 16-year-olds in NI are grappling with probable mental ill-health, and the wellbeing of 11-year-olds has reached its lowest score since 2016. These statistics speak of the pressing need for support for our young people and amplify the value of our partnership with Danske Bank and its lasting impact.

“Thank you to Danske Bank for their unwavering commitment, generosity and positive influence on mental health. As this chapter comes to a close, we reflect on the legacy of this collaboration and the positive strides we’ve made together in supporting mental health.”

Vicky Davies, Chief Executive of Danske Bank added:

“Few people will have been immune to the societal challenges of the last few years, including our own colleagues and customers, but in particular our young people. With half a million customers and over 1,000 employees we knew we had the power to make a difference.

“This has been a truly strategic partnership and one that our colleagues have fully embraced since day one. Their support has been incredible, not just through all kinds of individual and team fundraising challenges in their local communities, but also through raising awareness in branches and local communities and sharing their personal stories to help others.

“Investing in the mental health of our young people is vital, and it’s been our privilege to support AWARE NI to do that. A huge thank you to our colleagues and customers for their generosity over the last three years.”

Pictured are Grosvenor Grammar School pupils Harrison Finlay and Beth Johnston with Vicky Davies, Chief Executive of Danske Bank Karen Collins, Chief Executive of AWARE NI. Grosvenor Year 11 and 14 pupils went through the AWARE NI Mood Matters Young People programme supported by Danske Bank funding.

Eye on News

Terex Celebrates 25 Years of Investment in Northern Ireland with New Headquarters for Powerscreen

Terex, global leader in materials processing equipment and aerial work platforms, has unveiled its new headquarters for Powerscreen, leading manufacturer of mobile crushing and screening equipment, to local stakeholders including First Minister Michelle O’Neill MLA.

This milestone marks a culmination of over £100 million in investment across Northern Ireland since Terex entered the province in 1999, underscoring the company’s commitment to the region’s economy and its workforce of over 2,000 team members employed locally.

Speaking following a tour of the new facility, First Minister Michelle O’Neill said: “Your new headquarters are really impressive. It’s a physical demonstration of your success, and a welcome statement of your future ambition.

“Your growth on this site since the original Powerscreen days is a testament to entrepreneurial spirit and resilience. You have been instrumental in growing an engineering cluster here.

“You have set the standard in terms of quality and product development and you have been pioneers in research, development and innovation.”

Located in Dungannon, the new headquarters for Powerscreen fosters collaboration, innovation, and sustainability. It features a new office space with an open plan layout and

informal collaboration areas as well as a modern employee wellness centre. The unveiling also represents the latest in a series of strategic investments by Terex to modernise its operations, such as the integration of robotic welding and automation systems to enhance efficiency and precision in manufacturing processes. Terex has also prioritised the implementation of advanced technologies and fittings to enhance thermal efficiency and reduce energy consumption, as part of a global sustainability initiative to reduce the environmental impact of its operations.

Also annouced at the opening ceremony, which included representatives from educational, political, business and industry institutions in the area, was the launch of a new electrical apprenticeship programme. The programme offers individuals an opportunity to gain hands-on experience within the industry while studying for an in-demand qualification to opens doors to various career paths, including Electrical/ Electronic Design Engineer, Electrical

Service Technician, Control Panel Builder, and PLC Automation specialist.

“Terex first entered Northern Ireland in 1999 when they purchased Powerscreen and now—25 years on—we are thrilled to unveil our new headquarters, which not only symbolises our growth and success but also our ongoing commitment to our local community,” said Sean Loughran, General Manager of Terex Dungannon. “At Terex we place

huge emphasis on providing global career oppotunities for local people.

Through our investment in this stateof-the-art facility and the launch of our new apprenticeship programme, we aim to contribute to the region’s economic development while providing meaningful career opportunities, where individuals have the opportunity be part of a connected, global team while working for industry-leading brands.”

Sean Loughran, Powerscreen Business Line Director & General Manager of Terex Dungannon with First Minister Michelle O’Neill MLA along with local dignitaries at the official ribbon cutting ceremony of Powerscreen’s new headquarters.

Eye on News

Boatyard Distillery Lands At Belfast City Airport’s World Duty Free

World Duty Free at Belfast City Airport is set to further expand its local product offering with the introduction of Fermanagh-based Boatyard Distillery products.

Inspired by the natural beauty of Lough Erne, Boatyard Distillery’s Boatyard Double Gin, Boatyard Vodka, Boatyard Old Tom Gin and Boatyard Sloe Boat, will be available for all passengers to purchase, regardless of destination.

The introduction of this new brand comes as World Duty Free, operated by leading global travel experience player, Avolta, and Belfast City Airport

collaboratively develop the selection of quality, Northern Irish products.

Welcoming the addition, Michael Jackson, Head of Commercial at Belfast City Airport, said:

“At Belfast City Airport, we believe it’s important to invest in local brands, enabling us to satisfy the demand of travellers by creating an authentic shopping experience with a sense of place at the heart of it.

“Building on our already impressive portfolio of products, the addition of the Boatyard Distillery will be warmly received by the thousands of people that travel through the terminal every day.

“We look forward to working with the Boatyard Distillery to provide our passengers with great value, high quality local products.”

Founded in 2013, the Boatyard Distillery has sustainability at its centre and became the first Irish distiller to achieve B Corp status in 2023.

Ciarán Shannon, Market Manager and Brand Development Manager at the Boatyard Distillery, said:

“Stocking our products at Belfast City Airport’s World Duty Free store allows us to further strengthen our presence in travel retail, showcasing our products to a global audience and growing our brand recognition.

“In a similar vein to Belfast City Airport, the Boatyard Distillery is passionate about driving sustainable change and consistently reviews its production process with the ultimate goal of decarbonisation.

“Belfast City Airport’s dedication to delivering an outstanding passenger experience, coupled with its commitment to supporting local products, makes it a fantastic partner for the Boatyard Distillery, and we are excited to work with the team to deliver our premium spirits to both visitors and locals alike.”

Aisha Dad, Avolta’s Category

Manager for Liquor in the UK, added:

“We strive to offer passengers top-quality products and a wide variety of choice in our World Duty Free stores which are located in most airports across the UK.

“We are confident that the Boatyard Distillery’s products will be popular with Belfast City Airport’s range of travellers, with its attention to detail and dedication to sustainability helping it stand out.

“Like all products in Belfast City Airport, the Boatyard Distillery’s products will be available in our World Duty Free store to be purchased by all passengers, regardless of destination.”

Michael Jackson, Head of Commercial at Belfast City Airport, and Ciarán Shannon, Market Manager and Brand Development Manager at the Boatyard Distillery.

Eye on News

New growth at NOW Group as social enterprise expands leadership team

NOW Group, one of Ireland’s leading social enterprises, has marked a major milestone as its team breaks the 100 mark and appoints a new Chief Operating Officer following a year of rapid growth and expansion.

As well as supporting over 1,800 people with learning difficulties and autism every year, NOW Group has seen a significant increase in the number of its own staff across bases in Belfast, Omagh, Enniskillen and Dublin. The team now stands at 110, an uplift of 60% since last year’s 69, having welcomed a flurry of appointments at the beginning of 2024.

Taking up the post of Chief Operating Officer is Margaret Allen, who brings over 30 years’ experience in contract and retail catering, wholesale and supply chain management. Through her work with industry leaders at the highest levels, Margaret has a strong track record of designing and implementing commercial strategies which deliver growth for businesses. Speaking on her new role, Margaret

said: “I’m delighted to be joining NOW Group at what is an exciting time for the organisation. NOW Group already has an impressive reputation as the leader in their sector, so I hope I can continue to deliver on the important work the team is already doing across the UK, Ireland and beyond.

“As COO, I have been tasked with overseeing operational excellence across all areas of the business and looking at new ways that we can grow our services and social enterprises. Due to the life-changing support NOW Group provides for people with learning difficulties, I will take this role on with the care, determination and professionalism it requires.”

NOW Group works with participants and businesses to establish employment academies which offer training

and support to those with Autism and other intellectual disabilities. The academies cover sectors including hospitality, retail, catering, manufacturing, warehousing and digital, while Community Development teams provide additional training and support in soft and social skills.

Maeve Monaghan, NOW Group CEO welcomed the latest recruits. She added:

“For over two decades, we have worked hard to develop our services to ensure people with learning difficulties and neurodiverse conditions have the support they need to lead the lives they deserve.

The demand for these services has grown rapidly in recent years, meaning we’ve had to review how we operate as a business. The appointment of a Chief Operating

Officer is a big step and marks a new direction in our strategic approach, one that will bring many benefits for NOW Group.

“Introducing new skills enables us to expand our reach even further, so we are thrilled to welcome Margaret and our latest intake of talented professionals to the team. With their help, more and more people with learning difficulties and autism across the island of Ireland will have access to our transformational support services.”

NOW Group CEO, Maeve Monaghan (Centre Right) welcomes the latest intake at the leading all-island social enterprise following a period of rapid growth. She is joined by (L-R) Lauren Stanely, Digital Marketing Executive, Phoebe Mann, Social Group Facilitator, Margaret Allen, Chief Operating Officer, Rebecca Waugh, Employment Officer, Anna Poland, Marketing & Communications Manager, Rebecca Richardson and Abbie Crozier, Community Support Officers.

NOW Group owns Loaf Cafes and Catering, Loaf Pottery and JAM Card. For more information on their work and

Eye on Cover Story

Barclay Communications set to bring Northern Ireland businesses up to speed in collaboration with BT Wholesale offering Free Ultra-Fast Fibre

Barclay Communications, Northern Ireland’s leading business to business telecoms provider has partnered with BT Wholesale to provide all businesses across the province with ‘Free UltraFast Fibre’ in a £6 million investment.

Head quartered in Belfast, The Barclay Group boasts a team of over 120 staff servicing 11,000 customers across the UK with business mobile, VoIP, IT and workflow management solutions.

Currently, when businesses opt to upgrade to ultra-fast broadband, there is typically a charge and/ or increase in monthly cost.

Barclay Communications and BT Wholesale are now providing this to businesses at no extra cost.

Current research underscores Northern Ireland’s pioneering status in full-fibre broadband with over 91% of establishments having ‘Fibre To The Premises’ (FTTP) availability. Despite this impressive infrastructure connected by BT and Openreach, it is evident businesses are struggling to leverage this cutting-edge technology due to a lack of awareness with only 20% currently utilising their fastest available speed.

This is where Barclay Communications’ ‘Free Ultra-Fast Fibre’ initiative aims to bridge the knowledge gap and eliminate the barriers of cost, accessibility and disruption that has hindered businesses from embracing this technology in the past.

“Businesses here in Northern Ireland have the best opportunity to access the fastest speeds available to them (FTTP), yet it still shocks me how many organisations struggle with poor internet speeds.” says John Roulston, Barclay Communications’ Sales Director.

“Our goal is to make upgrading from standard fibre to ultra-fast FTTP, a free and straightforward process,” continues John.

FTTP technology is at the forefront of broadband connectivity, directly linking optical fibre from the cabinet to customer’s premises, offering remarkable speed and reliability.

Eye on Cover Story

With internet speeds up to 25 times faster and upload speeds up to 12.5 times faster.

“Whilst servicing over 7000 businesses locally with a host of telecom services we recognise now more than ever before, that fibre is fundamental to fulfilling many of these communication needs and cloud-hosted services. Not having a fast enough connection can be detrimental to a business” says John.

Barclay Communications

Founder Britt Megahey describes the partnership with BT Wholesale as a significant step forward for business broadband here in Northern Ireland.

“After 27 years in business we are delighted to establish this partnership with BT Wholesale which further enables us to support local businesses. The £6 million investment showcases our long-standing commitment to help businesses improve their organisational efficiency.”

“Our aim is to empower businesses with the fastest available internet speeds, bridging the digital divide and driving economic growth in this region,” he says. “With our dedicated engineering and

support teams along with BT Wholesale’s experience, we’re confident that this new initiative will be a game-changer for a lot of businesses here.”

to be working with Barclay Communications to deliver the initiative and to support Northern Ireland businesses with free, ultrafast connectivity.

“With our dedicated engineering and support teams along with BT Wholesale’s experience, we’re confident that this new initiative will be a game-changer for a lot of businesses here.”

“The goal is to deliver and upgrade old legacy broadband connections for free, to all eligible businesses, around 50,000 of them, by the end of 2024.”

Britt Megahey stresses that there are no additional or hidden costs for businesses to upgrade to FTTP with Barclay Communications. “Our engineers, support staff and implementation specialists look after everything and the work is carried out with minimal disruption to business,” Britt Megahey adds.

Katrina O’Mahony, Senior Sales Manager for Northern Ireland at BT Wholesale said that the organisation is pleased

“As part of our investment in the project we have provided the initial upgrade to FTTP and the collaboration means we can play our part in making a real difference to Northern Ireland businesses of all sizes.”

The Free Ultra-Fast Fibre initiative will support businesses struggling with inadequate broadband services and those wanting to avail of larger bandwidth options. Customers signing up for the initiative are provided with free installation, FTTP delivery, a new line/ ONT box and a service upgrade at no additional cost to their current monthly charge.

“Businesses will also be able to benefit from our market leading, local customer support,” adds John Roulston. “We’ll manage the whole installation process and work with the customer going forward. We’ll do everything on their behalf.”

“We’re all too aware that customers tend to be put off by cumbersome processes. If it’s made difficult or confusing most tend to avoid, so we’re making sure that it will be quite the opposite.”

To further streamline the process, Barclay Communications have introduced a dedicated webpage on its website where businesses can check their eligibility for an FTTP upgrade.

Eye on News

Visitor Attraction Making A Titanic Effort In Sustainability And Supporting Local

TITANIC Belfast has announced that it has received MSC certified status for the fish it serves throughout its eateries and has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting local food producers and suppliers as part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability.

The world-leading visitor attraction, which last year became the first organisation on the island of Ireland to receive Silver Awards for the Green Tourism and Green Meetings accreditations, has committed to only working with sustainable suppliers and use local ingredients where possible to reduce air miles.

Garreth Wilson, Executive Head Chef of Titanic Belfast said: “As part of our journey to

become more sustainable we are making a conscious effort to implement and showcase this across our food offering and in doing so we are helping to reduce food miles and support Northern Ireland’s economy through sustaining local jobs.

We are delighted to have recently received MSC certified status for the fish we purchase through our supplier Lynas Foodservice, which is one of Northern Ireland’s sole MSC

certified sustainable cod suppliers.

This is in line with our aim of using 100% sustainability and ethically sourced seafood within our hospitality outlets and conferencing and banqueting business.”

“We are proud to work with an array of local suppliers who echo our commitment to sustainability. This includes K&G McAtamney Butchery which has committed to using 100% green energy in its factory with 30% coming from solar generation alone and 80% of its produce is sourced from the island of Ireland. We also work with Keenan Seafood, a business that works hard to source as much of their fish as locally as possible based on quality and sustainability and Ewing’s Seafood which prides itself on sourcing

its produce from Portavogie and Kilkeel,” Garreth continued.

“At Titanic Belfast, we are taking steps to increase our sustainability every day. This includes removing all single-use plastic items from our business by 2025 and working to eliminate food waste throughout the building – for example we us with a ‘circular economy’ mentality across our banqueting and hospitality outlets to ensure as little product goes to waste as possible – and in doing so we are creating seasonally innovative menus for our customers. I would encourage all local businesses to take the opportunity to look at what they are doing to improve their own sustainability as it’s so important that we all play a role in doing better by people and the planet,” Garreth concluded.

Garreth Wilson, Executive Head Chef of Titanic Belfast is pictured (L-R) with Gareth Clements of Lynas Foodservice, Tracey Rogan of Keenan Seafood, Alvin Donaghy of K&G McAtamney and Crawford Ewing of Ewing’s Seafood as the world-leading visitor attraction announces it has received MSC certified status for the fish it serves throughout its eateries. Titanic Belfast has also reaffirmed its commitment to supporting local food producers and suppliers as part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability.

EyeonPrivate Healthcare

Kingsbridge Top Team –Leading The Healthcare Revolution

The growing role of private healthcare as a viable alternative shows no signs of slowing down. More private GP practices are opening their doors and more and more patients are choosing to pay for treatment rather than wait in

The Participants

ever-lengthening NHS queues.

From its very early days as the 3FiveTwo Group, Kingsbridge Private Health Group has been at the very forefront of private medical care in Ireland, North & South. The group operates Belfast’s largest private hospital on the Lisburn

Road, a new and rapidly expanding Diagnostic & Treatment Centre on the King’s Hall site, the North West leading private facility at Ballykelly and a private hospital across the border in Sligo.

Business Eye’s Richard Buckley talks to Kingsbridge Group CEO Mark Regan

RB – Mark, set out the broader picture for us? Where is Kingsbridge as a group, how has healthcare changed and where is it going?

MR – Healthcare these days is an all-island story. Disease, cancer, diagnostics and treatments don’t respect borders. We’re an ageing population, 20% over 65 and many with multiple healthcare needs.

The capacity to deal with these healthcare demands hasn’t kept pace with the demand. In England, 0.6% of patients wait more than a year for treatment, in the Republic it’s under 3% but here it’s 14%.

Kingsbridge has partnered with the NHS over the past 20 years, including during the pandemic. We’ve delivered more than 2 million patient episodes over those 20 years. We’ve built theatres and bed capacity to help bridge the demand gap and, in addition to supporting the NHS, we also offer access to self-funding and insured patients from both NI and ROI.

We’re helping both NHS and private patients from every county on this island to obtain a rapid diagnosis and timely surgical intervention. That’s thanks to my 1,000 colleagues led by the four General Managers around this table.

Some of you focus on life changing elective surgery such as joint replacements and cataract surgery, others offer cancer diagnosis within a week meaning the difference between life and death for

and the General Managers of all four key facilities – Kelly Maccartney of Kingsbridge Private Hospital, Belfast; Anthony McKenna, Kingsbridge Ballykelly; Jennifer McLaughlin, Kingsbridge Sligo and Ashling Green, General Manager of the Kingsbridge Diagnostic & Treatment Centre.

thousands of patients every year.

Remember that every week in NI more than 200 people are diagnosed with cancer. That’s more people than can fit into a plane taking off from Belfast to London or Malaga.

RB – Can I ask you to introduce yourselves and tell me a bit more about your roles.

AM – My name is Anthony McKenna and I’m general manager of Kingsbridge in Ballykelly. I joined in 2015 as Head of Radiology here in Belfast and worked through a number of other roles until we acquired the Ballykelly site a number of years ago.

JM – My name is Jennifer McLaughlin and I’m General Manager of Kingsbridge Sligo. I joined the company in 2012 as a Junior Fertility Nurse with Origin Fertility Care, moving into management from there. In 2019, I was asked to go to our new Sligo hospital on a short secondment and I enjoyed it so much I decided to stay....with the blessing of the company, of course.

AG – I’m Ashling Green, General Manager of Kingsbridge Diagnostic & Treatment Centre. I started as an Outpatient Nurse in 2012, moving on to become Patient Manager. I moved across to the Kings Hall site to open the Endoscopy Centre and, a year ago, I become General Manager of the wider Diagnostic & Treatment Centre project, which is moving into Phase 3 of a new build programme.

Mark Regan Kingsbridge Group CEO

Kelly Macartney General Manager Kingsbridge Private Hospital, Belfast

Anthony McKenna General Manager Kingsbridge Private Hospital, Ballykelly

Jennifer McLaughlin General Manager Kingsbridge Private Hospital, Sligo

Ashling Green General Manager of the Kingsbridge Diagnostic & Treatment Centre

Richard Buckley Editor, Business Eye

EyeonPrivate Healthcare

KM – I’m Kelly Macartney and I’m GM of the Belfast hospital. I joined Kingsbridge in 2012 as a Radiographer, branching into CT scanning. I got the opportunity to move into governance and risk in 2020 and in 2021 I became General Manager of the main hospital site. Kingsbridge has gone through a lot in the last three and a half years. We opened a major extension last year delivering a new theatre and almost doubling the bed count, developed an ICU in 2021 and also commenced a private cardiac surgery service.

RB – You’re all from a medical background. How easy or difficult has it been to adapt to management roles?

AG – I think our backgrounds benefit us. A lot of our work is clinical rather than managerial or administrative. We can also reach out to each other to help and advice across our disciplines.

KM – We run businesses and we need business heads to do that, but the medical background is invaluable when it comes to dealing with both patients and staff. These are people businesses, after all.

AM – I’d also add that both nursing and radiography have skills that can be transferred into management roles.

RB – Kelly, what have been the key milestones for the Belfast hospital?

KM – Our biggest recent milestone has been the opening of our ICU. It’s the only private ICU in Northern Ireland, and one of few in the UK. It took a lot of time and effort to get it off the ground. More recently, we’ve expanded it out to accept all patients, not just cardiac patients. Private GP has been running for much longer but we’ve seen rapid growth over the past two years,

from a couple of doctors to nearly 30 staff today. Extending out from that, our Private GP Plans are growing in popularity all the time.

RB – As a concept, Private GP is growing all over the place. We’re seeing a lot more opening.

AG – That’s true but the advantage we have is that our doctors can refer patients into the wider Kingsbridge system, and they can do it quickly.

KM – We’re making the next move now into Shared Care Agreements, where a consultant starts a patient on medication for life and a GP takes over the care from there.

RB – What about patients coming to Belfast from all over Ireland? That has grown, hasn’t it?

KM – It’s been a big thing for us at Kingsbridge. We’ve seen a big increase in self funding patients

coming over the border, who are able to claim their fees back from the HSE. Kingsbridge, and what it can offer, has become a lot better known amongst the general public in the Republic. When they do come here, they’re blown away by how quick and efficient we are. And don’t forget our cataract buses which bring groups of patients up to Kingsbridge from as far away as County Cork on a regular basis.

AM – About a quarter of our patients are coming from across the border, Donegal in particular. It’s an area that is deprived of top-level healthcare. So we work closely with doctors in Donegal to provide access to patients. We had two busloads of patients from Galway just recently.

AG – It’s worth mentioning that we were able to keep that going during the pandemic as well. Patients were tested before they left home.

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RB – Growth on the main Kingsbridge site can only go so far. There’s not much room for expansion.

KM – That’s correct. What we can do in the building can change but we can’t physically expand. Our expansion and future growth will take place across the road on the old King’s Hall site where there is plenty of space for development.

RB – Let’s turn to you, Anthony. The Ballykelly site is bigger than most people think, and it’s an important local employer.

AM – When we acquired the site, it employed about 100 people. We’re now above 350 so it’s been constant growth. We’ve even based some group functions in Ballykelly.

Our sterile services department, for instance, has expanded and now runs from 5 am until 1 am the next day. We also host the group laundry service, and Ballykelly is also being developed as a centre for paediatrics, with both specialist facilities and specialist staff. We can also anaesthetise paediatric MRI patients and that’s a first in Northern Ireland. In total, we’ve invested around £11 or £12 million since acquisition.

RB – There has been a private hospital on the Ballykelly site for some time, but Kingsbridge has transformed it.

AM – There was a fully functioning hospital but it needed investment to expand and grow and that’s where we came in. We’ve renovated bedrooms, we’ve added another operating theatre, changed over radiology services, and we’ve become the first hospital in Northern Ireland to have a Mako surgical robot.

When we took over at Ballykelly, we took on staff who had been there for many years and perhaps saw us as a competitor. But they’ve all, without exception, embraced working for and with Kingsbridge.

RB – What’s next on the agenda?

AM – We have plans for a further 700 sq metre building at Ballykelly with CT, another 12 beds and advanced physio facilities. We’re looking at the first spinal rehab centre in Ireland as a possibility, and spinal robotics would be another logical step.

I don’t think the construction guys ever leave Kingsbridge....!

RB – Jennifer, tell us a bit more about the Sligo site.

JM – Kingsbridge bought the Sligo facility back in 2015. It was a hospital called St. Joseph’s carrying out very minor procedures and was struggling to develop any further. Kingsbridge has put a lot of investment into it, creating a strong team , increasing the complexity of procedures and bringing in new specialities such as ophthalmology and more complex general surgeries. But we are struggling with capacity. We have only one theatre and one endoscopy suite, and we offer MRI on site alongside Alliance Medical. Our big plan for the future is a major new build project on the existing site. Planning permission has been granted and we’re quite far down the road now. We will have one imaging building and a second surgical building with 20 beds, two theatres, two endoscopy suites, whilst the old hospital will become a 20-bed unit with two day procedure units. So what Belfast and Ballykelly can do, we will soon be able to do. Our market is a bit different. We have competition in the Republic. Currently, people in Sligo travel to Dublin for private treatment. We want to be able to do it locally and, if we can’t

EyeonPrivate Healthcare

do it, one of the hospitals in our group probably can. We’ve a really strong group synergy now.

RB – Ashling, tell us more about the development of KDTC and the King’s Hall site.

AG – We’ve started from scratch and built a new endoscopy team based at our new site, recruiting both locally and internationally. We’re focused on diagnosis. Most patients are coming to us because they’ve had a red flag referral. If a GP refers a patient, we’ll usually have them booked in within two days, they’ll be triaged by a consultant and it’s a seven-day pathway in total. They’ll leave us the same day with initial

diagnosis from a consultant and a copy of their report. We also have a day procedure unit doing everything from biopsies to orthopaedic injections, vasectomies and circumcisions. With our new building, some services will move over from the main hospital site. The primary care service and cardiac physiology will move over to us along with BUPA health screening. We’re also going to get a new laser eye service, and our cataract service will be housed on the new site. Beyond that will be a brand new hospital unit with three to four theatres and 20 hospital beds.

AM – I think we’ve grown as a group and that’s really

important. It’s been good to see the group moving hospital services out of Belfast and I think we’ll see more of that going forward. Kingsbridge has never been slow to take risks and move forward as fast as possible. We couldn’t operate a private GP service until we did, and we couldn’t open an ICU until we could.

JM – I’d echo that. The fact that Kingsbridge is pumping a big investment into the Sligo site has been warmly welcomed by the people in Sligo and the west coast of Ireland. It’s been a big talking point in the town.

AG – Kingsbridge is always changing. It’s definitely never boring. Covid was a good example of how we could change how we did things and make it work.

KM – The way that our senior team can make decisions quickly and make things work is something that definitely sets us apart. We might be a big organisation now but we’re still quick on our feet. What’s more, the staff feel that. They like working for Kingsbridge. They bring ideas forward and they’re not scared to do that. We’ve managed to avoid any top down management structure. Staff feel valued and they stay with us. We lose very few people. They also see that they get security with us. We’re not a

small private clinic any more. Those days have long gone.

AG – Consultants like working with us because we listen to what they’re saying and we’ll change things that need to be changed. It’s not like that in the NHS. We’re not big fans of red tape and bureaucracy and we’re Yes people rather than No people.

RB – And customer service, if I can call it that, is part of the wider picture?

AG – Yes, of course. We all aim for five-star customer or patient service. It’s part of our DNA. Coming into Kingsbridge should be more like coming into a good hotel, we often say.

AM – But we can do that whilst providing clinical excellence. That’s the secret to what we do.

AM – There is also a much broader acceptance of private healthcare. Attitudes have shifted a lot in recent years. Most people realise that they have to take their own healthcare into their own hands. They don’t have to be on a waiting list for years.

Eye on Sustainability

Henderson Group invest over £2.5m towards sustainability goals in 2024

Henderson Group has announced it will invest over £2.5 million into further sustainability commitments in 2024.

It comes after great strides were made in sustainable futureproofing last year, with the installation and switching on of 1,494 solar panels which cover 75% of the most newlybuilt Group warehouse at the business’s headquarters in Mallusk, and which represented an investment of £900,000.

At the end of 2023, the Group’s Retail company also announced a contract with bp pulse, bp’s electric vehicle charging business, which will see the installation of a new network of up to 200 ultra-fast and rapid electric vehicle charging points throughout their 100+ Henderson Retail operated SPAR and EUROSPAR sites. By the end of the year, there were already over 40 installed, with completion of the project expected by 2025.

Alan Abraham, Group Logistics Director says the solar panel installation is the fourth biggest roof-mounted solar installation in Northern Ireland to date; “As a Group that is operating five companies, over 100 retail stores, four busy distribution warehouses and a fleet of lorries, we have stringent and ambitious sustainability goals that we have made a strategic part of our business going forward.

“The refrigerated Group warehouse is a huge consumer of energy, not only do we have to keep all stock chilled 24/7, but it will also be used to power our refrigerated commercial fleet, so installing these solar panels makes a big impact. It is the equivalent of taking 309 cars off the road – an annual saving of 320,263kg in CO2 emissions. In addition, our strategy on mechanical handling equipment in our warehouses is going through a transition to convert to lithium-ion battery technology, which reduces energy consumption by 20% than the previous lead-acid battery power.”

2024 will see the next stage of the Group’s solar power project, with panels planned to be installed on Henderson’s

Hyde Park warehouse, which will service Henderson Wholesale’s ambient range of products alongside the refrigerated Henderson Foodservice warehouse. It means the business will have one of the top three largest solar installs in Northern Ireland.

After a full carbon footprint audit in 2021, which revealed the Group was much further ahead on their net zero journey than a lot of other retailers,

Henderson Group’s Carbon Zero Steering Team set their own targets for the Group, alongside government targets for 2040, a commitment made with the British Retail Consortium.

Mark Adrain, Group Property Director added that with almost 70 retail projects lined up across Northern Ireland for 2024, sustainable practices and fittings are a priority. “In 2023 we invested over £49 million in building

and renovating new futureproof stores for our local communities.

“We installed around 900KW of solar panels across 22 stores last year, plus installed low energy CO2 refrigeration systems. We have completed successful trials on more energy efficient refrigeration doors which will be rolled out across small batches of stores in the next couple of years, while our trials for solar panels to power refrigeration units continue. Finally, all store lighting has been converted to LED, allowing us to reach our target of 5% energy reduction year on year.”

Alan Abraham finished; “Our main business is supplying over 500 SPAR, EUROSPAR and ViVO branded stores across Northern Ireland, we are very proud that any waste from our warehouse is extremely low – stats from 2023 showed we reduced our food waste collection by 25% on 2022 - and that is donated to foodbanks, community fridges and volunteer kitchens. Absolutely nothing goes to landfill from our sites and hasn’t for many years.”

Henderson Retail will install 200 ultra-fast and rapid EV chargers at 100 SPAR and EUROSPAR sites by the end of 2025, as part of its partnership with bp pulse

1,494 solar panels were installed last year, covering 75% of the most recently built Group warehouse at Henderson’s headquarters in Mallusk.

Action Cancer releases Breast Screening Appointments in the run up to International Women’s Day

For every 1,000 screenings, Action Cancer detects six breast cancers

Action Cancer’s Senior Radiographer, Éadaoin Smith (centre) is pictured with Alex Todd from its4women (left) and Breast Friends Fundraiser and Social Media Influencer Francesca McKee (right).

Eye on Charity

To celebrate International Women’s Day, leading NI cancer charity Action Cancer has released breast screening appointments and is encouraging women to book their screening slot online.

The theme for International Women’s Day on Friday 8th March 2024 (IWD 2024) is, ‘Inspire Inclusion’. International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8, yet the global campaign theme continues all year long to encourage action.

Action Cancer offers 8,000 breast screening appointments per year to women aged 40-49 and over 70 — those who fall outside the NHS screening age range (50 – 70). The free life-saving service is available both at Action Cancer House in Belfast and on board the Big Bus mobile screening unit (kindly supported by SuperValu and Centra) which travels to over 200 locations each year.

Ahead of International Women’s Day, Action Cancer has teamed up with local online car insurance company its4women.co.uk to urge local women to take action and participate in the ‘Breast Friends’ fundraising campaign in order to support the running cost of the breast screening service.

With no regular government funding Action Cancer raises funds to support screenings through the Breast Friends fundraising campaign, with cash generated then matched by its4women.co.uk.

The breast screening service is free to the user but each appointment costs the charity £120. The Breast Friends campaign encourages groups of friends to organise a catch up and raise much needed funds at the same time. You could hold a coffee morning, pamper day or spring garden party, at home, in your local salon, gym or anywhere of your choosing on International Women’s Day or during the month of March.

Women in 2024 lead such busy lives, often juggling work commitments, looking after family members and organising the household. Personal health and wellbeing can drop to the bottom of the priority list. Action Cancer is appealing to women to take time out of their busy schedules and put their own health first by booking a free breast screening appointment. It will only take five minutes and the appointment itself will take no longer than half an hour. Action Cancer also runs evening and weekend clinics to offer maximum flexibility to its clients. Action Cancer’s Senior Radiographer, Éadaoin

Smith, explains why women in the 40-49 and over 70 age groups should proactively book a screening: “Our programme screens women with no signs or symptoms of breast cancer. For every 1,000 breast screenings we detect six cancers.

Early detection makes a massive difference to treatment outcomes. Appointments are available up to six weeks in advance and new appointments are released regularly. You can book online at www. actioncancer.org or by phone on 028 9080 3344.”

Speaking about the partnership Alex Todd, Head of Quality Group for MCL InsureTech Ltd. which includes the brand its4women says:

“With financial matching from Its4women the Breast Friends campaign has raised £234,438 since 2019 enabling 2,179 breast screenings for local women. Given Action Cancer detects six cancers for every 1,000 appointments, money raised from the campaign will have led to the detection of at least thirteen cancers. These women would not have been accessing a breast screening through another channel which is why this breast screening service is so important.

“Its4women is committed to working with Action Cancer to benefit as many women as possible, whether that is by booking an appointment for a potentially lifesaving breast screening or matching all public fundraising up to a total value of £90,000 over three years.

“I’ve personally experienced the exceptional free service aboard the Big Bus. The efficiency was impressive, and the staff went above and beyond to make you feel comfortable. It offers a sense of reassurance for the majority, providing peace of mind. I strongly encourage local women to take advantage of this unique free service, unparalleled in the entire UK or Ireland.”

26-year-old Engineer, Francesca McKee, is originally from Magherafelt and runs Instagram pages @frans_travels and @ni_girlies. Living in Belfast, Francesca previously hosted a Belfast Girlies Afternoon Tea Event in Café Parisian in aid of the Breast Friends campaign. Francesca says: “Breast cancer holds a special place in my heart, as my mother was diagnosed in her 40s. Thankfully, she’s now cancer-free and doing well. While I’m not yet eligible for Action Cancer’s breast screening

service, I’m passionate about raising awareness for this invaluable service and emphasising the importance of self-checks for women of all ages.

“Our recent event successfully raised £4,000, and thanks to its4women’s matching funds, we reached a total of £8,000. It was fantastic to know that we doubled the impact of our fundraising efforts, allowing twice as many women to benefit from this crucial service.

“Looking ahead, I plan to organise another fundraiser in October 2024. I urge women of all ages to support this campaign and to spread the message to family and friends, particularly those in the 40-49 and 70+ age category. Together, we can make a significant difference in the fight against breast cancer.”

For more information on Action Cancer’s services, call 028 9080 3344 or visit www.actioncancer.org

To get your free Breast Friends fundraising pack, please email breastfriends@actioncancer.org

Alex Todd from its4women (left); Breast Friends Fundraiser and Social Media Influencer Francesca McKee (centre) and Action Cancer’s Senior Radiographer Éadaoin Smith (right) discuss the importance of breast screening and being Breast Aware.

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR THE REMARKABLE MARKETING AWARDS

Northern Ireland’s first dedicated awards ceremony celebrating individual marketers and their talents has opened for entries.

The Remarkable Marketing Awards which are the brainchild of the team behind the hugely popular annual Big Marketing Meet Up will be held on Friday 31st May at the Europa Hotel in Belfast.

Hosted by communicator and presenter, Emer Maguire, the RMA’s are calling on all marketers and their teams to blow their own trumpets and nominate themselves or their colleagues to be recognised for their creativity, innovation and marketing successes.

Nominations are open until March 8. It’s completely free to enter and there are just three questions to answer, which will be judged by a panel of industry experts from outside of Northern Ireland.

Leading the judging panel is

Walter Campbell, one of the most award-winning creative thinkers and inspirational ECD’s in advertising. Best known for his TV work, his film “Surfer” for Guinness was voted Best Commercial of All Time by the UK public.

Walter is joined by judges from across Europe including Sara RiisCarstensen, who has worked with iconic brands including Lego, DeBeers and Lufthansa and Steve Brown who led the comms strategy for Absolut Vodka as well as previously judging the Drum Marketing Awards.

Asked what he’s looking to see from the entrants, Steve said: “I’m looking for bold and impactful actions that demonstrate a clear and nuanced understanding of target audiences and showcase your remarkable

work over the last 12 months.”

With 20 categories to choose from across 15 business sectors and five team and individual marketer awards, there is something for everyone at the RMA’s. Awards include categories for Technology and Innovation Sector, Charity and Not for Profit Sector and Media and Creative sector among others.

The Remarkable Marketing Awards are a celebration of the people behind groundbreaking initiatives. These awards are not about brands, channels or tactics, they’re about you - the visionary marketer

Expected to be a night of fun and excitement, the night begins at 6pm for pre-event drinks before the ceremony begins at 7pm. After the event, guests are more than welcome to stay for

some entertainment and music from The String Ninjas until midnight.

If you’re a class first marketer producing class remarkable work, then entering this event should be a no-brainer. You can also nominate a worthy colleague, make a name for yourself and enter today.

The RMA’s are sponsored by headline sponsors Card Group Research and Insight, along with category sponsors Excalibur Press, Horrible and Mrktsearch.

L-R Aidan Harbinson (Horrible Brands), Sarah Stewart (Mrktsearch), Tina Calder (Excalibur Press), Kris Byers (Horrible Brands) and Albert Hamilton (CARD Group Research & Insight)

Lidl Northern Ireland digs in to create new £7m flagship store in South Belfast

Lidl Northern Ireland, the region’s fastest-growing supermarket retailer, has started construction work on the site of its new South Belfast flagship store.

Located in the heart of the busy Boucher Road retail area, positioned to the front of the National Football Stadium and Olympia Leisure Centre, the new store will provide local residents and businesses in the south Belfast area, as well as visitors to the bustling retail destination, with access to Lidl’s established ‘Big on Quality, Lidl on Price’ brand proposition for the first time.

Lidl Northern Ireland’s newest state-of-the-art ‘concept’ store will add an extra 40 permanent jobs to its regional 1,300-strong workforce. Up to 120 temporary jobs will also be supported during the development phase which got underway this week with contractors Ganson UK breaking ground to develop the 2,288 sqm retail unit.

Positioned on derelict land at Windsor Way to the left of Olympia Leisure Centre, the refurbished site will also include an adjacent 148-space customer car park, complete with EV charging stations, redeveloping land in front of Olympia’s football pitches.

Planning permission for the new store – its tenth within the Greater Belfast area – was approved by Belfast City Council last year and will bring its total Northern Ireland store count to 43 by the end of 2024, now that construction work is also under way on the new £6.5 million store that will anchor Carryduff Shopping Centre. Around 35 permanent jobs will be created in Carryduff when the store is completed later this year – on top of 120 construction jobs over the next six months.

The announcement marks a new drive for Lidl Northern Ireland in delivering on its ambitious plans to open 50 stores across the region by the end of the decade,

whilst also investing in upgrading its existing store network.

In the Greater Belfast area, Lidl Northern Ireland already has stores at High Street in the city centre, Castlereagh Road, Crumlin Road, Holywood Exchange, Shore Road, Connswater, Stewartstown and Dundonald. The retailer, which opened a new Strabane store in December is also progressing new store developments in Cookstown, Dungannon and Coleraine as part of a major planned investment across its growing Northern Ireland network.

Earlier this month, Lidl Northern Ireland announced it has submitted planning applications to position new stores at Rushmere Shopping Centre in Craigavon and adjacent to Bloomfield Shopping Centre in Bangor. Both will replace longstanding nearby outlets with all-new, brighter, larger and modern retail outlets.

Lidl Northern Ireland Managing Director Ivan Ryan said:

“We’re delighted to kick off 2024 with a number of key expansion projects and are quickly advancing our plans for our first store in South Belfast. This new store on Boucher Road will bring major investment to the locality and will create new jobs and bring real choice, quality and the best value to residents and visitors to this part of the city.

The highly anticipated Boucher Road store will be a welcome addition to the busy retail estate and it further expands our presence across all four corners of the city. We’re delighted to soon be able to serve the south Belfast community at this iconic site next to the region’s most prestigious National Football Stadium.

“We’re also really pleased that new store plans in Carryduff are now progressing, and we look forward

to celebrating its opening and to welcoming new colleagues and customers in both locations this year.”

Built to exacting standards, the new Lidl Northern Ireland store at Boucher Road will reflect the retailer’s established ‘concept’ design, which prioritises sustainability and energy efficiency. A modern fit-out will provide high-quality shopping experience, with wide aisles, an in-store bakery, longer till points, enhanced restrooms and employee facilities.

Lidl Northern Ireland said that its new Carryduff store would boast similar features that include a 1,420 sq. metre sales floor and parking

for more than 200 vehicles.

Last year, Lidl Northern Ireland sourced a record £455 million worth of product from local agri-food suppliers, more than 30 percent more than the year before – most of which was exported through its international store network in the UK, Ireland, Europe and beyond.

Established in 1999 when it opened its first store in Cookstown, Lidl Northern Ireland marks 25 years in the region this year. It now holds a 9.1 percent market share in Northern Ireland, and has seen the strongest growth amongst all retailers, up 21.3% year-on-year, according to retail information analysts Kantar.

Keith Shorten –New Commercial Head For Ulster Rugby

It’s a measure of how far professional rugby has come around these parts that the appointment of a Head of Commercial a couple of months ago was regarded as a key appointment for the organisation.

Eye on Sport

Keith Shorten joins the management team at Ulster Rugby at what’s currently called the Kingspan Stadium (….more of which later).

Along with his Australian wife and kids, he returned to his native Northern Ireland from London as part of the Covid wave of returners.

In London, Keith had a senior commercial role with AEG Europe, part of the world’s largest sporting and entertainment group; a concert promoter, festival organiser and also one of the world’s biggest operators of professional sports teams and stadia across the globe.

He’s clear about the challenges facing him at Ulster Rugby. Right at the top of the list, of course, is the search for a new Naming Rights and Front of Shirt partner(s).

Kingspan, the Irish-based building products group, and its association with the club as the Naming Rights and Front of Shirt partner is concluding at the end of the 2024-25 season after a long and mutually beneficial partnership.

“We’re looking for a partner who sees value in what we are doing, who will support the growth of rugby across Ulster and in doing so will generate a return from that association and the brand awareness created. There is a lot we can deliver alongside the right partner and we’re confident that we can find an organisation that fits with our own. The search is well underway,” he says.

“We know that we’ve got a great product to sell to interested parties. But it must be a strong two-way partnership. There is a science behind sponsorship these days and both partners need a return on the investment.”

“We are fortune to be the biggest sports partnership rights holder in Ulster, and we can deliver all levels of sponsorship and rights depending on the need and budget of the partner. These could include hospitality packages, kit branding, fantastic lounges – both match and

private conference hire - player access, static and digital boards, access to our marketable database, association, naming rights for different parts of the stadium, or it could be working with the grassroots game, Senior Women’s team and youth pathways.”

Outside of Kingspan, Ulster Rugby has an impressive line-up of other key sponsors. Many have been long-term partners with a relationship that has evolved, including an association for over 25 years with Bank of Ireland.

Aside from high-end sponsorship deals, the new Head of Commercial has his eyes on non-rugby business. “We’ve got a fantastic stadium here and we don’t make the most of it,” he says. “So, we’re going to focus on extending our hospitality and venue offering beyond match days, and we’re going to be leaning into the local business community to a much greater extent.

“We’ve been running a series of business breakfasts and they’ve been a big success. It’s a concept that we’d like to extend and we’re fortunate that there are already big synergies between rugby and the business community that we can build on.”

Ulster Rugby can also call on the services of a number of current and ex-players with significant business interests. Among them are former players like Andrew Trimble, Jan Cunningham, Chris

Henry, Tommy Bowe, Andy Park the list goes on. From the current Senior Men’s squad, double Rugby World Cup winner, Steven Kitshoff, boasts his own beer company in his native South Africa.

“Ulster Rugby is on a journey of continuous improvement,” says Keith Shorten. “It’s an organisation with a proud heritage as the Irish Rugby Football Union (Ulster Branch). Just recently, it marked 100 years since an Ireland v England international game was played at the old Ravenhill.....forerunner to today’s Kingspan Stadium.

“Ulster Rugby’s commitment also extends far beyond the confines of Kingspan Stadium as the Governing Body for rugby across the nine counties of Ulster. This includes overseeing all 51 registered domestic clubs, spanning from school rugby to various grassroots initiatives from Letterkenny to Larne and from Cavan to Coleraine. Ulster Rugby actively contributes to the development of coaches and referees, establishing pathways for young players, and fostering a growth network for sustained progress,”

“We’re very privileged that we have coverage across the whole of Ulster. We are the elite team in Ulster, competing at the toptier of professional sport, with a huge, engaged audience across the globe, in one of Europe’s most modern stadiums.”

On the pitch it’s been a mixed

season for the professional team but there is optimism that the second half of the season will end on a high note and create momentum going forward. At the time of writing Ulster are in the final 16 of the European Challenge Cup and in the top half of the United Rugby Championship table.

“It’s always a bit of a balancing act but we’re confident. We have a very strong, loyal supporter base with some great commercial partners and regularly attract some of the biggest crowds across the URC and beyond. The team is very aware of the support that they receive and the responsibilities which come with it.”

“We’re very proud of the player pathway that we’ve created over the years. The number of young, home-grown players in our squad this season stands testament to what the club has achieved.... and it bodes well for the future.”

“There’s nothing quite like the atmosphere at a Friday or Saturday night game here in Belfast. We look forward to welcoming supporters and commercial partners, new and old, to experience a game at the Kingspan Stadium”.

Aside from the remainder of Ulster’s fixtures, the stadium will host a record number of games this season including the Danske School Cup Finals, an Ireland Women’s Six Nations Championship game and Women’s Junior Cup, alongside the province’s Towns Cup.

Enter

THE 16 AWARD CATEGORIES FOR 2024

Sustainable Hospitality & Tourism Business of The Year

Sustainable Manufacturing Business of the Year

Sustainable Business Leader of the Year

Sustainable Team of the Year

Sustainable Company of the Year 2024

Sustainable Transport Award

Green Building Award

Sustainable Food and Drink Company of the Year

Young Sustainability Champion Award

Sustainable Retail Business of the Year

Major Project of the Year

Eco Developer of the Year

Innovation in Sustainability Award

Campaign of the Year

Sustainable Packaging Award

Net Zero/Carbon Reduction Award

Eye on Events

Bushmills Distillery Launches Unique 36-Year Old Single Malt At Belfast’s Half Bap

Bushmills Distillery brought one of its finest ever whiskies back to its spiritual home in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter.

The distillery launched the Bushmills Hill Street Edition at Willie Jack’s The Friend at Hand and Dark Horse in Hill Street, once the headquarters of the distillery company.

A homage to Hill Street – once home to the Bushmills headquarters, and where The Friend at Hand today stands – this exclusive bottling celebrates the rich history of one of Belfast’s most iconic streets.

Long lauded for its shipbuilding and linen-weaving past, the lesser-told story of Belfast’s whiskey history is a spirited tale, brought to life in this new release. Bonded warehouses

once lined Hill Street, and Bushmills barrels would have rolled down its now iconic cobbles to ships docked on the Farset River, to be transported to destinations around the globe.

Over 135 years on, the Bushmills Hill Street Edition makes history as the oldest ever Bushmills expression to be released in Europe.

Commenting on the release, Bushmills Master Blender, Alex Thomas said: “In every bottle of Bushmills, we honour our past and the immense passion and patience required to craft the world’s most exclusive single malts. It is my privilege to

bring this exceptional whiskey back to Belfast, to the site of Bushmills’ former HQ on Hill Street, in what is a milestone moment for the brand.”

Presented in a bespoke hexagonal box, handcrafted in black American walnut, and adorned with an intricate map of Belfast etched in gold, the Bushmills Hill Street Edition will take pride of place in The Friend at Hand, one of the world’s finest whiskey shops, in a fitting tribute to the brand’s former HQ.

Home to one of the world’s greatest collections of rare Irish whiskeys and artefacts, The Friend at Hand boasts an exceptional collection of Bushmills single malts and memorabilia, including date-stamped hand-written correspondence from the former Bushmills Belfast headquarters, amongst the highlights. A passionate advocate for Irish whiskey, Willie Jack of

The Friend at Hand holds the legacy of Bushmills and Hill Street close to heart.

Commenting on the launch, Willie Jack said: “Belfast’s proud industrial past and rich whiskey heritage paved the way for a craft that, centuries later, continues to stand the test of time. We are proud to partner with Bushmills on this exceptional, 36-year-old whiskey, which pays homage to the hard-working people of Hill Street. It’s fitting that our shared heritage and spirit of collaboration are commemorated in this special release, which, with just 208 bottles available, is sure to be in high demand.”

But there’s a catch. Bushmills Hill Street Edition 36-Year-Old single malt is bottled at 48% ABV and is priced at £5,000 for 700ml (RSP). The limitededition release of just 208 bottles is available exclusively for purchase from The Friend at Hand in Belfast.

Eye on Events

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Willie Jack, Alex Thomas, Bushmills Master Blender and Colum Egan, Bushmills Master Distiller. 2 Richard and Brenda Buckley. 3 Ibe Sesay and Nuala Meenehan.

Gary McDonald and Ryan Hand.

Colin Neill and Joel Neill.

Willie Jack and Ryan Hand.

Eye on News

Diamond pendant to be raffled in aid of local Blood Cancer research

The winner of a beautiful diamond pendant, with an estimated retail value in excess of £20,000, will be unveiled at an upcoming gala ball in aid of blood cancer charity, Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI (LLNI), it has been announced.

Members of the public can donate just £10 to be in with a chance of winning the prize.

Members of the public over the age of sixteen can purchase a raffle ticket for £10 and be in with a chance of winning the pendant via the LLNI website. The lucky ticket holder will be announced at the charity’s Gala ‘Black Tie & Diamonds’ Ball, to be held at Titanic Belfast on Friday 27 September - tickets for which are also available online.

As well as raising funds for LLNI, the ball will mark the charity’s 60th anniversary and celebrate

the ways in which the vital research it funds has changed patient outcomes in Northern Ireland and across the globe.

The pendant necklace, which features a 1.52 carat D class natural diamond set in platinum, was kindly donated to the blood cancer charity by Belfast antiques dealer Eleanor Wolfendon-Orr as a way of raising much-needed funds for blood cancer research.

Eleanor, who is currently receiving treatment for myeloma - an incurable but treatable blood cancer, has been running her shop Kennedy Wolfenden

Antiques and Jewellery with husband, Sam for more than 40 years. She has already raised more than £67,000 for LLNI in total.

Chair of LLNI, Richard Buchanan, said: “we are extremely grateful to Eleanor and her family, not just for their incredible donation to our ongoing fundraising campaign, but for their work on behalf of the charity over the years. The money raised from the ticket sales of this beautiful piece of jewellery will be invested in research that is improving patient outcomes and saving lives. Every day three people in Northern Ireland are diagnosed

with Blood Cancer. So we are asking the public to please buy a raffle ticket, join us at our gala ball or make a donation and help us to continue with this vital work.”

Raffle tickets for the diamond pendant necklace can be purchased via the Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI website, llni. co.uk. Tickets will be sent out in the post to the provided address. The winner will be announced at the Gala Charity Ball on Friday 27 September 2024 at Titanic Belfast. Tickets also available at llni.co.uk where the public can also donate to the charity.

Model and Social Columnist, Nuala Meenahan, showcases a beautiful diamond pendant donated by Belfast antiques dealer Eleanor Wolfendon-Orr. The winner of the necklace will be unveiled at a gala ball in aid of blood cancer charity, Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI in September 2024. Raffles tickets available for £10 at llni.co.uk.

SUPERVALU & CENTRA RAISE A RECORDBREAKING £223,000 FOR ACTION CANCER

SuperValu and Centra stores across Northern Ireland have pulled out all the stops and raised a staggering £223,444 in 2023 for their long-term charity partner Action Cancer.

This is the largest amount ever raised by the retail brands, which are part of Musgrave NI, in one year, and will help keep the charity’s mobile detection unit the Big Bus on the road – providing breast screening, skin cancer detection assessments, and health checks, as well as supporting the charity’s health action programme.

Fundraising initiatives throughout the year, including the Sponsor a Mammogram and the Frank and Honest coffee Time to Espresso we Care campaign, were ardently supported by SuperValu and Centra retailers and their teams, and by caring customers who gave so generously.

Desi Derby, Director of Marketing for SuperValu and Centra commented on the fundraising total:

“I am absolutely delighted by the amount of money raised by our customers, retail partners, and colleagues for Action Cancer during 2023 and want to thank every single person who contributed, for their support.

“There are very few partnerships that have this type of longevity, and to have raised this incredible total in 2023, which was also Action Cancer’s 50th anniversary year, demonstrates support for the charity is stronger than ever. I am very proud that these funds will help ensure the Big Bus continues to visit communities across Northern Ireland, saving lives, and enable Action Cancer to deliver its health education programme in schools across Northern Ireland.

Gareth Kirk, Action Cancer CEO, added:

“The partnership between SuperValu and Centra is one of the longest and most enduring charity partnerships across these islands. Without the incredible financial support of Super

Valu and Centra, the Action Cancer mobile clinic The Big Bus would simply not exist. The Big Bus is truly a one-off vehicle with no similar vehicle with onboard free breast and skin cancer detection services operating anywhere else in Europe. This life saving service is only made possible through the incredible generosity of the Musgrave Group and its superb customers, thank you, together we have not only made a difference to the lives of local people and communities, but through early detection of cancer, saved lives.”

Action Cancer Ambassador

Andrea Rocks had her skin cancer diagnosis made following an appointment on the Big Bus.

Andrea said: “The Big Bus has been a lifesaver for me. I scanned the QR code on a flyer I had picked up and was booked in for a virtual call that week. The nurse specialist assessed the mole on my arm and got me a face-to-face appointment on the Big Bus that Saturday. Once seen I was red flagged immediately – the staff on the Big Bus were excellent, calm,

and reassuring. This early detection was so important for me, as once the biopsy was done, I was diagnosed with a stage 2 melanoma. Thank you, Action Cancer, for my early detection.”

Since 2006, the Big Bus has been bringing its onboard unique Breast Screening Service for women aged 40 to 49 and 70 plus and Health Checks, for men and women 18 plus, to local communities across all of N. Ireland. In addition to 2023 being Action’s Cancer’s 50th anniversary year, it was also a very special year for the Big Bus, the year when yet another unique lifesaving service was introduced, a skin cancer detection service.

Throughout 2023, the Big Bus visited 119 communities across N. Ireland. A total of 2,122 mammograms were completed, providing reassurance to women in these locations and detecting early-stage breast cancers in nine women, who had no symptoms. As a result of onboard health checks, 838 people were referred to their GP for further investigation. Nearly 600 men and women were assessed for a

potential skin cancer resulting in some 9% being directly “red flagged” into the hospital system for further assessment.

The incredible £223,444 fundraising total was reached through initiatives including the popular International Coffee Day event, when 50p per Frank and Honest coffee sold over three days was pledged to the charity, raising over £21,000.

During Breast Cancer Awareness month in October, stores across the country dressed in pink, held raffles, and called on shoppers to ‘sponsor a mammogram’ and raise £120 per store – the amount it costs Action Cancer to provide a free breast screening appointment to women outside of NHS screening age.

The grounds of Belfast City Hall were also turned into a sea of pink when SuperValu sponsored Breast Foot Forward in June, followed by the most successful Centra Run Together to date when 1,600 runners gathered at Ormeau Park in Belfast to take part in 5k and 10k routes raising a phenomenal £33,000.

SuperValu and Centra Brand Communications Manager Carol Marshall (left), presents a cheque of £223,444 to Lucy McCusker, Corporate Fundraising Manager at Action Cancer (right). They are joined by Andrea Rocks from Cookstown who had her skin cancer diagnosis made following an appointment on the Big Bus.

INVENT 2024 LAUNCHES WITH £55K PRIZE FUND FOR ENTREPRENEURS

Catalyst’s 2024 INVENT competition has officially opened for applications, with a top prize of £25,000 up for grabs for the overall winner and six new categories to enter.

Organised by science and technology hub Catalyst with headline partner Bank of Ireland, the prestigious INVENT competition is the main event in the calendar year for early-stage startups and aspiring entrepreneurs to showcase their innovations to a panel of expert judges.

Building towards a finale awards ceremony on 26 September 2024 in the ICC Belfast, INVENT celebrates the best ideas presented by the most ambitious entrepreneurs with the judges

selecting winners from which they believe to have the greatest impact.

Recognising that innovation comes in various forms, and to ensure a focused competition, INVENT 2024 sees the creation of six new and exciting categories. From reimagining leisure experiences to exploring environmental solutions, each category offers a unique platform for a product or service to stand out and garner the attention of some of the most influential minds and decision makers in the region.

The categories are:

CREATIVE LEISURE: Innovations in entertainment, creativity, and recreation, from reshaping film to pushing fashion boundaries.

GREEN HORIZONS: Environmental sustainability innovations, from

waste reduction to green technology, healing and preserving the Earth.

FUTURE BUSINESS: Transforming the business landscape with innovations in financial technology, cybersecurity, data management, and business robotics.

BIOBREAKTHROUGHS: Pioneering work in Life Sciences, welcoming advancements in healthcare technologies and the understanding of living organisms.

LIVING WELL: Celebrating innovations that enhance quality of life, from SportsTech to mental health solutions and lifestyle products.

UNCHARTED IDEAS: For pioneering products or services beyond the usual - presenting ideas that don’t neatly fit elsewhere, a unique exploration of innovation. Participants won’t know the type of innovations they’re up against.

The awards have a total £55,000 prize fund available, with each category winner taking home £5,000 and the overall winner walking away with an additional £20,000, totalling a £25,000 top prize. Additional prizes of £1,000 will be awarded to the best student application and the best elevator pitch delivered on the night of the INVENT Awards.

Taking home the top prize in 2023, EV charging network startup GoPlugable, co-founded by Maebh Reynolds, became the first Greentech winner of the competition in ten years. GoPlugable is building a communitypowered EV charger-sharing ecosystem that enables EV owners to take advantage of available privatelyowned chargers in their areas and allows homeowners with chargers to earn money by sharing access.

Meg Magill, INVENT Programme Manager at Catalyst, said: “There is an extremely talented pool of entrepreneurs who are creating excellent ideas and solving real world problems and we are delighted to bring them into the spotlight through INVENT.

“We have refreshed our categories and are particularly interested to see what this year’s candidates bring to the table across these different industries and issues, especially the Uncharted Ideas where there will be no restrictions on creativity.”

Niall Devlin, Head of Business Banking NI at Bank of Ireland, headline partner for the INVENT Awards, said: “Enterprise and innovation are important pillars for economic growth and the INVENT programme is an inspiring demonstration of local entrepreneurial talent and what can be achieved when we invest and provide the support entrepreneurs and innovators need to achieve their ambitions and succeed faster.

“That approach to fostering entrepreneurship is at the heart of our partnership with Catalyst, working with local innovators, particularly those who might see themselves as furthest away from opportunity, to deliver innovative solutions to real issues, and we look forward to supporting the entrepreneurs and businesses who take part in INVENT 2024.”

Meg Magill, INVENT programme manager, Catalyst; Niall Devlin, Head of Business Banking NI at Bank of Ireland; Fiona Bennington, Director of Entrepreneurship and Scaling, Catalyst and Maebh Reynolds, Cofounder, CEO of Goplugable

Business Eye Sustainability Awards Launched For 2024

The second annual Business Eye Sustainability Awards, in association with Strategic Power Connect, will take place at the Culloden Estate & Spa on the evening of Thursday, 9th May, 2024.

Local businesses, and business leaders, will be able to enter a comprehensive range of 16 categories, including awards aimed at sectors such as food & drink, hospitality & tourism, manufacturing and retail.

Top of the bill on the evening will be the announcement of Northern Ireland’s Sustainable Company Of The Year and Business Leader of the Year.

The awards were officially launched at the Culloden Estate & Spa in early February. Keynote sponsors of the Business Eye Sustainability Awards for the second year are Strategic Power Connect, one of Ireland’s leading suppliers of renewable energy solutions to large energy users. The awards are organised by the team at Business Eye, the driving force behind the annual AIB Business Eye Awards and the new Business Eye Family Business Awards.

“We hear so much today about how local businesses are reinventing how they do business to reflect the onus on each and every one of us to make our contribution to a more sustainable environment. Local companies are working hard to make a difference and these awards recognise those efforts and those achievements,” says Richard Buckley, Editor of Business Eye.

“Last year’s awards and the event itself exceeded all of our expectations in terms of entries and attendance on the night. This year, with sustainability firmly embedded on the corporate agenda, we’re confident that the momentum will continue.”

Liam Faulkner, CEO, Strategic Power Connect said,

“We are delighted to be the keynote sponsor of the Business Eye sustainability awards for a second year. Strategic Power Connect are committed to supporting businesses in the north and south of Ireland, achieve their sustainability goals through renewable energy systems and solutions.

Partnering with Business Eye to recognise the best performing businesses in Northern Ireland is a perfect fit for us. I believe the event will be the highlight of the 2024 NI event calendar and I look forward to reviewing the entries alongside other members of the judging panel.”

Richard & Brenda Buckley, Business Eye with the team from Strategic Power Connect, Ryan McBirney, Ruth Kimbley, Mike Gimson & Liam Faulkner, Strategic Power Connect.

Liam Faulkner, CEO Strategic Power Connect addresses the audience.

Mike Gimson & Paul Carson, Strategic Power Connect.

Eye on Awards

Stuart Magill, CBRE, Ruth Kimbley, Strategic Power Connect, Richard Buckley, Business Eye & Gavin Elliott, CBRE.

Dearbhla Kilpatrick, Honeycomb, Brenda Buckley, Business Eye & Erin Butler, Honeycomb.

Kevin Paterson, Maxol, Ciara Donnelly Business Eye, Steven Agnew, Renewable NI.

Ciara Donnelly, Business Eye, Alanna Branagh, Alpha, Brenda Buckley, Business Eye, Peter Campbell, Alpha.

Richard Buckley, Business Eye, addresses the audience.

Gary McDonald, Irish News, Sonia O’Hare, Queens Business School, Ciara Donnelly, Business Eye, Karl Webb, Queens Business School.

Liam Faulkner, Strategic Power Connect & Richard Buckley, Business Eye.

Richard Buckley, Business Eye, Suzie Craig, Agnew Group, Christine Grant, Agnew Group & Brenda Buckley, Business Eye.

Liam Faulkner, Strategic Power Connect, Denise Curlett, Fleet Financial & Richard Buckley, Business Eye.

Paul McClurg, BOI, Ryan McBirney, Strategic Power Connect, Craig Billington, guest and Mike Gimson, Strategic Power Connect.

Ruth Kimbley, Strategic Power Connect & Richard Buckley, Business Eye.

Gary McDonald, Irish News, Richard Buckley, Business Eye, David Elliott, Lanyon Communications.

Liam Faulkner, Strategic Power Connect, addresses the audience.

Ryan McBirney, Ruth Kimbley, Mike Gimson & Liam Faulkner, Strategic Power Connect.

Ciara Donnelly, Business Eye, Brenda Buckley, Business Eye & Liz McKee, Bank of Ireland.

Steven Agnew, Renewable NI, Brenda & Richard Buckley, Business Eye, Dr Mark O’Duffy, Ulster University.

Eye on Awards

Sustainable Hospitality & Tourism Business of The Year

This award is open to all types of business operating within the Hospitality & Tourism sector here in Northern Ireland, including hotels, pubs/restaurants and visitor attractions. Entrants must demonstrate how a commitment to sustainability forms part of their business model.

Sponsored by Diageo

Sustainable Manufacturing Business of The Year

For manufacturers, embracing sustainability as an ethos can be more challenging than for businesses operating in other sectors. Entrants should be able to show how their manufacturing processes and systems have been adapted to improve the environmental impact of the organisation’s operations.

Sponsored by Bank of Ireland

Sustainable Retail Business of The Year

Similar to the Sustainable Services Company of the Year category, but aimed exclusively at retail businesses of any size with sustainability at the heart of their operations.

Sponsored by Maxol

Major Project of The Year

For a company that has undertaken a major project that helps create a more sustainable future – an example might be converting to renewables for energy, building wind turbines for energy, a hydrogen production facility, a network of charging points or investment in sustainable infrastructure.

Sustainable Business Leader of the Year

Aimed at owners and senior managers, the award will recognise a business leader who has led his or her organisation to real sustainability achievement, and whose leadership can serve as an example for other business owners and leaders to follow.

Sponsored by Queens Business School

www.businesseyeawards.co.uk

Sustainable Food and Drink Company of The Year

Open to NI-based food and drink manufacturers, processors and suppliers with sustainability incorporated into their production/supply processes and whose products reflect the sustainable ethos of the organisation.

Sustainable Team of The Year

Many NI organisations now have their own sustainability units, teams committed to spotlighting the sustainability agenda in everything their organisation does. This award sets out to honour the best local sustainability team working within a local organisation.

Sponsored by Honeycomb

Sustainable Company of The Year 2024

The headline award, presented to the Northern Ireland company, of any size and from any sector, which has demonstrated the most impressive and lasting commitment to sustainability across all of its activities and operations.

Sponsored by Strategic Power Connect

Young Sustainability Champion Award

The award will be presented to a young business/organisation manager (30 years maximum at entry closing date) driving positive change towards sustainable/net zero targets within their own organisation and/or in the wider community.

Green Building Award

For companies or organisations that have invested in created energy efficient, sustainable and low impact buildings. This could include materials used, renewable energy supply, water reduction, insulation, natural ventilation or ‘greening’ of the site.

Sponsored by Alpha

Net Zero/Carbon Reduction Award

Carbon emissions remain the single most worrying element in climate change. This award will be made to the company that can demonstrate a convincing programme to reduce its carbon output and put in place systems that will continue to reduce emissions.

Eco Developer of The Year

Open to developers and development companies in both the residential and commercial property sectors, this new award sets out to recognise the developers behind the growing number of innovative and sustainable low carbon, environmentally friendly buildings here in Northern Ireland.

Sponsored by CBRE

Innovation in Sustainability Award

Open to all organisations based in Northern Ireland, this special award sets out to recognise genuine and tangible innovations which have produced real environmental and sustainability improvements and helped to change the way the organisation operates.

Sustainable Packaging Award

Packaging has been singled out as an area where companies can do more to cut waste and encourage recycling. Whether using natural materials, reducing the quantity of materials or innovating the way out of using more, this rewards suppliers and retailers that have found a way to reduce unnecessary or environmentally damaging materials.

Sustainable Transport Award

A major carbon emitter has been the transport sector, whether by road, sea or air. We are looking to celebrate companies that are actively seeking ways to reduce emissions and create carbon free methods of transportation for themselves or others, or implementing the infrastructure to do so (that is changing stations, EV fleet use etc). Innovation, scale and sustainability will all be considered in the submission.

Sponsored by Fleet Financial

Campaign of the Year

Corporates have responsibilities to the wider public, and communication of how to improve customers’ and the public’s use of energy or awareness to more sustainable practices is vital. This award is for excellent communication to the public, through broadcast or social media campaigns, information on packaging or in partnership with a charity.

Eye on News

Collins Aerospace Raises Over £11k For Cancer Fund For Children

Employees at Collins Aerospace in Kilkeel, a global aircraft seating manufacturer, have raised over £11,000 for local charity, Cancer Fund for Children through a range of fundraising activities during 2023.

The events were organised by the ‘Collins Kilkeel Connect’ (CKC) committee; a dedicated group made up of 20 employees from a range of departments, which was launched in 2021 to help the company make a positive impact on its employees, the local community, and the environment.

Fundraising activities for Cancer Fund for Children included a 12-week ‘£ for lb’ weight loss challenge, where employees utilised an on-site nutritionist to help establish healthier fitness and eating habits. The total weight loss for the 43 participants came to an incredible 43 stone and 1lbs over the 12-week challenge.

In June, 20 brave employees took to the skies for a charity skydive and further fundraising activities included the creation of a Collins cookbook consisting

of employee recipes; the publishing of desk calendars; participation in the Born 2 Run Dambusters race held over various distances in the Mourne Mountains; a couch to 5km challenge, and the sale of Cancer Fund for Children Christmas cards and gifts. A fantastic £11,702 was raised from these activities.

In addition, long-term employee and electrical engineering technician, Damien Cunningham set himself an incredible challenge to run a marathon on each of the seven continents, which also raised vital funds for the charity. Damien successfully concluded his challenge towards the end of 2023 with the Sydney marathon and a gruelling Antarctica expedition marathon, and managed to raise almost £11k for the charity, in addition to that raised by employees.

Alan Henning, Managing Director, Collins Aerospace in Kilkeel spoke about the fundraising efforts of the company and said, “I am very proud of our team here at Collins Aerospace in Kilkeel. The time, effort and enthusiasm of each of our employees that took part in our fundraising activities is testament to their commitment to raise money for such an important charity.

“This incredible charity helps children and young people diagnosed with cancer or living with a parent with cancer, offering support to families in their homes and on the hospital ward. At Collins Aerospace in Kilkeel, we want to give back to the local community, and ensure that children and young people don’t have to face cancer alone.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate all our employees who helped raise much needed funds, and also to acknowledge the fantastic achievement by Damien Cunningham, who is an incredibly valued member of our team. We are truly in awe of his commitment to complete a marathon in

every continent, and we are very proud of him and his dedication in raising funds for Cancer Fund for Children.”

Collins Aerospace in Kilkeel employees recently presented Aisling Gibson from Cancer Fund for Children with the company’s fundraising money.

Aisling said, “I am delighted to accept this donation of £11,702 from Collins Aerospace in Kilkeel. The team took part in some brilliant fundraising activities through the course of last year and this donation will make a real difference to the charity.

“The aim of Cancer Fund for Children is to empower, connect and strengthen families, providing the tools to help bereaved families cope with the emotional pain of losing a child or parent to cancer. We are very grateful to everyone at Collins Aerospace in Kilkeel for supporting us and enabling us to help local families that are dealing with the effects of cancer.”

With over 800 employees, Collins Aerospace in Kilkeel, an RTX Business, is one of the largest aircraft seating manufacturers in Northern Ireland.

Collins Aerospace in Kilkeel has raised over £11k for its 2023 charity of the year, Cancer Fund for Children. Pictured during the handover (L-R) are Collins Aerospace employees Matthew Annett, Aoife Turner, Alan Henning (Collins Aerospace in Kilkeel, Managing Director), Aisling Gibson (Cancer Fund for Children), Michele Mulholland, Damien Cunningham, Kevin Boden and Emma Newell.

Life After The BoardroomA

Retirement Tale

Eye on Retirement

Mondays and other things I like about ‘it’ (AKA ‘very’ early retirement).

Is it just me or is coming to the end of your career as a company director a bit surreal?

Well – I’ve done it. I’ve taken the plunge and left work after 35 years at Morrow Communications. It wasn’t an easy thing to do, but it has spurred me on to share my experience.

It seems like many others of my age are considering early retirement but are unsure about when to go, what to do, how to make the finances work and how to ensure the transition is as painless as possible –for everyone concerned.

It’s certainly not an easy decision – especially when you enjoy what you do, feel valued and where work has given purpose and played such a huge part of your adult life. Let’s face it, when you go into the office in the morning and 35 people are nice to you because you’re the boss - it’s a good start to the day! Will your partner, off-spring or even your pooch greet you every morning with the same enthusiasm?

It all starts with what to call ‘it’.

There are a few different options: ‘taking a step back’; ‘moving on’; ‘early retirement; ’a new chapter’, or in the words of Serena Williams, ‘evolving away from tennis’. How do you capture: ‘I’m not reaching for my slippers just yet, but I won’t be working in the same way or at the same pace as before’?

Also – I’m conscious of peoples’ reactions.

‘Congratulations!’ A common response, but I don’t really feel I’ve earned it. This isn’t a birthday or anniversary, nor a promotion or a big contract win.

‘Really?’ OK, that’s better. They obviously do think I look old enough to retire.

No reaction. Not so good. They think I look old enough to retire!

In the lead up to ‘it’ I realised that despite this being one of life’s biggest steps, there’s not much out there to prepare you for it, apart from scanning the Sunday Times for advice on pensions and hoping Martin Lewis will cover ‘it’ in his live show.

In contrast, when you first join a company, you’ll go through an induction process. When you take on a new role, you’ll be trained and have a mentor. For other major life events there’s always support.

If you’re having a baby, there are antenatal classes; before a driving test you’ll have lessons.

In contrast, deciding to stop work is like abseiling off the edge of a precipice into the unknown, hoping that the rope is long and flexible enough to get you safely to the ground.

I started the process by making a few notes on my phone – the things I didn’t want to think/ feel or do anymore and things I did. It serves as a good reminder as to how I got here.

It’s a massive change to move from a busy, deadline driven world, to one where your time is your own – apart from dog walking commitments - and I instinctively felt the need to fill the void.

Hopefully there will be lots of time for travel, and seeing family and friends, but coming from a consultancy environment where we account for 7.5hours (often more) each day, I’m still trying to fill my time with various worthwhile ‘stuff’ – music and dance classes, French conversation etc.

What if my timesheets aren’t completed for this month?

Timing was one helpful factor when it came to leaving Morrows. I finished work at Christmas, when many projects were naturally coming to a conclusion.

For others this could be the end of the financial year, or even the school term. It just means that clients and colleagues alike are working towards a collective goal, not just you. It also gives you a chance to adapt to the new pattern and pace of life if there is a work-wide break in the meetings and emails. Confidence in your replacement is also key; allowing time for someone to work alongside you, getting to know clients and projects over an extended period, whilst also learning to accept that no-one will do things the same way you did – but they’ll bring their own special skills and experience to the position.

A few other pointers

I’ve learnt so far:

• Plan early. Give as long a lead time as possible to those who are most impacted by your decision. If you’re on the Board, 10-12 months’ advance warning is best for your co-Directors.

• Work closely with your successor. An internal appointment makes this easier as there is natural integration with clients and projects.

• Talk to your wider team. Help them see the personal & skills development opportunities this presents in order to meet the changing needs of the business.

• Carefully consider the best moment to tell your clients. Ideally not before a critical deadline and preferably in person.

• Keep an open mind as to what you’ll do next. Utilise your experience and expertise by working in a consultancy capacity or try something completely different like volunteering. Accept that you may be a novice at some of the new things!

• Give yourself time to adjust. But have a few plans on the horizon from your ‘want to do list’ so that you have something concrete to look forward to.

I’m no Carrie Bradshaw, but I’ve come to realise the value and importance of relationships at work. It’s certainly not easy to leave a place where you’ve literally grown up, working with a ‘family’ of likeminded, committed, and talented people in a flourishing business.

I know I will always share a lifetime bond with my work colleagues and many of my clients too and it will be important to maintain this in my whatever ‘it’ is called’. Saying that, I have to admit that the first Monday you don’t have to set the alarm clock, does feel good!

Moya Neeson, creative content producer and former Director of Morrow Communications, the Holywood-based integrated communications consultancy shares an honest, oft untold perspective on life after the boardroom…

Eye on Finance

Citi Belfast confirms Peter Holden as new Site Lead

Global Head of Enterprise Services Peter Holden has been named as the new Site Lead for Citi Belfast. Bringing a wealth of experience from his 26-year tenure with Citi, Peter’s leadership and significant local knowledge will continue to benefit staff of Northern Ireland’s largest financial services employer.

Peter’s journey with Citi began in 1998 in his native Australia and he has worked across various positions at local, regional, and global levels, in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and London before moving to Belfast in 2007, where he has now lived and worked for over 17 years alongside his wife, a Northern Ireland native, and three teenage sons.

Known locally and amongst the Citi global team as a champion of diversity and inclusion, Peter’s allyship stems from personal experiences in the workplace in his early career. As the business sponsor for Citi’s Pride Inclusion Network, he has advocated for LGBTQ+ rights internally and externally across Northern Ireland, holding a strong belief

that the entire workforce – and the work it produces – are truly enriched by meaningful engagement with Citi’s diverse team across the board.

“Diversity on all levels is an organisation’s biggest strength,” he has previously said. “It’s important when working for a global company like ours, that we are providing services which resonate and cater for a diverse global population, and to do this, the work should reflect the diversity of its customers.” He was recognised by LGBT Great as one of the Top 50 Executive Allies, with Citi Belfast being named in 2023 as a Top 100 LGBTQ+ inclusive employer in the UK, ranking 10th out of more than 250 organisations on the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index.

In his functional role at Citi, Peter is responsible for Enterprise Services within the Technology Infrastructure group, which supports and secures the technology estate that powers Citi’s applications. In his previous role as Head of End User Services, Peter, alongside his team led the transition for the global bank to a work from home model during the pandemic where, over a 4-month period, his team expanded remote working capacity for Citi’s global workforce to enable a secure, remote work from home environment with minimal disruption to both clients and colleagues in over 100 countries around the world.

In an internal communication in early February Tiina Lee, Citi’s UK COO, formally announced

Peter’s appointment as Site Lead whilst expressing gratitude to Leigh Meyer, former Site Lead for Belfast, for his dedication to Citi over his 25-year career. She assured the local teams of a smooth transition under Peter’s leadership and highlighted her confidence in Peter’s ability to lead the site to further success. Expressing his gratitude to Leigh for his leadership and laying the groundwork for Citi’s success in Belfast, Peter said, “I am delighted to be appointed Site Head for Belfast. Our colleagues are passionate about what they do, and I am proud to lead such a dedicated group of people. I am confident that together we will continue to add great value to the local community and to Citi globally.”

Eye on Finance

Belfast PBSA Sector Appeals To Investors & Funds

The development of Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) is set to rise further across Belfast city centre as demand for student accommodation continues to grow and well occupied schemes become more attractive to investors.

Research conducted by Lambert Smith Hampton into PBSA in Belfast has highlighted that with the student accommodation market now established and student numbers in the city on the rise, the PBSA sector is particularly appealing to institutional investors and funds.

Since 2016 the city has seen over 5,000 beds developed across 12 PBSA schemes in the city centre housing students from Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast. With seven sites accounting for 3,773 beds currently in planning and more under consideration the market is growing significantly with no signs of slowing down.

Demand for PBSA is set to continue with UCAS forecasting that there will be a 20% rise in Northern Ireland school leavers seeking university places by 2030. In a recent university led submission to Belfast City Council, universities said there is a need for 6,000 additional student rooms in Belfast by 2030 as current supply is at capacity.

Andrew Mearns, Director at Lambert Smith Hampton, said: “Over the past eight years there has been a significant increase in the number of newly developed PBSA schemes across Belfast city. Primarily due to Ulster University relocating to the city, Belfast now

benefits from a student population that is estimated to be around 45,000.”

“With this new market brings huge opportunity for investors. It’s still early and we are yet to witness any significant investment transaction volume but we predict this will change moving forward with PBSA occupancy levels now maturing. Growth in this market long term could feed into the future growth of Build To Rent (BTR) in Belfast as students become graduates and young professionals.”

Claire Shaw, Senior Research Analyst

at Lambert Smith Hampton, said: “Prior to PBSA activity commencing in 2016, the ratio of students to PBSA bed spaces was 10:1, which was high compared to other UK university cities at the time like Cardiff which was 5:1. In other cities such as Liverpool and Sheffield this market is now highly saturated with ratios looking more like 2:1. We predict that the ratio in Belfast will be 5:1 by September 2024 which supports the suggestion that this is an appealing market for commercial real estate investors in Belfast over the coming years.”

Unaffordable rent, increased tuition fees and difficulties with visa applications for international students are all issues which long term could negatively impact on the market.

But with increasing evidence that PBSA is more attractive to many occupiers than the historic preference of private rental accommodation in the south of the city and the forecasted increase in Belfast based students over the next few years, the market has a new appeal to investors and local businesses who will benefit from this new demographic residing in the city.

CRN Financial Group Celebrating 50 Years In Business

Leading independent financial advisory company CRN Financial Group celebrates 50 years in business this year and commenced celebrations with a very special CPD event held recently at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast.

Eye on Finance

Founded in 1974 by Bob and Carol Neill, CRN Financial Group has grown and developed to become one of Northern Ireland’s most respected independent financial advisory firms with a wide range of high-profile corporate and personal clients across the UK and Ireland. Welcoming over 80 guests from legal and accountancy practices across Northern Ireland, the event featured interesting business presentations followed by dinner and entertainment which included a Q&A with BBC’s Stephen Watson and distinguished guest Lady Mary Peters and a performance by Belfast Community Gospel Choir.

Speaking about the event, Graeme Neill, Managing Director, CRN Financial Group said, “We are delighted to start our 50th year by welcoming guests to this very special CPD event. CRN as an independent financial advisory has grown considerably over the years and has become a key player in the financial services industry in Northern Ireland. As a company we are committed

to delivering CPD events that provide valuable insights to help with the development and education of those working in the legal and accountancy professions locally.”

Business presentations at the event were delivered by representatives from AIB (NI), Prudential Assurance Co. Ltd, Triple Point, Xperience Group, Agnew Leasing, Meteor Consulting and Think People Consulting on subjects including tax efficient investments and lending, recruitment and retention, cyber security and artificial intelligence, electric vehicle leasing and alternative investment opportunities.

Richard Gray, Partner, Carson McDowell attended the event and commented, “I was delighted to be part of CRN Financial Group’s 50th year celebrations and excellent recent CPD event. As a company CRN continue to lead the way in working with their professional partners providing not only extensive advisory services but also ongoing education by way of development which is warmly appreciated.”

1 Carole and Robert Neill, Founders, CRN Financial Services. 2 CRN Financial Services team. 3 Conor Wylie, Partner, Millar McCall Wylie (left) and Richard Gray, Partner, Carson McDowell.

4 Patrick Leggett, Director, Xperience IT Solutions (left) and Damien Diamond, Founder, CD Diamond & Co CA. 5 Lady Mary Peters.

6 Graeme Neill, Managing Director, CRN Financial Services, Jan Cunningham, Managing Partner, Millar McCall Wylie and Graham Thompson, Managing Director, Agnew Leasing.

7 (L-R) Jason Farry, Manager, HLB McGuire + Farry CA, David McEwen, Head of Business Development, Agnew Leasing, Colin Atkinson, Managing Director, AB&C Insurance and Terence Holywood, Partner, McKeague Morgan CA.

8 (L-R) Richard Blakeman, Director, ASM Chartered Accountants, David Jones, Partner, Tughans Solicitors and Peter Gallagher, Estate Planning Director, CRN Financial Services.

9 (L-R) Caroline Keenan, Director, ASM Chartered Accountants, Emma Smyth, Associate Director, MKB Law, Rachel Scroggie, Solicitor, MKB Law and Maria Conway, Director, MKB Law.

CRN Financial Group is an Independent Financial Advisory company providing a range of services to both corporate and personal clients including:

• Short & Long Term Investments

• Retirement Planning –Corporate & Personal

• Inheritance Tax Planning

• Residential / Buy to Let Mortgages

• Commercial / Development Finance

• Business Protection

• Private Medical Care

• Income Protection, Life Cover & Critical Illness Plans

• Estate Planning

• Long Term Care Provision

Contact the team on 028 9069 2111

www.crnfinancialgroup.com

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Eye on News

Advantage for Yellow Door as it extends catering contract at Kingspan Stadium

Leading family-owned catering firm Yellow Door has extended its hospitality contract at the home of Ulster Rugby until at least June 2025.

Owned by the Armaghbased Dougan family, the firm has been the catering partner at Kingspan Stadium for the past eleven seasons. It is also investing £100,000 in new equipment for the stadium in its bid to extend its high-quality food and services at events.

The contract includes providing hospitality services in the stadium’s Spirit of ’99 lounge, A&L Goodbody Lounge and executive boxes, as well as in the new Ravenhill Suite

in the AbbeyAutoline Family Stand which seats up to 35 guests.

Yellow Door currently employs over 300 full-time and casual staff across its deli and events functions which include wedding catering and outdoor events. It also holds the contract with Catalyst, the Innovation Centre in Belfast.

The firm is currently joint partner with Mount Charles in Hospitality Belfast. Hospitality Belfast holds the catering contracts for the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park and the Waterfront Hall/ICC.

Excited about the opportunity that the contract renewal brings, Yellow Door director Andrew Dougan says he’s delighted to be continuing the partnership.

“A venue such as Kingspan Stadium never stands still,” says Mr Dougan. “For us, match days are unique, and

still hold a very special place in our community. All of us involved want the venue utilised all year round, including through the corporate events we run on non-match days.

“Our focus in the stadium and across our business is continuing to practice as sustainably as possible. The key thing for us is firstly buying everything we can locally, not least because our farmers and growers produce some of the best food in the world, developing seasonal menus to eliminate as many food miles and as much packaging from our supply chain as possible,” he says.

“Sustainability has risen right to the top of the corporate agenda. Luckily the core principles and ethics, which Yellow Door food is based on, is where most food producers and caterers would like to be. We focus on instilling a passion for local quality in our kitchen

teams which for us is the biggest tool in being a sustainable food business.

“We’ve developed a fantastic relationship with Ulster Rugby over the years, and we anticipate even more success to come from our fruitful partnership.”

David Edwards, Sales Executive at Ulster Rugby, added: “At Kingspan Stadium, we’re committed to providing a world-class experience for our spectators and visitors to the stadium and, as part of this ambition, we want to offer a topquality food and catering service across our varied hospitality spaces.

“We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Yellow Door, as we’re confident that, as a team, we can continue to deliver a top notch offering to those visiting the home of Ulster Rugby on match nights and beyond.”

(L-R) Andrew Dougan, Sam Netherton, and Clodagh Meyler of Yellow Door and Ulster Rugby’s David Edwards

Eye on News

BELFAST WINS ACCREDITATION FOR NIGHT TIME ECONOMY

Belfast city centre has once again received the Purple Flag accreditation, recognising its commitment to a wellrun, safe, and thriving night-time economy.

Cities and towns awarded the Purple Flag are recognised for providing a vibrant and diverse mix of dining, entertainment and culture while promoting the safety and wellbeing of both visitors and residents.

In a commitment to further enhance the city’s night-time strategy and resolve key issues, the city’s three Business Improvement Districts (BIDs)

– Linen Quarter BID, Belfast One and Destination CQ – are recruiting for a Night Czar to further co-ordinate and advocate for the night-time industry and help it thrive in terms of safety, transport, and business.

Managed by the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM), the Purple Flag accreditation was renewed following an assessment conducted by assessors in November which saw the city BIDs play a crucial role in overseeing and funding the application process, which included research, internal assessment, and gathering stakeholder feedback.

Eimear McCracken, Operations Manager at Belfast One said, “Retaining the city’s Purple Flag status is great news for Belfast and sends out a strong message that we can be proud of our diverse night-time economy, with its great bars and restaurants, a clean and safe environment, and a unique sense of place.

“To strengthen our commitment, we are excited to recruit for a Night Czar reflecting our dedication to improving coordination and addressing issues promptly. Drawing inspiration from the successful models implemented in cities like London, Manchester and Edinburgh, this position will be instrumental in ensuring that cityrelated concerns do not go unresolved and will actively help us review the city between 6pm and 6am.”

Alan Crowe, CEO at Belfast One added, “The Purple Flag accreditation is just

one example of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to support Belfast’s night-time offering and shows that collaboration and partnership are crucial to the city’s future. This award should assure residents and visitors that we are committed to their safety and making Belfast the number one destination for a memorable night out.”

Successes noted in Belfast’s submission include the non-profit indoor park created in community hub 2 Royal Avenue, outstanding achievements of the Community Rescue Service, and coordination between police, volunteer groups, and businesses. One of the key areas for improvement is late night transport, with the current provision in Belfast lagging behind other comparable cities.

In an additional bid to enhance movement and further contribute to the city’s night-time vitality, the BIDs are considering a support package to assist Translink with the delivery of a regular late-night bus service. The move showcases each BID’s aspiration for the city’s development, and shared

hopes that other key city stakeholders will make a commitment to support the proposed change to come into effect.

Chris McCracken, Managing Director of LQ BID said, “We are delighted to be an integral part of Belfast’s renewed Purple Flag status which celebrates the city’s vibrant offering. We do however acknowledge the challenges facing the city. While the Purple Flag award underscores the progress of our initiatives, it also serves as a useful exercise revealing areas that require attention.

“One such challenge is the need for improved late-night transport services. By actively engaging with stakeholders, including our ongoing collaboration with Translink, we aim to contribute to a support package for an extended late-night service, a crucial element in transforming Belfast’s night-time economy. Now is the time for collective action and collaboration, and rather than pushing our city down we should be building it up and seeking solutions to challenges that will benefit everyone involved.”

ATCM market research indicates that stakeholders believe Purple Flag status brings numerous benefits including a raised profile, improved public image, wider patronage, increased expenditure, lower crime rates, and a more successful mixed-use economy.

Damien Corr, Managing Director of Destination CQ, added, “The attainment of the Purple Flag accreditation is a source of immense pride for us, and we hope it provides reassurance to those who live, work, and visit the city that we are committed to enhancing the vibrancy of Belfast and ensuring the safety of its residents and visitors.

“We recognise that a thriving nighttime economy is not only about entertainment but also plays a crucial role in the overall economic landscape of the city. To gain a deeper understanding of the scale, scope, and economic impact of the night-time economy, the three city BIDs will be commissioning new research which will provide valuable insights to guide our future initiatives and contribute to the ongoing success of Belfast as a dynamic city.”

Damien Corr, Wilson Walker, Chris McCracken & Eimear McCracken in Belfast’s Commercial Court

Eye on News

Tourism NI Hosts Dublin Showcase

Tourism NI hosted a special celebration event in Dublin recently to showcase Northern Ireland as a world class destination for leisure and business to travel trade and business event organisers.

The event, which took place at the College Green Hotel in the city centre, provided an opportunity to strengthen already excellent relationships and forge new partnerships between the Northern Ireland tourism industry and Republic of Ireland travel trade, destination management companies and travel and feature writers.

The event took place as it was confirmed that visitor numbers from the south to Northern Ireland had increased again in the first nine months of 2023.

Guests had the opportunity to meet with experience providers from Tourism NI’s ‘Embrace a Giant Spirit’ brand portfolio and

other members of the Northern Ireland tourism industry and to sample Northern Irish products.

Following dinner, which showcased Northern Ireland produce, guests enjoyed performances from leading Northern Ireland musicians including pianist, Ruth McGinley, vocalist, Phillippa O’Hara, members of the Ulster Orchestra and the Aria String Quartet.

The outlook for 2024 in terms of leisure visitors to Northern Ireland remains very positive with hotel bookings ahead of where they were at this time last year, while Belfast holds the crown for being the world’s best conference destination, a title it

has won three years in a row. Commenting on the successful event Tourism NI Chair Ellvena Graham said; “Growing the north’s share of the all-island tourism economy is a key objective of Tourism NI. It is fantastic to see that more people travelled from the south and spent more in the north in first nine months of 2023 than ever before, according to the latest official statistics. This excellent performance is testament to the collective efforts of the tourism industry and provides a great platform for the rest of 2024 and beyond.

“Tonight’s showcase is a great opportunity to reinforce the fantastic Northern Ireland offer and

what makes us special. Whether visitors are looking for relaxing accommodation, an evocative, spectacular landscape, cities that teem with nightlife, cultural gems with fascinating stories, or a world-class food and drink scene, we can meet their needs.

‘We have forged hugely valuable connections and partnerships with colleagues throughout the travel trade, destination management companies and the media in the south. I look forward to continuing to build these relationships across the industry to attract even more visitors from the Republic of Ireland and from international markets to Northern Ireland in the years ahead.”

Holly Hamilton, Presenter and Event Host, John McGrillen, CEO Tourism NI and Ellvena Graham, Chair Tourism NI.

ICW GROUP ANNOUNCES FIRST SET OF WINNERS OF THE INAUGURAL SHOWCASE AWARDS

A total of six Northern Ireland construction companies have been named category winners in building warranty and building control provider ICW Group’s Showcase Awards.

The awards, which identify and reward excellence in projects being developed by ICW registered builders and developers, unveiled an impressive level of build quality across the region.

Rodgers Construction picked up the overall House of the Year award for its Riverside Park development in Lotus Homes was a winner in the Large category for its Edenbrook development in Banbridge; Kevin Watson Construction was named a winner in the Medium category for Beechmount Village in Strabane; while in the Small Category there were three winners in Glenturas Construction for its Woodlands Avenue in Derry/ Londonderry, Armagh Construction for its Suffolk Road site in Belfast and Osborne Developments for its Ashgrove Heights site in Portadown.

The awards are spread across four different categories in eight regions of the UK with Small covering projects with 1-50 residential units; Medium covering projects with between 51250 units; Large covering projects with more than 250 units; and High Rise, covering major projects with a reinstatement value in excess of £20 million. Nominations were also open for the House of the Year category, as well as the Innovation award for sites which make best use of a unique design, best use of technology and best use of modern methods of construction.

As well as Northern Ireland, regions include North of England, Midlands, London, South East of England, South West of England, Wales, and Scotland & Isle of Man.

THE FULL LIST OF WINNERS IS BELOW:

• The Acorns, Bespoke Construction Services Limited

• Stephenson Gardens, Ivygrove Developments Limited

• Helston House, Symonds Green, SJM & Co Limited

• Howgate Close Limited

Philip Quinn, Director of Surveying Services at ICW Group, said: “We are delighted to announce the first finalists in the ICW Showcase Awards. The awards process has highlighted the hugely impressive level of skill which our builders and developers possess, and the exemplary attention to detail which makes them stand out from the crowd.

Congratulations to all the winners who have received an ICW Showcase Award. We look forward to continuing to work with you in the months and years ahead.”

Nominations were put forward for each region by ICW surveyors on a monthly basis. ICW surveyors scored sites based on surveys and site visits covering all aspects of the construction stage before being judged by the firm’s regional managers.

• Dingle Farm, Mansion House Project Management Limited

• 39 Bannatyne Street, Clyde Valley Housing Association Ltd

• X1 Manchester Waters, Vermont Construction Group

• Lanark Student Living - Clark Contracts, DMD Modular

• Mount End Barns, Ara Homes

• The Carriage House, Stonehouse Projects Limited

• Wateringbury Way, Park Lane Homes

• Jubilee Court, Manorbier, Sterling Construction

• Former Sydenham Yard, Stonevale Homes Limited

• Wildflower Orchard, Spartan Luxury Homes

• Lingfield Gardens, Obsidian Developments Ltd

• Sycamore Close, HJO Developments Ltd

• Block 2, Factory No. 1, City and Country

• Woodlands Avenue, Glenturas Construction Limited

• Suffolk Road, Armagh Construction Limited

• Ashgrove Heights, Osborne Developments Limited

• Beechmount Village, Kevin Watson Construction Ltd

• Edenbrook, Lotus Homes Ltd

• Riverside Park, Rodgers Construction Limited

Pictured, from left, with one of the winners is: Mark Patterson, Account Executive, ICW; Sandra McCullough, New Homes Co-Ordinator, Lotus Homes; and Philip Quinn, Director of Surveying Services, ICW.

Eye on Events

Hinch Distillery Unveils

15-Year-Old Irish Whiskey

Hinch Distillery, nestled on the outskirts of Belfast, has launched what it describes as its latest masterpiece, the Hinch 15-Year-Old Oloroso Sherry Cask Finished Irish Whiskey, introduced by friend of Hinch, actor James Nesbitt.

James unveiled the new product at an event held recently in Belfast’s Aston Martin Showroom hosted by DJ and broadcaster Pete Snodden.

Triple-distilled, the 700ml, 46%

Vol 15 Year Old Sherry Cask Finish is a combination of 2003 malt whiskey aged in ex-bourbon casks and finished for a year in first fill Oloroso sherry casks, along with a 2008 grain whiskey matured in ex-bourbon casks and finished for two years in Oloroso hogsheads.

The result is a full-bodied whiskey with a complex blend of dried

fruits, wood spice, toasted notes, and candied orange, culminating in a long, berry sweetness and pepper finish—a pure delight for the discerning whiskey connoisseur.

This rare and unique find, with its natural colour intact, is available in limited quantities. Crafted, blended, and bottled by Hinch, it represents the pinnacle of whiskey craftsmanship.

Encased in an elaborate package, designed by the acclaimed Greg Coulton, the intricate illustration pays homage to classic Celtic styling and art nouveau influences. It beautifully captures

the essence of the iconic distillery building, nestled against the scenic Mourne Mountains in County Down.

The illustration encapsulates the essence of Hinch Irish Whiskey, portraying the spirit of the majestic Irish elk—a symbol of sophistication and superior sipping experiences. Greg Coulton’s artistic interpretation mirrors the character of Hinch, a whiskey that defies convention and embraces alternative aspirations.

In the words of the Head Distiller at Hinch, Will Stafford: “The Hinch 15-Year-Old Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish Irish Whiskey is not just a beverage; it’s a testament to our commitment to craftsmanship and innovation. The collaboration with Greg Coulton reflects the spirit of Hinch—elusive, exclusive, and constantly pushing boundaries. This whiskey is a true reflection of our dedication to providing

whiskey enthusiasts with a unique and unparalleled sipping experience.”

Friend of Hinch, James Nesbitt said: “This limited edition whiskey is the stuff of uncompromising quality paired with heritage. Each dram is full of character making it a real gift from Hinch Distillery. It’s bottled proof of the artistry of the master distillers.”

The product launch follows the success of the distillery’s Legacy Cask programme. This programme invites aficionados to own a cask and allow it to mature within the sophisticated surroundings of Hinch Distillery.

As the distillery declares: “The Legacy Programme invites you to be a part of this extraordinary tale. Hinch Distillery encourages whiskey enthusiasts to immerse themselves in the Hinch experience, where time weaves its magic, and the spirit and the cask collaborate to create the perfect Hinch Future”.

Eye on Events

1&5 – Kyllin Vardhan and Michael Morris from Hinch Distillery are pictured with Friend of Hinch James Nesbitt and event host Pete Snodden. 2 - Michael Morris from Hinch Distillery and James Nesbitt. 3&4 - friend of Hinch James Nesbitt and event host Pete Snodden.

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Eye on News

Dublin Road Hotel Sold To Andras House

Aprominent investment property on Belfast’s Dublin Road, comprising the 146 bed ETAP Hotel, has been sold by CBRE Northern Ireland together with CBRE Hotels Dublin to Belfast’s largest hotel group, Andras House for £7.35 million.

The group’s existing portfolio includes Crowne Plaza Belfast; Hampton by Hilton; Ibis Coleraine

Riverside; Holiday Inn Belfast City Centre; Ibis Belfast City Centre; and the 83 bed Marcus Hotel currently under construction in Portrush.

Gavin Elliott, Senior Director at CBRE Northern Ireland, who advised the seller said:

“The ETAP Hotel is well-established on the Dublin Road and is leased to Accor UK Business & Leisure Hotels

Limited for a further 6.5 years.

“The Hotel sector in Northern Ireland continues to be active with circa. £55m invested across four sales last year and 2023 occupancy levels reaching mid70%, therefore surpassing 2019 levels. We expect that 2024 will be an active year for the hotel market in terms of both investment and occupancy levels.

“Summer 2023 also saw overall

revenue per room exceed 2019 levels, and by almost 50% underpinning hotels as a secure, low-risk attractive investment opportunity for both local and international investors.

“This transaction underpins the strong interest we are currently experiencing in the Northern Irish Hotel sector and represents another successful sale by CBRE NI and CBRE Hotels Dublin.”

Tourism NI Hosts Travel Group

Tourism NI welcomed Brendan Vacations and their parent group The Travel Corporation (TTC) to Belfast this week where they held a conference for Chauffeurs and Local Hosts at Belfast’s Europa Hotel.

As part of the conference delegates also received an update from Tourism NI’s Business Solutions team.

Tourism NI’s Director of Strategic Development David Roberts attended an evening networking event in the city centre to help promote the destination to Brendan Vacation’s

network of local specialists and increase their product knowledge.

Pictured L-R are Rita Kelly Senior VP Marketing and Communications with the TTC, Melissa DaSilva, President of TTC Tour Brands USA, David Roberts, Director of Strategic Development Tourism NI and Catherine Reilly MD of Brendan Vacations.

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Hiding In Plain Sight –Is Anonymity Possible?

On the internet, everyone wants to know who you are. Websites are constantly asking for your email address or trying to place tracking cookies on your devices.

Amurky slurry of advertisers and tech firms track which websites you visit, predicting what your interests are and what you may want to buy. Search engines, browsers, and apps can log each search or scroll you make.

At this stage of the internet, being totally anonymous across your entire online life is incredibly hard to achieve. Phones, SIM cards, browsers, Wi-Fi networks, and more use identifiers that can be linked to your activity. But there are steps you can take to obscure your identity for everyday browsing.

If you’re looking to be truly anonymous or to protect your identity for a specific purpose—such as whistleblowing or activism—you should consider your threat model and individual security situation. But many of the changes you can make, which are listed below, are straightforward switches that can stop you from being tracked as much and apply to most people.

You’re constantly being tracked online. Often the main culprit is the advertising industry and the tech companies heavily reliant on advertising to make money (think: Google and Meta). Invisible trackers and cookies embedded in websites and apps can follow you around the web.

Start with your web browser. Ideally, you want to block invisible trackers and ads that have tracking tech embedded. Advertisers can also track you using fingerprinting, a sneaky profiling method where the settings of your browser and device (such as language, screen size, and many other details) are used to single you out.

For the most anonymity, the Tor Browser is best. Downloadable in the same way as any other browser, it encrypts your traffic by sending it through a number of servers and also deploys anti-censorship, antifingerprinting, and other privacy measures. Because of its advanced protections, however, Tor can sometimes be slower than other browsers. Several privacy-focused browsers such as FireFox, the Mullvad Browser, and Brave offer enhanced protections against trackers and offer further customizable privacy settings.

If you don’t want to switch browsers, there are some browser extensions that can block trackers within Chrome.

Both the Ghostery extension and EFF’s Privacy Badger will block trackers, with the latter not blocking ads unless they are specifically tracking you. On Walmart’s homepage, while using

Chrome, for example, Privacy Badger blocked four trackers that were in use, while Ghostery identified five.

Beyond the web, trackers embedded in your mobile applications can gather data on your activity. On Android, you should turn off personalized ads through Google’s My Ad Center, simply toggling the setting to off. Also, delete your device’s advertising ID by going to Settings, Privacy, Ads and clicking on the Delete advertising ID option. There are also Android apps that will block crossapp trackers, such as DuckDuckGo’s browser app or the University of Oxford–developed TrackerControl. If you use iOS, go to Settings, Privacy & Security, Tracking, and toggle off Allow Apps to Request to Track to stop apps from tracking you across apps and websites

For some people, a VPN may be useful for stopping their internet service provider from viewing their web traffic. VPNs can, however, see your online activity—in some cases keeping logs of it—and many are problematic. Our is Mullvad’s VPN, which is open source and accepts payments via cash mailed to its offices in Sweden.

Every app, website, and service you use is likely to collect some data about you, but some collect more than others. Picking services that purposefully don’t collect information about you or that use end-to-end encryption, which stops companies from seeing the contents of your communications or data transfers, can help limit your exposure to the web.

If you’re using a work laptop or phone,

it’s also worth keeping in mind that your employer can likely see many, if not all, of the things you do on those devices. If you’re searching for a new job or running personal tasks, you likely want to do them on personal devices.

As much as anything, being more anonymous online is linked to your mentality. Simply put, the less you share about yourself online, the less identifiable you will be. That means being careful about what you post on social media—not sharing information that could identify you, your location, or others around you.

For instance, if you want to create a new social media account that’s not tied to your identity, keep any names or personal information out of the account name. You should also not sign up using your primary phone number, email address, physical address, or any similar information that could be linked back to you. This doesn’t apply just to a new account you’re creating; it should be the wider way you think about all of your online behaviour.

There are also steps that you can take to try to delete yourself from the internet: opt out from data brokers who buy and sell information about you; update old or outdated websites and remove information from Google searches; delete old social media posts and accounts you no longer use. These steps can take a lot of work, especially if you’re delving into years-old social media accounts, but doing them a little at a time can help.

Eye on TechEye

AI Meets Accountancy Software

Accountancy software specialist Sage is launching an AI product that it says will “revolutionise” accounting and offer a huge boost to smaller firms.

The Sage Copilot aims to handle administrative and repetitive tasks while also recommending ways to make savings and drive business improvements. It is set to help with forecasting, cashflow management and generating and sending invoices, as well as workflow automation and spotting errors.

It will launch in the UK initially, first in April for Sage Accounting with a limited number of existing customers, before rolling out more widely in May, and then being made available for Sage for Accountants and other products later in the year. Other products and countries

will follow at a later date, Sage said.

The new product ‘s developers claim it would automate every day tasks that currently slow down small and midsized business owners. Sage hopes Copilot will help business owners with common problems such as late payment and the difficulty of recruiting finance staff. Users will be able to integrate it with other apps and it would learn from user interactions and preferences to produce better financial outcomes.

Sage chief executive Steve Hare said generative AI would soon be relied on by many small businesses to handle basic accounting work, such as tax

returns. Rather than eliminate jobs, he said, it would help free up people to do more interesting and creative work.

He said: “Small and mid-sized business owners all tell me they can’t recruit enough people. Young people don’t want to do repetitive tasks, they want to do interesting, meaningful work. I think what this is going to do is help economic growth and help productivity; it’s going to help create jobs rather than replace them.”

Sage has increasingly positioned itself in recent years as a champion of small and mid-sized businesses, offering products that aim to

make it easier for business owners to run their own firms.

Mr Hare said: “Small and mid-sized business owners tend to be an optimistic bunch so they tend to try and find the positives and that’s pretty consistent all around the world. But what I hear consistently is that the barriers and headwinds to running a smaller business seem to be getting greater rather than smaller.

“I think what’s exciting about what we’re doing here is that it hopefully gives something back that helps reverse some of that trend, and helps people run their business.”

AI In Schools – Guidance Needed

A new study suggests a quarter of children are using AI to help with schoolwork, and calls for more Government guidance for parents and teachers.

Aquarter of all children are now using generative AI tools to help with schoolwork, according to a new study.

Research from online safety charity Internet Matters found that over half of 13-to-14-year-olds were actively engaging with AI chatbots, and that 41% of children believe AI tools will be beneficial to their education.

But parents are more sceptical, with only 29% agreeing the technology was helpful.

The charity has called on the Department for Education (DfE) to provide more advice and support to schools to help teachers, parents and pupils benefit from AI tools and understand

the potential benefits and limitations, while also using the technology safely.

Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini have become increasingly prominent in daily life over the last year, with the technology seen by many as being an innovation that could rival the creation of the internet in its impact.

Social media platforms including Meta, Snapchat and Elon Musk’s X have also entered the AI space with their own chatbots.

Internet Matters co-chief executive, Carolyn Bunting, said: “Generative AI is here to stay and tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Snap’s My AI are increasingly a part of children’s lives.

“Already a quarter of children are using AI for schoolwork and nearly half of 13-14-year-olds are using AI tools regularly.

“With just a few prompts, an entire essay can be crafted, or an image can be generated, fundamentally changing the way we produce and share content, and how children learn.

“However, our survey shows that both

parents and children are unprepared for the AI revolution and most have many unanswered questions about the impact of AI on their daily lives, their children’s safety and wellbeing online, their education, and their futures.

“Many are being left in the dark by the lack of guidance for schools, and it is clear more support, guidance and training is needed urgently.

Eye on TechEye

Handheld Gaming Makes A Comeback

Twenty-five years ago, few gadgets were on as many Christmas lists as Nintendo’s Game Boy Colour.

The iconic handheld, released in November 1998 and home to classics like Pokemon, Super Mario Land, and Tetris, was wrapped up under the tree in living rooms up and down the country.

With almost 120 million units sold, the Game Boy is one of the most successful games consoles ever made.

It still inspires new products to this day, with the retro Super Pocket - loaded with 90s classics like

Street Fighter and Ghouls ‘n Ghosts - among the stocking-fillers vying for attention this festive season.

Not so long ago, though, portable gaming devices looked to be yesterday’s news.The rise of the smartphone and games like Candy Crush usurped the once popular Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable for many, while dedicated fans gravitated towards the power of consoles and PCs.

Wind foward to today and the handheld market has arguably never been healthier.

Despite being almost seven years since it launched, Nintendo’s Switch keeps selling.

It sailed past 130 million units sold per month recently, helped by being the exclusive home of two of the past year’s most critically acclaimed games in Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom and Super Mario Wonder.

Its hybrid nature, one which allows players to use it as a portable or hook it up to their TV, was novel in 2017 but has become trendy. Its success inspired Valve, which runs the industry’s most popular store for buying PC games, to release the Steam Deck last year.

Like the Switch, games once reserved for consoles or computers can now be taken on the go. The Deck means the year’s most critically acclaimed title, Baldur’s Gate 3, can be a portable game.

Gemini – A New Breed Of Assistant

Gemini, Google’s AI assistant, now lets you manage your Google Calendar. This means you can add, check, and change events using just your voice or a few taps.

“Gemini’s integration with Google Calendar helps users manage their time more effectively,” says Esteban Kozak, Director of Product Management at Google.

Integrating Gemini with Google Calendar simplifies how you manage your time. The ease of adding, updating, and querying events changing how traditional calendar management is done.

You no longer need to manually input data or scroll through dates; Gemini does the heavy lifting. For instance, you can ask, “What’s on my calendar for today?” and get a detailed rundown without opening the app.

With Gemini’s latest update, working with Google Calendar has become more interactive and proactive. Users can now command their

calendars using simple speech, as Gemini understands plain English.

“Our goal with Gemini is to anticipate your scheduling needs by analysing your communications,” states Esteban Kozak. This development is aimed at reducing the hassle of manual calendar entries.

Apart from managing your Google Calendar, Gemini offers a variety of other functionalities designed to enhance productivity and assist with daily tasks.

Gemini can assist with writing, brainstorming, and learning. The app enables users to improve their writing skills, correct grammar, and even translate text into different languages.

“Gemini gives you direct access to Google’s best family of AI models on your phone,” allowing for enhanced learning experiences through conversation and back-and-forth engagement with the app.

Gemini can also summarise information from Gmail or Google Drive, making it easier to get quick info without sifting through documents or emails manually.

This feature is particularly useful for students or professionals looking to quickly gather key points from vast amounts of data.

Gemini works hand-in-hand with Google Assistant on Android phones, offering a combined service that enhances user experience. While Google Assistant handles quick voice actions, Gemini steps in with advanced features like setting alarms, making phone calls, or controlling smart home devices.

“Gemini is still learning, so Google Assistant will help power some familiar quick voice action features,” ensuring users have a comprehensive assistant experience.

Eye on TechEye

Security – It’s An Ever Changing Game

The Federation of Small Businesses reports that there were 5.6 million small businesses across the UK at the start of 2023. For opportunistic hackers, this translates to a whopping 5.6 million potential targets to attack.

Especially if the cybersecurity measures of these small companies aren’t up to scratch. In fact, a 2021 report found that almost half (46%) of cyber breaches impact businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees.

In cybersecurity, no one, whether inside or outside the network, should be automatically trusted.

Instead, everyone trying to access any part of your network must be verified as an authorised user first, at every stage. Security should be like having a guard checking the ID of every person at every door, not just the main entrance. Thanks to Hollywood, we’ve all heard of “backdoors” in IT systems – these are very real, and if left unguarded can grant hackers easy entry to your network. Zero Trust Security models essentially employ more “guards” to your network, making it more secure and making sure to permit only those who are supposed to have access.

Think of your network like a series of compartments in a ship. Just as these ship compartments can prevent it from sinking if one part gets flooded, dividing your network into smaller, isolated segments (or compartments) can prevent threat actors from accessing your entire network. If a hacker gains access to one part of the network, the breach has a higher chance of staying contained, leaving the rest of your network unaffected.

Identifying critical assets, such as sensitive data or key systems, is a great starting point for determining the best

way to divide the network. Read up on Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), which can be used to create these separate segments. Employ firewalls and Access Control Lists (ACLs) to control the flow of traffic between segments, effectively acting as gatekeepers.

Vulnerability assessments and penetration tests are the “health checkups” of digital infrastructures, simulating real-world attacks and uncovering weak spots in your network and systems. It’s advisable to schedule these assessments routinely, using automated tools to scan for known vulnerabilities and hiring professionals for penetration testing.

After each test, it’s important to analyse the findings and update your security measures accordingly, which may include patching software or enhancing protocols. Taking a proactive approach helps in identifying and addressing security gaps, keeping your organisation’s digital defences strong against threats.

Advanced endpoint protection is the next step up from traditional antivirus solutions. Using sophisticated methods such as machine learning and behaviour analysis, it is able to detect and neutralise not only known threats but also new, emerging ones.

This protection extends beyond simple virus detection to guard against complex malware, ransomware, and even zeroday exploits – attacks on previously unknown vulnerabilities. The system continuously learns and adapts, meaning it can be effective against newer cyber threats. By monitoring and analysing

user behaviour and network activity, it can identify and respond to unusual events, providing a robust defence layer for your network and devices.

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) can be seen as a high-tech command centre for your network’s security. These systems gather and analyse extensive data from various sources across your network, such as logs, network devices and applications. Through this monitoring, the system is able to detect unusual patterns or anomalies that could indicate a security threat. The real-time capabilities of SIEM allows for quick threat detection and response, significantly reducing the potential impact of cyber attacks.

SIEM tools can be configured to automatically respond to certain types of incidents, increasing the speed and efficiency of your cybersecurity response. Additionally, these systems help in compliance management by maintaining detailed records of security events, which is invaluable for audits and adhering to regulatory standards.

Encryption translates data into illegible jargon, meaning that even if someone intercepts it while it’s being transmitted (in-transit) or accesses it where it’s stored (at-rest), they can’t understand it without the proper decryption key. This is especially important when sharing sensitive information over the internet, such as financial transactions, emails or transferring files between locations.

Phishing attacks have been around for a long time, but one of the reasons they’re so common is that they continue

to work. Train your team (and yourself!) to recognise and avoid sophisticated tricks used by cybercriminals.

Unlike basic phishing, which might be more easy to spot, advanced techniques like spear phishing (targeted at specific individuals), whaling (targeting high-level executives), and social engineering (manipulating people into breaking security procedures) are more deceptive and personalised. With AI technologies now able to somewhat convincingly recreate an individual’s face and voice, there’s increased risk of these elements being used in phishing attacks in the future – and this is something to watch out for.

As technology continues to develop, and methods for malicious behaviours become more deviant and difficult to detect, companies must prioritise advanced cybersecurity strategies to safeguard their businesses. The traditional methods, while fundamental, are no longer sufficient to thwart the evolving tactics of cybercriminals. By implementing the measures mentioned in this article, SMEs can create a robust defence against cyber threats. Remember, cybersecurity is not a one-time task, but an ongoing process that requires constant vigilance and adaptation. Maintaining a secure and healthy network not only protects your valuable data and assets, but also builds trust with your clients and customers.

2023 was a record year for small business equity investment in Northern Ireland

The British Business Bank’s Small Business Finance Markets 2023/24 report, has found the value of equity finance in Northern Ireland grew by 39% to £58m in Q1-Q3, 2023 despite the number of deals decreasing by 27% to 16.

Smaller businesses in Northern Ireland are more likely to opt for traditional forms of finance like Bank loans, used by 20% of businesses in Northern Ireland in Q2 2023, compared to 12% for smaller businesses in the UK overall. The report also reveals credit card use in Northern Ireland increased by 13% points from Q1 2023 to Q2 2023, much higher than the overall UK increase of 4% points.

The use of external finance by smaller businesses across the UK saw a consistent rise over the year across the UK, growing from 41% in Q1 to 50% in Q3. Working capital was the main reason for seeking finance for 58% of smaller businesses in 2023, up from 53% the year before.

Also, across the UK asset finance grew for the third year in a row, increasing 7% in 2023 to £23.5bn, the highest level on record. This increase follows a rise of 11% in 2022 and 23% in 2021 and highlights the continued rebound in the asset class as supply chain pressures have eased and smaller businesses have looked to replace ageing vehicles and machinery.

Bank lending down

The total stock of UK bank lending in 2023 was £173bn, falling by 12% in real terms compared to 2022, but remains the third joint highest, on par with 2016. Gross bank lending to smaller businesses was £59.2bn in 2023, 9% lower than 2022, reflecting higher borrowing costs and economic uncertainty weighing on the demand for lending. Banks were also more cautious about the ability of businesses to repay.

Northern Ireland bucks the trend with growth in equity investment

UK Smaller businesses raised £6.5bn of equity finance over the first three quarters of 2023, 53% less than during the same period in 2022. After two exceptional years, this brings such investment to around the level it was in 2020, still the fourth-highest year on record. Northern Ireland bucked the national trend with strong growth of 39% to £58m – only Wales and the East Midlands had higher increases in value of equity deals.

While there was a sharp decline in UK activity in the second half of 2022, investment now appears to be stabilising at around £2bn per quarter in 2023.

Later stages of the UK equity finance market have continued to experience the largest reductions in investment. Growth-stage investment in the first three quarters of 2023 was £2.4bn, 65% lower than the same period in 2022. Venture and seed stage investment fell by 43% and 31% in 2023, respectively.

The growth stage was the main driver of market expansion over 2021 and the first half of 2022, and subsequently has also experienced the largest drop in both percentage and absolute terms since market conditions have worsened from the second half of 2022 onwards.

UK equity finance has matured over the last decade, becoming deeper and with a greater range of investors able to support companies at all stages of their development.

Locally, the recently launched £70million Northern Ireland Investment Fund will help fight back against the decline in equity investment deals.

The fund will offer a range of commercial finance options with

loans from £25,000 to £2m and equity investment of up to £5m. It will support businesses from all sectors in Northern Ireland and at different stages of their growth journey.

Belfast leading the way in FinTech inward investment

Developments in AI are continuing at a rapid pace, and these advances will have a profound impact on small business finance markets in the coming years.

The British Business Bank reports a steady increase in AI usage by finance providers over the past decade, with most UK financial organisations now using predictive AI. More than 70% of UK Finance members surveyed have generative AI at the proof of concept or pilot phase, with FinTech and new entrants leading the way.

These are important findings with Belfast the top ranking city in the world for FinTech inward investment projects, according to the FT fDi Markets 2023 report, and Northern Ireland ranking second overall.

Finance markets will be key in the transition to net zero Finance markets have a critical role in funding innovation and the adoption of new cleaner technologies. The transition required to meet the UK’s net zero objectives will require significant investment across all areas of the economy.

The Government’s 2023 green finance strategy estimated that an additional £50bn-£60bn of capital investment per year will be required through the late 2020s and 2030s to meet the UK’s net zero commitments, with private sector investment forming the majority of this. If the UK is to meet its net zero targets by 2050, smaller businesses must be part of the solution, but they face many challenges in this transition.

This includes access to finance, which is a major block for 28% of the smaller businesses prioritising environmental sustainability over the next 12 months.

Challenger and specialist banks up

For the third consecutive year, challenger and specialist banks account for a higher share (59%) of total gross lending than the big five banks (41%).

The lending landscape has changed considerably since 2014, with the report revealing that 60 new banking licences have been granted in the last decade, with 36 being issued to providers serving smaller businesses. Non-bank lenders have addressed specific, underserved segments of the market with growth in lending from private debt funds, peer-to-peer lending and invoice and asset-based finance.

Susan Nightingale, Director UK Network at the British Business Bank said:

“The British Business Bank has been on a journey in Northern Ireland for the past decade and during that time we have witnessed a lot of positive changes. Supporting businesses in accessing finance has been key.

“In Northern Ireland, there is greater choice than ever before to help your business start up and scale up.

“A great example of this is the £70million Investment Fund for Northern Ireland which will provide both debt and equity finance and help support smaller businesses at different stages of their growth.

“I’m pleased 77% of smaller businesses are now aware of how to find out information about external finance. The British Business Bank will help guide them to the right finance to help them grow and thrive.”

Susan Nightingale of British Business Bank

For when business success needs admin support

Eye Moving On

Stena Line has appointed Darren Byers as Port Manager based in Belfast. With over 20 years’ experience within Maritime operations, Darren joins the ferry and port operator from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) where he was Area Life Saving Manager covering Ireland and the Isle of Man.

Northern Ireland science and technology hub Catalyst has appointed Pauline Timoney as its new Head of Entrepreneurship. Pauline joins the 50-strong team at Catalyst to lead the successful delivery of programmes such as Generation Innovation and INVENT which are designed to create opportunities for new entrepreneurs and support the growth and success of start-ups.

Ulster Bank has expanded its entrepreneurship team as Nicola Woods joins as Local Enterprise Manager. Working closely with the bank’s Acceleration team, Nicola will bring her extensive experience working with start-ups and act as a link between Ulster Bank’s inhouse accelerator programme and other business areat. Following stints with Glandore and the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, Nicola began working for Enterprise Nation as the group’s Head of Ireland in 2021.

At McKeever Hotel Group, Paul Quinn is appointed as General Manager at the Dunadry Hotel & Gardens. He has extensive management and leadership experience across NI’s hospitality industry and most recently, was responsible for the opening of the Haslem Hotel in Lisburn. Joining him as Deputy General Manager is Gary McCrudden. Gary began his hospitality career at the Wellington Park in Belfast and since then has garnered over 30 years management experience across key hotel groups including Hastings Hotels, Ramada Plaza, Holiday Inn and Clayton Hotels.

Boost Drinks has nnounced that the current Marketing Director, Adrian Hipkiss will take on the newly created role of Commercial Director at Boost with immediate effect. Hipkiss joined Boost in June 2019 as Marketing Director and in this time has led the overall brand strategy, accelerated insight led advertising and NPD, restructured the marketing team, successfully overseen the sales and distribution agreement with Rio and has championed the closer alignment of sales, marketing and category teams within the Boost business.

Belfast-headquartered Germinal, a pioneer in grass and forage seed breeding, has announced the appointment of David Little as Agricultural Product Manager for Ireland. This appointment marks a significantly enhanced role within Germinal and will see him carry out the responsibilities of his new position alongside his current Northern Ireland Sales Manager role. David, who hails from the family beef farm near Banbridge, joined Germinal in 2012 as a Sales Administrator and quickly progressed within the business.

1. Darren Byers

3. Nicola Woods

5. Gary McCrudden

2. Pauline Timoney

4. Paul Quinn

6. Adrian Hipkiss

7. David Little

For when business success needs admin support

Eye Moving On

Accountancy and advisory practice Baker Tilly Mooney Moore has announced the appointment of Karen Corry as Senior HR Consultant. Karen brings an extensive background in strategic and operational HR, organisational development and design, change management, and efficiency reviews. Her breadth of experience includes collaborating with organisations in the Public and Private sectors, the Third Sector, and most recently, a new technology startup.

Julie Galbraith, managing partner of DWF in Belfast, has been promoted to a more senior level within the partnership this year. Julie has over 20 years experience advising in relation to all aspects of commercial property transactions, including acquisitions, disposals, development agreements, landlord and tenant law and asset management. She advises many commercial occupiers and those in the retail, food and hospitality sectors. Also at DWF, Orla Hanna - Corporate lawyer, has been promoted to partner after 2 years. She has been ranked by Legal 500 as a “Next Generation Partner” and advises both financial institutions and borrowers on a wide range of domestic and international financing transactions, including secured and unsecured lending, syndicate finance, renewable energy finance, project finance, acquisition finance, real estate finance, development finance and debt restructuring. Orla is tri-qualified and regularly works on cross-border transactions.

Also, Louise Craig - Insurance lawyer, was recently promoted to senior associate after 2 years at DWF and John McCloskey - Insurance lawyer, was recently promoted to senior associate after 2 years at DWF.

Denise O’Hagan - Litigator in the construction and infrastructure team, joined DWF over 7 years ago as a solicitor in the litigation team. She was recently promoted to the position of senior associate.

Ben Palmer - Ben joined DWF over 4 years ago to complete his training contract. He stayed with the business as a solicitor in the corporate team and has just been promoted to associate. Also, Mark Browne - Insurance paralegal, has just been promoted to senior paralegal in the major injury and casualty team.

8. Karen Corry

10. Orla Hanna

12. John McCloskey

13. Denise O’Hagan

14. Ben Palmer

11. Louise Craig

9. Julie Galbraith

Skin Mr Chris Hoo skin tag and PDO Thread-lifts, offers Cosmetic interview

Eye on News COSMETIC SKIN

Schools Mentoring Programme Triples In Size

SistersIN, the all-female leadership programme dedicated to enabling, empowering, and developing young girls across Northern Ireland, has announced it has tripled in size in 2024. Almost 400 sixth form schoolgirls from 28 schools are participating in the programme this year.

Mr Chris Hoo

Q: How are skin

The programme is a collaborative ecosystem between the schools who deliver leadership training, senior female leaders who mentor the pupils, and the pupils who put their leadership into action through projects in their schools, local communities, and often, wider society. Its growth not only signals the ongoing demand for professional development opportunities for young women, but also a willingness from the local business community to support female leaders of tomorrow.

SistersIN originated as a pilot in 2019, under the leadership of Assumption Grammar School’s principal, Peter Dobbin. Following its success, the SistersIN charity was officially formed in 2022 - with founding partners ICC Belfast | Waterfront Hall | Ulster Hall, Danske Bank, Education Authority, The James Kane Foundation and Queen’s University Belfast - to broaden its impact

and reach to more schools and pupils.

Peter Dobbin highlighted how important it is to provide young girls with meaningful development opportunities, “Tripling our participant numbers in 2024 is a testament to the dedication of our partner schools, our mentors and, most importantly, the young girls who have been involved. It’s incredible to think that this year we’re supporting 400 schoolgirls from across Northern Ireland, many of whom may not otherwise have had the opportunity to experience such a sustained period of one-to-one leadership. There is that great phrase – you can’t be what you can’t see – and I think at its very essence that’s what our SistersIN programme is about. The concept is simple but powerful, and we’ve seen first-hand how it can build confidence and help schoolgirls to see their full potential at a crucial time in their lives. We’re very grateful to our

mentors, and I’m looking forward to hearing from them and their mentees at the Celebration Event this month.”

This year, programme participants will host a major celebration event at ICC Belfast on March 12, with over 800 people expected to attend. Gill Tierney, Consultant Surgeon and President of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI) has been secured to provide the keynote address, whilst a panel discussion with a selection of some of Northern Ireland’s Leading Female Leaders will also take place. Representatives from local companies across the digital, pharmaceutical, financial services, and business tourism sectors are invited to exhibit.

Julia Corkey, Chief Executive of ICC Belfast, Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall, and founding partner of SistersIN, said, “We really value our partnership with SistersIN, and this year we are

Skin tags are a bit by cutting, freezing off (electrotherapy). a controlled sterile risk of infection, clinic needs to be Moles are usually they are shaved the removal, especially features, the whole removed in one lab for pathology cells. At Cosmetech

Q: How are moles removed?

Skin tags are removed by setting to minimise of the skin needs

Q: Does it hurt

If there is going or surgeon should to numb the area. the anaesthetic significant and the a couple of minutes. can sometimes Cosmetech has applied in clinic in like causing pain

Q: How long

Most of these procedures can be removed 10 minutes. Administration skin preparation

delighted to offer our venue and event management services once more. The hands-on experience the pupils gain from shadowing our team to organise this year’s celebration event, gives them a glimpse of what it takes to deliver a world-class business event. It also gives them an insight into the key role that business tourism plays in Northern Ireland’s economic development. It’s been wonderful to see the unique perspectives the students have brought to the planning process, whilst also seeing how fulfilling an experience the programme is for our team.

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“At ICC Belfast celebrating diversity is in our DNA and a commitment to gender balance across our venues helped us achieve the Bronze Diversity Mark last year. Led by our Board Chair, Steve Daniels we are currently developing a robust Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Strategy with input from our 300 full and part-time team members.”

Maypole

E:

Q: Does it these removed? discomfort as anaesthetic

Ella Rourke Executive Assistant at SistersIN, SistersIN Founder Peter Dobbin, Julia Corkey Chief Executive of ICC Belfast, Eimear Hone Senior Association Account Manager at ICC Belfast and SistersIN students Romy, Zara and Maka.

Skin Tag Removal

Cosmetic Mole and Skin Tag Removal

Hoo is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Cosmetech and offers and mole removal and other non- surgical treatments including Thread-lifts, Dermal Fillers and Anti-wrinkle Injections. He also Cosmetic Surgery at Kingsbridge Private Hospital. Today we interview him about minor surgery for skin tag and mole removal:

COSMETIC MOLE AND SKIN TAG REMOVAL

Mr Chris Hoo is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Cosmetech and offers skin tag and mole removal and other non- surgical treatments including PDO Thread-lifts, Dermal Fillers and Anti-wrinkle Injections. He also offers Cosmetic Surgery at Kingsbridge Private Hospital. Today we interview him about minor surgery for skin tag and mole removal:

Cosmetic Mole & Skin Tag Removal

Hoo is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Cosmetech and

skin tags and moles removed?

bit easier and can be removed

Q: How are skin tags and moles removed?

Consultant Plastic Surgeon Mr Chris Hoo specialises in the removal of cosmetic moles and skin tags. In the vast majority of cases all of these lesions are benign. But if there is any clinical concern about the nature of the lesion it can be sent o for testing.

Skin tags are a bit easier and can be removed by cutting, freezing (cryotherapy) or burning off (electrotherapy). This should be done in a controlled sterile setting to minimise the risk of infection, and they do bleed so the clinic needs to be able to manage this.

lesions are being removed obviously it will take a bit longer. A skin tag can be removed in a matter of seconds but again, it is key that this is done in a controlled sterile setting (don’t try this at home).

lesions are being removed obviously it will take a bit longer. A skin tag can be removed in a matter of seconds but again, it is key that this is done in a controlled sterile setting (don’t try this at home).

Q: Can I drive home afterwards?

Q: Can I drive home afterwards?

READER OFFER

Common Q&A for cosmetic skin tag and mole removal:

are skin tags and removed?

freezing (cryotherapy) or burning (electrotherapy). This should be done in sterile setting to minimise the and they do bleed so the be able to manage this. usually excised with a scalpel. Occasionally off but to ensure completion of especially if there are any suspicious whole depth of the skin needs to be piece. Moles should be sent to the pathology to ensure there are no suspicious Cosmetech we send all moles for pathology.

Q: How are skin lesions removed?

are a bit easier and can be cutting, freezing (cryotherapy)

Moles are usually excised with a scalpel. Occasionally they are shaved off but to ensure completion of the removal, especially if there are any suspicious features, the whole depth of the skin needs to be removed in one piece. Moles should be sent to the lab for pathology to ensure there are no suspicious cells. At Cosmetech we send all moles for pathology.

Q: How long does the procedure take?

Usually there is no issue with driving unless for example the lesion was near the eye and vision was temporarily affected by swelling or watering. Hand surgery can also affect driving but the vast majority of these lesions are small enough not to cause a problem. If in doubt bring a friend or relative or take a taxi.

Usually there is no issue with driving unless for example the lesion was near the eye and vision was temporarily affected by swelling or watering. Hand surgery can also affect driving but the vast majority of these lesions are small enough not to cause a problem. If in doubt bring a friend or relative or take a taxi.

Quote Business Eye 347 when booking

Q: What about aftercare?

To book a consultation at Cosmetech

hurt having these removed?

In most cases these can be done under a local anaesthetic. If there are no concerns about its nature they can be either shaved o , or excised. Some skin lesions can also be treated by freezing the skin – termed cryotherapy. All options are discussed with the patient beforehand.

Most of these procedures are very

Q: What about aftercare?

Q: What about aftercare?

Q: Does it hurt having these removed?

minimise the risk of infection,

to be significant discomfort the doctor should usually administer local anaesthetic area. There will be mild discomfort as is being injected but it is usually not the anaesthetic takes effect within minutes. For very small skin tags, they be frozen off without anaesthetic.

Other treatments available include:

If stitches have been necessary these are generally removed after 5–7 days. For best results a combination of steri-strips and scar massage arerequired and which you need to do will be discussed.

There is usually a dressing for the first 3 to 7 days and, depending upon the operation site, sutures may need to be removed.

There is usually a dressing for the first 3 to 7 days and, depending upon the operation site, sutures may need to be removed.

Administration of anaesthetic and skin preparation add some time, and

Q: Will I have a scar?

Anti-wrinkle Injections, Dermal fillers, PDO Thread-lifts, Thread vein removal, Aqualyx fat dissolving injections and Profhilo.

Q: Does it hurt having these removed?

Since these are treated under local anaesthetic it shouldn’t!

tag can be removed in a matter of seconds but again, it is key that this

needs to be removed in one

If there is going to be significant discomfort the doctor or surgeon should usually administer local anaesthetic to numb the area. There will be mild discomfort as the anaesthetic is being injected but it is usually not significant and the anaesthetic takes effect within a couple of minutes. For very small skin tags, they can sometimes be frozen off without anaesthetic. Cosmetech has local anaesthetic cream which can be applied in clinic in advance of the procedure. We don’t like causing pain and make every effort to minimise it.

The worse bit is having the injection of anaesthetic, which many patients describe as a mild stinging sensation. Cryotherapy does not even need an anaesthetic.

local anaesthetic cream which can be in advance of the procedure. We don’t pain and make every effort to minimise it.

Q: How long does the procedure take?

On the face these are often removed between 5 to 7 days, but are left a bit longer on other body areas. Again these should be removed by someone skilled and experienced as doing it incorrectly can leave bits of stitch in the skin, or risk reopening the wound. After about a week most wounds do not need dressed but should be kept clean, and paraffin ointment often helps at this time. Depending on your surgeon, the wound may be dressed with ointment alone or sometimes skin glue.

Q: Can I drive home afterwards?

Q: Will I have a scar?

Q: How long does the procedure take?

does the procedure take?

Most of these procedures are very quick. A mole can be removed and the skin sutured within 5 to 10 minutes. Administration of anaesthetic and skin preparation add some time, and if several

On the face these are often removed between 5 to 7 days, but are left a bit longer on other body areas. Again these should be removed by someone skilled and experienced as doing it incorrectly can leave bits of stitch in the skin, or risk reopening the wound. After about a week most wounds do not need dressed but should be kept clean, and paraffin ointment often helps at this time. Depending on your surgeon, the wound may be dressed with ointment alone or sometimes skin glue.

Q: Will I have a scar?

This depends on what’s being done, but most procedures take between 15–30 minutes.

hurt having removed?

procedures are very quick. A mole and the skin sutured within 5 to Administration of anaesthetic and preparation add some time, and if several

Q: Can I drive home afterwards?

Scarring is an inevitable consequence of surgery in anyone’s hands, so yes. But of course the whole point is to be cosmetic and so everything is designed to minimise this. It’s best to consider this as replacing one cosmetic blemish with a another one, which should be much better.

All surgery which cuts through the full depth of skin will leave a scar. Skin tag excision shouldn’t leave much noticeable scarring but mole excision usually

All surgery which cuts through the full depth of skin will leave a scar. Skin tag excision shouldn’t leave much noticeable scarring but mole excision usually

Maypole Clinic 5-7 Shore Road Holywood BT18 9XH

T: 028 9042 3200

Maypole Clinic 5-7 Shore Road

66

E: frontdesk@cosmetech.co.uk www.cosmetech.co.uk

as the anaesthetic is being cream which can be

Holywood BT18 9XH

That depends on you! If you are the sort of person who can drive home after a filling at the dentist then there should be no reason why not. But if you are a bit squeamish, best to bring someone with you. They can at least tell you how brave you were, even if they don’t need to drive!

Q: What about aftercare?

T: 028 9042 3200 frontdesk@cosmetech.co.uk www.cosmetech.co.uk

to 7 days and, depending upon the operation site, sutures may need to be

For enquiries, please call 028 9042 3200 or email frontdesk@cosmetech.co.uk

cosmetech.co.uk

Cosmetech Maypole Clinic

5-7 Shore Road, Holywood, BT18 9XH

Tel: +44 (0) 28 9042 3200

will. The quality of the scar can vary depending on

will. The quality of the scar can vary depending on genetics. To optimise the scar we perform precise stitching, remove stitches at the appropriate time, and encourage scar management in the form of

After about a week most wounds do not

Eye on News

Belfast Harbour Community Awards increase fund to £100,000 for 2024

Belfast Harbour has announced that the fund for this year’s Belfast Harbour Community Awards has been increased to £100,000, an increase of £20,000 on the total fund last year.

The Awards, which open twice a year for applications, provide grants of up to £5,000 to charities, volunteering organisations and community groups who are delivering activity positively impacting the environment, education

and skills and bringing communities together.

Last year saw more than 120 charities and community groups apply for the awards and 28 successful organisations receiving grants of up to £5,000 each for projects designed to help make a positive difference in local communities.

The grants were awarded across both rural and urban areas, with 45% awarded to charities supporting

communities in North, South, East or West Belfast.

Through the 2023 Awards Belfast Harbour supported a wide variety of projects including 14 programmes supporting children and young people, 10 programmes supporting vulnerable or minority communities and four programmes aimed at promoting environmental sustainability.

Other impactful initiatives provided 500 meals for elderly and socially isolated individuals and enabled 200 young people and adults to discover the physical and mental health benefits of sailing.

Jenni Barkley at Belfast Harbour said: “We are always encouraged by the diversity of organisations who apply for support to the Community Awards. From organisations supporting young people and the elderly to the environment, health and wellbeing, we are always struck by the incredible work being delivered by grassroots organisations and the impact they have on their local communities.

The Community Awards are part of Belfast Harbour’s ongoing commitment to being a socially responsible port, and building partnerships with organisations which support communities, the environment and the development of employability and skills.

“We are proud that our Community Awards have enabled so many groups to reach new milestones in their work and support so many good causes.”

ABBEYAUTOLINE DRIVES FORWARD YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

AbbeyAutoline, Northern Ireland’s largest insurance broker is proud to announce its new partnership with Young Enterprise as an Impact Business Backer. This exciting collaboration positions AbbeyAutoline as a key supporter of Young Enterprise’s mission to inspire and equip young people with the skills and confidence to succeed in the business world.

AbbeyAutoline recognises the importance of fostering entrepreneurial spirit and preparing future generations for success. As an Impact Business Backer, the company will support 50 future entrepreneurs in schools across Northern Ireland every month. This initiative aligns perfectly with AbbeyAutoline’s own values of equality and inclusion.

Julie Gibbons, Managing Director of AbbeyAutoline, said: “AbbeyAutoline is proud to be partnering with Young Enterprise NI to help develop the next generation of entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland.

“Programmes such as this are of vital importance if we are to encourage the business owners and changemakers of the future. It is their enthusiasm, tenacity and acumen that will attract investment in our economy and drive enterprise.

“The aims and objectives of Young Enterprise NI align perfectly with the culture and values of AbbeyAutoline, and we look forward to playing our part in nurturing the entrepreneurial spirits of all the young participants – we can’t wait to see what they produce!”

Young Enterprise applauds AbbeyAutoline’s commitment to the young people of NI. “We are thrilled to welcome AbbeyAutoline as our new Impact Business Backer,” said Carol Fitzsimons, MBE, Chief Executive of Young Enterprise. “This investment empowers 50 young people every month, equipping them with the skills and confidence to become the driving force of a sustainable and thriving Northern Ireland.”

Zach Elwood, Laurna Burns and Amy Price from Belfast Formidable Sea Cadets, Holywood pictured with Jenni Barkley, Communications and Community Engagement Manager at Belfast Harbour.

Gary McKinley, Business Studies Teacher at St Paul’s High School, Julie Gibbons, Managing Director of AbbeyAutoline, Carol Fitzsimons, MBE, Chief Executive of Young Enterprise with students from St Paul’s High School, Bessbrook.

Eye on Motoring

DASHING DACIA

Motoring with James Stinson

New Duster adds to Dacia’s reputation as one of the most innovative car makers around, writes James Stinson

The Dacia success story really is something. The Romanian car maker was a basket case until being taken over by Renault in the late nineties.

Taking advantage of cheaper labour, it plied its trade at the value end of the car buying spectrum in the years that followed.

And using parts sourced from the wider Renault group, it has given us a few decent cars down the years, including the clever seven-seat Jogger and the Sandero, which is consistently lauded for being one of the best cheapest cars around.

The launch of the Duster SUV in 2010 added another string to its bow…

Cos while the world was going mad for SUVs, not everyone could afford one. It was an instant success and remains so. Some 2.2 million have been sold with 1,000 rolling off the production lines at Pitesti every day.

The first version was popular but very basic. A revamped model in 2017 was better, especially in the looks department. It was a genuinely desirable car.

will considerably undercut rivals like the Citroen C5 Aircross.

Looks-wise, the latest Duster retains the same upright front end design of the outgoing car, however the headlights are now much slimmer and are neatly integrated into the grille.

The rear end has been given a much more modern look than the outgoing Duster, while a more sloping roofline gives it a sportier look.

“While looking to broaden the Duster’s appeal, Dacia has also managed to retain its value credentials but also add some things we now come to expect as standard.”

This latest version raises the bar further. And while prices haven’t been firmed up yet, it’ll likely cost from around £20,000, which

It will be offered with a choice of three engines and four trim levels. There’s a new 1.2-litre petrol, a 1.6-litre selfcharging hybrid and a 100hp unit which can be powered by either petrol or LPG. The basic 1.2-litre petrol engine puts out 130hp, and it’s paired to a six-speed manual gearbox. The hybrid engine is the same one you’ll find in the Dacia Jogger. It has 140hp, and you can shift along in slow-moving traffic without using the engine at all.

Then there’s the Bi-Fuel car. This can either be powered by petrol, or you can fill it up with LPG (liquid petroleum gas). While there are far more petrol stations, Northern Ireland actually has quite a lot of LPG ones too – around 50 at the last count.

The main benefits of using LPG are lower emissions and it’s also much cheaper than petrol or diesel.

While looking to broaden the Duster’s appeal, Dacia has also managed to retain its value credentials but also add some things we now come to expect as standard.

So Essential trim, which kicks off the range, includes rear parking sensors, air-conditioning and fixed roof bags, but does without a central touchscreen or alloy wheels. Expression is the next step up and has 17-inch alloys, a 7.0inch digital dashboard and 10.1-inch centre touchscreen with a reversing camera and smartphone connectivity.

Next up are the Extreme and Journey models. The Extreme model is a bit more rugged, and has washable upholstery, rubber floor mats, climate control, Dacia’s clever modular roof bars and keyless entry. The Journey model also has climate control and keyless entry, but also has foglights, 18-inch alloy wheels and an upgraded sound system.

It looks like it might be good for a bit of off-roading too. The body is “shielded” by tough plastic cladding, covering the underbody shields and the wheel arches, which in turn connect to the front and rear bumpers.

You can also have a 4x4 version with enhanced ride height, downhill speed control and a plethora of settings to cover everything from snow to mud / sand and proper off-roading.

If the pricing stays competitive and there’s no reason to think it won’t, the Dacia success story looks set to continue.

Eye on Motoring

Motoring

with James Stinson

Suzuki Swift a small car with big appeal

The little Swift delivers a strong argument against ever larger cars, writes James Stinson

The Suzuki Swift is everything you’d want from a small car. Small but practical, stylish and affordable. In many ways, it’s the proper heir to the original Mini.

And there’s a still a huge market for these types of cars… as starter cars, second cars or city cars.

They’re frugal, cheap and far more fun to drive than a bloated SUV.

The Swift is one of the best of the breed and this latest fourth generation version looks set to cement that position further.

It boasts a bolder, more angular look than its predecessor with a piano black grille and L-shaped signature LED headlights.

There are sharper creases in the bodysides while both front and rear wheelarches have more pronounced bulges for a sportier look. At the rear, the new Suzuki Swift has bi-colour 3D combination tail lamps, while the rear bumper has been widened.

If Suzuki has a weakness, it’s been on cabin quality, something it is threatening to put right with this new car. There are two-tone plastics which give it a fresher appearance along with a dual-tone black and light grey dashboard. The door trims are enhanced with satin plating and satin dark silver paint accents.

The new Suzuki Swift’s dashboard is now subtly angled towards the driver, with the centre console and controls positioned for easier use.

There’s a new freestanding 9.0-inch HD touchscreen which Suzuki says is faster than today’s car, offering both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto through Wi-Fi and USB. There’s also Bluetooth connectivity and voice recognition.

The new Swift also comes with Suzuki Connect. This is a smartphone app that connects with the car and updates its status. Features include

where it’s parked, whether it’s locked, plus remove security notifications and driving history.

Suzuki Connect features are available through the new infotainment display. An interesting added feature is the ability for parents to set a geofence for the new Suzuki Swift and get the car to send alerts if a curfew is broken.

The new Suzuki Swift launches with an updated 1.2-litre threecylinder petrol engine. It has an updated mild hybrid system, as part of Suzuki’s pitch of offering an all-hybrid model range.

Full technical details will be announced nearer to the UK launch but the firm says it has better fuel economy, reduced emissions and improved low-speed torque to boot responsiveness and performance. It will be offered with optional Allgrip Auto all-wheel drive. When the front wheels start to slip, a viscous coupling engages, which

transfers drive to the rear wheels. It’s ideal for wintery roads. Safety has been improved too, with what’s called Dual Sensor Brake support II, or DSBS II. A radar and camera are combined to detect vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians in front of the vehicle – and use autonomous emergency braking where necessary.

Other safety features include lane keep assist and a driver monitoring system that comprises a camera built into the instrument panel that monitors the driver’s eye and face. Warnings are sounded if it detects a lack of concentration.

Rear cross traffic assist, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitor and eCall also all feature.

Prices will be released nearer the Spring on-sale date but entry level prices are expected to start around £17,000, which will keep it competitive with rivals like the Vauxhall Corsa and VW Polo.

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