Business Eye September/October 2021 by Buckley Publications

Issue 209 Sept/Oct 2021 £2.50 Voted best Business Magazine in Ireland 2005 and Magazine of the Year for Northern Ireland

Russell Smyth & KPMG

Sustainability At The Heart Of Our Economy Features:

City Auction Group In Major GB Investment

Licensing Law Changes Can Create New Growth

Finalists Announced For AIB Business Eye Awards

Electric & Hybrid vehicles can bring a lot of benefits to your business. Find out more about our emotive offering... fleetfinancial.co.uk/emotive

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Contents 10

Sept/Oct 2021 ISSUE 209

Back To Breakfast For Family Businesses

Legal 500 - Meet NI’s HighestRanked Lawyers

After resorting to an online event last autumn, the NI Family Business Forum was back live at the Culloden Estate & Spa with a successful event entitled Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast.

The 2021 Legal 500 has been published and we lift the lid on Northern Ireland’s top-ranking law firms and individual solicitors across a broad range of key specialist legal areas.

Hotels Sectors Looks To Continued Recovery

Sustainability - Keeping Northern Ireland In The Game

Janice Gault, Chief Executive of the NI Hotels Federation, says that the sector is heading towards brighter days following a positive summer season and the continued relaxation of remaining Covid restrictions.

With sustainability now on everyone’s agenda, and on the eve of the big Cop26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow at the start of November, we take a closer look at the state of play here with the help of local authorities and other key commentators.

City Auction Group Opens Major GB Centre

Scottish Provident Building Reaping The Post-Covid Dividend

The Mallusk-based City Auction Group has unveiled the UK’s largest automotive logistic and re-marketing centre on the outskirts of Peterborough in the east of England, a major investment for the NI group.

As more and more people return to some form of office working, and as organisations review their office needs post-Covid, Belfast’s showpiece Scottish Provident Building is ready to do business. But it’s filling up fast.

Russell Smyth & KPMG 20 Championing The

Hillyard House - Where 68 The Mountains Of Mourne

While sustainability used to be background noise for a lot of local companies, it’s not right up at the top of the corporate agenda, says Russell Smyth, who heads up KPMG Sustainable Futures, a dedicated cross-functional team of experts based in Belfas

Business Eye pays a visit to Hillyard House, a unique hotel in the village of Castlewellan in the shadow of the Mournes…a place with the emphasis firmly on old-fashioned hospitality and great food and drink.

Sustainability Agenda

Sweep Down To The Inn

Licensing Laws In NI Reforms On The Way

Business Eye teamed up TLT LLP to stage a Virtual Round Table Discussion on the changes being made by Government to the licensing laws here in Northern Ireland, with emphasis on the changes affecting breweries, distilleries and craft drinks producers.

The Cube Meets Crystal 30 Maze In Belfast Business Eye visits the unique Prison Island, a Swedish entertainment concept now open right here in Belfast. Think Crystal Maze or ITV’s The Cube and you get the picture of what’s on offer over on the city’s Boucher Road.

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

Electric Ireland & Lyric Theatre - Perfect Match For GroundBreaking Production

As any marketing director will testify, there are some strategic partnerships that take a bit of extra work. But there are some that simply work. Claire Murray from the Lyric Theatre in Belfast and Electric Ireland’s Anne Smyth take up the story.

Finalists Announced For AIB Business Eye Awards 2021

The AIB Business Eye Awards, Northern Ireland’s leading business awards, are back after a missing year at the ICC Belfast on Thursday, 11th November. The finalists have been announced across all 16 categories and the stage is set for awards night once again.

Editor Richard Buckley Commercial Director Brenda Buckley

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

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

As we continue to move into the post-Covid era and away from the pandemic, the shortcomings of our devolved administration continue to stand out in sharp focus

Comment

“Over the months the NI protocol has developed from a fairly technical border trade issue into an out and out orange versus green issue. One side likes it, the other sides loathes it and the party in the middle doesn’t know which way to turn.”

s ever here in Northern Ireland, political games and petty point-scoring are the name of the game rather than the kind of firm, clear decision making and positive regional promotion that many of us might reasonably expect from our elected representatives. Around these parts, we have very low expectations and those low expectations are met and often exceeded in reverse. It’s something that those who speak for business – our main business organisations – seem to be able to accept and live with. Yet it shouldn’t be like this. The NIE Executive has been stutteringly slow to move this region out of restrictions and on towards the future. We’re now noticeably behind the other main UK regions, and it won’t be long before we’re lagging behind our neighbours in the Republic. Even Covid has managed to become a battle between the parties. Take the question of vaccine passports. Some parties like them, some don’t. But it’s crystal clear that the Executive has decided to sit squarely on the fence instead of taking decisive action. Then there’s the continued furore over the NI protocol. Over the months since January, it’s developed from a fairly technical border trade issue into an out and out orange versus green issue. One side likes it, the other sides loathes it and the party in the middle doesn’t know which way to turn. It really didn’t have to be like this. There are many in business who firmly believe that the NI protocol, even as it currently stands, offers some excellent opportunities. But there are others, in certain sectors and areas of business, who beg to differ.

Richard Buckley EDITOR Irish Magazine Editor of the Year 2005

The various shades of unionism have even managed to cobble together an uncomfortable and awkward-looking alliance to fight the protocol in the air and on the beaches. So we’re in this, it seems, for the long haul. A long haul that will most definitely not be good for business and the economy. Politician division never is. The most likely scenario is that the UK Government will somehow persuade their former friends at the EU to tinker with the protocol. Or they’ll push changes through on a unilateral basis. Will we end up with something that works and delivers economic benefits to Northern Ireland? It seems unlikely. Do the ‘united’ unionists care? That seems unlikely too. Back in the day, the NI Executive put the local economy right at the top of its list of priorities, above even health (imagine that?) and education. Yet is continues to signally fail to deliver for businesses and for the broader economy here in Northern Ireland. We’ve had our chances to evolve and develop into a place apart, a unique economic zone, a Singapore on the fringes of Europe. We had a gilt-edged opportunity with the corporation tax proposal in the not too distant past, an opportunity that we quickly squandered on the back of political instability and some archaic political thinking. We’ve had it again, on a plate, as we’ve exited from the European Union. But our politicians, and one political party in particular, has somehow managed to turn a gift-wrapped opportunity into a pile of steaming poo-poo. Seamus Heaney was right when he said all those years ago that anyone born and bred in Northern Ireland can’t be too optimistic. It’s in our DNA.

Helping Northern Ireland grow again danskebank.co.uk/business 9467 Business Eye Profit 200 Strip 210x20mm PRINT.indd 1

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Eye on News

NIE Networks raises £27,000 for mental health charity PIPS during pandemic Staff at NIE Networks have raised £27,000 for their nominated Charity of the Year, PIPS Suicide Prevention Ireland.

(L-R) Paula Leathem, Senior HR Business Partner, NIE Networks; Peter Mullan, Insurance Officer, NIE Networks; David Grant, Wayleave Officer, NIE Networks;Renée Quinn, Executive Director, PIPS Charity; and Martina McIlkenny, Care Team Manager, PIPS Charity

ven in the face of a pandemic, employees at NIE Networks were not deterred in raising much needed funds for PIPS Charity and instead got creative with their

fundraising ideas including, sponsored head shaving and waxing, raffles, charity walks, moustache growing, children’s colouring competitions and virtual Christmas jumper days.

Employees also went one step further and added to the total each month through dedicated payroll giving donations. PIPS Charity is a grass roots, community-led organisation, which delivers suicide prevention and bereavement support services, counselling and therapies to individuals who are considering or have considered ending their own lives, as well as family and friends that have been affected by suicide. Paula Leathem, Senior HR Business Partner at NIE Networks, said: “Our teams have always been dedicated to raising funds for charity and doing everything they can to support local causes. Through financial donations and volunteering, our employees have donated tens of thousands of pounds to local charities over the years. “There are strong synergies between our company focus on mental health and wellbeing and the work of PIPS Charity, and I am proud that our staff chose to support

Fibrus appoints new Service Delivery Director

eading broadband provider, Fibrus has appointed Liam Mulholland to the newly created role of Service Delivery Director, to lead the development of the customer experience as the

company’s rapid expansion and customer base grow. Since being established in 2019, Fibrus has grown to an organisation of almost 200 people and has already reached over 60,000 premises connected to their new full fibre broadband network. Having been appointed to deliver the Project Stratum broadband programme by the Department for the Economy, and with more homes being connected every day, Fibrus has tasked Liam and his new department to ensure the customer experience is of the highest quality at all times. Liam has extensive customer service, transformational and leadership experience across operations of scale in both private and public sectors. Before joining Fibrus, Liam held a number of senior positions at organisations including Virgin Media, Northern Ireland Water and the HSCNI. He is a firm believer in people power and brings unique experience in motivating teams to engage and deliver exceptional customer and staff outcomes. Speaking on Liam’s appointment, Dominic

such an invaluable organisation as their charity partner last year.” Renée Quinn, Executive Director at PIPS Charity, added: “The fundraising by NIE Networks has been vitally important to PIPS Charity, particularly as our traditional methods of fundraising have been adversely affected due to the pandemic. “The demand for our services continues to increase and without sufficient funding we would be unable meet that demand. To have the support of the NIE Networks staff over the last year has helped us drive the important and life-saving work that we carry out in communities across Northern Ireland.” In response to increased demand for their services, PIPS Charity has recently opened two new regional hubs in Enniskillen and Derry~Londonderry. The centres provide not only suicide prevention and bereavement support services but also help with addiction, self-harm, anxiety, domestic violence and child resilience, among other key areas.

Kearns, Chief Executive at Fibrus, said: “In just two years, Fibrus has shaken up the broadband market with our plans to deliver to over 40% of the properties in Northern Ireland. The demand for our services has been great and we are now investing in making sure our growing customer base have the best experience possible when dealing with Fibrus. “We are delighted to appoint Liam Mulholland to the role of Service Delivery Director, as part of the senior leadership team at Fibrus. Liam brings a wealth of experience in service and business transformation having worked in Telecoms and Utilities for over 30 years. Liam Mulholland added: “I am excited to join the team here at Fibrus, as we continue to roll out our new full fibre network across NI. Broadband is now an essential utility in every home and business, and we aim to raise the bar in terms of the quality of this service. “Growing a customer facing business so quickly, in two years, is an impressive feat, and I look forward to playing my part in helping our growing customer base get the best possible experience out of their service with Fibrus.” For more information on the work of Fibrus or to view any current career opportunities, visit www.fibrus.com

Helping Northern Ireland grow again danskebank.co.uk/business

Eye on News

Legal firm launches specialist personal injury division following period of growth

Pictured are Directors Caroline Prunty and William McSorley, Millar McCall Wylie.

Law firm Millar McCall Wylie has launched a new identity and online presence for its personal injury legal services team, following five years of consistent growth in this area.

he firm, which employs over 40 legal professionals between its Belfast City Centre and Ballyhackamore offices, offers a broad range of services. It has created ‘MMW Claims’ as a specialist division within the main company, consisting of seven experienced personal injury lawyers whose support can now be accessed via a dedicated website. “Millar McCall Wylie values every client that comes to us, regardless of which service they require” said Caroline Prunty, Head of Litigation, Millar McCall Wylie. “We have a very strong ethos of offering expertise for everyone and firmly believe that personal injury services must feel both professional and personal, not faceless or purely transactional. Our style of working is founded in nurturing an excellent client

relationship with a focus on achieving excellent results. “Essentially, we believe in offering every client access to fully qualified solicitors who will best represent their needs, including those who have experienced an accident or injury due to negligence. This is the thinking that has inspired us to set up MMW Claims, giving our clients easy online access to local legal expertise,” Caroline Prunty said. This development follows a major rebrand unveiled by Millar McCall Wylie in May 2021, as it set out a strategy of achieving 50% growth within the next three years. The firm, which has increased turnover by 75% since 2015, also pledged to continue its annual recruitment drive and commitment to gender equality in the workforce as it expands.

Crafting Exceptional THE

dittointeriors.com

residential interiors commercial fitouts structural joinery management consultancy 7

Eye on News

Fathom Scoops Top Prize at National Agency Awards Fathom, the Belfast-based UX and service design agency, this week took home the coveted prize of UX Agency of the Year at the UK Agency Awards.

he award is the latest in a string of accolades for the business which recently announced its acquisition by the Low&Behold family - a UK and Ireland– wide agency comprising a team of 60 people and offering a variety of digital and communications services. Fathom CEO and founder, Gareth Dunlop said, “It is such an exciting year for everyone at Fathom and being named UX Agency of the Year at the UK Agency Awards is especially important to us. “This award, coupled with recently being invited to join the Low&Behold family, is fantastic recognition for the team here. As a relatively small company, we’ve always punched above our weight, working with some of the UK’s

biggest brands from our bases in Belfast and Dublin. So it is great for everyone at Fathom to see our work recognised on the national stage.” As well as highlighting Fathom’s powerful commercial performance through the past year, judges praised the leading role the company plays within their industry. Their quarterly webinar series ‘UX Bites’ has developed a loyal international following and their award-winning blog has become a frequently cited point of reference in the UX and digital design communities. “Industry awards are about more than just a trophy and a fun night out,” added Mr Dunlop. “The group effort that goes into the award entry reminds us all of the quality of our work and our achievements as a team. But of course, winning the big prize is a fantastic endorsement of all that hard work!”

Eye on Cloud Communications

Committed to growth

How Radius Connect is leading NI’s business recovery in an exciting new era Radius Connect is strengthening its presence in Northern Ireland amid growing demand for its services.

e will continue to invest in our business and grow our teams as part of our core mission to put customer care and quality first no matter its size or sector. Radius has delivered unrivalled support to SMEs throughout the pandemic, ensuring business owners, managers and staff can quickly and easily work remotely and flexibly to meet their own customer needs. We have helped to ease the transition back to the office and paved the way for the introduction of more flexible or ‘hybrid’ working as a choice for staff, powering a new era of local and regional digital transformation. Effective business communications are critical for every company, organisation and brand in a modern, fast-paced economy, with modern telecoms technology now clearly the driving force behind this digital transformation. Having the right solutions in place will ensure your teams will always have access to the latest information, products and marketplaces with services carefully designed to facilitate in-office and remote work, virtual meetings and real-time collaboration between teams no matter where they are. As a forward-thinking business which puts customers first, we’re moving at breakneck speed to make sure no business is left out, while always investing in new products, new services and staff to deliver an unrivalled suite of bespoke and comprehensive solutions that always meet the exacting needs of our clients. This is possible by working with a range of leading communication partners which include NFon, Vodafone, Gamma, TalkTalk, O2 and EE.

At Radius Connect, we listen carefully to our customers, working closely with them so we can provide our expertise and the best solutions to fit exacting requirements that fully support the delivery of dependable, highly secure and flexible communications that give business owners and managers the freedom to grow. We’re also trusted by many leading local businesses who rely on us to help them deliver for their customers. It’s why we are proud to include many of Northern Ireland’s most successful and ambitious companies and organisations, including CBRE, Deli Lites, Harvey Group, UPU Industries, Shelbourne Motors and John Minnis Estate Agents as our partners. Our Radius Connect brand – synonymous with excellence in the telecoms and IT sector in Great Britain for over 30 years – will continue to underpin our local growth ambitions and will increasingly be recognised for the award-winning quality of service which we are renowned for. After a multimillion-pound investment in Northern Ireland this year, we’re excited to be unveiling a series of new innovations in the weeks and months ahead, including plans to relocate to new state-of-the-art offices in the heart of Belfast, underpinning our commitment to the city and region, cementing our ambitions to increase our presence right across the island. As we continue to grow, we’re also excited to be the only telecoms and IT company to be extending the range of products and services we offer. These include fuel card solutions, advanced telematics, insurance and electric vehicle charging. At Radius Connect, we put customer service and our local businesses first.

Stephen McQuoid

Stephen McQuoid is Regional Director, Ireland, Radius Connect. Radius Connect is rapidly becoming a leader in business telecoms in the UK and Ireland. For more information on Radius Connect and the wider family group of Radius businesses, visit www.radiuspaymentsolutions.com

“In a challenging business environment, it’s never been so important for our employees to stay connected no matter which jurisdiction they are in, which is why we’re so pleased with the results delivered to date by our preferred digital tech partner Radius Connect.” Deli Lites co-founder and chief executive officer Brian Reid

Eye on News

Local Businesses Gather Once Again To Celebrate National Family Business Day Over Breakfast

ocal accountancy firm, Harbinson Mulholland recently hosted their first ‘live’ NI Family Business Forum event since March 2020 to celebrate National Family Business Day, welcoming over 55 businesses for breakfast to the Culloden for a ‘Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast’ interview hosted by Richard Buckley of Business Eye with Sam Davidson of Henderson Group, one of NI’s largest privately owned employers, with around 4300 staff. Speaking at the event, Darren McDowell, Senior Partner at Harbinson Mulholland welcomed the opportunity to bring everyone together across NI to celebrate the role that family firms play. He said: “National Family Business Day is a great way for the community to work as one voice in raising the profile of the sector, showcasing the diversity of family firms, the

history and heritage that are the very essence of family firms and to highlight the continued innovation, investment and entrepreneurship demonstrated by family businesses, young and old, to remain relevant as a business today. “2021 has not been a normal year and with so much uncertainty and implications for business created by the global pandemic, never has there been a better time suited to bring everyone together. “In a recent ‘State of the Nation’ Survey conducted this year by the Institute of Family Business statistics show that our sector in the UK as a whole, contributes 29% to GDP creating 14 million jobs. When we extract Northern Ireland as a region the Family Businesses provide around 328k jobs equating to 57% of employment in the private sector. That is mind blowing! Our members

Pictured at the National Family Business Day ‘Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast’ are (l-r) Richard Buckley, Business Eye, Sam Davidson, Group HR Director at Henderson Group, Dr Ian Smyth, Ulster University Business School and Darren McDowell, Senior Partner at Harbinson Mulholland.

represent an incredibly important part of the local economy. “This year the report concludes that the heart of the local economic recovery will be built on renewal and this needs to come on the back of what the firms represented here today see the as the success of their business. In my view, the key to this success is the people we work for and with, and it is this culture that binds the people together. Now more than ever we need to nourish protect, trust, and invest in our staff. If the last 18 months has taught us anything it is that we are resilient, but not indestructible and without our staff, colleagues, and family members many of our businesses just wouldn’t exist,” said Darren. As well as an interview with Sam Davidson from Henderson Group guest were also given a talk about mental health in the workplace

from Action Mental Health and the importance in investing in staff health and wellbeing from Kingsbridge Private Hospital. The NI Family Business Forum was established 5 years ago. In that time, it has been supported by academic partner Ulster University Business School working together to build a solid reputation and track record of helping family firms maximise financial performance whilst balancing commercial challenges and family obligations.

Eye on Hospitality

Brighter Days Ahead For NI’s Hotel Sector Janice Gault, Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Hotels Federation (NIHF)

hen I reflect on the difficult days of March 2020, and the ensuing three lockdowns for the hotel industry, the last 18 months have been challenging. Now, after 553 days of interrupted trading, I’m glad to report hotels had a busy “staycation” packed summer. With trade slowing, businesses are now regrouping and assessing the changes to their trading model, new customer requirements and what the future may hold. Undoubtedly, the greatest challenge for hotels since reopening has been staffing. The sector was the first to close with many businesses using furlough to protect their workforce. On one level, this worked but as time has worn on, staff shortages have become more apparent with the industry losing workers in droves. The issue goes beyond COVID-19 and it would be naïve to suggest staffing

wasn’t an issue pre-pandemic. The hotel industry and the wider hospitality sector is now facing a “people pandemic”. In many ways, the industry is a victim of its own success: hotels were busy over the summer, with a record number of hotel stock now in the market - over 9,600 bedrooms were available. The current mitigation and compliant operating framework required more people and additional servicing, which in turn increased pressure. In addition, the customer mix was different, with virtually no tours, limited business travel and shorter dwell times. Rooms had to be turned more often. Brexit has also impacted staffing. Immigration policy and the structure around visas and skills make it very difficult to attract people into the industry and the Federation will be lobbying for better terms for the industry. A collective approach is required to address these issues and they will be on the agenda at Hospitality Exchange 2021. The two-day conference takes place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Belfast on October 12 and 13. A host of inspirational speakers will provide analysis, advice and support on three central themes: Reflect, Recruit and Restore. After a year of considerable turmoil, the Minister for the Economy Gordon Lyons MLA joins this year’s line-up addressing the conference on plans to stimulate the economy, support for the sector and its role in restoration of Northern Ireland. With the chef crisis showing no sign of abating, Lancashire-born Michelin star chef, Michael Wignall, will share culinary wisdom and his thoughts on the crisis resolution. A wider discussion on people will explore generating new talent and retaining people with Sean Wheeler, Consultant, Chair, People 1st Employer Accreditation Panel. Sally Beck, General Manager, Royal Lancaster Hotel, London will speak about the launch of the Hoteliers Charter and its ambition to improve the industry’s image. The focus on people continues with Grant Thornton’s Chief Economist. Andrew Webb will consider the challenges of a competitive labour market. In a new venture, Hospitality Exchange will recognise people and celebrate their

contribution with the Hotel and Hospitality Heroes Awards, celebrating those individuals who have helped sustain the industry through its recent challenges. The economic outlook and tourism recovery will be brought to life by EY Chief Economist Neil Gibson, with tourism chiefs, Niall Gibbons and John McGrillen, looking at future success. Michael Williamson, Director of Consulting Services at ASM Chartered Accountants, will reflect on the sector’s growth pre pandemic. Northern Ireland Hotels Federation will launch an industry report while international benchmarking company STR’s Sarah Duignan will provide an update on performance. This session will be augmented by Head of Hotels and Leisure at Savills Ireland Tom Barrett’s explanation on hotel sales, valuations, and current commercial position.

For further information, log on to hospitalityexchange.org.uk

Eye on Charity

Offset Your Carbon Footprint Plant Trees In Africa Small and medium sized companies across Northern Ireland are being urged to join Self Help Africa Northern Ireland in planting a million new trees both here in Northern Ireland and in Africa, while offsetting their carbon footprint.

etailers, small manufacturers and other businesses are being encouraged to sign up for the scheme which provides companies with the opportunity to offset the carbon they generate by planting trees. One organisation which has already committed to offsetting their carbon footprint with Self Help Africa Northern Ireland is Foods Connected. The company, which has 75 employees and offices in Belfast, Derry~Londonderry and Sydney, provides an end-to-end supply chain management software solution for the food industry. With corporate social responsibility, sustainability and community at the forefront of Foods Connected’s ethos and mission, the organisation researched how best to give back and commissioned Self Help Africa to undertake an audit of their carbon usage. The audit included a calculation of carbon consumption, based on utility bills and other information provided by Foods Connected. Self Help Africa Northern Ireland then determined the number of trees Foods Connected needed to plant for offsetting purposes together with a plan to meet these carbon targets by planting trees in Ireland and in Africa. Natalie Thorpe, Marketing Manager at Foods Connected, said: “It made sense when seeking a charity partner to work with Self Help Africa Northern Ireland as they are championing causes with a global impact. Giving back to communities in Northern Ireland and Africa appealed to us and drove our decision in becoming involved in how best to offset our carbon footprint. “At Foods Connected we were already committed to reducing carbon emissions and this partnership with

Self Help Africa Northern Ireland has accelerated our targets. We are now planting three native trees a month in Ireland and 30 in Africa. This makes sense to us, considering that our software promotes paperfree processes. We are very much on board with reduction of paper waste and the planting of trees to support communities and our future generations. Our offices also have bespoke recycling facilities and water filtration systems. We provide staff with reusable water bottles and we are committed to reducing waste at all our sites.” Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Alderman Graham Warke, said: “This is a fantastic initiative from Self Help Africa Northern Ireland which will have huge positive benefits for our environment. As we have seen previously, tree planting is an effective way to address our carbon footprint and through this campaign local businesses will have the chance to be a part of that. I’m delighted to support Self Help Africa Northern Ireland with this and would encourage businesses to get involved.” This carbon offsetting campaign follows the hugely successful One Million Trees campaign with the Northern Ireland charity planting a million trees in Africa and a further 100,000 new native trees at home last year, supported by premium yogurt brand Glenisk. Self Help Africa Northern Ireland calculates that each tree planted, once mature, will remove approximately 25kg of carbon from the atmosphere every year, and the total cost for a small business of offsetting its total carbon footprint can be as little as a few hundred pounds a year. “The campaign provides local businesses with the opportunity to

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Alderman Graham Warke, is pictured with Denny Elliott, Head of Self Help Africa Northern Ireland, launching the charity’s carbon offsetting campaign in the north west. Small and medium sized companies across Northern Ireland are being encouraged to join with the charity and plant a million new trees both here in Northern Ireland and in Africa, while offsetting their carbon footprint.

not just offset their carbon footprint, as their investment in trees will also benefit rural poor households in Africa,” says Self Help Africa’s Head of Northern Ireland, Denny Elliott. “For a development charity working in agriculture, tree planting has always played an important part in the work, as trees are a key part of the mix of activities on small-farms, where they provide a source of food, income and much more,” he added. Trees in Africa are also being planted in large-scale land rehabilitation projects, to arrest soil erosion, and as sources of shade and shelter. Recent planting activities have taken place in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Malawi and Burkina Faso. “A tree that is planted anywhere will benefit people everywhere. The fact that we’re planting trees in sub-Saharan Africa, where rural communities who are least responsible for climate change are feeling some of its worst effects, makes this proposition even more attractive to business owners,” Denny Elliott said.

While businesses here were already doing a huge amount to reduce carbon production, by reducing waste and recycling, by choosing green energy options, and more, planting trees can allow companies to go that final step. Companies that participate in Self Help Africa’s One Million Trees initiative receive certificates and other collateral to promote the partnership, and will also receive GPS coordinates allowing them to track where their trees have been planted in Africa and share the information with their customers and clients online.

If you are interested in finding out more about offsetting the carbon footprint of your business with Self Help Africa Northern Ireland, please contact Denny Elliott on tel 07799 346997, by email at denny.elliott@selfhelpafrica.net or visit: https://selfhelpafrica.org/ onemilliontrees/carbon-offset/

Eye on Advertising

How Advertising Can Influence Positive Behavioural Change

Nicola Cadogan, Executive Digital Director, Ardmore

I’ve always been intrigued by the influence of advertising.

rom my early days, I was aware that my ‘Santa list’ was completely dictated by the Argos catalogue or in later years it was Nike’s rallying cry ‘Just do it’ that pushed me to enter my first half marathon. Much like my own personal experience, for over a century, advertising has evolved from selling the best product and price to, more recently, selling ideals and beliefs. In 2021, consumers are more in tune than ever to global and local social issues. This acute awareness extends to their relationship with brands, and they expect more from them than the service or product they sell. Like never before, a brand’s

purpose, values, methods and message are under continuous close scrutiny, with advertising playing a key part in building a positive, long-lasting narrative between brands and consumers. Truly great advertising can often stop us in our tracks, make us feel a range of emotions and even change beliefs and behaviour and it’s this considerable influence that makes advertising so powerful. Great advertising should not only inspire. It should help shape the way you think and illicit positive behaviour change. It is important to recognise that if great advertising can change behaviour, how those ads are created must also be informed by how real people think, feel and act. The industry has adapted quickly to this, turning its focus to consumer understanding,

psychology, and research – these key fundamentals serve to unlock a much deeper understanding of human behaviour and motivation. At Ardmore, these are the key ingredients we use to create ideas that connect and influence positive change. For example, the ‘There Is Always Hope’ campaign, which we created with our friends at Network Rail in Great Britain positively encourages those struggling with their mental health to seek help before they reach crisis point. By reaching vulnerable people who were at risk before they even came to the rail network, we were able to signpost them early towards support services through the Hub of Hope – the UK’s leading mental health support database – for further advice and support. Initial results show that 75 percent of campaign recognisers know and acknowledge that Network Rail is supporting positive mental health with the Hub of Hope app, which recorded a 148 percent year-on-year leap in terms of new users and app downloads. We’re proud of the fantastic results this work continues to achieve and by the recognition within the creative advertising industry. From growing our economy, to saving lives, and mobilising the world to make the sustainable choices that will save our planet, the influence advertising and communications can and will have during the next 50 years cannot be understated. Now, more than ever, it is more important that the influence is always working to create positive change. So, the question is – what is the change that your business wants to influence? And what’s the big idea that will help make it happen.

There is Always Hope People taking their own lives on Britain’s rail network is a sad reality. While only 4-5 percent of suicides in the UK take place on the railway, each occurrence causes devastation for all those involved including widespread disruption to passengers and costs the rail industry millions of pounds. The key campaign objective was to achieve a reduction in the number of rail suicides to help protect lives and reduce the psychological, financial and logistical consequences. Ardmore was challenged by Network Rail, which owns 2,000 miles of track, to develop a multichannel campaign that could help achieve both these objectives and for the first time to reach out to those with mental health issues directly. The railway is where journeys begin, not end. Ardmore came top for the sought-after People’s Choice award and scored bronze in TV advertising for its poignant and compelling “There’s Always Hope” advertising campaign for Network Rail.

Nicola Cadogan is Executive Digital Director at leading creative communications agency Ardmore. For more information visit www.ardmore.co.uk

Eye on Automotive

City Auction Group Opens UK’s Largest Re-Marketing Centre The Belfast-based City Auction Group has opened the UK’s largest automotive logistics and re-marketing centre in eastern England city of Peterborough.

ased at the East of England Showground on the outskirts of the city, it’s well located for customers travelling from all over the country and has the ability to handle up to 500 vehicles per sale on its extensive site. City Auction Group Chief Executive Michael Tomalin takes up the story. “As a company, we’ve been based for many years at our Carryduff site just outside Belfast, but we opened a highly successful centre at the old Rockingham Speedway complex, not far from Peterborough, a number of years ago. “Rockingham helped to establish the City Auction Group brand name in the GB marketplace, but we needed certainty over our lease there going forward which just wasn’t possible so we decided to make a clean break and re-locate. “The new centre at the East of England Showground is perfect for our needs. At 50,000 square feet, the centre represents the biggest of its kind anywhere in the country, and the wider complex also offers plenty of car parking, vehicle storage and easy access to the English motorway network.” It represents a significant

investment by the City Auction Group which has also been busy re-structuring during the pandemic. A couple of non-executive directors have parted company on an amicable basis, leaving a four-strong board of directors to guide the fortunes of the fast-growing automotive re-marketing group. Chief Executive Michael Tomalin works alongside the founder of the original company, Carryduff Auctions, Raymond Hill in the chairman’s role, as well as Financial Director Helena O’Neill and Group Sales Director, David Scott.

Eye on Automotive

It’s a group that now extends from its Carryduff headquarters and auction centre out to a second Northern Ireland base at Omagh in Co. Tyrone and over to the new Peterborough centre and a network of smaller depots dotted around England, Scotland and Wales. CAG also owns Purple Rock Logistics, a specialist vehicle transport company. The new re-marketing centre at Peterborough ranks as a state of the art facility in the industry, not just because of its physical scale and the number of vehicles it can process, but also because of the technology and facilities on offer to customers buying or selling

vehicles – cars, motorcycles and light commercials included. The complex includes a busy vehicle preparation facility and NAMA (National Association of Motor Auctions) graded inspections carried out on vehicles. The centre also boasts market-leading scanning and photography technology. “As we do here in Carryduff, we operate live auctions throughout the week at Peterborough. So our customers can come along and touch, see and feel the vehicles before they bid for them at auction. It’s how most of them still prefer to do it. But we also offer full online access to every auction that we hold. “You can come along and be part of the action, or you can bid for cars on your phone while relaxing at home. It’s up to you,” he smiles. For Michael Tomalin, the opening of the new Peterborough centre is of special significance. He’s a native of the Cambridgeshire city, and started his career there before settling in Northern Ireland. Along with members of his family, he used to attend speedway fixtures at the East of England Showground. Bringing thing full circle, City Auction Group is now one of the main sponsors of the Peterborough Panthers speedway team.

The vehicle auction, or re-marketing, business is on something of a high at the moment, partly due to the current delays in the pipeline for new vehicles. “The only thing holding us all back at the moment is a bit of a shortage of vehicles coming through for auction. But, as the net effects of the pandemic start to work through, I think we’ll see a lot more coming through. “We’re geared up and ready to be even busier both over in Peterborough and here in Northern Ireland.”

Eye on Cover Story

KPMG’s Sustainable Futures

How KPMG is helping organisations answer the Environmental, Social and Governance question

While sustainability used to be background noise for a lot of companies, it’s now right at the top of the corporate agenda.

hat’s the view of KPMG Partner Russell Smyth, who heads up KPMG Sustainable Futures, a dedicated cross-functional team of experts which helps corporates and public sector clients respond to the climate and sustainability agenda. “While sustainability as a concept has been around for decades, over the past 18 months it has shifted from being a relatively minor corporate social responsibility issue for businesses, to being one of the key strategic topics in the boardroom. Businesses have recognised that ignoring the issue could have real economic impacts as regulation and consumer sentiment shifts, while those that embrace it can create competitive differentiation” says Russell. “For some carbon heavy businesses, it could be an existential threat and ultimately no-one can risk being on the wrong

side of the climate agenda.” Russell also heads KPMG’s Deal Advisory practice in Belfast, as well as its renewable energy advisory practice across the island of Ireland, a specialisation which helped to foster his interest in the wider sustainability agenda. While local organisations are beginning to recognise the importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) trends, they don’t always know how to respond to the challenges or harness the opportunities. “That’s where we come in,” says Russell Smyth. “We help bring structure, alignment with current and future regulatory trends and strategic thinking to help design what will inevitably be a longterm pathway to sustainability, and ultimately net zero.” KPMG’s 20-strong all-island team, established in direct response to soaring client demand, brings together a wide range of disciplines, including sustainability practitioners, climate scientists, ecologists, economists, engineers, corporate strategists and accountants. “It’s a diverse set of individuals with a lot of specialist knowledge between them, and it’s a team

that can help clients navigate what is a complex and fastevolving agenda”, Russell says. In the 18 months since the team was established, it has grown to be the largest ESG advisory practice in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. While the past 18 months have proved successful for the team, things looked challenging at the start. “We established Sustainable Futures just before the onset of Covid-19. While ESG and the sustainability agenda was gaining good momentum in 2019, we had real concerns that it would stall as the world turned its attention to Covid-19. However, in reality, Covid has had the opposite effect, with the issue galvanised as corporates and governments recognised the similarities between the two issues – massive global threats requiring unprecedented international coordination, where short-term economic considerations become secondary”. As an example of how the ESG agenda has grown, in KPMG’s recent Global CEO Survey 2021, climate change is now at the top of the CEO list of key issues, having not even been in the top 10 only four years ago.

“For some carbon heavy businesses, it could be an existential threat and ultimately no-one can risk being on the wrong side of the climate agenda.”

Eye on Cover Story

Russell Smyth with some of the Sustainable Futures team outside KPMG’s Belfast headquarters at the Soloist Building

“What is particularly interesting” says Russell, “is how the agenda is impacting virtually every corporate in every sector. While larger corporates have been the main focus of investor and regulatory attention, they have realised that if they are to make any meaningful impact on their carbon emissions, they need a coordinated effort involving their supply chain. Accordingly, they are pushing targets and requirement down onto mediumsized businesses, who in turn need to co-ordinate with their own supply chain and operating models”.

“We are also seeing more and more tenders and contracts dependent on the supplier proving their environmental credentials. It’s changing the way business is being done. Sustainable procurement is here to stay, so the advice to companies is to embrace it and work to benefit from it by ensuring relevant data is available and the upside to a more innovative approach to resource usage is considered in the life cycle”. Finance is going to be another lever used by government and regulators to drive change. As of this year, banks

build a business case for following a bold ESG agenda. They need to inject urgency into the sustainability agenda and set a strategy for addressing climate change risk and the transition to a net zero carbon economy.” Russell Smyth agrees there is a real risk that Northern Ireland falls behind other countries on the climate change agenda. The Republic of Ireland, he says, benefits from much stronger policy certainty and economic support schemes, as do other UK regions. “We’re moving too slowly as a region. While we finally have draft climate

“We’re moving too slowly as a region. While we finally have draft climate bills being debated in the Assembly, as well as a recent consultation on Northern Ireland’s future energy strategy, we are already years behind our nearest neighbours.”

now have to categorise and report on the sustainability of their individual loans, as well as quantify the climate risk of their portfolios. Over time, regulators want to make it more expensive to lend to unsustainable businesses, and cheaper to businesses which are managing climate risk”. “What’s important right now is that companies need to put ESG at the heart of the decision-making process and

bills being debated in the Assembly, as well as a recent consultation on Northern Ireland’s future energy strategy, we are already years behind our nearest neighbours. “So we’re left in a situation where companies are under pressure to embrace sustainability yet lack any guidance from formal government policy, financial support or real direction. It’s a situation that will have negative results.”

He quotes the case of European dairy giant Danone, which KPMG works with in Ireland. Danone is committed to carbon neutrality and has actively stated that securing a pathway to net zero operations in each country it operates in is an imperative and without this, further investment will be negatively impacted. “I think we’ll see more and more large organisations taking a similar approach, and that is bound to have real implications for regions which haven’t facilitated sustainability and net zero. Locally the team has been supporting a wide range of corporates with their ESG and climate response, including assisting Belfast City Council embed sustainability across all of its operations, advising Belfast Harbour on its ambitions to become to a net zero port, and working with Devenish, the NI-based animal nutrition giant, widely regarded to be a leader in the sustainability field, to optimise its own sustainability strategy. Like others working in sustainability, he’s anticipating what’s likely to happen at the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference, taking place in Glasgow at the start of November. “The role of COP26 is to co-ordinate the climate effort on a global basis - there’s no point in some countries decarbonising unless everyone does the same.” “So we’re looking for real commitments and real targets to emerge from COP26. We’re looking for a genuine global response.”

Eye on Finance

A simple funding solution for complex deals Larger transactions are an opportunity for businesses to transform and grow, but they can often be complex. Choosing the right finance at the beginning of the process is therefore critical.

hether you are looking to refinance an existing facility, complete an acquisition, or put a succession plan in place, a funding solution should be structured with the nuances of your company – and your anticipated contract – in mind.

Looking ahead While businesses have faced a turbulent period, the relative stability of asset values and the ability to secure funding against collateral on a balance sheet can provide some reassurance. For companies looking to buy, sell or refinance, being assetrich can be an advantage. Asset based lending (ABL), for example, raises capital against unpaid customer invoices and other assets on a firm’s balance sheet, such as stock, property, plant and machinery, as well as cash flow loans. This often enables companies and PE houses to raise the larger sums they need for a transaction to take place.

Asset based lending ABL is, by its nature, well suited to mergers, acquisitions, and turnarounds. By unlocking liquidity from your assets, it generates immediate funding and improves a business’ cash

Ciaran McAreavey, Close Brothers Commercial Finance

position. In combination, this can fund a purchase and provide much needed headroom should any unexpected challenges arise. Unlike other forms of finance that have fixed limits, asset based lending offers additional flexibility because of its connection to turnover. By growing in line with a company’s sales ledger, facilities can enable day-one growth or provide a long-lasting working capital line after an initial deal has completed. Our in-house team can be agile with ABL deals too– sometimes structuring and signing them off within six weeks – and will discuss everything from due diligence and asset classes to valuations with you. We can offer advice on how to maximise the value of your assets and minimise risks during the execution. Products such as invoice finance and asset based lending place focus on collateral first,

easing pressure on traditional creditworthiness checks. This can help viable SMEs access the capital they need to expand and enables us to support businesses from the beginning of their growth journey.

Solutions for complex deals Close Brothers Commercial Finance are recognised in the industry for creatively structuring deals. Our flexible, long-term customer and credit view enable us to support growth and maximise available funds, leading to trusted partnerships. Our experts look at the full picture, rather than just turnover, and spend time understanding potential and working capital needs. This holistic, people-led approach not only gives companies funding, but also the confidence they need to meet their business aspirations.

CLOSE BROTHERS: MODERN MERCHANT BANKING Close Brothers is a UK merchant banking group providing lending, deposit taking, wealth management services, and securities trading. Close Brothers Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 250. Our core purpose is to help the people and businesses of Ireland and Britain succeed over the long term. To achieve this, all of our diverse, specialist businesses have a deep industry knowledge, so they can understand the challenges and opportunities that our customers and clients face. We support the unique needs of our customers and clients.

If your business requires funding to support its strategic operations, visit our website at www.closecommercialfinance.ie

Eye on Charity

Corporate Fundraising With St Vincent De Paul For almost 180 years, The Society of St Vincent de Paul has been serving all parts of the community right across Northern Ireland. Its goal is to fight poverty in all its forms through practical assistance in a non-judgemental way.

s well as providing vulnerable people and families with wide ranging support through local offices and shops, the Society is committed to social justice and is dependent on its more than 1,600 members and volunteers in 167 conferences. Organisations across the country support the work of SVP in various ways throughout the year. Some engage with their staff to fundraise at key times, others work with SVP on an annual basis to support families at Christmas, retailers provide opportunities for SVP to fundraise within their commercial outlets and some even donate through recycling of staff uniforms. One such company is Encirc, a Derrylin based beverage supply chain manufacturing company, which has joined with Vincent’s to primarily provide its 450 staff with a unique way to recycle their uniforms and to also give them a drop off point for unwanted clothing from home. A Vincent’s clothing bin has been placed in the factory’s car park and

John Brough, Encirc Team Leader, has been instrumental in forging this partnership which is a win win for the charity and the organisation. John said: “Placing a Vincent’s clothing bin in our car park at Encirc is definitely a win win for us and St Vincent de Paul. As well as fitting with our overall corporate social responsibility strategy it provides a focus on sustainability. I have recently moved to our Derrylin site from England where we already have a very successful partnership with SVP and it made perfect sense for me to replicate the initiative here in Derrylin. “Our staff are very enthusiastic about the initiative as they understand the real benefit of having the bin located on our site. As well as helping us reduce what is going to landfill, it helps encourage staff to be mindful of the importance of recycling an old item of uniform before ordering a new one. We plan to use the bin to recycle everything from trousers to boots and tshirts to sweatshirts. “From the initial contact I made with Vincent’s in Enniskillen to enquire as to

Sean Kelly, Finance Manager at Edwards and Co Solicitors, with Antrim Captain Conor McCann and Neil McManus after winning the league title. The trophy was displayed during a virtual fundraiser for SVP where more than £8,000 was raised for the charity.

John Brough of Encirc is pictured taking delivery of a Vincent’s recycling bin with SVP representatives Peter McVeigh, SVP Regional Board Member, and Joe Maguire.

the possibility of positioning a recycle bin here at Encirc to its installation, was a seamless process, and I’m looking forward to expanding the relationship with SVP.” Former Antrim GAA press officer, Sean Kelly, Finance Manager at Edwards and Co Solicitors, has had a long established relationship with SVP. Each Christmas he would encourage clubs across the county to collect items for distribution to families in need and some of the young players have even taken part in trolley dashes at a local Sainsbury’s store. Since the pandemic changed how SVP accepted donations, Sean was undeterred from providing assistance and last year developed an online event so people could enjoy a concert in their own home while donating to SVP. He said: “Helping families at Christmas is so important and we were determined not to let the pandemic get in the way of providing much needed assistance to SVP. Since we were unable to donate thousands of shoeboxes filled with gifts, as we had in previous years, or host our annual trolley dash, I decided to host a virtual traditional music evening and people tuned in from all across the country. They were being entertained while making donations via an online giving platform and we raised over £8,000.” Whilst SVP is renowned for providing families with toys at Christmas and food hampers donated by local schools, the charity has been encouraged by how people accepted that, for the safety of

everyone, last year this had to change. Being faced with impossible choices of whether to heat the home or feed the children, SVP empowered parents to choose their own food or childrens gifts from vouchers purchased through corporate donations made online. As Christmas is fast approaching, SVP will again be providing those in need with gift vouchers so that no child wakes up to an empty Christmas. Last Christmas, SVP partners included AllState NI, Cyber Source, First Derivatives, Huhtamaki, Lagan Construction, Tughans Solicitors, Ulster Property Sales, Vaughans and Whitemountain. SVP also works with The Salvation Army to deliver The Family Appeal which was driven last year by online donations and is supported by partners including Education Authority, Chartered Accountants, Translink, U105 and Belfast Live. If you would like to consider becoming a partner of SVP, there are various ways your organisation can get involved to help the local community where you do business. You can nominate SVP as your Charity of the Year, organise fundraising events for your staff, volunteer in one of 33 Vincent’s shops located across Northern Ireland or offer corporate stock donations, consider corporate gifting or payroll giving. To find out more, please contact Pauline Brown, Regional Manager of SVP by email pauline.brown@svpni.co.uk

Eye on Tax

Preparing for changing tax requirements Richard Todd, Chartered Tax Adviser at William Wilson Chartered Accountants and current President of the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT) outlines changes to tax requirements which are approaching for local businesses.

t’s a strange time of the year for the tax practitioner. Christmas is only a matter of weeks away, and after that it’s full throttle to meet the tax return filing deadline at the end of January. This has been the way that income tax compliance under the self-assessment tax system has worked for the past 25 years. But that is all going to change soon. If you are a VAT registered business, it is likely that you are familiar with Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT, which has been with us for over two years now. If you have not been filing VAT Returns under MTD, this may be because you ‘voluntarily’ registered the business for VAT. However, from April 2022, all VAT registered businesses must comply with MTD for VAT, so if you haven’t done anything about that yet, it is time to speak with your tax agent. MTD for Income Tax is expected to be rolled out to unincorporated businesses (not companies) and landlords with income in excess of £10,000 annually from April 2023. Just like MTD for VAT, MTD for Income Tax will require unincorporated businesses and landlords to file a return every three months with HMRC detailing income and expenses. Those businesses and landlords who still maintain paper records for income tax purposes will need

to keep digital records instead. Unfortunately, simply keeping details of income and expenses on a spreadsheet is not the solution, because that data on the spreadsheet must be filed with HMRC using APIenabled software (Application Programming Interface). Although April 2023 is nearly 18 months away, don’t be fooled into complacency. If your unincorporated business prepares accounts to a date other than 31 March or 5 April (the end of the tax year), your business may also need to become familiar with the proposed new ‘tax year basis of assessment’. Although this new basis does not apply until April 2023, the business must progress through a ‘transitional’ year beginning April 2022 – and that is less than six months away. No longer will the business be liable to income tax and NI contributions based on the accounts ending within a tax year. Instead, the profits of the two accounting periods that straddle the tax year will be time-apportioned to arrive

at a taxable profit for that year. This could lead to temporarily increased tax bills and problems with pension contributions. Owners of an unincorporated business that prepares accounts to a date other than 31 March or 5 April may have incurred overlap relief either when the business started (if after 5 April 1996) or ‘transitional overlap relief’ where the business started before 6 April 1996. Any such relief can be offset against the extra profits taxed in the transitional year. Does your annual tax return reflect that ‘overlap’ figure? If not, you need to bring this to the attention of your tax agent soon because they will need that figure to ensure your liability to income tax and NI contributions is correct for 2022/23. Without it, you will pay too much tax. If the unincorporated business (a partnership) pre-dates 6 April 1996 but has admitted partners in more recent years, we may find that the pre-1996 partners gain an advantage by using

their overlap relief, whereas more recent partners may be disadvantaged. This will affect the cash-flow of the business. And what about pension contributions? These are usually checked against taxable income. But if that taxable income cannot be determined with certainty until the accounts of the subsequent accounting period have been prepared and agreed, how can a pension scheme member be certain their contributions will attract tax relief? This is where the work of a tax practitioner comes to the fore, reviewing the proposed future changes to the income tax system and testing how they may affect a client’s cashflow and income tax liability.

Contact Richard Todd at William Wilson Chartered Accountants Tel: 028 9592 0240 E: richard@wwaccountancy.com

Eye on Round Table

Licensing Law In Northern Ireland – Long Overdue Reforms On The Way The Participants

In The NIAVAC Studio

It’s commonly accepted that Northern Ireland has desperately needed a modernisation of its licensing laws for many years now. Licensing laws which have made business all the more challenging for the leisure sector. But long-awaited legislative changes are on the way at last, with breweries, distilleries and cideries amongst those who will benefit, bringing with it a potential boost to tourism in Northern Ireland. Richard Buckley Editor, Business Eye – Host

Via Zoom

Eoin Devlin Legal Director & Licensing Law Specialist (NI), TLT LLP

Stephen McGowan Partner & Head of Licensing (Scotland), TLT LLP

Simon Roberts Head Brewer, West Beer, Glasgow

Bernard Sloan Managing Director, Whitewater Brewery, Castlewellan

Gary Quate Experience Development Officer, Tourism NI

Business Eye joined forces with leading law firm TLT, in addition to experts from the NI and Scottish drinks sector and tourism. They considered the opportunities these changes could bring, with particular reference to experiences in Scotland, and what next steps those in NI need to take to capitalise on these reforms. RB - We’re here to talk about the impending changes to licensing laws in Northern Ireland. I think it’s fair to say that our existing laws are a bit quirky, old fashioned and challenging so change is overdue. Eoin, talk us through the impending changes and what they might mean. ED - For many years, Northern Ireland has been an outlier compared to other jurisdictions. Our current legislation is based on a 1996 order so in 25 years there has been no substantive change. Reform has been talked about for many years and we had consultations way back in 2012. In the New Decade, New Approach deal the parties agreed to reform, we had consultation in 2019 and finally a new bill was introduced and became law this year in the shape of the Licensing & Clubs Amendment Bill. It’s wide ranging. What we’re focusing

on today is how it impacts on breweries and distilleries but it also covers areas like Easter opening hours, a major bugbear for the the hospitality sector here. Historically, breweries and distilleries in Northern Ireland have only been able to sell directly to the public if they availed themselves of the occasional licensing system or purchased a bar or off sales licence, and there is significant cost attached to that. The changes mean that brewers and distillers will be able to apply for licences to sell to the public in limited circumstances through off sales and on-site tap rooms. There is also provision for samples to be made available to visitors and for off-site sales at public events. The tap room concept is well established in Scotland and I think Stephen is going to tell us more about the opportunities that have been opened up there and which we can exploit.

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SM - There are a lot of similarities between Northern Ireland and Scotland, including the high quality of water which can be used for brewing and distilling, but the licensing regimes couldn’t be more different. In Scotland, brewers and distillers can apply for licences and run bars, restaurants and bespoke tap rooms and it’s a major benefit both for the producers and for tourism.

BS - It’s an archaic set of laws and it has been very frustrating. All businesses in the craft sector have been severely stunted by the legislation. The door is now opening a bit for us, but there is still a way to go to make this element of our businesses truly viable. RB - Are the changes workable?

BS - It depends on the inherent costs and what brewers have to do to get the return. I certainly welcome the ability to get out to fairs and events to sell our wares and let people try them. RB - In the best possible world, where would you like to be? You’re in a beautiful part of Northern Ireland, what would the dream be?

BS - The dream is simple. To let people visit your brewery, let them taste the product to start with and then buy it to take away if they so wish. It’s not a big ask, we don’t think. We’re not looking for free-for-all drinking sessions. We’re responsible businesses with a real passion for what we do.

RB - What happens next, Eoin? What is the timescale on this? ED - The law is in force but it is being implemented in various stages. The new permitted hours and changes to the Easter hours have already been introduced, and it has been confirmed that the changes we are discussing today will come into force in April 2022. RB - Bernard, I’d like to bring you in. How frustrated have you been by licensing legislation here, and what will these changes mean for a business like yours?

Eye on Round Table

RB - Simon, you’re doing exactly that and more in Glasgow. Give us a flavour of what you’re up to. SR - We have built a brewery, German-style beer hall and a restaurant on the same site. We see it as our brand home and the success of one depends on the other. We’re in a beautiful listed building and our visitors can see where the product is made, how it’s made and experience our brand to the full. RB - Gary, let me bring you in. Tourism is a vital part of the economy here in Northern Ireland and I’m sure the industry wanted to see change coming. What are the opportunities stemming from these changes? GQ - Tourism NI has supported liquor licence reform throughout the process and we’ve provided evidence to the Department for Communities. We’re very encouraged by the changes and we think they’ll provide a welcome boost for the industry. Food and drink expenditure is crucial to the visitor economy. Pre-pandemic research shows that visitors

spent £350 million a year. The changes will help the industry but they’ll also boost Northern Ireland’s appeal as a destination of choice in a competitive marketplace. My role is to help the industry develop visitor experiences that will resonate at home and abroad. This will encourage companies who haven’t been involved because of licensing concerns to get involved. RB - So changes like this can produce real economic benefits…and jobs? GQ - Tourism is about creating memories and the visitor experience is about unlocking stories. But there were huge frustrations. Visitors were allowed to tour breweries or distilleries, they were allowed to sample but they weren’t allowed to buy products on the premises… and they couldn’t understand why. For the producers, it meant a captive audience but a huge missed opportunity. As for visitors, they expected better. RB - So we’ve fixed a glaring anomaly, but it could have gone further?

GQ - Let’s evaluate how positive these changes are to the craft drinks sector and see where we go from there. Let’s see if the bill achieves what it sets out to do. RB - But it’s a good starting point. Eoin, is that how you see it? ED - There are reviews built into the legislation, but the Department will want to monitor how things go before they make any decisions on that. Hopefully we’ll see more reform down the line. RB - Stephen, you’ve told us about the stark differences between here and Scotland. But are we moving in the right direction, albeit from a low starting point? SM - I’d love to come across and try some of the products over there. It’s an attractive proposition for tourists. Both local and national government in Scotland have been extremely supportive of brewing and distilling. They recognise the value of those aspects of the economy. They even stepped in quickly when Covid struck to allow independent producers to sell directly to the public when they hadn’t done so before.

So I think you are going in the right direction. There is movement but it’s clear that some would like to see it going a bit further. Hopefully that will come in due course. Simon, can I pass to you to hear more from an operator’s perspective. SR - Being able to sell directly to the public during the pandemic was our life raft. It saved us and I wouldn’t be here to talk to you without it. I’m from Northern Ireland and when I go home, I find it really frustrating not being able to try and buy good local products on-site. Here, we have our visitors and we sell directly, but don’t forget about cross pollination. You never know who’s walking through your door - the owner of a pub chain, a supermarket buyer maybe. For us, having a brand home is an unbelievable tool. You just can’t put a value on being able to show people around and let them try your products. RB - Bernard, you must be green with envy listening to Simon. BS - Absolutely. Conversely, we have to knock people back all the time, people who want to come here for corporate or group visits. We’ve been swimming for so long

Eye on Round Table with our hands tied that we’re used to it. We’ve had to grow our business in a different way, but we do know that the potential is huge. It’s intensely frustrating. But the door is opening, this is a lifeline so I’m going to grab it and run with it. SR - We opened up as a very small brewery, with second hand kit producing 1,500 litres a week, but it grew from there through word of mouth. We bought some kegs, filled them and delivered them from the boot of the car. But the beer hall was here from the start and as more people visited, we had more organic growth. We’re now brewing 3,000 litres per brew four times a day, four times a week. All that is built on visitors coming here to our brand home. RB - What’s been fascinating about this is that it is all about stories. But, Gary, it’s also about visitor experiences. GQ - It’s about creating the conditions and building from there. If we don’t have the opportunity to make those links and connections, it’s very difficult. That’s where the legislation comes in. Also, postCovid, we have an opportunity to accelerate the ‘support local’ message. Consumers are much more interested in local food and drink products and the stories that lie behind them. Sustainability and regenerative tourism is also a key factor for the years ahead. We want to work closely with the industry to develop and build more visitor attractions based around local food and drink. It’s important that businesses plan and resource now for the legislative changes and the opportunities that lie ahead. We know that the industry wants to take these opportunities and we know that there is real demand out there.

RB - Can I ask both of our lawyers this. What are the limitations of this new legislation and could it have been done better? ED - There was a lot of debate even to get to the tap room concept. But the big restriction is that businesses are restricted to 104 days per year under this local producers licence. That’s 12 hours per week. Opening hours are also restricted from 4pm to 10pm. There are reviews built into this, and they’re best described as tentative steps in the right direction. SM - We have to be respectful of the history of licensing in Northern Ireland but, being positive about it, the wheel is starting to turn. Hopefully we’ll see case studies starting to emerge, evidence of a wider benefit for all concerned. Positive stories may help remove some of the longer-standing concerns over licensing changes. BS - It’s been a long time coming and we have to be positive. It will help create jobs and it will certainly help younger breweries. There is so much passion out there but a lot of these younger operators have been beating their heads against a brick wall. The old maxim that a rising tide floats all boats is true in this case. If we can all work together and sell our products more freely, the businesses will grow. There is plenty of potential and, as Simon has said, you never know who will come through your door.

RB - And Gary, by the time the Open comes back to Portrush in a couple of years’ time, you’ll have something new to add to the visitor experience? GQ - It is fantastic news that the Open is coming back and it will definitely create more opportunities for producers to sell directly to visitors. It’s something we weren’t able to do last time except through occasional licences. We had over 5 million trips to Northern Ireland back in 2019 and we can look towards building on that as an industry. For too long, our craft drinks producers haven’t been able to get involved in any major events in a meaningful way, so this is a real step forward. But we do have to monitor, we do have to judge if the legislation is fit for purpose

when it lands, and we do have to remember that reviews are possible. Let’s start planning now, though, so that when the international market does return, we’ve joined all the dots and we’re meeting our visitors’ needs and expectations. RB - Eoin, if you can, wrap this up for us. Where do we go from here? ED - Breweries and distilleries have until April to prepare for these changes becoming law, and that’s not a lot of time. We’ll have resources on our website to allow producers to tap into our knowledge on the subject. We’re hoping that we can help secure licences for a lot of local producers and allow them to take advantage of these opportunities.

RB - Should businesses be planning ahead, Eoin? ED - Definitely. Licence applications will take time, design, planning and building work will also take time. Businesses need to consider planning permissions, and as a firm, we’ll be offering advice to distillers and brewers on what action they need to take.

Eye on Entertainment

The Cube Meets The Crystal Maze In Belfast A new entertainment complex in Belfast’s Boucher Road area brings a state of the art Scandinavian concept to the city.

rison Island is one of only two franchises in the whole of the UK, designed and fitted out by the Swedish franchise operator but owned and run by Lisburn businessman Ryan Lyttle. A former senior manager in the world of FMCG with PepsiCo, he took the bold step in late 2019 to leave his job and bring the Prison Island concept to the island of Ireland. “I first heard about it when I got friendly with some Swedish people on holiday. Myself and my wife ended up flying to Sweden to see a number of the centres in action before we decided to take the step,” he says.

Back in Belfast, Ryan found available former warehouse space on Balmoral Link and experts from Sweden flew in to do the detailed fit-out. Prison Island opened for business just before Christmas in 2019 and was starting to hit its stride the following February when Covid hit. A couple of lockdowns later, it’s getting a real chance to shine and it’s proving popular with families, groups of friends, business groups, youth groups and so the list goes on. “It’s ideal for corporate days out, for team building and for business social events,” says Ryan, “especially now as we come out of the pandemic.”

So what is Prison Island? Imagine The Crystal Maze, Channel 4’s hit show, or current ITV favourite The Cube, presented by Philip Schofield. In both, contestants have to face a series of challenges, and that’s the premise behind Prison Island. If you’ve enjoyed escape rooms, Prison Island takes things to an entirely new level. Why? Because where escape rooms focus on mental challenges, Prison Island blends those with physical tests, teamwork tests and a whole lot more. Teams are not locked in trying to escape a room in one hour. Behind the doors at Prison Island, there are no less than 25 different rooms, each one containing a very different challenge. You are free to attempt all 25 challenges moving from one to the other in any order you like. You can also repeat the

challenges to try for a higher score. Participants can work in teams of up to four, and an electronic fob system controls access to the rooms but also records the scores, with scoreboards on display in the corridor areas. What does it cost? £20 per

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person per hour or £27 for an hour and a half. Most participants, perhaps not surprisingly, opt for the longer period to get around all of the challenges on offer. “There is a real competitive element to it and most of our participants keep a close eye on the scoreboards to see how they’re doing against others,” says Ryan. “The staff here get a real buzz out of watching how much everyone is enjoying the experience.” Prison Island staff provide a briefing to every participant and group before they’re let loose on the rooms, and staff are also available in the corridors to help with any questions. On the door

of each room is a panel which ranks the challenge in terms of physicality, mental agility or team working required. Not all are suitable for everyone – a couple have a climbing element requiring a level of physical agility and one trademark Prison Island attraction is a vertigo-inducing sloped room where participants have to counter disorientation while completing mental tasks. Some look to be relatively simple – at least until you try them. The Belfast complex can accommodate up to 80 people at any one time. When a room is available, a green light is displayed on the door. When it’s in use, the light turns red.

And, just in case 25 different challenges isn’t enough for you, next door to Prison Island is another Scandinavianinspired activity and this one is quite unique. The Axe Yard gives participants the chance to try their hands at the lesser-known sport of Urban Axe Throwing. Yes, throwing an axe at a wooden target. A bit like darts or archery, but with a very different edge. Prison Island Belfast and The Axe Yard has its own fully equipped cafe/lounge for refreshments before and after and caters for birthday parties as well as corporate groups and families.

Prison Island is at Unit 3, 17 Balmoral Road, Belfast, and is open each day until 9.00 pm. www.axeyard.co.uk Web – www.prisonislandbelfast.com Tel. 028 96 923020 or 028 90 380862 axeyard@prisonislandbelfast.com Email – admin@prisonislandbelfast.com

Eye on News

Three Northern Ireland firms named as Deloitte Best Managed Companies for the first time in 2021 Awards

Three Northern Ireland-based businesses have been named by Deloitte as Best Managed Companies for the first time.

wenty-five companies were announced as Best Managed Companies for 2021 after entering the awards programme for the first time this year. The programme is led by Deloitte, in association with Bank of Ireland. Including this year’s new winners, 139 companies are now recognised as Best Managed Companies across the island of Ireland. This network of companies has a combined turnover of €8.5 billion and employ a total of 40,000 people. The Northern Ireland companies who achieved Best Managed status for the first time this year were mechanical and electrical specialist contractors Dowds Group, field

services management software provider Totalmobile and MPA Recruitment, a recruitment agency which provides permanent, contract and temporary workforce solutions. This year’s programme saw the highest number of new applicants in its thirteen-year history and culminated in a virtual symposium and awards ceremony this week. The winning companies come from a range of sectors, including retail, hospitality, manufacturing, technology and construction. Ireland’s Best Managed Companies Awards programme promotes and recognises excellence in Irish/ Northern Irish owned and managed companies and is the only awards

Pictured at Deloitte’s offices in Belfast are (L–R): Gary Adams, CFO Totalmobile, Jason Starbuck Director at Deloitte, Julian McCamphill, Operations Director, Dowds Group and Paul McCue, MD, MPA Recruitment.

scheme on the island of Ireland that considers a business’ performance from every perspective. Entrants to the programme compete for the designation in a rigorous process that evaluates the calibre of their management abilities and practices in addition to the strategy, capability, innovation, culture and financial performance of their companies. Jason Starbuck, director at Deloitte in Belfast, said: “This year, a record number of applications to the Best Managed Companies Awards programme were received. The quality of the applicants demonstrated the extraordinarily high-quality businesses operating across the island of Ireland today. In a relentlessly challenging year, the winning companies displayed true bravery in how they adapted

to change, with many innovating and some even accelerating their plans for their businesses.” 17 companies achieved Gold Standard at this year’s awards, having requalified for their fourth consecutive year and 12 companies were awarded Platinum Standard, requalifying for their seventh consecutive year. Nikki Canavan, Senior Director, Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking said: “Over the last number of years the companies in the Best Managed Companies network have shown huge strength in the face of disruption and uncertainty. This year in particular – a year that tested Irish businesses like never before – the judges noted the commitment, bravery, resilience and tenacity of the applicant companies.”

Eye on Legal 500

LEGAL 500... The Leading Individuals

Northern Ireland’s Law Firms Adding Value To Business Clients Northern Ireland’s legal sector, or the key part of it serving business in the region, continues to play a crucial role, nominally as key advisers to business decision-makers but in reality much more than that.

f Northern Ireland itself is a place apart, then its legal sector also has to be that little bit different, populated by lawyers who are well aware of the region’s unique geographical and political position. Add to that the Covid-19 pandemic and the fact that almost every law firm is now working, at least in

large part, remotely...and there are plenty of challenges out there. That’s before we even start considering the post-pandemic economic landscape and the many legal challenges that will bring. The authors of the annual Legal 500, considered by many to be the authoritative guide to the top law

in law on the island of Ireland. It all adds up to a fascinating mix, but, a bit like Premier League football, the big names, the key players, the league leaders in Northern Ireland business and corporate law don’t tend to change to much, at least not on a year to year basis. The listings below spotlight how The Legal 500 sees Northern Ireland’s leading law firms across a range of key practice areas as well as the highest-ranked individual lawyers across the same range of specialist areas. Here are the key lawyers and the key firms for 2021:-

Employment

Commercial Property

Corporate and M&A

HALL OF FAME

Anna Beggan - Tughans

Phyllis Agnew - Tughans

Richard Gray - Carson McDowell

Orlagh O’Neill - Carson McDowell

Tracey Schofield - A&L Goodbody

Michael Johnston - Carson McDowell

Adam Brett - Lewis Silkin LLP

Mark Tinman - DWF

Kevin McVeigh - Elliott Duffy Garrett

Michael Black - Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Rowan White - Arthur Cox

Alan Taylor - Arthur Cox

Adrienne Brock - Elliott Duffy Garrett

Kathryn Collie - Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Neasa Quigley - Carson McDowell

Fiona Cassidy - Lewis Silkin LLP

Andrea McIlroy-Rose - Pinsent Masons LLP

James Donnelly - Tughans

Julie Anne Clarke - Elliott Duffy Garrett

Mark Blair - Shoosmiths LLP

Hilary Griffith - Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Rosemary Connelly - Rosemary Connolly Solicitors Ltd

Rosemary Carson - Carson McDowell

Chris Guy - Mills Selig

Jan Cunningham - Millar McCall Wylie LLP

Emma Cooper - Carson McDowell

Alastair Keith - A&L Goodbody

Ciara Fulton - Lewis Silkin LLP

Jim Houston - Keystone Law

Lynsey Mallon - Arthur Cox Belfast

Paul Gillen - Pinsent Masons Belfast LLP

David Jones - Tughans

Damian McParland - Millar McCall Wylie LLP

Rosemary Lundy - Arthur Cox Belfast

Joe Marley - Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Peter Stafford - A&L Goodbody

Rachel Penny - Carson McDowell

Peter McCall - Millar McCall Wylie LLP

Mark Thompson - A&L Goodbody

Gareth Walls - A&L Goodbody

Dawson McConkey - Carson McDowell Anne Skeggs - Mills Selig

firms and individual lawyers across each UK region, talk each year about Northern Ireland’s combination of cost competitiveness and legal excellence. That’s what has attracted a very different legal sector to our shores, the Belfast offices of big multinational law firms like Herbert Smith Freehills, Allen & Overy, Axiom Law and Baker McKenzie. And it’s also drawn legal investors to the region, with big UK firms snapping up local law firms. But Northern Ireland has long had a really strong indigenous legal sector, populated by firms with a long and distinguished history of serving clients in the region, as well as by some of the bigger names

Eye on Legal 500

LEGAL 500... The Leading Individuals Construction

Banking and Finance

HALL OF FAME

Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence: Defendant

Andrea McIlroy-Rose - Pinsent Masons LLP

Avril McCammon - McKees

HALL OF FAME

Brendan Fox - A&L Goodbody

Stephen Cross - Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Amanda Wylie - Kennedys

Michael McCord - Tughans

Sinead McGrath - Carson McDowell

Andrew Anthony - Tughans

Lisa Boyd - Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Kevin McVeigh - Elliott Duffy Garrett

Peter Campbell - DAC Beachcroft

Patrick Fleming - Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Fearghal O’Loan - Tughans

Lester Doake - DAC Beachcroft

Adrian Kerr - Mills Selig

Louise Bailey - A&L Goodbody

Claire Harmer - Carson McDowell

Tim Kinney - Tughans

Patricia Beckett - Elliott Duffy Garrett

Jacqueline McAleese - Carson McDowell

Aaron Moore - Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Judith Brown - A&L Goodbody

Sean McGahan - DAC Beachcroft

Stuart Murphy - Carson McDowell

Caroline MacLaughlin - Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Kathy McGillie - Tughans

Stuart Mansfield - Arthur Cox Belfast

Roger McMillan - Carson McDowell

Ciaran McAlinney - A&L Goodbody

Alistair Wilson - Tughans

Dispute Resolution

Amanda Wylie - Kennedys

HALL OF FAME Brendan Fox - A&L Goodbody

Insolvency and Corporate Recovery

Catriona Gibson - Arthur Cox

HALL OF FAME

Personal Tax, Trusts and Probate

David Kirkpatrick - Pinsent Masons LLP

John Kearns - Mills Selig

HALL OF FAME

Declan Magee - Carson McDowell

Kieran McGarrigle - McGarrigle Legal

Neil Bleakley - Carson McDowell

Michael McCord - Tughans

Toby McMurray - Tughans

Jonathan Forrester - Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Amanda Wylie - Kennedys

Michael Neill - A&L Goodbody

Michael Graham - Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Caroline Prunty - Millar McCall Wylie LLP

Jeanette Donohoe - Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Stewart Nash - Elliott Duffy Garrett

Patrick Brown - Tughans

Brigid Napier - Napier Solicitors

Conor Wylie - Millar McCall Wylie LLP

Patrick Fleming - Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Darren Toombs - Carson McDowell Planning and Environment

Emma Hunt - Mills Selig

HALL OF FAME

Marie-Louise Lowry - Elliott Duffy Garrett

Personal Injury & Clinicial Negligence: Claiman

Chris Ritchie - Arthur Cox Belfast

HALL OF FAME

Karen Blair - Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Paul Tweed - Gateley Plc

Oonagh McClure - Thompsons NI Solicitors

Maria O’Loan - Tughans

Nikki McConnell - Worthingtons

Andrew Ryan - TLT

HALL OF FAME

IT and Telecoms

Intellectual Property

Stephen Cross - Cleaver Fulton Rankin

HALL OF FAME

Gerard Armstrong - Carson McDowell

Adrian O’Connell - Tughans

Alan Taylor - Arthur Cox

Stephen Cross - Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Rory Campbell - Forde Campbell LLC

Adrian O’Connell - Tughans

William Curry - Arthur Cox Belfast

Mathew Forde - Forde Campbell LLC

Ciaran McAlinney - A&L Goodbody

Dawn McKnight - Carson McDowell

Brendan Fox - A&L Goodbody

Richard Murphy - Pinsent Masons Belfast LLP

Alan Taylor - Arthur Cox Belfast

Scott Kennedy - Millar McCall Wylie LLP

Katharine Kimber - TLT

Gary McGhee - Carson McDowell

Energy, Project Finance & PFI

Neasa Quigley - Carson McDowell Andrew Ryan - TLT Mark Thompson - A&L Goodbody

Eye on Legal 500

LEGAL 500... LEADING LAW FIRMS *Firms are listed A-Z within tiers

Commercial Property BAND 1

A&L Goodbody

BAND 1

Arthur Cox Belfast

Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Carson McDowell

Pinsent Masons Belfast LLP

Tughans

Cleaver Fulton Rankin

BAND 2

Millar McCall Wylie

Davidson McDonnell Solicitors

Mills Selig

DWF

Pinsent Masons BAND 3

Elliott Duffy Garrett

Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Arthur Cox Belfast

Mills Selig

Tughans BAND 2

Mills Selig

Davidson McDonnell

Pinsent Masons Belfast TLT

Keystone Law

Elliott Duffy Garrett

Shoosmiths LLP

Keystone Law

TLT

BAND 3

Eversheds Sutherland

Shoosmiths LLP

Banking & Finance

Wilson Nesbitt

BAND 1

Worthingtons

BAND 2

Carson McDowell

DWF

Napier Solicitors

Arthur Cox Belfast

Shoosmiths LLP

Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Worthingtons

Carson McDowell

Tughans

Pinsent Masons Belfast LLP TLT BAND 3

BAND 2

Elliott Duffy Garrett

Pinsent Masons Belfast LLP

Mills Selig

A&L Goodbody Forde Campbell LLC

Davidson McDonnell Solicitors

Mills Selig

Arthur Cox Belfast Carson McDowell

Millar McCall Wylie LLP

Wilson Nesbitt

IT and Telecoms BAND 1

Tughans

BAND 3

A&L Goodbody

McKees

Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Arthur Cox Belfast

McKees

Tughans

Construction

BAND 2

BLM DWF

Millar McCall Wylie LLP

A&L Goodbody

Kennedys Millar McCall Wylie

Elliott Duffy Garrett

TLT

BAND 1

A&L Goodbody

Arthur Cox

Eversheds Sutherland

BAND 3

A&L Goodbody

Dispute Resolution

Carson McDowell

Tughans BAND 2

Corporate And M&A

BAND 3

Millar McCall Wylie LLP Mills Selig

Eye on Legal 500

LEGAL 500... LEADING LAW FIRMS *Firms are listed A-Z within tiers

Energy, Project Finance & PFI BAND 1

A&L Goodbody Carson McDowell

Insolvency & Corporate Recovery BAND 1

A&L Goodbody

BAND 1

Carson McDowell

BAND 2

Arthur Cox Belfast

BAND 2

A&L Goodbody

Pinsent Masons Belfast LLP BAND 2

Planning & Environment

Carson McDowell

Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Arthur Cox Belfast

Cleaver Fulton Rankin

TLT

Cleaver Fulton Rankin

TLT

Tughans

TLT

Tughans

BAND 3

Davidson McDonnell Solicitors

Personal Tax, Trusts & Probate BAND 1

BAND 3

Millar McCall Wylie LLP

DWF

Mills Selig

Elliott Duffy Garrett

Cleaver Fulton Rankin Elliott Duffy Garrett

Mills Selig

BAND 1

BAND 2

Mills Selig

A&L Goodbody Arthur Cox Belfast

Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence: Defendant

Carson McDowell

BAND 1

BAND 2

A&L Goodbody

BLM

Arthur Cox Belfast

Lewis Silkin LLP

Carson McDowell

Tughans

Pinsent Masons Belfast LLP

DAC Beachcroft

Tughans

Kennedys Tughans

Cleaver Fulton Rankin Elliott Duffy Garrett

Intellectual Property BAND 1

Arthur Cox Belfast McKees

Millar McCall Wylie LLP

Napier Solicitors

Carson McDowell BAND 2

TLT

Cleaver Fulton Rankin Millar McCall Wylie LLP

BAND 3

Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Mills Selig

Mills Selig Thompsons NI Solicitors

A&L Goodbody Arthur Cox Belfast

BAND 2

Eversheds Sutherland

Worthingtons BAND 3

Millar McCall Wylie LLP

Napier Solicitors

Employment

Carson McDowell

Tughans Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence: Claimant

Thompsons NI Solicitors Worthingtons

BAND 3

Forde Campbell LLC Pinsent Masons Belfast LLP

Eye on Law

TughansStrong Performance In Challenging Times

It’s a measure of the lawyer and the firm that Patrick Brown doesn’t look surprised when he says that Tughans has recorded its strongest year ever in terms of corporate law activity...in the teeth of a global pandemic. 38

ughans’ Managing Partner exudes confidence, but it’s a confidence based firmly on performance. The Belfast law firm, he says, has just come out of a very good year and it’s pipeline is looking strong for the short to medium term future. “Not everything has continued as normal in our world through the pandemic,” he says. “Areas of the firm that relied on the public sector were initially impacted. The court system largely closed for several months and is working through a backlog, as well functions

like planning and land registry were disrupted from the outset, and those are challenges that we all had to face. “But corporate activity, and activity across practice areas like private equity, healthcare, technology, dispute resolution, employment and banking/finance, has been very strong and steady.” Tughans has long had a particularly strong reputation in the corporate arena, and as further evidence of that, the firm again tops the most recent Experian Deal Table for this region, which focuses on

M&As worth £500,000 upwards and real estate transactions with a value over £15m. “The transactional market has been and remains very strong and while Brexit has added a different dimension and brought some extra challenges, that hasn’t impacted in any negative way on the marketplace. There’s no doubt that there is pent-up demand and that there is significant liquidity in the system,” he says. Like all firms, Tughans switched rapidly to a working from home model at the start of the pandemic, but has been

Eye on Law

“I’m optimistic about the economy... I think the signs are good and there will be a positivity as we move further away from restrictions.”

moving for some months back towards an office-based working model. Patrick Brown believes that it’s important, particularly for the firm’s trainees and junior solicitors. Changes to the legal landscape here in Northern Ireland make it even more important for local firms like Tughans to recruit, develop and retain high-quality graduates. “It’s possible for a graduate to work for one of the big UK firms from their spare room, work massive hours and receive a corresponding salary. If that’s what they want, that’s fine. But we think we can offer a very different experience. “The outworking of Covid will bring a change in how a lot of people work, and it’s already driven increased activity in the residential housing market.

But, for us, the office remains very important to how we do things. Everyone says that their business is a people business, but in a law firm like this one, it’s especially true.” In real estate terms, another key area for Tughans, he notes significant changes to the city centre retail sector and plenty of interest in commercial property investment around Northern Ireland, despite a fast-changing picture in terms of demand and occupancy. “Our employment team has been very busy, perhaps not surprisingly in this environment, and so have our insurance, health & safety, construction, banking, dispute resolution and technology teams.” Backlogs in the court system have helped to hasten the continued rise of alternative

dispute resolution as a means of settling disputes, and it’s a development that Tughans and its lawyers are only too keen to support. “I do think that we’re in the living with Covid phase now. It’s essential that we move forward on that basis,” says Patrick Brown. “I’m optimistic about the economy. There will be insolvencies, there will be restructuring, but I think the signs are good and there will be a positivity as we move further away from restrictions.” Within the firm itself, Tughans has been adapting to change. Over recent years, a couple of the firm’s long-serving partners have stepped away from their roles and new partners have taken up key positions. These include David Jones (Real Estate), Chris Milligan

(Infrastructure & Energy), Andrew Kirke (Energy & Technology) and Paul O’Brien (Private Equity & Investment). Meanwhile, Kevin Hegarty has been appointed as Director in the firm’s Healthcare team, while Ben Sims takes on the same role within the Corporate team. “We’re in good shape for what’s going to be an interesting and busy few years ahead of us and we’re confident that we can stay out in front of our competitors when it comes to the level of activity we’re handling.”

Eye on News

Belfast’s Iconic Custom House Purchased By Local Investor Straidorn Properties

One of Belfast’s most iconic buildings, Custom House, has been acquired by familyowned Northern Ireland investor Straidorn Properties, it was announced today.

traidorn, which is the property investment business of local businessman Neil McKibbin and his family, acquired Custom House from Watford-based property management company Mapeley for an undisclosed sum. Located at Custom House Square, the Grade B+ listed building was designed by Sir Charles Lanyon, one of Belfast’s leading architects and built by D & J Fulton between 1854 and1857. Split over four floors, Custom House has an internal floor space of 58,000 sq. ft, which is primarily used as office space. Straidorn intends to refurbish and modernise the open plan office accommodation after

current tenant HMRC moves out of the building in April next year, but also wants to preserve and enhance the building’s heritage features during any renovations. While the building has undergone phases of remodelling throughout its history, it has a number of period features, such as its original staircase, extensive lobby areas and a number of decorative carvings, including three figures symbolising Neptune, Mercury and Britannia and others representing Manufacture, Peace, Commerce and Industry. Neil McKibbin, director of Straidorn Properties, said: “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to buy one of Belfast’s grandest buildings and to bring

it back into local ownership. Custom House is of huge historic and strategic importance to the city and, for our business, this is a long-term investment which demonstrates our confidence not just in the future of Belfast’s office market but in the city itself. “We invest in projects we can identify with and where we know we can add value. Despite the current economic climate, Belfast is still a very attractive location for inward investment and we believe it will continue to attract global occupiers who will contribute to the ongoing growth and development of the city.” He added: “Custom House is located close to the City Centre, the Cathedral Quarter and Belfast Harbour’s City Quays and we look forward to working with other city stakeholders to help create opportunities to link up those parts of the city and add to the overall vibrancy of Belfast.” Straidorn has previously invested

in transforming Flax House on Adelaide Street, regenerating a former linen mill which had been unoccupied for more than 30 years into a fully let, grade-A office space. Victoria House on Gloucester Street has also received significant investment through Mr McKibbin and his partner Wayne Sullivan’s holdings in recruitment company VanRath. Custom House is surrounded by some of Belfast’s oldest and most historic buildings, including the Albert Clock, Corn Exchange and McHugh’s Bar. It is next to Custom House Square, which has undergone refurbishment in recent years following investment from Belfast City Council. The Square is one of Belfast’s most popular outdoor leisure and event spaces, facilitating concerts such as Belsonic. Straidorn was advised by Riddell McKibbin in the purchase of Custom House.

Eye on Law

DIVORCE WITHIN FAMILY BUSINESSES Clare Curran, Solicitor and Director of Curran Bowles Family Law, a specialist company dealing with finances on separation and divorce, looks at what happens to a family business when a marriage breaks down.

ivorce is inevitably a stressful process and where one or both parties to a marriage are involved in the running of a family business, this can make matters more complicated to resolve. In long marriages, an equal division of the available assets is the starting point. In dividing assets between a separating couple, the desired outcome is to achieve a fair result when taking into consideration the respective needs of the parties and the other relevant circumstances in the case. To consider what would be fair, both parties should make full and frank financial disclosure evidencing the extent of their financial interests. If either party has an interest in a business, its value will form part of the overall discussions. Given the nature of a business as an asset, how it will be treated upon divorce is different to cash in the bank or a property and will depend on the specific facts in the case. Getting specialist matrimonial legal advice as early as possible is therefore always advisable. The context of how the business was started or acquired can be important. If the business was inherited before marriage, for example, there may be an argument for some or all of the business to be ‘ring-fenced’. However, where one spouse’s financial needs cannot be met without taking it in to account, then ‘need’ will take priority and ring-fencing arguments may fail. Some of the relevant factors to be taken in to account will be how the business is owned,

who is responsible for its running, the income produced, any property or assets owned and capital available or ability to borrow against its assets. To determine how any business will impact on a matrimonial settlement, it will usually require to be independently valued, ideally by a jointly agreed forensic accountant, unless the business has minimal or no capital value and purely generates an income. In this case, the costs of obtaining such a valuation may be considered disproportionate, however the income generated will still be relevant in terms of whether maintenance obligations arise. Outcomes will depend on each case’s particular facts but generally, the Court is unlikely to order a business to be sold to the detriment of the other owners in cases where such an outcome can be avoided. The court will also want to try and help the parties achieve a clean break where possible and has various powers at its disposal. These include ordering that one party keeps the business and the other is compensated for their share, or where there are insufficient assets to meet the parties’ capital needs, both spouses can be made shareholders, but the downside of this is a lack of clean break. The court can also order transfer of shares from one spouse to another to achieve a fair result. Alternatively, where selling a business is essential to ensure fairness, this can be done, but efforts will be made to avoid such an outcome. With a significant number of

private businesses in Northern Ireland regarded as ‘family-owned’, and divorce an unfortunate reality for many, these issues frequently require to be resolved. There is no doubt that divorce or separation can be more complex when a business is involved, but specialist matrimonial lawyers will be able to guide you through the process and discuss the options to help you resolve matters in the best possible way.

If you require any advice in relation to a family law matter, get in touch today with our specialist family law team at Curran Bowles Family Law either by phone on 028 91871880 or by emailing clare.curran@bowles-law.com

Eye on Law

Elliott Duffy GarrettOptimism At Busy Belfast Practice

Belfast’s top law firms went into the pandemic era like almost every other business… with no clear idea of what was about to happen or how they would survive. As it turns out, some of them haven’t just survived but they’ve prospered despite a very different way of working at times.

evin McVeigh heads up the Corporate & Commercial Practice at Elliott Duffy Garrett, and he says that the firm has had one of its

busiest periods in recent years despite the challenges of Covid. “It’s been a much better year than we could have anticipated back at the start of the first lockdown. “It didn’t take long, even at the beginning of the Covid crisis, for businesses to adapt to the situation, dust themselves down and get on with it if they could. That’s in the DNA of local businessmen and women. “So any interruption in business activity didn’t last long,” he says. “On the legal front, there were issues caused by the closure of functions like Land Registry, and the temporary closure of courts. But, come last summer, things

picked up and we are very busy with current and pending corporate transactions.He puts that down to a number of factors. “There are low interest rates, there are sectors that have done very well during the pandemic, and there is the simple realisation that this might just be a good time to make buying or selling decisions. What’s more, there is a fair amount of money in the system as we come out of this pandemic. “The uncertainty of Covid has caused people to say either we can’t do this or we must do this. It has galvanised decision making.” With lockdown and furlough in play, Elliott Duffy Garrett’s Employment Practice has also

been very busy throughout the crisis and it continues to be busy. “At one stage the furlough rules were changing on a weekly basis, and we were having to update our clients on a Friday evening after the new rules were published.” “Although there are backlogs in the Industrial Tribunal and Court systems, I hear from colleagues that business is being progressed and is continuing by way of remote hearings in suitable cases. Our litigation department continues to be busy with its usual mix of court, advisory work and mediation.” Moving to Property/Real Estate Kevin McVeigh says that the firm’s specialists have been very busy.

Eye on Law

Claire McNamee, Solicitor, Property

John McElrone, Associate Solicitor, Corporate & Commercial

“We even reached the stage during the pandemic where developers were able to sell properties off plan, something that hasn’t happened for some time. Residential sales have eased off a bit now that the stamp duty holiday has come to a close, but it’s been a very active period and the commercial property market is still holding up.” Elliott Duffy Garrett is one of only a number of Belfast firms with a busy Private Client department, looking after wills, trusts and probate. “We invested in this area some years ago, and it is been growing very well,” he says. “Covid has increased our private client work, and it dovetails very well with our corporate business.” Solicitors from the firm even

Neil Mulholland, Partner, Private Client

Ian McFarland, Partner, Employment

found themselves witnessing wills through windows at both private homes and care homes during the height of the pandemic, following special dispensation granted to get around the fact that solicitors weren’t allowed to visit clients to witness documents. Like every other law firm, Elliott Duffy Garrett shut its doors at the start of the pandemic, sent all staff home and set up remote working arrangements. “It was very fortunate that we had invested in new IT systems at the time of our office move in 2018. We were already set up for secure remote working. We were delighted at how well our IT systems stood up to the challenge and we were able to devise new and more efficient

Keara Powell, Associate Solicitor, Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Christopher Duffy, Partner, Litigation & Dispute Resolution

ways of working. I’m not surprised when I hear tech professionals talk about how we’re five years ahead of where we would have been. We’ve adapted and we’ve adopted new technologies.” Staff at the firm are already back in its Linenhall Street offices, with most people working on a hybrid basis, between office and home, depending on the nature of their work. In terms of future working practices, the firm, like many others, has developed a hybrid working policy which will be rolled out as appropriate. “It is a case of transitioning our people back into the discipline of coming to the office,” says Kevin. “There are only so many things that you can do remotely. Collaborative

working is very important to what we do, and it’s not so easy when everyone is working from home. Also, when I was starting out, I learnt so much from watching others and listening. That’s crucial for today’s younger lawyers. It is also very much a feature of the collegiate approach that we follow at Elliott Duffy Garrett.” He is confident about prospects going forward. “Anyone who predicts the future is a fool but we’ve weathered the last 18 months well, we’re very busy at the moment, and the pipeline is looking strong. In corporate terms, the sectors that are doing well are doing very well and it is all a bit sector dependent. But there is plenty of optimism out there.”

Eye on News

Bank of Ireland announces Northern Ireland beneficiaries of Begin Together programme

Isolation prevention, groups that work with migrants, educational skills and development for women, and interactive theatre for the disabled are among almost 100 community and arts projects that will receive financial support from Bank of Ireland’s Begin Together programme.

n total, more than £700,000 is being allocated to community groups, social enterprises and artists groups across the island of Ireland. The funding is being allocated under two headings – the Begin Together Community Fund, in partnership with The Community Foundation for Ireland which administers the fund, and is supported by The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland in selecting the projects locally and the Begin Together Arts Fund, in partnership with Business to Arts and supported by Arts & Business NI. Community Fund grantees will receive up to £17,000 for projects spanning financial literacy and wellbeing, mental health, disability, inclusion and diversity and social isolation. Arts Fund grantees will receive up to £8,500 to support the

Pictured from left is Matt Vernon, Carnival Artist, Beat Carnival, Lee Cullen, Head of Youth Services, Cara-Friend and William Thompson, Head of Consumer Banking NI, Bank of Ireland UK

creation of new works in music, theatre, film, craft, dance, traditional arts, and the visual arts. Ian McLaughlin, CEO Bank of Ireland UK said: “We’re immensely proud to support a wide range of community groups, charities, and social enterprises working across the island of Ireland. Their passion and commitment in all they do helps to unite, support and protect some of the most vulnerable in our local communities. While the road ahead looks much more positive, communities still face many challenges. It’s our hope that this support will help them face those challenges, and overcome them. “While the arts enrich our lives, the sector has been one of the most seriously impacted during the pandemic. The Begin Together Arts Fund has helped sustain the

development of new work and artistic practice during the pandemic and the new projects announced today will continue to be a force for good in our lives and communities into the future.” Among the groups from Northern Ireland to receive funding under the Begin Together programme is Beat Carnival, an organisation that for nearly thirty years has been creating carnival arts, as well as organising and producing performances, training and developing artists and encouraging community participation and ambition. The funding provided will see artists Kathryn Boyle and Ciara Dunne working in partnership with Beat Carnival to create an outdoor winter lantern parade connecting neighbouring communities through the crafting of festival floats and lanterns. David Boyd, Director, Beat Carnival said: “Carnival arts creatively connects communities – and after the long, difficult period of lockdown isolation, people are eager for ways to reconnect, gain new confidence

and enjoy creative experience together. Beat Carnival is pleased to have support from Bank of Ireland’s Begin Together Arts Fund for a local neighbourhood programme that will result in festive celebration parades by residents in their own streets and with nearby communities.” Another group to receive funding in Northern Ireland is Cara-Friend who have been supporting and empowering the LGBTQ+ community for close to fifty years. Steve Williamson, Executive Director, Cara-Friend said: “We are seeing a real mental health crisis in the LGBTQI+ community, with significant numbers of young people having spent their lives dealing with homophobia, isolation and depression and are really struggling, especially after 18 months of lockdown drastically limiting their access to support circles and services. Thanks to the Bank of Ireland’s support for Cara-Friend’s new pilot Mental Health Project, we can get the support and resources needed by the most vulnerable people now, not later, thus saving lives in our community.”

Eye on Property

The Rise Of Dream Luxury Serviced Apartments T

om Smyth is the founder, managing director and owner of Dream Luxury Serviced Apartments. Who, in just four short years has grown Dream Apartments from a start-up company to Northern Ireland’s leading serviced-apartments provider with over 500 design-led apartments in major UK urban hubs, including Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester, Belfast and Middlesbrough & partnerships internationally in Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam and Sao Paulo - employing over 200 staff. Dream Apartments introduced a new concept in luxury, short-term accommodation and hospitality in Belfast, opened a new market sector and set the standards for serviced apartments. Dream Apartments is the realisation of Tom’s initial vision for changing the way people use and engage with the hospitality and short-term accommodation sector. Tom is a true example of a budding entrepreneur with a passion for business growth combined with giving back to his local community where possible. His growth on social media has been exponential, growing from 500 to 12k followers on Instagram in just under 6 months and reaching 6,000 followers on TikTok in under 3 months and one of his videos reaching 220k views. Tom’s infectious positive mental attitude has allowed him to grow his business to exponential levels within just four years of launching. Tom has an extremely positive mindset and outlook on life, and believes that if you take massive action, you can overcome any adversity or challenges. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Tom immediately began brainstorming solutions to overcome the devastating effects of this virus. Tom has a fearless attitude, writing a global bestselling book ‘Fear Less’ which is an antidote to self doubt. Through this, Tom has became friends with top Hollywood A-Listers including actors and sports stars. Much like the rest of the world, the coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted the hospitality industry and beyond. When the world went into

lockdown, Tom and Dream Luxury Serviced Apartments had to think strategically and act fast. With leisure guests being put on pause, they had to focus their effort solely on corporate and business travellers. The occupancy levels stayed the same but with a different split as 100% of the travellers were now on business. According to our system operator, Dream Luxury Serviced Apartments were one of the two only serviced apartments company to survive the Covid-19 pandemic and the severe impacts of a lockdown. Dream had to completely restructure their business model and adapt to the market, facilitating the needs of only corporate clients in an uncharted climate. Growing from under 300 apartments to now over 500 apartments in a global pandemic is a huge achievement for Tom and the Dream brand. Securing deals with high profile companies for long term lets highlights not only how adaptable the Dream brand is, but also Tom’s tenacity and determination to deal with and overcome any situation he is faced with. With restrictions now easing and leisure guests resuming, Dream are now reaping in the benefits of housing both more corporate guests and a large number of leisure guests, being fully booked most weekends in all cities throughout the UK.

Dream Luxury Serviced Apartments are now opening brand new luxury apartments in Dundee on the 1st November 2021. Dream’s expansion in Scotland is true example of how rapidly the company has grown in the last 4 years. Situated in the heart of Dundee’s West End, Dream Apartments offers spacious, amenity rich, selfcatering apartments for both leisure & corporate guests to enjoy a home from home experience whilst travelling. Just

a 7 minute drive from Dundee airport and a short distance from the train station, Dream Apartments Dundee is close to Dundee University, The V&A, Waterfront area, shops, bars and restaurants. Comprising 25 apartments, these 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units offer comfortable furnishings with scenic city & river views - some even have balconies! For those who wish to upgrade, a penthouse is also available. Our iconic apartments in the Obel building in Belfast are also being completely refurbished, with 49 apartments ready to welcome visitors to Belfast city centre. Our apartments are only a short distance from the bustling Cathedral Quarter, filled with an array of fantastic restaurants and bars. With Dream Luxury Serviced Apartments holding the title of largest serviced apartments operator in Northern Ireland, it’s great to see this investment back into the city of Belfast and the hospitality industry as a whole.

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Fintech putting Belfast on the world stage Fintechs are part of a global revolution to make financial services easier, faster and better and London is at the heart of this movement.

t has been a major centre in world finance for centuries and a thriving technology hub so it’s no surprise that London is home to a number of world-class fintechs that have become household names globally. London will always play a central role in the global fintech revolution, but in recent times we have seen investment in creating technology hubs in other cities

around the UK and this is translating into the creation of thriving, engaged communities and exciting companies. Belfast, which is increasingly being seen as a city bursting with entrepreneurship and innovation, has been one of the main beneficiaries from this trend. Over the past couple of years, a new breed of local fintech businesses have taken the local and international business scene by storm, putting the city on the map. I have worked in fintech PR for over four years and until recently, I rarely saw anything about fintechs from Northern Ireland in the news outside of local papers. Much of the fintech hype has focused on huge investments, mergers and acquisitions for fintechs in London, New York and Asia and the odd one in Dublin, but seldom Belfast. But just last month, Laura Noonan, acting Ireland editor at the FT, bucked this trend with an article entitled ‘Belfast’s booming financial services rise above political unrest.’ It highlighted the investment that is pouring into the city - Citi plans to hire 400 people, bringing its headcount to 3,600+ and

FinTru a RegTech firm based in Belfast, aims to double its headcount to 1,600. Citi and FinTrU’s plans follow recent announcements by Big Four accounting firms PwC, Deloitte and KPMG, who together will create 2,200 Belfast jobs. And it’s no wonder – with rents as low as a quarter of London’s west end and half of Dublin’s office space, and salary expectations much lower due to low living costs, firms can save thousands every month and still only be an hour flight from clients in London or just over 90 minutes from those in Dublin. As a region, NI also has a deep pool of talent. Not only do we consistently outperform all other regions in the UK in academic qualifications at GCSE and A-Level, we also have 4,000 people that graduate with business qualifications every year and boast the highest percentage of qualified IT professionals in the UK. Through Invest NI, we also offer generous support schemes: PwC received £9.8m from the agency to support 108 of the almost 800 jobs it will create by 2026. It has also supported numerous

local fintechs which are flying the flag for Belfast fintech including Datactics, specialists in user-friendly data quality and matching software which now has a 50+-strong team and Fscom, a firm of compliance experts which currently works with over 18% of the UK payments sector. Furthermore, a potential benefit of Brexit, the arrangements set out in the Northern Ireland protocol could ultimately create “the best of both worlds” by making Belfast a unique jurisdiction with a toe in both the UK and the EU, as said by Michael Hall, managing partner at EY’s 600-strong Northern Ireland business. There are also a number of trade bodies and influencers which have been driving the sector forward. Industry body, FintechNI, chaired by local fintech evangelist, Alex Lee, released a report which found NI to have the highest concentration of fintech employment in the UK. There are an estimated 7,000 fintech related roles here and one in five people working across the financial and tech sectors in Northern Ireland work in fintech. Furthermore, the Fintech Envoy for Northern Ireland, Andrew Jenkins, has regularly written in the media about fintech’s potential, imploring both the private and public sectors to grab the lucrative opportunity it presents with both hands. Having moved back to Belfast a few months ago after living in London for three years, it feels there is real momentum growing behind the fintech scene. It’s clear that we have a really strong story, different from that of other fintech hubs, that is starting to resonate with international media. By creating compelling narratives and using the right methods to get them in front of the right audience, we can create huge opportunities for the city and its fintechs which can together attract customers, investment and talent into Belfast.

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Eye on Sustainability

NI Water

helping to create an affordable, low carbon economy for Northern Ireland The origin of the COP26 conference in Glasgow this autumn lies in one purpose and one purpose alone: a desire to focus the world’s attention on climate change and to ask each country what they’re doing about it. And that applies to Northern Ireland as well.

ut it isn’t just countries that need to answer that question. It is individual organisations also - organisations like NI Water. Because just as climate change doesn’t respect National or institutional boundaries, neither should the response. We all have to innovate, collaborate and show the urgency needed to address the defining issue of our time. And that is why on the 3rd of November at the ICC in Belfast NI Water will launch a new report on its response to climate change. Designed to coincide with COP26, the “Power of Water” sets out the lessons NI Water has learnt addressing the issue during the past few years. It will describe how we as an organisation have gone from thinking purely in terms of how we mitigate our immediate environmental impact to a much more pro-active strategy designed to help not just NI Water, but Northern Ireland as a whole transition to a low carbon economy. As such it will describe how we have developed new ways

of thinking both about how NI Water uses energy, and how we can harness our natural assets to generate and store power so adding extra resilience to Northern Ireland’s energy system - a crucial factor as we move away from our dependence on fossil fuel plants for security of supply. But while the report will detail the steps NI Water has taken, and will take, to turn our aspirations into reality, the biggest lesson we have learnt is that we cannot, and should not address the challenge

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“Our greatest potential, perhaps, is in using our assets as a catalyst for change across Northern Ireland’s energy and transport networks as a whole.”

of climate change on our own. Yes, we need to innovate, but we also need to collaborate because turning Northern Ireland from a high carbon, high energy cost system to one which is low carbon, sustainable and affordable has to be part of a collective effort across government, the utilities, the regulator and Business. And it is in that spirit of

collaboration that the report has been written. What it details is work in progress, a contribution to the conversation on climate change in Northern Ireland, not the final word. In that sense it is a bit like COP26 - a way, hopefully, of focusing our minds not only on what needs to be done, but what can be done collectively.

Because the prize is great. In the renewable energy era Northern Ireland has an opportunity to go from depending on fossil fuel energy imports to using our indigenous natural resources to power our homes and economy - and in particular Northern Ireland’s unique status as one of the windiest places in Europe. As a country we have already made huge progress in that transition with half our power now coming from renewables, but to complete the process we have to find an answer to the question of what happens when the wind doesn’t blow, or the sun shine. At present that “variability” gap is filled by fossil fuels which are both high carbon and have to be imported. Hence the importance of finding new ways of storing power, particularly when, as at nighttime, demand is less and wind turbines have to be turned off. That is not just a waste of power, but also a significant disincentive to investors. It is also, however, an area where through a combination of flexing its use of electricity and using its sites as the locations for batteries which could store wind power NI Water could help close the gap, as the report sets out. But it also details the results of the work NI Water has carried out on electrolysis and the potential it has to help the transition to

both a low carbon energy system, and the process of “greening” our heavy goods vehicles whether it’s in public transport or our lorries and farm machinery. Electrolysis produces green hydrogen which can be used as a substitute for diesel in vehicles which cannot easily be converted to electric, and the report will outline the encouraging results of a pilot project we have run at one of our waste water treatment works. With the support of DfI, DfE, DAERA and SIB, NI Water has learnt a lot during the last few years about how we can respond to climate change. But our greatest potential, perhaps, is in using our assets as a catalyst for change across Northern Ireland’s energy and transport networks as a whole. That will only happen if we all work together. The “Power of Water” report is a prompt, but it is only a prompt. What happens next is what really matters. Let the conversation begin. Join us virtually to start the discussion on the morning of Wednesday 3rd November 2021 to connect, collaborate, innovate and explore how NI Water can harness its assets to help Northern Ireland become self-sufficient in low-cost green energy. Register at www. niwater.com/climatechange/powerof-water or for further information please contact powerofwater@ niwater.com

Eye on Sustainability

Belfast Chamber and BDO Northern Ireland: The Business Case for Dealing with Climate Change Authors: Laura Jackson, Partner, BDO Northern Ireland and Simon Hamilton, Chief Executive of the Belfast Chamber

Launching the Belfast Business Sustainability Survey is Laura Jackson, Partner at BDO Northern Ireland and Simon Hamilton, Chief Executive of Belfast Chamber.

ncreased focus on sustainability, environmental and ethical concerns have been felt strongly by local businesses as organisations come under increasing pressure to demonstrate commitment to long term and sustainable goals. From a commercial perspective, this is now high on the Board agenda and the effects have been interwoven across all

sectors with a wide range of stakeholders, including investors, Governments and consumers concerned with a number of issues. The environmental impact of businesses and their operations including their carbon footprint as well as considerations around ethical supply chain management, sustainable packaging, animal welfare and even food waste are just a few

examples making the headlines. This is not something for the future; green consumerism is now and many within the local business community have voiced concerns around how they meet this growing demand from the vast range of stakeholders who expect to see tangible results. The Belfast Business Sustainability Survey, delivered by the Belfast Chamber and

BDO Northern Ireland, was a litmus test to gauge local business opinion on how aware and prepared organisations are of the challenges, risks and opportunities posed by climate change and also to establish what support can be offered to ensure companies find themselves as part of the solution to the new reality by maintaining sustainable business models.

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BELFAST BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY SURVEY

BELFASTCHAMBER.COM ATTITUDES AND OOPINIONS

The Belfast Chamber and BDO NI’s Belfast Business Sustinability Survey report can be accessed via bdoni.com and belfastchamber.com

Voice of local business community The findings of the Belfast Business Sustainability Survey indicated that, overall, 91% of businesses recognised that climate change and sustainability were important issues with over 80% saying that it was a “moderate or serious challenge.” The reality being that businesses realised they need to embrace climate change as something that needs their attention and action. Despite this, 60% admitted that they were not adapting quickly enough to this challenge citing barriers such as Brexit, Covid-19, the availability of resources and the lack of the required expertise and support as the deciding factors in how they have progressed in their pursuit of a workable sustainability agenda. The reasons why many are struggling to deliver practically on this business imperative and failing to build these considerations into their decision-making today are an outworking of the survey.

Support Needed This mismatch in risk and readiness is also reflected in a widespread

view that the city generally and both local and regional Government aren’t adapting quickly enough to the challenges presented by climate change. The need for local and regional Government to play their part was also reported as equally important with 83.7% of survey respondents urging for the introduction of the much-anticipated Climate Change Act in NI which would create important sector specific carbon reduction targets. The findings demonstrates a need that there is an ask for support in not only guidance by the Government but also in terms of practical assistance. The businesses in our city – the overwhelming majority of which are micro or small in size – are calling for the creation of a single point of contact in the city for businesses to get the kind of advice and guidance they will need to reduce the waste they produce and the energy they consume. Energy consumption and emission intensity have reduced for business in the past year; naturally COVIDlockdowns played a part of this. Seeking further advice for businesses on sustainable business

practices and how it fits into wider business strategy is at the heart of why BDO NI, leading accountancy and business advisory firm, launched this initiative alongside Belfast Chamber as it matches their core objective of helping local businesses succeed. Climate change is something investors are starting to take seriously and they’re going to want reliable and comparable information that has been assured by a third party. In addition to a call for support, encouragingly, 45.2% of participants have established a climate change sustainability strategy with 44.1% undergoing training to improve understanding of sustainability issues. There was a clear cohort that understood the value of sustainable goals to their stakeholders and were proactive in taking action well before Government legislation meant that they had to. It is anticipated that companies are going to be forced by the Treasury to report their impact on climate change and a plan will be published in early October revealing which businesses will be affected, the information they will need to provide and the

deadline. It is thought the initiative, led by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, will come ahead of COP26, the UN Climate Change conference in Glasgow, in November.

Looking ahead The concerns around preparing for sustainable business practices are complex nonetheless and through this research conducted by BDO NI and the Belfast Chamber, it would appear any solutions will be collaborative in nature. It is clear that many businesses have cognisance of the responsibilities that climate change will have for their business be it through compulsory disclosures or otherwise. The reputational and financial risk of not responding to the challenge is too great and whilst we adapt to the post- Brexit challenges and Covid-19 recovery, so we must also embrace climate change as part of the new normal. Are you professionally ready to mitigate the risk and maximise the opportunity of climate change? Join BDO NI and Belfast Chamber on their sustainability journey by accessing resources, survey results and further information via Belfast Chamber and BDO NI websites.

Eye on Sustainability

Data is key to good ESG “The idea of a race to net zero has the potential to set us up for failure and half-measures” says SustainIQ co-founder Maria Diffley.

Eye on Sustainability

“I

t should be much more about collaboration than competition. If ever we were ‘in something together’, it’s climate change, so the idea that we race to see which companies can reduce their carbon emissions to zero first, is missing the point. It doesn’t matter who gets there first – what matters is that we work together, across all sectors, to make the changes needed to get our planet back on track and below the 1.5° of warming we need to avoid full-on climate catastrophe.” Maria and her co-founder at SustainIQ, Liam McEvoy set up the company in 2017 to help companies committed to operating sustainably, but struggling to manage their efforts and know if they were doing enough. With Trust, Transparency and Togetherness as the software company’s core values, the need for collaboration and openness are embedded in how SustainIQ operates, justifying Maria’s lack of enthusiasm for the race to zero approach. SustainIQ was borne from a shared frustration that measuring impact on the core aspects of sustainability was a struggle for companies. For Liam, working with a range of construction sector clients at the time, the challenges of demonstrating compliance with tenders increasingly focused on social value and reduced environmental impact were affecting his clients’ abilities to know and show how good or bad their build projects were. For Maria, working with Business in the Community back in 2017, she witnessed an increasing demand from companies across all sectors to understand their impact and use that knowledge to improve and drive their business strategy. The two had researched the market for their respective clients and members and found lots of tools that provided measurement of one aspect – mainly the environmental impacts – but none that gave a complete overview of all strands of sustainability. The most committed companies

were using spreadsheets to record data and spending painstaking hours every week chasing colleagues in other departments for the figures to keep their data up to date. Undaunted, and confident a solution could be found, they gave up their respective jobs and partnered to create SustainIQ. Four years on, the company is growing steadily and with a client base focused on the construction, FMCG and transport & infrastructure sectors, developing valuable expertise in supporting companies to measure, monitor and report on sustainability. Currently on close to 600 sites across the UK and Ireland, SustainIQ uncovers the intelligence that exists within companies (hence the IQ in the name), to give clients a clear picture of their impacts across four key pillars – Procurement, Environment, People and Communities. No other solution on the market provides such a holistic approach and it’s one that can be configured to suit the particular needs of each client, making it highly specific and valuable for both commercial and operational needs.

The imperative for action The increased focus on ESG as a driver for investment has further boosted interest in measuring and reporting software, making what SustainIQ has to offer even more attractive to companies seeking support in this area. For both Liam and Maria however, the creation of their product stemmed from a deep-rooted realisation that in order to ‘fix’ the huge challenges we face with the climate emergency, we first need to understand where we are. Maria explains “The IPCC’s sixth assessment report earlier this year clearly shows that warming is well under way with a current rate of warming unprecedented for the last 2,000 years, but we do have the opportunity to limit climate change and have a sustainable future. It will take a concerted and coordinated effort globally across nations, industry

and from the public to embrace innovation and make changes to lower carbon impacts, but it can be done. A first step is understanding where we are now and getting a handle on our sustainability impacts and baselines so we can plan to improve from there. We need our leaders to make some radical decisions and a lot is riding on the forthcoming COP 26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow and what comes out of that.” What we need from COP 26 Liam picks up the thread, explaining what we need from COP 26 “we’re all focused on net zero by 2045 or 2050, but we really need to look at nearer term commitments. In the next nine years, we need to

be key to providing clarity for businesses on regulation within countries and expectations for each industry. Once those things are agreed and set out, it’s a question of meeting or exceeding the requirements. Sounds simple, but as Maria says, “the bottom line is, no company can respond to targets for their industry or nation unless they have a handle on their ESG impacts and clarity on the difference their sustainability efforts are actually making. Software can help provide that visibility and support, and I think we’ll see many more digital innovations in the coming years to help the transition to net zero. I’m just glad we’re doing our bit as part of the solution.”

“It will take a concerted and coordinated effort globally across nations, industry and from the public to embrace innovation and make changes to lower carbon impacts, but it can be done.” halve emissions – that’s quite a challenge, but it’s imperative and we need leaders to focus on this and work out a pathway to net zero for each industry sector. The phase out of fossil fuels is a huge one and we need to see a tangible commitment in terms of major investment and support to develop the infrastructure required for adequate renewable energy sources. Finally, innovation is key and mobilising the capital both at home and internationally to ensure development takes place equitably around the globe, in line with the SDGs, is critical.” “None of this will be easy” says Maria, “and it’s a lot to ask from politicians, but they’ve been elected to lead and there’s never been a more critical time for real, global leadership that focuses on the needs of humanity and our planet, so let’s hope they’re up to the job.” Both Liam and Maria are convinced that, if it addresses what it needs to, COP 26 could

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Eye on Sustainability

Sustainability It’s Good For Business Most UK companies see environmental and ethical sustainability as good for business according to the latest HSBC Navigator report.

lmost nine in ten UK companies think that improving environmental and ethical sustainability brings multiple opportunities, and more than three-quarters of UK companies expect their sales to grow through their greater focus on sustainability. The research, which surveyed 10,000 businesses in 39 markets with 1,000 of those in the UK, also found that three quarters (75%) of UK businesses now have metrics in place to measure environmental sustainability, up from 62% in 2019. This includes 28% measuring energy usage, 21% measuring carbon emissions and 20% measuring packaging materials and waste. And almost three quarters (73%) of British businesses plan to introduce net zero emissions goals to their own operations and across their supply chains. In addition, businesses tell us that they are feeling greater external pressures to become greener, whether that’s from government, regulators or directly from their customers. Climate change and sustainability will shape the global economy over the coming decade and at HSBC UK we are proud to be providing advice and developing solutions that help our clients embed ESG in the way they operate. Sustainability is an increasingly important consideration for businesses of all sizes and one key driver is the UK’s target of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. At HSBC we want to partner with companies to build a climate-friendly economy, and are helping them find efficiencies in their supply chains or adapt their business model so they can reap the benefits of going green. We have recently supported customer MML Growth Capital Partners Ireland (MML), make a c. £20m investment into Natural World

Products Limited (NWP), the largest recycler of household organic waste in Ireland. A long standing HSBC Northern Ireland customer, NWP manages more than 250,000 tonnes of organics annually across Ireland, producing high-quality, peat-free organic compost with significant benefits for soil health and carbon sequestration. NWP divert organic waste away from landfill with all the carbon saving benefits that entails, but is also a key ingredient to return organic matter to heavily farmed soils and offering alternatives to peat based growing media in horticulture. HSBC has facilitated more than USD50 billion in sustainable financing and investments since the start of 2017, funding everything from electric vehicles and renewable energy to plastic waste reduction. This helped us win Euromoney magazine’s World’s Best Bank for Sustainable

Finance accolade in both 2019 and 2020. And HSBC has an ambitious plan to prioritise financing and investment that supports the transition to a net-zero global economy. As part of that plan, we’re pledging to reduce financed emissions from our portfolio of customers to net zero by 2050 or sooner. We also expect to provide between USD750 billion and USD1 trillion in finance and investment by 2030 to support our customers in all sectors to decarbonise progressively.

To find out more about the sustainable finance solutions offered by HSBC UK, visit www.business.hsbc.uk/ sustainable-finance

Eye on Sustainability

A springboard for the clean growth sector Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, with sustainability in mind, has significant plans in place to become a hub for SME innovation and commercialisation activity, ultimately becoming a springboard for the clean growth sector and industry.

o says Graham Whitehurst MBE, Chair of the area’s Manufacturing Task Force. The former head of Michelin in Northern Ireland and Wrightbus operations director has been helping to rebuild confidence in the local manufacturing and engineering sectors by focusing on initiatives to help sustain existing jobs in the sector and creating new jobs using advanced manufacturing techniques and clean energy technology. “Innovation is key to underpinning our future economic growth,” he said. “Coupling that with the collaborative nature of i4C, our proposed 8,000 sq. m Innovation and Cleantech Centre that is progressing through the Belfast Region City Deal is set to be established in Ballymena in 2025. “As a result, we will be in a better position to seize economic opportunities through provision of support for skills training and education and ultimately provide an inclusive community resource to benefit all.” Graham elaborated: “The centre will be a platform to enable low-cost access and support to local businesses and entrepreneurs to develop, test and commercialise their ideas using the latest technology with an emphasis on the innovation and sustainability journey and ultimately lead to growth in higher value jobs in emerging sectors. “Mid and East Antrim has key strengths and assets in energy and cleantech that align with zero carbon targets. This makes us a focal point of the emerging Northern Ireland wide hydrogen economy.” Home to two major power stations at Kilroot and Ballylumford, and boosted by a £600m planned investment by EPUKI in the assets and capability in Kilroot, the region has the credentials to support the transition to a green economy. With the construction of a new gas pipeline

to the site and recent success in capacity auctions, this will allow the replacement of the existing coal fired units with cleaner and more flexible ‘dispatchable’ generation, facilitating the transition towards lower carbon generation. Kilroot’s own aspiration for a hydrogen facility will allow the option of producing renewable hydrogen gas, helping to futureproof the energy park for when technology advancements allow the wider transition from gas to hydrogen. The resultant hydrogen produced also has the potential to be used on-site as well as by other consumers. Graham added: “With various uses for hydrogen, such as electricity generation, hydrogen vehicle fuel or wider industrial use, investment in clean technology is a real sign of confidence in our workforce and will continue to level up our economy. “Wrightbus and the RYZE Group are industry leaders in hydrogen transportation and are being supported by over 60 local companies operating in the energy and cleantech sectors. Already there’s that ripple effect across both the local and wider economies.” The bus manufacturer has increased its workforce ahead of expected demand for

hydrogen-powered vehicles. Safeguarding over 1,000 skilled jobs, it will also allow the company to create many more over the next decade. “Plans for the development of the first Hydrogen Training Academy in Northern Ireland later this year will provide bespoke training to support our growth in the renewables sector,” Graham said. “The academy will provide entry level as well as upskilling training to the local workforce. Our continued focus on innovation, sustainability and advancements in the areas where we have real strengths, is allowing us to look to the future with positivity, excitement and the belief that there will be a significant impact on our towns, people and the Northern Ireland wider society as a result of what we are doing.”

To learn more about the Manufacturing Task Force, contact invest@midandeastantrim.gov.uk, visit www.investmideastantrim.com follow on Twitter at @MTF_MEABC

Eye on Sustainability

Translink taking urgent action on Climate Change The Climate Emergency is the most pressing challenge of our time, and the time for action is now.

he forthcoming COP26 summit in Glasgow will be a defining moment in the global response to climate change, setting the agenda for governments and businesses on Net Zero emissions. Translink is working to transform local public transport, with ambitious targets to achieve Net Zero by 2040 and become Climate Positive by 2050. Plans to decarbonise our fleet are underway, with three Zero Emission hydrogen-powered buses introduced to Metro at the end of 2020. With a further 100 Zero Emission buses due to start arriving later this year, Translink is set to have the 4th largest Zero Emission bus fleet in the UK by mid-2022. The benefits are clear – the significant worldwide improvements in air quality during 2020 took place while public transport continued to operate, providing an essential service for key workers. A greater focus on public transport will benefit the environment, economy and wider public health. COP26 presents an opportunity to place the spotlight on sustainable travel as an easy way to take climate action. As we recover, commuting patterns are likely to change. There is considerable interest

in sustainable travel, and we expect the use of public transport to grow back quickly over the next 18 months. Translink is actively working to move further and faster for the good of our environment. We recently launched an exciting campaign, #LetsChangeTogether, encouraging organisations to join us in achieving Net-Zero. This includes a call for public Climate Pledges, the launch of a new Sustainable Travel Charter and an innovative Youth Ambassador programme, The Changemakers, giving young people a platform to promote their views on the climate crisis. We are also transitioning to renewable energy technologies for our buildings and infrastructure via our Climate Positive Strategy. We will soon introduce 21 new Class 4000 intermediate carriages to the NI Railways network, converting several three-car sets into six-car walkthrough sets and providing an additional 1,600 seats across the network daily, as well as examining the possibility of procuring hybrid trains and the electrification of our network. Alongside Irish Rail, Translink is working to enhance the cross-border Enterprise service, including an hourly frequency. We are co-operating in the crossborder Strategic Rail Review,

Eye on Sustainability

replacing Great Victoria Street Train Station and Europa Bus Centre, provide additional bus and rail capacity and sit at the heart of a new city neighbourhood called Weavers Cross. The facility will greatly enhance service capacity and play a major role in driving greater passenger numbers. Modern, efficient public transport, encompassing bus, rail and other sustainable travel options, is essential to any Net Zero plan – with the right support, Translink is

examining the possibility of extending railway networks and utilising rail for freight transport. Improved fleet and infrastructure have a major role to play in encouraging greater use of public transport. Translink is planning for sustained growth in passenger numbers in the years ahead; we are investing in new fleet and have welcomed the consultation on Glider phase 2, building on the success of existing links by extending the service North/ South. Our Translink Future Ticketing System will shortly be

making strong progress towards Zero Emission services and is on course to meet our targets, in keeping with our mission - to ‘lead the transformation of transport in Northern Ireland’.

To get involved in Translink’s new Climate Campaign visit: www.translink.co.uk/ letschangetogether

rolled out across our network, allowing for greater customer choice and ease of transaction, including contactless credit/debit payments. We are also undertaking essential infrastructure upgrades on the rail network and investing in our bus and rail stations. Of all our infrastructural investments, the Belfast Transport Hub is the most transformational. A multi-million-pound investment, a regeneration project and a support for a green recovery for both Belfast and Northern Ireland, the Hub will enter service in 2025,

Eye on Sustainability

Is Sustainability On Your Business Radar? The Covid19 pandemic has certainly caused more than its fair share of problems for businesses, but perhaps one of the few positive outcomes of it all has been the rise of the environmental agenda.

anielle McCormick, Owner and Lead Consultant of Triterra, a consultancy service working with organisations to address and implement sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and behavioural change strategies, gives her views on the changing world of business amid the new sustainability agenda. Can you begin by telling us a little bit about yourself and your experience in the sector? I am a graduate in Environmental Science from the University of Ulster and have over 20 years’

experience in the sustainability and behavioural change sector, delivering local, national, and European behavioural change and sustainability focused campaigns across Northern Ireland. I have been lucky enough to have led some of NI’s leading sustainability and behavioural change campaigns including Love Food Hate Waste, European Week for Waste Reduction, Recycle Now, Recycle Week and Fairtrade Borough. I’ve have had the chance to work with a broadly diverse range of organisations including the Department of the Economy on their most recent Energy Strategy public consultation initiative, as well as The Northern Ireland

Assembly, DAERA, The Waste & Resource Action Programme (WRAP), the National Trust, Fareshare, all eleven Councils as well as numerous businesses across a variety of sectors. I am a firm believer in ongoing professional development, and do love a good challenge, so I went on to achieve my Chartered Institute of Marketing level 4 Certificate in Integrated Communications in 2019; completed my PgCert in International Business with Distinction earlier this year and have just signed up to another PgCert in Energy Management & Green Technology, which is due to start later this month.

What are your thoughts on the future of business and the sustainability agenda? I believe that the world of business is changing at a fast pace. The evidence is everywhere, and this agenda has really been accelerated since the arrival of the Covid19 pandemic. In May last year, 155 multinational businesses, with a combined market value over $2.4trn, signed a statement appealing to governments for a ‘green recovery’. Later that month, a further 350 organisations, representing over 40 million health professionals from 90 different countries added to this

Eye on Sustainability

global call to action by drafting an open letter to the G20 leaders calling for a ‘Healthy Recovery’ which shared similar sentiments. The world’s leaders appear to have finally listened and so I believe big changes will be coming down the line. How do you see the sustainability agenda impacting businesses? The sustainability and corporate responsibility agenda is fast becoming a key driver for business growth and innovation, and there is plenty of research to back up both the demand for this, and the benefits of businesses who adopt this approach. Research from IBM in 2020 has proven that consumers want change, are embracing social causes and seeking out products and brands that align with their values. Nearly six in 10 consumers are willing to change their shopping habits to reduce their environmental impact and almost eight in 10 indicated that sustainability is important for them.

What are the benefits for businesses who get onboard? Research in this area has been going on for some time and has shown overwhelming evidence that demonstrates the clear and tangible benefits to organisations who chose to integrate a CSR agenda. A few examples of how an effective CSR agenda has been shown to benefit business includes:

by an extra 4-6% over a 15-year period

who operate in a more environmentally friendly way, and more large-scale tenders are looking for suppliers to demonstrate sustainability policies and practices. So, in all, if we want to continue to drive forward with business and innovation, secure investment, lead talent and ongoing procurement opportunities it looks like the sustainability agenda is going to be on the radar for the foreseeable future.

complete strategy from concept right through to measuring, monitoring and communicating to your stakeholders, we have everything that you need to support you along the way.

To contact Danielle email her at Danielle@Triterra.co.uk or call on mb:07518096673, or to find out more about Triterra log on to www.triterra.co.uk

How can you help businesses prepare, or get onboard for these changes?

losses by up to 7% turnover rate by 50%. Aside from the potential cost savings associated with sustainability and CSR, more and more investors are looking for business to align with more sustainable work practices to minimise risk; environmental taxes are being introduced by governments, however, there are relief schemes coming down the line for businesses

Triterra provides a wide range of training, mentoring and consultancy services, so whether you need to get started by identifying and developing a tailored sustainability or CSR policy that demonstrates your unique businesses commitment; training your staff or board members; upskilling or 1:1 mentoring for newly placed CSR staff to help them learn the ropes, or want a deeper dive into your business to develop a

Eye on News

Deloitte One Good Turn To Aid Simon Community NI

imon Community NI is one of five charities set to benefit from Deloitte One Good Turn national cycling fundraiser, which has seen 116 participants from Deloitte cycle all or part of the 700-kilometre route around the island of Ireland in five days, connecting all the Deloitte offices on the island of Ireland while also raising much-needed funds for mental health and homelessness charities. One Good Turn started in Cork and visited the firm’s five offices in Cork, Limerick, Galway, Belfast and Dublin. Charities that will benefit from the initiative include Simon Community NI, Cork Counselling Service, Jigsaw Galway, Bluebox Creative Arts Therapy and A Lust for Life. The trip began with a 116-kilometre cycle from Cork to Limerick; followed by 114 kilometres from Limerick to Galway; 167 kilometres from Galway to Cavan; a 146 kilometres ride from Cavan to Belfast; and concluded with a 184 kilometre cycle from Belfast to Dublin. The group is made up of cyclists of all abilities, with a small number participating virtually. As part of Deloitte’s partnership with Team Ireland, the Deloitte cyclists have been supported by a number of Ireland’s Tokyo 2020 Olympians,

including Brendan Boyce, Aifric Keogh and Natalya Coyle, amongst others, who provided motivational support and guidance throughout the week. Harry Goddard, CEO, Deloitte Ireland said: “Last year we asked our staff which causes were most important to them, with mental health coming out as one of the top responses; as a result, we will be fundraising for Irish mental health charities through One Good Turn. “The mental health and wellbeing of our people is a key priority for us, and so it is fitting that this fundraiser gives us an opportunity to support these incredible charities which are a real refuge for people in communities across Ireland and continued to be despite the challenges presented by the pandemic. The dedication shown by our team to their training and fundraising has been inspirational and we’re looking forward to the journey and hopefully meeting our fundraising target.” Jackie Henry, Office Senior Partner, Deloitte Northern Ireland and UK Managing Partner for People and Purpose, Deloitte UKsaid: “The last year and a half has been challenging in many ways. We wanted to do something to show the benefits that exercise and goal setting can have for our people. In addition,

Pictured ahead of the final leg of Deloitte’s One Good Turn cycling challenge are (L-R): Brian Shanks, Corporate Partnerships Manager at Simon Community, Deloitte partner Stephen Wray, Deloitte Ireland CEO Harry Goddard, Irish Olympic rower Philip Doyle and Jackie Henry, Office Senior Partner, Deloitte Northern Ireland and UK Managing Partner for People and Purpose, Deloitte UK.

it’s a great opportunity for our people to reconnect with each other in a safe and engaging way. “I’m incredibly proud of all the groups taking part especially those from the Belfast office and their efforts to train and fundraise while also balancing work and family commitments. We’ve deliberately chosen charities with bases close to each of our five locations in

Ireland and we are delighted to support the Simon Community in Northern Ireland and contribute to the important work they do for the homeless.” All monies raised will be split equally between the five charities. The fundraisers’ official iDonate page allows supporters to donate and also features a training map and fundraising and fitness leader boards.

Asda is Gold – to the CORE K

ieran Harding, Managing Director and Lisa McIlvenna, Deputy Managing, Business in the Community (BITC) present Joe McDonald, Senior Manager, Asda NI with CORE – The Standard for Responsible Business accreditation. As one of only 11 companies in Northern Ireland – and the only retailer - to be recognised at Gold level, CORE accreditation acknowledges the very diverse corporate responsibility commitments made by Asda. These include the supermarket’s actions in relation to community, local sourcing, and climate change.

Asda was also last year’s winner of BITC’s NI Responsible Company of the Year, and a delighted Joe McDonald said: “CORE is a living document within our business, guiding our corporate responsibility decision making. It is proof that we understand, respect, and deliver on our duty to our customers, our suppliers and our local communities. “CORE is a thorough process and a big commitment, but the outcomes are of immense benefit and will help any business make the right strategic decisions.”

OFFSET YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT PLANT TREES! OFFSETTING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT CAN BE SIMPLE Whether you’re in retail, a small manufacturer or run a business in the services sector, you’re probably conscious of your company’s carbon footprint. Going green makes business sense. With the right advice, offsetting your carbon footprint by planting trees can be simple, and cost effective.

Plant trees with Self Help Africa to offset your carbon

Why not get in touch to find out more about how you can offset the carbon footprint of your business. Contact Denny Elliott, Head of Self Help Africa Northern Ireland Visit: selfhelpafrica.org/onemilliontrees/carbon-offset Email: denny.elliott@selfhelpafrica.net

Tel 07799 346997

Eye on Venues

Scottish Provident Building-

Ready To Reap The Post-Covid Dividend

Much has been said and written about how we’re all going to be changing the way we work in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Donna Linehan, Client Services Director at VenYou

ut, while the demise of office working was widely predicted during the uncertain early days of the crisis, the pendulum has swung back in the opposite direction since then. The future of offices now looks a whole lot more certain. “Businesses are looking for flexibility, that’s the key,” says Donna Linehan, Client Services Director at VenYou, the group which manages Belfast’s Scottish Provident Building along with two other serviced offices in the city centre –

Northern Court and Ascot House. “We’re seeing more and more companies coming to us and moving across to the serviced office model because it offers them a lot more flexibility,” Donna continued. “Some companies need less office space, some need more, but less and less of them are prepared to sign leases for five years and more. At a time of uncertainty, that doesn’t make much sense. “Our clients also only pay for the space they need which may make the blend between office

and home working that little bit easier, plus rent, and the likes of WiFi usage are all included in one manageable monthly payment.” The Scottish Provident Building, an architectural landmark on Belfast’s Donegall Square, is back to life as a busy serviced office centre. “Most of our tenant companies are back in the office working in some shape or form,” adds Donna. “Some are back full time, others on a hybrid basis, and new tenants have also moved in. We’re now running at around 90%

Eye on Venues occupancy from a low of 76% at the height of the Covid-19 crisis. “There’s no doubt that the past 18 months have been tough for many businesses but some of our tenants have actually doubled in size over the same period which is fantastic to report.” Back at the start of the pandemic, after the national lockdown was announced, the Scottish Provident Building’s reception and maintenance teams were sent home, although the centre remained accessible to any tenants who required access. “I think we all thought it would be for a few weeks, and even that seemed like a long time back then,” Donna recalled. “Little did we know what lay ahead of us!” What lay ahead for Donna Linehan and her colleagues was a lengthy period spent reassuring and looking after the building’s clients. “We were all in it together, but we did have to do a fair amount of reassuring and we also had to be able to offer rent relief to those who were struggling to make ends meet during the worst of the pandemic.” Donna was back at her own desk in the building after the first lockdown period in 2020. “We had to get back in to make sure we had all of the necessary Covid-19 precautions and mitigations in place for those wanting to return. “We’re fortunate that our office sizes are fairly generous, so having to apply social distancing didn’t

present us with too many problems. A lot of our offices can comfortably accommodate between three and eight members of staff, whereas some of our larger offices can fit 20 desks with plenty of space for social distancing. As more and more people started to return to the office, even for part of the week, we were ready for them. And it’s great to see life returning to the building!” At the same time, the Scottish Provident Building has invested in upgrading the video conferencing technology across its conference rooms. “As much as most of us want to get back to the office, there’s no doubt that video technology will have an increasing role to play, so we’ve been making sure that our tenants have access to the very latest facilities. “We’ve recently installed Display Note launchers in our conference rooms which will enable our tenants to connect to calls and apps quickly and more securely during their meetings. Making our tenants’ lives easier and providing them with the very best quality service is what we’re all about here at VenYou – whether that’s installing the latest technology or the simple things like providing milk for tea and coffee. “Additionally, we updated the access systems on our office doors so that keys are no longer being passed around between colleagues. The building and clients’ offices can only be accessed using an individual key fob. Our client’s

health and safety is of paramount importance and this measure was taken in a bid, to not only upgrade our security but to make our building safer and to reduce the chances of Covid-19 infection. “Our bicycle storage facility has also been extended in recent months to make the building more accessible to those who travel to and from work by bike. “The range of services that we offer our clients, plus the flexibility of serviced office working, is the key to what we do here, and at our other buildings. We offer turnkey solutions.”

A team of 15 people form the backbone of the Scottish Provident Building and keep the office centre open from 7.30am until 7.00 pm each working day. Clients have 24-hour access using a secure side entrance. “The people who work here are also crucial, from our reception staff to the bespoke housekeeping team who look after the offices and meeting rooms. It’s a bit like a club here, everyone gets to know and rely on our staff. It’s important that we look after our tenants and that way everyone can reap the post Covid dividend.”

Eye on Eating Out

Going BlankNew Belfast Restaurant Hits The High Notes There are any number of decent restaurants around Belfast and beyond where the emphasis is laid firmly in high quality local ingredients. Given our reputation for farming and food production, why wouldn’t it be?

t Blank, a brand new restaurant on the Malone Road in the University Quarter, they’ve taken the local ingredients concept and taken it to a whole new level. It’s ingenious, but it’s also a restaurants that, if it keeps up its opening night standards, will soon be knocking on the door of Belfast’s culinary big guns. Let’s explain Blank. Owned by chef Jonny Taylor and his wife Christina (the couple behind the successful Shed Bistro on the Ormeau Road) and with new head chef Niall Duffy on board, it doesn’t have a menu. Instead, guests are given the current ingredients list. Oh, and a drinks list as well, of course. This is Northern Ireland and not the US of A. On our visit, the list included (in no particular order) Stoneground Chocolate from the Mournes, duck from County Cork, salmon from Donegal, Swiss chard and heritage beetroot from North Down, Atlantic cod landed in Kilkeel, buttermilk from Draynes Farm near Lisburn and sea salt from Achill Island. Whilst we enjoyed an Irish Blonde – it’s a beer from Heaney Farm Brewery in Bellaghy so stop giggling at the back – and a superb vodka cocktail, the kitchen team at Blank got to to work. It’s a lovely room, by the way, on the ground floor of one of those elegant town houses a

short stagger from those twin temples of student drinking, the Bot & the Egg. The Donegal salmon came cured with a wonderfully light buttermilkbased dressing, but the Atlantic cod raised the bar almost immediately. Beautifully cooked and well seasoned, it came with some fresh celeriac and another delicate butter sauce laced, we think, with sherry. And that’s one of the few products not to have been sourced locally, one can only presume. Skeganore Duck caomes from the evocatively named Roaring Water Bay west of Skibbereen at the very far end of Ireland, but it came on our plate with some subtle heritage beetroot (from Dave Lindsay in Newtownards), blackberries from elsewhere in County Down and a superb reduction. Duck can be a bit overpowering, in our uneducated view. This was just right. Fortunately, the going got lighter after the showpiece of the West Cork duck. A really refreshing granita (a kind of upmarket sorbet) made from Granny Smith apples also from the larder that is County Down did what it was meant to do. The rich but manageable intense chocolate dessert was made from chocolate made by NearyNogs in the foothills of the Mournes, billed as NI’s first bean to bar craft chocolate producer. To finish off, we were off

(L-R) Blank owners, Jonny and Christina Taylor, with new General Manager Alex Daley and Head Chef, Niall Duffy.

up the road to County Armagh and a generous piece of Ballylisk Triple Rose with chutney and crackers. What’s fascinating about all of this is how it brings to life what we’re so often being told. That our countryside is now dotted with wonderfully innovative, passionate small food producers who haven’t always had the recognition that they deserve. A restaurant like Blank can do just that, by marrying some creativity and passion in the kitchen to innovation and passion out in the countryside. What does it cost? If it matters, the five-course experience is priced at £50 per head. Add in the matching wines, as we did, and it’ll set you back

another £25. Let’s face it, it’s pretty hard to pick a bottle to go with that lot, so best to leave it the experts. Our wines ranged from a floral Vouvray from the Loire Valley to a South African Chardonnay, on to a Pinot Noir also from France, into a sweet Sauternes for the granita and a seriously robust Muscat with the choc. Oh, and back to the Pinot Noir by special request for the Ballylisk cheese. Taxi for Buckley.

Visit blankbelfast.com for all the details or call on 028 9040 6399

Eye on News

BELFAST CHAMBER LAUNCHES ‘EMPOWERING BELFAST’ REPORT

Belfast Chamber has launched a new research report entitled ‘Empowering Belfast’. Produced by independent local think tank Pivotal, the report examines devolution in other UK cities and what lessons can be learnt and possibly applied to stronger, more empowered local government in Belfast.

s well as outlining the existing powers exercised by Belfast City Council, it compares them to those enjoyed in combined metropolitan authorities in Manchester, Liverpool, West Yorkshire and Tees Valley and the use of innovative delivery vehicles like Freeports and Mayoral Development Corporations. Commenting on the launch of the report, Belfast Chamber Chief Executive Simon Hamilton said, “Over the course of the last decade, we have witnessed cities across the UK – our competitors

for talent and investment – becoming increasing empowered. The surge in the growth of places like Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham may not be entirely down to their new governance structures but it is surely not a complete coincidence either. Belfast Chamber believes that our city’s best days lie ahead of us and that we still possess so much unfulfilled potential. Whilst we are hugely impressed with the transformation our city has experienced – much of which has been delivered through the courage

and hard work of our members – we are, at times, frustrated by the pace of change and a growing sense that we are falling behind rival cities. Cities everywhere have been massively affected by the crisis created by the coronavirus pandemic. Places like Milan, the European epicentre of the virus, Paris, San Francisco and others have delivered big, bold plans to reimagine and rethink their cities. Progress in Belfast has been much slower. Painfully so at times. The difference between Belfast and those other cities isn’t a lack of ambition or vision. It’s a lack of power. Putting that ambition, that vision, into a vehicle that is able to deliver the kind of change our city needs now, and in the years to come, will be crucial in whether we can overcome the challenges that lie ahead”. Mr Hamilton continued, “This excellent report produced by Pivotal outlines how far behind Belfast is. Combined metropolitan authorities,

some with and some without a directly elected mayor, have been created with the clear raison d’etre of delivering large scale job creation, economic growth, regeneration and infrastructure investment, separated from the more social side of delivery that Councils do, and seem to be working well across Great Britain. Vehicles like Freeports and Mayoral Development Corporations are also assisting city regions to deliver big change. If Belfast is to become the best city that it can be, then we need to examine these examples carefully and replace our splintered system of government with better, more empowered structures that can knit together the enablers of growth like regeneration and infrastructure. Cities everywhere are taking increasing levels of responsibility for shaping their own destinies and are starting to reap the rewards. The precise model that we choose to deploy is something we can debate and discuss, but one thing is becoming increasingly clear. If we are serious about making our shared vision for the city a reality as well as ensuring that Belfast’s growth is sustainable and inclusive and that we are ready to deal with challenges like climate change, then we need to empower Belfast”. “Belfast Chamber commissioned this research with the hope of both sparking an informed debate and learning lessons from those other cities across the UK who have experienced increasing empowerment over the last number of years. Our overarching aim as an organisation is to see Belfast succeed. The process and procedures that allow us deliver that success are an often overlooked but essential ingredient and it is our hope that this report starts a serious conversation, and we encourage everyone to contribute by sending their thoughts to us at info@belfastchamber.com”.

Eye on Venues

Where The Mountains Of Mourne Sweep Down To The Inn In the wake of a summer where staycations became the norm for many (...but not all), we’ve all learnt a bit more about the towns, villages and countryside that surrounds us here in Northern Ireland. But even for those of us who think we’ve been there and done that, there are still little surprises lurking out there.

ake Castlewellan. It’s a place we hadn’t been to in many long years, tending instead to head on down the road to the bright lights and fleshpots of Newcastle. What we didn’t reckon on were the hidden delights of Hillyard House, a new hotel in the centre of Castlewellan village and right outside the entrance gates to another joy that we’d forgotten about – Castlewellan Forest Park. In case any of you haven’t been there for a while, or haven’t been at all, the Forest Park is simply stunning, perhaps even better at this time of the year, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, as John Keats described it. If you’re there, take a walk around its lake, enjoy the trees, and castle, the hills and all that the park can offer. But, if you decide to stay, make a bee line for Hillyard House. Opened during the pandemic, it’s never had a chance to operate without some form of restrictions and it’s faced lengthy periods of closure. But this is a place that puts the ‘h’ into hospitality, a place that makes you feel welcome and a place that you won’t want to leave. Developed by local businessmen on the site of a former town hostel in the centre of the village (there’s plenty of parking outside the

door and around the area), it’s not big – it has 20 guest rooms – but it’s very good at what it does. Let’s start with the rooms. Our’s looked out over the main street towards the splendour of the Mournes. It was spacious, individually styled, meticulously clean and, perhaps more importantly of all, very comfortable.

Hillyard House Castlewellan General Manager Suzanne Kidd

Eye on Venues

Multiple award-winning chef, Will Brown, has worked under Marco Pierre White, Paul Rankin and Gordon Ramsay’s Maze to name just a few.

I know that a room must be ultra comfortable when I struggle to get down for breakfast, such as the allure of an Ulster fry in normal circumstances. But it will come as no surprise to learn that the fry won the argument, and it was well worth it. A mini version it might have been (we’re not at young as we used to be....) but it set us both up nicely for a decent walk into the park after breakfast. But we’d arrived in Castlewellan the previous afternoon, checking in to our room before taking a walk around the area. In the interests of journalistic research, though, we had to check out the wining and dining facilites. And, whilst its guest rooms might be relaxing and comfortable, this is where Hillyard House transforms itself from a hotel nto

something just a little bit special. First up, there’s the staff. To man, woman, boy and girl – they all seemed young to us – they exude an easy friendliness and a welcome informality. The hotel’s bar is called Mrs. Coleman’s. It’s a lovely space, complete with a mezzanine floor for those who want to be far from the madding crowd (not that there is any...) adorned with lots of fascinating old photographs depicting local scenes and local characters. But the bar itself is huge and that’s exactly how it should be. What’s more, it’s well stocked and it’s staffed by the kind of barmen who know what they’re doing and how to do it. As any seasoned drinker will tell you, that’s not desirable. It’s essential.

We ventured out after dinner to sample the bars of downtown Castlewellan but, with no disrespect to them, we found ourselves back in the professional warmth of Mrs. Coleman’s. And what about that dinner. The Yard Restaurant, built on the site of what used to be the yard at the back of the old house, has become something of a destination in itself for those lucky enough to live in the area. It’s led by Head Chef Will Brown, a man who has juggled saucepans at Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White restaurants in London as well as presiding over the Old Schoolhouse up the road in Comber. The Yard is a bright, airy space designed with the same attention to design detail that seems to

have been applied throughout Hillyard House. But it doesn’t matter how attractive a restaurant space is. It’s all about the grub. And The Yard doesn’t disappoint. Local produce, perhaps not surprisingly, features heavily. And it doesn’t come much more local than the tomatoes from the gardens of Castlewellan that feature in one of the starters. Or there are Dundrum Bay Mussels from a few miles down the road on the coast, Comber potatoes and, for a fascinating taste combination, the pairing of black pudding and rhubarb. Great steaks, too, for those of us who tend to err on the traditional side. A couple of nights here and you’ll come home relaxed and refreshed. You might have a couple of ounces to shed during the working week, but you’ll not mind one bit.

Eye on Arts

Electric Ireland & Lyric Theatre – The Perfect Match For GroundBreaking Production As any marketing director will testify, there are some strategic partnerships that take a bit of extra work. But there are some that simply work.

Eye on Arts

hen Anne Smyth, Sponsorship Specialist at Electric Ireland, first caught up with Claire Murray, Head of Marketing at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, it was one of those moments. Not only did the two women strike up an easy friendship, but the business benefits to both were clear from the kick off. “Claire told me about the forthcoming production of Rough Girls, and within minutes I knew that we just had to support it,” says Anne. “Some things just fit, but this one really couldn’t have been a better fit for us as an organisation. The business case wrote itself, to be honest.” Electric Ireland, in its quest for innovative sponsorship projects, first got involved in women’s football here in Northern Ireland in 2017, initially backing the grass roots game here. Since those early days, it has stepped up its sponsorship to cover almost every aspect of the women’s game here, including a high-profile sponsorhip of the Northern Ireland senior international team, which recently qualified for the European Championship Finals in 2022.

helped by the performance of the Northern Ireland team. “We’re involved right across the board, from community festivals at grassroots level to the players who have come through the elite player pathways to arrive at the top of the game,” adds Anne. “We’re passionate about the sport and I don’t think there is any element of it that we don’t try to support. “So, when we heard about Rough Girls, we were ready to get involved and lend our support.” Claire Murray is equally enthusiastic

about the partnership. “We’re delighted to be getting back to live theatre, and we’re even more excited to get back to live action with an original piece of work from one of our best home grown talents, Tara Lynne O’Neill. “Rough Girls will be a game changer in itself, so it fits in really well with Game Changers NI and what Electric Ireland and the Irish FA are trying to do. The girls whose story we’re telling on stage were the real life pioneers of the women’s football game that we have nowadays.”

Claire Murray, Head of Development and Marketing, Lyric Theatre

Game Changers NI in partnership with the Irish FA, supports the growth of girls’ and women’s football. During its lifespan, Game Changers NI has helped to drive a 25% increase in participation in girl’s and women’s football at all levels, as well as a remarkable 85% increase in the average attendance at international matches...also

Anne Smyth, Sponsorship Specialist, Electric Ireland

Some of the cast of Rough Girls (Ruby Campbell, Caroline Curran, Eloise Stephenson and Nicky Harley) with Jimmy Fay (Executive Producer, Lyric Theatre)

Rough Girls, a new play by Derry Girls star Tara Lynne O’Neill, takes to the stage of Belfast’s Lyric Theatre until the 25th September. Set in Belfast a hundred years ago, it’s the untold story of Northern Ireland’s first all-female football team, a group of local women who stepped onto the pitch in society-shocking shorts and football boots, a ball at their feet and a point to prove. Featuring an 13-strong female cast, it is giving local audiences that chance to (literally) sit amongst the action thanks to an innovative

stage layout. An all female team is completed by director Kimberly Sykes and musical director Katie Richardson. The production has attracted plenty of interest from the sporting fraternity. Some women’s football clubs have blocked booked tickets, and some players from the Northern Ireland team might attend, depending on their strict Covid protocols. “It’s a unique production and it reflects a unique story,” says Claire Murray. “We can only imagine what it must have been like for the girls who pulled on football boots a hundred years ago when attitudes were very different. “They were true game changers, and it’s appropriate that we can partner with an organisation driving a very different generation of game changers.”

For when business success needs admin support

Eye Moving On 1 Rachel McKeeman has been appointed Director of Industry Training & Support at Construction Industry Training Board NI (CITB NI). As part of CITB NI’s Executive Management Team, Rachel will be involved in the strategic planning and development of the organisation She has over 10 years experience working at a senior level developing and delivering construction, training, auditing, apprenticeships and quality assessment programmes. Previous roles include Senior Area Manager Openreach Ltd and Regional Operations Manager at Premier Inn. Rachel was a board member for the Openreach Equality Board, advising on policy, diversity and inclusion.

1. Rachel McKeeman

4. Ciara Kellett

2. David Clark

5. Gayle McGurnaghan

3. Mervyn Watley

6. Fiona Bennington

Belfast-based architectural wall cladding 2 specialist Spanwall has appointed David Clark as Manufacturing Director. He joins the Spanwall Board with immediate effect and will assist in delivering an ambitious growth strategy, with a focus on delivering manufacturing efficiencies and continuous improvement. LEDCOM, a business enterprise agency with premises in Larne and Ballyclare, has 3 appointed Mervyn Watley to its Board of Directors. A native of Agadowey, Mervyn first started his career as an Assistant Surveyor with Brian Canavan Associates Chartered Building and Quantity Surveyors and went on to hold a number of senior roles including with Northern Bank (now Danske), University of Ulster, where he was Head of Estates Planning and Development and most recently, as a Director of Corporate Real Estate and Facilities for Catalyst. 4 Ciara Kellett has been appointed Director of Operations for Irish-owned pizza chain Four Star Pizza. Ciara brings a wealth of commercial and operational experience from over 20 years in retail FMCG and Foodservice industries in Ireland, during which time she has held senior positions with Musgrave Wholesale Partners (Head of National Accounts), Primeline Group (Head of National Accounts) and Johnson Brothers (Commercial Manager for NGage).

7. Stephen McQuoid

Belfast Central Mission (BCM) has appointed 5 Gayle McGurnaghan as its new Head of People and Organisational Development. Gayle joins BCM following almost two decades with the Probation Board of Northern Ireland where she had most recently been responsible for Learning & Development and Culture & Equality in her role as Deputy Head of HR. Experienced product designer and entrepreneur 6 Fiona Bennington has joined Catalyst in the newly created role of Head of Entrepreneurship and Growth. An engineer and product designer by training, Fiona previously ran her own design consultancy, Nuli Design. Radius Payment Solutions has appointed 7 Stephen McQuoid as Regional Director for Ireland within communications division, Radius Connect. Stephen has been a senior leader in IT and Telecommunications for almost 20 years and most recently with Aptos, a global leader in retail software.

Eye on News

NI SPAR RETAILERS CLEAN UP AT LONDON AWARDS SPAR, EUROSPAR and VIVOXTRA retailers in Northern Ireland have won ten categories at the Retail Industry Awards in London.

he national awards ceremony is held in the highest regards by the industry across the UK, and local retailers in Northern Ireland took home some of the biggest accolades of the night including Store Team of the Year, Forecourt Retailer of the Year and Independent Retailer of the Year. This year’s ceremony was back in full force for 2021, and shone a light on the fortitude of the sector and how retailers responded in strength and community spirit to the impact of COVID-19. Henderson Retail brought home four wins throughout the companyowned categories, plus four highly commended nods. SPAR Malone Road was victorious in both the Forecourt Retailer of the Year and Store Team of the Year categories, with EUROSPAR Victoria Road in Carrickfergus picking up Post

Office Retailer of the Year while Nigel Walker was presented with the Store Manager of the Year award for his work at EUROSPAR Hardford Link in Newtownards. For the independents, Team Mulkerns brought home another hat-trick, fresh off their previous three wins at the Convenience Awards earlier this month. The Newry-based EUROSPAR continued their winning streak at the Retail Industry Awards, picking up Best Use of Technology, Food-to-Go Retailer of the Year and Store Team of the Year. Other independent successes included Lynch’s EUROSPAR in Derry/Londonderry for Independent Retailer of the Year, Campbell’s EUROSPAR, Banbridge for Chilled Retailer of the Year and JC Stewart’s in Magherafelt for Fresh Produce Retailer of the Year.

Four highly commended nods were received by the independent retailers with Lynch’s recognised in the Chilled Retailer of the Year category, both JD Hunter’s and Morrison’s VIVOXTRA in Saintfield shared the highly commended crown for Fresh Produce Retailer of the Year and Chris McClure of JD Hunter’s took home the highly commended Store Manager of the Year award. Mark McCammond, Retail Director at Henderson Group says the wins show great resilience from their network of stores in the past year in particular; “Never has local retailing been more important than when our stores were trusted to provide not only safe places for shoppers to get their essentials during lockdown, but also ensure shelves were stocked. “Our Henderson Retail stores have worked incredibly hard to provide a benchmark for safety, value and choice for shoppers and the judges have recognised the lengths we’ve gone to, to provide essential products and services from our forecourts to our post offices. Congratulations to all the winners from this prestigious ceremony.”

Paddy Doody, Sales and Marketing Director at Henderson Group added; “Our independent retailers have once again swept the board at a national, UK-wide awards ceremony, pushing the standards of independent retailing even higher. These retailers have had a very challenging 18-months, and none have shown greater support to their communities – as evidenced in picking up both company owned and independent awards for Store Team of the Year. “Awards like these are not just for the glory but put retail excellence on the map – and that pin is very firmly in Northern Ireland. Congratulations to all the winners and highly commended teams and stores.” The Retail Industry Award winners were selected by a panel of esteemed and experienced names in the industry. The Awards, now in their 26th year are a celebration of all that is great about the UK grocery retail sector. The 2021 winners were revealed at a gala ball ceremony at the Brewery in London on 21 September 2021.

Eye on News

Local distillery opens following £1m investment and creation of 40 new jobs over five years

A new County Down family-owned distillery has opened following the investment of almost £1m which also includes the production of two premium spirits using locally sourced ingredients aimed at the home and export market and is set to generate 40 new jobs over the next five years.

&R Distillery Ireland Ltd is located on the Ballygowan Road in the Castlereagh hills in state-of-the-art purpose-built premises where the two new spirits are expertly crafted. Backyard Whiskey is distilled from carefully fermented grains aged in wooden casket, and Backyard Vodka is made with organically grown wheat and branded with the iconic Harland and Wolff, Samson, and Goliath Cranes, to promote the authenticity of these uniquely Northern Ireland products. The husband-and-wife entrepreneurs who own the distillery, Robin and Reyna Herron from Bangor, say it has been a labour of love from inception to finally getting their drinks into the hands of customers.

Husband-and-wife entrepreneurs, Robin and Reyna Herron, are pictured as they celebrate the opening of R&R Distillery

Commenting on the launch of the two premium spirits, R&R Distillery Ireland director, Robin Herron said: “We pondered the concept for several years before travelling around Europe fact finding and exploring the finer details and specifications, and eventually having our copper stills hand made for us in Canada. However, the most important thing in creating any great spirit is that you need great ingredients and we have been delighted to be able to source the purest and highest quality ingredients locally. The key ingredient for any premium spirit is water and our distillery has been sited where we have our very own spring water well.” Commenting on the values that surround the products, distillery co director Reyna Herron said:

“We are mindful of our commitment to local sourcing and our environmental responsibilities. I believe we have come up with some really exciting and innovative solutions to recycling by-products through a biotechnology company to produce natural nutrients in farmed fish feed. We are constantly seeking to innovate in the delivery of sustainable, green alternatives to conventional packaging used in the drinks sector and are engaged with biotech partners to progress exciting projects in this area. Already we are piloting a bottle return scheme with the trade and hope if successful to extend this to the public”. Already the business has created jobs for 3 people with projections of between 10 and 15 in the first eighteen months rising to over 40 in years three to five. The supply chain will underpin further within the local economy.

AIB Business Eye AWARDS 2021

AWARDS 2021

Eye on Awards AWARDS 2021

Awards Shortlist 2021 Company of the Year

Research & Development Award

Connected Health

Bloc

EDGE Innovate

Foods Connected

FinTrU

PAC Group

Lidl NI

Highroads

Salt Communications

Tourism & Hospitality Award Lyric Theatre

AES Global

Titanic Hotel

Bloc

Central Belfast Apartments

FD Technologies

Galgorm Collection Arthouse UK

Bonny Armstrong, B Aesthetics Srinivas Aravamudan, Olenick & Associates Laura Smyth, Whitenoise Ian Megahey, Workpal / Barclay Comms

Viberoptix Opco Foods Connected

Highroads

Musgrave Group

Young Business Personality of the Year

Todd Architects

Selective Travel Management

Henderson Retail M&M Contractors

Medium/Mid-Sized Business of the Year

Hinch Distillery

Version 1 MRP Fibrus

Covid Response Company of the Year Hospital Services Ltd Lyric Theatre

Employer of the Year

Q Radio Translink

FinTrU

MCL Insuretech

Mascott Construction

McKees

Lidl NI

Musgrave NI

Version 1 Factor Law

Roger McCracken, Foods Connected

Decision Time

John Bailie, Salt Communications

FD Technologies

Musgrave NI

Covid Business Hero Award Glyn Roberts, Retail NI Gavin & Sarah Mackie, Larchfield Estate James Hagan

Eye on Awards AWARDS 2021

Business Personality of the Year

Professional Services Firm of the Year

Robin Mercer, Hillmount Sam Anderson, IceMos Technology Judith Totten, Upstream Glyn Roberts, Retail NI Britt Megahey, Barclay Comms Dr Terry Cross, Hinch Distillery

Family Business of the Year Hillmount

A&L Goodbody Harbinson Mulholland Cavanagh Kelly Workplus Pinnacle Growth Group

SDG Hutchinson Engineering Barclay Communications Glandore M&M Contractors Henry Brothers

Covid Era Innovative Company of the Year

Community (CSR) Award

Henderson Retail Hinch Distillery

MCL Insuretech & Action Cancer NIAVAC

Musgrave & Action Cancer

DrinkApp

James Brown & Sons

Obbi Solutions

Reach & The Welcome Organisation

Decora Blind Systems

Simpson Developments

Hagan Homes

Mivan

Elite Electronic Systems

Belfast City Airport

Bloc

Enlighten IC

Young Enterprise

EDGE Innovate

Manufacturer of the Year

AES Global

Small Business of The Year

Elite Electronic Systems

SDG Central Belfast Apartments Decision Time Q Radio AES Global Obbi Solutions SciLeads B Aesthetics Workplus

Full details are available online at www.businesseyeawards.co.uk

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Eye on News

Lunn’s To Open Four New Luxury Brand Stores In Belfast’s Queen’s Arcade Four luxury brands are to open new boutiques in Belfast’s Queen’s Arcade as part of a new, multimillion pound investment.

lobally renowned brands OMEGA, Breitling, Gucci Watches & Jewellery and Montblanc will each have their own dedicated showrooms in Queen’s Arcade, creating a collection of stores unlike anything else in Ireland. The new stores will sit alongside existing tenants including Lunn’s the Jewellers flagship store, Rolex, TAG Heuer, Jonathan Keys Opticians & Robinson’s Shoes. The new openings follow an extensive restoration programme of Queen’s Arcade which was carried out by its owners, Lunn’s the Jewellers, in 2019. The work enhanced the Arcade’s Victorian splendour and included the restoration of the building’s façade on Donegall Place, the laying of a bespoke Italian floor and the renovation of the interior’s plasterwork. Designed by James McKinnon and built in 1880, Queen’s Arcade is a Category B1 listed building and Belfast’s last remaining Victorian shopping arcade. It was purchased by Lunn’s the Jewellers in 2002. Work on the boutiques will commence shortly and is scheduled to be completed by December 2021,

with more than 20 new retail and back-office jobs to be created by Lunn’s following the expansion. John Lunn, Managing Director of Lunn’s Jewellers, said the addition of new stores for four such iconic brands is a vote of confidence in Belfast and provides a boost for the city’s retail offering that will be popular with both local shoppers and international tourists as they start to return to Belfast. “The opening of standalone boutiques for these luxury brands is a huge endorsement for Belfast as very few cities in the UK are able to enjoy this mix of stores. We are excited about the future for Queen’s Arcade and will continue to invest to make it one of the premier shopping destinations in Ireland,” he said. Welcoming news of the investment, Lord Mayor of Belfast Councillor Kate Nicholl said: “It’s wonderful to see this investment in our city’s heritage; Queen’s Arcade is really special – a listed building and the last remaining Victorian shopping arcade in Belfast, so I’m delighted that this continued investment will help ensure it is enjoyed for many years to come. “I think it shows a real vote of confidence in Belfast that we are attracting brands of this calibre to our high street and creating more choice, not just for our own residents, but for visitors to the city as well as tourists; and the creation of more jobs is very welcome, particularly as we look ahead to the city’s Covid-recovery journey and reimagine our city centre.”

Lord Mayor of Belfast Kate Nicholl and John Lunn, Managing Director of Lunn’s Jewellers, pictured at Queen’s Arcade.

Belfast Harbour Announces Appointment Of Three New Directors

elfast Harbour has announced the appointment of three new Directors to its Leadership Team, as it continues to develop its strategy to become a world leading regional Port and a key economic hub for the region. The appointments will see Belfast Harbour continue to deliver on its ambition as a gateway for trade and opportunity by growing economic activity, adopting new technology and upholding the highest environmental standards. Ian Lang has joined Belfast Harbour in a new role as Infrastructure and Sustainability Director, with 15 years’ experience in the transport and aviation sector, leading the development agenda at airports in various geographies, most recently including Gatwick,

Edinburgh and Glasgow. Lang has significant experience in delivering complex infrastructure projects, including the project management of large-scale capital investment

portfolios, and will bolster Teams in developing high-quality, sustainable infrastructure, as well as promoting Belfast Harbour’s Green Port strategy. Mike Dawson has been appointed as

People and Corporate Services Director. From his previous roles, including Group HR and Corporate Services Director at Dale Farm, Dawson brings a wealth of experience in developing progressive HR policies and procedures, and will drive Belfast’s Harbour’s commitment to nurturing and attracting diverse talent. Kevin Ryan has been welcomed as a new Development Director. He joins Belfast Harbour from Dublin based international property company, Hines, where he was Development Director for 6 years. Prior to this Ryan was Head of Property for Tesco Ireland. His depth of experience will support Belfast Harbour and partners in realising ambitions around future growth, enabling the organisation to continue to stimulate and grow the regional economy.

Eye on News

Barclay Communications, sponsors Down Royal hospitality suite in new £45k contract

Belfast-based Barclay Communications has moved to the next phase of its 2021 marketing strategy by investing in the exclusive sponsorship of one of Down Royal’s luxury hospitality suites.

he space, which provides premium views of the Parade Ring, and the perfect setting for private events, will now be called the Barclay Communications Suite and adds another equestrian element to the telecom group’s recreational business interests. Britt Megahey, Founder and Managing Director of Barclay Communications, alongside his sons Christopher and Harold Megahey, manages a number of businesses related to the sport. This includes Glenpatrick Horseboxes and Glenpatrick Stables, based in Templepatrick, Northern Ireland and Westbury Stables located in Berlaarbaan, Belgium. The Megahey family has invested £650,000 in developing the new stable facilities, while Harold and Chris are decorated showjumping athletes. As part of its new partnership with Down Royal, Barclay Communications will be a race sponsor on Day 2,

NI Festival of Racing 2021 and Day 2 of the Summer Festival of Racing, Derby Day 2022. In addition to race titles, and putting its name behind the hospitality suite, Barclay Communications’ new branding will also feature throughout the race course. Speaking about the three-year contract, Britt Megahey, said: “We are delighted to launch this new partnership with Down Royal by sponsoring its hospitality suite. “Barclay Communications has been very privileged over the past year as our business grew exponentially, beckoning some of our biggest contracts yet. That growth has allowed us to invest even more into ensuring our customers have the best possible experience from every aspect of the business. “To allow us to do this, it’s important that we demonstrate the ways we are revolutionising how businesses communicate, both in-house and remotely. Our

new contract with Down Royal will allow us to promote this message to local business owners. “We look forward to working with Down Royal over the next few years supporting its growth, as well as enjoying the return of horse racing to the social calendar. “We look forward to welcoming guests to the Barclay Communications Suite.” The Barclay Group’s growth during the pandemic surpassed targets, with turnover exceeding £20million. A similar growth rate is expected for 2021. As a result of the latter success the Group recently announced an investment of over £1.8million in new systems and new people to cater to heightened demand. A dedicated £400,000 marketing budget has also been assigned to increase awareness of the Group’s product offering in international markets and the Barclay Communications Suite at Down Royal is part of that investment.

Emma Meehan, Chief Executive of Down Royal Racecourse, commented: “A very welcome addition to our list of prestige business partners, Barclay Communications has, over the past two decades, become synonymous for customer service and helping businesses stay connected, and we are delighted to secure their support. “The Megahey family has a genuine passion for the equine industry so it is extremely fitting that their backing and investment sees them sponsor one of our premier hospitality suites and races at two of Down Royal’s main racing fixtures on the 2021/22 calendar. “Through this new partnership we hope to enhance the racegoing experience and give people an extra reason to visit Down Royal and to keep coming back. “We look forward to working with the team and to building a long and mutually beneficial relationship for both brands.”

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Eye on Motoring

Motoring with James Stinson

Tucson ups its game SUV buyers are spoilt for choice, writes James Stinson

UVs are everywhere these days. From a market that barely existed 20 years ago, they now account for more than a third of new car sales. Drivers like them for their highriding stance, poise and practicality. And everyone is making them and they are almost all universally good. However, given that they are basically a box on stilts you could be forgiven for thinking they all pretty much look the same. So, credit to Hyundai for throwing every styling cue it can think of to try and make its new Tucson stand out from the crowd. The latest Tucson is a mid-sized SUV

to rival the VW Tiguan, Skoda Karoq, Peugeot 3008, Ford Kuga and others. It’s a little bigger than the model it replaces while there’s also a discernible jump in quality, which is reflected in higher prices that now start at £28,710. Most notable though is how the new Tucson looks. From the insect-like front grille and striking light clusters to the chrome inset that runs front to back above the doors, there’s a lot to look at and take in. Best of all, are the prominent and angular creases on the doors and wings, which really catch the eye. As is the vogue these days, the engine line-up is relatively simple.

There’s a 148bhp 1.6 litre petrol motor that can be had as petrol only or with various degrees of hybrid assistance. The mild hybrid versions give a modest performance boost at low speeds though significant economy and power gains are to be had with the more expensive Hybrid (227bhp) and plug-in hybrid versions further up the range. 0-60 times hover around 10 seconds for the lower-powered models and nine seconds for the meatier ones. Fuel consumption is in the low forties rising to nearly 50 mpg for the full hybrid. Whichever one you choose, the driving experience is pretty seamless. Indeed, the Tucson is a really comfortable drive. The seating position is nice and high while the cabin generally is among the more spacious, with plenty of room for six footers front and back. The interior is less cluttered than previous versions, with most of the controls handled through an excellent 10.3 inch centrally mounted touchscreen. It has a quality feel with good looking, tactile materials used throughout. The Tucson soaks up the bumps and yumps of back lanes well while the cabin is quiet and comforting on long motorway cruises. The boot is also decent for this class, with a nice, wide opening and rear seats that fold forward with a single pull of handily positioned levers.

The range is pretty straightforward, starting with SE Connect, N Line and N Line S, then Premium and top-ofthe range Ultimate specifications. Standard equipment is generous with the SE Connect trim including 17-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, a rear-view camera, heated and folding door mirrors and the usual Bluetooth and DAB audio set-up. More expensive versions feature a plethora of safety equipment, some of which is more useful than others. Collision avoidance aids though are especially useful and worth adding if you can run to the extra expense. Hyundais are not the bargain buy they once were. Prices start from just under £29,000 for the entry-level petrol only version but most drivers will probably opt for hybrid and higher spec models, which takes the price into the low to mid-thirties. All-wheel drive also pushes up the cost though discounts of £2,000 and more should be achievable if you shop around. The plug-in hybrid, which starts at £39,330, is expensive for private buyers but could tempt company car users, thanks to the generous benefit in kind (BIK) tax rate of just 10%. It will do around 25 to 30 miles in battery only mode before needing to use any petrol. Other things to consider are Hyundai’s reassuring fiveyear, unlimited mileage warranty.

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Streamlined range for Citroen’s people mover If it’s proper space you’re after then Citroen’s Grand C4 Space Tourer seven-seat MPV is just the ticket.

ne of the best and most spacious MPVs around, Citroen has streamlined the model line-up leaving just two trim levels – ‘Sense’ and ‘ Shine’, with prices starting from £28,630. Customer demand has been the key contributor to the streamlined range, with over 90% of customers ordering the ‘Sense’ and ‘Shine’ trim level, with around 60% opting for the latter, range-topping ‘Shine’ model. ‘Sense’ variants come very well appointed as standard, with 17-inch ‘Shamal’ alloy wheels, dark tinted side

windows and integrated aluminium roof bars. All models also feature 3D-effect rear lights, as well as a reversing camera for added ease of driving. Inside, ‘Sense’ models feature a 12-inch Panoramic HD central display and a 7-inch Touch Drive interface with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay™ as standard. ‘Sense’ models also feature Citroën Connect Nav with three-years of live traffic updates. To ensure the safety of drivers, passengers and other road users, all models feature Active Safety Brake

with Forward Collision Warning, Driver Attention Alert, Speed Limit Recognition and Recommendation as well as a tyre pressure monitoring system. Best-selling and range-topping ‘Shine’ models add a panoramic sunroof and black door mirrors to the exterior styling, as well as Xenon Intelligent Beam headlights – which automatically dip to prevent dazzling oncoming road users. ‘Shine’ models also benefit from an active lane-departure warning system, as well as active cruise control with speed limiter, and braking function for

semi-autonomous motorway driving. A blind-spot monitoring system helps reduce accidents even further, while a park assist function can take over parking duties in difficult situations. ‘Sense’ and ‘Shine’ trims are both available with a choice efficient petrol and Diesel engines, with either a manual gearbox or an eight-speed automatic transmission (paired to the PureTech 130 petrol engine). ‘Shine’ trim has the additional option of a BlueHDi 130 Diesel engine with the eight-speed automatic ‘box.

THIS TIGUAN HAS EXTRA SPACE Volkswagen has given the Tiguan Allspace family SUV a refresh, with prices starting from £32,135.

stretched seven-seat version of the Tiguan, the Allspace boasts more space than the standard car and now features some subtle exterior and interior styling updates. There’s a redesigned front end, including a more intricate grille that also features a bold illuminated light strip. The infotainment has been updated, with more ‘connected’ services thanks to an integrated sim card. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now available, while elsewhere the Allspace gets a revised climate control panel that is operated using new touch panels rather than rotary knobs. Further safety assists have also been introduced, including a new ‘Travel Assist’ feature that combines adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist - both of these are now included as standard. The engine range is similar to

before, with a choice of petrol options with outputs from 148bhp to 242bhp, along with diesel versions ranging from 148bhp to 197bhp. A new ‘twin dosing’ system that combines AdBlue with a dual catalytic converter also helps to bring down nitrogen dioxide emissions by 80 per cent on the diesels. The majority of engines are also available with 4Motion all-wheel-drive, too, or come with it as standard. Like the standard Tiguan, the updated Allspace is set to get a new range of trim levels, with Life and Elegance versions set to replace the outgoing Match and SEL grades, while a familiar sportier-looking R-Line trim will head up the range. Standard equipment will include 18-inch alloy wheels, an electric boot, an eight-inch touchscreen and 10.25-inch digital dial system.

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Business Eye September/October 2021

Articles inside

The Cube Meets Crystal Maze In Belfast

Hillyard House - Where The Mountains Of Mourne Sweep Down To The Inn

Back To Breakfast For Family Businesses