Business Eye Feb/March 2015

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Issue 148 Feb/March 2015 £2.50 Voted best Business Magazine in Ireland 2005 and Magazine of the Year for Northern Ireland

DES MOORE & FIRST TRUST BANK...

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

SIGHTS SET ON GROWTH

Features: 02

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Countdown On For Small Business Awards

STRAIGHT TO BUSINESS Up to 40 flights a day around the UK from Belfast City. flybe.com

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Waterfront... A Second Belfast Renaissance

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Sir William Hastings & The Hotelier’s Art

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Contents

titanicbelfast.com Feb/March 2015 ISSUE 148

Business Awards

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Countdown On For Small Business Awards

Sam Butler talks to Kevin and Julie Hickey about Dart Mountain Cheese, their artisan business that has just launched three new farmhouse cheeses.

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Business Eye Fleet Awards 2015

The countdown is very definitely on to the 2015 Business Eye Fleet Industry Awards and Titanic Motor Show, taking place at Titanic Belfast and the Titanic Slipways and 24th and 25th of April this year.

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Cover Story Des Moore & First Trust Bank... Sights Set On Growth These are changed times for all of our main banks, a fact reflected in the profit figures they’re producing. First Trust Bank is no exception, and the Bank’s Head here in Northern Ireland talks to Business Eye about the process of recovery, and about how the bank wants to achieve steady growth in a competitive banking marketplace.

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Eye On Giving Esther Haller-Clarke is Director of her own consutlancy Type AB and Northern Ireland Ambassador for Giving UK, so she’s well placed to offer her views on philanthropy and how more local companies can get involved.

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Malone Lodge Marks Record Year

One of Belfast’s hospitality gems, the Malone Lodge Hotel in South Belfast, has been looking back on its best year yet. General Manager Terri Cassidy reflects on the hotel’s development and it’s growth plans.

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Investment & Events Waterfront... Leading A Second Belfast Renaissance We catch up with the project team behind Belfast’s most significent infrastructure investment in recent years, the £29.5 million transformation of the existing Belfast Waterfront Hall into a worldclass conference and exhibitions venue... right in the midst of the city centre and good enough to attract major events from all over the globe.

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Granola & Growth

The move towards healthier snacks and breakfasts has meant an upsurge in the number of granola cereals, snacks bars and similar products on today’s shelves. We catch up with Portaferry-based artisan granola makers David & Jill Crawford to talk about their business.

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Electric Ireland Top Performer Alan Gibson, Moy Park’s UK and Ireland Director is part of the executive leadership team that has seen Moy Park soar to its position as one of the UK’s top 15 food companies and Northern Ireland’s largest private sector business.

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Hospitality Management The Hotelier’s Art & A Changing World One of Northern Ireland’s most respected business leaders, Sir William Hastings, takes a fascinating and highly personal look at how change has impacted on the business he loves – hotels. But he argues that the fundamental skills of the good hotelier remain the same as they’ve always been.

ABC average circulation Jan-June 2010, 7,610 copies Yearly Subscription £35 UK and NI or £37.50 outside the UK

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Alpine Flavour From The Sperrins

The Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards are an exciting new addition to the awards calendar here in Northern Ireland. The new awards were launched at a reception in the La Mon House Hotel & Country Club recently, and the trophies will be handed out at the same venue on June 11th this year.

Regulars

Specials

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Marketing Challenges

Marketing has changed, and it continues to change. Alongside the Chartered Institute of Marketing, we catch up with a number of leading marketing professionals here in Northern Ireland to gauge their views on how marketing is shaping up... and where we all go from here.

Eye on Communications

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Eye on Retail

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Eye on Internet

Eye on Finance

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Eye on Events

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Moving On

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Eye on Travel

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Eye on Education

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Eye on Motoring

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

Editor Richard Buckley Commercial Director Brenda Buckley Sales Manager Claire Dickson

Features & Promotions Manager Ciara Donnelly

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

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

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As we head inexorably towards another General Election, followed at the same time in 2016 by our own Assembly elections, things could start to change before we know it.

Comment

“A report commissioned by the Executive came up with a fairly simple conclusion.

Abolition of the £13 per head tax could lead to a £55 million reduction in NI’s block grant from Westminster.

That’s a bit of a conversation stopper, isn’t it?”

T

Irish Magazine Editor of the Year 2005

he General Election, according to just about everyone in the national media, is going to be too close to call and, say the same experts, a spot of coalition wheeling and dealing is almost certain to result.

Despite its economic achievements, it’s not hard to understand why David Cameron’s Conservative Government might not be very popular. There are lots of long-established reasons why that might be the case.

What’s harder to understand from a business perspective is why Ed Milliband seems to be doing so well in the polls. There’s little doubt that Milliband is the most overtly anti-business prospective Prime Minister to put himself up for election since the rather more likeable Michael Foot suffered a humiliating defeat in the 1983 Election.

He’s made his anti-business feelings known on a number of occasions, and there are now genuine fears in the business community here and elsewhere about what might happen to business and the economy if he did somehow win the vote.

More likely is a narrow Conservative win necessitating some form of coalition or even a patchwork deal with more than one party. And our own DUP, as has been well documented of late, could find itself suddently becoming a whole lot more popular in Tory circles.

It won’t be long before we find out... but let’s keep our fingers crossed that the Milliband wagon runs out of steam before May kicks in.

On the local front, May of 2016 sees the next Assembly elections and following those elections, as was announced recently, Ministers will be appointed to nine departments instead of the existing 12.

Sponsored by

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Richard Buckley EDITOR

It’s a move that took a bit of time coming but it is to be welcomed. Twelve departments was always far too many for a place the size of Northern Ireland, and nine will be a whole lot more manageable. But the Ministerial posts will inevitably cause a political bunfight.

Political pundits and journalists are already speculating on what is going to happen. The current Economy Minister Arlene Foster, for instance, is the hot tip for the First Minister’s job, while none other than Mairtin O Muilleor is a possible candidate for the job she currently holds. That’s what they’re saying, at least.

But it’s all a bit premature, isn’t it. Let’s get the business of Cameron v Milliband and all the little Northern Ireland sub-stories that make up the General Election out of the road first.

So it looks as though the controversial Air Passenger Duty won’t be abolished on all flights leaving Northern Ireland’s airports.

The airlines and airports had been pressing the NI Executive to scrap the tax in an effort to attract more investment, more new airlines and more routes. It was, of course, scrapped in the case of our only transatlantic flight, but remains in place on all other routes.

A report commissioned by the Executive came up with a fairly simple conclusion. Abolition of the £13 per head tax could lead to a £55 million reduction in NI’s block grant from Westminster.

That’s a bit of a conversation stopper, isn’t it?

But the airlines and airports have a valid point. One reason why Dublin is offering more competition to our local airports is the fact that the lack of air passenger duty – plus the euro exchange rate – makes it very price competitive.

However, as has been pointed out to us here at Business Eye, it’s incumbent on all of us to support our local airport when and where we can... tax or no tax.

Eye on Events

NI Water invite you to come and meet the Procurement team MOY PARK BACKS IRISH OPEN

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eading UK food company, Moy Park, has become an Official Sponsor of the 2015 Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation, which takes place at Royal County Down Golf Club from May 28 – 31.

It will be the fourth year that Moy Park has been an Official Sponsor of

the tournament, having launched its successful partnership with the event at the 2012 Irish Open at Royal Portrush.

Pictured (L-R) James Finnigan, Commercial Director Irish Open, Alan Gibson, Moy Park UK and Ireland Director and Andrew Nethercott, Moy Park Director of Brand Marketing

• Are you interested in ? working with NI Water • Are you unsure of the tendering process and paperwork involved?

• Are you interested in improving your ploring tendering skills and ex ities? un consortium bid opport r ‘meet the team’ If so, book a slot at ou ursday 26th March information day on Th ning Centre, Antrim.

2015 at NI Water Trai will answer your Our procurement team through the tenders questions and talk you nd, the cross-border available. InterTradeIrela t body, will be attending business developmen on training and and will provide details for companies support opportunities . and forming consortia interested in tendering to one meeting with a Book a 20 minute one nal. Meetings are procurement professio e first served basis. allocated on a first com

CIPD NI AWARDS 2015 LAUNCHED

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he Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) has launched its Northern Ireland Awards 2015, aimed at recognising excellence across the Human Resources and Personnel Development professions.

They’ll be presented at Belfast City Hall on 14th May 2015. Recruitment specialists

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Brightwater are the headline sponsor.

For full details of how to apply please visit www.cipdniawards.co.uk. The closing date for entries is Friday 20th March 2015 Launching the awards are Stephanie Mulholland (left), Team Leader at recruitment specialists Brightwater and Donna Magee, Treasurer CIPDNI.

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Eye on News

BDO Hosts Hamilton Visit

B

DO Managing Partner Peter Burnside and Senior Partner Nigel Harra welcome Finance Minister Simon Hamilton to a business briefing meeting in Belfast recently. The Minister met

with a number of key business leaders, entrepreneurs, and senior BDO staff and discussed issues impacting the economy including corporation tax, VAT rates and prospect for economic growth.

MOY PARK LIFTS EXCELLENCE AWARD

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ary Maxwell, general manager at Moy Park Craigavon, collects the EFQM Ireland Excellence Award from award sponsors Ian Jordan, left, of Ulster Bank and Stephen Dalton, right, of Capita at the Centre for Competitivenessorganised event today at the Clandeboye Lodge Hotel, Bangor today. Dozens of

organisations from across the island of Ireland gathered for the culmination of CforC’s prestigious award’s process.

Three organisations, two of them from Northern Ireland, collected the top accolade – the other two were Triangle Housing Association and the Crowne Plaza Northwood Hotel in Dublin.

Northern Ireland’s Pharmaceutical Champions Honoured Northern Ireland’s Pharmaceutical champions have been recognised at this year’s Ulster Chemist’s Association’s President’s Ball and Pharmacy in Focus Awards which have taken place for the ninth year running.

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he top industry awards, which recognise and celebrate the contributions of pharmacists, counter assistants, technicians and contractors as well as suppliers, policy makers and influential figures across Northern Ireland, returned

Ulster Chemists Association President Killian Johnston with Health Minister Jim Wells at the event.

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bigger and better than ever with more entries received this year than in the awards evening’s nine year history.

The awards attracted some of the sector’s most influential figures, including Minister for Health Mr Jim Wells, Chief Executive of the Pharmaceutical Society Northern Ireland, Trevor Patterson and NPA Chairman Ian Strachan.

The evening was hosted by UTV’s Claire McCollum and witnessed by over 500 professionals who gathered at Belfast’s Ramada Plaza hotel to hear who would walk away with the prestigious ‘Chemi’.

The 12 categories of the awards included, Customer Service, Innovation and change in Pharmacy Practice, Pharmacy Assistant of the Year, Service to Pharmacy, Young Community

Event organisers Maureen Delaney and Jason Amdrews with compere Claire McCollum.

Pharmacist of the Year, Health Promotion, Commitment to Health and Social Wellbeing, Community Pharmacy of the Year, Pharmacist of the Year, Community Pharmacy Service Initiative and Outstanding Contribution to Pharmacy.

McGlaughlin’s pharmacy in Magherafelt was the big winner on the night, walking away with no less than four awards. They beat off stiff competition from pharmacies across Northern Ireland to bag the ‘Chemi’ in the categories: ‘Commitment to Health and Social Wellbeing’ supported by Medicon Ireland, ‘Health Promotion’ supported by National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and to top it off, even scooped the coveted ‘Community Pharmacy of the Year’ title, supported by Teva UK.

Their Pharmacist Katharine McGilligan also won the much coveted ‘Young Pharmacist of the Year’ award, supported by b4b telecoms, beating off competition from two other finalists across Northern Ireland. East Belfast man, Gordon Pollock, owner and pharmacist in Pollock’s pharmacy on the Albertbridge Road, was the proud winner of the ‘Pharmacist of the Year’ award which is regarded as one of the most esteemed categories, supported by Numark.

Gordon, who has been the owner and pharmacist at Pollock’s chemist on the Albertbridge Road for thirty years, impressed judges not only due to his length of service, but the special rapport he has built up with members of the local community and outreach to local community groups.

NEW FOR 2015

Eye on Awards

Des Moore, Head of First Trust Bank (left) with Brenda Buckley of Business Eye, First Trust Bank’s Head of Marketing Roisin Hackett and Business Eye editor Richard Buckley at the launch of the awards.

COUNTDOWN ON FOR SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS Northern Ireland is to get its first ever dedicated awards aimed exclusively at the region’s small businesses.

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usiness Eye has joined forces with lead sponsors First Trust Bank to launch the Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards which will be held for the first time at La Mon House Hotel & Country Club on Thursday 11th June, 2015.

The awards were officially launched, also at La Mon House, at a lunchtime reception recently. Guests included business leaders, category sponsors and representatives of Northern Ireland’s leading business organisations.

They heard details of the awards from Des Moore, Head of First Trust Bank, and Richard Buckley, Editor of Business Eye. A total of 12 different categories will be open to businesses based in Northern Ireland with 50 employees or less. A headline Small Business of the Year

Award will be the highlight of the awards evening, and other categories include awards for the top performers in key sectors such as agri food, technology, tourism & hospitality and manufacturing. There will also be awards for our leading small business exporters as well as for areas such as community contribution and customer focus.

Hundreds of entries are anticipated across the 12 categories and the winners will be chosen by a panel of judges including local business journalists and representatives of both First Trust Bank and Business Eye. Closing date for entries is 15th May and local small businesses can enter via the dedicated awards website – www. businesseyawards.co.uk Speaking about the new Awards scheme, Des Moore,

Eye on Awards

Richard Buckley, editor of Business Eye addresses the audience.

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

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

Everyone agrees that as a small regional economy we need to produce more entrepreneurs and support the growth of small businesses, especially those which have the potential to compete successfully in global export markets. If we are to successfully rebalance the economy we also need to become much better at promoting a pro-business agenda and in telling our stories both here in Northern Ireland and further afield. We need to do more to showcase and celebrate the successful businesses we already have, to encourage more to replicate their success and believe this awards scheme will be an excellent vehicle to do just that.

Already working with a wide range of small and medium sized enterprises across NI we know there are many inspiring success

stories out there and are excited about joining with Business Eye to shine a spotlight on more of them in the weeks and months ahead.”

Richard Buckley, Editor of Business Eye, says that the new awards were a notable omission from the existing business calendar in Northern Ireland.

“Our small businesses have to compete with the big names in the business world in most of the awards which exist on the local stage, including our very own UTV Business Eye Awards.

“These awards give small businesses right across the spectrum the chance to go head to head with businesses of a similar size and scale, and we’re very confident that we’ll be seeing some excellent case studies emerge between now and the start of June.

“The Small Business category at our annual UTV Business Eye Awards always attracts the largest entry by some distance, and that’s where the initial idea for these new awards came from. A lot of smaller organisations are reticent about entering mainstream

business awards and going head to head with the big guns.

“So we’re convinced that there will be a lot of interest in a set of awards aimed exclusively at smaller businesses here in Northern Ireland.”

Category sponsors already on board for the 2015 Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards are Fleet Financial, Scottish Provident Building, Musgrave Supervalu, Phoenix Natural Gas and Legacy Wealth... with more due to be added over the coming weeks.

The Categories • Small Business of the Year • Agri Food Business of the Year • Manufacturing Business of the Year • Technology Business of the Year • Hospitality & Tourism • Business of the Year • Healthcare Business of the Year • Start-Up Business of the Year • Innovative Business of the Year • Small Business Marketing Award • Customer Focus Award • Community Contribution Award • Exporter of the Year

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Eye on Awards (1)

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(1) Brenda Buckley (centre), Business Eye with Keith Liggett and Gillian Rea, Legacy Wealth. (2) Naomi McMullan, The Profit Margin (centre) with Brenda and Richard Buckley, Business Eye. (3) Una Quinn, First Trust Bank, Richard Buckley, Business Eye and Grainne McGarvey, Pulse PR. (4) Brenda Buckley and Ciara Donnelly, Business Eye with Conor McCann, Musgrave Retail Partners NI. (5) Richard Buckley, Business Eye, Julie Roulston, Thinkeighty20 and Paul Beattie, Hexagon Design. (6) Lesley Delaney, Absolute Communications, Gary McDonald, Irish News and Ciara Donnelly, Business Eye. (7) Glyn Roberts, NIRTA, Brenda Buckley Business Eye and Gary McDonald, Irish News.

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Eye on Awards (8)

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(8) Des Moore, First Trust Bank, Brenda Buckley, Business Eye, Roisin Hackett, First Trust Bank and Richard Buckley, Business Eye. (9) Kieran Donnelly, Morrow Communications, Michelle Harbinson, First Trust Bank, Richard Buckley, Business Eye with Jennifer Higgins and Noel Sweeney, Musgrave Retail Partners. (10) Michael McKinstry, Phoenix, Ciara Donnelly, Business Eye with Damian Hughes and Damian Campbell, Fleet Financial. (11) Wilfred Mitchel, FSB, Christopher Morrow, NI Chamber of Commerce, Ciara Donnelly, Business Eye, Scott Goldblatt, Charles Hurst B2B and John Friel, FSB. (12) Sally Gardiner, Future Image with Claire Dickson, Business Eye. (13) Michelle Harbinson and Des Moore, First Trust Bank with Ciara Donnelly, Business Eye. (14) Richard Buckley, Business Eye, addresses the audience.

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BUSINESS EYE FIRST TRUST BANK

SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS

AWARD CATEGORIES & CRITERIA

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

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

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

SPONSORED BY

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

SPONSORED BY

COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION AWARD

START-UP BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

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

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

SPONSORED BY

SPONSORED BY

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

enter online at www.businesseyeawards.co.uk MANUFACTURING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

EXPORTER OF THE YEAR

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

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

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

HEALTHCARE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING AWARD

AGRI-FOOD BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

INNOVATIVE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

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

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

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

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

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

SPONSORED BY

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

SPONSORED BY

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

Russell Bailie, Bailies Coffee Company, Belfast

We see the potential too.

Business Banking Talk to us today about our Business Support Fund.

0845 6005 925+ • www.firsttrustbank.co.uk/business

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

Eye on Communications

Chain Reaction Cycles shifts up a gear with eircom Business Solutions NI A managed network service from eircom Business Solutions Northern Ireland frees Chain Reaction Cycles’ IT team to focus on adding real value to the business.

By partnering with eircom business solutions NI, the online bike retailer enjoys the reassurance that dedicated experts are proactively monitoring and managing its mission critical network 24/7.

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rom humble beginnings as a family-owned bike shop opened in Ballynure, Northern Ireland in 1984, Chain Reaction Cycles has come a long way. It is currently the largest online bike retailer in the world with 1.2 million customers in over 120 countries.

The company employs 600 staff across its five main sites (offices, distribution centres, warehouses and a flagship store) throughout Northern Ireland. It stocks over 60,000 products, including its own brands such as VITUS and Nukeproof.

“ I didn’t want to be worried about the infrastructure supporting our website, critical applications or the network. My job, and my team’s job, is to add value to the business, design software, continually develop the website, and help the company achieve its strategic goals.”

For Chain Reaction Cycles, its network is the beating heart of the business, supporting several critical applications including an ERP/order management system, a warehouse management system, a carrier management system and a business intelligence platform. It also supports the company’s most critical application, its website. The Chain Reaction Cycles website receives

over 9 million visits per month and hosts 60,000 products. It’s available in eight languages, eight currencies and products are shipped to over 120 countries worldwide.

Previously, Chain Reaction Cycles relied on a wireless area network, but in 2012 it sought an enterprisegrade solution with a managed services element. Impressed by its expert team and advanced Network Operations Centre (NOC) Chain Reaction Cycles awarded the contract to eircom Business Solutions NI, which delivered a solution that incorporated a fully-managed MPLS network and proactive monitoring with Service Level Agreements covering network performance and availability.

“In 2012 we were taking on the challenge of moving from being a ‘big small company’ to a ‘small big company’, which meant major changes to our organisational structure. We needed an enterprise grade solution, managed by experts to meet our changing requirements.

I didn’t want to be worried about the infrastructure supporting our website, critical applications or the network. My job, and my team’s job, is to add value to the business, design software, continually develop the website, and help the company achieve its strategic goals,” said Michael Murdock, Chief Information Officer with Chain Reaction Cycles.

Working with eircom Business Solutions NI means that for Michael and his team the network simply

isn’t on their agenda. “The team at eircom NI take care of our network.

With their proactive monitoring we simply don’t experience network faults and the consistent network performance means our critical apps are available all the time,” explains Michael.

Reflecting the website’s growing importance to the business, Chain Reaction Cycles upgraded its site to an Oracle ATG-based platform in 2013. Staff at the company continually update and maintain the website in-house, which means ready access to the backend system is absolutely vital. In addition, the company’s 90-line call centre sits on the network. These two channels: the website and the call centre form the basis of Chain Reaction Cycles’ interaction with its customers.

The consistency of the eircom NI network is a key factor in ensuring the website and the call centre are always running at peak efficiency.

“For us, and for many companies, the network is the foundation of our business. We need a robust network in place so that we can

continue to add new features to our website, add new applications and new technology. We’re constantly growing and changing and our enterprise-grade network ensures we can make those developments confidently,” concludes Michael.

To find out how you can benefit like Chain Reaction Cycles, contact eircom Business Solutions NI at: Forsyth House, Cromac Square, Belfast, BT2 8LA Tel: 0800 039 2000 www.eircom.co.uk twitter.com/eircomUK linkedin.com/company/eircom-ni

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Eye on Agri Food

Alpine Cheese Flavours From The Sperrins Sam Butler talked to Kevin and Julie Hickey about Dart Mountain Cheese, their artisan business that’s just launched three new farmhouse cheeses.

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n Alpine-style cheese from Northern Ireland? Well, it’s true. Artisan cheese maker Julie Hickey has hand crafted our first-ever Emmental cheese, Kilcreen, at her small cheese plant in the remote Sperrins, her third speciality cheese in less than two years.

A native of Lincoln, near Boston in Massachusetts, Julie brought a passion for artisan cheese to Northern Ireland when she came to Queen’s University as a student from university in New York. She’s since become Northern Ireland’s most prolific and creative cheese maker in a region with no great tradition of farmhouse cheeses.

Kilcreen cheese, she says, is made to an Emmental recipe.” It’s a pasteurised cheese. At some point soon, I plan to move into raw milk production once I build up proof of a process of cheese making through regular testing with an accredited lab.

“In the Kilcreen process the milk is scalded to a high temperature which

American ‘feel’ Dart Mountain Dusk, a rich, creamy cheese with a nutty flavour.

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Innovator: Cheese maker Julie Hickey has developed two new artisan cheeses - Sperrin Blue, a rich and creamy blue cheese, and Dart Mountain Dusk, a nutty flavoured cheese, and Kilkeeran Alpine-style cheese and a beer rubbed product.

helps to expel more whey. A variety of cultures are added into the milk including a propionic bacteria which is gas producing and is what causes the holes or ‘eyes’ that are characteristic of Alpinestyle cheeses. The cheese is washed with a mixture of brine and whey, which helps to build up a natural rind and contributes to flavour. We are ageing them anywhere from four months on to eight to nine months and beyond.

“The flavour I would describe as nutty and, at four months, relatively mild,” she adds.

A mother of four boys, Julie runs the cheese business, Dart Mountain, which she formed in 2012 with husband Kevin. The two met at Queen’s.

The company name is taken from the Dart Mountain overlooking the hamlet of Park, near Dungiven. The husband and wife team also own Tamnagh Foods, which has won Great Taste Awards for its handmade granolas that are now being stocked by Harrods in London.

But artisanal cheese remains Julie’s

passion. She hopes that Harrods will also soon list the cheese. There are now three in the portfolio, the first being the semi-hard Sperrin Blue cheese.

All the cheeses are produced in small batches to ensure consistent quality.

“I love creating new cheeses. Each one is different, with its unique character informed by so many factors - time, temperature, humidity, seasonality, and environment,” she continues.

To deepen her knowledge of cheese making, she studied at Moorepark Food Research Centre in Fermoy, County Cork, Hartbury College in England and at Loughry College, Cookstown.

“I have worked in all sectors of the food industry, hotels, restaurants, catering both here and in the United States but it was during our time owning a restaurant in Derry City around 12 years ago.

“Some years later we relocated to the village of Park in the heart of the Sperrins to, create an artisan food production unit from a grant to convert a disused agricultural shed. Over the next two

years, it was transformed into a bakery unit for the manufacture of a range of chutneys, relishes, granolas and cheese biscuits, and a purpose-designed cheese unit with temperature and humidity controlled ageing rooms in which to mature the various styles of cheese.”

Kevin, who looks after sales and marketing, adds: “We aim to develop sales across the island of Ireland and Britain in 2015, through distributors.

The cheeses are being distributed here by Hendersons. This will support our online sales plan. We also want to develop food tourism in the Sperrins as people are increasingly interested in where their food comes from and how it is made.

“The landscape of the Sperrins has definitely influenced our business.

We are in the townland of Tamnagh, beside Dart Mountain, in the old barony of Tirkeeran. The townland opposite is Kilcreen, and we are in the parish of Banagher. These are the names we have chosen for other planned cheeses.”

Eye on Communications

Top 5 Tech Predictions for 2015 Britt Megahey, MD of Barclay Communications a local business mobile, fixed line, IT and web provider, and the provinces only O2 Centre of Excellence, shares his industry insight on what technology trends could make an impact this year.

1. Wearables.

In 2015 many technologies will develop in alignment with the Internet of Things (IoT) vision of the future, where people, devices and objects are all automatically connected over a network. Wearables such as health and fitness trackers, smartglasses, action cameras and smartwatches already follow the IoT vision. However, as unveiled by many tech giants at January’s Consumer Electronics Show, some wearables will become invisible as they’re integrated into our shirts, shoes, jewellery, etc.

Industry insiders also predict that the future of smartglasses (glasses that add information into your line of vision) is with manufacturing and medical enterprises. Plant and field workers could get hands-free instructions, while Informationweek.com suggests doctors could monitor a patient’s vitals without moving their eyes from a procedure. The Health Research Initiative also suggests that wearables could monitor chronic illnesses.

2. Widespread 4G 4G will remain a hot topic as Vodafone, O2 and Three continue to invest millions on their goal to achieve 98% coverage of the UK market by the end of 2015.

As 4G coverage improves we’ll see the networks offering large 5GB and 8GB 4G tariffs as standard, and more developments into data-hungry services, such as VoIP (voice and video communications over an internet connection).

Increased 4G coverage will also encourage more businesses to embrace the digital age with the adoption of more cloud based services that enable employees to work from anywhere, e.g. Office 365.

3. Digital Protection Naturally with the increased use of 4G devices and wearables to access corporate data companies will become more aware of new age security risks and data theft issues. This will result in the increased adoption of services such as Mobile Device Management, which remotely controls, manages and secures smartphones and tablets.

The mobile networks will also increase their digital protection services, with O2 already offering McAfee mobile and PC virus, spam, malware and identity theft protection software.

Lastly as digital protection demand grows, so will the industry and its investment into new developments.

4. Multi-Device Data Sharing 3G and 4G advancements have led to the development of smartphones, phablets, tablets, wearable devices and users with multi-device lifestyles.

However, these users don’t want multiple contracts and this year we predict the networks will offer bigger data tariffs with tethering, hotspot and multi SIM capabilities, which will enable users to share one tariff’s data across multiple devices.

We’ll also see minute and text bundles become less

important as more multi-device apps use data and WiFi to perform these activities e.g.

WhatsApp sends plain and multimedia texts, and Skype allows normal and video calls.

5. Quad-Play Quad-play is the new buzzword within the consumer mobile industry and this year it’ll herald a flourish of providers offering four services; mobile, broadband, fixed line and TV, in one bundled package.

The potential of quad-play is rapidly reshaping the UKs communications industry.

Mobile and TV providers are acquiring each other or merging resources to attain the illusive ‘Fantastic Four’ service offering. This year alone, Sky and O2 have negotiated a new partnership that could make their quad-play offering the largest in the market.

Like many in the industry, we predict that consumers will be drawn to quad-play thanks to the convenience, simplified billing and cost reduction benefits of dealing with one provider for their mobile, broadband, fixed line and TV services. For the providers, quad-play is all about improving customer retention.

As with many new consumer technology trends, we believe it will only be a matter of time before a business focused quad-play offering will enter the marketplace.

Barclay Communications T: 028 9096 0366 W: www.barclaycomms.com

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Eye on Cover Story

DES MOORE & FIRST TRUST BANK...

SIGHTS SET ON GROWTH These are changed times for all of our leading banks. Profit figures are back in the black after a few years of alarmingly red numbers, lending is up and everything is looking a whole lot healthier.

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ut it’s fair to note that none of those in the various hot seats at the leading banks serving the Northern Ireland marketplace are rushing to be seen in celebratory mode.

Des Moore is no exception. He’s the relatively new Head of First Trust Bank in Northern Ireland, and exudes a quiet confidence and business-like approach which he believes is important in today’s climate.

First Trust Bank, part of the AIB Group, has emerged successfully from recovery and restructuring mode and in recent years been able to make real progress and signal its intention to grow in a muchchanged economy here in Northern Ireland.

“Yes, we’ve been through the recovery and restructuring phases,” says Des Moore. “Now we’re back where we should be, we’re lending, ready to work with businesses across all sectors, and we’re looking forward to the future with a lot of confidence.”

Lending, he emphasises, is up by an impressive 45% year on year and it’s significant that the lending covers just about every sector of business here in Northern Ireland.

The agrifood sector, meanwhile, looks set to be an increasing priority for the bank and its approach to this market is set to be replicated across other industry sectors. First Trust Bank has put in place a brand new team of 16 agrifood banking specialists across the region, and appointed the highly experienced Kieran Mailey as its Specialist Agri Adviser.

On the agrifood front, the bank has been taking a proactive approach, supporting areas like energy efficiency, young farmers and farm and agri-

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business modernisation with long-term and flexible funding packages being made available.

“We’ve been putting our wellington boots back on,” Moore smiles. “Our 16 strong team has been at all of the agricultural shows during last year, we’ll be doing the same again this season and we’re working with an increasing number of local farmers and agri-businesses.”

What’s more, First Trust’s specialist AgriFood Fund, a £50 million pot of funding, is now more than 70% accounted for following an energetic demand from companies of varying size and scale operating in the agrifood and food processing sectors.

“Our view is that we will increase our capacity and our expertise where we need to, in order to meet the needs of our customers. Agrifood is an example of that approach, but don’t be surprised to see it happening in other areas too,” adds Moore. “Areas that we are taking a closer look at, include exports, hospitality and healthcare .”

“There’s no doubt that we are an active player,” adds the First Trust chief. “We were off the pitch for a while, that’s a fact of life, but we’re back in action and a lot quicker on our feet as a result.

“We want to be seen as the clear challenger bank, a serious alternative to the big two here in Northern Ireland (Ulster Bank & Danske). No one denies the fact that they are the dominant forces, but we see an appetite for an energetic challenger bank and a more flexible and responsive one at that.

“We’re both confident and ambitious, we’ve got the people and the products on the ground and we can guarantee that all of our SME lending decisions are taken right here in Northern Ireland.”

Des Moore isn’t the only relatively new face in the senior leadership team at the bank. He was joined just a few months ago by ex-Ulster Bank senior manager Richard Ennis, who has taken the reins as First Trust’s new Director of Corporate & Business Banking, leading a team working on everything from SME funding through to the larger-scale corporate deals.

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Eye on Cover Story

“ If we’re not already being viewed by others as a bank hungry for business, then we soon will be.”

He is responsible for a strengthened corporate lending team based at First Trust’s Ann Street headquarters building in Belfast. Indeed the bank is recruiting new members of this team, given the increase in deals they are doing.

“We’ve also been busy building up our team in other areas,” says Moore. “Just as in agrifood, we’ve recruited a number of senior people from nonbanking backgrounds, from areas like hospitality, health sector and corporate finance.”

The bank’s corporate acquisition team is due to be boosted by the appointment of at least three new corporate managers charged with winning more business for First Trust in what is now a highly competitive business banking marketplace.

“If we’re not already being viewed by others as a bank hungry for business, then we soon will be,” Des Moore emphasises.

First Trust has also been active in the sponsorship arena, keen to play its part in promoting a probusiness agenda. Close to our hearts here at Business Eye, the bank is the lead sponsor of the brand new Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards which were officially launched last month and will be presented for the first time on 11th June at La Mon House Hotel & Country Club (see pages 9-16).

It also supports The Profit Margin, the podcast and radio business news operation run by ex-BBC and UTV business journalists Jim Fitzpatrick and

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Naomi McMullan, as well as being a founding partner of Ulster University Centre for Economic Policy unit (UUCEP) led by Professor Neil Gibson.

It’s clear that the bank sees a major focus to be the small and medium business sector in Northern Ireland.

That’s an approach reflected in its advertising activities over the past year or two, which have featured real life business success stories on the ground here.

“There are a lot of tremendous success stories out there in the business community and we just need to become better at promoting those stories to encourage others to replicate their success, especially in terms of exports,” says Des Moore. “We’re working with businesses of all shapes and sizes, across all sectors; what they have is common is we are helping them to grow.”

First Trust Bank’s latest set of financials is likely to show a return to profit for the first time in a number of years.

In the summer, parent company AIB Group announced its return to the black, with a pre-tax profit of €437 million.

“There’s no doubt that the conditions are right for our growth. The economy in general is back on track, the corporation tax news has been good, investment decisions are being made, house prices are also moving upwards, even car sales are going in the right direction,” says Des Moore.

“Companies here in Northern Ireland are able to make calls now that they simply couldn’t have made a year or two ago.

“And it’s much the same for us. Now that we’re able to invest in and support the Northern Ireland business community, that’s exactly what we intend to do.”

Eye on News

‘Step Up’ to the Mark as a Supplier for NI Water NI Water has launched a summary of contracts and has approximately £180 million available to spend on goods, services and construction required by the company over the next 12 months.

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his is an exciting opportunity for new and existing companies across a diverse range of sectors, including the SME sector, to come on board and work with NI Water. As one of Northern Ireland’s largest companies, there are tremendous opportunities available to tender for large and small contract requirements within NI Water.

Ronan Larkin, Director of Finance and Regulation explained: “In the 2013/14 financial year alone, NI Water spent £200 million with suppliers and contractors.

Many of these contracts have benefited local firms, in many sectors including the construction sector, thereby supporting our local economy at this time.

“An example of this is one local company, JBS Group, who have recently been awarded a tender to supply NI Water with corporate work wear.

“However, I am aware that the procurement system can appear to be complex for companies seeking to tender for opportunities available. Therefore, we are inviting businesses to attend a ‘Supplier Day’ to give suppliers an opportunity to meet the NI Water procurement

teams. Our Procurement Team will be on hand to cover the range of goods and services required by NI Water and will answer any questions potential suppliers may have.

“Joining us again this year is InterTradeIreland who will be on hand to provide advice, particularly in the area of consortium bid opportunities.

“I would strongly encourage the business community to come along and meet our procurement teams.”

Grant Gilmore, Acting Director of Programmes and Business Services at InterTradeIreland said: “We are delighted to be involved with this event again to support SMEs in attendance with procurement advice and support, particularly in relation to advice on forming consortia and collaborative bids on an all-island basis.

“For some suppliers, the concept of engaging in Public Sector tendering and procurement can be seen as intimidating and bureaucratic.

“This perception alone can stop businesses, particularly SMEs, from competing for potentially lucrative contracts when the reality is that because of their size,

Encouraging new and existing companies, including the SME sector, to ‘step up’ and work with NI Water is Jane Mellor (middle) Head of Operational Procurement, Director of Finance and Regulation Ronan Larkin (R) and Grant Gilmore, InterTradeIreland (L).

they may be best placed to offer flexibility, value and innovative solutions to meet the demands of buyers in the public sector.

“Northern Ireland Water’s ‘Supplier Day’ event is a great opportunity for potential suppliers across the island, and further afield, to understand how best to engage in these procurement opportunities.”

“The ‘Supplier Day’ is on Thursday 26 March 2015. The event, which is being held at the NI Water Training Centre, Antrim, is designed for suppliers and potential suppliers to learn more about NI Water’s procurement

process and its requirements over the next 12 months and how to respond to tenders.

Those interested in booking a 20 minute meeting slot with a procurement officer need to pre-book by completing the registration form available on our website and emailing it to sourcing@niwater.com Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

If you would like further information, please go to the Tenders Section - Goods, Materials and Services’ page on our website and click on “Supplier Information Events”.

PERCY FRENCH IS TOP OF THE LEADERBOARD The Percy French in Newcastle has been named the Best Restaurant in Ulster by The Golfers Guide to Ireland at an awards ceremony in Druids Glen Golf Club outside Dublin.

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he awards were based on the results of an all Ireland poll among golfers and the Newcastle restaurant beat off stiff competition to be named the best in Ulster.

The Percy French, located on the grounds of the 4-star Slieve Donard

Resort & Spa, is a firm favourite of golfers from around the world and next door to the prestigious Royal County Down Golf Club, host to this year’s Irish Open.

Stephen Meldrum General Manager of the Slieve Donard Resort & Spa said: “We

are absolutely delighted to have won this prestigious award. The Percy French is a fantastic restaurant dedicated in embracing the use of carefully selected local quality foods and is the perfect place for golfers to sit back and relax after a day on the course.”

Stephen Meldrum, General Manager of the Slieve Donard Resort & Spa and James Toal Manager of the Percy French pictured with Paddy Mc Carthy, editor of The Golfers Guide and Mary Mitchell O’Connor T.D.

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FLEET SPECIFIC SEMINARS AND EXHIBITORS GALA AWARDS DINNER LEASING & INSURANCE CLINIC

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AWARD CATEGORIES & CRITERIA

THERE ARE 15 CATEGORIES FOR THE AWARDS THIS YEAR...

FLEET CAR OF THE YEAR

ELECTRIC/HYBRID VEHICLE OF THE YEAR

BEST SHORT TERM RENTAL COMPANY

INNOVATIVE COMPANY OF THE YEAR

The judging panel will select the winners against key criteria AND that fleets consider when adding cars to their choice lists.

They are: Running costs, CO2 emissions, Safety (technology and Euro NCAP rating), Reliability, Manufacturer support and aftersales/dealer support, Driver appeal (P11D pricing/BIK, badge image, performance), Range consideration.

Buying an electric car is now a real possibility as a number of major manufacturers launch high quality, fully electric and hybrid models onto the UK market.

Key considerations during the judging process are - Green car rating, Range, MPG, CO2, Cost and Charging Points..

This award recognises the best short-term rental company.

The judges will be looking for innovation, new services, a clear understanding of customers’ needs and case studies which show evidence of your company’s impact on a fleet operator.

This award will be presented to the organisation best demonstrating innovation in business producing tangible results. The category is open to all companies and organisations who feel they can show innovation and transformation of their brand and corporate identity.

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GREEN FLEET OF THE YEAR Environmental concerns are high on the agenda. Cutting CO2 emissions enables fleets to meet corporate responsibilities.

This award will reward forward looking companies that have introduced initiatives to reduce their CO2 emissions year-onyear, delivering financial and environmental benefits.

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LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD The judges will be looking for the person who, during their career, has made the greatest contribution to the fleet industry as a whole and at how their hard work and dedication has had a positive impact on the sector.

SPONSORED BY

SPONSORED BY

For further information please contact Donna Hosking on 07892 406262 or donna@businesseye.co.uk

enter online at www.titanicmotorshow.com 26

FLEET MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR

BEST SMALL/LIGHT COMMERCIAL

RISK MANAGEMENT PROJECT OF THE YEAR

SERVICE MAINTENANCE DEALER OF THE YEAR

This category is designed to honour those manufacturers that have made the biggest strides forward in terms of their relationships with fleets over the past 12 months. It gives the manufacturer’s fleet operation deserved recognition for new initiatives, improved service or simply a new approach towards fleet.

With fleets looking to improve their environmental credentials, their ability to source small light commercials that help them to lower carbon emissions along with range consideration, cost efficiency, load capacity, reliability, residual value, equipment and styling. This award recognises the efforts of manufacturers that are developing small light commercials which are greener and more economical.

This category provides a platform to publicly recognise the importance of road safety in the Fleet Industry and indeed reward outstanding driver risk management programmes implemented by local companies in Northern Ireland. In addition to the individual benefits of enhanced safety, many companies will have seen a reduction in their overall fleet fuel costs, vehicle accident rates, down time, insurance premiums and general maintenance costs thanks to a proactive approach to Fleet Management.

Companies that can demonstrate the following initiatives 1. Evidence of excellent customer care that correlates to an understanding of the requirements of Fleet Drivers.

2. A highly trained proactive and innovative support team, offering answers and support to the Fleet User Industry. 3.

Work carried out to the highest standards in a good time span and at a cost effective level.

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BEST LOCAL FLEET PROVIDER OF THE YEAR This award is open to service companies that have proved over the year that they are investing in their commitment to fleet. Entrants might range from software companies, to leasing firms, rental companies, fast-fit organisations, remarketing companies and other servicefocused organisations

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FLEET MANAGER OF THE YEAR Key to the success of any fleet operation is a dedicated fleet manager. The judges will be looking for detailed understanding of all aspects of fleet management.

There should be clear awareness of current and future legislation and a commitment to training, innovation and cost control.

Examples of best practice (including gaining support within the company) will be advantageous

MOST IMPROVED COMPANY/DRIVER A company that differentiates itself from its competition by aligning itself with Quality brands and by being local to its Northern Ireland Customer base and providing that personal touch to ensure customers are meeting their fleet objectives. It is open to all companies that provide competitive fleet management, consistent high level of service and efficient vehicle management solutions

LEASING COMPANY OF THE YEAR This award recognises the best contract hire and leasing company.

The judges will be looking for companies who provide a benefit to fleet and business decisionmakers, focusing on services, cost reduction, environmental initiatives, safety and risk management.

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SPONSORED BY

CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD This award will recognise the most successful attempts to improve customer service from any fleet supplier. It might be personal account handling by designated staff; faster response times driven by technology or human endeavour or by doing what you say you’ll do and providing evidence that it was done on time and to the highest possible standard.

SPONSORED BY

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BT Cloud Voice Providing trusted business communication solutions

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Eye on Technology

Paul Convery, Head of BT Business, highlights the benefits of BT Cloud Voice.

Business Eye speaks to Paul Convery, Head of BT Business, about the launch of their new communications service, BT Cloud Voice.

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T is a world class telecommunications provider, offering innovative, cutting edge technology coupled with a first class communications system to businesses across Northern Ireland. As networking experts, not only do BT services give local businesses a competitive advantage, but our reputation gives companies the confidence to know that they are purchasing a quality and reliable service from an established and trusted provider.

Our latest offering, BT Cloud Voice, is a new business - grade IP voice service, which uses the latest proven IP communications technology to deliver reliable, high quality calls over the internet. BT Cloud Voice is the future of business voice communications and is an important tool to help equip local companies for success. All businesses want to be confident that when they are making calls to clients, they receive a good quality service, no matter where they are.

BT provides this customer confidence with our official stamp of approval.

BT Cloud Voice delivers all the call management features that you would expect from a traditional phone service such as call forwarding and call transfer but without the hardware and maintenance. The service also provides companies with the benefits of

advanced features such as conferencing, call recording and desktop sharing - offering a great package for cost conscious businesses. To get started, you simply need a BT Business internet connection and an IP telephone to make calls across single or multiple office locations. The simple upfront set-up costs of BT Cloud Voice are low as there is no need for engineer visits.

With an increasing mobile and flexible workforce, it is crucial that companies are able to rely on a telephone system that works hard for them and keeps all staff connected to clients and potential customers, whether they are in or out of the office. With BT Cloud Voice, businesses can integrate mobile and office phones on to one single number via a handy app. This crucial service helps to ensure that important business phone calls are not missed because you are out of the office, ensuring your company’s revenue and reputation remains intact.

If you are a business that plans to grow outside of Northern Ireland, the service allows you to set up the appearance of a local presence, wherever you choose, with a virtual geographic phone number.

Small and medium sized companies in particular can benefit from BT Cloud Voice. The system can give companies the appearance of being a larger and more

established business than they actually are - which can be a real benefit when pitching for new business. While you might be a one man band, our clever IVR facility can be installed to a geographic phone number answering service, which will give callers dialling through to a business, options for contacting an accounts department, sales office and any other departments of choice.

“ BT Cloud Voice is the future of business voice communications and is an important tool to help equip local companies for success.”

The service also benefits the SME market as BT Cloud Voice can be easily scaled up and adapted as your business grows. This means that it allows businesses to control costs more effectively by creating bespoke and therefore cost effective pay as you go packages for each user. The system is managed through an online portal, providing administrators with the ability to manage the system and adapt it accordingly to suit each businesses individual and unique requirements.

This may include adding new users, or adapting call preferences such as call forwarding and call waiting without the need for any engineers on site.

BT also gives its Cloud Voice customers

the peace of mind that comes from adopting this technology directly from BT. We know that companies can often be cautious about new technology in general, but BT Cloud Voice provides users with a unique offering that really does set the service apart from our competitors. BT offers our customers a dedicated support team based here in Belfast from our IP Communication Service Hub. As a customer, you’ll enjoy a one to one service to help with setup of BT Cloud Voice and to provide ongoing support to businesses using the facility. A local dedicated member of our Belfast team will contact you personally to resolve any questions that you may have both quickly and effectively.

With three license options available from an entry level service through to companies who require additional features, such as audio and web conferencing, BT Cloud Voice brings you a high quality and great value product, which is capable of delivering real benefits to your business both now and in the future. We have the expertise and technology to offer you a complete end-to-end cloud solution that delivers the reliability and performance that you need. As we provide every element of the service, we can make sure that the complete package works perfectly together for your business and the ability to have one contract provider will help to make life that little bit easier for users.

BT Cloud Voice is an exciting service that is certainly worth consideration this year to fulfil your company’s needs.

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Eye on News

LEADING LOCAL PROPERTY FIRMS MERGE Leading commercial property firms, Ardmore Commercial and Osborne King, are joining forces.

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he merger represents the consolidation of two of the longest-established, independent, indigenous businesses which will compete with both

national and international property firms through the quality of their advice, depth of regional knowledge and continue to provide property solutions to a diverse client base

across the UK and Ireland.

Martin McDowell, Managing Director of Osborne King, stressed that the merger with Ardmore Commercial was a positive step forward for both companies and mutually beneficial in terms of achieving greater efficiencies, and sharing best practice. He stated

that the main impetus for coming together was to offer clients truly independent advice that was not driven by globally-vested interests.

The merger takes immediate effect and the newly-merged company will trade under the Osborne King brand, operating from the latter’s Donegall Square offices in Belfast city centre.

Gas Industry Welcomes New Scheme

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ollowing Minister Mervyn Storey’s announcement of the extension of the Department for Social Development’s popular Boiler Replacement Allowance, the NI Natural Gas Association (NINGA) members have welcomed the news that additional homes across Northern Ireland will benefit from improved energy efficiency.

NINGA represents companies working in the local natural gas industry, including installation companies, retailers, merchants and manufacturers.

NINGA Deputy Chairman, Stephen Kane, said: “The Boiler Replacement Allowance grant has been a major influence

on homeowners upgrading their inefficient heating systems in recent years. So many homes that installation companies visit have poorly maintained and poorly controlled heating systems that are simply not sustainable in these tough economic times.

Our members found that the scheme has enabled homeowners that would not have had the financial means, and fall outside of other social schemes, to change their central heating boiler and install a high efficient gas boiler so they can take advantage of lower fuel costs and improved lifestyle benefits.”

Jonathan Martindale, Business Development Manager of Phoenix Natural Gas, said:

Stephen Kane Deputy Chairman of the NINGA Committee and Jonathan Martindale from Phoenix Natural Gas welcome the announcement of the extension of the Department for Social Development’s Boiler Replacement Allowance.

“We welcome the announcement of this extension given the proven success of the scheme since its launch in 2012, with over 18,000 homes having benefitted already. This government funded boiler scrappage scheme is needed most in

Northern Ireland due to the high levels of fuel poverty we have here. This scheme has also added employment and trade to the many independent boiler installation and maintenance companies operating locally”.

PKF-FPM APPOINT NEW EQUITY DIRECTOR

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KF-FPM has appointed Malachy McLernon as a new Equity Director.

Malachy joins PKF-FPM from PWC. He has over 16 years experience in working with private businesses across the UK and Ireland, assessing the tax sensitive issues both for those businesses

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and for their shareholders.

He specialises in bringing a wide range of tax led solutions to clients by working alongside them in their business decisions, advising them of the tax impact. Malachy also has significant general practice and corporate finance experience.

PKF-FPM Managing Director

Feargal McCormack in welcoming Malachy’s appointment acknowledged that this was a very significant development for the planned growth of PKF-FPM on the island of Ireland. Malachy will operate across all PKF-FPM offices, but will principally be located in the Dungannon and Belfast offices.

AMERICAN

FRIDAYS AT 8PM

Eye on News

PINSENT MASONS NAMED ‘2015 CONSTRUCTION FIRM OF THE YEAR’ International law firm Pinsent Masons has been named as ‘2015 Construction Firm of the Year’ in the Who’s Who Legal Awards for the eighth year in a row.

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Pinsent Masons Belfast lawyers Ed Kelly and Ciaran McNamara celebrate the firm’s award success

very year Who’s Who Legal issues awards to individuals and firms that have performed exceptionally well in independent research undertaken by the group. After an in-depth assessment of their findings, Who’s Who has identified Pinsent Masons as this year’s Construction Firm of the Year.

The Belfast Office plays a full-service role in the wider construction team and Senior Associate Ed Kelly said this integrated model offers unrivalled expertise to the regional market.

“Our one-firm approach provides a seamless client experience,

and with a vast array of talent available we can draw together teams with sector or regional specialists tailored to individual requirements. This strength in depth provides us competency to act in all UK jurisdictions and means that we can represent clients wherever issues arise.”

The Belfast Office is prominent within this award winning effort, with partners Adrian Eakin and Andrea McIlroy-Rose both heading up firm-wide teams of Infrastructure Projects & Concessions, and Retail Property respectively.

With Pinsent Masons acting for 18 out of 20 of the world’s

largest contractors and all of the top 10 in the UK, Ed Kelly said the experience of working on some of the world’s most complex projects only sharpened the legal expertise of those based in the region.

“By doing the best work internationally we can be confident of having the best local offering for NI businesses and organisations. We are delighted to retain the award for eight years in a row and hope it reaffirms our position as the go-to firm for Northern Ireland businesses whether their construction interests be in Bahrain, Belfast or anywhere inbetween.”

RENEWABLE SOURCES UP TO 20% OF TOTAL ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION Almost a fifth (19.5%) of the entire electricity requirement for Northern Ireland came from renewable sources in 2014, 18.3% of which was from wind energy, representing significant progress towards the Northern Ireland Executive’s target of 40% electricity from renewables by 2020.

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n addition, January 2015 saw the highest levels of wind energy ever recorded in Northern Ireland, culminating in 556MW of electricity generated on 7 January 2015 (14.45pm).

This represented 42% of total electricity needs at that moment, equating to the equivalent of powering 361,400 homes.

These important milestones and the key needs of the renewable energy sector to the economic and environmental future of Northern Ireland topped the

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agenda at the fifth annual Northern Ireland Renewables Industry Group (NIRIG) conference being held recently in Belfast.

Entitled “A Sustainable Energy Future”, the conference marked the launch of NIRIG’s report on “The Wind Industry in Northern Ireland, Achievements and Aspirations”, the first of its kind for Northern Ireland. The will outlines the progress being made by the local renewables sector and what is necessary in order to continue to deliver

sustainable energy and all of its associated benefits.

Speaking at the event, Patrick McClughan, the Chair of NIRIG, which represents the collective voices of Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) and RenewableUK in Northern Ireland, summed up the renewable achievements to date: “It is clear that significant progress is being made by the industry in delivering renewables for Northern Ireland. 2015 marks a critical tipping point, and a period of great change for our energy mix. The fact that renewable energy now contributes almost a fifth of the entire electricity requirement for Northern Ireland is a massive achievement. This represents a total of 1,595 GWh, most of which was generated from wind. What this means is that 628,054 tonnes of CO2 were saved in Northern Ireland

in 2013-14 by clean, renewable energy: the equivalent of taking 130,000 cars off NI roads.”

2015 clearly represents challenges as well as opportunities for the renewables industry in Northern Ireland, as Mr McClughan explains: “Northern Ireland faces a crucial phase of its journey towards sustainability in 2015. The key framework for sustainable energy in NI, the Strategic Energy Framework, will be reviewed as it reaches its mid-way point and makes plans for 2030 decarbonisation.”

Drive without compromise

Discover the Volvo range at your Volvo NI dealer today

V40 D2 R-DESIGN FROM £229 PER MONTH + VAT (Non maintained, business users only) BHP 115 | BIK% 14 | CO2 88g 17” ALLOY WHEELS SILVER MATT DOOR MIRRORS LEATHER UPHOLSTERY SPORTS STEERING WHEEL AND PEDALS 8” ACTIVE TFT CRYSTAL DRIVER’S INFORMATION DISPLAY

S60 D4 R-DESIGN FROM £299 PER MONTH + VAT

(Business users only)

BHP 181 | BIK% 15 | CO2 99g 18” IXION ALLOY WHEELS FRONT SPORTS SEATS WITH SIDE SUPPORT ALUMINIUM INTERIOR TRIM R-DESIGN LEATHER STEERING WHEEL DAB RADIO AND BLUETOOTH® AS STANDARD

Volvo Business Centre

028 9068 6000 www.volvocarsbelfast.co.uk

Greers of Antrim & Coleraine

028 9446 0066 www.volvocarsantrim.co.uk

S M W Belfast

Official fuel consumption for the Volvo V40 range in MPG (l/100km): Urban 35.8 (7.9) – 74.3 (3.8), Extra Urban 55.4 (5.1) – 91.1 (3.1), Combined 46.3 (6.1) – 83.1 (3.4). CO2 Emissions 143 – 88g/km. Official fuel consumption for the Volvo S60 range in MPG (l/100km): Urban 29.4 (9.6) – 65.7 (4.3), Extra Urban 52.3 (5.4) – 78.5 (3.6), Combined 41.5 (6.8) – 74.3 (3.8). CO2 Emissions 159 – 99g/km. MPG figures are

obtained from laboratory testing intended for comparisons between vehicles and may not reflect real driving results. *Business users only. Subject to status. Examples exclude VAT and are based on vehicles with metallic paint except where stated. V40 example based on non-maintained contract hire. Requires initial payment of 6 monthly rentals, followed by 35 monthly rentals, with a mileage of 10,000 miles per annum. Excess mileage charges apply. Vehicle must be returned in good condition to avoid further charges. Subject to availability at participating dealers for vehicles registered 01/01/15 to 31/03/15 or while stocks last. Not available with other promotions. Provided by Lex Autolease Ltd, trading as Volvo Car Leasing. Image shown may not be representative of the model available with the offer. VAT may be payable at a rate of 20%.

Eye on Tax

Eye on Year End Tax Planning

by Ronan McGuirk, Director, ASM Chartered Accountants, Newry.

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

National insurance matters

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

Ronan McGuirk, Tax Director at ASM Chartered Accountants, Newry, has outlined the more important year end tips to help identify areas that should be considered, however individuals should always seek professional advice on your individual tax affairs.

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

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

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If a spouse is employed by the family business it may be worth paying earnings in 2014/15 of between £111 (the employee lower earnings limit) and £153 (the employer threshold) per week. There will then be no employer or employee contributions due on the earnings but entitlement to a state retirement pension and certain other state benefits is preserved.

Giving to charity Charitable donations made under the Gift Aid scheme can result in significant benefit for both the donor and the charity.

Currently the charity is able to claim back 20% basic rate tax on any donations and if the donor is a higher rate taxpayer the gift will qualify for 40% tax relief. Always remember to keep a record of any gifts you make.

Capital gains tax Annual Exemption The first £11,000 of gains made in 2014/15 are CGT free being covered by the annual exemption. Each spouse has their own annual exemption, as indeed do children. A transfer of assets between spouses

may enable them to utilise their annual exemptions. Consider selling assets standing at a gain before the end of the tax year on 5 April to use the annual exemption.

Investments – are yours tax efficient?

Individual Savings Accounts Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) provide an income tax and capital gains tax free form of investment.

The maximum investment limits are set for each tax year and the 2015 limit is £15,000. To take advantage of the limits available for 2014/15 the investment(s) must be made by 5 April 2015.

Pension Contributions The rules include a single lifetime limit of £1.25 million on the amount of pension saving that can benefit from tax relief as well as an annual limit of £40,000 on the maximum level of pension contributions. The annual limit includes employer pension contributions as well as contributions by the individual. Any contributions in excess of the annual limit are taxable on the individual. .

Additionally, where an individual had a pension scheme in place in earlier years and the full annual allowance has not been used in the previous three years, it may now be utilised.

In the 2014 Budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced significant changes to the way in which money can be drawn from pension funds. These changes may make pensions more attractive to individuals who had previously considered the rules on accessing funds to be overly restrictive.

Tax relief is currently available on pension contributions at the tax payer’s marginal rate of tax.

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

You should maintain a record of your business mileage to support such a claim.

ASM Chartered Accountants, which has six offices, Belfast, Dublin, Dundalk, Dungannon, Magherafelt and Newry. The 120 strong team specialises in a range of accountancy disciplines including, corporate finance, Insolvency services, forensic accounting, Audit & accounting, consultancy services, internal audit, tax, hotel, tourism and leisure.

To speak to Ronan McGuirk, director at ASM, Newry, call 028 302 69933 or email ronan.mcguirk@asmnewry.com.

Visit www.asmaccountants.com for further details.

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Eye on Travel

VALUE CABS CUSTOMERS IN RECEIPT OF PRIVILEGES Belfast’s leading taxi firm has teamed up with a range of Belfast’s top tourist attractions, restaurants, clubs and hair and beauty outlets to give great discounts of up to 30 per cent and treats such as free cocktails and facials. The scheme is open to all Value Cabs customers who can avail of the exclusive offers and discounts, simply by presenting a valid taxi receipt.

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aul McCausland explains how the scheme works; “The Privilege Partner scheme is open to anyone who uses Value Cabs, whether you are a new customer or someone who uses our cabs every day. We have secured partnerships with a wide range of businesses to allow everyone in the Greater Belfast area to benefit. There is no cost

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to join the scheme. Customers simply present their taxi receipt within seven days at participating outlets to take advantage of the great deals on offer.

“We feel that we have managed to secure offers that will suit all tastes and lifestyles,” added Paul. “For example, when it comes to eating out, whether you are a couple looking for

a romantic meal in beautiful surroundings or a family looking for a child-friendly treat, you will find something suitable. You can choose a free cocktail at the likes of James Street South, 20% discount at Clements Coffee or 15% discount at Jharna.

“If you are looking for a fun day out that won’t break the bank, you and a friend can head to Down Royal or Drumbo Park for half the usual cost or perhaps visit Titanic Belfast with 15 per cent off standard admission. You can book a spa day or half price hair cut with one of our many beauty partners, indulge your hobbies with discounts on everything from golf and go-karting or jump the

queue or get free admission at one of Belfast’s top nightclubs.

So don’t forget to keep your receipt and go online to find out where you can make savings,” The Privilege Partners Scheme includes offers from over 70 companies throughout Greater Belfast. Receipts must be presented within seven days to avail of offers. For a full list of participating outlets and specific offers, click on www.valuecabs.co.uk

BT Cloud Voice.

Keep your business talking from virtually anywhere.

BT Cloud Voice is a virtual phone system hosted in the cloud.

It’s got all the features of a traditional phone system but without the hardware or maintenance - we do that bit for you.

• Make and receive crystal clear calls over the internet through a BT Business internet connection.

• BT Cloud Voice includes the call management features of a traditional phone system.

• Integrates your mobile and office phones on one number - keeping you connected on the move.

• Future-proofs your business, BT Cloud Voice adapts and scales up as you need to.

Best of all - no need to worry about your phone lines. All you need is a BT Business internet connection and BT Cloud Voice will do the rest.

Saving you money and making it easier to keep your business talking.

Open up new ways of working with BT Cloud Voice.

Call us in Belfast on 0800 085 7378 or visit bt.com/ni

BT Cloud Voice requires a BT Business internet connection. Only IP phones from the BT Cloud Voice portfolio can be connected to the service.

The service will require suitable LAN infrastructure and a BT Business broadband router. Visit bt.com/terms for full Terms & Conditions

Eye on Retail ranges, take the shortest possible journey. This planning process begins from origin of the product.

The majority of our fresh products are sourced from local farms and butchers throughout Northern Ireland, we have measures in place to ensure these products reach our retailers at their freshest.

The Hub Of The Henderson Business Stephen Branagh, Warehouse Manager at Henderson Group

Does Henderson Group’s warehouse operate around the clock?

Our distribution centre, located in Mallusk, is a very busy place! Within our Logistics department, we have over 230 operational staff who are assisted by 30 plus logistics support staff. It is very much a hive of activity, that focuses on controlling the intake of stock, warehouse product management, and the distribution of product utilising our 70 strong fleet of lorries.

We have three warehouses: Ambient, Chilled, and Frozen, which distribute approximately 25 million cases per year to over 400 retailers throughout Northern Ireland. Our distribution centre operates seven days a week in order to support our 24/7 supply chain.

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From incoming products to outgoing deliveries to stores, tell us more about what happens in between?

The journey that a product takes to reach our retailers’ shelf begins when our Trading Department identifying a sales opportunity. The team use a sophisticated stock ordering replenishment system to place purchase orders with our suppliers.

As soon as the order is placed our Warehouse Goods Inwards Team have visibility of all pending deliveries and we work closely with hauliers to build an inbound schedule while optimising our intake capabilities. When the goods arrive at our Distribution Centre we use barcode scanning technology to book the delivery onto our Warehouse Management System (WMS).

The WMS is a smart system that gives us full traceability of each product as it moves through our macro supply chain – from goods received, through to paperless putaway and pick face replenishment, voice picking, and scanning technology for vehicle loading.

The various technologies use speech recognition and speech synthesis to allow workers to communicate verbally with the warehouse management system.

Warehouse staff use a wireless, wearable computer with a headset and microphone, which links to the server via a radio frequency network. This helps to facilitate a smooth transition between each stage of distribution process.

Once loaded, we transport our goods on lorries which are fitted with the latest telemetric systems to provide our Transport team with invaluable tracking and performance information. For example, we drive approximately 3.2 million kilometres per annum, to put this in perspective it’s like driving to the moon and back eight and half times a year!

All our drivers utilise EPOD technology to manage their daily work tasks and capture electronic signatures from our customers.

Our methods of distribution will change depending on whether we are operating from our Ambient, Chilled, and Frozen warehouse, however our overall aim is to ensure our products, especially our fresh

Can you give some examples of speed of process, from incoming products to outgoing?

Most of our goods are picked from stock held scenarios where we offer our retailers a day one for day two service. However, for some products our macro supply chain condenses the order into just a few hours. This consists of placing the order with our suppliers, receiving it into the Distribution Centre, picking the products onto our customers’ orders, and despatching for delivery. We are therefore offering our customer a day one order for day one delivery service.

It is certainly pretty incredible working with the teams as they accomplishment this level of service.

What are the key challenges and/or potential problems?

As with any dynamic operation we are open to any amount of challenges, be it weather conditions causing shipping delays or making our outbound deliveries difficult; to managing demand peaks through successful promotions.

Fortunately we have a dedicated workforce who pulls out the stops to ensure our service to our customers is not impacted.

When are the peak days and times?

Given the fast pace of our industry it can often feel that every day is a peak day but I believe this is what drives us to succeed. As a business we generally work in promotional waves to coincide with retail campaigns. So our peak planning considers weekly periods in addition to daily periods. We will of course have peaks during typical seasonal periods such as Easter, Summer and Christmas which adds to the planning complexities for us. However, it is these challenges that keep our teams motivated.

Eye on Events

STEPHEN NAMED AS TOP MENTOR

A LAW FIRM’S BIG CHARITY BOOST

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eading Belfast law firm Cleaver Fulton Rankin raised an impressive £22,000 for The Prince’s Trust as their chosen Charity of the Year. Staff hosted a range of fundraising events including Bingo Belles and the Brains of Belfast Quiz while also offering ‘in kind’ support to disadvantaged young people through mentoring, interview skills advice and work placements.

This year The Prince’s Trust will provide practical and financial support to around 5,000 young people in

Northern Ireland who are not in work, education or training, helping them develop key skills, confidence and motivation. They operate a range of successful programmes all aimed at engaging young people and encouraging them to take control of their lives and build a brighter future.

Pictured (l-r) are Ian Jeffers, Regional Director with The Prince’s Trust, Karen Blair, Managing Director of Cleaver Fulton Rankin and Ryan Shaw, Young Ambassador.

Northern Ireland startup entrepreneur has been named as one the UK’s top 50 business advisers.

Stephen Houston was picked from hundreds of mentors from around the UK for his work with early stage companies at the Northern Ireland Science Park.

The awards are run by the small business network Enterprise Nation, which asked fledgling companies to nominate an adviser who has helped them to build and grow a sustainable business.

Houston was named as the Halo ‘Business Angel of the Year’ in 2013 for Northern Ireland and is Executive Chairman and CEO at QuizFortune. A non-exec director at Sophia, he has mentored companies such as Sensum, Sixty-5 Technologies and Beacon.

Enniskillen’s Crest Unveiled PENINSULA OPENS NEW BASE

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elfast Giants Colin Sheilds (left) and Kevin Saurette (right) help to unveil Peninsula Care Services’ new state of the art offices and training academy with MD for Peninsula Care Services Jonny Cook and

UTV’s Pamela Ballantine, who hosted the official opening party in Church Street, Newtownards. The evening simultaneously celebrated Peninsula’s //31 campaign, where 31 new jobs will be created before the end of January 2015.

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ictured at the official opening of the Centre for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies (CREST), Ireland’s largest green technology research and development and training facility in Enniskillen are Malachy McAleer, Director, South West College; Chris Hines MBE, former Sustainability

Director at the Eden Project in Cornwall and Jill Cush, Innovation Centre Manager. The new £1.5M state of the art centre will provide specialist education, training and research and development support to help small and medium-sized firms compete in the multi-billion pound renewable energy and sustainable technologies sector.

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Eye on Energy

Ballyrashane Creamery saves 1800 tonnes of carbon by converting to natural gas Producing 100,000 litres of milk, 100 tonnes of butter and eight tonnes of speciality cheese each and every day, Ballyrashane Creamery in Coleraine undoubtedly is a big energy user. The choice of fuel has a major bearing on the business – not only on the bottom line but also on its efficiency and the environment.

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he arrival of natural gas in the Coleraine area from firmus energy provided the Creamery with the opportunity to significantly reduce one of its main overheads and cut its carbon footprint.

Ian Campbell, operations manager for Ballyrashane Creamery, explains: “We pride ourselves on being a responsible company and so using a greener fuel was very important to us.

Since we switched to natural gas from firmus energy in 2010, we have reduced our carbon emissions by more than

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1800 tonnes of CO2, which is equivalent to taking almost 600 cars off the roads or enough to fill an Olympic size swimming pool more than 400 times.

“We use a lot of energy during the process of pasteurising our products and steam generation and we are delighted that our boilers now operate at more than 90% efficiency so that we are minimising the amount of energy that is wasted. It also means that we are able to control the temperature more effectively which ensures we maintain the

consistent high standard and quality of our final products.”

Ian added: “As energy costs are one of our main outlays it was essential that we chose a fuel which was energy and cost efficient. Connecting to natural gas provided important financial savings which, as we act as a co-operative, has helped to secure the livelihood of more than 100 farmers, who bring milk to us for processing.”

Alison Moore, commercial development manager for firmus energy added: “By switching to natural gas from heavy fuel oil, Ballyrashane

lowered fuel costs immediately and began to reap the other benefits of being a firmus energy business customer, such as forecasting information, online bill management and a dedicated customer service representative.”

For more information on firmus energy please visit www.firmusenergy.co.uk or contact 0800 032 4567.

When your business is saving money and energy, you’re winning Talk to Electric Ireland, and we can show you how and where you can save Call us now 0800 056 9914

Smarter Living

WATERFRONT...

LEADING A SECOND BELFAST RENAISSANCE Geoff Fenlon (right) is not from these parts.

Like his predecessor in the Managing Director’s job at Belfast Waterfront, Tim Husbands (now at Titanic Belfast), Fenlon has crossed the Irish Sea to be here.

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Eye on Events

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ut, also like Husbands, he’s got an impressive grasp of a city that he’s clearly grown passionate about. Which is just as well. In his role as Interim MD at the Waterfront, he’s heading up a committed team that are ready for business when the £29.5m construction project, bringing a state of the art conference and events centre to the city, is completed.

“I really think that it will be something of a second renaissance for Belfast,” he says. “Back in 1997, when the Waterfront first opened its doors, this place led the first renaissance for this city, when things really started to change.”

The project is nothing if not ambitious. The £29.5 million bill is being picked up to the tune of £11 million by Belfast City Council with £4 million coming from the NI Tourist Board and the lion’s share of £14.5 million from the European Regional Development Fund under the European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland.

It adds up to a substantial investment in Belfast’s future.

“As an entertainment venue, the Waterfront has fulfilled its role very well through the years, but it has been overtaken as a conference and events venue.

“To put it simply, we couldn’t compete any more and we don’t mean locally, we mean with cities like Valencia, Berlin, Innsbruck, Maastricht and Mannheim.....that’s the level we’re playing at. It is a worldwide market. So we had to make the decision to invest.”

A feasibility study was commissioned by accountants and consultants RSM McClure Watters, the funding granted in March of 2014, a team led

by WH Stephens and Todd Architects was appointed to design the new venue and McLaughlin & Harvey won the tender process to secure the construction contract. Following a short period of site preparation work, they’re now on site and the erection of steelwork is well underway.

“We’ve got our first big conference, a meeting of some of the world’s leading surgeons, already booked in for the summer of 2016.....so we’ll be opening in May of the same year,” says Fenlon with calm confidence.

An experienced operator in the conference business, he spent a number of years in Edinburgh where he was the Executive Director in the charge of the Edinburgh International

Conference Centre before moving to take charge at the ICC (International Conference Centre) in Birmingham.

He has also worked with the team at the Convention Centre in Dublin.

“It is a very big construction challenge,” agrees Graham Thompson, who spent some years as Project Director for the multi-award winning Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre and now faces a whole new challenge in his role as Project Sponsor for the Belfast Waterfront development....and forms part of an impressive double act with Fenlon.

“At the very start, we had to drive 300 or so piles into what is fairly soft land between the existing building and the river, and we also had to manage a lot of existing utilities in the preparation phase. So it’s good to see the steelwork going up.”

Both he and McLaughlin & Harvey are all too aware that the timescale is a strict one. The existing medical conference, and any others booked by an expanded sales and marketing team over the coming months, can’t be put off because the building isn’t ready.

It’s certainly going to be impressive..... an additional 4,000 square metres of exhibition and conference space in a brand new building with panoramic views of the neighbouring river and the cityscape beyond.

“Most importantly, it will put Belfast up there with the very best conference and exhibition centres anywhere in the British Isles,” says Graham Thompson.

And, of course, it adds to a complete revolution of city venues. Going back 20 years or less, Belfast’s only exhibition space was at the King’s Hall, while conferences and business functions were held at a handful of city hotels.

Today, blending sporting venues into the mix, we’ve got Belfast Waterfront, Odyssey Arena, Titanic Belfast, the MAC, Kingspan Stadium and the new Windsor Park stadium. It’s quite a turnaround in anyone’s book.

The new Waterfront development will be on a par in space terms with UK and European rivals, but it will also be on a par technically, offering the kind of flexible space and facilities that event organisers these days demand.

“Gone are the days when an exhibition meant a series of uniform stands,” says Geoff Fenlon.

“Nowadays, organisers want live vehicles, they want living exhibits, we’ve even seen complete operating theatres being created for medical

events. So we’ve got to be able to offer the right kind of access and the right facilities for whatever event organisers might want.”

The new centre will compete in a thriving market for national, European and international conferences and events up to 2,000 delegates or so. These can often be planned several years in advance and most organisers will look at a number of possible host cities and host centres before making their decisions.

“So we’ve got to be able to offer a state of the art centre to host their events – whether they are conferences, exhibitions or both – and also be able to offer an attractive and vibrant city, and Belfast these days fits the bill,” he adds.

Graham Thompson points to the Waterfront’s location, which ticks all the boxes. It’s ten minutes from Belfast City Airport and within easy walking distance of the city’s commercial heart and main entertainment districts.

And there are other key advantages, not least the fact that Northern Ireland is still able to offer one of the fastest and most effective broadband systems anywhere in this part of the world.

The £29.5 million bill represents a pretty big investment, so it’s no surprise that both Fenlon and Thompson are keen to emphasise the fact that a world-class conference and exhibition centre is likely to produce a healthy return by way of economic impact....the money spent by business tourists on hotels, nightlife, shopping and transport.

The team behind the Waterfront project estimate a possible spend of £46 million annually by visitors drawn to Belfast to attend

events being staged there.

On that note, one area of concern is the fact that – at least as things stand – Belfast doesn’t have enough hotel rooms to provide accommodation for a conference venue of this size.

But it’s a problem that is likely to be solved – or almost solved – through new hotel openings by the time the new Waterfront opens its doors for business.

“The need is for three and four-star hotel rooms. A lot of associations and bodies don’t permit the use of five-star properties and value hotels – while always welcome – don’t always fit the bill,” explains Fenlon.

The new venue is also going to fill a glaring gap when it comes to locally-based business events. At the moment, organisers of events like the annual UTV Business Eye Awards and the major business dinners are limited to maximum attendances of 500 or so (more in Titanic Belfast but over two levels).

Belfast Waterfront, come 2016, will be able to seat 750 for banquets....and that’s likely to be a major boost on the local front as well as internationally.

A new high-level Head of Marketing and Commercial Development is due to be appointed in the coming months to head the sales effort, and it’s a sales effort likely to take the new appointee all over the world.

“The events themselves are mobile and therefore we have to be mobile as well as quick on our feet,” says Geoff Fenlon.

“But we’re going to have a brand new world-class conference and exhibition venue and one of Europe’s most exciting cities to sell......so we’re confident.”

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Eye on News

ALMAC And Randox In Final Of European Business Awards Two of Northern Ireland’s pioneering life sciences companies, The Almac Group and Randox Laboratories, have been named as finalists and Ruban d’Honneur recipients in the 2014/15 European Business Awards sponsored by RSM. These companies will now go on to compete in the third and final round of judging resulting in eleven overall category winners to be announced later this year.

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he Almac Group has been recognised for their devotion to innovative work whilst Randox has been honoured for their importing and exporting.

In total 110 Ruban d’Honneur recipients across Europe were chosen from 709 National Champions by an esteemed panel of judges consisting of European business and political leaders,

academics and entrepreneurs.

Now in its 8th year, The European Business Awards, has, engaged with over 24,000 businesses from 33 European countries this year.

Adrian Tripp, CEO of the European Business Awards said: “To survive in this economic climate is hard enough, so to innovate, prosper and expand in the way this year’s Ruban D’Honneur recipients have is truly remarkable.

David Watters, Managing Partner of RSM McClure Watters with Alan Armstrong, CEO of Almac

Europe needs more companies like these. Well done to them all.”

Running alongside the competition’s internal judging process is a public vote which will decide the ‘Public Champions’ of the competition. To vote for your favourite company go to www.businessawardeurope.com. The National winners of the public vote will be announced on 3rd March, 2015.

Supported since their inception

by lead sponsor and promoter RSM, the European Business Awards was set up to recognise and reward excellence, best practice and innovation across the European business community.

For more information on the Awards, the Ruban d’Honneur winners by country and the public vote please visit www.businessawardseurope.com and follow us on twitter at @rsmEBA

Gavaghan To Be Next Chair Of CBI

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BI Northern Ireland today announces that David Gavaghan, former Chief Executive, Titanic Quarter Ltd, has become the Vice-chair of the business organisation. He will succeed Colin Walsh as Chair of the organisation on 1 January 2016 for a two year term.

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Mr Gavaghan said: “I am delighted to be given the opportunity to represent the business community in Northern Ireland. I see this role as the most prestigious position that can be occupied with business locally and am very honoured to have been appointed. With the UK Government agreeing to devolve Corporation Tax varying powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly, [to take effect from 1 April] in 2017, the coming two years is a critical time for the business community as we develop a more sustainable and balanced economy. I very much look forward to working with the business community and with the Northern Ireland Executive to maximise the opportunities which this presents to create value added jobs across a spectrum of industries and activities.”

028 9027 9540 Untitled-1 1

03/09/2014 09:13

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Sunday 15 March

Eye on News

City Auction Group Reports Huge Success Of Its First Auction At Rockingham who have been deeply impressed with our new operation in the UK. The auction attendance surpassed our expectations and we expect that are next auction in March will be even bigger and better!“ Tom Hare, Fleet Remarketing Manager from Sema Lease comments: “We have been working with the City Auction Group in Belfast for a number of years and we are delighted the firm has opened a new site at a central hub in the UK mainland.

“We were very impressed with the very slick and professional way that City Auction Group managed its first event at Rockingham. The facilities are world class

and the location is convenient. Overall the auction event delivered sound financial returns, achieving over 97% of CAP for our ex-fleet and leasing vehicles.

We look forward to working with Michael Tomalin and the team on remarketing our stock over the coming months.”

The next auction event is at 10am Thursday 5th March 2015.

Full listings for the next auction on 5th March can be viewed at Cityautiongroup.com. For further information, please call Michael Tomalin on 07808 791210 or email fleet@ cityauctiongroup.com to register a motor trade account and receive updates.

The best…

…year on year on year!

City Auction Group MD Michael Tomalin.

City Auction Group reports that its inaugural auction at Rockingham was a huge success, achieving total vehicle sales of £3,000,000, with an average fleet price of £8,000 per vehicle.

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ver 100 franchised and independent dealers attended the auction on 5 February 2015.

City Auction Group figures show that 80% of the vehicles were purchased by dealers in attendance, while 20% were purchased via the firm’s smartphone app, Eighty per cent of vehicles achieved in excess of 97% of CAP, while 20% of vehicles achieved over 94% of CAP. Over 400 vehicles were sold on behalf of 25 corporate vendors including Lex Autolease, Semalease, Peugeot

46

& Citroen Financial Services, Avis and Budget and many more. The physical auction was supported by an IOS/ Android live bid and auction app for smart phones and tablet devices. A dedicated soft seated live bid lounge was also used for the first time.

Michael Tomalin, Managing Director of City Auction Group comments: “We are delighted with the success of our first auction at the new super centre at Rockingham. We have received fantastic feedback from dealers and vendors alike,

belvoirlettings.com B9274 belvoir awards poster.indd 1

01/07/2014 11:03

“Universities and colleges have invested millions of pounds in facilities, equipment and specialist staff and businesses can tap into this rich resource. But the benefits definitely are not one way. Engaging with industry sharpens the academia gaze, and feeds back into the curriculum and through to the students themselves.”

“Our role is simple,” says Lynn Connaughton. “We can ease the way for businesses in Northern Ireland to engage with our colleges and universities.

Businesses can make contact directly with us or any of our staff. We’ll then work to link companies with the right academic or support staff. It’s as simple as that.”

“There is no limit in terms of projects. We deal with such a diverse range....from basic collaboration between two partners, perhaps dealing with material testing or product proto -typing, through to more long-term complex research projects involving multiple partners on both the business and academic sides.”

“We want to engage more with SMEs and micro businesses who have little or no experience of working with a college or university. We want companies of all sizes and from all sectors to avail of this programme, and that includes not-forprofit and social enterprises.”

Delivering university and college expertise to the Northern Ireland business community Connected is here to encourage, ease and increase potential knowledge exchange links between academia and industry, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The aim of Connected is to develop interaction and stimulate innovation to benefit Northern Ireland companies and Northern Ireland’s economy.

Funded by the Department for Employment and Learning, Connected is a clear sign that the further and higher education sectors in Northern Ireland are ready and willing to offer their vast pool of expertise, knowledge, research capability and world-class facilities to businesses and the community at large.

Our colleges and universities are only too keen to welcome new businesses through their doors, whether they are looking for knowledge and expertise, specialist skills or equipment and resources. Working with universities and colleges provides businesses of all sizes and stages of development with access to numerous expertise, skills and specialist facilities on your doorstep.

For further information on the diverse range of support services available please visit our website www.connected.ni.org or contact us by emailing Lynn.connaughton@collegesni.ac.uk or you can follow us on twitter @ConnectedNI

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Eye on Finance

Jeremy Stewart, General Manager, Private Banking & Wealth Management, Danske Bank.

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Eye on Finance

Use It Or Lose It

By Jeremy Stewart, General Manager, Private Banking & Wealth Management, Danske Bank It’s a message we’re used to hearing as the end of the tax year approaches and yet come April 6, many people will have ignored the message and missed out once again.

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ecause we don’t understand the extent of the opportunities that exist to keep tax down or even reduce our income tax bills, many of us assume any potential savings won’t apply to us.

In fact there is an array of options out there and there’s still time to get your house in order for 2014/15. Even if you don’t make that deadline, there’s no reason not to start the new tax year in a more efficient manner.

Let’s be clear, when I talk about spring cleaning your finances I’m talking about reducing your tax bill completely legitimately.

One of the most straightforward tools – the ISA – is often overlooked. If you don’t use your tax incentivised ISA allowance it can’t be carried forward. So what, you might say. It’s not that much money. But actually a family of four can invest over £76,000 in this tax efficient way over the next few weeks by investing before the end of this tax year and at the beginning of next tax year. Given how long ISAs and their predecessors [PEPS] have been going it is little wonder that there are an increasing number of PEP/ISA millionaires all using these taxadvantaged investment structures.

For those with Defined Contribution pension arrangements, most can put up to £40,000 into retirement plans this tax year (and more if previous years’ allowances haven’t been used) and get valuable tax relief. But there are some special cases that are sometimes overlooked.

If you are lucky enough to be earning between £100,000 and £120,000, you may be aware that part of your income is subject to up to a 60% tax charge. At an adjusted net income of £120,000 you will generally have lost all of your personal allowances. The opportunity? One option may be to use a contribution to your retirement plan to reduce your income, get

your personal allowances back, and get an effective rate of income tax relief of 60%.

If you are in a position to make use of salary exchange/sacrifice arrangements it could even be as high as an effective rate of 66%. And if you are 55 or over, it won’t be long before you have access to your retirement ‘pension pot’ investment.

April sees new rules come into force that give people over 55 in Defined Contribution pension arrangements fantastic flexibility as to how they can access and indeed manage their pension arrangements far beyond actual retirement date. But there is also the danger of destroying living standards and security in retirement through poor decisions.

From April those hitting 55 will be able to take up to 25% ‘tax-free cash’ from their pension pot all at once or indeed through a series of withdrawals, whilst still leaving the balance invested. And there is freedom on how money in excess of the 25% is taken from the ‘pension pot’, although the excess will be subject to tax, albeit not at the previous punitive rate.

The whole ‘pension pot’ can be taken as cash at once, or a series of lump sums can be taken. Schemes can also set up a series of regular payments that may be based on an annuity or simply withdrawals from the fund.

There are many other subtle changes but among the most notable is the ability for you to ‘pass on’ your pension if you die before age 75 so that beneficiaries can receive the pension pot as a lump sum or indeed draw an income from it tax-free. Unfortunately after age 75 there will be tax due although the tax rate has been reduced.

They’ve been called the most radical changes to pensions in almost a century but they are also fraught with danger. The Government is making free guidance available but for many with more complex needs, the safest course of action is to take specialist advice.

And please don’t forget about our long tradition of charitable giving. Times are tough and some charities are struggling.

But charitable donations benefit both the recipients and the donors. As well as having the benefit of Gift Aid, charitable

donations can reduce your adjusted net income. This means that, as with pension contributions, you can ‘recover’ your lost personal allowances if you earn between £100,000 and £120,000. You may also be able to reduce your marginal rate of tax by making a charitable donation.

At the other end of the scale, some investments have done well in the past few years and if you have capital gains you can realise up to £11,000 tax free by using your annual exemption.

There are many more opportunities, some of them quite complex and requiring specialist tax or investment advice. Often the tax breaks are linked to investments in relatively small businesses.

The key thing is take a step back, take time and plan. And if you are at all unsure, always take specialist advice.

Generally speaking, the burden of taxation does not look like it is going to be significantly reduced any time soon and depending on what party or parties form the next government things could get worse, so for some of us the time to act is now.

Jeremy Stewart can be contacted by email at jst@danskebank.co.uk or by telephone on 028 9004 9302

“ There are many more opportunities, some of them quite complex and requiring specialist tax or investment advice.

Often the tax breaks are linked to investments in relatively small businesses. The key thing is take a step back, take time and plan. And if you are at all unsure, always take specialist advice.”

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Eye on Giving

PHILANTHROPY AND THE ARTS...

Esther Haller-Clarke. Type AB, Director NI Ambassador for Giving UK 1. W hat are your thoughts, in general, on charitable giving?

Giving should be a commitment made by all who are in a position to do so.

It may be regarded as a clichĂŠ but every little really does help. Giving is also very rewarding, especially if as the donor, you take the time to find out more about the organisation or project you are helping and the impact your contribution is making.

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

Mine is a combination of both. My corporate giving is usually in the field of culture and arts as this is the area within which I work. My private giving is to organisations that are about people and bettering lives.

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

A combination. I donate monetarily to organisations both here in Northern Ireland and globally, but my company (Type AB) is also committed to identifying one or two projects a year that would benefit from some communications guidance and expertise. At the beginning of the relationship, we spend some time with the organisation, identifying where our skills can be of benefit to them.

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

I often favour the arts as I passionately belief in their transformative power, the sector consistently delivers with limited resources. As a society we need the arts to create safe platforms for us to discuss, debate and heal. It is not news that the arts impact positively on wellbeing, mental health and social cohesion but often they are the first to be cut or have resources pulled (especially during times time of austerity), comparing the funding for hospital beds for example to a dance piece is not comparing like for like and it can be hard for the arts to make their case on such an uneven platform, nevertheless I think their contribution is vital if we wish to excel.

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

This year I am supporting Creative Exchange Artists Studio, a wonderful organisation who contribute to community development (using visual art as the mechanism to engage local residents), whilst supporting artists through the provision of subsidized studios. I am also on the board of Over The Hill, a music organization for older people interested in participating in, or experiencing music.

They meet monthly for industry talks and performance and are currently in the middle of a long-term project using music to work with those living with dementia and other degenerative illnesses. I try to support a different local charity each year, but globally I’m pretty consistent, water, human rights and social enterprise 6. Do you believe that companies and individuals have a duty to help others? If yes, why?

Yes I do, it is important to contribute to society, to assist when able to and to lend a helping hand.

Together we achieve much more.

7. What is your message to business people who may be thinking about becoming more involved in strategic philanthropy?

There is no greater reward. Don’t just give, take the time to find out more about organisations or companies you wish to support. Visit them, ask for updates , this way you will see the difference your giving makes. It is also a great mechanism to engage your employees in charitable work 8. Giving Northern Ireland was set up last year to champion Philanthropy. Why do you think it is important that there is an organisation that helps businesses and individuals think more strategically about giving?

Many individuals and organisations want to give, they are just not sure how to or to whom they should be giving. Giving NI can provide advice on how giving can be beneficial to the donor as well as the recipient, they can also provide advice on different types of giving. Engaging with an organisation such as Giving NI also offers a platform for meeting likeminded people who can share their experiences and provide examples of how philanthropy with a clear business base can work for everyone.

Continuous Commitment As a client of Caulfield Corporate you will form a relationship with our company and we will be a long term partner for your business. That is why we put a premium on getting to know you and your organisation.

We put your needs first and we will always keep it that way.

Insurance & Risk Advisors

Caulfield Corporate 162 Lisburn Road Belfast BT9 6AL T: 028 9066 1999 F: 028 9066 3560 caulfieldcorporate.com

Eye on Venues

Malone Lodge Celebrates Best Year Ever A hotel that gives tourists what they deserve on many fronts has just had its best year. The Malone Lodge hotel on South Belfast’s leafy Eglantine Avenue shows what Belfast can do!

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eneral Manager, Terri Cassidy looks back fondly on an exciting year, saying: “Last year leading up to this year we were really busy with film production happening in Belfast.

We had three film crews here at one time in our apartments.

“While our 32 apartments are mostly used for one or two night stays, they are brilliant for longer stays too. Not everybody wants a hotel breakfast every morning.

They want the flexibility of their own space but to still have that real high level of being looked after.

“With the apartments you have your own kitchen, somewhere to watch your TV, your own living room to relax or work from, a real home from home.”

Another long term stay has been made by those on the oil rigs in the docks who

stayed for several months.

The Malone Lodge itself is a key part of the new Northern Ireland tourism buzz with its own Belfast vision. Building direct links with travel agents in Italy helped secure ‘Giro’ visitors in May. Terri continues: “We had two teams with a full crew here. The staff got to meet the riders, and got some memorabilia from the riders. There was a great buzz with all the staff wearing pink. Its great to get big events like that to showcase what we really are capable of.

“We really try to have something for everyone, ‘Games of Thrones’ packages, girls’ weekend away packages, golf packages, a tourist package where you can stay for the seven nights.

“When people are checking in we try to find out what

Terri Cassidy.

they want from their stay.”

When you welcome a variety of guests you need a well informed staff offering a professional service. All of the Malone Lodge reception staff are ‘World Host’ trained, (An ambassador programme for customer service).

Terri explains: “It’s about making sure you know what you are promoting. It’s very difficult to say what the ‘Titanic’ experience is like if you haven’t been.

“So all of our staff have been to all the major attractions so they can recommend something about them.

“We are seeing an increase in German and Dutch travellers choosing to stay with us for 2-3 nights and the Asian market is

picking up with a lot of Chinese and Japanese tours coming to Belfast.”

An increase in staff levels from 80 to 95 in the past year shows that the Malone Lodge is responding to customer demand and alert to their own growing reputation.

Terri adds: “The Tall Ships’is happening in July 2015 which is a great event to put Belfast on the map again for its maritime history.

We are already fully booked for it.”

Malone Lodge is part of the tourist framework of the city with ‘City Tours’ stopping outside the hotel’s front door. Terri says: “You get the full tourist experience from your front door.”

Being alive to what the customer wants, that’s the Malone Lodge!

Wilson Group’s Charity Achievement Staff at the Wilson Group have smashed their original £10,000 target, raising an incredible £13,692 in support of their 2014 partnership with the Stroke Association charity!

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rom abseils and marathon runs, to a Zipline and numerous Sip for Stroke coffee events, Wilson Group have been highly active in supporting the charity within all of their care homes: Abingdon Manor Care Home in Belfast, Ballymaconnell Nursing Home in Bangor, Chester and Whitehead Nursing Homes in Whitehead and Larne Care Home.

The Stroke Association also delivered Know Your Blood Pressure information sessions and communications training to staff at each of the care homes.

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Commenting on the achievement, Desmond Wilson, Group Managing Director (pictured right) said, “As a local company providing sustainable employment, each year we support a nominated charity by organising events to raise funds. We are delighted with the final amount raised for Stroke Association and our staff members deserve tremendous credit for the achievement. We hope that the money raised will help make a difference to those affected by stroke.”

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Eye on Finance

A vital health check for business finances

Paul Stephens, Head of Sales (invoice finance) at Close Brothers Commercial Finance, talks to us about the importance of giving your business a regular financial health check, and how it could help you find the funding to support your future ambitions.

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t the start of a new year we often make resolutions. We vow to improve ourselves, to cut out bad habits or make changes to our diet.

We look at where we want to be, reviewing our lives and planning how we can make positive changes. But how often do we do this for our business?

Appraising your operations, employees and finances is a critical part of identifying issues and building upon success. As in our everyday lives, it’s about knowing

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what action is needed to correct mistakes and achieve goals.

Yet for many, making adjustments to a business is a difficult step, especially if things appear to be functioning well.

As we all know, old habits die hard, and just as many of the pledges we made to ourselves at the start of 2015 have already faded, there are issues that continue to permeate the business community.

Figures from the latest Close Brothers Business Barometer, an

independent quarterly survey of SME owners and senior managers from a range of sectors, found that over a fifth of businesses in Northern Ireland have never changed their finance provider, while a further 34 per cent haven’t switched in the last five years.

It suggests that firms have perhaps become complacent in their financial planning.

However the importance of regularly reviewing your finances and making changes should not be underestimated, especially as over 90 per cent of businesses plan to invest in their operations this year.

Of those firms that plan to invest, two thirds intend to raise finance to take on additional staff or purchase new equipment, so it is vital that these businesses create a robust financial plan,

regularly evaluating their ambitions and strategies to ensure that they have the funding in place to achieve their objectives.

Simply put, they need to perform a health check on their finances, and often in doing so firms find that there may be more appropriate forms of funding available.

In many cases, rather than having to turn to traditional lenders and products, which can sometimes be costly and inflexible, a detailed study of the company’s balance sheet and assets may reveal untapped financial potential and value that could be released from their present business.

So with this in mind, what does a business health check look like?

In our experience, it can be largely broken down into the following questions:

Eye on Finance what cash flow and your P&L will look like as the year progresses.

Perhaps you will need to look at additional or alternative sources of finance. Remember that the type of funding your business needs is likely to change as your business requirements and objectives evolve.

What are my commercial objectives in the next 12 months?

Understanding your business and its trajectory is a key part of any review.

You can only plan for the year ahead with a clear understanding of business goals and targets, including contract wins, expansion and the purchase of equipment.

Defining what you want to achieve in any given time frame is essential.

What resources do I need in order to achieve these objectives?

It’s vital to evaluate what additional resources are needed when striving to reach objectives.

Increasing headcount, acquiring new property or equipment and obtaining higher levels of working capital are worth considering.

Can my current financial strategy support my objectives?

Is your existing funding robust enough to cope with what you are planning to do? A thorough analysis of your financial structure will reveal any gaps and allow you to anticipate

CASE STUDY

What type of finance best meets my current needs?

If you’re considering additional or alternative funding to support business objectives, you’ll need to think about where this can be obtained, and more importantly what it might look like.

This is when a comprehensive study of your balance sheet becomes imperative. Take stock of your operations. Consider the assets currently in the business and their value, including the number of unpaid invoices, and their total worth.

Is there significant value tied up in existing assets? If so, there are a number of options available to help release these funds, which may be better suited to your needs than traditional packages.

We offer three tailored solutions, invoice finance, asset finance and asset based lending (ABL), and as the case studies later demonstrate, each carries their own strengths and can be implemented to secure additional funding, enabling firms to fulfill their plans for growth.

Paul Stephens, Head of Sales (invoice finance) at Close Brothers Commercial Finance

Over what period do I need the finance?

Ensure that you have a firm grasp of your business plan and the rationale behind the decision to obtain further funding, as it will be a key indicator of the required lifespan of any finance package.

Having considered each of these questions it will be clear as to whether you need to reconsider your financial strategy, and if so, if you could access additional funding from within your own balance sheet.

CASE STUDY

For many businesses, the results of this routine business checkup might just be the push they need to let go of some old habits and start building for the future.

For more information on Close Brothers Commercial Finance and how we could help your business, please visit www.closecommercialfinance.com or call our local sales team on 028 9517 0406.

CASE STUDY

Sector: Product:

Manufacturing Invoice discounting with bad debt protectiong Funds released: £2,500,000

Sector: Product:

Passenger transport Asset Finance – Hire purchase Funds released: £1,400,000

Sector: Product:

The company designs, manufactures and supplies of a wide range of quality, high performance and reliable cables for a variety of customers in NI. The business was growing at a rapid rate and needed a new funding solution in order to provide valuable cash flow support. With increasing orders and large amounts of working capital tied up in unpaid customer invoices, the company owners opted to partner with Close Brothers and a £2.5m invoice discounting arrangement was put in place.

Bad debt protection was also included, ensuring the business is fully covered in the event of bad debt. The business can now better handle cash flow during times of business growth.

The company is a family run, luxury coach hire business operating across Northern Ireland, the UK and Europe.

The business had won a new contract with a key client and in order to prepare for and deliver this, they needed to purchase six brand new luxury coaches. They required additional finance, but wanted just one finance partner to fund all six vehicles.

They were introduced to Close Brothers Commercial Finance and a hire purchase agreement was put in place to finance the new coaches. The overall value of the arrangement came to circa £1.4m.

The funding was agreed by all parties within the timeframe required, which allowed the company to fulfill their new contract.

The company is an independent familyrun business with over 50 years’ experience in the timber trade.

The organisation had an existing invoice finance arrangement in place, however they were advised that the incumbent financier would soon cease trading in the NI market.

The management team needed to source an alternative lender and were introduced to Close Brothers Commercial Finance.

A blended asset based lending (ABL) facility was chosen, combining a £3m confidential invoice discounting line with £750k funding against the value of their existing stock. An appropriate and robust finance facility was secured within the short timeframe specified.

Wholesale & distribution ABL – invoice discounting and stock finance Funds released: £3,750,000

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Eye on Agri Food

How To Live A Little Healthier At Breakfast Sam Butler talked to David and Jill Crawford in Portaferry about the success they are enjoying creating healthier breakfast options.

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rtisan granola specialist Just Live a Little has begun supplying top UK online retailer Ocado with innovative fruit snack bars. Ocado is the latest major retailer to sign up for granolas created and manufactured by husband and wife team David and Jill Crawford, founders and owners of Just Live a Little, a small business that began life in the kitchen of their Co Down farmhouse.

Based in picturesque Portaferry, Just Live a Little has won a listing from Ocado for its new YoghurtBerry flapjack bars, the latest breakfast innovation from the family firm.

Jill describes each of the new products as “a breakfast bowl in a bar”. “The yoghurt fruit berry bars are the latest from us and are based on our expertise in luxury handmade granolas which are now readily available in leading retailers in the UK and Ireland as well as in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates.

Among regular customers are some of the biggest names in global retailing.”

No mean achievement for such a small enterprise.

“It made good business sense for us to apply this knowledge and experience to create an innovative product for those seeking ‘breakfast on the go’ or a healthy snack to be enjoyed at any time.

The couple formed Crawford Foods in 2011 in their farmhouse

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Couple David and Jill Crawford, founders of Just Live and Little in Portaferry.

kitchen to develop the homemade granolas, subsequently rebranded as Just Live a Little the following year. The granolas are mixed by hand and slow baked and are available in a range of flavours.

Their objective, encouraged and assisted by Invest Northern Ireland, had always been to expand sales outside Northern Ireland and to create a portfolio of healthy cereals and snacks.

Help to develop the new products is also being provided by food technologists on the Loughry campus of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, near Cookstown.

“We are both passionate about good food and were keen to set up out own business based on the excellent ingredients, such as oats and seeds, to be found here.”

The idea for the granola business was started by Jill after an experiment when she made some in the oven in their kitchen for blending with a local yoghurt that David had been involved in developing with Clandeboye Estate in Bangor.

The granolas, another inspirational example of successful kitchen table entrepreneurship, proved popular, particularly with shoppers at St George’s Market in Belfast, where initial tastings for feedback for held. This led the couple to take the decision to start the small enterprise.

The company subsequently gained investment backing through the HALO organisation.

“We were fortunate to secure Hastings Hotels, which has a strong commitment to local food suppliers, as one of our very first customers and have used this initial base as a platform on which to develop our business. The hotel group has been immensely supportive and has helped us in developing our small enterprise.

“We are confident that there’s a demand for the type of natural and healthy products that we are producing because of the very positive response we’ve received from the local markets and delis that we currently supply.

“Our aim is to harness the strong market trend towards healthier breakfast foods and snacks to grow our business especially outside Northern Ireland.

The latest research shows that the couple are well be on to a winner in the production of healthier breakfast cereals. A study, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, assessed the contribution that breakfast cereals make to the nutrient intakes of low income UK population.

Assessing data from over 3,500 people, the researchers found that people who eat cereal for breakfast had significantly higher intakes of key micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

Consumers of breakfast cereals had higher intakes of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, iron and zinc than non-consumers Breakfast cereal consumption was also related to higher intakes of calcium, attributable to higher milk consumption.

The study found that breakfast cereals were consumed by 49 per cent of men, 58 per cent of women, 80 per cent of children (both boys and girls).

Kitchen table entrepreneurs David and Jill Crawford are clearly well on the way to success by harnessing the global market opportunity that’s developing steadily for a range of healthier breakfast products.

“ Our aim is to harness the strong market trend towards healthier breakfast foods and snacks to grow our business especially outside Northern Ireland.”

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Eye on Electric Ireland Top Performer Of The Month

Richard Buckley of Business Eye presents Alan Gibson (second right) with his Top Performer trophy.

Looking on are Clare McAllister (left) and Vincent Litchfield from Electric Ireland.

ALAN GIBSON... STEERING MOY PARK ON GROWTH TRACK Alan Gibson, Moy Park’s UK and Ireland Director is part of the executive leadership team that has seen Moy Park soar to its position as one of the UK’s top 15 food companies and Northern Ireland’s largest private sector business.

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lan joined Moy Park through the company’s prestigious Graduate Management Trainee Programme in 1987 having graduated from Queen’s University, Belfast with a BSc (Hons) in Food Science and a MBA from the University of Ulster, Jordanstown.

Alan has worked across a number of operational and commercial areas within the business, gaining extensive food industry experience both in the UK and internationally.

Alan was appointed to the Moy Park board as Purchasing Director in 2000 and subsequently led the Convenience Foods and Agri-Fresh Divisions from 2009-2013, which was a significant phase in the turnaround of the business, before being appointed to his current role in 2014. Alan is a Director of the

British Poultry Council (BPC) and past Chairman of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA).

In his role as Moy Park UK and Ireland Director, Alan is responsible for the agriculture supply chain, fresh operations and the commercial team, whose primary focus is to ensure customers are supported and expectations are continually met and exceeded through building great relationships. With 5 million chickens processed per week and 1 million turkeys at Christmas, Moy Park is now one of the largest and fastest growing poultry companies in the UK and Europe. Therefore, a key element of Alan’s role is staying close to major retail and foodservice customers to ensure Moy Park delivers a solutions orientated commercial strategy for its customers and consumers.

Since Alan joined the company in 1987, Moy Park has grown to a £1.4 billion business employing over 12,000 colleagues across facilities in the UK, Ireland, Holland and France. In 2013 Moy Park assumed responsibility for its parent company, Marfrig Global Food’s, entire European operations.

With chicken very much at the heart of the business, Alan is passionate about sustainable farming, and Moy Park’s long-standing partnership with 600 local poultry farmers, who are focused on employing the highest quality and welfare standards .

Due to the increasing demand for fresh locally sourced poultry across the UK and Ireland, Alan has spearheaded Moy Park’s Plan to Grow scheme – a major expansion programme across Moy Park’s farming base in Northern Ireland and GB. The programme has gone from strength to strength with construction starting on over 100 new poultry houses so far in Northern Ireland.

In support of this the company

announced a major partnership investment in biomass technology and long term biomass fuel supply to improve sustainable fuel efficiency. As a champion of renewable energy, Alan believes this investment in biomass not only ensures Moy Park’s farms are more sustainable, but also delivers additional welfare benefits for the birds, through enhanced environmental conditions on farm.

Moy Park remains well positioned for continued development, with a £20m investment underway at its Dungannon primary processing facility, which will make the plant one of the most modern and efficient in Europe.

Alan is confident Moy Park will continue to grow the business through investment in its industry leading farming and operational facilities - ensuring product quality, integrity, people and food safety remain central to the business, as they have done since 1943.

xxx xxx xxx

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Eye on News

Gilbert-Ash Wins £20 Million Project To Refurbish World-Renowned Architecture School Gilbert-Ash has been appointed to carry out the £20 million refurbishment of the world-renowned Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London (UCL).

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he project, which commenced in December 2014, will double the amount of teaching and research space available at Wates House while retaining the building’s existing structure. It forms part of UCL’s wider programme to modernise its campus to provide the most comprehensive built environment education and research facility in the country.

Wates House was initially designed to house 380 students and less than 90 staff when it opened 40 years ago.

The Bartlett School of Architecture now accommodates over 2,300 students and staff across eight buildings.

This project is seen as an important opportunity to demonstrate how the retrofit of the 1970’s building stock can

produce world-class architecture.

The contract is the latest high profile project for Gilbert-Ash in England.

Last year it rebuilt the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool which won the prestigious Stirling Prize.

The appointment of Gilbert-Ash marks a continuation of the successful relationship with Hawkins\Brown who were also the architects on the Polish Embassy in London and Drake’s Tie Company also in London.

The project will include an expansion to the south side of the building, additional studio space, new social and café areas, a contemporary, dedicated exhibition space and expanded workshops. Particular emphasis has been placed on ensuring the design of the building fits in with the

MOTOR FIRM’S PRINT DEAL

P

ortadown-based car dealership group Shelbourne Motors has signed a managed print deal with one of the leaders in the field, Oki. The print giant, which operates a dedicated Belfast office, has reduced print costs at the company to the tune of some £3,000 per annum and reduced the number of printers being used.....and it will provide a full print

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management service going forward.

It’s a solution the Oki team is keen to promote to other businesses in Northern Ireland with sizeable printing requirements.

Pictured from left at Shelbourne Motors are Karen Hamilton & Caroline Willis of the car dealership firm and Oki’s Belfast manager, Paul Cinnamond.

surrounding area, which sits within the Bloomsbury Conservation Area and on the southern edge of the Euston Area Plan.

Ray Hutchinson, Managing Director of Gilbert-Ash, said: “This will be a fantastic project to work on. The Bartlett School of Architecture is very prestigious and its reputation is known worldwide. It is a great follow-on project from the Everyman Theatre which won the 2014 Stirling Prize and we are looking forward to working closely with the client and the architects in the coming months.

“Gilbert-Ash has a strong track record of high quality delivery on bespoke design and build projects. We are very aware that being a school of architecture, our delivery will be closely followed by a discerning audience, so it is a great opportunity for

our team to showcase their expertise.”

Central to the design philosophy is opening up the façade of the building to reveal the activity within. This will be achieved by placing formal and informal exhibition spaces at ground floor level, inserting a new staircase to open up the building’s circulation and re-orientating the entrance to give strategic views of London. The Bartlett refurbishment will include demolishing one floor of the building and adding another two, to give eight storeys in total. The entire floorplate of the existing building will also be increased. The building façade will be stripped back and a full new façade will be created using hand-cut brick.

The project is due to complete in August 2016.

MET CHIEF TAKES TOP AWARD

M

arie-Thérèse McGivern, Director and Chief Executive of Belfast Metropolitan College receives the IoD Lunn’s Award of Excellence from Suzanne Lunn, Marketing Director, Lunn’s

the Jewellers; Paul Terrington, Chairman IoD Northern Ireland; Ian Sheppard, Bank of Ireland and Alan Taylor, Arthur Cox. The IoD Northern Ireland Annual Dinner took place at the Europa Hotel.

Est. 1984

Improving Your Cash Flow

• • • • • • •

Celebrating

30 Years

1984-2014

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Eye on Internet

Loving U(ser)’s A Dirty Job But Somebody’s Gotta Do it

By Gareth Dunlop, Fathom.

If the corporate brochure is to be believed, researchers in pristine labs carry out perfectly designed research projects devoid of even a hint of bias, observing users on the latest technology who look just like the beautiful people in the persona definition picture from earlier in the project, and match the target customer demographic to the exact scintilla.

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hese test subjects have the exact interests, social class, income, family background, gender, level of web use and expertise, technical prowess, professional and personal motivations as the company’s target customers. The icing on the cake is that the subjects are perfectly motivated to provide the researchers with as much time as they need to squeeze every last piece of information from them with the beautiful result that they provide the researchers with near-perfect results, free of noise and inaccuracies.

Meanwhile in the real world people of all shapes, sizes, stress levels, foibles, preconceptions, expectations, and web expertise on hardware of diverse ages and capability are using broadband connections of assorted speeds seeking to fulfill tasks using websites.

And somewhat importantly it is the latter scenario rather than the former into which a website seeks to bring value.

The impact of this dynamic on usertesting is that researchers need to work harder than ever before to recreate real-world scenarios in real-world contexts. How users are observed, more than ever, needs to be indicative of how they use websites in the wild.

We are fortunate to work with a client who assists sportspeople with game practice, by more accurately mimicking match play in practice play. The premise upon which their business is built is that the vast majority of game practice (particularly in solo sports such as golf and tennis) is ineffective because it

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recreates only the technical context of match-play, but crucially not the psychological context, which arguably has a greater bearing on performance.

They achieve this by recreating pressure, context, the potential for social embarrassment, competition and finality.

Using technology and scenario planning, they mimic as far as humanly possible what it must feel like to take a penalty at Wembley, serve for Championship point at Wimbledon or putt for the winning birdie at the US Open.

Learning, whether it be from practice or observation, has to be based on experiences as close to the real world environment as possible.

A leading American airline wanted to test its evacuation procedures and to do so simulated a crash in a plane full of test subjects. These subjects intently listened to the various announcements as the plane imitated a crash situation, and patiently and politely carried out the instructions delivered over the speakers in accordance with the wishes of the captain and cabin crew.

The conclusion from the test? That the safety procedures were exactly correct and appropriate for the situation.

The problem with that? The test bore no resemblance to real life.

Aware of the shortcomings of the test, the airline designed another test, which this time fashioned the behavioural motivations of a crash situation, which frankly cannot be created via a simulated crash. Rather these motivations were recreated by getting a plane full of

20-something testosterone-filled American footballers into the cabin, and telling them that on the trigger of various announcements they were to leave the plane according to the instructions. Oh yes, and did we mention that the first man out got $1,000, the next five got $500 and the following ten got $100 each?

The outcomes of the test? Very different indeed to the previous test scenario. The safety procedures fell some way short of dealing with the human emotion involved in a real-life crash.

Testing and research are not possible from ivory towers. Empathy cannot be expressed from a safe distance. Smart designers, committed to human-centred design processes, are prepared to roll up their sleeves, find the right test subjects the hard way, and observe them in real life situations.

Because that’s the battleground where the fruits of their labour will stand or fall.

Gareth Dunlop owns and runs Fathom, a user-experience consultancy which helps ambitious organisations get the most from their website and internet marketing by viewing the world from the perspective of their customers.

Specialist areas include user-testing, usability and customer journey planning, web accessibility and integrated online marketing. Clients include Invest NI, Power NI, Three, Ordnance Survey Ireland, and Independent News and Media. Visit Fathom online at fathom.pro.

EVENT is our BUSINESS YOUR

From small-scale seminars to gala ceremonies the Stormont Hotel sets the standard in Northern Ireland for business events. With 15 conference suites and the purpose-built Confex Centre it is the perfect location.

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Call our conference team on 028 9065 1066 • hastingshotels.com

Eye on Digital

It’s Never Been Easier To Engage With Your Customers Using Online As A One-On-One With Consumers Our world, thanks to technology, is getting smarter. This is going to evolve even more rapidly over the next few years due to further innovation such as wearable tech, personalized search, mobile marketing, geo-targeting, niche social platforms and communities, smart homes, smart cars, smart offices and even smart cities...

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his is great for marketers, as this technology evolves we can evolve with it.

We are becoming more accurate, time/event relevant and innovative in our consumer targeting. But it also means that consumers are exposed to thousands of media touchpoints every day and sometimes several at once. It’s getting harder to compete with all that brand noise.

As with any situation where you have an over-saturated market, your customers’ expectations of brand communications are being raised. They expect to interact one on one with a brand and - when they do - get a quick and personal response. Consumer’s also expect transparency in the age of online research, and seek out the ‘truth’ online - whether the brand has control of this process or not.

Most brands and businesses are becoming more aware and understand this. But at this point they reach a common hurdle, they ask; “OK, so I know what people are expecting from an interaction with my business online… but I still don’t know how I’m suppose to interact”.

This is a greater challenge because, while there may be a few basic guidelines everyone should stick to, there simply isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution.

Each brand or business needs to find the answer themselves.

The good news is that you can make some serious headway into answering this by following this relatively simple exercise. It comes in the form of three questions:

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What is your product?

It’s not just ‘what it does’ but what does it specifically do for your customers?

The printing press was an amazing invention not because it allowed swift multiple copies of the same thing, but because of the end result of that – it enabled people to spread information to the masses. The washing machine was not a success because it mechanically washes clothes, but because it saved the 1950s housewife so much time doing manual labour – time that could be used elsewhere. In the past, many of the successful products were time-savers. This is the world we live in today – a world that moves faster, works faster, commutes faster, communicates faster and consumes faster. Because faster was always going to be better, right? Well, that’s up for debate!

Many of the successful products in more recent times do something else entirely. They are time changers. They are the products which take that spare 5 minutes here, or an hour on the train there, and transform them from ‘useless’ to ‘productive’ time. They are the Facebook’s, Kindle’s, the Hailo’s, the real-time services, and yes, even the Candy Crusher’s. Today, we don’t want to just get from destination or task A to B quickly. We want to get from A to B, while doing ‘C’.

Think about the benefits of your product from your consumers perspective – not from your own. Is

it a time saver or a time changers?

This is the main focus of what you need to be talking about online.

What is your brand?

Seems like a silly question? Before you start listing all the functions and advantages of your product or service again, ask yourself – is that really what my brand is? Because it isn’t a list of attributes or features.

That’s the product – the tangible value of your business.

Perceived value is severely underrated despite being unbelievably important. Every branded product has a perceived value as well as tangible features. Most players in the alcohol industry are heavily dependent on it, so too are the luxury and cosmetic industries.

When asked the seemingly obvious question, what is a brand?

Everyone from David Ogilvy to Stephen King has an opinion on this but all of them agree that its essence is in this perceived value that we’re talking about.

A brand is a promise to consumers, a set of expectations, the added cultural value of a product beyond its basic function.

A brand conveys a feeling and acts as a personality.

Finally, what is your purpose?

What does your brand stand for?

Nike stands for empowering people to become better versions of themselves. Coca Cola is about ‘opening happiness’.

Unilever are Mom’s friend.

Pedigree say ‘We’re for dogs’.

by Rachel Ray (Strategic Planner) of digital agency Simply Zesty What is your brand purpose?

What do you stand for?

Once you work this conundrum out, you can deliver the brand culture through digital, mobile and social. Becoming time changers, and engaging with consumers as they go about their daily routines.

Digital offers this interaction, use it and engage directly with your customers.

Rachel is the Strategic Planner at simply zesty, Ireland’s largest digital agency, with a team of over 50 digital professionals in Belfast & Dublin. Contact us today on 028 9033 4044 and find out how digital can accelerate your brand.

Part of UTV media plc.

“ A brand is a promise to consumers, a set of expectations, the added cultural value of a product beyond its basic function.

A brand conveys a feeling and acts as a personality. ”

digital strategy meets creativity Left brain, right brain. Digital smarts meet real-world business solutions.

Your customers behave & interact in a particular manner online. Whether it’s through mobile, search, social or simply visiting their favourite website.

At simply zesty we understand that journey & turn your customers into real-time conversions, or “sales” – if you like.

From innovation consultancy to digital campaigns we have a team of fifty collective smarts that speak your language.

Contact us today, & let our brains meet.

Visit www.simplyzesty.com or call simply zesty on 028 9033 4044.

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Eye on News

EY ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR... THE SEARCH IS ON EY has officially launched the 2015 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ programme. Hosted by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment Arlene Foster MLA; entrepreneurs from across Northern Ireland attended the launch event where they joined previous EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ finalists, Eleanor McEvoy (Budget Energy) and Ian Wilson (Wilsons Auctions) to discuss strategic growth.

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peaking at the launch event, Minister Arlene Foster said: “Entrepreneurs have an important role to play in growing our economy here in Northern Ireland. New businesses are a source of innovation and new ideas, wealth creation and employment and it is important that we continue to encourage people to start new, innovative, globally focused businesses. I am pleased to launch this 2015 programme which will provide our entrepreneurs with the necessary tools and expertise

required to stimulate business growth and in turn create a vibrant culture of entrepreneurial spirit.”

As part of the programme, this year’s 24 finalists will join a group of 120 entrepreneurs, all previous finalists and winners of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™, for a week-long CEO Retreat to Germany. The intensive week will include an executive education series as well as workshops with the CEOs at the helm of Germany’s most successful start-ups and globally renowned indigenous companies.

The awards programme is divided into three categories - Emerging, Industry and International - with 8 finalists chosen per category.

The 24 finalists will be selected by the independent panel of judges made up of former EOY winners.

Rob Heron, EY Tax Partner, urged entrepreneurs to put themselves forward as potential nominees: “To sustain the growth of the all-island economy, it is crucial for Northern Ireland’s entrepreneurs to foster global ambitions. The 2015 programme

has been designed to provide our 24 finalists with the tools and knowledge to enhance their growth strategies; while introducing them to an experienced community of peers to support them on this journey.”

Individuals who wish to put themselves forward or nominate an entrepreneur with their consent, can fill out the online nomination form at www. eoy.ie or call the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ team for further information on 01 221 2250. The deadline for nominations is Friday 20 March 2015.

FIVE NORTHERN IRISH COMPANIES SHORTLISTED FOR INNOVATION AWARDS The search for the most innovative business on the island of Ireland is one step closer following the announcement of the shortlist for The Irish Times InterTradeIreland Innovation Awards.

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ighteen nominees from across the island and working in six different industry categories have been named in the shortlist. The aim of the awards, which are now in their sixth year, is to showcase and reward excellence in innovation across a range of products and services.

The shortlist features entries from established companies, innovators, start-ups and academia. Two Northern Ireland companies – Core Systems from Belfast and Nautilus NI Ltd based in Newry - are nominated in

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the IT & Telecommunications sector.

The other three companies from NI which have been nominated are all Belfast based.

They are Fusion Antibodies (Bioscience), The Creativity Hub (Creative Industries) and Andor Technology (Manufacturing).

Michael McAleer, Innovation Editor, at The Irish Times, described the calibre of this year’s entries as extremely high, he said: “Our aim with these awards is to recognise and promote SMEs, start-ups or established companies

from all over the island which venture into the exciting world of innovation. As well as providing the companies involved with a valuable platform, the awards also lend them credibility in the market place.

“This is the sixth year of the awards and many of the previous winners have gone on to become industry leaders in their fields. We have no doubt that many of this year’s entrants and shortlisted nominees will emulate their success.”

InterTradeIreland Strategy and Policy Director Aidan Gough said:

“Companies that embrace an ongoing culture of innovation are more likely to grow, sustain growth and gain a competitive advantage.

That’s why it is so important to support, foster and acknowledge the spirit of innovation which these 18 pioneering companies and indeed all our entrants have displayed. They have done extremely well to get to this stage of the competition and our judges are looking forward to engaging with them further in the lead up to the announcement of the winners in Belfast in on April 17.

Stay ahead.

Stay ahead of your competition by employing the very best candidates in your market. With over 60 years combined experience as professional recruitment consultants we know which waters to fish to attract the very best applicants for your business - specialising in connecting leading employers with the best talent in IT & Digital, Technical & Engineering, Accountancy & Finance, Commercial & Management roles. To discuss how you can grow your business through people, call 028 9023 5456.

Our PeOPle are YOur PeOPle www.graftonrecruitment.com Business Eye Header - Moving On Page.indd 1

02/01/2013 15:41:48

Eye on Moving On

1 Neil Linton has joined the Wealth Management Department of BDO NI having worked as a financial adviser in Law Society (NI) Financial Advice Limited for 13 years. Neil works with clients in all areas of financial planning including investments, pensions and protection for both personal and corporate clients.

1 Neil Linton

2 Clem Bassett

3 Lorna Donnan

2 ASM Financial Planning has appointed Clem Bassett as a Senior Consultant. He joins from Aon Hewitt (formerly Aon McMillen) and has previously worked in the financial services industry for UK Provident and Sun Alliance. Also joining the ASM team as a Senior Adviser from 3 Aon Hewitt is Lorna Donnan. She started her career with General Accident. And Stephen 4 McDonnell becomes IT Audit Manager at ASM Financial Planning. He is a qualified accountant, IT auditor and project manager.

5 At ASM Chartered Accountants, Stephen Burns is appointed as Senior Manager in ASM’s forenstic accounting team. He specialises in the quantification of financial losses in a variety of commercial disputes.

6 Tim Smith has been appointed as a trainer with Johnsons Coffee to help expand their training team, which supports the increasing number of new clients across Great Britain and Ireland. Tim, who has worked in the industry for seven years previously managing outlets and working as area barista trainer for two major coffee chains, will be responsible for barista training with new and existing clients.

4 Stephen McDonnell

7 Andrew Ryan

5 Stephen Burns

8 Daphne Mahon

6 Tim Smith

9 Martin Mallon

Law firm TLT has expanded its energy & renewables team with the hire of planning 7 & environment partner, Andrew Ryan.

Andrew joins from Tughans where he was a partner and head of energy, environment and planning. He has particular expertise in the Northern Irish planning system having advised on numerous development and infrastructure projects in the region.

8 Daphne Mahon has been appointed as the Head of Auctions (Belfast) and Surveyor at Lambert Smith Hampton. Daphne has seven years previous experience of working as a Surveyor and Auctioneer for Allsop in Dublin and 9 London. Also at LSH, Martin Mallon has been appointed as an Associate Director. Martin has worked in various commercial and residential property roles throughout the UK and Ireland 10 over the past 15 years. And Laurence Higgins has joined the capital markets team at Lambert Smith Hampton as Director of Property Finance.

Previously Laurence worked for Ulster Bank, part of Royal Bank of Scotland for 13 years. He is a chartered surveyor with extensive experience of real estate finance and asset management.

11 Gareth Morrison has been appointed as Managing Director of The Lava Group. Gareth’s career has demonstrated rapid progression, spanning over 15 years, with the previous three years at the Lava Group as Technology Manager.

10 Laurence Higgins

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11 Gareth Morrison

Serving clients across the UK & Ireland

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Eye on Travel

2014 A Flying Success for George Best Belfast City Airport Latest figures published by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority showed that George Best Belfast City Airport transported more than 2.5m (2,555,111) passengers in 2014 - up 0.5% on 2013.

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fter an extremely successful year on the route development front, the number of passengers using the airport is likely to increase further in 2015.

The last six months have seen Flybe introduce Liverpool and London City routes, both of which have proved extremely popular, and in 2015 the airport will welcome two new airlines to Northern Ireland.

From May, the low cost yet full service Spanish airline, Vueling, will operate a twice weekly service to Barcelona, and European airline KLM, which flies to more than 650 global destinations, will commence a daily service to Amsterdam Schiphol, one of the world’s best connected aviation hubs.

Katy Best, Commercial and Marketing Director at George

Best Belfast City Airport, said “We are absolutely delighted with the latest CAA passenger figures which show a 0.5% growth at George Best Belfast City Airport in what has been a very busy 12 months.

“In the space of two months we announced the arrival of two major European airlines for 2015 which is really exciting and great news for both business and leisure passengers in Northern Ireland.

“Whilst Amsterdam is a very important point to point destination, Amsterdam Schiphol is one of the busiest and largest (by passenger numbers) airports in Europe providing quick and easy transfer facilities for passengers connecting to popular long haul routes such as Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mexico, Moscow, Johannesburg and Bangkok. The

airline’s connectivity to many source markets will be particularly appealing to Northern Ireland for both business opportunities and tourism development.

“In addition to the arrival of these new airlines, Flybe has enhanced its domestic route network from Belfast City with the introduction of Liverpool and London City whilst increasing frequency on the Manchester route in response to demand.

“Due to an overall increase in customer demand all three major airlines at Belfast City have improved their load factors.

Belfast City is still the only airport in Northern Ireland to facilitate a London Heathrow route, through

CITY HONOURS ARGENTO Belfast Chamber of Trade & Commerce has awarded independent jewellery retailer, Argento, with a highly coveted President’s Recognition Award. The local, homegrown business has been recognised for their ‘investment in the city’ and for their achievements as a fast-growing business enjoying continued success in Northern Ireland and beyond.

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aul McMahon, President, Belfast Chamber of Trade & Commerce said: “Argento is an excellent example of a local company which is excelling, not only in Belfast, and in neighbouring towns and cities but also across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

“Their investment into their Belfast store on Royal Avenue has

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to be commended. It is not only aesthetically pleasing, on both the inside and out, but also the layout of the shop showcases some of the best store design in the city.”

Paul concluded, “The business also has to be recognised for its effort and creative flair over the Christmas period, the lights and decorations ensured it stood out on the street drawing

customers and contributing to the overall buzz in Belfast.”

Argento was set-up by local entrepreneur, Pete Boyle in 1997, who started his career selling jewellery from a street mall. Today, Argento has 27 stores and 9 Pandora shops and has the fastest growing online jewellery department store in the UK and Ireland.

Aer Lingus and British Airways, which continues to be extremely popular with both leisure and business passengers alike.

“The airport has a clear strategy to ensure Northern Ireland has excellent air connectivity. We are hugely proud of our achievements within the last year and will continue to invest in our facilities to ensure the passenger journey is comfortable and seamless.

For further information on airlines and routes served by Belfast City Airport please visit www.belfastcityairport.com

Eye on News

JOBS APP HITS THE RIGHT NOTE An 18-year old Belfast student is on course for success with an innovative jobs app which has already won £10,000 worth of grant funding from Invest Northern Ireland under the agency’s Point of Concept Grant Scheme.

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obmapper is the brainchild of Jason Davidson, a former pupil of Grosvenor Grammar School in Belfast who is now studying Business ICT at Queen’s University.

Jason came up with the idea for the app in 2013 and went on to work with a friend to produce a prototype. It’s a mobile app that lets users search for job vacanies in a specific area by entering key words....and it’s a geographical step forward from existing list-based job search sites. The search results appear on an on-screen map

with full details of each job.

And the app isn’t just limited to Northern Ireland.

“Our unique partnership with indeed.com, the largest job site in the world, has allowed us to have access to over 16 million jobs in over 50 countries on our app,” explains Jason.

It’s now available on Android and iOS by searching Jobmapper.

Ony just soft launched, take up has already been very encouraging, and a desktop version is already under development and will be available soon on www.jobmapper.com

SOCCER BALL SENSATION A local company has scored a success on the international market by launching a new type of football.

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he Mamba ball, which is specially designed to improve the skills of everyone from top professionals to playground players, has attracted orders from more than 30 countries in just ten weeks.

The bright yellow ball has three layers – an inner bladder, a nylon weave and a rubber skin - with expertly-created grip zones on its surface.

Since it was launched just before Christmas, online orders have come from places as diverse as Iceland, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Tasmania, Iran, Morocco, Kuwait, Qatar, Greece, Italy, Spain, Norway, Poland, China and the US. The ball was the brainchild of Stephen Maher and Brian Lavery from Antrim-based company LMInnov8s.

Stephen Maher said: “The Mamba was designed as a close contact training football, giving you the ability to be more creative, confident and improve your all-round football skills. It was trialled and tested at Sheffield University with very positive results.

“We were excited about the potential of this new product – but we’ve been amazed by the interest that’s been shown already from all over the world.

“It’s especially impressive in that we have not done any formal advertising – most of our sales have come as a result of word of mouth through social media.”

Mamba is now planning tours of Great Britain and Ireland to promote the ball and is also hoping to schedule a

Mamba ball brand ambassador Jamie Knight shows off his skills under the watchful eye of LMInnov8s’ Stephen Maher.

marketing trip to the United States within the next year.

We are also examining ways of developing the product and expansion of the brand to include a very unique clothing range.

“We are currently producing a smaller ball aimed specifically at under 12s.

“ The Mamba was designed as a close contact training football, giving you the ability to be more creative, confident and improve your allround football skills. It was trialled and tested at Sheffield University with very positive results.”

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Eye on xxx

ACTION CANCER COMP

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Innovation Through Collaboration For years people have strived to achieve the open plan office, removing divides and promoting team communication. Recently, however, we have seen a new trend emerge.

In todays office environment, we are seeing a real value on staff happiness; a happy employee is an effective employee. The Google’s and Facebook’s realised this early on. But the reality is that we still need our own space, and a time that we can break away and concentrate in a more relaxed and personal way.

For more information you can find us at www.innov8officeinteriors.com t. 02890238180 Or Why not visit us at our showroom?

1-3 glenmachan Street Belfast, BT12 6JB

Eye on Hospitality

THE CHANGING WORLD OF HOSPITALITY 78

Eye on Hospitality One of Northern Ireland’s leading business figures, Sir William Hastings, takes a personal look at how the hotel and hospitality industry has changed during his lifetime in the business. Sir William Hastings CBE D.Litt is Chairman of Hastings Hotels, a portfolio of 6 luxury Hotels in Northern Ireland and is Director of the deluxe Merrion Hotel in Dublin. Heading an independent family owned business he has been at the helm of his company since it was founded in 1966. He was knighted by the Queen for his services to the Hospitality business and tourism in 2011.

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or those who work in the hospitality industry, it has always been much more than simply a job. Staff in this sector love the guest interaction, the passion and commitment and increasingly the potential opportunities available in a business where a kitchen porter can one day become a hotel general manager! There are few sectors nowadays which can offer such extensive scope for career advancement and it is those who have the motivation and tenacity and those with passion for their jobs that will reach their full potential and rise up the ranks quickly.

The hospitality trade has changed from being a traditionally “Cinderella” industry to being a major economic driver within the Northern Irish economy. It has now overtaken both agriculture and manufacturing in its contribution to our economy in Northern Ireland.

With the increase in global travel and the influence of the internet on the industry, customers today are so much more demanding and better informed, and have higher expectations of all aspects of travel and hotel stays. This is an industry which is continually evolving and we as hoteliers must constantly invest in both our properties and our staff if we are to be able to meet and exceed the levels of service guests now expect.

Nowadays, staff recruitment in the hotel industry it is a much more pleasurable task than it was when I started working in the sector over fifty years ago. Staff are much better paid and there are much better opportunities with plenty of variety and something to suit everyone. At Hastings Hotels we have been continually striving to improve our standards across all aspects of our business, and this includes the recruitment and training of our staff.

More than 25% of our employees are now qualified to degree level, and some even higher. We accept the cost of finding, interviewing, engaging new employees is high, and consider

training of these staff as a long term investment. Many have stayed with us for years, about 10% as long as 25 plus years. These employees have made hospitality their lifetime career and have achieved from it much satisfaction.

It is an industry where you will meet many new people and often customers and colleagues over the years become your best friends.

Confuscious said, ‘Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life’. This is true of many of our staff who love what they do within our industry. And opportunities for experiences and promotions within our 6 hotels are there for the taking.

The hospitality industry is highly competitive with millions of workers worldwide, so Hastings Hotels is small in the world of hotels. However we are confident and we want our customers to think that we are as good as many of the very best. To maintain this reputation it is down to our employees. Opportunities for the best students and applicants are always available. We have close relationships with the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland who run one of Europe’s top hospitality management schools. Our Marketing Director, Julie Hastings MA FCIM was appointed visiting Professor in 2012 and our managers are invited to share their experiences by way of guest talks and mentoring on a regular basis to students in the Ulster Business School. We encourage these students to study hard in their chosen discipline. This ensures to us the employer a commitment to excellence.

Hastings Hotels have an extensive range of training programmes across the group, available to all different levels of staff – from Chef Development Programmes to Management Trainees, we are continually engaging with our staff and assisting them in developing and improving their skills. Those who do engage in the industry, rarely leave it.

In today’s global economy, you cannot grow a leading organisation

Sir William Hastings

singlehandedly. Every famous entrepreneur has built a flourishing company with great employees by their side. It is crucial to make sure you have the right people, and the right number of people, to keep your company running smoothly and profitably, whilst ensuring the highest levels of guest satisfaction.

Trends are more important than events I am sure that major occasions are very important. However I am of the belief that trends are even more important than events. We are fortunate that international and local travel continues to grow and that banqueting, conferencing, entertainment and international sporting fixtures are evolving. We must keep moving with these trends to exceed their expectations and win the business.

There are two trends which are crystal clear to me. Globally the standard of living is rising year by year and has been for the last 2000 years. I believe this is unlikely to change. Also tourism and the education received though travelling have moved from being a luxury in the developed world to now being rated as a necessary part of life and living, and something we feel we deserve. Growing prosperity is a trend that results inevitably in a lifetime expectancy to ‘trade up’ in all aspects of life in this society. Tourism and hospitality, as well as sport and leisure time are at the heart of those qualities of life for which we work to earn the means to allow us to enjoy.

Hotels have grown from small oases of grandeur for the wealthy and privileged to a great variety of fine properties for a vastly expanded demand for business and personal use. In Northern Ireland as across much of the developed world we see better quality hotels, golf, resort and spa venues, as well as

entertainment venues of excellence have quickly grown and developed. They have concentrated the minds of all of us in the tourism and hospitality industry to prepare for the needs of this rapidly increasing affluence. Happily we in Northern Ireland are blessed with many of the natural ingredients necessary to share in the opportunities on offer.

We are increasing our market share in this highly competitive business. We are blessed with a moderate climate, unparalleled beauty of the landscape, uncluttered roads, excellent ports and airports and a God given will and desire to complete the task as most affable hosts to a growing number of international visitors. There will always be room for exclusivity, however marketing and branding will indicate to the customer both price and expectancy.

Branding and marketing are massively important. With rapid on line developments with which we have no choice but to keep up or lose out, the customer really can see our product, our price and a myriad of reviews at their fingertips to allow them to make a very educated decision. The Northern Ireland Government now realises the importance of job and wealth creation from tourism and hospitality and are now prepared to offer our former ‘Cinderella’ industry equal status to agriculture and manufacturing.

But finally, a word of warning, perhaps for the future – and I say this will all due respect. Accountants can give advice, and consultants can inform (often both at a huge cost). But hoteliers are BORN with a natural instinct for the business, professionally trained too, and passionate. Just like the farming community, they specialise and best know their customers’ needs and desires.

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Eye on People

MCS Group...

Sizing Up For Fast-Moving Recruitment Marketplace

“ We’ve built a management team with a combined 80 years or so of experience in the recruitment business here in Northern Ireland, and I don’t think there will be too many other companies in this space who could make a similar claim.”

Not too many years ago, recruitment specialist MCS Group was an up and coming player in Northern Ireland’s marketplace.

Nowadays, it can claim its place at recruitment’s top table, according to Managing Director, Barry Smyth.

“W

e’re pretty much unrecognisable as a company compared to a couple of years ago,” he says.

“We’ve grown our team to almost 20 people, we’ve strengthened our presence in our key sectors and we’ve moved to new, Grade A, offices in Linenhall Street.”

Those key sectors are in IT, Technology and Engineering and the company has also added a fourth area of speciality – Accountancy and Banking Recruitment.

A new management structure has also been introduced, with a new senior team being recruited to take charge of each of the sectoral areas, while Barry’s wife, Louise, has also joined the company as Commercial Director. A highly experienced recruitment industry professional, Louise was previously a Senior Executive with one of the largest recruitment firms on the island.

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“We’ve built a management team with a combined 80 years or so of experience in the recruitment business here in Northern Ireland, and I don’t think there will be too many other companies in this space who could make a similar claim,” adds Barry Smyth.

“What we’ve also done is to work hard on the development of all of our staff. We’re firm believers in the ‘grow your own’ approach while complimenting this key selective hiring of high calibre, experience professionals and we’ve reached a stage where we’re lucky to have an excellent team of people working with our clients.”

With that personnel commitment in mind, MCS is currently working towards Investors in People accreditation and is also taking part in the Gold Star Strategic Customer Service initiative being run under the Centre for Competitiveness banner.

“We see both the customer

service initiative and the Investors in People accreditation as key differentiators for us in what is a well populated marketplace, where we are no longer viewed as the young upstarts trying to carve out a slice of the action.

In all regards we believe we’re right up there with the best of the specialist recruitment consultancies nowadays and are continually trying to raise the bar for our industry.”

MCS, says Barry Smyth, continues to build a strong portfolio of high performance customers in Northern Ireland.

“We’ve got a very solid base of Top 200 companies across the spectrum here, but we’re also aware that companies look at recruitment differently these days.

“At one stage a few years ago, in order to achieve cost efficiencies, many companies were trying to consolidate their supplier bases and channel all of their recruitment

work through just one consultancy.

However, with the expertise involved in delivering against specialist requirements such as IT, Engineering or Accountancy, most of these firms have realised that it’s not a commodity service and you can’t, and shouldn’t treat it as such. As a result firms are now looking for separate, high performing partners for specialist roles while retaining one or more generalist firms for their high volume/lower skill recruitment.

Revenues at Belfast-based MCS have continued to reflect the company’s growth. Over the past twelve months, profit has grown by an impressive 250%. That’s

Eye on People

Barry Smyth, Managing Director, MCS Group.

even more significant, Barry Smyth reckons, when you consider this growth has been achieved despite a significantly increased cost base.

“We’ve seen a lot of growth on the contracting side of our business in particular,” he adds.

“Our core business used to centre on permanent recruitment and this continues to grow, but we’re also seeing a significant growth in contracting across all disciplines.”

Like his counterparts in a wide variety of businesses, Barry Smyth watches the economic horizons closely. A regular media commentator on employment issues, he’s also wary of what might happen

politically, with the May General Election not too far away.

“Northern Ireland is, relatively speaking, in good shape at the moment, and that’s reflected in the high level of FDI activity which looks set to continue and to grow into the future.

“In this industry, we very definitely welcome investment coming in, and we also welcome recent job announcements by home-grown companies like software firm Kainos (which is creating just over 400 new jobs in its healthcare software operations in both Belfast and Derry).”

“The service sector is also looking buoyant, and manufacturing – in

general terms – is looking stronger than it has been for a while.”

Barry Smyth also reckons that employers here have had to change their attitudes when it comes to recruitment in the modern era.

“Times have changed,” he says. “In the fairly recent past, employers have been able to secure people regardless of their offering. These days, it’s a highly competitive and a sophisticated candidate market.

The candidates, in other words, have a wide choice of employers in front of them. So, in many cases, they can pick and choose.

“So the employers have had to step up to the mark in order to

attract the right people, and in order to retain those people. It has been a steep learning curve for some organisations but the fact is that, if you don’t play the game well, you won’t get the people you need. It’s as simple as that.”

“This industry has spent a lot of time over the years telling employers that good people are hard to get and having spent time in the past few years expanding the team here, I can vouch for the fact that it’s true....!” It seems that the employers that get their proposition right and work hard to retain good people are winning, not just in recruitment, but in business generally.

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Eye on Marketing

MARKETING THE KEY CHALLENGES 2025 FACING MARKETERS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Marketing is changing rapidly – but what are the big issues and opportunities facing business in Northern Ireland in the next ten years?

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C

IM, the organisation representing marketing professionals, has launched a new brand strategy to reflect the rapid changes taking place within the profession.

A key component is “The Marketing 2025 Hackathon”, in which CIM is inviting marketers throughout the world to explore the main challenges and solutions to the issues facing today’s marketers.

At the start of 2015 CIM began the biggest conversation in its history, an ambitious, open-ended process

seeking answers to the biggest questions facing the marketing profession in the digital age.

The Marketing 2025 debate asks: • What are the main issues and opportunities facing marketing over the next decade?

• How can marketers tackle the big questions facing the profession?

• Who can turn the best ideas into real-world prototypes and experiments that can benefit marketing?

Anyone can get involved by

going to the CIM website www. marketing2025.com and clicking to join the Marketing 2025 conversation - #marketing2025.

You can also debate and discuss issues of interest by joining CIM’s LinkedIn group, ‘CIM Community, Ireland’.

Business Eye asked four leading marketers to join the conversation by telling us what they think the biggest issues and opportunities facing the profession in Northern Ireland will be over the next ten years.

Eye on Marketing

Geoff Wilson, sports marketing expert and owner of Geoff Wilson Consultancy

Nicola McCleery, Head of Marketing, Danske Bank

U

B

y 2025 we will see technology continue to revolutionise marketing in Northern Ireland by allowing us to make super smart decisions.

Advancements in Technology will see highly intelligent machines making choices for the consumer at home, work and at play.

Furthermore we will see the introduction of chips embedded into human bodies. This chip will allow for buying and selling, travelling from country to country as well as holding personal information such as social security details. This technology will open up new ways to market a product or service as well as gather vital data for future marketing activity.

Finally, in terms of technology we will see an increase in the

use and applications of virtual reality as a marketing tool in all aspects of our lives. Sport and engineering will lead in the adoption of this technology and marketers will seek to include it in events and experiential programmes before 2025.

Lydia McClelland, Head of Marketing, Ulster University

socially aware organisations. As practitioners, we need to ensure that our brands and organisations resonate with future consumers, employees and other stakeholders, which will require us to establish healthy relationships with the local communities in which we operate.

John Edmund, owner of Marketing Strategy and Planning

B

y 2025, the use of technology in marketing will be fully embedded for companies in Northern Ireland.

The job title, Chief Marketing Technologist (CMT), will be common-place. No longer will we be talking about how much of our budget goes into digital versus traditional marketing spend, nor will we have a siloed approach to digital marketing that currently exists in many NI organisations, but we will be discussing how much of our spend goes on technology to enable our marketing processes.

The new breed of CMTs will need to demonstrate strategic marketing thinking along with an excellent understanding of technology, a clear understanding of the organisation’s mission, how to apply technology strategically, a wide knowledge of technology solutions,

ndoubtedly technology will continue to advance and consumers, if not already, will live in a fully connected world.

Our accelerating world means that brands will need to work harder to add value in people’s lives as the line between online and offline marketing continues to blur.

Anticipating and satisfying customer needs will no longer be a choice but a necessity – overall there will be a greater need for transparency, exceptional service and innovation. What will not change is the necessity to focus on the customer perspective, to really understand their universe and deliver a valued personalised service.

An open world means that consumers have many channels at their disposal and millennials in particular will have high expectations for responsible,

B

the ability to educate colleagues on the use of technology, and excellent management skills.

Our challenge in to ensure that NI plc is creating individuals who can rise to this new marketing challenge and deliver strategic change for our businesses.

ig Data is the greatest advance in marketing planning since Kotler codified the theory.

It gives the marketer the in-depth means of understanding consumption patterns, purchasing rationale and the influence of open peer to peer communications platforms. That understanding will ultimately transform industry’s ability to meet both the challenge posed by the individualisation of consumption and supply in the developed world and having enough available goods to satisfy a growing population in a developing world that is demanding more of what the developed world has.

More than ever, in 2025 the importance of marketing will be found in making smart choices based on good data analysis that anticipates

demand, generates the right product/service specification to satisfy that demand and puts the logistics in place that will ensure that demand can be realised. Communicating that opportunity will be digital and on a peer to peer basis”.

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Eye on Awards

The Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards are going global for 2015.

Pictured at the launch of the Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards 2015 in Titanic Belfast are Noel Doran, Irish News editor; Professor Deirdre Heenan, Pro Vice Chancellor, Ulster University; Jim Livingstone, Sales and Business Development Manager, H3 Health Insurance; Alan Egner, Commercial Sales & Marketing Manager, Power NI; Judith Owens, Deputy CEO, Titanic Belfast; William Hamilton, Managing Director, Liberty IT; Anna Beggan, Partner, Tughans.

The initiative - which recognises the top-performing companies and organisations across every sector of the field of employment - was formally launched yesterday in Titanic Belfast, which will host the gala awards dinner on June 17

A

nd as well as a number of the awards categories being revised, this year sees the introduction of a completely new category, the Global Team Award.

It showcases the best Northern Ireland has to offer on the international stage, and also focus on the impact foreign direct investment companies are making locally.

“We always try to introduce fresh elements to our programme, and the Global Team Award will certainly be a particularly prestigious trophy,”

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Irish News editor Noel Doran.

Yesterday’s launch was attended

by Minister for Employment and Learning Dr Stephen Farry and representatives from the initiative’s main business partners - Tughans solicitors, Liberty IT, Power NI, H3 Health Insurance, the Department for Employment and Learning, Ulster University and Titanic Belfast.

Mr Doran added: “We are delighted that Ulster University has joined us for the first time as a partner. “The University’s collaborative approach to offering

students relevant experience and opportunities prepares students and graduates to make informed choices about their future career direction. “Ulster University is supporting young people to fulfil their potential and to become the employees, entrepreneurs and leaders of the future, locally and internationally.”

Dr Farry said: “Awards such as these are an excellent way for businesses to showcase their enterprises and gain recognition for their successes during what has been a prolonged period of economic difficulty. “They are also a positive way for organisations to recognise and reward their staff, and let existing and potential new customers know about the quality of their products and services.”

Guest speaker at the launch which was hosted by BBC present

Karen Patterson (she will again be compere at the awards in June) was Denise Woods, of Automated Intelligence which claimed both the Career Inspiration Award and Best Place to Work Award in 2014.

“As a relatively young company we needed to gain access to young ambitious talent in a sector where the jobs market is hugely competitive,” Ms Woods said. “So winning two Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards at the first time of asking proved an incredible boost to our organisation in terms of morale and pride, and was an independent acknowledgement of how we are performing.”

Entries for the awards close on April 28. For your 2015 entry pack and awards information visit www.irishnews.com/ wea or follow the build-up on Twitter at @IrishNewsWEA

Eye on News

Bank of Ireland Launches New SME Packages

Bank of Ireland has launched new banking packages aimed at the important small business growth and start-up segments of the Northern Ireland business market.

G

eneral Manager, Terri Cassidy looks back fondly on an exciting year, saying: “Last year leading up to this year we were really busy with film production happening in Belfast.

We had three film crews here at one time in our apartments.

“While our 32 apartments

are mostly used for one or two night stays, they are brilliant for longer stays too. Not everybody wants a hotel breakfast every morning. They want the flexibility of their own space but to still have that real high level of being looked after.

“With the apartments you have

your own kitchen, somewhere to watch your TV, your own living room to relax or work from, a real home from home.”

Another long term stay has been made by those on the oil rigs in the docks who stayed for several months.

The Malone Lodge itself is a key part of the new Northern Ireland tourism buzz with its own Belfast vision. Building direct links with travel agents in Italy helped secure ‘Giro’ visitors in May. Terri continues: “We had two teams with a full crew here. The staff got to meet the riders, and got some memorabilia from the riders. There was a great buzz with all the staff wearing pink. Its great to get big events like that to showcase what we really are capable of.

“We really try to have something for everyone, ‘Games of Thrones’ packages, girls’ weekend away packages, golf packages, a tourist package where you can stay for the seven nights.

“When people are checking in we try to find out what they want from their stay.”

When you welcome a variety of guests you need a well informed staff offering a professional service. All of the Malone Lodge reception staff are ‘World

Host’ trained, (An ambassador programme for customer service).

Terri explains: “It’s about making sure you know what you are promoting. It’s very difficult to say what the ‘Titanic’ experience is like if you haven’t been.

“So all of our staff have been to all the major attractions so they can recommend something about them.

“We are seeing an increase in German and Dutch travellers choosing to stay with us for 2-3 nights and the Asian market is picking up with a lot of Chinese and Japanese tours coming to Belfast.”

An increase in staff levels from 80 to 95 in the past year shows that the Malone Lodge is responding to customer demand and alert to their own growing reputation.

Terri adds: “The Tall Ships’is happening in July 2015 which is a great event to put Belfast on the map again for its maritime history.

We are already fully booked for it.”

Malone Lodge is part of the tourist framework of the city with ‘City Tours’ stopping outside the hotel’s front door. Terri says: “You get the full tourist experience from your front door.”

Being alive to what the customer wants, that’s the Malone Lodge!

NUALA MEENEHAN TAKES PANI CHAIR Publicity Association of Northern Ireland (PANI) appointed Nuala Meenehan of Exterion Media as its new chair at their annual AGM event held at Ten Square in Belfast.

N Nuala Meenahan is pictured with PANI President Basil Singleton.

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uala takes the helm as PANI moves on from the successful return of the PANI advertising awards with a growing membership base and hugely supported events.

The past 12 months were

reviewed; areas covered included record membership levels and growing industry wide support for all PANI business and social events which were hosted during 2014.

Also announced on the evening was a packed programme for 2015

which includes a mix of social, business and networking events.

For further information on forthcoming business events and to find out how you can become a member of PANI go to www.panionline.com

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Eye on Motoring

dfcbelfast.co.uk Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

JAGUAR F-TYPE OFFERS POWER, STYLE AND CONTROL Jaguar is back in the luxury sports coupe business with the F-type, the long awaited successor to the legendary E-type. These are very different times and the F-type is a very different car aimed at the discerning driver who may have become bored with his Porsche!

P

owered by a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine, the S model that I drove boasted 380PS, enough to hit 62mph from rest in less than 5 seconds. This is accompanied by a delightful howl from the optional ‘active sport exhaust’ which you can turn off if feeling fragile.

For all its power, the F-type feels easy to drive. If you are not in a hurry you can let the

eight-speed automatic gearbox do its work. Otherwise, you can get faster ‘manual’ changes using the steering wheel flaps or central stick. A beefy response is guaranteed when you press the loud pedal.

With adaptive damping the car smooths out the bumps on bad roads so you do not get bounced about. Handling is surprisingly nimble, even on country roads.

The steering feels precise and there is plenty of grip. This is a car you just want to drive and drive.

More debatable is how practical the F-type would be for everyday driving. While it is happy to idle through the traffic and attract admiring looks, there are downsides to the stunning shape. Rear visibility is restricted and you depend on the parking beepers. They claim there is

enough room for golf clubs, but luggage space is restricted.

If you ask about running costs then you probably can’t afford it. For the record, the F-type S returns 30mpg combined and emits 209g/km. Relative to super cars of the past, this is commendable but the company accountant may not agree!

The F-type S model is priced at £60,250.

with consumption ranging from 54 to 68mpg combined and emissions from 125 to 134g/km.

There will also be an ultra clean 2.0 TDCi ECOnetic with 150PS, 68mpg combined and 107g/ km. A petrol hybrid version with 99g/km is also on the slips. All come with six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes. All-wheel drive versions are to follow.

Premium options include a self-park system that can detect suitable parking slots for

either parallel or perpendicular parking! Another system can detect a pedestrian on the road and apply the brakes automatically if the driver does not respond to its warning.

Further innovations include LED headlamps and adaptive front lighting that adjusts beam angle and intensity to the conditions.

This much improved Mondeo comes as a five-door hatchback or estate. It is list priced from £20,795 to £27,365.

NEW-LOOK MONDEO BIGS UP ON STYLE AND TECHNOLOGY What treats are in store for ‘Mondeo man or woman’? Apart from the distinctive new grille already seen on Fiesta and Focus, there are numerous styling detail changes that add up to a more sophisticated look.

I

nside, the finish has been similarly improved. This is a big, roomy car with more rear legroom and boot space than its premium rivals. It makes the perfect cocoon allowing the miles to slip by easily on those long distance business trips.

For the first time Ford is fitting its EcoBoost 1.0-litre three cylinder petrol engine to the Mondeo. With 125 PS, this should be good enough for steady driving

and the 55mpg combined with emissions of 119g/km make a decent business proposition.

There is also a 1.5 EcoBoost petrol option with 160PS that returns 48mpg combined with 134g/km emissions.

The diesel line-up includes the new 1.5-litre TDCi with 120PS, economy of 70mpg combined and emissions of just 104g/ km. Other 2.0 TDCi engines offer either 150, 180 or 210 PS

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Eye on Motoring

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Eye on Motoring

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Eye on Motoring

dfcbelfast.co.uk Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

NEW GENERATION C-CLASS ESTATE DOES THE BUSINESS With deep creases etched along its sides and a big star badge in the grille, the latest C-class certainly has a stronger presence on the road.

Otherwise it is a story of evolution rather than revolution, exactly as you would expect.

T

he C220 Bluetec diesel that I have been driving is a swift though relaxed performer with 0-62mph in 7.7 seconds. Engine noise has been reduced to a subdued growl most of the time. The Bluetec moniker is to remind you that it has been tuned for optimum economy and emissions.

Combined cycle consumption is rated at 64mpg and emissions are down to 115g/km making this a strong contender for the business car buyer. The benefit in kind rating is a modest 17%

- a rating that would be more common for a compact hatchback.

Of course, the C-class was the smallest Merc for many years until the A and B classes were introduced. So it is not as big as it looks from the front seats.

The boot is not particularly spacious though the passenger compartment is roomy enough.

Gone is the laborious foot operated parking brake and in its place is a neat on/off switch on the lower edge of the dash.

But they have retained their traditional gear selector stalk on

the steering hub - it works very slickly once you get used to it.

My car was fitted with the optional air suspension which makes for smooth passage over bad surfaces and it is adept at hopping over speed ramps. The interior is very premium with a

big screen for navigation and other controls, great finish details and the luxury of leather seats with electric adjustment from controls on the door.

The C220 Bluetec estate is priced from £30,980 before you dip into the options list.

HIGH-RIDING PEUGEOT 2008 COULD BE A TAX SAVER Tall cars are the growth niche of today. Peugeot completes its range of these machines with the 2008, its compact crossover. While its name - or should I say, number - suggests it is based on the 208 supermini, this is more like a small estate.

L

ike most Peugeots, the styling is elegant and understated - maybe a little short on the small car fun factor! There is no denying however, that there is a feeling of quality about the 2008, inside and out. But how does it shape up as a business buy?

There is a really spacious boot for a car of this size and it can be augmented by folding down the rear seats. Enough space for a rep and a lot of samples. Or for around town deliveries as long as the product is of compact dimensions.

This is a comfortable car to drive with a well-finished interior dominated by a large display screen. The steering

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wheel is smaller than usual - something I quite liked - so that you have a clear view of the instrument ledge.

The bottom lines for the 115bhp 1.6 e-HDI turbo diesel engine on my test car are rather impressive. It returns no less than 70mpg on the ‘official’ Combined Cycle and emits just 106g/km. So it is free of ‘road tax’ in year one and just £20 thereafter with appropriate company car tax saving.

Peugeot has thoroughly refined this engine over the years and it is smoother than before. While it is no ball of fire, it reaches 62mph from rest in just over 10 seconds and manages to feel responsive through

each of the six gears. Available systems include grip control which allows you to ‘waddle’ out of slippery situations by alternating the power between the driven front wheels. Other options include self-parking.

The 2008 is an accomplished little machine which impresses on most fronts. It is list priced from £13k with a 1.2 petrol engine but my premium diesel version in plush Allure trim was a £18k morsel.

Lateral thinking

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Making commercial sense

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LAND IN LONDON. ACTUAL LONDON. We fly from Belfast City Airport to London City Airport.

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