Business Eye June 2014 by Buckley Publications

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Issue 142 June 2014 £2.50 Voted best Business Magazine in Ireland 2005 and Magazine of the Year for Northern Ireland

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Invest NI’s Record Year

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Contents

titanicbelfast.com JUNE 2014 ISSUE 142

Economic Development Invest NI Chief Reflects On Record Year

Another bank has made a firm commitment to lending to the SME sector here in Northern Ireland. This time it’s HSBC, a bank which has had a muted presence here in Northern Ireland over the past couple of years. But it’s back with a signicant £100 million package aimed at businesses here.

Marketing A Showpiece Venue

Cover Story Paul Simmons & Flybe’s Brand New Era

When Clare Tarbuck found herself as a sports arena in Florida on a student placement, she knew that she’d found the right industry for her. These days, she works for the same employer but back home in Belfast as a Commercial Executive for SMG’s Odyssey Arena in the city.

Engineering... A Jewel In The Crown

The arrival of new purple-painted aircraft is the visible sign of the changes that have taken place at Flybe, Belfast City Airport’s biggest operator. The airline has just returned to profit under a new management team, including Chief Operating Office, Paul Simmons, who talks to Business Eye.

Recent deals which have seen Munster Simms and Telestack sold to US-based multi million dollar corporations show once again that NI’s engineering sector is well worth watching, says top corporate lawyer John George Willis of Tughans.

Steven Goldblatt... A Head In The Clouds

Banking First Trust Sets Course For The Future

Steven Goldblatt is clear about what has been driving the technology marketplace for some time, and what will drive it into the future. It’s all about the cloud, he says, and how companies here can use it.

UTV Business Eye Awards in association with Flybe The 2014 UTV Business Eye Awards in association with Flybe were officially launched in June at a reception and launch event held at UTV Studios in Belfast.

Des Moore is a new face among Northern Irelands coterie of bank chiefs. The new Head of First Trust Bank is a straight-talking Dubliner who is keen to put the bank’s troubled past well behind it and move into a new customer-focused era with business banking at its core.

Ocean Of Opportunities For Food Innovator

Investment & Employment Global Giant’s Belfast Choice

Top chefs like Ballymaloe’s Darina Allen are cooking with new seafood products from a recently established artisan business on picturesque Rathlin Island. Sam Butler talks to the entrepreneur behind the ‘sea veg’ enterprise.

Business Eye Fleet Awards & Titanic Motor Show Titanic Belfast will be a spectacular venue for the 2015 Business Eye Fleet Awards and Titanic Motor Show, a two-day event aimed at both the fleet industry and the general public and featuring some of the latest cars in the unique setting of the Titanic Slipways.

The very fact that one of the global giants of the audit/consultancy world, EY, chose Belfast as the base for a new operation boasting close to 500 new high value jobs says a lot for how much progress we’ve made as a business location. EY’s Ireland Head, Mike McKerr, talks about the importance of the investment and why Belfast was given the nod.

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

HSBC Commits £100 Million To SME’s

In its very latest annual report, Invest Northern Ireland didn’t just report on a record year. It reported on its best ever year since the new agency came into being. The figures certainly give Chief Executive Alastair Hamilton something to smile about, but they’re also cause for celebration for the NI business community as a whole... and they might just lead to more of the same.

Regulars

Specials

Eye on Events

Eye on Business Travel

Eye on Insurance

Eye on Banking

Eye on Digital

Moving On

Eye on Commercial Property

Eye on Law

Eye on Motoring

Eye on Giving

Eye on Marketing

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There’s no pleasing some people. The old adage holds true, and it’s perhaps even more pertinent to business and the economy than anywhere else.

Comment “Spotlighting another relatively recent US/ Northern Ireland acquisition deal – that of Omagh firm Telestack by Tennessee-based Astec Industries for $36 million – Willis turns the focus on a remarkable centre of excellence for engineering firms which seems to have grown up without anyone noticing in County Tyrone.”

Irish Magazine Editor of the Year 2005

This edition of Business Eye has plenty of good news for Northern Ireland within its pages. Invest Northern Ireland’s Chief Executive Alastair Hamilton is a man with every reason to be fairly pleased with himself (and his team, of course). He reflects on the agency’s best year since it opened its doors, a year marked by some really significant job creation for the region. Just across Bedford Street, EY’s (formerly Ernst & Young) Ireland Head Mike McKerr gives us the inside track on the 486 high-value consultancy, audit and data analysis jobs being created in the heart of Belfast by one of the world’s big four accountancy giants. Elsewhere in this edition, there’s news of acquisitions, notably of Hughes Insurance and Munster Simms, based not far apart in Newtownards and Bangor respectively. Both are perfect examples of home-grown success stories. Leslie Hughes, a true gentleman of the business community here, set up his insurance company in a spare bedroom at his home in Newtownards back in 1977. Over the intervening years, he headed a team which has grown the business to employ 300+ and provide motor insurance for one in five drivers in Northern Ireland. Hardly surprising then that US insurance giants Bostonbased Liberty Mutual, already a major force in the Republic of Ireland, decided the Hughes was worth acquiring. Over in Chicago, meanwhile, the top team at Brunswick Corporation, a multi-million dollar company which owns some of the top brands names in the leisure marine industry, had its eyes set on Munster Simms, the highly successful maker of Whale marine pumps and a firm bought in an MBO by a top management team headed by Patrick Baird back in 2008. One of our top corporate lawyers, John George Willis of Tughans, wraps things up rather nicely in another interview in the pages that follow.

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He acted for the management team at Munster Simms in the very recent Brunswick acquisition, and he’s convinced that Northern Ireland’s manufacturing and engineering sector could be a major (and too often under rated) catalyst for further growth here. Spotlighting another relatively recent US/Northern Ireland acquisition deal – that of Omagh firm Telestack by Tennessee-based Astec Industries for $36 million – Willis turns the focus on a remarkable centre of excellence for engineering firms which seems to have grown up without anyone noticing in County Tyrone. In particular, this one county in Northern Ireland has established itself as a clear world leader in the specialist construction/quarrying equipment sector, and that’s the main reason why Astec sat up and took notice at its corporate headquarters thousands of miles away in Chattanooga. That’s a remarkable achievement in anyone’s book. And why is there no pleasing some people? Because Northern Ireland has, amongst its business community, a fair sprinkling of those for whom optimism doesn’t come easily. We all know the sort. Mention the improving economy and they say that it’s all a bit too early to judge. Mention the kind of success stories we’ve detailed above and they say that Dublin is amazing at the moment, and that the North just doesn’t compare. Mention new jobs being created here and they express their opinion that they’re not the right type of jobs. One more thing can sometimes come up. Mention the fact that Belfast is peaceful and filled with tourists and they say that another violent so-called marching season will soon have a negative impact on that. Heading into a Northern Ireland summer, let’s hope that they don’t have a point on that front.

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Eye on News

HUGHES INSURANCE SOLD TO US GIANTS Hughes Insurance, Northern Ireland’s leading independent insurance broker, has been sold to one of the global giants of the industry, US-based Liberty Mutual.

stablished back in 1977 by Leslie Hughes, Hughes Insurance has £60 million in gross written premium for the financial year ending March 31, 2014. The company distributes 1 in 5 motor insurance policies sold in Northern Ireland and has a rapidly growing household and SME commercial insurance book, employing over 300 people at its headquarters in Newtownards, Co Down and at 11 other branches across Northern Ireland. Hughes Insurance will continue to be led by current Chief Executive, Gareth Brady and his management team. Welcoming the news, CEO of Liberty Insurance, Patrick O’Brien stated, “We are pleased to confirm Liberty Mutual’s

continued commitment to Ireland. Over the past two years Liberty Insurance has built a substantial business in the Republic of Ireland. I believe Liberty’s acquisition of Hughes and our appointment as lead underwriter will enable us to build a leading presence in the Northern Ireland market through Hughes’ established network. Liberty Mutual has a long history in Northern Ireland, having first invested in Northern Ireland in 1997 with the establishment of Liberty Information Technology, which now employs over 400 IT professionals.” CEO of Hughes Insurance, Gareth Brady commented: “This is a great development for both our customers

Gareth Brady, Chief Executive, Hughes Insurance; Joe Hamilton, Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer, Liberty Mutual Insurance; Leslie Hughes, Chairman, Hughes Insurance; Pat O’Brien, Chief Executive Officer, Liberty Insurance and Gerry Shearer, Personal Lines Director, Hughes Insurance.

and our employees, enabling us to grow our business further with the backing of one of the world’s leading insurers while maintaining our Northern Ireland identity. It also opens up a range of exciting opportunities for our talented workforce across Northern Ireland.” Headquartered in Boston, Liberty Mutual is a diversified global insurer with operations in 30 countries around the world. The company is the third largest property and

casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2013 direct premium written as reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Liberty Mutual is ranked 76th on the Fortune 100 list of largest corporations in the U.S. based on 2013 revenue. As of December 31, 2013, Liberty Mutual Insurance had $121.2 billion in consolidated assets, $102.2 billion in consolidated liabilities, and $38.5 billion in annual consolidated revenue.

MOURNE SEAFOOD BAR CASTS ITS NET IN DUBLIN The restaurateurs behind Mourne Seafood Bar have just opened their first venture into the Republic of Ireland on Dublin’s Grand Canal.

ndy Rea and husband and wife team Joanne and Bob McCoubrey partnered to open Mourne Seafood Bar in Belfast in 2007. They are also behind Mourne Seafood Bar Dundrum in Co. Down, Belfast Cookery School, The Eagle at Galgorm Castle and Home, formerly a pop-up restaurant in Belfast City Centre before moving to a permanent home within the city. Mourne Seafood Bar Dublin situated in the heart of the capital’s business district at Millennium Tower on Charlotte Quay has created 40 jobs following an investment of £200,000 by the owners. Bob McCoubrey said, “Ireland is known for its world class

seafood, shellfish and large fishing community, so it was a natural step for us to bring Mourne Seafood to Dublin. We have found a perfect location overlooking the water which will only add to the ambiance and we hope the restaurant will become embedded in the neighbourhood for local residents and businesses and a destination for tourists”. The restaurant’s location is ideal with its close proximity to the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), the growing legal quarter of Dublin, the burgeoning technology corridor of ‘Silicon Docks’ and the Convention Centre Dublin (CCD). Guests looking for food following entertainment will find Mourne Seafood Bar ideally

located to Dublin’s cultural and entertainment venues such as the O2, the Aviva Stadium and the Bord Gais Energy Theatre. The licensed premises will operate seven days per week and comprises an 80-seater restaurant and additional seating areas, a bar serving craft beers and platters and a raw bar area. Chef patron Andy Rea said, “The ethos at Mourne Seafood is to offer the freshest of sustainable Irish seafood preferring the simplicity of cooking rather than complexity allowing the ingredients to say it all. Where possible we use artisan suppliers so that we are fully aware of the food chain cycle. The best fish comes from small day boats, which go out fishing for one day

and return in the evening. I love the idea that fishermen who supply me will call me when they get back to shore to inform me what they’ve caught. We can get their catch straight away, it’s so fresh”.

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Eye on Travel

Selective transforming the way we travel Belfast businessman Mukesh Sharma, MD of World Travel Centre and its corporate travel arm Selective Travel Management, is sharing his extensive knowledge with Business Eye readers throughout 2014. Here he explains why they lead the travel field on the island of Ireland.

t’s fair to say that very few travel companies – and certainly none on the island of Ireland operates as many facets of the industry as we do. With continuous growth through a number of acquisitions, the company has transformed significantly with employee numbers in Northern Ireland increasing from around 20 to over 50. The overarching company is World Travel Centre, Ireland’s largest travel companies, which has bases in both Belfast and Dublin. In Northern Ireland the company operates in a number of different fields within the travel industry. Corporate Business Travel As Northern Ireland’s biggest independent travel management company and market leaders in UK and ROI, Selective Travel Management supplies business travel for various industry sectors including Governmental departments, Blue Chip organizations, Higher Education Sector and SMEs.

A team of highly skilled, dedicated account managers supported with advanced technology and systems ensure we make use of long-standing relationships and buying power with leading national and international travel suppliers including airlines, hotels and car hire companies. All this is backed by an efficient quick response 24/7 24 hour emergency assistance. Our real strength as a business is our technology - we can provide the most up to date and extensive management information, including real time data, carbon analysis reporting and e-Procurement and e-Invoicing capabilities. Aside from being travel policy compliant, we offer traveler tracking capabilities, full service level agreements with KPIs, and an online booking Tool, the Selective Travel Management Portal, which can be tailored for individual companies. All this ensures our client receives the best value for money, an efficient service and provides a high level of duty of care to the travelers and staff.

Consolidation A consolidator is an appointed airfare wholesaler …Our group is also the largest consolidator in Ireland, supplying 75% of independent travel agents, North and South, with airfares and accommodation. This arm of the business trades as WTC and is the wholesale division serving the travel trade also in GB. Being a successful consolidator is dependent on volumes and our buying power gives us that unique position! Groups & Events Within the Selective brand we operate a groups and events department organising travel for groups on trade missions, sports activities and conferences across the world. This department will assist with all aspects of group travel including on the ground support such as restaurants, transfers, entertainment as well as of course hotels and flights. Retail Sales Completing the line-up is the consumer-facing retail Selective Travel department serving clients with personal travel needs. This could be low cost flights, around the world itineraries, honeymoons, cruises, city breaks and package holidays. This facet of the business gives clients access online, face to face by appointment or via tele-sales.

Mukesh Sharma, MD of Selective Travel Management, part of the World Travel Centre group.

The company is fully compliant with legislation for consumer protection; we hold licenses with IATA, ABTA, CAR and ATOL. We are here to do Business, for the long term.

Contact Selective Travel: T: 028 9096 2000 E: corporate@selective-travel.co.uk W: www.selective-travel.com T: Selective Travel Mgt (@selectivetm)

Eye on News

ALEXANDRA TAKES TOP BUSINESS PLAN PRIZE Alexandra Milne has won the top prize of €10,000 for her business Little Deli, in The Ireland Funds’ third annual Business Plan Competition, sponsored by Bank of Ireland and hosted by Northern Ireland Science Park (NISP) CONNECT in Belfast.

ittle Deli is a solution that lets customers easily and efficiently pre-order and pre-pay for their lunch from local delis and cafes, at their own convenience. The first and second runners-up were awarded money of €5,000 and €1,000 for their business ideas. The competition is modelled on a similar initiative run at Harvard Business School and aims to nurture creativity and hone entrepreneurial skills amongst recent graduates and post-graduate students. The four finalists from Belfast, Dublin and Cork were among 15 teams to complete a training programme that helped them develop their business ideas

and create a competitive pitch. The four young entrepreneurs then pitched their ideas to a judging panel of business leaders, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs in the competition. The Business Plan Competition kicks off the 2014 Worldwide Ireland Funds Conference, an annual coming together of philanthropists and business, political, and cultural leaders. This year’s conference will be held in Belfast from June 19 – 21 and will focus on the progress of The Worldwide Ireland Funds Promising Ireland Campaign, which is on target to achieve its goal of raising $200 million for non-profit organizations across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

William S. McKiernan, chair of the judging panel and founder of CyberSource Corporation, first runner up Stephen Henderson founder of Ruach Music from Kilkeel High School, the winner Alexandra Milne, founder of Little Deli and University of Ulster; Sarah Dineen, CEO of Uniwink from University College Cork, Norma O’Mahony founder of Effy from University College Dublin, Padraic Brennan Head of Business Development Bank of Ireland, Jordan Campbell, Programme manager, The Ireland Funds and Julie Ann O’Hare Director Business Banking Bank of Ireland.

Julie Ann O’Hare, Director Business Banking Bank of Ireland UK said: “Bank of Ireland is committed to supporting the growth of Northern Ireland businesses. They are the life blood of our private sector. Bank of Ireland works in collaboration with many strategic partners across and beyond Northern Ireland to encourage investment

in enterprise and support the young talent and entrepreneurial spirit that we see here today. I am delighted to congratulate Alexandra from Little Deli as the overall winner and Stephen from Ruach Music the 1st runner up who is also from Northern Ireland. It’s a testament to the business talent in Northern Ireland which should be nurtured and supported.”

£50M Boost For Northern Ireland Property Sector Northern Ireland’s property market has received a serious boost with the launch of a £50 million fund by leading finance and real estate specialists GDP Partnership.

he funds, which are available immediately, address the continuing difficulty that operators in the sector are having finding funding for viable projects and can be used for commercial property ventures across Northern Ireland. GDP Partnership has built a reputation in the last few years, for providing innovative solutions for clients through their practice specialities of bank mediation, restructuring, asset management, corporate finance and real

estate advice, and launched the fund in direct response to the very sobering fact that there is currently little to no finance available in the local market place. Conor Devine, Principal at GDP Partnership said, “This is a very important announcement for the local economy as a whole. After six years of a recession and a standstill in terms of the property market, it’s a fantastic boost for the local economy that our team are now launching this new lending platform. “Confidence is returning slowly but surely in the Northern Ireland economy in the last few months, and while the property sector experienced one of the sharpest downturns, it is returning to positive growth. As our banks continue to deleverage and clean up their own businesses, they have more or less cut off the funding supply to the local market for property based proposals. “This £50 million fund should go some way to boosting the commercial property sector and we look forward

to working with individuals and organisations who have a requirement for finance for viable deals.” James Gibbons, GDP Partnership said, “At GDP we specialise in solving problems and have been working tirelessly since 2011 to identify new finance platforms, which sit outside that of the traditional institutional banking practices. “This is a significant opportunity to property owners, developers and

their advisers and we want them to know that GDP Partnership is here to help in a tangible manner that will see them get their plans off the ground sooner rather than later.” The fund is provided for by UK based private investors who now see Northern Ireland as a place where they should invest their money. That alone is a massive statement in terms of bringing confidence to the local market.

Eye on News

Flybe Unveils The Invincibles Flybe, the largest airline operating out of George Best Belfast City Airport has paid a unique tribute to the 1974 British and Irish Lions Squad.

“T

he Invincibles”, a specially named Q400 aircraft, has been unveiled in the presence of the squad members including team captain Willie-John McBride, by Fred Kochak, Flybe Routes Director accompanied

by Andrea Hayes, Flybe’s Regional Manager North. The event coincided with the 40th Anniversary reunion of the Squad organised by the Wooden Spoon Children’s Charity of which Willie-John McBride is currently President. The legendary players who were flown in from Scotland, England and Wales by Flybe, lined up to watch the unveiling and included Fran Cotton, Alan Morley, JPR Williams, Phil Bennett, Andy

Irvine, Alan Old, Roger Uttley, Gareth Edwards, JJ Williams, Phil Bennett and Billy Steele. The Irish stars of the team were

Willie-John McBride, Syd Millar, Mike Gibson, Fergus Slattery, Tom Grace, Jonny Moloney, Stewart McKinney and Dick Milliken.

Equiniti Launches New Package Belfast-based Equiniti ICS, one of the leading innovators of HR and payroll software in the UK has launched PeopleAX, a Microsoft accredited package to assist companies with 500+ employees manage their decision-making and HR resource.

M Jenny Millar, Marketing Executive at Equiniti ICS pictured with David Meade, mentalist launching Equiniti ICS’s new HR and payroll software product PeopleAX.

ervyn McCormick, Head of Sales at PeopleAX who developed the software with his Belfast team stated, “People are at the heart of every company and help map its journey. PeopleAX provides a framework of support for managing payroll

that benefits both companies and their employees. Our software, in many ways, provides a vital but invisible role making sure wages are paid on time, deductions are exact and tax codes are applied supporting thousands of people. This is the first product of its kind in the UK and offers a level

of dependability and innovation that Equiniti ICS are renowned for. “Any data transmission that depends on paper is doomed. Modern, electronic services are informed by years of analysis and experience of the issues facing multidimensional organisations,” said Mervyn McCormick. “Long-term business success eliminate mistakes for employers, employees and business can best be delivered by integrating systems that will deliver efficiency and most importantly.”

EQUINITI ICS LAUNCHES PEOPLE PRODUCT

quiniti ICS, one of the leading innovators of HR and payroll software in the UK has launched PeopleAX, a Microsoft Certified and HMRC recognised package to assist companies with 500+ employees pay their staff and effectively manage their HR processes. Equiniti ICS have invested £1.2 million in developing PeopleAX and a total of £2 million across developing new HR and Payroll software solutions. Mervyn McCormick , Head of the PeopleAX Business stated, “People are at the heart of every company and help map its journey. PeopleAX provides a framework of support for

efficiently managing payroll that benefits both companies and their employees. Our software, in many ways, provides a vital but invisible role making sure wages are paid on time, deductions are exact and tax codes are applied supporting thousands of people. PeopleAX also enables organisations to ensure that the right people with the right skills, training and experience are in the right roles at the right time.” This is the first Microsoft certified product of its kind in the UK and offers a level of dependability and innovation that Equiniti ICS are renowned for. “Any data transmission that depends on paper is doomed.

Modern, electronic services are informed by years of analysis and experience of the issues facing multi-dimensional organisations,” said Mervyn McCormick. “Long-term business success can best be delivered

by integrated systems that will deliver efficiency and most importantly eliminate mistakes for employers, employees and the business.” PeopleAX was launched at an event in the MAC in early June.

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Eye on News

BTW Shiells Returns To Lambert Smith Hampton Fold UK Commercial Property Consultancy, Lambert Smith Hampton, has announced the acquisition of commercial property agents BTWShiells.

Keith Shiells, BTW Shiells; Stuart Draffin, BTW Shiells; Massimo Marcovecchio, Commercial Director, Lambert Smith Hampton; Paul Gamble, BTW Shiells; Ezra Nahome, CEO, Lambert Smith Hampton; Donall McCann, BTW Shiells; Paddy Brennan, BTW Shiells.

TWShiells is Northern Ireland’s largest firm of commercial property consultants employing 75 staff at its headquarters in Clarence House in central Belfast. BTWShiells’ existing management team of Keith Shiells, Paddy Brennan, Donall McCann, Paul Gamble and Stuart Draffin will retain leadership roles in Lambert Smith Hampton’s operations in Belfast, with Douglas Wheeler remaining as a consultant. The deal involves the purchase of BTWShiells’ highly regarded commercial business including its market leading retail and business space agencies, capital markets team together with its core shopping centre management

team. BTWShiells manages 36 shopping centres across Ireland and the UK comprising in excess of 8 million square feet of retail space. It’s ranked the 6th largest shopping centre Managing Agent in the UK. BTWShiells was recently awarded a 5 year asset and property management contract for Northern Ireland’s premier retail destination, Victoria Square in Belfast. BTWShiells was created through a management buyout of Lambert Smith Hampton’s business in Northern Ireland in 2003 so today’s deal heralds a return of the management team to Lambert Smith Hampton. Ezra Nahome, CEO of Lambert Smith

Hampton, said: “The transaction brings together highly regarded and complementary teams in strategically important areas such as capital markets and asset management thereby improving the expertise and coverage available to clients. It also adds to our existing offer in the nonperforming loan portfolio market by bolstering our presence in Ireland. “This is an important strategic initiative for Lambert Smith Hampton and it won’t be the last one we undertake. We will continue to target investment into areas that enable us to provide higher value, added services as part of our commitment to helping clients achieve more.“No other commercial property consultancy understands the UK as well as us; that’s what our clients keep telling us. By adding Northern Ireland’s leading adviser to our offer, the deal further cements that position by enabling us to provide trusted, on the ground advice, in every part of the country.”

FPM Joins Global Accounting Network FPM Chartered Accountants, with offices in Newry, Belfast, Dungannon and Dundalk has joined PKF International (PKFI), one of the top 12 Global Networks of Accounting Firms and has been re-branded as PKF-FPM.

Feargal McCormack of PKF-FPM

PM will be the only PKFI member firm in Northern Ireland and will also operate as a PKFI member firm in Ireland. PKF-FPM will join PKF Littlejohn (London), PKF Cooper Parry (Midlands) and Scottish firm PKF Johnston Carmichael. In Ireland, PKF-FPM will join PKF O’Connor, Leddy and Holmes (Dublin). The full PKFI Network includes 300 member firms and correspondents across 385 locations, in around 125 countries. Feargal McCormack, Managing Director of PKF-FPM Accountants Limited stated “PKF is one of the

worlds most respected and recognised brands in global accountancy and this key strategic move reflects the growing importance of supporting our clients as they expand internationally. Being a member of PKFI will allow us to offer our clients global expertise with local knowledge. “We have for some time now been exploring the different options open to us, for improving our international reach, and PKF stood out by some way as the best fit for us”. FPM’s business operates across a number of core business areas including Corporate Finance, Tax,

Lambert Smith Hampton recently advised Cerberus Capital Management on its acquisition of NAMA’s Project Eagle portfolio of loans of all borrowers based in Northern Ireland. Keith Shiells, who has been involved with the BTWShiells business in one guise or another since it was created in 1979, said: “We were part of the Lambert Smith Hampton Group for 15 years prior to the MBO in 2003 and it’s good to be back home with a management team we know and respect. “The strong brand of Lambert Smith Hampton will allow us to build on our market leading position and strengthen our offer to clients.” The Residential business of BTWShiells, also market leaders in Northern Ireland in the residential sector, will continue under the same management but a new name, Simon Brien Residential. The residential business has three offices and 42 staff.

Audit & Accounts, Business Advisory, Restructuring and Transaction Services and Business Succession. FPM has a strong island client base and is increasingly working at international business and cross border deals and acquisitions. PKF International CEO, John Sim said “We are really pleased to welcome award winning practice FPM to the PKF International network as both a Northern Ireland and Ireland representative firm. We are looking to recruit another 3 or 4 high quality firms across the UK and Ireland during the next 12 months, to further strengthen the PKF brand in the UK and Ireland. FPM’s strong focus on people and relationships, fits perfectly with the ethos of the network and also meets our strategic objective to recruit firms with significant practices that cover main UK and Ireland commercial regions”.

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Eye on News

RAMADA PLAZA LEADS THE WAY IN CONFERENCING WITH NEW STATE OF THE ART FACILITIES One of Belfast’s leading hotels, the Ramada Plaza Shaws Bridge, has today announced a £1million investment in its conferencing and banqueting facilities which will set the benchmark for business meetings, conferences and weddings in Northern Ireland.

he investment, funded by Danske Bank, is part of the Ramada Plaza’s ongoing commitment to excellence, and has been instrumental in increasing wedding bookings by 50 per cent to-date. The jewel in the crown of the investment is the new Laganview Suite, which is a dedicated function venue featuring two new function suites complete with pre-function arrival areas and three syndicate/break-out rooms. The Grand Ballroom, which is the largest in Northern Ireland, has also had a complete makeover as has the popular Malone Suite. Designed by Philip Rodgers Design from Dungannon, the contemporary art deco design of the Laganview Suite has been complemented with a spectacular floor-to-ceiling reproduction of a painting from the Ulster Museum’s 19th Century collection by Irish artist, Hugh Fraser, entitled, “View of Belvior House”, which includes a panoramic view of the River Lagan.

Andras Hotels, the hotel’s owners have a policy of supporting the local economy and each aspect of the £1million project has been completed using local suppliers including carpets, soft furnishings and furniture as well as local contractors and consultants. Other benefits of the project will aim to maximise business meeting productivity, with free high speed WiFi using fibre-optic broadband, as well as a dedicated event coordinator who will liaise directly with delegates and brides from booking through to departure, ensuring that their needs are met throughout. Speaking about the new conferencing facilities, Rajesh Rana, director of Andras Hotels, said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the new Laganview Suite and the refurbished Grand Ballroom and meeting suites, and would like to thank both Danske Bank and the Ulster Musuem for their support to-date, and indeed each of the local suppliers who exceeded

themselves in creating the fantastic new and updated spaces. Rajesh concluded, “At the Ramada Plaza Shaw’s Bridge we are Northern Ireland’s largest dedicated conference and banqueting centre and we are focused on continually improving our facilities and our service to add value to our clients’ businesses and I’m delighted to be welcoming major clients and conferences back to the hotel.” Lewis McCallan, Senior Corporate Manager, Danske Bank said: “The hospitality sector is of major importance to Northern Ireland, contributing almost £900m GVA annually to the local economy. “Conferencing and banqueting is a key factor in this and for years the Ramada Plaza has been at the forefront of this sector as one of Northern Ireland’s leading venues for corporate functions and weddings. “At Danske Bank we are committed to supporting business growth in Northern Ireland and have both the appetite and capacity to lend to this sector.

“We acknowledge the experience and success of the Andras Group and are proud to support this next stage in the Ramada Plaza’s growth journey through this £1million investment in its stateof-the-art Laganview Suite. Lewis concluded, “We look forward to witnessing its continued success as both a corporate and social hub in the coming years.”

HATS OFF TO UNIVERSITY WINNERS Marketing, Communications and PR students at the University of Ulster have inspired travel specialists at the Dublin based Travelmood company, the sister company of American Holidays.

he undergraduates were given a brief to present a marketing strategy to the holiday provider, which offers tailored packages to some of the world’s most popular travel destinations. The assignment not only presented participants with an insight into the reality of their chosen career field but it attributed to their university grading. A brief compiled by Travelmood demanded that students focus on not only the company’s strengths and objectives but take into consideration its challenges

and the entire industry to conclude with a marketing plan that could translate successfully in the real business world. One unanimous winner walked away with a £1,000 prize from Travelmood – 22 year old Sabrina Jess from Comber (middle) who dissected the travel specialist’s demands to present a successful marketing plan. Two runners-up, sisters Gail (right) and Gemma Whyte (left) from South Belfast also impressed the judges with their entrepreneurial spirit. They were presented with £100 worth of vouchers each.

Eye on Events

THE BUSINESS OF PHILANTHROPY

he Community Foundation for Northern Ireland recently hosted its annual Professional Advisors Networking Breakfast at The Mac Centre in Belfast. The event attracted a full house of 35 Professional Advisors keen to understand how the client-advisor relationship can benefit from and be enriched by advice on philanthropic opportunities, based around understanding the

clients’ personal interests and goals. Pictured from left to right are speakers Eamonn Donaghy, Fund Development Manager at the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, Jenny Ebbage, Community Foundation for Northern Ireland Trustee, Lyn Hagan, Tax Partner at Goldblatt McGuigan, Jonathan Sloan, Private Banker, Wealth and Investment Management at Barclays.

ODYSSEY FOR BUSINESS

orthern Ireland’s first ever Smart Business Show, an innovative new concept providing opportunities for local businesses to network took place recently at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast. The Show was supported by more than 130 leading UK and Irish companies showcasing business

opportunities and solutions, while fifty five sector-leading speakers brought insight and inspiration to two concentrated days of commercial focus. Finance Minister Simon Hamilton, MLA, (right) who officially opened the show is pictured with Clive Corry, Smart Business Show Director and one of the keynote speakers Janet Robb from Microsoft.

Eye on Events

AWARD FOR EVERGLADES’ NEIL

eil Devlin, general manager of the Everglades Hotel in Derry, might have been in the role for just over a year, but he has been named Hotelier of the Year (Large Hotels) by the Institute of Hospitality (NI) at the annual

Janus Awards which recognise the top talent of Northern Ireland’s hotel and catering industry at a glittering ceremony in Belfast. Pictured with Neil are UTV’s Paul Clarke and Susie McCullough from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB).

QUEEN’S AWARD FOR ALLSTATE

ame Mary Peters formally presents the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category of Sustainable Development to Allstate’s Executive Vice President, Suren Gupta who directs global technology and

operations and flew into Belfast from Chicago, USA for the special occasion. The company received its award at Allstate’s Global Leadership Conference at Riddell Hall, Queen’s University in front of an audience of 150 Allstate NI employees.

SCOT PROV COMPLETES THE PICTURE...

he Scottish Provident Building on Belfast’s Donegall Square West has unveiled its brand new first floor. The business centre is home to 70 companies and provides a virtual office service to many more within a bespoke environment in the heart of the city centre. Opening the first floor, Chris Johnston, Managing Director, Scottish Provident Building said, “Over the past four years, we have built a reputation for providing five star service in a first

class environment within the best location in Belfast city centre. “With more than 70 companies of all sizes and almost as many again making use of our virtual office service, it’s clear we are doing something right. We set ourselves the goal of delivering a premium service with a community atmosphere and I can’t wait to welcome new tenants to the first floor and help them on their journey to success.” Chris is pictured with Donna Linehan, Client Services Manager.

SHS BAKE FOR CHARITY DOUGH

he SHS Group recently held a ‘Bake Off’ to raise funds for the company’s staff nominated charity, Marie Curie Cancer Care. Celebrity chef Jenny Bristow is pictured on a visit to the SHS event

with the group’s Finance Director Arthur Richmond. The Bake Off, involving staff from throughout the SHS Group at its Belfast headquarters, has helped to raise a total of £11,000 to date for the cancer care charity.

Eye on Banking

PATCHY CLOUDS CAN’T HIDE THE SUNSHINE By Angela McGowan, Danske Bank Chief Economist The Global Picture: Global indicators confirm the re-acceleration in global growth after a weak start to the year. In the US, strong Institute of Supply Management data and a range of other indicators give reason for optimism about months to come. China seems to have bottomed out and indicators suggest that the Chinese government stimulus package appears to have brought about a moderate recovery. The euro indicators are a little more mixed with manufacturing PMI data weakening a little in May (probably reflecting a lagged effect from the slowdown in global growth in Q1) ; but Europe’s service PMI on the other hand saw continued improvements, increasing to the highest level since June 2011. At Danske Bank we look for global growth to strengthen in the second half of this year following a low point in Q1. Going into the summer we now expect annualised global growth to be 4 per cent plus driven by a 3 per cent growth in the US, 2 per cent growth in the euro area and 8 per cent growth in China. The UK: The UK economy continues to gain more and more momentum. PMI data suggests that both the manufacturing and services side of the UK economy are experience robust expansion and Quarter 2 growth should easily match the 0.8 per cent seen during the first quarter of the year. Consumers remain confident and the improved labour market and rising house prices are encouraging them to dip into their pockets – with UK retail sales growing by 6.7 per cent during April.

Northern Ireland: The local economic recovery has really taken hold during Quarter 2 according to Danske Bank’s Quarterly Sectoral Forecast report published in June. The latest report estimates that the local economy expanded by around 0.6 per cent in Quarter 2 and annual growth should reach 2.4 per cent both this year and next. Labour market conditions continue to improve with unemployment claimants shrinking in the year to May by 8,400 – bringing the total down to 55,500. Confidence levels have steadily recovered and the high number of foreign direct investments during Quarter 2 injected further momentum into Northern Ireland’s recovery.

Sluggish Growth: Sectors growing at less than 1 per cent in 2014 and 2015 are typically public sectors – Public Administration and Defence and Education. Forecasts suggest that the local public sector could shed nearly 2,400 jobs during 2014 and 2015 as the government’s austerity drive forces local government departments to downsize – those retiring or moving to another sector will simply not be replaced.

GVA Growth: In terms of economic growth some sectors are really picking up the pace. In particular ‘Administration and Support Services’, is set to grow by nearly 6 per cent this year and 4 per cent in 2015. This sector includes firms such as recruitment companies, rental agencies, security activities as well as administrative and office support. ‘Professional and Scientific Services’ which includes legal services, accountancy, advertising, architects and engineering is forecast to grow by 4.3 per cent this year and 4 per cent in 2015. Other high growth sectors include: ‘ICT’ ‘Arts and Recreation’, ‘Manufacturing’, and ‘Construction’ - all of which are forecast to grow at 3 per cent or more.

NI Sectoral Growth forecasts - annual growth yoy

Risks: Risks come and go and as always there are always one or two clouds still blotting the landscape. For example, the housing bubble in London, Scottish Independence and the looming withdrawal of low interest rates next year will all need to be monitored very carefully. In addition, despite rising GDP levels, wage growth remains stubbornly low and the economy has not yet managed to reach that tipping point when strong productivity levels push wages higher.

2014

2015

Administrative and support service activities

5.9

4.0

Arts, entertainment and recreation

5.2

3.5

Water supply; sewerage, waste management

4.6

2.1

Professional, scientific and technical activities

4.3

4.0

Information and communication

3.9

5.8

Construction

3.8

4.5

Other service activities

3.2

3.1

Manufacturing

3.0

3.1

Real estate activities

2.9

Wholesale and retail trade

2.8

2.1

Transportation and storage

2.8

3.3

Electricity, gas, & steam

2.4

2.3

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

2.3

2.9

Accommodation and food service activities

1.6

2.1

Human health and social work activities

1.2

1.0

Financial and insurance activities

0.9

3.0

Education

0.5

0.4

Mining and quarrying

0.2

1.7

Public administration and defence

-0.2

0.0

Total

2.4

Eye on Banking

(L-R) Chris McQuay - Senior Commercial Manager, HSBC ; Aodh Hannon - Managing Director, Hannon Transport Ltd ; Teresa Hannon - Director, Hannon Transport Ltd; Jonny Boyle Head of Operations, Hannon Transport Ltd; Simon George - Area Commercial Director, HSBC.

HANNON GROUP DEVELOPS DUBLIN HORTICULTURE TRANSPORT HUB WITH HSBC SUPPORT The Hannon Group of Companies has developed a new purpose built warehouse facility on the outskirts of Dublin as it seeks to become the primary hub for horticulture products going in and out of Ireland.

he County Armaghheadquartered company believes the new facility will become the central hub for horticulture growers in Ireland to distribute their products within the country and to overseas markets through its Hannon Horticultural Handling division. It

will also distribute horticultural products imported into Ireland, specifically flowers & plants from Hannon’s Dutch sister company. The facility will also give the company the ability to transport meat products and fresh food on a daily basis between Ireland and mainland Europe, which is a growing market for Hannon. HSBC’s Northern Ireland Commercial Centre has provided a £1.45m finance package to support the development of the 5 acre site in a deal managed by Senior Relationship Manager Chris McQuay. The finance has been allocated from HSBC’s £100m Northern Ireland SME Fund.

The new facility has already created an additional 10 jobs in Dublin, and the company expects the expansion to help drive turnover from £20 million currently to £29 million over the next 3 years. The Hannon Group of Companies is one of Ireland’s largest refrigerated haulage businesses, with over 100 trucks and refrigerated trailers. Approximately 85% of its sales are generated from transporting products to and from Ireland and mainland Europe. The company was established by Aodh Hannon in 1994 and now employs almost 200 people across its business. MD Aodh Hannon said: “This

investment cements our position as the leading transporter of horticultural products within Ireland and to and from Holland, Belgium & Germany. This state of the art facility increases our handling capacity by 50% and will help drive the business’s growth.” HSBC Northern Ireland Area Commercial Director Simon George added: “We are delighted to have worked with the Hannon Group on this project, which supports the company’s ambitions for growth. Hannon is typical of many of the businesses we are speaking to in Northern Ireland, looking to invest to take advantage of improving economic conditions.”

ALASTAIR HAMILTON

REFLECTING ON A RECORD YEAR

Eye on Economic Development Alastair Hamilton has never been one to shy away from media interviews, but it’s probably fair to say that he’s been enjoying the interviews that he’s done since Invest Northern Ireland unveiled its 2013-2014 performance figures a couple of months ago.

he figures aren’t just good. They’re very good. And that’s a genuine boost for an organisation that hasn’t always been lauded in the media. So it’s hardly surprising that Hamilton, as Invest’s Chief Executive, is bullish when he sits down to put some meat around the numbers. “This hasn’t just been our best year for a while, it’s the best year since Invest Northern Ireland was formed back in 2001,” he says. The headline figure is the 10,800 jobs contracted by Invest NI, up by a factor of close to 50% on the previous year’s job promotion performance. And that was regarded by observers as a positive year’s work. “When we announced that we were aiming for 25,000 jobs over a four-year period, there were plenty of people out there who thought we would struggle to deliver against such a stretching target,” says Hamilton. “But, when we can report close to 11,000 jobs in just one year, it makes a huge difference. “We’ve now promoted almost 24,000 jobs in the three years since 2011 and that represents a total investment of £2.1 billion. Hamilton is quick to underline the fact that the jobs promoted aren’t entirely centred around inward investment projects. “Around 6,000 or 56% of these jobs are being promoted by local companies. It’s a fact that growth by local companies is a major driving force for the economy here as things stand.” And the 10,800 jobs contracted in the reported year represent a wages and salaries total of £190 million, a significant contribution to the wider Northern Ireland economy. Alastair Hamilton is quick to agree that the upturn in the global economy has played some part in Invest NI’s performance. “Yes, of course it has. There is more appetite amongst companies everywhere to invest in the current climate. But that shouldn’t take away from the fact that Northern Ireland has become a much more attractive place in which to invest. There might be an upturn, but there are still plenty of alternatives out there. “There are more opportunities for us out there in the global marketplace, and we’ve taken those opportunities where we can.”

He goes on to emphasise the fact that increasing numbers of companies are choosing to re-invest in Northern Ireland. That’s an important point, and one being hammered home by some of Invest NI’s current marketing activity. There are plenty of examples, not least high-profiles ones like Allstate, which came here in 1998 and now has over two thousand employees across three locations in Northern Ireland, and Allen & Overy, the international law firm which has steadily expanded its Belfast operation. “Re-investment is highly significant for us, and it’s something we’re going to work hard to increase. But, at the same time as driving an increase in re-investment, we also managed to encourage 35% more new organisations to come here than last year. If they go on to re-invest, that would complete the picture for us.” At the other end of the business scale, Invest NI continues to be charged with business start-up promotion. Following a slow start caused by a long-running legal wrangle, Invest NI supported entrepreneurs to create their own business equating to 1,765 new jobs. The Jobs Fund also performed well, surpassing its Programme for Government targets for both jobs promoted and jobs created. “The Jobs Fund was an initiative we introduced in response to the economic challenges businesses were facing back in 2011. It was designed to help companies create jobs quickly. Despite a slow start, the Fund has more than demonstrated its value to businesses, and to those looking to get back into employment, with 55% of the jobs created through the Jobs Fund being taken up by previously unemployed.” One of the eye-catching figures in the report is the planned investment total which has hit the £1.09 billion mark. “Yes, there are some big projects included in that total, including £120 million committed by Bombardier at its Belfast plant and £194 million earmarked for the continued development of the film industry here by NI Screen. “But we’ve also been able to report £775 million worth of employmentrelated investment, up more than 80% on last year’s figure. “And one of my personal highlights from this set of figures,” says Hamilton. “is the fact that we’ve seen R&D expenditure increase by 130% to £243 million, and

that is a big achievement for us as an agency. Putting that into perspective, this region now has an business R&D spend against GVA (gross value added) of 1.4% and that compares favourably with the current UK level of 1.2% “While much of the R&D here is undertaken by a small group of big companies, it is encouraging to note that 47% of local R&D investment was by SMEs. Good R&D leads to better products, better products lead to exports and exports lead to more jobs. It’s a bit hard to find fault with that formula.....” Exports is the only key area where Invest NI remains behind the curve. It’s a much harder nut to crack, as Alastair Hamilton admits. “We’ve recorded a 10% growth in exports over the same four quarters last year, but we’re still levelling out at 6% growth net. That means we’ve still got a lot of work to do and reaching the 20% growth target we set ourselves will be very tough. But targets are targets.... and we have to live or die by them.” He goes on to underline the fact that export sales do not include one area in which Northern Ireland does very well, and that’s sales across the Irish Sea to customers in the rest of the UK. These account for a growth of £470 million over the past three years, which slightly tempers the £390 million of a gap in exports to the ROI and overseas in the same period. Looking to the future, Alastair Hamilton is a lot more confident now than he would have been a couple of years ago. “We are three years into the four-year Programme for Government which put the economy at the very top of the list of priorities. Back at the start of the programme, we couldn’t have imagined being where we are now. “In fact, I wrote in my foreword to last year’s annual report that I looked forward to delivering another

year of successes in 2013-14....but I couldn’t have foreseen what we have gone on to achieve this year. “The fact is that we will exceed the 25,000 jobs target. The £1.5 billion investment target has been reached, so has our target of £300 million worth of wages and salaries and the level that we wanted to hit on R&D expenditure. “As an organisation, at the same time, we’ve managed to transform how we do things and how we’re regarded by our stakeholders and clients. According to the research, our customer satisfaction level is topping 80% and that’s way above the level it was at a few years ago,” adds Hamilton. And the agency has another first: reporting the number of jobs created as a direct result of its support. “We are the first development agency in the UK to report on the number of jobs created as a result of projects we have supported. In 2013-14, 6,158 new jobs were created directly as a result of Invest NI support. 17,779 new jobs have been created in total since the beginning of our current Corporate Plan period.” One point Alastair was keen to get across was the misperception that Invest NI pays out for jobs that either don’t get created or do not stay in Northern Ireland. “There is a common misunderstanding the investors are given money which they then leave with whether they create the jobs or not. This is absolutely not the case. Invest NI only pays for jobs that actually get created. And if they are not sustained for an agreed period of time, then we look to recover that money back from the company.” Invest NI is an organisation that has changed for the better...and it deserves to enjoy its place in the sun this summer. But Alastair Hamilton is a County Antrim man who’s canny enough to know that there will be plenty more challenges around the corner.

Eye on Cover Story

PAUL SIMMONS & FLYBE’S BRAND NEW ERA Anyone who glances at the aircraft on approach to Belfast City Airport will have noticed that a new era has dawned for the biggest operator at the airport, Flybe.

ircraft by aircraft, Flybe’s planes are being re-painted in a new and distinctive purple livery....a colour chosen by the airline’s new senior management team for the very reason that it’s different and not being used by any competing operators. But the changes at Flybe – an airline which has operated into and out of Belfast City since it opened its doors in 1984 – go a lot deeper than an eye-catching paint job on its aircraft. After a few years of turbulence on the ground, Flybe’s old management team has exited stage left and been replaced by an experienced team led by ex-easyJet senior manager Saad Hammad as CEO with Paul Simmons, also formerly with easyJet, as his right hand man and Chief Commercial Officer. The pair know each other well....their careers first crossed some years ago as up and coming managers at Proctor & Gamble in the 1980’s. They’ll be joined very shortly at the top of the Flybe tree by a new CFO in Philip de Klerk, a former Unilever man who moves from brewing giants SABMiller. In Belfast to launch the UTV Business Eye Awards for 2014, for which Flybe is the lead sponsor, Simmons talks openly about the major sea change that Flybe has been through. “I joined eight months ago and we’ve made a lot of major changes since then,” he says. “It’s not just a change of management but also a change of direction. “We took a long, hard look at the business and we knew that urgent action was needed,” he says. He goes on to paint a graphic picture. The airline posted a £40 million loss last year and, perhaps more crucially, its cash reserves were much lower than they should have been.

The new management team had to act on a couple of different fronts. Hammad and Simmons managed to raise £150 million from the City of London and then set about the unpleasant task of taking cost out of the business. “We had to look at people all over our network, we had to look at aircraft and we had to look at routes that weren’t performing as well as we would like,” says Simmons. “It was a painful process and not easy for anyone here at Flybe. But we’re through it now and we’re concentrating on the future.” One of the first major steps to that future was the publication of the airline’s latest set of annual figures, the first since the new management team was installed. It shows that Flybe has returned to profitability. “And that simple fact makes us one of the strongest airlines in the UK marketplace,” Simmons adds. On the operational front, Flybe has clearly decided to concentrate on its strengths. “We are a strong regional airline capable of moving business passengers between the UK regions, for the most part, quickly and effectively.” So Flybe, in other words, will concentrate on the kind of routes that make its operation from Belfast City a success. The airline links Belfast with hubs in the likes of Manchester and Birmingham, but also connects it to regional airports from Exeter in the South to Aberdeen and Inverness in the North. The airline is introducing a raft of new routes into and out of London City Airport, right in the midst of London’s Canary Wharf financial centre and a short train ride into central London. “We’ll be operating three flights a day between Belfast City and London City, including an early morning departure and a later evening return,” says Paul Simmons. “And we’re very confident that we can win over business travellers more used to flying into Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted.”

Eye on Cover Story

“ This business is now in a position from where it can grow. But, that said, we’re not going to repeat the mistakes of the past. Aircraft are expensive pieces of equipment and the fundamental secret of running an airline is to employ them well.”

In addition to Belfast City, new routes from London City will run to Edinburgh, Inverness, Exeter and Dublin. Paul Simmons leaves no room for doubt when it comes to Flybe’s Belfast City Airport base. “We’re delighted with Belfast City as an operating base, and we’ve built up a large and loyal business customer base. Flybe operates 260 flights a week to and from Belfast City and there’s no doubt that we’ll continue to grow the network as opportunities arise. “This business is now in a position from where it can grow,” he emphasises. “But, that said, we’re not going to repeat the mistakes of the past. Aircraft are expensive pieces of equipment and the fundamental secret of running an airline is to employ them well.” Paul Simmons has re-located his family from the Home Counties to Devon to be close to Flybe’s long-established base right beside Exeter Airport. Despite changes in the airline, he says that Exeter will remain as the airline’s headquarters. As well as Flybe’s administrative and management base, it also plays host to a major engineering/maintenance centre. The airline appears to be going out on a limb

with its new 60/60 Promise to its passengers. Paul Simmons explains the rationale. “It’s a simple concept but it’s one that, as far as we know, has never been offered by any other airline in the world,” he says. “If one of our flights is more than 60 minutes late and it is our fault, we will give each passenger a £60 voucher to be used against another flight within 60 days. “We look at it as an investment in our punctuality and our service to passengers,” he adds. As for the purple re-brand, Simmons points to the fact that while research showed that Flybe had a highly recognisable brand, a much lower proportion of those surveyed knew much about what the airline offered or where it served. “The colour change will help make us more recognisable as a brand and as an airline, and it will stand out from the crowd,” he says. The colour change goes deeper than aircraft livery. Cabin crew and ground staff uniforms will change, and the entire Flybe workforce is going through a ‘Purple Passion’ programme to help inform them and energise them about the future of the airline. “We have a great group of people and it’s vital that they know who we are and what we are trying to achieve,” says Simmons.

Eye on Hospitality

Glass Half Full? As the dust settles on what has been the most turbulent period in the markets history, it remains as difficult as ever to predict the future for the hospitality sector across Northern Ireland. By Gavin Weir, MRICS, Director, GVA NI

rofessionals, operators and observers are all divided on what the future may hold for one of the country’s oldest industry’s begging the question, is the glass half full or half empty? The last 3/4 years have witnessed the most active period in my professional life as lenders moved to rectify the mistakes made in the boom years with freely available credit boosting prices beyond the levels which yield an owner with a reasonable return. Many of the prices paid reflected ‘Development Potential’ and therefore the bottom line/EBITDA was not the main motivation in buying. That said, many outlets also got swept away in the property boom tidal wave with prices in excess of x2 turnover or x10 EBITDA.

Those days are long gone and now seem a distant memory. It is hard to envisage a market which was so severely damaged ever again losing sight of the main value driver... profit. The question remains however, how do operators achieve profit in a dynamic evolving market place where changing social habits have a profound effect on the success of a business? A client once said to me “Todays drinking man’s pub is tomorrows Tobacconist”. In the 10 years since there have been plenty of examples of bars closing where they have failed to adapt to the changing drinking habits of the catchment audience. The businesses that have failed to offer food, functions and morning

coffee/brunch have struggled to attract the levels of trade enjoyed by their competitors. It is no longer an option to open the doors, turn the horse racing on the TV and pull a few pints, if you want to be a successful pub. That is not to say that customers are no longer spending their hard earned cash in the hospitality sector. Todays ‘Thirty Something’ is more likely however to hand over £50 feeding a family of four on a Sunday afternoon than sneaking out for a few Guinness on a Thursday night. Other parts of the sector are seeing dramatic change also. In the days before the ‘Super Pub’, there was sufficient incentive to go to a nightclub at 11pm to benefit from a few extra hours ‘hospitality’. The entertainment provided, the late licences and the quality of the modern bars however has lessened the need for the traditional ‘nightclub’ and therefore only the strongest will survive going forward.

It is encouraging to witness tourist numbers growing in Northern Ireland over the last few years and the momentum will hopefully be maintained going forward. There has been significant focus on event led attractions such as The MTV Awards, The Irish Open, Derry City of Culture and The Giro D’Italia and it is important that this continues in the years to come. We are yet to witness a significant increase in the room rates achievable however, and this will be the main profit driver for the hotel industry in the years to come. All of the above impacts on profit and therefore on value and it will be very interesting to see how the licensed premises scene evolves over the next few years now that the majority of the outlets have new owners and are being rebranded with some very exciting concepts. Operators will continue to chase their slice of the pie and contrary to popular belief, I actually think that the pie is getting bigger... it’s just not set on a plate for operators! Gavin is a Licensed Premises Specialist in GVA’s Belfast office advising buyers, sellers and lenders across the Hotel, Pub and Restaurant Sectors.

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Eye on Community

(L-R) Local artist Lynda B; Colleen Watters, Head of Learning and Partnership at the Ulster Museum and Michelle Hatfield, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Belfast City Airport with Owen Gray from Victoria Park Primary School and Cara Sinclair from St. Joseph’s Primary School.

AIRPORT FUNDING OPENS UP ARTISTIC TALENT OF LOCAL PUPILS Pupils from two of George Best Belfast City Airport’s adopted schools have had their work displayed in the Ulster Museum’s interactive Discover Art zone thanks to funding from the airport’s Community Fund.

he creative ‘Porcelain Envelope’ project gave seventy-two P7 pupils from St. Joseph’s Primary School and Victoria Park Primary School the opportunity to work with local artist, Lynda B, to make their own individual envelope from unglazed porcelain based on a historical collection of airmailed letters from the 1940s and 1950s whilst exploring the history of their schools and communities. Michelle Hatfield, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Belfast City Airport, said:

“One of the aims of our Community Fund is to provide unique opportunities and valuable experiences to young people in our neighbouring area, which is why we were so keen to sponsor this wonderful initiative that has not only given the pupils the opportunity to work with an esteemed professional artist, but also the privilege of having their work displayed in the Ulster Museum. “Through speaking with the children, it is clear that this distinctive combination of history and art has truly engaged their senses and has supported their artistic and educational curiosity. “It has been a pleasure to support this project and I am delighted that the work will eventually be displayed in the airport’s terminal and showcased to the 2.5 million passengers that use the airport each year.”

After learning the techniques required for porcelain art from Lynda B, the pupils embarked on an extensive research project reviewing old school registers and addressing their porcelain envelopes based on their findings. St. Joseph’s Primary School chose to address their letters to a variety of famous people. Colleen Watters, Head of Learning and Partnership at the Ulster Museum, said, “We used the Ulster Museum’s Belleek collection as well as a recent donationof old airmail envelopes to inspire and help the children create their own pieces. “My sincere thanks go to Lynda B, Belfast City Airport for their support and, of course, the children for creating such wonderful designs and making this a worthwhile and enjoyable project.” Andrea Gourley, Principal at

Victoria Park Primary School, said: “The ‘Porcelain Envelope’ project has been fantastic for our children. “We are always keen to provide our pupils with unique learning opportunities, particularly the P7 children who are preparing for secondary school, and I am grateful for the support we have received from Belfast City Airport and the Ulster Museum in facilitating that.” For more information on how your school, group or project can apply to the Belfast City Airport Community Fund, please contact: communityfund@ belfastcityairport.com

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Eye on Giving

Jill Robb Founder & MD, Ambition Digital (IoD Member for 3 Years)

What are your thoughts, in general, on charitable giving? I personally believe that everyone should incorporate charitable giving into their lives in some way. I am a great believer too, that this doesn’t mean just giving money- sometimes giving of your time or your expertise is what people need more than money. Having had personal experience of not being given expertise or guidance in the past and knowing how difficult it was for me to get where I wanted to be, I do what I can to ensure that other less fortunate people have access to opportunity, expertise and education in technical marketing areas more readily than I did.

What types of causes do you favour and why? I’m very passionate about facilitating access to education and in helping those seeking career opportunities- particularly in my area of expertise, ecommerce and digital marketing. This stems back almost 15 years to a past manager in a previous career who attempted to curb my drive and who prevented access to opportunities for me. This is my way of doing what I can to ensure that doesn’t happen to anyone else! I also give regularly to cancer charities, as a result of the personal impact that this has had on my own family.

Is your giving personal or corporate or a combination of both? It’s a combination of both. As a company we use charitable events as team building exercises. Most recently the team zip lined across the Lagan to raise money for NICFC, which was actually one of my milder challenges! I give up a lot of my personal time and expertise to organisations/ causes that I am passionate about.

Are there specific charities or causes that you give to regularly? How do you choose which to support? I support 1 in 3 Cancer Support Group- a local charity dear to my heart as it was originally created by my aunt and has since been driven forward by the powerhouse that is my mother. Cruelly both have been diagnosed and since have beaten breast cancer- my own mother just this year whilst all the while driving forward the Support Group. I choose causes that I am passionate about or effected by

How do you give to charity: monetarily, your own time as a volunteer or your specialist skills? In the past I have undertaken personal challenges including 10k’s and white collar boxing – literally fighting for charity which was by far one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences. On the softer side I also give my time and expertise to sit on the Board of Now, a charity that assists adults with learning difficulties into employment and also one of their social enterprises, Gauge.

Do you believe that companies and individuals have a duty to help others? If yes, why? I believe in karma and reflecting this: giving helps ensure that you receive. There are many ways in which companies and people can give – you can give of your time, your expertise or your

money. It doesn’t have to be all three but giving of just one can make such a huge difference to an individual. It saddens me when people become so self-centred that they stop seeing the opportunities that exist for them to help others. What is your message to business people who may be thinking about becoming more involved in strategic philanthropy? My message would be to get involved in an area you are passionate about. I would also suggest that they get involved in ways that allow them to tangibly see or feel the difference that they can make to others. One of my most rewarding moments I am lucky enough to observe every year at the Now Graduation. Seeing their pride in themselves and what they are achieving gives an immense sense of satisfaction. 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? A lack of strategic vision around giving means that it often is short-term, sporadic and therefore fails to make any real lasting difference. A strategic approach to giving widens your view from just a short term giving action to an awareness of the impact you as an individual or a company can have on others and in your local community. From a business perspective the longer term social return on investment impact that this can make can ripple back into the business.

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Eye on Business Personality

YOUNG BUSINESS PERSONALITY OF THE MONTH Clare Tarbuck, Commercial Executive, Odyssey Arena

(L-R) Brenda Buckley, Business Eye; Vincent Litchfield, Electric Ireland; and Clare Tarbuck, Commercial Executive, Odyssey Arena.

Marketing Belfast’s Top Venue And Events Clare Tarbuck reckons that her career path to date is something of a journey of destiny!

“W

hilst studying for a degree in Sport Exercise & Leisure Studies at University of Ulster, I spent my placement year at a University in Tampa and majored in Sports Marketing. This included an internship at Tampa Bay Ice Palace where I gained valuable experience into the world of indoor sports and entertainment venues and I soon knew this was the industry that I wanted to work in”. How ironic then that SMG, the world leader in Arena, Stadium and Convention centre management, who ran the Ice Palace would become the operator selected by the Odyssey Trust Company to operate Odyssey Arena here in Belfast. Clare started her Odyssey Arena career as Marketing Assistant and progressed through the ranks and now heads up the Arenas’ Commercial and Marketing team as Commercial Executive.

“I am currently responsible for the sales of Odyssey Arena’s corporate hospitality suites along with advertising sales and annual sponsorship. In a fast paced and rewarding role, there is never a dull moment.” “One of the really fulfilling parts of the role is that the Odyssey Trust are keen to ensure there is ongoing and timely investment in the Arena. With over £1.5 million being spent over the last 3 years on Corporate Hospitality areas and the creation of the extremely popular Electric Ireland Lounge the corporate community are able to enjoy world class entertainment in first class luxury suites”. “Seeing clients and their guests enjoy an unforgettable night out at the venue brings tremendous job satisfaction. In the last couple of months alone our corporate hospitality guests have been entertained and enthralled by great names such as Gary Barlow,

Katy Perry, Cliff Richard and two nights of Robbie Williams. It is now only a matter of weeks until the Belfast Giants commence the defence of their league title and our corporate offering combined with a superb game night is ideal for entertaining customers, staff and clients - especially those with young families. Client’s needs differ on every event so at the end of a successful evening it makes all the hard work worthwhile when a client personally thanks me for a great night out.” Marketing also falls under Clare’s remit. With over 150 events per year, Clare oversees the development and production of marketing campaigns to help event organisers in generating ticket sales for events. This includes both offline and online marketing communications. Clare explains “I am responsible for the development and management of the Odyssey Arena’s digital marketing activity. We unveiled a new mobile responsive website at the beginning of this year and embrace the ever expanding realm of social

media by constantly using online communications and electronic media to keep the venue at the cutting edge of digital marketing. I am currently responsible for the continual development of our Customer Relationship Management systems, helping us in our desire to deliver world class customer service from ticket purchase right through to the event night entertainment experience”. By gathering honest and open feedback on how we performed we can focus on what our customers really think of their Odyssey experience, and help us focus our energies on meeting those needs ” Over the years Clare has been extremely privileged to witness many memorable events. With the visit of President Bill Clinton in the first month of opening back in 2000, to the unforgettable hosting of MTV EMA’s in 2011. Clare has developed valuable working relationships with many key corporate clients in Northern Ireland and looks forward to entertaining the corporate community for many years to come.

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For information on Corporate Entertainment contact Odyssey Arena 028 9076 6000

Eye on News

NEW FINANCE STREAM LAUNCHES FOR NI BUSINESS A new Northern Ireland-based company has been set up to help companies here access finance through crowdfunding.

oFunder (NI) Ltd provides an online platform for firms to raise the money they need from a large pool of ‘funders’ on the open market. And with interest rates currently offering savers very little return on their hard earned cash, CoFunder will also provide a viable alternative for individuals or companies wanting a better return on their investment. Indeed, funders wanting to invest their money in local business via CoFunder can set their own interest rates to beat inflation and ensure that the their return is significantly better than anything currently on offer from the banks, building societies or other financial institutions. CoFunder is Northern Ireland’s first dedicated crowdfunding platform

and the first company of its kind in Ireland to receive approval from its financial regulator, having been given the seal of approval from the Financial Conduct Authority less than one month after the FCA published its rules and regulations for crowdfunding. The CoFunder model operates using an online platform that enables established small businesses to raise funds (from £5,000 to £100,000) through small contributions from a large number of ‘funders’ in the form of individuals or companies who can each invest anything from as little as £100 to a maximum of £2,500 in a single venture. All loan applications are carefully analysed and vetted by CoFunder’s experienced financial experts before

appearing online. Potential funders are then invited to make a loan offer outlining the interest rate they would like in return, which they are able to change if a bidding scenario develops as a result of a high level of interest from funders in a particular project. Last year, the British Government committed £100M to the growing crowdfunding industry which is set to create a ‘new generation of funding’ in Northern Ireland according to CoFunder Chief Operating Officer Aidan Doherty. “With the finance required by small businesses to invest and grow their business proving hard to come by from

the banking sector, crowdfunding has been steadily growing outside of Northern Ireland in recent years and this growth is expected to continue,” said Mr Doherty. “CoFunder (NI) Ltd aims to create a new generation of funding in Northern Ireland by enabling creditworthy businesses with funding requirements to connect directly to lenders with available capital, thus removing the reliance upon the restrictive lending practices and high costs associated with bank funding. All on a completely transparent, flexible, fair and open platform.

New Irish Research Initiative Reveals Central Role Smart Devices Play In Our Lives 79% of Irish urbanites have pretended to be on a phone in order to avoid someone. 75% of Irish urbanites treat their smart device like a partner they cannot live without. 84% of Irish urbanites would not go on holiday without plug sockets or smartphones.

ccording to the first report from Work.Shop.Play.ie, an online urban community that studies the behaviours and opinions of urbanites in Northern Ireland and Ireland, smart devices are central to everyday life and are playing an increasingly important role more akin to a person than a machine. Smart devices – both smartphones and tablets – are seen as a partner, a best friend and a teacher. The first report has revealed some interesting characteristics, particularly younger demographics. 91% of under 30s have pretended to be on their mobile or smart phone to avoid having to talk to someone. The Work.shop.play.ie

study revealed a nasty streak amongst Irish urbanites - 37% have deliberately deleted a recorded Television programme on a family member or friend with females slightly higher than males. 22% have finished a relationship by text message. Not surprisingly the vast majority of these are aged 16-34 (31%). 56% admitted to having accidentally sent an inappropriate text message to the wrong person. Work.shop.play’s online community is aimed gathering insights on the attitudes and behaviours of urbanites in both Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. The urban community was launched

Model Carys Magill (centre) and Ryan Hoy and Nuala Meenehan from Exterion Media at the launch of the company’s Work.Shop.Play research initiative.

earlier this year on 24th March. 34% of members live in Northern Ireland with the remainder in Republic of Ireland. Members are very active on social networks with Facebook the most popular (85%), followed by Twitter (53%) and Linkedin (37%). Linkedin is most popular amongst members in

the 25-45 age group (81%). Pinterest (81%) and Instagram (68%) are more popular among female members. Work.shop.play will issue at least one survey each month on issues that are both topical and relevant. To register to sign up and share your opinions visit www.workshopplay.ie

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Eye on Law

Engineering Sector... NORTHERN IRELAND’S BRIGHTEST STAR The completion of another headline-making deal involving Northern Ireland’s engineering sector has helped to convince a leading corporate lawyer that this is a sector which can be a shining star in the local economy.

ohn George Willis, Head of Corporate at Tughans, acted for the management team at Munster Simms (Whale) in its recent sale to Chicago-based Brunswick Corporation. “The deal is a significant inward investment in Northern Ireland’s manufacturing sector,” he says. “The Brunswick Corporation was very impressed by the quality of Whale’s innovation and engineering skills and felt that this would be a perfect first step into Europe.” The fact that Brunswick, a major player in the marine industry with brands such as Bayliner and Boston Whaler (boats) and Mercury / Mariner (outboard engines), singled out the acquisition of Munster Simms as the perfect bridgehead into Europe is a pertinent point, according to Willis. “This is where Northern Ireland can win and keep on winning,” he says. “We’ve already seen a marked increase in transactions involving local engineering and manufacturing companies and there’s little doubt that we will see more.” John George Willis quotes a series of examples, including Dale Farm’s acquisition of Ash Manor Cheese in Wrexham, North Wales, and the locally-centred acquisition of the remainder of Mivan by MJM Marine. But he homes in on what he dubs the ‘Tyrone Phenomenon’...... the cluster of top-class engineering firms based in the county, where there are estimated to be 180 of them. In particular, Tyrone’s

engineering base throws up one amazing statistic. A high proportion of the world’s aggregates handling/ crushing plant/equipment is manufactured in the county by companies like Terex, Finlay, Anaconda International and Telestack, the Omagh equipment manufacturer sold in April for $36 million to Tennesseebased Astec Industries. Tughans also worked on that deal, and like the Munster Simms/Brunswick acquisition, it meant Tughans corporate lawyers balancing the demands of key participants in two different time zones. Astec, with a NASDAQ listing and $978 million capitalisation, was clear in why it chose to buy the low-profile Omagh business. “Astec was moving into a new area of construction materials handling and it quickly recognised that Tyrone was a place with a worldwide reputation as a centre of excellence in the industry. “So it wasn’t just a case of finding the right fit, it was also a case of enhancing Astec’s credibility in the aggregates handling sector.” The Astec deal follows a few years after the acquisition of the old Finlay Hydrascreens business in Tyrone by Terex, another US-based big name in the wider industry. “On a normal working week, several times a day you can see heavy crushing machines travelling down the M1 Motorway to Belfast Port and on to worldwide export markets. That’s a very visible indicator of

John George Willis, Head of Corporate at Tughans

export activity from Northern Ireland,” says John George Willis. “Another is that at the recent Conexpo global construction equipment event in Las Vegas, no less than 13 Tyrone-based companies were taking part, some of them flying sizeable teams into Vegas for the show.” Outside of Tyrone, the deal which has just seen Munster Simms changing hands has been in the making for a number of years since Patrick Hurst and his senior management colleagues led an MBO at the Bangor-based marine pump manufacturer back in 2008. “Munster Simms has often been held up as an example of the right kind of company here in Northern Ireland.....one which is focused on R&D and innovation and which sells its products all over the world. “Its reputation in the leisure marine industry makes it a perfect fit for the Brunswick Corporation which already owns some of the big brand names in

the world of boats and marine equipment and machinery.” John George Willis says that all of the deals he talks about can be significant for the Northern Ireland economy. “Astec and Brunswick aren’t buying into Northern Ireland to let their newly acquired operations here tick over,” he says. “They want to grow these operations and they want to employ more people here as they move into European markets.” He adds that the US companies, as well as the European bridgehead opportunities, also welcome the encouragement and funding of Invest Northern Ireland when it comes to doing deals here. “And they also see value for money here in Northern Ireland. Their view is that they’re getting a lot of potential growth for every dollar they invest here. They don’t see buying here as a risky deal. The fact that Astec’s share price rose in the back of its Tyrone acquisition backs up that view.”

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Eye on Internet

Lazy Statistics Could Be Our Greatest UX Challenge By Gareth Dunlop, Fathom.

If you toss a coin ten times what is the probability that you will get five heads and five tails? The question isn’t a general question about how many heads and tails you might expect; the question refers to that specific instance of the experiment, what is the probability you will receive five heads and five tails on that particular go? The answer isn’t a half, it is in fact less than half of a half, 0.246 to be precise. P(X = 5) = (10C5) * .5^5 * .5^5 = .246 for those who really wish to know.

he city of Boston has famously embraced big data as part of its ongoing program of regeneration and was highly regarded for its Street Bump initiative. This program involved smartphone users downloading an App which measured their car’s acceleration and deceleration in certain parts of the city, allowing it to predict where potholes were occurring and repair was required. As Boston residents drove around the city, their smartphones were collecting small data, which city authorities collated into big data to keep roads smoother and safer. The city proudly proclaims that the “data provides the City with real-time information it uses to fix problems and plan long term investments”. Whilst the initiative is laudable, the outcome, when examined, is entirely predictable based on statistical theory. Un-moderated, Street Bump strongly favours young affluent areas where a greater proportion of residents own smartphones. The key insight is that every pothole detected from Street-Bump-enabled smartphones is not every pothole in the city. This represents a key statistical challenge, avoiding sample bias. The other challenge is to ensure that the data set used is large enough to provide the experiment with enough statistical power. Statistical power is the probability that a statistical test will detect a difference between two values when the underlying difference is real. Going back to our coin test, if we tossed it

ten times it’s not inconceivable that we would get three heads and seven tails. Without consideration for size of data set and power of the statistics, we might incorrectly conclude that tails is the dominant result for the coin. In the context of A/B or multivariate tests upon which many website improvement programs are based, this might lead us to recommend the “tails” option, which as we know would be incorrect. The reason that statistical power is important is that because we live in a random universe (we may not but that is a discussion for another day when we have lots more time) tests will sometimes create false positives such as the one above. The probability of this happening is fixed by common convention at 5% and so the closer a test power is to 80% or 90% then the more confidence we can have that on balance false positives have been dealt with. Web mega-brands such as eBay, Amazon and Google have built nearly their entire user-experiences using A/B and multivariate tests and we are right to replicate their approach to success and product design improvements. It is said that we may never know what the true Google is because at any one time it is running up to 7,000 split tests in a bid to constantly improve and enhance life for the user. However the great luxury which these online behemoths enjoy is volume and that enables them to glean statistically meaningful insights very quickly and very regularly.

Let’s copy their focus on user behaviour and learn from their pioneering processes but let’s remember that until we reach their scale, we are going to have to be much more focused on avoiding statistical bias, and getting our hands on sample sizes of adequate scale to make robust recommendations. Veteran American sports broadcaster Vin Scully claims that “Statistics are used much like a drunk uses a lamppost: for support, not illumination”. It’s time for the UX industry to sober up and tackle lazy statistics.

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 Fáilte Ireland, Power NI, Telefonica, Ordnance Survey Ireland, and Savile Row. Visit Fathom online at fathom.pro.

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Eye on Finance

100 years not out!

Progressive Chair John Trethowan, CEO Darina Armstrong and Economist Professor Neil Gibson

Celebrating its centenary this year, Progressive Building Society recently held a dinner at Queen’s Great Hall to mark the special occasion. The event was attended by stakeholders and key business representatives, many of whom have contributed to the rich history of Progressive.

peeches on the evening included an address by Chief Executive Darina Armstrong who gave a synopsis of Progressive’s 100 year history, a key note speech from Economist Professor Neil Gibson focusing on Northern

Ireland’s economy and the lending challenges ahead and an engaging commentary from Don Anderson who is co-ordinating a commemorative book to mark 100 years of Progressive. The event concluded with an interactive Q&A with Ulster Rugby player

Rory Best and Chief Executive Shane Logan who gave his insights into the challenges and opportunities faced with the redevelopment of Ravenhill and how the Ulster Rugby brand has succeeded in growing. Speaking at the event Darina said, “It was great to meet with those who, over the years, have contributed to the success of Progressive. We are extremely proud of our origins and heritage, and remain committed to helping local people access savings and mortgages. Our business model reflects this- we are the only financial institution of a

reasonable size, in the island of Ireland, that managed to return profits during the recent crisis. Progressive has its roots in local communities, established to address the housing and longer term savings needs of local people. This was the basis on which Progressive was founded 100 year ago, and we haven’t strayed from this in our 100 year history. This approach has enabled the Society to grow organically and has helped us maintain our position as the 10th largest building society in the UK.” Delivering the keynote address at the centenary dinner,

Eye on Finance

Don Anderson, Colin Jeffrey, Joan Smyth, Timothy Quin

Economist Professor Neil Gibson stated that Northern Ireland’s ageing demographic is set to fundamentally change the mortgage market and that the number of people aged 65 and over is expected to increase by 25% in the next ten years which could affect those trying to secure their first home. The Director of Northern Ireland’s Centre for Economic Policy at University of Ulster also stated that Northern Ireland’s house prices fell too far and the improvement in the market is a natural correction of this bottoming out, forecasting that house prices will continue to rise in the short to medium term. However a challenge to the sustainability of the recovery is Northern Ireland’s changing demographics which could potentially break the support chain to first time buyers. Commenting Neil said, “While there may be growth until 2015, the picture beyond that is less certain with the potential for rising interest rates and Northern Ireland’s ageing population which will affect lending and borrowing trends. If people are living longer any inheritance that may have previously been left to children or equity available to use as a deposit for a first

home, will no longer be available. Financial institutions will need to address these challenges by offering financial planning, not product selling and ensure first time buyers are much better informed and have total clarity of the lending process.” Progressive Building Society, which it is set to merge with the City of Derry Building Society recently announced pre tax profits of £5.7m. According to Chief Executive Darina Armstrong Progressive believes in providing simple, straightforward products that are easily understood by its members and is well positioned to deal with the changes. Commenting she said, “We believe we are well placed to deal with the changing lending environments as we have qualified mortgage advisors in each of our 12-strong branch network offering face to face advice and guidance to customers. The procedure of applying for a mortgage can appear complex and the new Mortgage Market Review changes will build on a more intensive overall approach to the mortgage lending process. We do not believe in over complicating our products and we do not hide behind confusing terms and conditions. In order to help consumers understand

the new rules we will have staff in all branches available to take customers through the changes in their mortgage applications, ensuring they understand each step of the process.” The mutual based society whose main business is savings and mortgage lending, also saw total gross mortgage assets increase in 2013,to £1,320 million. Voted the UK’s second most ethical financial institution following a report from Ethical Consumer into UK and Global banking standards in 2013, Darina Armstrong states that no matter what the economic outlook, Progressive will always maintain its high standard of customer service and quality of mortgage lending. “We have certainly noticed signs of recovery in the local housing market and we are delighted to see increasing volumes of house sale transactions now taking place in the second-mover market which we hadn’t been seeing since the downturn. We are well placed to help facilitate this growth by providing competitively priced mortgage products for local people - indeed at the start of 2014 we have seen mortgage applications to us increase by 80% over the equivalent 2013 figure.

“For savers we will continue to promote our Clockwork Regular Saver account to encourage regular monthly saving using life stage milestones as incentives to save regularly e.g. University, wedding, house purchase and also encourage local people to save for that rainy day. We believe that savings are a key strength not only to ourselves but also to society. So much so that we have a market leading account offering a rate of 2.75% gross encouraging people to get into the habit of saving each month.” “Our key focus in 2014 is to provide security for our members and build on our financial strength. We have committed to investing £1million in redeveloping our Ballymena branch offering our members more modern and state of the art facilities. The merger with the City of Derry will also be a key priority for us and will enable the members of both societies to benefit from the financial strength of the combined society. Our values which we’ve had for 100 years will remain and Progressive will continue to operate as it always has - a traditional building society, offering good value savings and mortgage products and excellent customer service for the benefit of our members.”

Eye on Banking

DES MOORE & A NEW ERA FOR FIRST TRUST BANK Challenging the Norm Des Moore does his best to avoid a cliché feast when he’s talking about First Trust Bank and how it is planning to establish itself as the clear challenger to Northern Ireland’s big two banks. He swerves around talk of being ‘open for business’ and ‘riding the storm’.

Eye on Banking

n fact, Dubliner Moore is a straight talker, and the same can’t be said of some of his counterparts around the banking community here in Belfast. He’s not scared of talking about how things were at First Trust in the depths of the banking crisis, he’s quick to identify the areas the bank needed to work on, and he’s realistic about the banking marketplace as it stands. His has been something of a meteoric rise at First Trust Bank. Much of his recent career was spent with rival Bank of Ireland south of the border, before becoming Head of Customers and Distribution at First Trust just 16 months ago. Recently, he was appointed Head of First Trust Bank, the Northern Ireland arm of the AIB UK set up. “What we have is an opportunity to transform this business,” he says. “Like all banks, we’d lost our way somewhat during the global financial crisis. During that period we spent a bit of time with the ‘For Sale’ sign up, and maybe lost a bit of our public persona as a result. “It’s great to have a business like this with ‘trust’ in its name. But we’ve had to rebuild an element of that trust. Thankfully that hasn’t been as difficult as it might have been. Despite the challenges, we have a staff that continues to be well respected and valued by our customers out there....and that’s a real plus.” First Trust Bank has been through a process of restructuring, trimming the headcount from 1,300 to around 900, and closed a number of branches no longer sustainable due to changing customer engagement patterns and lack of footfall. At the same time, it’s reshaped the way that it does business, putting the emphasis on simplicity and transparency. This thinking has been applied to business banking and, in particular, to First Trust’s SME finance products, where the focus is very much on transparent pricing and speed of decision making. The bank has long had a strong reputation in the SME marketplace and it’s working hard to get the message across that that’s still the case. “The fact is that we’ve stabilised our business and now we need to lend to viable businesses to allow us to meet our ambitious growth

targets and aspirations. We’re approving over 90% of our SME loan applications, and we’re aiming to challenge the big two (Ulster & Danske) on this front. That’s how important it is to us,” says Moore. He dismisses the old thinking that there was a ‘Big four’ amongst banks here, putting his own bank in the chasing pack. “The reality is that the market is much more competitive across both business banking and personal products such as mortgages and current accounts. “But our aim is very simple,” he says. “For now our short to medium term plan is to be the clear number three, and the lead challenger to the status quo. With the local economy recovering and our ship in good order, we’re confident that we can do that.” “Most importantly, our aim has been to return to profit and we’re confident we’ll do so in 2014. We’re very ambitious and encouraged by the flows of new lending business coming to us.” he says.

our business relationship managers in the whole area of SME credit, deepening their understanding given the step change from asset-based to cashflow lending. We’ve also been working hard to build industry specialism and expertise to bring added value to customer relationships.” The bank has been lending to business under the guise of two different funds in recent years – an Owner Managed Business Fund for lending of £250,000 and above and an SME Business Support Fund for lending below that level. Not surprisingly, it’s also been concentrating in certain key sectors. AgriFood is one that won’t come as a surprise to anyone, and a sector that has most of the banks bidding for its custom. First Trust has managed to go a little further into the sector, homing in on support for areas like chicken production and pig/beef processing. It was the first bank to lend under the recent AgriFood Loan Scheme championed

“ It’s great to have a business like this with ‘trust’ in its name. But we’ve had to rebuild an element of that trust. Thankfully that hasn’t been as difficult as it might have been. Despite the challenges, we have a staff that continues to be well respected and valued by our customers out there... and that’s a real plus.” And that will be music to the ears of a number of interested parties – the bank’s customers, its staff, the local economy and, of course, the Irish Government which holds a 99.8% stake in parent company AIB. With its own recovery cemented, First Trust has been out and about spreading the word. It recently held business roadshows in Enniskillen, Newry and Derry, and it is – at least according to Des Moore – winning more than its fair share of ‘new to bank’ business. That’s customers from other banks in less diplomatic language. According to their figures over 50% of recent lending falls into this category. “A key strand of our growth strategy has seen us investing in people, making sure they’re best equipped to deal with the needs of business clients – existing and new,” he adds. “We’ve been training

by Invest NI and the Departments of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and Finance & Personnel. Then there are specific sectors such as tourism and hospitality – not always favoured by banks in the past – as well as healthcare, retail, renewables and manufacturing, all business areas on First Trust’s business banking radar. First Trust Bank, under Des Moore’s leadership, has also stepped up its involvement across the business community wishing to reinvigorate its support for the wider NI economy. It is a founding sponsor of the NI Centre for Economic Policy (NICEP) at the University of Ulster and is involved with most, if not all, of the main business organisations in some shape or form. “Northern Ireland businesses have alot to shout about, and they don’t always do it,” he says. “It’s one of the

things I’ve noticed since I’ve come to live and work here. Perhaps it’s a natural reticence to shout about success, but there’s no doubt we’d all benefit in celebrating the many success stories that little bit more.” On the personal banking front, the Bank has been moving in the same direction as its competitors when it comes to reflecting the changing customer demands for online and mobile banking channels. “It’s not up for debate,” says Des Moore. “Customers have been voting with their feet and 30% less of them are using our branches these days for routine everyday transactions. That’s a big change and so technology, needless to say, is of crucial importance as part of our multi-channel offering. ” ‘The mortgage marketplace – in which First Trust has long been a player – is much more competitive here in Northern Ireland than it is in either the Republic or GB.’ says Moore, ‘That’s thanks to a combination of numerous players and a relatively small pool of customers. It’s a little known fact that the main Northern Ireland banks only command about a quarter of all mortgages here. I believe there’s significant opportunity for us to gain a greater share of that market through competitively priced products and superior customer service, that’s what customers tell us they want.’ Des Moore summarises what First Trust Bank has achieved in recent years and where it wants to go from here. “We’ve been through a restructuring process and are focused on rebuilding trust, where it’s been lost. We’ve sorted out the housekeeping, and are in good shape to support our customers as we emerge together from the economic doldrums.” he says. “We understand what it means to support the local economy here and that’s what we’re setting out to do. Our future ambitions for growth are inextricably linked. “We want to engage with our customers, taking a positive interest in what they’re trying to do and want to add value to their businesses. Through this approach we’re aiming to not only cement our position but, more importantly, to build a sustainable proposition to seriously challenge beyond that.”

Eye on Technology

STEVEN GOLDBLATT...

Your Road to THE Microsoft CLOUD Steven Goldblatt is clear about what’s been driving the technology marketplace over recent years and what will drive it into the future.

“I

t’s all about the Cloud,” says the Managing Director at the fast-growing Leaf Consultancy, Belfast-based but now an all-Ireland operation with a brand new city centre office in Dublin with staff numbers reaching towards 25. Goldblatt has a convincing take on how the IT space has changed over the years. “It’s a bit like the old mobile phone marketplace,” he says. “Ten years ago, we had mobile phone shops on every street corner. What’s on those street corners now? Nothing. “Ten years ago, businesses were buying hardware every couple of years to keep themselves up to speed with technology. Now there’s no need for the same volume of servers, and there’s no need for companies to invest in new, expensive kit on a regular basis. Huge investments in physical infrastructure are no longer needed. All businesses need to do now is consume from resources such as Microsoft, offering lower capital investments and scalability to meet the needs of any business.” “The business of technology has changed for the better, and a lot of that has been driven by the advent and development of the cloud.” His company, Leaf, has helped many Irish businesses take advantage of the Microsoft Cloud over recent years. Use of Microsoft Cloud has brought clear business benefits to those customers, and the level of demand means that Leaf hasn’t been doing too badly either. The company has retained a coveted place in the Deloitte Fast 50 of Growth Companies for the

past four years.....and Steven is confident they will secure a fifth this year. Annual growth has been running at 35-45% and that’s a very significant achievement in a highly competitive technology services and consultancy sector. It has also, as mentioned above, opened a full service office in the heart of Dublin city centre in Dublin’s Harcourt Street to serve an expanding customer base south of the border. “It’s a big move for us, but our customers in the North can rest assure that we’ll still be concentrating on the Northern Ireland marketplace, with new staff and resources looking after Dublin.” Leaf, he explains, has a wellestablished SME client base along with some larger organisations and an increasing number of public sector customers. “Our core business lies in providing cloud solutions to our SME customers,” Goldblatt says. “The Microsoft Cloud has been a major driver for us over the last four years or so since Steve Ballmer (Microsoft’s former CEO) stood up at the Partner’s Conference in Washington and announced the launch of the Cloud. “Since then, our client companies have embraced it as a really important business solution for them, whatever sector they are working in. Regardless of company size or sector – cloud works for them. It delivers to any device, anywhere, anytime. Whether you are in Belfast, Barcelona or Brazil, you can access information at any time, effortlessly.” “Where do we come in? We know all about the Microsoft Cloud and what it can offer. We take a close look at what our customers want

Steven Goldblatt, Managing Director at Leaf Consultancy

to do and need to do, and we provide a wrapped solution for them based on cloud technology.” Northern Ireland businesses, he adds, tend to be fans of the Microsoft Office platform. “Businesses all recognise Microsoft products. It’s something they are used to. There’s no doubt in my mind that Microsoft Office is increasingly disappearing and evolving into Microsoft Cloud, delivering Cloud solutions to improve businesses and their processes. It’s all about empowering your business.” He goes on to highlight moves by Microsoft to provide its software and solutions to all devices. Microsoft has already produced solutions aimed at the Apple iPad community and Steven Goldblatt reckons that it won’t end there. “Microsoft is a very different organisation now. It doesn’t care

on what device its products and services are being used.....as long as they are being used. And that’s the way it should be. The Cloud is already accessible from anywhere on any device. That means mail, video, files.....whatever. Steven and a few of the Leaf team will be travelling to the Microsoft World Partner Conference later this month in Washington DC where, he states, there should be, “More exciting announcements of Microsoft Cloud for businesses to come in the next 12 months.” What has developed is a truly seamless mobile world with big, global data centres controlled by the big names of the industry. The information you need is available to you instantly whether you’re working in New York or Belfast. It’s a big change, but it’s one that makes life a whole lot easier, and less expensive, for businesses.”

YO U R R O A D TO

Microsoft Cloud

WITH

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the cloud that helps drive unparalleled productivity, transforms a mobile workforce into a connected team, turns massive streams of data into insight and scales rapidly to meet your needs. This is the Microsoft Cloud. Tel: Belfast 028 9089 7650 | Tel: Dublin 01 477 3153 email sales@leaf365.ie or visit www.leaf365.ie

Eye on Enterprise

Pictured at the recent cross-border networking event (L-R) Jorge Lopes, Country Director, Diageo, Ann McGregor, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Ian Sheppard, Head of Business & Corporate Banking, Bank of Ireland UK

Enabling Enterprise Bank of Ireland UK created Enterprise Week to support and encourage SMEs in their growth ambitions by providing them with access to expertise, professional advice and the best business ‘know how’ available.

o launch the latest initiative, which took place from May 16 – 23, the bank published findings of their survey carried out by MBRI, of local businesses which revealed growing business confidence in Northern Ireland. Some 86% of companies questioned described themselves as either growing or stable while 68% were optimistic about growth in the second half of 2014. With a theme of ‘Enabling Enterprise’, Bank of Ireland UK hosted an extensive week-long

programme of business clinics, seminars and networking events as well as the branch network’s ever popular ‘Show Your Business’, providing hundreds of local enterprises with a valuable high street presence. Ian Sheppard, Head of Business & Corporate Banking Northern Ireland for Bank of Ireland UK said: “Supporting economic development in Northern Ireland by facilitating and encouraging business growth is a priority for Bank of Ireland UK. “We’re enabling enterprise

right across Northern Ireland by providing credit to support working capital and business growth and, by engaging widely with the business community, we’re ensuring that the finance, expertise and support initiatives we provide are both relevant and practical for SMEs in the local market.” Tricia McNeilly, founder and Director of Coco Mojo, the healthy coconut drinks manufacturer knows the value of support initiatives and networking events having met her new Director at one such occasion. Tricia, who set up her business from home in 2011, is soon to go into mass production serving markets in the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and Scandinavia and there is already interest further a field in China, US and the Middle East. She said: “Bank

of Ireland UK has supported me from the beginning. They share my vision, my passion and my ambitions for the business and are a constant source of support and advice. Through Enterprise Week I’ve been able to share my story and I hope it will encourage other people with great ideas to get into business in the future.” Emmet Martin is the founder/ owner of Martin Hurls, which handcrafts hurleys made from ash. Emmet is studying for a BTEC National Extended Diploma in Business Studies at the Northern Regional College, Ballymena and came to the Bank’s attention as one of the young entrepreneurs taking part in the Bank of Ireland sponsored Junior Dragon’s Den earlier this year. Having enjoyed success at last November’s Show Your Business

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event, he didn’t hesitate to seize the opportunity to once again showcase his products in the Ballymena branch. He said: “The branch manager invited me to take part and couldn’t have been more supportive. Show Your Business is so simple but so effective. I got to talk to potential customers and I generated sales on both occasions. It opened a lot of doors.” Emmet’s ambition is to go into business full time. He already supplies players locally and throughout Ireland but his plan is to go global, targeting potentially lucrative markets in North America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The week’s flagship event saw Bank of Ireland UK, in partnership with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry through

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their Connecting for Growth Programme, host a major crossborder networking event designed to help increased business between companies from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It was a high energy and productive session for the great number of guests who attended from a range of businesses and business organisations. The keynote speaker was Jorge Lopes, the newly appointed Country Director Northern Ireland for Diageo, who shared a wealth of insight into the lessons small businesses can learn from a world class operation like Diageo. Guests were also able to take advantage of ‘Meet the Expert ‘, which brought together experts from local companies with a proven track record in their field to share best practice and tips on

how to break into new markets, build relationships with clients and ultimately win new business. Improving the Knowledge Economy of the North West was the title of the keynote address given to an audience of SMEs in Derry/ Londonderry. Dr. Norman Apsley, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Science Park, provided a bold vision of the benefits the new North West Regional Science Park will bring to the local economy when it opens its doors in 2014. The seminar took place as the Northern Ireland Science Park’s INVENT 2014 competition, in partnership with Bank of Ireland UK, announced that the top 24 ground-breaking ideas will reveal their ideas to the public for the first time at a “Quick Pitch” event in June, to secure backing to turn their innovations into commercial reality. Further activities during Enterprise Week included Lisburn’s breakfast seminar with ‘Access to Finance’ as the theme. Three speakers shared their expertise on what funding streams are available for SMEs with growth ambitions and how to access the funding which helped the audience to navigate their way through the various funding processes that can often seem complex and confusing. In Belfast’s city branch they provided two free day long training sessions on negotiation and influencing skills. Ian Sheppard, Head of Business & Corporate Banking, Bank of Ireland UK said: “We want to see enterprise

being encouraged, supported and helped and Enterprise Week can contribute to that in a very real and meaningful way. “We opened over 3,300 new small business accounts in the year to January 2014 and more than a fifth of those were for completely new ventures. Our work throughout Enterprise Week and all year round helps businesses of all sizes to benefit from the really practical advice, networking and sales development opportunities we know they want and that will help them succeed in their ambitions for their business.” (1) Pictured at the ‘Enabling Enterprise’ business seminar hosted by Bank of Ireland UK at the University of Ulster, Magee Campus: Sean Sheehan, Regional Manager Northern Ireland, Bank of Ireland UK, Dr. Norman Apsley, CEO, Northern Ireland Science Park, Eugene Kearney, Manager, Bank of Ireland UK Strand Road branch, Derry/ Londonderry, Alan Bridle, Head of Economics & Market Analysis at Bank of Ireland UK and Fred Smyth, Regional Business Manager, Bank of Ireland UK. (2) Fergus McGrath, Client Strategy Director at Simply Zesty takes part in ‘Meet the Expert’ at the Enterprise Week flagship event hosted by Bank of Ireland UK and the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (3) Pictured is Martina O’Hare of Central Florists in Newry who promoted the floristry business in the bank’s Newry branch as part of Show Your Business with Geraldine O’Hagan, Branch Manager, Bank of Ireland UK, Newry.

Eye on Awards

Launching the 2014 UTV Business Eye Awards at UTV Studios in Belfast are (l-r) Orla McKibbin, Communications Director at UTV Media; Paul Simmons, Chief Commercial Officer, Flybe and Richard Buckley, Editor, Business Eye.

Northern Ireland’s Premier Business Awards Launched For 2014 Business Eye has joined forces with UTV for the eighth consecutive year to launch the UTV Business Eye Awards 2014 alongside lead sponsors Flybe.

nother memorable awards evening is planned for Thursday 23rd October 2014 at the Culloden Estate & Spa to honour the high achievers of the Northern Ireland business community. Both leading individuals and companies will be recognised on the night. Hundreds of entries are anticipated across an expanded 17 different categories and the winners in each case will be chosen by a panel of judges including Flybe’s Regional Manager North, Andrea Hayes, UTV’s Business

Editor Jamie Delargy, Business Eye Editor Richard Buckley, Irish News Business Editor Gary McDonald and Richard Sherriff, Business Correspondent of the News Letter. Last year’s awards ceremony named private medical group 3FiveTwo as Northern Ireland’s Company of the Year, with other key winners on the night including Eleanor McEvoy of Budget Energy (Business Personality of the Year); Elmgove Foods (SME Award); Lidl (Retailer of the Year) and Lagan Construction (International Award). The closing date for entries will be Friday, 26th September, 2014 and judging will take place shortly afterwards. Companies can enter online by visiting utvawards.businesseye.co.uk. Richard Buckley, Editor of Business Eye says: “These Awards have grown phenomenally over

the past seven years, and now that the economy is on the upward track, we’re expecting an even better year in 2014. We’re delighted to be working with UTV and our lead sponsors Flybe this year. “There is always a real appetite for celebrating the achievement of our leading companies as well as our top business leaders, and we’re confident that this year’s entries will once again be very strong right across the 17 different categories.” Paul Simmons, Chief Commercial Officer of Flybe, comments: “We’re delighted to continue the lead sponsorship of Northern Ireland’s premier business awards. “We fly more business passengers to and from George Best Belfast City Airport than any other airline and have been serving the needs of the business community here for over thirty years. As

the leading airline operating out of GBBCA our aim is to provide optimal connectivity to convenient destinations at competitive prices. “Flybe’s ongoing commitment to Northern Ireland is further highlighted by our sponsorship of these awards which have become an integral part of the local business calendar. We’re looking forward to playing an active role in this year’s Awards from judging to the Gala Night in October.” Michael Wilson, Managing Director UTV says: “UTV is delighted to once again partner with Business Eye and FlyBe for these awards which recognise the top business people and companies from across Northern Ireland and celebrate their achievements. We look forward to featuring the awards on UTV Live, UTV Live Tonight and u.tv.”

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(1) Sean Walsh (Electric Ireland), Grace McCarthy (Electric Ireland), Claire Dickson (Business Eye). (2) Andrea Hayes (Flybe), Leo Callow (Callow Event Management), Brenda Buckley (Business Eye). (3) Julie Hastings (Hastings Hotels) and Ciara Donnelly (Business Eye). (4) Andrea Hayes (Flybe), Sarah Weir (JPR), Jane Wells (JPR) (5) Richard Simpson (Altlas Communications), Richard Buckley (Business Eye), Ashleigh Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill (Atlas Communications). (6) Andrea Hayes (Flybe), Paul Simmons (Flybe), Claire Dickson (Business Eye) Brenda Buckley (Business Eye). (7) Dermot McGirr & Glen Cinnamon (Lidl). (8) Carmel Mullan (UTV). (9) Carmel Mullan (UTV), Paul Clarke (UTV), Orla McKibbin (UTV). (10) Mark Regan (Kingsbridge Private Hospital), Richard Buckley (Business Eye), Brian Gillan (First Trust). (11)Ian Garner (WRAP), Lesley Delaney (Absolute Communications), Paul Beattie (Hexagon Design).

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(12) Richard Buckley (Business Eye), Paul Simmons (Flybe), Naomi McMullan (UTV), Jamie Delargy (UTV). (13) Owen Devine (UTV), Claire Dickson (Business Eye), Cliodhna Mulhern (3fivetwo Group), Katie Tinsley & Zarah Akilagun. (14) Neil McGregor (Fleet Financial), Damian Campbell (Fleet Financial), Brenda Buckey (Business Eye), Philip Miley (Fleet Financial), Gary McDonald (Irish News).(15) Peter McVerry (U105), Paul Simmons (Flybe), Mark Regan (Kingsbridge Private Hospital), Brenda Buckley (Business Eye). (16) Reuben Taylor, Aisling Press (First Trust) and Richard Buckley (Business Eye). (17) Peter McVerry (U105) and Paul Simmons (Flybe). (18) Dermot McGirr (Lidl), Nikki Larkin (LK Communications), Glen Cinamon (Lidl). (19) Ian Garner (WRAP), Ciara Donnelly (Business Eye), Hazel Audley (DOE), Una Shaw (DOE). (20) Andrew Stevenson (Caulfield Corporate), Claire Dickson (Business Eye), Paul Clarke (UTV), Gareth McFadden (Caulfield Corporate).

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(21) Roisin Hackett (First Trust), Richard Buckley (Business Eye), Alison Reid (John McKee Solicitors), Chris Ross (John McKee Solicitors). (22) Paul Martin (Mammoth), Ali Fleming (LK Communications), Jeremy Poots (Mammoth). (23) Claire Dickson (Business Eye), Chris Ross (John McKee Solicitors), Alison Reid (John McKee Solicitors). (24) Paul Clark addresses the audience. (25) Richard Buckley addresses the audience. (26) Paul Simmons (Flybe).

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(27) Jamie Delargy (UTV),Orla McKibbin (UTV), Paul Simmons (Flybe) and Richard Buckley (Business Eye). (28) Paul Simmons (Flybe). (29) Richard Buckley addresses the audience. (30) Paul Simmons (Flybe) and Jamie Delargy (UTV). (31) Orla McKibbin (UTV).

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, Technical, Engineering, Commercial and Management roles. To discuss how you can grow your business through people, call 028 9023 5456.

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...

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. Consumers also expect transparency in the age of online research, and seek out the ‘truth’ online - whether the brand gets involved in 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 supposed 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:

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. Resulting in 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

“ Think about the benefits of your product from your consumers perspective – not from your own. Is it a time saver or a time changer? This is the main focus of what you need to be talking about online.”

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 Facebooks, Kindles, the Hailos, the real-time services, and yes, even the Candy Crushers. 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 changer? 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

by Rachel Ray (Strategic Planner) of digital agency Simply Zesty

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 is Mom’s friend. Pedigree delared ‘We’re for dogs’. 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 - so get using 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.

feeling overwhelmed by digital?

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not alone.

Many businesses in Northern Ireland feel that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s either too complicated or not applicable to them. Truth is, your customers are all online, everywhere, all the time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; right now! At simply zesty we create immersive brand experiences through digital that bring customers closer to you.

Find out how we can help your business leverage digital that generates results, visit www.simplyzesty.com or call Marco on 028 9033 4044 today.

Eye on Interiors

Sound Advice In the recent years, we have seen a rise of noise levels in our working environment. Adopting a more open plan approach to workspaces encourages communication and teamwork, which increases efficiency and synergy within. While open plan offices have many advantages, one major draw back is the amount of noise that can be created.

here are three paths by which sound travels: a direct path which is the straight line between the source and receiver; a reflected path which occurs as sound bounces off various surfaces; and a diffracted path which involves sound

bending over the top and around the sides of partitions. The control of sound in an open office requires consideration of all three paths. Sound affects the way we feel and behave. In the working environment, sound is particularly critical. Complaints in the office often involve the lack of speech privacy, high noise levels and the distraction of overheard extraneous conversations. These complaints can have a negative impact in the working environment, increasing staff frustration and decreasing efficiency. The introduction of acoustic and sound absorbent products into a noisy working environment can help in many ways. By introducing temporary half height screens, we can successfully block out direct paths. One way to interrupt reflected paths is with

wall and ceiling mounted panels, which absorb and dissipate incoming sound. There are some simple and practical ways in which you can help to reduce noise levels. Introducing task specific areas for your staff, like dedicated collaboration zones, private telephone areas or semi-private meeting spaces can have a positive impact on both staff morale and working environments.

To find out more about how you could reduce the noise level in your office, why not get in touch with Innov8 Office Interiors for a free reverberation test. You can contact them on 028 9023 8180, or on their website www.innov8officeinteriors.com

Getting the right sound for your Office! We are surrounded by sound at all times. Some sounds are pleasant and soothing; others annoying and distracting. The importance of good acoustics in an office environment has grown with the increasing use of systems furniture. Introducing sound absorbant products into your office can help to reduce noise level. Why not get in touch for an acoutstic evaluation.

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 News

MOMENTUM LAUNCH AMBITIOUS ACTION PLAN FOR NI Digital industry umbrella group Momentum has published an ambitious action plan for Northern Ireland which targets the creation of 20,000 new jobs in the tech sector here.

hief Executive Michael Noble has said that the Digital Action Plan, developed after 18 months of engagement with the departments of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Employment and Learning, Education, and Culture Arts and Leisure and with support from Ulster Bank is a major step forward for the Northern Ireland economy. He said that the process of consultation and communication had yielded the setting up of a new ‘ICT Sector Implementation Group’ which would work across relevant government departments in partnership with business, towards the very real prospect of

creating 20,000 new jobs in the Northern Ireland Digital sector. The document, sponsored by Ulster Bank, contains the headline proposal that there is a need to bring in the teaching of programming, or ‘coding’ from the age of 8. The Digital Action Plan widens the scope of the cross departmental ICT Skills group to examine areas such as ‘access to finance’ and ‘access to markets’. On the agenda is the hosting of a symposium on how to bring the teaching of coding to as many primary school children as possible, inviting thought leaders from around the world to help support the education system through the changes required. There are also proposals on the running of a major Digital Expo,

Report author Barry Turley (left) with the First & Deputy First Ministers among an impressive line-up of Stormont Ministers at the document’s launch. Also included are representatives of Momentum, Citi Group and Ulster Bank.

designed to highlight the skills already here and attract major investors into Northern Ireland’s digital sector. The Action Plan also calls for the following measures: Ensuring Northern Ireland is correctly positioned as a region to take advantage of global trends and demand for digital products and services. Promotion of Northern Ireland as a global centre of excellence, recognised as such in digital, advanced computing and analytics by other regions

Ensuring that the region’s young people are equipped for the challenges of the 21st century through the enhancement of teaching of programming and ICT in schools. This proposal along with all the others within the document will now be taken forward for discussion within the ‘ICT Sector Implementation group’ which will contain representatives of the industry, departments of Education, and Employment and Learning as well as DCAL, and DETI.

RETAIL AND LEISURE PARKS GUIDE REVEALS STRONG PERFORMANCE OVER PAST YEAR Belfast agents Osborne King have come top in Northern Ireland in a leading guide to the retail and leisure park sector.

he annual review of the UK retail warehouse sector ranked the company among the Top 20 Letting and Managing Agents in the UK, while NI-based Corbo Properties (headed up by developer Sam Morrison) comes top in the Retail Warehousing Ownership category for Northern Ireland. The guide, which is the industry’s leading publication, takes a close look at how retail and leisure parks are performing on a national and regional basis reveals that vacancy levels for

bulky goods retail parks across the UK have fallen to 8.8%, the lowest rate since 2007 while vacancy levels for Open A1 parks (fashion retail) dropped to 6.9% from 7.5% recorded at the end of 2012. While the guide refers to a number of company failures during the previous year that include Focus, Comet and Dreams, a combination of virtually no new development and the expansion of active retailers such as Poundland, Home Bargains, Poundstretcher and B&M Bargains means that much of this vacant space

Osborne King’s Colin Mathewson

has now been re-occupied. B&M Bargains was the most active retailer across the UK over the past year. Overall, the guide reveals that market conditions are improving with demand increasing and acknowledges that we are in a period of recovery. The sector appears to be robust in Northern Ireland, which has over 40 retail and leisure parks, top of which is Boucher Retail Park in Belfast,

owned by Corbo Properties Ltd. Colin Mathewson of Osborne King remarked:”This report is useful in highlighting the fact that low vacancy levels and reduced development activity have resulted in the retail warehouse sector’s strong performance over the past year. We expect new retailers to expand into Northern Ireland in the year ahead and anticipate a return to rental growth as a result.”

Y STfrA om

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WORLD APART If you like a story with your stopover you’ll love a stay at the 17th Century Ballygally Castle with its sea views, walled gardens and the famous Giant’s Causeway just down the stunning coastal road.

Call 028 2858 1066 • hastingshotels.com

Eye on Agri Food

Ocean Of Opportunities For Food Innovator Top chefs like Ballymaloe’s Darina Allen are cooking with new seafood products from a recently established artisan business on picturesque Rathlin Island. Sam Butler talked to the entrepreneur behind the new business.

ate Burns has a vision of kelp and sugar kelp pesto from the shores around Rathlin Island on the menus of top restaurants and sushi bars across the United Kingdom and further afield. She’s also helping to build an export-led and innovative business that could help sustain the island community. And it’s a vision which most recently won endorsement from Darina Allen, the celebrated Irish chef from the famed Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork, who has included the new Rathlin pesto in her noodle dishes. Kate Burns is a director of Ocean Veg Ireland, a recently established business that’s growing local seaweed on ropes for export under the new ‘Islander’ brand. Discussions with chefs, including those running respected Asian eateries in Britain, are encouraging and could see Rathlin kelp becoming a popular choice in sushi and ‘food fusion’ restaurants soon. The small business has already won recognition in the shape of an export award in an Invest Northern Ireland competition backed by British Airways. The small company, formed by local fishermen with expert advice from Kate Burns, has created the pesto as the first in a planned portfolio of seaweed products. “Chefs we’ve been sending samples to are impressed by the natural environment of Rathlin. The island is synonymous with clean, cold and invigorating waters due to the fusion of Irish Sea and Atlantic currents,” she says.

Kate Burns is creating a healthy food business on Rathlin Island.

“This makes it ideal for growing and harvesting of kelp forests.” She brings to the role a wealth of knowledge and contacts of seaweed processing, particularly in the US, and vast experience as a business consultant. “Our aim is to develop a ‘fresh’ processing solution for kelp for the sea veg market in the UK, mainland Europe and hopefully further afield. We are already supplying readyto-use kelp for miso soup and, of course, a fresh kelp pesto.

“Feedback on both products from restaurants has been immensely encouraging. All seaweeds for the Asian food market in Europe are dried and imported directly from Asia. The end product we envisage is vacuum packs of blanched kelp for sale in both retail and catering markets throughout Europe. “The development of seaweed for the sushi, Asian and fusion markets is new to Ireland. Most seaweed harvesting here is concentrated on ingredients for cosmetics and

soap. All are dried. What we doing are creating a new and sustainable food processing business. “Research we’ve carried out has identified a significant and growing business opportunity particularly in Great Britain, where the market for sushi is a fast growing food growth area. We believe that there’s a significant opportunity for the quality of products that we are developing.” The business benefits from the experience of fishing families,

Eye on Agri Food

Benji McFaul, a director of Ocean Veg Ireland.

“ Sea vegetables are established in diets around the world because they are rich in minerals and nutrients such as iron, calcium, iodine, an essential trace element for healthy thyroid function, as well as vitamin C.”

including the McFauls, around the windswept Rathlin coastline. Kate’s son Benji McFaul is working with her in the new micro-enterprise. It recently trained four islanders in developing the products and aims to provide opportunities for others. The McFaul family, of course, is well respected for its commitment to the Rathlin environment and community. Benji’s father and brother, in fact, won Northern Ireland organic farmers of the year in 2010. Their fishing and seafood business, Rathlin Island Seafoods, is carried out to responsible harvesting standards for fresh crab, lobster, mackerel and pollack, the same approach underpins the new Ocean Veg Ireland. Ocean Veg began as a pilot project supplying sugar kelp to the award-winning Rathlin Manor House restaurant. Diners loved it and this encouraged the directors to move from pilot to full-scale development and marketing, launching the kelp pesto successfully at the

Islander Kelp from Rathlin is becoming a popular choice for chefs in salads

Seaweed growing on ropes off Rathlin Island

big International Food Expo in Birmingham back in March. “Sea vegetables are established in diets around the world because they are rich in minerals and nutrients such as iron, calcium, iodine, an essential trace element for healthy thyroid function, as well as vitamin C,” she says. They may be a unique food source not only of iodine, but also of the mineral vanadium. Research also shows that kelp can be of

great value in maintaining a healthy heart. Kelp noodles can be used for gluten-free diets. They do not contain any fat, cholesterol, protein or sugar and are low in fibre. “Our products are natural, organic and nutritious. They are also grown using sustainable techniques. The kelp is a ready-to-use product that comes blanched and vacuum packed, fresh or frozen for use in stir fries, salads, soups and as an ingredient,” she adds,

Seaweed noodles make a tasty, nutritious and colourful dish

Eye on News

LEADING SALES SUCCESS

NEW INITIATIVE FROM QUEEN’S

Anne Clydesdale, Director of William J Clinton Leadership Institute with Noel Brady, Chairman,Northern Region of Sales Institute, Ireland.

A new sales leadership programme designed specifically for sales leaders has been launched by the William J Clinton Leadership Institute at Queen’s University, Belfast.

he programme is targeted at those wishing to bring a more strategic approach to their sales effort, whether they are sales directors or managers, executives new to senior sales roles, entrepreneurs or owners. The Sales Leadership programme which commences in October 2014, is delivered over three two day modules, with action learning groups combined with a strategic project and has the

added options of one-to-one coaching and Institute of Leadership Management (ILM) accreditation. At the programme launch, Anne Clydesdale, Director of the William J Clinton Leadership Institute said, “Sales and marketing leadership is a distinctive characteristic in the board rooms of successful companies. We have designed this programme with input from some of NI’s top performing companies and we are focused on working with sales

leaders from all sectors to bring sales into a strategically focused position within businesses and organisations”. The programme is fully supported by the professional body - Sales Institute of Ireland, who see this programme as bringing a higher level of professionalism to the sales role.

For further details and how to enrol on this exciting and challenging programme at the William J Clinton Leadership Institute at QUB, please visit our website: www.leadershipinstitute.co.uk or Tel: 028 9097 4394 or email: leadershipinstitute@qub.ac.uk

Eye on Law

When the Belfast office of international law firm Pinsent Masons relocated into the brand new Soloist Building on Belfast’s Waterfront the signal of intent was clear and the message was; ‘here is an established practice renewing its commitment to the Northern Ireland market.’ Alongside the office move the Head of Pinsent Masons in Belfast, Paul McBride, is keen to point to the increased investment in lawyers at all levels.

Laura Gillespie

“T

he recent move to this area is a sign of real growth for us as a law firm and for Belfast as a city. The whole Waterfront area has been given a new lease of life and we are delighted to be playing a part in the continuing regeneration of this part of Belfast and of Northern Ireland.” Around the time of the office move Pinsent Masons promoted 3 new partners; Richard Murphy, Laura Gillespie and Paul Gillen. Paul McBride said the breadth of experience of the new partners is a demonstration of the multi-sectoral expertise within the firm. Richard Murphy heads the Energy and Energy

Finance team, while Paul Gillen is a specialist in Employment law. Laura Gillespie is a regulatory and compliance specialist advising Pinsent Masons’ clients in regard to compliance, such as information law, health and safety, environmental prosecutions and fraud. Like other specialists within the firm, Laura has moved beyond the provision of legal advice and has become an industry expert in her field. Laura has just recently launched the firm’s Regulatory Compliance Forum in Northern Ireland which keeps local businesses up to speed on key issues. She also regularly

delivers training to clients and boards on compliance issues. Laura believes that the world of regulation and compliance is always evolving and that businesses need to stay on top of those changes as they seek to thrive during the economic recovery. “Thankfully we are now entering a post-recession period and the signs of economic growth are tangible. Businesses are looking towards expansion and that typically means finding new markets for their products and services or developing new supply chains. Growth through export has become something of a mantra in Northern

Ireland and it is a strategy which should be pursued and embraced. In doing so, however it vital that businesses stay abreast of legal requirements in their target market. The challenge of keeping one step ahead of regulatory compliance is immense. “If something does go wrong there are urgent steps which a company should take. Firstly, seek the right advice before conducting an investigation; secondly seek to gain a full understanding of what has gone wrong and thirdly take appropriate steps as soon as practicable to mitigate against enforcement risks,” she adds.

Eye on Law

Paul McBride, Head of Office with the three new partners - Paul Gillen, Richard Murphy and Laura Gillespie

There are recent developments within the regulatory and compliance world which demonstrate the need to stay abreast of ever-changing rules governing how we do business. The Serious Fraud Office in the UK has recently opened a criminal investigation into GlaxoSmithKline plc arising from allegations about its practices in China. In doing so, the SFO has reiterated the fact that whistlebowers are “valuable sources”. The Health and Safety Executive in Northern Ireland has secured two successful corporate manslaughter convictions in 2013, and in that year, also achieved 15 successful prosecutions for health & safety breaches with fines totalling almost £500,000. The Financial Conduct Authority continues its review of the banking sector and specifically, has issued a warning that “logbook lenders” must raise standards. The Food Standards Agency is looking at allegations of food fraud in light of last year’s horsemeat scandal while the Northern Ireland Environment

“ When a business falls short of regulatory requirements and is either under investigation or facing prosecution, this can brings unwanted negative media attention with can be harmful to the corporate brand.

Agency is ever active in prosecuting polluters and is considering its enforcement strategy following the publishing of sentencing guidelines for environmental offences in Great Britain last year. Locally our own devolved Department of Justice incurred a hefty £185,000 fine from the Information Commissioners Office following an incident where sensitive information was found to be contained in an apparently disused filing cabinet which had been sent off to auction.

All of these cases show that not only are the numbers of regulatory offices and functions on the increase, but so too is the amount of enforcement. Laura is adamant that the associated potential risk on businesses cannot be ignored. “Most regulatory breaches have criminal implications for companies and individuals alike. The risk of prosecution, fines and indeed imprisonment cannot be ignored. “If a company realises that an issue is suspected they should immediately be considering whether it is necessary and appropriate to conduct an internal investigation to get to grips with the legal, practical and reputational risks concerned. “The increase in enforcement activity across the regulatory sector cannot be underestimated and nor should the indirect consequences. When a business falls short of regulatory requirements and is either under investigation or facing prosecution, this can bring unwanted negative media attention with can be harmful to the corporate brand.

Whilst an internal investigation cannot turn the clock back it empowers those at risk to fully understand the facts, the implications of those facts and in consequence, devise a strategy to protect the business in every way possible,” she adds. One of the advantages of having a local office which forms part of an international network is that Northern Ireland clients can tap into an international pool of expertise and contacts, across regions and sectors. In the regulation arena Laura has been at the forefront of introducing the firm’s innovations into the Northern Ireland market, such as CERICO, a technology platform created by Pinsent Masons. “CERICO is an invaluable tool which helps a client to automate supply chain compliance, making business more efficient and more attractive to suppliers when it comes to working with large scale customers.” The impact of regulation and the role played by compliance will increase in Northern Ireland as our local businesses become more active globally. It is an area where Pinsent Masons have developed automated products and more importantly a pool of skilled and experienced talent. That combination is something which Paul McBride finds exciting as the firm plans for its long term in the local market. “This region is on the cusp of very interesting times. There are local business leaders in Northern Ireland who set an example internationally and there are a number of sectors where we as a region are already exceptionally strong. Within Pinsent Masons we now have the expertise and infrastructure to play a full part in building a new period of sustained economic growth. We are ready for the challenge.”

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Business Eye Launches Fleet Industry Show For 2015 Business Eye has announced the details of the second Fleet Industry Motor Show and Awards along with a Prestige Vehicle Live Auction courtesy of The City Auction Group at Titanic Belfast.

unique event which brings together the whole industry in one place and on one day. Top manufacturers plus a series of key companies and suppliers to the company car market will be in attendance. Promoted by Business Eye and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sister publication, Fleet Industry Magazine - the two day Fleet and Motor Show will give fleet buyers, company car drivers and members of the public the chance to see, discuss and drive a wide range of vehicles.

The event which also includes a fleet forum discussion and exhibition will culminate with the highly acclaimed Fleet Industry Awards with awards going to top vehicles, companies and suppliers to the industry.

For more information regarding this prestigious event please contact Donna Hosking on 028 9047 4490 or 07892 406262

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Award Categories Best Fleet Manufacturer

Best Green Fleet

Best Fleet Car of the Year

Lifetime Achievement

Best Leasing Company of the Year

Customer Service Award

Best Fleet Funder

Road Safety Initiative of the Year

Best Local Fleet Provider

Risk Management Project of the Year

Fleet Manager of the Year

Best Small Light Commercial of the Year

Service Maintenance Dealer of the Year

Best Short Term Rental Company

To register for the forum or for more information on sponsorship opportunities and entry process contact Donna Hosking on 028 9047 4490 or alternatively 07892 406262.

Eye on News

LOCAL IT COMPANY EXPANDS INTO GB MARKET FOLLOWING ACQUISITION CMI, one of Northern Irelands leading providers of IT Solutions, has taken its first steps into the GB information technology market by acquiring IT Management Company Amicitia (www.amicitia.com)

ased in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Amicitia have twenty staff servicing 200 customers within the private/ third sector in and around the South of England, including London. They provide a range of services including project management, managed services, cloud computing and security solutions. This acquisition is the first step of CMI’s plan to become a national Managed Service Provider. Further expansion into other parts of GB

including the midlands and the north of England/ Scotland are envisaged within the next three years. The acquisition will double the number of staff with immediate effect and based on the growth plans it is anticipated that there will be a further increase in local headcount of 20%. Ken Roulston, Managing Director, CMI said “It was always a strategic intention to expand our offering into GB and acquiring Amicitia allows us to do that. They are similar in

size to CMI, have a similar ethos and operate in similar markets”. Our ultimate objective is to offer a customer centric managed service right across the UK that will provide our customers a professional solution at a competitive price. He continued “We believe that CMI are the first locally owned Infrastructure services provider to acquire a base of customers in GB and we are looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that it brings”.

For further information, please contact Julie Roulston on 07827 99 8020.

(L-R) Ken Roulston, Managing Director CMI, Chris Hart, Operations Director Amicitia, Daniel Welling, Commercial Director Amicitia, Bob Brittaine, Chairman CMI

McCue Crafted Fit Collects Top UK Honour A Northern Ireland fit-out firm has been listed among the UK industry’s best performers at the NAS Design Partnership Awards in London.

cCue Crafted Fit took top honours in the leisure category for its refit of Kaspar’s Seafood Bar and Grill in the luxury London hotel, The Savoy. The project was part of a major two-year refurbishment programme for the 124-year-old venue which regularly counts royalty, world leaders and Hollywood legends on its guest list. Named in honour of the hotel’s feline mascot, the art decothemed Kasper’s reopened to critical acclaim last year and includes a three-foot high cat sculpture to stave off bad luck. Les McCracken, managing director of McCue Fit-out said: “Kasper has been the Savoy’s lucky mascot for more than 80 years and it’s nice to think that some of that good fortune has stayed with us. It is important for us to measure ourselves against the very best in the

business and honours like the NAS Awards show that year-onyear we are continuing to excel in very competitive markets. “This was a high profile project and we were pleased to be associated with such an celebrated restaurant. The Savoy is an iconic venue with a rich heritage and this project was a great opportunity for our team to show our capacity and capability to deliver for customers like this. “The McCue team has completed a number of creative projects within the hospitality and leisure sectors in recent years, including The Savoy. These awards recognise the silver service that we give our customers and our ability to meet and set exceptional standards.” McCue was the only Northern Ireland-based company honoured at the awards which recognises the very best Design and Shopfitting

projects across the UK and is judged by an independent panel of distinguished commentators, designers and fit out practitioners. Robert Hudson Director of the National Association of Shopfitters commented: “It’s been another tough year for shopfitting and interior contracting, but this has had no effect upon the quality or the quantity of the entrants for the NAS Design Partnership Awards 2014.This was a field of winners that really does show what collaboration between store designers and shopfitters at the top of their game are capable of.” The 2014 NAS Awards shortlist included the Longchamp shop on

Regent Street, London; jewellers Mappin and Webb in Chester; Villandry restaurant, London; and famed drapers Hackett on Regent Street London. In the last two years, McCue has secured a string of contracts in London’s luxury hospitality sector completing fit-out projects for the Berkeley in Knightsbridge and Mayfair-based duo Claridges and the Beaumont. It has fitted out up-market Dublin eatery Cleaver East and buzzing Belfast bars The Albany and Harp Bar. In December, McCue took the first steps into the lucrative marine fit-out sector, appointing industry stalwart Stephen Mills as head of its new division.

europa hotel, belfast 24th september 2014 9.00am – 4.30pm following last year’s success Digi-talk is back! this year we tackle the topic of ‘Content marketing’ with leading Digital experts from Google, heineken and beingonline. this year, our experts will address delegates in the morning, before taking part in breakout workshops, giving delegates the opportunity to ask questions, interact and learn from the industry leaders. Digi-talk 2014 is endorsed by the university of ulster business school.

Tickets on sale now from www.hastingshotels.com/Digitalk.html 028 9047 1066 this year’s speakers Conor mcintyre - heineken James mcWhinney - beingonline eoghan phipps - Google ireland

stuDents - £25 DeleGates - £65 Includes refreshments and lunch stanDs are available in prime netWorkinG area for £100

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Eye on Digital Marketing

IS DIGITAL THE SILVER BULLET FOR EXPORTERS? By Andi Jarvis, Senior Digital Account Manager, The Tomorrow Lab

t seems that the future of Northern Ireland is connected to exporting. The good news is that the rise in ecommerce has made it easier to trade across borders, so that it is now possible to reach much bigger markets without ever having to leave the comfort of your office or walk any further than your local Post Office to send the goods. Brilliant! Except it’s not quite true. Building an online market place or putting your products on Amazon or eBay will not guarantee sales from outside Northern Ireland (it won’t guarantee sales from inside Northern Ireland either). There are still some basics you need to get right before new customers come flocking to your website. The first thing you need to understand is your market. It might sound simple, but selling to the same demographic in different countries can take different skills. Do they use different names for your product? Is there a local alternative? What are the price points locally? Is the value of your product different? If you’re not sure about the variables of a new country – even a new region within a country – then you’re unlikely to make a big splash in the market. Another issue you need to confront is the design of your website. To be blunt, it doesn’t matter if you or your CEO likes the look of your website, it’s your customers that are important here. eBay, a behemoth of ecommerce, wouldn’t be most people’s idea of a beautiful site, but it is effective at what it does – selling. The site needs to have a clear goal and make it easy for customers to complete that goal on whatever

device they’re using. Don’t make it hard for someone to give you money because they want to do it from their mobile phone. We’re blessed with relatively speedy internet in Northern Ireland, but not everyone is. If your site is slow on your 50Mbps connection in central Belfast, imagine how rural users in County Clare or mobile users in Pennsylvania will get on. Amazon, a company that knows a thing or two about selling online, tested a change in page load speed on their site. Unsurprisingly they found that revenue dropped the longer the page took to load, but if you extrapolate their findings, if your site makes £1,000 per day, you could make an extra £25,000 per year by tuning up your site by 1 second. It might all sound a bit daunting, but it isn’t as difficult as you might think. If you put your customer at the centre of your ecommerce offering, you won’t go too far wrong. Once you’ve got the ideal site, that is effective and runs quickly, get ready for the charge of the customers! Actually, we’re not there just yet. Unless you’re in the fortunate position of being the only supplier of a unique product, you’ll need to work out how to attract customers. It’s important to understand why a customer would want to buy from you. Pushing into a new market means that your potential customers might not know anything about you, so you have to start from scratch to build your brand again. This is where a content marketing strategy comes in. Filling your blog with relevant and useful information for your industry helps to tell customers a story about you. It can position you as experts, as

a discounter, as an organisation with exceptional customer service... as anything you want. Just make sure that it’s true to your company – if you’re a ‘pile it high, sell it cheap’ retailer, don’t try and be Harvey Nichols just because you’re asking customers to pay in Euro. Content marketing is also a brilliant way to boost your Google (and other search engines) rankings. Millions of purchase decisions are influenced by information people find on search engines and if you’re not on page 1, the chances of being found are limited. Creating content, pushing it out to a wider audience and working with other websites that write about your industry are great ways to influence Google search results. Be prepared for the long haul though – search results don’t change overnight and you’ll need to invest time and budget into creating engaging content for your users before you start to see returns from it. But stick with it, the long term value is definitely worth the investment. If you’re screaming at your copy of Business Eye right now “but I need sales NOW”, you can calm down, I’m coming to that. Digital advertising is a way of hitting customers based on their online habits. Google advertising works by serving ads to users based on the words in their search, so if someone searches for “gents leather belt” and you sell them, you can have an ad appear along with their search results. You probably already know this.

You can also target users on Facebook and Twitter with ads based on keywords, location, age, interest and a host of other factors. For social media advertising, any of the information the networks ask for to sign up for an account can be used for advertising. You might have heard that social media advertising doesn’t work – I don’t believe that. Bad advertising has never worked, good advertising does. For all digital ads, segment your audience as much as possible and stay on top of the data you get back. Test campaigns, improve ads, refine your bids and watch where you spend your money and you should be fine. If you set up a campaign and never look at it again until it’s finished, don’t be surprised to find out it hasn’t worked. I’ve only covered a few factors that are important in succeeding in ecommerce. It’s not something to enter into lightly, but the rewards can be worth the effort.

Andi Jarvis – Senior Digital Account Manager – The Tomorrow Lab. Andi has worked with a wide range of brands to develop their Digital Marketing strategies in both Northern Ireland and GB. He also has broader experience of working client side as a Marketing Manager and this mix of roles make him ideally placed to translate the needs of businesses into effective digital marketing solutions.

WEB DEVELOPMENT

DIGITAL MARKETING

DIGITAL STRATEGY

BE READY FOR TOMORROW Digital Strategy is the blueprint to reach and engage with your audience online, developed within the context of your overall marketing strategy. At The Tomorrow Lab we start by asking fundamental questions about the who, what, where and when and we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop until we are crystal clear on what you are trying to achieve. Only then can we craft a digital strategy to deliver on your business objectives for today and tomorrow. Want to know more about how we can help you realise your tomorrow? hello@thetomorrowlab.com T +44 (0)28 9037 1010 thetomorrowlab.com Part of The Pierce Partnership

Eye on Marketing

Marketing is quickly becoming more sophisticated. The number of emails sent each day is currently in excess of 144 billion. Not only does this make it harder to grab the attention of your audience, but it means that you can no longer get away with sending one mass email and hoping your audience takes a look. It is vital that you use the data you already have to grab the attention of your audience and tailor your message. I have broken this down into 3 areas.

Is Data The Foundation Of Your Next E-Mail Marketing Campaign

he first area to consider is good data capture. The economy hosts a variety of businesses, all with different requirements and priorities. However, wanting to capture more data on both customers and prospects is common and with marketing getting harder, data has to be the basis of your campaigns. When it comes to collecting data, the danger is the temptation to buy lists in a quick fix attempt. But unsurprisingly, organically grown email lists far outperform purchased lists. If you think about it, it makes sense. An organic list contains people in your target market, who are interested in your product or service and at some point wanted to give you their details. So avoid the temptation of paying for lists and instead of worrying about large amounts of data, make sure the data you have is high quality. You can then successfully act on and segment this data to improve the success of your marketing.

Secondly, use actionable data to segment your audience. Actionable data is quite simply data that is relevant to your audience which you can then act upon, sending out relevant marketing messages. This type of data is available in multiple forms, and you’re probably already collecting some, if not all, of the following: • Profile information, including contact job titles, industry or company size. • Accounts information, such as purchase history, order values and loyalty is probably your most up-to-date and relevant data source, the problem is you probably don’t have information on the variety of contacts you need in your accounts system. • Online behavior, like the level of engagement in your emails and the pages contacts are commonly visiting on your website.

This is by no means a limit to the types of actionable data you can make use of. Regardless of your industry, current marketing activity or target audience, there will be numerous ways of successfully segmenting your audience based on their interests. Whether this is upselling floodlights to customers with their own car parks, or sending reminder emails to people abandoning web baskets on your website. Using actionable data to segment your audience is an easy way to ensure you are consistently sending out relevant information. With 61% of recipients just deleting emails that they see as irrelevant, actionable data should be a vital consideration in your email marketing campaigns. Thirdly and finally, choosing the right software to house your data. Identifying the types of actionable data you can make use of in your marketing campaigns is all well and good, but if this data is not

available to the right people at the right times it is of little use. A common issue within organisations is a lack of accessible data. When choosing your software you should therefore look for a package that will share data across all departments, from accounts to marketing for purchase information, marketing to sales for follow up on leads generated and from sales to customer service to complete your after sales process. Opting for an integrated system across all of these departments will give you the ability to store the data you capture, create marketing lists based on your actionable data and finally capture your marketing results. This level of integration offers you an automated data cycle. Not only can you continue to capture new data, but you can ensure that the data you already hold is as up-to-date as possible. Plus you will get a better understanding of the engagement levels your marketing campaigns are receiving and therefore the interests of your recipients. 80% of your email marketing success is down to the targeting of your list, whilst only 20% is down to the main content. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t focus on tailoring your message – you should! However B2B data degrades much faster than B2C, at a rate of 6% per month. Kill two birds with one stone and use your current email marketing campaign to generate new data, update your centralised database and be the foundation of your up-coming campaign.

Trevor Bingham, Business Development Manager, FUEL High Performance IT editorial@itfuel.com www.itfuel.com @ITFuel

Eye on News

Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First Craft Gin Distillery launches Shortcross Gin Rademon Estate Distillery, the first and only craft distillery to be established in Northern Ireland have officially launched their first product, Shortcross Gin.

hortcross Gin is the first small batch, craft spirit to be launched under the Shortcross brand by Rademon Estate Distillery. Shortcross Gin is an aromatic and exceptionally long, smooth Gin that redefines what an Irish Gin should be. Created through the use of fresh apples, elderberries and wild clover distilled with other botanicals including juniper, coriander, orange peel, lemon peel and cassia. The combination of botanicals creates a unique and uplifting aroma reminiscent of a

summer meadow, and gives Shortcross Gin a classic yet contemporary flavour with an exceptionally smooth and long peppery finish. Founded in 2012 by husband and wife team Fiona and David Boyd-Armstrong, Rademon Estate Distillery is located outside Downpatrick, County Down at the couples historic family estate. The Distillery is passionate about hand crafting and creating only the finest, artisan premium spirits products. In creating Shortcross Gin,

David and Fiona take the time and passion to ensure that every aspect of their gin is perfected by hand. From handpicking and sourcing the finest botanicals, drawing their own fresh water, distilling in a bespoke copper still, to bottling and labelling, every element of Shortcross Gin is created by hand to meet the couples exacting standards for exceptional quality.

Shortcross Gin is currently being distributed by James Nicholson Wine Merchants and is now available in leading bars and restaurants across Northern Ireland including James Street South, Hadskis, James Street South Bar & Grill, Ox Belfast, Balloo House, The Parsons Nose, The Poachers Pocket, Muriels CafĂŠ Bar and The John Hewitt.

Judith Totten, Managing Director, Keys Commercial Finance.

Eye on Finance

Asset Based Lending – A Hidden Gem? Judith Totten is Managing Director of Keys Commercial Finance, a privately owned and independent asset based lender. In this article she talks about how companies can generate cash against outstanding invoices and existing assets. Something, it seems the business sector is still often unaware of.

esearch published recently by Lloyds Bank has revealed that, ‘SME owners are sitting on literally billions of pounds in assets and invoices that could be unlocked through a range of asset based finance products including Invoice Finance.’ These products provide cash against outstanding invoices and secured loans on existing assets. Disappointingly though, ‘Only around a third of SMEs are aware of asset-based lending, and just 5% of them actually opt to release some of the cash tied up in their assets through these products.’ Small Business owners are missing out on the opportunity to grow their brand and their people, enter new markets and develop new products because they are not harnessing the full range of funding options available. Funding that would unlock the value in their assets or invoices. According to the Asset Based Lenders Association, currently ‘SMEs are owed nearly £300bn in outstanding invoices,’ They have the potential to unlock finance to boost growth through working capital centric products and services. However, ‘Awareness regarding this product is less than 50% and take up of this option is less than 10% over the past 12 months.’ Research shows that around half of the small business owners in the UK are feeling confident about investing in growth this year, but it would seem from the above figures that awareness of the funding options available to them is still severely lacking and therefore curtailing their enthusiasm. Despite better choices in the market now than ever before, business owners are still not aware enough about their benefits and how best to utilise them, instead sticking to the more traditional and often inappropriate solutions such

as bank loans and overdrafts. Even those businesses who are aware of different finance options appear not to understand them enough to take advantage and really unless businesses start looking at potential solutions like these more seriously, both they and the economy overall will recover much more slowly. Invoice Finance gives the business the cash flow flexibility it needs by providing an upfront advance of up to 85% on invoices due, meaning the business does not have to wait 30, 60, 90 (or more) days to receive much needed funds. This facility is often used as a method of increasing the cash flowing through the business thereby allowing the owners to seize opportunities for growth whilst helping with the day to day stock purchasing, creditor payments and so on. In addition, the service often includes a full suite of credit management support functions whereby the business owner can trade safe in the knowledge that an outsourced professional team is handling his invoicing , statements, credit control and if necessary litigation. Asset-based lending can help business owners to unlock the equity value tied up in fixtures and fittings or plant and machinery by securing finance against them, thus freeing cash that can be invested back into the business. Asset-based lending facilities can run alongside an Invoice Finance facility however they can also be used in isolation. The team in Keys Commercial Finance provide this full service offering in a completely confidential environment, acting as an agent for their clients in the collection and administration of their debtor accounts. In a small and tight knit business community such as NI, this low key but professional approach works very well and many businesses are now availing of this facility – but many more could be and simply aren’t aware of the opportunity. This is where the professional advisory community can work more closely with the funders and investors. We simply have to work together to ensure that our business owners are educated on all their options – from Invoice Finance and Asset Based Lending to private investment, to the various INI loan funds, to Private Equity and Venture Capital money

and more. By working hand in hand and of course in conjunction with the Banks locally we can really work together to regenerate our local economy into a positive future. In three short years since launching their business model, the team in Keys Commercial Finance led by Judith Totten, Managing Director, have supported nearly 100 new clients with close to £50M of new funding. Not bad for a privately owned and independent asset based lender in a very competitive environment.

“ Asset-based lending can help business owners to unlock the equity value tied up in fixtures and fittings or plant and machinery by securing finance against them, thus freeing cash that can be invested back into the business. Asset-based lending facilities can run alongside an Invoice Finance facility however they can also be used in isolation.

Judith is often asked how they managed to achieve that in a recession. “Simple really” she says. “We listen, we care, we are tenacious, we deliver and above all we have great fun along the way and that warmth and sense of enjoyment is infectious.” Diane Woodside, Sales Director in Keys adds, “Our clients want to be part of what we do, they know that we will work with them to deliver their aspirations and that builds their confidence.” Judith was recently appointed to the Board of Invest NI. She regularly sits on the membership steering group of the HALO network and is a founder investor in Corporate NI, a local business information and communication portal. Judith is a passionate supporter of NI PLC and is totally committed to the creation, growth and regeneration of business and jobs in the Province. T. 028 9066 0791 E. info@keysfinance.co.uk

Eye on News

Growth At TLT In Belfast Leads To New Jobs And Office UK law firm TLT’s NI practice has moved into 6500 sq ft of new space in Montgomery House, Belfast to support the rapid growth of the office.

he firm originally opened a Belfast office in 2012 to offer litigation support to their UK clients transacting in Northern Ireland. The firm operated from serviced offices in Scottish Provident Building. However since opening headcount has grown from 5 people in 2012 to 54 and now includes 5 partners, offering real estate, banking & finance, renewables and pensions advice to businesses across Northern Ireland. The firm’s new office provides the firm with space for further expansion in the year ahead; they expect to continue recruitment of both legal and support staff throughout 2014 and into 2015. Commenting on the move to the new offices, Katharine Kimber,

Katharine Kimber, Partner and Head of TLT Belfast Office with Kathryn Ford, Partner, Real Estate in TLT’s new offices in Montgomery Hosue.

partner and head of TLT NI in Belfast said: “Our investment in this new office space is a critical next step in our development. We’ve had better than expected revenue results this year; we have critical mass in terms of people and clients, and a strong foundation from which to grow our business further. This move shows our commitment to invest and develop the business in NI.” David Pester, Managing Partner, TLT, added, “This is the first full financial year for TLT NI in Belfast

and we are really pleased with the growth we’ve seen. We are committed to continuing to grow by focusing on building scale and deepening areas of legal expertise around the specific needs of clients in Belfast. We have a simple approach; we want to be famous for our expertise and the responsive, efficient and collaborative way we deliver it. The new office space will help our team deliver outstanding client service to our growing Northern Ireland client base.”

ACCOUNTANCY ACCOLADE

he Danske Bank Accountancy Award 2014 was recently presented to Mark Mitten at Danske Bank’s headquarters in Belfast. Mark, who is employed within the Corporate Tax Department at KPMG, was awarded the annual prize for achieving the highest marks in Northern Ireland in the 2014 Institute of Chartered Accountants Ireland (ICAI) Final Admitting Examination. Mark is pictured receiving his award from Danske Bank’s Chief Executive, Gerry Mallon.

NAVADA ON CHINA TRIP Belfast digital consultancy Navada Group took part in a trip to China as one of the Digital Champions of the UKTI Technology Innovators Forum (TIF-IN).

n the invitation of TIF-IN (Technology Innovators Forum) whose founding partners include UKTI, Universal Music, BBC and BBC Worldwide, NAVADA will be showcasing it’s Digital Engagement expertise and launching a new ‘hyperlocal’ suite of applications - ‘VADOO’ to the most important people in Chinese Broadcast Media, Tech, Publishing, Entertainment and Business. On a trip led by Vince Cable MP as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, NAVADA was represented by Co-Founders Matthew Scott and Jeremy Forsberg.

‘VADOO will enable individuals, the community and commercial organizations to better connect with each other, the application is powered by leveraging personal characteristics and values which is something that has not been done before to this depth in a digital application, this is gold dust for broadcasters in the local TV space. ‘China has thousands of local TV channels and provides the perfect test bed for the new platform,’ says Matthew Scott. VADOO is also a scalable application and platform, which can incorporate a variety of content types and formats

From left to right: Jeremy Forsberg and Matthew Scott, Co-Founders of NAVADA Group who are launching a new ‘Hyperlocal’ Application for Broadcast and Entertinament in China.

to make it useable universally. Meetings are scheduled with the main broadcasters, business leaders and technology investors during the nine-day trip.

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Eye on Investment

TAPPING INTO TALENT... EY’S NORTHERN IRELAND INVESTMENT

Eye on Investment EY’s announcement just over a month ago, to create close to 500 new jobs at its Belfast base took a lot of people by surprise.

igher value jobs have become more prevalent here, and it’s a fact trumpeted from the pages of Invest Northern Ireland’s recent annual report, but this announcement was proof that even the biggest global players seem to be taking an interest. “We managed to keep it all pretty quiet on the run up to the announcement,” says Mike McKerr, EY’s Belfast-based Managing Partner for Ireland. “In fact, some of our employees here in Belfast were surprised when they heard the news”. “But, behind the scenes, it was a long time in the making. We are a global firm and Northern Ireland wasn’t the only location that we looked at as a business”. What won the day for Northern Ireland? “Northern Ireland has a large talented pool of people along with major graduate under employment - high quality graduates have to look elsewhere for opportunities. We want to tap into that resource. Belfast is a competitive location to do business, this combined with the support offered by Invest Northern Ireland really helped build a strong proposition to locate these jobs here.” “As a firm, we have our offshore operations in India and elsewhere handling certain types of back office work. This is a very different proposition. These jobs are high quality posts across our audit and consultancy services, allowing people to work with EY clients in a geography that spans 97 countries.” The figures speak for themselves. EY currently employs a 145-strong team in Belfast, and it will be adding 486 to that as a result of this investment decision. The new team represents a project salary bill of £19 million and that works out at £40,000 or so per job. The economic multiplier will be far greater. And that’s the kind of salary level that used to be well outside of Northern Ireland’s reach when it came to FDI projects. The successful candidates, on the consultancy side of the business, could find themselves working on major infrastructure projects across the UK, Ireland and even as far as the Middle East, by way of example. Given the global nature of the firm EY is continuously looking for new talent to work with its international clients. On the audit side, meanwhile, the Belfast-based team members will be a mix of mobile and static workforce working alternating

between face to face interaction with client and remote work across several areas of the business including data analytics. Recruitment is already well underway, according to Mike McKerr. “We are in the process of appointing a Chief Operating Officer to head up the new unit, and we’ve been receiving plenty of applications from graduates and experienced professionals for the other positions. Our aim it so have people in place by the end of October 2014.” Currently based at Bedford House in Belfast city centre, EY could potentially hit a space problem once the new team starts to grow. “We’ll be staying where we are in the short term, but we do recognise that the success of this will mean, as we continue to grow we may have to source additional office space,” says McKerr. “In fact, I’ve had most of Belfast’s property agents on the phone over the past few weeks.” If the announcement of 486 new high-value jobs by EY is a positive for the Northern Ireland economy, the global accountancy firm’s view of economic prospects here isn’t bad either. EY’s latest economic update for Northern Ireland has some very hopeful signs indeed. “We are expecting to see 2.4% growth in GVA (gross value added....or the value of goods and services produced in the region) for Northern Ireland in 2014, and that’s a substantial jump from the 1.4% growth level in 2013,” says Mike McKerr. “There’s no doubt that the high levels of growth in both Ireland and the UK count for a lot. UK growth looks to be heading for 2.9% and, if that can be achieved, it will be phenomenal. In the South, meanwhile, 2% GDP growth looks achievable. “There is a lot of positivity around. Against that, there’s no doubt that consumer confidence is still fragile. There is still the chance of more austerity measures, and interest rates rises are in the pipeline which will have a knock on effect on the economy. So there is a fragility and nervousness that are likely to be around for a while. Great Britain is an export-led recovery and that’s something we still need to develop further here in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland’s export strategy should focus on maintaining and building on the strength of its large agri-food export sector, while as the same time growing exports from a wider mix of high value-added and labourintensive merchandise and service sectors. We would also like to see more construction activity in Northern Ireland. The recovery in construction, and house building, is a lot more pronounced in the

Mike McKerr, Managing Partner for Ireland, EY.

South and around Dublin in particular. It is important that we get infrastructure and house building back off the ground as they create employment quickly.” Mike McKerr goes on to say that the increasing number of entrepreneur-led tech businesses is very encouraging but he adds that funding remains an issue. “Northern Ireland remains a small marketplace. Growth requires funding and we can’t yet say that credit is flowing. The major banks are all actively chasing good lending opportunities. As Balance sheet issues are dealt with, the banks need new relationships with sound business to rebuild their books and get them back to profit. If you have a strong business looking to expand then there will be competition by the banks for your business.” “due to the depth and length of the recession business confidence is weak and willingness to invest or acquire has not yet returned to normal. Demand for lending is therefore as much an issue as supply and perhaps business need to consider alternatives and widen their capital base. There are two new Venture Capital Funds, Crescent Capital and Kernel and Invest NI have committed to €15million of funding to each fund, which as the potential to invest £48million in SME’s over the next five years. “There is an insufficient volume of opportunities to entice PE funds to jump on a plane. Invest NI has done a good job in putting funding structures into place, but there are still gaps and these can be an impediment to growing companies. “It would be great to see one of our home-grown tech start-ups making it all the way through the funding stages to the NASDAQ or similar. That would be a big boost for Northern Ireland.”

Eye on Awards

Wednesday 1st October at the Europa Hotel, Belfast The Business Eye Healthcare Awards for Northern Ireland is being organised, managed and promoted by Business Eye in association with 3Fivetwo Group, and with sponsorship from leading pharmaceutical companies and other key suppliers to the medical/healthcare sector. The brand new awards will be launched this Spring and staged for the first time at the Europa Hotel in Belfast on Wednesday, 1st October. They set out to recognise and reward best practice in the wider healthcare sector, with categories spanning medicine, nursing, community care, dentistry, research and a number of other areas.

Eye on Awards Award Categories: The Business Eye Healthcare Awards in association with 3Fivetwo Group cover all three key areas of healthcare â&#x20AC;&#x201C; primary (communitybased), secondary (GP network) & tertiary (consultants, hospitals). Entries across a total of 10 categories will be actively encouraged via a dedicated Awards website and with promotion via the general media, 3Fivetwo Group sites and Health Style magazine. A judging panel will meet in advance of the awards ceremony date and will include leading representatives from 3Fivetwo Group and industry figures.

The Awards will comprise of a proposed ten categories:Optician Practice of the Year

Pharmacy Practice of the Year

Training In Healthcare Award

Dental Practice of the Year

Care Home Of The Year

Innovation Award

Clinical Excellence Award

GP Practice Of The Year

Community Nurse of the Year

Hospital Consultant of the Year

For more information on sponsorship opportunities and entry process contact Donna Hosking on: donna@businesseye.co.uk or alternatively call 028 9047 4490 or 07892 406262 79

Eye on Finance

A CLEAR VIEW OF CASH FLOW

Helen Wall, Regional Sales Director for Close Brothers Invoice Finance in Northern Ireland

Eye on Finance An interview with Helen Wall, Regional Sales Director for Close Brothers Invoice Finance in Northern Ireland. One of the latest additions to the Close Brothers Invoice Finance team in Northern Ireland, Helen brings with her over 20 years of experience in the finance sector. We find out more about her and the work she does with local businesses. Tell us about your career history… I joined the Close Brothers Invoice Finance team in April 2014 from KBC Bank Ireland plc. where I was a Portfolio Manager. I’m a qualified Accountant by trade and I have previously worked for Winemark as a Company Accountant and Musgrave Retail Partners NI where I was Financial Controller. What is your educational background? I have a BA honours degree in Business Studies from the University of Ulster, Jordanstown and a Post Graduate Diploma in Accountancy. What does a typical day as a Regional Sales Director entail? As a Regional Sales Director for the invoice finance division of our business, I provide bespoke finance facilities for companies across the invoice discounting line. I work with businesses of all shapes and sizes, from new starts and growing SMEs, to larger firms that are seeking additional funding to help them take on new contracts or manage their day-to-day cash flow. We work with firms right across Northern Ireland, so I travel across the country quite a lot, visiting customers directly at their place of work. I love being out on the road and enjoy the fact that my job isn’t a typical ‘9-5’. In my previous role as Financial Controller for Musgrave Retail Partners NI, I was used to working with businesses that dealt primarily in cash transactions. My new role means that I deal with a wider range of businesses – from accountants to haulage firms, recruitment companies, agri-businesses and those in the service sector. Because we work across all sectors, my days can be quite varied. I get to meet people from all walks of

life which can be really inspiring and it’s great to be able to provide advice and funding which helps each of my customers achieve their objectives.

“ Invoice finance can also work really well alongside asset finance, and we often structure deals for clients that include both of these elements. Asset refinance is particularly relevant at the moment as firms seek to release cash from their existing assets to upgrade their equipment.” Why is invoice finance a good solution for small firms? Invoice finance is ideally suited for small firms due to its flexible nature. It is easily adapted and grows in line with your business. For many of my customers, one of the key benefits is the fact that it cuts down on administration for them, freeing them up to get on with business. We have a facility called IDeal™, which complements most major accountancy packages, it helps to eliminate paperwork and reduces timely month-end reconciliations. This is particularly important for small firms where time is often their most valuable asset. Increasingly we’re offering clients asset based lending, led by invoice finance but also taking into account the value of their stock, property or other assets. Invoice finance can also work really well alongside asset finance, and

we often structure deals for clients that include both of these elements. Asset refinance is particularly relevant at the moment as firms seek to release cash from their existing assets to upgrade their equipment. How do you see the future of invoice finance? The nature of funding is changing throughout the world; therefore people are adapting and becoming more open in relation to how they fund their business. Unfortunately invoice finance is still an underutilised method of funding. Our Business Barometer shows that 29 per cent of SMEs in Northern Ireland do not understand how invoice finance works. It’s surprising because this is such an effective method of helping companies manage their cash flow and make the most of all the assets they have at their disposal. At Close Brothers, we are working hard to ensure that Northern Irish firms have access to the knowledge and advice they need. We are actively working with accountants and financial advisors so they can pass on the benefits of invoice discounting to their clients. Our business model is unique in the marketplace, both because of the wide range of tailored solutions we can offer and also because of the flat management structure which gives our clients direct access to decision makers. We make credit decisions right here in Northern Ireland, meaning the whole process is quick and streamlined. What is the most satisfying part of your job? The most satisfying part of my job is providing a tailored funding package that suits the needs of a client, and watching them grow and prosper as a result. The invoice discounting line leaves business owners with the time they need to invest in their business and concentrate on their entrepreneurial spirit, which they need to flourish. What are your interests outside of work? I like to play golf when I have the time, but unfortunately it isn’t as often as I’d like. I am a mum of three children aged five and under, so they keep me very busy when I’m not working.

Case Study Name: Motis Ireland Ltd Business Requirement: Cash flow solutions Industry: Transport Product Solution: Invoice finance Company Profile: Motis Ireland Ltd is one of the most progressive shipping companies in Europe with over 1,000 customers in Ireland, the UK and Europe. Their network covers more than 500 freight ferry routes and is open for business 24 hours a day, seven days a week. From a standing start in 2002 with only five employees, the company has enjoyed significant growth during the last number of years and now employs more than 40 people across Europe. Challenge: As the business continued to expand rapidly, Motis Ireland Ltd felt increasing strain on their day-to-day cash flow. The organisation had an existing invoice finance arrangement in place with another provider, however this was no longer able to provide suitable levels of funding to support business objectives. Solution: Motis Ireland Ltd approached Close Brothers Commercial Finance to discuss the products and services that were available. The local team at Close Brothers Commercial Finance took the time to understand the particular complexities of the European wide shipping and transportation industry before designing a tailored solution that really worked for the business from the outset. An online invoice finance arrangement was secured, using IDeal™, increasing their levels of funding by 10%. Result: The bespoke funding package greatly improved Motis Ireland’s working capital which gave the company the necessary resources, both in terms of people and finances, to maintain business momentum and fulfill their objectives. David McComb, Managing Director of Motis Ireland Ltd said: “The key factor for us in deciding to go with Close Brothers is that we simply required a bespoke, uncomplicated funding package built around our sales ledger, and they were able to deliver on this. “The online IDeal™ system means that we now have instant access to cash, we don’t have to worry about month-end reconciliations and we can get on with the day-to-day running of our business without worrying about our cash flow.”

Eye on Insurance

Business As Usual Liberty Mutual Insurance Acquires Hughes Insurance Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, one of the largest property and casualty insurers in the world, announced it is to acquire Hughes in a transaction expected to complete on July 1, 2015 and its subsidiary in Ireland has agreed to become the lead underwriter of Hughes Insurance in Northern Ireland.

ughes Insurance is Northern Ireland’s leading independent insurance broker offering motor, van, household, SME commercial insurance and travel insurance with £60 million in gross written premium for the financial year ending March 31, 2014. The company distributes 1 in 5 motor insurance policies sold in Northern Ireland and has a rapidly growing household and SME commercial insurance book, employing over 300 people at its headquarters in Newtownards, Co Down and at 11 other branches across Northern Ireland. Hughes Insurance will continue to be led by Chief Executive, Gareth Brady and his current management team. Hughes Insurance has appointed Liberty Insurance Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, as its leading underwriter for new policies

Future focused. Pictured (L-R) are Pat O’Brien, Chief Executive Officer, Liberty Insurance; Leslie Hughes, Chairman, Hughes Insurance and Joe Hamilton, Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer, Liberty Mutual Insurance.

issued with effect from July 1, 2014. Leslie Hughes, Chairman and founder of Hughes Insurance, who will remain as Chairman to oversee the transaction, advised: “The fit between Liberty and Hughes is perfect. I have been working in this industry for 50 years and founded Hughes Insurance nearly 40 years ago. Opportunities like these, when both companies share a vision and a culture of continual improvement, come along very rarely indeed. I am delighted that Liberty Insurance

has underlined their commitment to Northern Ireland by agreeing terms with Hughes Insurance. This is good news for our staff, for our customers and for the industry as a whole. In many respects it will be business as usual – as the current format of the business model, including the branch network and the brand will remain in place.” Welcoming the news, CEO of Liberty Insurance, Patrick O’Brien stated: “We are pleased to confirm Liberty Mutual’s continued commitment to Ireland. Over the past two years Liberty Insurance has built a substantial business in the Republic of Ireland. I believe Liberty’s acquisition of Hughes and our appointment as lead underwriter will enable us to build a leading presence in the Northern Ireland market through Hughes’ established network. Liberty Mutual has a long history in Northern

Ireland, having first invested in Northern Ireland in 1997 with the establishment of Liberty Information Technology, which now employs over 400 IT professionals.” CEO of Hughes Insurance, Gareth Brady commented: “This is a great development for both our customers and our employees, enabling us to grow our business further with the backing of one of the world’s leading insurers while maintaining our Northern Ireland identity. It also opens up a range of exciting opportunities for our talented workforce across Northern Ireland.” All contact details remain the same for Hughes Insurance customers, and they do not need to take any action as a result of this planned change of ownership. All remaining polices remain valid and at renewal, existing customers will be offered competitive terms for cover underwritten by Liberty Insurance.

Eye on Insurance

Managing a bright future for Hughes Insurance. Pictured (L-R) are Gareth Brady, Chief Executive, Hughes Insurance; Joe Hamilton, Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer, Liberty Mutual Insurance; Leslie Hughes, Chairman, Hughes Insurance; Pat O’Brien, Chief Executive Officer, Liberty Insurance and Gerry Shearer, Personal Lines Director, Hughes Insurance.

Profile

ince he established Hughes Insurance in 1977, Leslie Hughes has dedicated his professional life to transforming the insurance industry in Northern Ireland. The firm, established and based in Newtownards, was Northern Ireland’s largest independent insurance broker, before becoming part of Liberty Mutual Insurance, employing over 300 staff throughout a Northern Ireland wide branch network. Over 200 of these employees work in the Newtownards based HQ. Confidence and loyalty in the Hughes Insurance brand is so strong that 1 in 5 motorists throughout Northern Ireland are Hughes Insurance customers. Throughout its growth - Hughes Insurance has consistently contributed to the growth and revitalisation of the economy in Newtownards, County

Leslie Hughes, Chairman and Founder of Hughes Insurance

Down and Northern Ireland. The business model that Leslie pioneered nearly 40 years ago from his home in Newtownards, enabled UK based insurance companies to begin offering insurance products in Northern Ireland, a market they had previously considered too dangerous and risky to operate in, due to the perceived volatility during ‘The Troubles’. Through his perseverance and determination, Leslie convinced large UK Insurers, that Northern Ireland was not a no go area and that customers here should be treated the same as anywhere else. This contributed greatly to the overall external positive perception and normalisation of the Province, enabling insurance customers in Northern Ireland to be treated economically in the same way as any other Region of the UK. Leslie Hughes led by example and his commitment and vision is the reason why the insurance industry grew in Northern Ireland – eventually becoming one of leading service sector employers – creating and maintaining thousands of jobs and longer term careers. Major insurance providers, taking Leslie’s lead, entered Northern Ireland and are now some of the best known

brands in the Northern Ireland insurance market, alongside Hughes Insurance, employing hundreds of staff. These companies attribute their entry in Northern Ireland solely to the example set by Leslie Hughes. When other UK based insurance providers outsourced their telesales operations - Leslie consolidated his in Newtownards, privately investing £1.5 million in doubling the footprint of the company’s headquarters. This created further permanent, much needed local, long term employment when it was needed most. What sets Leslie Hughes apart is his modesty and firm belief in the potential of others. Throughout his 50 years in the business he has always been more comfortable in the background, nurturing and mentoring others, giving young people the opportunity to enhance their professional skills whilst encouraging them to make an active contribution to the communities they live in. Leslie has always believed people

are the biggest asset to his business and understood that they are central to both success in business and vital to making a positive impact on the community they work and live in. This philosophy has played a key role in developing Hughes Insurance as a hub for nurturing and developing local talent, establishing bespoke training facilities at Hughes Insurance (a first in the local insurance industry), that allows staff to enhance their potential by studying for the Chartered Institute of Insurance Certificate and Diploma. The company recently received the Aldermanbury Declaration from the Chartered Insurance Institute – acknowledging Hughes Insurance as a sector leader not just in Northern Ireland – but across the UK. His commitment to his team can be measured by the longevity of some his staff – there are 52 staff who have been with Hughes Insurance for over 10 years, 33 of whom have been with the company for over 20 years whilst five staff have been with the company over 25 years. One of his trusted team has recently celebrated their 30th anniversary with the company.

You can learn more about Liberty Mutual Insurance by visiting www.libertymutualinsurance.com For more on Hughes Insurance visit www.hughesinsurance.co.uk

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 John Graham has been appointed as Commercial Director for Lisburn based business Andrew Ingredients. He joins the business from Newry based Deli Lites where he was Financial Director. Prior to this he worked for KPMG as Manager in the Mergers and Acquisitions team and, for a number of years, was part of Grant Thornton’s corporate finance team.

1 John Graham

2 Kate Mingay

3 Chris Murray

Mutual Energy, the energy infrastructure company for Northern Ireland, has appointed 2 two key non-executive directors. Kate Mingay is a former Director at the UK Department of Transport and head of its infrastructure finance team. She also held corporate finance roles at Goldman Sachs and UBS, and is a senior adviser 3 to Cambridge Economics Policy Associates. Chris Murray is the former Chief Executive of Phoenix Natural Gas, who has also held senior positions in Transco/National Grid and as Xoserve. 4 Roisin Brennan has been appointed to the Board of UTV Media Plc as a Non-Executive Director, also becoming the Non-Executive Chair of UTV Ireland Ltd, the group’s new television channel in trhe Republic. She is a former Chief Executive of IBI Corporate Finance and is a director of DCC Plc and Coillte Teo.

4 Roisin Brennan

7 Mervyn McCormick

5 Brian McFetridge

8 Steven Galbraith

6 Helen Wall

9 Bob Shanks

5 Brian McFetridge has joined Muldoon & Co. Chartered Accountants to take on the role of Business Advisory Manager. Brian joins the firm from another mid-tier practice bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience, having worked with some of Northern Ireland’s largest commercial and charitable sector organisations. Close Brothers Commercial Finance has announced 6 the appointment of Helen Wall as Regional Sales Director, Invoice Finance, across Northern Ireland. Helen brings with her 20 years of experience and spent the past seven years as a portfolio manager for KBC Bank Ireland plc. Helen is a qualified accountant and her previous roles include Financial Controller for the Musgrave Group and Company Accountant for a leading Drinks Wholesaler. Equiniti ICS People AX have announced the following 7 appointments. Mervyn McCormick – Head of AX Business. Mervyn has been with Equiniti ICS for over 30 years and will head-up the delivery of PeopleAX, an HR and Payroll software solution, with associated services, which is Microsoft accredited and HMRC recognised, and offers effective strategic solutions for medium and large companies and organisations. 8 Steven Galbraith – Northern Ireland Sales/ Account Manager AX Business. With over 15 years experience at Equiniti ICS, Stevie will manage the sales function for the Northern Ireland market. 9 Bob Shanks has been appointed as Client Relationship Manager at CD Fairfield Capital. Bob’s responsibilities include initial client engagement and case consultancy in relation to property debt. Bob has over 20 years’ experience within various multi-national companies with specific expertise in the financial and banking sector. 10 Christine Brett joins CD Fairfield Capital as Case Manager. Christine has 9 years’ experience within the banking sector, specifically in the area of personal mortgages and banking regulations.

10 Christine Brett

11 Natasha McGurk

12 Mark McKeown

11 Natasha McGurk also joins CD Fairfield Capital as Case Manager. Natasha has over 8 years’ professional experience with HSBC working in roles including Mortgage Manager and also company Regional Trainer. 12 Mark McKeown has been appointed as Marketing and Social Media Manager with CD Fairfield Capital. Mark has over 4 years’ experience in the banking and marketing sector in both a professional and voluntary capacity. He has been appointed to oversee the company’s marketing strategy.

Eye on News

YARRA SOFTWARE ACCORDED BEST IN CLASS STATUS IN EUROPEAN MEDICINES MANAGEMENT A suite of medicine management software developed by Belfast-based Yarra Software has been recognised as best in class at European level.

arra has worked closely with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust Pharmacy and Medicines Management Centre over the last ten years developing software that improves patient safety and outcomes through the effective use of medicines. This collaboration has now been recognised by the European Innovations Partnership, a European Commission initiative, as the only current reference site for Medicines Management for Europe. The work at the centre achieved three out of four stars in the peer evaluation process. As yet there are no four star sites. Michael Martin, Business Development Director at Yarra Software, said: “Our success shows that performing R&D as private-public collaboration can make a real difference by delivering benefits to hospital patients. “We are pleased that as a local owned and managed company, Yarra was chosen to work with the Pharmacy and Medicines Management Centre at the Northern Trust and that, together, we have demonstrated we can lead the way in innovation in Europe.”

Professor Michael Scott, Head of the Pharmacy and Medicines Management Centre, said: “Yarra’s software has been integrated into our medicines management processes. It has provided effective enabling technologies to support the pharmacy team working with other healthcare professional colleagues to create a safer patient environment. It has also helped us deploy our resources in a more efficient manner.” Two hospital systems developed by Yarra were recently launched by Northern Ireland’s Health Minister, Mr Edwin Poots, who said they would help save patient’s lives through the effective use of antibiotics and other medicines. LAMPS - Live Automated Microbiology Pharmacy Surveillance System – seeks to improve patient outcomes through the appropriate use of antibiotics to treat infections. The system operates in real time in acute hospital and community settings to detect trends of antimicrobial resistant organisms, such as Clostridium Difficile and Meticillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). Monitoring these trends enables

clinicians to prescribe appropriate and effective antibiotics and improves patient safety. EMRS - Electronic Medicines Reconciliation System – supports the safe and effective use of medicine for hospital in-patients, allowing their medication details to be recorded in a uniform way in real time without the use of paper records. This reduces the risk of error, improves safety and ensures patients receive the right medicine, at the right dose and the right time to enable a quick recovery. Yarra has also developed Epics® software that provides clinical pharmacists with the ability to put the patient at

the centre of their processes, with patient safety being paramount. The system enables all interventions to be recorded for future review and learning. Speaking at the recent launch of the two hospital systems, Health Minister Edwin Poots said: “Medicines are the most common medical intervention within the Health and Social Care Service and it is essential that we have systems which support their safe and optimal use so that patients receive the right medicine at the right time. This will not only help them return to good health more quickly, reducing the time spent in hospital, but can also prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.”

DERRY HOTELIER COLLECTS MBE Derry hotelier Patsy O’Kane recently collected her MBE in recognition of her achievements and service to tourism and hospitality.

he owner and General Manager of the Beech Hill Country House Hotel travelled to Buckingham Palace where she was awarded the prestigious accolade by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne. Speaking about the award, Patsy said: “I am truly honoured to be awarded this MBE. Being presented with the award by Her

Royal Highness Princess Anne in the beautiful surroundings of Buckingham Palace is an experience that I will never forget. “This award is testament to my family’s hard work and dedication over the past 24 years to transform the Beech Hill into a luxurious four star hotel. Patsy’s family has owned

the Beech Hill Country House Hotel since 1989 and she undertaken a transformation of the Georgian home into a 30 bedroom destination of choice for leisure and corporate visitors. She can boast of having hosted several of the world’s most powerful people including Bill Clinton and wife and former US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, John Kerry and actor Will Ferrell. The award winning Beech Hill Country House Hotel is a luxurious four star country house built in

1729. It has 30 well appointed luxury bedrooms and a stylish restaurant that offers a country living dining experience set within 32 acres of woodland and lakes.

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PRESIDENT’S LUNCH PACKS A PUNCH Mentalist David Meade, left Ministers, MLA’s councillors and over 60 of Belfast’s top business people in the wake of his mind-boggling, world-class entertainment at the recent inaugural Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce President’s lunch.

osted in James Street South, by BCTC President, Paul McMahon, the event was a celebration of the work, achievements and progress made by the 101-year old Chamber and it’s 400 members in the past 12 months. Speaking at the event Paul McMahon said: “Belfast Chamber is now into its second century and has played an important role in our city over those years. “We are proud of our city and are keen to see her flourish and again become a world leader as she has done so eloquently in the past. “Like many we are seeing signs of recovery and a more positive attitude being sustained. We only have to look at positivity around this weekend’s events. Paul went on to discuss the

need for change to progress Belfast further, he continued, “We need our planning system reformed and in doing so we need an unambiguous town centre first policy enshrined in the new guidance. “We need the rates revaluation process to redistribute the rates burden away from the current punitive valuations placed on Belfast city centre and see a more fair levy applied to out of town and large format food stores on edge of towns. “We need to move on our capital infrastructure projects. Our road network needs major investment now around the M2/Westlink interchange to ensure it doesn’t create a barrier between the

titanic quarter and the city. “We need the remaining elements of an enhanced public transport network put in place “We need the car to be accepted as a vehicle of choice and for adequate affordable car parking provision to be made for those who wish to use it.” Paul was keen to ensure that the Ministers Ministers, MLA’s and councillors were assured that BCTC is grateful for the works that they have done. He continued, “We are grateful for the peace that you have built but from a business perspective we need you

to help build our city quickly, build for the future and put policies in place that truly drive a city first approach to secure the future of Belfast.” Paul explained that The Chamber has been engaged with the Northern Ireland Executive over the last number of years and through that good relationships they have been able to exchange ideas that have indeed helped businesses in Northern Ireland. For further information on becoming a member of Belfast Chamber of Trade & Commerce, contact Martina Connolly on 028 9024 2111.

Northern Ireland’s local agri-food sector. The partnership between Finnebrogue and Karro Food Group pays testament to the skills of NI’s farming community, the expertise of the local food processing sector and the quality of the region’s raw materials.” “While we’ve worked with both Finnebrogue and Karro on an individual basis, it is fantastic to see how they’ve collaborated to produce superior quality products which complement and enhance our Extra Special range.”

Denis Lynn from Finnebrogue added: “We are and will always remain an artisan food producer and we’re delighted that our innovative approach and quality-focus remains at the core of this new supply contract. This is also reflected in our partnership with Karro Food Group which, together with our transparent sourcing policies and welfarefriendly practices, delivers a highly sustainable premium sausage range for Asda customers across the UK.”

UK-WIDE ASDA CONTRACT PROVES ‘EXTRA SPECIAL’ FOR LOCAL FOOD COMPANIES In a major boost for Northern Ireland’s agri-food sector, two local businesses - Finnebrogue in Downpatrick and Karro Food Group in Cookstown - have partnered to secure a sizzling £multi-million UK contract with Asda to supply its entire range of Extra Special sausages and hot dogs.

he biggest own label contract to be won by any Northern Ireland Asda supplier to date – with an estimated 3 million packs set to sell throughout the summer months alone - the Extra Special sausage range will be available in over 400 stores across the UK. The growth of its own-label supply contracts has also resulted in job creation at Finnebrogue, which has recruited 60 new staff to help it meet product demand. The Extra Special range developed for Asda includes 22 different product lines ranging from New York City inspired Hot Dog Sausages to hot Louisiana Cajun

Spiced Sausages and smoky sweet Tennessee Barbeque Pork Sausages. Top quality pork sourced from highwelfare farms across Northern Ireland is initially prepared at Karro Food Group’s Cookstown plant. The meat is then transferred to the multi award-winning Finnebrogue estate in Downpatrick where the sausages are hand-made in small batches using only prime cuts from the shoulder and belly, and blended with natural flavourings and spices. Jim Viggars, head of meat quality for Asda said, “This is a highly significant contract and we’re delighted to announce the details at the Balmoral Show – the showcase event for

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SMALLER ENGINE, MORE POWER THAT’S THE NEW BMW M3! BMW is one of the few companies who could ‘downsize’ an engine from a 4.0 litre V8 to a twinturbo straight six-cylinder unit and end up with more power, more torque and more economy!

hat is the story of the latest M3 and its coupe cousin, the M4. Use of lighter materials such as carbon fibre in the roof and aluminium in the suspension have helped bring about this ‘miracle’. Has much been lost other than the rumble of the V8? The new car sizzles up to 62mph from rest in 4.1 seconds with the superb seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox getting there a tad quicker than the manual. All this is to its own special bellow!

The main benefits of the ‘smaller’ engine are to be seen in economy and emissions - with 32mpg on the Combined Cycle and emissions of 194g/km. Relative to the old car, this is progress though it is far from catching the eye of the Great Green God! I was surprised at the lack of protest from the tyres when 431bhp was applied quite violently. Credit goes to a sophisticated limited slip differential that anticipates wheel-spin. For enthusiastic

drivers, BMW provides a setting to allow some drifting but with a safety margin. Or you can turn off the stability control completely if you are brave! Experienced drivers will also like the way you can dial your drive mode on buttons beside the gear shift. These allow you to tailor reactions from the steering, suspension, and stability control to your preferences. For those taking their car on the track,

there is a £6,250 option of big ceramic brakes that are less likely to fade with brutal driving! A superb driving machine with great balance and precision - but at prices from £56,175, sales are likely to be in hundreds rather than thousands. So why do they bother? Well, this is a halo car that attracts buyers to the brand and helps sell a lot of Msport bits on the lesser models. All very clever.

CITROEN TARGETS EXECUTIVES WITH NEW C4 GRAND PICASSO

Citroen has gained quite a niche with its Picasso pack family people carriers, but can it now carve out a place in the business world against the likes of the Ford S-MAX and Galaxy?

y press car was short on modesty with a Nappa leather ‘serenity pack’, metallic paint, xenon headlamps and Park Assist on top of its already lavish ‘Exclusive’ spec bringing the price tag up to a cheeky £31K! Well, the new 2.0 litre Blue HDi turbo diesel is certainly a step in the right direction for business drivers. It has a useful 150bhp to offer and that gives an impressive 10.2 second dash to 62mph. Another executive touch is a sixspeed conventional automatic gearbox with paddle controls - a bit incongruous in this type of vehicle but giving slick changes. Company car users will like the critical figures for the Blue HDi. It returns 61mpg on the Combined Cycle and emits a modest 120g/ km. This slots it into the 19% benefit in kind rating and means

zero road tax in the first year. Insurance is in Group 25E. This is the flagship model, of course, and there are lesser versions at lower prices that will appeal more to the company accountant. The 1.6 turbo diesel is the chief miser with an 89bhp e-HDi version that may struggle with the C4 Picasso’s bulk but returns 74mpg and 89g/km with its automated manual gearbox. There is also a familiar 114bhp turbo diesel, at just 110g/km, that could be a compromise choice. All the diesels have stop-start and an auto option of some sort. Inside, the Picasso has a space age look with touch screen and instruments offset to the centre of the dash. There are three rows of seats and a lot of plush features. It scores on comfort but is perhaps not just as focussed as those Fords.

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DFC is Northern Ireland’s only major independent locally owned Vehicle management company, for over 25 years DFC have supplied, funded and managed cars and vans.

We are confident we can provide a cost effective solution for your business or individual needs. Don’t take our word for it, let our customers be the judge. Here’s what they say… “ My fellow Directors car broke down in Dublin on a Saturday. He was relieved to speak to a DFC operations staff member not an answering machine. They promptly organised recovery and a courtesy vehicle. The Operations Team were exceptional in a very stressful situation.” Peter Walker, CEO, Walker Communications

“ We really appreciate Annette, DFCs Customer Care Managers quarterly meetings. These keep us up to date with mileage reports, relevant information and she takes care of any issues we have regarding our fleet.” William Dorrian General Manager and Director, Arjo Huntleigh

“ The fleet management programme that DFC introduced to us with regard to running our fleet has been very cost effective. We can have as much or as little information as we need when required from the Customer Care Manager. We have found that what makes DFC standout from the crowd is their exceptional level of service especially out of hours.” David McConkey, Managing Director, Crane Communications Ltd

“ In the past we had always bought our vehicles outright until DFC explained the advantages of Contract Hire. DFC’s access to unlimited funding and their incredible deals on both cars and vans made the process of choosing my vehicles straightforward. This is now our third change cycle spanning 12 years and I would definitely recommend DFC for all your vehicle needs.” Calvin Wilson, Managing Director, Metal Technology Ltd

“ Can you please pass on my compliments regarding Tony the driver from DFC who collects my car for servicing. He is pleasant, courteous,friendly and professional and I always feel better after meeting him. He presents a brilliant image for your company and I just thought I would give you some feedback” Gordon Ireland, Director, Equiniti ICS Limited

“ Now a days so many companies are owned by PLCs so it was refreshing to meet the owners of DFC Uel Butler and Peter Shaw who like myself have a locally owned business. With their approachable friendly and professional manner Uel and Peter took time when meeting with me to ensure that my company was being looked after to the highest standard. “ John Cunningham, Partner, KBS Group

Call us today for more information on our car and van offers on 028 9073 4222 or email sales@dfcbelfast.co.uk 88

Supplying cars and vans to the business community

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DFC is Northern Ireland’s only major independent vehicle management company. Based in Belfast, DFC advises business owners about the best vehicle options for their needs.

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FIAT WHEELS OUT A ‘BIG’ 500 TO COMPETE WITH COUNTRYMAN Space and style are what the Fiat 500L Trekking are about. My bright yellow example certainly caught the eye as something rather different. It is an Italian take on the ‘big’ MINI Countryman.

hile it does not have all-wheel drive, the high-slung Trekking has a few features that help when you are off the road. There is a Traction plus system that switches drive between the two driven front wheels that allows you to ‘waddle’ out of sticky spots. Mud and snow tyres are also fitted as standard.

Inside, the first impression is of sheer roominess with lots of stowage spaces. Finish is quite impressive too and with a few quirks. This is a more practical machine than its butch cosmetics would suggest. City Brake Control is standard - so the car will stop itself at lower speeds if it detects an obstacle such as a pedestrian.

The 1.6 litre turbo diesel engine provides steady if not exciting performance. It takes 12 seconds to reach 62mph from rest. When pressed, the engine lets you know it is there, but is more subdued on motorway cruising. But the bot-tom line is quite respectable with 60mpg combined and emissions of 122g/km. Other engine choices include the 900cc Twin Air petrol engine and 1.3-litre turbo diesel.

So we have the makings of a decent company runabout here with cheeky looks to attract attention to your business. Bigger than a MINI but smaller than a Yeti it is priced from just over £17K. Kit includes a panoramic sunroof, a touch screen, hill start control, dual zone air con, parking beepers and automatic lights and wipers. That is a lot of gear on a stylish machine that can still do a sterling day’s work.

a big towing ability of 3500kg. Given the size and power of the vehicle, you have to admire how its handling remains unruffled. Of course, it is not a sports car but it can move get more sharply than most of them when needed. Off roading is made simpler by the latest Dynamic Response system - you just dial in the type

of terrain and the car works out the best use of its four wheel technology to cope. There are front and rear view cameras for negotiating tight spots. The Autobiography model that I drove is priced from £94,700 and has a lavish spec as befits a captain of industry. Nice work if you can get it.

NEW RANGE ROVER OFFERS LAP OF LUXURY - AT A PRICE! Few cars can quite match the sheer feel good factor of driving a Range Rover. Riding high, floating over the bumps, enjoying the effortless performance and knowing that you can tackle almost any kind of terrain all make for an impressive experience.

he newest model has simpler, more understated looks but is still instantly recognisable as a Range Rover. An aluminium monocoque body is among the weight saving measures that have been taken, but this is still a big, heavy car by any comparison. Above all, it is about luxury with air suspension and a host of refinements. My car had a mighty V8 turbo diesel engine, whisper quiet most of the time but with a more

urgent note when pressed. Good enough to propel this mobile sun room to 62mph in under 7 seconds. Stated urban mpg is 32 with emissions of 229g/ km - good for its power and bulk but unlikely to bring much sympathy from the tax man! Other engine options include a more sensible V6 diesel and an even more potent supercharged V8 petrol. (A diesel hybrid is planned.) But the V8 engine just seems to take everything in its stride with

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A natural winner, New Insignia has just been awarded ‘Fleet Car of the Year’ by Business Eye. With class-leading CO2 emissions of just 98g/km*, its sensational economy also comes with superb standard features such as alloy wheels, Bluetooth®, cruise control, CD/MP3 CD player and USB connectivity.

VAUXHALL FLEET Visit www.vauxhall.co.uk/fleet

Official Government Test Environmental Data. Fuel consumption figures mpg (litres/100km) and CO2 emissions (g/km). New Insignia range: Urban 24.8 (11.4)-62.8 (4.5), Extra-urban 46.3 (6.1)-88.3 (3.2), Combined 34.9 (8.1)-76.3 (3.7). CO2 emissions 189-98g/km.

Official EU-regulated test data are provided for comparison purposes and actual performance will depend on driving style, road conditions and other non-technical factors. † = 2014-15 tax year. General Motors UK Limited, trading as Vauxhall Motors, does not offer tax advice and recommends that all Company Car Drivers consult their own accountant with regards to their particular tax position. (May 2014).

STRAIGHT TO BUSINESS Be in a taxi or on the DLR within 15 minutes of landing in the heart of London. Belfast City Airport to London City Airport. New from Flybe. On sale now, for travel from 27.10.14.

Average direct journey time as sourced from www.flybe.com/proof. Advance purchase may be required. Available for travel from 27.10.14 until 28.03.15, subject to availability. Route information correct at time of going to print. No debit card fees apply. Bookings made by credit card will incur a fee of 3% of the total transaction value, with a minimum charge of ÂŁ5.00 per booking.